bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension Are Associated With Childhood Blood Pressure Independently of Family Adiposity Measures
Authors: Geelhoed J.J. Miranda , Fraser Abigail , Tilling Kate , Benfield Li , Davey Smith George , Sattar Naveed , Nelson Scott M. , Lawlor Debbie A.
Published: September 2010

Background—

Offspring of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are at increased risk of cardiovascular complications later in life, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear. Our aim was to examine whether adjusting for birth weight and familial adiposity changed the association of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with offspring blood pressure.

Methods and Results—

Using data from 6343 nine-year-old participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we examined the association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension) and offspring blood pressure. Both preeclampsia and gestational hypertension were associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the 9-year-old offspring; after adjustment for parental and own adiposity and for other potential confounders, the mean difference in systolic blood pressure was 2.05 mm Hg (95 confidence interval, 0.72 to 3.38) and 2.04 mm Hg (95 confidence interval, 1.42 to 2.67) for preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, respectively, compared with those with no hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Equivalent results for diastolic blood pressure were 1.00 mm Hg (95 confidence interval, −0.01 to 2.10) and 1.07 mm Hg (95 confidence interval, 0.60 to 1.54). The association of preeclampsia with offspring systolic and diastolic blood pressures attenuated toward the null with further adjustment for birth weight and gestational age, whereas these adjustments did not attenuate the association of gestational hypertension with offspring blood pressure.

Conclusions—

The associations of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with higher offspring blood pressure are not explained by familial adiposity. The mechanisms linking preeclampsia and gestational hypertension with offspring blood pressure may differ, with the former mediated at least in part by the effect of preeclampsia on intrauterine growth restriction.
Renal Ischemia Regulates Marinobufagenin Release in Humans
Authors: Tian Jiang , Haller Steven , Periyasamy Sankaridrug , Brewster Pamela , Zhang Haifeng , Adlakha Satjit , Fedorova Olga V. , Xie Zi-jian , Bagrov Alexei Y. , Shapiro Joseph I. , Cooper Christopher J.
Published: September 2010

Cardiotonic steroids, including marinobufagenin, are a group of new steroid hormones found in plasma and urine of patients with congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and chronic renal failure. In animal studies, partial nephrectomy induces marinobufagenin elevation, cardiac hypertrophy, and fibrosis. The objective of this study is to test the effect of renal ischemia on marinobufagenin levels in humans with renal artery stenosis (RAS). To test this, plasma marinobufagenin levels were measured in patients with RAS of the Prospective Randomized Study Comparing Renal Artery Stenting With or Without Distal Protection, non-RAS patient controls who were scheduled for coronary angiography, and normal healthy individuals. Marinobufagenin levels were significantly higher in patients with RAS compared with those of the other 2 groups. Multivariate analysis shows that occurrence of RAS is independently related to marinobufagenin levels. In addition, renal artery revascularization by stenting partially reversed marinobufagenin levels in the patients with RAS (0.77±0.06 nmol/L at baseline; 0.66±0.06 nmol/L at 24 hours; and 0.61±0.05 nmol/L at 1 month). In conclusion, we have found that marinobufagenin levels are increased in patients with RAS, whereas reversal of renal ischemia by stenting treatment reduces marinobufagenin levels. These results suggest that RAS-induced renal ischemia may be a major cause of marinobufagenin release.
Cardiovascular Consequences of Genetic Variation at −6/235 in Human Angiotensinogen Using “Humanized” Gene-Targeted Mice
Authors: Grobe Justin L. , Dickson Matthew E. , Park Sungmi , Davis Deborah R. , Born Ella J. , Sigmund Curt D.
Published: September 2010

Genetic and functional data support a role for angiotensinogen in blood pressure control, and many population studies have suggested that polymorphisms in the angiotensinogen gene contribute to hypertension. Two common haplotypes of the human angiotensinogen gene are −6A/235T and −6G/235M. To study their contributions to blood pressure regulation in a controlled model system, we developed triple-transgenic mice expressing either −6A/235T or −6G/235M human angiotensinogen, expressing either an overexpressed and poorly regulated (REN9) or a tightly regulated (PAC160) human renin, and all carrying a null mutation in the endogenous murine angiotensinogen gene. These humanized mice were then examined for blood pressure differences at baseline and after a high-salt diet, changes in cardiovascular organ weight, and differences in angiotensinogen and renin gene expression. Mice expressing the −6G/235M haplotype on the PAC160 background exhibited increased blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy at baseline. In contrast, all of the mice with the REN9 background had equivalent baseline blood pressures. On the REN9 background, there was a greater increase in blood pressure in −6A/235T in response to a high-salt diet, providing evidence it may be a susceptibility allele. There were no differences in angiotensinogen expression between haplotypes on either background strain. The data suggest that the impact of angiotensinogen haplotypes on cardiovascular end points may be dependent on renin status and environmental influences, such as dietary sodium. These insights may help explain the discrepancies among observational studies that have examined roles for the −6A/235T and −6G/235M angiotensinogen haplotypes in varied human populations.
Culture, Institutions, and Disability Policy in Japan: The Translation of Culture into Policy
Authors: Meyer Heinz-Dieter , Murakami Yui
Published: September 2010

