bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acyclic Retinoid Targets Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Signaling in the Prevention of Hepatic Fibrosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development
Authors: Okada Hikari , Honda Masao , Campbell Jean S. , Sakai Yoshio , Yamashita Taro , Takebuchi Yuuki , Hada Kazuhiro , Shirasaki Takayoshi , Takabatake Riuta , Nakamura Mikiko , Sunagozaka Hajime , Tanaka Takuji , Fausto Nelson , Kaneko Shuichi
Published: June 2012

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often develops in association with liver cirrhosis, and its high recurrence rate leads to poor patient prognosis. Although recent evidence suggests that peretinoin, a member of the acyclic retinoid family, may be an effective chemopreventive drug for HCC, published data about its effects on hepatic mesenchymal cells, such as stellate cells and endothelial cells, remain limited. Using a mouse model in which platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-C is overexpressed (Pdgf-c Tg), resulting in hepatic fibrosis, steatosis, and eventually, HCC development, we show that peretinoin significantly represses the development of hepatic fibrosis and tumors. Peretinoin inhibited the signaling pathways of fibrogenesis, angiogenesis, and Wnt/β-catenin in Pdgf-c transgenic mice. In vitro, peretinoin repressed the expression of PDGF receptors α/β in primary mouse hepatic stellate cells (HSC), hepatoma cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Peretinoin also inhibited PDGF-C–activated transformation of HSCs into myofibroblasts. Together, our findings show that PDGF signaling is a target of peretinoin in preventing the development of hepatic fibrosis and HCC. Cancer Res; 72(17); 4459–71. ©2012 AACR.
A Comparison of in vitro Culture of Fetal Nucleated Erythroblasts from Fetal Chorionic Villi and Maternal Peripheral Blood for Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis
Authors: Zheng Shengxia , Tong Xianhong , Wu Limin , He Guoping , Ding Bangsheng , Yao Lijuan , Liu Yusheng
Published: June 2012

Objective: We tested the feasibility of the in vitro culture of fetal nucleated erythroblasts from maternal blood for noninvasive prenatal screening as a substitute for culturing fetal nucleated erythroblasts from fetal villi. Method: Nucleated blood cells separated via Percoll from 52 samples of fetal villi and maternal peripheral blood were cultured with or without magnetic-activated cell sorting glycophorin A (MACS-GPA+), and detected by an anti-hemoglobin-epsilon (FITC) antibody. Gender of the epsilon-positive cells were identified by FISH and further confirmed by PCR of the villi karyotype. Developmental stages of nucleated erythroblasts from villi and blood with MACS-GPA+ were analyzed by Wright-Giemsa staining. Results: In the maternal blood, epsilon-positive cells were found in 4 and 24 cultured samples with and without MACS-GPA+, respectively. Also, Y-signals were visualized in 3 out of 4 and in 15 out of 24 cases in the epsilon-positive cells. Although epsilon-positive cells were found in all villus samples irrespective of MACS-GPA+ sorting, Y-signals were visualized in 31 out of 52 cases. Proerythroblasts and basophilic erythroblasts occupied 7 and 1% in fetal and maternal samples (with MACS-GPA+), respectively. Conclusions: The in vitro culturing of fetal nucleated erythroblasts from maternal blood is not feasible with the current techniques for prenatal diagnosis, because the fetal nucleated erythroblast is not well developed in vitro. This may be attributed to the low proportion of these erythroblasts at an early stage in the fetal circulation and the low permeability of these cells to the maternal blood.
Rear-Side Localization of the Centrosome in Migrating Neuroblastoma Neuro-2a Cells and Its Roles in Process Elongation
Authors: Kawabata Wataru , Yonezawa Satoru , Hayashi Kensuke
Published: June 2012

Axon elongation is usually performed by the migration of growth cones that leave axons. Axon microtubules are generated by enhanced polymerization of tubulin in the growth cones. Some kinds of neurons like cerebellar granule cells, however, generate axons as a result of migration of the cell body leaving axons at the rear. The mechanism to generate microtubules during such growth cone-independent elongation of axons is not well understood. To establish an experimental model to study this mechanism, we cultured neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cells on substrates that facilitate cell migration. When cultured on laminin-treated substrate, cells migrated actively and left processes at the rear. We investigated the role of the centrosome in this process formation. The centrosomes were always located at the base of the processes, i.e., at the rear side of the migrating cell body. Close observation of cytoskeletons revealed microtubules limited around the centrosomes, but concentrated at the periphery of the cells or within the processes. Microtubule regrowth experiments showed the ability of the centrosomes to nucleate microtubules. We thus examined the role of microtubule release from the centrosomes, by knocking down the expression of spastin, a microtubule-severing enzyme. Introducing siRNA for spastin into Neuro-2a cells reduced both the migration speed and the length of the processes. Taken together, Neuro-2a cells on laminin proved useful as a model to study the alternative type of axon elongation in which cell migration leaves axons at the rear. This model provided evidence for the involvement of microtubule release from centrosomes in the mechanisms for this type of process elongation.
Chronic Scalp Ulceration as a Late Complication of Fluoroscopically Guided Cerebral Aneurysm Embolization
Authors: López Aventín Daniel , Gil Inmaculada , López González Demian Manzano , Pujol Ramon M.
Published: June 2012

