bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamical difference in patients encounters involving uncontrolled diabetes: an orbital decomposition analysis
Authors: Katerndahl David , Parchman Michael L.
Published: February 2010

Rationale  Poor glucose control is common in patients with type 2 diabetes. Little is known about the dynamics within the doctor–patient encounter that might explain this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to compare dynamics of encounters with and without a hypoglycaemic medication change for patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

Methods  The doctor–patient encounters of 182 patients with type 2 diabetes from 20 primary care clinics were audio‐recorded and transcribed. Encounters were coded using the Davis Observation Codes (DOCs), classifying content into 20 different categories, for example, chatting or history taking, at 15 second intervals. Of the 60 encounters in which the A1C > 8.0, 25 involved a medication change. Fifteen patients were randomly selected from those with a change in medication as well as fifteen patients from those without a change in medication for analysis using orbital decomposition. ‘Orbital decomposition’ is an analytic technique based on symbolic dynamics in which categorical time series data, such as a string of DOCs, are used to identify amount of complexity present and recurrent patterns of strings.

Results  Encounters with a change were longer (mean 20 versus 15.5 minutes) and included more time planning treatment (29% versus 23%). Encounters with and without a change displayed similar degrees of non‐linearity, but change encounters were slightly more non‐linear (DLyapunov = 1.94 versus 1.75). Encounters with a change had more structure to them: they had many more DOC strings (60 versus 33 strings occurring at least three times), and those DOC strings more often linked treatment planning to history taking, chatting, health education, physical examination and compliance assessment. Encounters without a change linked treatment planning to history taking, compliance assessment and nutrition counselling but had no strings with chatting or evaluation and feedback.

Conclusion  In conclusion, the doctor's decision to change medication may be made before the encounter, thus the different strings of DOC codes observed. Chatting and evaluation and feedback may be strategies to increase trust before recommending a medication change.
Electrophysiological Identification of the Functional Presynaptic Nerve Terminals on an Isolated Single Vasopressin Neurone of the Rat Supraoptic Nucleus
Authors: Ohbuchi T. , Yokoyama T. , Fujihara H. , Suzuki H. , Ueta Y.
Published: February 2010

Release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin from magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) is under the control of glutamate‐dependent excitation and GABA‐dependent inhibition. The possible role of the synaptic terminals attached to SON neurones has been investigated using whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording in in vitro rat brain slice preparations. Recent evidence has provided new insights into the repercussions of glial environment modifications on the physiology of MNCs at the synaptic level in the SON. In the present study, excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic synaptic inputs were recorded from an isolated single SON neurone cultured for 12 h, using the whole‐cell patch clamp technique. Neurones expressed an AVP‐enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) fusion gene in MNCs. In addition, native synaptic terminals attached to a dissociated AVP‐eGFP neurone were visualised with synaptic vesicle markers. These results suggest that the function of presynaptic nerve terminals may be evaluated directly in a single AVP‐eGFP neurone. These preparations would be helpful in future studies aiming to electrophysiologically distinguish between the functions of synaptic terminals and glial modifications in the SON neurones.
Effects of Cholecystokinin in the Supraoptic Nucleus and Paraventricular Nucleus are Negatively Modulated by Leptin in 24‐h Fasted Lean Male Rats
Authors: Caquineau C. , Douglas A . J. , Leng G.
Published: February 2010

Cholecystokinin (CCK) and leptin are two important satiety factors that are considered to act in synergy to reduce meal size. Peripheral injection of CCK activates neurones in several hypothalamic nuclei, including the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei and neurones in the brainstem of fed rats. We investigated whether peripheral leptin would modulate the effects of CCK on neuronal activity in the hypothalamus and brainstem of fasted rats by investigating Fos expression in the PVN, SON, arcuate nucleus, ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), area postrema (AP) and the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Male rats, fasted for 24 h, received either one i.p. injection of vehicle, leptin or CCK‐8 alone, or received one injection of vehicle or leptin before an i.p. injection of CCK‐8. We found that CCK increased Fos expression in the PVN and SON as well as in the NTS and AP, but had no effect on Fos expression in the arcuate nucleus, VMH or DMH compared to vehicle. Leptin injected alone significantly increased Fos expression in the arcuate nucleus but had no effect on Fos expression in the VMH, DMH, SON, PVN, AP or NTS compared to vehicle. Fos expression was significantly increased in the AP in rats injected with both leptin and CCK compared to rats injected with vehicle and CCK. Unexpectedly, there was significantly less Fos expression in the PVN and SON of fasted rats injected with leptin and CCK than in rats injected with vehicle and CCK, suggesting that leptin attenuated CCK‐induced Fos expression in the SON and PVN. However, Fos expression in the NTS was similar in fasted rats injected with vehicle and CCK or with leptin and CCK. Taken together, these results suggest that leptin dampens the effects of CCK on Fos expression in the SON and PVN, independently from NTS pathways, and this may reflect a direct action on magnocellular neurones.
Potential of Nonpeptide (Ant)agonists to Rescue Vasopressin V2 Receptor Mutants for the Treatment of X‐linked Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus
Authors: Los E. L . , Deen P. M. T. , Robben J. H.
Published: February 2010

