bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The extracellular matrix protects Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms by limiting the penetration of tobramycin
Authors: Tseng Boo Shan , Zhang Wei , Harrison Joe J. , Quach Tam P. , Song Jisun Lee , Penterman Jon , Singh Pradeep K. , Chopp David L. , Packman Aaron I. , Parsek Matthew R.
Published: May 2013

Biofilm cells are less susceptible to antimicrobials than their planktonic counterparts. While this phenomenon is multifactorial, the ability of the matrix to reduce antibiotic penetration into the biofilm is thought to be of limited importance studies suggest that antibiotics move fairly rapidly through biofilms. In this study, we monitored the transport of two clinically relevant antibiotics, tobramycin and ciprofloxacin, into non‐mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. To our surprise, we found that the positively charged antibiotic tobramycin is sequestered to the biofilm periphery, while the neutral antibiotic ciprofloxacin readily penetrated. We provide evidence that tobramycin in the biofilm periphery both stimulated a localized stress response and killed bacteria in these regions but not in the underlying biofilm. Although it is unclear which matrix component binds tobramycin, its penetration was increased by the addition of cations in a dose‐dependent manner, which led to increased biofilm death. These data suggest that ionic interactions of tobramycin with the biofilm matrix limit its penetration. We propose that tobramycin sequestration at the biofilm periphery is an important mechanism in protecting metabolically active cells that lie just below the zone of sequestration.
Poverty Talk: How People Experiencing Poverty Deny Their Poverty and Why They Blame ‘The Poor’
Authors: Shildrick Tracy , MacDonald Robert
Published: May 2013

Drawing on life history interviews with sixty men and women in north-east England who were caught up in ‘the low-pay, no-pay cycle’, this article describes how people living in poverty talk about poverty – in respect of themselves and others. Paradoxically, interviewees subscribed to a powerful set of ideas that denied poverty and morally condemned ‘the poor’. These findings are theorized in four ways: first, informants deployed close points of comparison that diminished a sense of relative poverty and deprivation; second, dissociation from ‘the poor’ reflects long-running stigma and shame but is given extra force by current forms of ‘scroungerphobia’; third, discourses of the ‘undeserving poor’ articulate with a more general contemporary prejudice against the working class, which fuels the impetus to dissociate from ‘the poor’ (and to disidentify with the working class); and fourth, the hegemonic orthodoxy that blames ‘the poor’ for their poverty can more easily dominate in contexts where more solidaristic forms of working-class life are in decline.
‘Recovery Work’ and ‘Magic’ among Long-Term Mental Health Service-Users
Authors: Laws Jennifer
Published: May 2013

Based on an extended period of qualitative research with mental health service-users in north-east England, this article considers the various forms of ‘magical work’ and ‘recovery work’ that emerge in the lives of people living with severe mental health problems. Given the now sizeable body of literature which seeks to problematize traditional conceptual boundaries of work, the article asks to what extent these hidden and unusual work-forms might also be considered legitimate members of the category. Rather than argue for the expansion of the construct to accommodate these activities, the paper attempts simply to problematize the extent to which so-called ‘mad’ forms of work are irresolvably different to more conventional forms of occupation. In challenging notions of the psychiatric patient as inevitably inactive, new vocabularies for service-user work are explored. Concluding remarks are also directed to recent policy debates concerning ‘back-to-work’ welfare reform for long-term out of work service-users.
Agency as Vulnerability: Accounting for Children's Movement to the Streets of Accra
Authors: Mizen Phillip , Ofosu-Kusi Yaw
Published: May 2013

This paper considers the agency of children moving to the streets of Accra, Ghana's capital city. A much used but largely unexamined concept, agency is nevertheless commonly deployed in childhood studies as a means to stress the capacity of children to choose to do things. In the literature on street and working children, and a cognate area of study concerned with children's independent migration, this has involved accounts of children's agency made meaningful by reference to theories of rational choice or to the normative force of childhood. It is our argument that both approaches leave unanswered important questions and to counter these omissions we draw upon the arguments of social realists and, in particular, the stress they place on vulnerability as the basis for human agency. We develop this argument further by reference to our research with street children. By drawing upon the children's accounts of leaving their households and heading for Accra's streets, it is our contention that these children do frame their departures as matters of individual choice and self-determination, and that in doing so they speak of a considerable capacity for action. Nevertheless, a deeper reading of their testimonies also points to the children's understandings of their own vulnerability. By examining what we see as their inability to be dependent upon family and kin, we stress the importance of the children's perceptions of their vulnerability, frailty and need as the basis for a fuller understanding of their agency in leaving their households.
Identity and Post-Mortem Relationships in the Narratives of British and Japanese Mourners
Authors: Valentine Christine
Published: May 2013

