bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hearing the voices of young deaf people: Implications for social work practice in Jordan
Authors: Al-Makhamreh Sahar
Published: September 2013

This exploratory study discusses the identity construction of young deaf people in Jordan through their own interpretation and the perspectives of their families. It is based on qualitative data derived from focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that schools and family environments remain predominantly exclusionary in socializing young deaf into the construction of an identity of disability. However, young deaf people view themselves as a sub-group within a larger collective culture. This study takes into account the wider differences inherent in gender issues, as is significant in the conceptualization of young deaf identity in the Arab world.
Telephone Versus Face-to-Face Interviews
Authors: Vogl Susanne
Published: September 2013

Usually, semistructured interviews are conducted face-to-face, and because of the importance of personal contact in qualitative interviews, telephone interviews are often discounted. Missing visual communication can make a telephone conversation appear less personal and more anonymous but can also help prevent some distortions and place the power imbalance between adult interviewer and (child) respondent into perspective.

In this article telephone and face-to-face interviews are compared in order to analyse the general applicability of telephone interviews and their peculiarities when researching children. The data consists of 112 semistructured interviews with 56 children aged 5, 7, 9 and 11, conducted in Germany. Each child was interviewed twice; once on the telephone and once face-to-face. By triangulating qualitative and quantitative analytical steps, both interview modes are compared from a number of perspectives. The results showed very little difference between the two modes of interview and therefore challenge the reluctance to conduct semistructured telephone interviews, both in qualitative research and with children. Dependent on the research question, relevant distinctions could be the lower interviewer involvement, the lower number of opinions and suggestions stated by respondents and fewer signs of tension and tension release in telephone interviews.
Spatially Weighted Context Data and Their Application to Collective War Experiences
Authors: Elcheroth Guy , Penic Sandra , Fasel Rachel , Giudici Francesco , Glaeser Stephanie , Joye Dominique , Le Goff Jean-Marie , Morselli Davide , Spini Dario
Published: September 2013

In this article, we introduce spatially weighted context data as a new approach for studying the contextual dimension of factors that shapes social behavior and collective worldviews. First, we briefly discuss the current contribution of multilevel regression to the study of contextual effects. We subsequently provide a formal definition of spatially weighted context data, as a complement to and extension of the existing multilevel analyses, which allows the study of contextual influences that decrease with increasing distance, rather than contextual influences that are bound within discrete contexts. To show how spatially weighted context data can be generated and used in practice, we present a research application about the impact of the collective experiences of war across the former Yugoslavia. Using geographically stratified survey data from the Transition to Adulthood and Collective Experiences Survey (TRACES), we illustrate how empirical conclusions about the collective impact of war events vary as a function of the scale at which context effects are being modeled. Furthermore, we show how observed geographic patterns can be explained by underlying patterns of social proximity between the concerned populations, and we propose a procedure to estimate the part of spatial dependency explained by models applying specific definitions of social proximity. In the final section, we discuss the boundary conditions for the use of spatially weighted context data and summarize the contribution of the proposed approach to existing methods for the study of context effects in the social sciences.
The Administrative Sherpa and the Journey of Public Service Leadership
Authors: Althaus Catherine
Published: September 2013

The sherpa is offered as a helpful metaphor amid the rich and diverse metaphorical landscape describing public administration at the interface between senior public servants and ministers. The sherpa model acknowledges the complexity and nuanced leadership now demanded in the Westminster tradition, offering fresh tools for practitioners to think more critically about their role and how they can improve leadership skills. It also offers theoretical ability to incorporate relevant but underdeveloped factors, such as the environment, into the administrative leadership equation, thus enlarging issues at stake and forces demanding scrutiny, if administrative leadership is to be better understood.
Pharmaconutrition Review
Authors: Pierre Joseph F. , Heneghan Aaron F. , Lawson Christy M. , Wischmeyer Paul E. , Kozar Rosemary A. , Kudsk Kenneth A.
Published: September 2013

The search to improve outcomes in critically ill patients through nutrition support has steadily progressed over the past 4 decades. One current approach to this problem is the addition of specific nutrients as primary therapy to improve host defenses and improve the outcome of critically ill patients. The field is referred to as “pharmaconutrition,” with the hope of focusing investigations on each nutrient to understand its pharmacological effects on immune and clinical outcomes. The purpose of this review is to describe some of the known physiological mechanisms of pharmaconutrients such as glutamine, arginine, ω‐3 fatty acids, and selenium.
An Evidence‐Based Approach to Perioperative Nutrition Support in the Elective Surgery Patient
Authors: Miller Keith R. , Wischmeyer Paul E. , Taylor Beth , McClave Stephen A.
Published: September 2013

