bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an Intravenous Potassium Dosing Algorithm for Hypokalemic Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Johnston Corry T. , Maish George O. , Minard Gayle , Croce Martin A. , Dickerson Roland N.
Published: August 2015

Purpose: The intent of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an intravenous (IV) potassium (K) dosing algorithm for hypokalemic critically ill trauma patients. Methods: Adult patients, admitted to the trauma intensive care unit from June 2010 to October 2012 and who received IV K therapy according to a standardized dosing algorithm, were retrospectively evaluated. Patients who received IV K during resuscitation or following initiation of nutrition therapy, IV fluids containing >20 mEq/L of potassium, or medications known to alter K homeostasis or those with an arterial pH change >0.1, diarrhea, hypomagnesemia, renal impairment, or morbid obesity were excluded. Results: In total, 715 patients were reviewed to obtain 100 evaluable patients. Serum K for patients with mild depletion (serum K, 3.5–3.9 mEq/L, n = 74) remained unchanged at 0.0 ± 0.3 mEq/L (P = ns) following 46 ± 8 mEq. Serum K increased by 0.4 ± 0.3 mEq/L (P = .001) following 78 ± 18 mEq during moderate depletion (serum K, 3–3.4 mEq/L). None of the patients experienced hyperkalemia (serum K, >5.2 mEq/L) postinfusion. The presence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) blunted the response to IV K for mild K depletion as only 26% had an increase in serum K compared with 55% of patients without TBI (P = .025). Conclusions: The Nutrition Support Service–guided IV K dosing algorithm was safe for patients with mild and moderate hypokalemia and efficacious for those with moderate hypokalemia. Further study in patients with severe hypokalemia (serum K, <3 mEq/L) is warranted.
Big data interfaces and the problem of inclusion
Authors: Chan Anita
Published: August 2015

A commentary on ‘Critical Questions for Big Data’ and the projection in the article of how ‘limited access to big data creates new digital divides’. Pressing questions are indeed proliferating around not only what the actual relationship is between data and real world user behavior but also around defining what the very practices, knowledge sets, legal and technological infrastructures, and social norms are that guide the work of big data as a field itself. But how much of a difference does it make for academics and academic institutions to gain access to big data when the logics of commerce and commercial enclosure around data management, collection, and use are what increasingly get privileged?
Angina in left main coronary artery occlusion by pulmonary artery aneurysm
Authors: Nesta Marialisa , Cammertoni Federico , Mangini Stefano , Colizzi Christian , Bruno Piergiorgio , Massetti Massimo
Published: August 2015

A 51-year-old woman with exercise angina and a history of pulmonary artery hypertension related to a previous pulmonary thromboembolism, was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography and coronary angiography showed a 95-mm aneurysm of the main pulmonary artery, which totally occluded the left main coronary artery.

After a multidisciplinary evaluation, we recommended heart-lung transplantation, but the patient refused any kind of surgical procedure. Due to the chronic occlusion, stenting of the left main coronary artery was unfeasible. With no other options available, we could only start pulmonary antihypertensive therapy. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient reported relief of her angina.
(Neo)Liberalism, popular media, and the political struggle for the future of US public education
Authors: Peck Janice
Published: August 2015

The idea that the US public school system is ‘broken’ and needs reform has become commonplace over the past three decades. The article argues that the quest to transform public education revolves around powerful intersecting forces: ideational activism by education entrepreneurs, financial backing from billionaire philanthropists and hedge fund managers, bipartisan political endorsement, a compliant press and receptive culture industries. The aim of these combined forces, in which media play a central role and liberal tropes of freedom, choice and equality of opportunity are prevalent, is to build ideological consensus around private and market alternatives to public education.
Informed Decision Making
Authors: Holmes-Rovner Margaret , Montgomery Jeffrey S. , Rovner David R. , Scherer Laura D. , Whitfield Jesse , Kahn Valerie C. , Merkle Edgar C. , Ubel Peter A. , Fagerlin Angela
Published: August 2015

Introduction. Little is known about how physicians present diagnosis and treatment planning in routine practice in preference-sensitive treatment decisions. We evaluated completeness and quality of informed decision making in localized prostate cancer post biopsy encounters. Methods. We analyzed audio-recorded office visits of 252 men with presumed localized prostate cancer (Gleason 6 and Gleason 7 scores) who were seeing 45 physicians at 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Data were collected between September 2008 and May 2012 in a trial of 2 decision aids (DAs). Braddock’s previously validated Informed Decision Making (IDM) system was used to measure quality. Latent variable models for ordinal data examined the relationship of IDM score to treatment received. Results. Mean IDM score showed modest quality (7.61±2.45 out of 18) and high variability. Treatment choice and risks and benefits were discussed in approximately 95% of encounters. However, in more than one-third of encounters, physicians provided a partial set of treatment options and omitted surveillance as a choice. Informing quality was greater in patients treated with surveillance (β = 1.1, p = .04). Gleason score (7 vs 6) and lower age were often cited as reasons to exclude surveillance. Patient preferences were elicited in the majority of cases, but not used to guide treatment planning. Encounter time was modestly correlated with IDM score ( r = 0.237, p = .01). DA type was not associated with IDM score. Discussion. Physicians informed patients of options and risks and benefits, but infrequently engaged patients in core shared decision-making processes. Despite patients having received DAs, physicians rarely provided an opportunity for preference-driven decision making. More attention to the underused patient decision-making and engagement elements could result in improved shared decision making.
Does Introducing Imprecision around Probabilities for Benefit and Harm Influence the Way People Value Treatments?
Authors: Bansback Nick , Harrison Mark , Marra Carlo
Published: August 2015

