bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mobile phone distraction while studying
Authors: David Prabu , Kim Jung-Hyun , Brickman Jared S , Ran Weina , Curtis Christine M
Published: April 2014

The mobile phone is a breakthrough advance for human communication. But with the plethora of choices available via smartphone, individuals who are deficient in self-regulation or with a propensity for addiction may face challenges in managing these choices strategically. To examine this potential dysfunctional aspect, we examined the effect of multitasking when studying or doing homework and found that both frequency and attention to texting and social media were positively related to mobile phone interference in life (MPIL). However, frequency of music use during study was not associated with MPIL, although allocated attention to music while studying was positively associated with MPIL. Ownership of a smartphone and the number of Facebook friends were positively associated with MPIL and women reported more MPIL than men.
‘LiveJournal Libra!’: The political blogosphere and voting preferences in Russia in 2011–2012
Authors: Koltsova Olessia , Shcherbak Andrey
Published: April 2014

This study explores relationship between the Internet and the Russian national election of 2011–2012. In contrast to other studies, we focus on the blogosphere as a political factor. Our conclusions are based on a study of the LiveJournal blogging platform represented by a sample of political posts from the top 2000 bloggers for 13-week-long periods. Sampling from the population of about 180,000 posts was performed automatically with a topic modelling algorithm, while the analysis of the resulting 3690 texts was carried out manually by five coders. We found that the most influential Russian blogs perform the role of a media ‘stronghold’ of the political opposition. Moreover, we established a relationship between the weekly pre-election ratings of the opposition parties and presidential candidates and the indicators of political activity in the blogosphere. Our results cautiously suggest that political activity on the Internet is not simply an online projection of offline political activity: it can itself provoke activity in offline political life.
The New Journalism and the struggle for interpretation
Authors: Pauly John J
Published: April 2014

Scholarship in literary journalism often focuses on matters of technique and style, and on the ethical challenges of immersion reporting. In some contexts, however, literary journalism may also take on a sense of moral purpose, as when reporters assert the importance of their interpretations, or readers attribute special meaning to a particular style of writing. The New Journalism of the 1960s and 1970s offers a revealing example of how magazine and book publishing markets and writer–editor relations inevitably shape journalists’ interpretations and lend them a sense of social significance. The New Journalism did not stand alone and apart from the larger profession, but took root within a network of writers, editors, and publishers, and grew out of a wider, ongoing debate over the nature of journalists’ interpretive responsibilities.
Overview of the main mechanisms triggering low-speed pre-ignition in spark-ignition engines
Authors: Zaccardi Jean-Marc , Escudié Dany
Published: April 2014

Low-speed pre-ignition has become of great concern since it represents a strong limit to any further downsizing of gasoline engines. The increase of pressure and temperature inside the combustion chamber at high loads can indeed lead to a premature auto-ignition of the mixture and to severe engine damages. Several hypotheses have been formulated but there is no consensus to explain and demonstrate the cause of low-speed pre-ignition. This article provides an overview of the mechanisms that might lead to low-speed pre-ignition. A general discussion and a synthesis of the favourable conditions for auto-ignition are first introduced. Fundamentals of auto-ignition in homogeneous gaseous phase are discussed and confronted to concrete experimental observations of low-speed pre-ignition. The real operating conditions of modern gasoline engines complicate the analysis of auto-ignition because spatial and cycle-to-cycle fluctuations are linked to various physicochemical phenomena involved in the mixture preparation process. At the same time, the increase in temperature and pressure with load enhances the mixture reactivity and any perturbation at the end of the compression can unbalance the mixture and lead to uncontrolled low-speed pre-ignition. A classification of these mechanisms into three groups is proposed to categorize pre-ignitions resulting from auto-ignitions in the gaseous phase, or from auto-ignitions resulting from interactions between either a liquid or a solid phase and the gaseous mixture. Finally, the impact of mixture dilution with burned gases, mixture temperature, liquid films and deposits is examined for different engine settings, fuels and charge motions to illustrate each of these three groups.
Aesthetic and family frames in the online sharing of children’s birthday photos
Authors: Wang Li , Alasuutari Pertti , Aro Jari
Published: April 2014

This article reports on a social semiotic investigation into children’s birthday photo sharing and textual interaction in the public photo sharing website Flickr.com ; the analysis shows that the aesthetic frame becomes more prominent in the online context. In other words, people share their family photos as a form of self-expression, and that can be seen in the semiotic organization of the verbal and visual texts they publish. However, the aesthetic frame is often entwined with the family frame both in the postings of the image publishers and in the comments that the photos gather. It could have been assumed that the aesthetic frame assumes a particularly dominant position on Flickr, which as a social media site specializes in publishing photographs and discussing their qualities. Since the family frame nevertheless retains an important role on Flickr, it can be expected that the same is true of more general social media services such as Facebook.
Metaphors of resonance for visual communication design
Authors: Kelly Veronika
Published: April 2014

