bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adhesion Molecule LFA-1/ICAM-1 Influences on LPS-induced Megakaryocytic Emperipolesis in the Rat Bone Marrow
Authors: Tanaka M. , Aze Y. , Fujita T.
Published: January 2010

To investigate the effect of adhesion molecules on the occurrence of megakaryocytic emperipolesis of neutrophils, we examined the expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in the bone marrow of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats (experiment I) and the occurrence of megakaryocytic emperipolesis in anti-LFA-1 antibody-treated rats (experiment II). In experiment I, rats were injected with LPS intravenously at a daily dose of 0.5 mg/kg for 3 days. ICAM-1 was intensely stained on megakaryocytes in LPS-treated rats, as detected by flow cytometric analysis. ICAM-1 was immunostained in the megakaryocytes showing emperipolesis. LFA-1 was immunostained in the neutrophils engulfed by megakaryocytes. In experiment II, rats received anti-LFA-1 antibody intravenously at a single dose of 3 mg/kg. One hour after treatment, rats were given LPS intravenously at a single dose of 0.5 mg/kg. The incidence of megakaryocytic emperipolesis was markedly lower in the anti-LFA-1 antibody + LPS group than in the LPS alone group. These findings suggest that the occurrence of megakaryocytic emperipolesis is partly dependent on adhesion molecules via LFA-1/ICAM-1.
Lysosomal Storage Diseases of Animals: An Essay in Comparative Pathology
Authors: Jolly R. D. , Walkley S. U.
Published: January 2010

A wide variety of inherited lysosomal hydrolase deficiencies have been reported in animals and are characterized by accumulation of sphingolipids, glycolipids, oligosaccharides, or mucopolysaccharides within lysosomes. Inhibitors of a lysosomal hydrolase, e.g., swainsonine, may also induce storage disease. Another group of lysosomal storage diseases, the ceroid-lipofuscinoses, involve the accumulation of hydrophobic proteins, but their pathogenesis is unclear. Some of these diseases are of veterinary importance, and those caused by a hydrolase deficiency can be controlled by detection of heterozygotes through the gene dosage phenomenon or by molecular genetic techniques. Other of these diseases are important to biomedical research either as models of the analogous human disease and/or through their ability to help elucidate specific aspects of cell biology. Some of these models have been used to explore possible therapeutic strategies and to define their limitations and expectations.
Systemic AA Amyloidosis in Captive Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
Authors: Papendick R. E. , Munson L. , O'Brien T. D. , Johnson K. H.
Published: January 2010

Ongoing disease surveillance of necropsied captive cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus) ( n = 141) revealed a high prevalence of renal amyloidosis ( n = 54 [38%]; age 1 to 16 years). The prevalence increased from 20% in pre-1990 necropsies to 70% of cheetahs necropsied in 1995. In 74% of the cheetahs with amyloidosis, renal failure was determined to be the sole or partial cause of death. Papillary necrosis was seen only in affected cheetahs and involved 25% of these animals. Amyloid was present predominantly in the medullary interstitium, with minimal glomerular involvement. The amyloid deposits were immunohistochemically identified as AA type using antisera to both human and canine protein AA. A high percentage (52%) of animals with renal amyloid also had subsinusoidal hepatic AA amyloid deposits. Inflammatory diseases were identified in 100% of affected cheetahs. The most common inflammatory disease was chronic lymphoplasmacytic gastritis. The prevalence and severity of gastritis was higher in cheetahs with amyloidosis, and the prevalence of severe gastritis increased from 16% to 43%, coinciding with the increase in prevalence of amyloidosis. These findings suggest that cheetahs have a high prevalence of systemic amyloidosis in response to inflammation and that renal amyloidosis is an increasingly significant cause of morbidity and mortality in captive cheetah populations. Factors of potential importance in the apparent high prevalence of AA amyloidosis in cheetahs are currently being investigated in our laboratories.
Pathobiology of H5N2 Mexican Avian Influenza Virus Infections of Chickens
Authors: Swayne D. E.
Published: January 2010

To determine the association between specific structural changes in the hemagglutinin gene and pathogenicity of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), groups of 4-week-old White Plymouth Rock chickens were inoculated intravenously or intranasally with AIVs of varying pathogenicities isolated from chickens in central Mexico during 1994-1995. Mildly pathogenic (MP) viruses had a common hemagglutinin-connecting peptide sequence of Pro-Gln-Arg-Glu-Thr-Arg↓Gly and had restricted capability for replication and production of lesions in tissues. The principle targets for virus replication or lesion production were the lungs, lymphoid organs, and visceral organs containing epithelial cells, such as kidney and pancreas. Death was associated with respiratory and/or renal failure. By contrast, highly pathogenic (HP) AIVs had one substitution and the addition of two basic amino acids in the hemagglutinin connecting peptide, for a sequence of Pro-Gln-Arg-Lys-Arg-Lys-Thr-Arg↓Gly. The HP AIVs were pantropic in virus replication and lesion production ability. However, the most severe histologic lesions were produced in the brain, heart, adrenal glands, and pancreas, and failure of multiple critical organs was responsible for disease pathogenesis and death. No differences in lesion distribution patterns or in sites of AIV replication were evident to explain the variation in mortality rates for different HP AIVs, but HP AIVs that produced the highest mortality rates had more severe necrosis in heart and pancreas. The ability of individual HP AIVs to produce low or high mortality rates could not be explained by changes in sequence of the hemagglutinin-connecting peptide alone, but probably required the addition of other undetermined genomic changes.
Immunohistochemical Demonstration of African Horse Sickness Viral Antigen in Formalin-fixed Equine Tissues
Authors: Wohlsein P. , Pohlenz J. F. , Davidson F. L. , Salt J. S. , Hamblin C.
Published: January 2010

