bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two Putative RNA-Binding Proteins Function with Unequal Genetic Redundancy in the MOS4-Associated Complex
Authors: Monaghan Jacqueline , Xu Fang , Xu Shaohua , Zhang Yuelin , Li Xin
Published: October 2010

The MOS4-associated complex (MAC) is a highly conserved nuclear protein complex associated with the spliceosome. We recently purified the MAC from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) nuclei, identified its potential components by mass spectrometry, and showed that at least five core proteins in the MAC are required for defense responses in plants. Here, we report the characterization of a putative RNA-binding protein identified in the MAC named MAC5A and its close homolog MAC5B. We confirmed that MAC5A is a component of the MAC through coimmunoprecipitation with the previously described MAC protein CELL DIVISION CYCLE5 from Arabidopsis. In addition, like all other characterized MAC proteins, MAC5A fused to the Green Fluorescent Protein localizes to the nucleus. Double mutant analysis revealed that MAC5A and MAC5B are unequally redundant and that a double mac5a mac5b mutant results in lethality. Probably due to this partial redundancy, mac5a and mac5b single mutants do not exhibit enhanced susceptibility to virulent or avirulent pathogen infection. However, like other MAC mutations, mac5a-1 partially suppresses the autoimmune phenotypes of suppressor of npr1-1, constitutive1 (snc1), a gain-of-function mutant that expresses a deregulated Resistance protein. Our results suggest that MAC5A is a component of the MAC that contributes to snc1- mediated autoimmunity.
Riverine environmental characteristics and seasonal habitat use by adult Sakhalin taimen Hucho perryi
Authors: Honda K. , Kagiwada H. , Tojo N. , Miyashita K.
Published: October 2010

The study identified seasonal habitat use by endangered adult Sakhalin taimen Hucho perryi and the environmental characteristics of their habitat (water depth, amount of riparian forest and sinuosity). Fifteen adult H. perryi with acoustic tags were tracked by towing an acoustic receiver with a canoe in the Bekanbeushi River system in eastern Hokkaido Island, Japan, during each month from late April to late November 2008. Individuals mainly used midstream (shallower than downstream) habitats in all seasons. These locations were generally characterized by relatively dense riparian forests and high sinuosity, indicating the presence of pools. In spring, individuals used habitats with less riparian forest cover compared to mean value of the river channel. From spring to autumn, adult H. perryi selected limnologically complex habitats with meandering channels. From summer to autumn, individuals selected habitats with more riparian forest cover. The inverse relationship between H. perryi detection and riparian forest area in spring was a result of seasonal defoliation in deciduous riparian forests.
Overdose pattern and outcome in paracetamol‐induced acute severe hepatotoxicity
Authors: Craig Darren G. N. , Bates Caroline M. , Davidson Janice S. , Martin Kirsty G. , Hayes Peter C. , Simpson Kenneth J.
Published: October 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Paracetamol hepatotoxicity is the commonest cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in the UK.

• Conflicting data exist regarding the impact of overdose pattern upon subsequent mortality or need for emergency liver transplantation.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• Unintentional paracetamol overdose is independently associated with reduced survival compared with intentional overdose.

• Unintentional paracetamol overdoses should be treated as high‐risk for the development of multiorgan failure, and should be considered for N‐acetyl cysteine treatment irrespective of admission serum paracetamol concentrations.

• The King's College poor prognostic criteria have reduced sensitivity in unintentional overdose patients and alternative prognostic criteria may be required.

AIMS Paracetamol (acetaminophen) hepatotoxicity is the commonest cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in the UK. Conflicting data regarding the outcomes of paracetamol‐induced ALF resulting from different overdose patterns are reported.

METHODS Using prospectively defined criteria, we have analysed the impact of overdose pattern upon outcome in a cohort of 938 acute severe liver injury patients admitted to the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit.

RESULTS Between 1992 and 2008, 663 patients were admitted with paracetamol‐induced acute severe liver injury. Of these patients, 500 (75.4%) had taken an intentional paracetamol overdose, whilst 110 (16.6%) had taken an unintentional overdose. No clear overdose pattern could be determined in 53 (8.0%). Unintentional overdose patients were significantly older, more likely to abuse alcohol, and more commonly overdosed on compound narcotic/paracetamol analgesics compared with intentional overdose patients. Unintentional overdoses had significantly lower admission paracetamol and alanine aminotransferase concentrations compared with intentional overdoses. However, unintentional overdoses had greater organ dysfunction at admission, and subsequently higher mortality (unintentional 42/110 (38.2%), intentional 128/500 (25.6%), P < 0.001). The King's College poor prognostic criteria had reduced sensitivity in unintentional overdoses (77.8%, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 62.9, 88.8) compared with intentional overdoses (89.9%, 95% CI 83.4, 94.5). Unintentional overdose was independently predictive of death or liver transplantation on multivariate analysis (odds ratio 1.91 (95% CI 1.07, 3.43), P= 0.032).