Fluoroscopy-induced chronic radiation dermatitis resulting from prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation during interventional procedures has been documented in the medical literature. However, this condition often requires a high clinical suspicion in order to establish a correct diagnosis. In this report, the development of deep scalp ulceration with bone exposure following the endovascular coiling of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm 8 years before is described. A skin biopsy specimen demonstrated changes consistent with chronic radiation dermatitis and ruled out malignancy. This case report expands the clinical manifestation spectrum of fluoroscopy-induced chronic radiation skin injury and highlights the importance of recognizing these lesions early to prevent morbidity related to radiation-induced skin damage.
Genetic Ablation of
Adamts13
Gene Dramatically Accelerates the Formation of Early Atherosclerosis in a Murine Model
Authors: Jin Sheng-Yu , Tohyama Junichiro , Bauer Robert C. , Cao Na Nora , Rader Daniel J. , Zheng X. Long
Published: June 2012

Objective—

ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats-13) cleaves von Willebrand factor, thereby modulating thrombosis and inflammation. Low plasma ADAMTS13 activity is associated with cardiovascular events, including myocardial and cerebral infarction. Here, we investigated the role of ADAMTS13 in the development of early atherosclerosis in a murine model.

Methods and Results—

Apolipoprotein E–null (ApoE
−/−
) and
Adamts13-null (Adamts13
−/−
) ApoE
−/−
mice were fed with a high-fat Western diet for 12 weeks. Atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and aortic roots were quantified after staining. Leukocyte rolling and adhesion onto cremaster venules after oxidative injury were determined by intravital microscopy. Although plasma cholesterol levels were largely similar in both groups, the extent of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta en face and in the aortic roots in the
Adamts13
−/−
ApoE
−/−
mice increased ≈5.5-fold (
P
=0.0017) and ≈6.1-fold (
P
=0.0037), respectively. In addition, the ratio of plasma high- to low-molecular-weight von Willebrand factor multimers increased ≈3-fold. The leukocyte rolling velocities were significantly reduced (
P
<0.001), with an increased number of leukocyte rolling (
P
=0.0026) and macrophage infiltration into the atherosclerotic lesions in the
Adamts13
−/−
ApoE
−/−
mice.

Conclusion—

Our results suggest that ADAMTS13 plays a critical role in modulating the development of early atherosclerosis, likely through the proteolytic cleavage of ultra-large von Willebrand factor multimers, thereby inhibiting platelet deposition and inflammation.
Acute Pulmonary Vein Isolation Is Achieved by a Combination of Reversible and Irreversible Atrial Injury After Catheter Ablation
Authors: Arujuna Aruna , Karim Rashed , Caulfield Dennis , Knowles Benjamin , Rhode Kawal , Schaeffter Tobias , Kato Bernet , Rinaldi C. Aldo , Cooklin Michael , Razavi Reza , O’Neill Mark D. , Gill Jaswinder
Published: June 2012

Background—

Pulmonary vein reconnection after pulmonary vein isolation is common and is usually associated with recurrences of atrial fibrillation. We used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging after radiofrequency ablation to investigate the hypothesis that acute pulmonary vein isolation results from a combination of irreversible and reversible atrial injury.

Methods and Results—

Delayed enhancement (DE; representing areas of acute tissue injury/necrosis) and T2-weighted (representing tissue water content, including edema) cardiac magnetic resonance scans were performed before, immediately after (acute), and later than 3 months (late) after pulmonary vein isolation in 25 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation undergoing wide-area circumferential ablation. Images were analyzed as pairs of pulmonary veins to quantify the percentage of circumferential antral encirclement composed of DE, T2, and combined DE+T2 signal. Fourteen of 25 patients were atrial fibrillation free at 11-month follow-up (interquartile range, 8–16 months). These patients had higher DE (71±6.0%) and lower T2 signal (72±7.8%) encirclement on the acute scans compared with recurrences (DE, 55±9.1%; T2, 85±6.3%;
P
<0.05). Patients maintaining sinus rhythm had a lesser decline in DE between acute and chronic scans compared with recurrences (71±6.0% and 60±5.8% versus 55±9.1% and 34±7.3%, respectively). The percentage of encirclement by a combination of DE+T2 was almost similar in both groups on the acute scans (atrial fibrillation free, 89±5.4%; recurrences, 92±4.8%) but different on the chronic scans (60±5.7% versus 34±7.3%).

Conclusions—

The higher T2 signal on acute scans and greater decline in DE on chronic imaging in patients with recurrences suggest that they have more reversible tissue injury, providing a potential mechanism for pulmonary vein reconnection, resulting in arrhythmia recurrence.
Development of children’s internalising and externalising problems from infancy to five years of age
Authors: Bayer Jordana K , Ukoumunne Obioha C , Mathers Megan , Wake Melissa , Abdi Nadia , Hiscock Harriet
Published: June 2012

Objective:

Mental health problems are an international public health issue affecting a substantial proportion of youth. This study aimed to identify groups of young children exhibiting distinct internalising and externalising symptom trajectories across early childhood compared to existing norms. Linear regression then identified child, parenting and family predictors from infancy in the development of internalising and externalising behaviours at age 5 years.