The distribution of viral antigen was studied in various tissues of three ponies, aged 3-4 years, infected experimentally with a virulent strain of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) serotype 4. Tissues were collected from the animals in the terminal stage of the peracute form of the disease and from one noninfected horse, included as a control. A polyclonal antibody with specificity for AHSV, plus the nonstructural protein NS2, was used in a sensitive avidin–biotin–peroxidase-complex (ABC) method performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. AHSV antigen was located primarily in endothelial cells of capillaries and small venous and arteriolar vessels, particularly of cardiopulmonary tissues. Viral antigen was also identified in cells resembling macrophages and in reticular cells of spleen and lymph nodes. The pattern of viral antigen labeling in some lymph nodes along the mantle zone of lymphoid follicles was compatible with the morphology of cellular processes of follicular dendritic cells. In some tissues, viral antigen was detected occasionally in circulating cells, probably monocytes, within the larger vessels. These findings suggest that endothelial cells, and to a lesser extent mononuclear cells, are the main target cells of AHSV infection during the late stage of the peracute form of the disease.
Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Expression in Dextran Sodium Sulfate-induced Colitis in Rats
Authors: Breider M. A. , Eppinger M. , Gough A.
Published: January 2010

Orally administered dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) produces an acute colitis in rodents. The pathogenesis is unknown but may relate to DSS-mediated toxicity of colonic crypt epithelium and/or DSS-induced inflammation. The purpose of this study was to determine when colonic mucosal inflammation, as indicated by histopathology and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression, occurs relative to crypt epithelial damage. Groups of eight adult male Wistar rats were administered 5.0% DSS solution in the drinking water for 2-6 days. Clinical signs at 3 days consisted of loose stool, progressing to marked rectal hemorrhage by days 5 and 6 that correlated with marked intraluminal colonic hemorrhage at necropsy. Histological lesions of predominantly the distal colon consisted of multifocal areas of mucosal erosion, reduction in goblet cells, dilated crypts, crypt collapse, increased lamina propria neutrophils, and submucosal edema on days 2 and 3, progressing to locally extensive ulceration and marked mixed inflammatory infiltrates by days 4-6. Enhanced expression of ICAM-1, demonstrated by both immunohistochemical and northern blot analysis, was evident in colonic mucosa as early as day 2, with consistent increases through days 3-6. Results demonstrate that enhanced colonic mucosal endothelial cell ICAM-1 expression is an early event in the inflammatory cascade of DSS-induced colitis.
Lesions of Aryl-hydrocarbon Receptor–deficient Mice
Authors: Fernandez-Salguero P. M. , Ward J. M. , Sundberg J. P. , Gonzalez F. J.
Published: January 2010

We have analyzed the possible role of the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in the aging process of mice using a homozygous null mouse (Ahr-/-) line as a model. We studied 52 male and female Ahr-/- mice aged from 6-13 months. Forty-six percent died or were ill by 13 months of age. Ahr-/- mice developed age-related lesions in several organs, some of which were apparent after only 9 months of age. Cardiovascular alterations included cardiomyopathy (100%) with hypertrophy and focal fibrosis. Vascular hypertrophy and mild fibrosis were found in the portal areas of the liver (81%), and vascular hypertrophy and mineralization were common in the uterus (70%). Gastric hyperplasia that progressed with age into polyps was evident in the pylorus of 71% of the mice over 9 months of age. Ahr-/- mice had T-cell deficiency in their spleens but not in other lymphoid organs. The immune system deficiency described previously could be the origin for the rectal prolapse found in 48% of the null mice, associated with Helicobacter hepaticus infection. In the dorsal skin (53% incidence), severe, localized, interfollicular and follicular epidermal hyperplasia, with hyperkeratosis and acanthosis, and marked dermal fibrosis, associated with the presence of anagenic hair follicles, were also evident. None of these lesions were found in 42 control (Ahr +/+ or +/-) mice of similar ages. These observations suggest that the AHR protein, in the absence of an apparent exogenous (xenobiotic) ligand, plays an important role in physiology and homeostasis in major organs in mice, and further supports an evolutionary conserved role for this transcription factor.
S-100 Immunoreactivity in Melanomas of Two Marsupials, a Bird, and a Reptile
Authors: Kusewitt D. F. , Reece R. L. , Miska K. B.
Published: January 2010

