bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IgA nephropathy: effects of clinical indices, ACEI/ATRA therapy and ACE gene polymorphism on disease progression
Authors: WOO Keng‐Thye , LAU Yeow‐Kok , CHOONG Lina H‐L , ZHAO Yi , TAN Hwee‐Boon , CHEUNG Wilson W , YAP Hui‐Kim , CHIANG Gilbert SC
Published: September 2009

SUMMARY: In 1985 the authors studied 151 patients with biopsy‐proven IgA nephropathy (IgAN). After a mean follow‐up period of 5 years, 84% had stable renal function, 5% had renal impairment and 11% progressed to end‐stage renal failure (ESRF). the unfavourable prognostic indices were proteinuria > 1 g/day, hypertension, crescents on renal biopsy, glomerulosclerosis and medial hyperplasia of blood vessels. the cumulative renal survival was 89% at 5 years. Fifteen years later, in 2000, with data from the Singapore Renal Registry it was ascertained that 53 patients (35%) had developed ESRF. Using multivariate analysis by the regression model of Cox it was found that serum creatinine, protein selectivity, segmental glomerulosclerosis, crescents and medial hyperplasia were significant predictors of progression. It is also shown that the presence of low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) proteinuria is another index of poor prognosis. Cumulative renal survival of the 151 patients was 65% at 20 years. In a recent study, the response of patients with IgAN to angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor antagonist (ACEI/ATRA) therapy was examined. There were 21 patients in the treatment group and 20 as controls. After 13 ± 5 months of treatment, 10 responders had improved selectivity index (SI; from 0.26 ± 0.07 to 0.18 ± 0.07, P< 0.001), indicating a shift towards selective proteinuria. This was associated with improvement in serum creatinine from a mean of 1.7 ± 0.6 to 1.5 ± 0.6 mg/dL (P< 0.02) and a decrease in proteinuria from a mean of 2.3 ± 1.1 g/day to 0.7 ± 0.5 g/day (P< 0.001). Eight out of 21 patients in the treatment group who had documented renal impairment had improvement in their renal function, three of whom had normalized renal function. the angiotensin‐converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) polymorphism gene was also genotyped in 100 patients with IgAN (32 of whom were in ESRF) and in 90 normal adult subjects. All DD cases were subjected to confirmation with a second polymerase chain reaction (PCR), performed with the insertspecific forward primer. Similar genotype frequencies were obtained for the 90 normal control subjects (II: 47%, ID: 44%, DD: 9%); for the 68 patients not in ESRF (II: 47%, ID: 46%, DD: 7%) and for the 32 patients with ESRF (II: 53%, ID: 38%, DD: 9%). the genotype frequencies in all three series are in Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium. These results suggest that ACE I/D polymorphism is not a risk factor for IgAN and is not a predictor for its progression. In conclusion the predictors in the progression of IgAN include abnormal renal function at presentation, segmental glomerulosclerosis, crescents, medial hyperplasia of blood vessels, non‐selective proteinuria, LMW proteinuria and failure to respond to antiproteinuria therapy with ACEI/ATRA. However, the D‐allele of ACE gene polymorphism is not a risk factor.
ANALYSIS OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC VARICES AFTER ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT
Authors: Wakatsuki Takeru , Obara Katsutoshi , Irisawa Atsushi , Sakamoto Hiroaki , Kuwana Toshimitu , Takiguchi Fujio , Saito Ayako , Shishido Hideo , Hikichi Takuto , Oyama Hitoshi , Shibukawa Goro , Takagi Tadayuki , Yamamoto Go , Imamura Hidemichi , Takahashi Yuta , Sato Ai , Sato Masaki , Kasukawa Reiji , Ohira Hiromasa
Published: September 2009

Background:  The prognostic factors, including gastric variceal bleeding itself, in patients with gastric varices (GV) after endoscopic treatment remain unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze prognostic factors in patients with GV after endoscopic treatment as well as to evaluate safety and efficacy of our endoscopic treatment.

Patients and Methods:  This study enrolled 115 patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for GV between October 1988 and December 2003 using cyanoacrylate and 5% ethanolamine oleate. Successful hemostasis, recurrence rates, rebleeding rates, survival rates, complications and prognostic factors after the treatment were retrospectively reviewed.

Results:  Treatment sessions for GV were performed 3.4 ± 2.5 times. All cases, including 14 emergency cases, were treated successfully. The cumulative recurrence rates at 1, 3 and 5 years after the treatment were 7.0%, 15.6% and 20.0%, respectively, and the cumulative rebleeding rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 3.5%, 8.7% and 14.8%, respectively. The overall survival rates were 78.3%, 63.7% and 51.5% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Grade B or C in Child–Pugh classification, emergency or elective cases, and association with hepatocellular carcinoma were identified as significant negative prognostic factors after endoscopic treatment by multivariate analysis. Although several complications were observed, there was no mortality.

