bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tools for Building Clinic-Community Partnerships to Support Chronic Disease Control and Prevention
Authors: Barnidge Ellen K. , Brownson Carol A. , Baker Elizabeth A. , Shetty Gowri
Published: February 2010

Purpose

Developing partnerships among health care clinics and community organizations is an important strategy for increasing resources and supports for chronic disease care and management. Although several tools assessing partnership characteristics exist, tools to assess the progression from partnership development to the achievement of specific short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes have not been developed to date. The purpose of this article is to introduce tools developed by the Diabetes Initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to fill that gap.

Conclusion

The Diabetes Initiative used a group process with program grantees to better delineate the phases of partnership development that contribute to the achievement of a shared long-term goal. The Framework for Building Clinic-Community Partnerships to Support Chronic Disease Control and Prevention presented in this article was developed as a result of this process. To apply the framework, 3 checklists were created to correspond to each stage of the framework. The final tools include the framework; 3 checklists with items to assess partnership development, agency capacity within and between agencies, and intermediate and long-term outcomes; and a form to facilitate changes to improve the partnership. Overall, these tools seek to aid partnerships in achieving the best possible chronic disease outcomes.
Wisdom of the Elders: Teacher Understandings About Race and Relationships in Schools
Authors: Schulte Karen , Bennett Elaine
Published: February 2010

This article is based on a qualitative study that explored whether race affects the nature of adult relationships in schools and, if so, how this affects professional development efforts focused on closing the achievement gap. Findings demonstrate that race does affect the adult relationships in schools, although this impact is different for African Americans and Caucasians. Implications for professional development include facilitation needs, length and duration factors, and focus.
Les << choix >> du sociologue avec Alceste — De la forme du corpus aux résultats obtenus
Authors: Dalud-Vincent Monique
Published: February 2010

The Sociologist’s Choices with Alceste — From the Form of a Corpus to the Results Obtained: In this article we pose the question of the relationship between the form of a corpus of semi-structured interviews in sociology and the results obtained by the Alceste software. We show that ‘‘fixing’’ the vernacular or ‘‘including’’ the sociologist’s comments has an influence on the software’s results, and thus on the sociological analysis produced.
Comment traduire sous forme de probabilités les résultats d’une modélisation logit ?
Authors: Deauvieau Jérôme
Published: February 2010

How to Translate a Logit Model into Probabilities: It is common in sociology to try to translate the results of a logit model into probabilities or percentages; in other words, into the language of cross tabulations. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss three ways of performing this operation. This is done using numerical data taken from the FQP 2003 survey by INSEE. We present and discuss successively the method ‘‘of deviation from a reference situation’’, the ‘‘experimental deviation’’ method and finally the method of ‘‘pure deviation’’.
Social inequalities in facing old-age dependency: a bi-generational perspective
Authors: Saraceno Chiara
Published: February 2010

Population ageing implies the ageing of family and kinship networks. Because the absolute number of the frail elderly is set to increase, notwithstanding the increase in life expectancy in good health, a top-heavy intergenerational chain is likely both to put stress on the middle generation, and result in the older and younger generations competing for their support. Thus, issues of the redistribution of financial and time resources become relevant in the middle and younger generations when frailty emerges in the older generation. This article adopts a bi-generational perspective in order to examine not only whether social inequality affects resources available to the dependent elderly, but also whether and how a frail elderly person’s demands impact differently on children’s resources and life chances across gender and social classes, as well as what the impact of specific patterns of public care provision (other than healthcare) is on these inequalities.
Gender differences in subjective well-being in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Schnepf Sylke Viola
Published: February 2010

The literature suggests that the transition process from centrally planned to market economies in Central and Eastern Europe increased the gender gap in poverty. Evidence for women’s higher poverty risk is scarce, given that most analyses use household-level data and assume equal sharing of income within households, an assumption that has been questioned in recent literature. This article uses individual data on subjective well-being to examine the extent of gender differences in welfare in transition countries. OECD countries serve for benchmarking results. Findings show that the gender gap in subjective well-being is more predominant in post-communist than in OECD countries. Relatively little of the gender gap can be attributed to gender differences in socio-economic position in transition countries, but certain attributes, such as higher education and unemployment, impact differently on reported well-being for women and men.
An Empirical Test of Ecodevelopmental Theory in Predicting HIV Risk Behaviors Among Hispanic Youth
Authors: Prado Guillermo , Shi Huang  , Maldonado-Molina Mildred , Bandiera Frank , Schwartz Seth J. , de la Vega Pura , Hendricks Brown C. , Pantin Hilda
Published: February 2010

