bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
miRNA in mycosis fungoides and skin inflammation
Authors: Persson Jenny Liao
Published: October 2013

In this mini‐review, progress in our understanding of the link between miRNAs and cytokines in inflammatory skin diseases is highlighted with focus on miR‐155 in mycosis fungoides (MF). MF is the most common variant of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL) and is characterized by malignant T‐cell proliferation in a chronic inflammatory environment in affected skin. Recent data show that miR‐155 is expressed in situ by both malignant and non‐malignant T cells, induced via the STAT5 signal pathway and IL‐2Rbeta/gamma cytokines, and thus suggest the importance of miR‐155 in malignant proliferation, clinical diagnosis, and prognosis in CTCL.
Cytokine profiles linked to fatal outcome in infective prosthetic valve endocarditis
Authors: Bustamante Juan , Arévalo Adolfo , Tamayo Eduardo , Sarria Cristina , Aguilar‐Blanco Eva M. , Heredia Maria , Almansa Raquel , Rico Lucia , Iglesias Verónica , Bermejo‐Martin Jesús F
Published: October 2013

Infective endocarditis is a disease normally of bacterial cause which affects the endocardic tissue, specifically the valves (native or prosthetic). It is a serious illness and mortality rates remain high, ranging between 20% and 40%. Previous reports have evidenced the potential role of cytokines in the diagnosis of this disease, but no information is available on their relationship with outcome. We recruited 26 consecutive patients with late prosthetic valve endocarditis requiring surgical treatment according to Duke criteria. Eight cytokines were measured in plasma in the first 24 h following diagnosis by using a Bio‐Rad multiplex assay. Levels of IL‐6, IL‐8 and interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) were higher in non survivors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis evidenced that IL‐6, IL‐8 and IFN‐γ behaved as good diagnostic tests for identifying those patients with fatal outcome (area under the curve, CI 95%, p): IL‐6: [0.81 (0.61–1.00) 0.012]; IL‐8 [0.76 (0.56–0.96) 0.035]; IFN‐γ [0.79 (0.59–0.99) 0.021]. Levels of IL‐6, IL‐8 and IFN‐γ correlated positively between them, indicating that they are produced as consequence of a simultaneous response to the infection. Our findings support the participation of IL‐6, IL‐8 and IFN‐γ in the events linked to fatal outcome in infective prosthetic valve endocarditis.
Single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis of bone marrow failure patients reveals characteristic patterns of genetic changes
Authors: Babushok Daria V. , Xie Hongbo M. , Roth Jacquelyn J. , Perdigones Nieves , Olson Timothy S. , Cockroft Joshua D. , Gai Xiaowu , Perin Juan C. , Li Yimei , Paessler Michele E. , Hakonarson Hakon , Podsakoff Gregory M. , Mason Philip J. , Biegel Jaclyn A. , Bessler Monica
Published: October 2013

The bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFS) are a heterogeneous group of rare blood disorders characterized by inadequate haematopoiesis, clonal evolution, and increased risk of leukaemia. Single nucleotide polymorphism arrays (SNP‐A) have been proposed as a tool for surveillance of clonal evolution in BMFS. To better understand the natural history of BMFS and to assess the clinical utility of SNP‐A in these disorders, we analysed 124 SNP‐A from a comprehensively characterized cohort of 91 patients at our BMFS centre. SNP‐A were correlated with medical histories, haematopathology, cytogenetic and molecular data. To assess clonal evolution, longitudinal analysis of SNP‐A was performed in 25 patients. We found that acquired copy number‐neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN‐LOH) was significantly more frequent in acquired aplastic anaemia (aAA) than in other BMFS (odds ratio 12·2, P < 0·01). Homozygosity by descent was most common in congenital BMFS, frequently unmasking autosomal recessive mutations. Copy number variants (CNVs) were frequently polymorphic, and we identified CNVs enriched in neutropenia and aAA. Our results suggest that acquired CN‐LOH is a general phenomenon in aAA that is probably mechanistically and prognostically distinct from typical CN‐LOH of myeloid malignancies. Our analysis of clinical utility of SNP‐A shows the highest yield of detecting new clonal haematopoiesis at diagnosis and at relapse.
Bupivacaine‐induced cellular entry of QX‐314 and its contribution to differential nerve block
Authors: Brenneis C , Kistner K , Puopolo M , Jo S , Roberson DP , Sisignano M , Segal D , Cobos E J , Wainger B J , Labocha S , Ferreirós N , von Hehn C , Tran J , Geisslinger G , Reeh P W , Bean B P , Woolf C J
Published: October 2013

Background and Purpose

Selective nociceptor fibre block is achieved by introducing the cell membrane impermeant sodium channel blocker lidocaine N‐ethyl bromide (QX‐314) through transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) channels into nociceptors. We screened local anaesthetics for their capacity to activate TRP channels, and characterized the nerve block obtained by combination with QX‐314.

Experimental Approach

We investigated TRP channel activation in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons by calcium imaging and patch‐clamp recordings, and cellular QX‐314 uptake by MS. To characterize nerve block, compound action potential (CAP) recordings from isolated nerves and behavioural responses were analysed.

