bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dietary intakes of Canadians in the 1990s using population-weighted data derived from the provincial nutrition surveys
Authors: Dolega-Cieszkowski Jadwiga H. , Bobyn Joan P. , Whiting Susan J.
Published: January 2007

Provincial nutrition surveys of adults were conducted between 1990 and 1999 in Canada. Eight reports have been issued, and one is forthcoming. The purpose of this study was to estimate the national dietary intake of adult Canadians, using the publicly available data. Group mean-nutrient-intake data from 16 915 adults, aged 18 to 84 years, from published provincial reports were collated by age and sex for each of 9 provinces (Manitoba data were unavailable). Using Canadian census data appropriate to the year of collection, intake data were weighted to provide 1 national intake value for each nutrient, by 8 age and sex categories. In general, the energy and nutrient intake of adults decreased with age. For every age group, with the exception of vitamin C, intake of nutrients by men was greater than that by women. On the basis of a comparison of recently recommended intakes (Dietary Reference Intakes), the nutrients that are of concern because of inadequate intake include dietary fibre, calcium, magnesium, and folate. The data demonstrate the impact of folate fortification on folate intake; the mean intake became twice that of prefortification levels. This study used group mean-intake data; therefore, we cannot make definitive conclusions about the prevalence of inadequacy for the nutrients. Because of limitations with some provincial response rates, our data should not be construed as representative of the Canadian population. However, because these surveys were completed between the 19701972 Nutrition Canada Survey and the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, these population-weighted data might be a useful point of comparison for monitoring trends in nutrient intake from food.
Mechanism of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Phosphorylation and Activation by Thrombin
Authors: Motley Evangeline D. , Eguchi Kunie , Patterson Myla M. , Palmer Phillip D. , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Eguchi Satoru
Published: January 2007

Thrombin has been shown to activate endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) leading to endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. In addition to its activation by Ca2+/calmodulin, eNOS has several regulatory sites. Ser1179phosphorylation of eNOS by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent Akt stimulates its catalytic activity. In this study, we have elucidated the signaling mechanism of thrombin-induced phosphorylation of eNOS in the regulation of NO production. Immunoblot analysis showed that thrombin rapidly phosphorylates eNOS at Ser1179in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Also, thrombin was unable to stimulate eNOS if the Ser1179was mutated to Ala. Akt is phosphorylated in response to thrombin at Ser473at a later time point than eNOS. In this regard, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002, blocked Akt phosphorylation without affecting eNOS phosphorylation and cGMP production by thrombin. The Ca2+ionophore A23187 stimulated eNOS phosphorylation, as well as cGMP production, and pretreatment with intracellular or extracellular Ca2+chelators inhibited thrombin-induced eNOS phosphorylation and cGMP production. Moreover, infection of bovine aortic endothelial cell with adenovirus encoding dominant-negative mutants of protein kinase C (PKC)α and PKCδ or pretreatment of bovine aortic endothelial cells with PKC inhibitors revealed that PKCδ is indispensable for thrombin-induced eNOS phosphorylation and activation. From these data, we concluded that thrombin induces the Ser1179phosphorylation-dependent eNOS activation through a Ca2+-dependent, PKCδ-sensitive, but phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-independent pathway.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibition Increases Mortality, Enhances Left Ventricular Remodeling, and Impairs Systolic Function After Myocardial Infarction in the Pig
Authors: Timmers Leo , Sluijter Joost P.G. , Verlaan Cees W.J. , Steendijk Paul , Cramer Maarten Jan , Emons Maringa , Strijder Chaylendra , Gründeman Paul F. , Sze Siu Kwan , Hua Lin , Piek Jan J. , Borst Cornelius , Pasterkamp Gerard , de Kleijn Dominique P.V.
Published: January 2007

Background—

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in the heart increases after myocardial infarction (MI). In murine models of MI, COX-2 inhibition preserves left ventricular dimensions and function. We studied the effect of selective COX-2 inhibition on left ventricular remodeling and function after MI in a pig model.

Methods and Results—

Twenty-two pigs were assigned to COX-2 inhibition with a COX-2 inhibitor (COX-2i; celecoxib 400 mg twice daily; n=14) or a control group (n=8). MI was induced by left circumflex coronary artery ligation, and the animals were euthanized 6 weeks later. Cardiac dimensions and function were assessed with echocardiography and conductance catheters. Infarct size and collagen density were analyzed with triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and picrosirius red staining, respectively. COX-2 inhibition increased mortality compared with controls (50% versus 0%,
P
=0.022), whereas infarct size was similar (13.1±0.7% versus 14.1±0.1%,
P
=0.536). The decrease in thickness of the infarcted myocardial wall was more pronounced in the COX-2i group (60.6±9.6% versus 36.2±5.7%,
P
=0.001). End-diastolic volume was higher in the COX-2i group (133.9±33.5 versus 91.1±24.0 mL;
P
=0.021), as was the end-systolic volume at 100 mm Hg (81.7±27.8 versus 56.3±21.1 mL;
P
=0.037), which indicates that systolic function was more severely impaired. Infarct collagen density was lower after COX-2i treatment (25.3±3.9 versus 56.1±23.8 gray value/mm
2
;
P
=0.005).

