bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Involvement of Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction in the Cytoprotective and Immunomodulatory Activities ofViola patriniiin Murine Hippocampal and Microglia Cells
Authors: Li Bin , Lee Dong-Sung , Choi Hyun-Gyu , Kim Kyoung-Su , Jeong Gil-Saeng , An Ren Bo , Kim Youn-Chul
Published: March 2012

A number of diseases that lead to injury of the central nervous system are caused by oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. In this study, NNMBS275, consisting of the ethanol extract ofViola patrinii, showed potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity in murine hippocampal HT22 cells and BV2 microglia. NNMBS275 increased cellular resistance to oxidative injury caused by glutamate-induced neurotoxicity and reactive oxygen species generation in HT22 cells. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effects of NNMBS275 were demonstrated by the suppression of proinflammatory mediators, including proinflammatory enzymes (inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-αand interleukin-1β). Furthermore, we found that the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of NNMBS275 were linked to the upregulation of nuclear transcription factor-E2-related factor 2-dependent expression of heme oxygenase-1 in HT22 and BV2 cells. These results suggest that NNMBS275 possesses therapeutic potential against neurodegenerative diseases that are induced by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.
Memory Complaints Associated with Seeking Clinical Care
Authors: Pires Carolina , Silva Dina , Maroco João , Ginó Sandra , Mendes Tiago , Schmand Ben A. , Guerreiro Manuela , de Mendonça Alexandre
Published: March 2012

Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment relies on the presence of memory complaints. However, memory complaints are very frequent in healthy people. The objective of this study was to determine the severity and type of memory difficulties presented by elderly patients who seek for clinical help, as compared to the memory difficulties reported by subjects in the community. Assessment of subjective memory complaints was done with the subjective memory complaints scale (SMC). The mini-mental state examination was used for general cognitive evaluation and the geriatric depression scale for the assessment of depressive symptoms. Eight-hundred and seventy-one nondemented subjects older than 50 years were included. Participants in the clinical setting had a higher total SMC score (10.3±4.2) than those in the community (5.1±3.0). Item 3 of the SMC,Do you ever forget names of family members or friends?contributed significantly more to the variance of the total SMC score in the clinical sample (18%) as compared to the community sample (11%). Forgetting names of family members or friends plays an important role in subjective memory complaints in the clinical setting. This symptom is possibly perceived as particularly worrisome and likely drives people to seek for clinical help.
A Novel Tankyrase Inhibitor Decreases Canonical Wnt Signaling in Colon Carcinoma Cells and Reduces Tumor Growth in Conditional APC Mutant Mice
Authors: Waaler Jo , Machon Ondrej , Tumova Lucie , Dinh Huyen , Korinek Vladimir , Wilson Steven Ray , Paulsen Jan Erik , Pedersen Nina Marie , Eide Tor J. , Machonova Olga , Gradl Dietmar , Voronkov Andrey , von Kries Jens Peter , Krauss Stefan
Published: March 2012

Increased nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, a mediator of canonical Wnt signaling, is found in numerous tumors and is frequently associated with tumor progression and metastasis. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling therefore is an attractive strategy for anticancer drugs. In this study, we have identified a novel small molecule inhibitor of the β-catenin signaling pathway, JW55, that functions via inhibition of the PARP domain of tankyrase 1 and tankyrase 2 (TNKS1/2), regulators of the β-catenin destruction complex. Inhibition of TNKS1/2 poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity by JW55 led to stabilization of AXIN2, a member of the β-catenin destruction complex, followed by increased degradation of β-catenin. In a dose-dependent manner, JW55 inhibited canonical Wnt signaling in colon carcinoma cells that contained mutations in either the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) locus or in an allele of β-catenin. In addition, JW55 reduced XWnt8-induced axis duplication in Xenopus embryos and tamoxifen-induced polyposis formation in conditional APC mutant mice. Together, our findings provide a novel chemotype for targeting canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling through inhibiting the PARP domain of TNKS1/2. Cancer Res; 72(11); 2822–32. ©2012 AACR.
Hypoxia-Induced Autophagy Promotes Tumor Cell Survival and Adaptation to Antiangiogenic Treatment in Glioblastoma
Authors: Hu Yu-Long , DeLay Michael , Jahangiri Arman , Molinaro Annette M. , Rose Samuel D. , Carbonell W. Shawn , Aghi Manish K.
Published: March 2012

Antiangiogenic therapy leads to devascularization that limits tumor growth. However, the benefits of angiogenesis inhibitors are typically transient and resistance often develops. In this study, we explored the hypothesis that hypoxia caused by antiangiogenic therapy induces tumor cell autophagy as a cytoprotective adaptive response, thereby promoting treatment resistance. Hypoxia-induced autophagy was dependent on signaling through the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/AMPK pathway, and treatment of hypoxic cells with autophagy inhibitors caused a shift from autophagic to apoptotic cell death in vitro. In glioblastomas, clinically resistant to the VEGF-neutralizing antibody bevacizumab, increased regions of hypoxia and higher levels of autophagy-mediating BNIP3 were found when compared with pretreatment specimens from the same patients. When treated with bevacizumab alone, human glioblastoma xenografts showed increased BNIP3 expression and hypoxia-associated growth, which could be prevented by addition of the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine. In vivo targeting of the essential autophagy gene ATG7 also disrupted tumor growth when combined with bevacizumab treatment. Together, our findings elucidate a novel mechanism of resistance to antiangiogenic therapy in which hypoxia-mediated autophagy promotes tumor cell survival. One strong implication of our findings is that autophagy inhibitors may help prevent resistance to antiangiogenic therapy used in the clinic. Cancer Res; 72(7); 1773–83. ©2012 AACR.
Clinical Context and Mechanism of Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation in Patients With and Without Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Topilsky Yan , Khanna Amber , Le Tourneau Thierry , Park Soon , Michelena Hector , Suri Rakesh , Mahoney Douglas W. , Enriquez-Sarano Maurice
Published: March 2012