Background. Imprecision in estimates of benefits and harms around treatment choices is rarely described to patients. Variation in sampling error between treatment alternatives (e.g., treatments have similar average risks, but one treatment has a larger confidence interval) can result in patients failing to choose the option that is best for them. The aim of this study is to use a discrete choice experiment to describe how 2 methods for conveying imprecision in risk influence people’s treatment decisions. Methods. We randomized a representative sample of the Canadian general population to 1 of 3 surveys that sought choices between hypothetical treatments for rheumatoid arthritis based on different levels of 7 attributes: route and frequency of administration, chance of benefit, serious and minor side effects and life expectancy, and imprecision in benefit and side-effect estimates. The surveys differed in the way imprecision was described: 1) no imprecision, 2) quantitative description based on a range with a visual graphic, and 3) qualitative description simply describing the confidence in the evidence. Results. The analyzed data were from 2663 respondents. Results suggested that more people understood imprecision when it was described qualitatively (88%) versus quantitatively (68%). Respondents who appeared to understand imprecision descriptions placed high value on increased precision regarding the actual benefits and harms of treatment, equivalent to the value placed on the information about the probability of serious side effects. Both qualitative and quantitative methods led to small but significant increases in decision uncertainty for choosing any treatment. Limitations included some issues in defining understanding of imprecision and the use of an internet survey of panel members. Conclusions. These findings provide insight into how conveying imprecision information influences patient treatment choices.
Supporting Children’s Learning of Probability Through Video Game Programming
Authors: Akpinar Yavuz , Aslan Ümit
Published: August 2015

Teaching programming and creating games have attracted much attention over the years, mostly the attention of curriculum developers and teachers. This study designed and developed a video game-based intervention, then investigated the effects of this intervention on middle school students’ learning of probability concepts. In the study, the students learned and used Scratch as a game programming tool. Initially, they received hands-on learning activities on how to use Scratch, and then developed video games based on scenarios authored by the researchers. The study collected quantitative as well as qualitative data using two different measurement tools: probability achievement test and student project assessment rubric, respectively. The data revealed that students were able to learn and use Scratch and develop probability-related and probability-based algorithms that generate random results successfully. The effect of Scratch intervention on students’ learning of probability was statistically significant. Findings were discussed in relation to similar studies reported in the literature. Finally, the study raised a set of further research questions in the Conclusion section.
Affordable by Design? Inclusionary Housing Insights from Southern California
Authors: Garde Ajay
Published: August 2015

Many local governments face the challenge of addressing the shortage of affordable housing. This study examines the effectiveness of incentives and construction alternatives available from Southern California cities and those used by developers to address the need for affordable housing, using a survey research method. The results suggest that while density bonus ranks highest among the incentives available from cities, other incentives—design flexibility, subsidies, and fast-track processing—contribute considerably but were not available from many cities. Because few municipalities can offer subsidies, planners might offer no-cost incentives such as design flexibility and fast-track processing to encourage inclusionary housing.
Large-Scale Implementation of Check-In, Check-Out
Authors: Hawken Leanne S. , Bundock Kaitlin , Barrett Courtenay A. , Eber Lucille , Breen Kimberli , Phillips Danielle
Published: August 2015

Check-In, Check-Out (CICO) is one of the most widely implemented Tier 2 behavior interventions in a school-wide system of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Much literature has documented implementation of CICO across individual schools or districts. The Illinois PBIS Network, currently known as the Midwest PBIS Network, has provided extensive training and technical assistance (TA) on CICO with more than 400 schools in more than 125 districts. The purpose of this descriptive study was to detail the training process for implementation of CICO across 441 schools, evaluate student success based on Daily Progress Reports (DPRs), and document fidelity and implementation on a subset of 41 elementary and 13 middle schools. Results indicated more than 80% of students earned at least 80% of their DPR points, the majority of schools implemented CICO with more than 70% fidelity, and schools were able to support between 7% and 12% of student population on CICO. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are included.
Epilepsy Following Neonatal Seizures Secondary to Hemorrhagic Stroke in Term Neonates
Authors: Venkatesan Charu , Millichap John J. , Krueger Jena M. , Nangia Srishti , Ritacco David G. , Stack Cynthia , Nordli Douglas R.
Published: August 2015