Conclusions—

In pigs, COX-2 inhibition after MI is associated with increased mortality, enhanced left ventricular remodeling, and impaired systolic function, probably due to decreased infarct collagen fiber density.
Prevalence of Long-QT Syndrome Gene Variants in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Authors: Arnestad Marianne , Crotti Lia , Rognum Torleiv O. , Insolia Roberto , Pedrazzini Matteo , Ferrandi Chiara , Vege Ashild , Wang Dao W. , Rhodes Troy E. , George Alfred L. , Schwartz Peter J.
Published: January 2007

Background—

The hypothesis that some cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) could be caused by long-QT syndrome (LQTS) has been supported by molecular studies. However, there are inadequate data regarding the true prevalence of mutations in arrhythmia-susceptibility genes among SIDS cases. Given the importance and potential implications of these observations, we performed a study to more accurately quantify the contribution to SIDS of LQTS gene mutations and rare variants.

Methods and Results—

Molecular screening of 7 genes (
KCNQ1
,
KCNH2
,
SCN5A
,
KCNE1
,
KCNE2
,
KCNJ2
,
CAV3
) associated with LQTS was performed with denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and nucleotide sequencing of genomic DNA from 201 cases diagnosed as SIDS according to the Nordic Criteria, and from 182 infant and adult controls. All SIDS and control cases originated from the same regions in Norway. Genetic analysis was blinded to diagnosis. Mutations and rare variants were found in 26 of 201 cases (12.9%). On the basis of their functional effect, however, we considered 8 mutations and 7 rare variants found in 19 of 201 cases as likely contributors to sudden death (9.5%; 95% CI, 5.8 to 14.4%).

Conclusions—

We demonstrated that 9.5% of cases diagnosed as SIDS carry functionally significant genetic variants in LQTS genes. The present study demonstrates that sudden arrhythmic death is an important contributor to SIDS. As these variants likely modify ventricular repolarization and QT interval duration, our results support the debated concept that an ECG would probably identify most infants at risk for sudden death due to LQTS either in infancy or later on in life.
Loving Mac, Beth, and John: Grace in the Plays and Films of Horton Foote
Authors: Wood Gerald
Published: January 2007

Horton Foote is neither a rhetorical nor a polemical writer. He is a story-teller who uses his home place, Wharton, Texas, as the basis of his plays and films. But Foote instinctively uses the point of view of his religious tradition, Christian Science, in the subtext of many of his works. In the film Tender Mercies, for example, God's will is expressed as the peace and order found in shared love, like that of Rosa Lee for Mac. The goal of such divinity is a human community based on passionate, selfless care for others, as imagined in the feelings of the town toward Beth in the play The Carpetbagger's Children. Even when such mutuality is unrealized, grace remains as the spiritual presence which comforts John at the end of the teleplay Alone. Such an interpretation of grace follows the view of Christian Science that God is never manipulative, punishing, or violent. It places Foote in a tradition which emphasizes sanctification rather than justification, as defined by Reinhold Niebuhr. Closest theologically to Paul Tillich, Teilhard de Chardin, and especially Karl Rahner, Foote imagines time as the means by which God expresses infinite love.
Methane Emissions from Natural Wetlands in the United States: Satellite-Derived Estimation Based on Ecosystem Carbon Cycling
Authors: Potter Christopher , Klooster Steven , Hiatt Seth , Fladeland Matthew , Genovese Vanessa , Gross Peggy
Published: January 2007

Wetlands are an important natural source of methane to the atmosphere. The amounts of methane emitted from inundated ecosystems in the United States can vary greatly from area to area. Seasonal temperature, water table dynamics, and carbon content of soils are principal controlling factors. To calculate the effect of wetlands (and their potential conversion to other land uses) on global greenhouse gas emissions, information on area covered by various wetland types is needed, along with verified projections of spatial variation in net methane emissions. Both of these variables are poorly known, and estimates are largely unavailable at the country level. Nationwide satellite datasets for the coterminous United States (excluding Alaska) have been combined with ecosystem model predictions of monthly net carbon exchange with the atmosphere to produce the first detailed mapping of methane fluxes from natural wetlands on a monthly and annual basis. The Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model’s predicted mean emission flux of methane from wetlands of the continental United States totaled 5.5 Tg CH4 per year. Ranked in terms of total annual flux, the 10 states with the highest predicted emissions (not considering Alaska) are all located in the Great Lakes region and the southern coastal regions of the country.
Automated Simultaneous Assembly of Multistage Testlets for a High-Stakes Licensing Examination
Authors: Breithaupt Krista , Hare Donovan R.
Published: January 2007

Many challenges exist for high-stakes testing programs offering continuous computerized administration. The automated assembly of test questions to exactly meet content and other requirements, provide uniformity, and control item exposure can be modeled and solved by mixed-integer programming (MIP) methods. A case study of the computerized licensing examination of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is offered as one application of MIP techniques for test assembly. The solution illustrates assembly for a computer-adaptive multistage testing design. However, the general form of the constraint-based solution can be modified to generate optimal test designs for paper-based or computerized administrations, regardless of the specific psychometric model. An extension of this methodology allows for long-term planning for the production and use of test content on the basis of an exact psychometric test designs and administration schedules.
The Development and Validation of Scores on Perceived Work and Family Demand Scales
Authors: Boyar Scott L. , Carr Jon C. , Mosley Donald C. , Carson Charles M.
Published: January 2007