Background—

Functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) with structurally normal valve is of poorly defined mechanisms. Prevalence and clinical context of idiopathic FTR (Id-FTR) (without overt TR cause) are unknown.

Methods and Results—

To investigate prevalence, clinical context, and mechanisms specific to FTR types, Id-FTR versus pulmonary hypertension-related (PHTN-FTR, systolic pulmonary pressure ≥50 mm Hg), we analyzed 1161 patients with prospectively quantified TR. Id-FTR (prevalence 12%) was associated with aging and atrial fibrillation. For mechanistic purposes, we measured valvular and right ventricular (RV) remodeling in 141 Id-FTR matched to 140 PHTN-FTR and to 99 controls with trivial TR for age, sex, atrial fibrillation, and ejection fraction. PHTN-FTR and Id-FTR were also matched for TR effective-regurgitant-orifice (ERO). Id-FTR valvular alterations (versus controls) were largest annular area (3.53±0.6 versus 2.74±0.4 cm
2
,
P
<0.0001) and lowest valvular/annular coverage ratio (1.06±0.1 versus 1.45±0.2,
P
<0.0001) but normal valve tenting height. PHTN-FTR had mild annular enlargement but excessive valve tenting height (0.8±0.3 versus 0.35±0.1 cm,
P
<0.0001). Valvular changes were linked to specific RV changes, largest basal dilatation, and normal length (RV conical deformation) in Id-FTR versus longest RV with elliptical/spherical deformation in PHTN-FTR. With increasing FTR severity (ERO ≥40 mm
2
), changes specific to each FTR type were accentuated, and RV function (index of myocardial performance) was consistently reduced.

Conclusions—

Id-FTR is frequent, linked to aging and atrial fibrillation, can be severe, and is of unique mechanism. In Id-FTR, excess annular and RV-basal enlargement exhausts valvular/annular coverage reserve, and RV conical deformation does not cause notable valvular tenting. Conversely, PHTN-FTR is determined by valvular tethering with tenting linked to RV elongation and elliptical/spherical deformation. These specific FTR-mechanisms may be important in considering surgical correction in FTR.
Describing Description (and Keeping Causality): The Case of Academic Articles on Food and Eating
Authors: Uprichard Emma
Published: March 2012

Recently, Savage and Burrows argued that there is an ‘empirical crisis’ in sociology. They concluded that sociologists should abandon a focus on causality for descriptions that ‘link narrative, numbers, and images’. This article takes up their challenge by using Wordle to depict the changing focus in academic articles on food and eating since 1950. Using this illustrative example, it is argued that their call to abandon causality is problematic for three reasons. First, interpreting description necessarily depends on a causal framework. Second, since description becomes part of a mode of production in which context and meaning are inscribed, the question is not whether to reject causality in favour of description, but rather what kinds of description help to explore causality. Third, going beyond description is ethically advantageous for a critical sociological programme. The article concludes that, contrary to Savage and Burrows, description and causality go hand in hand.
Benefiting From Alliance Portfolio Diversity
Authors: Wuyts Stefan , Dutta Shantanu
Published: March 2012

The perspective in alliance research has shifted from the individual dyad to alliance portfolios; a key descriptor of a firm’s alliance portfolio is diversity. Focusing on firms that are confronted with emerging technological fields, the authors examine the consequences of their alliance portfolio’s technological diversity on superior product innovation. The literature has not been conclusive about the consequences of portfolio diversity. The authors examine the nature of the effect of portfolio diversity on superior product innovation and follow up on the call for a contingency perspective—as not all firms benefit equally from portfolio diversity. The contingency perspective is based on the assertion that a firm’s past strategies in internal knowledge creation are a source of experiences that increase the firm’s capability to leverage extramural knowledge. Theoretically, the study thus contributes to the absorptive capacity literature that has recently acknowledged the importance of such higher-order internal capabilities. By identifying concrete dimensions of internal knowledge creation that enable firms to benefit from portfolio diversity, actionable recommendations are derived on how to align internal knowledge creation with external knowledge sourcing. The empirical support in the biopharmaceutical industry corroborates the developed theory and serves as a warning signal for firms that are ill prepared to leverage a diverse alliance portfolio.
Endoscopic Surgery for Fronto‐Ethmoidal Mucoceles
Authors: Dhepnorrarat Rataphol Chris , Subramaniam Somasundaram , Sethi Dharmbir Singh
Published: March 2012

Objective

To add to the existing knowledge of endoscopic surgery for fronto‐ethmoidal mucoceles and to determine factors that influence the outcomes of endoscopic surgery.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

University adult tertiary care institution.

