bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Injectable and implantable sustained release naltrexone in the treatment of opioid addiction
Authors: Kunøe Nikolaj , Lobmaier Philipp , Ngo Hanh , Hulse Gary
Published: October 2012

Sustained release technologies for administering the opioid antagonist naltrexone (SRX) have the potential to assist opioid‐addicted patients in their efforts to maintain abstinence from heroin and other opioid agonists. Recently, reliable SRX formulations in intramuscular or implantable polymers that release naltrexone for 1–7 months have become available for clinical use and research. This qualitative review of the literature provides an overview of the technologies currently available for SRX and their effectiveness in reducing opioid use and other relevant outcomes. The majority of studies indicate that SRX is effective in reducing heroin use, and the most frequently studied SRX formulations have acceptable adverse events profiles. Registry data indicate a protective effect of SRX on mortality and morbidity. In some studies, SRX also seems to affect other outcomes, such as concomitant substance use, vocational training attendance, needle use, and risk behaviour for blood‐borne diseases such as hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus. There is a general need for more controlled studies, in particular to compare SRX with agonist maintenance treatment, to study combinations of SRX with behavioural interventions, and to study at‐risk groups such as prison inmates or opioid‐addicted pregnant patients. The literature suggests that sustained release naltrexone is a feasible, safe and effective option for assisting abstinence efforts in opioid addiction.
Downregulation of the Expression of Mitochondrial Electron Transport Complex Genes in Autism Brains
Authors: Anitha Ayyappan , Nakamura Kazuhiko , Thanseem Ismail , Matsuzaki Hideo , Miyachi Taishi , Tsujii Masatsugu , Iwata Yasuhide , Suzuki Katsuaki , Sugiyama Toshiro , Mori Norio
Published: October 2012

Mitochondrial dysfunction (MtD) and abnormal brain bioenergetics have been implicated in autism, suggesting possible candidate genes in the electron transport chain (ETC). We compared the expression of 84 ETC genes in the post‐mortem brains of autism patients and controls. Brain tissues from the anterior cingulate gyrus, motor cortex, and thalamus of autism patients (n = 8) and controls (n = 10) were obtained from Autism Tissue Program, USA. Quantitative real‐time PCR arrays were used to quantify gene expression. We observed reduced expression of several ETC genes in autism brains compared to controls. Eleven genes of Complex I, five genes each of Complex III and Complex IV, and seven genes of Complex V showed brain region‐specific reduced expression in autism. ATP5A1 (Complex V), ATP5G3 (Complex V) and NDUFA5 (Complex I) showed consistently reduced expression in all the brain regions of autism patients. Upon silencing ATP5A1, the expression of mitogen‐activated protein kinase 13 (MAPK13), a p38 MAPK responsive to stress stimuli, was upregulated in HEK 293 cells. This could have been induced by oxidative stress due to impaired ATP synthesis. We report new candidate genes involved in abnormal brain bioenergetics in autism, supporting the hypothesis that mitochondria, critical for neurodevelopment, may play a role in autism.
Axial displacements in external and internal implant‐abutment connection
Authors: Lee Ji‐Hye , Kim Dae‐Gon , Park Chan‐Jin , Cho Lee‐Ra
Published: October 2012

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the axial displacement of the abutments during clinical procedures by the tightening torque and cyclic loading.

Materials and methods

Two different implant‐abutment connection systems were used (external butt joint connection [EXT]; internal tapered conical connection [INT]). The master casts with two implant replicas, angulated 10° from each other, were fabricated for each implant connection system. Four types of impression copings were assembled and tightened with the corresponding implants (hex transfer impression coping, non‐hex transfer impression coping, hex pick‐up impression coping, non‐hex pick‐up impression coping). Resin splinted abutments and final prosthesis were assembled. The axial displacement was measured from the length of each assembly, which was evaluated repeatedly, after 30 Ncm torque tightening. After 250 N cyclic loading of final prosthesis for 1,000,000 cycles, additional axial displacement was recorded. The mean axial displacement was statistically analyzed (repeated measured ANOVA).

Results

There was more axial displacement in the INT group than that of the EXT group in impression copings, resin splinted abutments, and final prosthesis. Less axial displacement was found at 1‐piece non‐hex transfer type impression coping than other type of impression copings in the INT group. There was more axial displacement at the final prosthesis than resin splinted abutments in the INT and the EXT groups. After 250 N cyclic loading of final prosthesis, the INT group showed more axial displacement than that of the EXT group.

Conclusion

Internal tapered conical connection demonstrated a varying amount of axial displacement with tightening torque and cyclic loading.
Thulium laser vaporesection versus standard transurethral resection of the prostate: A randomized trial with transpulmonary thermodilution hemodynamic monitoring
Authors: Yan Hao , Ou Tong‐Wen , Chen Liang , Wang Qi , Lan Fei , Shen Peng , Li Jin , Xu Jian‐Jun
Published: October 2012

Objectives

To characterize the hemodynamics comparing thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate with traditional transurethral resection of the prostate.