S-100 proteins are abundant in melanocytes of the skin; thus, S-100 immunoreactivity has been used as a diagnostic criterion for melanoma in humans and other placental mammals. We tested cutaneous melanomas of two marsupials, a bird, and a snake for S-100 immunoreactivity, using a polyclonal rabbit antibovine S-100 antibody. The tumor from a Tasmanian Pademelon ( Thylogale billardierii) was composed of large epithelioid cells, most of which had S-100–positive cytoplasm. In general, there were only scattered individual spindle-shaped S-100–positive cells or groups of cells in the primary mass from a Spotted-tailed Quoll ( Dasyurus maculates); S-100 staining was primarily nuclear. Cells comprising the melanomas of the Australian Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo) and the Death Adder ( Acanthophis antarcticus) were S-100–negative, although peripheral nerve bundles in both were S-100–positive.
Botryoid-type Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma of Liver in a Young Cat
Authors: Minkus G. , Hillemanns M.
Published: January 2010

An unusual malignant mesenchymal tumor arising in the liver of a 2-year-old cat is described. Histologically, the tumor showed considerable variation in growth pattern, cellularity, and cell types. Phenotypical diversity was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, showing expression of desmin, vimentin, S-100, and neuron-specific enolase in various areas of the tumor. On the basis of histopathology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and gross morphology, the tumor was classified as botryoid-type embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Differential diagnosis included so-called undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver, a rare tumor of the pediatric age group in humans. Problems of tumor heterogeneity and differentiation in mesenchymal tumors are discussed.
Primary Encephalic Plasma Cell Tumor in a Dog
Authors: Sheppard B. J. , Chrisman C. L. , Newell S. M. , Raskin R. E. , Homer B. L.
Published: January 2010

A 5-year-old female spayed Spitz dog had a 5-week history of right head tilt, seizures, and progressive quadriplegia. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid revealed 27,600 white blood cells per microliter with 63% mononuclear phagocytes, 27% lymphocytes, 6% neutrophils, 3% plasmacytoid cells, and 1% eosinophils, and over 2000 mg/dl protein. On contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images, a focal 1-cm oval lesion was identified in the right ventral brainstem. There was also marked contrast enhancement of the meninges in the following areas: surrounding the brainstem, outlining cerebellar folia, along the ventral floor of the brain and extending to the falx cerebri, and partially outlining the left frontal lobe. At necropsy, the areas of contrast enhancement corresponded to the presence of compact cellular sheets of pleomorphic, anisocytotic, oval to polygonal neoplastic cells with plasmacytoid differentiation. The smaller of these plasmacytoid cells stained predominantly for cytoplasmic immunoglobulin A using immunoperoxidase methodology. Ultrastructurally, the neoplastic cells had morphologic features typical of plasma cells, with large amounts of predominantly rough endoplasmic reticulum with variably prominent Golgi formation. This is the first report of a canine primary intracranial malignant plasma cell tumor.
Pathologic and Prognostic Characteristics of Splenomegaly in Dogs Due to Fibrohistiocytic Nodules: 98 Cases
Authors: Spangler W. L. , Kass P. H.
Published: January 2010

Ninety-eight canine splenectomy specimens consisting of combined nodular lymphoid and fibrohistiocytic cell proliferation were evaluated for seven light microscopic characteristics. Electron microscopic features in eight primary and two metastatic nodules (liver) were also evaluated. Nodular fibrohistiocytic proliferation in the canine spleen is characterized by a mixed population of histiocytoid and/or spindle cells in varying proportions intermixed with hematopoietic elements, plasma cells, and/or lymphocytes. These nodules seem to form a continuum between splenic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia and malignant splenic stromal neoplasms (malignant fibrous histiocytoma). Immunohistochemical methods used on 32/98 specimens showed uniform and strong positive staining among fibrohistiocytic cells for vimentin and desmin; S100 protein was similarly stained in general abundance. Individual cells strongly stained with smooth muscle actin were sparse but widely distributed. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen was not useful in the subjective differentiation of nodules taken from dogs that died of spleen-related causes and those surviving 12 months following splenectomy. A spectrum of cell types were observed by electron microscopy within each nodule. Fibroblasts, macrophages, intermediate fibrohistiocytic types, and several forms of splenic reticular cells were present. There were no consistent alterations in hematology or serum chemistry profiles of these dogs to provide useful diagnostic/prognostic information. Among the 93/98 dogs with complete (12 month) follow-up information, 48% (45/93) were alive and 52% (48/93) were dead. Dogs that died or were euthanatized during the follow-up period had a median survival of 5 and 5.5 months, respectively (range 0-15 months). Forty-four percent (21/48) died from causes linked to their splenic disease, and 35% (17/48) died from competing causes. The cause of death in 21% (10/48) was unknown. Lymphoid: fibrohistiocytic proportion and mitotic index in the nodules were anatomic features most predictive of postsplenectomy mortality. A higher proportion of lymphoid to fibrohistiocytic type cells was associated with increased long-term survival, whereas lower lymphoid: fibrohistiocytic proportions and higher mitotic index indicated a probability of higher short-term mortality.
Immunohistochemical Diagnosis of a Merkel Cell Tumor in a Dog
Authors: Konno A. , Nagata M. , Nanko H.
Published: January 2010

