bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simple renal cysts and hypertension are associated with angiotensinogen (AGT) gene variant in Shiraz population (Iran)
Authors: Tabei SMB , Nariman A , Daliri K , Roozbeh J , Khezri A , Goodarzi HR , Lotfi M , Sefidbakht S , Entezam M
Published: August 2013

Aim:

To our knowledge, the relationship between simple renal cysts, hypertension and three significant genes of the renin-angiotensin system ( AGT, AT1R and ACE1) has not been studied. The present study was designed to search for possible relationships between these significant polymorphic components, hypertension and simple renal cysts in Shiraz province (Iran).

Methods:

A total of 160 participants were recruited from the Motahari Clinic at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were divided into four main groups. Detection of the ACE1 genotype was performed with a nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol. Two separate restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR assays were used to identify AGT and AT1R genotypes.

Results:

The allele frequency of AGT M235T differed significantly between group 1 (patients with simple renal cysts and hypertension) and normal individuals (p <0.05). There were no significant differences in frequency for the other genes ( ACE1 and AT1R).

Conclusions:

Our findings show a relationship between the AGT-TT genotype and hypertension in patients with both hypertension and simple renal cysts. This finding suggests an additive role for the AGT gene of the renin-angiotensin system in the process of hypertension and simple renal cysts formation. Future studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms through which this association is mediated.
Liberalism, neutrality and exploitation
Authors: Steiner Hillel
Published: August 2013

This essay argues that a liberalism that avoids legal moralism – that is neutral between rival conceptions of the good – cannot embrace intervention in commercial transactions, but is thereby precluded neither from identifying some such transactions as exploitative nor from redressing them by other means.
Indoor artificial lighting: Prediction of the circadian effects of different spectral power distributions
Authors: Bellia L , Pedace A , Barbato G
Published: August 2013

The study presented in this paper aims to evaluate if and how the environment affects the circadian impact of a light source by predicting circadian stimulus (CS) resulting from the exposure to different light scenes, using equations reported in studies by Rea et al. The main findings are: (1) Above 600 lx at eye level the increase of CS is little; (2) Between 50 lx and 200 lx at the eye level an increase of only 50 lx determines a significant increase of CS; (3) Light sources with correlated colour temperatures between 2900 K and 4200 K have similar impacts on the circadian system according to the calculation method used; (4) Even an almost neutral environment affects the circadian impact of a light source.
The Use of Cognitive Interviewing Methods to Evaluate Mode Effects in Survey Questions
Authors: Gray Michelle , Blake Margaret , Campanelli Pamela
Published: August 2013

This article focuses on a novel use of cognitive interviewing as a follow-up rather than as a pretesting methodology to explore mode effects. Respondent from a quantitative mixed-mode experiment took part in cognitive interviews where questions were administered face to face, by telephone, and by web, followed by a retrospective think-aloud. The focus of the think-aloud (used in combination with some prescripted probes) was not on what respondents understood by certain words or answer categories but on how they had answered questions in the different data collection modes. This article discusses the methods used in these mixed-mode cognitive interviews (which involved an element of mode mimicking) and how the interviews differed from standard cognitive interviewing for question testing. The benefits and limitations of our approach are discussed as well as lessons learned for using cognitive interviewing to explore patterns observed in survey data.
Value Change and Political Action
Authors: Copeland Lauren
Published: August 2013

Understanding how people engage in politics, and what motivates them to do so, has been an ongoing concern in the social science literature. Over the past decade, scholarly interest in boycotts and buycotts, which collectively comprise political consumerism—the deliberate purchase or avoidance of products for political or ethical reasons—has increased. However, these activities not been well conceptualized, and it is not clear what motivates people to engage in political consumerism. In this paper, I theorize that postmaterialist values increase the likelihood of engaging in political consumerism in the United States. To test this expectation, I use original, nationally representative U.S. survey data, and I find that postmaterialist values significantly increase the likelihood of engaging in political consumerism, while materialist values not, with controls in place for partisanship, ideology, and other democratic norms.
Is the Video Game a Cultural Vehicle?
Authors: Chen Chi-Ying
Published: August 2013

Following the exportation of Japanese media products such as TV dramas, Japanese culture and products have swept across many Asian countries, especially Taiwan. Based on the historical background and unique characteristics of games, this study investigates the cultural effect of Japanese video games on players in Taiwan. This study also presents an analysis of the differences between TV and the video game as cultural vehicles. We used both quantitative and qualitative methods. Results indicate a relationship between game-playing behavior and the identification of Japanese culture. However, the relationship between video game playing and consumption was nonsignificant. This shows the power of video games in nation-building but not in nation-branding, in contrast with TV. This study presents a discussion of the findings to shed light on the cultural effects of video games.
Once More With Feeling
Authors: Dormann Claire , Whitson Jennifer R. , Neuvians Max
Published: August 2013

