bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
18α‐glycyrrhetinic acid extracted from Glycyrrhiza radix inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of the hepatic stellate cell line
Authors: Zong Lei , Qu Ying , Xu Ming Yi , Dong Yu Wei , Lu Lun Gen
Published: January 2013

Objective

To evaluate the effect of 18α‐glycyrrhetinic acid (18α‐GA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

HSCs (both human and rat HSCs) were pretreated with or without selective peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ) antagonist, GW9662, before 18a‐GA treatment. Cell cycle and apoptosis of HSCs were analyzed by flow cytometry, and changes in cell cycle and apoptosis‐related proteins were analyzed by Western blot. The effect of 18α‐GA on nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB) DNA‐binding activity was measured by ArrayStar transcription factor activity assay.

Results

18α‐GA markedly reduced LX‐2 cell numbers by 14.8% and 31.2% after 48 h and 72 h of treatment, respectively (P < 0.05). 18α‐GA also significantly increased the percentage of LX‐2 cells in phase G0/G1 and decreased it in phase S after treated for 48 h and 72 h compared with the control group. 18α‐GA increased apoptosis to 6.8% at 48 h, compared with control (2.5%), and at 72 h the percentages of apoptotic cells in control and the treatment groups were 3.1% and 15.6%, respectively, in LX‐2 cells (P < 0.01). Similar changes occurred in CCl4‐cirrhotic fat‐storing cells. Furthermore, 18α‐GA induced expression of PPAR‐γ and altered some cell cycle and apoptosis‐related proteins. 18α‐GA also inhibited NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity. All these effects were abolished by GW9662.

Conclusions

18α‐GA inhibits the proliferation of activated HSCs and induces apoptosis in culture. It also increases PPAR‐γ expression and decreases NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity, which may be involved in these effects.
Incidence and outcomes of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in rural and urban Australia
Authors: Shiraev Timothy , Condous Michael G.
Published: January 2013

Background

Rural and regional populations suffer higher rates of preventable disease and all‐cause mortality than urban areas, with rural areas of the USA experiencing double the rate of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We investigated the incidence and outcomes of ruptured AAAs in an Australian rural and regional setting, and compared these with those of an urban population.

Methods

We undertook a retrospective analysis of all patients suffering AAA rupture in New South Wales (NSW) from 2009/2010 to 2010/2011. Variables included rates of rupture, mortality and intensive care admission. Urban and rural–regional areas were stratified according to NSW Health Local Health Districts, and comparisons between the two groups were performed.

Results

Ruptured AAAs had an incidence of 4.1/100 000, with males twice as likely to suffer AAA rupture (P = 0.009), but females 88% more likely to die from rupture (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference between AAA rupture rates (5.0 versus 3.4 per 100 000; P = 0.054) nor case‐fatality rates (41.22% versus 40.94%; P = 0.087) in rural–regional and urban populations. Patients in urban areas had a longer hospital stay (5 days versus 1 day, P = 0.001), were more likely to be admitted to intensive care unit (29.4% versus 19.9%, P = 0.001) and were less likely to be transferred to another hospital (19% versus 32%, P = 0.001).

Conclusions

AAA ruptures remain a significant public health burden. Rural and regional areas suffer disproportionately, which may be improved by implementation of AAA screening and funding for rural and regional hospitals to sustain adequate surgical and intensive care facilities.
The prospective association between behavioural problems and asthma outcome in young asthma patients
Authors: Verkleij Marieke , van de Griendt Erik‐Jonas , Kaptein Adrian A , van Essen‐Zandvliet Liesbeth EM , Duiverman Eric J , Geenen Rinie
Published: January 2013

Aim

The aim of this prospective study was to examine the association between behavioural problems and medical and psychological outcomes in clinically treated children and adolescents with asthma.

Methods

Patients (n = 134) were recruited from two high‐altitude asthma clinics in Switzerland and one asthma clinic in the Netherlands. Outcome measures were Asthma Control Test (ACT), Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ(S)), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) and fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) (predictor variable). Data were collected at the start and end of treatment. Multiple regression analysis was used while adjusting for demographic variables, clinic and length of stay.

Results

More severe internalizing behavioural problems were associated with less improvement of total quality of life (t = −2.26, p = 0.03) and the domains symptoms (t = −2.04, p = 0.04) and emotions (t = −2.3, p = 0.02) after clinical treatment. Behavioural problems were not associated with a change of lung function measurements (FEV1 and FeNO) and asthma control (ACT) during treatment.