Why is the Japanese rate of students with disability a fraction of that of the United States? Barring genetic differences between Americans and Japanese, the difference in disability rates must be what Durkheim called a “social fact,” a phenomenon explained by social differences between the two countries. In this paper we focus on the institutional and cultural factors that enter into the Japanese construction of disability of school-aged students. We argue that the lower incidence of disability in Japan is a result of Japan’s strong collectivist and paternalistic orientation and the requisite institutions promulgating those beliefs. The latter play a key role in the translation of general cultural dispositions into concrete policies and behavior on the ground.
Framing Disability: Comparing Individualist and Collectivist Societies
Authors: Meyer Heinz-Dieter
Published: September 2010

In this paper I use international differences in disability rates as a window to address the question how national culture influences a nation’s understanding and practice of disability. I apply the well-established distinction between individualistic and collectivistic cultures to explore the relationship between culture and disability rates. I argue and find support for the hypothesis that individualistic cultures exhibit higher rates of disability. In the second part I add cultural and institutional detail to the account. While individualistic and collectivist cultures both value assistance to the disabled, only the Western individualist tradition produces a rights-based approach to disability.
Globalization and culturally relevant social work: African perspectives on indigenization
Authors: Rankopo Morena J. , Osei-Hwedie Kwaku
Published: September 2010

Relevance in social work must be rooted in the local social environment. This article restates African perspectives on the importance of culturally relevant social work practice and education, given the assault on social work indigenization, by responding to some of the negative evaluations.
Constitutional Indifferentism and Republican Freedom
Authors: Vinx Lars
Published: September 2010

Neo-republicans claim that Hobbes’s constitutional indifferentism (the view that we have no profound reason to prefer one constitutional form over another) is driven exclusively by a reductive understanding of liberty as non-interference. This essay argues that constitutional indifferentism is grounded in an analysis of the institutional presuppositions of well-functioning government that does not depend on a conception of liberty as mere non-interference. Hence, indifferentism cannot be refuted simply by pointing out that non-domination is a distinctive ideal of freedom. This result does not suffice to defend the strong version of indifferentism put forward by Hobbes. But it does point to an important limitation of neo-republican constitutional theory: Neo-republicanism will amount to a distinctive paradigm of constitutional thought only if it is understood in a way that conflicts with Hobbes’s understanding of the institutional presuppositions of well-functioning government. It is doubtful that we have good reason to embrace neo-republicanism, so understood.
Aggressive, Funny, and Thirsty: A Motivational Inference Model (MIMO) Approach to Behavioral Rebound
Authors: Denzler Markus , Förster Jens , Liberman Nira , Rozenman Merav
Published: September 2010

Rebound of thoughts after thought suppression is widely documented. Much less is known about the effects of suppression on rebound of behavior. The current studies show that suppressing thoughts (Experiment 1 and 2) and suppressing behavior (Experiment 3) may cause rebound of behavior. In Experiment 1 suppressing thoughts of thirst rebounded in enhanced drinking, in Experiment 2 suppressing aggressive thoughts rebounded in subsequent aggression, and in Experiment 3 suppressing laughter rebounded in enhanced subsequent laughing. Supporting the Motivational Inference Model of postsuppressional rebound, the studies show that behavioral rebound is reduced if participants are led to believe that suppression is difficult for everybody (Experiments 1 and 2). Also consistent with this model is the finding that motivation to do the suppressed behavior mediated rebound (Experiment 3). The implications for rebound of unwanted behaviors are discussed.
Scopolamine disrupts hippocampal activity during allocentric spatial memory in humans: an fMRI study using a virtual reality analogue of the Morris Water Maze
Authors: Antonova Elena , Parslow David , Brammer Michael , Simmons Andrew , Williams Steven , Dawson Gerard R , Morris Robin
Published: September 2010

