bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypermethylation of P15, P16, and E-cadherin genes in ovarian cancer
Authors: Moselhy Said S , Kumosani Taha A , Kamal IH , Jalal JA , Jabaar Hassan S Abdul , Dalol Ashraf
Published: April 2013

Both p16 and p15 proteins are inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases that prevent the cell going through the G1/S phase transaction. E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates calcium-dependent interactions between adjacent epithelial cells. Two groups of patients were selected: the first group suffered from epithelial serous ovarian tumors and the second group suffered from benign ovarian lesions; ovarian tissue samples from all the subjects (benign and malignant) were subjected to methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for methylated and unmethylated alleles of the genes (E-cadherin, p15, and p16). Results obtained showed that aberrant methylation of p15 and p16 genes were detected in 64.29 and 50% of ovarian cancer patients, while E-cadherin hypermethylation was detected in 78.57% of ovarian cancer patients. Methylation of E-cadherin was significantly correlated with different stage of disease ( p < 0.05). It was found that the risk of E-cadherin hypermethylation was 1.347-fold, while risk of p15 hypermethylation was 1.543-fold and p16 was 1.2-fold among patients with ovarian cancer than that among patients with benign ovarian lesions. In conclusion, Dysfunction of the cell cycle and/or the cell–cell adhesion molecule plays a role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer and that the analysis of the methylation of p15 and E-cadherin genes can provide clinically important evidence on which to base the treatment.
Prelude to the Crisis: The US Treasury, Financial Markets and ‘Failure Containment’
Authors: Panitch Leo , Gindin Sam
Published: April 2013

This article traces the central role of the American state, led by the Treasury, not only in the spread and deepening of global finance, but also in containing the financial crises to which this gave rise. The first part examines this role in relation to the financial crises abroad in the 1990s. The second part focuses on the Treasury’s opting for failure containment over failure prevention amidst the financialization it promoted through the 1990s. The third part shows how this laid the basis for the interpenetration of US and foreign financial markets in the mortgage credit boom in the years leading up to the 2007 financial crisis.
Statistical analysis, modeling, and optimization of thrust force and surface roughness in high-speed drilling of Al–Si alloy
Authors: Akhavan Farid Ali , Sharif Safian , Alizadeh Ashrafi Sina , Idris Mohd Hasbullah
Published: April 2013

The needs to rapid manufacture of automotive components have led to the extensive uses of high-speed drilling in hole-making operation. However, issues such as uncontrollable thrust force and hole quality need to be addressed effectively in order to have full benefit of high-speed machining. Modeling the effect of drilling parameters on the machining responses can be a useful approach in controlling the thrust force and surface quality of the hole. This article reports on the development of mathematical models for thrust force ( Ft) and surface roughness ( Ra) during high-speed drilling of Al–Si alloy using uncoated carbide tools. Central composite design coupled with response surface methodology was used to predict the Ft and Ra values in relation to the primary machining variables such as cutting speed and feed rate. Second-order polynomial models were developed for both responses, and the adequacy of models was verified by analysis of variance. Results show the goodness of response surface methodology in the development of mathematical models in explaining the variation of thrust force and surface roughness by relating them to the variations of cutting parameters. In the developed models, linear effects of cutting parameters have the highest contribution to the thrust force model, while their quadratic effects are the significant terms influencing the surface roughness. Consequently, the optimum cutting condition was predicted at the high and low levels of cutting speed and feed rate, respectively.
Dimensional metrology in the macroscopic range with sub-nanometre resolution
Authors: Hausotte Tino , Vorbringer-Dorozhovets Nataliya , Shen Jing C , Manske Eberhard , Jäger Gerd
Published: April 2013

Nanomeasuring machines are devices for solving various positioning and measuring problems in a range of several millimetres with sub-nanometre resolution. These devices are used for positioning, probing and measurements. The combination of this machine with a scanning force microscope leads to improved quality in the calibration of standards. The measurement accuracy and stability of the scanning force microscope are important for the achievable measurement uncertainty. Many systems are influenced by the creep, hysteresis and bending of the included piezo actuators. A scanning force microscope head with a combined deflection detection system that comprises an interferometer and a beam deflection system was developed. Due to this system, it is possible to simultaneously measure the displacement, bending and torsion of the cantilever with only one focussed beam. An additional high-speed piezoelectric actuator for the vertical motion of the cantilever was integrated and is controlled by the bending signal. The outcome of this additional control system is a much higher scan speed. The interferometer system can be used for precise measurement of the vertical cantilever motion. Hence, non-linearity and hysteresis in the actuator do not affect the measurement. The device was used for several calibration measurements on step height and lateral standards. This article deals with the set-up, function and application of a scanning force microscope head for dimensional metrology with the nanomeasuring machines.
An improved fluid convection solution in conventional grinding
Authors: Zhang Lei , Rowe W Brian , Morgan Michael N
Published: April 2013