Intracranial hemorrhage accounts for about 50% of all pediatric stroke. Studies of term infants with intracranial hemorrhage have shown favorable motor and cognitive outcome. The goal of this study was to examine the risk of developing epilepsy in full-term infants with intracranial hemorrhage. A retrospective study was performed of term neonates (greater than or equal to 37 weeks gestation) with intracranial hemorrhage and confirmed seizures. Fifteen patients with intracranial hemorrhage and neonatal seizures were identified. Four patients did not have follow-up information beyond the neonatal period (1 death, 3 lost to follow-up after initial clinic visit). The average follow-up period for the remaining 11 patients was approximately 22 months. Ten out of the 11 patients (91%) who were followed were seizure-free and off antiepileptic medications. One patient required a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and subsequently developed infantile spasms. The authors found that overall outcome was favorable with respect to development of epilepsy.
Cerebellar Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Sundberg Maria , Sahin Mustafa
Published: August 2015

Approximately 50% of patients with the genetic disease tuberous sclerosis complex present with autism spectrum disorder. Although a number of studies have investigated the link between autism and tuberous sclerosis complex, the etiology of autism spectrum disorder in these patients remains unclear. Abnormal cerebellar function during critical phases of development could disrupt functional processes in the brain, leading to development of autistic features. Accordingly, the authors review the potential role of cerebellar dysfunction in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder in tuberous sclerosis complex. The authors also introduce conditional knockout mouse models of Tsc1 and Tsc2 that link cerebellar circuitry to the development of autistic-like features. Taken together, these preclinical and clinical investigations indicate the cerebellum has a profound regulatory role during development of social communication and repetitive behaviors.
College Students’ Reactions to Participating in Relational Trauma Research: A Mixed Methodological Study
Authors: Edwards Katie M. , Neal Angela M. , Dardis Christina M. , Kelley Erika L. , Gidycz Christine A. , Ellis Gary
Published: August 2015

Using a mixed methodology, the present study compared men’s and women’s perceived benefits and emotional reactions with participating in research that inquired about child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration. Participants consisted of 703 college students (357 women, 346 men), ages 18 to 25 who reported on their childhood maltreatment, adolescent and adult IPV victimization and perpetration, and their reactions (perceived benefits and emotional effects) to participating. Participants’ reactions to participating were assessed using quantitative scales, as well as open-ended written responses that were content coded by researchers. Women reported more personal benefits from research, whereas men and women reported similar levels of emotional reactions to research participation. Furthermore, greater frequencies of child maltreatment and IPV victimization were related to higher levels of emotional reactions. Common self-identified reasons for emotional reactions (e.g., not liking to think about abuse in general, personal victimization experiences) and benefits (e.g., reflection and awareness about oneself, learning about IPV) were also presented and analyzed. These data underscore the importance of future research that examines the behavioral impact of research participation utilizing longitudinal and in-depth qualitative methodologies. Findings also highlight the potential psychoeducational value of research on understanding the reasons underlying participants’ benefits and emotional effects.
The Roles of Traditional Gender Myths and Beliefs About Beating on Self-Reported Partner Violence
Authors: Husnu Shenel , Mertan Biran E.
Published: August 2015

The aim of the current study was to investigate the roles of beliefs about beating, traditional gender myth endorsement, ambivalent sexism, and perceived partner violence in determining an individual’s own reported violence toward his or her partner. The sample consisted of 205 (117 women; 88 men) Turkish and Turkish Cypriot undergraduate students, aged between 16 and 29 years. Participants completed measures of beliefs about beating, traditional gender myth endorsement, and ambivalent sexism and rated the extent to which they experienced abusive behaviors from their partner as well as the extent to which they were themselves abusive to their partners. Results showed that positive beliefs about beating, endorsing traditional gender myths, and experiencing partner abuse were all predictive of self-reported abuse to one’s partner. Furthermore, the relationship between myth endorsement and self-abusive behavior was mediated by beliefs toward beating—only in men. Results are discussed in light of the traditional gender system evident in Turkish societal makeup.
Self-repairing design process applied to a 4-bar linkage mechanism
Authors: Bell Colin , Farnsworth Michael , Knowles James , Tiwari Ashutosh
Published: August 2015