According to the body’s need, water is reabsorbed from the pro‐urine that is formed by ultrafiltration in the kidney. This process is regulated by the antidiuretic hormone arginine‐vasopressin (AVP), which binds to its type 2 receptor (V2R) in the kidney. Mutations in the gene encoding the V2R often lead to the X‐linked inheritable form of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), a disorder in which patients are unable to concentrate their urine despite the presence of AVP. Many of these mutations are missense mutations that do not interfere with the intrinsic functionality of V2R, but cause its retention in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), making it unavailable for AVP binding. Because the current treatments for NDI relieve its symptoms to some extent, but do not cure the disorder, cell‐permeable antagonists (pharmacological chaperones) have been successfully used to stabilise the mutant receptors and restore their plasma membrane localisation. Recently, cell‐permeable agonists also were shown to rescue ER‐retained V2R mutants, leading to increased cAMP levels and translocation of aquaporin‐2 to the apical membrane. This makes V2R‐specific cell‐permeable agonists very promising therapeutics for NDI as a result of misfolded V2R receptors.
Fixed dilated pupils and tacrolimus toxicity in paediatric liver transplant patients
Authors: Westrope Claire , Rowlands Helen , Morris Kevin , Gupte Girish L.
Published: February 2010

Westrope C, Rowlands H, Morris K, Gupte GL. Fixed dilated pupils and tacrolimus toxicity in paediatric liver transplant patients. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15: E96–E99. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  We report a case series of four children who developed fixed dilated pupils associated with high tacrolimus levels (>30 nanograms/millilitre [ng/mL]) in the immediate post‐operative period following isolated liver or liver and small bowel transplantation.
Selection pressures have caused genome‐wide population differentiation ofAnthoxanthum odoratumdespite the potential for high gene flow
Authors: FREELAND J. R. , BISS P. , CONRAD K. F. , SILVERTOWN J.
Published: February 2010

The extent to which divergent selection can drive genome‐wide population differentiation remains unclear. Theory predicts that in the face of ongoing gene flow, population differentiation should be apparent only at those markers that are directly or indirectly (i.e. through linkage) under selection. However, if reproductive barriers limit gene flow, genome‐wide population differentiation may occur even in geographically proximate populations. Some insight into the link between selection and genetic differentiation in the presence of ongoing gene flow can come from long‐term experiments such as The Park Grass Experiment, which has been running for over 150 years, and provides a unique example of a heterogeneous environment with a long and detailed history. Fertilizer treatments applied in the Park Grass Experiment have led to rapid evolutionary change in sweet vernal grassAnthoxanthum odoratum, but until now, nothing was known of how these changes would be reflected in neutral molecular markers. We have genotyped tenA. odoratumpopulations from the Park Grass Experiment using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs). Our data show that nutrient additions have resulted in genome‐wide divergence among plots despite the high potential for ongoing gene flow. This provides a well‐documented example of concordance between genomes and environmental conditions that has arisen in continuous populations across a time span of fewer than 75 generations.
Potentially functional COX‐2 −1195G>A polymorphism increases the risk of digestive system cancers: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Dong Jing , Dai Juncheng , Zhang Mingfeng , Hu Zhibin , Shen Hongbing
Published: February 2010

Background and Aim:  Three potentially functional polymorphisms: −765G>C, −1195G>A, and 8473T>C in the cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) gene were identified and proposed to be associated with cancer susceptibility. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to evaluate the association between these three polymorphisms and the risk of cancer in diverse populations.

Methods:  All case‐control studies published up to November 2009 on the association between the three polymorphisms of COX‐2 and cancer risk were identified by searching PubMed. The cancer risk associated with the three polymorphisms of the COX‐2 gene was estimated for each study by OR together with its 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively.

Results:  A total of 47 case‐control studies were included, and variant genotypes GA/AA of −1195G>A were associated with a significantly increased cancer risk (GA/AA vs GG: odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.18–1.41; Pheterogeneity = 0.113), and this significant association was mainly observed within cancers of the digestive system (e.g. colorectal, gastric, esophageal, oral, biliary tract, gallbladder, and pancreatic) without between‐study heterogeneity (GA/AA vs GG: OR, 1.36; 95% CI; 1.23–1.51; Pheterogeneity = 0.149). Furthermore, a stratification analysis showed that the risk of COX‐2−1195G>A associated with cancers in the digestive system was more evident among Asians than Caucasians. However, for COX‐2−765G>C and 8473T>C, no convincing association between the two polymorphisms and risk of cancer or cancer type was observed.

Conclusions:  The effect of three potentially functional polymorphisms (−765G>C, −1195G>A, and 8473T>C) in the COX‐2 gene on cancer risk provided evidence that the COX‐2−1195G>A polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of digestive system cancers, especially among Asian populations.
High prevalence of late relapse and reinfection in prisoners treated for chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Bate John P , Colman Anton J , Frost Peter J , Shaw David R , Harley Hugh AJ
Published: February 2010

Background and Aim:  Prisoners have a high prevalence of injection drug use (IDU) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. Treatment of CHC in these patients is effective; however, their long‐term outcomes following treatment are unknown. We determined the durability of a sustained virological response (SVR) in prisoners treated for CHC.