Two scales, Perceived Work Demand (PWD) and Perceived Family Demand (PFD), are developed and their scores validated using three diverse samples. The scales are of particular interest in the work-family conflict (WFC) area and provide needed clarification in predicting WFC. Scale development procedures were followed, and dimensionality, internal consistency, discriminant validity, and predictive validity results are discussed. The results provide support for both perceived work and family demand scales.
Vital Defenses
Authors: Stevenson Michelle L. , Henderson Tammy L. , Baugh Eboni
Published: January 2007

Guided by the conceptual frameworks of social support appraisal mechanisms and cultural variant perspectives, the reported experiences of 23 Black grandmothers parenting grandchildren who receive cash assistance under the current welfare program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), were used to integrate macro- and micro-level perspectives by exploring mechanisms used to appraise social support resources within a historical context. Mechanisms of social support appraisals included personal esteem (i.e., adaptive pride, self-reliance, and personal resources) and social penetration (i.e., family respect and responsibility, reaction to myths or stereotypical views held about poor people, and normative child-centered activities) as economically poor grandmothers demonstrated strong personal integrity and familial responsibility. Grandmothers relied on a wide range of sources for formal and informal support to provide for their grandchildren. Recommendations for future research are discussed to fortify established family defenses.
Examining the “Neglected Side of the Work-Family Interface”
Authors: Stevens Daphne Pedersen , Minnotte Krista Lynn , Mannon Susan E. , Kiger Gary
Published: January 2007

This study extends previous research by Dilworth by examining antecedents of both positive and negative family-to-work spillover—a long-neglected area of research. It also uses an extended definition of domestic labor that includes emotion work and status enhancement. Using data from a random sample of dual-earner couples, the study found gender differences and similarities in the antecedents of family-to-work spillover. For both men and women, family cohesion and emotion-work satisfaction enhanced positive family-to-work spillover. For men, relationship satisfaction was associated with positive family-to-work spillover, whereas satisfaction with the housework arrangement was related to women’s positive spillover. The factors associated with negative family-to-work spillover are different for men and women. For men, satisfaction with the status enhancement they perform in support of their partner’s career was related to decreased negative family-to-work spillover. For women, the presence of preschool-aged children was associated with increased negative family-to-work spillover.
Assertive rehabilitation for intracapsular fracture of the proximal femur
Authors: Ohsawa Suguru , Miura Aiko , Yagyu Mie , Oizumi Anzu , Yamada Eiji
Published: January 2007

Objective: To study the impact of assertive conservative therapy on walking in frail elderly patients with intracapsular fracture of the proximal femaur.

Design: Prospective non-randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Two private geriatric rehabilitation hospitals.

Subjects: From October 1997 to December 2004, 20 patients, not indicated for surgery, were treated with conservative therapy. There were 18 women and 2 men, and their ages were 87.1±4.2 (mean ±SD) years. All of them could walk before hip fracture.

Interventions: Thirteen patients accepted our assertive therapy, which consisted of standing on the fractured limb and walking in parallel bars as soon as possible. Seven patients refused our methods and were conventionally treated; the injured limb was immobilized under skin traction, and then they gradually tried to use a wheelchair for pain reduction.

Main measures: We used the following measures before therapy and six months after: Merle d'Aubigné & Postel's Hip Score, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and face pain scale.

Results: The two groups were similar demographically. All patients except one (n = 12) responded to our method and could walk. However, the patients treated with the conventional method (n = 7) did not recover the ability to walk. The mean FIM (transfer and locomotion, five items) was 18.2 ±7.9 points in the former and 9.4 ± 4.3 points in the latter.

Conclusion: Assertive rehabilitation was more effective at restoring the ambulatory ability of frail elderly patients with intracapsular fracture of the hip than the conventional method.
Repetitive locomotor training and physiotherapy improve walking and basic activities of daily living after stroke: a single-blind, randomized multicentre trial (DEutsche GAngtrainerStudie, DEGAS)
Authors: Pohl M , Werner C , Holzgraefe M , Kroczek G , Wingendorf I , Hoölig G , Koch R , Hesse S
Published: January 2007

Objective: To evaluate the effect of repetitive locomotor training on an electromechanical gait trainer plus physiotherapy in subacute stroke patients.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Four German neurological rehabilitation centres. Subjects: One hundred and fifty-five non-ambulatory patients (first-time stroke <60 days).

Intervention: Group A received 20 min locomotor training and 25 min physiotherapy; group B had 45 min physiotherapy every week day for four weeks.

Main outcome measures: Primary variables were gait ability (Functional Ambulation Category, 0-5) and the Barthel Index (0-100), blindly assessed at study onset, end, and six months later for follow-up. Responders to the therapy had to become ambulatory (Functional Ambulation Category 4 or 5) or reach a Barthel Index of ≥ 75. Secondary variables were walking velocity, endurance, mobility and leg power.