Conclusion

A focus of healthcare professionals on the treatment of internalizing behavioural problems may optimize the quality of life in clinically treated youth with asthma.
Resistivity Tomography Imaging of the Substratum of the Bedestan Monumental Complex at Nicosia, Cyprus
Authors: Cozzolino M. , Mauriello P. , Patella D.
Published: January 2013

In the framework of the EU–UNDP project ‘Rehabilitation of Old Nicosia’ (Cyprus, 2004–9), a high‐resolution geoelectrical survey has been performed inside the partially ruined monumental complex of St Nicholas of the English, now called the Bedestan, which was designed to become a venue space for cultural activities. The aim was to detect buried traces of a Byzantine basilica of the sixth century, on the ruins of which, according to tradition, the construction of St Nicholas was begun in the 12th century. The survey has been conducted on the floor of the monument, using a dipole–dipole electrode array along two perpendicular sets of profiles. In order to model the resistivity distribution, the probability‐based electrical resistivity tomography inversion (PERTI) method has been applied. Sets of aligned blocks with resistivity in the range 100–400 ohm·m, bounding a three‐room rectangular space, and traces of a rounded structure with mean resistivity about 150 ohm·m, appearing at one extremity of the central room, are the main resistive features recognized down to 4 m depth, within a conductive background with resistivity in the range 20–40 ohm·m. Altogether, these resistive features, showing in plan the shape of a church characterized by a central nave with an apse and two side aisles, have been interpreted as an evidence of the existence of remains of the earlier Byzantine basilica. Moreover, small volumes with resistivity in the range 10–12.6 ohm·m have been found, scattered underneath the whole surveyed area. Taking into account the PERTI results, ground‐truth has been performed in two sites, designed to become two permanent protected exposures of the archaeological findings beneath the floor of the newly restored Bedestan. At one site, excavations detected remains of masonry in correspondence of the alignment of resistive blocks at the left margin of the left side aisle of the churchlike structure. At the other site, graves, entirely filled with wet debris in an alluvial soil matrix, have, instead, been found in correspondence with the greatest conductive volume, detected outside the perimeter of the churchlike structure. Both findings have been dated back to the sixth century. Since the Bedestan case‐history is one of the first applications of the PERTI algorithm to real field data sets, its performance has been tested using the well‐known ERTLabTM commercial software as benchmark. The comparison has shown a general consistency between the two inversions, and also confirmed the much higher computing speed, better filtering capacity and greater versatility of the PERTI algorithm, already outlined in a previous paper where only synthetic models were tested.
Reduced expression of MIR409‐3p in primary immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Li Huiyuan , Zhao Haifeng , Xue Feng , Zhang Xian , Zhang Donglei , Ge Jing , Yang Yanhui , Xuan Min , Fu Rongfeng , Yang Renchi
Published: January 2013

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disease with many immune dysfunctions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non‐coding RNAs that post‐transcriptionally regulate gene expression by messenger RNA degradation or translational repression. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs play a vital role in the regulation of immunological functions and prevention of autoimmunity. However, whether miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of ITP is still unknown. To illustrate the role of miRNAs in ITP, the expression profile of miRNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in ITP patients was investigated by miRNA microarray, and further validated by TaqMan real‐time polymerase chain reaction. MIR409‐3p expression was decreased in PBMCs of active ITP patients, but this recovered after effective therapy. IFNG was identified and validated as one of the targeted genes of MIR409‐3p by bioinformatic prediction and reporter gene analysis. In addition, we found DGCR8 transcript was down‐regulated in ITP patients and positively correlated with MIR409‐3p. Thus, in ITP patients, decreased DGCR8 leads to down‐regulation of MIR409‐3p, which in turn results in up‐regulation of IFNG (IFN‐γ).
An Interactive Human Carbonic Anhydrase‐II (hCA‐II) Receptor – Pharmacophore Molecular Model & Anti‐Convulsant Activity of the Designed and Synthesized 5‐Amino‐1,3,4‐Thiadiazole‐2‐Thiol Conjugated Imine Derivatives
Authors: Yusuf Mohammad , Khan Riaz A. , Khan Maria , Ahmed Bahar
Published: January 2013

New imines, derived from aromatic aldehyde, chalcones and 5‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐thiol exhibited promising anti‐convulsant activity which is explained through chemo‐biological interactions at receptor site producing the inhibition of human Carbonic Anhydrase‐II enzyme (hCA‐II) through the proposed pharmacophore model at molecular levels as basis for pharmacological activity. The compounds 5‐{1‐(4‐Chlorophenyl)‐3‐[4‐(methoxy‐phenyl)‐prop‐2‐en‐1‐ylidene]amino}‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐thiol (2b), 5‐{[1‐(4‐chloro‐phenyl)]‐3‐[4‐(dimethyl‐amino‐phenyl)‐prop‐2‐en‐1‐ylidene]amino}‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐thiol (2c) and 5‐{[1‐(4‐chloro‐phenyl)]‐3‐[(4‐amino‐phenyl)‐prop‐2‐en‐1‐ylidene]amino}‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2‐thiol (2f) showed 100% activity in comparison with standard Acetazolamide, a known anti‐convulsant drug. The compounds 2c, 2f also passed the Rotarod and Ethanol Potentiation tests which further confirmed them to be safe in motor coordination activity and safe from generating neurological toxicity.
Housing, income inequality and child injury mortality in Europe: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Sengoelge M. , Hasselberg M. , Ormandy D. , Laflamme L.
Published: January 2013

Background

Child poverty rates are compared throughout Europe to monitor how countries are caring for their children. Child poverty reduction measures need to consider the importance of safe living environments for all children. In this study we investigate how European country‐level economic disparity and housing conditions relate to one another, and whether they differentially correlate with child injury mortality.