We are interested in how digital games can be designed for learning in the affective domain. Our studies of how emotions are embedded in games and how games sustain affective learning involve observing gameplay and identifying recurring elements that we identify as design patterns. Design patterns help us think about the role of affect in play, what affect in games looks like, and the different ways affective learning might be achieved in educational and serious games. In this article, we describe and discuss several patterns related to understanding emotions, affective representation, and socioemotional interactions, which are essential components of affective learning. These patterns provide a language to conceptualize how affective learning might be designed into future game projects. To conclude, we discuss the development of a taxonomy of affective patterns to sustain socioemotional learning. We thus hope to stimulate the development of more human-oriented educational games in this domain.
Dispensable, Tweakable, and Tangible Components
Authors: Cheung Gifford , Lee Alison , Cheng Kevin , Lee Hae Jin
Published: August 2013

Our article examines a flexible approach to designing general game components inspired by traditional game components. Our goal is to design digital game systems that offer the players greater choice in dictating the rules, pacing, and sociability of a game session—we describe this as supporting socially negotiated gameplay. We introduce five design principles of flexibility: dispensability, live tweakability, tangibility, mobility, and value. Our work demonstrates this approach with the design of an augmented game system composed of playing cards instrumented with near field communication chips and a mobile device with three digital game components: a Card Viewer, a Score Board, and a Turn Keeper. We report on initial user sessions and articulate two emerging challenges for supporting socially negotiated play: (a) solving interaction costs to enable greater flexibility and (b) managing user expectations for the automatic part of a manual–automatic system.
Use of duplex guided stent graft placement to prevent bleeding from previously thrombosed pseudo-aneurysms during thrombolytic therapy for acute popliteal artery occlusion
Authors: DerDerian Trevor , Hingorani Anil , Gallagher James , Ascher Enrico
Published: August 2013

We present a 68-year-old female who developed multiple pseudo-aneurysms (PSAs) following cardiac catheterization via the right groin. During subsequent thrombin injection of PSAs, the patient developed acute occlusion of the popliteal artery. A covered stent was placed to obliterate the PSAs and allow for successful endovascular treatment of the occlusion without hemorrhage from the previous arteriotomy sites. This report demonstrates a safe and successful method to treating high surgical risk patients with recent PSA’s and a necessity for thrombolysis.
Changes in treatment plan for carpal tunnel syndrome based on electrodiagnostic test results
Authors: Becker S. J. E. , Makanji H. S. , Ring D.
Published: August 2013

This study evaluated how often the treatment plan for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) changed based on electrodiagnostic test results. Secondly, we assessed factors associated with a change in the treatment plan for CTS. One-hundred-and-thirty English-speaking adult patients underwent electrodiagnostic testing in a prospective cohort study. Treatment plan was recorded before and after testing. Treatment plan changed in 25 patients (19%) based on electrodiagnostic test results. The plan for operative treatment before testing decreased significantly after testing (83% versus 72%). The best logistic regression model for no change in treatment plan included a prolonged or non-recordable median distal sensory latency (normal, prolonged, or non-recordable), and explained 24% of the variation. For surgeons that manage CTS on the basis of objective pathophysiology rather than symptoms, electrodiagnostic test results often lead to changes in recommended treatment.
Comparison of the bronchodilator and systemic effects of AZD3199, an inhaled ultra-long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonist, with formoterol in patients with asthma
Authors: Bjermer Leif , Rosenborg Johan , Bengtsson Thomas , Lötvall Jan
Published: August 2013

Objectives:

Pharmacologically mediated bronchodilation is important in the management of asthma, and is primarily achieved with β2-agonists. Novel compounds should preferably have a longer duration of action and a better systemic side effect profile than established alternatives at comparable peak bronchodilation. This single-dose crossover study was conducted to investigate and compare with formoterol the bronchodilatory and systemic effects, tolerability and safety of AZD3199, a novel ultra-long-acting β2-agonist (uLABA).

Methods:

Patients with asthma ( n = 37) were randomized to receive AZD3199 (120, 480, 1920 µg), formoterol (9, 36 µg) or placebo inhaled via a Turbuhaler™. Bronchodilation was evaluated by maximum ( Emax) and average 22–26 h ( E22–26) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Serum potassium was evaluated by minimum ( Emin) and 0–4 h average ( Eav) determined from serial measurements. AZD3199 and formoterol were compared on the basis of relative dose potency. Adverse events, clinical laboratory tests and physical examinations were markers for safety and tolerability, with plasma AZD3199 as the indicator of drug exposure.