This article discusses metaphors of resonance for visual communication design and the potential contribution that the concept of resonance makes with regard to enhancing a reader’s experience and engagement with design. The concept of resonance is indicated as a contributing factor to effective visual communications, however it is not adequately understood: resonance is elusive, predominantly described in terms borrowed from physics and acoustics and there is little input from design practitioners on the topic. To address this gap, the author conducted interviews with a purposive sample of designers about resonance in visual communication. This article discusses the interview findings in relation to conceptual metaphor theory. In this context, resonance is akin to a physical force, making physical contact and operating on the human body and its perceived boundaries. The author argues that metaphors of resonance that centre on the human body emphasize the participation and experience of readers in visual communications.
‘Impact’, ‘value’ and ‘bad economics’: Making sense of the problem of value in the arts and humanities
Authors: Belfiore Eleonora
Published: April 2014

Questions around the value of the arts and humanities to the contemporary world and the benefits they are expected to bring to the society that supports them through funding have assumed an increased centrality within a number of disciplines, not limited to humanities scholarship. Especially problematic, yet crucial, is the issue of the measurement of such public value. This article takes as a starting point a discussion of the ‘cultural value debate’ as it has developed within British cultural policy: here, the discussion of ‘value’ has been inextricably linked to the challenge of ‘making the case’ for the arts and for public cultural funding. The paper discusses the problems with the persisting predominance of economics in shaping current approaches to framing articulations of ‘value’ in the policy-making context. It concludes with a plea for a collaborative effort to resist the economic doxa, and to reclaim and reinvent the impact agenda as a route towards the establishment of new public humanities.
Practices of Authorial Collaboration
Authors: Jenkings K. Neil , Woodward Rachel
Published: April 2014

Although usually marketed as single-authored, interviews with the authors of military memoirs indicated the significance of collaboration with others throughout their writing and publication process. This paper describes the nature of these collaborations. We go on to suggest that collaborative practices were not seen by the authors as diminishing to the centrality of the named author or the reliability of their narratives. That while the collaborative roles of editors, writing coaches, and agents were evident, professional (military) colleagues and friends, family members, and military institutions played a significant role in determining memoir structures, formats, styles, and contents. We also draw attention to the research interview as itself a time and space for the collaborative co-construction by researcher and author of conceptual understanding of the memoir. We argue that understanding these collaborative practices adds to, rather than detract from, our understanding and appreciation of this genre.
An English Lecturer, a Palliative Care Practitioner, and an Absent Poet Have a Confabulation
Authors: Jones Chris , Macpherson Catriona
Published: April 2014

The possibilities for developing the poet Douglas Dunn’s archive (which includes the drafts and manuscripts for his collection Elegies, dealing with the terminal illness and death of the poet’s wife from cancer) for therapeutic benefit are explored by an English lecturer (C.J.) and a palliative care practitioner (C.M.). This has led us to explore the potential benefit of this resource for health practitioners working with those affected by cancer and other life-limiting conditions. This article offers a “written conversation” (an acknowledged oxymoron of genre) about working with the themes of death and loss: a conversation which includes Douglas Dunn, who was not actually there. We reflect on the value of this “confabulation” as methodological inquiry, and its potential influence on practice. Thus, an example of “creative writing” (the confabulation) becomes a piece of research into methodology regarding the use of “creative writing” resources (the poetry archive) in palliative health care.
Molecular genetics and antisocial behavior: Where do we stand?
Authors: Iofrida Caterina , Palumbo Sara , Pellegrini Silvia
Published: April 2014

Over the last two decades, it has become increasingly evident that control of aggressive behavior is modulated by the individual genetic profile as well. Several candidate genes have been proposed to play a role in the risk to develop antisocial behavior, and distinct brain imaging studies have shown that specific cortical areas may be functionally and/or structurally impaired in impulsive violent subjects on the basis of their genotypes. In this paper, we review the findings regarding four polymorphisms— MAOA (Monoamine oxidase A) uVNTR, SLC6A4 (solute carrier family 6 (neurotransmitter transporter), member 4) 5HTTLPR, COMT (Catechol-O-methyltransferase) Val158Met and DRD4 (dopamine D4 receptor) VNTR 1–11—that all have been found to be associated with an increased vulnerability for antisocial and impulsive behavior in response to aversive environmental conditions. These results, however, have not been replicated by other studies, likely because of crucial methodological discrepancies, including variability in the criteria used to define antisocial behavior and assessment of environmental factors. Finally, it has been recently proposed that these genetic variants may actually increase the individual susceptibility not merely to the negative environmental factors, but to the positive ones as well. In this view, such alleles would play a wider modulatory role, by acting as “plasticity” rather than “vulnerability” genes. Overall, these findings have potential important implications that span well outside of neuroscience and psychiatry, to embrace ethics, philosophy, and the law itself, as they pose new challenges to the very notion of Free Will. Novel properly controlled studies that examine multi-allelic genetic profiles, rather than focusing on distinct single variants, will make it possible to achieve a clearer understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the nature by nurture interaction.
Expression of histone variant, H2A.1 is associated with the undifferentiated state of hepatocyte
Authors: Tyagi Monica , Khade Bharat , Khan Shafqat A , Ingle Arvind , Gupta Sanjay
Published: April 2014