Method:

This consisted of a follow-up of 5-year-old children from a longitudinal, population-based study with earlier surveys having been completed by primary caregivers when the children were aged 7, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months. Five hundred 5-year-olds (68% retention) were included from 733 children recruited at age 6–7 months from routine well-child appointments across six socio-economically diverse government areas in Victoria, Australia. Mothers then completed a further questionnaire when their children reached 5 years of age, repeating the instruments included in previous waves. The primary outcomes were the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), 1.5–5 internalising and externalising symptoms (T-scores in relation to norms) and behaviours (raw scores).

Results:

Across early childhood, three distinct profiles for each of the internalising and externalising symptoms (T-scores) were identified and compared to CBCL norms. Around 20% of this Australian child population exhibited consistently elevated symptoms for each problem. Regarding aetiology, longitudinally the strongest predictors of internalising behaviours at 5 years of age were harsh discipline, maternal stress, having no older siblings, single parenthood and maternal substance misuse. The strongest predictors of externalising behaviours at 5 years of age were male sex, harsh discipline and maternal stress. The predictors explained 22% of the variation in internalising behaviours and 24% of the variation in externalising behaviours at 5 years.

Conclusions:

Starting as early as the toddler period, effective population approaches to preventing mental health problems are needed. Randomised trials of preventive interventions focused on improving parenting practices and reducing maternal stress are under way.
Exploring children’s perceptions of play using visual methodologies
Authors: Anthamatten Peter , Wee Bryan Shao-Chang , Korris Erin
Published: June 2012

Objective:

A great deal of scholarly work has examined the way that physical, social and cultural environments relate to children’s health behaviour, particularly with respect to diet and exercise. While this work is critical, little research attempts to incorporate the views and perspectives of children themselves using visual methodologies. Specifically, we examine: (1) how children conceptualize play; (2) what aspects of play are important to children; and (3) the role that play assumes in guiding children’s activity patterns.

Setting:

Elementary school classrooms from third and fifth grade were sampled in a low-income, largely Latino/a part of southwest Denver, United States of America (USA), in late spring of 2010.

Design:

A qualitative study in which each child participated in a ‘photo voice’ survey and an in-class focus group.

Method:

The authors employed visual methodologies to explore how children conceptualized play. Photo voice surveys were administered in English and Spanish. After analysis of the photo voice surveys, children were invited to discuss their photos and drawings in small focus groups conducted in the classroom. All children who completed the survey participated in the focus groups.

Results:

Children in this study group conceptualized play largely in unstructured form. Family and school were important themes to emerge from the analysis of the data.

Conclusion:

Visual methods can clarify social-cultural dimensions of interactions between people and places, which can serve to inform research on health behaviours from children’s perspectives. Such methodologies are particularly important for research that focuses on the construction of physical environments for children.
The Effects of External Motivation and Real-Time Automated Feedback on Speeding Behavior in a Naturalistic Setting
Authors: Reagan Ian J. , Bliss James P. , Van Houten Ron , Hilton Bryan W.
Published: June 2012

Objective:

In this field experiment, the authors tested an alerting system and a monetary incentive system with the objective of reducing speeding more than 5 mph faster than the posted speed limit.

Background:

Speeding is a factor in a significant number of traffic fatalities. The systems tested in this project have been evaluated outside but not within the United States. These studies indicated that similar systems led to reductions in speeding.

Method:

For this study, eight vehicles were instrumented such that vehicle speed and speed limits were linked in real time. A total of 50 participants drove assigned vehicles for 4 weeks. Week 1 was a baseline period; during Week 2 or Week 3, 40 participants experienced the alerting system that issued auditory and visual advisory signals when drivers exceeded the limit by 5 mph or more. Of these 40 individuals, 20 experienced the monetary incentive system during Weeks 2 and 3; Week 4 was a return-to-baseline period. A control group of 10 drivers experienced neither system during the study.

Results:

Results indicated that the incentive system resulted in significant reductions in driving faster than the posted limit, and the feedback system led to modest changes in speeding. In the condition in which drivers experienced the feedback and incentive, reductions in speeding were similar to those found during the incentive-only condition.

Conclusion:

The technology tested in this study has potential to benefit traffic safety by reducing the incidence of driving faster than the posted limit, which should lead to a reduction in speed-related crashes.

