bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Falls Prevention and the Value of Exercise
Authors: Horne Maria , Skelton Dawn A. , Speed Shaun , Todd Chris
Published: June 2013

The importance of increasing exercise to prevent falls among older adults remains a key worldwide public health priority. However, older adults do not necessarily take up exercise as a preventative measure for falls. This qualitative study aimed to explore the beliefs of community-dwelling South Asian and White British older adults aged 60 to 70 about falls and exercise for fall prevention through 15 focus groups ( n = 87) and 40 in-depth interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a framework approach. Data analysis identified six salient beliefs that influenced older adults’ intention to exercise for fall prevention. In general, older adults aged 60 to 70 did not acknowledge their risk of falling and were not motivated to exercise simply to help prevent falls. Positive beliefs were found to be an unlikely barrier to taking up exercise for fall prevention for those who had experienced a fall. The implications for health promotion and health professionals with this group of older adults are discussed.
The Relationship Between Interests and Values in Career Decision Making
Authors: Dobson L. Kristine , Gardner Michael K. , Metz A. J. , Gore Paul A.
Published: June 2013

Personal attributes such as interests and values are typically combined as part of an integrated career assessment to help clients examine, clarify, and integrate self-knowledge. Although most researchers agree there should be some relationship between these constructs, the empirical evidence is scarce and yields mixed results. The relationships between career interests (as measured by the Choices Interest Profiler) and work values (as measured by the Choices Work Value Sorter) were examined in this study using a sample of 57,032 individuals. Results showed good internal consistency reliabilities for career interests (all αs above .93), but extremely poor internal consistency reliabilities for work values (five of the six were negative). The low reliabilities for work values were due to the ideographic model for measuring work values. It is proposed that measuring work values nomothetically (as abilities and interests are measured) would improve the psychometric properties of values scales and make them more useful in career guidance. As would be expected, the correlations between career interests and work values were all close to zero.
Templates of patient brochures for the preparation, administration and safe-handling of oral chemotherapy
Authors: Siden Rivka , Kem Ravie , Ostrenga Andrew , Nicksy Darcy , Bernhardt Brooke , Bartholomew Joy
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The increased use of oral chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer introduces new challenges for patients and caregivers. Among them are the ability to swallow oral solid dosage forms, the proper administration of the agents and the safe-handling of chemotherapeutic drugs in the home. Since these drugs are hazardous, proper preparation, administration, and disposition introduces a variety of safety issues. The increased toxicity of these drugs coupled with complicated dosing regimens and the occasional need to dilute the drug or measure a liquid dosage form require careful instruction of the patient and/or caregivers. The purpose of this project was to create templates for writing patient instruction brochures.

Methods

A group of clinicians specializing in oncology from several institutions in the United States and Canada met through a series of conference calls. The group included pharmacists with a specialty in pediatric oncology, investigational drug pharmacists, and an oncology nurse practitioner. National guidelines and practices at each institution were used for the creation of templates to be used in developing templates for medication and formulation-specific instruction brochures.

Results

The group developed six templates. The templates ranged in scope from instructions on the administration of intact tablets or capsules to directions on opening capsules or crushing tablets and mixing the content with foods or liquids. Thirty-three drug-specific brochures were developed using the templates.

Conclusion

Templates of patient brochures and drug-specific brochures on the safe handling of chemotherapy in the home can be created using a collaborative, multi-institutional approach.
Three-phase elliptical inclusions with an internal stress field of linear form
Authors: Wang Xu , Chen Weiqiu
Published: June 2013

This paper studies the internal stress field of a three-phase elliptical inclusion that is bonded to an infinite matrix through an interphase layer when the matrix is subjected to a linearly distributed in-plane stress field at infinity. Two conditions are found that ensure that the internal non-uniform stress field is simply a linear function of the two coordinates. For given material and geometric parameters of the composite, these conditions can be considered as two restrictions on the applied non-uniform loadings. When these two conditions are met, elementary-form expressions of the stresses in all the three phases are derived. In particular, it is found that the mean stress within the interphase layer is also a linear function of the coordinates. If the interphase layer and the matrix have the same elastic constants, the satisfaction of the two conditions will result in a harmonic inclusion under a prescribed non-constant field.
Utopian Prospect of Henri Lefebvre
Authors: Coleman Nathaniel
Published: June 2013

Utopia is the lynchpin of Lefebvre’s enterprise. Attempting to understand architecture and the city with Lefebvre but without Utopia impoverishes his theoretical construct. His ethics, his ideas on practice and the methods he elaborated, are fundamentally utopian. Although there might seem to be no place for Utopia in the present, Lefebvre reveals this as little more than a self-serving affirmation that “there is no alternative” to social and political detachment. Demanding the impossible may always end in failure but doing so is the first step toward other possibilities nevertheless. Ultimately, to think about Lefebvre is to think about Utopia, and thinking about utopia when thinking with Lefebvre is to make contact with what is most enduring about his project for the city and its inhabitants, and with what is most radical about it as well.
Presidential coattails
Authors: Stoll Heather
Published: June 2013