Recent studies suggest the incorporation of histone variants into the chromatin regulate cellular proliferation, differentiation, and de-differentiation. We have earlier reported the increase of H2A.1 variant during sequential de-differentiation of hepatocyte to hepato-cellular carcinoma. Here, we decipher the alterations in expression of H2A.1 and H2A.2 variants during rat liver embryogenesis and regeneration. The expression of H2A.1 and H2A.2, at protein and mRNA level, does not alter in normal cellular proliferation associated with regeneration of liver post PH. In contrast, gradual decrease of H2A.1 with increase of H2A.2 is observed during differentiation of embryonic to adult liver. Furthermore, the accumulation of H2A.1 is higher in embryonic stem cells compared to normal adult liver. Collectively, these data support a strong correlation of H2A.1 expression with undifferentiated cells and overall epigenetic reprogramming in dedifferentiation and maturation of undifferentiated cells, rather than with normal cellular proliferation.
The Left Side of Psychological Capital
Authors: Avey James B.
Published: April 2014

A recent meta-analysis suggests since 2005 there have been dozens of studies with positive psychological capital (PsyCap) predicting optimal individual performance, behaviors (e.g., citizenship, deviance), and attitudes (e.g., satisfaction, commitment, well-being, turnover intentions). However, in reviewing this literature there is an obvious silence as to the antecedents of PsyCap. Outside the examination of developmental interventions, very little is known about how and why an individual reaches and stabilizes at a given level of PsyCap. To address this gap, this study seeks to better understand the antecedents of individual-level PsyCap. In a field study of 1,264 engineers and technicians, a categorical perspective on PsyCap antecedents is tested. In a second study of 529 Chinese technology employees, the results from Study 1 are replicated with less overall variance explained raising measurement and cultural boundary conditions of current tools employed for empirical research on PsyCap. Implications for managerial practices conclude the article.
Influence of typical angina versus inducible myocardial ischemia in the contemporary management of stable coronary artery disease
Authors: De Lorenzo Andrea , Oliveira Gabriel , Naue Vania M. , Lima Ronaldo S. L.
Published: April 2014

Objective:

To investigate, in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS),the interaction between patient symptoms and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) results, and their effects on patient outcomes. Previous data have shown that medical treatment may be as beneficial as invasive treatment for most patients with stable CAD. Nonetheless, patient presentation with typical angina (TA) seems to still lead to more aggressive management, regardless of the amount of myocardial ischemia detected by noninvasive methods.

Methods:

Over 33 ± 20 months, 2958 patients undergoing stress/rest cardiac SPECT were followed. Summed stress, rest and difference scores (SSS, SRS and SDS, respectively) were analyzed. Abnormal SPECT was defined as a SSS>3, and ischemic SPECT as a SDS>1. During follow up, cardiac catheterization (CATH), myocardial revascularization (either percutaneous or surgical), myocardial infarction (MI) and all-cause death were evaluated.

Results:

TA was found in 228 patients (7.7%). Comparing patients with TA with those without it, the former more often had had abnormal (43.0% versus 34.3%, p < 0.001) and ischemic SPECT (25.9% versus 13.6%, p < 0.001). Also, higher rates of MI (2.0% versus 0.6%, p < 0.001), CATH (10.1% versus 4.7%, p < 0.001) and revascularization (7.8% versus 3.0%, p < 0.001) were observed, while death was not significantly different (1.5% versus 1.0%, p = 0.2). Even in the absence of ischemia in SPECT, patients with TA had higher CATH and revascularization rates; death, again, was not significantly increased.

Conclusion:

Although patients with TA more often had ischemic SPECT, all-cause death was not significantly increased. Nonetheless, TA was associated with more frequent referrals for CATH and revascularization, even with nonischemic SPECT. This may suggest that despite current evidence, the management of stable patients with known or suspected CAD is influenced by symptom type.
The creation and implementation of the newly implemented Korean Health Education Specialist certification
Authors: Lee Ju-Yul , Winkelman Sloane Burke , Kim Joo
Published: April 2014