Results:

All active treatments dose-dependently increased Emax and AZD3199 (480 and 1920 µg) and formoterol (36 µg) significantly increased E22–26 versus placebo. Relative dose potency between AZD3199 and formoterol was 50-fold on the microgram scale with respect to Emax and 11-fold with respect to E22–26. Small, dose-dependent effects on potassium, heart rate and QTc were seen after administration of AZD3199 compared with placebo. These well-known dose-related class effects of β2-agonists were mild. Notably, serum potassium suppression was less pronounced after AZD3199 compared with formoterol at similar bronchodilation. Overall, AZD3199 was well tolerated.

Conclusions:

AZD3199 480 µg and 1920 µg produced 24-hour bronchodilation. At comparable peak bronchodilator effect, AZD3199 was associated with a lower level of systemic side effects than formoterol. AZD3199 was well tolerated, with no safety concerns identified to preclude further investigation.

ClinicalTrials.gov study identifier:

NCT00736489
Treating hepatocellular carcinoma progression following first-line sorafenib: therapeutic options and clinical observations
Authors: He A. Ruth , Goldenberg Alec S.
Published: August 2013

Despite the established efficacy of sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a significant number of sorafenib-treated patients experience disease progression. Current guidelines recommend either best supportive care or clinical trial enrollment for this population. As such, there remains an unmet need for tolerable, life-prolonging strategies in the second-line setting. New information regarding the molecular pathogenesis of resistance to antiangiogenic therapy and positive post-progression experience with antiangiogenics in other tumor types has led to trials investigating the effect of continued use of sorafenib, alone or combined with other agents. Trials investigating the effect of switching from sorafenib to alternate antiangiogenic agents, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, or cMet inhibitors are also underway. As these data emerge, clinicians may consider a new paradigm for managing advanced HCC. This article briefly reviews the mechanisms of disease resistance to antiangiogenic therapy as a vehicle for discussing clinical strategies to prolong survival in patients with advanced HCC that are currently employed at our institutions or are under investigation. Key ongoing trials investigating the use of molecularly targeted therapies in patients with progressive disease are also highlighted.
Panitumumab in the management of patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Hocking Christopher M. , Price Timothy J.
Published: August 2013

The past 15 years has seen a marked increase in available therapeutic options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer resulting in improvements in median survival from 12 to 24 months. One of these new options is panitumumab, which is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the epidermal growth factor receptor of tumor cells and inhibits downstream cell signaling with antitumor effects of inhibition of tumor growth, induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. Large randomized clinical trials have demonstrated significant improvements in tumor response rates and progression-free survival when panitumumab is combined with chemotherapy and as monotherapy in chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Clinical benefit with panitumumab is limited to patients with nonmutated KRAS tumors. Rash is a common toxicity of panitumumab treatment but can potentially be ameliorated with the use of prophylactic strategies. The role of panitumumab in the overall treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer is evolving and future clinical trials will focus on improved patient selection through use of novel predictive biomarkers, and the optimal timing of treatment.
A systematic review of the correlates and management of nonpremature ejaculatory dysfunction in heterosexual men
Authors: Seyam Raouf
Published: August 2013

Introduction:

A better understanding of ejaculatory disorders has led to an increasing interest in nonpremature ejaculatory dysfunction (non-PE EjD). Current reviews on the subject use a symptom-based classification to describe ejaculatory dysfunction even when it is a single case report. While these reviews provide important information on the disorder, a clearer picture of the prevalence of non-PE EjD in relation to the community and various pathophysiologic states is needed.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to provide a systematic review of studies of non-PE EjD excluding single case reports.

Methods:

A systematic review of Medline for terms including ejaculation, orgasm or hematospermia. Association with terms delay, pain or headache was made. The search was restricted to male gender and articles written in English. Abstracts were reviewed and those mainly concerned with premature ejaculation were excluded.

Results:

A total of 333 articles on non-PE EjD were identified. The condition was reported in community-based studies. In certain patient populations, non-PE EjD was commonly reported in association with antidepressant and antipsychotic treatments, in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, patients with lower urinary tract symptoms particularly in association with medical or surgical treatment, patients with retroperitoneal surgery and in patients with neurological diseases. Few articles were concerned with treatment options.

Conclusion:

There is a significant prevalence of non-PE EjD in the community and in association with particular disease states or as a side effect of medical or surgical interventions. There is a need to direct efforts to prevent and treat these conditions.
Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate: a paradigm shift in benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery
Authors: Aho Tevita F.
Published: August 2013

Holmium laser enucleation (HoLEP) was developed in the 1990s as a more efficient and cost effective method of benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery than laser vaporization and resection techniques. As a true anatomical enucleation it mimics open prostatectomy and is as durable. There is a significant body of level 1 evidence in support of HoLEP, including 2 meta-analyses and 14 randomized trials which compare HoLEP with a number of other procedures. This review describes the development of and summarizes the evidence for HoLEP.
Framing Food and Diabetes
Authors: Walker Ashby F. , Schatz Desmond A. , Silverstein Janet H. , Parker Kathryn A. , Aponick Amy U. , Rohrs Henry J.
Published: August 2013