Drawing on the ‘affective turn’ in the social sciences, this paper demonstrates the value of studying responses to death and loss in illuminating the role of the body and emotions in managing identities in contemporary societies. Looking across cultures at an experience that may threaten identity and continuity of being provides a broader, more complex and nuanced picture of social identity and participation in society. In focusing on societies with contrasting models of identity, it considers the implications of an emphasis on individualism in Britain and interdependency in Japan for rebuilding identity in each context. Drawing on qualitative interviews with British and Japanese mourners, the paper illustrates how continuing relationships with deceased loved ones were key to mourners' attempts to repair shattered identities. In particular, it examines the affective nature of post-mortem relationships and the way mourners managed these through situated ‘affective practices’. In breaching the boundaries between the living and the dead, these practices revealed intersubjective, dynamic and shifting experiences of embodiment and identity that may be obscured by more dominant cultural scripts. As such, these practices raise ontological and epistemological questions about how mourning and social being are theorized.
Financial Trilemma in China and a Comparative Analysis with India
Authors: Aizenman Joshua , Sengupta Rajeswari
Published: May 2013

A key challenge facing most emerging market economies today is how to simultaneously maintain monetary independence, exchange rate stability and financial integration subject to the constraints imposed by the trilemma, in an era of widespread globalization. In this paper we review and contrast the trilemma policy choices and trade‐offs faced by the two key drivers of global economic growth: China and India. China's trilemma configurations are unique relative to other emerging markets in terms of the predominance of exchange rate stability, and in the failure of the trilemma regression to capture a consistently significant role for financial integration. In contrast, the trilemma configurations of India are in line with choices made by other emerging countries. Over time, India, like other emerging economies, has converged towards a middle ground among the three policy objectives, and has achieved comparable levels of exchange rate stability and financial integration buffered by sizeable international reserves.
Inflation Targeting and Regional Inflation Persistence: Evidence from Korea
Authors: Tillmann Peter
Published: May 2013

The adoption of a credible monetary policy regime such as inflation targeting is known to reduce the persistence of inflation fluctuations. This conclusion, however, is typically derived from aggregate inflation or sectoral inflation rates, not from regional inflation data. This paper studies the regional dimension of inflation targeting; that is, the consequences of inflation targeting for regional inflation persistence. Based on data for Korean cities and provinces it is shown that the adoption of inflation targeting leads: (i) to a fall in inflation persistence at the regional level; and (ii) to a reduction in the cross‐regional heterogeneity in inflation persistence. A factor model lends further support to the role of the common component, and, hence, monetary policy, for regional inflation persistence.
Effect of Short‐sale Constraints on Stock Price Manipulation
Authors: Qiu Junfeng , Zhang Yongli
Published: May 2013

This paper examines the effect of short‐sale constraints on the stock price manipulation of an insider, who is subject to mandatory disclosure rules. We show that the privately informed insider may manipulate by trading against his or her information when short selling is banned. We find that stock price movement is asymmetric in the sense that prices fall by a larger percentage than they rise. In addition, we prove that removing short‐sale constraints increases price volatility. Finally, we explore the welfare implications of short‐sale constraints.
Caesarean section and risk for endometriosis: a prospective cohort study of Swedish registries
Authors: Andolf E , Thorsell M , Källén K
Published: May 2013

Objective

To investigate the association between caesarean section and later endometriosis.

Design

A prospective cohort study.

Setting

The Swedish Patient Register (PAR) and the Swedish Medical Birth Registry (MBR).

Sample

Women who were delivered in Sweden between 1986 and 2004.

Methods

Women with the diagnosis of endometriosis, defined as codes 617 (International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, ICD–9) or N80 (ICD–10), were retrieved from the PAR. Obstetric outcome was assessed through linkage with the MBR. Out of 709 090 women, 3110 were treated as inpatients with a first diagnosis of endometriosis after their first delivery. Women with a diagnosis of endometriosis before their first delivery were excluded. Cox analyses were performed to obtain hazard ratios for endometriosis and adjusted for maternal age at first delivery, body mass index, maternal smoking, and years of involuntary childlessness at study entry. Kaplan–Meier estimates were performed to calculate the risk according to time elapsed.

Main outcome

In‐hospital diagnosis of endometriosis.

Results

The Cox analyses yielded a hazard ratio of 1.8 (95% CI 1.7–1.9) for endometriosis in women who had had a previous caesarean section compared with women with vaginal deliveries only. The risk of endometriosis increased over time: one additional case of endometriosis was found for every 325 women undergoing caesarean section within 10 years. No increase in risk could be seen after two caesarean deliveries. The risk of caesarean scar endometrioma was 0.1%.

Conclusion

In addition to the recognised risk of scar endometrioma, we found an association between caesarean section and general pelvic endometriosis. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Estimating Inpatient Hospital Prices from State Administrative Data and Hospital Financial Reports
Authors: Levit Katharine R. , Friedman Bernard , Wong Herbert S.
Published: May 2013

Objective

To develop a tool for estimating hospital‐specific inpatient prices for major payers.

Data Sources

AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases and complete hospital financial reporting of revenues mandated in 10 states for 2006.

Study Design

Hospital discharge records and hospital financial information were merged to estimate revenue per stay by payer. Estimated prices were validated against other data sources.

Principal Findings

Hospital prices can be reasonably estimated for 10 geographically diverse states. All‐payer price‐to‐charge ratios, an intermediate step in estimating prices, compare favorably to cost‐to‐charge ratios. Estimated prices also compare well with Medicare, MarketScan private insurance, and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey prices for major payers, given limitations of each dataset.