Despite significant advances in modelling and design, mechanical systems almost inevitably fail at some point during their operative life. This can be due to a pre-existing design flaw, which is usually overcome in a revision, or more commonly due to some unexpected damage during operation. To overcome a failure during operation, a new method in designing machines or systems is proposed that creates a result, that is, resilient to both expected and unexpected failure. By shifting the focus from a detailed assessment of the underlying cause of failure to how that failure will manifest, a system becomes inherently resilient against a wide range of failure modes. The proposed process involves five steps: cause, detection, diagnosis, confirmation and correction. This is demonstrated with an application to a generic 4 bar linkage mechanism. Through this process, the system is able to return to a near perfect state even after a permanent deformation occurs in the mechanism. These results show the potential that this self-repairing design process has applications including robotics, manufacturing and other systems.
There’s More to Ethics Than Justice and Harm
Authors: Knowlton Steven , McKinley J. Christopher
Published: August 2015

Most applied ethics training in journalism in the West follows Enlightenment-era, reason-based ethical principles: Justice is intrinsically better than injustice (Kant), and the best choice is achieving the best outcome for all concerned (Mill). Recent scholarship in ethics suggests that ethics is much broader than this. This article examines a set of news stories to see whether journalism ethics can usefully be analyzed using more than the justice and harm principles. The answer is yes. This has implications for journalism ethics both in the Enlightenment-based West and in parts of the world where ethics is not dominated by reason.
Mobile Media Best Practices
Authors: Madison Ed
Published: August 2015

Digital publications now provide immersive interactive experiences for users of tablets and other mobile media devices. The ever-changing technology challenges educators to adapt curricula to better prepare students for an uncertain future. This article chronicles the creation of award-winning OR Magazine at University of Oregon, which was acknowledged by Adobe in 2011 as the first student-produced digital magazine for the iPad. It explores best practices for establishing communities of practice within student work teams and for inspiring innovation.
Caregiver’s Country of Birth Is a Significant Determinant of Accurate Perception of Preschool-Age Children’s Weight
Authors: Natale Ruby , Uhlhorn Susan B. , Lopez-Mitnik Gabriela , Camejo Stephanie , Englebert Nicole , Delamater Alan M. , Messiah Sarah E.
Published: August 2015

Background. One in four preschool-age children in the United States are currently overweight or obese. Previous studies have shown that caregivers of this age group often have difficulty accurately recognizing their child’s weight status. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with accurate/inaccurate perception of child body mass index (BMI) among a multicultural sample of caregivers who were predominantly low-income and foreign-born. Methods. A total of 980 caregivers (72% Hispanic, 71% born outside of the United States) of preschool-age children ( N = 1,105) were asked if their child was normal weight, overweight, or obese. Answers were compared to actual child BMI percentile category via chi-square analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of accurate perception of child BMI percentile category. Results. More than one third of preschoolers were either overweight (18.4%) or obese (16.5%). The majority (92%) of caregivers of an overweight/obese child inaccurately perceived that their child was in a normal BMI category. Overall, foreign-born caregivers were significantly less likely to accurately perceive their child’s BMI percentile category versus U.S.-born caregivers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.48-0.88). Specifically, those born in South America (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.36-0.98), Central America/Mexico (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.41-0.85), and Caribbean Hispanic nations (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.35-0.83) were significantly less likely to accurately perceive their child’s BMI category versus U.S.-born caregivers. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that foreign-born caregivers of U.S. preschool-age overweight/obese children in particular do not accurately perceive their child’s BMI status. Health care professionals serving foreign-born caregivers may consider additional culturally appropriate healthy weight counseling for these families.
Block Grants and Education Expenditure
Authors: Ferede Ergete , Islam Shahidul
Published: August 2015

This article investigates the effects of block grants on education expenditures using panel data from Canadian provinces over the period 1982 to 2008. Our main empirical identification strategy relies on the use of the allocation formula for equalization grant—a component of the Canadian federal block grant. The results indicate that block grants have stimulative effects on provincial education expenditure. Our results suggest that a one dollar increase in per capita federal grants is associated with an increase in per capita education expenditure of about Can$0.21, which is roughly proportional to the share of education in total provincial spending. The results are robust to various sensitivity checks.
Crowdsourcing: Global search and the twisted roles of consumers and producers
Authors: Bauer Robert M. , Gegenhuber Thomas
Published: August 2015

Crowdsourcing spreads and morphs quickly, shaping areas as diverse as creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge; producing digital artifacts; providing services involving tangible assets; or monitoring and evaluating. Crowdsourcing as sourcing by means of ‘global search’ yields four types of values for sourcing actors: creative expertise, critical items, execution capacity, and bargaining power. It accesses cheap excess capacities at the work realm’s margins, channeling them toward production. Provision and utilization of excess capacities rationalize society while intimately connecting to a broader societal trend twisting consumers’ and producers’ roles: leading toward ‘working consumers’ and ‘consuming producers’ and shifting power toward the latter. Similarly, marketers using crowdsourcing’s look and feel to camouflage traditional approaches to bringing consumers under control preserve producer power.
Organizations and their consumers: Bridging work and consumption
Authors: Gabriel Yiannis , Korczynski Marek , Rieder Kerstin
Published: August 2015