CONCLUSIONS Unintentional paracetamol overdose is associated with increased mortality compared with intentional paracetamol overdose, despite lower admission paracetamol concentrations. Alternative prognostic criteria may be required for unintentional paracetamol overdoses.
Review: Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Authors: Attems J. , Jellinger K. , Thal D. R. , Van Nostrand W.
Published: October 2010

J. Attems, K. Jellinger, D. R. Thal and W. Van Nostrand (2011) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology37, 75–93 Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) may result from focal to widespread amyloid‐β protein (Aβ) deposition within leptomeningeal and intracortical cerebral blood vessels. In addition, pericapillary Aβ refers to Aβ depositions in the glia limitans and adjacent neuropil, whereas in capillary CAA Aβ depositions are present in the capillary wall. CAA may cause lobar intracerebral haemorrhages and microbleeds. Hypoperfusion and reduced vascular autoregulation due to CAA might cause infarcts and white matter lesions. CAA thus causes vascular lesions that potentially lead to (vascular) dementia and may further contribute to dementia by impeding the clearance of solutes out of the brain and transport of nutrients across the blood brain barrier. Severe CAA is an independent risk factor for cognitive decline. The clinical diagnosis of CAA is based on the assessment of associated cerebrovascular lesions. In addition, perivascular spaces in the white matter and reduced concentrations of both Aβ40 and Aβ42 in cerebrospinal fluid may prove to be suggestive for CAA. Transgenic mouse models that overexpress human Aβ precursor protein show parenchymal Aβ and CAA, thus corroborating the current concept of CAA pathogenesis: neuronal Aβ enters the perivascular drainage pathway and may accumulate in vessel walls due to increased amounts and/or decreased clearance of Aβ, respectively. We suggest that pericapillary Aβ represents early impairment of the perivascular drainage pathway while capillary CAA is associated with decreased transendothelial clearance of Aβ. CAA plays an important role in the multimorbid condition of the ageing brain but its contribution to neurodegeneration remains to be elucidated.
Effect of an Extract Based on the Medicinal MushroomAgaricus blazeiMurill on Expression of Cytokines and Calprotectin in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease
Authors: Førland D. T. , Johnson E. , Sætre L. , Lyberg T. , Lygren I. , Hetland G.
Published: October 2010

An immunomodulatory extract (AndoSan™) based on the medicinal mushroomAgaricus blazeiMurill (AbM) has shown to reduce blood cytokine levels in healthy volunteers after 12 days’ ingestion, pointing to an anti‐inflammatory effect. The aim was to study whether AndoSan™ had similar effects on cytokines in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Calprotectin, a marker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), was also measured. Patients with CD (n = 11) and with UC (n = 10) consumed 60 ml/day of AndoSan™. Patient blood plasma was harvested before and after 6 h LPS (1 ng/ml) stimulationex vivo. Plasma and faecal calprotectin levels were analysed using ELISA and 17 cytokines [IL‐2, IFN‐γ, IL‐12 (Th1), IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐13 (Th2), IL‐7, IL‐17, IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐8, MIP‐1β, MCP‐1, G‐CSF, GM‐CSF and IL‐10] by multiplex assay. After 12 days’ ingestion of AndoSan™, baseline plasma cytokine levels in UC was reduced for MCP‐1 (40%) and in LPS‐stimulated blood for MIP‐1β (78%), IL‐6 (44%), IL‐1β (41%), IL‐8 (30%), G‐CSF (29%), MCP‐1 (18%) and GM‐CSF (17%). There were corresponding reductions in CD: IL‐2 (100%), IL‐17 (55%) and IL‐8 (29%) and for IL‐1β (35%), MIP‐1β (30%), MCP‐1 (22%), IL‐8 (18%), IL‐17 (17%) and G‐CSF (14%), respectively. Baseline concentrations for the 17 cytokines in the UC and CD patient groups were largely similar. Faecal calprotectin was reduced in the UC group. Ingestion of an AbM‐based medicinal mushroom by patients with IBD resulted in interesting anti‐inflammatory effects as demonstrated by declined levels of pathogenic cytokines in blood and calprotectin in faeces.
CalS7 encodes a callose synthase responsible for callose deposition in the phloem
Authors: Xie Bo , Wang Xiaomin , Zhu Maosheng , Zhang Zhongming , Hong Zonglie
Published: October 2010

It has been known for more than a century that sieve plates in the phloem in plants contain callose, a β‐1,3‐glucan. However, the genes responsible for callose deposition in this subcellular location have not been identified. In this paper we examine callose deposition patterns in T‐DNA insertion mutants (cs7) of the Callose Synthase 7 (CalS7) gene. We demonstrated here that the CalS7 gene is expressed specifically in the phloem of vascular tissues. Callose deposition in the phloem, especially in the sieve elements, was greatly reduced in cs7 mutants. Ultrastructural analysis of developing sieve elements revealed that callose failed to accumulate in the plasmodesmata of incipient sieve plates at the early perforation stage of phloem development, resulting in the formation of sieve plates with fewer pores. In wild‐type Arabidopsis plants, callose is present as a constituent polysaccharide in the phloem of the stem, and its accumulation can also be induced by wounding. Callose accumulation in both conditions was eliminated in mature sieve plates of cs7 mutants. These results demonstrate that CalS7 is a phloem‐specific callose synthase gene, and is responsible for callose deposition in developing sieve elements during phloem formation and in mature phloem induced by wounding. The mutant plants exhibited moderate reduction in seedling height and produced aberrant pollen grains and short siliques with aborted embryos, suggesting that CalS7 also plays a role in plant growth and reproduction.
Involvement of Elongin C in the spread of repressive histone modifications
Authors: Yamasaki Tomohito , Ohama Takeshi
Published: October 2010