Conclusions

Public reporting of prices is a consumer resource in making decisions about health care treatment; for self‐pay patients, they can provide leverage in negotiating discounts off of charges. Researchers can also use prices to increase understanding of the level and causes of price differentials among geographic areas. Prices by payer expand investigational tools available to study the interaction of inpatient hospital price setting among public and private payers—an important asset as the payer mix changes with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Stated Attribute Non‐attendance in Successive Choice Experiments
Authors: Kehlbacher Ariane , Balcombe Kelvin , Bennett Richard
Published: May 2013

Attribute non‐attendance in choice experiments affects willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) estimates and therefore the validity of the method. A recent strand of literature uses attenuated estimates of marginal utilities of ignored attributes. Following this approach, we propose a generalisation of the mixed logit model, whereby the distribution of marginal utility coefficients of a stated non‐attender has a potentially lower mean and lower variance than those of a stated attender. Model comparison shows that our shrinkage approach fits the data better and produces more reliable WTP estimates. We further find that while reliability of stated attribute non‐attendance increases in successive choice experiments, it does not increase when respondents report having ignored the same attribute twice.
Topical anaesthesia does not affect cutaneous vasomotor or sudomotor responses in human skin
Authors: Metzler‐Wilson K. , Wilson T. E.
Published: May 2013

The effects of local sensory blockade (topical anaesthesia) on eccrine sweat glands and cutaneous circulation are not well understood. This study aimed to determine whether topical lidocaine/prilocaine alters eccrine sweat gland and cutaneous blood vessel responses.

Sweating (capacitance hygrometry) was induced via forearm intradermal microdialysis of five acetylcholine (ACh) doses (1 × 10−4to 1 × 100 m, 10‐fold increments) in control and treated forearm sites in six healthy subjects. Nitric oxide‐mediated vasodilatory (sodium nitroprusside) and adrenergic vasoconstrictor (noradrenaline) agonists were iontophoresed in lidocaine/prilocaine‐treated and control forearm skin in nine healthy subjects during blood flow assessment (laser Doppler flowmetry, expressed as% from baseline cutaneous vascular conductance;CVC; flux/mean arterial pressure).

Non‐linear regression curve fitting identified no change in theED50of ACh‐induced sweating after sensory blockade (−1.42 ± 0.23 logM) compared to control (−1.27 ± 0.23 logM;P > .05) or inEmax(0.43 ± 0.08 with, 0.53 ± 0.16 mg cm−2 min−1without lidocaine/prilocaine;P > .05). Sensory blockade did not alter the vasodilator response to sodium nitroprusside (1280 ± 548% change from baselineCVCwith, 1204 ± 247% without lidocaine/prilocaine) or vasoconstrictor response to noradrenaline (−14 ± 4% change from baselineCVCwith, −22 ± 14% without lidocaine/prilocaine;P > 0.05).

Cutaneous sensory blockade does not appear to alter nitric oxide‐mediated vasodilation, adrenergic vasoconstriction, or cholinergic eccrine sweating dose‐response sensitivity or responsiveness to maximal dose. Thus, lidocaine/prilocaine treatment should not affect sweat gland function or have blood flow implications for subsequent research protocols or clinical procedures.
The collectivity of drinking cultures: is the theory applicable to African settings?
Authors: Rossow Ingeborg , Clausen Thomas
Published: May 2013

Aims

Skog's theory of collective drinking behaviour implies that countries with a strict informal social control of drinking alcohol would not exhibit ‘collective displacement’ of consumption (a linear association between population mean consumption and percentile values across the full range of the distribution), as do countries with less informal social control. This paper aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the alcohol consumption distributions in African countries with a strong informal control of alcohol.

Design setting, participants and measurements

Data on alcohol consumption from the World Health Organization's general population surveys in 15 African countries were aggregated and analysed with respect to skewedness and collective displacement of the distribution.

Findings

The distribution of consumption was strongly positively skewed, with 10–15% of the drinkers consuming more than twice the mean consumption. There was also clear evidence of a collective displacement of the consumption distribution, and the consumption mean was a strong predictor of the distribution percentile values across the full range of the distribution. Correspondingly, consumption mean predicted the prevalence of heavy drinkers.

Conclusion

The distribution patterns of alcohol consumption in African countries are consistent with those observed previously in industrialized countries. These findings seem to counter Skog's theory of collective drinking behaviour and support the universality of the observation that the prevalence of problem drinking is linked closely to mean consumption.
Epidural anaesthesia and analgesia for liver resection
Authors: Tzimas P. , Prout J. , Papadopoulos G. , Mallett S. V.
Published: May 2013

Although epidural analgesia is routinely used in many institutions for patients undergoing hepatic resection, there are unresolved issues regarding its safety and efficacy in this setting. We performed a review of papers published in the area of anaesthesia and analgesia for liver resection surgery and selected four areas of current controversy for the focus of this review: the safety of epidural catheters with respect to postoperative coagulopathy, a common feature of this type of surgery; analgesic efficacy; associated peri‐operative fluid administration; and the role of epidural analgesia in enhanced recovery protocols. In all four areas, issues are raised that question whether epidural anaesthesia is always the best choice for these patients. Unfortunately, the evidence available is insufficient to provide definitive answers, and it is clear that there are a number of areas of controversy that would benefit from high‐quality clinical trials.
Les ambiguïtés du commerce équitable: construire un marché juste ou juste construire un marché?
Authors: Ferraton Cyrille , Prévost Benoît
Published: May 2013