Application:

Insurers provide incentive-based discounts on premiums. Combining this technology with such a discount program may improve traffic safety significantly.
Not Yet Uhuru: The Unfinished Revolution in Africa
Authors: Badru Pade
Published: June 2012

In Kwandiwe Kondlo’s In the Twilight of the Revolution (2009), which examines the role of the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) of Azania in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle as the backdrop, this article surveys the momentum of social revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa during the decolonization era that started in the mid-20th century and ended with South Africa’s transition to a multi-racial democracy in 1994. It argues that the failure of the African elite to achieve a genuine independence from both colonial rule and South Africa’s apartheid system is largely because of inconsistent nationalist ideologies and the detachment of the African elite from the popular struggles of the people, which could have resulted in the revolutionary overthrow of the colonial state and the dawn of more progressive and autonomous states all across Black Africa. It concludes that this failure led to the continuing instability of the post-colonial states across Africa and, in South Africa, to the achievement of a particular form of multi-racial democracy with very little or no change to the real politics of apartheid and Boer domination.
Some Observations on Resistance and Revolution in Contemporary Africa
Authors: Gurr Ted R
Published: June 2012

This unique essay, in which the author reminisces on and draws from his involvement as an expert witness in one of South Africa’s apartheid era political trials, is testimony that ideas live independently of their creators. Although the author was initially mentioned in the trial by the prosecution, which claimed that his book, Why Men Rebel, provided a four-stage model of revolutionary strategy for cadres of the Black People’s Convention (BPC) and the South African Students’ Organization (SASO), his subsequent testimony was for the defense, and was used to counter the prosecution. Here, the author applies the Why Men Rebel theory to South Africa to assess the issues raised in Kwandiwe Kondlo’s book, In the Twilight of the Revolution (2009), which examines the role played by the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) as well as the resultant multi-racial democratic dispensation in post-apartheid South Africa in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. The essay and the revelations it encompasses are quite deep and relevant for a critical understanding of the trend of politics in post-liberation South Africa, in particular, and post-colonial Africa in general.
Beyond In The Twilight of the Revolution: A Response to My Reviewers
Authors: Kondlo Kwandiwe
Published: June 2012

The debate about the outcome of the negotiated settlement that ended South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle rages on. The author of this article, who is also on the side of the debate that argues that South Africa’s Black majority was short-changed by the outcome, affirms that argument here, and insists that negotiated settlement amounts to ‘surrendered revolution’ that allowed White South Africans to retain monopoly of the economy. He enjoins ‘progressive forces’ in South Africa to remobilize and finish the ‘unfinished revolution’ that will achieve a different outcome, which will right the historic economic wrong that consigned and keeps South Africa’s Black majority in crushing poverty.
Union Transitions and Changes in BMI among Adults in Mexico
Authors: Schmeer Kammi K.
Published: June 2012

This study utilizes nationally representative, longitudinal data from the Mexico Family Life Survey to examine the associations between union transitions and changes in body mass index (BMI) among adults in Mexico. Results from change score regression models ( N = 11,339) indicate larger BMI gains for those entering a union than for those remaining single, net of baseline weight status and socioeconomic controls. Further, a significant moderating effect of baseline weight status suggests that overweight individuals entering a union gain almost two BMI points more than overweight single individuals during this three-year period. Individuals experiencing a union dissolution gain less BMI than those entering a union, but are predicted to lose BMI (as found in the United States) only if they are overweight before the transition.
Neighborhood Social Capital, Parenting Strain, and Personal Mastery among Female Primary Caregivers of Children
Authors: Carpiano Richard M. , Kimbro Rachel T.
Published: June 2012

Neighborhood social capital—resources inherent within community networks—has been identified as a potential facilitator of personal well-being. We test hypotheses concerning how neighborhood social capital moderates the influence of parenting strain on mastery (individuals’ understanding of their ability to control personal life circumstances) for female primary caregivers of children. First, we test how different forms of neighborhood social capital—social support, social leverage (information exchange), informal social control, and neighborhood organization participation—modify the association between parenting strain and mastery. Second, we test whether such moderation depends on one’s access to these forms via neighbor ties. Analyses of Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey data ( N = 765) indicate that the negative relationship between parenting strain and mastery worsens as informal social control increases. Social support and informal social control, however, buffer this parenting strain-mastery relationship when caregivers have stronger ties to neighbors. Our findings implicate mechanisms of “negative social capital” and warrant more nuanced considerations of neighborhood social capital’s health-promoting potential.
Family Relationships and Troubled Sleep among U.S. Adults
Authors: Ailshire Jennifer A. , Burgard Sarah A.
Published: June 2012

Sleep is essential for health and daily functioning, and social relationships may be a key social factor influencing sleep, yet sleep has been understudied in the literature on social relationships and health. This study used data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States to examine associations between troubled sleep and family contact, social support, and strain. Results show that having strained family relationships is associated with more troubled sleep, while supportive family relationships are associated with less troubled sleep. Family strain is more consequential for sleep than support, and sleep troubles are greatest when family relationships are highly strained and provide inadequate emotional support. Family strain is also more harmful to sleep among individuals who are in frequent contact with family members. These findings underscore the importance of focusing on both negative and positive aspects of relationships and highlight the significance of family relationships for sleep.
Parental Expectations About Adapted Physical Education Services
Authors: Chaapel Holly , Columna Luis , Lytle Rebecca , Bailey JoEllen
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this study was to characterize the expectations of parents of children with disabilities regarding adapted physical education services. Participants ( N = 10) were parents of children with disabilities. Parents participated in one-on-one semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed through a constant comparative method. Three parental themes emerged from the analysis: (a) importance placed on physical activities, (b) ongoing and frequent communication and collaboration, and (c) teachers’ attributes. The results of this study demonstrated that parents wanted more communication with the adapted physical education teacher, a collaborative working relationship, attendance of the adapted physical education teacher at Individual Education Program meetings, and normalcy for their child.
A Postmodern Reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans and Its Disclosure of a New Image of God and a New Understanding of Salvation
Authors: Waetjen Herman C.
Published: June 2012