In surgical practice, great attention is given to the perioperative management of the elective surgical patient with regard to surgical planning, stratification of cardiopulmonary risk, and postoperative assessment for complication. However, growing evidence supports the beneficial role for implementation of a consistent and literature‐based approach to perioperative nutrition therapy. Determining nutrition risk should be a routine component of the preoperative evaluation. As with the above issues, this concept begins with the clinician's first visit with the patient as risk is assessed and the severity of the surgical insult considered. If the patient is an appropriate candidate for benefit from preoperative support, a plan for initiation and reassessment should be implemented. Once appropriate nutrition end points have been achieved, special consideration should be given to beneficial practices the immediate day preceding surgery that may better prepare the patient for the intervention from a metabolic standpoint. In the operating room, consideration should be given to the potential placement of enteral access during the index operation as well as judicious and targeted intraoperative resuscitation. Immediately following the intervention, adequate resuscitation and glycemic control are key concepts, as is an evidence‐based approach to the early advancement of an enteral/oral diet in the postoperative patient. Through the implementation of perioperative nutrition therapy plans in the elective surgery setting, outcomes can be improved.
Nighttime Restfulness During Daytime Dance Therapy
Authors: Krampe Jean , Miller Steven J. , Echebiri Chinonye , Rantz Marilyn J. , Skubic Marjorie
Published: September 2013

Dance-based therapy has the potential to slow the progression of functional limitations in older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of measuring the impact of dance-based therapy on the nighttime restfulness patterns of older adults in an aging-in-place facility using passive bed sensors. A secondary data analysis of the continuous 2-month nighttime bed sensor data was reviewed for measurable change during a dance study. A measurable variation in nighttime restfulness level was detected between the dancers and nondancers, and no high or very high restlessness was detected during this period for the dance-based therapy group. Although these exploratory variations are modest, the findings suggest that bed sensors can be used to measure nighttime restfulness following a therapeutic dance intervention. More research is needed in this emerging area.
Topical Levobupivacaine Efficacy in Pain Control after Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Authors: Yılmaz Süleyman , Yıldızbaş Şahnur , Güçlü Ender , Yaman Hüseyin , Yalçın Sezen Gülbin
Published: September 2013

Objective

The aim of this study was to find out the efficacy of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge (Merocel Kennedy; Medtronic Xomed, Jacksonville, Florida) sinus pack soaked with levobupivacaine hydrochloride to control postoperative pain and analgesic need following functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

Study Design

The study was designed as a prospective, double‐blind, randomized, controlled study. Forty‐one patients who underwent FESS were included in the analysis.

Setting

A tertiary referral hospital in Turkey.

Materials and Methods

Patients who underwent FESS were divided into 2 groups. The PVA sponge sinus packs were soaked with 5 mL of levobupivacaine hydrochloride (chirocaine 25 mg/10 mL; Abbott, Nycomed Pharma AS, Elverum, Norway) in group I and with 5 mL of saline in group II.

Main Outcome Measures

Postoperative pain levels were recorded using a visual analog scale (VAS score, 0‐100) at 30 minutes and 1, 2, 8, 12, and 24 hours.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding age, sex, and American Society of Anesthesiologists status. Postoperative VAS values at 30 minutes and 1, 2, 8, 12, and 24 hours were significantly lower in group I than in group II (P <. 05). Supplemental analgesia amount was significantly lower in group I than in group II (P =. 003).

Conclusion

Using levobupivacaine‐soaked PVA sponge sinus packs after FESS is an effective, easy, and quick method to control postoperative pain, and it improves patient comfort and tolerability.
Cancer-specific relationship awareness, relationship communication, and intimacy among couples coping with early-stage breast cancer
Authors: Manne Sharon L. , Siegel Scott , Kashy Deborah , Heckman Carolyn J.
Published: September 2013

If couples can maintain normalcy and quality in their relationship during the cancer experience, they may experience greater relational intimacy. Cancer-specific relationship awareness, which is an attitude defined as partners focusing on the relationship and thinking about how they might maintain normalcy and cope with cancer as a couple or “team”, is one factor that may help couples achieve this goal. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between cancer-specific relationship awareness, cancer-specific communication (i.e., talking about cancer’s impact on the relationship, disclosure, and responsiveness to partner disclosure), and relationship intimacy and evaluate whether relationship communication mediated the association between relationship awareness and intimacy. In the current study, a total of 254 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and their partners were recruited. Participants completed measures of cancer-specific relationship awareness, relationship talk, self- and perceived partner-disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness, and relationship intimacy. Results indicated that patients and spouses who were higher in cancer-specific relationship awareness engaged in more relationship talk, reported higher levels of self-disclosure, and perceived that their partner disclosed more. Their partners reported that they were more responsive to disclosures. Relationship talk and perceived partner responsiveness mediated the association between cancer-specific relationship awareness and intimacy. Helping couples consider ways they can maintain relationship normalcy and quality during the cancer experience and framing coping with cancer as a “team” effort may facilitate better communication and ultimately enhance relationship intimacy.
Using time series analysis to evaluate skin conductance during movement in piano improvisation
Authors: Dean Roger T. , Bailes Freya
Published: September 2013