Professional competencies, standards, and professional preparation of public health professionals, which includes health education and health promotion competencies, is documented in Australia, Europe, Japan, and the United States. Preparing a competent public health education workforce is a newly established priority of the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 2010, the first ever Health Education Specialist credential was implemented in South Korea. This commentary describes the creation and implementation of the Health Education Specialist credential and initial workforce preparation outcomes of the new credential.
Skin and Adhesive Issues With Continuous Glucose Monitors
Authors: Englert Kimberly , Ruedy Katrina , Coffey Julie , Caswell Kimberly , Steffen Amy , Levandoski Lucy ,   for the Diabetes Research in Children (DirecNet) Study Group, Tsalikian Eva , Tansey Michael J. , Coffey Julie , Cabbage Joanne , Salamati Sara , Mauras Nelly , Fox Larry A. , Englert Kimberly , Permuy Joe , Sikes Kaitlin , Buckingham Bruce A. , Wilson Darrell M. , Clinton Paula , Caswell Kimberly , Weinzimer Stuart A. , Tamborlane William V. , Sherr Jennifer , Steffen Amy , Weyman Kate , Zgorski Melinda , Tichy Eileen , White Neil H. , Arbelaez Ana Maria , Levandoski Lucy , Starnes Angie , Beck Roy W. , Ruedy Katrina J. , Kollman Craig , Xing Dongyuan , Hall Callyn , Stevens Beth , Grave Gilman D. , Winer Karen K. , Leschek Ellen , Becker Dorothy M. , Cleary Patricia , Greenbaum Carla , Moran Antoinette , Steffes Michael W. , Bucksa Jean M. , Nowicki Maren L. , Makky Vicky
Published: April 2014

Background:

The purpose of this article is to describe challenges associated with successful use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) by young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to detail the techniques and products used to improve the duration of sensor wear.

Methods:

The DirecNet Study Group conducted 2 studies in 169 children with T1D between the ages of 1 and 9 years who were instructed to wear a CGM device daily. Problems related to skin irritation and sensor adhesiveness in these young children presented challenges to daily use of the CGM. Study coordinators instituted a variety of techniques using commercially available products to attempt to overcome these problems.

Results:

Three primary factors that contributed to reduced CGM use were identified: the limited body surface area in smaller children, ambient temperature and humidity, as well as the type and duration of physical activity. Using supplemental products to minimize the impact of these factors resulted in improved adherence and reduced skin irritation.

Conclusion:

Achieving satisfactory adhesion of the CGM sensor and transmitter may involve finding the right supplemental product or combination of products through trial and error. Optimizing adhesion and minimizing skin irritation can significantly improve duration of use and tolerability of CGM devices by young children.
Plantar Static Pressure Distribution in Healthy Individuals
Authors: Pomarino David , Pomarino Andrea
Published: April 2014

In literature, one finds little scientific statements regarding plantar static pressure distribution in healthy individuals. Miscellaneous studies, however, characterize pathologies of feet and associate those with abnormal static or dynamic plantar load sharing. Our study reveals that healthy individuals show significant age-dependent differences in forefoot and rear foot load measured in standing position. The forefoot and rear foot load of 238 female and 193 male individuals aged between 2 and 69 years were measured. Using a pressure distribution measurement platform, the measurements were taken barefooted in standing position. Those measurements are presented as percentage of the overall load. The measurements within the age groups A1 (2-6 years), A2 (7-10 years), and A3 (11-69 years) showed significantly different forefoot loading means of the left foot (A1, 19.9%; A2, 28.2%; A3, 39.7%) and the right foot (A1, 22.6%; A2, 29.7%; A3, 39.6%). The forefoot loadings are graphically displayed as a function of the percentiles 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, and 95. Forefoot loadings are referred to as “prominent” if the measured values lie off the interquartile range; if either below the percentile 10 or above 90 the loadings are referred to as “very prominent.” Our study contains significant data regarding the extent of the static load sharing of the forefoot and rear foot of healthy individuals; the data are suited for being standard values to evaluate plantar load sharing.

Levels of Evidence: Diagnostic Level IV: Case series
Competing Pressures and Complex Choices
Authors: Ramirez Mark D.
Published: April 2014

African Americans often live in crime-ridden communities, where the need to deter crime is high. They are also likely to be unjustly stopped by law enforcement authorities, arrested, incarcerated, and sentenced to death by the criminal justice system. This research argues that these competing pressures increase the complexity of choices African Americans must make when forming their preferences toward the death penalty. African Americans who are cross-pressured by insecurity (i.e., fear of victimization) and discrimination (i.e., fear of racial biases within the criminal justice system) exhibit more variation in the range of death penalty laws they find acceptable. Support for this claim is provided by cross-sectional survey data ( N = 514) of African Americans within the United States. A heteroscedastic item response theory model using these data shows that cross-pressured African Americans demonstrate high response variability (i.e., inconsistencies) in their acceptance of death penalty laws. Subsequently, the unique experience that African Americans have with the criminal justice system contributes to complex policy opinions that are rarely reflected in public policy or opinion polls.
Assessing Patients’ Preference for Integrating Herbal Medicine Within Primary Care Services in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Allam Safaa , Moharam Maha , Alarfaj Gada
Published: April 2014

Background:

Family physician advice and follow-up may be important to reduce the negative aspects of locally marketed herbal remedies and improve the patient outcome. There is a lack of studies assessing the preference of Saudi patients for the integration of herbal medicine into primary care services.

Objectives:

To examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of Saudi patients toward herbal medicine and its integration into primary care services.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2013 among adult patients attending the family medicine clinics at a primary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire (27 items) was developed and administered to all patients.

