bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Antenatal Steroids on Fetal Lung Maturation between the 34th and 36th Week of Pregnancy
Authors: Balci Osman , Ozdemir Suna , Mahmoud Alaa S. , Acar Ali , Colakoglu Mehmet C.
Published: March 2010

Aim: To evaluate the effect of antenatal treatment with a single dose of betamethasone between the 34th and the 36th week of pregnancy on the maturation of fetal lung. Methods: To study 100 pregnant women in their 34th–36th week of pregnancy who were diagnosed as susceptible to have preterm delivery. Fifty patients did not receive betamethasone (group 1). The other 50 patients were administered 12 mg betamethasone in a single dose (group 2). Patients who delivered at least 24 h after the administration of betamethasone were included in this study. After delivery, the Apgar score and the development of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in the neonates were compared. Results: Group 2 babies had better Apgar scores when compared to group 1, and the difference was statistically significant. Sixteen (32%) neonates of group 1 and 7 (14%) neonates of group 2 required resuscitation, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.032; OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12–0.93). RDS was detected in 8 newborns of group 1 and 2 of group 2. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.046; OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.04–1.08). Conclusion: The administration of a single dose of betamethasone to pregnant women in their 34th–36th week of pregnancy who are likely to have preterm delivery reduces RDS development. There is a need for larger studies to confirm these results.
Age-Specific Associations between Cardiac Vagal Activity and Functional Somatic Symptoms: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Tak Lineke M. , Janssens Karin A.M. , Dietrich Andrea , Slaets Joris P.J. , Rosmalen Judith G.M.
Published: March 2010

Background: Functional somatic symptoms (FSS) are symptoms not explained by underlying organic pathology. It has frequently been suggested that dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) contributes to the development of FSS. We hypothesized that decreased cardiac vagal activity is cross-sectionally and prospectively associated with the number of FSS in the general population. Methods: This study was performed in a population-based cohort of 774 adults (45.1% male, mean age ± SD 53.5 ± 10.7 years). Participants completed the somatization section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview surveying the presence of 43 FSS. ANS function was assessed by spectral analysis of heart rate variability in the high-frequency band (HRV-HF), reflecting cardiac vagal activity. Follow-up measurements of HRV-HF and FSS were performed approximately 2 years later. Results: Linear regression analyses, with adjustments for gender, age, body mass index, anxiety, depression, smoking, alcohol use, and frequency of exercise, revealed an interaction of cardiac vagal activity with age: HRV-HF was negatively associated with FSS in adults ≤52 years of age (β = –0.12, t = –2.37, p = 0.018), but positively with FSS in adults aged >52 years (β = 0.13, t = 2.51, p = 0.012). Longitudinal analysis demonstrated a similar pattern. Conclusions: Decreased cardiac vagal activity is associated with a higher number of FSS in adults aged ≤52 years in the general population. The unexpected association between increased cardiac vagal activity and FSS in adults aged >52 years needs further exploration. The role of age should be acknowledged in future studies on ANS function in the etiology of FSS.
Safety of Contrast Agent Use During Stress Echocardiography in Patients With Elevated Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure
Authors: Abdelmoneim Sahar S. , Bernier Mathieu , Scott Christopher G. , Dhoble Abhijeet , Ness Sue Ann C. , Hagen Mary E. , Moir Stuart , McCully Robert B. , Pellikka Patricia A. , Mulvagh Sharon L.
Published: March 2010

Background—

Microbubble safety concerns led to changes in product recommendations for patients with pulmonary hypertension. Noninvasive estimation of right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) is equivalent to pulmonary artery systolic pressure in the absence of pulmonary outflow obstruction. We analyzed the short- and long-term outcomes of patients who received microbubble contrast and those who did not during stress echocardiography (SE) according to resting RVSP.

Methods and Results—

From November 2003 to December 2007, 26 774 patients underwent SE. RVSP (mean, 32.6�9.6 mm Hg) was measured in 16 434 patients. Of these, 6164 (37.5%) received contrast for left ventricular opacification and 10 270 (62.5%) did not. Short-term (≤72 hours and ≤30 days) and long-term (4.3 years) end points were death and myocardial infarction. Analysis was done for rest RVSP cut-points ≥35, ≥50, and ≥60 mm Hg and tricuspid regurgitant velocities ≥2.7 ms
−1
and ≥3.5 ms
−1
. Adjusted Cox regression models were used. The contrast cohort comprised older patients (age, 67�12 versus 64�14 years;
P
<0.001), who were more likely to have positive SE results (35% versus 30%,
P
<0.001) compared with the noncontrast cohort. Using RVSP ≥50 mm Hg, there was no significant difference in short-term events between the contrast and noncontrast cohorts. For long-term events, there was no significant difference between both cohorts (adjusted hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals] for death, 1.10 [0.80 to 1.50],
P
=0.56; and myocardial infarction, 0.34 [0.11 to 1.03],
P
=0.06). Similar results were obtained at different RVSP and tricuspid regurgitant cut-points. Contrast agent–related adverse effects occurred in <1% of patients.

