bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Can Massage Therapy Move Forward? Registered Massage Therapists Touch on Key Points Shaping Their Profession in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Shroff Farah M. , Sahota Inderjeet S.
Published: February 2012

Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) are valuable members of the health care team who assist in creating positive outcomes in health promotion, disease prevention, and rehabilitation. This article explores RMTs’ views regarding the status and future of their profession in British Columbia, Canada. It highlights, for the first time, key issues for advancing the profession from their perspective. RMTs believe increased recognition for their roles in health care would enhance their careers. They note that research on the beneficial aspects of MT and communication of these benefits to other health care professionals, particularly MDs, and the general public, would also help. Some noted that increasing their work within interdisciplinary health care teams, particularly inside publicly funded health care, would elevate the status of their profession. Finally, RMTs discussed their desire to gain recognition of their rigorous education programs by earning degrees instead of diplomas. However, significant barriers to these aspirations exist.
Pre- and Postnatal Risk Factors for ADHD in a Nonclinical Pediatric Population
Authors: Sagiv Sharon K. , Epstein Jeff N. , Bellinger David C. , Korrick Susan A.
Published: February 2012

Objective:The authors characterized pre- and postnatal risk factors for ADHD among a population-based sample of 8-year-old children followed since birth ( N = 604). Method: Parents and teachers rated ADHD symptoms, including inattention and impulsivity/hyperactivity. The authors reviewed pediatric medical records for history of an ADHD diagnosis, and parents reported ADHD medication use. The authors analyzed risk factors in relationship to outcomes using multivariable regression models. Results: Low paternal education, prenatal smoking, prenatal illicit drug use, maternal depression, and low Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment score were associated with greater risk for ADHD behaviors assessed via rating scale. Low income and being male were associated with ADHD diagnosis in medical records and ADHD medication use. Conclusion: The authors found associations between socioeconomic, psychosocial, and prenatal exposures and ADHD-related behavior. Selection bias due to access to care and recall bias from inaccurate report of past exposures is minimized in this large, nonclinical, prospective cohort study.
Comparing situated sense-making processes in virtual worlds
Authors: Reinhard CarrieLynn D. , Dervin Brenda
Published: February 2012

What happens when a person engages with a virtual world? Are there unique processes of engagings that occur? One approach to understanding how a person makes sense of a virtual world is to compare the engaging processes with other media technologies, focusing on situated performative and interpretive sense-makings. This article reports on a study conducted to compare how novices make sense of four media technologies: film, console videogames, massively multiplayer online role-playing games, and social virtual worlds. Using Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology (SMM) and our conceptualization of media reception situations, we extracted five potential overlapping sense-making concepts to make comparisons that do not presume a priori the influences of characteristics of technologies and other structures. The five comparative concepts all focus on situated sense-making processes. Our purpose in this article is not to present a full study report but rather to illustrate the methodological approach used in the data collection/production and analysis of the study. Results of our analyses indicate the complexity of media reception situations, how they converged and diverged, and how they involve multiple potential influences on media reception outcomes.
Spaces of Celebrity
Authors: O’Connor Barbara
Published: February 2012

This article addresses the ways in which Irish working-class teenagers utilize national and global discourses in assessing the quality and entertainment value of television talent shows. Viewers’ preference for British shows over the nationally produced show, You’re a Star, indicates an identification with “spaces of celebrity” that are simultaneously geographic/geopolitical spaces with centers such as Britain and the USA and peripheries like Ireland. Viewers valorization of the global and denigration of the national can be understood, it is suggested, in terms of the historical development of urban workingclass sub-cultural taste which demonstrated a preference for ‘foreign’ entertainment and a distaste for aspects of ‘official’ national culture. Arguing against the idea of talent shows creating a national “imagined community”, the author calls for greater attention to be paid to how the differential positioning of audiences within national cultures influences sub-cultural taste and, in turn, reception of specific media texts.
“People Want to See What Happened”
Authors: Thomas Lynnell L.
Published: February 2012

Occupying the space between cultural reproduction and theatrical production, the HBO series Treme offers an important vantage point from which to analyze the intersection of race, class, culture, and media representation animating New Orleans’s post-Katrina tourist identity. Treme illustrates the tension between the welcome recognition and celebration of New Orleans black expressive culture and its spectacularization and commodification. The resuscitation of tourist tropes and an emphasis on jazz and heritage music in the series often render the city’s history of racial conflict and injustice invisible or subordinate to new narratives of cross-racial unity among Katrina survivors and paternalistic actions by white characters uniquely positioned to express the community’s outrage. Treme takes up where the disaster tour leaves off, giving viewers - televisual tourists - access to purportedly authentic places, people, events, and experiences that exist beyond the tourist landscape and that suggest a racial remapping of the city.
The challenge of Helicobacter pylori resistance to antibiotics: the comeback of bismuth-based quadruple therapy
Authors: Mégraud Francis
Published: February 2012

A proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), clarithromycin-based, triple therapy has been the recommended treatment for Helicobacter pylori eradication for the past 15 years. Due to a steady increase in H. pylori resistance to clarithromycin, this triple clarithromycin-based treatment has become progressively less efficacious. Several approaches are available to address this situation: one is to test for clarithromycin resistance so that this triple clarithromycin-based regimen is given only to those who will benefit; a second is to prescribe the drugs sequentially, beginning with amoxicillin and a PPI followed by clarithromycin and metronidazole, again with a PPI or the four drugs prescribed concomitantly; a third alternative is to use bismuth-based quadruple therapy, PPI plus a standardized three-in-one capsule, bismuth subcitrate potassium, metronidazole, and tetracycline (BMT, sold under licence as Pylera®). The advantages of these different approaches are reviewed, including the relevance of BMT three-in-one capsule in clinical practice.
The Patient With Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Tam Candice , Claman David
Published: February 2012

Obstructive sleep apnea is a commonly encountered problem in the perioperative period. In this article, guidelines are proposed to help physicians identify at-risk patients preoperatively and to guide subsequent intraoperative and postoperative monitoring and management.
Transesophageal Echocardiography–Guided Hemodynamic Assessment and Management
Authors: Hastings Harold M.
Published: February 2012

Hemodynamic instability (shock) poses a major challenge in intensive care and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, length of stay, and costs. The purpose of hemodynamic assessment and management is to detect the cause of hemodynamic instability in a given patient, provide actionable information for the physician, and thus help guide the management and resolution of hemodynamic instability. Although transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been the gold standard for hemodynamic assessment and management in the cardiac operating room, the invasive nature of conventional TEE has limited its use as a management tool in intensive care. Instead, one has seen a variety of indirect hemodynamic monitors used, despite now well understood limitations as described in a previous Critical Conversation in the July 2011 issue of this journal. Here we describe the use of TEE in intensive care as well as a new TEE system (the ImaCor hTEE system, ImaCor, Garden City, NY) with a miniaturized (approximately nasogastric tube sized), indwelling probe designed specifically for TEE-guided hemodynamic assessment and management in intensive care (hemodynamic TEE).
The Need for Asthma Educators
Authors: Jones Dolores C. , Keesing Heather , Nelsen Laura , Harper Suzette , Rance Karen , Arney Traci D. , Letz Kevin
Published: February 2012

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners worked collaboratively with other pediatric health care provider organizations to develop and implement an innovative pediatric asthma program using a train-the-trainer model with a goal to increase the availability of pediatric asthma education in medically underserved areas/health care provider shortage areas. Course content was developed using the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel 3 guidelines. Participants in the program are now teaching pediatric asthma programs in their own communities and making an impact on pediatric asthma care.
Neurocognition in Unaffected First-Degree Relatives of Patients With Bipolar Disorder Type I From India
Authors: Pattanayak Raman Deep , Sagar Rajesh , Mehta Manju
Published: February 2012

The study aims to evaluate the neuropsychological functions of unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with bipolar disorder Type I (BD-I) in comparison with healthy controls. The method was a cross-sectional assessment of 20 first-degree relatives of patients with BD-I and 20 healthy controls. Inclusion criteria for all participants included age between 18 and 55 years, ≥5 years of formal education, right-handedness as per Edinburgh handedness inventory, absence of color blindness as per Ishihara’s isochromatic charts, and a score of >24 on Hindi mental state examination. None of the participants had a current or lifetime diagnosis of a mental disorder on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Clinician Version. Neuropsychological assessment was conducted with Trail Making Test A and B, Stroop color and word test, N-Back Verbal Memory Test, and Post Graduate Institute (PGI) Memory Scale. Both the groups were comparable in age, gender distribution, and education. The unaffected first-degree relatives performed poorly on Trail Making Test B and (B-A), indicating a poor cognitive flexibility and set-shifting. The relative group also performed poorly on Mental Balance subtest of PGI Memory Scale. The unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with BD display certain impairments in dorsal prefrontal executive functions which can serve as vulnerability markers for BD.
Black Teenage Pregnancy
Authors: Winters Loretta I. , Winters Paul C.
Published: February 2012

This article examines the relative importance of race and socioeconomic status (SES) in determining whether Black and White teenagers report having ever been pregnant. Data gathered from 1999 to 2006 by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention included 1,580 Black and White females aged 15 to 19 years. Results supported the effects of race and SES, with SES having the stronger effect. However, the effects of race and SES differ when controlling for the state of the economy. No difference between Blacks and Whites was found during better economic times. During 2003-2004, the period of greatest economic stress, race was determined to be the only predictor of teenage pregnancy. In particular, during 2005-2006, the reduction in pregnancy rates for Black minors (15-17) fell below those for White minors within their respective SES categories. Policy implications are discussed in light of these findings.
Mislocalization of the exitatory amino-acid transporters (EAATs) in human astrocytoma and non-astrocytoma cancer cells: effect of the cell confluence
Authors: Varini Karine , Benzaria Amal , Taïeb Nadira , Di Scala Coralie , Azmi Amanda , Graoudi Soraya , Maresca Marc
Published: February 2012

Background

Astrocytomas are cancers of the brain in which high levels of extracellular glutamate plays a critical role in tumor growth and resistance to conventional treatments. This is due for part to a decrease in the activity of the glutamate transporters, i.e. the Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters or EAATs, in relation to their nuclear mislocalization in astrocytoma cells. Although non-astrocytoma cancers express EAATs, the localization of EAATs and the handling of L-glutamate in that case have not been investigated.