It is important in grinding for the fluid to remove heat from the grinding contact zone to avoid thermal damage to the workpiece surface and/or subsurface layers. The cooling effect of grinding fluid can be quantified by a convection heat convective heat transfer coefficient acting in the grinding zone. This article presents values of the convection heat transfer coefficient based on published experimental results for measured grinding temperatures. This article also presents a new convective heat transfer model based on principles of applied fluid dynamics and heat transfer. Predicted values for the convection heat transfer coefficient calculated from the model are compared with results from experiments obtained under a range of grinding conditions and with experimental data obtained from published literature. The results demonstrate that the new convection heat transfer coefficient model improves the accuracy of prediction and helps explain the variation in the value of convection heat transfer coefficient under varying process conditions. The results also show that convection efficiency strongly depends on the grinding wheel speed, grinding arc length and fluid properties. This new model can be readily introduced into current thermal models of the process used to predict and control grinding temperatures.
Object-Based Attention Without Awareness
Authors: Norman Liam J. , Heywood Charles A. , Kentridge Robert W.
Published: April 2013

Attention and awareness are often considered to be related. Some forms of attention can, however, facilitate the processing of stimuli that remain unseen. It is unclear whether this dissociation extends beyond selection on the basis of primitive properties, such as spatial location, to situations in which there are more complex bases for attentional selection. The experiment described here shows that attentional selection at the level of objects can take place without giving rise to awareness of those objects. Pairs of objects were continually masked, which rendered them invisible to participants performing a cued-target-discrimination task. When the cue and target appeared within the same object, discrimination was faster than when they appeared in different objects at the same spatial separation. Participants reported no awareness of the objects and were unable to detect them in a signal-detection task. Object-based attention, therefore, is not sufficient for object awareness.
Overearning
Authors: Hsee Christopher K. , Zhang Jiao , Cai Cindy F. , Zhang Shirley
Published: April 2013

High productivity and high earning rates brought about by modern technologies make it possible for people to work less and enjoy more, yet many continue to work assiduously to earn more. Do people overearn—forgo leisure to work and earn beyond their needs? This question is understudied, partly because in real life, determining the right amount of earning and defining overearning are difficult. In this research, we introduced a minimalistic paradigm that allows researchers to study overearning in a controlled laboratory setting. Using this paradigm, we found that individuals do overearn, even at the cost of happiness, and that overearning is a result of mindless accumulation—a tendency to work and earn until feeling tired rather than until having enough. Supporting the mindless-accumulation notion, our results show, first, that individuals work about the same amount regardless of earning rates and hence are more likely to overearn when earning rates are high than when they are low, and second, that prompting individuals to consider the consequences of their earnings or denying them excessive earnings can disrupt mindless accumulation and enhance happiness.
Charles Townshend’s Advance on Baghdad: The British Offensive in Mesopotamia, September–November 1915
Authors: Gardner Nikolas
Published: April 2013

This article examines Major General Charles Townshend’s offensive against Ottoman forces in Mesopotamia during the autumn of 1915. It challenges the prevailing view that the offensive was destined for failure due to the numerical superiority of Ottoman forces in the region. Examining Townshend’s role in the battle of Kut-al-Amara in late September 1915, and focusing in particular on his conduct of the battle of Ctesiphon in late November, the article argues that Townshend was confident that his 6 Indian Division could defeat the Ottomans at Ctesiphon, and he devised a feasible plan to do so. Townshend’s decisions under fire, however, undermined the success of his force and contributed to the heavy casualties that led to its withdrawal from the battlefield and its subsequent retreat to Kut-al-Amara, where the division was besieged until its surrender in April 1916.
Impact of Microfinance on Women Empowerment in the Matrilineal Tribal Society of India: An Analysis Using Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Difference
Authors: Lyngdoh Benjamin F. , Pati Ambika P.
Published: April 2013

This study is an evaluation of the impact of microfinance on women empowerment conducted upon clients of the matrilineal tribal society of India that exists in its north east region. It covers a period of five years, where in, data is compiled for 300 microfinance women clients (experimental group [EG]) and 150 non-microfinance women clients (control group [CG)]). For impact evaluation, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Difference-in-Difference (DinD) techniques are applied. PSM ensures a matched sample by balancing the EG and CG on covariates and DinD, the impact of microfinance through economic and sociopolitical outcomes. The study highlights that microfinance has a positive impact on income, expenditure and savings. It led to an improvement in asset structure, increased access to livestock, micro machines, family wealth and family savings, education decision-making, improved mobility, communication skills, voicing of concerns, self confidence, increased political participation to promote gender equality, etc. In addition, microfinance amount and profile of the clients are important components in influencing impact. Overall, microfinance is a potent tool of women empowerment even in matrilineal tribal settings.
The Relationships Between Active Transport to Work or School and Cardiovascular Health or Body Weight
Authors: Xu Huilan , Wen Li Ming , Rissel Chris
Published: April 2013