The last 20 years or so have seen a far-reaching reconfiguration of the characters that dominate the world of organizations. For much of its life, the study of organizations was dominated by two central characters, the manager and the worker, whose relationship with all its tensions, conflicts and accommodations unfolded with within a broader environment of markets, governments, shareholders, social institutions, technological forces and so forth. In recent years, however, there has been a substantial movement to change the two-actor show into a three-actor show, the organizational dyad into a triad. The newcomer to the stage has been the consumer, a character whose whims, habits, desires and practices are no longer seen as ‘impacting on’ the activities of managers and workers from the outside, but increasingly as defining them. This introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Organizations and their Consumers’ examines the ramifications of the rise of the consumer and the hegemony of global markets for (1) the nature of organizations and their management, (2) the employees and the labour process and (3) the consumers themselves as they increasingly find themselves doing work, usually unpaid, on behalf of organizations.
Stuart Hall from/in Latin America
Authors: Mato Daniel
Published: August 2015

This article discusses how Hall’s ideas have been taken up readily, rigorously and critically by scholars and intellectuals in Latin America who can be considered trailblazers in the field of Latin American Cultural Studies and those that followed, as well as others who undertake critical work but refuse the Cultural Studies label, and finally others whose work could readily be identified as Cultural Studies but who have not been taken up as such. This analysis leads to the conclusion that it would be simplistic to constrain the discussion of the significance of Hall’s ideas in Latin America to the field of so-called Latin American Cultural Studies; rather this needs to be seen in more complex ways.
Encoding/decoding, the transmission model and a court of law
Authors: Tomaselli Keyan
Published: August 2015

Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model is discussed in terms of C.S. Peirce’s theory of the interpreter and interpretant. This historical semiotic window frames an example to which the Hall model was applied in South Africa to oppose a military dirty tricks campaign that involved a Supreme Court case brought against the Minister of Defence by the End Conscription Campaign requiring him to cease his disinformation against the ECC. The minister’s own expert had proposed a transmission model of communication that was defeated by the Peirce-Hall combination. The author argues that the model can be massively strengthened when combined with Peirceian semiotics.
Stuart Hall, the British multicultural question and the case of western jihadi brides
Authors: Weedon Chris
Published: August 2015

This article explores Stuart Hall’s approach to what he calls the ‘multicultural question’. It identifies what we can take forward from Hall’s work by bringing a productive and politically useful form of Cultural Studies to bear on multi-ethnic societies that are riven by problematic and sometimes violent responses to difference. In the light of Hall’s practice of thinking theory in relation to specific social issues and theorizing through case studies, the article looks at how one might approach the question of the appeal of Islamism to young western Muslims, increasing numbers of whom are leaving their homes and communities to pursue jihad or, in the case of women, to marry Islamist jihadi fighters in Syria and Iraq.
Upset in Response to a Sibling’s Partner’s Infidelity
Authors: Hellstrand Dafni , Chrysochoou Elisavet
Published: August 2015

Existing evidence suggests that the psychological design of romantic jealousy differs for men and women: Men are more likely than women to report greater upset in response to a partner’s sexual than emotional infidelity, whereas women are more likely than men to report greater upset in response to a partner’s emotional than sexual infidelity. However, the observed sex difference can be explained after the fact by both an evolutionary analysis of past reproductive costs and a social constructionist analysis of social and gender role training. Attempting to disentangle these competing perspectives, researchers have measured participants’ upset in response to a sibling’s or a child’s partner’s infidelities. In contrast to what a socialization perspective would predict, participants’ sex did not seem to affect their responses; the key variable was the sex of the sibling or the child, in line with a heuristic application of the evolutionary perspective. The present study attempted not only to test these competing hypotheses but also to extend previous work by involving participants with a gay or lesbian sibling and examining whether participants’ responses are triggered by their sibling’s or sibling’s partner’s sex. In line with an evolutionary perspective, participants’ sex did not assert an effect on their responses. The key variable seemed to be the sex of the sibling (rather than the sex of the sibling’s partner), with participants reporting greater levels of upset in response to the sexual than emotional infidelity of a gay brother’s partner and to the emotional than sexual infidelity of a lesbian sister’s partner. The ensuing discussion offers suggestions for future work on sex-specific triggers of jealousy.
Sexuality, Third-Party Harms, and the “Live-and-Let-Live” Approach to Religious Exemptions
Authors: Ball Carlos A.
Published: August 2015