During musical improvisation, performers’ skin conductance (SC, a measure of psychological arousal) may respond to movement and to events whose timing is beyond control. SC has not been studied in these difficult conditions. Our purpose was to establish a procedure and analysis that would permit the meaningful use of continuous SC measures while pianists play. Consequently, two case studies of SC during piano performances develop an effective method. SC was measured at the left ankle and movement was monitored nearby. Two musicians performed manipulations of movement (flexing legs, hand motion), and performance content (playing scales versus improvisation) and type (actual, silent and imagined). Time series analysis modeled SC in relation to supplied improvisational referents. We could interpret SC during performance, provided that we accounted for the impact of movement. We detected genuine SC changes around moments of transition between musical segments; these could reflect the mental effort of planning and generating music. In a subsequent validation study, we demonstrated the applicability of our method for SC analysis to performances by nine professional piano improvisers.
The Determination of the Monetary Expression of Concrete Labor Time under the Inconvertible Credit Money System
Authors: Rieu Dong-Min , Lee Keonbeom , Ahn Hyeon-Hyo
Published: September 2013

This paper tries to answer the important question: how is the “monetary expression of labor time” (MELT) determined under the inconvertible credit money system? We provide a clear definition of the inconvertible credit money system by differentiating four monetary regimes. It is argued that the dynamic between changes in the quantity of money and prices should be explained on a sectoral level. A key element in explaining this dynamic is found in the decomposition of the MELT into the “monetary expression of value” (MEV) and the “value expression of labor time” (VELT). In so doing, Marxian value theory is shown to supersede the quantity theory of money because it can explain not only the general price level, but individual prices as well.
Investigation on the chip formation concerning tool inclination angles in ball end milling of H13 die steel
Authors: Chen Xiaoxiao , Zhao Jun , Liu Shuai , Dong Yongwang , Wang Fuzeng
Published: September 2013

Widespread application of ball end milling operation is an outstanding characteristic in the field of manufacturing of die and molds. Tool inclination angles, which could improve the cutting performance of ball end mill, are critical factor in the ball end milling process, and also chip formation is one of the most important phenomena in the machining process. Numerical simulation, geometric analysis, observation by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis were adopted to study the chip formation during ball end milling of H13 die steels involving tool inclination angles in this work. The theoretical uncut chip geometry and tool–work contact zone were analyzed by computer-aided modeling technology. Finite element modeling of chip formation process involving tool inclination angles was performed, and variations of the maximum chip temperature which could provide assistant understanding of practical chip formation were analyzed. This article also investigated the practical chip morphologies, chip color, and the cutting characteristics under different process conditions and tool inclination angles. The optical microscope and scanning electronic microscope were used to capture the micro-photos of the chips under different process parameters, and the chip color and chip morphologies were discussed together with the cutting characteristics with regard to various process parameters. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis of the chip free surface and back surface was also carried out for some special tool inclination angles. Deep understanding of the chip formation in multi-axis milling process was enhanced, and the research work could provide support for the selection of process parameters to some extent.
The poverty of Grand Theory
Authors: Brown Chris
Published: September 2013

The editors of the special issue, in their call for papers for this special issue, expressed a degree of disquiet at the current state of International Relations theory, but the situation is both better and worse than they suggest. On the one hand, in some areas of the discipline, there has been real progress over the last decade. The producers of liberal and realist International Relations theory may not have the kind of standing in the social/human sciences as the ‘Grand Theorists’ identified by Quentin Skinner in his seminal mid-1980s’ collection, but they have a great deal to say about how the world works, and the world would have been a better place over the last decade or so if more notice had been taken of what they did say. On the other hand, the range of late modern theorists who brought some of Skinner’s Grand Theorists into the reckoning in the 1980s have, in the main, failed to deliver on the promises made in that decade. The state of International Relations theory in this neck of the woods is indeed a cause for concern; there is a pressing need for ‘critical problem-solving’ theory, that is, theory that relates directly to real-world problems but approaches them from the perspective of the underdog.
Theory is dead, long live theory: The end of the Great Debates and the rise of eclecticism in International Relations
Authors: Lake David A.
Published: September 2013

The history of the discipline of International Relations is commonly told in terms of ‘Great Debates.’ These intellectual clashes resolved little and, indeed, continue to this day. Underneath this narrative is an alternative history of significant progress through mid-level or eclectic theories of world politics. After reviewing the Great Debates, this counter-narrative is developed and then supported by reviews of open economy politics and democratic peace theory. A new line of cleavage is emerging in the field between positivists and post-positivists, however, that overlaps with the second and final Great Debates. Like all others before it, this potentially great debate — if it occurs — will be inconclusive. The field would be better off focusing on important real-world problems and achieving progress within each approach according to its own criteria for success.
Constructivism or the eternal return of universals in International Relations. Why returning to language is vital to prolonging the owl’s flight
Authors: Epstein Charlotte
Published: September 2013