This article takes a closer look at how presidential elections affect the fragmentation of the legislative party system. It reviews the theory and conventional empirical modelling strategy; identifies some drawbacks to this strategy and suggests solutions; and then conducts an empirical investigation of the implications of this critique by combining replication data from Golder (2006) with new data on the key variables measuring the presidential coattails. Fortuitously, the literature’s findings about the shadow cast by presidential elections, usually known as the presidential coattails, are relatively robust. However, important differences emerge on the margins, such as regarding the effect of midterm elections. Moreover, this article demonstrates that subsequent presidential elections, like concurrent and preceding ones, cast shadows, too. It also demonstrates that the conventional modelling strategy underestimates the presidential coattails.
Political sophistication in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Popa Sebastian Adrian
Published: June 2013

This article investigates how parties can influence the level of political sophistication their supporters have. Although the importance of parties in providing their supporters with political information was first suggested in early studies of voting behaviour, this level of analysis has been omitted from individual studies of political sophistication. Focusing on the political environment of post-communist societies, where parties played a key role in helping citizens understand politics, I theorize both a direct and an indirect path through which parties can contribute to the level of sophistication of their supporters. Using cross-national data from the Eurequal 2007 project on 13 post-communist countries, I show three characteristics related to parties' motivation to mobilize the electorate against the status quo that have an impact on individual level political sophistication. Results from a multi-level model suggest that supporting a non-incumbent, smaller or right-wing party is related, either directly or in interaction with individual characteristics, to higher levels of political sophistication. These findings shed light on how looking at political parties can help us better understand the differences in the levels of political sophistication among citizens.
Is it always up to the leadership? European policy-making in the Labour Party, Parti Socialiste (PS) and Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD)
Authors: Hertner Isabelle
Published: June 2013

This article analyzes and compares the politics of European policy-making within the British Labour Party, the Parti Socialiste (PS) and the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) between 1997 and 2012. We know that party leaders have assumed much autonomy in the making of European policy, but, as with policy-making in any area, their autonomy is constrained and sometimes even questioned by other parts of the party. In order to establish how they are constrained, and what factors increase the level of constraint, this study explores the roles played by four party actors in the making of European policy: conferences, national executive committees, Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament. This article, which is based on over 35 interviews with EU experts from the three parties, confirms that European policy was generally made by the party leadership. Other party actors, however, were able to influence the leadership on a small number of occasions. The extent of their influence depended upon the polity, party, policy and politics.
Party institutionalization and democratic consolidation
Authors: Yardımcı-Geyikçi Şebnem
Published: June 2013

The literature on democratic consolidation emphasizes the importance of effective parties for the functioning of democracy. Specifically, the institutional resilience of democracy and the consolidation of broad-based representative government require the institutionalization of major political factions. In this article, I reassess this thesis and apply it to the political parties in Turkey and Southern Europe by employing the comparative method of difference. Two major conclusions are reached. First, party institutionalization does not constitute a sufficient condition for democratic consolidation. Moreover, several institutional rules that may challenge the very idea of democracy tend to support party institutionalization. Second, party institutionalization reinforced by partisan polarization may result in tenser relations among political parties – a situation that does not contribute to democratic consolidation.
Did Christianity lead to schizophrenia? Psychosis, psychology and self reference
Authors: Littlewood Roland , Dein Simon
Published: June 2013

Both geographically and historically, schizophrenia may have emerged from a psychosis that was more florid, affective, labile, shorter lived and with a better prognosis. It is conjectured that this has occurred with a reflexive self-consciousness in Western and globalising societies, a development whose roots lie in Christianity. Every theology also presents a psychology. Six novel aspects of Christianity may be significant for the emergence of schizophrenia—an omniscient deity, a decontexualised self, ambiguous agency, a downplaying of immediate sensory data, and a scrutiny of the self and its reconstitution in conversion.
Self-reported maternal parenting style and confidence and infant temperament in a multi-ethnic community
Authors: Prady Stephanie L , Kiernan Kathleen , Fairley Lesley , Wilson Sarah , Wright John
Published: June 2013

Ethnic minority children in the United Kingdom often experience health disadvantage. Parenting influences children’s current and future health, but little is known about whether parenting behaviours and mother’s perception of her infant vary by ethnicity. Using the Born in Bradford (BiB) birth cohort, which is located in an ethnically diverse and economically deprived UK city, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of mother’s self-reported parenting confidence, self-efficacy, hostility and warmth, and infant temperament at six months of age. We examined responses from women of Pakistani ( N = 554) and White British ( N = 439) origin. Pakistani mothers reported feeling more confident about their abilities as a parent. Significantly fewer Pakistani women adopted a hostile approach to parenting, an effect that was attenuated after adjustment for socioeconomic status and mental health. Overall, women with more self-efficacious, warm and less hostile parenting styles reported significantly fewer problems with their infant’s temperaments. Of women with higher self-efficacy parenting styles, Pakistani mothers were significantly more likely than White British mothers to report more problematic infant temperaments, although absolute differences were small. It is unlikely that the ethnic variation seen in children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes in childhood is attributable to differences in parenting or infant characteristics reported at six months.
The digital divide shifts to differences in usage
Authors: van Deursen Alexander JAM , van Dijk Jan AGM
Published: June 2013