Key Results

Of the 12 compounds tested, bupivacaine was the most potent activator of ruthenium red‐sensitive calcium entry in DRG neurons and activated heterologously expressed TRPA1 channels. QX‐314 permeated through TRPA1 channels and accumulated intracellularly after activation of these channels. Upon sciatic injections, QX‐314 markedly prolonged bupivacaine's nociceptive block and also extended (to a lesser degree) its motor block. Bupivacaine's blockade of C‐, but not A‐fibre, CAPs in sciatic nerves was extended by co‐application of QX‐314. Surprisingly, however, this action was the same in wild‐type, TRPA1‐knockout and TRPV1/TRPA1‐double knockout mice, suggesting a TRP‐channel independent entry pathway. Consistent with this, high doses of bupivacaine promoted a non‐selective, cellular uptake of QX‐314.

Conclusions and Implications

Bupivacaine, combined with QX‐314, produced a long‐lasting sensory nerve block. This did not require QX‐314 permeation through TRPA1, although bupivacaine activated these channels. Regardless of entry pathway, the greatly extended duration of block produced by QX‐314 and bupivacaine may be clinically useful.
Cerebral vasculitis in adults: what are the steps in order to establish the diagnosis? Red flags and pitfalls
Authors: Berlit P , Kraemer M
Published: October 2013

Cerebral vasculitis is a rare cause of juvenile stroke. It may occur as primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) or as CNS manifestation in the setting of systemic vasculitis. Clinical hints for vasculitis are headache, stroke, seizures, encephalopathy and signs of a systemic inflammatory disorder. Diagnostic work-up includes anamnesis, whole body examination, laboratory and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) studies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), angiography and brain biopsy. Due to the rarity of the disease, exclusion of more frequent differential diagnoses is a key element of diagnostic work -up. This review summarizes the steps that lead to the diagnosis of cerebral vasculitis and describes the red flags and pitfalls. Despite considering the dilemma of angiography-negative vasculitis and false-negative brain biopsy in some cases, it is important to protect patients from ‘blind’ immunosuppressive therapy in unrecognized non-inflammatory differential diagnosis.
Informed consent for exome sequencing in diagnostics: exploring first experiences and views of professionals and patients
Authors: Rigter T. , van Aart C.J.A. , Elting M.W. , Waisfisz Q. , Cornel M.C. , Henneman L.
Published: October 2013

Next‐generation sequencing is increasingly being chosen as a diagnostic tool for cases of expected genetic, but unresolved origin. The consequential increased need for decisions on disclosure of unsolicited findings poses a challenge for the informed consent procedure. This study explored the first experiences with, and needs for, the informed consent procedure in diagnostic exome sequencing, with the stakeholders involved. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 11 professional experts and one professional gave a written response. Furthermore, the counseling process was observed in three cases where exome sequencing was offered, followed by interviews with the patient (representative) and the genetic counselor. The respondents not only preferred an opt‐out for unsolicited findings but also identified many challenges and therefore more experiences with exome sequencing was considered needed. Context‐dependent decision‐making was observed and an Advisory Board for unsolicited findings was considered helpful while doubts were raised about the feasibility and the possibility of undermining patients' autonomy. Finally, respondents brought up the complexity of information provision, and division of responsibilities between clinicians and the lab. These challenges and needs, raised by stakeholders involved, provide more insight in the next steps needed for an optimal informed consent procedure for exome sequencing in diagnostics.
De novo mutation in the KCNQ1 gene causal to Jervell and Lange‐Nielsen syndrome
Authors: Al‐Aama J.Y. , Al‐Ghamdi S. , Bdier A.Y. , Wilde A.A.M. , Bhuiyan Zahurul A.
Published: October 2013

Jervell and Lange‐Nielsen syndrome (JLNS) is an autosomal recessive disorder, clinically characterized by severe cardiac arrhythmias [due to prolonged QTc interval in electrocardiogram (ECG)] and bilateral sensory neural deafness. Molecular defects causal to JLNS are either homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations, predominantly in the KCNQ1 gene and occasionally in the KCNE1 gene. As the molecular defect is bi‐allelic, JLNS patients inherit one pathogenic mutation causal to the disorder from each parent. In this report, we show for the first time that such a disorder could also occur due to a spontaneous de novo mutation in the affected individual, not inherited from the parent, which makes this case unique unlike the previously reported JLNS cases.
Neuroprotective Potential of Silymarin against CNS Disorders: Insight into the Pathways and Molecular Mechanisms of Action
Authors: Borah Anupom , Paul Rajib , Choudhury Sabanum , Choudhury Amarendranath , Bhuyan Bornalee , Das Talukdar Anupam , Dutta Choudhury Manabendra , Mohanakumar Kochupurackal P
Published: October 2013