Methods:  Patients were treated as part of routine clinical practice with interferon (IFN) and ribavirin. A retrospective review of medical records and a computerized pathology system was performed for clinical and laboratory information.

Results:  Seventy‐four prisoners (70 males, mean age 34 years, IDU in 55%) were evaluable for a SVR over a 12‐year period to December 2008; the mean follow‐up period was 1243 days. Genotype 1, 2, 3, and 6 infection was present in 18, three, 38 and three patients, respectively; the genotype was unknown in 12. Three out of 52 biopsied had cirrhosis. Standard IFN was administered to 25 (34%; 11 with ribavirin), and 49 received pegylated IFN and ribavirin; one did not complete treatment, and two had breakthrough relapses. The end‐of‐treatment response was achieved in 57 and SVR in 53; 14 were non‐responders. Five male patients, four with unknown genotypes and treated with standard IFN alone, relapsed late (following SVR, 9%). Five patients, all treated with pegylated IFN and ribavirin, were reinfected (one prior to and four following SVR).

Conclusions:  Prisoners are often successfully treated for CHC. However, this retrospective study indicates that there is a high (17%) prevalence of late recurrence of viremia that is likely a reflection of reinfection due to ongoing risk‐taking behavior.
Identification of conditionally essential genes for growth ofPseudomonas putidaKT2440 on minimal medium through the screening of a genome‐wide mutant library
Authors: Molina‐Henares M. Antonia , De La Torre Jesús , García‐Salamanca Adela , Molina‐Henares A. Jesús , Herrera M. Carmen , Ramos Juan L. , Duque Estrella
Published: February 2010

In silicomodels forPseudomonas putidaKT2440 metabolism predict 68 genes to be essential for growth on minimal medium. In this study a genome‐wide collection of single‐geneP. putidaKT2440 knockouts was generated by mini‐Tn5transposon mutagenesis and used to identify genes essential for growth in minimal medium with glucose. Our screening of the knockout library allowed us to rescue mutants for 48 different knockouts that were conditionally essential for growth on minimal medium. Thein vivoscreening showed that 24 of these mutants had a insertion in genes proposed to be conditionally essential based onin silicomodels, whereas another 24 newly implicated conditionally essential genes have been found. For 10 of thein silicoproposed conditionally essential genes not found in the screening, knockout mutants were available at thePseudomonasReference Culture Collection. These mutants were tested for conditional growth on minimal medium, but none of them was shown to be essential, suggesting that thein silicoproposal was inaccurate. Among the set of identified conditionally essential genes were a number of genes involved in the biosynthesis of certain amino acids and vitamins. Auxotrophs for all amino acids predicted by thein silicomodels were found and, in addition, we also found auxotrophs for proline, serine, threonine and methionine, as well as auxotrophs for biotin, nicotinate and vitamin B12 that were not predictedin silico. Metabolic tests were performed to validate the mutants' phenotypes. Auxotrophies forl‐Arg,l‐Leu,l‐Pro andl‐Cys were bypassed by external addition of the correspondingd‐amino acids, suggesting the existence of number ofd‐ tol‐amino acid racemases encoded by the KT2440 genome. Therefore, thein vivohigh‐throughput analysis presented here provides relevant insights into the metabolic cross‐road of biosynthetic pathways in this microorganism, as well as valuable information for the fine tuning of currentin silicometabolic models.
Variation in the incidence of and risk factors for the development of nephrolithiasis after radical or partial nephrectomy
Authors: Bagrodia Aditya , Malcolm John B. , DiBlasio Christopher J. , Mehrazin Reza , Patterson Anthony L. , Wake Robert W. , Wan Jim Y. , Derweesh Ithaar H.
Published: February 2010

Study Type – Prevalence (retrospective cohort) Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

To examine incidence of and risk factors for the development of nephrolithiasis in patients treated with radical nephrectomy (RN) or partial nephrectomy (nephron‐sparing surgery, NSS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study comprised a single‐centre review of 749 patients treated with RN or NSS from August 1987 to June 2006. Demographics, medical and stone history, metabolic variables and postoperative stone events were recorded. Data were analysed within subgroups based on treatment (RN vs NSS). Multivariate analysis was used to identify risk factors for postoperative stone formation.