Under a hermeneutics of disclosure that prioritizes a subjective “ready-to-hand” relationship with the biblical text and, concomitantly, the ontological realities of solicitude and the knowing of a priori understanding, this article interprets Rom 1:17 and Gal 3:15–19 utilizing the literary-critical principles of a close reading of the text and consistency building. Paul’s perspective in Rom 1:17 is that the gospel, not the law, discloses God’s justice and its movement, “out of trust into trust,” is interpreted in relation to Gal 3:15–19 and the testament of inheritance that God established with Abraham and his seed, Christ. The law is relegated to a codicil, constituted by angels and added to the testament of inheritance through Moses’ mediation between God and Israel at Sinai. Its function is to raise to consciousness the infection of sin ( hamartia) and to serve as the guide to Christ, the end of the law. Christ, the testamentary heir, fulfilled its conditions by eradicating sin and making the benefits of the testament universally available. Accordingly, the phrase, “out of trust into trust,” implies the movement “from the trust of Abraham into the trust of Christ” and establishes the possibility of actualizing the justice of God and delivering the creation from its corruption. Luther and Calvin’s formulation of a law-oriented gospel, combined with their adoption of Augustine’s doctrine of original sin—that continues to dominate the interpretation of Romans—limited salvation to God’s accreditation of dikaiosynê (usually translated as “righteousness”) to those who receive Christ into their lives. Their theology of atonement, determined by their law-oriented gospel, presupposed a punitive God who was compelled to inflict the punishment of law-transgressing humanity upon God’s Son in order to satisfy God’s law-directed retribution. The result: a gospel of individual salvation without commitment to the actualization of God’s justice.
Retrieving Paul Tillich’s Ecclesiology for the Church Today
Authors: Thelander Laura J.
Published: June 2012

While Paul Tillich’s theological legacy remains alive and well in a wide range of intellectual conversations, his identity as a church theologian and his unique contributions to ecclesiology are often overlooked. This article argues that Tillich provides a substantive and relevant ecclesiological proposal rooted in Christology and pneumatology. Tillich’s thoroughgoing integration of ecclesiology with his overall theological system along with the critical methodological principle of Catholic Substance and the Protestant Principle demand rigorous reflection and have the potential to equip today’s Church as it engages the diverse challenges facing the worldwide communion.
When We Don’t Choose Our Friends: Friendship as a Theological Category
Authors: Gonzalez Michelle A.
Published: June 2012

This article focuses on the implications of Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel’s theological category of friendship for U.S. minority theologies today. The emphasis is on the significance of relationship and community for theological anthropology. The author explores the implications of friendship as defined by Moltmann-Wendel for collaborative work among minority theologians in the United States. The article concludes with the possibility of professional friendship as a collaborative model for U.S. minority theologians.
“Communicate Life”: Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel Imagines Biblical Models for Women
Authors: Rigby Cynthia L.
Published: June 2012

This article explains how Moltmann-Wendel “communicates life” by inviting us to participate in the stories of biblical women. Three themes are developed: (1) how Moltmann-Wendel employs “imagination” in a way that is consistent with the Reformed theological commitment to the extra calvinisticum, and why this matters; (2) how Moltmann-Wendel’s narrative reading of biblical stories about women resists a Nestorian separation between the divine and the human, between Word and words, between “theofantasy” and empirical fact—and why this matters; and (3) how Moltmann-Wendel’s interpretation of the women around Jesus becomes flesh in her theology of Mary Magdalene, which she simultaneously identifies as a theology of tenderness.
Patient-focused goal planning process and outcome after spinal cord injury rehabilitation: quantitative and qualitative audit
Authors: Byrnes Michelle , Beilby Janet , Ray Patricia , McLennan Renee , Ker John , Schug Stephan
Published: June 2012

Objective:

To evaluate the process and outcome of a multidisciplinary inpatient goal planning rehabilitation programme on physical, social and psychological functioning for patients with spinal cord injury.

Design:

Clinical audit: quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Setting:

Specialist spinal injury unit, Perth, Australia.

Subjects:

Consecutive series of 100 newly injured spinal cord injury inpatients.

Main measure(s):

The Needs Assessment Checklist (NAC), patient-focused goal planning questionnaire and goal planning progress form.

Results:

The clinical audit of 100 spinal cord injured patients revealed that 547 goal planning meetings were held with 8531 goals stipulated in total. Seventy-five per cent of the goals set at the first goal planning meeting were achieved by the second meeting and the rate of goal achievements at subsequent goal planning meetings dropped to 56%. Based on quantitative analysis of physical, social and psychological functioning, the 100 spinal cord injury patients improved significantly from baseline to discharge. Furthermore, qualitative analysis revealed benefits consistently reported by spinal cord injury patients of the goal planning rehabilitation programme in improvements to their physical, social and psychological adjustment to injury.