Silymarin, a C25 containing flavonoid from the plant Silybum marianum, has been the gold standard drug to treat liver disorders associated with alcohol consumption, acute and chronic viral hepatitis, and toxin‐induced hepatic failures since its discovery in 1960. Apart from the hepatoprotective nature, which is mainly due to its antioxidant and tissue regenerative properties, Silymarin has recently been reported to be a putative neuroprotective agent against many neurologic diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and cerebral ischemia. Although the underlying neuroprotective mechanism of Silymarin is believed to be due to its capacity to inhibit oxidative stress in the brain, it also confers additional advantages by influencing pathways such as β‐amyloid aggregation, inflammatory mechanisms, cellular apoptotic machinery, and estrogenic receptor mediation. In this review, we have elucidated the possible neuroprotective effects of Silymarin and the underlying molecular events, and suggested future courses of action for its acceptance as a CNS drug for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Perineal body repair in patients with third degree rectocele: a critical analysis of the tissue fixation system
Authors: Wagenlehner F. M. E. , Del Amo E. , Santoro G. A. , Petros P.
Published: October 2013

Aim

We describe the technique of tissue fixation system (TFS) perineal body repair in patients presenting with symptomatic third degree rectocele.

Method

The single sling TFS perineal body repair is performed in three surgical steps: (i) dissection of the rectum off the vagina and laterally displaced perineal body; (ii) identification of the deep transverse perineii muscles beyond their insertion point behind the descending pubic ramus; (iii) elevation and approximation of the separated and laterally displaced perineal bodies by insertion, without tension, of non‐stretch 7 mm polypropylene tape into the bodies of the deep transverse perineii muscles.

Results

From January 2007 to December 2009 we performed the TFS operation for 30 women, median age 61 (range 47–87) years, mean parity 2.6 (range 1–5), with third degree symptomatic low rectocele (median obstructive defaecation syndrome score 19; range 11–24). Median hospital stay was 24 (range 12–96) h. The median visual analogue scale for postoperative pain was 1 (range 1–7). Complications occurred in three cases (10%) and included a surfaced tape that was partly resected (repair maintained), a recurrence of the rectocele due to incorrect placement (failed repair) and a foreign body abscess requiring tape removal. At 12‐month follow‐up, 27 patients (90%) reported normal defaecation and the median obstructive defaecation syndrome score was significantly reduced to 4 (range 1–6; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The TFS perineal body repair is an effective, safe, minimally invasive treatment in women with symptomatic low rectocele.
Cultural Dimensions of Socioecological Systems: Key Connections and Guiding Principles for Conservation in Coastal Environments
Authors: Poe Melissa R. , Norman Karma C. , Levin Phillip S.
Published: October 2013

Environments are complex socioecological systems demanding interdisciplinary research and conservation. Despite significant progress in characterizing socioecological complexity, including important inroads for measuring human wellbeing through ecosystem services approaches, cultural interactions with ecosystems remain poorly understood. Inadequate knowledge of cultural dimensions of ecosystems challenges the ability of conservation professionals to include these considerations in their programs. Ecosystem‐based conservation without cultural considerations is not only insufficient, it risks producing unaccounted negative impacts to communities and misses an opportunity to build culturally meaningful alternatives. This mini review of relevant social science identifies five key cultural dimensions of ecosystems, highlighting examples from coastal North America. These key dimensions are: meanings, values, and identities; knowledge and practice; governance and access; livelihoods; and interactions with biophysical environments. We outline guiding principles for addressing these connections in integrated conservation research and application. Finally, we discuss potential methodologies to help improve interdisciplinary assessment and monitoring of cultural dimensions of conservation.
Genome editing using artificial site‐specific nucleases in zebrafish
Authors: Hisano Yu , Ota Satoshi , Kawahara Atsuo
Published: October 2013

Zebrafish is a model vertebrate suitable for genetic analysis. Forward genetic analysis via chemical mutagenesis screening has established a variety of zebrafish mutants that are defective in various types of organogenesis, and the genes responsible for the individual mutants have been identified from genome mapping. On the other hand, reverse genetic analysis via targeted gene disruption using embryonic stem (ES) cells (e.g., knockout mouse) can uncover gene functions by investigating the phenotypic effects. However, this approach is mostly limited to mice among the vertebrate models because of the difficulty in establishing ES cells. Recently, new gene targeting technologies, such as the transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALEN) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 systems, have been developed: that can directly introduce genome modifications at the targeted genomic locus. Here, we summarize these new and powerful genome editing techniques for the study of zebrafish.
Minor neurological dysfunction and behaviour in 9‐year‐old children born at term: evidence for sex dimorphism
Authors: Kikkert Hedwig K , de Jong Corina , van den Heuvel Edwin R , Hadders‐Algra Mijna
Published: October 2013

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess associations between minor neurological dysfunction (MND) and behaviour, with specific attention to sex differences.

Method

This was an observational cohort study in which 341 9‐year‐old children (177 male, 164 female) without perinatal risk were neurologically assessed, with attention to severity and type of MND. Eight domains of dysfunction were distinguished, including posture and muscle tone, fine manipulative ability and coordination. Severity of MND was based on the number of dysfunctional domains. Behaviour was assessed by parents and teachers using the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher's Report Form (TRF); outcomes were internalizing and externalizing behaviour and total score of behavioural problems.