We examined the clinical and immunohistochemical features of a Merkel (neuroendocrine) cell tumor on the skin between the eyes of a 12-year-old male Yorkshire Terrier dog. The tumor was characterized by locally expansive dermal nodules composed of solid nests or clusters of epithelioid cells surrounded by fine fibrous stroma. Basal cell epithelioma, Merkel cell tumor, and extramedullary plasmacytoma were also considered as diagnoses. Because the cytoplasm of the tumor cells stained positively for cytokeratin and chromogranin A but not for immunoglobulins, the tumor was diagnosed as a Merkel cell tumor. An electron-microscopic study of a tissue specimen revealed electron-dense granules approximately 200 nm in diameter. These granules were irregularly dispersed throughout the cytoplasm of the tumor cells, which would be expected in neuroendocrine cells. Twelve months after resection, a 0.8-cm-diameter tumor recurred at the original site. However, further follow-up of 22 months revealed no evidence of additional tumor growth, invasion, or metastasis, so we concluded that this tumor was benign.
Multiple Persistent Vitelline Duct Cysts in a Dog
Authors: Frazier K. S. , Liggett A. L. , Styer E. L. , Hines M. E. , Hullinger G. A.
Published: January 2010

Persistent vitelline duct remnants, with the exception of Meckel's diverticulum in pigs and horses, are rare in animals. During an ovariohysterectomy of an 8-month-old Labrador Retriever, multiple fibrous nodules with cystic centers were found attached to the ileal serosa and in a mesodiverticular band attached to the abdominal wall. Histologic and ultrastructural evaluation revealed that the cysts were composed of well-differentiated intestine with mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis layers surrounded by a thick layer of fibrous connective tissue. The morphology and arrangement of lesions were consistent with multiple persistent vitelline duct cysts, a distinct condition related to Meckel's diverticulum. This case in a dog represents a unique presentation of this congenital anomaly in domestic animals.
An Empirical Comparison of a Low-Deductible Health Plan With an HSA-Qualified Plan
Authors: Athavale Manoj , Avila Stephen M. , Gatzlaff Kevin M.
Published: January 2010

The desire to control health care expenses has led to the increasing adoption of consumer-driven health plans. One such choice is between traditional low-deductible and health savings account (HSA)—qualified high deductible health plans. In this analysis the authors forecast medical expenses over a 40-year period to compare financial outcomes associated with each plan. Using realistic plan parameters and assumptions, the authors find that the HSA-qualified plan outperformed the traditional plan in 21 of 24 simulations. The framework provided in this article will assist employee benefits professionals in structuring appropriate plans and will assist employees in making appropriate health plan choices.
The Sensitivity and Specificity of Cognitive Screening Instruments to Detect Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults With Severe Psychiatric Illness
Authors: Mackin R. Scott , Ayalon Liat , Feliciano Leilani , Areán Patricia A.
Published: January 2010

Background: Older adults with severe psychiatric illness are often treated at community mental health centers (CMHCs) and these individuals commonly have numerous risk factors for cognitive impairment (CI). Brief cognitive screening instruments are frequently used to evaluate cognitive functioning in CMHCs, but the validity of these measures for detecting CI has not been adequately evaluated in this patient population. Objectives: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of 2 cognitive screening measures (the Mini-Mental Status Examination [MMSE] and the Stroop Color and Word Test [SCWT]) for detecting CI in a sample of older adults with severe psychiatric illness. Methods: Data were collected from 52 older adults receiving services at a CMHC. Diagnosis of CI was made by a neuropsychologist. Sensitivity and specificity coefficients for 2 cutoff scores for the MMSE and the SCWT were calculated. Results: A cutoff score of 25 on the MMSE yielded a sensitivity of 43.3% and a specificity of 90.4% for detecting CI, whereas a cutoff score of 21 yielded sensitivity of 13.1% and 100% specificity. Using an age- and education-corrected scaled score (SS) on the SCWT falling at or below 7 as the criterion the SCWT had 88.8% sensitivity and 36.8% specificity, whereas a cutoff score of 5 or below yielded sensitivity of 59.2% and specificity of 57.8%. Conclusions: Overall, the MMSE was found to be the more clinically useful cognitive screening tool for use in CMHC. Yet, because of the poor sensitivity of the MMSE for detecting CI in this patient population, alternative screening methods should be explored.
Sleep Disturbances in Parkinson Disease and Their Potential Role in Heterogeneity
Authors: Gunn David G. , Naismith Sharon L. , Lewis Simon J. G.
Published: January 2010

Parkinson disease (PD) is commonly conceptualized as a movement disorder. Most previous attempts to define the heterogeneity of the condition have used prospective methods based on arbitrary features such as motor symptoms or age of disease onset. However, nonmotor symptoms including neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric, and behavioral impairments have received less attention. Sleep disturbances are extremely common in PD and appear to be associated with cognitive and psychiatric problems. Recent research has begun to elucidate the links between these variables, but the origin and extent of these relationships are not clearly understood. This review outlines the importance of sleep for healthy cognition and mood, highlighting the possible implications that disturbed sleep may have with regard to patients with PD. It also emphasizes the need for further studies that explore the heterogeneity of all disease features in PD.
Consolidating the public accountancy profession: The case of the proposed Institute of Chartered Accountants of Great Britain, 1988—9
Authors: Lee Thomas A.
Published: January 2010