In our previous work, we induced RNA interference (RNAi) against the spectinomycin resistance‐conferring aadA transgene by transcribing a long inverted repeat in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. However, after long‐term culture, the level of transcripts of the inverted repeat was markedly decreased. In this study, we performed random insertional mutagenesis of the RNAi strain to identify the genes that contribute to the transcriptional silencing of the silencer construct. We succeeded in isolating several mutants showing derepression of transcription of the inverted repeat. One of these tag mutant strains, 148‐10H, had a deletion of the Elongin C gene (ELC), which is a component of some E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes. In the mutant, the level of monomethyl histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me1) was reduced to less than half of the parental strain, and a large portion of deacetylated H3 marks were removed from the promoter region of the silencer construct, while these repressive histone modifications and levels of methyl‐CpG levels were retained in the inverted repeat region. The most probable interpretation of the above‐mentioned phenomenon is that ELC is essential for stepwise extension of heterochromatin formation that is nucleated in the inverted region over the promoter region.
AGAMOUS‐LIKE 6 is a floral promoter that negatively regulates the FLC/MAF clade genes and positively regulates FT in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yoo Seung Kwan , Wu Xuelin , Lee Jong Seob , Ahn Ji Hoon
Published: October 2010

MADS‐box genes encode a family of transcription factors that regulate diverse developmental programs in plants. The present work shows the regulation of flowering time by AGL6 through control of the transcription of both a subset of the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) family genes and FT, two key regulators of flowering time. The agl6‐1D mutant, in which AGL6 was activated by the 35S enhancer, showed an early flowering phenotype under both LD and SD conditions. Its early flowering was additively accelerated by CONSTANS (CO) overexpression. The agl6‐1D mutation strongly suppressed the late flowering of fve‐4 and fca‐9 mutants. Endogenous AGL6 transcript accumulation was photoperiod‐independent and the AGL6:GFP protein was preferentially localized in the nucleus. In agl6‐1D plants, the expression of FLC, MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING (MAF) 4, and MAF5 was downregulated. Interestingly, late flowering of a functional FRIGIDA (FRI) FLC allele was dramatically suppressed by the agl6‐1D mutation. AGL6 activation in the flc‐3 background further enhanced FT expression, suggesting that AGL6 also regulates FT expression independently of FLC mRNA level. A near RNA‐null ft‐10 mutation completely suppressed early flowering of the agl6‐1D plants, suggesting that FT is a major downstream output of AGL6. Transgenic plants overexpressing an artificial microRNA targeting AGL6 showed a late‐flowering phenotype. In these plants, FT expression was downregulated, whereas FLC expression was upregulated. The present results suggest that AGL6 acts as a floral promoter with a dual role, the inhibition of the transcription of the FLC/MAF genes and the promotion of FT expression in Arabidopsis.
Successful treatment of disseminated mixed invasive fungal infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia
Authors: Weng Te‐Fu , Ho Mao‐Wang , Lin Hsiao‐Chuan , Lu Meng‐Yao , Peng Ching‐Tien , Wu Kang‐Hsi
Published: October 2010

Weng T‐F, Ho M‐W, Lin H‐C, Lu M‐Y, Peng C‐T, Wu K‐H. Successful treatment of disseminated mixed invasive fungal infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia.  Pediatr Transplantation 2012: 16: E35–E38. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Concomitant infections are frequent and usually the causes of death in patients with severe AA. HSCT can restore hematopoiesis in AA, but it is usually life threatening when patients simultaneously have an IFI. Mixed IFIs have been reported on rare occasions. The exact diagnosis of IFIs is difficult because of low fungus culture rate, difficultly obtaining tissue specimens in severely immunocompromised patients or those with bleeding tendencies. Otherwise, treatment with anti‐fungal drugs alone for DMIFI was always lethal in previous reports. Surgical resection is crucial for invasive zygomycosis, but severe pancytopenia and bleeding tendency make therapy difficult. Herein, we report that with a combination of aggressive anti‐fungal drugs, HSCT, and surgery, we successfully treated a 10‐yr‐old boy with severe AA and pulmonary zygomycosis before HSCT and disseminated mixed invasive zygomycosis and aspergillosis after HSCT.
The unstable dynamics of multiple alternative reproductive tactics
Authors: ALONZO S. H. , CALSBEEK R.
Published: October 2010

Although negative frequency‐dependent fitness is argued to allow the stable coexistence of two alternative reproductive types (such as resource defenders and reproductive parasites), no existing theory has considered a third strategy where resource defenders invest differentially in defence against reproductive parasites. Here, we present the results of a three‐strategy game, where reproductive parasites interact with two resource defenders: ‘Susceptibles’ defend more resources but lose more reproductive success to parasites. ‘Immunes’ lose less to parasites, but immunity carries a reproductive cost. We show that the inclusion of a third strategy dramatically changes the evolutionary dynamics, such that for a wide range of parameter values, our model predicts the continuous sequential invasion of the three strategies instead of stable coexistence. Our results therefore limit the generality of the prediction that frequency‐dependent fitness necessarily allows alternative reproductive tactics to coexist at equilibrium and may also explain the observed dynamics of some multiple‐strategy systems.
Review and new interpretation for the propagation characteristics associated with the 1999 Chi‐Chi earthquake faulting event
Authors: Jin Kwangmin , Kim Young‐Seog
Published: October 2010