Results

Females with complex MND or dysfunctional posture and muscle tone had increased risk for externalizing behavioural problems (OR 4.52, 95% CI 1.01–20.2, and OR 4.05, 95% CI 1.06–15.5, respectively). In males, these associations were absent. However, males with simple MND had an increased risk for behavioural problems indicated by the total TRF‐score (OR 7.52, 95% CI 1.36–41.4).

Interpretation

In children without perinatal risk, associations between MND and behaviour are sex‐specific. In females, dysfunction of complex neural networks, including the cerebellum, is associated with externalizing behaviour. In males, neurobehavioural relationships are limited, suggesting a larger role of psychosocial factors in the genesis of behavioural problems.
From Atretic to Perforated: A Closer View of Pulmonary Atresia
Authors: Shen Ching‐Hui , Wang Chung‐Chi , Fang Hsien‐Te , Lin Ming‐Chih
Published: October 2013

A 7‐day‐old male infant with membranous pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) underwent hybrid pulmonary valvotomy. Access was via median sternotomy guided by intra‐operative epicardial ultrasonography. After puncturing the atretic pulmonary valve, a 6 mm Wanda balloon catheter was inflated to dilate the atretic valve. Adequate valve movement with antegrade flow was confirmed using real time epicardial echocardiography. Intra‐operative epicardial ultrasonography is an effective tool for guiding PA/IVS during hybrid procedures. Epicardial echo imaging provides clear images with excellent quality, helps guide the hybrid operation, and prevents the need for the ionizing radiation of fluoroscopy.
Small MAF genes variants and chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Martínez‐Hernández Angelica , Gutierrez‐Malacatt Humberto , Carrillo‐Sánchez Karol , Saldaña‐Alvarez Yolanda , Rojas‐Ochoa Alberto , Crespo‐Solis Erick , Aguayo‐González Alvaro , Rosas‐López Adriana , Ayala‐Sanchez Jose Manuel , Aquino‐Ortega Xochitl , Orozco Lorena , Cordova Emilio J
Published: October 2013

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the most frequent hematological neoplasia worldwide. The abnormal accumulation of reactive oxygen species may be an important factor in CML development. The transcription factor NRF2 can regulate the transcription of a battery of antioxidant and detoxificant genes after heterodimerizing with small‐Maf proteins. Although the participation of NRF2 in the development of chronic degenerative diseases has been thoroughly studied, the role of small‐Maf genes has not been documented. We have identified polymorphisms in the three MAF genes (F, G and K) and assessed their association with CML. Over 266 subjects with CML and 399 unrelated healthy donors have been studied. After sequencing each MAF gene by Sanger technology, we found 17 variants in MAFF gene, eight in MAFG and seven in MAFK. In the case‐control study, the homozygote genotype CC for the rs9610915 SNP of MAFF was significantly associated with CML. The frequency of the ACC haplotype from MAFK was significantly lower than controls. After stratification by gender, the ACC and GTG haplotypes were associated only with males with CML. These novel data suggest an association between MAFF and MAFG and the development of CML.
Evolutionary and plastic responses to climate change in terrestrial plant populations
Authors: Franks Steven J. , Weber Jennifer J. , Aitken Sally N.
Published: October 2013

As climate change progresses, we are observing widespread changes in phenotypes in many plant populations. Whether these phenotypic changes are directly caused by climate change, and whether they result from phenotypic plasticity or evolution, are active areas of investigation. Here, we review terrestrial plant studies addressing these questions. Plastic and evolutionary responses to climate change are clearly occurring. Of the 38 studies that met our criteria for inclusion, all found plastic or evolutionary responses, with 26 studies showing both. These responses, however, may be insufficient to keep pace with climate change, as indicated by eight of 12 studies that examined this directly. There is also mixed evidence for whether evolutionary responses are adaptive, and whether they are directly caused by contemporary climatic changes. We discuss factors that will likely influence the extent of plastic and evolutionary responses, including patterns of environmental changes, species’ life history characteristics including generation time and breeding system, and degree and direction of gene flow. Future studies with standardized methodologies, especially those that use direct approaches assessing responses to climate change over time, and sharing of data through public databases, will facilitate better predictions of the capacity for plant populations to respond to rapid climate change.
Contact stress and residual stress in the nose rail of a high manganese steel crossing due to wheel contact loading
Authors: Xiao J. H. , Zhang F. C. , Qian L. H.
Published: October 2013

Fatigue failure of a high manganese steel crossing is related to its internal crack initiation and growth, which is affected significantly by the magnitude and distribution pattern of contact stress and residual stress in the crossing. Considering the actual service conditions of a crossing and the accuracy requirement for numerical calculation, a whole model of wheel/crossing/ties and a partial model of wheel/crossing are established using elastic‐plastic finite element method. The distributions of contact stress fields and residual stress fields due to wheel contact loading are studied. The effect of train speed on the residual stress in the nose rail is discussed. The contact stress field shows regular contours in the cross‐section of nose rail and decreases remarkably with increasing distance of the wheel‐crossing contact position. The maximum contact stress is located at the contact surface between wheel and crossing. The maximum residual stress is located at a position of 1.5‐2.0 mm below the surface of the nose rail, rather than at the contact surface of wheel and crossing. In a failed high manganese steel crossing, the dense cracks mainly were observed neither at the position of maximum contact stress (the contact surface between the wheel and the crossing), nor at the position of maximum residual stress (1.5‐2.0 mm below the surface of the nose rail), but around the depth of 0.8‐1.0 mm from the worn surface, which is between the position of maximum contact stress and the position of maximum residual stress. It indicates that the combined effects of the maximum contact stress and the maximum residual stress play important roles in fatigue crack initiation in the nose rail. The size of high residual stress region increases with the increase of the train speed. The maximum residual stress in the nose rail increases remarkably with the increase of the train speed.
Interaction between cracks and microstructure in three dimensions for rolling contact fatigue in railway rails
Authors: Schilke M. , Larijani N. , Persson C.
Published: October 2013