Subjects and Methods

A database of patients treated surgically for mucoceles of the paranasal sinus has been kept by the senior author since 1995. It was used to identify those who have had endoscopic surgery for fronto‐ethmoidal mucoceles from 1995 to 2010. All adult patients with 6 months or more of follow‐up were included. The database was reviewed and assessed for variables that may affect outcome after surgery.

Results

Forty patients underwent 44 endoscopic procedures for treatment of fronto‐ethmoidal mucoceles and the complications of surgery. The mean age was 46.3 years, and mean follow‐up time was 74.9 months. Two patients had a history of head trauma. A total of 28 Draf IIa procedures, 13 Draf IIb, and 3 Draf III procedures were performed. Three patients had combined open approaches. Two patients had bilateral surgery, and 2 patients required revision surgery: 1 for restenosis after a Draf IIa procedure (1/28) and 1 for disease recurrence. Stenosis was found in a further 3 patients who had Draf IIb surgery (3/13).

Conclusion

The current series represents one of the largest for the endoscopic management of fronto‐ethmoidal mucoceles. Endoscopic approaches are suitable for most mucoceles. The most common complication, restenosis of the frontal recess, was more likely following Draf IIb procedures (23%) than Draf IIa (3.6%) procedures.
Job Polarization in Europe? Changes in the Employment Structure and Job Quality, 1995-2007
Authors: Fernández-Macías Enrique
Published: March 2012

In recent years, a number of academic papers have argued that over the last couple of decades, technical change has had a polarizing impact on the employment structure of advanced capitalist economies with a relative expansion of jobs occupying the top and bottom of the wage/skills hierarchy and the middle shrinking. In this article, we present alternative evidence on the nature of change in European employment structures between 1995 and 2007, arguing that rather than a pervasive process of polarization there was a plurality of patterns of structural employment change across Europe. The broader theoretical implications of such findings are discussed.
The Role of the Planning Scholar
Authors: Siemiatycki Matti
Published: March 2012

While a recurring theme in planning scholarship has been to characterize the role of the planning practitioner in society, less attention has focused on the evolving role of the planning scholar. This paper provides planning researchers with a framework to identify the scholarly roles that they have assumed when carrying out research and to understand the implications associated with their decisions. In particular, it shows how the different roles that planning scholars adopt are intricately linked with the goals, epistemologies, audience, sources of conflict, and potential impact of their research.
A Review of Pediatric Palliative Care Service Utilization in Children With a Progressive Neuromuscular Disease Who Died on a Palliative Care Program
Authors: Ho Charles , Straatman Lynn
Published: March 2012

Recent studies and consensus statements have expressed the need to involve palliative care services in the care of children with progressive neuromuscular diseases (PMD), yet there have been no reviews of the utilization of palliative care services by children who died on a palliative care program. We conducted a retrospective chart review of all children who had a PMD who died on a single-center palliative care program. Twenty cases were identified. Services utilized by these patients included respite care, transition services, pain and symptom management, and end-of-life care. Prominent symptoms in the last 24 hours of life included respiratory distress, pain, nausea/vomiting, and anxiety; however, symptom management was very good. Utilization of services differed depending on the disease trajectory, with respite playing a critical role in the care of children with PMD. Good symptom management can be achieved.
Bifurcation control for a parametrically excited cantilever beam by linear feedback
Authors: Yabuno Hiroshi , Hasegawa Masahiko , Ohkuma Manami
Published: March 2012

In this article, we propose a bifurcation control method for a parametrically excited cantilever beam by linear feedback. Quadratic damping plays a dominant role in the nonlinear response of the parametrically excited cantilever beam, and two transcritical bifurcations can exist in the frequency–response curve. In the relatively high-amplitude excitation or in sweeping the excitation amplitude, there are two saddle-node bifurcations in addition to the transcritical bifurcations. The discontinuous bifurcation as a saddle-node bifurcation induces jumping phenomena in the sweeps of the excitation amplitude and the excitation frequency. In this article, we focus on the case of the excitation amplitude sweep and propose a control method to avoid the jumping phenomena by bifurcation control, i.e. by shifting the bifurcation set based on the linear feedback. The validity of the control method is experimentally confirmed using a simple apparatus.
Evaluating the Effects of Child Savings Accounts Program Participation on Parental Well-Being
Authors: Okech David
Published: March 2012

Objectives: Using baseline and second wave data, the study evaluated the impact of child savings accounts participation on parenting stress, personal mastery, and economic strain with N = 381 lower income parents who decided to join and those who did not join in a child development savings account program. Methods: Structural equation modeling for multiple group and time models was performed. Results: The degree of parenting stress at the first measurement occasion ( M = 2.02, standard deviation [ SD] = 0.34) was significantly different, Δχ2(2, n = 381) = 28.30, p <.001, (at the .017 level; Bonferroni correction) from the second measurement occasion ( M = 1.93, SD = 0.34); however, the effect size was in the small-to-medium range ( d = .25). Conclusions: Participation in such programs does not negatively affect the well-being of parents. Implications are directed toward practice, policy, and research.
Viva la Nano-Revolución! A Semantic Analysis of the Spanish National Press
Authors: Veltri Giuseppe A.
Published: March 2012

