bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collecting Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data to Identify and Reduce Health Disparities: Perceptions of Health Plan Enrollees
Authors: Hasnain-Wynia Romana , Taylor-Clark Kalahn , Anise Ayodola
Published: October 2010

Collection of race, ethnicity, and primary language data of health plan members is a recognized important step in addressing disparities in health care. The authors conducted six focus groups to examine perceptions of Massachusetts consumers about collection and use of race/ethnicity and language data by health plans, preferences for how and when the data should be collected, and preferences for racial/ethnic categories. Consumers understood the utility of collecting primary language data from members but expressed concerns about the collection of race/ethnicity data. Despite these concerns, they provided suggestions for using the data to improve care. Their preferences for racial/ethnic categories suggested that they wanted a balance between simplicity and reasonable granular detail. Ultimately, consumers wanted to be assured that the information they provided to health plans would be used to improve quality, and they wanted to be able to provide this information without undue burden and with assurances of confidentiality.
Trauma-Related Symptoms in Neglected Preschoolers and Affective Quality of Mother-Child Communication
Authors: Milot Tristan , St-Laurent Diane , Éthier Louise S. , Provost Marc A.
Published: October 2010

This study (a) assessed whether child neglect is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative symptoms in the preschool period and (b) examined the role of quality of mother—child affective communication in the development of trauma-related symptoms among neglected children. Participants were 33 neglected and 72 non-neglected preschoolers (mean age = 60 months). Neglected children were recruited from the Child Protection Agencies. Neglected and non-neglected children victims of other form of abuse were excluded from the study. Trauma symptoms were evaluated through mother and preschool teacher reports. Quality of mother—child affective communication was assessed in a lab visit during an unstructured task. According to teachers, neglected children displayed more PTSD and dissociative symptoms than non-neglected children. Quality of mother—child communication was lower in neglected dyads. Mother—child affective communication predicted teacher-reported child trauma symptomatology, over and above child neglect. Discussion focuses on the traumatic nature of child neglect and the underlying parent—child relational processes.
Understanding Chronically Reported Families
Authors: Jonson-Reid Melissa , Emery Clifton R. , Drake Brett , Stahlschmidt Mary Jo
Published: October 2010

Although a strong literature on child maltreatment re-reporting exists, much of that literature stops at the first re-report. The literature on chronic re-reporting, meaning reports beyond the second report, is scant. The authors follow Loman’s lead in focusing on reports beyond the first two to determine what factors predict these ‘‘downstream’’ report stages. Cross-sector, longitudinal administrative data are used. The authors analyze predictors at each of the first four recurrences (first to second report, second to third report, third to fourth report, and fourth to fifth report). Findings demonstrate that some factors (e.g., tract poverty) which predict initial recurrence lose their predictive value at later stages, whereas others (e.g., aid to families with dependent children history) remain predictive across stages. In-home child welfare services and mental health treatment emerged as consistent predictors of reduced recurrence.
Qualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research
Authors: Tracy Sarah J.
Published: October 2010

This article presents a model for quality in qualitative research that is uniquely expansive, yet flexible, in that it makes distinctions among qualitative research’s means (methods and practices) and its ends. The article first provides a contextualization and rationale for the conceptualization. Then the author presents and explores eight key markers of quality in qualitative research including (a) worthy topic, (b) rich rigor, (c) sincerity, (d) credibility, (e) resonance, (f) significant contribution, (g) ethics, and (h) meaningful coherence. This eight-point conceptualization offers a useful pedagogical model and provides a common language of qualitative best practices that can be recognized as integral by a variety of audiences. While making a case for these markers of quality, the article leaves space for dialogue, imagination, growth, and improvisation.
Potential for drug–drug interactions in treating cancer-related nausea and distress
Authors: Saylor Matthew S , Smetana Ronald F
Published: October 2010

Purpose. To determine the extent and severity of drug–drug interactions between anti-emetics and antipsychotics or antidepressants.

Summary. Oncology patients are often required to deal with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting at the same time as psychosocial distress. A review of primary literature, as well as several drug interaction databases, was performed with anti-emetics used in The NCCN® 1.2010 Anti-emesis Guidelines ( n = 11) and all currently US-marketed antidepressants or antipsychotics ( n = 40).1 The results from these databases were compiled into a single easy-to-use chart that portrays the severity of the interaction and brief recommendation.2,3,4 In total, 197 drug–drug interactions out of a total of 440 possible combinations (44.8%) were discovered during the analysis.

