bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic inactivation of the MIR129-2 in hematological malignancies
Authors: Wong Kwan-Yeung , Yim Rita Lok-Hay , Kwong Yok-Lam , Leung Chung-Ying , Hui Pak-Kwan , Cheung Florence , Liang Raymond , Jin Dong-Yan , Chim Chor-Sang
Published: February 2013

Background

MIR129-2 has been shown to be a tumor suppressor microRNA hypermethylated in epithelial cancers.

Patients and methods

Epigenetic inactivation of MIR129-2 was studied by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in 13 cell lines (eight myeloma and five lymphoma), 15 normal controls and 344 primary samples including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM) at diagnosis, MM at relapse/progression, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Expression of MIR129 and its target, SOX4, in cell lines was measured before and after hypomethylating treatment and MIR129 overexpression. MIR129 expression was correlated with MIR129-2 methylation status in primary lymphoma samples. Tumor suppressor function of MIR129 was demonstrated by MTT and trypan blue exclusion assay after MIR129 overexpression.

Results

The sensitivity of the methylated-MSP was one in 103. Different MSP statuses, including complete methylation, partial methylation, and complete unmethylation, were verified by quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing. All five lymphoma and seven of eight myeloma cell lines showed complete and partial MIR129-2 methylation. In primary samples, MIR129-2 methylation was absent in AML and CML, but detected in 5% ALL, 45.9% CLL, 49.5% MM at diagnosis, and 59.1% NHL. In CLL, MIR129-2 methylation adversely impacted on survival (p=0.004). In MM, MIR129-2 methylation increased from 27.5% MGUS to 49.5% MM at diagnosis and 41.5% at relapse/progression (p=0.023). In NHL, MIR129-2 methylation was associated with MIR124-1 and MIR203 methylation (p<0.001), and lower MIR129 expression (p=0.009). Hypomethylation treatment of JEKO-1, homozygously methylated for MIR129-2, led to MIR129-2 demethylation and MIR129 re-expression, with downregulation of SOX4 mRNA. Moreover, MIR129 overexpression in both mantle cell lines, JEKO-1 and GRANTA-519, inhibited cellular proliferation and enhanced cell death, with concomitant SOX4 mRNA downregulation.

Conclusions

MIR129-2 is a tumor suppressive microRNA frequently methylated in lymphoid but not myeloid malignancies, leading to reversible MIR129-2 silencing. In CLL, MIR129-2 methylation was associated with an inferior survival. In MM, MIR129-2 methylation might be acquired during progression from MGUS to symptomatic MM. In NHL, MIR129-2 methylation might collaborate with MIR124-1 and MIR203 methylation in lymphomagenesis.
High gravity and high cell density mitigate some of the fermentation inhibitory effects of softwood hydrolysates
Authors: Kapu Nuwan Sella , Piddocke Maya , Saddler Jack N
Published: February 2013

After steam pretreatment of lignocellulosic substrates the fermentation of the biomass derived sugars to ethanol is typically problematic because of both the generally low sugar concentrations that can be supplied and the presence of naturally occurring and process derived inhibitors. As the majority of the inhibitory materials are usually associated with the hemicellulose rich, water soluble component, this fraction was supplemented with glucose to simulate high solids, un-detoxified substrate to see if a high gravity/high cell consistency approach might better cope with inhibition. Several yeast strains were assessed, with the Tembec T1, T2 and Lallemand LYCC 6469 strains showing the greatest ethanol productivity and yield. The addition of supplemental glucose enabled the faster and quantitatively higher removal of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). High cell density could provide effective fermentation at high sugar concentrations while enhancing inhibitor reduction. A 77% ethanol yield could be achieved using strain LYCC 6469 after 48 h at high cell density. It was apparent that a high cell density approach improved ethanol production by all of the evaluated yeast strains.
Osteocalcin Reverses Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Improves Impaired Insulin Sensitivity Secondary to Diet-Induced Obesity Through Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhou Bo , Li Huixia , Xu Lin , Zang Weijin , Wu Shufang , Sun Hongzhi
Published: February 2013

Osteocalcin, a synthetic osteoblast-specific protein, has recently emerged as an important regulator of energy metabolism, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present study, mice fed a high-fat diet and receiving osteocalcin showed reduced body weight gain, less fat pad gain, and improved insulin sensitivity as well as increased energy expenditure compared with mice fed a high-fat diet and receiving vehicle. Meanwhile, increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, defective insulin signaling, and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by obesity were also effectively alleviated by treatment with osteocalcin. Consistent with these findings, the addition of osteocalcin to the culture medium of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, Fao liver cells, and L6 muscle cells markedly reduced ER stress and restored insulin sensitivity. These effects were nullified by blockade of nuclear factor–κB (NF-κB) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase but not by U0126, a mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, indicating the causative role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/NF-κB in action of osteocalcin. In addition, the reversal effects of osteocalcin in cells deficient in X-box–binding protein-1, a transcription factor that modulates ER stress response, further confirmed its protective role against ER stress and insulin resistance. Our findings suggest that osteocalcin attenuates ER stress and rescues impaired insulin sensitivity in insulin resistance via the NF-κB signaling pathway, which may offer novel opportunities for treatment of obesity and diabetes.
Conditional knockdown of DNA methyltransferase 1 reveals a key role of retinal pigment epithelium integrity in photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis
Authors: Nasonkin Igor O. , Merbs Shannath L. , Lazo Kevin , Oliver Verity F. , Brooks Matthew , Patel Krushangi , Enke Raymond A. , Nellissery Jacob , Jamrich Milan , Le Yun Z. , Bharti Kapil , Fariss Robert N. , Rachel Rivka A. , Zack Donald J. , Rodriguez-Boulan Enrique J. , Swaroop Anand
Published: February 2013