This study analyzes nanotechnology’s anchoring and codification in the Spanish national press to determine the thematic contexts in which this technology has been discussed. Latent semantic analysis was applied to identify themes based on semantic clusters and their longitudinal evolution. This analysis was carried out on a corpus of more than 600 articles from the most prominent Spanish national newspapers and includes articles from 1997 to 2009. Findings indicate an overall positive coverage and dominant thematic clusters related to national policies, economic development, and business opportunities. Surprisingly, controversies surrounding nanotechnology are present in the early years of coverage but have become marginal over time, in contradiction to a general trend that emerged from previous studies on media representations of new technologies.
Evaluating Organizational Collaborations
Authors: Woodland Rebecca H. , Hutton Michael S.
Published: March 2012

Collaboration is a widely utilized strategy for addressing complex social issues and for facilitating organizational innovation and performance. Evaluators are uniquely positioned to empirically examine the development and effects of interagency and interprofessional collaboration. In this article, the authors present the Collaboration Evaluation and Improvement Framework (CEIF), an extension of earlier work in collaboration theory development. The CEIF identifies five points of entry to evaluating collaborations and suggests actions that evaluators can take to (a) define and describe the evaluand of collaboration, (b) measure the attributes of organizational collaboration over time, and (c) increase stakeholder capacity to engage in efficient and effective collaborative practices. Use of the CEIF to operationalize and assess the construct of collaboration can enable the evaluator to ascertain how collaborative efforts correlate with indicators of organizational impact and outcomes.
Twin Deficits or Distant Cousins? Evidence from India1
Authors: Ratha Artatrana
Published: March 2012

The twin-deficits theory has intrigued economists and policy-makers alike for the past few decades. In a Keynesian economy, budget deficit increases the absorption of the economy, causes import expansions, and thereby, worsens the trade deficit. It also causes domestic interest rates to rise, domestic currency to appreciate, and thereby, contributes to trade deficits. However, according to the Ricardian Equivalence Hypothesis (REH), rising budget deficits imply higher future tax liabilities so people would save more and consume less. As a result, an inter-temporal shift between taxes and budget deficits would have no impact on the real interest, or the trade deficit. Thus, the issue of whether the twin-deficits phenomenon holds becomes more of an empirical question, and the recent fiscal expansions to curb recession makes it timely to revisit the phenomenon, especially for the developing countries confronting both the deficits on a chronic basis. To this end, we make a case study of India, using the bounds- testing approach to cointegration and error-correction modelling on monthly and quarterly data over 1998–2009. Our results suggest that the twin-deficits theory holds for India in the short-run (validating the Keynesian channel) but not in the long-run (validating the REH).

JEL: F32, H62
Financial Liberalization, Savings and the Banking Sector in Bangladesh
Authors: Murshed Syed Mansoob , Robin Iftekhar Ahmed
Published: March 2012

This article explores the consequences of financial liberalization policy on the banking sector in Bangladesh. Following a motivating portfolio selection theor-etical model on the impact of liberalization, it applies time series techniques with annual banking sector data for the period 1981–2008. The study suggests that the main objective of financial liberalization to promote domestic private savings by raising real interest rates has not worked. No significant positive correlation is observed between domestic private savings and the real deposit interest rate.

JEL: E21, E44, E42, C22
Paediatric Pain Management: Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Authors: Evans Subhadra , Tsao Jennie C.I. , Zeltzer Lonnie K.
Published: March 2012

• Children undergo acute painful procedures and many also experience chronic pain. • Due to their developing systems, infants and children may be at greater risk than adults for protracted pain sensitivity. • There is a need to manage acute and chronic paediatric pain to reduce children's suffering and to prevent future pain problems. • Consistent with a biopsychosocial perspective, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) should be considered in management of acute and chronic paediatric pain. • Although research is limited for paediatric pain, CAM interventions receiving the most empirical attention include hypnotherapy, acupuncture and music therapy. Evidence also exists for the therapeutic benefits of yoga, massage, humor therapy and the use of certain biological based therapies.
Post Surgical Pain- The Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain
Authors: Neil Michael JE , Macrae William A
Published: March 2012

• Chronic pain after surgery is common. • Surgery is widely performed therefore the at risk population is large. • The mechanisms of chronic pain after surgery are complex. • There are many risk factors associated with onset of chronic post-surgical pain: demographic, genetic and medical. • Unnecessary and inappropriate surgery should be avoided.
Proteomic analysis of effluents from perfused human heart for transplantation: identification of potential biomarkers for ischemic heart damage
Authors: Li Hong , Li Jiyuan , Wang Ying , Yang Tiande
Published: March 2012

Background

Biomarkers released from the heart at early stage of ischemia are very important to diagnosis of ischemic heart disease and salvage myocytes from death. Known specific markers for blood tests including CK-MB, cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) are released after the onset of significant necrosis instead of early ischemia. Thus, they are not good biomarkers to diagnose myocardial injury before necrosis happens. Therefore, in this study, we performed proteomic analysis on effluents from perfused human hearts of donors at different ischemic time.