Methods

We looked at the cellular localization and activity of EAATs in human astrocytoma and non-astrocytoma cancer cells by immunofluorescence, cell fractionation and L-glutamate transport studies.

Results

We demonstrated that the nuclear mislocalization of EAATs was not restricted to astrocytoma and happened in all sub-confluent non-astrocytoma cancer cells we tested. In addition, we found that cell-cell contact caused the relocalization of EAATs from the nuclei to the plasma membrane in all human cancer cells tested, except astrocytoma.

Conclusions

Taken together, our results demonstrated that the mislocalization of the EAATs and its associated altered handling of glutamate are not restricted to astrocytomas but were also found in human non-astrocytoma cancers. Importantly, we found that a cell contact-dependent signal caused the relocalization of EAATs at the plasma membrane at least in human non-astrocytoma cancer cells, resulting in the correction of the altered transport of glutamate in such cancer cells but not in astrocytoma.
Inter-rater agreement in the assessment of abnormal chest X-ray findings for tuberculosis between two Asian countries
Authors: Sakurada Shinsaku , Hang Nguyen TL , Ishizuka Naoki , Toyota Emiko , Hung Le D , Chuc Pham T , Lien Luu T , Thuong Pham H , Bich Pham TN , Keicho Naoto , Kobayashi Nobuyuki
Published: February 2012

Background

Inter-rater agreement in the interpretation of chest X-ray (CXR) films is crucial for clinical and epidemiological studies of tuberculosis. We compared the readings of CXR films used for a survey of tuberculosis between raters from two Asian countries.

Methods

Of the 11,624 people enrolled in a prevalence survey in Hanoi, Viet Nam, in 2003, we studied 258 individuals whose CXR films did not exclude the possibility of active tuberculosis. Follow-up films obtained from accessible individuals in 2006 were also analyzed. Two Japanese and two Vietnamese raters read the CXR films based on a coding system proposed by Den Boon et al. and another system newly developed in this study. Inter-rater agreement was evaluated by kappa statistics. Marginal homogeneity was evaluated by the generalized estimating equation (GEE).

Results

CXR findings suspected of tuberculosis differed between the four raters. The frequencies of infiltrates and fibrosis/scarring detected on the films significantly differed between the raters from the two countries (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0082, respectively, by GEE). The definition of findings such as primary cavity, used in the coding systems also affected the degree of agreement.

Conclusions

CXR findings were inconsistent between the raters with different backgrounds. High inter-rater agreement is a component necessary for an optimal CXR coding system, particularly in international studies. An analysis of reading results and a thorough discussion to achieve a consensus would be necessary to achieve further consistency and high quality of reading.
Proteins and carbohydrates in nipple aspirate fluid predict the presence of atypia and cancer in women requiring diagnostic breast biopsy
Authors: Qin Wenyi , Gui Gerald , Zhang Ke , Twelves Dominique , Kliethermes Beth , Sauter Edward R
Published: February 2012

Background

Herein we present the results of two related investigations. The first study determined if concentrations in breast nipple discharge (ND) of two proteins (urinary plasminogen activator, uPA and its inhibitor, PAI-1) predicted the presence of breast atypia and cancer in pre- and/or postmenopausal women requiring surgery because of a suspicious breast lesion. The second study assessed if these proteins increased the predictive ability of a carbohydrate (Thomsen Friedenreich, TF) which we previously demonstrated predicted the presence of disease in postmenopausal women requiring surgery.

Methods

In the first study we prospectively enrolled 79 participants from whom we collected ND, measured uPA and PAI-1 and correlated expression with pathologic findings. In the second study we analyzed 35 (uPA and PAI-1 in 24, uPA in an additional 11) ND samples collected from different participants requiring breast surgery, all of whom also had TF results.

Results

uPA expression was higher in pre- and PAI-1 in postmenopausal women with 1) cancer (DCIS or invasive) vs. either no cancer (atypia or benign pathology, p = .018 and .025, respectively), or benign pathology (p = .017 and .033, respectively); and 2) abnormal (atypia or cancer) versus benign pathology (p = .018 and .052, respectively). High uPA and PAI-1 concentrations and age were independent predictors of disease in premenopausal women, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 83-87% when comparing diseased vs. benign pathology. uPA, TF, and age correctly classified 35 pre- and postmenopausal women as having disease or not 84-91% of the time, whereas combining uPA+PAI-1+TF correctly classified 24 women 97-100% of the time.