RESULTS

In all, 499 patients had RN and 250 had NSS (mean age 57.9 years; mean follow‐up 6.3 years). There were no significant differences in their demographic factors, but tumours were significantly larger in RN (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in preoperative urinary pH < 6.0 or stone history. Significantly fewer patients after NSS than RN formed calculi (NSS 1.6% vs RN 8.4%, P < 0.001), developed hypobicarbonataemia (NSS 7.2% vs RN 12.8%, P= 0.020), and a urinary pH of <6.0 (NSS 11.2% vs RN 19.4%, P= 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed that RN (odds ratio 18.18), postoperative urinary pH < 6 (15.63), previous stone disease (13.7), age <60 years (7.33, all P < 0.001), body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 (3.26, P= 0.033), male gender (2.67, P= 0.039), and hypobicarbonataemia (2.46, P= 0.034) were significantly associated with the development of postoperative calculi.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing RN have a significantly higher incidence of postoperative nephrolithiasis than a well‐matched cohort undergoing NSS. In addition to RN, male sex, urinary pH < 6.0, hypobicarbonataemia, history of stone disease, obesity, and age <60 years were significantly associated with postoperative stone formation.
‘TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE’: ON THE LOSS OF INTEGRITY AS A KIND OF SUFFERING
Authors: WIJSBEK HENRI
Published: February 2010

One of the requirements in the Dutch regulation for euthanasia and assisted suicide is that the doctor must be satisfied ‘that the patient's suffering is unbearable, and that there is no prospect of improvement.’ In the notorious Chabot case, a psychiatrist assisted a 50 year old woman in suicide, although she did not suffer from any somatic disease, nor strictly speaking from any psychiatric condition. In Seduced by Death, Herbert Hendin concluded that apparently the Dutch regulation now allows physicians to assist anyone in suicide simply because he or she is unhappy.

In this paper, I reject Hendin's conclusion and in particular his description of Mrs Boomsma as someone who was ‘simply unhappy.’ After a detailed narration of her lifestory, I turn to the American philosopher Harry Frankfurt's account of volitional incapacity and love for a more accurate characterization of her suffering. Having been through what she had, she could only go on living as another person than the one she had been when she was a happy mother. That would have violated her integrity, and that she could not bring herself to do.
Practising medicine in two countries: South African physicians in Canada
Authors: Joudrey Ronald , Robson Krista
Published: February 2010

This qualitative study examines the pre‐ and post‐migration practice experiences of 73 physicians trained in South Africa who have relocated to Canada. The aims are to explore the workings of two different healthcare systems from an insider standpoint and to address the medical autonomy debate as it relates to international medical graduates (IMGs). While study respondents reported practice frustrations in both countries, they generally preferred working in a socialised health insurance environment that grants wider accessibility than a two‐tiered system that favours a privileged few. Concerns such as family safety and opportunities for children also contributed to more satisfaction with Canada. We discuss our findings in relation to a broader international context and the sociological literature on medical autonomy. We argue that IMGs face different autonomy issues from other physicians and stress the need to broaden sociological inquiry of medical work by investigating how autonomy interfaces with other neglected aspects of physicians’ work and non‐work lives.
Men’s business, women’s work: gender influences and fathers’ smoking
Authors: Bottorff Joan L. , Oliffe John L. , Kelly Mary T. , Greaves Lorraine , Johnson Joy L. , Ponic Pamela , Chan Anna
Published: February 2010

To further understand men’s continued smoking during their partner’s pregnancy and the postpartum period, a study was undertaken to explore women’s perspectives of men’s smoking. Using a gender lens, a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews with 27 women was completed. Women’s constructions of men’s smoking and linkages to masculine and feminine ideals are described. The findings highlight the ways women position themselves both as defenders and regulators of men’s smoking. Femininities that aligned women with hegemonic masculine principles underpinned their roles in relation to men’s smoking and presented challenges in influencing their partner’s tobacco reduction. By positioning the decision to quit smoking as a man’s solitary pursuit, women reduced potential relationship conflict and managed to maintain their identity as a supportive partner. Insights from this study provide direction for developing gender‐specific tobacco reduction initiatives targeting expectant and new fathers. Indeed, a lack of intervention aimed at encouraging men’s tobacco reduction has the potential to increase relationship tensions, and inadvertently maintain pressure on women to regulate fathers’ smoking. This study illustrates how gender‐based analyses can provide new directions for men’s health promotion programmes and policies.
Beyond (financial) accessibility: inequalities within the medicalisation of infertility
Authors: Bell Ann V.
Published: February 2010

There is a significant class disparity within the provision of medical treatments for infertility in the United States. Common explanations attribute this inequality to financial inaccessibility due to sparse insurance coverage and exorbitant costs. However, little is known as to why disparities still exist without the presence of such constraints, such as in states with comprehensive insurance coverage of infertility treatments. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with women of low socioeconomic status (SES), this paper aims to explore the structural and political barriers to receiving medical care for infertility within the United States context. The paper argues that much of the invisible, unidentified treatment disparities of infertility stem from the social control mechanism of medicalisation. Medicalisation perpetuates the stratified system of reproduction through its structural inaccessibility and the institutionalised classism apparent within medicine’s reproductive health practices and policies. The women in this study, however, actively and creatively identified ways to overcome the reproductive limits with which they were faced. In doing so, their solutions served both to accept and reject dominant norms of motherhood and medicine.
Founding Principles of EU Law: A Theoretical and Doctrinal Sketch
Authors: Von Bogdandy Armin
Published: February 2010