Methods

A total of 80 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia were randomly assigned into the thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate group or transurethral resection of the prostate group. Transpulmonary thermodilution hemodynamic monitoring was used before and 1 h after surgery to assess patient hemodynamics. Acute complications and treatment efficiency were evaluated after surgery.

Results

There were no statistical differences in age, prostate volume, anticoagulants and International Prostate Symptom Score between the two groups. The postoperative Stroke Volume Index was significantly higher in the thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate group (P = 0.007). The extravascular lung water and intrathoracic blood volume indices differed significantly pre‐ and postoperatively, and were similar in both groups. Decreases in serum sodium and hemoglobin concentrations after surgery were lower in the thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate group (P < 0.01). Acute complications, and improvements in International Prostate Symptom Score and maximum urinary flow rates, were similar in both groups.

Conclusions

Transpulmonary thermodilution hemodynamic monitoring provides additional safety measures during surgical procedures. Thulium laser vaporesection of the prostate is associated with fewer hemodynamic changes and provides similar efficacy to transurethral resection of the prostate. Thus, it can be considered a safe and effective procedure.
Nervous network for lower urinary tract function
Authors: Birder Lori A
Published: October 2012

Traditionally, sensory signaling in the urinary bladder has been largely attributed to direct activation of bladder afferents. There is substantive evidence that sensory systems can be influenced by non‐neuronal cells, such as the urothelium, which are able to respond to various types of stimuli that can include physiological, psychological and disease‐related factors. The corresponding release of chemical mediators (through activation of a number of receptors/ion channels) can initiate signaling mechanisms between and within urothelial cells, as well as other cell types within the bladder wall including bladder nerves. However, the mechanisms underlying how various cell types in the bladder wall respond to normal filling and emptying, and are challenged by a variety of stressors (physical and chemical) are still not well understood. Alterations or defects in signaling mechanisms are likely to contribute to the pathophysiology of bladder disease with symptoms including urinary urgency, increased voiding frequency and pain. This review will discuss some of the components involved in control of lower urinary tract function, with an emphasis on the sensor and transducer roles of the urothelium.
Intraoperative imprint cytology for breast cancer sentinel nodes: is it worth it?
Authors: Richards Angela D. M. , Lakhani Sunil R. , James Daniel T. , Ung Owen A.
Published: October 2012

Background

Re‐operative surgery is stressful for patients and is an additional burden to an already stretched public health system. Intraoperative confirmation of breast cancer metastases in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) provides the necessary information for the surgeon to proceed with immediate axillary dissection, avoiding the need for a second operation, its associated cost, morbidity and adjuvant treatment delays. Our challenge was to implement a technique that was rapid, inexpensive and had a negligible false positive rate. The aim of this study was to determine whether touch imprint cytology (TIC) could reduce returns to theatre without compromising patient safety and pathology department and operating theatre efficiency.

Methods

Intraoperative TIC was performed on bisected SLNs from 134 patients. Post‐operatively, specimens were examined as haematoxylin and eosin‐stained, paraffin‐embedded 2‐mm sections. Further sectioning and immunohistochemisty was performed on negative SLNs.

Results

The sensitivity of TIC for metastases was 23.8%, the specificity was 100% and the accuracy was 76.1%. Ten patients with macrometastases and none with micrometastastes were detected intraoperatively. The sensitivity of TIC for detecting macrometastases was 34.5%, the accuracy was 78.4% and the specificity was 100%.

Conclusion

Ten patients avoided a subsequent surgery. The technique caused no theatre delays and the minimal cost was compensated for by the avoidance of a second procedure for a third of patients who definitively required axillary clearance. No patients had an unnecessary axillary clearance and no patients with micrometastases or isolated tumour cells were subjected to an immediate axillary clearance. It would be justifiable to continue this simple, low‐cost and non‐disruptive approach.
Part‐time general surgical training in South Australia: its success and future implications (or: pinnacles, pitfalls and lessons for the future)
Authors: Neuhaus Susan , Igras Emma , Fosh Beverley , Benson Sarah
Published: October 2012

Background

Flexible training options are sought by an increasing number of Australasian surgical trainees. Reasons include increased participation of women in the surgical workforce, postgraduate training and changing attitudes to family responsibilities. Despite endorsement of flexible training by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Board in General Surgery, part‐time (PT) training in General Surgery in Australia and New Zealand is not well established. A permanent ‘stand‐alone’ PT training position was established at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2007 under the Surgical Education and Training Program. This position offered 12 months of General Surgical training on a 0.5 full‐time (FT) equivalent basis with pro rata emergency and on‐call commitments and was accredited for 6 months of General Surgical training. This paper reviews the PT training experience in South Australia.

Methods

De‐identified logbook data were obtained from the South Australian Regional Subcommittee of the Board in General Surgery with consent of each of the trainees. Totals of operative cases were compared against matched FT trainees working on the same unit.