Le projet du commerce équitable est de développer un commerce différent du commerce «conventionnel» en permettant notamment une juste rémunération des producteurs du Sud. Les différences entre les deux commerces sont bien souvent présentées comme allant de soi. Or, l'examen à la fois du fonctionnement du marché équitable et de l'idéal visé par ses promoteurs montre certaines convergences avec le commerce «conventionnel». Cet article rend compte de ces convergences.
Underwater sound emission as part of an antipredator mechanism in Ceratophrys cranwelli tadpoles
Authors: Salgado Costa Carolina , Chuliver Pereyra Mariana , Alcalde Leandro , Herrera Raúl , Trudeau Vance L. , Natale Guillermo S.
Published: May 2013

We report the emission of underwater sounds in the tadpoles of a second member of the family Ceratophryidae, Ceratophrys cranwelli. These tadpoles produce a short metallic‐like sound, which consists of short trains of pulses at Gosner stages 25, 28, and 37. Experiment I was designed to record underwater sounds and their characteristics. Experiment II was designed to test: (i) if at higher densities (total number of tadpoles/L) but fixed predator–prey proportions C. cranwelli larvae are cannibalistic, (ii) if cannibalism increases at higher proportions of predators at a fixed density, and (iii) if tadpoles display a mechanism of intraspecific recognition that may diminish the frequency of cannibalism. Each treatment combines larvae of C. cranwelli (predator) with those of Rhinella arenarum (prey). The number of live and dead individuals was recorded during 72 h, and the following variables were calculated: time to eat the first and second prey, time without eating, time to eat a congener, and number of events of cannibalism. The results indicate that relative predator–prey availability affects the frequency of predation between conspecifics. We consider that an antipredator mechanism exists in C. cranwelli tadpoles and that the underwater sound is part of it.
Explaining employers' illicit envelope wage payments in the EU‐27: a product of over‐regulation or under‐regulation?
Authors: Williams Colin C.
Published: May 2013

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence in the 27 member states of the European Union of a little discussed illicit wage arrangement in which formal employees are paid two wages by their formal employers – an official declared salary and an additional undeclared wage, thus allowing employers to evade their full social insurance and tax liabilities. Reporting the results of a 2007 Eurobarometer survey involving 26,659 face‐to‐face interviews, the finding is that one in 18 formal employees received such an envelope wage from their formal employer and that envelope wage payments are more prevalent in member states with lower (rather than higher) levels of state intervention. The tentative conclusion is that illicit envelope wage payments are a product of under‐regulation, rather than over‐regulation, and that further research is now required to test the validity analysis of this thesis in other global regions.
Oncogenic role of protein tyrosine kinase 7 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Shin Won‐Sik , Kwon Junhye , Lee Hae Won , Kang Moon Chul , Na Hye‐Won , Lee Seung‐Taek , Park Jong Ho
Published: May 2013

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common subtype of esophageal cancer that is particularly prevalent in East Asian countries. Our previous expression profile analysis showed that the gene encoding protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) is upregulated in ESCC tissues. Here, we aimed to validate PTK7 as a prognostic factor and a candidate target for molecular treatment of ESCC. Both RT‐PCR and Western blot analysis of tissues from ESCC patients revealed that PTK7 was significantly upregulated in tumor tissue samples of ESCC. Immunohistochemical staining of PTK7 showed that increased expression of PTK7 was inversely correlated with overall survival (P = 0.021). In vitro knockdown of PTK7 inhibited proliferation, survival, wound healing, and invasion of ESCC cells. In addition, PTK7 knockdown decreased phosphorylation of Akt, Erk, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK), important determinants of cell proliferation, survival, and migration. Therefore, our findings suggest that PTK7 has potential as a prognostic marker for ESCC and might also be a candidate for targeted therapy in the treatment of ESCC.
Developing web‐based Triple P ‘Positive Parenting Programme’ for families of children with asthma
Authors: Clarke S.‐A. , Calam R. , Morawska A. , Sanders M.
Published: May 2013

Background

We examined the feasibility of self‐directed Triple P ‘Positive Parenting Programme’ for optimizing parents' management of childhood asthma and behaviour.

Methods

Eligible families were invited to access asthma‐specific web‐based Triple P as part of a preliminary randomized controlled study.

Results

Initial study information and introductory website pages received considerable interest but intervention uptake was poor with high rates of attrition.

Conclusions

Although parents of children with asthma show willingness to access web‐based parenting support, further work is necessary to develop engaging websites and determine barriers to uptake, and adherence to online parenting interventions with this population.
Elevated levels of leukotriene C4 synthase mRNA distinguish a subpopulation of eosinophilic oesophagitis patients
Authors: Lexmond W. S. , Pardo M. , Rooney K. , Goettel J. A. , Snapper S. B. , Yen E. H. , Dehlink E. , Nurko S. , Fiebiger E.
Published: May 2013

Background

Cysteinyl leukotrienes contribute to Th2‐type inflammatory immune responses. Their levels in oesophageal tissue, however, do not distinguish patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) from controls.