Conclusions. Although most anti-emetics had several serious interactions with antidepressants or antipsychotics, palonosetron, and granisetron were found to have no significant interactions. The results can be used to avoid or limit drug interactions in the prescribing of new medications for the oncology patient.1,2,3,4
Targeting African American Nonsmokers to Motivate Smokers to Quit: A Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: Thomas Janet L. , Scherber Robyn M. , Stewart Diana W. , Lynam Ian M. , Daley Christine M. , Ahluwalia Jasjit S.
Published: October 2010

African Americans bear a disproportionate health burden from smoking but are less likely than other populations to engage in cessation treatment. Intervening on adult nonsmokers residing with a smoker might represent an innovative approach to motivate smokers to engage in smoking behavior change. Twelve focus groups were conducted with African American smokers (four groups, n = 27), nonsmokers (four groups, n = 26) and pairs of cohabitating smokers and nonsmokers (four groups, n = 22) to assess attitudes and/or beliefs regarding engaging a nonsmoker in the home in smoking behavior change efforts. Participants ( N = 75) were middle-aged (45.1 ±3.7 years) females (68.0%) with 11.8 ±1.5 years of education. Smokers smoked 14.9 ±11.3 cigarettes per day, made 3.0 ±4.4 quit attempts in the past year, and are interested in receiving cessation assistance from a nonsmoker in their home. African American nonsmokers living with a smoker may be an appropriate target group to motivate smoking behavior change in the smoker. Suggestions for future research considerations are provided.
HIV/AIDS in 3 Generations: Case Series
Authors: Oladokun Regina E. , Adejokun Emmanuel , Brown Biobele J. , Osinusi Kikelomo
Published: October 2010

Background: The HIV pandemic is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, and generations may be wiped out if effective prevention, treatment, and care are not in place. Case reports: A total of 3 families are presented. In the first 2, the children represented the third generation in their families to be infected with HIV and probably had mother-to-child transmission of the disease. The children in the third family were HIV negative. The mothers and grandmothers in all the families were infected with HIV. Risky sexual behavior involving multiple sexual partnering was recorded among them, some of whom had died from AIDS-related illness. This has serious implications in the care of the infected and affected children as they had been made vulnerable by their circumstances. Conclusion: HIV/AIDS has been around long enough now to cross generations as shown in the reported cases, which resulted in serious health and socioeconomic effects in the affected families.
Focus groups with people with learning disabilities
Authors: Kaehne Axel , O'Connell Clare
Published: October 2010

Focus groups are a widely accepted method in qualitative research. While there is a burgeoning literature on the methodology of focus groups, using focus groups with people with learning disabilities has received less attention so far. The article serves two purposes: (1) to review the current literature on focus groups in learning disability research and (2) to sketch four aspects that may impact on the usefulness of the focus group method with respondents with learning disabilities. Some comments on the role of focus groups in qualitative research start the article before we outline the emancipatory and participatory context of research with people with learning disabilities.
Developing a person-centred support service for families caring for children with severe learning disabilities in rural and urban areas
Authors: Black Lesley-Ann , Mcconkey Roy , Roberts Paul , Ferguson Pauline
Published: October 2010

The article describes an innovative, person-centred service provided to families who had a child or teenager with severe learning (intellectual) disabilities. It was delivered in three areas within Northern Ireland: two urban and one rural. The service promoted the social inclusion of young people in volunteer-run community activities, based around a person-centred plan developed with the child’s family. A three-year formative evaluation of the service was undertaken (2006—2008) via interviews and focus groups with parents ( N = 48), young people ( N = I9), volunteers ( N = 7), community workers ( N = 4) and referring social services staff ( N = 14). The service was successfully implemented in all three areas. In particular, it helped parents to clarify their individual support needs and engaged their child in ordinary community activities. The distinctive features of the service and the changed ethos it represents are discussed.
Abscess After a Laparoscopic Appendectomy Presenting as Low Back Pain in a Professional Athlete
Authors: Witkin Lisa R. , Nguyen Hien T. , Silberstein Charles E. , Fayad Laura M. , McFarland Edward G.
Published: October 2010

A professional baseball player presented to the orthopaedic clinic for a preseason assessment because of continued lumbar spine and flank pain. He had a laparoscopic appendectomy for a perforated appendix 8 months before his presentation. He was able to finish the previous season with only mild limitation. He presented with back pain that limited his activity. His examination was nonlocalizing, but subsequent computed tomography revealed a hepatic abscess. The abscess was drained; he was treated with intravenous antibiotics; and his symptoms resolved.
Twelve Years of National Football League Concussion Data
Authors: Casson Ira R. , Viano David C. , Powell John W. , Pellman Elliot J.
Published: October 2010

Background:

Concussion in the National Football League (NFL) remains an important issue. An initial description of the injury epidemiology involved 6 years from 1996 to 2001.

Hypothesis:

The increased attention to concussions may have resulted in team physicians being more conservative in treating players in recent years.

Study Design:

Two consecutive 6-year periods (1996-2001 and 2002-2007) were compared to determine changes in the circumstances associated with the injury, the patterns of signs and symptoms, and the players’ time loss from participation in the NFL.

Methods:

During 2002-2007, concussions were recorded by NFL team physicians and athletic trainers using the same standardized reporting form used from 1996 to 2001. Player position, type of play, concussion signs and symptoms, loss of consciousness, and medical action taken were recorded.