This article examines a 1988 proposal to consolidate the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) into the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Great Britain (ICAGB). During the debate on the proposal, it became clear it was associated with the viability of the ICAS and the self-interest of the largest training firms. The proposal failed in 1989 when it was accepted by ICAEW members but rejected by ICAS members. The first objective of this article is the detailed reporting of the ICAGB proposal to provide a historical record. The second objective is an analysis of the proposal to identify significant themes relevant to the history of professionalization in accountancy. These themes include managing a professional project, the influence of the state, the role of large firms, detached leadership, the role of individuals, associational brand names, and balancing commercialization with professionalization.
From Monkey Alarm Calls to Human Language: How Simulations Can Fill the Gap
Authors: Noble Jason , de Ruiter J.P. , Arnold Kate
Published: January 2010

Observations of alarm calling behavior in putty-nosed monkeys are suggestive of a link with human language evolution. However, as is often the case in studies of animal behavior and cognition, competing theories are underdetermined by the available data. We argue that computational modeling, and in particular the use of individual-based simulations, is an effective way to reduce the size of the pool of candidate explanations. Simulation achieves this both through the classification of evolutionary trajectories as either plausible or implausible, and by putting lower bounds on the cognitive complexity required to perform particular behaviors. A case is made for using both of these strategies to understand the extent to which the alarm calls of putty-nosed monkeys are likely to be a good model for human language evolution.
Parable of the Bonfire of the Sanities
Authors: Holding Cory
Published: January 2010

This fictional account follows a spark loosed in a suburb of Pittsburgh to downtown and the river (probably the Allegheny). Led by a hyperwhite Jesus who joins the fire fanning until the heat is loosed on him, the cast and this performance implore tough questions stand to be asked, like, Why do people tell racist jokes? What are some of the many works of laughter? And what are your options, as listener, for dousing the flame?
Speak Truth and Shame the Devil: An Ethnodrama in Response to Racism in the Academy
Authors: Ward Randolph Adah , Weems Mary E.
Published: January 2010

This ethnodrama examines how two African American women experience racism in the academe. Both scholars examine the social/political context of racism in higher education and its manifestation in institutional practices. Both authors seek to “speak truth and shame the devil” by examining institutional responses to the racism they encounter in their courses. The authors conclude by sharing how educational leaders, particularly chairs, deans, and other academics can address racism institutionally.
Flirting with space: thinking landscape relationally
Authors: Crouch David
Published: January 2010

For over a decade landscape has been exemplary of the critical debates between representational and so-called non-representational theories affecting cultural geographies. At the same time discussions concerning mobility contest the familiar emphasis upon the habitual and situated character of landscape and its role in the work of representations.This article offers a contribution to the growing awareness of a need to try and engage these debates surrounding landscape across geographical, anthropological, cultural and art theory amongst others. It considers different debates on landscape through the notion of spacing particularly in terms of how we understand artwork and representation, insistently in comparison with wider kinds of practice. Landscape is considered as the expressive-poetics of spacing in a way that makes possible a dynamic relationality between representations and practices both situated and mobile.
Representing nature: art and climate change
Authors: Miles Malcolm
Published: January 2010

Climate change is now an established scientific fact, and dealing with it may require significant shifts in consumption and economic organization. A key question is how these changes can be achieved, by regulation or shifts of consciousness on the parts of individuals. Among the means by which a shift of awareness might occur is cultural work — including the production and reception of art and literature. But does art which represents climate change distance or normalize the problem, or can new kinds of art construct new ways in which to see or intervene in the conditions and systems which produce global warming? The article considers recent exhibitions of art dealing with environmental and climate change issues in the UK and USA. Before that, the article summarizes aspects of recent relevant work on art by geographers. Looking at cases of environmentalist art, the article initially differentiates art representing climate change in dramatic images from an emerging tendency to practical intervention. It argues that art may contribute to a shift in attitudes, but wonders whether intervention-as-art is in its way another form of representation, and whether art inevitably distances whatever problems it addresses. This is an insoluble difficulty: the real is always mediated and distanced in culture, yet art may still draw attention to conditions and to the inherent contradictions they contain.
The contemporary dérive: a partial review of issues concerning the contemporary practice of psychogeography
Authors: Smith Phil
Published: January 2010

This article assesses aspects of the troubled and disputed practice of the dérive some half a century after its Lettriste inception. Rather than seeking to draw a ‘virtuous’ layer from the multiplicity of practices presently grouped around the category of ‘derive’, the article identifies generative properties in their contradictions and variegated connections. Particular attention is given to the spatial question, to the politics of the everyday and ‘anywhere’, to the limitations of aesthetic and occult psychogeographies — suggesting their dispersed and hybrid redeployment — and to the dérive as a socialized rather than individual practice. The article addresses the relationship of the dérive to relational aesthetic practices as a means to renew a connection with a critique of the spectacle, with the distributive trajectories of labour and capital, and with the creation of ‘situations’ in a society that has, for some time, accommodated them.
Nanay (Mother): a testimonial play
Authors: Johnston Caleb , Pratt Geraldine
Published: January 2010