Conclusions:

The findings of this clinical audit underpin the need for patient-focused goal planning rehabilitation programmes which are tailored to the individual’s needs and involve a comprehensive multidisciplinary team.
Clinical effects of a nine-month web-based intervention in subacute non-specific low back pain patients: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: del Pozo-Cruz Borja , Gusi Narcis , del Pozo-Cruz Jesús , Adsuar Jose C , Hernandez-Mocholí Miguel , Parraca Jose A
Published: June 2012

Objective:

To test the clinical effect of a web-based lower back pain intervention on quality of life and selected lower back pain outcomes.

Design:

A prospective single-blinded randomized intervention.

Setting:

Occupational preventive service.

Subjects:

One hundred office workers with non-specific subacute lower back pain.

Intervention:

The 50 intervention group subjects were educated daily about sitting correctly and asked to perform exercises shown by video demonstrations on the university website. The exercise routines included strengthening, mobility and stretching exercises focused on the postural stability muscles. The 50 control group subjects only received standard occupational care.

Measures:

Outcomes were measured by the EuroQol questionnaire five dimensions three levels, the Oswestry Disability Index, and the StarT Back Screening Tool questionnaires. At nine months, the intervention group outcomes were compared to the baseline data and the control group outcomes.

Results:

For 97% ( n = 45) of the experimental group quality of life (clinical utility) improved significantly; 3.58 times greater than the control group. Oswestry Disability Index showed an odds ratio (OR) of 5.42 with a 37% ( n = 17) change for the intervention group with respect to the control group. With regard to the StarT Back Screening Tool, 76% ( n = 35) of the intervention group improved their clinical state (odds ratio = 3.04 with respect to the control group improvement). Logistic regression analysis revealed positive changes in EuroQol questionnaire, increasing the likelihood of observing positive changes in StarT Back Screening Tool (OR = 15.5) and Oswestry Disability Index (OR = 4.5).

Conclusions:

The intervention showed clinical improvements in quality of life and selected lower back pain outcomes in the experimental group compared to the control group.
Anticholinergics in the era of atypical antipsychotics: short-term or long-term treatment?
Authors: Desmarais Julie Eve , Beauclair Linda , Margolese Howard C
Published: June 2012

Anticholinergic agents are usually prescribed to prevent or treat antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms. Their long-term benefits are questionable and they carry diverse adverse effects, including cognitive impairment and worsening of tardive dyskinesia. This literature review explores the impact of anticholinergic medication discontinuation on movement disorders, cognition and psychopathology in patients receiving antipsychotics. Medline, Embase and PsycInfo were searched from 1950 to July 2011 using “cessation /withdrawal /discontinuation /stopping” with “anticholinergic*” or “antiparkinson*” and “neuroleptic*” or “antipsychotic*”. Additional articles were obtained by searching the bibliographies of relevant references. Earlier studies of anticholinergic agent discontinuation in patients receiving first-generation antipsychotics reported relapse rates of extrapyramidal symptoms between 4% and 80%, reflecting the heterogeneity of the studies. Two recent studies of patients prescribed second-generation antipsychotics obtained relapse rates of 4% and 33%. Some studies suggest improvement in tardive dyskinesia with cessation of anticholinergics. Four studies examined the effects of anticholinergic agent discontinuation on cognition and all observed an improvement post-discontinuation. Changes in symptoms of schizophrenia with anticholinergic discontinuation are conflicting, with more recent studies suggesting an improvement. Given their questionable benefit with continued use, clinicians should consider a gradual withdrawal of anticholinergic agents in stable patients receiving antipsychotics.
The relative importance of children’s criteria for representational adequacy in the perception of simple sonic stimuli
Authors: Verschaffel Lieven , Reybrouck Mark , Degraeuwe Goedele , Van Dooren Wim
Published: June 2012

This study investigates children’s metarepresentational competence (MRC) with regard to listening to and making sense of simple sonic stimuli. Using diSessa’s (2002) seminal work on MRC in mathematics and sciences as background, it aims to assess the relative importance children attribute to several criteria for representational adequacy of graphical representations of sonic stimuli, as well as to investigate the impact of children’s age and music background on their valuations of the relative importance of these criteria. Four groups of children (8–9- and 11–12-year-olds with and without extra music education) were exposed to short and simple sonic fragments. For each fragment they received a set of pairs of representations from which they had to choose one from each pair. The representations were organized in pairs of opposites for two of the four representational criteria involved in the study (correctness, formality, transparency, and neatness). The findings revealed a development in children’s personal hierarchies of representational criteria with growing age and musical education towards the following ranking: (1) correctness; (2) neatness; (3) formality; and (4) transparency. Theoretical, methodological, and educational implications are discussed.
Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on somatosensory evoked potentials and high frequency oscillations in migraine
Authors: Coppola Gianluca , De Pasqua Victor , Pierelli Francesco , Schoenen Jean
Published: June 2012

Background: In previous studies we found that high-frequency somatosensory oscillations (HFOs) reflecting thalamo-cortical activation were decreased in migraineurs between attacks and that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was able to normalize the habituation deficit of visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Here we study the effects of activating (10 Hz) or inhibiting (1 Hz) rTMS on conventional low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs).