For several years now, a group of prominent religious liberty scholars in the United States have been defending what they call a “live-and-let-live” approach to accommodating religious dissent in the era of marriage equality. The proposed approach calls on the state to avoid taking sides on contested moral issues when individuals of faith claim that their religious beliefs require them to refrain from facilitating marriages by same-sex couples. The objective, it is argued, is to adopt policies that allow both sides to live according to their values. This article critiques the “live-and-let-live” solution to religious exemptions from LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) equality measures by focusing on questions of harms. It argues that the proposed approach calls for a weighing of harms that is largely unprecedented in the history of American antidiscrimination law and problematic in its own right. The article also explains that the approach is premised on questionable assumptions and predictions about the absence of any meaningful harm to LGBT individuals when business owners provide goods and services to the general public, but refuse to do so for same-sex couples on religious grounds.
MyD88-dependent pro-inflammatory activity in Vi polysaccharide vaccine against typhoid promotes Ab switching to IgG
Authors: Garg Rohini , Akhade Ajay Suresh , Yadav Jitender , Qadri Ayub
Published: August 2015

Vi capsular polysaccharide is currently in use as a vaccine against human typhoid caused by Salmonella Typhi. The vaccine efficacy correlates with IgG anti-Vi Abs. We have recently reported that Vi can generate inflammatory responses through activation of the TLR2/TLR1 complex. In the present study, we show that immunization with Vi produces IgM as well as IgG Abs in wild type mice. This ability is not compromised in mice deficient in T cells. However, immunization of mice lacking the TLR adaptor protein, MyD88, with Vi elicits only IgM Abs. These results suggest that MyD88-dependent pro-inflammatory ability of the Vi vaccine might be vital in generating IgG Abs with this T-independent Ag.
Comparison of conventional risk factors in middle-aged versus elderly diabetic and nondiabetic patients with myocardial infarction: prediction with decision–analytic model
Authors: Mahmoodi Mohammad Reza , Baneshi Mohammad Reza , Rastegari Azam
Published: August 2015

Background:

We sought to predict occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) by means of a classification and regression tree (CART) model by conventional risk factors in middle-aged versus elderly (age ⩾65years) diabetic and nondiabetic patients from the Modares Heart Study.

Method:

A total of 469 patients were randomly selected and categorized into two groups according to clinical diabetes status. Group I consisted of 238 diabetic patients and group II consisted of 231 nondiabetic patients. Our population was MI positive. The outcome investigated was diabetes mellitus. We used a decision–analytic model to predict the diagnosis of patients with suspected MI.

Results:

We constructed 4 predictive patterns using 12 input variables and 1 output variable in terms of their sensitivity, specificity and risk. The differences among patterns were due to inclusion of predictor variables. The CART model suggested different variables of hypertension, mean cell volume, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride and uric acid concentration based on middle-aged and elderly patients at high risk for MI. Levels of biochemical measurements identified as best risk cutoff points. In evaluating the precision of different patterns, sensitivity and specificity were 47.9–84.0% and 56.3–93.0%, respectively.

Conclusions:

The CART model is capable of symbolizing interpretable clinical data for confirming and better prediction of MI occurrence in clinic or in hospital. Therefore, predictor variables in pattern could affect the outcome based on age group variable. Hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperuricemia were serious predictors for occurrence of MI in diabetics.
Enumeration of the Schools and Students of Public Health in Canada
Authors: Jung James , Alexandre Bonaventure , Sarker Sabah , La Prairie André
Published: August 2015

Canada has experienced a growing trend in university public health education since the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003. However, the number of universities offering undergraduate and graduate public health degrees has not been accurately enumerated. Our study objectives were to quantify the university public health programs in Canada, examine the number of students graduating from these programs, and identify any trends and gaps. Websites of Canadian universities were reviewed to identify public health degree programs. We examined their academic units, degrees offered, year of establishment, references to public health core competencies, offerings of continuing education, and accreditation status. The faculties were contacted via survey, email, and/or phone to obtain the number of students issued a degree. We identified 36 faculties in 32 universities in Canada offering public health–related programs (four faculties offered programs accredited by a public health association). At present, 17 universities offer Master of Public Health degrees, representing over a threefold increase since 2003. We observed a twofold increase in the number of undergraduate and graduate public health students in the past 5 years. About two thirds of the universities stated a competencies-based learning curriculum, and less than half of the faculties offered continuing education opportunities for public health professionals. In little over a decade, public health education in Canada has changed from a subspecialty of medicine to distinct academic and research institutions. Further study is needed to determine the influences of the increase in public health academic programs and their graduates on Canada’s public health workforce.
Analysis of Available Online Training for Canadian Public Health Professionals
Authors: Jung James , Duhaime Kim , La Prairie André
Published: August 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the trends and gaps in online training available for Canadian public health professionals. Our second objective was to compare the available courses to the Skills Online modules offered by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Examining solely Canadian providers, elements collected for each online course included source, cost, type of delivery, duration, language, and accreditation. The seven categories of Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada were matched accordingly to each course based on the available description. A total of 113 online courses were identified, with universities being the leading providers (39%). Two distinct groups of online courses were observed: self-directed and facilitated. Of the 53 self-directed courses, 93% were offered without cost, all could be completed within 5 hours, and none offered university credits for completion. For the 60 facilitated courses, 98% charged a registration fee and 97% required at least 25 hours of time commitment. Facilitated courses primarily administered university credits (56%) or continuing education credits (24%). Additionally, facilitated courses showed a more balanced coverage of the seven core competency categories than self-directed courses. Skills Online offered one of the most comprehensive sets of online courses in public health and was the only provider of facilitated courses in both English and French. Further study is needed to determine the knowledge transfer characteristics of self-directed versus facilitated online training for public health professionals. To improve awareness and access, a database of online Canadian public health courses is recommended.
Free hemoglobin increases von Willebrand factor–mediated platelet adhesion in vitro: implications for circulatory devices
Authors: Da Qi , Teruya Miho , Guchhait Prasenjit , Teruya Jun , Olson John S. , Cruz Miguel A.
Published: August 2015