Conclusion—

RVSP had no impact on predisposition to adverse outcomes in patients undergoing contrast SE in the population studied.
Ending Civil Wars: A Case for Rebel Victory?
Authors: Toft Monica Duffy
Published: March 2010

Since 1990, negotiated settlements have become the preferred means for settling civil wars. Historically, however, these types of settlements have proven largely ineffective: civil wars ended by negotiated settlement are more likely to recur than those ending in victory by one side or the other. A theoretical and statistical analysis of how civil wars end reveals that the type of ending influences the prospects for longer-term outcomes. An examination of all civil war endings since 1940 finds that rebel victories are more likely to secure the peace than are negotiated settlements. A statistical analysis of civil wars from 1940 to 2002 and the case of Uganda illustrate why rebel victories result in more stable outcomes. Expanding scholarly and policy analysis of civil war termination types beyond the current default of negotiated settlement to include victories provides a much larger set of cases and variables to draw upon to enhance understanding of the conditions most likely to support long-term stability, democracy, and prosperity.
FORUM: Mao, Khrushchev, and China's Split with the USSR: Perspectives on The Sino-Soviet Split
Authors: Roberts Priscilla , Levine Steven I. , Vámos Péter , Kaple Deborah , Friedman Jeremy , Stiffler Douglas A. , Lüthi Lorenz
Published: March 2010

This forum includes six commentaries on Lorenz M. Lüthi's book The Sino-Soviet Split: Cold War in the Communist World, published by Princeton University Press in 2008. Drawing on recently declassified documents and memoirs from numerous countries, Lüthi explains how and why the close alliance between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China fell apart in a remarkably short time, dissolving into fierce mutual enmity. Amassing a wealth of evidence, Lüthi stresses the role of ideology in the split, lending support to the arguments put forth nearly five decades ago by analysts like Donald Zagoria in his pioneering book on the Sino-Soviet rift. Six leading experts on Chinese foreign policy and Sino-Soviet relations discuss the strengths of Lüthi's book but also raise questions about some interpretations and omissions. The forum includes Lüthi's reply to the commentaries.
The British Government and the Challenge of McCarthyism in the Early Cold War
Authors: Goodman Giora
Published: March 2010

The domestic policies and excesses of American anti-Communism in the early Cold War, dominated by the image of Senator Joseph McCarthy, have been the subject of controversy and a great deal of historical research. No less significant and much commented on at the time was the influence of McCarthyism on foreign relations and perceptions of the United States abroad. This article deals with the British government's responses to the anti-Communist fervor in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Britain was itself grappling with the challenges posed by the Cold War, including those relating to security and civil liberties in a democratic society. The impact of American anti-Communism was felt strongly in that context. The article draws extensively on recently released files from the British security services and other British government agencies.
Role of Homeostasis in Learning Sparse Representations
Authors: Perrinet Laurent U.
Published: March 2010

Neurons in the input layer of primary visual cortex in primates develop edge-like receptive fields. One approach to understanding the emergence of this response is to state that neural activity has to efficiently represent sensory data with respect to the statistics of natural scenes. Furthermore, it is believed that such an efficient coding is achieved using a competition across neurons so as to generate a sparse representation, that is, where a relatively small number of neurons are simultaneously active. Indeed, different models of sparse coding, coupled with Hebbian learning and homeostasis, have been proposed that successfully match the observed emergent response. However, the specific role of homeostasis in learning such sparse representations is still largely unknown. By quantitatively assessing the efficiency of the neural representation during learning, we derive a cooperative homeostasis mechanism that optimally tunes the competition between neurons within the sparse coding algorithm. We apply this homeostasis while learning small patches taken from natural images and compare its efficiency with state-of-the-art algorithms. Results show that while different sparse coding algorithms give similar coding results, the homeostasis provides an optimal balance for the representation of natural images within the population of neurons. Competition in sparse coding is optimized when it is fair. By contributing to optimizing statistical competition across neurons, homeostasis is crucial in providing a more efficient solution to the emergence of independent components.
Colour and Sound Marks: A Brief Overview of Civil Protection in Light of Jordanian Legislation
Authors: Madi Ramzi
Published: March 2010

There has been much debate regarding colour and sound marks, as to whether they should be registered as trademarks and therefore protected by law. Colours and sound, like words, letters, numbers and figures, can form an important part of goods, products, or services. This article critically examines the approach of Jordanian Law on the topic of civil protection for colour marks, as an example of visible signs, and sound marks, as an example of non-visible signs. It examines the definitions of colour and sound marks and of types of colour mark, questioning whether colours and single-colour marks are protected in Jordan under the Trademarks Law, Unfair Competition and Trade Secret Law, and Civil Law, and whether sound marks are protected in Jordan. What conditions are necessary for registering colour and sound marks? Finally, the article examines the protection of sounds under the Jordanian Copyright Protection Law, as the fate of sound marks is still fraught with uncertainty.
Foreign Media and Protest Diffusion in Authoritarian Regimes
Authors: Kern Holger Lutz
Published: March 2010