Results:

A total of 240 patients were included in the current analysis. The average age was 33.5 ± 9.9 years, and 61% of the patients were women. Approximately 60% of the patients were aware of herbal medicine use and its possible side effects. More than 85% of the patients believed that herbal containers should be labeled with safety information. Approximately 71% of the patients had a favorable attitude toward integrated services. Approximately 65% of the patients used herbal remedies for themselves, and 42% used them for their children. Preference for integrated services was significantly associated with female sex, better knowledge, positive attitudes toward safety and regulations, and higher level of practice.

Conclusions:

A good knowledge and a very favorable attitude toward integrating herbal medicine into primary care services were found among a group of patients attending a primary care center in Saudi Arabia.
Evaluating Participatory Initiatives in South Africa
Authors: Brown Julia
Published: April 2014

The participatory model of management for natural resources, particularly water, rapidly became a global phenomenon in the early part of the 21st century. In many developing and transition countries, such as South Africa, expectations from it were disproportionately ambitious, despite little evidence that better results in the form of sustainable outcomes would follow. There is an urgent need for evaluations that assess what can and cannot be expected from participation. Empirically based processes and outcome-orientated evaluations are likely to prove more balanced, although they are challenging and thus rarely attempted. This article proposes an evaluative framework that allows for comparison, and differentiates between processes and participatory governance and sustainable outcomes. Four South African vignettes of participatory initiatives, operating at different scales with varying degrees of stakeholder heterogeneity, are measured against the framework, and broader lessons learnt about both participation and attempts to evaluate it.
The MATISSE Trial–A Critique
Authors: Holttum Sue , Huet Val
Published: April 2014

U.K. national guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia recommend art therapy among other approaches. However, a recent major trial called MATISSE (Multicenter evaluation of Art Therapy in Schizophrenia: Systematic Evaluation) suggests that art therapy may not be helpful. The purpose of the present study was to explore reasons for the MATISSE trial findings. A critical review of the MATISSE trial drawing on six papers reporting on the trial and its processes was performed. The MATISSE trial appeared to have weak conceptualization of the mechanisms for change, lack of piloting, incomplete process and subgroup analyses, and inappropriate assumptions about the generalizability of findings. The MATISSE trial’s conclusion that art therapy is of no value to people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia is unwarranted. More account should be taken of extant quality guidelines for complex interventions, including proposed change mechanisms, piloting, process analyses, variations in practice and contexts, and the effect of randomization on generalizability.
From Foster Care to College
Authors: Rios Steve J. , Rocco Tonette S.
Published: April 2014

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explain and describe the perceptions of college-going, emerging adults who grew up in foster care (FC) regarding educational factors related to their journey to college. Thematic analysis of the narratives of 24 ethnically-diverse participants revealed academic barriers and academic supports unique to their status as young adults who lived in FC. The study introduces the Foster Youth Academic Achievement Model, a framework to help contextualize themes related to factors that serve as barriers and supports for this vulnerable yet resilient group.
Can You Guess Who I Am? Real, Ideal, and False Self-Presentation on Facebook Among Emerging Adults
Authors: Michikyan Minas , Dennis Jessica , Subrahmanyam Kaveri
Published: April 2014

Emerging adulthood is an important period for self-development, and youth use online contexts for self-exploration and self-presentation. Using a multiple self-presentation framework, the present study examined emerging adults’ presentation of their real self, ideal self, and false self on Facebook, and the relation between their identity state, psychosocial well-being, and online self-presentation. Participants ( N = 261; 66 males, 195 females Mage 22) completed self-report measures of identity state, well-being, and self-presentation on Facebook. Respondents reported presenting their real self more than their ideal self and false self on Facebook. A path analysis suggested that emerging adults who reported having more coherent identity states also reported presenting their real self on Facebook to a greater extent. However, those with a less coherent sense of the self and lower self-esteem reported presenting their false self on Facebook to a greater extent. Implications for methodology and future directions are discussed.
A Case of Cerebellar Ataxia Associated with HIV Infection
Authors: Anand Kuljeet Singh , Wadhwa Ankur , Garg Jyoti
Published: April 2014

Cerebellar complications of HIV infection primarily manifested in ataxia, usually arise as the result of cerebellar lesions due to opportunistic infections, vasculitis or neoplastic processes. A 28 year old female known to have HIV infection for last four years, presented to our hospital with progressive unsteadiness in walking, slurring of speech and intention tremors for the last two months. There was no family history of similar complaints, and she was on Anti retroviral treatment for last one and a half years. The results of examination were notable for severe dysarthria, slow saccades, a conspicuous dysmetria and dysdiadokokinesia. She had no cognitive, sensory or motor deficits. MRI revealed diffuse cerebellar atrophy. Extensive laboratory work up failed to disclose a cause for subacute ataxia. Isolated cerebellar degeneration in an HIV patient is rare and should prompt a diagnostic work up.
Requirement for CDK6 in MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Placke Theresa , Faber Katrin , Nonami Atsushi , Putwain Sarah L. , Salih Helmut R. , Heidel Florian H. , Krämer Alwin , Root David E. , Barbie David A. , Krivtsov Andrei V. , Armstrong Scott A. , Hahn William C. , Huntly Brian J. , Sykes Stephen M. , Milsom Michael D. , Scholl Claudia , Fröhling Stefan
Published: April 2014