Dysfunction or death of photoreceptors is the primary cause of vision loss in retinal and macular degenerative diseases. As photoreceptors have an intimate relationship with the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) for exchange of macromolecules, removal of shed membrane discs and retinoid recycling, an improved understanding of the development of the photoreceptor-RPE complex will allow better design of gene- and cell-based therapies. To explore the epigenetic contribution to retinal development we generated conditional knockout alleles of DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) in mice. Conditional Dnmt1 knockdown in early eye development mediated by Rx-Cre did not produce lamination or cell fate defects, except in cones; however, the photoreceptors completely lacked outer segments despite near normal expression of phototransduction and cilia genes. We also identified disruption of RPE morphology and polarization as early as E15.5. Defects in outer segment biogenesis were evident with Dnmt1 exon excision only in RPE, but not when excision was directed exclusively to photoreceptors. We detected a reduction in DNA methylation of LINE1 elements (a measure of global DNA methylation) in developing mutant RPE as compared with neural retina, and of Tuba3a, which exhibited dramatically increased expression in mutant retina. These results demonstrate a unique function of DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation in controlling RPE apicobasal polarity and neural retina differentiation. We also establish a model to study the epigenetic mechanisms and signaling pathways that guide the modulation of photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis by RPE during retinal development and disease.
BRG1 promotesCOUP-TFIIexpression and venous specification during embryonic vascular development
Authors: Davis Reema B. , Curtis Carol D. , Griffin Courtney T.
Published: February 2013

Arteries and veins acquire distinct molecular identities prior to the onset of embryonic blood circulation, and their specification is crucial for vascular development. The transcription factor COUP-TFII currently functions at the top of a signaling pathway governing venous fate. It promotes venous identity by inhibiting Notch signaling and subsequent arterialization of endothelial cells, yet nothing is known about what regulates COUP-TFII expression in veins. We now report that the chromatin-remodeling enzyme BRG1 promotes COUP-TFII expression in venous endothelial cells during murine embryonic development. Conditional deletion of Brg1 from vascular endothelial cells resulted in downregulated COUP-TFII expression and aberrant expression of arterial markers on veins. BRG1 promotes COUP-TFII expression by binding conserved regulatory elements within the COUP-TFII promoter and remodeling chromatin to make the promoter accessible to transcriptional machinery. This study provides the first description of a factor promoting COUP-TFII expression in vascular endothelium and highlights a novel role for chromatin remodeling in venous specification.
Atg6 is required for multiple vesicle trafficking pathways and hematopoiesis in Drosophila
Authors: Shravage Bhupendra V. , Hill Jahda H. , Powers Christine M. , Wu Louisa , Baehrecke Eric H.
Published: February 2013

Atg6 (beclin 1 in mammals) is a core component of the Vps34 complex that is required for autophagy. Beclin 1 (Becn1) functions as a tumor suppressor, and Becn1+/- tumors in mice possess elevated cell stress and p62 levels, altered NF-κB signaling and genome instability. The tumor suppressor function of Becn1 has been attributed to its role in autophagy, and the potential functions of Atg6/Becn1 in other vesicle trafficking pathways for tumor development have not been considered. Here, we generate Atg6 mutant Drosophila and demonstrate that Atg6 is essential for autophagy, endocytosis and protein secretion. By contrast, the core autophagy gene Atg1 is required for autophagy and protein secretion, but it is not required for endocytosis. Unlike null mutants of other core autophagy genes, all Atg6 mutant animals possess blood cell masses. Atg6 mutants have enlarged lymph glands (the hematopoietic organ in Drosophila), possess elevated blood cell numbers, and the formation of melanotic blood cell masses in these mutants is not suppressed by mutations in either p62 or NFκB genes. Thus, like mammals, altered Atg6 function in flies causes hematopoietic abnormalities and lethality, and our data indicate that this is due to defects in multiple membrane trafficking processes.
Vaginal vault brachytherapy in endometrial cancer: verifying target coverage with image-guided applicator placement
Authors: Humphrey P , Cornes P , Al-Booz H
Published: February 2013

Objective:

This quality assurance study assesses whether CT image-guided verification has led to improvements in the technique when compared with previous studies.