The rail–wheel contact generates plastic deformation and cracks in the top layer of a rail. Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) cracks in rail samples from track and from a full scale test rig were examined. Due to the shear forces arising in the wheel rail contact, the microstructure close to the surface becomes aligned in the shear direction. Thereby, the pearlite becomes anisotropic, and resistance to cracks is lower in certain directions. RCF cracks follow the weakest direction of the microstructure, which in pearlitic railway rails is the aligned pearlite structure or singular weaknesses such as pro‐eutectoid ferrites or slags. The deformation of the microstructure is different depending on loading situation and original microstructure (rail grade). Once the plastic deformation is present, the cracks follow the path of the weakest crack resistance. Cracks close to each other can interact or shield each other; it is unclear, however, to what extent. In this paper, a new method is described that allows the presentation of RCF cracks in three dimensions.
Adjuvant epoetin‐β with peginterferon‐α and ribavirin in Japanese ribavirin‐intolerant relapsed patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2
Authors: Enomoto Masaru , Morikawa Hiroyasu , Murakami Yoshiki , Tamori Akihiro , Kawada Norifumi
Published: October 2013

Erythropoietin is widely used in the USA and some other Western countries to maintain doses of ribavirin during peginterferon/ribavirin‐based treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the impact of erythropoietin on sustained virological response (SVR) is unclear. Here, we report the cases of three Japanese ribavirin‐intolerant relapsed patients with HCV genotype 2 who achieved SVR from retreatment by adding erythropoietin. Three women aged 50, 64 and 68 years with chronic HCV genotype 2 received retreatment with peginterferon‐α and ribavirin. During their prior therapy, HCV RNA became negative according to real‐time polymerase chain reaction at weeks 4–8 in all three patients; however, the total dose of ribavirin was 18.1–30.6% lower than the planned dose, and HCV RNA relapsed post‐treatment. At present, epoetin‐β 24 000 IU was introduced at weeks 2 or 3 of dual‐combination therapy, resulting in a less than 4.2% reduction in the total dose of ribavirin. HCV RNA became negative at weeks 4–8, and all patients achieved SVR. Until the next‐generation antiviral treatments for HCV genotype 2 become available, the addition of erythropoietin to dual therapy can be a treatment of choice for ribavirin‐intolerant relapsed patients.
Glomerular filtration rate is an independent factor of mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis
Authors: Cholongitas Evangelos , Arsos George , Goulis John , Birtsou Charis , Haidich Anna‐Bettina , Nakouti Theodora , Chalevas Parthenis , Ioannidou Maria , Karakatsanis Konstantinos , Akriviadis Evangelos
Published: October 2013

Aim

Although serum creatinine is included in the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, it is an inaccurate marker of renal function, namely, of glomerular filtration rate (“true” GFR) in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Our aim was to investigate the impact of MELD score and “true” GFR as determinants of survival in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Methods

We included all consecutive patients with decompensated cirrhosis who were admitted to our department. Renal function was assessed by creatinine‐ and cystatin‐based estimated GFR and “true” GFR using 51Cr‐ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The independent factors associated with survival were evaluated. The discriminative ability of the prognostic scores (MELD and modifications of MELD score) were evaluated by using the area under the receiver–operator curve (AUC).

Results

One hundred and ten consecutive patients (77 men, aged 56 ± 12 years); at the end of follow up (8 months; range, 6–18), 92 patients (84%) were alive and 18 (16%) had died. In multivariate analysis, serum bilirubin (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–1.26; P = 0.020) and “true” GFR (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.98; P = 0.003) were the only independent factors significantly associated with the outcome. The derived new prognostic model had high discriminative ability (AUC, 0.90), which was confirmed in the validation sample of 77 patients.