Results:

There were 0.38 documented concussions per NFL game in 2002-2007—7.6% lower than the 0.42 in the earlier period (1996-2001). The injury rate was lower in quarterbacks and wide receivers but significantly higher in tight ends during the second 6 years. The most frequent symptoms were headaches and dizziness; the most common signs were problems with information processing and immediate recall. During 2002-2007, a significantly lower fraction of concussed players returned to the same game, and more were removed from play. Most concussed players (83.5%) returned to play in < 7 days; the percentage decreased to 57.4% with loss of consciousness. The number of players returning in < 7 days was 8% lower during 2002-2007 and 25% lower for those with loss of consciousness.

Conclusion:

The most recent 6 years of NFL concussion data show a remarkable similarity to the earlier period. However, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of players returning to the same game, and players were held out of play longer.

Clinical Relevance:

There was a more conservative management of concussion in NFL players from 2002 to 2007 even though the clinical signs and symptoms remained similar to the earlier 6-year period.
Stimulation and inhibition of FVIII-specific memory B-cell responses by CpG-B (ODN 1826), a ligand for Toll-like receptor 9
Authors: Allacher Peter , Baumgartner Christina K. , Pordes Aniko G. , Ahmad Rafi U. , Schwarz Hans Peter , Reipert Birgit M.
Published: October 2010

Factor VIII (FVIII)–specific memory B cells are essential components for regulating anamnestic antibody responses against FVIII in hemophilia A with FVIII inhibitors. We asked how stimulation and inhibition of FVIII-specific memory B cells by low and high concentrations of FVIII, respectively, are affected by concurrent activation of the innate immune system. Using CD138− spleen cells from hemophilic mice treated with FVIII to study restimulation and differentiation of memory B cells in vitro, we tested modulating activities of agonists for Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9. Ligands for TLR7 and 9 were most effective. They not only amplified FVIII-specific memory responses in the presence of stimulating concentrations of FVIII, but also countered inhibition in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of FVIII. Notably, CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN), a ligand for TLR9, expressed biphasic effects. It amplified memory responses at low concentrations and inhibited memory responses at high concentrations, both in vitro and in vivo. Both stimulatory and inhibitory activities of CpG-ODN resulted from specific interactions with TLR9. Despite their strong immunomodulatory effects in the presence of FVIII, ligands for TLR induced negligible restimulation in the absence of FVIII in vitro and no restimulation in the absence of FVIII in vivo.
Constitutive BR3 receptor signaling in diffuse, large B-cell lymphomas stabilizes nuclear factor-κB–inducing kinase while activating both canonical and alternative nuclear factor-κB pathways
Authors: Pham Lan V. , Fu Lingchen , Tamayo Archito T. , Bueso-Ramos Carlos , Drakos Elias , Vega Francisco , Medeiros L. Jeffrey , Ford Richard J.
Published: October 2010

Aberrant nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling has been found to be of particular importance in diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell survival and proliferation. Although the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway has been studied in some detail, activation of the alternative NF-κB pathway in DLBCL is not well characterized. Important insights into the regulation of the alternative NF-κB pathway in B lymphocytes has recently revealed the regulatory importance of the survival kinase NIK (NF-κB–inducing kinase) in genetically engineered murine models. Our studies demonstrate that both the canonical and alternative NF-κB pathways are constitutively activated in DLBCL. We also demonstrate that NIK kinase aberrantly accumulates in DLBCL cells due to constitutive activation of B-cell activation factor (BAFF)–R (BR3) through interaction with autochthonous B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) ligand in DLBCL cells. Activation of BR3 in DLBCL induces recruitment and degradation of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3, which results in NIK kinase accumulation, IκBα phosphorylation, and NF-κB p100 processing, thereby resulting in continuous activation of both NF-κB pathways in DLBCL cells, leading to autonomous lymphoma cell growth and survival. These results further elucidate mechanisms involved in abnormal NF-κB activation in DLBCL, and should contribute to better future therapeutic approaches for patients with DLBCL.
Immune responses to transgene and retroviral vector in patients treated with ex vivo–engineered T cells
Authors: Lamers Cor H. J. , Willemsen Ralph , van Elzakker Pascal , van Steenbergen-Langeveld Sabine , Broertjes Marieke , Oosterwijk-Wakka Jeannette , Oosterwijk Egbert , Sleijfer Stefan , Debets Reno , Gratama Jan W.
Published: October 2010

Adoptive transfer of immune effector cells that are gene modified by retroviral transduction to express tumor-specific receptors constitutes an attractive approach to treat cancer. In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, we performed a study with autologous T cells genetically retargeted with a chimeric antibody receptor (CAR) directed toward carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), an antigen highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma. In the majority of patients, we observed distinct humoral and/or cellular anti–CAIX-CAR T-cell immune responses in combination with a limited peripheral persistence of transferred CAIX-CAR T cells in the majority of patients. Humoral immune responses were anti-idiotypic in nature and neutralized CAIX-CAR–mediated T-cell function. Cellular anti–CAIX-CAR immune responses were directed to the complementarity-determining and framework regions of the CAR variable domains. In addition, 2 patients developed immunity directed against presumed retroviral vector epitopes. Here, we document the novel feature that therapeutic cells, which were ex vivo engineered by means of transduction with a minimal γ-retroviral vector, do express immunogenic vector-encoded epitopes, which might compromise persistence of these cells. These observations may constitute a critical concern for clinical ex vivo γ-retroviral gene transduction in general and CAR-retargeted T-cell therapy in particular, and underscore the need to attenuate the immunogenicity of both transgene and vector.
From pharmaco-therapy to pharmaco-prevention: trends in prescribing to older adults in Ontario, Canada, 1997-2006
Authors: Bajcar Jana M , Wang Li , Moineddin Rahim , Nie Jason X , Tracy C Shawn , Upshur Ross EG
Published: October 2010