Conclusions

uPA and PAI-1 concentrations in ND were higher in women with atypia and cancer compared to women with benign disease. Combining uPA, PAI-1 and TF in the assessment of women requiring diagnostic breast surgery maximized disease prediction. The assessment of these markers may prove useful in early breast cancer detection.
Effect of aqueous extract of Arctium lappa L. (burdock) roots on the sexual behavior of male rats
Authors: JianFeng Cao , PengYing Zhang , ChengWei Xu , TaoTao Huang , YunGui Bai , KaoShan Chen
Published: February 2012

Background

Arctium lappaL. root has traditionally been recommended as an aphrodisiac agent. It is used to treat impotence and sterility in China, and Native Americans included the root in herbal preparations for women in labor. However, its use has not been scientifically validated. The present study therefore investigated the effects of aqueous extract ofArctium lappaL. roots on sexual behavior in normal male rats.

Methods

Seventy-five albino male rats were randomly divided into five groups of 15 rats each. Rats in group 1 (control) were administered 10 mL⁄kg body weight distilled water (vehicle), group 2 received 60 mg/kg body weight sildenafil citrate (Viagra), while those in groups 3, 4, and 5 were given 300, 600, and 1,200 mg/kg body weight, respectively, of aqueous extract ofArctium lappaL. roots in the same volume. Female albino rats were made receptive by hormonal treatment. Sexual behavior parameters in male rats were monitored on days 3, 7 and 15 by pairing with receptive females (1:3). Male serum testosterone concentrations and potency were also determined.

Results

Oral administration ofArctium lappaL. roots extract at 600 and 1,200 mg/kg body weight significantly increased the frequencies of mount, intromission, and ejaculation frequency (p< 0.05). The latencies of mount and intromission were significantly reduced and ejaculation latency was prolonged. Administration of the extract also reduced the post-ejaculatory interval. The standard drug (Viagra) was more effective than the extract. The extract significantly increased the frequencies of all components of penile reflexes as well as serum testosterone levels, compared with the distilled water controls.

Conclusions

The results of this study demonstrate that aqueous extract ofArctium lappaL. roots enhances sexual behavior in male rats. The aphrodisiac effects of the plant extract may be related to the presence of flavonoids, saponins, lignans and alkaloids, acting via a multitude of central and peripheral mechanisms. These results thus support the traditional use ofArctium lappaL. root extract for treating impotence and sterility.
The association between socioeconomic status and traditional chinese medicine use among children in Taiwan
Authors: Shih Chun-Chuan , Liao Chien-Chang , Su Yi-Chang , Yeh Tsu F , Lin Jaung-Geng
Published: February 2012

Background

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilization is common in Asian countries. Limited studies are available on the socioeconomic status (SES) associated with TCM use among the pediatric population. We report on the association between SES and TCM use among children and adolescents in Taiwan.

Methods

A National Health Interview Survey was conducted in Taiwan in 2001 that included 5,971 children and adolescents. We assessed the children's SES using the head of household's education, occupation and income. This information was used to calculate pediatric SES scores, which in turn were divided into quartiles. Children and adolescents who visited TCM in the past month were defined as TCM users.

Results

Compared to children in the second SES quartile, children in the fourth SES quartile had a higher average number of TCM visits (0.12 vs. 0.06 visits, p = 0.027) and higher TCM use prevalence (5.0% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.024) within the past month. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for TCM use was higher for children in the fourth SES quartile than for those in the first SES quartile (OR 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.17). The corresponding OR was 2.17 for girls (95% CI 1.24-3.78). The highest-SES girls (aged 10-18 years) were most likely to visit TCM practices (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.25-4.90).

Conclusions

Children and adolescents with high SES were more likely to use TCM and especially girls aged 10-18 years. Our findings point to the high use of complementary and alternative medicine among children and adolescents.
Further results of the estimate of growth of entire solutions of some classes of algebraic differential equations
Authors: Jianming Qi , Yezhou Li , Wenjun Yuan
Published: February 2012

In this article, by means of the normal family theory we estimate the growth order of entire solutions of some algebraic differential equations and improve the related results of Bergweiler, Barsegian, and others. We also estimate the growth order of entire solutions of a type system of a special algebraic differential equations. We give some examples to show that our results are sharp in special cases.

Mathematica Subject Classification (2000): Primary 34A20; Secondary 30D35.
Development and validation of serum bilirubin nomogram to predict the absence of risk for severe hyperbilirubinaemia before discharge: a prospective, multicenter study
Authors: Romagnoli Costantino , Tiberi Eloisa , Barone Giovanni , Curtis Mario De , Regoli Daniela , Paolillo Piermichele , Picone Simonetta , Anania Stefano , Finocchi Maurizio , Cardiello Valentina , Giordano Lucia , Paolucci Valentina , Zecca Enrico
Published: February 2012

Background

Early discharge of healthy late preterm and full term newborn infants has become common practice because of the current social and economic necessities. Severe jaundice, and even kernicterus, has developed in some term infants discharged early. This study was designed to elaborate a percentile-based hour specific total serum bilirubin (TSB) nomogram and to assess its ability to predict the absence of risk for subsequent non physiologic severe hyperbilirubinaemia before discharge.