Do foreign media facilitate the diffusion of protest in authoritarian regimes? Apparently for the first time, the author tests this hypothesis using aggregate and survey data from communist East Germany. The aggregate-level analysis takes advantage of the fact that West German television broadcasts could be received in most but not all parts of East Germany. The author exploits this “natural experiment” by conducting a matched analysis in which counties without West German television are matched to a comparison group of counties with West German television. Comparing these two groups of East German counties, the author finds no evidence that West German television affected the speed or depth of protest diffusion during the 1989 East German revolution. He also analyzes a survey of East German college students. Confirming the aggregate-level results, the survey data show that, at least among college students, exposure to West German television did not increase protest participation.
Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge and Use of Interventions and Barriers to Promoting Student Self-Determination
Authors: Cho Hyun-Jeong , Wehmeyer Michael , Kingston Neal
Published: March 2010

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) emphasize accountability to improve student academic achievement. Promoting self-determination has been proposed as a means to achieving this outcome. Elementary teachers in 30 states were surveyed to measure (a) their perceived importance of self-determination, (b) to what extent they teach it, and (c) the barriers that inhibit them from teaching it. Both general and special educators assigned considerable importance to self-determination instruction and reported at least occasionally providing such instruction. The authors found a lack of congruence between the value teachers place on promoting self-determination and the time they devote to teaching it. Limitations and implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.
Activity of 2′, 3′-Cyclic Nucleotide 3′-Phosphodiesterase (CNPase) in Spinal Cord with Spongy Change Induced by a Single Oral Dose of Aniline in Rats
Authors: Kanno Takeshi , Kurotaki Tetsuro , Yamada Naoaki , Yamashita Kotaro , Wako Yumi , Tsuchitani Minoru
Published: March 2010

A spongy change in the spinal cord white matter was observed in four-week-old rats treated with aniline. Although this change was found to be a result of the myelin sheath splitting at the ultrastructural level, the mechanism is unknown. This study was conducted to identify the mechanism of the spongy change in aniline-treated rats. The spongy change in the spinal cord white matter was first detected on day 5 in the histopathologic examination. The incidence and severity of the lesions, especially in the lateral and ventral funiculi of the thoracic spinal cord white matter, increased prominently from day 8 to day 10. In all rats, immunohistochemical staining by anti-2′, 3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) occurred along the cytoplasmic boundaries of the normal oligodendroglia. However, mild to moderate anti-CNPase staining extended to the swollen cytoplasm of the oligodendroglia in the aniline-treated rats from day 2 to day 4. In the electron microscopic examination, free ribosomes and rough endoplasmic reticula in the cytoplasm of the oligodendroglia increased on days 3 and 4. These changes were considered to be related to CNPase expression. However, CNPase expression decreased, whereas the spongy changes were detected from day 5. The reduction in CNPase expression may contribute to the changes in the myelin morphology observed in aniline intoxication.
Characterization of Renal Papillary Antigen 1 (RPA-1), a Biomarker of Renal Papillary Necrosis
Authors: Price Sally A. , Davies Dai , Rowlinson Rachel , Copley Clive G. , Roche Andrew , Falkenberg Frank W. , Riccardi Daniela , Betton Graham R.
Published: March 2010

Renal papillary necrosis (RPN) is a relatively common toxicity observed in preclinical drug safety testing. It is also observed in a variety of human diseases. RPN is difficult to diagnose without expensive scanning methods or histopathology. A noninvasive biomarker that could be detected at early stages of kidney damage would be of great value both to preclinical drug safety testing and in the clinic. An antibody raised to an unknown epitope of an antigen in rat kidney papilla was found to be specific for collecting duct cells in the kidney; this was termed renal papillary antigen 1 (RPA-1). In this study, the authors show that RPA-1 is an early biomarker of RPN in two different rat models of toxicity: 2-bromoethanamine (BEA) and N-phenylanthranilic acid (NPAA). RPA-1 can be detected in urine at early stages of toxicity and correlates well with the histopathology observed. We also characterized the biochemical properties of RPA-1 and found that the antigen is a high molecular weight membrane bound glycoprotein, with the epitope likely to be carried on an N-linked carbohydrate structure. This study demonstrates that RPA-1 is an excellent marker of RPN that can be used to detect this toxicity in preclinical safety testing.
Effects of 7.5% CO2 challenge in generalized anxiety disorder
Authors: Seddon Kate , Morris Kelly , Bailey Jayne , Potokar John , Rich Ann , Wilson Sue , Bettica Paolo , Nutt David J
Published: March 2010