In a representative survey of the Dutch population we found that people with low levels of education and disabled people are using the Internet for more hours a day in their spare time than higher educated and employed populations. To explain this finding, we investigated what these people are doing online. The first contribution is a theoretically validated cluster of Internet usage types: information, news, personal development, social interaction, leisure, commercial transaction and gaming. The second contribution is that, based on this classification, we were able to identify a number of usage differences, including those demonstrated by people with different gender, age, education and Internet experience, that are often observed in digital divide literature. The general conclusion is that when the Internet matures, it will increasingly reflect known social, economic and cultural relationships of the offline world, including inequalities.
‘Making things sacred’: Re-theorizing the nature and function of sacrifice in modernity
Authors: Shilling Chris , Mellor Philip A
Published: June 2013

The sociological importance attributed to ‘the sacred’ has varied historically as theorists have sought to explain the relationship between religion and early capitalism, the rise of twentieth-century secularization processes, the profusion of nationalism in post-Soviet societies, and the recent global upsurge in religious movements. Paradoxically, however, sociology’s concern with the social significance of the sacred has not been accompanied by commensurate interest in those contrasting and varied sacrificial processes implicated in creating the sacred. This paper suggests that this imbalance limits our understanding of the relationship between the sacred, religion and society, and makes it difficult to assess the contemporary relevance of classical writings on the subject. Specifically, it hinders our knowledge of why certain phenomena become sacred, and in so doing limits our appreciation of how societies develop cultural priorities, of how they stimulate individuals to become certain types of social subjects, and of the risks and opportunities that arise in milieux characterized by shrinking or expanding prospects for creating sacred phenomena. This is because sacrifice ( sacer facere), ‘the making of sacred things’, constitutes a crucial mediator of these phenomena; illuminating the nature and consequences of specific modalities of sacred rituals, actions and objects, and revealing much about their location within or dislocation from particular social milieux, identities and religions. Our argument progresses by viewing sacrifice as an example of what Mauss refers to as a ‘total social fact’, and by engaging with the writings of Bataille, Girard and Simmel; three figures to have made important, sociologically underexplored, contributions to the subject. In so doing, we aim to lay the foundations for a sociology of the contemporary nature and function of sacrifice, suggesting it should be a core issue for twenty-first-century sociology.
The origin of the inner voice: Durkheim, Christianity and the Greeks
Authors: Bjerre Jørn
Published: June 2013

While the influence of classical philosophy on sociology has been the subject of several studies, less attention has been given to the question of how the founders of sociology viewed classical philosophy. This article discusses Émile Durkheim’s account of the historical role of Greek philosophy as described in his lectures on The Evolution of Educational Thought. It demonstrates how Durkheim makes several erroneous claims concerning Greek morality that, taken together, produced a stereotyped image of the Greeks as intellectual giants but moral dwarfs. Downplaying the historical role of Greek morality, Durkheim attributes one of the most important social facts in connection with the development of Western moral individualism – the inward-oriented morality – to the innovative power of Christian religion. Despite this bias, the great twentieth-century interpreters of social thought, such as Talcott Parsons, Steven Lukes and Robert A. Jones, have continually referred to Durkheim’s historical analyses without questioning his assertions. Sociologists need to cease citing Durkheim as an authority on moral education in the classical world inasmuch as so many of his claims promote a false image of Greek morality and education.
The social facts of democracy: Science meets politics with Mosca, Pareto, Michels, and Schumpeter
Authors: Christensen Michael
Published: June 2013

The rapid expansion of the social sciences in post-war America produced a new approach to research on the theory and practice of democracy. Some of the main themes of this approach were borrowed from early sociological critiques of democracy developed by a group of European social scientists who were later called ‘elite theorists’ or ‘Machiavellians’. This article outlines the set of theoretical motifs found in the works of Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels that became a foundation for the study of democracy in American post-war social science. Writing in response to the perceived problems of social democracy at the time, Mosca, Pareto, and Michels each identified the goals and ideals of mass popular sovereignty as ill conceived and dangerous based on ‘social facts’ derived from empirical observation. These ‘facts’ appeared in later studies of democracy as naturalized or self-evident foundational propositions. Joseph A. Schumpeter’s famous critique of democracy’s classical ideals is one of the most important examples of a theory built on the ‘facts’ produced by the early critics. This article therefore presents an analysis of the role these conclusions played in Schumpeter’s theory, which characterized democracy as a series of mechanisms designed to mediate and control, rather than give full expression to, popular sovereignty.
Wilhelm Jerusalem’s sociology of knowledge in the dialogue of ideas
Authors: Huebner Daniel R
Published: June 2013