To systematically examine the relationships between active transport to work or school and cardiovascular health, body weight, or other health outcomes, a systematic review of the literature was conducted in September 2012 using 3 electronic databases. A total of 3887 articles were screened, 30 full text articles were retrieved, and 19 articles were identified. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of each article. The review found that active transport to work or school was significantly associated with improved cardiovascular health and lower body weight. However, the strength of the evidence varied from weak (mental health and cancer), moderate (body weight), to strong (cardiovascular health). The evidence was limited by lack of comparability of study outcomes, weak study designs, small sample sizes, and lack of experimental studies. Further research is needed to examine the effect of active transport on health using stronger research designs, including randomized controlled trials or longitudinal studies.
Smoking Intensity Among Male Factory Workers in Kunming, China
Authors: Cheng Kai-Wen , Tsoh Janice Y. , Cui Wenlong , Li Xiaoliang , Kohrman Matthew
Published: April 2013

Introduction. This study investigated the intensity of cigarette consumption and its correlates in China among urban male factory workers, a cohort especially vulnerable to tobacco exposure, one that appears to have benefitted little from recent public health efforts to reduce smoking rates. Methods. Data were collected from men working in factories of Kunming city, Yunnan, China, who are current daily smokers (N = 490). A multinomial logistic regression was conducted to examine the factors in association with smoking intensity in light, moderate, and heavy levels. Results. Light smoking correlated with social smoking, smoking the first cigarette later in the day, self-reported health condition, and quit intention. Heavy smoking was associated with purchase of lower priced cigarettes, difficulty refraining from smoking, and prehypertensive blood pressure. Conclusion. Even in regions where smoking is highly prevalent, even among cohorts who smoke heavily, variation exists in how cigarettes are consumed. Analyses of this consumption, with special consideration given to smoking intensity and its correlates, can help guide tobacco-control strategists in developing more effective interventions.
Pathogenicity associated with coinfection with very virulent infectious bursal disease and Infectious bursal disease virus strains endemic in the United States
Authors: Stoute Simone T. , Jackwood Daral J. , Sommer-Wagner Susan E. , Crossley Beate M. , Woolcock Peter R. , Charlton Bruce R.
Published: April 2013

The pathogenicity induced by co-challenge with the rB strain of very virulent Infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) and IBDV pathotypes endemic in the United States was evaluated in specific pathogen–free chickens. Four- and 6-week-old birds were simultaneously challenged with a 105 50% egg infectious dose (EID50) of rB mixed with a 105 EID50 of one of the following viruses: standard classic (STC), subclinical variant (Del-E), subclinical variant (T1), or avirulent serotype 2 (OH). Each challenge group consisted of 5 chickens. The severity of disease was assessed by comparing the 5-day mortality rates, bursal lesions (mean bursal lesion scores), and mean bursal-to-body weight ratios in each of the challenged groups. A mortality of 100% (10/10 and 5/5) was observed in birds inoculated with only the vvIBDV (rB) strain at 4 weeks and 6 weeks of age, respectively. Although the sample sizes were low, a significant reduction in mortality and severity of disease, based on mean bursal lesion scores, was observed in groups co-challenged with rB and the less virulent pathotypes Del-E, T1, or OH at 4 weeks of age. Co-challenge with rB and the antigenically similar STC strain did not result in a significant decrease in mortality compared to challenge with the pathogenic rB strain at 4 weeks of age, but a significant reduction in the mean bursa lesion score was observed. At 6 weeks of age, a significant decrease in mortality and mean bursa lesion score was observed in the rB groups co-challenged with STC, Del-E, or T1 but not OH.
Common and Specific Factors Approaches to Home-Based Treatment
Authors: Lee Mo Yee , Greene Gilbert J. , Fraser J. Scott , Edwards Shivani G. , Grove David , Solovey Andrew D. , Scott Pamela
Published: April 2013

Objectives:

This study examined the treatment outcomes of integrated families and systems treatment (I-FAST), a moderated common factors approach, in reference to multisystemic therapy (MST), an established specific factor approach, for treating at-risk children and adolescents and their families in an intensive community-based setting.

Method:

This study used a nonrandomized noninferiority trial design to compare the outcomes of 79 families who received I-FAST, the test intervention, to 47 families who have received MST, the reference intervention.

Results:

I-FAST was noninferior to MST in reducing problem severity and improving functioning based on youth, parents, and workers’ assessments.

Conclusions:

While the nonrandomized design of this study precludes any definitive conclusions, implications of the study were discussed with respect to the debate regarding common factors and specific factor approaches to family treatment and implementation of evidence-based treatments.
Apprehensions and Expectations of the Adoption of Systematically Planned, Outcome-Oriented Practice
Authors: Savaya Riki , Altschuler Dorit , Melamed Sharon
Published: April 2013

Objectives:

The study examined social workers’ apprehensions and expectations of the impending adoption of systematically planned, empirically based, outcome-oriented practice (SEOP).