Results

Overall, PT trainees achieved comparable operative caseloads compared with their FT colleagues. All trainees included in this review have subsequently passed the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Fellowship Examination in General Surgery and returned to FT workforce positions.

Conclusion

This paper presents two validated models of PT training. Training, resource and regulatory requirements and individual and institutional barriers to flexible training are substantial. Successful PT models offer positive and beneficial training alternatives for General Surgical trainees and contribute to workforce flexibility.
Bone tissue engineering with periosteal‐free graft and pedicle omentum
Authors: Bigham‐Sadegh Amin , Oryan Ahmad , Mirshokraei Pezhman , Shadkhast Mohamad , Basiri Ehsan
Published: October 2012

Background

The histological characteristics of periosteum make it a specific tissue with a unique capacity to be engineered. Higher flexibility of the greater omentum is useful for reconstructive surgery as it facilitates not only filling of the site of infections such as myelitis, but also is effective in filling complicated defects of the soft and hard tissues, and these criteria make it suitable for tissue engineering. The present study was designed to evaluate bone tissue engineering with periosteal‐free graft concurrent with pedicle omentum and compare it with subcuticular periosteal grafting in a dog model. This is the first report in which periosteum‐free graft has been used as bone tissue engineering.

Methods

Eight young female indigenous dogs were used in this experiment. In omental group (n= 4), end of omentum was wrapped by periosteum of the radial bone in the abdomen of each dog, while in the subcutaneous group (n= 4), the harvested periosteum was sutured on the subcutaneous layer. Lateral view radiographs were taken from the abdominal cavity post‐operatively at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks post surgery. Eight weeks after operation, the dogs were re‐anaesthetized and the omental or subcutical grafted periosteom was found and removed for histopathological evaluation.

Results and discussion

Radiological, gross and histopathological evaluations revealed a superior bone formation in the wrapped omentum with periosteum compared with that of the subcuticular periosteal grafting. This is a novel and efficient technique in producing mature trabecular bone and could be used as a potential source of bone tissue engineering for autotransplantation.
Applying Wand and Weber's Surface and Deep Structure Approaches to Financial Reporting Systems
Authors: Tollington Tony , Spinelli Gabriella
Published: October 2012

Wand and Weber's fundamental premise is that ‘a physical‐symbol system has the necessary and sufficient properties to represent real‐world meaning’. Their representation of real‐world meaning flows from three possible information system models: representational, state‐tracking and de‐compositional. We address these three types of information system in the context of financial reporting systems and we use purchased goodwill and other intangible assets to selectively critique their characteristics. The principle feature of this critique is the comparison that is made throughout the paper between an economic and an artefactual (physical‐symbol) representation of assets, particularly the intangible ones, in the financial reporting domain.
In Defense of Veritistic Value Monism
Authors: Ahlstrom‐Vij Kristoffer
Published: October 2012

Recently, veritistic value monism, i.e. the idea that true belief is unique in being of fundamental epistemic value, has come under attack by pluralist philosophers arguing that it cannot account fully for the domain of epistemic value. However, the relevant arguments fail to establish any such thing. For one thing, there is a presumption of monism due to considerations about axiological parsimony. While such a presumption would be defeated by evidence that the relevant kind of monism cannot account fully for the domain of epistemic value, an examination of the most promising pluralist counterexamples casts serious doubt upon the claim that there is any such evidence.
Differences between HIV‐infected and uninfected adults in the contributions of smoking, diabetes and hypertension to acute coronary syndrome: two parallel case–control studies
Authors: Calvo‐Sánchez M , Perelló R , Pérez I , Mateo MG , Junyent M , Laguno M , Blanco JL , Martínez‐Rebollar M , Sánchez M , Mallolas J , Gatell JM , Domingo P , Martínez E
Published: October 2012

Objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the separate contributions of smoking, diabetes and hypertension to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in HIV‐infected adults relative to uninfected adults.

Methods

Two parallel case–control studies were carried out. In the first study, HIV‐positive adults diagnosed with ACS between 1997 and 2009 (HIV+/ACS) were matched for age, gender and known duration of HIV infection with HIV‐positive adults without ACS (HIV+/noACS), each individual in the HIV+/ACS group being matched with three individuals in the HIV+/noACS group. In the second study, each individual in the HIV+/ACS group in the first study was matched for age, gender and calendar date of ACS diagnosis with three HIV‐negative individuals diagnosed with ACS between 1997 and 2009 (HIV–/ACS). Each individual in the HIV–/ACS group was then matched for age and gender with an HIV‐negative adult without ACS (HIV–/noACS). After matching, the ratio of numbers of individuals in the HIV+/ACS, HIV+/noACS, HIV–/ACS and HIV–/noACS groups was therefore 1 : 3 : 3 : 3, respectively. We performed logistic regression analyses to identify risk factors for ACS in each case–control study and calculated population attributable risks (PARs) for smoking, diabetes and hypertension in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative individuals.

