bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bone-Related Complications and Quality of Life in Advanced Breast Cancer: Results from a Randomized Phase III Trial of Denosumab versus Zoledronic Acid
Authors: Martin Miguel , Bell Richard , Bourgeois Hugues , Brufsky Adam , Diel Ingo , Eniu Alexandru , Fallowfield Lesley , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Jassem Jacek , Paterson Alexander H.G. , Ritchie Diana , Steger Günther G. , Stopeck Alison , Vogel Charles , Fan Michelle , Jiang Qi , Chung Karen , Dansey Roger , Braun Ada
Published: August 2012

Purpose: Denosumab was shown to be superior to zoledronic acid in preventing skeletal related events (SRE) in patients with breast cancer and bone metastases in a randomized, double-blind phase III study. We evaluated further results from this study related to skeletal complications and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Experimental Design: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive subcutaneous denosumab 120 mg (n = 1,026) and intravenous placebo, or intravenous zoledronic acid 4 mg (n = 1,020) and subcutaneous placebo every 4 weeks. Analyses reported here include the proportion of patients with one or multiple on-study SREs, time to first radiation to bone, time to first SRE or hypercalcemia of malignancy, and change in HRQoL (functional assessment of cancer therapy–general).

Results: Fewer patients receiving denosumab than zoledronic acid had an on-study SRE (31% vs. 36%, P = 0.006). The incidence of first radiation to bone was 12% (n = 123) with denosumab versus 16% (n = 162) with zoledronic acid. Denosumab prolonged the time to first radiation to bone by 26% versus zoledronic acid (HR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59–0.94, P = 0.012) and prolonged the time to first SRE or hypercalcemia of malignancy by 18% (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.70–0.95; P = 0.007). Ten percent more patients had a clinically meaningful improvement in HRQoL with denosumab relative to zoledronic acid, regardless of baseline pain levels.

Conclusions: Denosumab was superior to zoledronic acid in reducing bone-related complications of metastatic breast cancer and maintained HRQoL, providing an efficacious, well-tolerated treatment option for patients with bone metastases from breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 18(17); 4841–9. ©2012 AACR.
New Strategies in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Redefining Prognostic Markers to Guide Therapy
Authors: Khan Irum , Altman Jessica K. , Licht Jonathan D.
Published: August 2012

Although standard therapy for AML has been relatively constant over the past 2 decades, this may be changing with enhanced technologies allowing for the classification of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) into molecularly distinct subsets. Some specific subsets of AML have an excellent prognosis in response to standard therapy, whereas the poor prognosis of AML associated with specific sets of mutations or chromosomal anomalies requires the development of new therapies. Elucidation of the molecular pathogenesis of AML has led to the development of therapies that affect signaling, apoptosis, protein and intermediate metabolism, the surface of the leukemia cell, leukemia cell/stromal interaction, and epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Clin Cancer Res; 18(19); 5163–71. ©2012 AACR.
Genetic Basis of Pancreas Cancer Development and Progression: Insights from Whole-Exome and Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Iacobuzio-Donahue Christine A. , Velculescu Victor E. , Wolfgang Christopher L. , Hruban Ralph H.
Published: August 2012

Pancreatic cancer is caused by inherited and acquired mutations in specific cancer-associated genes. The discovery of the most common genetic alterations in pancreatic cancer has provided insight into the fundamental pathways that drive the progression from a normal cell to noninvasive precursor lesions and finally to widely metastatic disease. In addition, recent genetic discoveries have created new opportunities to develop gene-based approaches for early detection, personalized treatment, and molecular classification of pancreatic neoplasms. Clin Cancer Res; 18(16); 4257–65. ©2012 AACR.
CSPG4 as a Target of Antibody-Based Immunotherapy for Malignant Mesothelioma
Authors: Rivera Zeyana , Ferrone Soldano , Wang Xinhui , Jube Sandro , Yang Haining , Pass Harvey I. , Kanodia Shreya , Gaudino Giovanni , Carbone Michele
Published: August 2012

Purpose: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive cancer, resistant to current therapies. Membrane chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), which has been successfully targeted in melanoma and breast cancer, was found highly expressed in MM, but not in normal mesothelium. Therefore, we explored CSPG4 as a suitable target for monoclonal antibody (mAb)–based immunotherapy for MM.

Experimental design: We assayed adhesion, motility, invasiveness, wound-healing, apoptosis, and anchorage-independent growth of MM cells on cell cultures. CSPG4 expression and signaling was studied by immunoblotting. The growth of MM severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice xenografts induced by PPM-Mill cells, engineered to express the luciferase reporter gene, was monitored by imaging, upon treatment with CSPG4 mAb TP41.2. Animal toxicity and survival were assayed in both tumor inhibition and therapeutic experiments.

Results: CSPG4 was expressed on 6 out of 8 MM cell lines and in 25 out of 41 MM biopsies, with minimal expression in surrounding healthy cells. MM cell adhesion was mediated by CSPG4-dependent engagement of ECM. Cell adhesion was inhibited by mAb TP41.2 resulting in decreased phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and AKT, reduced expression of cyclin D1 and apoptosis. Moreover, mAb TP41.2 significantly reduced MM cell motility, migration, and invasiveness, and inhibited MM growth in soft agar. In vivo, treatment with mAb TP41.2 prevented or inhibited the growth of MM xenografts in SCID mice, with a significant increase in animal survival.