The article discusses the roles of founding principles of the EU with the method of doctrinal constructivism, thereby explaining this specific approach to legal scholarship. At the same time it proves the usefulness of the constitutional approach to EU law. Core characteristics of the EU legal order should become more tangible.
The EU and Issues of Human Rights Protection: Same Solutions to More Acute Problems?
Authors: Van Den Berghe Frederic
Published: February 2010

Academic literature repeatedly calls for the EU's accession to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 (hereinafter Convention1). Similarly, the Lisbon Treaty provides that the EU must accede to the Convention. [Correction made here after initial online publication.] This might seem odd as the European Court of Justice (hereinafter ECJ2) has over the years developed abundant case‐law on human rights protection in the EU, and the EU has not so long ago adopted a, albeit non‐binding, catalogue of human rights (the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (hereinafter Charter)). But after all these years, cases, and Treaty amendments, the EU is in fact going back to the ECJ's 1996 landmark opinion which recommended the EU's formal accession to the Convention,3 already proposed in 1979 by the Commission.4 One reason for this might be that, in the meantime, human rights issues have multiplied in the application of EU law, especially in areas such as the Second and Third Pillars where—at least initially—fewer human rights protection guarantees were foreseen.
The Function of the Proportionality Principle in EU Law
Authors: Harbo Tor‐Inge
Published: February 2010

In this article the author assesses the proportionality principle in EU law from a legal theoretical and constitutional perspective with the aim of discovering the function of the principle. Having first discussed the implications of the proportionality principle being a general principle of law, and what function it has—namely to secure legitimacy for judicial decisions—the author suggests that there are several ways in which the principle can be interpreted. There is, nevertheless, a limit to this interpretation determined by the proposed function of the principle. In the third part of the article, the European Court of Justice's (ECJ's) interpretation of the principle is assessed. The assessment clearly shows that the ECJ is interpreting the principle in different distinguishable ways. The question could, however, be raised as to whether the ECJ in some areas is interpreting the principle in a way that undermines the very function of it.
The Bologna Process: From a European Law Perspective
Authors: Garben Sacha
Published: February 2010

The Bologna Process, an intergovernmental process of voluntary policy convergence towards a common higher education structure, poses several concerns from a European law perspective. The Bologna Process takes place outside the institutional framework of the EU, while there would have been legal competence to enact the content of the Bologna Declaration as a Community measure. Hence it could be argued that Member States have straddled the borders of loyal cooperation by avoiding the institutional framework of the EC with its built‐in checks and balances. They have obstructed the Community in the attainment of its tasks, which stands in tense relation to Article 10 EC. Moreover, there exist several other objections against the Bologna Process, particularly in terms of democracy, transparency and efficiency. The Bologna Process resembles a deal done in a smoke‐filled room, and its voluntary character combined with a lack of coordination prevents its effective implementation.
The Effect of Organizational Justice on Contextual Performance, Counterproductive Work Behaviors, and Task Performance: Investigating the moderating role of ability‐based emotional intelligence
Authors: Devonish Dwayne , Greenidge Dion
Published: February 2010

This study tested the direct effects of three dimensions of organizational justice – distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice – on contextual performance, counterproductive work behaviors, and task performance. The study also examined the moderating effects of an ability measure of emotional intelligence (EI) on the justice–performance relationship. Based on the data from 211 employees across nine organizations from the private and public sectors in a developing country in the Caribbean, the results revealed that all three justice dimensions had significant effects on task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behaviors in the expected direction. Composite EI and its four subdimensions (appraisal and expression of emotion in the self, appraisal and recognition of emotion in others, regulation of emotion, and use of emotion) moderated the relationship between procedural justice and contextual performance, but failed to moderate other justice–performance relationships.
Fairness Reactions to Selection Methods: A Romanian study
Authors: Ispas Dan , Ilie Alexandra , Iliescu Dragos , Johnson Russell E. , Harris Michael M.
Published: February 2010

This study examined fairness reactions to 10 selection methods in a sample of 240 Romanian employees. The results showed that Romanian employees rated work samples, interviews, written ability tests, and resumes as favorable, but graphology, ethnicity, and personal contacts as unfavorable. Perceived predictive validity was identified as the strongest predictor of process favorability ratings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
A prospective study of acute movement disorders in children
Authors: DALE RUSSELL C , SINGH HARRY , TROEDSON CHRISTOPHER , PILLAI SEKHAR , GAIKIWARI SHILPA , KOZLOWSKA KASIA
Published: February 2010

Aim  The purpose of this study was to report a prospective cohort of children with acute‐onset movement disorders.

Method  We report on 52 individuals (31 females, 21 males; mean age 6y 5mo, range 2mo–15y) with acute‐onset movement disorders managed at a busy tertiary paediatric referral hospital over a 40‐month period.