To better elucidate the experiences and perspectives of youth and families living with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), we conducted survey research with 40 youth and their parents/caregivers. Youth were provided with disposable cameras and prompted to take 5 pictures that captured what diabetes meant to them accompanied by narratives explaining their photo choices. Demographic data were collected to examine possible variations in photos/representations, including gender, age, disease duration, socioeconomic status, race, and glycemic control (measured with glycated hemoglobin). Qualitative content analysis was conducted for photos and open-ended survey responses. Quantitative analysis included a comparison of means through Mann-Whitney U tests for statistical significance. In all, 68% of youth took at least 1 photograph of food, and 90% of parents/caregivers addressed food-specific issues, demonstrating 3 broad categories of representation: food as off limits, food as laborious, and food as exclusionary. The only demographic variable that proved to be significant was gender: male participants took more food-specific photos than their female counterparts (P ≤ .005). Food-specific issues signify challenging and negative aspects of living with T1D, and these experiences are particularly intense for male participants. The inclusion of patient perspectives through nontraditional methodologies such as photography could provide greater insight into adolescent perspectives.
Dynamic Balance Performance and Noncontact Lower Extremity Injury in College Football Players
Authors: Butler Robert J. , Lehr Michael E. , Fink Michael L. , Kiesel Kyle B. , Plisky Phillip J.
Published: August 2013

Background:

Field expedient screening tools that can identify individuals at an elevated risk for injury are needed to minimize time loss in American football players. Previous research has suggested that poor dynamic balance may be associated with an elevated risk for injury in athletes; however, this has yet to be examined in college football players.

Hypothesis:

To determine if dynamic balance deficits are associated with an elevated risk of injury in collegiate football players. It was hypothesized that football players with lower performance and increased asymmetry in dynamic balance would be at an elevated risk for sustaining a noncontact lower extremity injury.

Study Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Methods:

Fifty-nine collegiate American football players volunteered for this study. Demographic information, injury history, and dynamic balance testing performance were collected, and noncontact lower extremity injuries were recorded over the course of the season. Receiver operator characteristic curves were calculated based on performance on the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), including composite score and asymmetry, to determine the population-specific risk cut-off point. Relative risk was then calculated based on these variables, as well as previous injury.

Results:

A cut-off point of 89.6% composite score on the SEBT optimized the sensitivity (100%) and specificity (71.7%). A college football player who scored below 89.6% was 3.5 times more likely to get injured.

Conclusion:

Poor performance on the SEBT may be related to an increased risk for sustaining a noncontact lower extremity injury over the course of a competitive American football season.

Clinical Relevance:

College football players should be screened preseason using the SEBT to identify those at an elevated risk for injury based upon dynamic balance performance to implement injury mitigation strategies to this specific subgroup of athletes.
Disordered Eating, Menstrual Irregularity, and Musculoskeletal Injury in High School Athletes
Authors: Thein-Nissenbaum Jill M. , Carr Kathleen E. , Hetzel Scott , Dennison Emily
Published: August 2013

Background:

The female athlete triad is the interrelatedness of energy availability, menstrual function, and bone density. Currently, limited information about triad components and their relationship to musculoskeletal injury in the high school population exists. In addition, no study has specifically examined triad components and injury rate in high school oral contraceptive pill (OCP) users.

Hypothesis:

To compare the prevalence of disordered eating (DE), menstrual irregularity (MI), and musculoskeletal injury (INJ) among high school female athletes in OCP users and non-OCP users.

Study Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 2.

Methods:

The subject sample completed the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Healthy Wisconsin High School Female Athletes Survey (HWHSFAS). Athletes were classified by OCP use and sport type.

Results:

Of the participants, 14.8% reported OCP use. There was no difference in MI and INJ among groups. The prevalence of DE was significantly higher among OCP users as compared with non-OCP users; OCP users were twice as likely to meet the criteria for DE (odds ratio [OR], 2.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-5.09). OCP users were over 5 times more likely to have a global score that met criteria for DE as compared with non-OCP users (OR, 5.36; 95% CI, 1.92-14.89).

Conclusion:

Although MI and INJ rates are similar among groups, there is a higher prevalence of DE among high school female athletes using OCPs as compared with non-OCP users.