Subjects and methods: rTMS was applied on the motor cortex of 13 healthy volunteers (HVs) and 13 migraine without aura (MO) patients. We measured N20-P25 LF-SSEP amplitude and habituation, and maximal peak-to-peak amplitude of early and late HFOs before and after rTMS.

Results: In HVs, 1 Hz rTMS significantly reduced the amplitude of the first LF-SSEP block and its habituation. In MO patients, 10 Hz rTMS increased the amplitude of the first block and induced habituation. Ten Hz rTMS produced an increase of late HFO in both groups, but more interestingly, in MO patients also significantly increased the early HFOs, which are reduced at baseline compared to those of HVs.

Conclusions: These data confirm for SSEP that excitatory rTMS can normalize habituation in migraine patients and show that this is accompanied by early an HFO increase, which is thought to reflect thalamo-cortical activity. Taken together with similar effects we observed for VEPs, this finding supports the hypothesis that dysfunctioning thalamo-cortical loops may be responsible for the interictal habituation deficit in migraine.
Characterization of the pressure losses in a common rail diesel injector
Authors: López J Javier , Salvador F Javier , de la Garza Oscar A , Arrègle Jean
Published: June 2012

A methodology to characterise the pressure losses in quasi-steady conditions (i.e. at full needle lift) of common rail diesel injectors was developed. The aim was to quantify the error when experimental results of nozzle internal flow are compared with computational fluid dynamics results, where pressure losses are usually neglected. The proposed methodology is based mainly on experimental tests that are complemented with some approximate calculations, based on the physics of the phenomenon, to take into account the effect of the needle deformation. The results obtained in the work lead to two important conclusions: on the one hand, that it is dangerous to extrapolate results relative to the injection (internal flow, spray atomization, spray penetration, etc.) and combustion processes from low permeability nozzles (e.g. single-hole nozzles) to high permeability nozzles (e.g. multi-hole nozzles), and, on the other hand, that the comparison of these results between experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations should be carried out carefully, because the pressure losses in the injector can be high under certain conditions. Finally, people working on the study of the injection and/or combustion processes, through experiments or simulations, will find here some interesting information to better know the actual injection pressure to be used in their analysis and/or simulations.
Cycle-averaged efficiency of hybrid electric vehicles
Authors: Ott Tobias , Zurbriggen Florian , Onder Christopher , Guzzella Lino
Published: June 2012

In this paper we present an extension of the tank-to-wheel efficiency for hybrid electric vehicles. The energy at the wheel is split into dissipative energy and circulating energy. Instead of using one lumped tank-to-wheel efficiency, we use fuel-to-traction efficiency and recuperation efficiency. We further show that for a hybrid electric vehicle, fuel-to-traction efficiency and recuperation efficiency are almost constant and independent of the driving cycle. This fact makes our approach well suited for the estimation of the needed fuel energy for hybrid electric vehicles.
Why enumeration counts
Authors: Appadurai Arjun
Published: June 2012

Enumerations of informal settlements undertaken by their own community organizations have become increasingly common. These help urban poor communities to mobilize knowledge about themselves – knowledge that is valuable for their own discussions, that helps develop better relations with local governments. This commentary discusses why it is important for communities to have the right to undertake their own research, and how this can become an irreversible force for stronger negotiations with those who see them as a burden, a blight or a vote bank.
Reconstruing Intolerance
Authors: Luguri Jamie B. , Napier Jaime L. , Dovidio John F.
Published: June 2012

Myrdal (1944) described the “American dilemma” as the conflict between abstract national values (“liberty and justice for all”) and more concrete, everyday prejudices. We leveraged construal-level theory to empirically test Myrdal’s proposition that construal level (abstract vs. concrete) can influence prejudice. We measured individual differences in construal level (Study 1) and manipulated construal level (Studies 2 and 3); across these three studies, we found that adopting an abstract mind-set heightened conservatives’ tolerance for groups that are perceived as deviating from Judeo-Christian values (gay men, lesbians, Muslims, and atheists). Among participants who adopted a concrete mind-set, conservatives were less tolerant of these nonnormative groups than liberals were, but political orientation did not have a reliable effect on tolerance among participants who adopted an abstract mind-set. Attitudes toward racial out-groups and dominant groups (e.g., Whites, Christians) were unaffected by construal level. In Study 3, we found that the effect of abstract thinking on prejudice was mediated by an increase in concerns about fairness.
The Local-Ladder Effect
Authors: Anderson Cameron , Kraus Michael W. , Galinsky Adam D. , Keltner Dacher
Published: June 2012