Conclusions:  Grade B or C in Child–Pugh classification, emergency or elective situation, and association with hepatocellular carcinoma are negative prognostic factors after endoscopic treatment.
SUPERFICIAL ESOPHAGEAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA WITH BULKY GASTRIC HIATUS LYMPH NODE METASTASIS: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Takahashi Yoshiaki , Takeno Shinsuke , Watanabe Satoshi , Kamei Mirei , Ono Kiyoshi , Yamashita Shinichi , Kashima Kenji , Kawahara Katsunobu
Published: September 2009

In patients with superficial esophageal cancer, especially in those with tumor invasion above the muscularis mucosae, lymph node metastasis is very rare. We report a case of superficial esophageal cancer who presented with lymph node metastasis. In another hospital a 49‐year‐old man was found to have a bulky tumor adjacent to the cardiac area of the stomach and a total gastrectomy was carried out. Postoperatively, the tumor was identified as a lymph node containing metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. The main lesion could not be identified on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. On esophagogastric endoscopy, using the iodine spray technique, we found an unstained lesion about 32 cm from the incisor teeth. The tumor was removed using endoscopic mucosal resection. The entire resected specimen was examined histopathologically; the depth of the tumor was above the muscularis mucosae. Thirty‐four months after endoscopic mucosal resection, there is no sign of tumor recurrence or metastasis.
Chronic prostatitis presenting with dysfunctional voiding and effects of pelvic floor biofeedback treatment
Authors: He Wei , Chen Minfeng , Zu Xiongbing , Li Yuan , Ning Keping , Qi Lin
Published: September 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the features of chronic prostatitis presenting with dysfunctional voiding (DV) and the effects of pelvic floor biofeedback (PFB).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 21 patients, diagnosed by having symptoms for ≥3 months, including urinary frequency and urgency, voiding difficulty, upper abdominal or perineal discomfort, and with a score of ≥1 on the first and second part of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH‐CPSI). Patients with bacterial prostatitis, urethritis, interstitial cystitis, urethral stricture and neurogenic bladder were excluded. All patients had a urodynamic examination, to assess the uroflow curve, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), maximum detrusor pressure during the storage phase (Pdet.max), maximum urethral pressure (MUP) and the maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) were recorded. PFB was carried out in patients with non‐neurogenic detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, and the effects evaluated after 10 weeks.

RESULTS

Before and after PFB treatment the mean (sd) Qmax, Pdet.max, MUP, MUCP were 8.2 (4.1) vs 15.1 (7.3) mL/s, 125.1 (75.3) vs 86.3 (54.2) cmH2O, 124.3 (23.3) vs 65.4 (23.0) cmH2O and 101.5 (43.6) vs 43.5 (16.7) cmH2O, all significantly different (P < 0.05). The respective differences in the pain, urination and life impact subdomain scores, and total scores, of the NIH‐CPSI were 4.0 (2.0) vs 2.2 (1.7), 7.9 (2.1) vs 2.2 (1.9), 9.6 (2.7) vs 2.9 (2.6) and 21.7 (4.8) vs 8.4 (4.6), and all differences were significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

There might be DV in patients with chronic prostatitis and lower urinary tract symptoms. Urodynamics showed a low Qmax and increasing intravesical pressure and, in some patients, increasing urethral pressure. Urodynamics could be used to help in the diagnosis, and to select the most appropriate treatment. PFB had satisfactory short‐term effects on these patients.
Effectiveness of web‐based interventions in achieving weight loss and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review with meta‐analysis
Authors: Neve M. , Morgan P. J. , Jones P. R. , Collins C. E.
Published: September 2009

The objectives of this systematic review are to evaluate the effectiveness of web‐based interventions on weight loss and maintenance and identify which components of web‐based interventions are associated with greater weight change and low attrition rates. A literature search from 1995 to April 2008 was conducted. Studies were eligible for inclusion if: participants were aged ≥18 years with a body mass index ≥25, at least one study arm involved a web‐based intervention with the primary aim of weight loss or maintenance, and reported weight‐related outcomes. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies aimed to achieve weight loss, and five focused on weight maintenance. Heterogeneity was evident among the studies with seven research questions examined across interventions of varying intensity. Seven studies were assessed for effectiveness based on percentage weight change, with four studies deemed effective. Although the four meta‐analyses suggest meaningful weight change, it is not possible to determine the effectiveness of web‐based interventions in achieving weight loss or maintenance due to heterogeneity of designs and thus the small number of comparable studies. Higher usage of website features may be associated with positive weight change, but we do not know what features improve this effect or reduce attrition.
The Impact of Background Television on Parent–Child Interaction
Authors: Kirkorian Heather L. , Pempek Tiffany A. , Murphy Lauren A. , Schmidt Marie E. , Anderson Daniel R.
Published: September 2009

This study investigated the hypothesis that background television affects interactions between parents and very young children. Fifty‐one 12‐, 24‐, and 36‐month‐old children, each accompanied by 1 parent, were observed for 1 hr of free play in a laboratory space resembling a family room. For half of the hour, an adult‐directed television program played in the background on a monaural television set. During the other half hour, the television was not on. Both the quantity and quality of parent–child interaction decreased in the presence of background television. These findings suggest one way in which early, chronic exposure to television may have a negative impact on development.
Trajectories of Physical Discipline: Early Childhood Antecedents and Developmental Outcomes
Authors: Lansford Jennifer E. , Criss Michael M. , Dodge Kenneth A. , Shaw Daniel S. , Pettit Gregory S. , Bates John E.
Published: September 2009