Conclusion: These results establish the safety of CSPG4 mAb-based immunotherapy and suggest that CSPG4 mAb-based immunotherapy may represent a novel approach for the treatment of MM. Clin Cancer Res; 18(19); 5352–63. ©2012 AACR.
Efficacy of Propranolol Treatment in Thyroid Dysfunction Associated with Severe Infantile Hepatic Hemangioma
Authors: Vergine Gianluca , Marsciani Alberto , Pedini Annalisa , Brocchi Silvia , Marsciani Martino , Desiderio Elena , Bertelli Sara , Vecchi Vico
Published: August 2012

Infantile hepatic hemangioma can be associated to consumptive hypothyroidism due to overexpression of type 3 deiodinase in the endothelium of vascular tumor, which catalyzes the conversion of T4 to reverse T3 (rT3) and of T3 to T2, both of which are biologically inactive. Here, we report an infant with a massive biopsy-proven infantile hepatic hemangioma who developed thyroid dysfunction without a typical biochemical profile consistent with severe consumptive hypothyroidism, despite the large tumor burden. Our patient was treated with propranolol that rapidly resolved both hepatic hemangioma and thyroid dysfunction. We propose propranolol as a first-line therapy of thyroid dysfunction associated with infantile hepatic hemangioma, in order to avoid interference with neurological development caused by hypothyroidism in the first months of life.
Preserved Fertility in a Patient with a 46,XY Disorder of Sex Development due to a New Heterozygous Mutation in the NR5A1/SF-1 Gene: Evidence of 46,XY and 46,XX Gonadal Dysgenesis Phenotype Variability in Multiple Members of an Affected Kindred
Authors: Ciaccio Marta , Costanzo Mariana , Guercio Gabriela , De Dona Valeria , Marino Roxana , Ramirez Pablo C. , Galeano Jessica , Warman Diana Monica , Berensztein Esperanza , Saraco Nora , Baquedano Maria Sonia , Chaler Eduardo , Maceiras Mercedes , Lazzatti Juan Manuel , Rivarola Marco A. , Belgorosky Alicia
Published: August 2012

In humans, steroidogenic factor 1 (NR5A1/SF-1) mutations have been reported to cause gonadal dysgenesis, with or without adrenal failure, in both 46,XY and 46,XX individuals. We have previously reported extreme within-family variability in affected 46,XY patients. Even though low ovarian reserve with preserved fertility has been reported in females harboring NR5A1 gene mutations, fertility has only been observed in one reported case in affected 46,XY individuals. A kindred with multiple affected members presenting gonadal dysgenesis was studied. Four 46,XY individuals presented severe hypospadias at birth, one of them associated with micropenis and cryptorchidism. The other 3 developed spontaneous male puberty, and 1 has fathered 5 children. Four 46,XX patients presented premature ovarian failure (one of them was not available for the study) or high follicle-stimulating hormone levels. Mutational analysis of the NR5A1 gene revealed a novel heterozygous mutation, c.938G→A, predicted to cause a p.Arg313Hys amino acid change. A highly conserved amino acid of the ligand-binding domain of the mature protein is affected, predicting abnormal protein function. We confirm that preserved fertility can be observed in patients with a 46,XY disorder of sex development due to heterozygous mutations in the NR5A1 gene.
Clinical and Radiological Characteristics in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Large Cavitary Lesions
Authors: Renard Dimitri , Brochet Bruno , Vukusic Sandra , Edan Gilles , Deburghgraeve Véronique , Goizet Cyril , Dupuy Diane , Touze Emmanuel , Deschamps Romain , Zephyr Hélène , Creange Alain , Castelnovo Giovanni , Boespflug-Tanguy Odile , Labauge Pierre ,   for the CF-SEP Group Members
Published: August 2012

Background: Large cavitary lesions are not typical for multiple sclerosis (MS). Cavitary white matter changes may be seen in megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts, Alexander disease, mitochondrial leukoencephalopathies, vanishing white matter disease, leukoencephalopathy with calcifications and cysts, cytomegalovirus infection, and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. Objective: To analyze clinical and radiological characteristics in MS patients with large cavitary lesions. Methods: We studied MS patients with large cavitary brain lesions. Patient characteristics, disease onset/duration/subtype, expanded disability status scale (EDSS), Mini Mental State (MMS), corpus callosum lesions, history of segmental myelitis, CSF oligoclonal bands (OCB), visual evoked potentials (VEP), vanishing white matter disease genetic analysis, and characteristics of the cavitary lesions were analyzed. Results: Nine patients were analyzed, 1 man and 8 women. Mean age of disease onset was 38.5 years. Mean disease duration was 9 years. Three patients had initial relapsing-remitting MS and 6 patients had primary-progressive MS. Mean EDSS was 4.5. Mean MMS was 20/30. Segmental myelitis was present in 6 cases. OCB were found in 6 patients. VEP was performed in 6 patients, and pathological in all but one. Vanishing white matter disease genetic analysis was performed and negative in 5 patients. Inferior corpus callosum lesions were seen in all patients with available sagittal FLAIR sequences. Cavitary lesions were strictly supratentorial, and located inside the diffuse leukoencephalopathy, with often a posterior predominance. Conclusion: MS patients with large cavitary lesions seem to represent an MS subgroup, predominantly women, with relatively late disease onset, predominantly primary-progressive type, relatively high EDSS scores, and severe cognitive dysfunction.
Cardiac Biomarkers as Indicators of Hemodynamic Adaptation during Postasphyxial Hypothermia Treatment
Authors: Vijlbrief D.C. , Benders M.J.N.L. , Kemperman H. , van Bel F. , de Vries W.B.
Published: August 2012