Results  In descending order of frequency, the movement disorders reported were chorea, dystonia, tremor, myoclonus, and parkinsonism. It was possible to divide the participants into three groups: (1) those with inflammatory or autoimmune disorders (n=22), (2) those with non‐inflammatory disorders (n=18), and (3) those with psychogenic disorders (n=12). The inflammatory or autoimmune aetiologies included N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor encephalitis (n=5), opsoclonus–myoclonus syndrome (n=4), Sydenham chorea (n=3), systemic lupus erythematosus (n=3), acute necrotizing encephalopathy (n=3), and other types of encephalitis (n=4). Other important non‐inflammatory movement disorder aetiologies included drug‐induced movement disorder (n=6), post‐pump chorea (n=5), metabolic (n=3) and vascular (n=2) disease. The participants with psychogenic movement disorders (n=12) were all over 10 years of age and were more likely to be female. Tremor and myoclonus were significantly over‐represented in the psychogenic movement disorder subgroup. The outcomes of the total cohort were variable, and included full recovery, severe morbidity, and death.

Interpretation  Acute‐onset movement disorders in children are important and may be treatable. Management should focus upon identifying the cause and treating the underlying disease process, as symptomatic treatment of the abnormal movements is variably effective.
Mitochondrial diseases in childhood: a clinical approach to investigation and management
Authors: KISLER JILL EDITH , WHITTAKER ROGER GRAHAM , MCFARLAND ROBERT
Published: February 2010

Mitochondrial diseases are a common cause of inherited neurological disorders in children. Although dysfunction of the central nervous system is prominent, multisystem involvement also occurs. Diagnosis relies on characteristic clinical features, an understanding of mitochondrial genetics, and a logical, informed approach to investigations. There is a significant body of recent literature on advances in mitochondrial genetics and the investigation of mitochondrial diseases. However, to our knowledge there remains a paucity of published information on the management of these disorders. Management of the complex constellation of neurological and multisystem clinical features is challenging, and is reliant on a multidisciplinary approach. The care of the child and family is dependent on clear communication between health professionals from primary, secondary, and tertiary care as well as specialist input from quaternary services. The aim of this review is to provide paediatric neurologists, paediatricians, and allied health professionals with a structured approach to the diagnosis and management of children with suspected or confirmed mitochondrial disease.
Resolving Darwin’s naturalization conundrum: a quest for evidence
Authors: Thuiller Wilfried , Gallien Laure , Boulangeat Isabelle , De Bello Francesco , Münkemüller Tamara , Roquet Cristina , Lavergne Sébastien
Published: February 2010

Aim  The study of biological invasions has long considered species invasiveness and community invasibility as separate questions. Only recently, there is an increasing recognition that integrating these two questions offers new insights into the mechanisms of biological invasions. This recognition has renewed the interest in two long‐standing and seemingly contradictory hypotheses proposed by Darwin: phylogenetic relatedness of invaders to native communities is predicted to promote naturalization because of appropriate niche‐adaptation but is at the same time predicted to hamper naturalization because of niche overlap with native species. The latter is known as Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis.

Location  Global.

Methods and Results  We review the studies that have tested these hypotheses and summarize their largely inconsistent outcomes. We argue that most of the inconsistency arises from discrepancies in the applied conceptual frameworks and analytical approaches and not from different model organisms and different ecological contexts. First, observed patterns and results can be seriously flawed by different spatial and phylogenetic scales, which do not equally reveal community assembly mechanisms. Second, different studies have used different metrics, which may test for different specific hypotheses. Thus, we propose a set of metrics derived from the alpha niche concept to measure invaders relatedness to native communities. Finally, approximating species niche differentiation from phylogenetic relatedness is not exempt of assumptions, and invasive species naturalization may result from various ecological mechanisms of biotic resistance that are not necessarily revealed by species phylogeny alone.

Main conclusions  The quest for resolving the conundrum of Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis will only be successful if appropriate scales, metrics and analytical tests are thoroughly considered. We give several recommendations and suggest, whenever possible, to use trait‐based measurements of species dissimilarity as the most promising avenue to unravel the mechanisms driving alien species invasions.
Dopaminergic and non‐dopaminergic pharmacological hypotheses for gait disorders in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Devos David , Defebvre L. , Bordet R.
Published: February 2010

Gait disorders form one component of the axial disorders observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Indeed, short steps with a forward‐leaning stance are diagnostic criteria for PD in the early stages of the condition. Gait disorders also represent a major source of therapeutic failure in the advanced stages of PD (with the appearance of freezing of gait and falls) because they do not respond optimally to the two hand late‐stage therapeutics – levodopa and electrical subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation. The late onset of doparesistance in these disorders may be linked to propagation of neurodegeneration to structures directly involved in gait control and to non‐dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems. The coeruleus locus (a source of noradrenaline) is rapidly and severely affected, leading to a major motor impact. The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) and lateral pontine tegmentum (rich in acetylcholine) are both involved in gait. Degenerative damage to the serotoninergic raphe nuclei appears to be less severe, although serotonin‐dopamine interactions are numerous and complex. Lastly, dopaminergic depletion leads to glutamatergic hyperactivity of the efferent pathways from the the STN to the PPN. However, the relationships between the various parkinsonian symptoms (and particularly gait disorders) and these pharmacological targets have yet to be fully elucidated. The goal of this review is to develop the various pathophysiological hypotheses published to date, in order to underpin and justify ongoing fundamental research and clinical trials in this disease area.
Dietary restriction affects lifespan but not cognitive aging in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Burger Joep M.S. , Buechel Séverine D. , Kawecki Tadeusz J.
Published: February 2010