Methods

We used an ecological, cross‐sectional study design of 26 European countries of which 20 high‐income and 6 upper‐middle‐income. Compositional characteristics of the home and its surroundings were extracted from the 2006 European Union Income Social Inclusion and Living Conditions Database (n = 203 000). Mortality data of children aged 1–14 years were derived from the World Health Organization Mortality Database. The main outcome measure was age standardized cause‐specific injury mortality rates analysed by income inequality and housing and neighbourhood conditions.

Results

Nine measures of housing and neighbourhood conditions highly differentiating European households at country level were clustered into three dimensions, labelled respectively housing, neighbourhood and economic household strain. Income inequality significantly and positively correlated with housing strain (r = 0.62, P = 0.001) and household economic strain (r = 0.42, P = 0.009) but not significantly with neighbourhood strain (r = 0.34, P = 0.087). Child injury mortality rates correlated strongly with both country‐level income inequality and housing strain, with very small age‐specific differences.

Conclusions

In the European context housing, neighbourhood and household economic strains worsened with increasing levels of income inequality. Child injury mortality rates are strongly and positively associated with both income inequality and housing strain, suggesting that housing material conditions could play a role in the association between income inequality and child health.
Infants May Use Contingency Analysis to Estimate Environmental States: An Evolutionary, Life‐History Perspective
Authors: Frankenhuis Willem E. , Gergely György , Watson John S.
Published: January 2013

Harshness and unpredictability early in life appear to be independently associated with long‐term developmental outcomes, with environmental stressors affecting parental investment (e.g., responsiveness), which then shapes child development (e.g., onset of puberty). Research has detailed mediating physiological pathways, but has not specified how children transform experiences with their parents' and others' responsiveness into cognitive estimates about environmental harshness or unpredictability. In this article, we analyze this estimation process drawing on the study of contingency analysis. We propose that harshness and unpredictability produce distinct contingency profiles, and that children use these profiles to separately estimate each dimension. We conclude with six empirical predictions.
Normal weight obesity in Korean adults
Authors: Kim Mee Kyoung , Han Kyungdo , Kwon Hyuk‐Sang , Song Ki‐Ho , Yim Hyeon Woo , Lee Won‐Chul , Park Yong‐Moon
Published: January 2013

Background

A better way to define obesity is in terms of the percentage of body fat (BF). Subjects with normal weight, but excess BF are vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases.

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of subjects having normal weight obesity (NWO) using optimal cut‐offs of the BF percentage reflecting risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Korean adults.

Design and setting

The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the Korean population conducted in 2009–2010.

Participants

We surveyed 5313 men and 6904 women aged 20 years or older.

Measurements

We investigated the relations between the BF percentage (measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry) and obesity‐related risk factors for CVD (diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia) in Korean adults. NWO was defined as the combination of a normal body mass index (BMI; 18·5–22·9 kg/m2 in Asian subjects) and BF percentages above the determined cut‐off values.

Results

There were strong and graded associations of increasing BF percentages with the prevalence of CVD risk factors. The first cut‐off values (defined as being overweight) in men and women were 20·6% and 33·4% BF, respectively, and the second cut‐off values (defined as obesity) were 25·7% and 36·0% BF. Thirty‐two per cent of normal weight adults had BF percentages greater than or equal to the overweight or obesity cut‐offs (NWO). Subjects with NWO had a lower appendicular skeletal muscle mass, a more atherogenic lipid profile and greater insulin resistance.

Conclusions

Obesity can be defined as 26% BF or greater in Korean men and 36% BF or greater in Korean women. There was a high prevalence of clustering of cardiometabolic abnormalities among subjects with NWO.
Analysis ofCAGrepeats in fiveSCAloci in Mexican population: epidemiological evidence of aSCA7founder effect
Authors: Magaña J.J. , Tapia‐Guerrero Y.S. , Velázquez‐Pérez L. , Cerecedo‐Zapata C.M. , Maldonado‐Rodríguez M. , Jano‐Ito J.S. , Leyva‐García N. , González‐Piña R. , Martínez‐Cruz E. , Hernández‐Hernández O. , Cisneros B.
Published: January 2013

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders.CAG(cytosine‐adenine‐guanine) trinucleotide repeat expansions in the causative genes have been identified as the cause of differentSCA. In this study, we simultaneously genotypedSCA1,SCA2,SCA3,SCA6, andSCA7applying a fluorescent multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. We analyzed 10 families withSCA(64 patients) from five different communities of Veracruz, a Mexican southeastern state, and identified 55 patients forSCA7and 9 forSCA2, but none forSCA1,SCA3, orSCA6. To our knowledge, this sample represents one of the largest series ofSCA7cases reported worldwide. Genotyping of 300 healthy individuals from Mexican population and compiled data from different ethnicities showed discordant results concerning the hypothesis thatSCAdisease alleles arise by expansion of large normal alleles.
Direct Evidence of Memory Retrieval as a Source of Difficulty in Non‐Local Dependencies in Language
Authors: Fedorenko Evelina , Woodbury Rebecca , Gibson Edward
Published: January 2013