Clinical Relevance:

Because OCP users may be menstruating, clinicians may fail to recognize the other triad components. However, DE exists in the menstruating OCP user. As such, clinicians should be vigilant when screening for triad components in high school OCP users, particularly DE.
Poverty Prefers Company
Authors: Eriksson Kimmo , Simpson Brent
Published: August 2013

In three web-based experiments, we show that both actual poverty and experimentally induced (imagined) poverty create a preference for greater inequality. Study 1, a cross-national comparison between Americans and Swedes, showed that respondents who were actually poor and those who were experimentally induced to imagine that they were poor tended to express a heightened preference for greater inequality, and for a higher proportion of poor citizens. Study 2 replicated the effects using different procedures. Study 3 showed that imagining oneself being poor increases preferences for a greater proportion of poor people, but imagining oneself being rich does not increase preferences for a greater proportion of rich people. This poverty prefers company effect might affect support for policies aiming at reducing the number of poor people.
Why criticizing grand regional narratives matters
Authors: Agnew John
Published: August 2013

Writing regional narratives of the sort envisaged in this article is much more fraught with difficulties than acknowledged by its author. Four conditions are identified for avoiding the glib story telling that afflicts the genre: reflecting on the limits of previous narratives, particularly the foundational myth of the disinterested observer of timeless truths; being clear about the metanarratives that unavoidably inform meaningful descriptive narratives; avoiding the call of elite and popular appeal at the expense of scholarly integrity; and cultivating an outsider status that speaks to the epistemological fragility of all regional narratives including those we might write, particularly when the emphasis in academia, for good philosophical as well as practical reasons, is on more analytic endeavors. The barriers set by these conditions suggest reasons why the genre is so little practiced.
Advancing what kind of geographical understanding for whom?
Authors: Sidaway James D
Published: August 2013

Considering geography in public debate merits asking what kinds of ‘publics’ geographers engage with and whose interests this serves. In turn, historicizing academic geographers’ reaches and roles beyond the academy casts these questions into starker relief. The case of Isaiah Bowman is instructive in this regard and leads us to consider forms and strategies of geographical engagement and vocation.
What if we all work in between? Notes on the geography of geographical knowledge production and consumption
Authors: Aalbers Manuel B
Published: August 2013

In the field of geography, “where you are” matters more than in most other fields. Yet, we are only beginning to write the geography of geographical knowledge production and consumption. The paper “Neither here nor there or always here and there?” (Wray et al., 2013) is an important building block in creating such a geography. It is important to realize that almost all of us are, in some way or another, in between. Since no geographical location is only normal or exotic, we should continue and intensify our efforts to decenter and deperipheralize our field.
Hegemonic geographies and their ‘others’
Authors: Berg Lawrence D
Published: August 2013

This paper presents an argument for understanding the importance of emplacing knowledge production. It also argues for caution in doing so, hinting at two possible reactionary outcomes of such work: the (re)construction of competition among and between different assemblages of scholarly knowledge production and the potential for claiming innocence as a marginalized assemblage of scholarship.
Knowledge Dissemination Interventions
Authors: Lafrenière Darquise , Menuz Vincent , Hurlimann Thierry , Godard Béatrice
Published: August 2013

This literature review seeks to examine knowledge dissemination interventions (KDIs) implemented in health research and gauge their effectiveness on three kinds of outcomes: (a) knowledge acquisition, (b) changes in attitudes, and (c) changes in practice. MEDLINE and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases from 2006 to 2011 were searched. Nineteen articles were retrieved. Most of the KDIs that were evaluated had a positive impact on knowledge acquisition and changes in attitudes, but a limited one on practice. KDIs are diverse in terms of knowledge, actors, contexts, and dissemination methods. They cannot be readily applicable to other projects.
Pharmacologic inhibition of PKCα and PKCθ prevents GVHD while preserving GVL activity in mice
Authors: Haarberg Kelley M. K. , Li Jun , Heinrichs Jessica , Wang Dapeng , Liu Chen , Bronk Crystina C. , Kaosaard Kane , Owyang Alexander M. , Holland Sacha , Masuda Esteban , Tso Kin , Blazar Bruce R. , Anasetti Claudio , Beg Amer A. , Yu Xue-Zhong
Published: August 2013

Key Points

PKCα and PKCθ cooperate in T-cell alloresponses, which contribute to GVHD. Pharmacologic inhibition of PKCα and PKCθ prevents GVHD and largely preserves GVL responses.
Biomarkers for prediction of venous thromboembolism in cancer
Authors: Pabinger Ingrid , Thaler Johannes , Ay Cihan
Published: August 2013

Cancer patients are at increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The incidence among different groups of cancer patients varies considerably depending on clinical factors, the most important being tumor entity and stage. Biomarkers have been specifically investigated for their capacity of predicting venous thromboembolism (VTE) during the course of disease. Parameters of blood count analysis (elevated leukocyte and platelet count and decreased hemoglobin) have turned out to be useful in risk prediction. Associations between elevated levels and future VTE have been found for d-dimer, prothrombin fragment 1+2, and soluble P-selectin and also for clotting factor VIII and the thrombin generation potential. The results for tissue factor–bearing microparticles are heterogeneous: an association with occurrence of VTE in pancreatic cancer might be present, whereas in other cancer entities, such as glioblastoma, colorectal, or gastric carcinoma, this could not be confirmed. Risk assessment models were developed that include clinical and laboratory markers. In the high-risk categories, patient groups with up to a >20% VTE rate within 6 months can be identified. A further improvement in risk stratification would allow better identification of patients for primary VTE prevention using indirect or novel direct anticoagulants.
TLR stimulation initiates a CD39-based autoregulatory mechanism that limits macrophage inflammatory responses
Authors: Cohen Heather B. , Briggs Katharine T. , Marino John P. , Ravid Katya , Robson Simon C. , Mosser David M.
Published: August 2013