The role of the septohippocampal cholinergic system in memory disorders is well established. The effects of cholinergic challenge in animals have been extensively studied using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) which engages allocentric spatial memory. The present study investigated the effect of the centrally active muscarinic antagonist scopolamine on allocentric spatial memory in humans using a virtual reality analogue of the MWM task, the Arena task. Twenty right-handed healthy male adults with a mean age of 28 years (range 23–35 years) were studied using functional MRI in a randomized double-blind cross-over design with scopolamine bromide (0.4 mg i.m.) or placebo (saline) administered 70–90 min before the beginning of the functional scan. Scopolamine induced a significant reduction in the activation of the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus compared with placebo. Furthermore, there was dissociation between hippocampus-based and striatal-based memory systems, which were significantly more activated in the placebo and scopolamine conditions, respectively. The activation of the striatal system under scopolamine challenge was accompanied by the activation of the amygdala. In conclusion, the study extends the well-documented finding in animals of the attenuating effect of scopolamine on hippocampal activity during allocentric spatial memory to humans. Furthermore, the results call for further investigation of the dissociation between the hippocampal and neostriatal memory systems during allocentric spatial processing under cholinergic blockade in humans.
Preferences for piano versus harpsichord performances in Renaissance and Baroque keyboard music
Authors: Wapnick Joel , Keech Kristina , Ryan Gina
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this study was to determine whether preferences for recorded piano versus harpsichord renditions of the same music, controlled for tempo and pitch level, would be affected by style, tempo, and musical experience. Two hundred and eighty undergraduate music majors and non-majors heard 12 pairs of excerpts. Each pair consisted of a recording performed on piano and a recording performed on harpsichord. Participants chose the version they preferred, or chose no preference. Results showed that musical experience affected preferences: preference for piano was significantly stronger for non-majors than for majors, and for participants who never learned to play a musical instrument than for participants who had at least one year of applied musical experience. Preference for harpsichord was stronger for performers than non-performers, and approached significance in the major–non-major comparison. Both majors and non-majors chose harpsichord versions more frequently when excerpts were fast rather than slow, and when they were of Renaissance music than when they were of Baroque music. Harpsichord was preferred over piano in only 2 of the 12 trials, and both were of fast Renaissance music.
Relationship between Meniscal Extrusion and various Clinical Findings after Meniscus Allograft Transplantation
Authors: Ha Jeong Ku , Shim Jae Chan , Kim Deok Won , Lee Yong Seuk , Ra Ho Jong , Kim Jin Goo
Published: September 2010

Background

Meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) is useful for meniscus-deficient knees. Although meniscal extrusion is common after MAT, there is no consensus regarding the criteria for normal meniscal extrusion or the relationship between clinical and radiologic results.

Hypothesis

Meniscal extrusion after MAT results in poor clinical, radiologic, and arthroscopic outcomes.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Thirty-six of 60 patients undergoing MAT from September 2002 to June 2007 who were available for follow-up evaluation for more than 2 years were evaluated. The study population (31 men, 5 women) consisted of 15 and 21 cases of medial and lateral meniscus transplant, respectively. Knee status was evaluated by Lysholm score, plain radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively and postoperatively. Second-look examinations were performed in 18 cases.

Results

Mean follow-up was 31.4 months (range, 24-36). Lysholm knee score increased significantly (mean, 88.2; range, 70-100) on final visit versus the preoperative value (mean, 61.2; range, 26-83; P < .001). Joint-space narrowing was 0.08 mm (range, —2.58 to 1.92) in extension AP and —0.09 mm (range, —2.3 to 1.8) in Rosenberg view. Kellgren-Lawrence arthrosis grade did not change in 28 knees (77.8%) and progressed by 1 grade in 8 knees. Meniscal extrusion extent was 3.87 ± 1.94 mm and relative percentage extrusion was 42.1% ± 17.7%. Seven cases (19.4%) showed minor extrusion (<3 mm), 27 (75%) showed major extrusion (>3 mm), and 2 (5.6%) showed no extrusion. Further degeneration was absent in 28 knees (77.8%) on magnetic resonance imaging. In second-look arthroscopic examinations at an average of 26.3 months, 11 of 18 (63.6%) cases showed no progression of cartilage degeneration. There was no significant correlation between meniscal extrusion and other parameters.

Conclusion

This study indicated that MAT can improve the clinical status of the meniscectomized knee. Although meniscal extrusion occurred after surgery in most cases, there was no significant correlation with various clinical, radiologic, or arthroscopic outcomes. Further studies are required to evaluate long-term effects of meniscal extrusion.
Effect of Al2O3/ZrO2 reinforcement on the mechanical properties of PMMA denture base
Authors: Ahmed Omran Alhareb  , Zainal Arifin Ahmad
Published: September 2010

A study on the properties of denture base materials made from PMMA filled with Al2O 3/ZrO2 was carried out. The amount of Al2O 3/ZrO2 filler was fixed at 5 wt%. However, the ratio of Al 2O3 to ZrO2 added was from 0 to 100. Samples were prepared for fracture toughness, flexural, and tensile tests. The fracture surface was analyzed using SEM and EDS. It was found that the Al2O 3/ZrO2 of 80 : 20 ratio shows the highest values of fracture toughness and flexural properties. SEM micrographs indicate that distribution of Al2O3 and ZrO2 in the PMMA matrix is fairly homogeneous. The interface between the reinforcement particles and matrix is good. Therefore, addition of Al2O3/ZrO2 in PMMA improves the mechanical properties of this denture base material.
Oil, Youths, and Civil Unrest in Nigeria’s Delta
Authors: Oyefusi Aderoju
Published: September 2010

This article examines youths’ willingness to participate in three different forms of unrest (peaceful protests, low-level violence and oil-related crime, and militarized struggle) in the oil-rich Delta region of Nigeria, focusing among other factors on the role of schooling, educational attainments, earnings, and unemployment, and using data from over 1,300 respondents. It discusses what level of education matters the most for each outcome, the influence of higher formal education on willingness to participate by the unemployed, and the effect of marginal increases in income on the disposition of the employed towards participation. The results are compared across various sample specifications.
Trade Interdependence and the Issues at Stake in the Onset of Militarized Conflict
Authors: Lingyu Lu  , Thies Cameron G.
Published: September 2010