Results

There were 57 subjects in the HIV+/ACS group, 173 in the HIV+/noACS group, 168 in the HIV–/ACS group, and 171 in the HIV–/noACS group. Independent risk factors for ACS were smoking [odds ratio (OR) 4.091; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.086–8.438; P < 0.0001] and a family history of cardiovascular disease (OR 7.676; 95% CI 1.976–32.168; P = 0.0003) in HIV‐positive subjects, and smoking (OR 4.310; 95% CI 2.425–7.853; P < 0.0001), diabetes (OR 5.778; 95% CI 2.393–15.422; P = 0.0002) and hypertension (OR 6.589; 95% CI 3.554–12.700; P < 0.0001) in HIV‐negative subjects. PARs for smoking, diabetes and hypertension were 54.35 and 30.58, 6.57 and 17.24, and 9.07 and 38.81% in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative individuals, respectively.

Conclusions

The contribution of smoking to ACS in HIV‐positive adults was generally greater than the contributions of diabetes and hypertension, and was almost twice as high as that in HIV‐negative adults. Development of effective smoking cessation strategies should be prioritized to prevent cardiovascular disease in HIV‐positive adults.
Final 192‐week efficacy and safety of once‐daily darunavir/ritonavir compared with lopinavir/ritonavir in HIV‐1‐infected treatment‐naïve patients in the ARTEMIS trial
Authors: Orkin C , DeJesus E , Khanlou H , Stoehr A , Supparatpinyo K , Lathouwers E , Lefebvre E , Opsomer M , Van de Casteele T , Tomaka F
Published: October 2012

Objective

This paper presents the final analysis of once‐daily darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) vs. lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) in treatment‐naïve HIV‐1‐infected adults.

Methods

ARTEMIS (AntiRetroviral Therapy with TMC114 ExaMined In naïve Subjects; NCT00258557) was a randomized, open‐label, phase‐III, 192‐week trial. Patients were stratified by baseline HIV‐1 RNA and CD4 count, and randomized to once‐daily DRV/r 800/100 mg or LPV/r 800/200 mg total daily dose (either once or twice daily) plus tenofovir/emtricitabine.

Results

Of 689 randomized patients receiving treatment (DRV/r: 343; LPV/r: 346), 85 and 114 patients in the DRV/r and LPV/r arms, respectively, had discontinued by week 192. Noninferiority was shown in the primary endpoint of virological response (HIV‐1 RNA < 50 copies/mL) [DRV/r: 68.8%; LPV/r: 57.2%; P < 0.001; intent to treat (ITT)/time to loss of virological response; estimated difference in response 11.6% (95% confidence interval 4.4–18.8%)]. Statistical superiority in virological response of DRV/r over LPV/r was demonstrated for the primary endpoint (P = 0.002) and for the ITT non‐virological‐failure‐censored analysis (87.4% vs. 80.8%, respectively; P = 0.040). No protease inhibitor (PI) primary mutations developed and only low levels of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) resistance developed in virological failures in both groups. Significantly fewer discontinuations because of adverse events were observed with DRV/r (4.7%) than with LPV/r (12.7%; P = 0.005). Grade 2–4 treatment‐related diarrhoea was significantly less frequent with DRV/r than with LPV/r (5.0% vs. 11.3%, respectively; P = 0.003). DRV/r was associated with smaller median increases in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels than LPV/r. Changes in low‐ and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were similar between groups. Similar increases in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase for DRV/r and LPV/r were observed.

Conclusion

Over 192 weeks, once‐daily DRV/r was noninferior and statistically superior in virological response to LPV/r, with a more favourable gastrointestinal profile, demonstrating its suitability for long‐term use in treatment‐naïve patients.
Different slopes for different folks: Alpha and deltaEEGpower predict subsequent video game learning rate and improvements in cognitive control tasks
Authors: Mathewson Kyle E. , Basak Chandramallika , Maclin Edward L. , Low Kathy A. , Boot Walter R. , Kramer Arthur F. , Fabiani Monica , Gratton Gabriele
Published: October 2012