Conclusion

In our cohort of patients with decompensated cirrhosis, “true” GFR and bilirubin were the independent factors of the outcome.
Liposarcomas: diagnostic pitfalls and new insights
Authors: Dei Tos Angelo P
Published: October 2013

Liposarcomas represent the most common histotype among soft tissue sarcomas. However, liposarcomas in fact constitute a heterogeneous group of distinctive lesions that pose several diagnostic difficulties. The current World Health Organization classification of soft tissue and bone tumours recognizes four major liposarcoma subtypes: (i) atypical lipomatous tumour/well‐differentiated liposarcoma; (ii) de‐differentiated liposarcoma; (iii) myxoid liposarcoma; and (iv) pleomorphic liposarcoma. These four main subgroups are characterized by distinctive morphologies, unique genetic findings as well as distinct clinical behaviour. Accurate classification requires the integration of morphological, immunohistochemical and (in selected situations) genetic findings, and is essential for providing patients with the best available treatments. This review will focus upon the main diagnostic pitfalls encountered in the routine diagnosis of liposarcoma, underlining the diagnostic value of combining morphology with cytogenetics and molecular genetics.
3. SPACE, PLACE, AND GENDER: THE SEXUAL AND SPATIAL DIVISION OF LABOR IN THE EARLY MODERN HOUSEHOLD
Authors: FLATHER AMANDA J.
Published: October 2013

Much has been written about the history of the work of men and women in the premodern past. It is now generally acknowledged that early modern ideological assumptions about a strict division of work and space between men and productive work outside the house on the one hand, and women and reproduction and consumption inside the house, on the other, bore little relation to reality. Household work strategies, out of necessity, were diverse. Yet what this spatial complexity meant in particular households on a day‐to‐day basis and its consequences for gender relationships is less clear and has received relatively little historical attention. The aim of this paper is to add to our knowledge through a case study of the way that men and women used and organized space for work in the county of Essex during the “long seventeenth century”. Drawing on critiques of the concept of “separate spheres” and the models of economic change to which it relates, together with local/micro historical methods, it places evidence within an appropriate regional context to argue that spatial patterns were enormously varied in early modern England and a number of factors—time, place, occupation, and status, as well as gender—determined them. Understanding of the dynamic, complex, uneven purchase of patriarchy upon the organization, imagination, and experience of space has important implications for approaches to gender relations in early modern England. It raises additional doubts about the utility of the separate spheres analogy, and particularly the use of binary oppositions of male/female and public/private, to describe gender relations and their changes in this period and shows that a deeper understanding demands more research into the local contexts in which the gendered division and meaning of work was negotiated.
4. “KEEP THAT WOMAN OUT!” NOTIONS OF SPACE IN TWENTIETH‐CENTURY FLEMISH WITCHCRAFT DISCOURSE
Authors: DE BLÉCOURT WILLEM
Published: October 2013

This article considers the importance of a spatial dimension for witchcraft research, which has so far been largely neglected. In twentieth‐century Europe people in certain regions still considered their world in terms of witchcraft; they attributed misfortune to bewitchments and usually blamed their neighbors. Here a part of Flemish‐speaking Belgium is investigated with the help of legend texts collected in the 1960s. The witchcraft discourse that informed these texts did not just contain formulations of space; sometimes it also determined how people negotiated space. In this part of Flanders, witchcraft was embedded in Roman Catholicism; monasteries were the favored destinations of all those who considered themselves or their family members bewitched. In order to find cures for bewitchments people undertook hazardous journeys of considerable distance and found their efforts hindered by the witch they sought to counteract. The measures against evil influences that they were given were meant to consolidate the boundaries between their own (private) space and the (outside) space where witches roamed. Bewitchments were generally blamed on women. In the contemporary patriarchal social order, both public and domestic spaces were nearly always under men's control. This is why bewitchment was caused less by transgressions of male‐defined boundaries than by infringements of bodily spaces such as by eying or touching somebody else's children. This suggests a different approach to female space based on notions of proximity.
THE POETICS OF ANCIENT GREEK MEMORY AND THE HISTORICAL IMPERATIVE
Authors: Lianeri Alexandra
Published: October 2013

This book examines Greek engagements with the past as articulations of memory formulated against the contingency of chance associated with temporality. Based on a phenomenological understanding of temporality, it identifies four memorializing strategies: continuity (tradition), regularity (exemplarity), development, and acceptance of chance. This framework serves in pursuing a twofold aim: to reconstruct the literary field of memory in fifth‐century bce Greece; and to interpret Greek historiography as a memorializing mode. The key contention advanced by this approach is that acts of memory entailed an “idea of history” that was articulated not only in historiography, but also in epinician poetry, elegy, tragedy, and oratory. The book offers a rich account of poetic conventions and contexts through which each of these genres counterbalanced contingency through the use of exemplary and traditional modes of memory. This fine analysis highlights the grip of the present on the past as a significant feature of both historiographical and nonhistoriographical genres.

The essay argues that this work fills a disciplinary gap by extending the reflection on memory to a new period, Greek antiquity. The retrospective positioning of this period at the outset of Western historical thought brings Grethlein's investigation to the center of debates about memory, temporality, and the meaning history. In engaging with the book's argument, the essay suggests that historiographical memory emerged in Greece not as a first‐order encounter with time, but as a second‐order encounter with forgetting. This confrontation marked a certain separation of historiography from other memorializing genres. Whereas poetic and rhetorical memories were posited against contingency, historiography sought to retrieve those aspects of the past that may otherwise have been irretrievably lost and forgotten. In doing so, it formulated the historiographical imperative as a negation of forgetting that problematized the truth‐value of memory and the very act of remembering the past.
Europe as an Other: Postcolonialism and Philosophers of the Future
Authors: Goswami Namita
Published: October 2013