Methods:

The CT images were studied from a cohort of 105 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer having adjuvant brachytherapy to the vaginal vault in 2010. Images were taken at first insertion, checked for air gaps and treatment delivered. Images were later transferred to the planning system and air gaps between vaginal mucosa and vaginal cylinder were measured. Comparisons were made with the 2008 results from this centre and the literature series.

Results:

Images from two patients were not assessable owing to artefacts from hip replacements. Air gaps >2 mm were seen in 11/103 patients. Repositioning or use of a larger cylinder reduced air gaps to 7/103 patients. In total, 96/103 patients (over 93%) were able to achieve good vaginal contact throughout the treatment volume. This shows a significant improvement in applicator positioning in our centre since 2008 and also a significant improvement over the total data published in 2010 (Pearson χ  2 test=46.19; p<0.0001).

Conclusion:

The vaginal cylinder technique with CT imaging was proven to be effective for 96/103 patients. It is necessary to consider whether there is a better technique for the few patients with air gaps >2 mm.

Advances in knowledge:

For the vast majority of patients, this technique is well tolerated, without the need for analgesia, and will continue to be the first choice technique in this centre.
Audit of Audits in an Orthopaedic University Teaching Hospital: Eight and a Half Years of Experience
Authors: Singh R , Patel MS , Singh SB , Mohanty K
Published: February 2013

Clinicians should always strive to provide a quality service to patients and continuously improve practice. Audit has existed in many fields as a means of reflecting on existing practice in order to improve efficiency and outcome through the implementation of change. In 1989 the white paper Working for Patients introduced the concept of audit as a systematic peer review of medical care that should be part of the routine clinical practice of all doctors. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) defined clinical audit as 'a quality improvement process that seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through systematic review of care against explicit criteria and the implementation of change'. Audit is therefore an integral part of clinical governance and, if correctly performed, substantial clinical benefits as described by Singh et al can be achieved.
Implications of Changing from Intravenous Urography to Computed Tomography as the Primary Imaging Modality for Acute Renal Colic
Authors: McCombie SP , Turney BW , Rogers AM , Lau IJ , Kumar SPV
Published: February 2013

Several studies have shown that unenhanced computed tomography (CT), while having a similar specificity to intravenous urography (IVU) for detecting ureterolithiasis, has a much higher sensitivity. CT is also more effective in identifying alternative pathologies and is known to be a much quicker investigation to perform. Additionally, CT can be used in patients with renal impairment and carries no risk of contrast reaction.
Advantages of Community-Oriented Education in Postgraduate Surgical Training
Authors: Kitchen MO
Published: February 2013

Community-oriented medical education (COME) focuses on meeting the health needs of a community by training medical graduates to service those needs. This work seeks to outline the importance of a community-oriented methodology in postgraduate surgical training, as this approach may improve acquisition of generic skills and basic surgical competencies, and could increase learning opportunities for trainees.
Developing a Smartphone Application to Improve Access to Quick-Reference Educational Resources: The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Experience
Authors: Payne KFB , Goodson AMC , Ahmed N , Aleid W , Fan K
Published: February 2013

The modern training pathway for junior surgeons prior to specialty training encourages rotation through a variety of specialties with the aim of creating a well-rounded surgeon. While the syllabus of the intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons aims to prepare individuals broadly for the major surgical specialties, oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) represents an additional challenge for singly qualified trainees (either doctors or dentists) working as junior trainees (eg F2 trainees, dental F2 trainees, core trainees, senior house officers/trust grade surgeons) in a specialty that ultimately requires dual qualification in medicine and dentistry.
Spiegelman’s magic box: MetaMaus and the archive of representation
Authors: Friedman Elisabeth R.
Published: February 2013

The 2011 publication of MetaMaus, which marks the 25th anniversary of Maus’ publication, continues Art Spiegelman’s long-standing preoccupation with creating an archive of his own fraught process of representation. While the difficulties of representing his father’s
experiences during the Holocaust are foregrounded in the representational strategies of his acclaimed two-volume graphic novel Maus, they continued to haunt Spiegelman even after the books’ publication. In 1991 a museum exhibit, ‘The Road to Maus’, displayed the layers involved
in Maus’ creation. In 1994, Spiegelman developed The Complete Maus CD-ROM, an interactive, digital archive of Maus. And in 2011, Spiegelman published MetaMaus, which combines reflection on and documentation of the process of representing Maus. Drawing on Jacques Derrida’s and Giorgio
Agamben’s theorizations of the archive, the article explores the different kinds of archival work that Maus and MetaMaus do. Both Derrida and Agamben call attention to the traditional archive’s exclusion of affective traces of the past. The article suggests that Maus and MetaMaus
function as archives of the ‘after-effects’ of the Holocaust. As Maus so effectively demonstrates, the Holocaust did not end with the conclusion of World War II; its effects continue to be felt decades later by the survivors as well as by their children, who did not experience
the events ‘first-hand’. Whereas traditional histories of the Holocaust narrate events that took place between 1933 and 1945, Maus depicts those events along with the difficulties of responding to and representing them. In documenting the process of representing Maus, MetaMaus
invites a rethinking of what counts as history, and by extension what counts as an archive.
Retopia: The dialectics of the superhero comic book
Authors: Yockey Matt
Published: February 2013