Results: The intention-to-treat analysis revealed that significantly greater number of patients in group A could walk independently: 41 of 77 versus 17 of 78 in group B (P B < 0.0001) at treatment end. Also, significantly more group A patients had reached a Barthel Index ≥ 75: 44 of 77 versus 21 of 78 (P B < 0.0001). At six-month follow-up, the superior gait ability in group A persisted (54 of 77 versus 28 of 78, P B < 0.0001), while the Barthel Index responder rate did not differ. For all secondary variables, group A patients had improved significantly more (P B < 0.0001) during the treatment period, but not during follow-up.

Conclusions: Intensive locomotor training plus physiotherapy resulted in a significantly better gait ability and daily living competence in subacute stroke patients compared with physiotherapy alone.
That Which Does Not Stabilize, Will Only Make Us Stronger
Authors: Kazerooni H. , Chu Andrew , Steger Ryan
Published: January 2007

Many places in the world are too rugged or enclosed for vehicles to access. Even today, material transport to such areas is limited to manual labor and beasts of burden. Modern advancements in wearable robotics may make those methods obsolete. Lower extremity exoskeletons seek to supplement the intelligence and sensory systems of a human with the significant strength and endurance of a pair of wearable robotic legs that support a payload. This article first outlines the use of Clinical Gait Analysis data as the framework for the design of such a system at UC Berkeley. This data is used to design the exoskeleton degrees of freedom and size its actuators. It will then give an overview of one of the control schemes implemented on the BLEEX. The control algorithm described here increases the system closed loop sensitivity to its wearer’s forces and torques without any measurement from the wearer (such as force, position, or electromyogram signal). The control algorithm uses the inverse dynamics of the exoskeleton, scaled by a number smaller than unity, as a positive feedback controller. This controller almost destabilizes the system since it leads to an overall loop gain slightly smaller than unity and results in a large sensitivity to all wearer’s forces and torques thereby allowing the exoskeleton to shadow its wearer.
Agendas, Side Issues and Leadership in the US House
Authors: Hixon William , Marshall Bryan W.
Published: January 2007

We introduce a view of congressional party leaders as strategic manipulators of issue dimensions, similar in spirit to Riker's (1982, 1986) heresthetics. Party leaders have incentives to add to bills content from a secondary dimension in order to attract moderates’ support. This strategy can be cheaper than compromising along the liberal-conservative dimension. Empirically, moderates differ in their second-dimension preferences from non-moderates–a necessary condition for the strategy to work as we suggest it might. House passage of a 1997 emergency appropriations bill illustrates this strategy. Our view of party leadership challenges to some extent the argument that legislative parties reduce the dimensionality of congressional decision making and questions the one-dimensional picture of congressional politics.
The Laakso-Taagepera Index in A Mean and Variance Framework
Authors: Feld Scott L. , Grofman Bernard
Published: January 2007

The Laakso-Taagepera index (Laakso and Taagepera, 1979) has become the most commonly used measure to specify the ‘effective’number of political parties in a party system where parties vary substantially in their vote and/or seat shares. It is well known that the Laakso-Taagepera index is the inverse of the even more widely used Herfindahl-Hirschman index of concentration (Hirschman, 1945; Herfindahl, 1950; cf. Taagepera and Grofman, 1981). Drawing on little known work by Feld and Grofman (1977, 1980) on the so called ‘class-size paradox’, it can also be shown that both indices may be re-expressed as simple functions of a distribution's mean and variance. As far as we can judge, these latter relationships appear to be unknown in the party and electoral systems literatures. By expressing the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and the Laakso-Taagepera index in terms of means and variances we can see that each index has a ‘natural’ interpretation in terms of well known statistical parameters which allows their fundamental mathematical properties to be more clearly revealed.
Conceptualization and Development of a Theory-Based Healthful Eating and Physical Activity Intervention for Postpartum Women Who Are Low Income
Authors: Ebbeling Cara B. , Pearson Meredith N. , Sorensen Glorian , Levine Rachel A. , Hebert James R. , Salkeld Judith A. , Peterson Karen E.
Published: January 2007

Eating and physical activity behaviors that confer risk for chronic disease are prominent among women from varying ethnic and racial groups who are low income. Conceptualization and development of a theory-based behavioral intervention to address their unique needs during the first year following childbirth comprised four steps: (a) translating public health guidelines and emerging epidemiologic data into specific intervention messages; (b) developing practical strategies to operationalize theoretical constructs, in the context of a social ecological framework; (c) stating achievementbased objectives and writing scripts for five home visits; and (d) conducting formative research. Focus group participants expressed a desire for a “health mentor,” not somebody who “nags” or “stresses you out.” Paraprofessionals from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) were directly involved in pretesting the intervention and remain involved as health mentors. This intervention can serve as a basis for future organizational partnerships to benefit the health of populations who are low income.
Who Shot J.R.'s Ratings? The Rise and Fall of the 1980s Prime-Time Soap Opera
Authors: Jordan Chris
Published: January 2007