Linguistic dependencies between non‐adjacent words have been shown to cause comprehension difficulty, compared with local dependencies. According to one class of sentence comprehension accounts, non‐local dependencies are difficult because they require the retrieval of the first dependent from memory when the second dependent is encountered. According to these memory‐based accounts, making the first dependent accessible at the time when the second dependent is encountered should help alleviate the difficulty associated with the processing of non‐local dependencies. In a dual‐task paradigm, participants read sentences that did or did not contain a non‐local dependency (i.e., object‐ and subject‐extracted cleft constructions) while simultaneously remembering a word. The memory task was aimed at making the word held in memory accessible throughout the sentence. In an object‐extracted cleft (e.g., It was Ellen whom John consulted…), the object (Ellen) must be retrieved from memory when consulted is encountered. In the critical manipulation, the memory word was identical to the verb's object (ELLEN). In these conditions, the extraction effect was reduced in the comprehension accuracy data and eliminated in the reading time data. These results add to the body of evidence supporting memory‐based accounts of syntactic complexity.
Evidence for Implicit Learning in Syntactic Comprehension
Authors: Fine Alex B. , Florian Jaeger T.
Published: January 2013

This study provides evidence for implicit learning in syntactic comprehension. By reanalyzing data from a syntactic priming experiment (Thothathiri & Snedeker, 2008), we find that the error signal associated with a syntactic prime influences comprehenders' subsequent syntactic expectations. This follows directly from error‐based implicit learning accounts of syntactic priming, but it is unexpected under accounts that consider syntactic priming a consequence of temporary increases in base‐level activation. More generally, the results raise questions about the principles underlying the maintenance of implicit statistical knowledge relevant to language processing, and about possible functional motivations for syntactic priming.
Pretreatment of cotton fabrics with polyamino carboxylic acids for salt‐free dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes
Authors: Ameri Dehabadi Vahid , Buschmann Hans‐Jürgen , Gutmann Jochen S
Published: January 2013

In this study, polyamino carboxylic acids have been used to improve the dyeability of cotton in a salt‐free reactive dyeing process. These polyamino carboxylic acids were prepared by partial carboxylation of polyvinylamine. Cotton fabric was pretreated with polyamino carboxylic acids and dyed with reactive dyes. The colour strengths of the dyed fabrics were evaluated by measuring the K/S values. The fastness properties (washing, rubbing and light fastness) of the dyed cotton fabrics were also measured. The pretreatment of cotton with polyamino carboxylic acids creates positive charges on the fabric surface. In this way, salt‐free reactive dyeing of cotton or dyeing with only a small amount of electrolyte is possible.
Coexistent childhood renovascular and cerebrovascular disease
Authors: Buerki Sarah , Steinlin Maja
Published: January 2013

This commentary is on the original article by Willsher et al on pages 335–340 of this issue.
Defining and refining the phenotype of PRRT2 mutations
Authors: Mink Jonathan W
Published: January 2013

This commentary is on the original article by Silveira‐Moriyama et al on pages 327–334 of this issue.
Antidiabetic therapy effects on bone metabolism and fracture risk
Authors: Montagnani A. , Gonnelli S.
Published: January 2013

Patients with diabetes are at greater risk of fractures mostly due to not only to extraskeletal factors, such as propensity to fall, but also to bone quality alteration, which reduces bone strength. In people with diabetes, insulin deficiency and hyperglycaemia seem to play a role in determining bone formation alteration by advanced glycation end product (AGE) accumulation or AGE/RAGE (receptors for AGE) axis imbalance, which directly influence osteoblast activity. Moreover, hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress are able to negatively influence osteocalcin production and the Wnt signalling pathways with an imbalance of osteoblast/osteoclast activity leading to bone quality reduction as global effect. In addition, other factors such as insulin growth factors and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ pathways seem to have an important role in the pathophysiology of osteoporosis in diabetes. Although there are conflicting data in literature, adequate glycaemic control with hypoglycaemic treatment may be an important element in preventing bone tissue alterations in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Attention should be paid to the use of thiazolidinediones, especially in older women, because the direct negative effect on bone could exceed the positive effect of glycaemic control. Finally, preliminary data on animals and in humans suggest the hypothesis that incretins and dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors could have a positive effect on bone metabolism by a direct effect on bone cells; however, such issue needs further investigations.
Atrial Remodeling in Newly Diagnosed Drug‐Naive Hypertensive Subjects
Authors: Aljizeeri Ahmed , Gin Kenneth , Barnes Marion E. , Lee Pui K. , Nair Parvathy , Jue John , Tsang Teresa S. M.
Published: January 2013

Background

Systemic hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Data regarding temporal relationship of left atrial (LA) remodeling to onset of hypertension are sparse. We aimed to quantitate LA structural and functional remodeling in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients.