The Chi‐Chi earthquake (MW = 7.6) took place in central western Taiwan in 1999. The earthquake caused reactivation of the Chelungpu Fault and resulted in 100‐km‐long surface ruptures. The fault strikes mostly north–south to NNE–SSW; however, the northern tip of the southern segment of the surface ruptures rotates clockwise to define an east–west trend, then jumps to a shorter NNW‐trending rupture. The largest vertical displacement is recorded in the Shihkang area of the Shihkang–Shangchi Fault Zone, where vertical slips are up to 8–10 m. The Shihkang–Shangchi Fault Zone displays a complex fault pattern as a linkage damage zone between two fault segments with the greatest concentration of faults and fractures. Our new interpretation, based on recent published geometric, kinematic, and geophysical studies on the Chi‐Chi earthquake fault, suggests that the Shihkang–Shangchi Fault Zone is not a simple termination zone, but may be an ‘overstep zone’ or a ‘transfer zone’. Slip analysis along the surface ruptures indicates that they are composed of three fault segments and the amount of slip partly depends on the intersection angle between slip direction and fault strike. Our numerical modeling for the area indicates that Coulomb stress changes are mainly concentrated on tips and bends of the surface ruptures. Slip patterns indicate that the fault propagates toward the northeast. Therefore, this study suggests high potential for future earthquake activity along the unruptured Shangchi segment. Hence, future geohazard studies should focus on the Shangchi segment to evaluate potential earthquakes, determine recurrence intervals, and reduce future earthquake hazards.
Changes in respiratory disorder parameters during the night in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: SASAI Taeko , INOUE Yuichi , MATSUO Akira , MATSUURA Masato , MATSUSHIMA Eisuke
Published: October 2010

Background and objective:  Patients with OSA frequently experience cardiovascular events, especially late at night. This phenomenon raises the possibility that respiratory disorders are progressively aggravated during the course of nocturnal sleep. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the changes in respiratory disorder parameters occurring during the night in patients with OSA, in the supine position and in all sleep positions.

Methods:  Thirty consecutive patients with OSA were enrolled in the study and categorized into those with moderate OSA (n = 12; AHI <40 events/h) and those with severe OSA (n = 18; AHI ≥40 events/h). To identify the time during the sleep period at which changes in respiratory disorder parameters were most pronounced, AHI, mean duration of apnoea and average SaO2 were assessed during the early, middle and late segments of sleep, in the supine position and in all sleep positions.

Results:  AHI decreased significantly with time during the course of the total sleep period, and especially during non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. In the group with severe OSA, prolongation of the mean duration of apnoea and the decrease in average SaO2 were also significant in the late segment of sleep in the supine position, especially during NREM sleep.

Conclusions:  In patients with severe OSA, there was progressive prolongation of the mean duration of apnoea late at night and this was associated with aggravation of hypoxia in the supine position during NREM sleep. This phenomenon may contribute to the remarkable rise in blood pressure early in the morning, possibly increasing the vulnerability of these patients to cardiovascular events.
Severe pandemic (H1N1)v influenza A infection: Report on the first deaths in Spain
Authors: MARTIN‐LOECHES Ignacio , RODRIGUEZ Alejandro , BONASTRE Juan , ZARAGOZA Rafael , SIERRA Rafael , MARQUES Asunción , JULIÁ‐NARVAEZ Jose , DIAZ Emili , RELLO Jordi ,   The H1N1 SEMICYUC Working Group
Published: October 2010

Background and objective:  The impact of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection is still unknown but it is associated with a high case‐fatality rate.

Methods:  This was a prospective, observational, multicentre study conducted in 144 Spanish intensive care units. Demographic and clinical data were reviewed for all cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection reported from 23 June 2009 through 11 February 2010 and confirmed by reverse transcriptase PCR assay.

Results:  Out of 872 cases reported by statewide surveillance, data for the first 131 deceased patients were analysed. Thirty‐seven patients (28.2%) died within the first 14 days. The median age of these patients was 46 years (interquartile range 35–58) and 60.3% were male. Twenty‐eight patients (21.4%) did not present with any comorbidities on admission. Forty‐six per cent of patients were reported to be obese and 22 (16.8%) had COPD. The vast majority of the patients (72.5%) had viral pneumonia; 95.4% of these had bilateral patchy alveolar opacities (predominantly basal), affecting three or four quadrants. One hundred and fifteen patients (87.8%) developed multi‐organ dysfunction syndrome. Ninety‐seven patients (74%) required vasopressor drugs, 37 (27.2%) received renal replacement therapy, and 47 (35.1%) received intravenous corticosteroids on admission to the intensive care unit. Only 68 patients (51.9%) received empirical antiviral treatment.

Conclusions:  One‐third of patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection died within the first two weeks and these were young patients, with rapidly progressive viral pneumonia as the primary cause of admission. Obese patients were at high risk but one in four patients did not present with any risk factors on admission. Only half the patients received empirical antiviral therapy and this was administered late.
Extrapulmonary involvement in patients with sarcoidosis in Turkey
Authors: OKUMUS GULFER , MUSELLIM BENAN , CETINKAYA ERDOGAN , TURKER HATICE , UZASLAN ESRA , YENTURK ESIN , UZUN OGUZ , SAGLAM LEYLA , KUMBASAR OZLEM OZDEMIR , CELIK GOKHAN , ANNAKKAYA ALI NIHAT , ALTIAY GUNDENIZ , TABAK LEVENT , SAKAR AYSIN , KITER GOKSEL , ERTURAN SERDAR , TURKTAS HALUK , YALNIZ ENVER , AKKOCLU ATILLA , OGUS CANDAN , DOGAN OMER TAMER , OZKAN METIN , AKTOGU SERIR , UZEL ISIL , ONGEN GUL
Published: October 2010

Background and objective:  Extrapulmonary sarcoidosis is common, and is almost always associated with concomitant thoracic involvement. Extrapulmonary manifestations vary on the basis of gender, age at presentation and ethnicity. The aim of this study was to investigate extrapulmonary involvement in patients with sarcoidosis in Turkey.