Prime-time soap operas of the 1980s arose from an intensification of television production's historically oligopsonistic structure under Reaganomics and deregulation. Whereas regulatory reforms undertaken on behalf of the public interest broadened access to prime-time television for independent producers during the 1970s, Reagan's implementation of tax reforms and deregulatory initiatives concentrated control over prime-time television in the hands of Hollywood's largest producers and syndicators during the 1980s. The one-hour evening soap opera facilitated these companies' domination of prime-time network access and foreign syndication sales by allowing them to use access to a nationwide audience to engage economies of scale in television production.
Staff appraisal and continuing professional development
Authors: Berridge Emma-Jane , Kelly Daniel , Gould Dinah
Published: January 2007

Continuing professional development is important for both individual and service development. Staff appraisal is central to the identification of training needs. Recent health-service reforms in the United Kingdom have linked appraisal and training to pay and career progression. This project aimed to explore the conduct of appraisal and the link between appraisal processes and access to continuing education and training. Focus groups were conducted in an urban acute cancer service and a rural community night nursing service to explore these issues. A total of 29 nurses and allied health professionals participated. Transcripts of focus group discussions were analysed for themes, with a deliberate search for counter-instances. Focus groups revealed that appraisal was perceived as frequently rushed and often appeared undervalued by managers. The purpose of appraisal was often misunderstood; and where no clear link existed between appraisal and access to development opportunities, staff viewed appraisal with antipathy. Commissioning of training was insufficiently responsive to identified needs and appeared overly bureaucratic. The study indicates that the link between appraisal processes and the commissioning of training is insufficiently effective. Process issues that require addressing, as well as recommendations arising from the data, are discussed.
Blogging Down the Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and Samizdat Websites
Authors: Kulikova Svetlana V. , Perlmutter David D.
Published: January 2007

This article evaluates the impact and significance of Akaevu.net, an advocacy blog that was linked to the recent ‘tulip revolution’ in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic of Central Asia. The studyassesses (1) to what extent do samizdat (that is, unofficial) blogs serve as sources of oppositional information for citizens of the nation as well as international observers and (2) what evidence is there of the effects of the samizdat blogs on political events, such as, in this case,the revolution itself? The authors found that the blog did indeed become a unique and rich source of information not available from other local sources or the world press. They suggest that samizdat blogs can serve to incite or sustain democratization in Third World countries, even those undergoing uneven economic development.
Results of a HOVON/SAKK donor versus no-donor analysis of myeloablative HLA-identical sibling stem cell transplantation in first remission acute myeloid leukemia in young and middle-aged adults: benefits for whom?
Authors: Cornelissen Jan J. , van Putten Wim L. J. , Verdonck Leo F. , Theobald Matthias , Jacky Emanuel , Daenen Simon M. G. , van Marwijk Kooy Marinus , Wijermans Pierre , Schouten Harry , Huijgens Peter C. , van der Lelie Hans , Fey Martin , Ferrant Augustin , Maertens Johan , Gratwohl Alois , Lowenberg Bob
Published: January 2007

The Dutch-Belgian Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group and the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (HOVON-SAKK) collaborative study group evaluated outcome of patients (pts) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first remission (CR1) entered in 3 consecutive studies according to a donor versus no-donor comparison. Between 1987 and 2004, 2287 pts were entered in these studies of whom 1032 pts (45%) without FAB M3 or t(15;17) were in CR1 after 2 cycles of chemotherapy, received consolidation treatment, and were younger than 55 years of age and therefore eligible for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). An HLA-identical sibling donor was available for 326 pts (32%), whereas 599 pts (58%) lacked such a donor, and information was not available in 107 pts. Compliance with allo-SCT was 82% (268 of 326). Cumulative incidences of relapse were, respectively, 32% versus 59% for pts with versus those without a donor (P < .001). Despite more treatment-related mortality (TRM) in the donor group (21% versus 4%, P < .001), disease-free survival (DFS) appeared significantly better in the donor group (48% ± 3% versus 37% ± 2% in the no-donor group, P < .001). Following risk-group analysis, DFS was significantly better for pts with a donor and an intermediate- (P = .01) or poor-risk profile (P = .003) and also better in pts younger than 40 years of age (P < .001). We evaluated our results and those of the previous MRC, BGMT, and EORTC studies in a meta-analysis, which revealed a significant benefit of 12% in overall survival (OS) by donor availability for all patients with AML in CR1 without a favorable cytogenetic profile.
Nilotinib exerts equipotent antiproliferative effects to imatinib and does not induce apoptosis in CD34+ CML cells
Authors: Jørgensen Heather G. , Allan Elaine K. , Jordanides Niove E. , Mountford Joanne C. , Holyoake Tessa L.
Published: January 2007