Background: Little is known about the effects of hypothermia on the cardiovascular system in term newborns with neonatal encephalopathy. Objectives: To evaluate whether mild hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy is cardioprotective as indicated by the cardiac biomarkers cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Methods: This was an observational cohort study of infants treated for perinatal asphyxia. In infants, mild total body hypothermia treatment of 33.5°C during 72 h was initiated (n = 20). Samples of cTnI and BNP were collected before the start of hypothermia, at 24 and 48 h after birth, and after rewarming (84 h). BNP and cTnI values were then compared with BNP and cTnI values of asphyxiated infants not treated with hypothermia (n = 28). Results: No differences were found between the groups in clinical patient characteristics or inotropic support. The hypothermia-treated patients seemed to be clinically more affected (5-min Apgar score, p < 0.05; umbilical artery pH, p = 0.08), but showed similar encephalopathy scores. Significantly lower values for BNP were found in hypothermia- compared to nonhypothermia-treated infants at 48 h and at normothermia after rewarming [144 pmol/l (95–286) vs. 75 pmol/l (45–143), 182 pmol/l (73–341) vs. 43 pmol/l (24–163)]. No differences were found for cTnI concentrations between both groups. Conclusions: The raised, but similar, cTnI values between hypothermia- and nonhypothermia-treated infants indicate similar myocardial damage in both groups. The lower BNP levels during hypothermia treatment suggest that hypothermia after perinatal asphyxia exerts a beneficial effect on cardiac function.
Complete Ocular Paresis in a Child with Posterior Fossa Syndrome
Authors: Afshar Maryam , Link Michael , Edwards Michael S.B. , Fisher Paul G. , Fredrick Doug , Monje Michelle
Published: August 2012

Posterior fossa syndrome (PFS), also known as cerebellar affective syndrome, is characterized by emotional lability and decreased speech production following injury or surgery to the cerebellum. Rarely, oculomotor dysfunction has been described in association with PFS. Here, we report a case of complete ocular paresis associated with PFS in an 11-year-old male following medulloblastoma resection.
Intermittent Detection of Fetal Heart Rate Abnormalities Identify Infants at Greatest Risk for Fresh Stillbirths, Birth Asphyxia, Neonatal Resuscitation, and Early Neonatal Deaths in a Limited-Resource Setting: A Prospective Descriptive Observational Study at Haydom Lutheran Hospital
Authors: Langli Ersdal Hege , Mduma Estomih , Svensen Erling , Sundby Johanne , Perlman Jeffrey
Published: August 2012

Background: Intermittent fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring during labor using an acoustic stethoscope is the most frequent method for fetal assessment of well-being in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence concerning reliability and efficacy of this technique is almost nonexistent. Objectives: To determine the value of routine intermittent FHR monitoring during labor in the detection of FHR abnormalities, and the relationship of abnormalities to the subsequent fresh stillbirths (FSB), birth asphyxia (BA), need for neonatal face mask ventilation (FMV), and neonatal deaths within 24 h. Methods: This is a descriptive observational study in a delivery room from November 2009 through December 2011. Research assistants/observers (n = 14) prospectively observed every delivery and recorded labor information including FHR and interventions, neonatal information including responses in the delivery room, and fetal/neonatal outcomes (FSB, death within 24 h, admission neonatal area, or normal). Results: 10,271 infants were born. FHR was abnormal (i.e. <120 or >160 beats/min) in 279 fetuses (2.7%) and absent in 200 (1.9%). Postnatal outcomes included FSB in 159 (1.5%), need for FMV in 695 (6.8%), BA (i.e. 5-min Apgar score <7) in 69 (0.7%), and deaths in 89 (0.9%). Abnormal FHR was associated with labor complications (OR = 31.4; 95% CI: 23.1–42.8), increased need for FMV (OR = 7.8; 95% CI: 5.9–10.1), BA (OR = 21.7; 95% CI: 12.7–37.0), deaths (OR = 9.9; 95% CI: 5.6–17.5), and FSB (OR = 35; 95% CI: 20.3–60.4). An undetected FHR predicted FSB (OR = 1,983; 95% CI: 922–4,264). Conclusions: Intermittent detection of an absent or abnormal FHR using a fetal stethoscope is associated with FSB, increased need for neonatal resuscitation, BA, and neonatal death in a limited-resource setting. The likelihood of an abnormal FHR is magnified with labor complications.
Prognostic Impact of NPM1 Mutations in Serbian Adult Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Kuzmanovic Milos , Tosic Natasa , Colovic Natasa , Karan-Djurasevic Teodora , Spasovski Vesna , Radmilovic Milena , Nikcevic Gordana , Suvajdzic-Vukovic Nada , Tomin Dragica , Vidovic Ana , Virijevic Marijana , Pavlovic Sonja , Colovic Milica
Published: August 2012