In this contribution I engage with the question of the end of theory from a poststructuralist perspective. I begin by revisiting the making of International Relations as a discrete theoretical endeavour from Waltz (1979) to Wendt (1999), around, respectively, the efforts to unearth the structures of international politics that carved out the international as a distinct site of political analysis, and the appraisal of these structures as social structures (Wendt, 1999). I then revisit the origins of poststructuralism via the works of Jacques Derrida and Judith Butler, in order to bring its founding moves to bear directly on International Relations constructivism. Engaging with constructivism’s founding fathers, Nicholas Onuf, Alexander Wendt and Friedrich Kratochwil, I show that the search for unconstructed universals, grounded in an innate ‘human nature’, persistently haunts International Relations constructivism, even when it foregrounds language as the medium of social construction, and notably when it engages the question of gender. Just as language provided the original site for orchestrating the ‘moving beyond’ (the ‘post’ of poststructuralism) fixed, naturalized structures, I argue that a return to language holds the promise of renewal, and of constructivism’s being able to fulfil its founding promise to theorize constitutivity and the constructed-ness of International Relations’ world.
In the beginning: The International Relations enlightenment and the ends of International Relations theory
Authors: Williams Michael C.
Published: September 2013

The question of endings is simultaneously a question of beginnings: wondering if International Relations is at an end inevitably raises the puzzle of when and how ‘it’ began. This article argues that International Relations’ origins bear striking resemblance to a wider movement in post-war American political studies that Ira Katznelson calls the ‘political studies enlightenment.’ This story of the field’s beginnings and ends has become so misunderstood as to have almost disappeared from histories of the field and accounts of its theoretical orientations and alternatives. This historical forgetting represents one of the most debilitating errors of International Relations theory today, and overcoming it has significant implications for how we think about the past and future development of the field. In particular, it throws open not only our understanding of the place of realism in International Relations, but also our vision of liberalism. For the realism of the International Relations enlightenment did not seek to destroy liberalism as an intellectual and political project, but to save it. The core issue in the ‘invention of International Relations theory’ — its historical origins as well as its end or goal in a substantive or normative sense — was not the assertion of realism in opposition to liberalism: it was, in fact, the defence of a particular kind of liberalism.
Domestic work and self-rated health among women and men aged 25–64 years: Results from a population-based survey in Sweden
Authors: Molarius Anu , Granström Fredrik , Lindén-Boström Margareta , Elo Sirkka
Published: September 2013

Aims: This study investigated the association between domestic work and self-rated health among women and men in the general population. Methods: The study is based on women ( N = 12,910) and men ( N = 9784) aged 25–64 years, who responded to a survey questionnaire in 2008 (response rate 56%). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association adjusting for age, educational level, employment status, family status and longstanding illness. Population attributable risks (PAR) were calculated to assess the contribution of domestic work to the prevalence of suboptimal self-rated health. Results: More women (29%) than men (12%) spent more than 20 hours per week in domestic work. Women also experienced domestic work more often as burdensome. Disability pensioners and single mothers reported highest levels of burdensome domestic work. There was a strong independent association between burdensome domestic work and suboptimal self-rated health both in women and men. The PAR for burdensome domestic work was 21% in women and 12% in men and comparable to other major risk factors. Conclusions: The results suggest that domestic work should not be omitted when considering factors that affect self-rated health in the general population.
Towards an anthropology of critique: The modern experience of liminality and crisis
Authors: Boland Tom
Published: September 2013

Critique can be located anthropologically in liminality, particularly the experience of communitas wherein everything is open to question and structures appear as external and meaningless. Rather than an intellectual preserve or an individual achievement, I argue that critique emerges from crises; that it diffuses proliferates and extends these liminal events and can be observed in contemporary politics, economics, media and everyday life. This anthropology of critique is situated alongside the emergent sociology of critique of Boltanski and others, and is historically grounded within chronic crises in modernity characterized by Szakolczai as ‘permanent liminality’. Thus, modernity is constituted by critique and has become, amongst other things, a critical society.
Mexican Americans in Higher Education
Authors: Ojeda Lizette , Castillo Linda G. , Rosales Meza Rocío , Piña-Watson Brandy
Published: September 2013

This study examined how college persistence intentions and life satisfaction influenced by acculturation, enculturation, White marginalization, and Mexican American marginalization among 515 Mexican American college students. The utility of a path analysis model was supported. Enculturation positively predicted persistence and life satisfaction. Acculturation and White marginalization positively predicted persistence. Mexican American marginalization negatively predicted persistence and life satisfaction. The model explained 4% and 10% of the variance in college persistence intentions and life satisfaction, respectively.
Giant Cell Arteritis Presenting as Critical Lower Limb Ischemia
Authors: Loo Zhou Yaw , Thwaites Stephen , Kyaw Phyo
Published: September 2013