Ecodevelopmental theory is a theoretical framework used to explain the interplay among risk and protective processes associated with HIV risk behaviors among adolescents. Although ecodevelopmentally based interventions have been found to be efficacious in preventing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic youth, this theory has not yet been directly empirically tested through a basic research study in this population. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to empirically evaluate an ecodevelopmentally based model using structural equation modeling, with substance use and early sex initiation as the two outcomes of the ecodevelopmental chain of relationships. The sample consisted of 586 Hispanic youth ( M age = 13.6; SD = 0.75) and their primary caregivers living in Miami, Florida. Adolescent, parent, and teacher reports were used. The results provided strong support for the theoretical model. More specifically, the parent—adolescent acculturation gap is indirectly related both to early sex initiation and to adolescent substance use through family functioning, academic functioning, perceived peer sexual behavior, and perceived peer substance use. Additionally, parent’s U.S. orientation is associated with adolescent substance use and adolescent sex initiation through social support for parents, parental stressors, family functioning, academic functioning, and perceived peer sexual behavior and substance use. These findings suggest that HIV risk behaviors may best be understood as associated with multiple and interrelated ecological determinants.
Two Cans of Paint: A Transsexual Life Story, with Reflections on Gender Change and History
Authors: Connell Raewyn
Published: February 2010

This article explores a life-history interview conducted with a transsexual woman in Sydney in the 1980s, at her request: ‘I want people to realize that transsexuals are just normal people’. An ordered narrative of a working-class man’s life breaks into a multi-stranded account of transition, highlighting the agency of the body, social encounters and supports, and the complex practice required to pursue and consolidate transition. The interview confronts the interviewer, a transsexual woman who had taken a different path, with political dilemmas about solidarity, critique, and commitment to feminism. A view of the connection between transition and change in gender relations is outlined.
A Foreign Adventurer’s Paradise? Interracial Sexuality and Alien Sexual Capital in Reform Era Shanghai
Authors: Farrer James
Published: February 2010

Since the early 1980s western men have been coming to China to work and live in coastal cities such as Shanghai, and many have become involved in sexual relationships with Chinese women. Using the framework of sexual capital and sexual fields, this article examines the changes in the sexual status of white western men in their relationships with Chinese women over the past 30 years. A historical perspective shows how the political economy of the interracial sexual field is conditioned by broader changes in the economic and social status of foreigners in China. Western men in China experience their foreign masculinity as both empowering and marginalizing, a kind of ‘alien sexual capital’ that is simultaneously exploitable but estranged. Chinese women find that they can invest in specific forms of sexual capital relevant to this field of interracial relationships, but also feel alienated from social and sexual relations with Chinese men. Despite some psychological stress, both for men and women, sexual capital produced in this interracial field is convertible to other forms of social and cultural capital relevant to life in the global city.
The Absent Spouses: Gender, Sex, Race and the Extramarital Sexuality among Chinese Migrants in Japan
Authors: Liu-Farrer Gracia
Published: February 2010

This article investigates patterns and contexts of heterosexual extramarital practices among Chinese immigrants in Japan, and their social implications. I show that first, both Chinese men and women were engaged in extramarital sexual behavior during migration albeit in different contexts. Secondly, these extramarital sexual practices imply that international migration is both an economic strategy and a sexual strategy. Even economically motivated migration has sexual and emotional motivations and consequences. Thirdly, Chinese immigrants’ extramarital sex is culturally specific to the context of migration from China to Japan. Finally, Chinese immigrants’ extramarital sexuality shows the competing cultural interpretations of marriages and gender role expectations. Underlying the extramarital sexuality is an assumption of gender equality in sexual subjectivity. Even a seemingly regressive marital arrangement and gendered role assignment in a marriage could be used strategically by Chinese women in their pursuits of sexual and romantic expressions.
Georg Simmel and the transmission of distance
Authors: Cooper Robert
Published: February 2010

Simmel’s social thinking is discussed in terms of distance and associated ideas. Distance is viewed as the negative ground of positive forms which, like a receding horizon, inhabits all aspects of human life as an immanent absence. For Simmel, distance implies the constant abandonment of positive forms in a continuous reaching out by human agency to the indefinite and unknown. Distance thus means that human agency has its source in a primal force that transcends the specific goals of everyday life. Human agency is moved principally by a force that continually exceeds it as the continuous transmission of distance as a negative ground which never comes. Simmel’s example of the modern city illustrates distance as the distension and de-creation of human agency, which is further exemplified in contemporary developments such as globalization and the transmission of information.
From Durkheim to the Chicago school: Against the ‘variables sociology’ paradigm
Authors: Snell Patricia
Published: February 2010

Émile Durkheim is often thought of, at least within many North American interpretations, as closely associated with ‘variables sociology,’ a tradition commonly understood to be in opposition to the Chicago school of sociology, which is commonly thought of as more qualitatively focused. Upon closer examination, it is apparent that Durkheim and the Chicago school share a great deal more points of connection than are commonly acknowledged. These similarities have been blurred due to (1) a lack of distinction between the later, qualitatively focused Chicago school of sociology researchers with the more quantitatively-based work of the original school and (2) a pervasive misunderstanding of what Durkheim meant by treating a ‘social fact’ as a thing. A more accurate account reveals that the two research traditions are both heavily empirical, pragmatic, contextually based approaches to studying non-individualized, collective behavior. These points of convergence show that the Chicago school of sociology, and American sociology in general, constructed many of the same solutions to similar theoretical problems as did Durkheim.
Durkheim’s argument on ritual, commemoration and aesthetic life: A classical legacy for contemporary performance theory?
Authors: Cossu Andrea
Published: February 2010