Dietary restriction extends lifespan in a wide variety of animals, including Drosophila, but its relationship to functional and cognitive aging is unclear. Here, we study the effects of dietary yeast content on fly performance in an aversive learning task (association between odor and mechanical shock). Learning performance declined at old age, but 50‐day‐old dietary‐restricted flies learned as poorly as equal‐aged flies maintained on yeast‐rich diet, even though the former lived on average 9 days (14%) longer. Furthermore, at the middle age of 21 days, flies on low‐yeast diets showed poorer short‐term (5 min) memory than flies on rich diet. In contrast, dietary restriction enhanced 60‐min memory of young (5 days old) flies. Thus, while dietary restriction had complex effects on learning performance in young to middle‐aged flies, it did not attenuate aging‐related decline of aversive learning performance. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that, in Drosophila, dietary restriction reduces mortality and thus leads to lifespan extension, but does not affect the rate with which somatic damage relevant for cognitive performance accumulates with age.
Posterior glucose hypometabolism in Lafora disease: Early and late FDG‐PET assessment
Authors: Jennesson Melanie , Milh Mathieu , Villeneuve Nathalie , Guedj Eric , Marie Pierre‐Yves , Vignal Jean‐Pierre , Raffo Emmanuel , Vespignani Hervé , Mancini Josette , Maillard Louis
Published: February 2010

Establishing an early diagnosis of Lafora disease (LD) is often challenging. We describe two cases of LD presenting as myoclonus and tonic–clonic seizures, initially suggesting idiopathic generalized epilepsy. The subsequent course of the disease was characterized by drug‐resistant myoclonic epilepsy, cognitive decline, and visual symptoms, which oriented the diagnosis toward progressive myoclonic epilepsy and, more specifically, LD. Early in the evolution in the first case, and before histopathologic and genetic confirmation of LD in both cases, [18]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) revealed posterior hypometabolism, consistent with the well‐known posterior impairment in this disease. This suggests that FDG‐PET could help to differentiate LD in early stages from other progressive myoclonic epilepsies, but confirmation is required by a longitudinal study of FDG‐PET in progressive myoclonic epilepsy.
Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 is associated with cognitive outcome in infantile spasms
Authors: Riikonen Raili S. , Jääskeläinen Jarmo , Turpeinen Ursula
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  The molecular mechanisms that lead to long‐term consequences of infantile spasms (IS) are poorly understood. Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) is regulated by insults that might be stressful to the brain, and is crucial for early brain development. The aim of the present study was to correlate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of IGF‐1 with antecedent insults and cognitive outcome.

Methods:  We studied CSF IGF‐1 and the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations in infants with idiopathic IS (IIS), symptomatic IS (SIS), and controls.

Results:  Infants with IIS had CSF IGF‐1 concentrations similar to those of the control children, but children with SIS had markedly low CSF IGF‐1 concentrations. In addition, CSF ACTH concentrations were significantly lower in the children with SIS than in those with IIS. High CSF IGF‐1 concentrations were associated with an idiopathic etiology, absence of early (pre‐ or perinatal) insults or stress, normal brain imaging studies, good response to ACTH therapy, and favorable cognitive outcome. Low CSF IGF‐1 concentrations were associated with low CSF ACTH concentrations, a history of early insults or stress, cerebral atrophy, poor response to therapy, and poor cognitive outcome.

Discussion:  In children with IS, insults or stress in early life may affect the synthesis of IGF‐1, which might play a role in the reduction of certain cognitive functions.
Adverse effects of valproate on bone: Defining a model to investigate the pathophysiology
Authors: Senn Susan M. , Kantor Susan , Poulton Ingrid J. , Morris Margaret J. , Sims Natalie A. , O’Brien Terence J. , Wark John D.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  Bone disease and fractures are common with chronic antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize adverse bone effects of valproate and to identify mouse strains either resistant or sensitive to these effects.

Methods:  Seven mouse strains (n = 40/strain; 10/diet) were screened for the effect of chronic (8 weeks) valproate treatment (0, 2, 4, and 6 g/kg food) on total bone mineral content (BMC, by dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry). In a confirmatory study the effect of valproate (0 or 4 g/kg food) over 16 weeks was assessed in five of the mouse strains (n = 60/strain; 30/diet) identified in the screening phase as either sensitive or resistant. Ex vivo volumetric bone measures and structural changes were assessed using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and histomorphometry.

Results:  Chronic valproate treatment reproducibly affected bone in C3H/HeJ mice, with a 9.1% (p < 0.01) reduction in total BMC and a 10.7% (p < 0.01) reduction in trabecular volumetric density, indicating a sensitive strain to AED‐induced bone loss. Histomorphometry was consistent, revealing reductions in trabecular volume (19.6%, p < 0.05) and number (14.3%, p < 0.04), and a 19.9% (p < 0.05) increase in trabecular separation. In contrast the A/J mice were reproducibly resistant to the bone effects.