A 62-year-old woman presented with ischemic pain of her lower limb on 2 occasions, without upper limb or cranial vessel involvement. She was treated with open bypass of her left lower limb when she presented with critical limb ischemia during her second admission. Although bilateral temporal artery biopsies were negative, superficial femoral artery biopsy at the time of surgery confirmed the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. Corticosteroid therapy was promptly commenced.
Electroencephalogram Analysis
Authors: Zhang Li-tang , Zhang Su-xia , Wu Song-di
Published: September 2013

Cerebral hemorrhage may cause cognitive dysfunction. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool for assessment of cerebral function. A total of 174 patients (including cognitively impaired and cognitively normal) with cerebral hemorrhage, and 120 healthy persons (CN), were recruited between August 2008 and July 2012 at the Department of Neurology. EEG was used to analyze cerebral function of patients and normal persons. Correlation, clustering and concordance analyses were performed to analyze the relationship between EEG power and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Cognitively impaired patients had a significantly decreased EEG beta power (0.793 ± 0.176 µV2) compared with cognitively normal patients (1.589 ± 0.205 µV2, P < .01) or healthy persons (1.651 ± 0.185 µV2, P < .01). Significantly negative correlations between beta power and hemorrhage region, size, amount, and patients’ age were apparent ( r = −0.91888, −0.78569, −0.84961, and −0.80365, respectively, all Ps < .001). There was good concordance between the K-means clustering algorithm calculating beta power and MoCA scoring (κ = .904, P < .001). In conclusion, the analysis method of EEG (beta power) abnormalities holds considerable promise to assess cognitive impairment after cerebral hemorrhage. Cognitive impairment was negatively correlated to hemorrhage region, size, amount, and age.
What We’ve Learned and How We’ve Used It
Authors: Salazar Meagan J. , Pazey Barbara L. , Zembik Megan K.
Published: September 2013

The effectiveness of leadership preparation programs has been contested for a number of years. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the identified components that exist within a “high-quality” principal preparation program through the lenses of the members of a principalship cohort at a university-based leadership development program. Qualitative data were collected via online survey. Social Justice theme and the cohort model were identified as most influential factors on leadership development. Findings from this study may assist educational administration departments, program directors, and researchers when evaluating the effectiveness of their graduate-level administrator preparation programs.
Role of inclusions in formation of high strength steel weld metal microstructures
Authors: Zachrisson J , Börjesson J , Karlsson L
Published: September 2013

A series of high strength weld metals with varying Al content are studied. The inclusions are characterised using energy dispersive X-ray analysis and electron diffraction. The tendency for alignment of the microstructure is characterised quantitatively using electron backscatter diffraction and a recently developed post-processing technique. Correlation is found between the inclusion phases present and the amount of aligned neighbouring grains in the microstructure. It is shown that amorphous Si–Al oxides form at low Al weld metal contents and an Mg–Al spinel at higher contents. The former is associated with less alignment of the microstructure and therefore higher impact toughness. The effect of these inclusions on the formation of the microstructure is discussed.
Arc pressure and weld metal fluid flow while using alternating shielding gases. Part 1: arc pressure measurement
Authors: Campbell S W , Galloway A M , McPherson N A
Published: September 2013

As part of an ongoing process to fully evaluate the effects of an alternating shielding gas supply on gas shielded welding processes, a comparison between the arc pressures generated using argon, helium, alternating shielding gases and pulsed gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) has been conducted. Arc pressure variation and peaking are two of the fundamental phenomena produced during the alternating shielding gas process and are said to help create a stirring action within the liquid weld metal. However, there are no published data on arc pressure measurements during an alternating shielding gas supply, and consequently, these phenomena are based solely on theoretical assumptions. The experimental measurements made have shown that alternating shielding gases produce considerably higher arc pressures than argon, helium and pulsed GTAW due to a surge at weld initiation. The transient arc pressure measurements made when using alternating shielding gases are also considerably different from the theoretical assumptions previously reported.
PRDM1/BLIMP1 is commonly inactivated in anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Boi Michela , Rinaldi Andrea , Kwee Ivo , Bonetti Paola , Todaro Maria , Tabbò Fabrizio , Piva Roberto , Rancoita Paola M. V. , Matolcsy András , Timar Botond , Tousseyn Thomas , Rodríguez-Pinilla Socorro Maria , Piris Miguel A. , Beà Sílvia , Campo Elias , Bhagat Govind , Swerdlow Steven H. , Rosenwald Andreas , Ponzoni Maurilio , Young Ken H. , Piccaluga Pier Paolo , Dummer Reinhard , Pileri Stefano , Zucca Emanuele , Inghirami Giorgio , Bertoni Francesco
Published: September 2013

Key Points

The commonest lesions in anaplastic large cell lymphomas are losses at 17p13 and at 6q21, concomitant in up to one-quarter of the cases. PRDM1 (BLIMP1) gene (6q21) is inactivated by multiple mechanisms and acts as a tumor suppressor gene in anaplastic large B-cell lymphoma.
Profiling circulating microRNA expression in a mouse model of nerve allotransplantation
Authors: Rau Cheng-Shyuan , Yang Johnson Chia-Shen , Wu Shao-Chun , Chen Yi-Chun , Lu Tsu-Hsiang , Lin Ming-Wei , Wu Yi-Chan , Tzeng Siou-Ling , Wu Chia-Jung , Hsieh Ching-Hua
Published: September 2013

Background

The lack of noninvasive biomarkers of rejection remains a challenge in the accurate monitoring of deeply buried nerve allografts and precludes optimization of therapeutic intervention. This study aimed to establish the expression profile of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) during nerve allotransplantation with or without immunosuppression.