Results

After global ischemia for 0 min, 30 min and 60 min at 4°C, effluents from five perfused hearts were analyzed respectively, by High performance liquid chromatography-Chip-Mass spectrometry (HPLC-Chip-MS) system. Total 196 highly reliable proteins were identified. 107 proteins were identified at the beginning of ischemia, 174 and 175 proteins at ischemic 30 min and ischemic 60 min, respectively. With the exception of cardiac troponin I and T, all known biomarkers for myocardial ischemia were detected in our study. However, there were four glycolytic enzymes and two targets of matrix metalloproteinase released significantly from the heart when ischemic time was increasing. These proteins were L-lactate dehydrogenase B(LDHB), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI), phosphoglycerate mutase 2 (PGAM2), gelsolin and isoform 8 of titin. PGAM2, LDHB and titin were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays kits. The mean concentrations of LDHB and PGAM2 in samples showed an increasing trend when ischemic time was extending. In addition, 33% identified proteins are involved in metabolism. Protein to protein interaction network analysis showed glycolytic enzymes, such as isoform alpha-enolase of alpha-enolase, isoform 1 of triosephosphate isomerase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, had more connections than other proteins in myocardial metabolism during ischemia.

Conclusion

It is the first time to use effluents of human perfused heart to study the proteins released during myocardial ischemia by HPLC-Chip-MS system. There might be many potential biomarkers for mild ischemic injury in myocardium, especially isoform 8 of titin and M-type of PGAM2 that are more specific in the cardiac tissue than in the others. Furthermore, glycolysis is one of the important conversions during early ischemia in myocardium. This finding may provide new insight into pathology and biology of myocardial ischemia, and potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers.
Remotely sensed image retrieval based on region-level semantic mining
Authors: Liu Tingting , Zhang Liangpei , Li Pingxiang , Lin Hui
Published: March 2012

As satellite images are widely used in a large number of applications in recent years, content-based image retrieval technique has become important tools for image exploration and information mining; however, their performances are limited by the semantic gap between low-level features and high-level concepts. To narrow this semantic gap, a region-level semantic mining approach is proposed in this article. Because it is easier for users to understand image content by region, images are segmented into several parts using an improved segmentation algorithm, each with homogeneous spectral and textural characteristics, and then a uniform region-based representation for each image is built. Once the probabilistic relationship among image, region, and hidden semantic is constructed, the Expectation Maximization method can be applied to mine the hidden semantic. We implement this approach on a dataset consisting of thousands of satellite images and obtain a high retrieval precision, as demonstrated through experiments.
Evaluation of limited blood sampling population input approaches for kinetic quantification of [18F]fluorothymidine PET data
Authors: Contractor Kaiyumars B , Kenny Laura M , Coombes Charles R , Turkheimer Federico E , Aboagye Eric O , Rosso Lula
Published: March 2012

Background

Quantification of kinetic parameters of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents normally requires collecting arterial blood samples which is inconvenient for patients and difficult to implement in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a population-based input function (POP-IF) reliant on only a few individual discrete samples allows accurate estimates of tumour proliferation using [18F]fluorothymidine (FLT).

Methods

Thirty-six historical FLT-PET data with concurrent arterial sampling were available for this study. A population average of baseline scans blood data was constructed using leave-one-out cross-validation for each scan and used in conjunction with individual blood samples. Three limited sampling protocols were investigated including, respectively, only seven (POP-IF7), five (POP-IF5) and three (POP-IF3) discrete samples of the historical dataset. Additionally, using the three-point protocol, we derived a POP-IF3M, the only input function which was not corrected for the fraction of radiolabelled metabolites present in blood. The kinetic parameter for net FLT retention at steady state, Ki, was derived using the modified Patlak plot and compared with the original full arterial set for validation.

Results

Small percentage differences in the area under the curve between all the POP-IFs and full arterial sampling IF was found over 60 min (4.2%-5.7%), while there were, as expected, larger differences in the peak position and peak height.

A high correlation between Ki values calculated using the original arterial input function and all the population-derived IFs was observed (R2 = 0.85-0.98). The population-based input showed good intra-subject reproducibility of Ki values (R2 = 0.81-0.94) and good correlation (R2 = 0.60-0.85) with Ki-67.

Conclusions

Input functions generated using these simplified protocols over scan duration of 60 min estimate net PET-FLT retention with reasonable accuracy.
Mitochondria and cell signalling
Authors: Tait Stephen W. G. , Green Douglas R.
Published: March 2012

Mitochondria have long been considered as crucial organelles, primarily for their roles in biosynthetic reactions such as ATP synthesis. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that mitochondria are intimately involved in cell signalling pathways. Mitochondria perform various signalling functions, serving as platforms to initiate cell signalling, as well as acting as transducers and effectors in multiple processes. Here, we discuss the active roles that mitochondria have in cell death signalling, innate immunity and autophagy. Common themes of mitochondrial regulation emerge from these diverse but interconnected processes. These include: the outer mitochondrial membrane serving as a major signalling platform, and regulation of cell signalling through mitochondrial dynamics and by mitochondrial metabolites, including ATP and reactive oxygen species. Importantly, defects in mitochondrial control of cell signalling and in the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis might underpin many diseases, in particular age-related pathologies.
Economic Assessment of Water Pumping Systems Using Wind Energy Conversion Systems in the Southern Part of Nigeria
Authors: Paul S.S. , Oyedepo S.O. , Adaramola M.S.
Published: March 2012