We hypothesized that control processes, as measured using electrophysiological (EEG) variables, influence the rate of learning of complex tasks. Specifically, we measured alpha power, event‐related spectral perturbations (ERSPs), and event‐related brain potentials during early training of theSpaceFortress task, and correlated these measures with subsequent learning rate and performance in transfer tasks. Once initial score was partialled out, the best predictors were frontal alpha power and alpha and deltaERSPs, but not P300. By combining these predictors, we could explain about 50% of the learning rate variance and 10%–20% of the variance in transfer to other tasks using only pretrainingEEGmeasures. Thus, control processes, as indexed by alpha and deltaEEGoscillations, can predict learning and skill improvements. The results are of potential use to optimize training regimes.
Botswana primary schools teachers' perception of inclusion of learners with special educational needs
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Sourav
Published: October 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of primary teachers towards inclusive education in the South Central regions of Botswana. The research employed a descriptive survey design that used both qualitative and quantitative research methodology. Two hundred and seventy‐three primary teachers were drawn from a sample size of 2950 teachers and 165 schools. Multistage proportionate stratified sampling was utilised to select teachers from these three different locations: urban, semi‐urban and rural. A questionnaire that contained both open‐ended and closed items was designed to explore Botswana primary teachers' attitude, knowledge and skills and their views of the perceived benefits of inclusion of learners with disabilities in regular classrooms. The findings of this study indicate that although most of the teachers were positive towards the concept of inclusive education they did not have a favourable attitude towards the inclusion of learners with special educational needs (SENs) in their classrooms due to the lack of essential knowledge and skills in inclusive education. Nonetheless, this study also, shows that pre‐service training has a positive impact on the attitude of teachers towards the inclusion of learners with SENs. Based on the results of this study, the researcher suggests that the Ministry of Education and Skill Developments of Botswana (MoESD) must sponsor more students for pre‐service training and or upgrade the professional qualification of the teachers in special education for them to be able to address the learning needs of learners with SENs.
Positive and normative use of fuzzy DEA‐BCC models: A critical view on NATO enlargement
Authors: Hatami‐Marbini Adel , Tavana Madjid , Saati Saber , Agrell Per J.
Published: October 2012

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a widely used mathematical programming approach for comparing the input and output of a set of comparable decision‐making units (DMUs) by evaluating their relative efficiency. The traditional DEA methods require accurate measurement of both the inputs and outputs. However, the real evaluation of the DMUs is often characterized by imprecision and uncertainty in data definitions and measurements. The development of fuzzy DEA (FDEA) with imprecise and ambiguous data has extended the scope of application for efficiency measurement. The purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy DEA framework with a BCC model for measuring crisp and interval efficiencies in fuzzy environments. We use an α‐level approach to convert the fuzzy Banker, Charnes, and Cooper (BCC) (variable returns to scale) model into an interval programming model. Instead of comparing the equality (or inequality) of the two intervals, we define a variable in the interval to satisfy our constraints and maximize the efficiency value. We present a numerical example to show the similarities and differences between our solution and the solutions obtained from four fuzzy DEA methods in the literature. In addition, a case study for NATO enlargement is presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method.
Comorbidity of Migraine and Mood Episodes in a Nationally Representative Population‐Based Sample
Authors: Nguyen Tuong‐Vi , Low Nancy C.
Published: October 2012

Objective.— To examine the lifetime comorbidity of migraine with different combinations of mood episodes: (1) manic episodes alone; (2) depressive episodes alone; (3) manic and depressive episodes; (4) controls with no lifetime history of mood episodes, as well as sociodemographic and clinical correlates of migraine for each migraine–mood episode combination.

Background.— Migraine has been found to be comorbid with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder in clinical and population‐based samples. However, variability in findings across studies suggests that examining mood episodes separately may be fruitful in determining which of these mood episodes are specifically associated with migraine.

Methods.— Using a cross‐sectional, population‐based sample from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2 (n = 36,984), sociodemographic and clinical correlates of migraine were examined in each combination of mood episodes as well as controls. Logistic regression analyses controlling for age, sex, and education level compared the lifetime prevalence of migraine (1) between controls and each combination of mood episodes, and then (2) among the different combinations of mood episodes.

Results.— Migraine comorbidity in all combinations of mood episodes was associated with lower socioeconomic status, earlier onset of affective illness, more anxiety, suicidality and use of mental health resources. Compared with controls, the adjusted odds ratio of having migraine was 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4‐2.8) for manic episodes alone, 1.9 (95% CI 1.6‐2.1) for depressive episodes alone, and 3.0 (95% CI 2.3‐3.9) for subjects with both manic and depressive episodes. Compared with those with manic episodes alone and depressive episodes alone, the odds of having migraine were significantly increased in subjects with both manic and depressive episodes (odds ratio 1.5 vs manic episodes alone; 1.8 vs depressive episodes alone). In addition, migraine comorbidity was associated with different correlates depending on the specific combination of mood episodes; in subjects with both manic and depressive episodes, migraine comorbidity was associated with an earlier onset of mental illness, while in subjects with either manic or depressive episodes alone, migraine comorbidity was associated with increased suicidality and anxiety.