Based on current findings, the presence of NPM1 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients is associated with an increased probability of complete remission (CR) and better overall survival (OS). We determined the incidence and prognostic relevance of NPM1 mutations, their association with FLT3 and IDH mutations, and other clinical characteristics in Serbian adult AML patients. Samples from 111 adult de novo AML patients, including 73 AML cases with a normal karyotype (NK-AML), were studied. NPM1, FLT3, and IDH mutations were detected by PCR and direct sequencing. NPM1 mutations were detected in 22.5% of patients. The presence of NPM1 mutations predicted a low CR rate and shorter OS. NPM1 mutations showed an association with both FLT3 and IDH mutations. Survival analysis based on NPM1/FLT3 mutational status revealed a lower OS for NPM1+/FLT3– compared to the NPM1–/FLT3– group in NK-AML patients. The lack of impact or unfavorable prognostic effect of NPM1 mutations found in this study can be assigned to a small cohort of analyzed AML patients, as can the presence of FLT3 and IDH mutations or other genetic lesions that cooperate with NPM1 mutations influencing prognosis.
Anti-Skin Specific Autoantibodies Detected by a New Immunofluorescence Multiplex Biochip Method in Patients with Autoimmune Bullous Diseases
Authors: Tampoia Marilina , Zucano Antonietta , Villalta Danilo , Antico Antonio , Bizzaro Nicola
Published: August 2012

Background: Autoimmune blistering skin diseases are a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by autoantibodies against structural components of the skin. In pemphigus vulgaris (PV) autoantibodies react mainly with desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) alone and/or in combination with desmoglein 1 (Dsg1). In bullous pemphigoid (BP) autoantibodies target two hemidesmosomal proteins, BP180 and BP230. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) multiplex biochip method for the detection of anti-skin specific autoantibodies. Methods: Sera from 36 patients with PV and from 40 patients with BP were collected. The control group included 54 patients with other skin diseases and 40 healthy subjects. The detection of circulating autoantibodies to Dsg1, Dsg3, BP230 and BP180 was performed with a new IIF multiplex biochip method and with two currently commercially available ELISA methods. Results: The multiplex IIF method showed a high diagnostic sensitivity (100%) for PV on cells transfected with Dsg3. In patients with BP, the positivity to the BP180 antigen was higher (90%) than that on monkey esophagus (50%) and on cells transfected with BP230 (40%). A good rate of agreement was observed among methods (IIF vs. ELISA) and among ELISA systems. Conclusions: The new multiplex biochip IIF method has a high diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of PV and BP, comparable to ELISA methods, and is able to screen autoimmune bullous diseases.
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Pathway for the Study of Hypoxia in a New Model of Otitis Media with Effusion
Authors: Huang Qiuhong , Zhang Zhigang , Zheng Yiqing , Zheng Qingyin , Chen Suijun , Xu Yaodong , Ou Yongkang , Qiu Zeheng
Published: August 2012

The hypoxia-inducible factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (HIF-VEGF) pathway in hypoxic conditions of the middle ear due to dysfunction of the eustachian tube is still unknown, but it is considered as one pathogenetic mechanism in otitis media. This study was designed to investigate the possible involvement of the HIF-VEFG pathway in otitis media with effusion induced by dysfunction of the eustachian tube. We adopted a soft palate approach to obstruct the orifice of the eustachian tube to establish otitis media in a rat model. Auditory evoked brainstem response and tympanometry were used as hearing function tests, hypoxia-related factors were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of hypoxia-related proteins was detected by Western blot and immunostaining. The model of otitis media with effusion was successfully induced by cauterizing the orifice of the eustachian tube. RT-PCR showed up-regulation of hypoxia-related factors in cauterized ears. Western blot and immunostaining showed that the expression of hypoxia-related proteins in cauterized ears was increased. Hypoxia-induced vascular proliferation and an increase in permeability may be one pathogenetic mechanism of otitis media due to dysfunction of the eustachian tube.
Zeno’s Paradox of Immortality
Authors: Olshansky S. Jay , Carnes Bruce A.
Published: August 2012

Scientists who speculate on the future of human longevity have a broad range of views ranging from the promise of immortality, to radical life extension, to declines in life expectancy. Among those who contend that radical life extension is already here, or on the horizon, or immortality is forthcoming, elements of their reasoning appear surprisingly close, if not identical, to a famous mathematical paradox posed by the ancient Greek mathematician known as Zeno. Here we examine the underlying assumptions behind the views that much longer life expectancies are forthcoming or have already arrived, and place their line of reasoning within the context of a new Zeno paradox described here as The Paradox of Immortality.
Detection of Phenotype Modifier Genes Using Two-Locus Linkage Analysis in Complex Disorders Such as Major Psychosis
Authors: Bureau Alexandre , Croteau Jordie , Mérette Chantal , Fournier Alain , Chagnon Yvon C. , Roy Marc-André , Maziade Michel
Published: August 2012