While recent calls have been made for a ‘dialogical’ approach in the study of classical sociology, little empirical work has taken up this charge. This paper seeks to examine an under-appreciated author, Wilhelm Jerusalem, as a case study in the importance of social dialogue to foundational ideas in sociology. Jerusalem developed the first explicit ‘sociology of knowledge’ in 1909 in response to his encounter with William James’ pragmatism, the burgeoning Viennese sociological movement, and his previous psychological studies. In outlining his theory and its development, the paper traces how Jerusalem’s dialogue at different times with Husserl, Mach, James, Durkheim, Scheler, and others was essential to the direction taken by his work. A focus on these dialogic encounters gives us a new understanding of the relations between strands of thought in the early twentieth century, and the changing structure of these connections also helps to explain the relative neglect of Jerusalem’s unique work. The paper utilizes this examination of Jerusalem’s sociology of knowledge in order to put forward propositions for a dialogical approach to the empirical study of the relations among theoretical traditions in the social sciences.
The CYP11B2 −344C/T variant is associated with ischemic stroke risk: An updated meta-analysis
Authors: Yu Yang
Published: June 2013

Introduction:

The CYP11B2 gene has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association of the CYP11B2 −344C/T variant with ischemic stroke.

Methods:

Published literature from PubMed and Embase were retrieved. Pooled odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. A total of seven studies (2765 stroke cases and 3118 controls) for the CYP11B2 −344C/T variant were included in the meta-analysis.

Results:

The meta-analysis indicated that the CYP11B2 −344C/T variant was significantly associated with ischemic stroke under a homogeneous co-dominant model (TT vs. CC: odds ratio=2.04, 95% confidence interval=1.21–3.45), dominant model (TT+TC vs. CC: odds ratio=1.67, 95% confidence interval=1.09–2.57) and recessive model (TT vs. TC+CC: odds ratio=1.56, 95% confidence interval=1.18–2.05) but not under a heterogeneous co-dominant model (TC vs. CC: odds ratio=1.43, 95% confidence interval=0.98–2.07). Further subgroup analysis showed that the CYP11B2 −344C/T variant was significantly associated with ischemic stroke in East Asian and South Asian populations, but not in a Caucasian population.

Conclusion:

The present meta-analysis supported the positive association of the CYP11B2 −344C/T variant with ischemic stroke. Further large-scale studies considering gene–gene/gene–environment interactions should be conducted to investigate the association.
Theory review: Does fire safety regulation work? Lessons from Turin, Italy
Authors: Cobin John M
Published: June 2013

The general theory of regulation and then 10 theories related to safety regulation are summarized, explaining why regulation is or is not beneficial, or why negative externalities like building fires might increase. As an example, evidence from regulation and planning to enhance fire safety in Turin, Italy, is included, which shows apparent regulatory failure due to public choice and knowledge problems. Regulators there apparently failed to meet their public interest objective: the “control of safety conditions to prevent fires” and to “minimize the causes of fire.” Data perusal suggests that (a) the income effect, (b) public choice theories of bureaucracy and perverse incentives, (c) the “knowledge problem” theory, and (d) population density to a lesser degree best explain and predict the regulatory outcome. The results tend to favor government failure models, rather than theories that say (e) government provision works even if inefficiently or as a placebo, (f) that regulation is irrelevant, or (g) explanations that surmise that racial composition, (h) immigration of poor and ignorant people, (i) technical problems with electricity (wiring and materials), or (j) moral hazard cause more fires. Thus, planning theory should endeavor to better incorporate government failure theories into its models. These theories at times provide better explanatory and predictive power than traditional market failure models.
Effects of Qigong Exercise on Upper Limb Lymphedema and Blood Flow in Survivors of Breast Cancer
Authors: Fong Shirley S. M. , Ng Shamay S. M. , Luk W. S. , Chung Joanne W. Y. , Ho Jacqueline S.C. , Ying Michael , Ma Ada W. W.
Published: June 2013

Hypothesis. Qigong exercise is a popular method for relieving the side effects of conventional cancer treatments in survivors of breast cancer, yet its effects are not empirically assessed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of qigong exercise on upper limb lymphedema, arterial resistance, and blood flow velocity in survivors with breast cancer and mastectomy. Study Design. This study was conducted as a prospective clinical trial. Methods. Eleven survivors of breast cancer with qigong experience (mean age = 58.3 ± 10.1 years) were assigned to the experimental group and 12 survivors of breast cancer without qigong experience (mean age = 53.8 ± 4.2 years) were assigned to the control group. They all had breast cancer–related lymphedema. All procedures were completed within one session. After baseline measurements were taken, the experimental group performed 18 Forms Tai Chi Internal Qigong for approximately 6 minutes while the control group rested for similar duration in a sitting position. Both groups were then reassessed. All participants were measured on their affected upper limb circumference (by using tape measures), peripheral arterial resistance, and blood flow velocities (using a Doppler ultrasound machine). Results. The between-group differences were not significant for all outcome measures at baseline ( P > .05). The circumferences of the affected upper arm, elbow, forearm and wrist decreased after qigong exercise ( P < .05). However, no significant difference was found in the circumference measures between the 2 groups posttest ( P > .0125). In terms of vascular outcomes, the resistance index decreased and the maximum systolic arterial blood flow velocity (SV) and minimum diastolic arterial blood flow velocity (DV) increased significantly after qigong exercise ( P < .05). The between-group difference was close to significant for SV ( P = .018) and was significant for DV ( P < .001) posttest. Conclusion. Qigong exercise could reduce conventional cancer therapy side effects such as upper limb lymphedema and poor circulatory status in survivors of breast cancer. However, such effects may be temporary, and further studies must be conducted to explore longer term effects.
Overcoming Correlational Pitfalls
Authors: Dedonder Jonathan , Corneille Olivier , Bertinchamps Denis , Yzerbyt Vincent
Published: June 2013