We present here fragments from a script that we co-wrote, a testimonial play entitled Nanay. The play draws on research that Pratt has done over the last 15 years on Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) in collaboration with the Philippine Women Center of BC (PWC of BC). It takes conventional research materials and turns them into a performance installation, with the objective of bringing academic research to a wider public in an immediate, engaging way. It is designed to get people to care and think more deeply about the LCP, and to initiate a public conversation about the massive expansion in this program over the last decade, and of temporary migrant worker programs more generally.
Comparison of conventional and accelerated lifetime testing of fluorescent lamps
Authors: Rosillo FG , Martín N. , Egido MA
Published: January 2010

Based on experimental data published by others, this paper examines the veracity of an expression relating the lifetime of fluorescent lamps, with ballasts to factors that contribute to electrode degradation, using different on and off times in the durability tests. Further, the relationship between conventional and accelerated durability tests characterised by different fluorescent lamp continuous operation and off times are analysed, revealing that the accelerated tests are not always shorter. Finally, based on experimental measurements of the parameters that determine lamp lifetime, the effect of applying accelerated testing to a set of lamps that had previously been subjected to a conventional durability test is analysed.
Sources of Economic News and Economic Expectations
Authors: Goidel Kirby , Procopio Stephen , Terrell Dek , Wu H. Denis
Published: January 2010

This article considers the process by which local economic news coverage influences individual evaluations of the economy. We improve on prior research by capturing a wider range of news sources (including national network news, national newspapers, local television news, and local newspapers) and connecting the effects of this coverage on individual level attitudes. We find that current personal financial evaluations, personal financial expectations, and short-term (12-month) expectations for the U.S. economy are related to national network coverage. Local television coverage of the economy is related to personal financial evaluations but not short-term economic expectations and local print news is important in structuring expectations of future business conditions. Overall, the findings illustrate important differences in economic coverage across media outlets and the effects of these differences on economic expectations. Exposure to different sources of economic information have significantly different effects on economic perceptions—suggesting a more complicated and nuanced role for the news media in shaping economic perceptions than indicated by previous research.
Improving the Accuracy of a Direct Route Screening Process
Authors: Johnson Evelyn S. , Jenkins Joseph R. , Petscher Yaacov
Published: January 2010

In a response-to-intervention framework, schools typically employ a direct route approach to screening, in which students identified as at risk by a screening process are directly placed into intervention. Direct route approaches require screening decisions to be highly accurate, but few studies examining the predictive validity of reading measures report achieving recommendations for classification accuracy. In this study, two approaches to improving the classification accuracy of predictors of Grade 3 reading performance are compared. Findings indicate that the reliance on single screening measures do not result in high levels of classification accuracy. Classification accuracy improved by 2% when a combination of measures was employed and by 6% when a predicted probability risk index was used. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Reliability of a Classification of Fractures of the Hand Based On the AO Comprehensive Classification System
Authors: Szwebel J.-D. , Ehlinger V. , Pinsolle V. , Bruneteau P. , Pélissier P. , Salmi L.-R.
Published: January 2010

The AO/ASIF Comprehensive Classification of Fractures is a logical system to describe and compare long-bone fractures. We adapted this classification to the hand to classify fractures of the metacarpals and phalanges. The alphanumeric sequence codes the bone involved, the bone segment, and the fracture type. To assess the reliability of this classification, one hundred radiographs of hand fractures were classified by nine observers in four sessions. Using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, overall inter-observer agreement was 0.93 for bone identification, 0.80 for bone segment, and 0.44 for fracture type. Corresponding intra-observer agreement was 0.94, 0.92 and 0.62 respectively.
Review: Evaluation and management of dyspepsia
Authors: Harmon R. Christopher , Peura David A.
Published: January 2010

Dyspepsia is a common clinical problem seen by both primary care physicians and gastroenterologists. Initial evaluation should focus on the identification and treatment of potential causes of symptoms such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, and medication side effects but also on recognizing those at risk for more serious conditions such as gastric cancer. This manuscript discusses the evaluation and management of dyspepsia including the role of proton-pump inhibitors, treatment of Helicobacter pylori, and endoscopy. Finally, treatment of refractory functional dyspepsia is addressed.
Therapy of B-cell malignancies by anti–HLA-DR humanized monoclonal antibody, IMMU-114, is mediated through hyperactivation of ERK and JNK MAP kinase signaling pathways
Authors: Stein Rhona , Gupta Pankaj , Chen Xiaochuan , Cardillo Thomas M. , Furman Richard R. , Chen Susan , Chang Chien-Hsing , Goldenberg David M.
Published: January 2010