Objective: To increase power to detect modifier loci conferring susceptibility to specific phenotypes such as disease diagnoses which are part of a broader disorder spectrum by jointly modeling a modifier and a broad susceptibility gene and to identify modifier loci conferring specific susceptibility to schizophrenia (SZ) or to bipolar disorder (BP) using the approach. Methods: We implemented a two-locus linkage analysis model where a gene 1 genotype increases the risk of a broad phenotype and a gene 2 genotype modifies the expression of gene 1 by conferring susceptibility to a specific phenotype. Results: Compared to a single-locus analysis within the broad phenotype, the proposed approach had greater power to detect the modifier gene 2 (0.96 vs. 0.54 under a simulation scenario including heterogeneity). In a sample of 12 mixed SZ and BP Eastern Quebec kindreds, D8S1110 at 8p22 showed the strongest evidence of linkage to a gene determining a specific phenotype (SZ or BP) among subjects susceptible to major psychosis because of putative genes at 10p13 (D10S245, conditional maximized LOD (cMOD) = 4.20, p = 0.0003) and 3q21–q23 (D3S2418, cMOD = 4.09, p = 0.0005). Conclusion: The proposed strategy is useful to detect modifier loci conferring susceptibility to a specific phenotype within a broader phenotype.
Long-Term Lanreotide Treatment in Six Patients with Congenital Hyperinsulinism
Authors: Kühnen Peter , Marquard Jan , Ernert Andrea , Meissner Thomas , Raile Klemens , Wannenmacher Gertrud , Blankenstein Oliver
Published: August 2012

Background: Medical treatment is a substantial therapeutic measure to achieve glycemic control and prevent hypoglycemic brain damage without surgery in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). However, only few drugs are available and even fewer are approved as a medical therapy to maintain normal blood glucose levels. The established therapies are demanding for caregivers and complicated by different side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms, hypertrichosis, and obesity. Therefore, it is important to develop new strategies to improve blood glucose control. Methods: We report the use of the very-long-acting somatostatin analogue lanreotide autogel in 6 patients with CHI over a mean duration of 40.8 months. Blood glucose levels before and after the start and dosage titration of lanreotide in these patients are compared. Results: In 3 of 6 patients, switching to lanreotide raised mean blood glucose levels and reduced individually as well as overall the risk for hypoglycemic episodes (odds ratio 0.38) significantly. Conclusion: Lanreotide autogel can be used as an alternative pharmacological treatment and may be beneficial in conservatively treated patients with CHI.
Speech Therapy in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Pilot Study
Authors: Farrajota Luísa , Maruta Carolina , Maroco João , Martins Isabel Pavão , Guerreiro Manuela , de Mendonça Alexandre
Published: August 2012

Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disorder with no effective pharmacological treatment. Cognition-based interventions are adequate alternatives, but their benefit has not been thoroughly explored. Our aim was to study the effect of speech and language therapy (SLT) on naming ability in PPA. Methods: An open parallel prospective longitudinal study involving two centers was designed to compare patients with PPA submitted to SLT (1 h/week for 11 months) with patients receiving no therapy. Twenty patients were enrolled and undertook baseline language and neuropsychological assessments; among them, 10 received SLT and 10 constituted an age- and education-matched historical control group. The primary outcome measure was the change in group mean performance on the Snodgrass and Vanderwart naming test between baseline and follow-up assessments. Results: Intervention and control groups did not significantly differ on demographic and clinical variables at baseline. A mixed repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of therapy (F(1,18) = 10.763; p = 0.005) on the performance on the Snodgrass and Vanderwart naming test. Conclusion: Although limited by a non-randomized open study design with a historical control group, the present study suggests that SLT may have a benefit in PPA, and it should prompt a randomized, controlled, rater-blind clinical trial.
Changes in Phospholipid Composition of Erythrocyte Membrane in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Oma Shinji , Mawatari Shiro , Saito Kazuyuki , Wakana Chikako , Tsuboi Yoshio , Yamada Tatsuo , Fujino Takehiko
Published: August 2012

Background: There are several reports indicating a decrease of ethanolamine plasmalogen (pl-PE) in brain tissues and in serum of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present study aimed to examine the composition of erythrocyte phospholipids including pl-PE in patients with AD. Method: A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method that can separate intact plasmalogens and all other phospholipid classes by a single chromatographic run was used. Results: The ratios of pl-PE, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) to sphingomyelin were low as compared to those of the age-matched controls. Conclusion: These changes in erythrocyte phospholipids may reflect changes induced by oxidative stress, indicating the presence of high oxidative stress in the peripheral blood of AD patients.
Inflammation in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Libby Peter
Published: August 2012

Experimental work has elucidated molecular and cellular pathways of inflammation that promote atherosclerosis. Unraveling the roles of cytokines as inflammatory messengers provided a mechanism whereby risk factors for atherosclerosis can alter arterial biology, and produce a systemic milieu that favors atherothrombotic events. The discovery of the immune basis of allograft arteriosclerosis demonstrated that inflammation per se can drive arterial hyperplasia, even in the absence of traditional risk factors. Inflammation regulates aspects of plaque biology that trigger the thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis. Translation of these discoveries to humans has enabled both novel mechanistic insights and practical clinical advances.
Upregulation of TRPM7 Channels by Angiotensin II Triggers Phenotypic Switching of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells of Ascending Aorta
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Wang Mi , Fan Xiao-Han , Chen Jing-Hui , Guan Yong-Yuan , Tang Yong-Bo
Published: August 2012

Rationale:

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has pleiotropic effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). It has been demonstrated to promote the proliferative phenotype of VSMCs in mouse ascending aorta, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

Objective:

The present study was designed to explore whether the Ca
2+
-permeable transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) channel is involved in Ang II–induced phenotype switching of ascending aortic VSMCs and to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which TRPM7 modulates VSMC phenotype.