Objective

We asked whether mRNA levels of leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S), a key regulator of leukotriene production, could serve as a marker for EoE.

Methods

Digital mRNA expression profiling (nCounter® Technology) was performed on proximal and distal oesophageal biopsies of 30 paediatric EoE patients and 40 non‐EoE controls. Expression data were confirmed with RT‐qPCR. LTC4S mRNA levels were quantified in whole blood samples. Leukotriene E4 was measured in urine.

Results

LTC4S mRNA levels were elevated in proximal (2.6‐fold, P < 0.001) and distal (2.9‐fold, P < 0.001) oesophageal biopsies from EoE patients. Importantly, increased LTC4S mRNA transcripts identified a subpopulation of EoE patients (28%). This patient subgroup had higher serum IgE levels (669 U/mL vs. 106 U/mL, P = 0.01), higher mRNA transcript numbers of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) (1.6‐fold, P = 0.009) and CD4 (1.4‐fold, P = 0.04) but lower IL‐23 mRNA levels (0.5‐fold, P = 0.04). In contrast, elevated levels of IL‐23 mRNA were found in oesophageal biopsies of patients with reflux oesophagitis. LTC4S mRNA transcripts in whole blood and urinary excretion of leukotriene E4 were similar in EoE patient subgroups and non‐EoE patients.

Conclusion & Clinical Relevance

Elevated oesophageal expression of LTC4S mRNA is found in a subgroup of EoE patients, concomitant with higher serum IgE levels and an oesophageal transcriptome indicative of a more‐pronounced allergic phenotype. Together with TSLP and IL‐23 mRNA levels, oesophageal LTC4S mRNA may facilitate diagnosis of an EoE subpopulation for personalized therapy.
Genetic deletion of granzyme B does not confer resistance to the development of spontaneous diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice
Authors: Kobayashi M , Kaneko-Koike C , Abiru N , Uchida T , Akazawa S , Nakamura K , Kuriya G , Satoh T , Ida H , Kawasaki E , Yamasaki H , Nagayama Y , Sasaki H , Kawakami A
Published: May 2013

Granzyme B (GzmB) and perforin are proteins, secreted mainly by natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes that are largely responsible for the induction of apoptosis in target cells. Because type 1 diabetes results from the selective destruction of β cells and perforin deficiency effectively reduces diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, it can be deduced that β cell apoptosis involves the GzmB/perforin pathway. However, the relevance of GzmB remains totally unknown in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. In this study we have focused on GzmB and examined the consequence of GzmB deficiency in NOD mice. We found that NOD.GzmB–/– mice developed diabetes spontaneously with kinetics similar to those of wild-type NOD (wt-NOD) mice. Adoptive transfer study with regulatory T cell (Treg)-depleted splenocytes (SPCs) into NOD-SCID mice or in-vivo Treg depletion by anti-CD25 antibody at 4 weeks of age comparably induced the rapid progression of diabetes in the NOD.GzmB–/– mice and wt-NOD mice. Expression of GzmA and Fas was enhanced in the islets from pre-diabetic NOD.GzmB–/– mice. In contrast to spontaneous diabetes, GzmB deficiency suppressed the development of cyclophosphamide-promoted diabetes in male NOD mice. Cyclophosphamide treatment led to a significantly lower percentage of apoptotic CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+CD25+ T cells in SPCs from NOD.GzmB–/– mice than those from wt-NOD mice. In conclusion, GzmB, in contrast to perforin, is not essentially involved in the effector mechanisms for β cell destruction in NOD mice.
Clinical implications of menstrual cycle length in oligomenorrhoeic young women
Authors: Oh Jee‐Young , Sung Yeon‐Ah , Lee Hye Jin
Published: May 2013

Objective

Although menstrual irregularity is associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism, the relationship between the severity of menstrual infrequency and clinical phenotypes in young women with oligomenorrhoea (OM) is unclear. We evaluated whether a longer menstrual cycle length is associated with less favourable metabolic features.

Design/Patients/Measurements

A total of 1174 young women (aged 19–39 years) with a menstrual cycle length over 40 days and 1430 women with regular menstrual cycles participated voluntarily. Metabolic parameters, insulin sensitivity index (ISI) and testosterone were measured. Oligomenorrhoeic women were divided into three groups: (i) polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by National Institute of Health criteria, (ii) severe OM (menstrual cycle length >60 days), and (iii) mild OM (menstrual cycle length 40–60 days).

Results

In normal‐weight women (BMI < 23 kg/m2), the degrees of insulin resistance and hyperandrogenaemia are the highest in PCOS and higher in severe OM compared with mild OM. In overweight or obese women, PCOS was more insulin resistant and hyperandrogenaemic, but there was no difference between severe and mild OM. After excluding PCOS, women with severe OM showed a twofold increased risk of metabolic syndrome compared with regular cycling women (odds ratio 2·4, 95% confidence interval 1·1–5·6). By linear regression analysis, a longer menstrual cycle length was associated with ISI after adjustment for age, BMI, metabolic risk factors and testosterone.