The emergence of performance studies in the last three decades has been accompanied by an increasing dissatisfaction with the functional interpretation of ritual, and in this context Émile Durkheim’s work on ritual and religion has been the target of much criticism. The paper argues that a closer consideration of Durkheim’s interpretation of commemorative rites could be incorporated effectively into performance theory, as one of its neglected sources. The paper reviews current analytic approaches to ritual theory, and then analyses Durkheim’s argument with regards to two themes: the social organization of time and memory, and the reenactment of the past as a source of aesthetic life.
Immanent transcendence in Georg Simmel’s sociology of religion
Authors: Vandenberghe Frédéric
Published: February 2010

This article presents a systematic reconstruction of Georg Simmel’s sociology of religion. Following the development of his sociology of religion, it successively analyses religion as a form of interaction, as a symbolic form and as a personal form. The main argument is that all of Simmel’s writings are metaphysical and that religion is only one form among others that gathers the fragments of existence into a unified totality. Religiosity is the central category of Simmel’s writings on religion. It ‘detranscendentalizes’ religion and locates its conditions of possibility within the aspirations of wholeness of the soul.
Microstructural evolution and flow behaviour during hot compression of twin roll cast ZK60 magnesium alloy
Authors: Liu Z. Y. , Duan A. J. , Hou Y. H. , Kang S. , Cho J.
Published: February 2010

Microstructural evolution and flow behaviour during hot compression of twin roll cast ZK60 magnesium alloy were characterised by employing deformation temperatures of 300, 350 and 400°C and strain rate ranging from 10−3 to 100 s−1. When compressed at 10−3 s−1, all stress–strain curves at different temperatures (300, 350 and 400°C) showed a flow softening behaviour due to active dynamic recrystallisation. When compressed at 10−2 s−1 and elevated temperatures (300, 350 and 400°C), all stress–strain curves showed a flow stress drop after peak stress due to twinning for 300 and 350°C deformation and recrystallisation for 400°C deformation. The balance between shear deformation and recrystallisation resulted in a steady flow behaviour after the true strain reached 0·22. When strain rate increased to 10−1 s−1, a small fraction of dynamic recrystallisation in shear deformation region was responsible for slight flow softening behaviour during compression. A flow hardening appeared due to basal and non-basal slips when deformed at 100 s−1. It is suggested that the flow behaviour during hot compression of twin roll cast ZK60 alloy depends on the separating effect or combined effects of shear deformation, twinning and recrystallisation.
Influence of matrix microstructure on aging response of near alpha titanium alloy (IMI834) parent metal and welds on toughness
Authors: Meshram S. D. , Mohandas T.
Published: February 2010

Aging of IMI834 welds results in toughness degradation due to interlath precipitation. It has been observed that this phenomenon is predominant if the matrix microstructure is transformed beta.
Fracture behaviour of 8Ni 980 MPa high strength steel at various temperatures Part 3 – Four-point notched bend tests
Authors: Cao R. , Yan Y. J. , Du W. S. , Tian Z. L. , Peng Y. , Chen J. H.
Published: February 2010

Based on the results of four-point notched bend tests together with detailed microscopic observations of fracture surfaces and crack configurations below the unbroken notch roots of double notch specimens, the fracture mechanisms in notched specimens of 8Ni high strength (980 MPa) steel have been observed to be as follows. A fibrous crack initiates in the bainitic matrix at the notch root and then develops into a cleavage crack at a critical length. The cleavage crack propagates in an unstable manner and causes the final fracture of specimen. The critical event controlling the cleavage fracture is the propagation of the bainitic packet-sized crack, and the local fracture stress is measured as around 1845–2200 MPa.
Effect of two-step aging on recrystallised grain size of Al–Mg–Li alloy
Authors: Ye L. Y. , Zhang X. M. , Liu Y. W. , Tang J. G. , Zheng D. W.
Published: February 2010

A two-step overaging treatment was exploited in thermomechanical processing for producing fine grained Al–Mg–Li alloy sheets. The effects of each step and temperatures of overaging on the distribution of precipitates and recrystallised grain structure were investigated. The influence of preheating treatment before rolling on precipitate coarsening or dissolution was also considered. The results showed that, in contrast to rod shaped precipitates produced by single overaging at 300°C, precipitates produced by a two-step overaging tended to have globular morphologies. The globular precipitates were not deformed during the following large rolling reductions. Overaging at 200°C for 24 h then at 300°C for 24 h resulted in a distribution of globular precipitates with sizes of 1·0–1·2 μm. Preheating at 400°C or raising the overaging temperatures of each step to 300 and 400°C led to a reduction in the precipitate size. Subsequent rolling and recrystallisation resulted in a fine grain structure with an average grain diameter of approximately 8·1 μm for 200°C/24 h+300°C/24 h and 9·2 μm for 300°C/24 h+400°C/24 h overaging treated material respectively in the surface layers of the sheet.
Mechanical performance of three thickness resistance spot welded low carbon steel
Authors: Tavasolizadeh A. , Marashi S. P. H. , Pouranvari M.
Published: February 2010