Background

The developed world is undergoing a demographic transition with greater numbers of older adults and higher rates of chronic disease. Most elder care is now provided by primary care physicians, who prescribe the majority of medications taken by these patients. Despite these significant trends, little is known about population-level prescribing patterns to primary care patients aged 65+.

Methods

We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study to examine 10-year prescribing trends among family physicians providing care to patients aged 65+ in Ontario, Canada.

Results

Both crude number of prescription claims and prescription rates (i.e., claims per person) increased dramatically over the 10-year study period. The greatest change was in prescribing patterns for females aged 85+. Dramatic increases were observed in the prescribing of preventive medications, such as those to prevent osteoporosis (+2,347%) and lipid-lowering agents (+697%). And lastly, the number of unique classes of medications prescribed to older persons has increased, with the proportion of older patients prescribed more than 10 classes of medications almost tripling during the study period.

Conclusions

Prescribing to older adults by family physicians increased substantially during the study period. This raises important concerns regarding quality of care, patient safety, and cost sustainability. It is evident that further research is urgently needed on the health outcomes (both beneficial and harmful) associated with these dramatic increases in prescribing rates.
Are component positioning and prosthesis size associated with hip resurfacing failure?
Authors: Marker David R , Zywiel Michael G , Johnson Aaron J , Seyler Thorsten M , Mont Michael A
Published: October 2010

Background

Recent studies suggest that there is a learning curve for metal-on-metal hip resurfacing. The purpose of this study was to assess whether implant positioning changed with surgeon experience and whether positioning and component sizing were associated with implant longevity.

Methods

We evaluated the first 361 consecutive hip resurfacings performed by a single surgeon, which had a mean follow-up of 59 months (range, 28 to 87 months). Pre and post-operative radiographs were assessed to determine the inclination of the acetabular component, as well as the sagittal and coronal femoral stem-neck angles. Changes in the precision of component placement were determined by assessing changes in the standard deviation of each measurement using variance ratio and linear regression analysis. Additionally, the cup and stem-shaft angles as well as component sizes were compared between the 31 hips that failed over the follow-up period and the surviving components to assess for any differences that might have been associated with an increased risk for failure.

Results

Surgeon experience was correlated with improved precision of the antero-posterior and lateral positioning of the femoral component. However, femoral and acetabular radiographic implant positioning angles were not different between the surviving hips and failures. The failures had smaller mean femoral component diameters as compared to the non-failure group (44 versus 47 millimeters).

Conclusions

These results suggest that there may be differences in implant positioning in early versus late learning curve procedures, but that in the absence of recognized risk factors such as intra-operative notching of the femoral neck and cup inclination in excess of 50 degrees, component positioning does not appear to be associated with failure. Nevertheless, surgeons should exercise caution in operating patients with small femoral necks, especially when they are early in the learning curve.
Decreased health-related quality of life in disease-free survivors of differentiated thyroid cancer in Korea
Authors: Lee Ji In , Kim Soo Hyun , Tan Alice H , Kim Hee Kyung , Jang Hye Won , Hur Kyu Yeon , Kim Jae Hyeon , Kim Kwang-Won , Chung Jae Hoon , Kim Sun Wook
Published: October 2010

Background

Concern regarding the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of long-term survivors of thyroid cancer has risen due to the rapid increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, which generally has an excellent prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of HRQOL in disease-free survivors of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and to evaluate the important determinants of HRQOL.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study in which we interviewed consecutive disease-free survivors of DTC. Three different validated questionnaires ("EORTC QLQ-C30" for various functional domains, the "brief fatigue inventory (BFI)" and the "hospital anxiety and depression scale" (HADS)) were used. Data from a large, population based survey of 1,000 people were used as a control.

Results

The response rate for the questionnaires was 78.9% (316/401). Disease-free survivors of DTC showed a decreased HRQOL in all five functional domains (physical, role, cognitive, emotional, and social) on the EORTC QLQ-C30 compared with controls (P < 0.01). BFI and HADS-anxiety scores also showed greater distress in disease-free survivors of DTC than in controls (P < 0.05). A multiple regression analysis for the determinants of HRQOL showed that the HADS-anxiety, HADS-depression, and BFI scores were the most significant components of decreased HRQOL.