This article examines the interrelated and mutually reinforcing condensation of subject/object in the fields of mass culture and nationalism. In an exploration of the essential use of affect to manage this project, I trace the primary utility of affective superhero bodies in the discourse
of the dialectic and how these bodies are principle objects of exchange in the dialogue between producers and consumers in a national context. The dialogue between consumers and producers articulates the space between these dialectical forces. I examine the increasing turn in contemporary
superhero comics towards reflexive mythology in such comic books as the Marvel series Bullet Points and The Ultimates and the DC series The New Frontier. As ‘alternative histories’, they ostensibly erase the preceding historical record in a utopian gesture of self-actualization.
Yet, for all of its investment in erasure, this utopian gesture relies on remembrance, condensing personal memory and historical time. At the root of this is dialectical materialism, which is most productively understood in relation to the intersection of the competing utopian plans and impulses
of American identity, mass culture and the superhero genre.
Gaming und Bibliotheken
Authors: Deeg Christoph
Published: February 2013

Das Thema Gaming ist neben Social-Media die nächste große Herausforderung für Bibliotheken. In diesem Beitrag geht es zum einen um die Frage warum sich Bibliotheken dem Thema Gaming erneut nähern sollten und zum anderen was die Deutsch-Amerikanischen Gaming-Liga des Vereins Zukunftswerkstatt Kultur- und Wissensvermittlung e. V. leistet.
Computerspiele in der Kultur- und Wissensvermittlung
Authors: Nötzelmann Cordula
Published: February 2013

Der Artikel beleuchtet die Potenziale von Computerspielen in erster Linie für Öffentliche, aber auch für Wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken, Archive und Museen. Am Beispiel der Stadtbibliothek Köln wird illustriert, wie es gelingt, eine heterogene Community durch Computerspielthemen an die Bibliothek zu binden. Neben den Möglichkeiten in der Programmarbeit von Bibliotheken und anderen Kultur- und Bildungseinrichtungen spielen zunehmend auch Aspekte der Medienpädagogik, Kulturvermittlung und Technikdokumentation eine Rolle.
Numerical Simulations of Electromigration and Stress-Driven Diffusion in Polycrystalline Interconnects
Authors: Povirk G. L.
Published: February 2013

Finite element solutions to problems of electromigration and stress-driven diffusion in polycrystalline films are presented. The numerical formulation accounts for diffusion along grain boundaries and through the bulk. The procedures are validated by comparing the finite element solutions to an existing analytic solution of an idealized, isolated grain boundary lying parallel to current flow. A simple polycrystalline interconnect is then considered and the effects of diffusion along each grain boundary and through the bulk are each added separately to the analysis so that the importance of each mechanism can be ascertained. In some cases, the inclusion of additional diffusion paths result in significant reductions in predicted stress levels.
Reliability Improvement of Passivated Power Line in Memory Devices
Authors: Lee Seong-Min , Jang Y. K. , Chung Y. W. , Sim S. M. , Lee K. W. , Hwang B. K.
Published: February 2013

In the present study, several different types of amorphous passivation layers such as PECVD-SiN and PECVD-TEOS were tested to learn how effectively they protect underlying Al interconnection lines. According to the experimental results, a thick monolithic passivation layer composing of PECVD-SiN was found to be highly susceptible to stress-related migration because it did not have sufficient elasticity. Moreover, since silicon nitride also has a high dielectric-breakdown strength, it exhibits an increased impedance to electric current due to parasitic resistance that exists in the path between the two passivated metal lines. On the other hand, passivation thickening through the use of PECVD-TEOS as an initial layer was estimated to be a more effective way to improve device reliability because of its better step coverage and smaller dielectric constant. The FEM simulation explains why the thick multilayer compromising an alternating sequence of mechanically dissimilar layers is an effective way to suppress stress-induced passivation damage during thermal cycling without having a significant effect on the IC pattern.
Finite Element Calculations of Strains in Passivated Metal Lines
Authors: Eppler I. , Schroeder H. , Schilling W.
Published: February 2013

Passivated metal lines, commonly used in integrated circuits, show thermally induced strains and stresses due to the mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients of the lines and their surroundings. These strains depend on the geometry and the elastic constants of both, line and surroundings (i.e. substrate and passivation) and - for the case of an array of parallel lines - on the repetition distance of the lines. For a given set of these parameters the strains and stresses can be obtained from finite element calculations using a model with plane strain conditions.

In order to obtain the dependences of the strains from these parameters systematic finite element calculations have been made for an infinite array of parallel lines with variations of the geometries and the elastic constants.