Key Points

CDK6 is a critical effector of MLL fusions in myeloid leukemogenesis. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of CDK6 overcome the differentiation block associated with MLL-rearranged AML.
Efficacy of a multifactorial intervention on therapeutic adherence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Leiva-Fernández José , Leiva-Fernández Francisca , García-Ruiz Antonio , Prados-Torres Daniel , Barnestein-Fonseca Pilar
Published: April 2014

Background

Therapeutic adherence of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is poor. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention on improving the therapeutic adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with scheduled inhalation therapy.

Methods

The study design consisted of a randomised controlled trial in a primary care setting. 146 patients diagnosed with COPD were randomly allocated into two groups using the block randomisation technique. One-year follow-ups with three visits were performed. The intervention consisted of motivational aspects related to adherence (beliefs and behaviour) in the form of group and individual interviews, cognitive aspects in the form of information about the illness and skills in the form of training in inhalation techniques. Cognitive-emotional aspects and training in inhalation techniques were reinforced during all visits of the intervention group. The main outcome measure was adherence to the medication regimen. Therapeutic adherence was determined by the percentage of patients classified as good adherent as evaluated by dose or pill count.

Results

Of the 146 participants (mean age 69.8 years, 91.8% males), 41.1% reported adherence (41.9% of the control group and 40.3% of the intervention group). When multifactorial intervention was applied, the reported adherence was 32.4% for the control group and 48.6% for the intervention group, which showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.046). Number needed to treat is 6.37. In the intervention group, cognitive aspects increased by 23.7% and skilled performance of inhalation techniques increased by 66.4%. The factors related to adherence when multifactorial intervention was applied were the number of exacerbations (OR = 0.66), visits to health centre (OR = 0.93) and devices (OR = 2.4); illness severity (OR = 0.67), beta-2-adrenergic (OR = 0.16) and xantine (OR = 0.19) treatment; activity (OR = 1.03) and impact (OR = 1.03) scales of the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire.

Conclusion

Application of the multifactorial intervention designed for this study (COPD information, dose reminders, audio-visual material, motivational aspects and training in inhalation techniques) resulted in an improvement in therapeutic adherence in COPD patients with scheduled inhalation therapy.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN18841601.
Glucose-regulated protein 78 and heparanase expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma: correlations and prognostic significance
Authors: Xia Fei , Xu Jin Cheng , Zhang Pei , Zhang Yuan Yuan , Zhang Qian Wen , Chao Zhen Hua , Wang Fang
Published: April 2014

Background

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of glucose-related protein 78 (GRP78) and heparanase (HPA) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and their relationship with clinicopathological parameters and potential implications for survival.

Methods

A total of 46 patients with OSCC and 10 normal individuals were recruited for the study. GRP78 and HPA expression were determined in the lesion tissues using immunohistochemical analysis. The correlation between GRP78 and HPA was assessed using the Spearman correlation analysis. The associations of GRP78 and HPA with clinicopathological characteristics and survival were examined using the x2-test, Kaplan–Meier, or Cox regression.

Results

Patients with OSCC showed a statistically significant higher prevalence of GRP78 and HPA expression than normal oral tissues. GRP78 and HPA expression was positively correlated with size, TNM stage, histological grade, lymphatic metastasis, and distant metastasis in OSCC patients. GRP78 expression was also positively correlated with HPA expression. Positive GRP78 and HPA expression was inversely correlated with survival in OSCC patients.

Conclusions

HPA expression was found to be positively correlated with GRP78 expression. GRP78 and HPA are biomarkers that may have the potential to guide the treatment of oral cancer patients.
Serum C-X-C motif chemokine 13 is elevated in early and established rheumatoid arthritis and correlates with rheumatoid factor levels
Authors: Jones Jonathan D , Hamilton B JoNell , Challener Gregory J , de Brum-Fernandes Artur J , Cossette Pierre , Liang Patrick , Masetto Ariel , Ménard Henri A , Carrier Nathalie , Boyle David L , Rosengren Sanna , Boire Gilles , Rigby William F C
Published: April 2014

Introduction

We hypothesized that serum levels of C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13), a B-cell chemokine, would delineate a subset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients characterized by increased humoral immunity.

Methods

Serum from patients with established RA (the Dartmouth RA Cohort) was analyzed for CXCL13, rheumatoid factor (RF) levels, anticitrullinated peptide/protein antibody (ACPA) and total immunoglobulin G (IgG); other parameters were obtained by chart review. A confirmatory analysis was performed using samples from the Sherbrooke Early Undifferentiated PolyArthritis (EUPA) Cohort. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test, a t-test and Spearman’s correlation analysis were utilized to determine relationships between variables.