Conclusions

Women with a menstrual cycle length over 60 days should be more closely monitored for the metabolic syndrome than women with a menstrual cycle length of 40–60 days, even if they have no PCOS.
Autoantibodies to low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 4 that is essential for the neuromuscular junction formation
Authors: Higuchi Osamu
Published: May 2013

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by skeletal muscle fatigability and muscle weakness resulting from inhibition of neuromuscular transmission by autoantibodies against synaptic apparatus in the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). MG is probably classified into three groups: anti‐acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody‐positive MG; antimuscle‐specific kinase (MuSK) antibody‐positive MG; and seronegative MG, which is negative for both antibodies. In patients with seronegative MG, pathogenic factors remain elusive. Recently, a new autoantibody against low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 4 (Lrp4), which is one of the postsynaptic apparatus and indispensable for the formation of the NMJ, has been identified and has attracted attention as a third MG‐related autoantibody. In the present review, we discuss the role of Lrp4 in the formation of NMJ, and the molecular mechanism(s) of pathogenesis for anti‐Lrp4 antibody‐positive MG.
Comparison of grey scale median (GSM) measurement in ultrasound images of human carotid plaques using two different softwares
Authors: Östling Gerd , Persson Margaretha , Hedblad Bo , Gonçalves Isabel
Published: May 2013

Grey scale median (GSM) measured on ultrasound images of carotid plaques has been used for several years now in research to find the vulnerable plaque. Centres have used different software and also different methods for GSM measurement. This has resulted in a wide range of GSM values and cut‐off values for the detection of the vulnerable plaque. The aim of this study was to compare the values obtained with two different softwares, using different standardization methods, for the measurement of GSM on ultrasound images of carotid human plaques. GSM was measured with Adobe Photoshop® and with Artery Measurement System (AMS) on duplex ultrasound images of 100 consecutive medium‐ to large‐sized carotid plaques of the Beta‐blocker Cholesterol‐lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS). The mean values of GSM were 35·2 ± 19·3 and 55·8 ± 22·5 for Adobe Photoshop® and AMS, respectively. Mean difference was 20·45 (95% CI: 19·17–21·73). Although the absolute values of GSM differed, the agreement between the two measurements was good, correlation coefficient 0·95. A chi‐square test revealed a kappa value of 0·68 when studying quartiles of GSM. The intra‐observer variability was 1·9% for AMS and 2·5% for Adobe Photoshop. The difference between softwares and standardization methods must be taken into consideration when comparing studies. To avoid these problems, researcher should come to a consensus regarding software and standardization method for GSM measurement on ultrasound images of plaque in the arteries.
Treat‐to‐target trials: uses, interpretation and review of concepts
Authors: Garber A. J.
Published: May 2013

Treat‐to‐target trial designs compare investigational insulins with a standard insulin. Treat‐to‐target trials force‐titrate insulin dosages to achieve a prespecified treatment goal. With comparable glycaemic control, comparisons of safety endpoints such as hypoglycaemia can be made to establish the risk‐benefit profile of the new insulin. Glargine versus NPH showed comparable A1C reductions; however, A1C <7% without associated nocturnal hypoglycaemia was reached in more patients on glargine and overall hypoglycaemia was lower. Detemir versus glargine showed non‐inferiority between the groups; however, with less weight gain and more injection site reactions with detemir. Detemir/aspart versus glargine/aspart showed non‐inferiority between the treatments, however, with less weight gain in the detemir group but comparable risk of hypoglycaemia. Degludec in combination with aspart versus glargine/aspart showed comparable A1C reductions. However, degludec‐treated patients had less overall hypoglycaemia and less nocturnal hypoglycaemia. Because insulin titrations are guided by goal attainment with each treatment, treat‐to‐target trials enable clinicians to determine differences in non‐glycaemic treatment effects, such as rates of hypoglycaemia and weight gain, at the same level of glycaemic control.
Anomalous Mitral Arcade Variant with Accessory Mitral Leaflet and Chordae Presenting for the First Time with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in an Adult
Authors: Singh Bhupinder , Srinivasa K. H. , Surangi Manohar J. , Rangan Kapil , Manjunath C. Nanjappa
Published: May 2013

The anomalous mitral arcade is a rare congenital malformation of the mitral valve and its tensor apparatus. It is characterized by enlarged papillary muscles connected to each other and to the free edge of the anterior mitral leaflet by a bridge of fibrous tissue. We report a rare variant of anomalous mitral arcade that was associated with accessory mitral leaflet in subaortic area and accessory chordae. Our patient was asymptomatic till the age of 18 years, when he presented for the first time in acute decompensated heart failure secondary to severe mitral regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction. The patient had rapid deterioration with fatal outcome.
Understanding Morality from an Evolutionary Perspective: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Keefer Matthew W.
Published: May 2013

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new research on moral thinking informed by evolutionary theory. The new findings have emanated from a wide variety of fields. While there is no shortage of theoretical models that attempt to account for specific research findings, Matthew Keefer's goals in this essay are more general. First, he examines the strength of the evolutionary approach to understanding morality and moral emotions as adaptations to cooperation. Second, he considers the importance of unconscious processing for generating ethical (or unethical) behavior and the complex relation among moral emotions, intuitions, and conscious moral reasoning. Third, he underscores the importance of understanding self‐deception and self‐serving biases in moral thinking and behavior. Keefer ends the essay with a discussion of some implications of these considerations for professional ethics and moral education.
Toward a Theory of Liking
Authors: Burke Kevin , Greteman Adam
Published: May 2013