Since only the volume mean values of the metal strains can be measured easily (X-ray, wafer curvature method (metal stress)), the dependences of these mean values on the different parameters are presented.
The risk of alkali–silica reaction in concrete made with non-conforming cement
Authors: Jones Anthony , Cather Robert
Published: February 2013

A cement plant had supplied large quantities of cement into the market and the actual alkali contents were in excess of the manufacturer's declared mean. When the correct cement alkali levels were used to recalculate the amount of alkali, it was found that in some concretes the total alkali contents were above industry-recommended limits designed to minimise the risk of deleterious alkali–silica reaction (ASR). Given the large number of projects in which the concrete alkali content did not comply with the available guidance, it was necessary to develop a quick initial method of assessing the risk that concrete performance would be unacceptable. The unusual aspect of the investigations was that although the concretes did not conform to the recommended limits for minimising ASR risk, they had not shown any external symptoms or signs of damage. However, better information than is normal was available on the materials used, structural details and exposure of the concrete. The project-specific information was considered in the initial assessments using a severity ranking classification developed for the purpose. Subsequently, some of the projects were subject to more detailed physical investigation to establish more definitive conclusions. The investigations concluded that there was a general conservatism in the current guidance on minimising risk of ASR, but found greater degrees of uncertainty than expected in the base data used to underpin normal industry guidance. In addition, the level of record keeping on a number of sites was not sufficient to identify and locate concrete that was subsequently determined to be non-conformant. This work will help those investigating structures potentially affected by ASR and inform the future consideration of guidance for minimising the risk of ASR.
Analyses of Radiation and Mesothelioma in the US Transuranium and Uranium Registries
Authors: Gibb Herman , Fulcher Keri , Nagarajan Sumitha , McCord Stacey , Fallahian Naz Afarin , Hoffman Heather J. , Haver Cary , Tolmachev Sergei
Published: February 2013

Objectives. We examined the relationship between radiation and excess deaths from mesothelioma among deceased nuclear workers who were part of the US Transuranium and Uranium Registries.

Methods. We performed univariate analysis with SAS Version 9.1 software. We conducted proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) and proportionate cancer mortality ratio (PCMR) analyses using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Life Table Analysis System with the referent group being all deaths in the United States.

Results. We found a PMR of 62.40 (P < .05) and a PCMR of 46.92 (P < .05) for mesothelioma. PMRs for the 4 cumulative external radiation dose quartiles were 61.83, 57.43, 74.46, and 83.31. PCMRs were 36.16, 47.07, 51.35, and 67.73. The PMR and PCMR for trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer were not significantly elevated.

Conclusions. The relationship between cumulative external radiation dose and the PMR and PCMR for mesothelioma suggests that external radiation at nuclear facilities is associated with an increased risk of mesothelioma. The lack of a significantly elevated PMR and PCMR for trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer suggests that asbestos did not confound this relationship.
Race/Ethnicity and the Relationship Between Homeownership and Health
Authors: Ortiz Selena E. , Zimmerman Frederick J.
Published: February 2013

Objectives. We investigated whether race/ethnicity moderates the association between homeownership and health and whether this association is the same for racial/ethnic minorities as for non-Latino Whites.

Methods. With data on US-born Latinos, African Americans, and non-Latino Whites from the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 California Health Interview Survey, we used weighted multivariate regression techniques in fully adjusted models, controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors, to test the association between homeownership and number of psychological health conditions, number of general health conditions, self-perceived health status, and health trade-offs.

Results. Race/ethnicity significantly moderates the effect of homeownership on self-perceived health status, incidence of general health conditions, and health trade-offs, including delays in accessing medical care and delays in obtaining prescription medication. Although homeownership was a robust, independent predictor for each health outcome in the non-Latino White population, the association disappeared in statistical significance for racial/ethnic minorities.

Conclusions. The mechanisms that create a significant association between homeownership and health seem not to be operative for racial/ethnic minorities or are countervailed by other processes, such as possible housing insecurity, that may create an adverse association. Homeownership provides a baseline for future investigations.
Linking Sustainability Research to Intervention Types
Authors: Scheirer Mary Ann
Published: February 2013

Researchers, funders, and managers of health programs and interventions have become concerned about their long-term sustainability. However, most research about sustainability has not considered the nature of the program to be sustained. Health-related interventions may differ in their likelihood of sustainability and in the factors likely to influence continuation. I suggest a framework for analyzing the sustainability of 6 types of interventions: (1) those implemented by individual providers; (2) programs requiring coordination among multiple staff; (3) new policies, procedures, or technologies; (4) capacity or infrastructure building; (5) community partnerships or collaborations; and (6) broad-scale system change. Hypotheses for future research and strategies that program managers might use to achieve sustainability also differ by program or intervention type.
Future Directions in Research on Institutional and Interpersonal Discrimination and Children’s Health
Authors: Acevedo-Garcia Dolores , Rosenfeld Lindsay E. , Hardy Erin , McArdle Nancy , Osypuk Theresa L.
Published: February 2013

Research evidence indicates that 2 forms of racial discrimination—perceived interpersonal discrimination and racial/ethnic residential segregation (a form of institutional discrimination)—may influence children’s health and disparities.