A humanized IgG4 anti–HLA-DR monoclonal antibody (IMMU-114), engineered to avoid side effects associated with complement activation, was examined for binding and cytotoxicity on leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma cell lines and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patient specimens, followed by evaluation of the effects of IMMU-114 on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways. HLA-DR was expressed on the majority of these cells at markedly higher levels than CD20, CD22, and CD74. IMMU-114 was toxic to mantle cell lymphoma, CLL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (including rituximab-resistant), and multiple myeloma cell lines, and also patient CLL cells. IMMU-114 induced disease-free survival in tumor-bearing SCID mice with early-stage disease and in models that are relatively resistant to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Despite positive staining, acute myelogenous leukemic cells were not killed by IMMU-114. The ability of IMMU-114 to induce activation of ERK and JNK signaling correlated with cytotoxicity and differentiates the mechanism of action of IMMU-114 from monoclonal antibodies against CD20 and CD74. Thus, antigen expression is not sufficient for cytotoxicity; antibody-induced hyperactivation of ERK and JNK mitogen activated protein kinase signaling pathways are also required.
Growth inhibition of androgen-responsive prostate cancer cells with brefeldin A targeting cell cycle and androgen receptor
Authors: Rajamahanty Srinivas , Alonzo Catherine , Aynehchi Shahrad , Choudhury Muhammad , Konno Sensuke
Published: January 2010

Background

Androgen ablation is one of the viable therapeutic options for patients with primary hormone (androgen)-dependent prostate cancer. However, an antibiotic brefeldin A (BFA) has been shown to exhibit the growth inhibitory effect on human cancer cells. We thus investigated if BFA might inhibit proliferation of androgen-responsive prostate cancer LNCaP cells and also explored how it would be carried out, focusing on cell cycle and androgen receptor (AR).

Methods

Androgen-mediated cellular events in LNCaP cells were induced using 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) as an androgenic mediator. Effects of BFA on non-DHT-stimulated or DHT-stimulated cell growth were assessed. Its growth inhibitory mechanism(s) was further explored; performing cell cycle analysis on a flow cytometer, assessing AR activity by AR binding assay, and analyzing AR protein expression using Western blot analysis.

Results

DHT (1 nM) was capable of stimulating LNCaP cell growth by ~40% greater than non-stimulated controls, whereas BFA (30 ng/ml) completely inhibited such DHT-stimulated proliferation. Cell cycle analysis showed that this BFA-induced growth inhibition was associated with a ~75% reduction in the cell number in the S phase and a concomitant increase in the G1 cell number, indicating a G1 cell cycle arrest. This was further confirmed by the modulations of specific cell cycle regulators (CDK2, CDK4, cyclin D1, and p21WAF1), revealed by Western blots. In addition, the growth inhibition induced by BFA was accompanied by a profound (~90%) loss in AR activity, which would be presumably attributed to the significantly reduced cellular AR protein level.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that BFA has a potent growth inhibitory activity, capable of completely inhibiting DHT (androgen)-stimulated LNCaP proliferation. Such inhibitory action of BFA appears to target cell cycle and AR: BFA led to a G1 cell cycle arrest and the down-regulation of AR activity/expression, possibly accounting for its primary growth inhibitory mechanism. Thus, it is conceivable that BFA may provide a more effective therapeutic modality for patients with hormone-dependent prostate cancer.
Global screening of potential Candida albicans biofilm-related transcription factors via network comparison
Authors: Wang Yu-Chao , Lan Chung-Yu , Hsieh Wen-Ping , Murillo Luis A , Agabian Nina , Chen Bor-Sen
Published: January 2010

Background

Candida albicans is a commonly encountered fungal pathogen in humans. The formation of biofilm is a major virulence factor in C. albicans pathogenesis and is related to antidrug resistance of this organism. Although many factors affecting biofilm have been analyzed, molecular mechanisms that regulate biofilm formation still await to be elucidated.

Results

In this study, from the gene regulatory network perspective, we developed an efficient computational framework, which integrates different kinds of data from genome-scale analysis, for global screening of potential transcription factors (TFs) controlling C. albicans biofilm formation. S. cerevisiae information and ortholog data were used to infer the possible TF-gene regulatory associations in C. albicans. Based on TF-gene regulatory associations and gene expression profiles, a stochastic dynamic model was employed to reconstruct the gene regulatory networks of C. albicans biofilm and planktonic cells. The two networks were then compared and a score of relevance value (RV) was proposed to determine and assign the quantity of correlation of each potential TF with biofilm formation. A total of twenty-three TFs are identified to be related to the biofilm formation; ten of them are previously reported by literature evidences.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the proposed screening method can successfully identify most known biofilm-related TFs and also identify many others that have not been previously reported. Together, this method can be employed as a pre-experiment screening approach that reveals new target genes for further characterization to understand the regulatory mechanisms in biofilm formation, which can serve as the starting point for therapeutic intervention of C. albicans infections.
Sex and the single embryo: early deveopment in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
Authors: Gabrieli Paolo , Falaguerra Andrea , Siciliano Paolo , Gomulski Ludvik M , Scolari Francesca , Zacharopoulou Antigone , Franz Gerald , Malacrida Anna R , Gasperi Giuliano
Published: January 2010

Background

In embryos the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MTZ) integrates post-transcriptional regulation of maternal transcripts with transcriptional activation of the zygotic genome. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying this event are being clarified inDrosophila melanogaster, little is know about the embryogenic processes in other insect species. The recent publication of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from embryos of the global pest speciesCeratitis capitata(medfly) has enabled the investigation of embryogenesis in this species and has allowed a comparison of the embryogenic processes in these two related dipteran species,C. capitataandD. melanogaster, that shared a common ancestor 80-100 mya.