Methods:  This study was conducted by Turkish Thoracic Society Clinical Problems Study Group. New cases of sarcoidosis between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2006 were recorded on electronic case record forms sent to all potential investigators and information about extrapulmonary involvement was collected.

Results:  One hundred and nineteen of 293 patients (83 female, 36 male, mean age = 45 ± 12 years) had extrapulmonary involvement in this study (40.6%). The median time to diagnosis was 6 months and this was longer than patients with just thoracic sarcoidosis (P = 0.001). Extrapulmonary symptoms were present in 181 (61.8%) patients, and skin lesions, arthralgia and back pain were the commonest (33.4%, 20.8% and 16.4%, respectively). Incidence of organ involvement was independent of age with the exception of ocular involvement, which was higher in those under the age of 40 years (P = 0.007).

Conclusions:  Skin and peripheral lymph node involvement were the most common sites of extrapulmonary involvement and ocular involvement was more common in those under the age of 40 years in patients with sarcoidosis in a Turkish population.
Association between the tumour necrosis factor‐α−308G/A polymorphism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: An update
Authors: ZHANG Shihua , WANG Chunyu , XI Bo , LI Xia
Published: October 2010

Background and objective:  Previous studies have suggested that the −308A allele in the tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) gene promoter (rs1800629) may be a potential risk factor for COPD. However, more recent findings have been inconsistent. In the present study, a meta‐analysis was performed to assess the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the risk of COPD.

Methods:  Published studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE and other databases. All studies assessing the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and the risk of COPD were assessed. Pooled ORs with 95% CIs were calculated.

Results:  In the 36 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 4975 patients and 6518 control subjects had been genotyped. The overall results showed that the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and the risk of COPD was statistically significant for Asians (OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.84–3.02, P < 0.0001) but not for Caucasians (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.91–1.25, P = 0.438). As smoking is one of the most important risk factors for COPD, a second meta‐analysis that included only smokers (3018 patients and 2749 control subjects) was performed. This analysis confirmed that the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and COPD was statistically significant for Asians (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.14–2.61, P = 0.011) but not for Caucasians (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.86–1.56, P = 0.33).

Conclusions:  This meta‐analysis suggests that the TNF‐α−308A genotype is associated with an increased risk of COPD in Asian but not Caucasian populations. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the relationship between TNF‐α polymorphisms and the risk of COPD.
Investigating object representations during change detection in human extrastriate cortex
Authors: Schwarzkopf D. Samuel , Silvanto Juha , Gilaie‐Dotan Sharon , Rees Geraint
Published: October 2010

Detecting a change in a visual stimulus is particularly difficult when it is accompanied by a visual disruption such as a saccade or flicker. In order to say whether a stimulus has changed across such a disruption, some neural trace must persist. Here we investigated whether two different regions of the human extrastriate visual cortex contain neuronal populations encoding such a trace. Participants viewed a stimulus that included various objects and a short blank period (flicker) made it difficult to distinguish whether an object in the stimulus had changed or not. By applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during the visual disruption we show that the lateral occipital (LO) cortex, but not the occipital face area, contains a sustained representation of a visual stimulus. TMS over LO improved the sensitivity and response bias for detecting changes by selectively reducing false alarms. We suggest that TMS enhanced the initial object representation and thus boosted neural events associated with object repetition. Our findings show that neuronal signals in the human LO cortex carry a sustained neural trace that is necessary for detecting the repetition of a stimulus.
Chronic exertional compartment syndrome in diabetes mellitus
Authors: Edmundsson D. , Toolanen G.
Published: October 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 81–85 (2011)

Aims  Intermittent claudication is common in diabetes mellitus and usually attributed to arterial disease. However, a proportion of patients with diabetes have symptoms of claudication without signs of vascular disease and these patients were evaluated for chronic exertional compartment syndrome.

Methods  Forty‐two patients with diabetes (10 men, 32 women), earlier investigated at diabetic clinics because of claudication with no explanation for the symptoms, were examined. Their median age was 48 years (18–72 years) and the median duration of diabetes was 29 years (1–45 years). Thirty‐one patients had Type 1 diabetes, 11 had Type 2 diabetes and 29 had diabetic complications. All were investigated clinically, with radiography, bone scan and intramuscular pressure measurements.

Results  Thirty‐eight of 42 patients with diabetes were diagnosed with chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the lower leg and 32 were treated surgically. Thirty‐one patients were operated with fasciotomy of the anterior compartment and 18 also with fasciotomy of the posterior compartment. Additionally, one patient had only fasciotomy of the posterior compartment. Fourteen of 32 surgically treated patients (27 legs) were followed for more than 2 years and rated the post‐operative outcome as excellent or good in 21 of the treated legs. The walking distance before lower leg pain increased in all but one patient and seven patients reported unrestricted walking ability.