Do people need to explicitly encode conditioned stimuli–unconditioned stimuli (CS–US) pairings for evaluative conditioning (EC) effects to emerge? Despite the large number of studies that addressed this issue, no simple answer has emerged yet. In part, this is due to the relative lack of experimental evidence for the role of awareness of the CS–US contingency at encoding in EC. In the present experiment, participants’ encoding of the CS–US pairings was experimentally manipulated by relying on foveal and parafoveal presentations of the CSs. More specifically, spatial locations (i.e., foveal vs. parafoveal) of the CSs and US valence (i.e., positive vs. negative) were manipulated within participants, and CS–US pairings were counterbalanced across participants. Results reveal explicit encoding of the CSs and EC effects for the foveal CS presentations only. We discuss the implications of these experimental findings for the associative and propositional approach to EC.
Prospective Comparative Study to Evaluate the Sonographic Visibility of Five Commercially Available Breast Biopsy Markers
Authors: Pinkney David M. , Shah Biren A.
Published: June 2013

The demand for highly sonographically visible breast biopsy markers is growing as an increasing number of physicians are using sonography for preoperative localization and single-step intraoperative ultrasound-guided excisional procedures. The objective of this study was to directly compare the sonographic visibility of five commercially available breast biopsy site markers. A single-site prospective comparative study was performed with 25 female participants, each assigned to receive one of five biopsy markers. Postdeployment, 6-week, and 12-week follow-up sonographic images were obtained and a survey was e-mailed to members of the Society of Breast Imaging asking them to grade marker visibility on a 1- to 5-point Likert-type scale. At the time of deployment, the SecurMark (Hologic, Bedford, Massachusetts) was rated with the highest sonographic visibility. At both 6 and 12 weeks after deployment, the HydroMARK (Biopsy Sciences, Clearwater, Florida) was found to be the most visible by sonography. The results can be used by physicians who require highly sonographically visible breast biopsy markers for ultrasound-guided interventional procedures. Further research is needed as biopsy marker manufacturers continue to refine their products.
Genetic variation in polyploid forage grass: Assessing the molecular genetic variability in the Paspalumgenus
Authors: Cidade Fernanda W , Vigna Bianca BZ , de Souza Francisco HD , Valls José Francisco M , Dall’Agnol Miguel , Zucchi Maria I , de Souza-Chies Tatiana T , Souza Anete P
Published: June 2013

Background

Paspalum (Poaceae) is an important genus of the tribe Paniceae, which includes several species of economic importance for foraging, turf and ornamental purposes, and has a complex taxonomical classification. Because of the widespread interest in several species of this genus, many accessions have been conserved in germplasm banks and distributed throughout various countries around the world, mainly for the purposes of cultivar development and cytogenetic studies. Correct identification of germplasms and quantification of their variability are necessary for the proper development of conservation and breeding programs. Evaluation of microsatellite markers in different species of Paspalum conserved in a germplasm bank allowed assessment of the genetic differences among them and assisted in their proper botanical classification.

Results

Seventeen new polymorphic microsatellites were developed for Paspalum atratum Swallen and Paspalum notatum Flüggé, twelve of which were transferred to 35 Paspalum species and used to evaluate their variability. Variable degrees of polymorphism were observed within the species. Based on distance-based methods and a Bayesian clustering approach, the accessions were divided into three main species groups, two of which corresponded to the previously described Plicatula and Notata Paspalum groups. In more accurate analyses of P. notatum accessions, the genetic variation that was evaluated used thirty simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and revealed seven distinct genetic groups and a correspondence of these groups to the three botanical varieties of the species (P. notatum var. notatum, P. notatum var. saurae and P. notatum var. latiflorum).