Resistance spot welding is the dominant process for joining sheet metals in automotive industry. Despite the application of three thickness resistance spot welds in this industry, present guidelines and recommendations are limited to two thickness spot welds. Study towards better understanding of weld nugget growth and mechanical properties is the first step to understanding the welding behaviour and developing proper guidelines for the three thickness resistance spot welding. In this paper, weld nugget growth, mechanical performance and failure behaviour of three thickness low carbon steel resistance spot welds are investigated. Macrostrcutural and microstructural investigations, microhardness tests and quasi-static tensile–shear tests were conducted. Mechanical performance of the joint was described in terms of peak load, energy absorption and failure mode. In order to understand the failure mechanism, micrographs of the cross-sections of the spot welded joints during and after tensile–shear are examined by optical microscopy. Unlike two thickness resistance spot welded joint, weld nugget was formed in the geometrical centre of the joint (i.e. centre of the middle sheet). Weld nugget size along sheet/sheet interface was greater than that of along geometrical centre of the joint. Increasing welding time leads to increases in peak load and energy absorption of the joint and transition of interfacial failure mode to pullout failure mode, primarily due to the enlargement of weld nugget size along sheet/sheet interface.
Leukemogenic transformation by HOXA cluster genes
Authors: Bach Christian , Buhl Sebastian , Mueller Dorothée , García-Cuéllar María-Paz , Maethner Emanuel , Slany Robert K.
Published: February 2010

HOX homeobox genes are important regulators of normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Abdominal-type HOXA genes like HOXA9 are highly leukemogenic. However, little is known about transformation by anterior HOXA genes. Here we performed a comprehensive assessment of the oncogenic potential of every HOXA gene in primary hematopoietic cells. With exception of HOXA2 and HOXA5, all HOXA genes caused a block or delay of hematopoietic differentiation and cooperated with Meis1. No evidence for the alleged tumor-suppressor function of HOXA5 could be found. Whereas all active HOXA genes immortalized mixed granulocytic/monocytic populations, HOXA13 preferentially specified monocytoid development. The anterior HOXA genes HOXA1, HOXA4, and HOXA6 transformed cells, generating permanent cell lines, although they did so less potently than HOXA9. Upon transplantation these lines induced myeloproliferation and acute myeloid leukemia in recipient animals. Kinetic studies with inducible HOX derivatives demonstrated that anterior HOXA genes autonomously contributed to cellular transformation. This function was not mediated by endogenous Hoxa9, which was persistently expressed in cells transformed by anterior HOX genes. In summary our results demonstrate a hitherto unexpected role of anterior HOXA genes in hematopoietic malignancy.
Dexamethasone plus rituximab yields higher sustained response rates than dexamethasone monotherapy in adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Zaja Francesco , Baccarani Michele , Mazza Patrizio , Bocchia Monica , Gugliotta Luigi , Zaccaria Alfonso , Vianelli Nicola , Defina Marzia , Tieghi Alessia , Amadori Sergio , Campagna Selenia , Ferrara Felicetto , Angelucci Emanuele , Usala Emilio , Cantoni Silvia , Visani Giuseppe , Fornaro Antonella , Rizzi Rita , De Stefano Valerio , Casulli Francesco , Battista Marta Lisa , Isola Miriam , Soldano Franca , Gamba Enrica , Fanin Renato
Published: February 2010

Previous observational studies suggest that rituximab may be useful in the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). This randomized trial investigated rituximab efficacy in previously untreated adult ITP patients with a platelet count of 20 × 109/L or less. One hundred three patients were randomly assigned to receive 40 mg/d dexamethasone for 4 days with or without 375 mg/m2 rituximab weekly for 4 weeks. Patients who were refractory to dexamethasone alone received salvage therapy with dexamethasone plus rituximab. Sustained response (ie, platelet count ≥ 50 × 109/L at month 6 after treatment initiation), evaluable in 101 patients, was greater in patients treated with dexamethasone plus rituximab (n = 49) than in those treated with dexamethasone alone (n = 52; 63% vs 36%, P = .004, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.079-0.455). Patients in the experimental arm showed increased incidences of grade 3 to 4 adverse events (10% vs 2%, P = .082, 95% CI, −0.010 to 0.175), but incidences of serious adverse events were similar in both arms (6% vs 2%, P = .284, 95% CI, −0.035 to 0.119). Dexamethasone plus rituximab was an effective salvage therapy in 56% of patients refractory to dexamethasone. The combination of dexamethasone and rituximab improved platelet counts compared with dexamethasone alone. Thus, combination therapy may represent an effective treatment option before splenectomy. This study is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00770562.
Prosaposin down-modulation decreases metastatic prostate cancer cell adhesion, migration, and invasion
Authors: Hu Siyi , Delorme Nathalie , Liu Zhenzhen , Liu Tao , Velasco-Gonzalez Cruz , Garai Jone , Pullikuth Ashok , Koochekpour Shahriar
Published: February 2010

Background

Factors responsible for invasive and metastatic progression of prostate cancer (PCa) remain largely unknown. Previously, we reported cloning of prosaposin (PSAP) and its genomic amplification and/or overexpression in several androgen-independent metastatic PCa cell lines and lymph node metastases. PSAP is the lysosomal precursor of saposins, which serve as activators for lysosomal hydrolases involved in the degradation of ceramide (Cer) and other sphingolipids.