Key Points

TLR-stimulated macrophages synthesize, release, and hydrolyze ATP via CD39 to regulate their own activation state. The loss of macrophage CD39 prevents regulatory macrophage development and leads to lethal inflammatory responses and septic shock in mice.
Do mass media campaigns improve physical activity? a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Abioye Ajibola I , Hajifathalian Kaveh , Danaei Goodarz
Published: August 2013

Background

Mass media campaigns are frequently used to influence the health behaviors of various populations. There are currently no quantitative meta-analyses of the effect of mass media campaigns on physical activity in adults.

Methods

We searched six electronic databases from their inception to August 2012 and selected prospective studies that evaluated the effect of mass media campaigns on physical activity in adults. We excluded studies that did not have a proper control group or did not report the uncertainties of the effect estimates. Two reviewers independently screened the title/abstracts and full articles. We used random-effects models to pool effect estimates across studies for 3 selected outcomes.

Results

Nine prospective cohorts and before-after studies that followed-up 27,601 people over 8 weeks to 3 years met the inclusion criteria. Based on the pooled results from these studies, mass media campaigns had a significant effect on promoting moderate intensity walking (pooled relative risk (RR) from 3 studies=1.53, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.25 to 1.87), but did not help participants achieve sufficient levels of physical activity [4 studies pooled RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.14)]. The apparent effect of media campaigns on reducing sedentary behavior (pooled RR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.30) was lost when a relatively low-quality study with large effects was excluded in a sensitivity analysis. In subgroup analyses, campaigns that promoted physical activity as a ‘social norm’ seemed to be more effective in reducing sedentary behavior.

Conclusion

Mass media campaigns may promote walking but may not reduce sedentary behavior or lead to achieving recommended levels of overall physical activity. Further research is warranted on different campaign types and in low- and middle- income countries.
The venom-gland transcriptome of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) reveals high venom complexity in the intragenomic evolution of venoms
Authors: Margres Mark J , Aronow Karalyn , Loyacano Jacob , Rokyta Darin R
Published: August 2013

Background

Snake venom is shaped by the ecology and evolution of venomous species, and signals of positive selection in toxins have been consistently documented, reflecting the role of venoms as an ecologically critical phenotype. New World coral snakes (Elapidae) are represented by three genera and over 120 species and subspecies that are capable of causing significant human morbidity and mortality, yet coral-snake venom composition is poorly understood in comparison to that of Old World elapids. High-throughput sequencing is capable of identifying thousands of loci, while providing characterizations of expression patterns and the molecular evolutionary forces acting within the venom gland.

Results

We describe the de novo assembly and analysis of the venom-gland transcriptome of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius). We identified 1,950 nontoxin transcripts and 116 toxin transcripts. These transcripts accounted for 57.1% of the total reads, with toxins accounting for 45.8% of the total reads. Phospholipases A2 and three-finger toxins dominated expression, accounting for 86.0% of the toxin reads. A total of 15 toxin families were identified, revealing venom complexity previously unknown from New World coral snakes. Toxins exhibited high levels of heterozygosity relative to nontoxins, and overdominance may favor gene duplication leading to the fixation of advantageous alleles. Phospholipase A2 expression was uniformly distributed throughout the class while three-finger toxin expression was dominated by a handful of transcripts, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that toxin divergence may have occurred following speciation. Positive selection was detected in three of the four most diverse toxin classes, suggesting that venom diversification is driven by recurrent directional selection.

Conclusions

We describe the most complete characterization of an elapid venom gland to date. Toxin gene duplication may be driven by heterozygote advantage, as the frequency of polymorphic toxin loci was significantly higher than that of nontoxins. Diversification among toxins appeared to follow speciation reflecting species-specific adaptation, and this divergence may be directly related to dietary shifts and is suggestive of a coevolutionary arms race.
Leukocytosis and high hematocrit levels during abdominal attacks of hereditary angioedema
Authors: Ohsawa Isao , Nagamachi Seiji , Suzuki Hiyori , Honda Daisuke , Sato Nobuyuki , Ohi Hiroyuki , Horikoshi Satoshi , Tomino Yasuhiko
Published: August 2013

Background

The diagnosis of hereditary angioedema (HAE) is often delayed due to the low awareness of this condition. In patients with undiagnosed HAE, abdominal symptoms often create the risk of unnecessary surgical operation and/or drug therapy. To explore the cause of misdiagnosis, we compared the laboratory findings of HAE patients under normal conditions with those during abdominal attacks.