Method

We prospectively identified 380 patients with newly diagnosed systemic hypertension naive to drug therapy, and 380 age‐matched control subjects without any history or evidence of hypertension. History or evidence of prior cardiovascular events, congenital or valvular heart disease, and renal dysfunction were exclusion criteria. Prevalence of LA enlargement, LA mechanical dysfunction expressed in total emptying fraction, left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, LV hypertrophy, and their interrelationships were assessed.

Results

Of the 380 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients, 285 (75%) had LA enlargement, 308 (81%) had LA mechanical dysfunction, and 19 (5%) had LVH. Diastolic dysfunction was present in 334 (88%) of the patients. Compared to the controls, the hypertensive group had larger maximal, minimal, and pre‐A LA volumes (all P < 0.001). Total and active LA emptying fraction were significantly reduced (both P < 0.001). Total LA emptying fraction was strongly associated with systolic blood pressure [per 10 mmHg, HR 0.94 (0.89–0.98); P < 0.001], with stepwise decrease in LA emptying fraction of 6%, 10%, and 16% from the lowest (141–150 mmHg) to the top tertile of systolic blood pressure (>160 mmHg).

Conclusion

In this drug‐naive cohort with newly diagnosed hypertension, LA structural and functional remodeling, and LV diastolic dysfunction were common findings prior to initiation of drug treatment. LVH was uncommon. Impairment of LA mechanical function was evident even in the mildly hypertensive subgroup.
Using e‐learning to train dentists in the development of standardised oral health promotion interventions for persons with disability
Authors: Catteau C. , Faulks D. , Mishellany‐Dutour A. , Collado V. , Tubert‐Jeannin S. , Tardieu C. , Hugues P. , Roger‐Leroi V. , Hennequin M.
Published: January 2013

Background

This study aims to evaluate whether an e‐learning curriculum was sufficient to impart the necessary knowledge to dentists to allow them to implement an oral health promotion intervention in an institution for persons with disability.

Materials and methods

Participants were asked to complete a 10‐module online training course and to implement a standardised intervention in an institution. The outcome measures were as follows: online tracking of progress; multiple choice questionnaires completed at the end of most modules; self‐efficacy questionnaire completed before and after online training; completion of training and calibration in the use of a standardised risk assessment form; initiation and full completion of an oral health promotion intervention in an institution; satisfaction of participants with the online training experience; and evaluation of the impact of the intervention by the institution staff.

Results

The study sample included 26 dentists. The 10 modules were passed by 24 dentists, and the mean value of the highest overall score recorded in the multiple questionnaires was 88.4% (±4.0). Twenty participants completed the self‐efficacy questionnaire before and after training; the mean values of scores after training were statistically different and higher than those at baseline. Questionnaire regarding satisfaction with the online training experience was completed by 22 participants; all of them stated that they were satisfied with the online training experience.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the online training course helped participants to increase self‐efficacy and to provide interventions in institutions. This study could have implications for both undergraduate and postgraduate dental education in France.
Glycosaminoglycans are functional ligands for receptor for advanced glycation end‐products in tumors
Authors: Mizumoto Shuji , Sugahara Kazuyuki
Published: January 2013

Glycosaminoglycans, including chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate, attached to proteoglycans at the surface of tumor cells play key roles in malignant transformation and metastasis. A Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC)‐derived tumor cell line with high metastatic potential shows a higher proportion of E disaccharide units, d‐glucuronic acid–GalNAc(4,6‐O‐disulfate), in CS chains than LLC cells with low metastatic potential, suggesting that E units in the CS chains contribute to the metastatic potential. In fact, the metastasis of LLC to mouse lungs is drastically inhibited by preadministration of CS‐E or a phage display antibody specific for CS‐E. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the pulmonary metastasis involving CS chains remained to be elucidated. Recently, receptor for advanced glycation end‐products (RAGE), which is predominantly expressed in the lung, was identified as a functional receptor for CS chains containing E units. RAGE strongly interacted with not only CS‐E but also heparan sulfate in vitro. The interaction with CS‐E required a decasaccharide length and a cluster of basic amino acids. Intriguingly, antibody against RAGE robustly inhibited the pulmonary metastasis of not only LLC but also B16 melanoma cells, which also colonize mouse lungs after injection into a tail vein. Thus, CS chains containing E units are involved in the metastatic process, and RAGE is a critical receptor for glycosaminoglycan chains expressed at the tumor cell surface. Hence, RAGE and glycosaminoglycans are potential targets of drugs for pulmonary metastasis and a number of other pathological conditions involving RAGE in the pathogenetic mechanism.
Entrepreneurial Learning: Past Research and Future Challenges
Authors: Wang Catherine L. , Chugh Harveen
Published: January 2013