Method:

Employing a mixed methods longitudinal design, the study used concept mapping to identify and map workers’ apprehensions and expectations and a self-reported questionnaire to measure their levels.

Results:

Apprehensions were that SEOP will increase monitoring and financial considerations in decision making and undermine professional intervention and professional responsibility. Expectations were that it will (a) empower social workers to provide better service and better cope with counterpressures and (b) systemize work procedures and improve organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and governance. Findings also showed that workers, who participated in formulating the system’s guidelines and principles, reported lower apprehensions and higher expectations than those who did not.

Conclusions:

In introducing SEOP, it is important to take workers’ apprehensions and expectations into consideration and to include workers in the development stage.
The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet and Autism
Authors: Hurwitz Sarah
Published: April 2013

The gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet is widely used by families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Despite its popularity, there is limited evidence in support of the diet. The purpose of this article was to identify and evaluate well-controlled studies of the GFCF diet that have been implemented with children with ASD. A review of the literature from 1999 to 2012 identified five studies meeting inclusion criteria. Research rigor was examined using an evaluative rubric and ranged from Adequate to Strong. In three of the studies, no positive effects of the diet were reported on behavior or development, even after double-blind gluten and casein trials. Two studies found positive effects after 1 year but had research quality concerns. Reasons why families continue to expend effort on GFCF diets despite limited empirical evidence are discussed. Recommendations are that families should invest time and resources in more robustly supported interventions and limit GFCF diets to children diagnosed with celiac disease or food allergies.
Out of Their Comfort Zone
Authors: Duffy Andrew
Published: April 2013

Many journalism students harbour desires of becoming travel writers. And yet, when taken on a travel-writing trip, how do they react when confronted with the reality? And how does their own social framework influence their perception of a foreign country? This article uses content analysis of travel articles written by mainly Singaporean journalism students on two travel-writing practicums in Southeast Asia, to examine choice of topic: the role of the travel writer as commentator and intermediary and the representation of the ‘other’ country for consumption by a ‘home’ audience. Its impact on journalism education is to encourage students to consider their own reaction to and creation of the Other—more commonly done in international reporting, or covering topics such as immigration, homosexuality, disability, race and religion—and it is hoped that insights from this research can be applied to education in other forms of journalism. Finally, it considers whether student journalists from an Asian city state that emerged from the shadow of empire can escape recreating the patterns of colonialism implicit in much Western travel writing.
Policy of Inclusiveness and Social Angst of Journalism Education in India
Authors: Nagaraj K. V. , Guha Silajit
Published: April 2013

The social divide in India has percolated to media and also media education. Torn between public and private sector institutions, the marginalized sections of the society have to depend upon government initiatives for access to higher education. The financial affordability is the major barrier for their entry into private sector institutions of media education. Hence, the government has initiated measures to increase the gross enrolment ratio to widen the scope of inclusiveness. This article examines the issue of social angst arising from the policy of social inclusiveness in media education in India.
Kuopio Treatment Strategy after Deep Sternal Wound Infection
Authors: Berg L. T. , Jaakkola P.
Published: April 2013

Backgrounds and Aims: Infection of sternotomy wound is a rare potentially fatal complication because of the risk for deep sternal infection. Current treatment comprises antibiotics, debridement, negative pressure wound therapy and sometimes transposition of muscle or omental flaps to fill the anterior mediastinal dead space.

Material and Methods: The management of 60 consecutive deep sternotomy wound infections is reviewed. The one stage treatment was mostly chosen. In 5 patients after debridement, negative pressure wound therapy was used before flap reconstruction. Fifty-seven patients were rewired and 3 patients had sternectomy. The choice of the flap was based mainly on anatomic location of a sternal wound defect and also on which grafts been used in cardiac operation.

Results: The unilateral turnover split pectoralis major flap was the choice for 50 patients. In 8 patients latissimus dorsi flap was used. Rectus abdominis was used as a standalone flap in 4 patients and in combination with pectoralis major in one. All patients survived after deep sternal wound infection. In only 33 patients the recovery was totally uneventful. In the remaining 27 patients there were one or more complications. Not a single flap was lost completely, but due to partial flap necrosis, a redo reconstruction was needed in 3 patients. Negative pressure wound therapy was used after flap reconstruction in eight patients with incomplete post-flap healing to prepare for wound revision and split thickness skin graft.