Conclusions  Chronic exertional compartment syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnoses in patients with diabetes and exercise‐related lower leg pain. The results after surgery are encouraging and the increased walking ability is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes.
The Effect of Minimum Wages on Labour Market Outcomes: County‐Level Estimates from the Restaurant‐and‐Bar Sector
Authors: Addison John T. , Blackburn McKinley L. , Cotti Chad D.
Published: October 2010

We use US county‐level data on employment and earnings in the restaurant‐and‐bar sector to evaluate the impact of minimum‐wage changes in low‐wage labour markets. Our estimated models are consistent with a simple competitive model in which supply‐and‐demand factors affect both the equilibrium outcome and the probability of the minimum wage being binding. Our evidence does not suggest that minimum wages reduce employment once controls for trends in county‐level sectoral employment are incorporated. Rather, employment appears to exhibit an independent downward trend in states that have increased their minimum wages relative to states that have not, thereby predisposing estimates towards reporting negative outcomes.
Do Broad‐Based Stock Options Promote Organization Capital?
Authors: Lin Yu Peng , Sesil James C.
Published: October 2010

There is a growing body of empirical literature that provides evidence that stock option usage is associated with greater firm‐level output. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms associated with this result. Focusing on broad‐based employee stock options, we hypothesize organization capital as one mechanism underlying the positive impact of stock options. The evidence we provide here shows a positive relationship between stock options and organization capital.
RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Gelber George
Published: October 2010

Political campaigning may be a more effective means for NGOs to tackle poverty than practical work such as providing clean water and building new schools and clinics. The extension of ‘rights’ to the poor – including rights to education, health and sanitation – is central to this approach.
THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC REGULATION IN THE ISTANBUL TAXICAB MARKET
Authors: Çetin Tamer , Oğuz Fuat
Published: October 2010

This paper discusses the regulation of the Istanbul taxicab market and its consequences. While price and entry regulations are common to many taxi markets, there are significant differences in their institutional frameworks. We examine the problems of the Istanbul market and offer recommendations to improve its efficiency.
WHAT AUSTRIAN BUSINESS CYCLE THEORY DOES AND DOES NOT CLAIM AS TRUE
Authors: Evans Anthony J.
Published: October 2010

Contemporary economic commentators have a habit of dismissing Austrian business cycle theory on the grounds that the implications for policy responses are unconvincing. Often the ‘Austrian’ position is misunderstood. But even if we wish to draw on other schools of thought to understand depressions, this does not affect the importance of Austrian insights to explain the boom.
THE SEVENTH‐CENTURY ISLAMIC GOLD STANDARD
Authors: Koehler Benedikt
Published: October 2010

Monetary systems are catalysts for economic, social and political progress. The interdependence between monetary, economic and political order is illustrated by currency competition between the Byzantine and Muslim empires in the seventh century. The evolution of an Islamic gold standard demonstrates that Byzantine and Muslim ruling circles were conversant with the dynamics of currency competition. In keeping with the theory of currency competition, the creation of the Muslim gold standard marked the beginning of a rapid economic outperformance by the Islamic empire.
WHY FREE MARKETS SHOULD NOT BE BLAMED FOR THE CURRENT RECESSION
Authors: Oro Ángel Martín
Published: October 2010

Interventionist thinkers are now claiming intellectual victory, blaming the free‐market system and its ideology for the current economic collapse. We find this thesis untenable, drawing on the Austrian Business Cycle Theory. Instead, we argue that the roots of our present downturn lie in the monetary system, whose institutional structure is far from any free‐market ideal. Moreover, several government policies have contributed to the problems.
Detecting Gene Duplications in the Human Lineage
Authors: Itan Yuval , Bryson Kevin , Thomas Mark G.
Published: October 2010

Gene duplications represent an important class of evolutionary events that is likely to have contributed to the unique human phenotype in the short evolutionary time since the human‐chimpanzee divergence. With the availability of both human and chimpanzee genome drafts in high coverage re‐sequencing assemblies and the high annotation quality of most human genes, it should now be possible to identify all human lineage‐specific gene duplication events (human inparalogues) and a few pioneering studies have attempted to do that. However, the different levels of coverage in the human and chimpanzee's genomes assemblies, and the differing levels of gene annotation, have led to problematic assumptions and oversimplifications in the algorithms and the datasets used to detect human lineage‐specific gene duplications. In this study, we have developed a set of bioinformatic tools to overcome a number of the conceptual problems that are prevalent in previous studies and have collected a reliable and representative set of human inparalogues.
A Novel Polymorphic AP‐1 Binding Element of the GFAP Promoter is Associated with Different Allelic Transcriptional Activities
Authors: Bachetti Tiziana , Di Zanni Eleonora , Lantieri Francesca , Caroli Francesco , Regis Stefano , Filocamo Mirella , Rainero Innocenzo , Gallone Salvatore , Cilia Roberto , Romano Silvia , Savoiardo Mario , Pareyson Davide , Biancheri Roberta , Ravazzolo Roberto , Ceccherini Isabella
Published: October 2010

The Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) gene encodes a cytoskeletal protein belonging to the intermediate filament family whose expression is considered as a marker of astrocytes differentiation. GFAP expression, shown to be upregulated as a consequence of brain gliosis, depends on hormones, growth factors, cytokine, and transcription factors and, among these latters, activator protein 1 (AP‐1) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role. In this study, we have focused on a 2.2 kb sequence of the regulatory region located upstream of the GFAP gene, searching in a panel of control individuals for single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could modulate GFAP transcription. Among four SNPs of the GFAP promoter whose alleles have been predicted by in silico analysis to induce differences in the pattern of binding transcription factors, we have identified a new AP‐1 binding site lying at −250 bp upstream from the GFAP transcriptional start site. The two alleles of this polymorphic locus have shown to bind the AP‐1 complex to different extents, thus promoting variable transcriptional activities of the GFAP promoter. Therefore, these SNP alleles may, among others, mediate the effects of GFAP mutations, thus explaining the phenotypic heterogeneity of Alexander disease.
Multiple time scales of adaptation in the auditory system as revealed by human evoked potentials
Authors: Costa‐Faidella Jordi , Grimm Sabine , Slabu Lavinia , Díaz‐Santaella Francisco , Escera Carles
Published: October 2010

Single neurons in the primary auditory cortex of the cat show faster adaptation time constants to short‐ than long‐term stimulus history. This ability to encode the complex past auditory stimulation in multiple time scales would enable the auditory system to generate expectations of the incoming stimuli. Here, we tested whether large neural populations exhibit this ability as well, by recording human auditory evoked potentials (AEP) to pure tones in a sequence embedding short‐ and long‐term aspects of stimulus history. Our results yielded dynamic amplitude modulations of the P2 AEP to stimulus repetition spanning from milliseconds to tens of seconds concurrently, as well as amplitude modulations of the mismatch negativity AEP to regularity violations. A simple linear model of expectancy accounting for both short‐ and long‐term stimulus history described our results, paralleling the behavior of neurons in the primary auditory cortex.
Hemodiafiltration With Online Regeneration of Ultrafiltrate: Effect on Heme‐Oxygenase‐1 and Inducible Subunit of Nitric Oxide Synthase and Implication for Oxidative Stress and Inflammation
Authors: Calò Lorenzo A. , Naso Agostino , Davis Paul A. , Pagnin Elisa , Corradini Robert , Tommasi Adalberto , Sereni Luisa , Ragazzi Eugenio
Published: October 2010

Hemodiafiltration with regeneration of ultrafiltrate (HFR) has a positive impact on inflammation and oxidative stress (OxSt), risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the most common cause of excess morbidity and mortality for end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. However, studies have been of limited duration. This study extends our previous study of HFR effects by evaluating the effect on mononuclear cell protein expression of heme‐oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), induced by OxSt, and inducible subunit of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and plasma level of interleukin‐1β (Il‐1β) and oxidized low‐density lipoproteins (OxLDL), marker of OxSt, for a 12‐month period. Fourteen ESRD patients stable on hemodialysis over a period of at least 2 years and on conventional bicarbonate dialysis were switched to be treated with HFR. Blood samples were collected at baseline, after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. HO‐1 and iNOS protein expression were evaluated by Western blot, OxLDL by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Il‐1β by enzyme amplified sensitivity immumoassay assay. HFR significantly increased HO‐1 at the 9 and 12 months (ANOVA = P < 0.00001): 0.17 ± 0.11 (baseline) versus 0.48 ± 0.20, P < 0.043 and 0.59 ± 0.32, P < 0.004, respectively. Il‐1β declined (ANOVA = P < 0.0001) since the 3 months from 169.92 ± 92.39 pg/mL (baseline) to 39.03 ± 10.01 (12 months), P < 0.0001. HFR also reduced plasma OxLDL: 475.4 ± 110.8 ng/mL (baseline) versus 393.1 ± 101.9 ng/mL (12 months), P < 0.04. iNOS showed no changes upon HFR treatment. These results together with our previous results indicate that HFR improves OxSt and inflammation. Given the strong relationships between OxSt and inflammation with CVD, their reduction might provide a beneficial impact by reducing the risk of atherosclerotic CVD in dialysis patients.
Comparison of Two Platelet Activation Markers Using Flow Cytometry After In Vitro Shear Stress Exposure of Whole Human Blood
Authors: Lu Qijin , Malinauskas Richard A.
Published: October 2010

Platelet activation is the initiating step to thromboembolic complications in blood‐contacting medical devices. Currently, there are no widely accepted testing protocols or relevant metrics to assess platelet activation during the in vitro evaluation of new medical devices. In this article, two commonly used platelet activation marker antibodies, CD62P (platelet surface P‐selectin) and PAC1 (activated GP IIb/IIIa), were evaluated using flow cytometry. Anticoagulant citrate dextrose solution A (ACDA) and heparin anticoagulated human blood from healthy donors were separately exposed to shear stresses of 0, 10, 15, and 20 Pa for 120 s using a cone‐plate rheometer model, and immediately mixed with the platelet marker antibodies for analysis. To monitor for changes in platelet reactivity between donors and over time, blood samples were also evaluated after exposure to 0, 2, and 20 µM of adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Following ADP stimulation, the percentage of both CD62P and PAC1 positive platelets increased in a dose dependent fashion, even 8 h after the blood was collected. After shear stress stimulation, both CD62P and PAC1 positive platelets increased significantly at shear stress levels of 15 and 20 Pa when ACDA was used as the anticoagulant. However, for heparinized blood, the PAC1 positive platelets decreased with increasing shear stress, while the CD62P positive platelets increased. Besides the anticoagulant effect, the platelet staining buffer also impacted PAC1 response, but had little effect on CD62P positive platelets. These data suggest that CD62P is a more reliable marker compared with PAC1 for measuring shear‐dependent platelet activation and it has the potential for use during in vitro medical device testing.
Stable Mixed Acidemia in Anesthetized Pigs—A Model for Research on Biocompatibility of Hemofilters Under a Deteriorated Acid‐Base Balance
Authors: Russ Martin , Esche Vera , Ott Sascha , Bedarf Janis , Unger Juliane K.
Published: October 2010