This article explores a boundary condition surrounding the effect of trade interdependence on the onset of interstate conflict. In particular, we focus on the types of conflict experienced by states, including territory, policy, and regime conflicts. We draw on the MID 3.1 and Oneal and Russett’s data to build three multinomial logit models to examine how trade interdependence affects territorial, policy, and regime types of conflict between 1885 and 2000. We find that trade interdependence significantly decreases the onset of all three types of conflict. This result largely holds across three different measures of trade interdependence. Moreover, we discover that the pacific effect of trade interdependence on the three types of conflict displays different patterns. Trade interdependence at the moderate and middle levels plays a marginal role in pacifying territorial and policy conflict. This effect becomes quite strong between states with high levels of interdependence. For policy conflicts, the threshold for this strong dampening effect is even higher. Finally, trade interdependence exerts a more consistent pacific impact upon regime conflict.
The Tradeoff between Force and Casualties
Authors: Levy Yagil
Published: September 2010

The Gaza War between Israel and Hamas in winter 2009, in which excessive use of lethal force caused the deaths of many Gazan non-combatants, shed light on how casualty shyness leads democracies to use excessive force to reduce the risk to which soldiers are exposed at the expense of the opponent’s non-combatant fatalities. This can be termed the force/casualty tradeoff (FCT). Because this tradeoff is only one manifestation of state action, a more thorough analysis is required to recognize variances in the state’s space of action. Arguably, and by drawing on the case of Gaza, the FCT reflects the interplay between two sets of legitimacies: legitimacy of sacrifice and the legitimacy to use force. The relations between these two legitimacies determine the state’s space of action in the military domain: low legitimacy of sacrifice coupled with high legitimacy to use force yields the FCT, while other variations in the profile of these legitimacies produce other results.
The possible effect of diets containing Nigella sativa and Thymus vulgaris on blood parameters and some organs structure in rabbit
Authors: Tousson Ehab , El-Moghazy Mostafa , El-Atrsh Efaf
Published: September 2010

Because of the increasing cost of animal feed ingredients as well as the high demand, especially for the protein supplements, several efforts were carried out to use untraditional feed protein ingredients to participate in facing feed shortage problem and at the same time to decrease feeding costs. Nigella sativa (black cumin) and Thymus vulgaris are the most famous medical plants that have attracted the attention of many investigators for long time. The present study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of a partial replacement of soybean meal in control diet by Nigella sativa and/or Thymus vulgaris on the possible harmful changes in histological structure of some organs and blood parameters in growing New Zealand White rabbits. Blood constituents showed that the percentages of hemoglobin, hematocrate, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin and white blood cells (WBCs) count were significantly increased with the presence of black cumin seeds in the diets while WBCs count and the mean corpuscular volume in rabbit blood tends to decrease in Thymus vulgaris diets. Feeding diet supplemented with Nigella sativa increased the plasma total proteins, albumin, globulin, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and decreased total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides. The use of Nigella sativa alone or either mixture with Thymus vulgaris are good supplements for growing rabbits without any adverse effect on histological structure of liver, kidney and testis in rabbits.
Relapsing Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in Children: Further Evaluation of the Diagnosis
Authors: Dundar Nihal Olgac , Anlar Banu , Guven Alev , Serdaroglu Ayse , Yarar Coskun
Published: September 2010

We examined our cases of relapsing acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (n = 13) in which diagnosis was made before the publication of the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group criteria in 2007, with the aim of reevaluating the primary diagnosis, examining any features indicative of other disorders, and determining the final diagnosis. Mean duration of follow-up was 9.4 (range, 2-20) years. Most (n = 11) were multiphasic, and 2 were recurrent cases. The final diagnosis changed in only 2 patients, both in the multiphasic group: one multiple sclerosis, and one other possible central nervous system vasculitis. All others are still being followed up as relapsing acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and had no further attacks. Six patients in this category did not have encephalopathy at first episode, which suggested the requirement for encephalopathy might be restrictive for certain cases. These results suggest the diagnosis of relapsing acute disseminated encephalomyelitis can be made correctly in most cases by clinical and imaging features.
A Clinical Picture of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Children in the United States
Authors: Hicks Caitlin W. , Kay Benjamin , Worley Sarah E. , Moodley Manikum
Published: September 2010