Conclusions: A structured approach including both cardiac and plastic surgery in case of deep sternal wound infection is recommended. A single stage surgery with the help of muscle flap reconstruction is our standard treatment. With our protocol, we have been able to keep the mortality low.
Cultures of belief
Authors: Mair Jonathan
Published: April 2013

In popular thought about the meaning of religion, as well as established debates in anthropology, religious belief is interpreted as either a commitment to a clear set of propositions, or as a non-literal, symbolic, ethical or social commitment. Anthropologists have tended to support the latter of these positions, so much so that this can now be seen as the ‘anthropological’ position; it is also characteristic of the view of scholars in related disciplines, such as religious studies. This article argues for a third possibility: that religious (and other) believers are often engaged in complex, reflexive practices that stipulate specific cognitive and non-cognitive relationships to propositional content. This is demonstrated with reference to contemporary Buddhism in Inner Mongolia, China. The author argues that the existence of such cultures of belief demonstrates there is a need for a systematic anthropological theory of belief and suggests some sources that may contribute to its formulation
Ritual, history and cognition: From analogy to hegemony in highland Malagasy polities
Authors: Berger Laurent
Published: April 2013

Despite social change occurring over the 18th and 19th centuries in the Malagasy highlands, the same basic structure of the Merina circumcision ritual remained invariant, although some innovations and transformations have characterized its evolution. The issue is to render intelligible this co-existence of constant and shifting religious ritual forms throughout history. This case study argues that Lévi-Strauss’s ‘canonic formula’ can be reinterpreted as the law of permutation group organizing the whole series of Merina circumcision variants, thanks to relationality theories of ritual and to the structure mapping and multi-constraint theories of analogical reasoning. The canonic formula [Fx(a): Fy(b):: Fy(a): Fa−l(x)] formalizes a counter-intuitive proportional analogical thought and action inherent to the performance of Merina circumcision as a special agent ritual. Because this kind of analogy is based on core constraints, some of them structural and insensitive to the historical context, some of them being semantic and pragmatic and thereby depending upon cultural experiences and social situations, the permanence and variation of circumcision ritual form can be related to the hegemonic rise and decline of historical Merina polities.
Spirited encounters: Notes on the politics and poetics of representing the uncanny in anthropology
Authors: Goslinga Gillian
Published: April 2013

This essay returns to two foundational ethnographies in the anthropology of spirit phenomena by E.E. Evans-Pritchard and Vincent Crapanzano, as well as Jean Rouch’s controversial Les Maîtres Fous, to problematize the ongoing and subtle ways in which cultural relativism and its subsequent critiques reproduce disengagement from and disavowal of the uncanny metaphysics of others, even while we anthropologists represent them. Arguing that the stakes of what gets to count as ‘real’ in anthropology have had and continue to have profound consequences for how we imagine sociality as well as practice encounter across ontological difference, I trace, with Marily Strathern, James Clifford, and Michel de Certeau's help primarily, how incommensurability with ‘uncanny’ phenomena is both created and sustained at three points in the anthropological project: fieldwork, the writing of ethnography, and the reception of ethnography. I close by advocating that we risk opening ourselves to the ontologies of others.
Journalism in the age of global media: The evolving practices of foreign correspondents in London
Authors: Archetti Cristina
Published: April 2013

The article challenges the widespread notion that, in the age of global and instantaneous communication, foreign correspondence is becoming ‘redundant’. Based on a range of in-depth interviews with foreign correspondents in London, it examines the identity, newsgathering routines, and outputs of journalists working for a range of foreign media organizations. The study suggests that foreign correspondence is indeed evolving, but that the changes are not necessarily for the worse. In fact, not only are foreign journalists not disappearing, but the heavy use of new communication technologies – rather than leading to superficial and low-quality reporting – also supports the pursuit of exclusive news-story angles and a fuller delivery of the correspondent’s value.
Strategic alignment: A missing link in the relationship between strategic consensus and organizational performance
Authors: Walter Jorge , Kellermanns Franz W , Floyd Steven W , Veiga John F , Matherne Curtis
Published: April 2013

Despite the increasing sophistication of the literature on strategic consensus and the compelling arguments linking it to organizational performance, empirical research has produced mixed findings. To address this conundrum, we examine the contingent role of strategic alignment—that is, to what extent decision makers place importance on strategic priorities that are responsive to, or fit, the demands of the external environment faced by the organization—as a salient missing link. Our findings from a sample of 349 university faculty members in 63 academic departments suggest that the consensus–performance relationship is stronger for lower levels of strategic alignment, whereas at higher levels of alignment, consensus appears to have little effect. Our discussion traces implications of these findings for existing theory and future research.
Challenges and Successes in Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress
Authors: Foa Edna B. , Gillihan Seth J. , Bryant Richard A.
Published: April 2013

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses monumental public health challenges because of its contribution to mental health, physical health, and both interpersonal and social problems. Recent military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan and the multitude of resulting cases of PTSD have highlighted the public health significance of these conditions.