This study examined childhood antecedents and developmental outcomes associated with trajectories of mild and harsh parental physical discipline. Interview, questionnaire, and observational data were available from 499 children followed from ages 5 to 16 and from 258 children in an independent sample followed from ages 5 to 15. Analyses indicated distinct physical discipline trajectory groups that varied in frequency of physical discipline and rate of change. In both samples, family ecological disadvantage differentiated the trajectory groups; in the first sample, early child externalizing also differentiated the groups. Controlling for early childhood externalizing, the minimal/ceasing trajectory groups were associated with the lowest levels of subsequent adolescent antisocial behavior in both samples and with parent–adolescent positive relationship quality in the second sample.
Faces Do Not Capture Special Attention in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Change Blindness Study
Authors: Kikuchi Yukiko , Senju Atsushi , Tojo Yoshikuni , Osanai Hiroo , Hasegawa Toshikazu
Published: September 2009

Two experiments investigated attention of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to faces and objects. In both experiments, children (7‐ to 15‐year‐olds) detected the difference between 2 visual scenes. Results in Experiment 1 revealed that typically developing children (n = 16) detected the change in faces faster than in objects, whereas children with ASD (n = 16) were equally fast in detecting changes in faces and objects. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 (n = 16 in children with ASD and 22 in typically developing children), which does not require face recognition skill. Results suggest that children with ASD lack an attentional bias toward others’ faces, which could contribute to their atypical social orienting.
Disclosure to Parents About Everyday Activities Among American Adolescents From Mexican, Chinese, and European Backgrounds
Authors: Yau Jenny P. , Tasopoulos‐Chan Marina , Smetana Judith G.
Published: September 2009

Disclosure to parents and reasons for not disclosing different activities were examined in 489 Chinese, Mexican, and European American adolescents (M = 16.37 years, SD = 0.77). With generational status controlled, Chinese American adolescents disclosed less to mothers about personal and multifaceted activities than European Americans and less about personal feelings than other youth, primarily because these acts were considered personal, not harmful, or because parents would not listen or understand. Disclosure regarding prudential behavior was lower among Mexican American than among European American adolescents, primarily due to concerns with parental disapproval. Multigroup path analyses indicated that greater closeness to parents is associated with more disclosure for all youth and activities; associations between family obligation and disclosure varied by domain and ethnicity.
Memory Binding in Early Childhood: Evidence for a Retrieval Deficit
Authors: Lloyd Marianne E. , Doydum Ayzit O. , Newcombe Nora S.
Published: September 2009

Previous research has suggested that performance for items requiring memory‐binding processes improves between ages 4 and 6 (J. Sluzenski, N. Newcombe, & S. L. Kovacs, 2006). The present study suggests that much of this improvement is due to retrieval, as opposed to encoding, deficits for 4‐year‐olds. Four‐ and 6‐year‐old children (N = 48 per age) were given objects, backgrounds, and object + background combinations to remember. Younger children performed equivalently to 6‐year‐olds during a working memory task for all types of memory questions but were impaired during a long‐term memory task for the object + background combinations. Furthermore, this deficit was completely due to differences in false alarm rates, suggesting that separate analyses of hits and false alarms may be preferable to corrected recognition scores when studying memory development.
Wavelet‐Based Generation of Energy‐ and Spectrum‐Compatible Earthquake Time Histories
Authors: Yazdani Azad , Takada Tsuyoshi
Published: September 2009

Abstract:  A method of modifying earthquake ground motion based on the wavelet transform is proposed, to take into account the effects of linear/nonlinear response spectra, frequency content, and ground motion energy. A wavelet‐based procedure has been used to decompose recorded ground motion into finite wavelet coefficients, and then, with matrix processing, the coefficients have been suitably substituted and scaled to match the response spectra and total energy of earthquake ground motions. The proposed method has been verified by modifying five recorded accelerograms such that they are compatible with the same linear/nonlinear and energy spectra.
Social-Evaluative Threat and Proinflammatory Cytokine Regulation
Authors: Dickerson Sally S. , Gable Shelly L. , Irwin Michael R. , Aziz Najib , Kemeny Margaret E.
Published: September 2009

This study experimentally tested whether a stressor characterized by social-evaluative threat (SET), a context in which the self can be judged negatively by others, would elicit increases in proinflammatory cytokine activity and alter the regulation of this response. This hypothesis was derived in part from research on immunological responses to social threat in nonhuman animals. Healthy female participants were assigned to perform a speech and a math task in the presence or absence of an evaluative audience (SET or non-SET, respectively). As hypothesized, stimulated production of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) increased from baseline to poststressor in the SET condition, but was unchanged in the non-SET condition. Further, the increases in TNF-α production correlated with participants' cognitive appraisals of being evaluated. Additionally, the ability of glucocorticoids to shut down the inflammatory response was decreased in the SET condition. These findings underscore the importance of social evaluation as a threat capable of eliciting proinflammatory cytokine activity and altering its regulation.
The Collective Household, Household Production and Efficiency of Marginal Reforms
Authors: ALLGOOD SAM
Published: September 2009