Entrepreneurial learning (EL) has emerged as an important concept at the interface of entrepreneurship and organizational learning. Although EL research has gained momentum in the past decade, the literature is diverse, highly individualistic and fragmented, hindering the development of EL as a promising research area. In this paper, a systematic analysis of the EL literature is first conducted in order to take stock of the theoretical and empirical development and identify research themes and developmental patterns of EL research. Second, three pairs of key learning types that deserve more attention in future research are discussed, namely individual and collective learning, exploratory and exploitative learning, and intuitive and sensing learning. These learning types correspond to three key challenges that are derived from the EL research gaps identified in the systematic literature analysis, and provide fruitful avenues for future research. Third, by exploring the three pairs of learning types, further insights are drawn from entrepreneurship and organizational learning to help to advance EL research, and also feed back to the entrepreneurship literature by discussing how these learning types can help to understand the challenges at the centre of debate in the entrepreneurship literature.
Differential chemokine and cytokine production by neonatal bovine γδ T‐cell subsets in response to viral toll‐like receptor agonists and in vivo respiratory syncytial virus infection
Authors: McGill Jodi L. , Nonnecke Brian J. , Lippolis John D. , Reinhardt Timothy A. , Sacco Randy E.
Published: January 2013

γδ T cells respond to stimulation via toll‐like receptors (TLR). Bovine γδ T cells express TLR3 and TLR7, receptors that are key for the recognition of viruses such as bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV); however, responses of γδ T cells to stimulation via these receptors, and their role during viral infections, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that neonatal bovine γδ T cells exhibit robust chemokine and cytokine production in response to the TLR3 agonist, Poly(I:C), and the TLR7 agonist, Imiquimod. Importantly, we observe a similar phenotype in γδ T‐cell subsets purified from calves infected with BRSV. Bovine γδ T cells are divided into subsets based upon their expression of WC1, and the response to TLR stimulation and viral infection differs between these subsets, with WC1.1+ and WC1neg γδ T cells producing macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α and granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, and WC1.2+ γδ T cells preferentially producing the regulatory cytokines interleukin‐10 and transforming growth factor‐β. We further report that the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 does not alter γδ T‐cell responses to TLR agonists or BRSV. To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of the γδ T‐cell response during in vivo BRSV infection and the first suggestion that WC1.1+ and WC1neg γδ T cells contribute to the recruitment of inflammatory populations during viral infection. Based on our results, we propose that circulating γδ T cells are poised to rapidly respond to viral infection and suggest an important role for γδ T cells in the innate immune response of the bovine neonate.
Telephone survey of service‐user experiences of a telephone‐based mental health triage service
Authors: Elsom Stephen , Sands Natisha , Roper Cath , Hoppner Cayte , Gerdtz Marie
Published: January 2013

The participation of service users in all aspects of mental health service delivery including policy development, service planning and evaluation is increasingly an expectation of contemporary mental health care. Although there are a growing number of publications reporting service‐user perspectives in the evaluation of mental health services, little attention has been paid to the views of service users about mental health triage services. The purpose of the study reported here was to examine service‐users' (consumers and informal carers) experiences of a telephone‐based mental health triage service. Using a framework developed from the World Health Organisation's elements of responsiveness, we conducted structured telephone interviews with service users who had contacted a telephone‐based mental health triage service in regional Victoria, Australia. The main findings of the study were that consumers experienced more difficulty than carers in accessing the service and that, although most participants were satisfied, only a minority reported being involved in decision‐making. Further work is needed to improve accessibility of mental health triage services and to investigate barriers to consumer self‐referral. Professional development and practice support systems should be established to support mental health triage nurses in the development of collaborative, consumer‐focused care.
The true risk of blood transfusion after nephrectomy for renal masses: a population‐based study
Authors: Vricella Gino J. , Finelli Antonio , Alibhai Shabbir M.H. , Ponsky Lee E. , Abouassaly Robert
Published: January 2013

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

There is a paucity of population‐based analyses of expected outcomes after renal surgery for kidney cancer. Reported blood transfusion rates after nephrectomy show considerable variability, probably as a result of the referral patterns that influence reports from tertiary academic medical centres.

With emerging data on the inferior outcomes in patients undergoing allogeneic blood transfusion, we aimed to evaluate the patient, surgeon and hospital factors that influence the receipt of a blood transfusion after nephrectomy. A more detailed understanding of these factors may help in preoperative patient counselling and informed consent.

Objective

To examine blood transfusion rates after nephrectomy for renal masses at the population‐level.

Patients and Methods

We performed a population‐based, retrospective observational study using a national discharge abstract database.

The study cohort consisted of 10 902 patients who were treated by radical nephrectomy (RN) or partial nephrectomy (PN) for a renal mass between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2008.

The association between blood transfusion and various explanatory variables was examined using the chi‐squared test and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

The overall blood transfusion rate was 18.1%.

Transfusions occurred after 28.2%, 12.7%, 9.2% and 8.6% of open RN, open PN, laparoscopic RN and laparoscopic PN, respectively (P < 0.001).

Transfusion rates were found to be strongly associated with age and comorbidity, such that patients aged <50 years with Charlson scores of 0 were transfused 11.2% and 14.5% of the time compared to 28.2% and 40.7% in patients aged ≥80 years with Charlson scores of ≥3, respectively (P < 0.001).