Results

Our current data show that, in metastatic PCa cells, stable down-modulation of PSAP by RNA-interference via a lysosomal proteolysis-dependent pathway decreased β1A-integrin expression, its cell-surface clustering, and adhesion to basement membrane proteins; led to disassembly of focal adhesion complex; and decreased phosphorylative activity of focal adhesion kinase and its downstream adaptor molecule, paxillin. Cathepsin D (CathD) expression and proteolytic activity, migration, and invasion were also significantly decreased in PSAP knock-down cells. Transient-transfection studies with β1Aintegrin- or CathD-siRNA oligos confirmed the cause and effect relationship between PSAP and CathD or PSAP and Cer-β1Aintegrin, regulating PCa cell migration and invasion.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that by a coordinated regulation of Cer levels, CathD and β1A-integrin expression, and attenuation of "inside-out" integrin-signaling pathway, PSAP is involved in PCa invasion and therefore might be used as a molecular target for PCa therapy.
Gene ontology analysis for RNA-seq: accounting for selection bias
Authors: Young Matthew D , Wakefield Matthew J , Smyth Gordon K , Oshlack Alicia
Published: February 2010

We present GOseq, an application for performing Gene Ontology (GO) analysis on RNA-seq data. GO analysis is widely used to reduce complexity and highlight biological processes in genome-wide expression studies, but standard methods give biased results on RNA-seq data due to over-detection of differential expression for long and highly expressed transcripts. Application of GOseq to a prostate cancer data set shows that GOseq dramatically changes the results, highlighting categories more consistent with the known biology.
Potent intestinal Th17 priming through peripheral lipopolysaccharide-based immunization
Authors: McAleer Jeremy P , Liu Bei , Li Zihai , Ngoi Soo-Mun , Dai Jie , Oft Martin , Vella Anthony T
Published: February 2010

The data provide impetus for using TLR-based peripheral vaccination to augment specific Th17 immunity in the gut mucosa.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent natural adjuvant, commonly used to amplify Th1 responses. Here, we report that systemic immunization using LPS generates large numbers of specific Th17 cells in murine small intestinal lamina propria. The priming of these Th17 cells required IL-23p19 production by bone marrow-derived cells. In contrast, IL-23 had no impact on Th1 differentiation or overall numbers of Ag-specific regulatory T cells. Experiments using T-cell adoptive transfers revealed a previously unappreciated mechanism for how Th17 responses are amplified in vivo: stimulation through LPS expanded precommitted Th17 cells rather than causing Th17 differentiation. Second, LPS drove Th17 cell expansion independently of IL-23, demonstrating that this cytokine is not necessary for expansion and possibly functions at an earlier stage in Th17 priming. Our data provide an impetus for using LPS-based peripheral vaccination to augment specific T-cell-mediated immunity in the gut mucosa.
LMNA Mutations, Skeletal Muscle Lipid Metabolism, and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Boschmann Michael , Engeli Stefan , Moro Cedric , Luedtke Angelika , Adams Frauke , Gorzelniak Kerstin , Rahn Gabriele , Mähler Anja , Dobberstein Kerstin , Krüger Antje , Schmidt Saskia , Spuler Simone , Luft Friedrich C. , Smith Steven R. , Schmidt Hartmut H.-J. , Jordan Jens
Published: February 2010

Context: Type 2 familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) is an autosomal-dominant lamin A/C-related disease associated with exercise intolerance, muscular pain, and insulin resistance. The symptoms may all be explained by defective metabolism; however, metabolism at the tissue level has not been investigated.

Objective: We hypothesized that in FPLD, insulin resistance and impaired aerobic exercise capacity are explained by a common underlying mechanism, presumably a muscular metabolic defect.

Patients and Methods: Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism was studied on 10 FPLD patients, one patient with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD1B, a different lamin A/C disease), and 10 healthy control subjects before and during an oral glucose tolerance test by indirect calorimetry and im microdialysis. Muscle biopsies were taken for in vitro studies.

Results: We observed marked increased skeletal muscle fatty acid β-oxidation rate in vitro and in vivo, even after glucose ingestion in FPLD patients. However, fatty acid oxidation was largely incomplete and accompanied by increased ketogenesis. The lipid oxidation abnormality was associated with impaired glucose disposition through reduction in glucose oxidation, rather than decreased cellular glucose uptake. A microarray showed down-regulation of complex I respiratory chain, glycolysis, and nuclear transport genes. Although not overtly insulin resistant, the LGMD1B patient showed similar metabolic derangements as the FPLD patients.

Conclusions: Our study suggests imbalance between lipid oxidation and oxidative glucose metabolism in FPLD and LGMD1B patients. The observation suggests an intrinsic defect in skeletal muscle metabolism due to lamin A/C dysfunction. The metabolic FPLD phenotype likely results from this intrinsic defect combined with lipodystrophic “lipid pressure” due to decreased adipose tissue lipid storage capacity.
Fractures of the acetabulum in patients aged 60 years and older
Authors: Ferguson T. A. , Patel R. , Bhandari M. , Matta J. M.
Published: February 2010

Using a prospective database of 1309 displaced acetabular fractures gathered between 1980 and 2007, we calculated the annual mean age and annual incidence of elderly patients > 60 years of age presenting with these injuries. We compared the clinical details and patterns of fracture between patients > 60 years of age (study group) with those < 60 years (control group). We performed a detailed evaluation of the radiographs of the older group to determine the incidence of radiological characteristics which have been previously described as being associated with a poor patient outcome.