Conclusions

The molecular genetic approach employed in this study was able to distinguish many of the different taxa examined, except for species that belong to the Plicatula group, which has historically been recognized as a highly complex group. Our molecular genetic approach represents a valuable tool for species identification in the initial assessment of germplasm as well as for characterization, conservation and successful species hybridization.
Teng-Long-Bu-Zhong-Tang, a Chinese herbal formula, enhances anticancer effects of 5 - Fluorouracil in CT26 colon carcinoma
Authors: Deng Shan , Hu Bing , An Hong-Mei , Du Qin , Xu Ling , Shen Ke-Ping , Shi Xiu-Feng , Wei Meng-Meng , Wu Yang
Published: June 2013

Background

Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played a positive role in colorectal cancer treatment. There is a great need to establish effective herbal formula for colorectal cancer treatment. Based on TCM principles and clinical practices, we have established an eight herbs composed formula for colorectal cancer treatment, which is Teng-Long-Bu-Zhong-Tang (TLBZT). We have demonstrated the anticancer effects of TLBZT against colorectal carcinoma in vitro. In present study, we evaluated the anticancer potential of TLBZT, used alone or in combination with low dose of 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu), in CT26 colon carcinoma in vivo.

Methods

CT26 colon carcinoma was established in BALB/c mice and treated with TLBZT, 5-Fu, or TLBZT plus 5-Fu. The tumor volumes were observed. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay. Caspases activities were detected by colorimetric assay. Cell senescence was indentified by senescence β-galactosidase staining. Gene expression and angiogenesis was observed by immunohistochemistry or western blot.

Results

TLBZT significantly inhibited CT26 colon carcinoma growth. TLBZT elicited apoptosis in CT26 colon carcinoma, accompanied by Caspase-3, 8, and 9 activation and PARP cleavage, and downregulation of XIAP and Survivin. TLBZT also induced cell senescence in CT26 colon carcinoma, with concomitant upregulation of p16 and p21 and downregulation of RB phosphorylation. In addition, angiogenesis and VEGF expression in CT26 colon carcinoma was significantly inhibited by TLBZT treatment. Furthermore, TLBZT significantly enhanced anticancer effects of 5-Fu in CT26 colon carcinoma.

Conclusions

TLBZT exhibited significantly anticancer effect, and enhanced the effects of 5-Fu in CT26 colon carcinoma, which may correlate with induction of apoptosis and cell senescence, and angiogenesis inhibition. The present study provides new insight into TCM approaches for colon cancer treatment that are worth of further study.
Metabolic syndrome and abdominal fat are associated with inflammation, but not with clinical outcomes, in peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Huang Jenq-Wen , Yang Chung-Yi , Wu Hon-Yen , Liu Kao-Lang , Su Chi-Ting , Wu Cho-Kai , Lee Jen-Kuang , Chiang Chih-Kang , Cheng Hui-Teng , Lien Yu-Chung , Hung Kuan-Yu
Published: June 2013

Background

In the general population, metabolic syndrome (MetS) is correlated with visceral fat and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, little is known about the significance of abdominal fat and its association with inflammation and medication use in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We investigated the relationship of visceral fat area (VFA) with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and medication use in PD patients and followed their clinical outcomes.

Methods

In a prospective study from February 2009 to February 2012, we assessed diabetes mellitus (DM) status, clinical and PD-associated characteristics, medication use, CRP levels, components of MetS, and VFA in 183 PD patients. These patients were categorized into 3 groups based on MetS and DM status: non-MetS (group 1, n = 73), MetS (group 2, n = 65), and DM (group 3, n = 45). VFA was evaluated by computed tomography (CT) and corrected for body mass index (BMI).

Results

Patients in group 1 had smaller VFAs than patients in groups 2 and 3 (3.2 ± 1.8, 4.6 ± 1.9, and 4.9 ± 2.0 cm2/[kg/m2], respectively, P < 0.05) and lower CRP levels (0.97 ± 2.31, 1.27 ± 2.57, and 1.11 ± 1.35 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.05). VFA increased with the number of criteria met for MetS. After adjusting for age, body weight, and sex, CRP and albumin levels functioned as independent positive predictors of VFA; on other hand, the use of renin-angiotensin system blockers was inversely correlated with VFA in PD patients without DM. In the survival analysis, DM patients (group 3) had the poorest survival among the 3 groups, but no significant differences were found between groups 1 and 2.

Conclusion

This study showed that VFA and MetS are associated with CRP levels but cannot predict survival in PD patients without DM. The complex relationship of nutritional parameters to VFA and MetS may explain these results. The type of antihypertensive medication used was also associated with the VFA. The mechanisms behind these findings warrant further investigation.
Herbal compound triptolide synergistically enhanced antitumor activity of amino-terminal fragment of urokinase
Authors: Lin Yuli , Peng Nana , Li Jianping , Zhuang Hongqin , Hua Zi-Chun
Published: June 2013

Background

Urokinase (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) play an important role in tumour growth and metastasis, and overexpression of these molecules is strongly correlated with poor prognosis in a variety of malignant tumours. Targeting the excessive activation of this system as well as the proliferation of the tumour vascular endothelial cell would be expected to prevent tumour neovasculature and halt tumour development. The amino terminal fragment (ATF) of urokinase has been confirmed effective to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of cancer cells via interrupting the interaction of uPA and uPAR. Triptolide (TPL) is a purified diterpenoid isolated from the Chinese herbTripterygium wilfordiiHook F that has shown antitumor activities in various cancer cell types. However, its therapeutic application is limited by its toxicity in normal tissues and complications caused in patients. In this study, we attempted to investigate the synergistic anticancer activity of TPL and ATF in various solid tumour cells.