Methods

A percentile-based hour-specific nomogram for TSB values was performed using TSB data of 1708 healthy full term neonates. The nomogram's predictive ability was then prospectively assessed in five different first level neonatal units, using a single TSB value determined before discharge.

Results

The 75thpercentile of hour specific TSB nomogram allows to predict newborn babies without significant hyperbilirubinemia only after the first 72 hours of life. In the first 48 hours of life the observation of false negative results did not permit a safe discharge from the hospital.

Conclusion

The hour-specific TSB nomogram is able to predict all neonates without risk of non physiologic hyperbilirubinemia only after 48 to 72 hours of life. The combination of TSB determination and risk factors for hyperbilirubinemia could facilitate a safe discharge from the hospital and a targeted intervention and follow-up.
Age of blood and recipient factors determine the severity of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI)
Authors: Tung John-Paul , Fraser John F , Nataatmadja Maria , Colebourne Kathryn I , Barnett Adrian G , Glenister Kristen M , Zhou Anna Y , Wood Peter , Silliman Christopher C , Fung Yoke L
Published: February 2012

Introduction

Critical care patients frequently receive blood transfusions. Some reports show an association between aged or stored blood and increased morbidity and mortality, including the development of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). However, the existence of conflicting data endorses the need for research to either reject this association, or to confirm it and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Twenty-eight sheep were randomised into two groups, receiving saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Sheep were further randomised to also receive transfusion of pooled and heat-inactivated supernatant from fresh (Day 1) or stored (Day 42) non-leucoreduced human packed red blood cells (PRBC) or an infusion of saline. TRALI was defined by hypoxaemia during or within two hours of transfusion and histological evidence of pulmonary oedema. Regression modelling compared physiology between groups, and to a previous study, using stored platelet concentrates (PLT). Samples of the transfused blood products also underwent cytokine array and biochemical analyses, and their neutrophil priming ability was measured in vitro.

Results

TRALI did not develop in sheep that first received saline-infusion. In contrast, 80% of sheep that first received LPS-infusion developed TRALI following transfusion with "stored PRBC." The decreased mean arterial pressure and cardiac output as well as increased central venous pressure and body temperature were more severe for TRALI induced by "stored PRBC" than by "stored PLT." Storage-related accumulation of several factors was demonstrated in both "stored PRBC" and "stored PLT", and was associated with increased in vitro neutrophil priming. Concentrations of several factors were higher in the "stored PRBC" than in the "stored PLT," however, there was no difference to neutrophil priming in vitro.

Conclusions

In this in vivo ovine model, both recipient and blood product factors contributed to the development of TRALI. Sick (LPS infused) sheep rather than healthy (saline infused) sheep predominantly developed TRALI when transfused with supernatant from stored but not fresh PRBC. "Stored PRBC" induced a more severe injury than "stored PLT" and had a different storage lesion profile, suggesting that these outcomes may be associated with storage lesion factors unique to each blood product type. Therefore, the transfusion of fresh rather than stored PRBC may minimise the risk of TRALI.
Setting the bar: athletes and vulnerability to mental illness
Authors: Hughes Lynette , Leavey Gerard
Published: February 2012

Whereas physical sport activity is generally considered a health benefit, extreme exercise may be harmful. Of particular concern in this regard is the considerable variation between doctors in the primary care setting and those working within the sports setting around the diagnosis and treatment of athletes presenting with similar symptoms. Known risk factors for athletes are herein presented to raise awareness of the negative side of sport and to bring attention to the psychological outcomes and needs of athletes. The need for research into the incidence and aetiology of mental illness within elite level sport is also raised.
Current position of psychiatry in UK foundation schools
Authors: Lowe John , Rands Gianetta
Published: February 2012

Aims and method

We report an audit of the provision of psychiatric postgraduate education within the foundation programme and psychiatry specialty programmes in the UK. Our primary measure was the number of foundation posts in psychiatry. Our audit standard was that all foundation doctors should receive programmed training in psychiatry via a psychiatry foundation post.

Results

We found a total of 413 foundation posts in psychiatry in 21 out of 22 foundation schools in England. This figure is only a fifth of that required to meet the audit standard. There is training capacity for 500 core trainees and 460 higher trainees in psychiatry per year. Currently, 13.6% of specialists other than general practitioners on the General Medical Council registers are psychiatrists.

Clinical implications

The provision of programmed postgraduate training in psychiatry in UK foundation schools is inadequate. The training needs of all doctors, the mental healthcare needs of all patients, and recruitment to psychiatry are all likely to suffer as a consequence.
Patient-reported outcome measures v. clinician-measured outcomes in community psychiatric practice
Authors: Kodagalli Anil , Mynors-Wallis Laurence , Cope Denise , Ogollah Reuben , Immins Tikki
Published: February 2012

Aims and method

We examine the feasibility of the routine use of three patient-reported and one clinician-rated outcome measures (patient-identified problem, EuroQol-5D questionnaire, EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale and Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS)) in an out-patient community psychiatric service, and discuss the associations between these variables.