In all, 235 patients were > 60 years of age and the remaining 1074 were < 60 years. The incidence of elderly patients with acetabular fractures increased by 2.4-fold between the first half of the study period and the second half (10% (62) vs 24% (174), p < 0.001). Fractures characterised by displacement of the anterior column were significantly more common in the elderly compared with the younger patients (64% (150) vs 43% (462), respectively, p < 0.001). Common radiological features of the fractures in the study group included a separate quadrilateral-plate component (50.8% (58)) and roof impaction (40% (46)) in the anterior fractures, and comminution (44% (30)) and marginal impaction (38% (26)) in posterior-wall fractures.

The proportion of elderly patients presenting with acetabular fractures increased during the 27-year period. The older patients had a different distribution of fracture pattern than the younger patients, and often had radiological features which have been shown in other studies to be predictive of a poor outcome.
Orthopaedic aspects of paediatric non-accidental injury
Authors: Jayakumar P. , Barry M. , Ramachandran M.
Published: February 2010

Non-accidental injury (NAI) in children includes orthopaedic trauma throughout the skeleton. Fractures with soft-tissue injuries constitute the majority of manifestations of physical abuse in children. Fracture and injury patterns vary with age and development, and NAI is intrinsically related to the mobility of the child. No fracture in isolation is pathognomonic of NAI, but specific abuse-related injuries include multiple fractures, particularly at various stages of healing, metaphyseal corner and bucket-handle fractures and fractures of ribs. Isolated or multiple rib fractures, irrespective of location, have the highest specificity for NAI. Other fractures with a high specificity for abuse include those of the scapula, lateral end of the clavicle, vertebrae and complex skull fractures.

Injuries caused by NAI constitute a relatively small proportion of childhood fractures. They may be associated with significant physical and psychological morbidity, with wide- ranging effects from deviations in normal developmental progression to death.

Orthopaedic surgeons must systematically assess, recognise and act on the indicators for NAI in conjunction with the paediatric multidisciplinary team.
Perioperative Gene Expression Analysis for Prediction of Postoperative Sepsis
Authors: Hinrichs Carl , Kotsch Katja , Buchwald Sandra , Habicher Marit , Saak Nicole , Gerlach Herwig , Volk Hans-Dieter , Keh Didier
Published: February 2010

Background: Postoperative sepsis is one of the main causes of death after major abdominal surgery; however, the immunologic factors contributing to the development of sepsis are not completely understood. In this study, we evaluated gene expression in patients who developed postoperative sepsis and in patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course.

Methods: We enrolled 220 patients in a retrospective matched-pair, case–control pilot study to investigate the perioperative expression of 23 inflammation-related genes regarding their properties for predicting postoperative sepsis. Twenty patients exhibiting symptoms of sepsis in the first 14 days after surgery (case group) were matched with 20 control patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course. Matching criteria were sex, age, main diagnosis, type of surgery, and concomitant diseases. Blood samples were drawn before surgery and on the first and second postoperative days. Relative gene expression was analyzed with real-time reverse-transcription PCR.

Results: Significant differences (P < 0.005) in gene expression between the 2 groups were observed for IL1B (interleukin 1, beta), TNF [tumor necrosis factor (TNF superfamily, member 2)], CD3D [CD3d molecule, delta (CD3-TCR complex)], and PRF1 [perforin 1 (pore forming protein)]. Logistic regression analysis and a subsequent ROC curve analysis revealed that the combination of TNF, IL1B, and CD3D expression had a specificity and specificity of 90% and 85%, respectively, and predicted exclusion of postoperative sepsis with an estimated negative predictive value of 98.1%.

Conclusions: These data suggest that gene expression analysis may be an effective tool for differentiating patients at high and low risk for sepsis after abdominal surgery.
Soluble mesothelin related peptides (SMRP) and osteopontin as protein biomarkers for malignant mesothelioma: analytical validation of ELISA based assays and characterization at mRNA and protein levels
Authors: Rai Alex J. , Flores Raja M. , Mathew Anu , Gonzalez-Espinoza Rita , Bott Matthew , Ladanyi Marc , Rusch Valerie , Fleisher Martin
Published: February 2010

Background: There is a need to identify reliable markers for malignant mesothelioma. Soluble mesothelin related peptides (SMRP) and osteopontin (OPN) have gained interest in recent years for this purpose.