Conclusions

Although disease-free survivors of DTC are expected to have disease-specific survival comparable to the general population, they experience a significantly decreased HRQOL. Anxiety, depression, and fatigue were the major determinants of the decreased HRQOL. Supportive psychological care should be integrated into the management of long-term survivors of DTC.
The Rg1 allele as a valuable tool for genetic transformation of the tomato 'Micro-Tom' model system
Authors: Pino Lilian E , Lombardi-Crestana Simone , Azevedo Mariana S , Scotton Danielle C , Borgo Lucélia , Quecini Vera , Figueira Antonio , Peres Lázaro EP
Published: October 2010

Background

The cultivar Micro-Tom (MT) is regarded as a model system for tomato genetics due to its short life cycle and miniature size. However, efforts to improve tomato genetic transformation have led to protocols dependent on the costly hormone zeatin, combined with an excessive number of steps.

Results

Here we report the development of a MT near-isogenic genotype harboring the allele Rg1 (MT-Rg1), which greatly improves tomato in vitro regeneration. Regeneration was further improved in MT by including a two-day incubation of cotyledonary explants onto medium containing 0.4 μM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) before cytokinin treatment. Both strategies allowed the use of 5 μM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), a cytokinin 100 times less expensive than zeatin. The use of MT-Rg1 and NAA pre-incubation, followed by BAP regeneration, resulted in high transformation frequencies (near 40%), in a shorter protocol with fewer steps, spanning approximately 40 days from Agrobacterium infection to transgenic plant acclimatization.

Conclusions

The genetic resource and the protocol presented here represent invaluable tools for routine gene expression manipulation and high throughput functional genomics by insertional mutagenesis in tomato.
Is distortion of the bioprosthesis ring a risk factor for early calcification?
Authors: Cereijo Jose Manuel Martinez , Alvarez Jose Rubio , Quiroga Juan Sierra , de Alegria Anxo Martinez , Suarez Peñaranda Jose Manuel
Published: October 2010

Background

As the population ages, bioprosthesis are increasingly being used in cardiac valve replacement. Pericardial bioprosthesis combine an excellent hemodynamic performance with low thrombogenicity, but valve failure associated with calcification remains a concern with these valves. We describe distortion of the bioprosthesis ring as a risk factor for early calcification.

Methods

A total of 510 patients over the age of 70 years underwent isolated aortic valve replacement with the Mitroflow (A12) pericardial bioprosthesis. Thirty two patients (6,2%) have undergone a second aortic valve replacement due to structural valve dysfunction resulting from valve calcification. In all patients a chest radiography and coronary angiography was performed before reoperation. A 64 Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) with retrospective ECG gating study was performed in four patients to evaluate the aortic bioprosthesis.

Results

Chest radiography showed in all patients an irregular bioprosthesis ring. At preoperative coronary angiography a distorted bioprosthesis ring was detected in all patients. Macroscopic findings of the explanted bioprostheses included extensive calcification in all specimens.

Conclusion

There was a possible relationship between early bioprosthetic calcification and radiologic distortion of the bioprosthesis ring.
Radioiodine remnant ablation of differentiated thyroid cancer does not further increase oxidative damage to membrane lipids - early effect
Authors: Makarewicz Jacek , Lewiński Andrzej , Karbownik-Lewińska Małgorzata
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Radioiodine (131I) therapy is widely accepted as an essential part of therapeutic regimens in many cases of differentiated thyroid cancer. Radiation-induced oxidative damage to macromolecules is a well known phenomenon. Frequently examined process to evaluate oxidative damage to macromolecules is lipid peroxidation (LPO), resulting from oxidative damage to membrane lipids. The aim of the study was to examine serum LPO level in hypothyroid (after total thyroidectomy) cancer patients subjected to ablative activities of 131I.

Materials and methods

The study was carried out in 21 patients (18 females and 3 males, average age 52.4 ± 16.5 years) after total thyroidectomy for papillary (17 patients) or follicular (4 patients) thyroid carcinoma. Hypothyroidism was confirmed by increased TSH blood concentration (BRAHMS, Germany), measured before 131I therapy. Activity of 2.8 - 6.9 GBq of 131I was administered to the patients orally as sodium iodide (OBRI, Poland). Concentrations of malondialdehyde + 4-hydroxyalkenals (MDA + 4-HDA), as an index of LPO (LPO-586 kit, Calbiochem, USA), were measured in blood serum just before 131I administration (day "0") and on the days 1-4 after 131I therapy. Sera from 23 euthyroid patients served as controls. Correlations between LPO and TSH or 131I activity were calculated.

Results

Expectedly, serum LPO level, when measured before 131I therapy, was several times higher (p < 0.00001) in cancer patients than in healthy subjects, which is probably due to hypothyroidism caused by total thyroidectomy. However, we did not observe any differences between LPO levels after and before 131I therapy. LPO did not correlate with TSH concentration. In turn, negative correlation was found between 131I activity and LPO level on the day "2" after radioiodine treatment.