Results

Balb/c mice were randomized into 3 experimental groups, that is, (1) untreated isograft (Balb/c → Balb/c), (2) untreated allograft (C57BL/6 → Balb/c), and (3) allograft (C57BL/6 → Balb/c) with FK506 immunosuppression. A 1-cm Balb/c or C57BL/6 donor sciatic nerve graft was transplanted into sciatic nerve gaps created in recipient mice. At 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 d after nerve transplantation, nerve grafts, whole blood, and sera were obtained for miRNA expression analysis with an miRNA array and subsequent validation with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Three circulating miRNAs (miR-320, miR-762, and miR-423-5p) were identified in the whole blood and serum of the mice receiving an allograft with FK506 immunosuppression, within 2 weeks after nerve allotransplantation. However, these 3 circulating miRNAs were not expressed in the nerve grafts. The expression of all these 3 upregulated circulating miRNAs significantly decreased at 2, 4, and 6 d after discontinuation of FK506 immunosuppression. In the nerve graft, miR-125-3b and miR-672 were significantly upregulated in the mice that received an allograft with FK506 only at 7 d after nerve allotransplantation.

Conclusions

We identified the circulating miR-320, miR-762, and miR-423-5p as potential biomarkers for monitoring the immunosuppression status of the nerve allograft. However, further research is required to investigate the mechanism behind the dysregulation of these markers and to evaluate their prognostic value in nerve allotransplantation.
Study of the in vivo role of Mce2R, the transcriptional regulator of mce2 operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Forrellad Marina Andrea , Bianco María Verónica , Blanco Federico Carlos , Nuñez Javier , Klepp Laura Inés , Vazquez Cristina Lourdes , Santangelo María de la Paz , Rocha Rosana Valeria , Soria Marcelo , Golby Paul , Gutierrez Maximiliano Gabriel , Bigi Fabiana
Published: September 2013

Background

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortality throughout the world. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the agent of human tuberculosis, has developed strategies involving proteins and other compounds called virulence factors to subvert human host defences and damage and invade the human host. Among these virulence-related proteins are the Mce proteins, which are encoded in the mce1, mce2, mce3 and mce4 operons of M. tuberculosis. The expression of the mce2 operon is negatively regulated by the Mce2R transcriptional repressor. Here we evaluated the role of Mce2R during the infection of M. tuberculosis in mice and macrophages and defined the genes whose expression is in vitro regulated by this transcriptional repressor.

Results

We used a specialized transduction method for generating a mce2R mutant of M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Although we found equivalent replication of the MtΔmce2R mutant and the wild type strains in mouse lungs, overexpression of Mce2R in the complemented strain (MtΔmce2RComp) significantly impaired its replication. During in vitro infection of macrophages, we observed a significantly increased association of the late endosomal marker LAMP-2 to MtΔmce2RComp-containing phagosomes as compared to MtΔmce2R and the wild type strains. Whole transcriptional analysis showed that Mce2R regulates mainly the expression of the mce2 operon, in the in vitro conditions studied.

Conclusions

The findings of the current study indicate that Mce2R weakly represses the in vivo expression of the mce2 operon in the studied conditions and argue for a role of the proteins encoded in Mce2R regulon in the arrest of phagosome maturation induced by M. tuberculosis.
Investigation of CCL18 and A1AT as potential urinary biomarkers for bladder cancer detection
Authors: Miyake Makito , Ross Shanti , Lawton Adrienne , Chang Myron , Dai Yunfeng , Mengual Lourdes , Alcaraz Antonio , Giacoia Evan Gomes , Goodison Steve , Rosser Charles J
Published: September 2013

Background

In this study, we further investigated the association of two biomarkers, CCL18 and A1AT, with bladder cancer (BCa) and evaluated the influence of potentially confounding factors in an experimental model.

Methods

In a cohort of 308 subjects (102 with BCa), urinary concentrations of CCL18 and A1AT were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In an experimental model, benign or cancerous cells, in addition to blood, were added to urines from healthy controls and analyzed by ELISA. Lastly, immunohistochemical staining for CCL18 and A1AT in human bladder tumors was performed.