We have previously developed a putative model of generalized anxiety disorder in healthy volunteers using a 20-minute 7.5% carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation challenge. The aim of this study was to validate the 7.5% CO2 paradigm by assessing its effects in patients with generalized anxiety disorder in a test–retest design. Twelve medication-free generalized anxiety disorder patients attended our lab for two study days. On each study day placebo (compressed air) and 7.5% CO2 mixture were randomly administered over 20 min, at least 30 min apart, in a single blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over design. Subjective ratings, cardiovascular measures and cortisol levels were collected throughout. CO2 challenge significantly increased ratings for anxiety and other subjective symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder, compared with air. It also significantly increased systolic blood pressure on day 2, indicating increased autonomic arousal. There was no change between the two test days in mean anxiety rating scores, and there also appeared to be a correlation for individual scores on a number of the subjective measures. In conclusion, 20 min of 7.5% CO2 gas inhalation increases anxiety responses in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, and this is reliable over time.
Enhancing the Vocabulary Knowledge of First-Grade Children With Supplemental Booster Instruction
Authors: Puhalla Eve M.
Published: March 2010

This study examined the effects of instructional intensity on the acquisition of storybook vocabulary in first graders who were at risk of early reading failure. It also measured whether the intervention was effective for closing the vocabulary knowledge gap between students who were at risk and their average-achieving peers. A total of 66 students participated in the study, 44 identified as at risk and 22 as average-achieving peers. Students identified as at risk were randomly assigned to either a booster group, where they received explicit instruction of selected storybook vocabulary, or a no booster group, where they received vocabulary instruction in the context of read alouds through an experimental Read Aloud curriculum. A repeated measures design was employed to compare the effects of the intervention. Results indicate that students in the booster group significantly outperformed the students in the no booster and average-achieving peers groups on storybook vocabulary measures.
Economic and Demographic Predictors of Inclusive Education
Authors: Cosier Meghan E. , Causton-Theoharis Julie
Published: March 2010

This study investigated economic and demographic predictors of levels of inclusion of students with disabilities in 129 school districts. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to address the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between economic factors and percentage of highly included students with disabilities in general education when controlling for demographic factors? and (b) Is there a relationship between demographic factors and percentage of highly included students with disabilities in general education classrooms when controlling for economic factors? Results suggest a significant relationship between the economic variables of general education expenditure and special education expenditure, and the amount of time students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Post-humanitarianism
Authors: Chouliaraki Lilie
Published: March 2010

This article offers a trajectory of humanitarian communication, which suggests a clear, though not linear, move from emotion-oriented to post-emotional styles of appealing. Drawing on empirical examples, the article demonstrates that the humanitarian sensibility that arises out of these emerging styles breaks with pity and privileges a short-term and low-intensity form of agency, which is no longer inspired by an intellectual agenda but momentarily engages us in practices of playful consumerism. Whereas this move to the post-emotional should be seen as a reaction to a much-criticized articulation between politics and humanitarianism, which relied on ‘universal’ morality and grand emotion, it is also a response to the intensely mediatized global market in which humanitarian agencies operate today. The article concludes by reflecting on the political and ethical ambivalence at the heart of this new style of humanitarian communication, which offers both the tentative promise of new practices of altruism and the threat of cultural narcissism.
The state and community arts centres in a society in transformation
Authors: Hagg Gerard
Published: March 2010

The history of community arts centres in South Africa illustrates the complex relationship between the state and community culture in a society in transformation. Community arts centres that were established by civil society since the 1960s contributed significantly to social and political empowerment against the apartheid state. New state-funded centres have underperformed since 1996 due to historical disjunctions, ideological shifts, fragmented policies, institutional weaknesses and inadequate capacity in both government and the arts sector. Optimization of the arts centres requires a policy-driven approach by a facilitative government, in partnership with civil society, focusing on policy implementation rather than policy-making, and on realistic programmatic output by capacitated local organizations rather than infrastructure.
‘He cannot get away from us’
Authors: Zoellner Tom
Published: March 2010

• The live police chase has become a staple — if not a cliché — of local television news in the United States in the last 20 years. But what are the psychoanalytical dynamics of this event? Why does an otherwise unremarkable property felony become elevated to a matter of instant civic importance merely by virtue of being broadcast, and why do viewers’ sympathies often feel tugged toward the criminal rather than the state? This article examines one notorious case in Seattle and outlines the ‘stages’ of a police chase, as delineated by law enforcement, as an essential dramatic pattern redolent of Girardian release. The police chase is a live-broadcast panopticon in which every viewer is a participant in a triangulated tautology: the subject is running because he is being chased, and we are watching because he is running and he is being broadcast live because he is being chased. •
Toward a reframing of action research for human resource and organization development
Authors: Maurer Martin , Githens Rod P.
Published: March 2010

We propose a framework for viewing action research (AR) by considering the level of criticality and the emphasis on methodological process. Specifically, we propose conventional AR, critical AR, and dialogic AR as three broad categories for considering AR. This framework is explored through discussing the philosophical foundations upon which these approaches rest and providing examples of AR studies and conceptual writings in the organizational change and development literature. This literature appears to be dominated by perspectives and discourses close to the conventional AR paradigm, which does not actively acknowledge value stances. A central point of the article is that dialogic AR, informed by pragmatic philosophy and philosophical hermeneutics, represents an emerging, promising perspective. Dialogic AR’s primary concern is to create understanding and mutual learning in and through dialogue while also leading to practical solutions. Practical implications of dialogic AR are also considered, in particular the conditions that need to be present for critical dialogue to flourish and the organizational realities that prevent such dialogue.
Assessment of Upper-Limb Sensorimotor Function of Subacute Stroke Patients Using Visually Guided Reaching
Authors: Coderre Angela M. , Amr Abou Zeid  , Dukelow Sean P. , Demmer Melanie J. , Moore Kimberly D. , Demers Mary Jo , Bretzke Helen , Herter Troy M. , Glasgow Janice I. , Norman Kathleen E. , Bagg Stephen D. , Scott Stephen H.
Published: March 2010