The authors describe the demographics, clinical presentation, investigation, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. They identified 35 pediatric patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome presenting to a tertiary academic center over a 20-year period. The most common presenting symptoms were paresthesias (54%), weakness (49%), and myalgias (49%). Sensation was affected in 54% of patients, and hyporeflexia or areflexia was present in 94% of patients. Cranial nerve dysfunction (46%) and autonomic involvement (eg, changes in blood pressure, pulse, bowel/bladder control, or priapism; 46%) were also common. Autonomic dysfunction, cranial nerve involvement, and albuminocytological dissociation were significantly associated with a decreased time to nadir, the point when symptoms peaked (P = .015, .007, and .005, respectively). Although not statistically significant, treatment with plasmapheresis had a better success rate than intravenous immunoglobulin. The authors’ results will help to further delineate the clinical picture of Guillain-Barré syndrome in children and refine treatment strategies.
Experience With Hyperphenylalaninemia in a Developing Country: Unusual Clinical Manifestations and a Novel Gene Mutation
Authors: Karam Pascale E. , Daher Rose T. , Moller Lisbeth B. , Mikati Mohamad A.
Published: September 2010

We report our experience in a cohort of patients with hyperphenylalaninemia in a tertiary care referral center in Lebanon. Forty-one sequential patients were studied: 34 classical phenylketonuria (PKU), 3 hyperphenylalaninemia (non-PKU), and 4 biopterin metabolism defects. The majority of cases were clinically diagnosed at variable ages with variable neurological outcomes. Only 29.3% were detected by neonatal screening. Two unusual cases were observed in the context of inadequate treatment in 1 and delayed therapy in the other: a newborn with PKU developed severe keratomalacia; and a 5-year-old girl with dihydropteridine reductase deficiency due to a novel mutation identified in the quinoid dihydropteridine reductase gene developed Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and white matter changes with periventricular cysts. Part of our experience parallels that in the West. However, the clinical manifestations observed in our patients emphasize the importance of a national newborn screening program with efficient management of diagnosed cases.
An Examination of Compulsory School Attendance Ages and High School Dropout and Completion
Authors: Landis Rebecca N. , Reschly Amy L.
Published: September 2010

An increasingly popular, but underresearched, initiative aimed at reducing high school dropout is raising the compulsory school attendance age. This study used a national data set from academic years 2001-02 to 2005-06 to examine the grade level at which students drop out, rates of dropout over time, and high school completion by state, region of the country, and compulsory school attendance ages of 16, 17, and 18. Results indicated that the compulsory school attendance age had a small relationship with the timing of dropout but no meaningful relationship with high school graduation. Also, no discernible pattern of reductions in drop-out rates was evident for states that raised their attendance ages. Implications and the effective prevention strategies are discussed.
Agent-Based Models as Policy Decision Tools: The Case of Smallpox Vaccination
Authors: Grüne-Yanoff Till
Published: September 2010

Agent-based simulation (ABS) studies have recently been employed to support policy decisions. This article addresses the particular potentials and problems that ABS faces in this usage. First, the author warns against taking “familiarity” with specific ABS as a criterion for having confidence in the model’s policy recommendations. Second, he shows that specific epistemic issues—in particular the high number of detailed simulated systems—require additional reflection on which decision rules to choose for policy decisions based on ABS. Third, the author points out directions in which the construction and uses of ABS in policy decision could be improved. Each of these issues is illustrated by simulation studies undertaken to investigate smallpox vaccination policies.
Incidence and risk factors of clinically significant chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia in patients with solid tumors
Authors: Hitron Anna , Steinke Doug , Sutphin Stephanie , Lawson Amber , Talbert Jeff , Adams Val
Published: September 2010

Purpose and relevance. Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) can be a significant problem in patients with cancer, leading to numerous clinical complications. Understanding the types of patients at risk for these complications is essential to improve monitoring, counseling, and provide future targeted prophylaxis measures. Previous studies have limited prospective utility since they do not examine risk factors associated with complications from multi-agent regimens. This evaluation aims to identify the incidence and risk factors associated with clinical complications of CIT in patients receiving common chemotherapy regimens.

Methods. Retrospective evaluation of adult patients receiving first or second line regimens for the most common solid tumors associated with high rates (≥5%) of laboratory diagnosed thrombocytopenia. Patients were examined for clinically significant CIT (defined as platelet count <75,000 cells/µL as well as the presence of one of the following: bleeding, dose reduction/delay, platelet transfusion, or therapy cessation) and associated risk factors.

Results. About 254 patients receiving a total of 278 regimens were evaluated. The incidence of clinically significant CIT = 10.1%; complications were most common in patients receiving cisplatin/gemcitabine for bladder cancer (57%), or carboplatin/gemcitabine (29%) or cisplatin/etoposide (18%) for lung cancer. Bladder cancer (OR = 13.7 (2.89–64.7); p = 0.001) and concurrent or recent infection (OR = 3.8 (1.45–10.1); p = 0.007) was found to increase the risk of clinical complications while smoking was found to have a protective effect (OR = 0.17 (0.04–0.71)).

Conclusions. The incidence of clinically significant CIT is most commonly seen in patients using cisplatin/gemcitabine for bladder cancer, or carboplatin/gemcitabine or cisplatin/etoposide for lung cancer. Further evaluation of these patients is warranted.
Neuromyelitis optica: a demyelinating disease characterized by acute destruction and regeneration of perivascular astrocytes
Authors: Parratt John DE , Prineas John W
Published: September 2010

Background: A serum antibody directed against astrocytes is present in a high proportion of patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). The pathogenicity of the antibody is uncertain because no consistent astrocyte lesion is known to occur in NMO.