Conclusions.— Migraine comorbidity appears to delineate a subset of individuals with earlier onset of affective illness and more psychiatric complications, suggesting that migraine assessment in mood disorder patients may be useful as an indicator of potential clinical severity. Differences in the prevalence of migraine as well as sociodemographic and clinical correlates associated with specific combinations of mood episodes underscore the importance of examining this comorbidity by specific type of mood episode.
Structural and Functional Neuroimaging in Migraine: Insights From 3 Decades of Research
Authors: Lakhan Shaheen E. , Avramut Mihaela , Tepper Stewart J.
Published: October 2012

Modern imaging methods provide unprecedented insights into brain structure, perfusion, metabolism, and neurochemistry, both during and between migraine attacks. Neuroimaging investigations conducted in recent decades bring us closer to uncovering migraine as a multifaceted, primarily central nervous system disorder. Three main categories of structural and functional brain changes are described in this review, corresponding to the migrainous aura, ictal headache, and interictal states. These changes greatly advance our understanding of multiple pathophysiologic underpinnings of migraine, from central “migraine generating” loci, to cortical spreading depression, intimate mechanisms underlying activation of neuronal pain pathways in vulnerable patients, central sensitization, and chronification. Structural imaging begins to explain the complex connections between migraine and cerebral vascular events, white matter lesions, grey matter density alterations, iron deposition, and microstructural brain damage. Selected structural and functional alterations of brain structures, as identified with imaging methods, may represent the foundation of new diagnostic strategies and serve as markers of therapeutic efficacy.
Putting On The Breaks: Regulating Organelle Movements in Plant CellsF
Authors: Vick Julianna K. , Nebenführ Andreas
Published: October 2012

A striking characteristic of plant cells is that their organelles can move rapidly through the cell. This movement, commonly referred to as cytoplasmic streaming, has been observed for over 200 years, but we are only now beginning to decipher the mechanisms responsible for it. The identification of the myosin motor proteins responsible for these movements allows us to probe the regulatory events that coordinate organelle displacement with normal cell physiology. This review will highlight several recent developments that have provided new insight into the regulation of organelle movement, both at the cellular level and at the molecular level.

image

[ Andreas Nebenführ (Corresponding author)]
A Prospective Test of the Late Effects of Potentially Antineuroplastic Drugs in a Stroke Rehabilitation Study
Authors: Nadeau Stephen E. , Lu Xiaomin , Dobkin Bruce , Wu Samuel S. , Dai Yunfeng E. , Duncan Pamela W. ,   and LEAPS Investigative Team
Published: October 2012

Background

Extensive data, primarily from animal studies, suggest that several classes of drugs may have antineuroplastic effects that could impede recovery from brain injury or reduce the efficacy of rehabilitation.

Aims

The Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke trial, a randomized controlled study of 408 subjects that tested the relative efficacy of two rehabilitation techniques on functional walking level at one-year poststroke, provided us the opportunity to prospectively assess the potential antineuroplastic effects of several classes of drug.

Methods

Subjects were randomized to receive one of the two rehabilitation therapies at two-months poststroke. Drugs taken were recorded at time of randomization. Outcome was assessed at one-year poststroke. Regression models were used to determine the amount of variance in success in improving functional walking level, gains in walking speed, and declines in lower extremity, upper extremity, and cognitive impairment accounted for by α1 noradrenergic blockers + α2 noradrenergic agonists, benzodiazepines, voltage-sensitive sodium channel anticonvulsants, and α2δ voltage-sensitive calcium channel blockers.

Results

The maximum variance accounted for by any drug class was 1·66%. Drug effects were not statistically significant when using even our most lenient standard for correction for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions

Drugs in the classes we were able to assess do not appear to exert a clinically important effect on outcome over the period between two- and 12 months poststroke. However, the potential antineuroplastic effects of certain drugs remain an incompletely settled scientific question.
Impact of Collateral Circulation on Early Outcome and Risk of Hemorrhagic Complications after Systemic Thrombolysis
Authors: Brunner Freimuth , Tomandl Bernd , Hanken Katrin , Hildebrandt Helmut , Kastrup Andreas
Published: October 2012

Background

In stroke patients, collateral flow can rapidly be assessed on computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Aims

In this study, the impact of baseline collaterals on early outcome and risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhages after systemic thrombolysis in patients with proximal arterial occlusions within the anterior circulation were analyzed.

Methods

Collateralization scores were determined on the CT angiography source images (0 = absent; 1 ≤ 50%, 2 > 50% but <100%, and 3 = 100% collateral filling) of patients with distal intracranial carotid artery and/or M1 segment occlusions treated from 2008 to December 2011. A collateral score of 0 to 1 was designated as poor and 2 to 3 as good collateral vessel status. Outcome variables included in hospital mortality, favorable outcome at discharge (modified Rankin score ≤ 2), and rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage based on the European–Australasian Acute Stroke Study II definition.

Results

Among 246 subjects (mean age of 74 years; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale N at admission 14), 205 patients (83%) had good collaterals, whereas 41 patients (17%) had poor collaterals, respectively. Patients with poor collaterals had significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (41% vs. 12%, P < 0·001), of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (15% vs. 4·9%, P < 0·05) and had significantly lower rates of favorable early clinical outcome (0% vs. 28%, P < 0·001) compared with those with good collaterals. The grade of collateralization was independently associated with in-hospital mortality ( P < 0·001), early clinical outcome ( P < 0·01), and rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage ( P < 0·01).