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem and progenitor cells overexpress BcrAbl and are insensitive to imatinib mesylate (IM). We therefore investigated whether these cells were efficiently targeted by nilotinib. In K562, the inhibitory concentration (IC50) of nilotinib was 30 nM versus 600 nM for IM, consistent with its reported 20-fold-higher potency. However, in primary CD34+ CML cells, nilotinib and IM were equipotent for inhibition of BcrAbl activity, producing equivalent but incomplete reduction in CrkL phosphorylation at 5 μM. CML CD34+ cells were still able to expand over 72 hours with 5 μM of either drug, although there was a concentration-dependent restriction of amplification. As for IM, the most primitive cells (CFSEmax) persisted and accumulated over 72 hours with nilotinib and remained caspase-3 negative. Furthermore, nilotinib with IM led to further accumulation of this population, suggesting at least additive antiproliferative effects. These results confirmed that, like IM, the predominant effect of nilotinib is antiproliferative rather than proapoptotic.
Two non-homologous brain diseases-related genes, SERPINI1 and PDCD10, are tightly linked by an asymmetric bidirectional promoter in an evolutionarily conserved manner
Authors: Chen Ping-Yen , Chang Wun-Shaing W , Chou Ruey-Hwang , Lai Yiu-Kay , Lin Sheng-Chieh , Chi Chia-Yi , Wu Cheng-Wen
Published: January 2007

Background

Despite of the fact that mammalian genomes are far more spacious than prokaryotic genomes, recent nucleotide sequencing data have revealed that many mammalian genes are arranged in a head-to-head orientation and separated by a small intergenic sequence. Extensive studies on some of these neighboring genes, in particular homologous gene pairs, have shown that these genes are often co-expressed in a symmetric manner and regulated by a shared promoter region. Here we report the identification of two non-homologous brain disease-related genes, with one coding for a serine protease inhibitor (SERPINI1) and the other for a programmed cell death-related gene (PDCD10), being tightly linked together by an asymmetric bidirectional promoter in an evolutionarily conserved fashion. This asymmetric bidirectional promoter, in cooperation with some cis-acting elements, is responsible for the co-regulation of the gene expression pattern as well as the tissue specificity of SERPINI1 and PDCD10.

Results

While SERPINI1 is predominantly expressed in normal brain and down-regulated in brain tumors, PDCD10 is ubiquitously expressed in all normal tissues but its gene transcription becomes aberrant in different types of cancers. By measuring the luciferase activity in various cell lysates, their 851-bp intergenic sequence was shown to be capable of driving the reporter gene expression in either direction. A 175-bp fragment from nt 1 to 175 in the vicinity of PDCD10 was further determined to function as a minimal bidirectional promoter. A critical regulatory fragment, from nt 176-473 outside the minimal promoter in the intergenic region, was identified to contain a strong repressive element for SERPINI1 and an enhancer for PDCD10. These cis-acting elements may exist to help coordinate the expression and regulation of the two flanking genes.

Conclusion

For all non-homologous genes that have been described to be closely adjacent in the mammalian genomes, the intergenic region of the head-to-head PDCD10-SERPINI1 gene pair provides an interesting and informative example of a complex regulatory system that governs the expression of both genes not only through an asymmetric bidirectional promoter, but also through fine-tuned regulations with some cis-acting elements.
Metastatic prostate cancer masquerading clinically and radiologically as a primary caecal carcinoma
Authors: Kabeer Muhammad A , Lloyd-Davies Edward , Maskell Giles , Hohle Rolf , Mathew Joseph
Published: January 2007

Background

Prostatic carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in males in the West. Approximately 20% of patients present with metastatic disease. We describe the case of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer to the bowel presenting clinically and radiologically as a primary caecal cancer.

Case presentation

A 72 year-old man presented with abdominal discomfort and a clinically palpable caecal mass and a firm nodule on his thigh, the latter behaving clinically and radiologically as a lipoma. Computed tomographic (CT) scan showed a luminally protuberant caecal mass with regional nodal involvement. The patient was being treated (Zoladex®) for prostatic cancer diagnosed 6 years previously and was known to have bony metastases. On admission his PSA was 245.4 nmol/ml. The patient underwent a right hemicolectomy. Histology showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma which was PSA positive, confirming metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma to the caecum. The patient underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and is free from recurrence a year later.

Conclusion

Metastasis of prostatic carcinoma to the bowel is a very rare occurrence and presents a challenging diagnosis. The diagnosis is supported by immunohistochemistry for PSA. The treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is mainly palliative.
Pneumatized superior turbinate as a cause of headache
Authors: Homsioglou Elias , Balatsouras Dimitrios G , Alexopoulos Gregory , Kaberos Antonis , Katotomichelakis Michael , Danielides Vassilios
Published: January 2007

Background

A pneumatized superior turbinate is a rare cause of headache. Nasal endoscopy alone, does not provide us with adequate information for this inaccessible area of the superior nasal cavity. A coronal computed tomography (CT) must be obtained to confirm the diagnosis.

Case presentation

We present a 40-year-old female with migraine-type headache and nasal obstruction. Nasal endoscopy revealed a mild septal deviation, a right middle concha bullosa and a paradoxically curved middle turbinate on the left side. Coronal CT-scan showed also the presence of a superior concha bullosa on the left, which was in close contact with the nasal septum. The patient underwent septoplasty and bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery, including partial removal of both the pneumatized middle turbinates in conjunction with gentle lateralization and resection of the lower half of the left superior turbinate. Prompt relief from headache and nasal symptoms was obtained.