Although research on these 2 forms of discrimination and health has primarily focused on adults, smaller bodies of work have documented that perceived interpersonal discrimination and segregation have a negative effect on infants’ health, and that perceived interpersonal discrimination may negatively affect children’s mental health.

Three directions for research are (1) incorporating a life-course perspective into studies of discrimination and children’s health, (2) linking residential segregation with geography-of-opportunity conceptual frameworks and measures, and (3) considering residential segregation along with segregation in other contexts that influence children’s health (e.g., schools).
Text Messaging to Communicate With Public Health Audiences: How the HIPAA Security Rule Affects Practice
Authors: Karasz Hilary N. , Eiden Amy , Bogan Sharon
Published: February 2013

Text messaging is a powerful communication tool for public health purposes, particularly because of the potential to customize messages to meet individuals’ needs. However, using text messaging to send personal health information requires analysis of laws addressing the protection of electronic health information.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule is written with flexibility to account for changing technologies. In practice, however, the rule leads to uncertainty about how to make text messaging policy decisions.

Text messaging to send health information can be implemented in a public health setting through 2 possible approaches: restructuring text messages to remove personal health information and retaining limited personal health information in the message but conducting a risk analysis and satisfying other requirements to meet the HIPAA Security Rule.
“They’re Going to Die Anyway”: Smoking Shelters at Veterans’ Facilities
Authors: Offen Naphtali , Smith Elizabeth A. , Malone Ruth E.
Published: February 2013

Military personnel and veterans are disadvantaged by inadequate tobacco control policies. We conducted a case study of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) effort to disallow smoking and tobacco sales in VA facilities.

Despite strong VA support, the tobacco industry created a public relations–focused grassroots veterans’ opposition group, eventually pushing the US Congress to pass a law requiring smoking areas in every VA health facility. Arguing that it would be unpatriotic to deny veterans this “freedom” they had ostensibly fought for and that banning smoking could even harm veterans’ health, industry consultants exploited veterans’ organizations to protect tobacco industry profits.

Civilian public health advocates should collaborate with veterans to expose the industry’s manipulation, reframe the debate, and repeal the law.
Evaluating Hospitals’ Provision of Community Benefit: An Argument for an Outcome-Based Approach to Nonprofit Hospital Tax Exemption
Authors: Rubin Daniel B. , Singh Simone Rauscher , Jacobson Peter D.
Published: February 2013

Nonprofit hospitals are exempt from federal income taxation if they pass organizational and operational tests, including satisfying the community-benefit standard. Policymakers, however, have questioned the adequacy of the community benefits that nonprofit hospitals provide in exchange for these exemptions.

The Internal Revenue Service recently responded to these concerns by redesigning its tax forms for nonprofit hospitals. The new Form 990 Schedule H requires nonprofit hospitals to provide additional information about their community-benefit activities. This new reporting requirement, however, places an undue focus on input-based community-benefit indicators, in particular expenditures.

We argue that expanding the current input-based reporting requirement to include not only monetary inputs but also population health outcomes would achieve greater benefit for society.
Addiction Industry Studies: Understanding How Proconsumption Influences Block Effective Interventions
Authors: Adams Peter J.
Published: February 2013

The legalized consumption of products with addiction potential, such as tobacco and alcohol, contributes in myriad ways to poor physical and mental health and to deterioration in social well- being. These impacts are well documented, as are a range of public health interventions that are demonstrably effective in reducing harm.

I have discussed the capacity for the profits from these substances to be deployed in ways that block or divert resources from interventions known to be effective.

Addiction industry studies constitute a new and previously neglected area of research focusing specifically on understanding the salient relationships that determine policy and regulation. This understanding will increase the odds of adopting effective interventions.
The Affordable Care Act: The Value of Systemic Disruption
Authors: Shaffer Ellen R.
Published: February 2013

It is important to recognize the political and policy accomplishments of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), anticipate its limitations, and use the levers it provides strategically to address the problems it does not resolve.

Passage of the ACA broke the political logjam that long stymied national progress toward equitable, quality, universal, affordable health care. It extends coverage for the uninsured who are disproportionately low income and people of color, curbs health insurance abuses, and initiates improvements in the quality of care. However, challenges to affordability and cost control persist.

Public health advocates should mobilize for coverage for abortion care and for immigrants, encourage public-sector involvement in negotiating health care prices, and counter disinformation by opponents on the right.
Alcohol Outlets and Binge Drinking in Urban Neighborhoods: The Implications of Nonlinearity for Intervention and Policy
Authors: Ahern Jennifer , Margerison-Zilko Claire , Hubbard Alan , Galea Sandro
Published: February 2013

Objectives. Alcohol outlet density has long been associated with alcohol-related harms, and policymakers have endorsed alcohol outlet restriction to reduce these harms. However, potential nonlinearity in the relation between outlet density and alcohol consumption has not been rigorously examined.