Conclusions

Radioiodine remnant ablation of differentiated thyroid cancer does not further increase oxidative damage to membrane lipids, at least early, after therapy.
Mitochondrial Localization and Regulation of BRAFV600E in Thyroid Cancer: A Clinically Used RAF Inhibitor Is Unable to Block the Mitochondrial Activities of BRAFV600E
Authors: Lee Min Hee , Lee Seong Eun , Kim Dong Wook , Ryu Min Jeong , Kim Sung Jin , Kim Sung Joong , Kim Yong Kyoung , Park Ji Hoon , Kweon Gi Ryang , Kim Jin Man , Lee Jung Uee , De Falco Valentina , Jo Young Suk , Shong Minho
Published: October 2010

Context: The oncogenic BRAFV600E mutation results in an active structural conformation characterized by greatly elevated ERK activity. However, additional cellular effects caused by subcellular action of BRAFV600E remain to be identified.

Objective: To explore these effects, differences in the subcellular localization of wild-type and mutant BRAF in thyroid cancer were investigated.

Results: A significant proportion of endogenous and exogenous BRAFV600E, but not wild-type BRAF, was detected in the mitochondrial fraction, similar to other BRAF mutants including BRAFV600D, BRAFV600K, BRAFV600R, and BRAFG469A, which showed elevated kinase activity and mitochondrial localization. Induced expression of BRAFV600E suppressed the apoptotic responses against staurosporine and TNFα/cycloheximide. Interestingly, the mitochondrial localization and antiapoptotic activities of BRAFV600E were unaffected by sorafenib and U0126 suppression of MAPK kinase (MEK) and ERK activities. Similarly, although the RAF inhibitor sorafenib effectively inhibited MEK/ERK activation, it did not block the mitochondrial localization of BRAFV600E. In addition, inducible expression of BRAFV600E increased the glucose uptake rate and decreased O2 consumption, suggesting that BRAFV600E reduces mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, a signature feature of cancer cells. Again, these metabolic alterations resulted by BRAFV600E expression were not affected by the treatment of thyroid cells by sorafenib. Therefore, RAF and MEK inhibitors are unable to block the antiapoptotic activity of BRAFV600E or correct the high glucose uptake rate and glycolytic activity and suppressed mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation induced by BRAFV600E.

Conclusions: The mitochondrial localization observed in oncogenic BRAF mutants might be related to their altered responses to apoptotic stimuli and characteristic metabolic phenotypes found in thyroid cancer. The inability of MEK and RAF inhibitors, U0126 and sorafenib, respectively, to block the mitochondrial localization of BRAFV600E has additional therapeutic implications for BRAFV600E-positive thyroid cancers.
Post-translational modifications of microtubules
Authors: Wloga Dorota , Gaertig Jacek
Published: October 2010

Microtubules – polymers of tubulin – perform essential functions, including regulation of cell shape, intracellular transport and cell motility. How microtubules are adapted to perform multiple diverse functions is not well understood. Post-translational modifications of tubulin subunits diversify the outer and luminal surfaces of microtubules and provide a potential mechanism for their functional specialization. Recent identification of a number of tubulin-modifying and -demodifying enzymes has revealed key roles of tubulin modifications in the regulation of motors and factors that affect the organization and dynamics of microtubules.
Spironolactone interference in the immunoassay of androstenedione
Authors: Honour J W , Tsilchorozidou T , Conway G S , Dawnay A
Published: October 2010

Background

In an evaluation of androstenedione results from patient serum samples using the Siemens Immulite 2500 analyser and manual Coat-A-Count (CAC) methods, three outliers were evident with grossly elevated results in the CAC assay.

Methods

The clinic notes of three patients with apparently high serum androstenedione concentrations by the CAC assay were checked for medications. The samples were all from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome taking 100–200 mg/d of a steroidal antiandrogen (spironolactone). Two other patients on 50 mg spironolactone per day had less markedly higher androstendione results with the CAC assay. In a further five patients who were selected since they were on spironolactone and had high androstenedione results by the CAC method, spironolactone was temporarily withdrawn and fresh blood samples obtained for analysis.

Results

Spironolactone treatment was associated with higher androstenedione concentrations measured by the CAC assay that reverted to normal on treatment withdrawal. Based on a single test with spironolactone at 1000 ng/mL, the manufacturer reported only 0.109% interference in the CAC assay.

Conclusions

Spironolactone (and/or its metabolites) may interfere in the Siemens CAC assay for androstenedione but not in the Immulite 2500 assay. This experience highlights the need for information from clinicians on drug treatment when laboratory investigations are requested. Drug interferences in immunoassay are common and need evaluation beyond tests performed to certify laboratory reagents.
Acute pancreatitis
Authors: Harper Simon J F , Cheslyn-Curtis Sarah
Published: October 2010