There are now psychological treatments that can effectively treat most individuals with PTSD, including active duty military personnel, veterans, and civilians. We begin by reviewing the effectiveness of these treatments, with a focus on prolonged exposure (PE), a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for PTSD. Many studies conducted in independent research labs have demonstrated that PE is highly efficacious in treating PTSD across a wide range of trauma types, survivor characteristics, and cultures. Furthermore, therapists without prior CBT experience can readily learn and implement the treatment successfully.

Despite the existence of highly effective treatments like PE, the majority of individuals with PTSD receive treatments of unknown efficacy. Thus, it is crucial to identify the barriers and challenges that must be addressed in order to promote the widespread dissemination of effective treatments for PTSD. In this review, we first discuss some of the major challenges, such as a professional culture that often is antagonistic to evidence-based treatments (EBTs), a lack of clinician training in EBTs, limited effectiveness of commonly used dissemination techniques, and the significant cost associated with effective dissemination models.

Next, we review local, national, and international efforts to disseminate PE and similar treatments and illustrate the challenges and successes involved in promoting the adoption of EBTs in mental health systems. We then consider ways in which the barriers discussed earlier can be overcome, as well as the difficulties involved in effecting sustained organizational change in mental health systems. We also present examples of efforts to disseminate PE in developing countries and the attendant challenges when mental health systems are severely underdeveloped.

Finally, we present future directions for the dissemination of EBTs for PTSD, including the use of newer technologies such as web-based therapy and telemedicine. We conclude by discussing the need for concerted action among multiple interacting systems in order to overcome existing barriers to dissemination and promote widespread access to effective treatment for PTSD. These systems include graduate training programs, government agencies, health insurers, professional organizations, healthcare delivery systems, clinical researchers, and public education systems like the media. Each of these entities can play a major role in reducing the personal suffering and public health burden associated with posttraumatic stress.
Streamer discharge reduces pollen-induced inflammatory responses and injury in human airway epithelial cells
Authors: Honda Akiko , Murayama Rumiko , Tsuji Kenshi , Matsuda Yugo , Koike Eiko , Okamoto Yoshio , Shirasawa Nobuyuki , Takano Hirohisa
Published: April 2013

Although epidemiological studies have demonstrated that cedar pollen influences respiratory health, effective method for inactivating cedar pollen has not been established. Streamer discharge is a type of plasma discharge in which high-speed electrons collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules. It reportedly has the ability to eliminate bacteria, mould, chemical substances and allergens. The present study investigated the influence of pollen on BEAS-2B cell line, derived from human airway epithelial cells, as well as the efficiency of streamer discharge on pollen-induced health effects. Airway epithelial cells were exposed to non-treated pollen and streamer-discharged pollen at doses of 100 and 1000 μg/mL for 6 or 24 h. Non-treated pollen at a dose of 1000 μg/mL significantly decreased cell viability and induced both mRNA and protein expression of interleukin-6, whereas streamer-discharged pollen showed the attenuated changes as compared with non-treated pollen. Further, scanning electron micrographs showed that streamer discharge caused the fine structural changes of pollen. These results provide the first experimental evidence that pollen at a high dose affects cell viability and inflammatory responses, and streamer discharge technology attenuates their influences by decomposing pollen.
Mesenchymal stem cells protects hyperoxia-induced lung injury in newborn rats via inhibiting receptor for advanced glycation end-products/nuclear factor κB signaling
Authors: Tian Zhaofang , Li Yuhong , Ji Ping , Zhao Sai , Cheng Huaipin
Published: April 2013

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been shown recently to ameliorate hyperoxia-induced lung injury, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether BMSCs attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung injury by down-modulating the inflammatory RAGE/NF-κB (receptor for advanced glycation end-products/nuclear factor-κB) signaling. Thirty Sprague-Dawley newborn rats were randomly divided into three groups ( n = 10): sham control (C); hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (ALI) (B) and ALI with BMSCs transplantation (A). Rats were sacrificed at three-day post-transplantation. RAGE and NF-κB expression in lung tissue was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis. The levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and RAGE in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The lung damage was evaluated by histological examination. The results showed that RAGE and TNF-α concentrations in BALF were significantly lower in Group A than in Group B. Moreover, RAGE and NF-κB expression in lung tissue at mRNA and protein concentrations was significantly lower in Group A than in Group B. The lung damage score was significantly lower in Group A than in Group B. These data demonstrate that hyperoxia induces the inflammation and causes damage in the lung but BMSC transplantation could alleviate hyperoxia-induced lung injury by inhibiting the inflammatory process mediated by RAGE/NF-κB signaling.
Weight control and cancer preventive mechanisms: Role of insulin growth factor-1-mediated signaling pathways
Authors: Xie Linglin , Wang Weiqun
Published: April 2013