Methods. We used data from the New York Social Environment Study (n = 4000) to examine the shape of the relation between neighborhood alcohol outlet density and binge drinking by using a generalized additive model with locally weighted scatterplot smoothing, and applied an imputation-based marginal modeling approach.

Results. We found a nonlinear relation between alcohol outlet density and binge drinking; the association was stronger at densities of more than 80 outlets per square mile. Binge drinking prevalence was estimated to be 13% at 130 outlets, 8% at 80 outlets, and 8% at 20 outlets per square mile.

Conclusions. This nonlinearity suggests that reductions in alcohol outlet density where density is highest and the association is strongest may have the largest public health impact per unit reduction. Future research should assess the impact of policies and interventions that aim to reduce alcohol outlet density, and consider nonlinearity in effects.
The World Health Organization’s Safe Abortion Guidance Document
Authors: Van Look Paul F. A. , Cottingham Jane
Published: February 2013

We discuss the history of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) development of guidelines for governments on providing safe abortion services, which WHO published as Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for Health Systems in 2003 and updated in 2012.

We show how the recognition of the devastating impact of unsafe abortion on women’s health and survival, the impetus of the International Conference on Population and Development and its five-year follow-up, and WHO’s progressive leadership at the end of the century enabled the organization to elaborate guidance on providing safe abortion services.

Guideline formulation involved extensive review of published evidence, an international technical expert meeting to review the draft document, and a protracted in-house review by senior WHO management.
High‐value Zeolitic Material from Bagasse Fly Ash: Utilization for Dye Elimination
Authors: Shah Bhavna A. , Shah Ajay V. , Patel Harendra D. , Mistry Chirag B.
Published: February 2013

Bagasse fly ash (BFA), a sugar industry waste, was used to prepare zeolitic material (ZFA) by means of alkaline hydrothermal treatment. ZFA showed improved morphology as a result of this treatment. . The adsorption of the reactive dyes turquoise blue (TB) and brilliant magenta (BM), on both BFA and ZFA, was investigated in a batch contact system. A series of batch experiments revealed that optimal dye removal occurs at a 200 mg/L to 300 mg/L solute concentration, 60 minutes of agitation time, 5 g/L to 10 g/L adsorbent dose, a pH level of 2 to 4, and a temperature of 298 K. ZFA showed enhanced adsorption capacity as compared to BFA. According to the Langmuir equation, the maximum adsorption capacity was 12.66 mg/g and 45.45 mg/g for turquoise blue and brilliant magenta dyes, respectively, on BFA; and 21.74 mg/g and 100.00 mg/g for turquoise blue and brilliant magenta dyes, respectively, on ZFA. Kinetic studies showed that the correlation coefficients best fit with the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, confirming that the adsorption rate was controlled by a hemisorptions process.
Toxic Metals Biosorption by Jatropha curcas Deoiled Cake: Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies
Authors: Rawat Anand P. , Rawat Monica , Rai J. P. N.
Published: February 2013

The equilibrium sorption of Cr(VI) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution using Jatropha curcas deoiled cake, has been studied with respect to adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH, and initial metal concentration in batch mode experiments. Removal of Cu(II) by deoiled cake was greater than that of Cr(VI). The adsorbent chemical characteristics, studied by Fourier transform–infrared analysis, suggested that the presence of Cr(VI) and Cu(II) in the biomass influenced the bands corresponding to hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. Desorption studies revealed that maximum metals recovery was achieved by HNO3 followed by CH3COOH and HCl. The Freundlich isotherm model showed good fit to the equilibrium adsorption data. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo‐second‐order model, which provided the best correlation for the biosorption process, and suggested that J. curcas deoiled cake can be used as an efficient biosorbent over other commonly used sorbents for decontamination of Cr(VI)‐ and Cu(II)‐containing wastewater.
The application of hydrogen-palladium electrode for potentiometric acid-base determinations in tetrahydrofuran
Authors: Jokic Anja , Dzudovic Radmila , Jaksic Ljiljana , Nikolic-Mandic Snezana
Published: February 2013

The application of the hydrogen-palladium electrode (H2/Pd) as the indicator
electrode for the determination of relative acidity scale (Es, mV) of
tetrahydrofuran (THF) and the potentiometric titrations of acids in this
solvent was investigated. The relative acidity scale tetrahydrofuran was
determined from the difference half-neutralization potentials of perchloric
acid and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH), which were measured by using
both H2/Pd-SCE and glass-SCE electrode pairs. The experimentally obtained
value of Es scale THF with a H2/Pd-SCE electrode pair was 1155 mV, and those
obtained with glass-SCE electrode pair 880 mV. By using a H2/Pd indicator
electrode, the individual acids (benzoic acid, palmitic acid, maleic acid,
acetyl acetone, ?-naphthol) and two component acid mixtures (benzoic acid +
?-naphthol, palmitic acid + ?-naphthol, maleic acid + ?-naphthol and maleic
acid + ftalic acid) were titrated with a standard solution of TBAH. In
addition, sodium methylate and potassium hydroxide proved to be very suitable
titrating agents for titrating of the individual acids and the acids in
mixtures, respectively. The relative error of the determination of acids in
mixture was less than 3%. The results are in agreement with those obtained by
a conventional glass electrode. The advantages of H2/Pd electrode over a
glass electrode in potentiometric acid-base determinations in tetrahydrofuran
lie in the following: this electrode gives wider relative acidity scale THF,
higher the potential jumps at the titration end-point and relatively fast
response time; furthermore, it is very durable, simple to prepare and can be
used in the titrations of small volumes.
Temperature and Denaturing Substances Influence on Lab-on-a-Chip Electrophoresis
Authors: Trenčevska Olgica , Aleksovski Vasko , Stojanoski Kiro
Published: February 2013