Objective. Using robotic technology, we examined the ability of a visually guided reaching task to assess the sensorimotor function of patients with stroke. Methods. Ninety-one healthy participants and 52 with subacute stroke of mild to moderate severity (26 with left- and 26 with right-affected body sides) performed an unassisted reaching task using the KINARM robot. Each participant was assessed using 12 movement parameters that were grouped into 5 attributes of sensorimotor control. Results. A number of movement parameters individually identified a large number of stroke participants as being different from 95% of the controls—most notably initial direction error, which identified 81% of left-affected patients. We also found interlimb differences in performance between the arms of those with stroke compared with controls. For example, whereas only 31% of left-affected participants showed differences in reaction time with their affected arm, 54% showed abnormal interlimb differences in reaction time. Good interrater reliability ( r > 0.7) was observed for 9 of the 12 movement parameters. Finally, many stroke patients deemed impaired on the reaching task had been scored 6 or less on the arm portion of the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment Scale, but some who scored a normal 7 were also deemed impaired in reaching. Conclusions. Robotic technology using a visually guided reaching task can provide reliable information with greater sensitivity about a patient’s sensorimotor impairments following stroke than a standard clinical assessment scale.
Press protest and publics: The agency of publics in newspaper campaigns
Authors: Birks Jen
Published: March 2010

Campaign advocacy is a common but rarely researched practice in British tabloid journalism. Newspaper campaigns give an account of ‘public opinion’ to politicians, make explicit claims to speak for ‘the public’ and authentically represent them, and also address readers in an unconventional way in order to recruit their support. This article therefore examines the effect to which agency is attributed to readers and other publics in two such campaigns, and argues that publics were portrayed as active only in relation to the newspaper’s activity, and primarily as reacting emotionally to the problem. The campaigning press promote themselves commercially and politically as quasi-representatives who challenge distant and ‘out of touch’ political representatives with the populist impulses of ‘public’ demands, but without enhancing the democratic process, or publics’ position within it.
NK cells mediate reduction of GVHD by inhibiting activated, alloreactive T cells while retaining GVT effects
Authors: Olson Janelle A. , Leveson-Gower Dennis B. , Gill Saar , Baker Jeanette , Beilhack Andreas , Negrin Robert S.
Published: March 2010

Natural killer (NK) cells suppress graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) without causing GVHD themselves. Our previous studies demonstrated that allogeneic T cells and NK cells traffic similarly after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We therefore investigated the impact of donor NK cells on donor alloreactive T cells in GVHD induction. Animals receiving donor NK and T cells showed improved survival and decreased GVHD score compared with controls receiving donor T cells alone. Donor T cells exhibited less proliferation, lower CD25 expression, and decreased interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in the presence of NK cells. In vivo, we observed perforin- and Fas ligand (FasL)–mediated reduction of donor T cell proliferation and increased T cell apoptosis in the presence of NK cells. Further, activated NK cells mediated direct lysis of reisolated GVHD-inducing T cells in vitro. The graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect was retained in the presence of donor NK cells. We demonstrate a novel mechanism of NK cell–mediated GVHD reduction whereby donor NK cells inhibit and lyse autologous donor T cells activated during the initiation of GVHD.
Investigating determinants of out-of-pocket spending and strategies for coping with payments for healthcare in southeast Nigeria
Authors: Onwujekwe Obinna E , Uzochukwu Benjamin SC , Obikeze Eric N , Okoronkwo Ijeoma , Ochonma Ogbonnia G , Onoka Chima A , Madubuko Grace , Okoli Chijioke
Published: March 2010

Background

Out-of-pocket spending (OOPS) is the major payment strategy for healthcare in Nigeria. Hence, the paper assessed the determinants socio-economic status (SES) of OOPS and strategies for coping with payments for healthcare in urban, semi-urban and rural areas of southeast Nigeria. This paper provides information that would be required to improve financial accessibility and equity in financing within the public health care system.

Methods

The study areas were three rural and three urban areas from Ebonyi and Enugu states in South-east Nigeria. Cross-sectional survey using interviewer-administered questionnaires to randomly selected householders was the study tool. A socio-economic status (SES) index that was developed using principal components analysis was used to examine levels of inequity in OOPS and regression analysis was used to examine the determinants of use of OOPS.