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and the annual incidence appears to be increasing. It presents as a mild self-limiting illness in 80% of patients. However, one-fifth of these develop a severe complicated life-threatening disease requiring intensive and prolonged therapeutic intervention. Alcohol and gallstone disease remain the commonest causes of AP but metabolic abnormalities, obesity and genetic susceptibility are thought be increasingly important aetiological factors. The prompt diagnosis of AP and stratification of disease severity is essential in directing rapid delivery of appropriate therapeutic measures. In this review, the range of diagnostic and prognostic assays, severity scoring systems and radiological investigations used in current clinical practice are described, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Increased understanding of the complex pathophysiology of AP has generated an array of new potential diagnostic assays and these are discussed. The multidisciplinary approach to management of severe pancreatitis is outlined, including areas of controversy and novel treatments.
The effect on mortality of antipyretics in the treatment of influenza infection: systematic review and meta-analyis
Authors: Eyers Sally , Weatherall Mark , Shirtcliffe Philippa , Perrin Kyle , Beasley Richard
Published: October 2010

Summary

Objective

To determine whether antipyretic treatment for influenza infection influences the risk of mortality in animal models and humans.

Design

A systematic search of Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials was undertaken to identify randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in influenza infection in animal models or humans that reported mortality. A quantitative meta-analysis of the risk of death using Peto's one step odds ratio with calculation of the pooled risk of death and standard evaluation of heterogeneity was undertaken.

Setting

Not applicable.

Participants

Not applicable.

Main outcome measures

Risk of mortality associated with antipyretic use in influenza infection.

Results

Eight studies from three publications met the inclusion criteria. No human studies were identified. The risk of mortality was increased by antipyretic use in influenza-infected animals with a fixed effects pooled odds ratio of 1.34 (95% CI 1.04–1.73). An increased risk was observed with aspirin, paracetamol and diclofenac.

Conclusion

In animal models, treatment with antipyretics for influenza infection increases the risk of mortality. There are no randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in influenza infection in humans that reported data on mortality and a paucity of clinical data by which to assess their efficacy. We suggest that randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in human influenza infection are urgently required, and that these are sufficiently powered to investigate a potential effect on mortality.
Cultivating Inner and Outer Plantations: Property, Industry, and Slavery in Early Quaker Migration to the New World
Authors: Block Kristen
Published: October 2010

For American Quakers during the seventeenth century, a careful moral calculus permeated the Society's negotiations between their twin goals of spiritual reflection and economic sustenance—balancing one's metaphorical plantations, both "inner" and "outer." In Barbados, where the Society of Friends had attracted a large following by the 1660s, slaveholding and plantation culture were facts of life that dominated efforts to implement universalist ideals without threatening social control. Many leading West Indian Quakers embraced a paternalistic evangelization campaign to the enslaved in an effort to ease the consciences of individual masters, to create a consensus among the Society's members, and to help Friends in the colonies build up a stock of "moral capital" to be used against their non-Quaker peers. Although some Friends experimented with the idea that particular enslaved individuals could redeem themselves through "moral" behavior or industriousness, the process of legal racialization virtually negated the concept of free will, the heart of non-Calvinist Protestant conversion. In following the migratory patterns of wealthy Barbadian Friends to the North American Middle Colonies, this article demonstrates the depth of their influence in promoting African slavery and quelling critiques of the institution.
Religion and the Economy: New Methods for an Old Problem
Authors: Engel Katherine Carté
Published: October 2010

Although some of early American history's most influential early figures were concerned with the influence of religion on economic life, in recent decades scholarship in that area has flagged. Developments within the fields of religious studies, cultural history, and Atlantic history, however, suggest new approaches to the subject. A brief examination of the Moravian community in eighteenth-century Pennsylvania suggests that for early Americans, religion and economic life defined and enabled one another in myriad and changing ways that both encouraged economic innovation and defined for early Americans what true religion was.
A Wealth of Notions: Interpreting Economy and Morality in Early America
Authors: Clark Christopher
Published: October 2010

In commenting on the papers of Kristen Block, Katherine Carté Engel, Jason Opel, Holly Snyder, Jose Torre, and Mark Valeri, this article identifies and discusses trends in recent writings on the connections between economics and morality, and then proposes future approaches to these themes in the study of Early American history.
"An Inward Spring of Motion and Action": The Teleology of Political Economy and Moral Philosophy in the Age of the Anglo-American Enlightenment
Authors: Torre Jose R.
Published: October 2010

The Enlightenment-era narratives of political economy and moral philosophy shared an epistemic base and theory of causation that understood the human experience as a self-realizing or immanent teleology driving toward a providential and benevolent outcome. In political economy the pursuit of personal wealth and satisfaction tended naturally to a benevolent equilibrium without the knowledge or intent of the agent. In moral philosophy the agent acted intuitively and unconsciously to satisfy immediate emotional desires that culminated in pleasure but nevertheless improved society. The teleology of both these narratives derived from a series of larger shifts in human psychology and ideas from an early modern and Reformation-era theological voluntarism to an Enlightenment-era Neoplatonic and Aristotelian theory of humanity and nature.
Enterprise and Emulation: The Moral Economy of Turnpikes in Early National New England
Authors: Opal Jason M.
Published: October 2010