Temperature and Denaturing Substances Influence on Lab-on-a-Chip Electrophoresis

Qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in different biological fluids is of great significance in medicine, due to their importance in diagnosis and treatment of some diseases. Nowadays, different methods for protein analysis are available. Lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis is a relatively new technique, based on microfluidics, which allows samples of biological fluids to be analyzed within a microchip. This paper describes the optimization of performance of the chip-based protein analyses in serum samples from patients with different neurological disorders. Using microchip technology, serum proteins with the molecular mass from 4.5 to 240 Kb were separated and sized. The fluorescence detection method in the analysis was used to follow the influence of the temperature and the type and concentration of denaturing substances on the electrophoresis protein profiles. It was noted that, depending on incubation temperature and denaturing substances, different electrophoresis patterns can be obtained from the proteins of one specimen. Significant change of the fluorescence intensity was observed when different incubation temperatures were used, probably due to fluorescence quenching. In some cases, the band intensity was changed several times. Lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis is a very efficient method for the separation and determination of different serum proteins in a very short time. However, to obtain comparable results for the analysis, the denaturing agent concentration and temperature must be observed and maintained carefully.
Observation on the Changes in Lactate Dehydrogenase Isoenzymes in Post-Burn Patients: Significance in Relation to Creatine Kinase
Authors: Ahmad Riaz , Qayyum Saba , Hasnain Absar-ul , Ara Anjum , Khan Arshad , Alam Mumtaz
Published: February 2013

Observation on the Changes in Lactate Dehydrogenase Isoenzymes in Post-Burn Patients: Significance in Relation to Creatine Kinase

The present study deals with the quantitative assessment of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in the sera of burn subjects. Efforts are also made here to show better predictive marker value of sera LDH, as a few other known protein markers like creatine kinase and myoglobin have limited analytical value in the management of thermal burns. Blood was initially collected at day-1 of admission from 29 burn and 10 healthy subjects. Further, the sampling was carried out at 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30 days of wound healing (recovery). Plasma and sera LDH isoenzymes were monitored on 7.5% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Quantitative assessment of LDH isoenzymes was done from gelscans using GelPro and Scion Imaging softwares. Sera CK levels were estimated colorimetrically using reagent kits. Our results show that quantitative changes in LDH isoenzyme were more convincing and interpretable in the sera than plasma. Sera LDH-5 isoenzyme was detected as the major contributor of total sera LDH activity, which follows a change parallel to sera CK in burn subjects. Sera LDH-5 activity also remains significantly high for up to 10 days while sera CK levels were detected elevated up to 5 days (P<0.05) during the recovery of patients. Therefore, the present findings strongly recommended the use of sera to assess the LDH activity and indicate better stability of sera LDH-5 than sera CK during post burn wound healing.
Antifungal Azole Metabolites: Significance in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
Authors: Kokil Sachin , Bhatia Manish
Published: February 2013

Antifungal Azole Metabolites: Significance in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

Individualised therapy and factors determining such variability among patients are confusing to both physicians and their patients because of the observed therapeutic, metabolic and toxic response. The same is true about antifungal azoles. They are under the influence and become targets of metabolic drug-drug interactions where more than one active form of the drug may be involved. The clinical relevance of these interactions may vary upon the azole involved and upon the intention of drug administration. The pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of azole drugs as indicated by the reviewed data make the need for characterization of all their metabolites even more evident. The health care systems also emphasize the identification and quantitation of the metabolites for a comprehensive understanding of the biological safety of individual metabolites, thus, revealing the need and scope of bioanalytical research in metabolite and toxicity profiling of drugs. Availability of protocols for qualitative and quantitative characterization of all metabolites will have many applications for therapeutic drug monitoring, bioequivalence, toxicological and all related studies. Identification of metabolites may be done by a variety of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, either alone or in combination with other techniques. Conventional liquid chromatography has been exploited widely in the field of metabolite profiling. The arrival of hyphenated techniques has revolutionized metabolite profiling, by not only separating but also generating data for the structural identification of metabolites as well. Among all techniques, the most exploited are Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy-Mass Spectroscopy and Extraction-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. This compilation provides a tool for the metabolic, bioanalytical and biomedical understanding of antifungal azole metabolites.