Results

All the SES groups equally sought healthcare when they needed to. However, the poorest households were most likely to use low level and informal providers such as traditional healers, whilst the least poor households were more likely to use the services of higher level and formal providers such as health centres and hospitals. The better-off SES more than worse-off SES groups used OOPS to pay for healthcare. The use of own money was the commonest payment-coping mechanism in the three communities. The sales of movable household assets or land were not commonly used as payment-coping mechanisms. Decreasing SES was associated with increased sale of household assets to cope with payment for healthcare in one of the communities. Fee exemptions and subsidies were almost non-existent as coping mechanisms in this study

Conclusions

There is the need to reduce OOPS and channel and improve equity in healthcare financing by designing and implementing payment strategies that will assure financial risk protection of the poor such pre-payment mechanisms with government paying for the poor.
Epithelial Protein Lost in Neoplasm α (Eplin-α) is transcriptionally regulated by G-actin and MAL/MRTF coactivators
Authors: Leitner Laura , Shaposhnikov Dmitry , Descot Arnaud , Hoffmann Reinhard , Posern Guido
Published: March 2010

Epithelial Protein Lost in Neoplasm α is a novel cytoskeleton-associated tumor suppressor whose expression inversely correlates with cell growth, motility, invasion and cancer mortality. Here we show that Eplin-α transcription is regulated by actin-MAL-SRF signalling. Upon signal induction, the coactivator MAL/MRTF is released from a repressive complex with monomeric actin, binds the transcription factor SRF and activates target gene expression. In a transcriptome analysis with a combination of actin binding drugs which specifically and differentially interfere with the actin-MAL complex (Descot et al., 2009), we identified Eplin to be primarily controlled by monomeric actin. Further analysis revealed that induction of the Eplin-α mRNA and its promoter was sensitive to drugs and mutant actins which stabilise the repressive actin-MAL complex. In contrast, the Eplin-β isoform remained unaffected. Knockdown of MRTFs or dominant negative MAL which inhibits SRF-mediated transcription impaired Eplin-α expression. Conversely, constitutively active mutant actins and MAL induced Eplin-α. MAL and SRF were bound to a consensus SRF binding site of the Eplin-α promoter; the recruitment of MAL to this region was enhanced severalfold upon induction. The tumor suppressor Eplin-α is thus a novel cytoskeletal target gene transcriptionally regulated by the actin-MAL-SRF pathway, which supports a role in cancer biology.
RHOA and PRKCZ control different aspects of cell motility in pancreatic cancer metastatic clones
Authors: Della Peruta Marco , Giagulli Cinzia , Laudanna Carlo , Scarpa Aldo , Sorio Claudio
Published: March 2010

Background

Our understanding of the mechanism regulating pancreatic cancer metastatic phenotype is limited. We analyzed the role of RHOA and PRKCZ in the motility attitude of two subclones of the pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line SUIT-2 (S2), with different in vivo metastatic potential in nude mice: S2-m with a low metastatic potential and highly metastatic S2-CP9 using RHOA and PRKCZ cell-permeable inhibitory peptides.

Methods

Adhesion assays, cell permeable peptides, RHOA activity assay, western blotting

Results

When used in combination cell-permeable inhibitory peptides partially inhibited cell adhesion by about 50% in clone S2-CP9. In clone S2-m, the effect was limited to 15% inhibition. In a wound healing assay, S2-CP9 was sensitive only to treatment with the combination of both RHOA and PRKCZ inhibitory peptides. Conversely, S2-m was unable to migrate toward both ends of the wound in basal conditions. Migration of cells through a membrane with 8 μm pores was completely abolished in both clones by individual treatment with RHOA and PRKCZ inhibitory peptides.

Conclusion

Herein, we demonstrate a critical role for RHOA and PRKCZ in the regulation of different aspects of cell motility of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and demonstrate the need to inhibit both pathways to obtain a functionally relevant effect in most assays. These results indicate that RHOA and PRKCZ, and their downstream effectors, can represent important pharmacological targets that could potentially control the highly metastatic attitude of PDAC.
The effect of ageing on human lymphocyte subsets: comparison of males and females
Authors: Yan Jun , Greer Judith M , Hull Renee , O'Sullivan John D , Henderson Robert D , Read Stephen J , McCombe Pamela A
Published: March 2010

Background

There is reported to be a decline in immune function and an alteration in the frequency of circulating lymphocytes with advancing age. There are also differences in ageing and lifespan between males and females. We performed this study to see if there were differences between males and females in the frequency of the different lymphocyte subsets with age.

Results

Using flow cytometry we have examined different populations of peripheral blood leukocytes purified from healthy subjects with age ranging from the third to the tenth decade. We used linear regression analysis to determine if there is a linear relationship between age and cell frequencies. For the whole group, we find that with age there is a significant decline in the percentage of naïve T cells and CD8+T cells, and an increase in the percentage of effector memory cells, CD4+foxp3+T cells and NK cells. For all cells where there was an effect of ageing, the slope of the curve was greater for men than for women and this was statistically significant for CD8+αβ+T cells and CD3+CD45RA-CCR7-effector memory cells. There was also a difference for naïve cells but this was not significant.