Most research on the welfare properties of taxes employs the unitary model of the household, ignoring household production. A simple model provides expressions for the changes in individual utility given marginal reforms to government policy. It is shown that the burden of a higher tax on household goods falls on the household member that consumes more than they produce or purchase. Numerical calculations show that price substitution (complementarity) between home and market labor increases (decreases) aggregate efficiency costs of a marginal redistribution of income without impacting the intra‐household distribution of utility changes. Modeling household goods as public versus private can alter the distributional consequences of marginal reforms.
Investment in Tourism Market and Reputation
Authors: CLAUDE DENIS , ZACCOUR GEORGES
Published: September 2009

Recent contributions in tourism economics acknowledge that the tourism market is imperfectly competitive and, as such, should be studied from an industrial organization perspective. This approach seems especially relevant to shed lights on one issue of importance for tourism destinations: how to achieve sustainable tourism development? Indeed, it has long been empirically observed that tourism development follows a life cycle. After a period of growth, the development of touristic (mountain and seaside) resorts usually stagnate and decline. At least part of the explanation for this pattern is to be found in the evolution of destinations' reputation over time. The present paper investigates the incentives for adjacent tourist resorts to invest in quality in order to maintain their collective reputation. We propose a dynamic model where (1) several adjacent tourist resorts select their tourist flows and (2) invest in order to remedy to the detrimental effects tourism flows have on local environmental amenities. The overall tourist presence and the sum of investments made by tourist resorts jointly define the quality of the touristic product offered by this tourism destination. We assume that this quality cannot be observed by consumers at the time of purchase. However, in this situation of imperfect information, consumers form expectations about the quality of the touristic product offered at any point of time. These expectations define the collective reputation of tourist resorts, determine the position of the tourist resorts' demand curve and constitute the state variable in the differential game. We characterize and compare equilibrium strategies under a noncooperative and investments coordination regimes.
WHAT SIN IS: A DIFFERENTIAL ANALYSIS
Authors: COUENHOVEN JESSE
Published: September 2009

Sin is clearly evil, but what differentiates sin from evil? The idea that sin is moral evil is widely held, but important theological arguments have been posed against it. Theologians who reject sin moralism have, however, found it hard to distinguish sin from evil—partially because they share hidden assumptions with sin moralists. Helped by a philosophical theology of deep responsibility, I propound sin responsibilism: sin is culpable evil. This analysis of sin is open to multiple accounts of sin's relation to morality or theories of responsibility, and thus of sin's scope—but I defend a non‐moralistic, compatibilist sin responsibilism.
PAUL RICOEUR AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS: NARRATIVE IDENTITY AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY
Authors: DeLASHMUTT MICHAEL W.
Published: September 2009

This article attempts to reconcile the holistically understood and embodied philosophical anthropology indicated by Paul Ricoeur's concept of “narrative identity” with Christian personal eschatology, as realized in the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Narrative identity resonates with spiritual autobiography in the Christian tradition—evinced here by a brief comparison with the confessed self of St Augustine of Hippo—and offers to theology a means of explaining identity in a way which: 1) places care for the other firmly within the construction of one's sense of self; 2) accounts for radical change over time and 3) hints at the possibility of the in‐breaking of the infinite into the finite. In this article I will contend that narrative identity provides theology with an exemplary means of framing selfhood which is ultimately congruent with the orthodox Christian belief in the resurrection of the body.
Political fragmentation, competition, and investment decisions: the medieval grinding industry in Ponthieu, France, 1150–1250
Authors: VAN DER BEEK KARINE
Published: September 2009

This article explores the effects of political structure on rulers' monopolistic gains and investment decisions in the context of the medieval milling industry in northern France, 1150–1250. Using Salop's spatial model, this article aims to show that political fragmentation increased investment in watermill construction because it reduced the capacity of rulers to limit competition from neighbouring mills. The calculations demonstrate that competition significantly reduced rulers' income from watermills and that the construction of more than 50 per cent of these mills cannot be economically ‘justified’ unless rulers' profit maximization over joint production is considered, and revenues from additional labour allocated to wheat production is included.
Re‐imaging the City Centre for the Middle Classes: Regeneration, Gentrification and Symbolic Policies in ‘Loser Cities’
Authors: ROUSSEAU MAX
Published: September 2009

This article aims to show how the governments of two industrial cities in France and the UK have now come to the view that middle‐class reinvestment in the city centre offers a solution to urban economic decline, and so have encouraged the middle class to move in by implementing ‘symbolic policies’. Their objective is to transform the image of the post‐industrial city through cultural and urban planning policy, in order to adapt it to the supposed taste of potential gentrifiers. This development in strategy results from both external constraints and internal political changes in these cities. The failure of earlier redevelopment strategies is also a factor in explaining this paradoxical phenomenon, in which a social group that is, in fact, almost absent from the central spaces of these cities has now been accorded the status of ‘systematic winners’.

Cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment les gouvernements de deux villes industrielles, en France et en Grande‐Bretagne, considèrent désormais que le réinvestissement du centre‐ville par les classes moyennes constitue une solution au déclin économique urbain, et en viennent ainsi à favoriser leur arrivée par la mise en oeuvre de «politiques symboliques»: par des actions sur la culture et l'urbanisme, l'objectif est de transformer l'image de la ville postindustrielle pour l'adapter au goût supposé des gentrifieurs potentiels. Cette évolution stratégique est tout à la fois le résultat de contraintes externes et de transformations politiques internes aux villes. L'échec des précédentes stratégies de re‐développement est également un facteur explicatif de ce phénomène paradoxal qui rend «systématiquement gagnant» depuis peu un groupe social pourtant quasiment absent de l'espace central de ces villes.
Revisiting Loïc Wacquant's Urban Outcasts
Authors: PATTILLO MARY
Published: September 2009

Loïc Wacquant's Urban Outcasts compares poor and working‐class neighborhoods in Chicago and Paris, and concludes that American racism has combined with advanced capitalism to create hyperghettos, whereas Parisian banlieues are heterogeneous anti‐ghettos that are nonetheless destabilized by labor market and political forces that render low‐skilled workers simultaneously superfluous and without a state safety net. This review revisits Chicago in the 2000s and argues that Wacquant both overstates the collective revulsion directed at disadvantaged neighborhoods and understates contemporary processes of erasure. It also suggests that using Chicago's marginalized neighborhoods as archetypes masks the diversity of race and class settlements in the US. This review agrees with the importance of uncovering the role of the state in shaping cities, and ultimately highlights areas of convergence and divergence in US and French housing policy as it relates to urban public and social housing.

Urban Outcasts (Parias urbains) de Loïc Wacquant compare les quartiers déshérités et ouvriers de Chicago et de Paris, concluant que le racisme américain s'est conjugué au capitalisme avancé pour créer des hyperghettos, tandis que les ‘banlieues’ parisiennes constituent des anti‐ghettos hétérogènes qui sont néanmoins déstabilisés par les mécanismes du marché du travail et de la politique, lesquels rendent superflus les ouvriers peu qualifiés et les privent du filet de sécurité de l'État. Ce commentaire critique revisite le Chicago des années 2000 et affirme que, d'une part, Wacquant exagère la répugnance collective à l'encontre des quartiers défavorisés et, d'autre part, qu'il minimise les processus contemporains d'effacement. De plus, prendre pour archétypes des quartiers marginalisés de Chicago dissimule la diversité d'implantation des races et des classes aux États‐Unis. Convenant qu'il est important de révéler le rôle de l'État dans la conformation des villes, cette critique termine en soulignant les domaines de convergence et de divergence en matière de politique du logement aux États‐Unis et en France pour ce qui est du logement public et social dans les villes.
A relationship between galactic cosmic radiation and tree rings
Authors: Dengel Sigrid , Aeby Dominik , Grace John
Published: September 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.03060.xCommentary p 511
Fjord infill in a high‐relief area: Rapid deposition influenced by deglaciation dynamics, glacio‐isostatic rebound and gravitational activity
Authors: LYSÅ ASTRID , HJELSTUEN BERIT OLINE , LARSEN EILIV
Published: September 2009

Lyså, A., Hjelstuen, B. O. & Larsen, E. 2009: Fjord infill in a high‐relief area: Rapid deposition influenced by deglaciation dynamics, glacio‐isostatic rebound and gravitational activity. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00117.x. ISSN 0300‐9483.

Seismic profiles and gravity cores have been collected from the previously glaciated Nordfjord system on the west coast of Norway. The results give new information about the deglaciation history of the area and contribute to our understanding of fjord fill in high relief areas. During the last deglaciation, up to 360 m of sediments was deposited in the 135 km long fjord system. Shortly after the coastal area became ice‐free, ∼12 300 14C years BP, the first ice‐marginal deposits were formed, probably due to a minor glacier re‐advance. The greatest volume of sediments in the fjord was deposited during the Allerød ice recession period, the Younger Dryas re‐advance and the succeeding ice retreat period until the ice disappeared from the fjord in early Preboreal. During the Allerød, the fjord was ice‐free and glaciomarine stratified sediments were deposited. The ice margin is suggested to have been located just west of Lake Strynevatnet before the advance during the Younger Dryas. In the late phase of the Younger Dryas, and within the succeeding ∼1000 years, the glacio‐isostatic rebound was rapid, and extensive re‐sedimentation took place. Slide activities continued into mid‐Holocene, albeit with less intensity and were followed by normal and calm marine conditions that prevailed until the present. One huge rock avalanche into the fjord took place between 2200 and 1800 14C yr BP, probably triggering a tsunami and several slides in the fjord. Even though glacigenic sediments totally dominate in terms of sediment volume, the present study underlines the importance of re‐sedimentation and other gravitational processes in such fjord settings.
Topiramate‐Induced Intractable Cough During Migraine Prophylaxis
Authors: Maggioni Ferdinando , Mampreso Edoardo , Mainardi Federico , Lisotto Carlo , Malvindi Maria Lucia , Zanchin Giorgio
Published: September 2009

(Headache 2010;50:301‐304)