Methods: SMRP (Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc.) and OPN (R&D Inc.) ELISA methods were evaluated for multiple parameters. Concentrations were measured in blood from patients with mesothelioma, normal healthy volunteers, and patients with other (non-mesothelioma) cancers. In silico analysis was performed using the GeoProfiles database. At the protein level, SMRP and OPN were measured in cell culture supernatants, and values were compared in patients pre- and post-extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Results: The SMRP assay demonstrates intra-assay CVs of 2.3% and 3% (at 4.6 nM and 13.7 nM, respectively), and inter-assay CVs of 3.5% and 3.7% at the same concentrations. The limit of detection (LOD) is 0.182 nM. The OPN assay demonstrates intra-assay CVs of 5.8%, 4.1%, and 5.2% (at 1.9, 5.1, and 11.1 ng/mL, respectively), and inter-assay CVs of 8.5%, 8.4%, and 12.1% at the same concentrations. The LOD is 0.032 ng/mL. Both SMRP and OPN in mesothelioma patients were significantly higher than in patients with other (non-mesothelioma) cancer and in healthy volunteers. The two markers do not appear to correlate with each other and exhibit different tissue expression patterns. Protein concentrations of these markers are highest in different sets of cell lines. Finally, SMRP but not OPN concentrations were decreased in five of seven consecutive patients after extrapleural pneumonectomy, compared to their respective pre-operative values.

Conclusions: These assays provide reliable and reproducible quantitation of SMRP and OPN proteins. Both are increased in mesothelioma patients compared to non-mesothelioma controls. However, the two analytes do not correlate with each other and show distinct expression profiles and protein expression. Concentrations of SMRP but not OPN are decreased in post-surgical samples. Our results further characterize these markers, establish assay performance characteristics, and lay the groundwork for further studies to measure these markers in blood.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:271–8.
Genotyping mitochondrial DNA single nucleotide polymorphisms by PCR ligase detection reactions
Authors: Luo Yongjun , Tang Sha , Gao Wenxiang , Chen Li , Yang Xiaohong , Huang Taosheng , Gao Yuqi
Published: February 2010

Background: The identification of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variations, especially single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), is important for many applications. The PCR-ligase detection reaction (LDR) method can reduce false-positives and eliminate the need for both post-PCR and post-ligation purifications in SNP analyses. In addition, it has been successfully employed to detect point mutations in various nuclear genes. In this study, we used the PCR-LDR platform to characterize mtDNA SNPs.

Methods: Multiplex PCR-LDRs were used to genotype 19 mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphic sites from 812 samples. Performance of the method was assessed by direct sequencing of 44 samples.

Results: We established an overall 97.4% success rate with 99.2% accuracy using the multiplex PCR-LDR methodology.

Conclusions: The PCR-LDR mtDNA genotyping technique is simple, highly accurate, has high-throughput, and is cost-effective. Therefore, this method is applicable to mtDNA haplotyping in various applications.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:475–83.
Low expression of human β-defensin 1 in duodenum of celiac patients is partially restored by a gluten-free diet
Authors: Intrieri Mariano , Rinaldi Assunta , Scudiero Olga , Autiero Giovanni , Castaldo Giuseppe , Nardone Gerardo
Published: February 2010

Background: Human β-defensins (hBDs) are small cationic, widely expressed proteins involved in innate immunity that exert strong bactericidal activity toward various pathogens. However, the role of hBDs in various diseases to which bacterial infection add severity, as it is in celiac disease (CD), is not yet clear. We analyzed the expression of the hBD1, hBD2, hBD3 and hBD4 genes in patients with CD during the active phase and after remission following a gluten-free diet to determine their role in development and relapse of CD.

Methods: We studied 21 unrelated adults with CD (confirmed by anti-thyroglobulin antibodies and intestinal biopsy); 14 were evaluated at diagnosis, before diet modification, and seven after 2 years of a gluten-free diet. Thirty-six unrelated adults served as controls. We analyzed the mRNA expression of hBD1, 2, 3 and 4 on biopsy samples of duodenum obtained from all patients during endoscopy for diagnostic purposes. We used real-time polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan probes and obtained gene expression data using the delta-Ct method.

Results:
hBD1 mRNA was significantly lower in patients with active CD compared with patients on diet modification, whereas the mRNA levels of the other three defensins did not differ significantly between the two subgroups. Interestingly, the gluten-free diet restored only partially hBD1 expression as compared to a normal group of celiac-free subjects.

Conclusions: Our data reinforce the evidence that hBD1 expression is greatly reduced in the duodenum of patients with active CD. It also strengthens the concept that reduced activity of immune peptides may predispose individuals to bacterial proliferation that contributes to the pathogenesis of CD.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:489–92.
Disulfide isomerase glucose-regulated protein 58 is required for the nuclear localization and degradation of retinoic acid receptor α
Authors: Zhu Li , Santos Nadine C , Kim Kwan Hee
Published: February 2010