Overweight and obese not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes mellitus, but are also now known risk factors for a variety of cancers. Weight control, via dietary calorie restriction and/or exercise, has been demonstrated to be beneficial for cancer prevention in various experimental models, but the underlying mechanisms are still not well defined. Recent studies conducted in a mouse skin carcinogenesis model show that weight loss induced a significant reduction of the circulating levels of insulin growth factor (IGF)-1 and other hormones, including insulin and leptin, resulting in reduced IGF-1-dependent signaling pathways, i.e. Ras-MAPK proliferation and protein kinase B-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (Akt-PI3K) antiapoptosis. Selective targeting IGF-1 to Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin and AMP-activated protein kinase pathways, via negative energy balance, might inactivate cell cycle progression and ultimately suppress tumor development. This review highlights the current studies focused on the major role of reducing IGF-1-activated signaling via weight control as a potential cancer preventive mechanism.
The Impact of using Inner-to-Inner Wall Diameter Measurement of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Sensier Y , Akil Y , Khodabakhsh P , Naylor M , Sharpe R , Walker J , Hartshorne T
Published: April 2013

Introduction

Following recommendations from the National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme (NAAASP), an audit was performed to assess the impact of measuring inner rather than outer aortic wall diameters during scans for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Methods

Inner and outer aortic wall diameters were taken from a prospective series of 302 patients attending the Vascular Studies Unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary for routine ultrasound screening or surveillance of their abdominal aorta. Absolute differences, as well as the potential impact on patient management, were assessed.

Results

The mean difference between measuring techniques was found to be 1.6 mm (95% CI 1.59–1.61 mm). Aortas close to the threshold for surgery were referred on average 8.7 months later than if their outer wall dimensions had been used. Additionally, 1.6% of aortas were considered normal using inner wall measurements, but aneurysmal when measured using the outer aortic walls.

Conclusion

Mean differences between the two measurement techniques are small and well within acceptable levels of observer agreement. There is currently no evidence to suggest that a delay in aneurysm surgery of around nine months has a detrimental effect to either mortality or morbidity rates. Those patients falling just below the threshold for aneurysm (2.5–3.0 cm) remain a subject of review.
Evaluation of female hormone-related symptoms in women undergoing carpal tunnel release
Authors: Song C. H. , Gong H. S. , Bae K. J. , Kim J. H. , Nam K. P. , Baek G. H.
Published: April 2013

As carpal tunnel syndrome is more common in women, particularly around the menopause, female-related risk factors are suspected to play a role in its pathogenesis. We have assessed whether female hormone-related symptoms are associated with upper extremity disabilities in women undergoing carpal tunnel release. A total of 92 women with a mean age of 53 years scheduled for surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome were assessed preoperatively for female hormone-related symptoms using the menopausal rating scale and other female-related factors such as menopausal status, pregnancy number and serum female hormone levels. Upper extremity disability was evaluated using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. DASH scores had a moderate correlation with total menopausal rating scale scores, but not with other female-related factors assessed. This study suggests that female hormone-related symptoms are associated with subjective upper extremity disabilities in women with carpal tunnel syndrome. This information may be helpful in addressing patients’ complex symptoms or interpretation of outcomes in women with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Disparity of SED Recovery
Authors: Grape Annette , Plum Kathleen C. , Fielding Stephen L.
Published: April 2013

How do youth from various community groups designated as having a serious emotional disturbance (SED) recover over time? We conducted an evaluation of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration System of Care grant initiative for Monroe County, New York, to answer this and other questions. We looked at outcome differences over time using the Behavioral and Emotional Ratings Scale’s (2nd ed.) overall strength scores among youth living in four geographical places at the start of services: high-income urban, low-income urban, suburban, and rural. Minorities (be they nonwhite or white) within each group, except suburban, had the higher probability of being designated as having SED. We found recovery disparities among white urban youth and their nonurban counterparts, and among nonwhite suburban and high-income urban youth and their low-income urban and rural counterparts. Applied implications include the following: (a) Continue the restructuring of mental health and juvenile justice agencies to become more culturally competent, (b) create a social marketing campaign to address the stigma surrounding mental illness, (c) build coalitions to publicize risk factors to mental health and their prevention, (d) restructure schools away from the prevailing eurocentric model of education, and (e) create a labor hour exchange for the repair and upgrade of housing and other infrastructure.
CXCL13 plus interleukin 10 is highly specific for the diagnosis of CNS lymphoma
Authors: Rubenstein James L. , Wong Valerie S. , Kadoch Cigall , Gao Hua-Xin , Barajas Ramon , Chen Lingjing , Josephson S. Andrew , Scott Brian , Douglas Vanja , Maiti Mekhala , Kaplan Lawrence D. , Treseler Patrick A. , Cha Soonmee , Hwang Jimmy H. , Cinque Paola , Cyster Jason G. , Lowell Clifford
Published: April 2013