Objective: To determine whether there is an astrocyte lesion in NMO and if this differs from astrocyte changes in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Astrocyte pathology in early (still-myelinated) lesions and subacute NMO and MS lesions was examined immunohistochemically and in sections stained for astrocytes using routine histological techniques.

Results: Demyelination in early NMO lesions is accompanied by oligodendrocyte apoptosis in a pattern identical to that seen in MS and this is preceded by an abrupt destruction of perivascular astrocytes. Reparative astrogliosis is effected by a population of unipolar, new astrocytes. Evidence of a different type of astrocyte lesion was found in MS.

Discussion: The findings add to experimental evidence that the antibody is pathogenic. They also raise the possibility that demyelination in MS may be a bystander effect of an astrocyte lesion, i.e. that MS is not a disease primarily of myelin and oligodendrocytes.
A case re-opened: the science and folklore of a ‘Witch’s Ladder’
Authors: Wingfield Chris
Published: September 2010

This article retraces the process by which a feathered rope, discovered in the roof of a house in Somerset, came to be displayed as a ‘Witch’s Ladder’ in a glass case showing ‘Magic and Witchcraft’ at the Pitt Rivers Museum. This ‘retracing’ has revealed a set of alternative associations that the feathered rope has had: with other museum objects and written documents, as well as with a range of people. Although presented in the museum as a ‘matter of fact’, its original function is revealed to have been a ‘matter of concern’, enabling this ‘object’ to emerge from its glass case as a ‘thing’ (Latour). Retracing its network and the historical process by which it became a museum object has meant engaging with the scientific ambitions of E.B.Tylor and his notions of independent corroborating evidence, as well as with the more ‘folkloric’ practices of literary folklore.
Broad Down, Devon: archaeological and other stories
Authors: Harvey David
Published: September 2010

This article explores the knowledge construction process of an archaeological site in East Devon, UK. Bouncing off an oral historical account of the site that seems to run against scientific truth claims, the author investigates the story of how knowledge of the site has developed over the last two centuries. Building on previous work that explores the history and practice of archaeology, the article opens up questions of what counts as evidence. Then, taking a cue from more recent work that suggests a more dynamic and open-ended engagement with the landscape, the article turns to examine how the meaning of a site can be made and remade. As part of this endeavour, questions of what as well as who can ‘speak’ are examined and some space is opened up for the agency of ‘minor figures’, both human and non-human.
‘The hallmark of a doctor’: the stethoscope and the making of medical identity
Authors: Rice Tom
Published: September 2010

The stethoscope, and its use in the medical examination, has become iconic of ‘doctors’ and their work. Drawing on fieldwork in a London hospital, this article explores why this is so. It argues that the application of this instrument in a clinical situation allows for a particularly neat enactment of key ‘dispositions’ of what might be described as a doctor ‘habitus’ (Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice, 1980). Examining the politics of stethoscope ownership and display, the article also reveals some of the capacities or types of ‘agency’ doctors assign to the instrument that they exploit in the day-to-day production and performance of their medical identity (Gell, Art and Agency in Anthropological Theory, 1998). At a time when new diagnostic technologies threaten to render the stethoscope obsolete, doctors are shown to want to retain the instrument as a symbol of the skill and knowledge they possess, but which they believe to be increasingly devalued and undermined in modern medicine.
Containing acute childhood illness within family life: a substantive grounded theory
Authors: Neill Sarah J
Published: September 2010

Acute childhood illness is a universal experience for children and families. This paper presents the central process of a Glaserian grounded theory study which explored family management of acute childhood illness at home. Twenty-nine interviews were conducted with 15 families of children 0—9 years of age. Constant comparative analysis generated the substantive grounded theory ‘Containing acute childhood illness within family life’. This informal social rule was identified from families’ persistent desire to do the right thing, for their child and in the eyes of others in social life. Families perceived that they were expected to contain illnesses which are defined as minor and to seek medical help for ‘real’ illnesses. Considerable uncertainty was evident around defining the illness and the legitimacy of seeking medical help. Their concern with the latter indicates doctors’ role as moral agents for parents’ behaviour, directing the containment of acute childhood illness.
Increased thrombosis susceptibility and altered fibrin formation in STAT5-deficient mice
Authors: Nordstrom Sarah M. , Holliday Brian A. , Sos Brandon C. , Smyth James W. , Levy Robert E. , Dukes Jonathan W. , Lord Susan T. , Weiss Ethan J.
Published: September 2010