This essay challenges the reduction of Gayatri Spivak's critique of postcolonial reason to functional and derivative identity politics. Such a reading neutralizes the philosophical nature of Spivak's conceptual contributions. Because Spivak is derided as preaching about subaltern victimhood, this essay discerns what is philosophical about the concept of the subaltern. I focus on Spivak's attempt at a space‐clearing gesture that can create the possibility for breaking the frame of Eurocentrism. I argue that for this philosopher of the future, the concept of the subaltern is vital for making history and all its victims real. Rather than reiterating the dialectic of “Western philosopher” and “postcolonial critic,” our philosopher of the future knows how most philosophy begins with the commonplace of sorrow. In postcolonialism, she prays to be haunted by the ghosts of (our) history's victims. In other words, our philosopher of the future learns how we make (our) ghosts—as (this) history happens to us (right now). Because we are serious about philosophy, and not preserving our over‐determined parts in The Great Game, this essay reads Spivak's critique of postcolonial reason to show how she prefigures “colonialism to come” in Euro‐US epistemological training.
Motivating Coalition: Women of Color and Epistemic Disobedience
Authors: Roshanravan Shireen
Published: October 2013

This essay engages Chandra Mohanty, M. Jacqui Alexander, and María Lugones in a “plurilogue” to elaborate and exhibit a method that animates the differential mode of Women of Color politics while rendering more acute the strategies each scholar offers against the racialized, gendered oppressions of colonialism and global capitalism. Ella Shohat describes “a multifaceted plurilogue” as a “dissonant polyphony” that “links different yet co‐implicated constituencies and arenas of struggle” (Shohat 2001, 2). The emphasis on reading differences within Women of Color theorizing resists the homogenizing tendency of superficial engagement that glosses Women of Color scholarship as a unified genre of thought. A plurilogue thus pursues dissimilarities to clarify the conceptual interventions made within Women of Color theorizing and the relationship among the different patterns of oppression that each intervention exposes. Plurilogued engagements bring these conceptual strategies and understandings of multiple oppressions together, not to resolve or rank them, but to more effectively ascertain the complexities of, and varied coalitional strategies for, resisting the racialized, heteropatriarchal oppressions of global capitalism and colonialism.
Culture, Communication, and Latina Feminist Philosophy: Toward a Critical Phenomenology of Culture
Authors: Martinez Jacqueline M.
Published: October 2013

An explication of the phenomenological sensibilities found in the work of Gloria Anzaldúa and other Latina feminist philosophers offers insight into the problem of bringing philosophy into greater relevance beyond academic and scholarly worlds. This greater relevance entails clear and direct contact with the immediacy of our communicative relationships with others, both inside and outside the academy, and allows for an interrogation of the totalizing perceptions that are at work within normative processes of epistemological legitimation. As a result of this interrogation, it is possible to cultivate perceptual capacities related to culture that intervene in the normatively tacit cultural dispositions that often limit the possibilities of understanding.
Building on “the Edge of Each Other's Battles”: A Feminist of Color Multidimensional Lens
Authors:   The Santa Cruz Feminist Of Color Collective
Published: October 2013

In this article, the authors set forth an articulation of women of color feminisms through a multidimensional conceptual lens comprised of three interconnected components: processes of identity‐formation, assertion of intellectual political projects, and creating alternative methodological practices. The thinking together of these components offers a critique of Western, male‐centered, and heteronormative dominant forms of philosophical knowledge that restrict scholarly interventions by women, people of color, and queers. The authors, through their collective, creative, and collaborative writing process, build on María Lugones's work to argue that early women of color feminist formations offer foundational elements of decolonial forms of feminism (Lugones 2010). Implicit within this article is a recognition and tracing of intergenerational relations of “women of color” feminists and philosophers who have historically critiqued normative, colonial, and modern understandings of knowledge while constructing interdisciplinary and alternative spaces for theorizing and sustaining communities of resistance across constructed borders. Central goals of this article are to: 1. emphasize the complexities and contradictions of women of color feminisms; 2. highlight the three components of women of color feminisms along with their productive tensions; and 3. document the importance of creative collectivity in theorizing, building solidarity, and working toward sustaining struggles of radical transformation.
Knowledge expectations of surgical orthopaedic patients: A European survey
Authors: Valkeapää Kirsi , Klemetti Seija , Cabrera Esther , Cano Sara , Charalambous Andreas , Copanitsanou Panagiota , Ingadottir Brynja , Istomina Natalja , Johansson Stark Åsa , Katajisto Jouko , Lemonidou Chryssoula , Papastavrou Evridiki , Sigurdardottir Arun K , Sourtzi Panayota , Unosson Mitra , Zabalegui Adelaida , Leino‐Kilpi Helena
Published: October 2013