Results

In both the Dartmouth and Sherbrooke cohorts, CXCL13 levels were selectively increased in seropositive relative to seronegative RA patients (P = 0.0002 and P < 0.0001 for the respective cohorts), with a strong correlation to both immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgA RF levels (P < 0.0001). There was a weaker relationship to ACPA titers (P = 0.03 and P = 0.006, respectively) and total IgG (P = 0.02 and P = 0.14, respectively). No relationship was seen with regard to age, sex, shared epitope status or inclusion high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in either cohort or regarding the presence of baseline erosions in the Sherbrooke Cohort, whereas a modest relationship with Disease Activity Score in 28 joints CRP (DAS28-CRP) was seen in the Dartmouth cohort but not the Sherbrooke cohort.

Conclusion

Using both established and early RA cohorts, marked elevations of serum CXCL13 levels resided nearly completely within the seropositive population. CXCL13 levels exhibited a strong relationship with RF, whereas the association with clinical parameters (age, sex, DAS28-CRP and erosions) or other serologic markers (ACPA and IgG) was either much weaker or absent. Elevated serum CXCL13 levels may identify a subset of seropositive RA patients whose disease is shaped by or responsive to RF production.
Thromboprophylaxis patterns and determinants in critically ill patients: a multicenter audit
Authors: Lauzier François , Muscedere John , Deland Éric , Kutsogiannis Demetrios Jim , Jacka Michael , Heels-Ansdell Diane , Crowther Mark , Cartin-Ceba Rodrigo , Cox Michael J , Zytaruk Nicole , Foster Denise , Sinuff Tasnim , Clarke France , Thompson Patrica , Hanna Steven , Cook Deborah ,   the Co-operative Network of Critical Care Knowledge Translation for Thromboprophylaxis (CONECCKT-T) Investigators and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group
Published: April 2014

Introduction

Heparin is safe and prevents venous thromboembolism in critical illness. We aimed to determine the guideline concordance for thromboprophylaxis in critically ill patients and its predictors, and to analyze factors associated with the use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), as it may be associated with a lower risk of pulmonary embolism and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia without increasing the bleeding risk.

Methods

We performed a retrospective audit in 28 North American intensive care units (ICUs), including all consecutive medical-surgical patients admitted in November 2011. We documented ICU thromboprophylaxis and reasons for omission. Guideline concordance was determined by adding days in which patients without contraindications received thromboprophylaxis to days in which patients with contraindications did not receive it, divided by the total number of patient-days. We used multilevel logistic regression including time-varying, center and patient-level covariates to determine the predictors of guideline concordance and use of LMWH.

Results

We enrolled 1,935 patients (62.3 ± 16.7 years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II score 19.1 ± 8.3). Patients received thromboprophylaxis with unfractionated heparin (UFH) (54.0%) or LMWH (27.6%). Guideline concordance occurred for 95.5% patient-days and was more likely in patients who were sicker (odds ratio (OR) 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17, 1.75 per 10-point increase in APACHE II), heavier (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.05, 1.65 per 10-m/kg2 increase in body mass index), had cancer (OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.81, 5.72), previous venous thromboembolism (OR 3.94, 95% CI 1.46,10.66), and received mechanical ventilation (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.32,2.52). Reasons for not receiving thromboprophylaxis were high risk of bleeding (44.5%), current bleeding (16.3%), no reason (12.9%), recent or upcoming invasive procedure (10.2%), nighttime admission or discharge (9.7%), and life-support limitation (6.9%). LMWH was less often administered to sicker patients (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.48, 0.89 per 10-point increase in APACHE II), surgical patients (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24, 0.72), those receiving vasoactive drugs (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35, 0.64) or renal replacement therapy (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.05, 0.23).

Conclusions

Guideline concordance for thromboprophylaxis was high, but LMWH was less commonly used, especially in patients who were sicker, had surgery, or received vasopressors or renal replacement therapy, representing a potential quality improvement target.
Developmental pathways from childhood conduct problems to early adult depression: findings from the ALSPAC cohort
Authors: Stringaris Argyris , Lewis Glyn , Maughan Barbara
Published: April 2014

Background

Pathways from early-life conduct problems to young adult depression remain poorly understood.

Aims

To test developmental pathways from early-life conduct problems to depression at age 18.

Method

Data (n= 3542) came from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Previously derived conduct problem trajectories (ages 4–13 years) were used to examine associations with depression from ages 10 to 18 years, and the role of early childhood factors as potential confounders.

Results

Over 43% of young adults with depression in the ALSPAC cohort had a history of child or adolescent conduct problems, yielding a population attributable fraction of 0.15 (95% CI 0.08–0.22). The association between conduct problems and depression at age 18 was considerable even after adjusting for prior depression (odds ratio 1.55, 95% CI 1.24–1.94). Early-onset persistent conduct problems carried the highest risk for later depression. Irritability characterised depression for those with a history of conduct problems.