To explore the effect(s) of growth hormone signaling on thrombosis, we studied signal transduction and transcription factor 5 (STAT5)–deficient mice and found markedly reduced survival in an in vivo thrombosis model. These findings were not explained by a compensatory increase in growth hormone secretion. There was a modest increase in the activity of several procoagulant factors, but there was no difference in the rate or magnitude of thrombin generation in STAT5-deficient mice relative to control. However, thrombin-triggered clot times were markedly shorter, and fibrin polymerization occurred more rapidly in plasma from STAT5-deficient mice. Fibrinogen depletion and mixing studies indicated that the effect on fibrin polymerization was not due to intrinsic changes in fibrinogen, but resulted from changes in the concentration of a circulating plasma inhibitor. While thrombin-triggered clot times were significantly shorter in STAT5-deficient animals, reptilase-triggered clot times were unchanged. Accordingly, while the rate of thrombin-catalyzed release of fibrinopeptide A was similar, the release of fibrinopeptide B was accelerated in STAT5-deficient plasma versus control. Taken together, these studies demonstrated that the loss of STAT5 resulted in a decrease in the concentration of a plasma inhibitor affecting thrombin-triggered cleavage of fibrinopeptide B. This ultimately resulted in accelerated fibrin polymerization and greater thrombosis susceptibility in STAT5-deficient animals.
Racial disparities in incidence and outcome in multiple myeloma: a population-based study
Authors: Waxman Adam J. , Mink Pamela J. , Devesa Susan S. , Anderson William F. , Weiss Brendan M. , Kristinsson Sigurdur Y. , McGlynn Katherine A. , Landgren Ola
Published: September 2010

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most common hematologic malignancy in blacks. Some prior studies suggest inferior survival in blacks; others suggest similar survival. Using the original 9 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, we conducted a large-scale population-based study including 5798 black and 28 939 white MM patients diagnosed 1973-2005, followed through 2006. Age-adjusted incidence rates, disease-specific survival, and relative survival rates were calculated by race, age, and time period of diagnosis. Mean age at diagnosis was 65.8 and 69.8 years for blacks and whites, respectively (P < .001). Incidence among blacks was m twice that among whites; this disparity was greater among patients < 50 years (P = .002). Over the entire study period, disease-specific and relative survival rates were higher in blacks than whites (P < .001). For whites, 5-year relative survival rates increased significantly 1973-1993 to 1994-1998 (26.3% to 30.8%; P < .001) and 1994-1998 to 1999-2005 (30.8% to 35.0%; P = .004). Survival improvements among blacks were smaller and nonsignificant (1973-1993 to 1999-2005: 31.0% to 34.1%; P = .07). We found (1) a younger age of onset among blacks; (2) better survival in blacks 1973-2005; and (3) significant survival improvement among whites over time, with smaller, nonsignificant change seen among blacks, possibly due to unequal access to and/or disparate responsiveness to novel therapies.
Markedly different genome arrangements between serotype a strains and serotypes b or c strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
Authors: Kittichotirat Weerayuth , Bumgarner Roger , Chen Casey
Published: September 2010

Background

Bacterial phenotype may be profoundly affected by the physical arrangement of their genes in the genome. The Gram-negative species Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a major etiologic agent of human periodontitis. Individual clonal types of A. actinomycetemcomitans may exhibit variable virulence and different patterns of disease association. This study examined the genome arrangement of A. actinomycetemcomitans using the genome sequences of serotypes a-c strains. The genome alignment and rearrangement were analyzed by the MAUVE and the GRIMM algorithms. The distribution patterns of genes along the leading/lagging strands were investigated. The occurrence and the location of repeat sequences relative to the genome rearrangement breakpoints were also determined.

Results

The genome arrangement of the serotype a strain D7S-1 is markedly different from the serotype b strain HK1651 or the serotype c strain D11S-1. Specific genome arrangements appear to be conserved among strains of the same serotypes. The reversal distance between D7S-1 and HK1651 by GRIMM analysis is also higher than the within-species comparisons of 7 randomly selected bacterial species. The locations of the orthologous genes are largely preserved between HK1651 and D11S-1 but not between D7S-1 and HK1651 (or D11S-1), irrespective of whether the genes are categorized as essential/nonessential or highly/nonhighly expressed. However, genome rearrangement did not disrupt the operons of the A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. A higher proportion of the genome in strain D7S-1 is occupied by repeat sequences than in strains HK1651 or D11S-1.

Conclusion

The results suggest a significant evolutionary divergence between serotype a strains and serotypes b/c strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans. The distinct patterns of genome arrangement may suggest phenotypic differences between serotype a and serotypes b/c strains.
Lack of association between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and gamma2 polymorphisms and progressive liver damage in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case control study
Authors: Dongiovanni Paola , Rametta Raffaela , Fracanzani Anna Ludovica , Benedan Luca , Borroni Vittorio , Maggioni Paolo , Maggioni Marco , Fargion Silvia , Valenti Luca
Published: September 2010

Background

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play key roles in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Aim

to assess the effect of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PPARα and PPARγ2, previously associated with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, on liver damage in NAFLD, whose progression is influenced by metabolic abnormalities and inherited factors.

Methods

The Leu162Val PPARα and Pro12Ala PPARγ2 SNPs were evaluated by restriction analysis. We considered 202 Italian patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD.