Methods

Usingin vitroandin vivoexperiments, we investigated the combined effect of TPL and ATF at a low dosage on cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, cell migration, signalling pathways, xenograft tumour growth and angiogenesis.

Results

Our data showed that the sensitivity of a combined therapy using TPL and ATF was higher than that of TPL or ATF alone. Suppression of NF-κB transcriptional activity, activation of caspase-9/caspase-3, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of uPAR-mediated signalling pathway contributed to the synergistic effects of this combination therapy. Furthermore, using a mouse xenograft model, we demonstrated that the combined treatment completely suppressed tumour growth by inhibiting angiogenesis as compared with ATF or TPL treatment alone.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that lower concentration of ATF and TPL used in combination may produce a synergistic anticancer efficacy that warrants further investigation for its potential clinical applications.
Association of CETP Taq1B and -629C > A polymorphisms with coronary artery disease and lipid levels in the multi-ethnic Singaporean population
Authors: Lu Yongjian , Tayebi Naeimeh , Li Hongzhe , Saha Nilmani , Yang Hongyuan , Heng Chew-Kiat
Published: June 2013

Background

Hyperlipidaemia is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene polymorphisms are known to be associated with lipid profiles.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the association of two polymorphisms in the CETP, Taq1B (rs708272) and -629C > A (rs1800775), with CAD and lipid levels HDL-C in 662 CAD + cases and 927 controls from the Singapore population comprising Chinese, Malays and Indians.

Results

TaqB2 frequency was significantly lowest in the Malays (0.43) followed by Chinese (0.47) and highest in the Indians (0.56) in the controls. The B2 allele frequency was significantly lower in the Chinese CAD + cases compared to the controls (p = 0.002). The absence of the B2 allele was associated with CAD with an OR 2.0 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.4) after adjustment for the confounding effects of age, smoking, BMI, gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The B2 allele was significantly associated with higher plasma HDL-C levels in the Chinese men after adjusting for confounders. Associations with plasma apoA1 levels were significant only in the Chinese men for Taq1B and -629C > A. In addition, the Taq1B polymorphism was only associated with plasma Apo B and Lp(a) in the Malay men. Significant associations were only found in non-smoking subjects with BMI <50th percentile. In this study, the LD coefficients between the Taq1B and -629C > A polymorphisms seemed to be weak.

Conclusion

The absence the Taq1B2 allele was associated with CAD in the Chinese population only and the minor allele of the Taq1B polymorphism of the CETP gene was significantly associated with higher plasma HDL-C levels in Chinese men.
Targeting of Acyl-CoA synthetase 5 decreases jejunal fatty acid activation with no effect on dietary long-chain fatty acid absorption
Authors: Meller Nahum , Morgan Michelle E , Wong Winifred PS , Altemus Jessica B , Sehayek Ephraim
Published: June 2013

Background

The absorption of dietary long chain fatty acids (LCFA) largely occurs in the jejunum. LCFA are activated via conjugation with Coenzyme A (CoA), a reaction catalyzed by Acyl-CoA synthetases (ACS). Acyl-CoA sythesis is critical for dietary LCFA absorption; yet, the jejunal ACS enzymes that catalyze the reaction are largely unknown.

Findings

High throughput mRNA sequencing of the mouse jejunum revealed that the expression of acyl-CoA synthetase 5 (Acsl5) and fatty-acid transport protein 4 (Fatp4) largely exceeded all other annotated ACS genes that activate LCFA. Interestingly, Acsl5 knockout (KO) mice displayed a decrease of 60% in jejunal total long chain acyl-CoA synthesis rate. Nevertheless, and despite of this decrease, dietary LCFA absorption and body-weight gain in response to high fat diet remained unaffected.

Conclusion

Acsl5 is a major activator of dietary LCFA, yet in Acsl5 KO mice residual ACS activity is sufficient for maintaining a normal LCFA absorption. Our findings provide further evidence for a robust small intestine LCFA absorption capacity.
Pure mucinous carcinoma of the breast: clinicopathologic characteristics and long-term outcome among Taiwanese women
Authors: Tseng Hsin-Shun , Lin Che , Chan Szu-Erh , Chien Su-Yu , Kuo Shou-Jen , Chen Shou-Tung , Chang Tsai-Wang , Chen Dar-Ren
Published: June 2013

Background

Pure mucinous carcinoma (MC) is found in about 3.5% of all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in Taiwan. MC is a relatively rare malignancy of breast cancer, and its nature, behaviors, treatment pattern and long-term follow-up are not well understood. The study aimed to investigate the incidence rate, treatment patterns, and prognostic factors of MC of the breast and the clinical long-term outcomes compared with infiltrating ductal carcinoma not otherwise specified (IDC) in the middle and south Taiwanese women.