Results

Using a novel PCR-based sexing method, which takes advantage of a putative LTR retrotransposon MITE insertion on the medfly Y chromosome, the transcriptomes of individual early male and female embryos were analysed using RT-PCR. This study is focused on two crucial aspects of the onset of embryonic development: sex determination and cellular blastoderm formation. Together with the three known medfly genes (Cctransformer,Cctransformer2andCcdoublesex), the expression patterns of other medfly genes that are similar to theD. melanogastersex-determination genes (sisterlessA, groucho, deadpan, Sex-lethal, female lethal d, sans filleandintersex) and four cellular blastoderm formation genes (Rho1, spaghetti squash, slow-as-molassesandserendipity-α) were analyzed, allowing us to sketch a preliminary outline of the embryonic process in the medfly. Furthermore, a putative homologue of theZeldagene has been considered, which inD. melanogasterencodes a DNA-binding factor responsible for the maternal-to-zygotic transition.

Conclusions

Our novel sexing method facilitates the study of i) when the MTZ transition occurs in males and females ofC. capitata, ii) when and how the maternal information of "female-development" is reprogrammed in the embryos and iii) similarities and differences in the regulation of gene expression inC. capitataandD. melanogaster. We suggest a new model for the onset of the sex determination cascade in the medfly: the maternally inheritedCctratranscripts in the female embryos are insufficient to produce enough active protein to inhibit the male mode ofCctrasplicing. The slow rate of development and the inefficiency of the splicing mechanism in the pre-cellular blastoderm facilitates the male-determining factor (M) activity, which probably acts by inhibiting CcTRA protein activity.
PCA-based bootstrap confidence interval tests for gene-disease association involving multiple SNPs
Authors: Peng Qianqian , Zhao Jinghua , Xue Fuzhong
Published: January 2010

Background

Genetic association study is currently the primary vehicle for identification and characterization of disease-predisposing variant(s) which usually involves multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) available. However, SNP-wise association tests raise concerns over multiple testing. Haplotype-based methods have the advantage of being able to account for correlations between neighbouring SNPs, yet assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and potentially large number degrees of freedom can harm its statistical power and robustness. Approaches based on principal component analysis (PCA) are preferable in this regard but their performance varies with methods of extracting principal components (PC s).

Results

PCA-based bootstrap confidence interval test (PCA-BCIT), which directly uses the PC scores to assess gene-disease association, was developed and evaluated for three ways of extracting PC s, i.e., cases only(CAES), controls only(COES) and cases and controls combined(CES). Extraction of PC s with COES is preferred to that with CAES and CES. Performance of the test was examined via simulations as well as analyses on data of rheumatoid arthritis and heroin addiction, which maintains nominal level under null hypothesis and showed comparable performance with permutation test.

Conclusions

PCA-BCIT is a valid and powerful method for assessing gene-disease association involving multiple SNPs.
Differences in the transcriptome signatures of two genetically related Entamoeba histolytica cell lines derived from the same isolate with different pathogenic properties
Authors: Biller Laura , Davis Paul H , Tillack Manuela , Matthiesen Jenny , Lotter Hannelore , Stanley Samuel L , Tannich Egbert , Bruchhaus Iris
Published: January 2010

Background

The availability of two genetically very similar cell lines (A and B) derived from the laboratory isolate Entamoeba histolytica HM-1:IMSS, which differ in their virulence properties, provides a powerful tool for identifying pathogenicity factors of the causative agent of human amoebiasis. Cell line A is incapable inducing liver abscesses in gerbils, whereas interaction with cell line B leads to considerable abscess formation. Phenotypic characterization of both cell lines revealed that trophozoites from the pathogenic cell line B have a larger cell size, an increased growth rate in vitro, an increased cysteine peptidase activity and higher resistance to nitric oxide stress. To find proteins that may serve as virulence factors, the proteomes of both cell lines were previously studied, resulting in the identification of a limited number of differentially synthesized proteins. This study aims to identify additional genes, serving as virulence factors, or virulence markers.

Results

To obtain a comprehensive picture of the differences between the cell lines, we compared their transcriptomes using an oligonucleotide-based microarray and confirmed findings with quantitative real-time PCR. Out of 6242 genes represented on the array, 87 are differentially transcribed (≥two-fold) in the two cell lines. Approximately 50% code for hypothetical proteins. Interestingly, only 19 genes show a five-fold or higher differential expression. These include three rab7 GTPases, which were found with a higher abundance in the non-pathogenic cell line A. The aig1-like GTPases are of special interest because the majority of them show higher levels of transcription in the pathogenic cell line B. Only two molecules were found to be differentially expressed between the two cell lines in both this study and our previous proteomic approach.

Conclusions

In this study we have identified a defined set of genes that are differentially transcribed between the non-pathogenic cell line A and the pathogenic cell line B of E. histolytica. The identification of transcription profiles unique for amoebic cell lines with pathogenic phenotypes may help to elucidate the transcriptional framework of E. histolytica pathogenicity and serve as a basis for identifying transcriptional markers and virulence factors.