Conclusion

Pneumatized superior concha causing migrainous headache is a rare finding. Endoscopic surgery may provide permanent relief of symptoms.
Prospects of micromass culture technology in tissue engineering
Authors: Handschel Jörg GK , Depprich Rita A , Kübler Norbert R , Wiesmann Hans-Peter , Ommerborn Michelle , Meyer Ulrich
Published: January 2007

Tissue engineering of bone and cartilage tissue for subsequent implantation is of growing interest in cranio- and maxillofacial surgery. Commonly it is performed by using cells coaxed with scaffolds. Recently, there is a controversy concerning the use of artificial scaffolds compared to the use of a natural matrix. Therefore, new approaches called micromass technology have been invented to overcome these problems by avoiding the need for scaffolds. Technically, cells are dissociated and the dispersed cells are then reaggregated into cellular spheres. The micromass technology approach enables investigators to follow tissue formation from single cell sources to organised spheres in a controlled environment. Thus, the inherent fundamentals of tissue engineering are better revealed. Additionally, as the newly formed tissue is devoid of an artificial material, it resembles more closely the in vivo situation. The purpose of this review is to provide an insight into the fundamentals and the technique of micromass cell culture used to study bone tissue engineering.
IGFBP3mRNA expression in benign and malignant breast tumors
Authors: Ren Zefang , Shin Aesun , Cai Qiuyin , Shu Xiao-Ou , Gao Yu-Tang , Zheng Wei
Published: January 2007

Introduction

Most previous studies have focused on evaluating the association between circulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels and breast cancer risk. Emerging evidence over the past few years suggests that IGFBP-3 may act directly on mammary epithelial cells.

Methods

To understand the role of IGFBP-3 in breast tumorigenesis, we investigated IGFBP3 mRNA expression levels in benign and malignant breast tumors and their adjacent normal tissues using real-time quantitative PCR.

Results

Cancer tissues had significantly lower IGFBP3 expression than benign tumor tissues (p < 0.001). IGFBP3 expressions in both tumor and adjacent tissues were higher in patients who had proliferative benign tumors than in those who had non-proliferative benign tumors. Among patients with benign breast disease, IGFBP3 expression in the tumor was significantly higher than that in their adjacent normal tissue. There were no apparent associations of IGFBP3 expression in cancer tissues with either overall survival or disease-free survival in a cohort of 521 patients with breast cancer.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the expression level of IGFBP3 in breast tissues may be involved in breast tumorigenesis.
Update of the Anopheles gambiaePEST genome assembly
Authors: Sharakhova Maria V , Hammond Martin P , Lobo Neil F , Krzywinski Jaroslaw , Unger Maria F , Hillenmeyer Maureen E , Bruggner Robert V , Birney Ewan , Collins Frank H
Published: January 2007

Background

The genome of Anopheles gambiae, the major vector of malaria, was sequenced and assembled in 2002. This initial genome assembly and analysis made available to the scientific community was complicated by the presence of assembly issues, such as scaffolds with no chromosomal location, no sequence data for the Y chromosome, haplotype polymorphisms resulting in two different genome assemblies in limited regions and contaminating bacterial DNA.

Results

Polytene chromosome in situ hybridization with cDNA clones was used to place 15 unmapped scaffolds (sizes totaling 5.34 Mbp) in the pericentromeric regions of the chromosomes and oriented a further 9 scaffolds. Additional analysis by in situ hybridization of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones placed 1.32 Mbp (5 scaffolds) in the physical gaps between scaffolds on euchromatic parts of the chromosomes. The Y chromosome sequence information (0.18 Mbp) remains highly incomplete and fragmented among 55 short scaffolds. Analysis of BAC end sequences showed that 22 inter-scaffold gaps were spanned by BAC clones. Unmapped scaffolds were also aligned to the chromosome assemblies in silico, identifying regions totaling 8.18 Mbp (144 scaffolds) that are probably represented in the genome project by two alternative assemblies. An additional 3.53 Mbp of alternative assembly was identified within mapped scaffolds. Scaffolds comprising 1.97 Mbp (679 small scaffolds) were identified as probably derived from contaminating bacterial DNA. In total, about 33% of previously unmapped sequences were placed on the chromosomes.

Conclusion

This study has used new approaches to improve the physical map and assembly of the A. gambiae genome.
DiscoverySpace: an interactive data analysis application
Authors: Robertson Neil , Oveisi-Fordorei Mehrdad , Zuyderduyn Scott D , Varhol Richard J , Fjell Christopher , Marra Marco , Jones Steven , Siddiqui Asim
Published: January 2007

DiscoverySpace is a graphical application for bioinformatics data analysis. Users can seamlessly traverse references between biological databases and draw together annotations in an intuitive tabular interface. Datasets can be compared using a suite of novel tools to aid in the identification of significant patterns. DiscoverySpace is of broad utility and its particular strength is in the analysis of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) data. The application is freely available online.
3D animated visualization of EM diffusion for a frequency-domain helicopter EM system
Authors: Yin Changchun , Hodges Greg
Published: January 2007