Results

The routine collection of outcome measures was feasible in the out-patient setting. There was a general improvement in the health status from the initial assessment to the first follow-up. Subsequent scores remained stable.

Clinical implications

The study encourages the practical use of scales in routine community psychiatric practice. As there was correlation between HoNOS and EQ-5D index, both need not be used in routine practice.
Psychiatry recruited you, but will it retain you? Survey of trainees' opinions
Authors: Barras Christina , Harris Jessica
Published: February 2012

Aims and method

To gather opinion from trainees across England about their current experiences and future career plans. This was done via an internet-based survey.

Results

Out of the 359 responses we received, 65.8% of trainees planned to stay in psychiatry until retirement. Trainees felt several issues were problematic, including the attitude of other specialties towards psychiatry, perceived substandard treatment of psychiatric patients by other specialties and implications of New Ways of Working.

Clinical implications

Despite there being many areas of training respondents were happy with, if attrition is to be minimised, issues such as how psychiatric trainees integrate with the other medical specialties and how the role of doctors in the specialty is perceived need to be addressed.
Selecting staff for a personality disorder service: report from the field
Authors: Lee Tennyson , Ellingford Claire , Blackburn Samantha , Bishop Elizabeth , Ragiadakos Nikolas , Elcock Patricia , Bhui Kamaldeep
Published: February 2012

Aims and method

To select staff for a personality disorder service by exposing applicants to anticipated challenges. Applicants took part in a role play, an unstructured group with fellow applicants and numbers of the interviewing panel, and a panel interview. A service user representative was involved from the initial planning stage.

Results

Multiple assessment methods enabled fine discrimination between applicants. Appointed staff said they felt the interviews were a valid test of required skills and have been well regarded by patients in the programme.

Clinical implications

Selecting staff for a personality disorder service benefits from using multiple interview methods. The service user representative and role-play actor can contribute crucially by representing the patient's perspective. Key domains to assess include the applicant's psychological qualities, psychiatric skills and ability to work in a team.
A Spin-carrying Naphthalenediimide Derivative with Azobenzene Unit
Authors: Nakagawa Miki , Akutsu Hiroki , Yamada Jun-ichi , Karakawa Makoto , Aso Yoshio , Fall Sadiara , Heiser Thomas , Nakatsuji Shin’ichi
Published: February 2012

A naphthalenediimide derivative 3a carrying TEMPO radical and azobenzene substituent was found to show photoresponsive magnetic as well as FET properties upon illumination. The alteration of its mobility has also been demonstrated by applying magnetic field and hence the FET characteristics of 3a have been proven to be photo- as well as magneto-responsive.
Change in the Morphology of the Terrace Edges on Graphite Surfaces by Electrochemical Reduction
Authors: Kubota Shosei , Yonezawa Tetsu , Nagahama Taro , Shimada Toshihiro
Published: February 2012

We found that graphite surfaces can be etched by electrochemical reduction in sulfuric acid. Terraces with straight edges crossing with 60°-multiple angles were found on surfaces by AFM observation. It suggests that crystallographic edges can be formed at room temperature in a controlled manner. Layer-by-layer etching of graphene sheets was possible by tuning the etching condition.
Fraternities and Labor-Market Outcomes
Authors: Popov Sergey V , Bernhardt Dan
Published: February 2012

We model how student choices to rush a fraternity, and fraternity admission choices, interact with signals firms receive about student productivities to determine labor-market outcomes. The fraternity and students value wages and fraternity socializing values. We provide sufficient conditions under which, in equilibrium, most members have intermediate abilities: weak students apply, but are rejected unless they have high socializing values, while most able students do not apply to avoid taint from association with weaker members. (JEL C72, J24, J31, Z13)
Diverging Opinions
Authors: Andreoni James , Mylovanov Tymofiy
Published: February 2012

People often see the same evidence but draw opposite conclusions, becoming polarized over time. More surprisingly, disagreements persist even when they are commonly known. We derive a model and present an experiment showing that opinions can diverge when one-dimensional opinions are formed from two-dimensional information. When subjects are given sufficient information to reach agreement, however, disagreement persists. Subjects discount information when it is filtered through the actions of others, but not when it is presented directly, indicating that common knowledge of disagreement may be the result of excessive skepticism about the decision-making skills of others. (JEL C92, D82, D83)
The Effect of Health Insurance Coverage on the Use of Medical Services
Authors: Anderson Michael , Dobkin Carlos , Gross Tal
Published: February 2012

Substantial uncertainty exists regarding the causal effect of health insurance on the utilization of care. We exploit a sharp change in insurance coverage rates that results from young adults “aging out” of their parents' insurance plans to estimate the effect of insurance coverage on the utilization of emergency department (ED) and inpatient services. Aging out results in an abrupt 5 to 8 percentage point reduction in the probability of having health insurance. We find that uninsured status leads to a 40 percent reduction in ED visits and a 61 percent reduction in inpatient hospital admissions. (JEL G22, I11, I18)
The influence of food restriction versus ad libitum feeding of chow and purified diets on variation in body weight, growth and physiology of female Wistar rats
Authors: Moraal M , Leenaars P P A M , Arnts H , Smeets K , Savenije B S , Curfs J H A J , Ritskes-Hoitinga M
Published: February 2012