Methods

Data from 93 patients with breast MC were retrospectively reviewed and the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival status were compared with those of 2,674 patients with IDC.

Results

The expression of hormonal receptor was higher in MC than those in IDC (P <0.001). MC also demonstrated lower Her2/neu gene over-expression (P = 0.023), less axillary lymph node involvement (P <0.0001), lymphovascular invasion (P <0.0001) and higher 10-year overall survival rate (P = 0.042), when compared with those of IDC.

Conclusion

Our data confirm the less aggressive behavior of MC compared to IDC. MC showed favorable clinicopathologic characteristics in tumor grade, hormone receptor status and lymph node involvement in the middle and south Taiwanese women.
Carbon dots: a safe nanoscale substance for the immunologic system of mice
Authors: Gao Zhongcai , Shen Guangxia , Zhao Xiunan , Dong Na , Jia Peiyuan , Wu Junhua , Cui Daxiang , Zhang Yingge , Wang Yuxia
Published: June 2013

We aimed at investigating the effect of carbon dots on the BALB/c mice immune system. Mice were respectively treated with different doses of carbon dots and saline. At 1 and 9 days after intravenous administration of carbon dots, splenocyte proliferation, subpopulation of the peripheral lymphocytes, and induction of primary immune responses in mice were investigated. The results showed that high dose of carbon dots could promote the percentages of CD3+ and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion and decrease the proportions of CD4+/CD8+ on the first day after administration. At 9 days post exposure, the proliferation of splenocytes had a significant increase. IFN-γ secretion and proportions of CD3+/CD19+ were also found to have an obvious promotion, and both the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were raised, whereas the expression of cytokines made little change in the treated groups, except for IL-12 which had a slight increase in the 50-mg/kg group. The weight coefficients and histological analysis of the spleen and thymus of the treated mice exerted fewer differences compared with those from the control mice. It suggests that carbon dots could influence the immune functions of normal BALB/c mice by inducing Th1 and Tc responses and that these effects were not enough to induce the morphological change of the immune organs.
Clade C HIV-1 isolates circulating in Southern Africa exhibit a greater frequency of dicysteine motif-containing Tat variants than those in Southeast Asia and cause increased neurovirulence
Authors: Rao Vasudev R , Neogi Ujjwal , Talboom Joshua S , Padilla Ligia , Rahman Mustafizur , Fritz-French Cari , Gonzalez-Ramirez Sandra , Verma Anjali , Wood Charles , Ruprecht Ruth M , Ranga Udaykumar , Azim Tasnim , Joska John , Eugenin Eliseo , Shet Anita , Bimonte-Nelson Heather , Tyor William R , Prasad Vinayaka R
Published: June 2013

Background

HIV-1 Clade C (Subtype C; HIV-1C) is responsible for greater than 50% of infections worldwide. Unlike clade B HIV-1 (Subtype B; HIV-1B), which is known to cause HIV associated dementia (HAD) in approximately 15% to 30% of the infected individuals, HIV-1C has been linked with lower prevalence of HAD (0 to 6%) in India and Ethiopia. However, recent studies report a higher prevalence of HAD in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana, where HIV-1C infections predominate. Therefore, we examined whether Southern African HIV-1C is genetically distinct and investigated its neurovirulence. HIV-1 Tat protein is a viral determinant of neurocognitive dysfunction. Therefore, we focused our study on the variations seen intatgene and its contribution to HIV associated neuropathogenesis.

Results

A phylogenetic analysis oftatsequences of Southern African (South Africa and Zambia) HIV isolates with those from the geographically distant Southeast Asian (India and Bangladesh) isolates revealed that Southern Africantatsequences are distinct from Southeast Asian isolates. The proportion of HIV − 1C variants with an intact dicysteine motif in Tat protein (C30C31) was significantly higher in the Southern African countries compared to Southeast Asia and broadly paralleled the high incidence of HAD in these countries. Neuropathogenic potential of a Southern African HIV-1C isolate (from Zambia; HIV-1C1084i), a HIV-1C isolate (HIV-1IndieC1) from Southeast Asia and a HIV-1B isolate (HIV-1ADA) from the US were tested usingin vitroassays to measure neurovirulence and a SCID mouse HIV encephalitis model to measure cognitive deficits.In vitroassays revealed that the Southern African isolate, HIV-1C1084iexhibited increased monocyte chemotaxis and greater neurotoxicity compared to Southeast Asian HIV-1C. In neurocognitive tests, SCID mice injected with MDM infected with Southern African HIV-1C1084ishowed greater cognitive dysfunction similar to HIV-1B but much higher than those exposed to Southeast Asian HIV − 1C.

Conclusions

We report here, for the first time, that HIV-1C from Southern African countries is genetically distinct from Southeast Asian HIV-1C and that it exhibits a high frequency of variants with dicysteine motif in a key neurotoxic HIV protein, Tat. Our results indicate that Tat dicysteine motif determines neurovirulence. If confirmed in population studies, it may be possible to predict neurocognitive outcomes of individuals infected with HIV-1C by genotyping Tat.