This study assessed the wind energy potential and the economic viability of the water pumping systems supplied by various wind turbine models. The two-parameter Weibull probability density function was employed to analyze the wind speed data collected between 1971 and 2007 by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency for seven meteorological stations, in the southern part of Nigeria, namely Asaba, Calabar, Ogoja, P-Harcourt, Uyo, Benin-City, and Warri. The performance of small to medium size commercial wind turbine models of various rated powers ranging from 5.2 kW to 250 kW were investigated and economic evaluation of the wind energy in all the sites was performed using the levelised cost method. The results showed that the annual mean wind speeds range from 3.09 m/s at Warri to 4.15 m/s at Calabar, while the corresponding annual mean power densities vary from 23.17 W/m2 to 56.22 W/m2. Our analysis demonstrated that the wind resource in all the sites considered fall into Class 1 wind resource category, hence, they can marginally be considered for small scale standalone system for electricity generation. The cost of energy production per kWh for the selected sites varies between $0.090 at Ogoja and $2.118 at Uyo. Moreover, the cost of water delivered varies from $3.33 per cubic metres in Calabar to $54.96 per cubic metres in Uyo.
Towards the Adoption of Open Source and Open Access Electronic Health Record Systems
Authors: Maglogiannis Ilias
Published: March 2012

As the Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems constantly expand to support more clinical activities and their implementations in healthcare organizations become more widespread, several communities have been working intensively for several years to develop open access and open source EHR software, aiming at reducing the costs of EHR deployment and maintenance. In this paper, we describe and evaluate the most popular open source electronic medical records such as openEMR, openMRS and patientOS, providing their technical features and potentials. These systems are considered quite important due to their prevalence. The article presents the key features of each system and outlines the advantages and problems of Open Source Software (OSS) Systems through a review of the literature, in order to demonstrate the possibility of their adoption in modern electronic healthcare systems. Also discussed are the future trends of OS EHRs in the context of the Personal Health Records and mobile computing paradigm.
Oblique High Resolution Tomography: The Ideal Plane for Visualization of the Gonial Section of the Mandibular Canal and its Related Structures?
Authors: Lübbers Heinz-Theo , Kruse Astrid L. , Obwegeser Joachim A. , Grätz Klaus W. , Eyrich Gerold
Published: March 2012

A new radiologic technique is introduced in this paper for reducing the risk of nerve damage as a result of surgical removal of the mandibular third molar (wisdom tooth). The gonial part of the mandibular canal is obliquely scanned with tomograms on a plane parallel to this part of the mandibular canal. This procedure can be performed with the patient either prone or supine. The scans obtained cover a much longer section of the canal than the axial or coronal plane. Therefore, the scan provides more precise information on the spatial relationship between the mandibular canal and the surrounding structures with fewer images and, therefore, a lower radiation dose. Through such oblique plane scanning, metal artifacts from dental restorations do not impair visualization of the mandibular canal. Clinical cases demonstrating the advantages of this new technique are presented.
On the Impact Force and Energy Transformation in Ship-Bridge Collisions
Authors: Wang Lili , Yang Liming , Tang Changgang , Zhang Zhongwei , Chen Guoyu , Lu Zonglin
Published: March 2012

Taking ship-bridge collision as an example, how the wave propagation and the dynamic behavior of materials influence the impact force and energy transformation are studied from the impact dynamics viewpoint. By using a new flexible, energy-dissipating crashworthy device developed by the authors, both the impact force and energy transformed can be markedly reduced, which is much conductive to protect both bridge and ship.
Multiple Pathways Suppress Telomere Addition to DNA Breaks in the Drosophila Germline
Authors: Beaucher Michelle , Zheng Xiao-Feng , Amariei Flavia , Rong Yikang S
Published: March 2012

Telomeres protect chromosome ends from being repaired as double-strand breaks (DSBs). Just as DSB repair is suppressed at telomeres, de novo telomere addition is suppressed at the site of DSBs. To identify factors responsible for this suppression, we developed an assay to monitor de novo telomere formation in Drosophila, an organism in which telomeres can be established on chromosome ends with essentially any sequence. Germline expression of the I-SceI endonuclease resulted in precise telomere formation at its cut site with high efficiency. Using this assay, we quantified the frequency of telomere formation in different genetic backgrounds with known or possible defects in DNA damage repair. We showed that disruption of DSB repair factors (Rad51 or DNA ligase IV) or DSB sensing factors (ATRIP or MDC1) resulted in more efficient telomere formation. Interestingly, partial disruption of factors that normally regulate telomere protection (ATM or NBS) also led to higher frequencies of telomere formation, suggesting that these proteins have opposing roles in telomere maintenance vs. establishment. In the ku70 mutant background, telomere establishment was preceded by excessive degradation of DSB ends, which were stabilized upon telomere formation. Most strikingly, the removal of ATRIP caused a dramatic increase in telomeric retrotransposon attachment to broken ends. Our study identifies several pathways thatsuppress telomere addition at DSBs, paving the way for future mechanistic studies.
Developmental Genetics of Secretory Vesicle Acidification DuringCaenorhabditis elegansSpermatogenesis
Authors: Gleason Elizabeth J , Hartley Paul D , Henderson Melissa , Hill-Harfe Katherine L , Price Paul W , Weimer Robby M , Kroft Tim L , Zhu Guang-dan , Cordovado Suzanne , L’Hernault Steven W
Published: March 2012