Methods and Results:

As revealed by current recording, Ang II infusion increased TRPM7 whole-cell currents in ascending aortic VSMCs. The increase in TRPM7 currents was found to result from enhanced expression of TRPM7 protein rather than elevated single-channel activity (open probability and slope conductance) and/or reduced Mg
2+
-mediated channel block. Mechanistically, Ang II elevated TRPM7 expression via Ang II type 1 receptor–mediated ERK1/2 signaling. As indicated by the expression levels of VSMC differentiation marker genes, phenotypic switching of ascending aorta occurred during Ang II infusion. Meanwhile, ERK1/2-Elk-1 signaling pathway known to suppress VSMC differentiation was activated in Ang II–infused ascending aorta. Knockdown of TRPM7 with small interfering RNA established a causative role of TRPM7 in Ang II–induced phenotypic change and promotion of cell proliferation. Moreover, TRPM7 was shown to be required for Pyk2-ERK1/2–Elk-1 pathway activation by Ang II, which potentiated TRPM7 channel function and thus activated the Ca
2+
-sensitive kinase Pyk2. Finally, TRPM7 knockdown attenuated Ang II–induced displacement of myocardin from
SM22
promoter, but the effects could be reversed by expression of constitutively active c-Src.

Conclusions:

Our data establish that upregulation of TRPM7 channels by Ang II contributes to the development of the proliferative phenotype of ascending aortic VSMCs, and TRPM7 channel suppresses VSMC gene expression via Ca
2+
influx-mediated activation of Pyk2-ERK1/2–Elk-1 pathway.
Risk of Elective Major Noncardiac Surgery After Coronary Stent Insertion
Authors: Wijeysundera Duminda N. , Wijeysundera Harindra C. , Yun Lingsong , Wąsowicz Marcin , Beattie W. Scott , Velianou James L. , Ko Dennis T.
Published: August 2012

Background—

Guidelines recommend that noncardiac surgery be delayed until 30 to 45 days after bare-metal stent implantation and 1 year after drug-eluting stent implantation.

Methods and Results—

We used linked registry data and population-based administrative health care databases to conduct a cohort study of 8116 patients (≥40 years of age) who underwent major elective noncardiac surgery in Ontario, Canada between 2003 and 2009, and received coronary stents within 10 years before surgery. Approximately 34% (n=2725) underwent stent insertion within 2 years before surgery, of whom 905 (33%) received drug-eluting stents. For comparison, we assembled a separate cohort of 341 350 surgical patients who had not undergone coronary revascularization. The primary outcome was 30-day major adverse cardiac events (mortality, readmission for acute coronary syndrome, or repeat coronary revascularization). The overall rate of 30-day events in patients with coronary stents was 2.1% (n=170). When the interval between stent insertion and surgery was <45 days, event rates were high for bare-metal (6.7%) and drug-eluting (20.0%) stents. When the interval was 45 to 180 days, the event rate for bare-metal stents was 2.6%, approaching that of intermediate-risk nonrevascularized individuals. Adjusted analyses suggested that event rates were increased if this interval exceeded 180 days. For drug-eluting stents, the event rate was 1.2% once the interval exceeded 180 days, approaching that of intermediate-risk nonrevascularized individuals.

Conclusions—

The earliest optimal time for elective surgery is 46 to 180 days after bare-metal stent implantation or >180 days after drug-eluting stent implantation.
Nighttime Home Blood Pressure and the Risk of Hypertensive Target Organ Damage
Authors: Ishikawa Joji , Hoshide Satoshi , Eguchi Kazuo , Ishikawa Shizukiyo , Shimada Kazuyuki , Kario Kazuomi ,   for the Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure Study Investigators Group
Published: August 2012

In ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring, nighttime BP has a superior ability to predict hypertensive target organ damage than awake BP. We evaluated whether nighttime BP, assessed by a home BP monitor, was associated with hypertensive target organ damage. We measured clinic BP, out-of-clinic BP including nighttime home BP, and the urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) in 854 patients who had cardiovascular risk factors. Nighttime home BP was measured at 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00
am,
in addition to clinic, awake ambulatory, nighttime ambulatory, and awake home BP. Nighttime home systolic BP (SBP) was slightly higher than nighttime ambulatory SBP (difference, 2.6 mm Hg;
P
<0.001). Clinic (
r
=0.186), awake ambulatory (
r
=0.173), nighttime ambulatory (
r
=0.194), awake home (
r
=0.298), and nighttime home (
r
=0.311) SBPs were all associated with log-transformed UACR (all
P
<0.001). The correlation coefficient for the relationship between nighttime home SBP and log-transformed UACR was significantly greater than that for the relationship between nighttime ambulatory SBP and log-transformed UACR (
P
<0.001). The goodness of fit of the association between SBP and UACR was improved by adding nighttime home SBP to the other SBPs (
P
<0.001). Nighttime home diastolic BP also improved the goodness-of-fit of the association between diastolic BP and UACR (
P
=0.001). Similar findings were observed for the left ventricular mass index in the subgroup (N=594). In conclusion, nighttime home BP is slightly different from (but comparable to) nighttime ambulatory BP. The addition of nighttime home BP to other BP measures improves the association of BP with hypertensive target organ damage.
Who cares for it? How to provide psychosocial interventions in the community
Authors: Pingani Luca , Fiorillo Andrea , Luciano Mario , Catellani Sara , Vinci Vera , Ferrari Silvia , Rigatelli Marco
Published: August 2012

Background:

Since the Mental Health Reform Law 1978/180, in Italy mental hospitals have been progressively closed and a community-centred psychiatric care oriented to rehabilitation began. After almost 35 years, the de-institutionalization process is now complete. However, psychosocial interventions in the community are provided only rarely, although a specific mental health professional, the psychiatric rehabilitation technician, has been established in Italy.