Key Points

Extracellular Hb alters the GPIbα-VWF interaction.
Heterogeneous natural selection on oxidative phosphorylation genes among fishes with extreme high and low aerobic performance
Authors: Zhang Feifei , Broughton Richard E.
Published: August 2015

Background

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the primary source of ATP in eukaryotes and serves as a mechanistic link between variation in genotypes and energetic phenotypes. While several physiological and anatomical factors may lead to increased aerobic capacity, variation in OXPHOS proteins may influence OXPHOS efficiency and facilitate adaptation in organisms with varied energy demands. Although there is evidence that natural selection acts on OXPHOS genes, the focus has been on detection of directional (positive) selection on specific phylogenetic branches where traits that increase energetic demands appear to have evolved. We examined patterns of selection in a broader evolutionary context, i.e., on multiple lineages of fishes with extreme high and low aerobic performance.

Results

We found that patterns of natural selection on mitochondrial OXPHOS genes are complex among fishes with different swimming performance. Positive selection is not consistently associated with high performance taxa and appears to be strongest on lineages containing low performance taxa. In contrast, within high performance lineages, purifying (negative) selection appears to predominate.

Conclusions

We provide evidence that selection on OXPHOS varies in both form and intensity within and among lineages through evolutionary time. These results provide evidence for fluctuating selection on OXPHOS associated with divergence in aerobic performance. However, in contrast to previous studies, positive selection was strongest on low performance taxa suggesting that adaptation of OXPHOS involves many factors beyond enhancing ATP production in high performance taxa. The broader pattern indicates a complex interplay between organismal adaptations, ATP demand, and OXPHOS function.
Rifampin use in acute community-acquired meningitis in intensive care units: the French retrospective cohort ACAM-ICU study
Authors: Bretonnière Cédric , Jozwiak Mathieu , Girault Christophe , Beuret Pascal , Trouillet Jean-Louis , Anguel Nadia , Caillon Jocelyne , Potel Gilles , Villers Daniel , Boutoille David , Guitton Christophe
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Bacterial meningitis among critically ill adult patients remains associated with both high mortality and frequent, persistent disability. Vancomycin was added to treatment with a third-generation cephalosporin as recommended by French national guidelines. Because animal model studies had suggested interest in the use of rifampin for treatment of bacterial meningitis, and after the introduction of early corticosteroid therapy (in 2002), there was a trend toward increasing rifampin use for intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The aim of this article is to report on this practice.

Methods

Five ICUs participated in the study. Baseline characteristics and treatment data were retrospectively collected from charts of patients admitted with a diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis during a 5-year period (2004–2008). The ICU mortality was the main outcome measure; Glasgow Outcome Scale and 3-month mortality were also assessed.

Results

One hundred fifty-seven patients were included. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis were the most prevalent causative microorganisms. The ICU mortality rate was 15 %. High doses of a cephalosporin were the most prevalent initial antimicrobial treatment. The delay between admission and administration of the first antibiotic dose was correlated with ICU mortality. Rifampin was used with a cephalosporin for 32 patients (ranging from 8 % of the cohort for 2004 to 30 % in 2008). Administration of rifampin within the first 24 h of hospitalization could be associated with a lower ICU survival. Statistical association between such an early rifampin treatment and ICU mortality reached significance only for patients with pneumococcal meningitis (p=0.031) in univariate analysis, but not in the logistic model.

Conclusions

We report on the role of rifampin use for patients with community-acquired meningitis, and the results of this study suggest that this practice may be associated with lower mortality in the ICU. Nevertheless, the only independent predictors of ICU mortality were organ failure and pneumococcal infection. Further studies are required to confirm these results and to explain how rifampin use would reduce mortality.
Potential causes of subfertility in patients with intramural fibroids
Authors: Pier Bruce D. , Bates G. Wright
Published: August 2015

Background

Intramural leiomyomas have been long debated as a potential cause of infertility and pregnancy loss.