Secretory vesicles are used during spermatogenesis to deliver proteins to the cell surface. In Caenorhabditis elegans, secretory membranous organelles (MO) fuse with the plasma membrane to transform spermatids into fertilization-competent spermatozoa. We show that, like the acrosomal vesicle of mammalian sperm, MOs undergo acidification during development. Treatment of spermatids with the V-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin blocks both MO acidification and formation of functional spermatozoa. There are several spermatogenesis-defective mutants that cause defects in MO morphogenesis, including spe-5. We determined that spe-5, which is on chromosome I, encodes one of two V-ATPase B paralogous subunits. The spe-5 null mutant is viable but sterile because it forms arrested, multi-nucleate spermatocytes. Immunofluorescence with a SPE-5-specific monoclonal antibody shows that SPE-5 expression begins in spermatocytes and is found in all subsequent stages of spermatogenesis. Most SPE-5 is discarded into the residual body during spermatid budding, but a small amount remains in budded spermatids where it localizes to MOs as a discrete dot. The other V-ATPase B subunit is encoded by vha-12, which is located on the X chromosome. Usually, spe-5 mutants are self-sterile in a wild-type vha-12 background. However, an extrachromosomal transgene containing wild-type vha-12 driven by its own promoter allows spe-5 mutant hermaphrodites to produce progeny, indicating that VHA-12 can at least partially substitute for SPE-5. Others have shown that the X chromosome is transcriptionally silent in the male germline, so expression of the autosomally located spe-5 gene ensures that a V-ATPase B subunit is present during spermatogenesis.
Brasileiros na Guerra Civil Espanhola: combatentes na luta contra o fascismo
Authors: Almeida Paulo Roberto de
Published: March 2012

Este artigo analisa a participação de brasileiros, majoritariamente pertencentes ao Partido Comunista, na guerra civil espanhola e o contexto político-diplomático do conflito espanhol. Baseado em pesquisa original feita em fontes primárias, sobretudo em entrevistas e questionários com ex-combatentes e seus familiares, e em consulta às fontes secundárias disponíveis sobre o assunto, o trabalho constitui um dos primeiros levantamentos sobre o envolvimento de combatentes voluntários brasileiros nos episódios militares daquela guerra civil, com destaque para sua participação nas Brigadas Internacionais.
Cartografia do cuidado na saúde da gestante
Authors: Silva Raimunda Magalhães da , Costa Milena Silva , Matsue Regina Yoshie , Sousa Girliani Silva de , Catrib Ana Maria Fontenelle , Vieira Luiza Jane Eyre de Souza
Published: March 2012

Utilizou-se a cartografia como método para mapear a trajetória do cuidado à gestante no serviço da atenção básica. O campo de estudo foram nove Unidades Básicas de Saúde do Município de Juazeiro do Norte (CE). Participaram 15 mulheres que estavam entre 37 e 39 semanas de gestação, com as quais foram realizadas entrevistas nos meses de janeiro a junho de 2010. Os achados da cartografia foram descritos em etapas no fluxograma e revelaram lacunas no serviço do pré-natal, tais como o número reduzido da realização do exame da citologia oncótica e o déficit de atividades educativas. Observou-se, entretanto, certa resolubilidade na assistência à gestante, pois vários depoimentos demonstraram satisfação em relação ao serviço. A boa relação desenvolvida com o profissional foi o principal motivo que as levou a continuar o tratamento. Este fato reforça a importância do vínculo e do diálogo entre profissionais e gestantes para a adesão e sucesso do pré-natal.
Inovação em saúde mental sob a ótica de usuários de um movimento comunitário no nordeste do Brasil
Authors: Bosi Maria Lúcia Magalhães , Carvalho Liliane Brandão , Ximenes Veronica Morais , Melo Anna Karynne da Silva , Godoy Maria Gabriela Curubeto
Published: March 2012

Este estudo, oriundo da análise multidimensional sobre a categoria inovação no Movimento de Saúde Mental Comunitária do Bom Jardim (Fortaleza), cuja proposta é trabalhar dimensões subjetivas e psicossociais, objetiva interrogar se e como as experiências desenvolvidas se constituem efetivamente como práticas de cuidado inovadoras em saúde mental, na perspectiva dos usuários desse dispositivo. O percurso metodológico delineou-se na abordagem qualitativa, na modalidade estudo de caso, em uma vertente crítico-interpretativa, empregando como técnicas, entrevistas em profundidade associadas a grupos focais. A categorização analítica das informações foi construída a partir de um modelo fundado nas dimensões constituintes da Reforma Psiquiátrica, abrangendo distintos planos: epistemológico, assistencial, jurídico-política e sociocultural. Os resultados revelam: ênfase no sujeito social doente, não mais na doença; acolhimento como fundamento propositivo das ações; co-produção de diálogos genuínos com múltiplos atores envolvidos; e construção da autonomia e fortalecimento do poder pessoal. Tais elementos evidenciam que as práticas de cuidado tecidas no cotidiano do Movimento implicam desconstrução com o modelo tradicional de atenção à saúde mental, potencializando novas formas de cidadania, desse modo, contribuindo para a desinstitucionalização.
Qualidade de vida em idosos que sofreram quedas: revisão integrativa da literatura
Authors: Nicolussi Adriana Cristina , Fhon Jack Roberto Silva , Santos Claudia Aline Valente , Kusumota Luciana , Marques Sueli , Rodrigues Rosalina Aparecida Partezani
Published: March 2012