Topiramate is a highly effective drug in migraine prophylaxis and is considered a first‐line treatment. The evidence for the efficacy of topiramate is based upon the results of several large, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials. Adverse events (AEs) are common and require discontinuation of the treatment in about 20‐25% of patients, but they are rarely severe. There are reviews regarding topiramate‐related AEs representing a large number of patients treated in controlled trials. The most common AEs are weight loss, dizziness, somnolence, abnormal thinking, fatigue, ataxia, confusion, paresthesias, impaired concentration, nervousness, amnesia, and language difficulties. The development of cough has never been reported as an AE during topiramate prophylaxis for migraine. We present 3 cases in which the prophylactic treatment for migraine with topiramate was discontinued due to the onset of primary intractable coughing.
Using a Motion‐Capture System to Record Dynamic Articulation for Application in CAD/CAM Software
Authors: Röhrle Oliver , Waddell J. Neil , Foster Kylie D. , Saini Harnoor , Pullan Andrew J.
Published: September 2009

Purpose: One of the current limitations of computer software programs for the virtual articulation of the opposing teeth is the static nature of the intercuspal position. Currently, software programs cannot identify eccentric occlusal contacts during masticatory cyclic movements of the mandible.

Materials and Methods: Chewing trajectories with six degrees of freedom (DOF) were recorded and imposed on a computer model of one subject's maxillary and mandibular teeth. The computer model was generated from a set of high‐resolution μ‐CT images. To obtain natural chewing trajectories with six DOF, an optoelectronic motion‐capturing system (VICON MX) was used. For this purpose, a special mandibular motion‐tracking appliance was developed for this subject.

Results: Mandibular movements while chewing elastic and plastic food samples were recorded and reproduced with the computer model. Examples of mandibular movements at intraoral points are presented for elastic and plastic food samples. The potential of such a kinematic computer model to analyze the dynamic nature of an occlusion was demonstrated by investigating the interaction of the second molars and the direction of the biting force during a chewing cycle.

Conclusions: The article described a methodology that measured mandibular movements during mastication for one subject. This produced kinematic input to 3D computer modeling for the production of a virtual dynamic articulation that is suitable for incorporation into dental CAD/CAM software.
A Semiparametric Missing‐Data‐Induced Intensity Method for Missing Covariate Data in Individually Matched Case–Control Studies
Authors: Gebregziabher Mulugeta , Langholz Bryan
Published: September 2009

Summary In individually matched case–control studies, when some covariates are incomplete, an analysis based on the complete data may result in a large loss of information both in the missing and completely observed variables. This usually results in a bias and loss of efficiency. In this article, we propose a new method for handling the problem of missing covariate data based on a missing‐data‐induced intensity approach when the missingness mechanism does not depend on case–control status and show that this leads to a generalization of the missing indicator method. We derive the asymptotic properties of the estimates from the proposed method and, using an extensive simulation study, assess the finite sample performance in terms of bias, efficiency, and 95% confidence coverage under several missing data scenarios. We also make comparisons with complete‐case analysis (CCA) and some missing data methods that have been proposed previously. Our results indicate that, under the assumption of predictable missingness, the suggested method provides valid estimation of parameters, is more efficient than CCA, and is competitive with other, more complex methods of analysis. A case–control study of multiple myeloma risk and a polymorphism in the receptor Inter‐Leukin‐6 (IL‐6‐α) is used to illustrate our findings.
Glycosaminoglycan Chains Affect Exocytic and Endocytic Protein Traffic
Authors: Kobialka Szymon , Beuret Nicole , Ben‐Tekaya Houchaima , Spiess Martin
Published: September 2009

Protein glycosylation such as N‐ and O‐linked glycans as well as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have been shown to contribute to polarized sorting in epithelial cells. Here, we analyzed the effect of GAGs more generally on protein traffic also in non‐polarized cells. Using short sequence tags of 10–17 amino acids encoding known GAG attachment sites, we have converted the asialoglycoprotein receptor H1, which constitutively cycles between the plasma membrane and endosomes, into a proteoglycan. Expressed in HeLa cells, the receptor was almost completely modified with a chondroitin sulfate chain and could be efficiently labeled by [35S]sulfation. GAG attachment altered the steady‐state distribution of the receptor by inhibiting endocytosis, while recycling was not affected. The reduced internalization is not the result of immobilization by interaction with the extracellular matrix, because fluorescence recovery after photobleaching did not detect an increased immobile fraction nor even a significant change in mobility. GAG chains furthermore accelerated Golgi‐to‐cell surface transport of H1. The same acceleration of export was also observed for a GAG‐tagged version of the secretory protein α1‐protease inhibitor, suggesting that this effect acts generally on proteoglycans, possibly by directing them into distinct carriers. Our results show novel roles of GAGs in protein sorting also in non‐polarized cells.
Unsuccessful Investigation of Preoperative Sexual Health Issues in the Prostate Cancer “Couple”: Results of a Real-Life Psychometric Survey at a Major Tertiary Academic Center
Authors: Salonia Andrea , Zanni Giuseppe , Gallina Andrea , Briganti Alberto , Saccà Antonino , Suardi Nazareno , Matloob Rayan , Da Pozzo Luigi F. , Bertini Roberto , Colombo Renzo , Rigatti Patrizio , Montorsi Francesco
Published: September 2009

Introduction

Investigating preoperative sexual function of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and their partners is needed for realistic functional outcome analyses after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Aim

To assess pre-RP sexual health issues of PCa patients and their partners in a stable heterosexual relationship.