Conclusion

The cause of the change in percentage of lymphocyte subsets with age, and the different effects on males and females is not fully understood but warrants further study.
Prevalence of a virus similar to human hepatitis B virus in swine
Authors: Li Wengui , She Ruiping , Liu Liqiang , You Hua , Yin Jun
Published: March 2010

Background

The objective of this study is to established evidence of the existence of a novel member of the hepadnavirus family endemic in swine. Temporarily this virus was designated as swine hepatitis B virus (SHBV). This SHBV can be detected by using human hepatitis B virus diagnostic kits including ELISA, immunohistochemical staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also seroprevalence of pig farms in Beijing, China, and pathological features of SHBV infection was determined.

Results

Screened result shows that overall prevalence of HBsAg was 24.8%, closed to that of anti-HBsAg, whereas HBeAg and anti-HBe were barely detectable. The distribution of HBsAg and HBcAg was examined by immunohistochemistry of liver samples. Typical hepatitis pathological change, such as spotty parenchymal cell degeneration, necrosis of hepatocytes and proliferation of fibrous connective tissue were observed during histopathological analysis. Analysis of HBsAg-positive serum with TEM revealed two morphologic forms, 20 nm and 40 nm sized particles, similar to small spherical and Danes particles of HBV. Observation of the ultrastructure of the liver also found HBV-like particles in the nucleus of hepatocytes.

Conclusion

Our research result implies that SHBV could be a causative agent of swine. The discovery of SHBV will unveil novel evolutionary aspects of hepatitis and provides new information for further hepadnavirus research.
The eSS rat, a nonobese model of disordered glucose and lipid metabolism and fatty liver
Authors: Daniele Stella M , Montenegro Silvana M , Tarres María C , Picena Juan C , Martinez Stella M
Published: March 2010

Background

eSS is a rat model of type 2 diabetes characterized by fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia and early hypertriglyceridemia. Diabetic symptoms worsen during the second year of life as insulin release decreases. In 12-month-old males a diffuse hepatic steatosis was detected. We report the disturbances of lipid metabolism of the model with regard to the diabetic syndrome.

Methods

The study was conducted in eight 12-month-old eSS male rats and seven age/weight matched eumetabolic Wistar rats fed with a complete commercial diet al libitum. Fasting plasmatic glucose, insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein, and nonesterified fatty acids levels were measured. Very low density and intermediate-density lipoproteins were analyzed and hepatic lipase activity was determined.

Results

eSS rats developed hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, indicating insulin resistance. Compared with controls, diabetic rats exhibited high plasmatic levels of NEFA, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (Chol) and LDL-Chol while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values were reduced. eSS rats also displayed TG-rich VLDL and IDL particles without changes in hepatic lipase activity.

Conclusion

The nonobese eSS rats develop a syndrome characterized by glucose and lipid disorders and hepatic steatosis that may provide new opportunities for studying the pathogenesis of human type 2 diabetes.
Functional Roles of Protein Kinase A (PKA) and Exchange Protein Directly Activated by 3′,5′-Cyclic Adenosine 5′-Monophosphate (cAMP) 2 (EPAC2) in cAMP-Mediated Actions in Adrenocortical Cells
Authors: Aumo Linda , Rusten Marte , Mellgren Gunnar , Bakke Marit , Lewis Aurélia E.
Published: March 2010

In the adrenal cortex, the biosynthesis of steroid hormones is controlled by the pituitary-derived hormone ACTH. The functions of ACTH are principally relayed by activating cAMP-dependent signaling pathways leading to the induction of genes encoding enzymes involved in the conversion of cholesterol to steroid hormones. Previously, protein kinase A (PKA) was thought to be the only direct effector of cAMP. However, the discovery of the cAMP sensors, exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (EPAC1 and 2), has led to a reevaluation of this assumption. In the present study, we demonstrate the occurrence of the EPAC2 splicing variant EPAC2B in adrenocortical cancer cells. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that EPAC2B is localized predominantly in the nucleus. EPAC2B is functional because it activates Rap1 in these cells. Using the cAMP analogs 8-p-chlorophenylthio-2′-O-methyl-cAMP and N6-benzoyl-cAMP, which specifically activate EPAC1/2 and PKA, respectively, we evaluated the contribution of these factors in steroid hormone production, cell morphology, actin reorganization, and migration. We demonstrate that the expression of cAMP-inducible factors involved in steroidogenesis (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, cytochrome P450 11A1 and 17, and nerve growth factor-induced clone B) and the cAMP-induced biosynthesis of steroid hormones (cortisol and aldosterone) are mediated by PKA and not by EPAC2B. In contrast, both PKA- and EPAC-specific cAMP analogs induced cell rounding, loss of stress fibers, and blocked migration. Taken together, the presented data confirm PKA as the central cAMP mediator in steroid hormone production and reveal the involvement of EPAC2B in cAMP-induced effects on cytoskeleton integrity and cell migration.
Regulation of the Matricellular Proteins CYR61 (CCN1) and NOV (CCN3) by Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α and Transforming-Growth Factor-β3 in the Human Trophoblast
Authors: Wolf Nadine , Yang Wei , Dunk Caroline E. , Gashaw Isabella , Lye Stephen J. , Ring Thomas , Schmidt Markus , Winterhager Elke , Gellhaus Alexandra
Published: March 2010