Foi realizada uma Revisão Integrativa da Literatura com o objetivo de avaliar o conhecimento científico produzido relacionado à qualidade de vida do idoso que sofreu quedas. Métodos: foram selecionados artigos publicados nas bases de dados Lilacs, CINAHL e Medline, com os seguintes descritores: qualidade de vida, idoso e acidentes por quedas, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol, entre 1999 e 2009. Resultados: nove artigos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. Encontrou-se que as quedas são frequentes nos idosos, sendo que aqueles com mais fatores de risco intrínsecos e que já caíram apresentaram mais medo e possuem mais chance de caírem novamente; e também relataram déficits nas funções física, mental/emocional, dor corporal e relacionados ao meio ambiente e que programas de prevenção de quedas podem melhorar sua qualidade de vida com o tempo. Conclusão: evidenciou-se como lacunas no conhecimento: escassa produção científica nacional, principalmente de autores enfermeiros, e predomínio de estudos descritivos e com nível de evidência considerado fraco. Sugere-se a atuação dos profissionais de saúde em pesquisas de intervenções para prevenção de quedas as quais possam ser aplicadas na prática clínica e que possibilitem melhorar a qualidade de vida dos idosos.
Avaliação em Saúde e Avaliação Econômica em Saúde: introdução ao debate sobre seus pontos de interseção
Authors: Sancho Leyla Gomes , Dain Sulamis
Published: March 2012

O estudo pretende inferir a existência, ou não, de um continuum entre a Avaliação em Saúde e a Avaliação Econômica em Saúde ao evidenciar os pontos de interseção entre essas formas de avaliação. Para tanto se realizou uma revisão bibliográfica no que concerne à fundamentação teórica, métodos e enfoques de ambas as formas de avaliação. Tomando por base a fundamentação teórica dos modelos de avaliação em saúde, normativa e pesquisa avaliativa, como referida por Hartz et al., e as abordagens teóricas da avaliação econômica, welfarista e extrawelfarista, referidas por Brouwer et al., concluiu-se que há um continuum, entre o modelo da pesquisa avaliativa, adotada na avaliação em saúde, e a abordagem teórica extrawelfarista da avaliação econômica em saúde e entre a abordagem normativa da avaliação em saúde e o enfoque welfarista da avaliação econômica em saúde. No que tange, entretanto, à prática avaliativa no dia a dia das instituições, os estudos realizados, em geral, ainda são concebidos sob um enfoque normativo e sob uma abordagem welfarista.
A relação interpessoal entre profissionais de saúde e adolescente gestante: distanciamentos e aproximações de uma prática integral e humanizada
Authors: Santos Marta Maria Antonieta de Souza , Saunders Claudia , Baião Mirian Ribeiro
Published: March 2012

Este estudo apresenta uma análise sobre as relações entre profissionais de saúde e adolescentes gestantes nos espaços do programa de pré-natal de uma maternidade pública do município do Rio de Janeiro. Trata-se de investigação de cunho qualitativo apoiada na vertente interpretativa, tendo como referencial teórico a integralidade e a humanização do cuidado em suas dimensões relacionais. Com base em duas temáticas previamente definidas - interação entre os sujeitos e dimensão educativa das práticas em saúde - foram observados 22 atendimentos individuais e em grupo, com a participação de 31 adolescentes gestantes, 5 profissionais de saúde e 2 estagiárias de nutrição. A interpretação dos dados, orientada pela análise de conteúdo fez emergir cinco categorias. Os resultados apontam a interferência negativa da predominância da dimensão biomédica na percepção dos profissionais de saúde sobre os aspectos psicossocioculturais da gestação na adolescência. Foi observado o não aproveitamento da consulta como espaço privilegiado de construção de significados coletivos e individuais sobre a gestação e a maternidade na adolescência, mas há no contexto estudado profissionais sensibilizados para uma ampliação da visão sobre as necessidades da adolescente gestante.
Tamanho de amostra e estimativa de custo em levantamento epidemiológico de cárie dentária
Authors: Bellon Maria Lucia , Ambrosano Gláucia Maria Bovi , Pereira Stela Márcia , Sales-Peres Sílvia Helena de Carvalho , Meneghim Marcelo de Castro , Pereira Antonio Carlos , Tagliaferro Elaine Pereira da Silva , Pardi Vanessa
Published: March 2012

O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar como a prevalência e a distribuição da cárie dentária influenciam o tamanho da amostra em levantamentos epidemiológicos, e os custos para sua realização. Foram utilizados dados de levantamentos realizados em escolares de 12 anos em Bauru nos anos de 1976, 1984, 1990, 1994 e 2001, e em Piracicaba nos anos de 2001 e 2005. Os tamanhos amostrais foram dimensionados considerando-se a média e o desvio padrão obtidos, fixando-se erro amostral em 1%, 2%, 5% e 10%. Os custos foram estimados considerando material permanente, de consumo e recursos humanos. Verificou-se aumento no tamanho das amostras em ambos os municípios, variando de 119 em 1976 para 1.118 em 2001 em Bauru, e de 954 em 2001 para 1.252 em 2005 em Piracicaba, considerando-se um erro amostral de 10%. Considerando-se diferentes erros amostrais, verificou-se o custo para o levantamento, sendo que o mesmo depende do quanto o pesquisador se permite errar em relação ao verdadeiro valor da média da população. Conclui-se que a diminuição da prevalência da cárie dentária determinou o aumento no tamanho das amostras e a elevação dos custos para realização dos levantamentos.