In the current essay, Kevin Burke and Adam Greteman challenge this thing called love by looking at how we might instead “like” in education. Within education, multiculturalism can be viewed as a way of loving, or learning to love, diversity and, as such, learning to love the self; this tendency is notably apparent in the recent rise of concern expressed about student self‐esteem. According to the authors, however, critical research on multiculturalism demonstrates how, in loving diversity, multicultural discourses limn the possibilities for subjects to come into being and be liked for their differences. Drawing on James Alison's On Being Liked, Burke and Greteman reframe the problem of relating in education instead through the language of liking. How does the shift from loving to liking — either our students, our teachers, or ourselves — create different social dynamics and ethical paradigms? In engaging this question, Burke and Greteman offer an alternative model of liking that is based on the practice of cruising.
Secondary galling: a novel feeding strategy among ‘non‐pollinating’ fig wasps fromFicus curtipes
Authors: CHEN HUAN‐HUAN , YANG DA‐RONG , GU DING , COMPTON STEPHEN G. , PENG YAN‐QIONG
Published: May 2013

The interaction between pollinator fig wasps (Agaonidae) and their host fig trees (Ficus) is a striking example of an obligate plant–insect mutualism, but figs also support numerous ‘parasites’ of the mutualism. Female agaonids (foundresses) lay their eggs in shorter‐styled flowers, whereas longer‐styled flowers produce seeds. A few ‘non‐pollinating’ fig wasps (NPFWs) can also enter figs to oviposit

Fig wasp oviposition site choice and larval biology in figs of anAsian monoecious species,Ficus curtipesCorner, were recorded where twoNPFWspecies oviposit inside the figs, such as the agaonid.

Eupristinasp. agaonids chose flowers in proportion to their availability, rather than preferring to oviposit in shorter‐styled flowers.Diaziella yangivan Noort & Rasplus andLipothymussp. (Pteromalidae) foundresses followedEupristinasp. into receptive figs and laid their eggs entirely in flowers that already contained pollinator eggs. This indicates that bothNPFWsare inquilines under the widely‐used terminology in the fig wasp literature, because they utilise galls generated by the pollinators. However, their adult bodies and galls were larger than those of the pollinators, showing that they independently stimulate ovule growth. These species are better described as secondary gallers that modify galls previously generated by the pollinators and kill these primary gallers.

Use of the term ‘inquiline’ amongNPFWsinadequately and often inappropriately describes their biology. No knownNPFWsare inquilines in the strict sense that they do not harm their hosts. ‘Primary gallers’, ‘secondary gallers’, ‘seed predators’, and ‘parasitoids’ describe their biology more accurately.
A stepwise α‐thalassemia screening strategy in high‐prevalence areas
Authors: Alkindi Salam S. , AlZadjali Shoaib , Daar Shahina , Sindhuvi Eunice , Wali Yasser , Pathare Anil V. , Venugopal Suresh , Lapoumeroulie Claudine , Srivastava Alok , Krishnamoorthy Rajagopal
Published: May 2013

Introduction

Coinheritance of α‐thalassemia influences the clinical and hematological phenotypes of β‐hemoglobinopathies (β‐thalassemia and sickle cell disease) and when present together in significant frequency within a population, a spectrum of clinical forms is observed. Precise molecular characterization of α‐thalassemia is important in understanding their disease‐modifying role in β‐hemoglobinopathies and for diagnostic purposes.

Patients and methods

Because currently used approaches are labor/cost‐intensive, time‐consuming, error‐prone in certain genotype combinations and not applicable for large epidemiological screening, we developed a systematic stepwise strategy to overcome these difficulties. We successfully applied this to characterize the α‐globin gene status in 150 Omani cord blood samples with Hb Barts and 32 patients with HbH disease.

Results

We observed a good correlation between α‐globin genotypes and level of Hb Bart's with the Hb Bart's levels significantly higher in both deletional and non‐deletional α‐globin genotypes. The most common α‐globin genotype in HbH cases was αTSaudiα/αTSaudiα (n = 16; 50%) followed by −α3.7/–MED (n = 10; 31%). This approach detects also the α‐globin gene triplication as exemplified by the study of a family where the β‐globin gene defect failed to explain the β‐thalassemia intermedia phenotype.