Conclusions

Early-life conduct problems are robustly associated with later depressive disorder and may be useful targets for early intervention.
“Doubt Not an Affectionate Host”: Cowper’s Hares and the Hospitality of Eighteenth-Century Pet Keeping
Authors: Parker Erin
Published: April 2014

Sharing decadent meals and living space with humans, eighteenth-century pets were often compared to guests who were lavishly treated by their hosts. This article examines the intersections between eighteenth-century pet keeping and hospitality in the writings of William Cowper. In The Task and several other works, Cowper depicts himself as a benevolent caretaker who generously provides shelter, food, and protection for his apparently grateful pet hares, but this representation of pet keeping coexists uneasily with the more skeptical and impartial accounts of interspecies hospitality found elsewhere in his poems and letters. Conveying his culture’s ambivalence about pet keeping and hospitality, Cowper’s writings raise questions about the motivations behind each practice, about the benefits and dangers of close interspecies relationships, and about the nature and implication of humans’ and animals’ responsibility and responsiveness to each other.
Death of a Discipline
Authors: Golumbia David
Published: April 2014

In 2003, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak published Death of a Discipline, an exhortation to create “an inclusive comparative literature,” one that “takes the languages of the Southern Hemisphere as active cultural media rather than as objects of cultural study.” To many literary scholars such a development seemed welcome and even likely. Instead, ten years later, an entirely different transformation has taken place via the development of the digital humanities (DH), in which the close study of literature and the languages in which it is embedded have themselves been demoted in favor of “distant reading” and other forms of quantitative and large-scale analyses and whose language politics have regressed rather than progressed from the state Spivak described. DH advertises itself as an unexceptionable application of computational techniques to literary scholarship, yet its advent has accompanied an almost complete reorientation of literary studies as a field—a virtual death of the vision described by Spivak. The advent of DH is quite unlike the ones accompanying the introduction of computers into other disciplines, whose basic precepts have remained largely intact in the face of digitization. DH’s paradoxical use of the adjective “digital” to describe only a fraction of research methods that engage with digital technology creates a tension that must be resolved—either by the DH label being reabsorbed into literary studies or by literary research itself being fundamentally altered, a goal that DH has already in part achieved.
Highly efficient targeted mutagenesis in axolotl using Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease
Authors: Flowers G. Parker , Timberlake Andrew T. , Mclean Kaitlin C. , Monaghan James R. , Crews Craig M.
Published: April 2014

Among tetrapods, only urodele salamanders, such as the axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum, can completely regenerate limbs as adults. The mystery of why salamanders, but not other animals, possess this ability has for generations captivated scientists seeking to induce this phenomenon in other vertebrates. Although many recent advances in molecular biology have allowed limb regeneration and tissue repair in the axolotl to be investigated in increasing detail, the molecular toolkit for the study of this process has been limited. Here, we report that the CRISPR-Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease system can efficiently create mutations at targeted sites within the axolotl genome. We identify individual animals treated with RNA-guided nucleases that have mutation frequencies close to 100% at targeted sites. We employ this technique to completely functionally ablate EGFP expression in transgenic animals and recapitulate developmental phenotypes produced by loss of the conserved gene brachyury. Thus, this advance allows a reverse genetic approach in the axolotl and will undoubtedly provide invaluable insight into the mechanisms of salamanders' unique regenerative ability.
A dynamic cell adhesion surface regulates tissue architecture in growth plate cartilage
Authors: Romereim Sarah M. , Conoan Nicholas H. , Chen Baojiang , Dudley Andrew T.
Published: April 2014

The architecture and morphogenetic properties of tissues are founded in the tissue-specific regulation of cell behaviors. In endochondral bones, the growth plate cartilage promotes bone elongation via regulated chondrocyte maturation within an ordered, three-dimensional cell array. A key event in the process that generates this cell array is the transformation of disordered resting chondrocytes into clonal columns of discoid proliferative cells aligned with the primary growth vector. Previous analysis showed that column-forming chondrocytes display planar cell divisions, and the resulting daughter cells rearrange by ∼90° to align with the lengthening column. However, these previous studies provided limited information about the mechanisms underlying this dynamic process. Here we present new mechanistic insights generated by application of a novel time-lapse confocal microscopy method along with immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. We show that, during cell division, daughter chondrocytes establish a cell-cell adhesion surface enriched in cadherins and β-catenin. Rearrangement into columns occurs concomitant with expansion of this adhesion surface in a process more similar to cell spreading than to migration. Column formation requires cell-cell adhesion, as reducing cadherin binding via chelation of extracellular calcium inhibits chondrocyte rearrangement. Importantly, physical indicators of cell polarity, such as cell body alignment, are not prerequisites for oriented cell behavior. Our results support a model in which regulation of adhesive surface dynamics and cortical tension by extrinsic signaling modifies the thermodynamic landscape to promote organization of daughter cells in the context of the three-dimensional growth plate tissue.