Across the countryside of the early republic, turnpikes—new and better roads paid for by private subscriptions but backed by public charters—laid the foundations for faster market exchanges and a more commercialized economy. They also sparked bitter debate about the moral quality of competition within a republican social order ideally built on independent households. Turnpike supporters pointed to the social and ethical benefits of "emulation," while their numerous opponents doubted the public value or virtue of any innovation that did not stem from the manifest needs of the local population. But the logic and rhetoric of the turnpike enterprises pointed to a new social morality based explicitly on extralocal or even antilocal aspirations. Within this new cultural imaginary, competition between towns or households became a measure of public spirit and a way to chart the progress of the new nation.
"Under the Shado of Your Wings": Religiosity in the Mental World of an Eighteenth-Century Jewish Merchant
Authors: Snyder Holly
Published: October 2010

Three mysterious prayers found on scraps of paper inserted into a mid-eighteenth-century ledger are analyzed for clues to the intersections between economic activity and religious ideology in the lives of Jewish merchants in early America. Through close examination of the social, cultural, and religious contexts of these unique prayers, broader inferences are drawn about the conditions of Jewish life in the British Atlantic sphere during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Comparing these findings to existing historiography, some recent and some long overlooked, provides impetus for a critical reappraisal of Max Weber's cause-and-effect linkage between Protestantism and capitalism.
William Petty in Boston: Political Economy, Religion, and Money in Provincial New England
Authors: Valeri Mark
Published: October 2010

Transformations in Puritan ideas about God's rule in the world, or Providence, spurred the reception of formal economic theories in New England from 1680 through the 1720s. English political economists such as William Petty and Charles Davenant critiqued customary notions of money and credit as they promoted England's competition with European powers. New Englanders turned to these thinkers to inform provincial monetary policy. They imported political economy through serial accounts of parliamentary debates about the Bank of England, the South Sea Bubble, and trade policies, as well as through merchant handbooks and literary accounts of merchants. Religious convictions informed this receptivity. Boston clergy such as Cotton Mather and civic leaders such as Samuel Sewall understood the British Empire to be a bulwark against Catholic hegemony. Taking the works of Petty and Davenant to be descriptions of an economic order that abetted Protestant empire, they reshaped Puritan moral convictions. Once hostile to treating credit as a commodity and money as a fungible good, they embraced the latest techniques for exchanging credit and abandoned prohibitions against usury. In this sense, changes in Puritan theology were integral to the development of a market culture in provincial New England.
What We Learn About Rules from The Cider House Rules
Authors: Goldman Alan H.
Published: October 2010

The Cider House Rules , through the attitudes and fates of its characters, teaches us general truths about the proper uses of rules in practical and moral reasoning. By reflecting on the narrative, we can see that rules must reflect proper distributions of authority in order to be effective, that when they do, they can solve collective action problems, that legitimate rules must sometimes be disobeyed, but also must sometimes supplant personal judgments about best courses of action. Novels can motivate us to reflect on and follow such moral lessons. Their use in teaching ethics is not limited to improving our perceptions of complex particular morally charged situations, as others have claimed.
Nostalgia and the Renaissance Romance
Authors: Beecher Donald
Published: October 2010

Nostalgia expresses a mind state saturated with emotion, an enduring appetite, adaptive and presumed beneficial when it does not paralyze agency in the real social world. The endeavours of romance are suffused with this abiding and guiding undercurrent—a matter of destiny and a matter of volition combined. Hence the link between genre and the phylogenetic and instinctual orientation toward home, particularly as it is represented in the romance-inspired stories of the Renaissance.
Hegel, Antigone, and First-Person Authority
Authors: Burke Victoria I.
Published: October 2010

Hegel thought Sophocles' Antigone was the finest tragedy, and he put drama atop his hierarchy of the arts, Antigone is thus located precisely at the point where his system transitions from aesthetics to the philosophy of religion. I argue that the Antigone owes its place in Hegel's hierarchy to its focus on Antigone's uncanny self-certainty. Antigone's stance of certainty and the accompanying readiness for death render her the supreme uncanny, an identity with the truth in a world whose universal ethical substance provides (like our own) only fragmented normative clarity.
Ernst Grosse and the "Ethnological Method" in Art Theory
Authors: van Damme Wilfried
Published: October 2010

Intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches are today rightfully heralded as the most promising ways forward in the theoretical study of art and aesthetics. But that does not mean such approaches have not been considered before. In the late nineteenth century, the philosopher Ernst Grosse did just that, encapsulating his proposals in what he called the "ethnological method." Moreover, he identified a series of predecessors who had either applied a cross-cultural perspective or drawn on various disciplines in examining art and aesthetics. This essay brings to light a forgotten but surprisingly "modern" tradition of art theoretical thought.
Truth and Freedom in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
Authors: Dwan David
Published: October 2010

Did Orwell regard truth as a political virtue? Yes, and the case Orwell makes for truth is a subtle one. Truth, he suggests, can never be adequately theorized - hence the different and rival descriptions of truth provided in Nineteen Eighty-Four are either empty or mistaken. For Orwell, truth will always elude our theories, but it must serve as the ground and even the goal of our freedom nonetheless.