The electromagnetic fields inside the earth are calculated by continuation downward of the electromagnetic (EM) solutions at the location of a frequency-domain helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) sensor. Models examined using the continuation approach include a layered isotropic and anisotropic earth. The finite-element approach is used to model 2D structures of a dipping contact or a dipping dike. By incorporating a time factor, we display the EM diffusion in the earth (change in direction and amplitude of the EM field through time) as 3D animated vectors or contours. The propagation of the EM smoke ring, influenced by the resistivity and structure of the earth, is apparent from the dynamic presentations. The current propagates downward and outward with time, becoming wider and more diffuse, and the phase varies with time, depth, and outward distance. The downward propagation of EM fields is slower in more conductive geology. In a layered isotropic earth, the current ring is symmetric with no vertical current flow for both vertical and horizontal dipole transmitters. In anisotropic or 2D structures; however, the current flow is significantly distorted resulting in vertical current flow and nonsymmetric smoke rings.
Time and depth remigration in elliptically anisotropic media using image-wave propagation
Authors: Schleicher Jörg , Aleixo Rafael
Published: January 2007

The image-wave equations for the problems of depth and time remigration in elliptically anisotropic media are second-order partial differential equations similar to the acoustic-wave equation. The propagation variable is the vertical velocity or the medium ellipticity rather than time. These differential equations are derived from the kinematic properties of anisotropic remigration. The objective is to construct subsurface images that correspond to different vertical velocity and/or different degrees of medium anisotropy directly from a single migrated image. In this way, anisotropy panels can be obtained in a way completely analogous to velocity panels for migration velocity analysis. A simple numerical example demonstrates the validity of the theory.
Plane-wave attenuation anisotropy in orthorhombic media
Authors: Zhu Yaping , Tsvankin Ilya
Published: January 2007

Orthorhombic models are often used in the interpretation of azimuthally varying seismic signatures recorded over fractured reservoirs. Here, we develop an analytic framework for describing the attenuation coefficients in orthorhombic media with orthorhombic attenuation (i.e., the symmetry of both the real and imaginary parts of the stiffness tensor is identical) under the assumption of homogeneous wave propagation. The analogous form of the Christoffel equation in the symmetry planes of orthorhombic and VTI (transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis) media helps to obtain the symmetry-plane attenuation coefficients by adapting the existing VTI equations. To take full advantage of this equivalence with transverse isotropy, we introduce a parameter set similar to the VTI attenuation-anisotropy parameters [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. This notation, based on the same principle as Tsvankin’s velocity-anisotropy parameters for orthorhombic media, leads to concise linearized equations for thesymmetry-plane attenuation coefficients of all three modes (P, [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]).The attenuation-anisotropy parameters also allow us to simplify the P-wave attenuation coefficient [Formula: see text] outside the symmetry planes under the assumptions of small attenuation and weak velocity and attenuation anisotropy. The approximate coefficient [Formula: see text] has the same form as the linearized P-wave phase-velocity function, with the velocity parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] replaced by the attenuation parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The exact attenuation coefficient, however, also depends on the velocity-anisotropy parameters, while the body-wave velocities are almost unperturbed by the presence of attenuation. The reduction in the number of parameters responsible for the P-wave attenuation and the simple approximation for the coefficient [Formula: see text] provide a basis for inverting P-wave attenuation measurements from orthorhombic media. The attenuation processing must be preceded by anisotropic velocity analysis that can be performed (in the absence of pronounced velocity dispersion) using existing algorithms for nonattenuative media.
Religious Belief, Perceptions of Human Suffering, and Support for Reproductive Genetic Technology
Authors: Evans John H.
Published: January 2007

Reproductive genetic technologies are becoming more controversial as they become more ubiquitous. The opponents of these technologies are largely religious groups, a fact that leads to the question of why religious groups would be more opposed to these technologies than others. Since all of these technologies are justified by their ability to relieve suffering of some kind, it is hypothesized that the actively religious have a notion of suffering different from that of advocates for these technologies, and this different notion of suffering leads to opposition to the technologies. In this article I report on a qualitative interview study of the religiously active in the United States. I find that the religiously active do have views of suffering that are distinct from the medical consensus, and these views are related to people's conclusions about the advisability of reproductive genetic technologies.
The ‘ME Bandwagon’ and other labels: Constructing the genuine case in talk about a controversial illness
Authors: Horton‐Salway Mary
Published: January 2007

This paper examines the discourse of morality surrounding ‘ME’ as a contested illness, looking at how GPs and ME group members differentiate between the category of ‘genuine ME sufferer’ and the ‘bandwagon’. ‘Jumping on the bandwagon’ is a metaphor commonly used to describe the activity of ‘following the crowd’ in order to gain an advantage. This discursive analysis shows how ‘bandwagon’ categories are constructed in contrast to the category of genuine sufferer. People who jump on the bandwagon are accused of matching their symptoms to media stereotypes, adopting trendy illnesses (‘fads’,) or using ‘tickets’ to avoid facing up to psychological illnesses. Both GPs and ME group members construct a differential moral ordering of physical and psychological illness categories, where the latter assumes a lesser status. The paper concludes that against a background of medical uncertainty and controversy, the ‘bandwagon’ and other derogatory labels function as contrast categories that work to establish the existence of ‘ME’ as a genuine illness.