Findings

Previous research has linked intramural fibroids to defective implantation, as well as to abnormal peristaltic events of the uterine smooth muscle. Previous reports describe the effects of intramural fibroids on normal human fertility and early pregnancy loss, specifically in regards to implantation failure.

Conclusion

A thorough understanding of prior research may direct new research focus, leading to better understanding of leiomyoma-associated infertility.
Draft genome sequence of marine-derived Streptomyces sp. TP-A0598, a producer of anti-MRSA antibiotic lydicamycins
Authors: Komaki Hisayuki , Ichikawa Natsuko , Hosoyama Akira , Fujita Nobuyuki , Igarashi Yasuhiro
Published: August 2015

Streptomyces sp. TP-A0598, isolated from seawater, produces lydicamycin, structurally unique type I polyketide bearing two nitrogen-containing five-membered rings, and four congeners TPU-0037-A, −B, −C, and –D. We herein report the 8 Mb draft genome sequence of this strain, together with classification and features of the organism and generation, annotation and analysis of the genome sequence. The genome encodes 7,240 putative ORFs, of which 4,450 ORFs were assigned with COG categories. Also, 66 tRNA genes and one rRNA operon were identified. The genome contains eight gene clusters involved in the production of polyketides and nonribosomal peptides. Among them, a PKS/NRPS gene cluster was assigned to be responsible for lydicamycin biosynthesis and a plausible biosynthetic pathway was proposed on the basis of gene function prediction. This genome sequence data will facilitate to probe the potential of secondary metabolism in marine-derived Streptomyces.
Dual role of ERK5 in the regulation of T cell receptor expression at the T cell surface
Authors: Rovira-Clavé Xavier , Angulo-Ibáñez Maria , Tournier Cathy , Reina Manuel , Espel Enric
Published: August 2015

Regulation of the levels of the TCR/CD3 complex at the cell surface is critical to proper T cell development and mature T cell activation. We provide evidence that the MAPK ERK5 regulates the surface expression of the TCR/CD3 complex by controlling the degradation of the CD3ζ chain and the recovery of the complex after anti-CD3ɛ stimulation. ERK5 knockdown led to TCR/CD3 up-regulation at the cell surface and increased amounts of the CD3ζ chain. Inhibition of the MEK5-dependent phosphorylation status of the kinase domain of ERK5 in human T CD4+ cells reduced CD3ζ ubiquitination and degradation, limiting TCR/CD3 down-regulation in anti-CD3-stimulated cells. Moreover, TCR/CD3 recovery at the cell surface, after anti-CD3ɛ treatment, is impaired by ERK5 knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of autophosphorylation in the ERK5 C-terminal region. ERK5 loss in thymocytes augmented cellular CD3ζ and increased cell surface levels of TCR/CD3 on CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. This correlated with enhanced generation of CD4+CD8−CD25+ thymocytes. Our findings define ERK5 as a novel kinase that modulates the levels of TCR/CD3 at the cell surface by promoting CD3ζ degradation and TCR/CD3 recovery after TCR stimulation.
Methamphetamine induces trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) expression in human T lymphocytes: role in immunomodulation
Authors: Sriram Uma , Cenna Jonathan M , Haldar Bijayesh , Fernandes Nicole C , Razmpour Roshanak , Fan Shongshan , Ramirez Servio H , Potula Raghava
Published: August 2015

The novel transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor, trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), represents a potential, direct target for drugs of abuse and monoaminergic compounds, including amphetamines. For the first time, our studies have illustrated that there is an induction of TAAR1 mRNA expression in resting T lymphocytes in response to methamphetamine. Methamphetamine treatment for 6 h significantly increased TAAR1 mRNA expression (P < 0.001) and protein expression (P < 0.01) at 24 h. With the use of TAAR1 gene silencing, we demonstrate that methamphetamine-induced cAMP, a classic response to methamphetamine stimulation, is regulated via TAAR1. We also show by TAAR1 knockdown that the down-regulation of IL-2 in T cells by methamphetamine, which we reported earlier, is indeed regulated by TAAR1. Our results also show the presence of TAAR1 in human lymph nodes from HIV-1-infected patients, with or without a history of methamphetamine abuse. TAAR1 expression on lymphocytes was largely in the paracortical lymphoid area of the lymph nodes with enhanced expression in lymph nodes of HIV-1-infected methamphetamine abusers rather than infected-only subjects. In vitro analysis of HIV-1 infection of human PBMCs revealed increased TAAR1 expression in the presence of methamphetamine. In summary, the ability of methamphetamine to activate trace TAAR1 in vitro and to regulate important T cell functions, such as cAMP activation and IL-2 production; the expression of TAAR1 in T lymphocytes in peripheral lymphoid organs, such as lymph nodes; and our in vitro HIV-1 infection model in PBMCs suggests that TAAR1 may play an important role in methamphetamine -mediated immune-modulatory responses.