Conclusion

Patients with proximal arterial occlusions within the anterior circulation and poor baseline collaterals have a poor early functional outcome and high rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after systemic thrombolysis. Since similar findings have also been reported after endovascular therapy, strategies to improve collateral blood flow should be assessed in this patient population.
Cognitive and affective Theory of Mind in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Laisney Mickaël , Bon Laetitia , Guiziou Catherine , Daluzeau Nathalie , Eustache Francis , Desgranges Béatrice
Published: October 2012

Theory of Mind (ToM) allows one's own and others' cognitive and emotional mental states to be inferred. Although many patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) display impaired social functioning as their disease progresses, very few studies have investigated ToM in AD. Those that have done so suggest that patients' ToM deficits are the consequence of other cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was thus to investigate changes in both the cognitive and the affective dimensions of ToM in AD, using tasks designed to circumvent the patients' comprehension difficulties. Sixteen mild to moderate AD patients and 15 healthy controls matched on age, sex and education level underwent cognitive (preference judgment and first‐ and second‐order false belief) and affective (Reading the Mind in the Eyes) ToM assessments. Comprehension of false belief stories was verified and an additional neuropsychological examination was undergone. We observed impaired performances by AD patients on all the ToM tasks. While working memory and executive functioning impairments contributed to the deterioration in the more complex aspects of cognitive ToM abilities as highlighted by a correlation analysis, we failed to observe any comprehension difficulties in patients who performed poorly on simple cognitive ToM tasks, which suggests that AD truly affects cognitive ToM.
Decision making is affected in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
Authors: Daurat Agnès , Ricarrère Matthieu , Tiberge Michel
Published: October 2012

We assessed decision making in 20 patients newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and 20 healthy controls with the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which evaluates the ability to learn to sacrifice immediate rewards in favour of long‐term gains. A standard neuropsychological battery was administered. Switching scores tended to be lower in patients. Patients persisted in selecting risky decks throughout the IGT, whereas controls behaved normally. Performance was correlated with hypoxaemia. Brain regions underlying decision making may be affected by OSA‐related hypoxaemia.
The Promise of Strategic Customer Behavior: On the Value of Click Tracking
Authors: Huang Tingliang , Van Mieghem Jan A.
Published: October 2012

Click tracking is gaining in popularity, and the practice of web analytics is growing fast. Whether strategic customers are willing to visit a website when they know their clicks may be tracked is an important yet complex problem, which depends on various factors. Using a newsvendor framework, we examine this problem by focusing on the operational factor: how product availability induces strategic customers to voluntarily provide advance demand information. We find that a strong Nash equilibrium exists where every customer is willing to click, and customer incentives to click are robust to noise. Hence, we demonstrate the promise of strategic customer behavior in the context of click tracking, contrary to the conventional wisdom that it is typically a peril for the firm. Notably, click tracking is typically advantageous to both the firm and its customers, compared with other strategies such as advance selling, quantity commitment, availability guarantees, and quick response. Lastly, we extend to two settings by including marketing decisions, price‐sensitive demand and markdown pricing, and discuss how operations and marketing decisions interact in influencing the value of click tracking.
Stock Market Reaction to Green Vehicle Innovation
Authors: Ba Sulin , Lisic Ling Lei , Liu Qindong , Stallaert Jan
Published: October 2012

We study the stock market reaction to announcements of global green vehicle innovation over a 14‐year time span (1996–2009) using the event study methodology. We document that the stock market generally reacts positively to automakers' announcements of environmental innovations, consistent with prior research on the wealth effects of innovation announcements. Our results indicate that crucial green product development decisions such as innovation type and market segment choices exert direct influence on a firm's market value. These results hold after controlling for firm size, leverage, profitability, R&D intensity, and oil price changes.
The Value of Information for Managing Retail Inventory Remotely
Authors: Ketzenberg Michael E. , Geismar Neil , Metters Richard , van derLaan Erwin
Published: October 2012

An important difference between both manufacturing and wholesaling vs. retail is the information available concerning inventory. Typically, far less information characterizes retail. Here, an extreme environment of information shortfall is examined. The environment is technically termed “unattended points of sale,” but colloquially called vending machines. Once inventory is loaded into a machine, information on demand and inventory level is not observed until the scheduled reloading date. Technological advances and business process changes have drawn attention to the value of information (VOI) in retail inventory in many venues. Moreover, technology is now available that allows unattended points of sale to report inventory information. Capturing the value of this information requires changes in current business practice. We demonstrate the value of capturing information analytically in an environment with restrictive demand assumptions. Experiments in an environment with realistic demand assumptions and parameter values show that the VOI depends greatly on operating characteristics and can range from negligible effects to increasing profitability 30% or more in actual practice.
Comparison of transdermal electromotive administration of verapamil and dexamethasone versus intra‐lesional injection for Peyronie's disease
Authors: Mehrsai A. R. , Namdari F. , Salavati A. , Dehghani S. , Allameh F. , Pourmand G.
Published: October 2012