Methods

Patient medical histories were analyzed and laboratory data at the first consultation with no symptoms and no medication were compared with those at visits to the emergency department during severe attacks.

Results

Fourteen HAE patients were enrolled. Initial HAE symptoms occurred at 20.2 ± 9.4 years of age. The correct diagnosis of HAE was made 22.7 ± 14.2 years after the initial symptoms. A common site of angioedema was the extremities. Half of the patients experienced a life-threatening laryngeal attack and/or severe abdominal pain. In the patients with severe abdominal pain, significant leukocytosis with neutrophilia along with increased levels of hematocrit were observed while levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) remained low. All severe attacks were alleviated with an infusion of C1-inhibitor concentrate.

Conclusions

Consideration of the likelihood of a HAE attack is important when patients present with acute abdominal pain and leukocytosis without elevation of CRP.
Use of genotyping based clustering to quantify recent tuberculosis transmission in Guadeloupe during a seven years period: analysis of risk factors and access to health care
Authors: Ferdinand Séverine , Millet Julie , Accipe Annick , Cassadou Sylvie , Chaud Pascal , Levy Maryse , Théodore Max , Rastogi Nalin
Published: August 2013

Background

The present study aimed to characterize Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure and to identify transmission chains and risk factors by prospective molecular typing in conjunction with conventional epidemiological investigations in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe.

Methods

The study included all the culture-positive TB cases (1 clinical isolate per patient; n = 129) diagnosed between a seven year period (April 4th, 1999 to December 31st, 2005). Prospective molecular typing was performed using spoligotyping and VNTRs, and a subset of 44 M. tuberculosis isolates found to be clustered was retrospectively typed using 12-loci MIRUs. Data were compared using the SITVIT2 database, followed by analysis of risk factors in function of clustering of the isolates and available demographic and socioeconomic data.

Results

The study sample was characterized by a majority of new cases (87.4%); a moderate proportion of drug-resistance (7.8%); a high level of immigration (51.2% foreign-born) originating from high TB/HIV incidence neighboring islands such as Haiti or Dominican Republic; lower socioeconomic conditions (70.7% of jobless, average income 824 EUR/month); and a significantly higher proportion of TB/HIV co-infected cases (38.2% vs. 8.5%; p < 0.001), and extrapulmonary disease (18.2% vs. 4.8%; p < 0.02) among migrants as compared to French patients. The study revealed an important delay in access to healthcare with a median delay of 74.5 days between the 1st symptoms and clinical suspicion of TB. Prospective molecular typing based on spoligotyping and 5-loci VNTRs showed that evolutionary recent Euro-American lineages predominated in Guadeloupe (91.5% of isolates). In conjunction with epidemiological data, it allowed to estimate a recent transmission rate of 18.6%, which was close to the rate of 16.7% estimated using retrospective 12-loci MIRU typing. Although a higher proportion of cases in older age-group were apparently linked to reactivation; univariate analysis of risk factors did not allow pinpointing specific risk factors for a patient to belong to a TB transmission group.

Conclusions

Ongoing TB transmission in the insular, low TB-incidence setting of Guadeloupe can be defined as follows: (i) a significant proportion of imported cases of the disease from neighboring islands; (ii) significantly higher TB/HIV coinfection among foreign-born cases; and, (iii) a higher proportion of cases affecting older age-group among French patients due to reactivation. This study emphasizes the need for universal typing using spoligotyping and 15-loci MIRUs in prospective studies.
In vivo collection of follicular fluid and granulosa cells from individual follicles of different diameters in cattle by an adapted ovum pick-up system
Authors: Arashiro Eduardo KN , Palhao Miller P , Wohlres-Viana Sabine , Siqueira Luiz GB , Camargo Luiz SA , Henry Marc , Viana Joao HM
Published: August 2013

Background

Most studies on granulosa cell (GC) function in cattle have been performed using GC and follicular fluid (FF) samples collected from slaughterhouse ovaries. Using this approach, the follicular developmental stage and functional status are unknown and indirectly inferred, limiting data interpretation. Ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration has previously been used to recover GC or FF samples, but this was mostly carried out in large follicles or pools of small follicles, without recording the efficiency of recovery. The present study was aimed at adapting and evaluating an ovum pick-up (OPU) system for the in vivo recovery of FF and GC from individual follicles of different diameters.

Methods

In the first trial, the losses of fluid inside the tubing system were calculated using a conventional or an adapted-OPU system. Blood plasma volumes equivalent to the amount of FF in follicles of different diameters were aspirated using a conventional OPU Teflon circuit. The OPU system was then adapted by connecting 0.25 mL straws to the circuit. A second trial evaluated the efficiency of FF recovery in vivo. Follicles ranging from 4.0 to 16.8 mm in diameter were aspirated individually using the conventional or adapted-OPU systems. A third trial assessed the in vivo recovery of GC and the subsequent amount of RNA obtained from the follicles of different diameters from Holstein and Gir cattle.