Ad libitum (AL) supply of standard chow is the feeding method most often used for rodents in animal experiments. However, AL feeding is known to result in a shorter lifespan and decreased health as compared with restricted feeding. Restricted feeding and thus limiting calorie intake prevents many health problems, increases lifespan and can also increase group uniformity. All this leads to a reduced number of animals needed. So-called standard chows are known to be prone to variation in composition. Synthetic foods have a more standard composition, contributing to group uniformity which, like diet reduction, may decrease the number of animals necessary to obtain statistical significance. In this study, we compared the effects of AL versus restricted feeding (25% reduction in food intake) on standard chow versus synthetic food of three different suppliers on body weight (BW), growth, several blood parameters and organ weights in growing female Wistar rats over a period of 61 days. Diet restriction led to a decreased growth and significantly reduced variation in BW and growth as compared with AL feeding. AL feeding on synthetic diets caused a significantly higher BW gain than on chow diets. Due to experimental design, this same effect occurred on food restriction. Blood parameters and organ weights were affected neither by diet type nor by amount. Incidentally, variations were significantly reduced on food restriction versus AL, and on synthetic diets versus chow diets. This study demonstrates that food restriction versus AL feeding leads to a significantly reduced variation in BW and growth, thereby indicating the potential for reduction when applying this feeding schedule.
Increased Excitability of Somatosensory Cortex in Aged Humans is Associated with Impaired Tactile Acuity
Authors: Lenz Melanie , Tegenthoff Martin , Kohlhaas Karsten , Stude Philipp , Höffken Oliver , Gatica Tossi Mario A. , Kalisch Tobias , Dinse Hubert R.
Published: February 2012

Aging affects all levels of neural processing, including changes of intracortical inhibition and cortical excitability. Paired-pulse stimulation, the application of two stimuli in close succession, is a useful tool to investigate cortical excitability in humans. The paired-pulse behavior is characterized by the second response being significantly suppressed at short stimulus onset asynchronies. While in rat somatosensory cortex, intracortical inhibition has been demonstrated to decline with increasing age, data from human motor cortex of elderly subjects are controversial and there are no data for the human somatosensory cortex (SI). Moreover, behavioral implications of age-related changes of cortical excitability remain elusive. We therefore assessed SI excitability by combining paired-pulse median nerve stimulation with recording somatosensory evoked potentials in 138 healthy subjects aged 17–86 years. We found that paired-pulse suppression was characterized by substantial interindividual variability, but declined significantly with age, confirming reduced intracortical inhibition in elderly subjects. To link the age-related increase of cortical excitability to perceptual changes, we measured tactile two-point discrimination in a subsample of 26 aged participants who showed either low or high paired-pulse suppression. We found that tactile performance was particularly impaired in subjects showing markedly enhanced cortical excitability. Our data demonstrate that paired-pulse suppression of human SI is significantly reduced in older adults, and that age-related enhancement of cortical excitability correlates with degradation of tactile perception. These findings indicate that cortical excitability constitutes an important mechanism that links age-related neurophysiological changes to behavioral alterations in humans.
The Loop Diuretic Bumetanide Blocks Posttraumatic p75NTRUpregulation and Rescues Injured Neurons
Authors: Shulga Anastasia , Magalhães Ana Cathia , Autio Henri , Plantman Stefan , di Lieto Antonio , Nykjær Anders , Carlstedt Thomas , Risling Mårten , Arumäe Urmas , Castrén Eero , Rivera Claudio
Published: February 2012

Injured neurons become dependent on trophic factors for survival. However, application of trophic factors to the site of injury is technically extremely challenging. Novel approaches are needed to circumvent this problem. Here, we unravel the mechanism of the emergence of dependency of injured neurons on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) for survival. Based on this mechanism, we propose the use of the diuretic bumetanide to prevent the requirement for BDNF and consequent neuronal death in the injured areas. Responses to the neurotransmitter GABA change from hyperpolarizing in intact neurons to depolarizing in injured neurons. We showin vivoin rats andex vivoin mouse organotypic slice cultures that posttraumatic GABAA-mediated depolarization is a cause for the well known phenomenon of pathological upregulation of pan-neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. The increase in intracellular Ca2+triggered by GABA-mediated depolarization activates ROCK (Rho kinase), which in turn leads to the upregulation of p75NTR. We further show that high levels of p75NTRand its interaction with sortilin and proNGF set the dependency on BDNF for survival. Thus, application of bumetanide prevents p75NTRupregulation and neuronal death in the injured areas with reduced levels of endogenous BDNF.
Novel GαS-Protein Signaling Associated with Membrane-Tethered Amyloid Precursor Protein Intracellular Domain
Authors: Deyts Carole , Vetrivel Kulandaivelu S. , Das Shibandri , Shepherd Yumiko M. , Dupré Denis J. , Thinakaran Gopal , Parent Angèle T.
Published: February 2012