Key Points

CXCL13 and CXCL12 mediate chemotaxis of CNS lymphoma cells, and CXCL13 concentration in CSF is prognostic. CXCL13 plus IL-10 is highly specific for the diagnosis of CNS lymphoma.
A comprehensive review and analysis of the effect of ruxolitinib therapy on the survival of patients with myelofibrosis
Authors: Mascarenhas John , Hoffman Ronald
Published: April 2013

Myelofibrosis is a hematological malignancy with a median survival of approximately 5 to 7 years. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only therapeutic modality that provides a cure for myelofibrosis patients. Recently, ruxolitinib has been shown in 2 phase 3 studies to be effective in reducing splenomegaly and improving symptoms in myelofibrosis patients. Although conventional markers of disease burden (marrow histopathological features, cytogenetic and molecular markers, and reversal of cytopenias) were not uniformly improved, a survival advantage in favor of ruxolitinib therapy was demonstrated. The use of historical control cohorts to compare survival was implemented in 2 different analyses of patients enrolled in the phase 1/2 studies and has further added fuel to the controversy surrounding the significance of this survival advantage. Ruxolitinib therapy results in a dramatic reduction in circulating proinflammatory cytokine levels, which has been associated with improvement in symptoms and performance status and may provide a link to improved survival. We analyze the various data published and place in perspective the significance of the prolongation of survival associated with ruxolitinib therapy. This critical review of these data may allow physicians to more rationally assess the benefits that can be anticipated with the appropriate use of this therapy.
Bellerophon: a hybrid method for detecting interchromo-somal rearrangements at base pair resolution using next-generation sequencing data
Authors: Hayes Matthew , Li Jing
Published: April 2013

Background

Somatically-acquired translocations may serve as important markers for assessing the cause and nature of diseases like cancer. Algorithms to locate translocations may use next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform data. However, paired-end strategies do not accurately predict precise translocation breakpoints, and "split-read" methods may lose sensitivity if a translocation boundary is not captured by many sequenced reads. To address these challenges, we have developed "Bellerophon", a method that uses discordant read pairs to identify potential translocations, and subsequently uses "soft-clipped" reads to predict the location of the precise breakpoints. Furthermore, for each chimeric breakpoint, our method attempts to classify it as a participant in an unbalanced translocation, balanced translocation, or interchromosomal insertion.

Results

We compared Bellerophon to four previously published algorithms for detecting structural variation (SV). Using two simulated datasets and two prostate cancer datasets, Bellerophon had overall better performance than the other methods. Furthermore, our method accurately predicted the presence of the interchromosomal insertions placed in our simulated dataset, which is an ability that the other SV prediction programs lack.

Conclusions

The combined use of paired reads and soft-clipped reads allows Bellerophon to detect interchromosomal breakpoints with high sensitivity, while also mitigating losses in specificity. This trend is seen across all datasets examined. Because it does not perform assembly on soft-clipped subreads, Bellerophon may be limited in experiments where sequence read lengths are short.

Availability

The program can be downloaded from http://cbc.case.edu/Bellerophon
Similar herpes zoster incidence across Europe: results from a systematic literature review
Authors: Pinchinat Sybil , Cebrián-Cuenca Ana M , Bricout Hélène , Johnson Robert W
Published: April 2013

Background

Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and mainly affects individuals aged ≥50 years. The forthcoming European launch of a vaccine against HZ (Zostavax®) prompts the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of HZ in Europe. Therefore the aim of this systematic review was to summarize the available data on HZ incidence in Europe and to describe age-specific incidence.

Methods

The Medline database of the National Library of Medicine was used to conduct a comprehensive literature search of population-based studies of HZ incidence published between 1960 and 2010 carried out in the 27 member countries of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. The identified articles were reviewed and scored according to a reading grid including various quality criteria, and HZ incidence data were extracted and presented by country.

Results

The search identified 21 studies, and revealed a similar annual HZ incidence throughout Europe, varying by country from 2.0 to 4.6/1 000 person-years with no clearly observed geographic trend. Despite the fact that age groups differed from one study to another, age-specific HZ incidence rates seemed to hold steady during the review period, at around 1/1 000 children <10 years, around 2/1 000 adults aged <40 years, and around 1–4/1 000 adults aged 40–50 years. They then increased rapidly after age 50 years to around 7–8/1 000, up to 10/1 000 after 80 years of age. Our review confirms that in Europe HZ incidence increases with age, and quite drastically after 50 years of age. In all of the 21 studies included in the present review, incidence rates were higher among women than men, and this difference increased with age. This review also highlights the need to identify standardized surveillance methods to improve the comparability of data within European Union Member States and to monitor the impact of VZV immunization on the epidemiology of HZ.

Conclusions

Available data in Europe have shortcomings which make an accurate assessment of HZ incidence and change over time impossible. However, data are indicative that HZ incidence is comparable, and increases with age in the same proportion across Europe.