Results

In Trial I, the plasma recovery efficiency was similar (P > 0.05) for the volumes expected for 12 and 10 mm follicles, but decreased (P < 0.05) for smaller follicles (45.7+/−4.0%, 12.4+/−4.3% and 0.0+/−0.0% for 8, 6, and 4 mm follicles, respectively). Using the adaptation, the losses intrinsic to the aspiration system were similar for all follicle diameters. In Trial II, the expected and recovered volumes of FF were correlated (r = 0.89) and the efficiency of recovery was similar among follicles <12 mm, while larger follicles had a progressive increase in FF losses that was not related to the tubing system. In Trial III, the number of GC and amount of RNA obtained were not affected (P > 0.05) by follicle size, but differed according to breed (615,054+/−58,122 vs 458,095+/−36,407 for Holstein and Gir, respectively; P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The adapted-OPU system can be successfully used for the in vivo collection of FF and GC from follicles of different diameters. This will enable further endocrine, cellular, and gene expression analyses.
Two regularization methods for a class of inverse boundary value problems of elliptic type
Authors: Bouzitouna Abdallah , Boussetila Nadjib , Rebbani Faouzia
Published: August 2013

This paper deals with the problem of determining an unknown boundary condition

u
(
0
)

in the boundary value problem

u

y
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(
y
)
−
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u
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=
0

,

u
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=
f

,

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0

, with the aid of an extra measurement at an internal point. It is well known that such a problem is severely ill-posed, i.e., the solution does not depend continuously on the data. In order to overcome the instability of the ill-posed problem, we propose two regularization procedures: the first method is based on the spectral truncation, and the second is a version of the Kozlov-Maz’ya iteration method. Finally, some other convergence results including some explicit convergence rates are also established under a priori bound assumptions on the exact solution.

MSC: 35R25, 65J20, 35J25.
A reconfigurable real-time morphological system for augmented vision
Authors: Gibson Ryan M , Ahmadinia Ali , McMeekin Scott G , Strang Niall C , Morison Gordon
Published: August 2013

There is a significant number of visually impaired individuals who suffer sensitivity loss to high spatial frequencies, for whom current optical devices are limited in degree of visual aid and practical application. Digital image and video processing offers a variety of effective visual enhancement methods that can be utilised to obtain a practical augmented vision head-mounted display device. The high spatial frequencies of an image can be extracted by edge detection techniques and overlaid on top of the original image to improve visual perception among the visually impaired. Augmented visual aid devices require highly user-customisable algorithm designs for subjective configuration per task, where current digital image processing visual aids offer very little user-configurable options. This paper presents a highly user-reconfigurable morphological edge enhancement system on field-programmable gate array, where the morphological, internal and external edge gradients can be selected from the presented architecture with specified edge thickness and magnitude. In addition, the morphology architecture supports reconfigurable shape structuring elements and configurable morphological operations. The proposed morphology-based visual enhancement system introduces a high degree of user flexibility in addition to meeting real-time constraints capable of obtaining 93 fps for high-definition image resolution.
Rapid genotyping by low-coverage resequencing to construct genetic linkage maps of fungi: a case study in Lentinula edodes
Authors: Au Chun Hang , Cheung Man Kit , Wong Man Chun , Chu Astley Kin Kan , Law Patrick Tik Wan , Kwan Hoi Shan
Published: August 2013

Background

Genetic linkage maps are important tools in breeding programmes and quantitative trait analyses. Traditional molecular markers used for genotyping are limited in throughput and efficiency. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated progeny genotyping and genetic linkage map construction in the major grains. However, the applicability of the approach remains untested in the fungal system.

Findings

Shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes, is a basidiomycetous fungus that represents one of the most popular cultivated edible mushrooms. Here, we developed a rapid genotyping method based on low-coverage (~0.5 to 1.5-fold) whole-genome resequencing. We used the approach to genotype 20 single-spore isolates derived from L. edodes strain L54 and constructed the first high-density sequence-based genetic linkage map of L. edodes. The accuracy of the proposed genotyping method was verified experimentally with results from mating compatibility tests and PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism on a few known genes. The linkage map spanned a total genetic distance of 637.1 cM and contained 13 linkage groups. Two hundred sequence-based markers were placed on the map, with an average marker spacing of 3.4 cM. The accuracy of the map was confirmed by comparing with previous maps the locations of known genes such as matA and matB.

Conclusions

We used the shiitake mushroom as an example to provide a proof-of-principle that low-coverage resequencing could allow rapid genotyping of basidiospore-derived progenies, which could in turn facilitate the construction of high-density genetic linkage maps of basidiomycetous fungi for quantitative trait analyses and improvement of genome assembly.