Conclusion

Molecular characterization of α‐thalassemia is complex due to high sequence homology between the duplicated α‐globin genes and to the existence of a variety of gene rearrangements (small and large deletions of various sizes) and punctual substitutions (non‐deletional alleles). The novelty of our strategy resides, not in the individual technical steps per se but in the reasoned sequential order of their use taking into consideration the hematological phenotype as well.
Evaluating taxonomic adjacency as a source of soil map uncertainty
Authors: Phillips J. D.
Published: May 2013

Soil types or map units are considered to be taxonomically adjacent if they differ in only one criterion, defined by an arbitrary threshold value. By treating soil types as nodes of a graph and taxonomic adjacency as the graph edges connecting nodes, algebraic graph theory can be used to produce a measurement of the uncertainty in a soil map associated with arbitrary classification boundaries between soil types. The largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of a graph, the spectral radius, is an indication of network complexity. A larger spectral radius indicates a more complex network, and a greater degree of uncertainty or potential error associated with taxonomic adjacency. Benchmark values of spectral radius for cases of no taxonomic adjacency, including a single pair of adjacent soils, a chain or cycle‐type graph structure and a fully connected graph, are established so that taxonomic adjacency indices based on the spectral radius can be established. Examples are shown from two contrasting USA soil landscapes in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, and the coastal plain of North Carolina, using both US Soil Taxonomy and the world reference base. The taxonomic adjacency indices are also useful in assessing soil richness and pedodiversity, with smaller values indicating a greater likelihood that identified soils represent distinct entities.
Tidal downwelling and implications for the carbon biogeochemistry of cold‐water corals in relation to future ocean acidification and warming
Authors: Findlay Helen S. , Artioli Yuri , Moreno Navas Juan , Hennige Sebastian J. , Wicks Laura C. , Huvenne Veerle A. I. , Woodward E. Malcolm S. , Roberts J. Murray
Published: May 2013

Cold‐water coral (CWC) reefs are recognized as ecologically and biologically significant areas that generate habitats and diversity. The interaction between hydrodynamics and CWCs has been well studied at the Mingulay Reef Complex, a relatively shallow area of reefs found on the continental shelf off Scotland, UK. Within ‘Mingulay Area 01’ a rapid tidal downwelling of surface waters, brought about as an internal wave, is known to supply warmer, phytoplankton‐rich waters to corals growing on the northern flank of an east‐west trending seabed ridge. This study shows that this tidal downwelling also causes short‐term perturbations in the inorganic carbon (CT) and nutrient dynamics through the water column and immediately above the reef. Over a 14 h period, corresponding to one semi‐diurnal tidal cycle, seawater pH overlying the reef varied by ca. 0.1 pH unit, while pCO2 shifted by >60 μatm, a shift equivalent to a ca. 25 year jump into the future, with respect to atmospheric pCO2. During the summer stratified period, these downwelling events result in the reef being washed over with surface water that has higher pH, is warmer, nutrient depleted, but rich in phytoplankton‐derived particles compared to the deeper waters in which the corals sit. Empirical observations, together with outputs from the European Regional Shelf Sea Ecosystem Model, demonstrate that the variability that the CWC reefs experience changes through the seasons and into the future. Hence, as ocean acidification and warming increase into the future, the downwelling event specific to this site could provide short‐term amelioration of corrosive conditions at certain times of the year; however, it could additionally result in enhanced detrimental impacts of warming on CWCs. Natural variability in the CT and nutrient conditions, as well as local hydrodynamic regimes, must be accounted for in any future predictions concerning the responses of marine ecosystems to climate change.
Conservation of two distinct types of 100S ribosome in bacteria
Authors: Ueta Masami , Wada Chieko , Daifuku Takashi , Sako Yoshihiko , Bessho Yoshitaka , Kitamura Aya , Ohniwa Ryosuke L. , Morikawa Kazuya , Yoshida Hideji , Kato Takayuki , Miyata Tomoko , Namba Keiichi , Wada Akira
Published: May 2013

In bacteria, 70S ribosomes (consisting of 30S and 50S subunits) dimerize to form 100S ribosomes, which were first discovered in Escherichia coli. Ribosome modulation factor (RMF) and hibernation promoting factor (HPF) mediate this dimerization in stationary phase. The 100S ribosome is translationally inactive, but it dissociates into two translationally active 70S ribosomes after transfer from starvation to fresh medium. Therefore, the 100S ribosome is called the ‘hibernating ribosome’. The gene encoding RMF is found widely throughout the Gammaproteobacteria class, but is not present in any other bacteria. In this study, 100S ribosome formation in six species of Gammaproteobacteria and eight species belonging to other bacterial classes was compared. There were several marked differences between the two groups: (i) Formation of 100S ribosomes was mediated by RMF and short HPF in Gammaproteobacteria species, similar to E. coli, whereas it was mediated only by long HPF in the other bacterial species; (ii) RMF/short HPF‐mediated 100S ribosome formation occurred specifically in stationary phase, whereas long HPF‐mediated 100S ribosome formation occurred in all growth phases; and (iii) 100S ribosomes formed by long HPF were much more stable than those formed by RMF and short HPF.
Slurry‐Based Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics
Authors: Mühler Thomas , Gomes Cynthia M. , Heinrich Jürgen , Günster Jens
Published: May 2013

Most additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have in common that material is spread out as thin layers of a dried powder/granulate by a roller or a shaker system. These layers are mostly characterized by a low packing rate. On the other hand, appreciable densities can be reached by the use of ceramic slurries. In this context, the layer‐wise slurry deposition (LSD) has been developed. Specific features of the LSD process are reflected on the basis of already existing additive manufacturing technologies. The microstructure of laser‐sintered bodies will be discussed, and strategies for an improved microstructure during sintering will be introduced.