Material:

Training courses and the education of psychosocial rehabilitation technicians have been analysed and the university degree has been described. Moreover, the practical and theoretical skills needed at the end of the training course have been discussed.

Discussion:

Psychiatric rehabilitation technicians are trained to perform multidisciplinary rehabilitative and educational interventions for people with severe mental disorders and their carers. They represent an innovative professional workforce in mental health care, not yet established outside Italy, whose role and activities are essential in a community-based mental health system model.

Conclusion:

The skills needed for properly performing psychosocial interventions are not available in other mental health professionals and it is not possible that these interventions, which require in-depth training, are performed by professionals with a different background. It is advisable that psychiatric rehabilitation technicians become an integral and permanent component of an efficient community psychiatric staff.
Effect of preswelling and ultrasound treatment on the properties of flax fibers cross-linked with polycarboxylic acids
Authors: Surina Ruzica , Andrassy Maja
Published: August 2012

This paper presents the investigation of sorption and mechanical properties of single flax fibers (fiber bundle) cross-linked with polycarboxylic acids (PCA; citric acid [CA] and 1, 2, 3, 4-butanetetracarboxylic acid [BTCA]). The improvement of the chemical modification performance was carried out by pre-treating of the fibers with sodium hydroxide and ultrasound (US). Thus, the purpose of the investigations was to determine whether the sorption and mechanical properties of the cross-linked fibers would be enhanced by a preswelling and US treatment before the application of PCA. The effect of cross-linking PCA with cellulose molecules on flax fiber properties was determined by measuring and comparing the properties (fineness, tenacity, and elongation at break; breaking twist; moisture absorption; and water-retention value) of untreated and modified flax fibers. The test results indicate that treatment with PCA undoubtedly changes the tested properties: water retention values decrease while the resistance to tenacity increases. The observed changes are the result of structural alterations in fibers. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra confirmed that cross-linking between the carboxyl groups of acids and the hydroxyl groups of cellulose occurs due to the esterification reaction. Preswelling and US treatments have increased the accessibility of cellulose in flax fibers, and cross-linking was achieved with less fiber damage, whereby US proved to be a more successful pre-treatment.
Microscopic photometry and its parameterization for objective evaluation of aesthetics of woven fabrics
Authors: Kanai Hiroyuki , Kimura Hirokazu , Morishima Mika , Shouji Uesaka , Nishimatsu Toyonori , Shibata Kiyohiro , Yamamoto Takanori
Published: August 2012

One of the most important end-use performance parameters for fabrics and other textile products are the fabric hands and fabric aesthetics. Our previous research attempted to elucidate the factors that affect the fabric aesthetics using factor analysis and identified two principal factors tentatively labelled as ‘lustre and depth sensation’ and ‘surface roughness sensation’. The focus of the second step in the study of fabric aesthetics is on the investigation of the objective trends in the performance evaluation of textiles. In this study, we developed our own experimental equipment based on microscopic goniophotometric principles and its parameterization method. Subsequently, we attempted to define an index based on the distribution of the reflection intensity of woven fabrics and its characterization in order to evaluate the principal factors governing fabric aesthetics. On the basis of the results, we infer that microscopic goniophotometry and its parameterization is a more viable approach than conventional macroscopic goniophotometry for the quantitative evaluation of the principal factors governing fabric aesthetics.
The Effects of Runaway-Homeless Episodes on High School Dropout
Authors: Aratani Yumiko , Cooper Janice L.
Published: August 2012

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to examine the relationship between running away from home between the ages of 12 and 14 and dropping from high school among youth. Propensity score matching was conducted in estimating the effect of running away on high school dropout while controlling for confounding factors, such as familial instability and socioemotional health risks. The findings suggest that having runaway-homeless episodes have a detrimental effect on academic achievement.
Accountability in a Privatized Welfare State
Authors: Klenk Tanja , Pieper Jonas
Published: August 2012

One of the most striking features of recent public sector reform in Europe is privatization. This development raises questions of accountability: By whom and for what are managers of private for-profit organizations delivering public goods held accountable? Analyzing accountability mechanisms through the lens of an institutional organizational approach and on the empirical basis of hospital privatization in Germany, the article contributes to the empirical and theoretical understanding of public accountability of private actors. The analysis suggests that accountability is not declining but rather multiplying. The shifts in the locus and content of accountability cause organizational stress for private hospitals.
Corporate Sociability
Authors: Findlay Mark
Published: August 2012