It is known that a hypoxic environment is critical for trophoblast migration and invasion and is fundamental for appropriate placental perfusion. Because cysteine-rich 61 (CYR61, CCN1) and nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV, CCN3) are expressed in the extravillous trophoblast and expression levels are deregulated in preeclampsia, we investigated their regulation properties in first-trimester placental explants and in JEG3 choriocarcinoma cells upon a physiological low oxygen tension of 1–3%. In placental explants, both proteins were expressed in the extravillous trophoblast cells and were increased upon hypoxia. JEG3 cells revealed a significant up-regulation of CYR61 and NOV intracellular as well as secreted protein upon hypoxic treatment accompanied by the stabilization of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Treatment with dimethyloxalylglycine to mimic hypoxia and silencing of HIF-1α using small interfering RNA revealed that only the increase in intracellular protein expression seems to be dependent on HIF-1α but obviously not the secretion process. Moreover, recombinant TGF-β3 was able to further enhance the amount of intracellular CCN proteins as well as secreted CYR61 levels under hypoxia. These results indicate that low oxygen levels trigger elevation of intracellular as well as secreted CYR61 and NOV protein probably in two independent pathways. Addition of recombinant CYR61 and NOV proteins increases migration as well as invasion properties of JEG3 trophoblast cells, which strengthen their role in supporting trophoblast migration invasion properties. In summary, CYR61 and NOV are regulated by HIF-1α and TGF-β3 in the trophoblast cell line JEG3, and their enhanced secretion could be implicated in appropriate placental invasion.
In Vivo Molecular Imaging of Somatostatin Receptors in Pancreatic Islet Cells and Neuroendocrine Tumors by Miniaturized Confocal Laser-Scanning Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Fottner C. , Mettler E. , Goetz M. , Schirrmacher E. , Anlauf M. , Strand D. , Schirrmacher R. , Klöppel G. , Delaney P. , Schreckenberger M. , Galle P. R. , Neurath M. F. , Kiesslich R. , Weber M. M.
Published: March 2010

The aim of the study was to evaluate real time in vivo molecular imaging of somatostatin receptors (sstrs) using a handheld miniaturized confocal laser scan microscope (CLM) in conjunction with fluorescein-labeled octreotate (OcF) in healthy mice and murine models of neuroendocrine tumors. For CLM a small rigid probe (diameter 7 mm) with an integrated single line laser (488 nm) was used (optical slice thickness 7 μm; lateral resolution 0.7 μm). OcF was synthesized via Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis and purified by HPLC showing high-affinity binding to the sstr2 (IC50 6.2 nmol). For in vitro evaluation, rat and human pancreatic cancer cells were used and characterized with respect to its sstr subtype expression and functional properties. For in vivo confocal imaging, healthy mouse pancreatic islet and renal tubular cells as well as immunoincompetent nude mice harboring sstr-expressing tumors were evaluated. Incubation of sstr-positive cells with OcF showed a specific time- and dose-dependent staining of sstr-positive cells. CLM showed rapid internalization and homogenous cytoplasmatic distribution. After systemic application to mice (n = 8), specific time-dependent internalization and cytoplasmatic distribution into pancreatic islet cells and tubular cells of the renal cortex was recorded. After injection in tumor-harboring nude mice (n = 8), sstr-positive cells selectively displayed a cell surface and cytoplasmatic staining. CLM-targeted biopsies detected sstr-positive tumor cells with a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 100% as correlated with ex vivo immunohistochemistry. CLM with OcF permits real-time molecular, functional, and morphological imaging of sstr-expressing cell structures, allowing the specific visualization of pancreatic islet cells and neuroendocrine tumors in vivo.
Ephrin-B2 regulates endothelial cell morphology and motility independently of Eph-receptor binding
Authors: Bochenek Magdalena L. , Dickinson Sarah , Astin Jonathan W. , Adams Ralf H. , Nobes Catherine D.
Published: March 2010

The transmembrane protein ephrin-B2 regulates angiogenesis, i.e. the formation of new blood vessels through endothelial sprouting, proliferation and remodeling processes. In addition to essential roles in the embryonic vasculature, ephrin-B2 expression is upregulated in the adult at sites of neovascularization, such as tumors and wounds. Ephrins are known to bind Eph receptor family tyrosine kinases on neighboring cells and trigger bidirectional signal transduction downstream of both interacting molecules. Here we show that ephrin-B2 dynamically modulates the motility and cellular morphology of isolated endothelial cells. Even in the absence of Eph-receptor binding, ephrin-B2 stimulates repeated cycling between actomyosin-dependent cell contraction and spreading episodes, which requires the presence of the C-terminal PDZ motif. Our results show that ephrin-B2 is a potent regulator of endothelial cell behavior, and indicate that the control of cell migration and angiogenesis by ephrins might involve both receptor-dependent and receptor-independent activities.