Conclusion:  Mouse strains sensitive and resistant to the adverse bone effects of chronic valproate treatment were identified. The strain‐specific effects suggest a role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of AED‐induced bone disease. This novel model provides a new, powerful tool to investigate the pathophysiology and therapy of AED‐associated bone disease.
Respiratory changes with seizures in localization‐related epilepsy: Analysis of periictal hypercapnia and airflow patterns
Authors: Seyal Masud , Bateman Lisa M. , Albertson Timothy E. , Lin Tzu‐Chun , Li Chin‐Shang
Published: February 2010

Purpose: The rate of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) approaches 9 per 1,000 patient‐years in patients with refractory epilepsy. Respiratory causes are implicated in SUDEP. We reported that ictal hypoxemia occurs in one‐third of seizures in localization‐related epilepsy. We now report on respiratory changes in the ictal/postictal period including changes in end‐tidal CO2(ETCO2) that correlate directly with alveolar CO2, allowing a precise evaluation of seizure‐related respiratory disturbances.

Methods: One hundred eighty‐seven seizures were recorded in 33 patients with localization‐related epilepsy, with or without secondarily generalized convulsions, undergoing video‐electroencephalography (EEG) telemetry with recording of respiratory data.

Results: The ictal/postictal ETCO2increase from baseline was 14 ± 11 mm Hg (11, −1 to 50) [mean ± standard deviation (SD) (median, range)]. ETCO2peak was at or above 50 mm Hg with 35 of 94 seizures, 60 mm Hg with 15, and 70 mm Hg with five seizures. Eleven of the 33 patients had seizures with ETCO2elevation above 50 mm Hg. The duration of ictal/postictal ETCO2increase above baseline was 424 ± 807 s (154, 4 to 6225). The duration of ictal apnea was 49 ± 46 s (31, 6–222); most ictal apneic events were central. Oxygen desaturation to 60% or less occurred with 10 seizures, including five that did not progress to generalized convulsions. Respiratory rate and amplitude increased postictally. The peak ictal ETCO2change and duration of change were not associated with apnea duration or seizure duration. Peak ETCO2change was significantly associated with contralateral seizure spread.

Conclusions: Severe and prolonged increases in ETCO2occur with seizures. Postictally, respiratory effort is not impaired. Ictally triggered ventilation–perfusion inequality from pulmonary shunting or transient neurogenic pulmonary edema may account for these findings.
The Repetition‐Break Plot Structure: A Cognitive Influence on Selection in the Marketplace of Ideas
Authors: Loewenstein Jeffrey , Heath Chip
Published: February 2010

Using research into learning from sequences of examples, we generate predictions about what cultural products become widely distributed in the social marketplace of ideas. We investigate what we term the Repetition‐Break plot structure: the use of repetition among obviously similar items to establish a pattern, and then a final contrasting item that breaks with the pattern to generate surprise. Two corpus studies show that this structure arises in about a third of folktales and story jokes. An experiment shows that jokes with this structure are more interesting than those without the initial repetition. Thus, we document evidence for how a cognitive factor influences the cultural products that are selected in the marketplace of ideas.
Using the Hands to Identify Who Does What to Whom: Gesture and Speech Go Hand‐in‐Hand
Authors: So Wing Chee , Kita Sotaro , Goldin‐Meadow Susan
Published: February 2010

In order to produce a coherent narrative, speakers must identify the characters in the tale so that listeners can figure out who is doing what to whom. This paper explores whether speakers use gesture, as well as speech, for this purpose. English speakers were shown vignettes of two stories and asked to retell the stories to an experimenter. Their speech and gestures were transcribed and coded for referent identification. A gesture was considered to identify a referent if it was produced in the same location as the previous gesture for that referent. We found that speakers frequently used gesture location to identify referents. Interestingly, however, they used gesture most often to identify referents that were also uniquely specified in speech. Lexical specificity in referential expressions in speech thus appears to go hand‐in‐hand with specification in referential expressions in gesture.
The Semantics of Prosody: Acoustic and Perceptual Evidence of Prosodic Correlates to Word Meaning
Authors: Nygaard Lynne C. , Herold Debora S. , Namy Laura L.
Published: February 2010

This investigation examined whether speakers produce reliable prosodic correlates to meaning across semantic domains and whether listeners use these cues to derive word meaning from novel words. Speakers were asked to produce phrases in infant‐directed speech in which novel words were used to convey one of two meanings from a set of antonym pairs (e.g., big/small). Acoustic analyses revealed that some acoustic features were correlated with overall valence of the meaning. However, each word meaning also displayed a unique acoustic signature, and semantically related meanings elicited similar acoustic profiles. In two perceptual tests, listeners either attempted to identify the novel words with a matching meaning dimension (picture pair) or with mismatched meaning dimensions. Listeners inferred the meaning of the novel words significantly more often when prosody matched the word meaning choices than when prosody mismatched. These findings suggest that speech contains reliable prosodic markers to word meaning and that listeners use these prosodic cues to differentiate meanings. That prosody is semantic suggests a reconceptualization of traditional distinctions between linguistic and nonlinguistic properties of spoken language.