The article explores the features and charts the principle theorizing of regulatory sociability from collaboration rather than intervention, whatever the interest-based motivation behind transforming crisis, toward orderliness. A key theme is the role played by corporations in facilitating and benefiting from sociability. A particular explanatory focus on the way in which corporate culture can change from predatory jurisdiction shopping to embracing mutuality of interests in the context of environmental sustainability is employed. The article concludes with a discussion of how, as compulsory discipline increases, it may produce compliance but at costs for regulatory sociability. The alternative regulatory paradigm is one that moves to resolve the antimony between desire (profit) and reason (sustainability) in a manner that relies on and endorses the constituents of collaboration. Collaborative regulation, the article suggests, can arise out of crisis and be justified through desires for orderliness without compulsion. But for collaborative regulation to be sustainable, it must complement certain positive “orderly” aspects within political economy. The analysis determines some observations concerning the shape and shaping of collaborative regulation in an atmosphere of more pluralist knowledge-based (disciplinary) engagement involving trust, comity, and sustainability.
To Invest or Not? The Role of Coworker Support and Trust in Daily Reciprocal Gain Spirals of Helping Behavior
Authors: Halbesleben Jonathon R. B. , Wheeler Anthony R.
Published: August 2012

The authors propose that a reciprocal resource gain spiral forms between coworker-based perceived social support and trust, which leads to coworkers investing personal resources into each other across work days. The authors extend conservation of resources theory by differentiating between resource investment behaviors, the perceived availability of resources, and perceptions about investment instrumentality while also examining accumulation effects that have been previously untested in studies of gain spirals. The authors confirm their hypotheses with data collected over five working days from 177 pairs of coworkers (employee N = 354) working across a wide range of jobs and industries. The authors also offer practical implications of this spiral, limitations of this research, and future directions for research on conservation of resources theory, resource investment, and day-level studies of employee behaviors.
LIS education for Africa
Authors: Dick Archie L
Published: August 2012

As the number of library schools in sub-Saharan Africa declines, new opportunities for LIS education have emerged. The University of Pretoria’s Carnegie-funded Masters degree, with a special focus on information technology and blended learning, is described as an innovative educational programme.
A second double movement? Polanyi and shifting global opinions on neoliberalism
Authors: Levien Michael , Paret Marcel
Published: August 2012

Karl Polanyi’s theory of the ‘double movement’ has gained great currency in recent years to explain the global growth of contemporary social movements resisting neoliberalism. However, there has been no statistical research demonstrating whether these protest movements represent a more general trend of growing discontent with ‘disembedding’ markets from public control. This article uses questions from the World Values Survey to construct an ‘embeddedness’ index measuring public opinion on the desired relationship between states and markets. Focusing on public opinion in 20 countries during the 1990s, the analysis poses three questions: First, is there evidence of increasing global support for ‘re-embedding’ markets? Second, how does such opinion vary across regions of the world? Finally, what is the class and gender composition of this latent countermovement? The results provide substantial evidence of an emerging countermovement in public opinion over the 1990s with complex class, gender, and geopolitical variation.
Effects of initial fiber length and fiber length distribution on the properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced-polypropylene composites
Authors: Karsli Nevin Gamze , Aytac Ayse , Deniz Veli
Published: August 2012

In this study, short carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites with three different initial carbon fiber lengths were prepared by using extrusion compounding and injection molding techniques. The physical and morphological properties of the prepared short carbon fiber-reinforced composites were investigated by means of tensile test, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. Final fiber length distributions of composites were also determined by using an image analyzing program. It was found that the maximum number of fibers was observed in the range from 51 to 100 µm. Number average final fiber lengths were calculated between 230 and 280 µm. Regardless of the used initial carbon fiber length, tensile strength and modulus values of the composites increased with the increasing carbon fiber content. It has been concluded that the initial fiber length at the studied range did not have any significant effect on the properties of composites.
Processing and mechanical characterization of carbon nanotube reinforced syntactic foams
Authors: Zegeye Ephraim F , Woldesenbet Eyassu
Published: August 2012

Carbon nanotube reinforced, syntactic foams are processed and evaluated for compressive and dynamic mechanical properties. Vertically aligned nanotubes were first grown on the microballoons surface and added into the epoxy system. The weight percent of the nanotubes were varied from 0% to 0.8%. The properties of carbon nanotube reinforced syntactic foams are compared with neat syntactic foams that did not contain nanotubes. Results show improvement in compressive modulus and damping coefficient values by 35%–41% and 10%–104%, respectively. Compressive strength, elastic modulus and glass transition temperature remained largely unchanged for most compositions.
Diet and Nutrient Factors in Colorectal Cancer Risk
Authors: Vargas Ashley J. , Thompson Patricia A.
Published: August 2012

Diet and nutrition are estimated to explain as much as 30%–50% of the worldwide incidence of colorectal cancer. In 2007, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), in conjunction with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), released the second expert report that summarizes the current scientific evidence linking diet to the prevention of cancer. This text provides an expert summary and level of evidence of the research relating diet/nutrients to factors that influence cancers of multiple organs, including colon and rectum, with an important emphasis on global patterns. Specific examples include dietary fat, red and processed meat, and dairy, as well effects of nutrients such as calcium, folate, and vitamin D. Evidence is obtained from ongoing systematic literature reviews conducted by experts in both the United States and Europe. The expert panel applies standard practices to evaluate the strength and quality of individual studies to draw summary conclusions. In 2011, the report was updated to include findings from a series of meta‐analyses published in 2010. To complement the WCRF/AICR report, the authors review the evidence favoring the role for diet and nutrition in the etiology of colorectal cancer. Specifically, they have integrated information gained from more recent meta‐analyses and high‐quality, prospective study findings, some of which have been included in the 2011 updated WCRF/AICR summary.