Retinoic acid receptor α (RARA) is critical for spermatogenesis, as shown by a sterility phenotype observed inRaraknockout mice. RARA is important in both Sertoli and germ cells of the testis. Here, we demonstrate that a disulfide isomerase glucose-regulated protein 58 (GRp58) participates in the nuclear import and degradation of RARA in Sertoli cells. GRp58 interacted with RARA in the presence of all-transretinoic acid (ATRA) ligand and, as a complex, it was translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and, then with time, GRp58 dissociated from RARA and was found in the cytoplasm. The GRp58 RNAi treatment disrupted ATRA-dependent RARA nuclear localization, indicating the requirement of GRp58 for RARA nuclear localization. Moreover, treatment with sulfhydryl-modifying agents that oxidize SH-groups of cysteine residues to disulfide bonds abolished ATRA-mediated RARA nuclear localization, suggesting that the thiol oxidoreductase activity of GRp58 may be required for RARA nuclear import. Additionally, the proteasome inhibitor treatment resulted in the co-localization of GRp58 and RARA at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting that GRp58 may bring RARA to the ER for the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of RARA before it is de-coupled from RARA for recycling. In this regard, proteasome inhibitor treatment also increased the interaction of RARA with UBE2J2, an ERAD-associated ubiquitin E2 enzyme. Collectively, the results indicate that GRp58 may act as a molecular chaperone that alters the protein conformation of RARA for its delivery to the nucleus and, then with time, accompanies RARA to the ER for RARA ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated ERAD.
Uso de vinhaça de alambique e nitrogênio em cana-de-açúcar irrigada e não irrigada
Authors: Oliveira Ednaldo Liberato de , Andrade Luiz Antônio de Bastos , Faria Manoel Alves de , Evangelista Adão Wagner Pêgo , Morais Augusto Ramalho de
Published: February 2010

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação de vinhaça de alambique, com e sem complementação nitrogenada, em cana-de-açúcar irrigada e não irrigada. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 4x2, com três repetições. Os tratamentos corresponderam à aplicação de quatro doses de vinhaça de alambique (0, 100, 150 e 200 m³ ha-1) e duas doses de adubação nitrogenada (0 e 60 kg ha-1 de N). As doses estimadas de 142 e 174 m³ ha-1 de vinhaça de alambique proporcionaram as maiores produtividades de colmos para a cana de terceiro corte com e sem irrigação, respectivamente. Na cana de quarto corte, tanto na área com irrigação quanto na sem irrigação houve aumento na produtividade de colmo com o aumento na dose de vinhaça. O conteúdo da fibra da cana foi reduzido com o aumento das doses de vinhaça. Há necessidade da aplicação de nitrogênio em áreas de aplicação de vinhaça com ou sem irrigação. O aumento na produtividade final de colmo com irrigação foi de 15% no terceiro corte e de 24% no quarto corte, sendo tecnicamente viável o uso da irrigação em cana soca.
Germinação de sementes de castanheira-do-pará armazenadas em areia úmida
Authors: Silva Antonio Nobre da , Coelho Maria de Fatima Barbosa , Guimarães Sebastião Carneiro , Albuquerque Maria Cristina de Figueiredo e
Published: February 2010

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do armazenamento em areia úmida e do pré-tratamento com ácido giberélico na germinação das sementes de castanheira-do-pará. Foram realizados dois experimentos em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com cinco repetições; o primeiro em viveiro, em arranjo fatorial 4x2, com quatro períodos de armazenamento em areia úmida (0, 90, 120 e 180 dias) e duas concentrações de ácido giberélico (0 e 600 mg L-1); o segundo em câmara BOD, em arranjo fatorial 3x2x2: três procedências de sementes, dois substratos - vermiculita e rolo de papel -, e duas concentrações de ácido giberélico - 0 e 600 mg L-1. No primeiro experimento, o armazenamento em areia úmida manteve a viabilidade das sementes, que tiveram de 55 a 64% de germinação, enquanto o ácido giberélico reduziu a germinação de 82 para 36%. No segundo, essa redução foi de 98 para 62,5% e não houve diferença significativa entre procedências e substratos. O tratamento das amêndoas com ácido giberélico prejudicou o processo germinativo e causou perdas por deterioração. O armazenamento em areia úmida mantém a viabilidade das sementes de castanheira-do-pará e permite o desenvolvimento do embrião.
Diversidade bacteriana da rizosfera de genótipos de milho contrastantes na eficiência de uso de fósforo
Authors: Oliveira Christiane Abreu de , Marriel Ivanildo Evódio , Gomes Eliane Aparecida , Lana Ubiraci Gomes de Paula , Scotti Maria Rita , Alves Vera Maria Carvalho
Published: February 2010

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a diversidade funcional e genética de bactérias associadas à rizosfera de genótipos de milho contrastantes quanto à eficiência de uso de fósforo, por meio do teste de fontes de carbono no sistema EcoPlate e da eletroforese em gel de gradiente desnaturante (DGGE) dos fragmentos amplificados dos genes 16S ribossomais (rDNA) das bactérias. Foram coletadas amostras de solo da rizosfera de linhagens e híbridos contrastantes quanto à eficiência de uso de fósforo, cultivados em Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro fase cerrado, com baixo e alto teor de P. Bactérias da rizosfera de híbridos e linhagens eficientes, sob estresse de P, analisadas pelo sistema EcoPlate, tenderam a se agrupar conforme a análise de componentes principais, o que indica que utilizaram fontes de carbono semelhantes. Não houve diferença na diversidade bacteriana, analisada pela DGGE, entre bactérias associadas a genótipos eficientes e ineficientes no uso de P. Com base no sequenciamento do 16S rDNA, foi verificado que a rizosfera de genótipos de milho sob estresse de P parece selecionar grupos específicos de bactérias. A estrutura populacional genética e metabólica de bactérias da rizosfera foi mais influenciada pelo teor de fósforo no solo do que pela eficiência das plantas em usar o fósforo.