Methods

Data were analyzed from 3,282 consecutive patients who underwent RP over a three-period survey. During Period 1, on admission to the hospital the day prior to surgery, 1,360 patients were asked to complete the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). During Period 2, 1,171 patients were asked to complete the preoperative IIEF; similarly, patients’ partners were invited to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Lastly, during Period 3, only candidates for RP were asked to fill in the IIEF.

Main Outcome Measures

To assess the rate of patients who completed the questionnaire during the three-period survey. To detail the proportion of patients’ partners who filled in the questionnaire, along with the partners’ reasons for non-adherence to the proposed investigation during Period 2.

Results

A small rate of men completed the IIEF during Period 1 (583 in 1,360 [42.9%]), Period 2 (290 in 1,171 [24.8%]), and Period 3 (261 in 751 [34.8%]) (χ2 trend: 13.06; P = 0.0003). In this context, a significantly lower proportion of patients completed the questionnaire during Period 2, as compared with both Period 1 (χ2: 95.13; P = 0.0001) and Period 3 (χ2: 21.87; P < 0.0001). Only 82 in 1,171 (7.0%) partners completed the FSFI over Period 2. Moreover, only 6 in 82 (7.3%) of women provided complete data.

Conclusions

The investigation of sexual health issues of both partners prior to RP is largely unsuccessful. In this context, the prevalence of incomplete data collection is high, and these results demonstrate that contemporaneously investigating the sexual health issues of both partners significantly increases the prevalence of incomplete data collection.
Forest Rehabilitation and Its Implication for Forest Transition Theory
Authors: de Jong Wil
Published: September 2009

Forest transition theory bases its predictions of forest recovery in temperate regions primarily on macro‐economic factors. In tropical countries, it is important to understand additional complex processes underlying forest recovery. Forest rehabilitation—meaning efforts to restore tree cover—is an important contributor to forest recovery in many tropical regions. Forest rehabilitation itself is subject to multiple factors that influence its scale, effectiveness and outcomes. This paper reviews forest rehabilitation in six countries—Brazil, China, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines and Vietnam. The cases reviewed suggest that globally, forest rehabilitation efforts can be understood in four time periods, or eras, each with distinct approaches to forest rehabilitation and outcomes. Various factors that influence forest rehabilitation outcomes evolved during these eras. Current outcomes of forest rehabilitation can only be adequately predicted if the historical processes influencing forest rehabilitation are understood. The paper suggests that forest transition in the tropics needs to be analyzed not only in terms of macro‐economic factors, but also in terms of the factors that influence forest rehabilitation outcomes as well as other processes that affect forest cover increase.
Stellar populations in globular cluster cores: evidence for a peculiar trend among red giant branch stars
Authors: Leigh N. , Sills A. , Knigge C.
Published: September 2009

We investigate the relationship between the mass of a globular cluster core and the sizes of its various stellar populations in a sample of 56 globular clusters. The number of core red giant branch stars is found to scale sub-linearly with core mass at the 3σ confidence level, whereas the relation is linear to within one standard deviation for main-sequence turn-off (MSTO) and sub-giant branch stars. We interpret our results as evidence for a surplus of red giant branch stars in the least massive cluster cores which is not seen for MSTO and sub-giant branch stars. We explore various possibilities for the source of this discrepancy, discussing our results primarily in terms of the interplay between the cluster dynamics and stellar evolution.
Brain Tumor Immunotherapy with Type‐1 Polarizing Strategies
Authors: Okada Hideho
Published: September 2009

Although the safety of vaccine approaches for central nervous system (CNS) malignancies has been established in early phase clinical trials, the success of a vaccine strategy will depend critically on the ability of effector T cells to home in to CNS tumors and durably exert antitumor effects. Based on our recent studies, efficient CNS tumor homing is a characteristic of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) with a type 1 phenotype (Tc1), and this appears to be related to the Tc1 response to the type 1 CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL) 10 [also known as interferon (IFN)‐inducible protein (IP)‐10] and expression of an integrin receptor very late antigen (VLA)‐4 on Tc1. In addition, we have previously shown that direct intratumoral delivery of dendritic cells (DCs) ex vivo engineered to secrete IFN‐α further enhances Tc1 homing via upregulation of CXCL10/IP‐10 in the tumor microenvironment. As a means to induce IFN‐α and CXCL10/IP‐10 in the CNS tumor microenvironment in a clinically feasible manner, we used administration of polyinosinic‐polycytidylic acid stabilized by lysine and carboxymethylcellulose (poly‐ICLC), a ligand for toll‐like receptor 3 and melanoma differentiation‐associated gene 5 (MDA5) in combination with vaccinations targeting CTL epitopes derived from glioma‐associated antigens (GAAs). The combination of subcutaneous vaccination and i.m. poly‐ICLC administration remarkably promoted systemic induction of antigen GAA‐specific Tc1s expressing VLA‐4 in the CNS tumors and improved the survival of tumor‐bearing mice in the absence of detectable autoimmunity. Based on these data, we have implemented a phase I/II vaccination study using type 1 polarizing DCs loaded with GAA peptides in combination with poly‐ICLC in patients with recurrent malignant glioma.
Dendritic Cell‐Based Vaccines for Pancreatic Cancer and Melanoma
Authors: Mulé James J.
Published: September 2009