Results

Median urinary protein concentrations of CCL18 (52.84 pg/ml vs. 11.13 pg/ml, p < 0.0001) and A1AT (606.4 ng/ml vs. 120.0 ng/ml, p < 0.0001) were significantly elevated in BCa subjects compared to controls. Furthermore, the addition of whole blood to pooled normal urine resulted in a significant increase in both CCL18 and A1AT. IHC staining of bladder tumors revealed CCL18 immunoreactivity in inflammatory cells only, and there was no significant increase in these immunoreactive cells within benign and cancerous tissue and no association with BCa grade nor stage was noted. A1AT immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasm of epithelia cells and intensity of immunostaining increased with tumor grade, but not tumor stage.

Conclusions

Further development of A1AT as a diagnostic biomarker for BCa is warranted.
Prevalence and patterns of antifolate and chloroquine drug resistance markers in Plasmodium vivax across Pakistan
Authors: Khattak Aamer A , Venkatesan Meera , Khatoon Lubna , Ouattara Amed , Kenefic Leo J , Nadeem Muhammad F , Nighat Farida , Malik Salman A , Plowe Christopher V
Published: September 2013

Background

Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent malaria species in Pakistan, with a distribution that coincides with Plasmodium falciparum in many parts of the country. Both species are likely exposed to drug pressure from a number of anti-malarials including chloroquine, sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), and artemisinin combination therapy, yet little is known regarding the effects of drug pressure on parasite genes associated with drug resistance. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of polymorphisms in the SP resistance-associated genes pvdhfr, pvdhps and chloroquine resistance-associated gene pvmdr1 in P. vivax isolates collected from across the country.

Methods

In 2011, 801 microscopically confirmed malaria-parasite positive filter paper blood samples were collected at 14 sites representing four provinces and the capital city of Islamabad. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify human Plasmodium species infection. PCR-positive P. vivax isolates were subjected to sequencing of pvdhfr, pvdhps and pvmdr1 and to real-time PCR analysis to assess pvmdr1 copy number variation.

Results

Of the 801 samples, 536 were determined to be P. vivax, 128 were P. falciparum, 43 were mixed vivax/falciparum infections and 94 were PCR-negative for Plasmodium infection. Of PCR-positive P. vivax samples, 372 were selected for sequence analysis. Seventy-six of the isolates (23%) were double mutant at positions S58R and S117N in pvdhfr. Additionally, two mutations at positions N50I and S93H were observed in 55 (15%) and 24 (7%) of samples, respectively. Three 18 base pair insertion-deletions (indels) were observed in pvdhfr, with two insertions at different nucleotide positions in 36 isolates and deletions in 10. Ninety-two percent of samples contained the pvdhps (S382/A383G/K512/A553/V585) SAKAV wild type haplotype. For pvmdr1, all isolates were wild type at position Y976F and 335 (98%) carried the mutation at codon F1076L. All isolates harboured single copies of the pvmdr1 gene.

Conclusions

The prevalence of mutations associated with SP resistance in P. vivax is low in Pakistan. The high prevalence of P. vivax mutant pvmdr1 codon F1076L indicates that efficacy of chloroquine plus primaquine could be in danger of being compromised, but further studies are required to assess the clinical relevance of this observation. These findings will serve as a baseline for further monitoring of drug-resistant P. vivax malaria in Pakistan.
Inactivated Sendai virus strain Tianjin, a novel genotype of Sendai virus, inhibits growth of murine colon carcinoma through inducing immune responses and apoptosis
Authors: Shi Liying , Chen Jun , Zhong Qiping , Li Mei , Geng Peng , He Jianmin , Han Zhe , Sheng Mingwei , Tang Hua
Published: September 2013

Background

Ultraviolet-inactivated, replication-defective Sendai virus particles (Z strain) have displayed antitumor effect through enhancing the immune responses or inducing apoptosis in a variety of carcinomas. Sendai virus strain Tianjin was isolated from the lungs of marmoset and proved to be a novel genotype of Sendai virus. In this study, we explored the antitumor effect and its mechanism of ultraviolet-inactivated, replication-defective Sendai virus strain Tianjin (UV-Tianjin) in mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma.

Methods

Three injections of UV-Tianjin were delivered into CT26 tumors growing on the back of BALB/c mice. Tumor size was measured in a blinded manner and survival rate of mice was calculated. In order to make clear antitumor mechanism of UV-Tianjin, the maturation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release from murine myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) was examined by flow cytometry or ELISA assay after induced by UV-Tianjin and compared with those of live virus. Moreover, real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry was performed to identify whether UV-Tianjin could induce infiltration of DCs, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells into tumors. The TUNEL assay was done to observe the apoptosis of CT26 tumor cells after UV-Tianjin injection.