Dozens of studies in different nations have revealed that socioeconomic status only weakly predicts an individual’s subjective well-being (SWB). These results imply that although the pursuit of social status is a fundamental human motivation, achieving high status has little impact on one’s SWB. However, we propose that sociometric status—the respect and admiration one has in face-to-face groups (e.g., among friends or coworkers)—has a stronger effect on SWB than does socioeconomic status. Using correlational, experimental, and longitudinal methodologies, four studies found consistent evidence for a local-ladder effect: Sociometric status significantly predicted satisfaction with life and the experience of positive and negative emotions. Longitudinally, as sociometric status rose or fell, SWB rose or fell accordingly. Furthermore, these effects were driven by feelings of power and social acceptance. Overall, individuals’ sociometric status matters more to their SWB than does their socioeconomic status.
Perindopril protects against streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic myocardial damage/alterations
Authors: Patel BM , Agarwal SS , Bhadada SV
Published: June 2012

High blood pressure, obesity, abnormal lipid profile, which often coexist with diabetes, tend to be associated with preclinical cardiovascular abnormalities and may contribute to the association of diabetes with cardiovascular events. Many studies have proved that streptozotocin (STZ) is responsible for type-2-diabetes-induced cardiovascular complications. Long-term perindopril therapy in patients with hypertension and diabetes has been observed to correct carotid remodeling by reducing hypertrophy. We studied the effect of perindopril (1 mg/kg/d orally [po]) on cardiovascular complications in neonatal model of rats, which was induced by administering STZ (90 mg/kg, intraperitoneally [ip]), in 5-d-old wistar rats and cardiac hypertrophy induced by isoprenaline (ISO; 5 mg/kg, ip) for 10 d. Various biochemical, cardiac, and hemodynamic parameters were measured at the end of 8 weeks of treatment in diabetes model and 10 d in hypertrophy model. STZ produced hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, bradycardia, increased creatinine kinase (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase enzymes (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, cardiac hypertrophy, and oxidative stress. Chronic treatment with perindopril significantly prevented STZ-induced hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia and controlled dyslipdemia in diabetic rats. Further, perindopril produced a significant reduction in elevated levels of CRP, LDH, and CK. STZ-induced hypertension and bradycardia were also prevented by perindopril treatment. Perindopril also produced beneficial effect by preventing cardiac hypertrophy as evident from cardiac hypertrophy index and left ventricular hypertrophic index. Perindopril also prevented STZ-induced oxidative stress. Similar results were obtained in ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophic model, which confirms the beneficial role of perindopril in cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, our data from both studies suggest that perindopril produced beneficial effect on cardiac complications.
Determination of DNA damage after exposure to inhalation anesthetics in human peripheral lymphocytes and sperm cells in vitro by comet assay
Authors: Kaymak C , Kadioglu E , Coskun E , Basar H , Basar M
Published: June 2012

In this study, genotoxic activities of four halogenated anesthetics (halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane) were investigated in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and sperm cells in vitro by alkaline comet assay. For this purpose, sperm or lymphocyte suspension was exposed to different concentrations (0.1 mM, 1 mM, 10 mM and 100 mM) of anesthetic agents and 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as controls. The DNA strand breaks as well as alkali-labile sites were measured as percentage tail intensity with comet assay. The results of this study demonstrate that all analyzed drugs were capable of inducing DNA damage on PBLs in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. However, the results in sperm cells were slightly different since we did not observe any genotoxic effect for desflurane in any of the exposure doses, and the genotoxic effect of halothane was not dose dependent. This experimental study points out to the presence of DNA damage after exposure to halogenated anesthetics in both PBLs and sperm cells, although this effect seems to be higher in PBLs.
Effect of phenethyl isothiocyanate on Ca2+ movement and viability in MDCK canine renal tubular cells
Authors: Chen IS , Mok KT , Chou CT , Liu SI , Kuo CC , Hsu SS , Chang HT , Tsai JY , Liao WC , Jan CR
Published: June 2012

The effect of the natural compound phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) on cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and viability in MDCK renal cells is unknown. This study explored whether PEITC changed [Ca2+]i in MDCK cells using the Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2. PEITC at 200–700 μM increased [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. The signal was reduced by removing extracellular Ca2+. PEITC-induced Ca2+ influx was inhibited by nifedipine, econazole, SK&F 96365 and protein kinase C modulators. In Ca2+-free medium, treatment with the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump inhibitor thapsigargin (TG) or 2,5-di- tert-butylhydroquinone (BHQ) inhibited PEITC-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. Incubation with PEITC also inhibited TG or BHQ-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. Inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122 abolished PEITC-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. At 15–75 μM, PEITC decreased viability. The cytotoxic effect of PEITC was enhanced by chelating cytosolic Ca2+ with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetic acid/acetoxymethyl ester. Annexin V-FITC data suggest that 20 and 50 μM PEITC induced apoptosis. At 10 and 15 μM, PEITC did not increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Together, in renal tubular cells, PEITC-induced rise in [Ca2+]i by inducing phospholipase C-dependent Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum and Ca2+ entry via store-operated Ca2+ channels. PEITC induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent, ROS/Ca2+-independent manner.