On multivariable logistic regression, age (P < 0.001), Charlson score (P < 0.001), procedure type (P < 0.001), surgeon (P < 0.001) and hospital volume quartile (P < 0.001) were all found to be associated with the rate of blood transfusions, whereas year of surgery, sex and income quintile were not.

Conclusions

The transfusion rate after nephrectomy in general clinical practice is higher than that reported in the urological literature.

Patient and provider factors appear to contribute to the considerable variability that exists in the observed transfusion rate.

A more detailed understanding of these factors may help with respect to preoperative patient counselling and informed consent.
Sociable Sleeping in Early Modern England, 1660–1760
Authors: Handley Sasha
Published: January 2013

This article traces a critical phase of change in the history of English sleeping practices. It examines the emergence of a new set of ‘sociable’ sleeping habits among certain sections of English society in the years 1660 to 1760. These habits were characterized by late hours of rising and retiring, the increased mobility of sleepers through different beds, chambers and houses, and the emergence of distinctive forms of sleep‐etiquette. All of these experiences were linked to the pursuit of new modes of public and domestic sociability that were underpinned by socio‐economic change, physical shifts in the urban landscape and domestic household, and by shifting medical and philosophical understandings of sleep. The article uses household inventories, account books, personal testimonies and a wide range of published treatises to examine how sociable sleeping habits became established as a lifestyle choice in the years after 1660.
Richard Guldeford's Pilgrimage: Piety and Cultural Change in Late Fifteenth‐ and Early Sixteenth‐Century England
Authors: Lutton Rob
Published: January 2013

The account of Sir Richard Guldeford's pilgrimage, printed in 1511, is just one of over 500 surviving medieval accounts of the Jerusalem pilgrimage. In many ways conventional, it nonetheless bears a number of distinctive features. Its presentation of first‐person detailed eyewitness testimony in conjunction with judicious use of source material, innovative treatment of travel balanced with sober and restrained piety, and eschewal of some of the more fabulous aspects of pilgrimage literature, all make it an important example of the vogue for sober piety in late fifteenth‐ and early sixteenth‐century England. It provides evidence of critical engagement with debates surrounding pilgrimage and related aspects of religious practice such as indulgences and the cult of relics, and it is an important example of new approaches to the writing and publishing of the literature of pilgrimage and travel. Richard Guldeford, royal courtier and civil servant, did not write the account of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but it emanated from the Guldeford family's interests in fashionable humanist learning and reformist religious sensibilities. The text's innovations and tensions are representative of wider shifts and deeper fault‐lines in late medieval religious culture prior to the enormous religious changes of the Reformation, and are further evidence of the ways in which pre‐Reformation orthodox religious culture was neither homogeneous nor unchanging. Above all, it offered a reformed and rehabilitated practice of the Jerusalem pilgrimage at a time when pilgrimage was increasingly vulnerable to attacks from both orthodox and heterodox critics.
Clarifying the importance of trust in organizations as a component of effective work relationships
Authors: Sousa‐Lima Maria , Michel John W. , Caetano António
Published: January 2013

Organizational trust is an important element of an organization's long‐term success, as it is a central component of effective work relationships. This study examines the extent to which one's trust in the organization mediates the relationship between three drivers of social exchange relationships and three attitudinal outcomes. The results from a sample of 1,300 manufacturing employees revealed that trust in the organization partially mediated the relationship between perceived supervisor support and turnover intentions, affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction, and fully mediated the relationship between distributive justice and information receiving and these outcomes. This paper extends the empirical literature about the antecedents and consequences of trust in organization, giving special attention to the mediating role of trust in organizations.
Intra‐organ flexibility in the eared grebe Podiceps nigricollis stomach: a spandrel in the belly
Authors: Jehl Joseph R. , Henry Annette E.
Published: January 2013

Adjustments in body composition over the annual cycle have been documented in many organs and muscle groups. Here we consider the nature and significance of intra‐organ variation in the eared grebe Podiceps nigricollis stomach, a large and variable organ that can weigh > 30 g when birds are staging, drop to 8–11 g before setting off, or to as little as 6.6 g after a several‐day migration. Weight reduction in association with migration is conventionally regarded as an adaptation to reduce wing loading and flight costs. This interpretation applies to the premigratory reduction of the entire stomach. However, it does not fit the differential in‐flight reduction of the proventriculus, because grebes require a large proventriculus to initiate digestion, and its smaller size when they need to rebuild the entire stomach and resume feeding quickly is opposite that expected in a functional context. We view the reduction of the proventriculus as a non‐adaptive response, or spandrel, stemming from its intrinsically higher turnover rate. Starving birds, like migrants, also need to digest food quickly. In their case, the proventriculus is maintained as body weight declines and the gizzard is sacrificed. Mechanisms by which individual organisms achieve different responses to similar challenges, including starvation, merit further investigation.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood overweight and fat distribution: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study
Authors: Timmermans S. H. , Mommers M. , Gubbels J. S. , Kremers S. P. J. , Stafleu A. , Stehouwer C. D. A. , Prins M. H. , Penders J. , Thijs C.
Published: January 2013

What is already known about this subject

There is an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and higher body mass index (BMI) and overweight in childhood.