To compare the efficacy of transdermal electromotive administration and intra‐lesional injection of verapamil plus dexamethasone for the treatment of Peyronie's disease. Patients with Peyronie's disease of less than 2‐year duration were randomized into two groups of transdermal electromotive administration and intra‐lesional injection of verapamil plus dexamethasone. During the 6‐week therapy period, a single weekly dose of 10 mg verapamil and 4 mg dexamethasone solution was administered to 30 patients in each group either by transdermal electromotive method or via the conventional injection method by a syringe connected to a 25 G needle. Evaluations of plaque length, width, and volume, penile curvature, erectile dysfunction and penile deviations were carried out before and after 1 and 3 months of the interventions. Erectile pain was reduced in the electromotive group from a mean of 5.1–1.0 in scale of 10 and from 5.4 to 3.6 in the injection group (p = 0.006). Regarding plaque length, plaque width, penile curvature plaque volume and erectile dysfunction, the electromotive administration group showed better results which, however, were not statistically significant. (p > 0.05). Transdermal electromotive drug administration yielded comparable results as against current conventional intra‐lesional injection technique and fared better in controlling erectile pain.
Evolution of testis‐specific kinases TSSK1B and TSSK2 in primates
Authors: Shang P. , Hoogerbrugge J. , Baarends W. M. , Grootegoed J. A.
Published: October 2012

The testis‐specific serine/threonine protein kinases TSSK1 and TSSK2 are known to be essential for male fertility, in mice. The enzymes are present in elongating spermatids, and targeted deletion of the two genes Tssk1 and Tssk2 results in dysregulation of spermiogenesis. The mouse genes are genetically closely linked, forming a Tssk1–Tssk2 tandem. In human, TSSK1 is present in the form of a pseudogene, TSSK1A, which is linked to an intact TSSK2 gene, and in the form of an intact gene, TSSK1B, which is not genetically linked to TSSK2. Studies on conservation of genes and gene function between mouse and human are relevant, to be able to use mouse models for studies on human infertility, and to evaluate possible targets for non‐hormonal contraception targeting the male. Therefore, we have performed a detailed analysis of the evolution of genes encoding TSSK1 and TSSK2 among mammals, in particular among primates. This study includes functional analysis of replacement mutation K27R in TSSK2, which is frequently observed among humans. In primates, the kinase domains of TSSK1B and TSSK2 have evolved under negative selection, reflecting the importance to maintain their kinase activity. Positive selection was observed for the C‐terminal domain of TSSK1B, which indicates that TSSK1B and TSSK2 may perform at least partly differential functions.
The Romantic Realism of Michel Foucault The Scientific Temptation
Authors: Varela Charles R.
Published: October 2012

Beatrice Han has argued that the theories of subjection (determinism: structure) and subjectivation (freedom: agency) are the “the blind spot[s] of Foucault's work.” Furthermore, she continues, as historical and transcendental theories, respectively, Foucault left them in a state of irresolvable conflict. In the Scientific Temptation I have shown that, as a practicing researcher, Foucault encourages us to situate the theories of the subject in the context of his un‐thematized search for a metaphysics of realism, the purpose of which was to ground his complementary reach for a possibility of naturalism. In Returning to Kant I now argue that it is this fundamental feature of “Foucault's Foucault” that drives his returns to Kant, the purpose of which was to resolve the conflicting theories of the subject and thereby solve his Giddensian problem of structure and creativity. Locating the returns and their purpose in the context of my own arguments for the recovery of human agency, I argue that Foucault's attempts to solve his Giddensian problem led to two unfortunate solutions. In the first return, his resort to Baudelaire's aesthetic subject is a regression to a pre‐noumenal conception of the Kantian subject. With the second return, the reinstatement of the Kantian subject as causally empowered, minus the noumenalism, is nothing more than a reclamation of Kant's conception. I argue that only a reconstruction of Foucault's scientific realism permits us to understand that he could have moved beyond mere reclamation to the actual recovery of human agency.
The Causal Impact of Resistance: Mediating between Resistance and Internal Conversation about Resistance
Authors: Chalari Athanasia
Published: October 2012

Current literature on resistance focuses on the elements of action and opposition as its main components. However, when we use the term resistance we are not necessarily referring exclusively to the active expression of opposition, but could also be referring to discussions about such events or to stimuli that may cause these acts. Thus resistance, for the purposes of this study, is perceived in terms of action, external conversation and stimuli, and it is argued that these external characteristics may be further processed through deliberation and internal conversations about resistance. An exploratory empirical study revealed inner aspects of resistance, and examined whether internal conversations about resistance could actually be experienced by agents. This article further supports the argument that, as individuals produce internal conversations about resistance, they may end by following one of the suggested options: they may keep their internal conversations unspoken, or produce a course of action related to resistance (and identified as such), or they may produce external conversations about resistance, or they may end by producing resistance that is not recognisable (to others) as such. In all these cases, internal conversations about resistance are involved and it is therefore argued that the causal impact of resistance may derive from agential processes and powers as well as from action, stimuli or external conversations related to resistance.