Results

The frequency of the evaluated SNPs did not differ between patients and 346 healthy controls. The presence of the PPARα 162Val allele (prevalence 57%), but not of the PPARγ2 12Ala allele (prevalence 18%), was associated with higher insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index 4.71 ± 3.8 vs. 3.58 ± 2.7, p = 0.026), but not with hyperglycemia. The PPARα 162Val and PPARγ2 12Ala alleles were not associated with the severity of steatosis, necroinflammation, or fibrosis.

Conclusions

The presence of the PPARα 162Val allele was associated with insulin resistance, but not with liver damage in NAFLD. Because of the limited power of the present sample, larger studies are needed to exclude a minor effect of the PPARγ2 12Ala allele on necroinflammation/fibrosis in NAFLD.
Prevalence of Chlamydia infection among women visiting a gynaecology outpatient department: evaluation of an in-house PCR assay for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis
Authors: Patel Achchhe L , Sachdev Divya , Nagpal Poonam , Chaudhry Uma , Sonkar Subash C , Mendiratta Suman L , Saluja Daman
Published: September 2010

Background

Screening women for Chlamydia trachomatis infection in developing countries is highly desirable because of asymptomatic infection. The existing diagnostic methods in developing countries are not effective and their sensitivity fall below 45.0% which leads to further spread of infection. There is an urgent need for improved and cost effective diagnostic tests that will reduce the burden of sexually transmitted infections in the developing world.

Methods

Prevalence of C. trachomatis infection among women visiting gynaecology department of Hindu Rao hospital in Delhi, India was determined using Roche Amplicor Multi Well Plate kit (MWP) as well as using in-house PCR assay. We used 593 endocervical swabs for clinical evaluation of the in-house developed assay against Direct Fluorescence Assay (DFA; Group I n = 274) and Roche Amplicor MWP kit (Group II, n = 319 samples) and determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of the in-house developed assay.

Results

We detected 23.0% positive cases and there was a higher representation of women aged 18-33 in this group. An in-house PCR assay was developed and evaluated by targeting unique sequence within the gyrA gene of C. trachomatis. Specificity of the reaction was confirmed by using genomic DNA of human and other STI related microorganisms as template. Assay is highly sensitive and can detect as low as 10 fg of C. trachomatis DNA. The resolved sensitivity of in-house PCR was 94.5% compared with 88.0% of DFA assay. The high specificity (98.4%) and sensitivity (97.1%) of the in-house assay against Roche kit and availability of test results within 3 hours allowed for immediate treatment and reduced the risk of potential onward transmission.

Conclusions

The in-house PCR method is cost effective (~ 20.0% of Roche assay) and hence could be a better alternative for routine diagnosis of genital infection by C. trachomatis to facilitate improved screening and treatment management.
Identification of an effective siRNA target site and functional regulatory elements, within the hepatitis B virus posttranscriptional regulatory element
Authors: Panjaworayan Nattanan , Payungporn Sunchai , Poovorawan Yong , Brown Chris M
Published: September 2010

Background

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is major public health concern. The limitations of available antiviral drugs require development of novel approaches to inhibit HBV replication. This study was conducted to identify functional elements and new siRNA target sites within the highly conserved regions of the 533 base post-transcriptional regulatory element (PRE) of HBV RNAs.

Results

Computational analysis of the PRE sequence revealed several conserved regulatory elements that are predicted to form local secondary structures some of these within known regulatory regions. A deletion analysis showed that sub-elements of the PRE have different effects on the reporter activity suggesting that the PRE contains multiple regulatory elements. Conserved siRNA targets at nucleotide position 1317-1337 and 1329-1349 were predicted. Although the siRNA at the position 1329-1349 had no effect on the expression of reporter gene, the siRNA target site at the position 1317-1337 was observed to significantly decrease expression of the reporter protein. This siRNA also specifically reduced the level of cccDNA in transiently HBV infected cells.

Conclusion

The HBV PRE is likely to contain multiple regulatory elements. A conserved target within this region at 1317-1337 is an effective siRNA target.
The WW-HECT protein Smurf2 interacts with the Docking Protein NEDD9/HEF1 for Aurora A activation
Authors: Moore Finola E , Osmundson Evan C , Koblinski Jennifer , Pugacheva Elena , Golemis Erica A , Ray Dipankar , Kiyokawa Hiroaki
Published: September 2010

The multi-functional adaptor protein NEDD9/HEF1/Cas-L regulates cell motility, invasion and cell cycle progression, and plays key roles in cancer progression and metastasis. NEDD9 is localized to the centrosome and is required for activation of Aurora A kinase in mitosis. Here we demonstrate that the HECT-WW protein Smurf2 physically associates with NEDD9 and is required for the stability of NEDD9 protein. Smurf2 depletion results in a marked decrease in NEDD9 protein levels, by facilitating polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of NEDD9. Conversely, forced overexpression of Smurf2 results in upregulation of endogenous NEDD9 protein, confirming the role for Smurf2 in NEDD9 stability. Cells with Smurf2 depletion fail to activate Aurora A at the G2/M boundary, leading to a marked delay in mitotic entry. These observations suggest that the stable complex of Smurf2 and NEDD9 is required for timely entry into mitosis via Aurora A activation.