What this study adds

The association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood overweight develops with age, starting with a lower birth weight, followed by weight catch‐up in the first year after birth, finally leading to overweight at school age.

Children of mothers who had smoked during pregnancy had a higher risk of exceeding the 85th percentile of BMI, waist circumference and total skinfold thickness at school age.

Background

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with childhood overweight, but the association with fat distribution is not clear.

Objective

To explore the longitudinal association between smoking during pregnancy and childhood overweight and fat distribution.

Methods

In the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, repeated questionnaires were administered to 2698 mother–child pairs, including questions on smoking at 14 and 34 weeks of pregnancy. Main outcomes were birth weight, weight gain in the first year, body mass index (BMI) z‐scores and overweight (BMI ≥85th percentile) at 1, 2, 4–5 and 6–7 years (n = 1730) and waist circumference and four skinfold thicknesses measured at home visits at age 6–7 years in a subgroup (n = 418). We used multivariable linear and logistic regression, with generalized estimating equations (GEE) for repeated measurements.

Results

Maternal smoking was associated with lower birth weight, higher weight gain in the first year and increasing overweight after infancy (change with age P = 0.02 in the GEE). Maternal smoking vs. non‐smoking during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of the child exceeding the 85th percentile of BMI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.72; 95% CI 1.33–10.4), waist circumference (aOR 2.65; 95% CI 1.06–6.59) and sum of skinfold thicknesses (aOR 4.45; 95% CI 1.63–12.2) at the age of 6–7 years.

Conclusions

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with lower birth weight, weight catch‐up and development of overweight into childhood.
In Situ Thermometry Measuring Temperature Flashes Exceeding 1,700°C in 8 mol% Y2O3‐Stablized Zirconia Under Constant‐Voltage Heating
Authors: Park Jungdeok , Chen I‐Wei
Published: January 2013

Using AC impedance spectroscopy as a means of in situ thermometry, temperature runaway over 1,500°C within a few seconds was observed for the first time in dense 92 mol% ZrO2–8 mol% Y2O3 (8YSZ) ceramics heated under a constant voltage. Such runaway is especially pronounced when starting from a low background temperature in samples of a small surface‐to‐volume ratio, and is expected to be commonplace during flash sintering of porous ceramic cubes or cylinders. The method of AC impedance‐based thermometry is applicable to other ceramics with a well‐defined conduction mechanism at high temperature.
Genistein, a natural product derived from soybeans, ameliorates polyglutamine‐mediated motor neuron disease
Authors: Qiang Qiang , Adachi Hiroaki , Huang Zhe , Jiang Yue‐Mei , Katsuno Masahisa , Minamiyama Makoto , Doi Hideki , Matsumoto Shinjiro , Kondo Naohide , Miyazaki Yu , Iida Madoka , Tohnai Genki , Sobue Gen
Published: January 2013

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited motor neuron disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within the androgen receptor (AR) gene. The pathologic features of SBMA are motor neuron loss in the spinal cord and brainstem, and diffuse nuclear accumulation and nuclear inclusions of mutant AR in residual motor neurons and certain visceral organs. AR‐associated coregulator 70 (ARA70) was the first coregulator of AR to be identified, and it has been shown to interact with AR and increase its protein stability. Here, we report that genistein, an isoflavone found in soy, disrupts the interaction between AR and ARA70 and promotes the degradation of mutant AR in neuronal cells and transgenic mouse models of SBMA. We also demonstrate that dietary genistein ameliorates behavioral abnormalities, improves spinal cord and muscle pathology, and decreases the amounts of monomeric AR and high‐molecular‐weight mutant AR protein aggregates in SBMA transgenic mice. Thus, genistein treatment may be a potential therapeutic approach for alleviating the symptoms of SBMA by disrupting the interactions between AR and ARA70.
Accurate scoring of the apnea–hypopnea index using a simple non‐contact breathing sensor
Authors: Beattie Zachary T. , Hayes Tamara L. , Guilleminault Christian , Hagen Chad C.
Published: January 2013

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that afflicts many individuals and is associated with serious health complications. Polysomnography, the gold standard for assessing and diagnosing sleep apnea, uses breathing sensors that are intrusive and can disrupt the patient's sleep during the overnight testing. We investigated the use of breathing signals derived from non‐contact force sensors (i.e. load cells) placed under the supports of the bed as an alternative to traditional polysomnography breathing sensors (e.g. nasal pressure, oral‐nasal thermistor, chest belt and abdominal belt). The apnea–hypopnea index estimated using the load cells was not different than that estimated using standard polysomnography leads (t44 = 0.37, P = 0.71). Overnight polysomnography sleep studies scored using load cell breathing signals had an intra‐class correlation coefficient of 0.97 for the apnea–hypopnea index and an intra‐class correlation coefficient of 0.85 for the respiratory disturbance index when compared with scoring using traditional polysomnography breathing sensors following American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using unobtrusive load cells installed under the bed to measure the apnea–hypopnea index.