Ageing population entails a growing international problem of osteoarthritis. Best practices for education of these patients are lacking. This study focused on empowering education in Northern (Finland, Iceland, Lithuania and Sweden) and Southern Europe (Cyprus, Greece and Spain). The aim was to analyse associations between expected knowledge and background factors. The data were collected from European arthroplasty patients with the Knowledge Expectations of hospital patients‐ scale, (KEhp‐ scale), including bio‐physiological, functional, experiential, ethical, social and financial dimensions. Patients had essential bio‐physiological and functional knowledge expectations. Women expected more than men, employed less than retired, unemployed or who worked at home. Generally, patients in Northern countries expected more than in Southern countries. However, highest expectations were found in Sweden and Greece, lowest in Spain and Cyprus. There are differences in knowledge expectations based on patients' backgrounds. Development of common standards in European patient education needs further research.
Media use for seeking health/cancer‐related information: Findings from knowledge, attitudes and practices towards cancer prevention and care survey in Jordan
Authors: Akhu‐Zaheya Laila M , Jagbir Madi T , Othman Areej , Ahram Mamoun
Published: October 2013

Understanding of public health/cancer information‐seeking behaviour could play key role in promoting health behaviour and reducing cancer burden. In the current study, data from ‘Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices toward Cancer Prevention and Care Survey in Jordan’ were used. A total of 3196 participants (18 years and older) were included in the study. The results indicated that 82% (n = 2609) of the participants had never looked for health/cancer information from any sources. The majority of those surveyed (97%) reported watching TV habitually, whereby 948 participants (26%) indicated that they watched health information on the local/satellite TV channels, whereas 1603 (45%) reported doing so on non‐local/satellite TV channels. Internet was the most searched source for information (36%); however, it is one of least preferred sources. Health‐care providers are the most preferred source for cancer‐related information, followed by TV and someone with cancer. The majority of participants (82%; n = 489) indicated the absence of barriers in seeking information about cancer. The results suggest that although the Jordanian public use of different media and channels for seeking health/cancer‐related information, health‐care providers and TV might be effective tools for health education. In addition, joint efforts must be established to initiate awareness programmes at the local and regional levels.
The frequency of painful procedures in neonatal intensive care units in South Korea
Authors: Jeong Ihn Sook , Park Soon Mi , Lee Jeon Ma , Choi Yoon Jin , Lee Joohyun
Published: October 2013

This study was to evaluate the performed painful procedures among all sick neonates cared for at two university hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Republic of Korea. This prospective study was done with all newborns admitted to the NICUs between 1 October and 20 November 2010. Data collection was done with self‐administered questionnaire by each nurse for the first 2 weeks of admission and discontinued if the neonate was discharged, transferred or died. The number of painful procedures, according to general characteristics of the neonates, were compared using Mann–Whitney U‐test and Kruskal–Wallis test. Oral suctioning was the most frequently performed procedure, followed by tracheal suctioning and nasal suctioning. The number of painful procedures increased as the gestation period became shorter and birthweight decreased. In conclusion, nurses should reappraise the need for painful procedures, in particular, among neonates with a gestation period of ≤ 27 weeks and babies with ≤ 1000 g of birthweight, and execute their performance only if necessary.
The Politics of Seasonal Labour Migration in Switzerland, France and Spain
Authors: Plewa Piotr
Published: October 2013

This article analyses the effects of the politics of seasonal foreign worker admissions on migrant legality in the context of the post‐1945 and the post‐1990 seasonal foreign worker policy in Switzerland, France and Spain respectively. It seeks historical evidence attesting to the ability of seasonal admissions to restrict workers to their non‐resident status. It presents implications for circular migration, the dernier cri in European migration policy aimed to strike a compromise between a perceived post‐crisis demand for the admission of foreign workers and the reluctance to make them prospective citizens.

Policy Implications

Migration policy stakeholders have shaped foreign worker admissions according to their interests.

Under some conditions, low‐skilled seasonal foreign worker admissions have contributed to irregular migration, either through workers' overstays or through parallel irregular entries

There are both differences and similarities between the seasonal admissions advocated under the post‐2007 circular migration schemes, and those of the 1950s–1960s, as well as those of 1990s to early 2000s. The similarities could, under some conditions, trigger the repetition of some of the unexpected outcomes revealed by historical seasonal foreign worker admissions under the post 2007 schemes.
Evaluation of crural release and ischial osteotomy for relief of tension in the repair of large segmental urethral defects in male cats
Authors: Zemer Orly , Benzioni Hadas , Kaplan Rotem , Zineman Shelly , Kelmer Efrat , Shipov Anna , Milgram Joshua
Published: October 2013

Objective

To examine if the tension at the site of a urethral anastomosis can be relieved by performing either a crural release technique or an ischial osteotomy technique.

Study Design

Cadaveric study and 2 case reports.

Animals

Adult male cat cadavers (n = 18).

Methods

Cats were divided into 2 groups; crural release (n = 9) and ischial osteotomy (n = 9). In each group, 20%, 25%, and 30% of the pelvic urethra was excised in 3 cats. The length of the urethral defect was measured after excision of the urethral segment, and after approximation, before and subsequent to the tension relieving technique performed. Two clinical cases are described.

Results

Both crural release and ischial osteotomy were effective in relieving the tension encountered at the urethral anastomosis after removal of 20% of the urethral length. In the ischial osteotomy group, apposition without tension after removing up to 30% of the intrapelvic urethral length was easily achieved. A similar technique was successfully used in 2 clinical cases.

Conclusion

Crural release and ischial osteotomy techniques allow approximation and tension free anastomosis of large segmental defects of the pelvic urethra in cats.