In recent years, acidosis has been of growing interest in intensive care medicine. Most animal models only provide a short‐term investigation of the effects of acidosis. They are not suitable for research on interactions with extracorporeal organ support (here continuous venovenous hemofiltration, CVVH). The rationale for this study was to establish a porcine model of prolonged mixed acidemia, which is suitable for research on the interactions of acidemia and CVVH. After the induction of anesthesia in pigs (40 kg), acidemia was induced and maintained in one group with a bolus of 0.4 mol/L lactic acid followed by continuous infusion and a reduced respiratory frequency (lactic acid‐group, n = 4). In another group, mixed acidemia was induced with a 0.4 mol/L acid solution (lactic and hydrochloric acid) and low tidal volume ventilation (mixed acidemia‐group, n = 8). To get first proof of the model's suitability to operate over an extracorporeal circuit, CVVH was additionally performed in seven pigs (mixed acidemia/CVVH‐group, n = 7). The target for the pH was 7.19–7.24. The targeted pH was constantly missed in the lactic acid group, whereas it was successfully maintained for 3.5 h in four out of eight pigs of the mixed acidemia group, and in five out of seven pigs of the mixed acidemia/CVVH group. The CVVH was performed successfully for 3 h in all pigs of the respective group. The mixed acidemia model was sufficient to maintain a low pH within a narrow range for some hours and enabled research on hemofilters in vivo.
Miniaturization of a Magnetically Levitated Axial Flow Blood Pump
Authors: Cheng Shanbao , Olles Mark W. , Olsen Don B. , Joyce Lyle D. , Day Steven W.
Published: October 2010

This article introduces a unique miniaturization process of a magnetically levitated axial flow blood pump from a functional prototype to a pump suitable for animal trials. Through COMSOL three‐dimensional finite element analysis and experimental verification, the hybrid magnetic bearings of the pump have been miniaturized, the axial spacing between magnetic components has been reduced, and excess material in mechanical components of the pump was reduced. Experimental results show that the pump performance was virtually unchanged and the smaller size resulted in the successful acute pump implantation in calves.
Central Pain Modulation and Scalp Tenderness in Frequent Episodic Tension‐Type Headache
Authors: Drummond Peter D. , Knudsen Lone
Published: October 2010

Objective.— To determine whether the inhibitory effect of acute limb pain on pain to mechanical stimulation of the forehead is compromised in individuals with frequent episodes of tension‐type headache.

Background.— Central pain modulation processes are disrupted in patients with chronic tension‐type headache. This deficit in pain modulation might be a predisposing characteristic that increases vulnerability to tension‐type headache and to symptoms such as scalp tenderness, or could be a feature that develops secondarily during attacks and that persists for a few days afterward. To distinguish between these 2 possibilities in the present study, inhibitory pain control was investigated in participants with episodic rather than chronic tension‐type headache.

Methods.— Pressure‐pain thresholds and sensitivity to sharpness in the forehead were measured in 34 individuals with 1‐10 episodes of tension‐type headache per month and in 32 controls before and after immersion of their hand in painfully cold water.

Results.— Before the cold pressor test, pressure‐pain thresholds and sensitivity to the sharp stimulus were similar in both groups. Mild headache developed and pressure‐pain thresholds in the forehead decreased from 631 ± 178 g to 579 ± 196 g (mean ± SD) after the cold water immersion in the episodic tension‐type headache group (P < .05). However, sharpness ratings did not change (mean rating 3.2 ± 1.4 on a 0‐10 scale). In contrast, headache did not develop, pressure‐pain thresholds did not change, and sharpness ratings decreased from 3.0 ± 1.3 to 2.3 ± 1.1 after the immersion in controls (P < .01).

Conclusions.— These findings suggest that endogenous pain modulation processes are compromised in individuals with frequent episodic tension‐type headache. This deficit could increase vulnerability to scalp tenderness and recurrent episodes of headache.
Presence of human herpes virus 6 DNA exclusively in temporal lobe epilepsy brain tissue of patients with history of encephalitis
Authors: Niehusmann Pitt , Mittelstaedt Tobias , Bien Christian G. , Drexler Jan F. , Grote Alexander , Schoch Susanne , Becker Albert J.
Published: October 2010

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is frequently associated with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). Many etiologic aspects of TLE are still unresolved. Here, we aimed to analyze the presence of human herpes virus 6 (HHV‐6) DNA in distinct TLE pathologies. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in surgical tissue from 38 pharmacoresistant TLE patients and 10 autopsy controls revealed HHV‐6 DNA in 55.6% of the TLE patients with a history of encephalitis, involving MTS and gliotic hippocampi without substantial neurodegeneration, but not in lesion‐associated TLE or nonlesional MTS with or without a history of complex febrile seizures (CFS). HHV‐6 protein was present in only one patient’s tissue. Our data argue against HHV‐6 as a major local pathogenetic factor in MTS hippocampi after CFS. The high detection rate of HHV‐6 DNA suggests a potential pathogenetic role of HHV‐6 in TLE patients with a history of encephalitis.