Based on leads from our recent animal studies, we are embarking on a series of new clinical trials to evaluate potential improvements in dendritic cell (DC)‐based vaccines for melanoma and pancreatic cancer. The first new strategy involves the use of a powerful chemokine (denoted secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine; SLC/CCL‐21), which can both create functioning lymph node‐like structures at sites of vaccination with tumor‐loaded DCs and dramatically enhance vaccine efficacy in animal tumor models. Using this strategy, we are embarking on a clinical trial in melanoma patients with the intent to create functioning, ectopic, lymph node‐like structures to enhance host antitumor immunity. The second strategy, in the setting of pancreatic cancer, involves a gene therapy and immunotherapy combination of a locally administered tumor necrosis factor‐α gene vector followed by radiation (to induce tumor apoptosis/necrosis) and intratumorally administered monocyte‐derived DCs (to uptake and present antigens from dying tumor cells to elicit potent, systemic, antitumor immunity).
Identification of Immunologic Biomarkers Associated with Clinical Response after Immune‐Based Therapy for Cancer
Authors: Dang Yushe , Disis Mary L.
Published: September 2009

The identification of immunologic biomarkers associated with clinical response after immune intervention for cancer is an area of intensive investigation. The field would benefit from a more systemic and directed approach for biomarker identification and evaluation. Lessons can be learned from other fields, such as cancer diagnostics, as to how to develop response‐associated biomarkers. Studies in both human in vitro models as well as murine models of cancer can significantly inform and streamline the choice of candidates. Adoptive T‐cell therapy is an interesting model for exploring potential immunologic surrogates that may predict clinical response. Most likely the clinical effectiveness of immune‐based treatments will be predicted by panels of markers rather than single assays of a specific immune effector cell.
Witch Hunt against Tumor Cells Enhanced by Dendritic Cells
Authors: Locher Clara , Rusakiewicz Sylvie , Tesnière Antoine , Ghiringhelli François , Apetoh Lionel , Kroemer Guido , Zitvogel Laurence
Published: September 2009

Conventional cancer treatments mediate their effects via the direct elimination of tumor cells. Nonetheless, recent evidence indicates that radiotherapy and some chemotherapeutic agents can also induce specific immune responses that contribute to therapeutic outcomes. Two major tumor‐intrinsic changes that determine the immune response against tumors have been identified: the translocation of calreticulin to the plasma membrane and the release of high‐mobility group box 1 protein. Together, these changes improve engulfment and processing of apoptotic bodies by dendritic cells, which are involved in the cross‐priming of antitumor T lymphocytes in vivo. We review these two molecular mechanisms that dictate the radio/chemotherapy‐elicited antitumor immune response and discuss how this knowledge can be clinically exploited to predict and also ameliorate the success of chemo/radiotherapy.
Harnessing Dendritic Cells to Generate Cancer Vaccines
Authors: Palucka Karolina , Ueno Hideki , Fay Joseph , Banchereau Jacques
Published: September 2009

Passive immunotherapy of cancer (i.e., transfer of T cells or antibodies) can lead to some objective clinical responses, thus demonstrating that the immune system can reject tumors. However, passive immunotherapy is not expected to yield memory T cells that might control tumor outgrowth. Active immunotherapy with dendritic cell (DC) vaccines has the potential to induce tumor‐specific effector and memory T cells. Clinical trials testing first‐generation DC vaccines pulsed with tumor antigens provided a proof‐of‐principle that therapeutic immunity can be elicited. Newer generation DC vaccines are built on the increased knowledge of the DC system, including the existence of distinct DC subsets and their plasticity all leading to the generation of distinct types of immunity. Rather than the quantity of IFN‐γ‐secreting CD8+ T cells, we should aim at generating high‐quality, high‐avidity, polyfunctional effector CD8+ T cells able to reject tumors and long‐lived memory CD8+ T cells able to prevent relapse.
Dengue Hemorrhage in a Mouse Model
Authors: Wu‐Hsieh Betty A. , Yen Yu‐Ting , Chen Hsuen‐Chin
Published: September 2009

Here we summarized our findings in the mouse model of the events that lead to dengue hemorrhage. Immunocompetent mice inoculated intradermally with DENV‐2 strain 16681 develop hemorrhage locally or systemically. The incidence and the severity of hemorrhage development are dependent on the size of viral inoculum. The hemorrhage mice exhibit severe thrombocytopenia, prolonged bleeding time, and increased numbers of circulating endothelial cells. In the hemorrhage tissues, there is endothelial damage accompanied by infiltrating macrophages that secret TNF‐α. The endothelial cells express iNOS and peroxynitrite and undergo apoptosis, indicating RNS and ROS production may lead to cell death. By using mice deficient in iNOS and phox47 and apocynin, we demonstrated that RNS and ROS are important to hemorrhage development after infection by DENV. Our mouse model offers the opportunity to test potential dengue vaccines and therapeutics to treat dengue hemorrhage and to test hemorrhage induction potentials of dengue viral strains.