Results

In animal model, UV-Tianjin could obviously inhibit the growth of CT26 tumors and prolong the survival of the tumor-bearing mice compared with control group (P < 0.01). In vitro murine DCs stimulated by UV-Tianjin underwent dose-dependent maturation, similar to that elicited by live virus. And the secretion amount of IL-6 from DCs induced by UV-Tianjin was a little lower than that released in the presence of live virus. Real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed that UV-Tianjin induced a remarkable infiltration of DCs, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells into tumors. The TUNEL assay showed that the apoptosis index of tumor tissues injected with UV-Tianjin was significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results have demonstrated that UV-Tianjin alone could inhibit the growth of CT26 tumor in mice through enhancing host antitumor immunity and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells. Therefore, UV-Tianjin shows its prospect as a novel drug for carcinoma therapy.
Multiplicity of solutions for nonlinear impulsive differential equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions
Authors: Zhou Chenxing , Miao Fenghua , Liang Sihua
Published: September 2013

In this paper, we consider the existence of solutions for nonlinear impulsive differential equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Infinitely many solutions are obtained by using a version of the symmetric mountain-pass theorem, and this sequence of solutions converge to zero. Some recent results are extended.

MSC:34B37, 35B38.
A time-responsive tool for informing policy making: rapid realist review
Authors: Saul Jessie E , Willis Cameron D , Bitz Jennifer , Best Allan
Published: September 2013

Background

A realist synthesis attempts to provide policy makers with a transferable theory that suggests a certain program is more or less likely to work in certain respects, for particular subjects, in specific kinds of situations. Yet realist reviews can require considerable and sustained investment over time, which does not always suit the time-sensitive demands of many policy decisions. ‘Rapid Realist Review’ methodology (RRR) has been developed as a tool for applying a realist approach to a knowledge synthesis process in order to produce a product that is useful to policy makers in responding to time-sensitive and/or emerging issues, while preserving the core elements of realist methodology.

Methods

Using examples from completed RRRs, we describe key features of the RRR methodology, the resources required, and the strengths and limitations of the process. All aspects of an RRR are guided by both a local reference group, and a group of content experts. Involvement of knowledge users and external experts ensures both the usability of the review products, as well as their links to current practice.

Results

RRRs have proven useful in providing evidence for and making explicit what is known on a given topic, as well as articulating where knowledge gaps may exist. From the RRRs completed to date, findings broadly adhere to four (often overlapping) classifications: guiding rules for policy-making; knowledge quantification (i.e., the amount of literature available that identifies context, mechanisms, and outcomes for a given topic); understanding tensions/paradoxes in the evidence base; and, reinforcing or refuting beliefs and decisions taken.

Conclusions

‘Traditional’ realist reviews and RRRs have some key differences, which allow policy makers to apply each type of methodology strategically to maximize its utility within a particular local constellation of history, goals, resources, politics and environment. In particular, the RRR methodology is explicitly designed to engage knowledge users and review stakeholders to define the research questions, and to streamline the review process. In addition, results are presented with a focus on context-specific explanations for what works within a particular set of parameters rather than producing explanations that are potentially transferrable across contexts and populations. For policy makers faced with making difficult decisions in short time frames for which there is sufficient (if limited) published/research and practice-based evidence available, RRR provides a practical, outcomes-focused knowledge synthesis method.
Activation of NF-κB by the RANKL/RANK system up-regulates snail and twist expressions and induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in mammary tumor cell lines
Authors: Tsubaki Masanobu , Komai Makiko , Fujimoto Shin-ichiro , Itoh Tatsuki , Imano Motohiro , Sakamoto Kotaro , Shimaoka Hirotaka , Takeda Tomoya , Ogawa Naoki , Mashimo Kenji , Fujiwara Daiichiro , Mukai Junji , Sakaguchi Katsuhiko , Satou Takao , Nishida Shozo
Published: September 2013

Background

Increased motility and invasiveness of cancer cells are reminiscent of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which occurs during cancer progression and metastasis. Recent studies have indicated the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) in various solid tumors, including breast cancer. Although activation of the RANK ligand (RANKL)/RANK system promotes cell migration, metastasis, and anchorage-independent growth of tumor-initiating cells, it remains to be investigated if RANKL induces EMT in breast cancer cells. In this study, we investigated whether RANKL induces EMT in normal breast mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells, and the mechanism underlying such induction.

Methods

Expression levels of vimentin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, Snail, Slug, and Twist were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using Boyden chamber and invasion assays, respectively. The effects of RANKL on signal transduction molecules were determined by western blot analyses.

Results

We found that stimulation by RANKL altered the cell morphology to the mesenchymal phenotype in normal breast epithelial and breast cancer cells. In addition, RANKL increased the expression levels of vimentin, N-cadherin, Snail, and Twist and decreased the expression of E-cadherin. We also found that RANKL activated nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. Moreover, dimethyl fumarate, a NF-κB inhibitor, inhibited RANKL-induced EMT, cell migration, and invasion, and upregulated the expressions of Snail, Twist, vimentin, and N-cadherin.

Conclusions

The results indicate that RANKL induces EMT by activating the NF-κB pathway and enhancing Snail and Twist expression. These findings suggest that the RANKL/RANK system promotes tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis via the induction of EMT.