Numerous physiological functions, including a role as a cell surface receptor, have been ascribed to Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid precursor protein (APP). However, detailed analysis of intracellular signaling mediated by APP in neurons has been lacking. Here, we characterized intrinsic signaling associated with membrane-bound APP C-terminal fragments, which are generated following APP ectodomain release by α- or β-secretase cleavage. We found that accumulation of APP C-terminal fragments or expression of membrane-tethered APP intracellular domain results in adenylate cyclase-dependent activation of PKA (protein kinase A) and inhibition of GSK3β signaling cascades, and enhancement of axodendritic arborization in rat immortalized hippocampal neurons, mouse primary cortical neurons, and mouse neuroblastoma. We discovered an interaction between BBXXB motif of APP intracellular domain and the heterotrimeric G-protein subunit GαS, and demonstrate that GαScoupling to adenylate cyclase mediates membrane-tethered APP intracellular domain-induced neurite outgrowth. Our study provides clear evidence that APP intracellular domain can have a nontranscriptional role in regulating neurite outgrowth through its membrane association. The novel functional coupling of membrane-bound APP C-terminal fragments with GαSsignaling identified in this study could impact several brain functions such as synaptic plasticity and memory formation.
Generation of Multiple Classes of V0 Neurons in Zebrafish Spinal Cord: Progenitor Heterogeneity and Temporal Control of Neuronal Diversity
Authors: Satou Chie , Kimura Yukiko , Higashijima Shin-ichi
Published: February 2012

The developing spinal cord is subdivided into distinct progenitor domains, each of which gives rise to different types of neurons. However, the developmental mechanisms responsible for generating neuronal diversity within a domain are not well understood. Here, we have studied zebrafish V0 neurons, those that derive from the p0 progenitor domain, to address this question. We find that all V0 neurons have commissural axons, but they can be divided into excitatory and inhibitory classes. V0 excitatory neurons (V0-e) can be further categorized into three groups based on their axonal trajectories; V0-eA (ascending), V0-eB (bifurcating), and V0-eD (descending) neurons. By using time-lapse imaging of p0 progenitors and their progeny, we show that inhibitory and excitatory neurons are produced from different progenitors. We also demonstrate that V0-eA neurons are produced from distinct progenitors, while V0-eB and V0-eD neurons are produced from common progenitors. We then use birth-date analysis to reveal that V0-eA, V0-eB, and V0-eD neurons arise in this order. By perturbing Notch signaling and accelerating neuronal differentiation, we predictably alter the generation of early born V0-e neurons at the expense of later born ones. These results suggest that multiple types of V0 neurons are produced by two distinct mechanisms; from heterogeneous p0 progenitors and from the same p0 progenitor, but in a time-dependent manner.
Californian Musicology
Authors: Guin Elisabeth Le , Cayward Margaret
Published: February 2012

Craig Russell's book makes important contributions to the study of European music as it was brought to, implemented in, and shaped by the mission communities of Alta California. This field of inquiry by its nature questions received notions of musical historiography, especially as it pertains to the relationship of documentary and ethnographic evidence. Documents are sparse at best for much of this music, and those that survive represent the musical traditions of the Spanish colonizers. In disciplinary terms, this translates into an interrogation of the relationship between musicology and ethnomusicology.

The authors, each representing one of these two fields, present a dialogue between the text under review and other existing work on California mission music and on the ethics and epistemology of postcolonial musicology. Further questions are duly raised about how Russell handles the great complexity of the mission situation, as regards colonial power relations, the applicability (or lack thereof) of Eurocentric historicity, and the delicate matter of representing the viewpoint of the California Indians involved in musical negotiations of culture under the mission system.
Inferring Coancestry in Population Samples in the Presence of Linkage Disequilibrium
Authors: Brown M D , Glazner C G , Zheng C , Thompson E A
Published: February 2012

In both pedigree linkage studies and in population-based association studies there has been much interest in the use of modern dense genetic marker data to infer segments of gene identity by descent (ibd) among individuals not known to be related, to increase power and resolution in localizing genes affecting complex traits. In this article, we present a hidden Markov model (HMM) for ibd among a set of chromosomes and describe methods and software for inference of ibd among the four chromosomes of pairs of individuals, using either phased (haplotypic) or unphased (genotypic) data. The model allows for missing data and typing error, but does not model linkage disequilibrium (LD), because fitting an accurate LD model requires large samples from well-studied populations. However, LD remains a major confounding factor, since LD is itself a reflection of coancestry at the population level. To study the impact of LD, we have developed a novel simulation approach to generate realistic dense marker data for the same set of markers but at varying levels of LD. Using this approach, we present results of a study of the impact of LD on the sensitivity and specificity of our HMM model in estimating segments of ibd among sets of four chromosomes and between genotype pairs. We show that, despite not incorporating LD, our model has been quite successful in detecting segments as small as 106 bp (1 Mpb); we present also comparisons with fastIBD which uses an LD model in estimating ibd.