bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Internationalization of the Academic Profession in Japan
Authors: Futao Huang
Published: January 2009

This article mainly deals with the nature and extent of the changes in the internationalization of higher education experienced by the academic profession of Japanese higher education institutions over the period from 1992 to 2007 and shown through the two national surveys. In addition to the statistics concerning the internationalization of Japan's academic profession, which were issued by government, the extent of change will be basically considered through comparison of the two similar surveys that were implemented in 1992 and 2007. The article will focus on two major issues. First is an examination of the facts about the characteristics and the actual situation of the academic profession in Japanese higher education institutions from an international aspect; second are the views on the changes in internationalization of Japan's higher education shown by the academic profession over the past 15 years.
Impedance-based Structural Health Monitoring of a Ceramic Matrix Composite
Authors: Gyekenyesi Andrew L. , Martin Richard E. , Morscher Gregory N. , Owen Robert B.
Published: January 2009

This article addresses the use of electro-mechanical impedance-based structural health monitoring for assessing damage in a woven ceramic matrix composite consisting of a silicon carbide fibers and silicon carbide matrix. Controlled levels of damage were induced by conducting quasi-static, load/unload/reload tensile tests. The specimen's localized mechanical impedance was assessed using piezoelectric-ceramic patches that act as both actuator and sensor. The impedance results were correlated to damage and compared to acoustic emissions data, stress—strain response, and data from previous studies concerning the material system. The impedance data was shown to correlate well with the progressive damage mechanisms within the composite material system.
A Comparison of Suitable Control Methods for Full Vehicle with Four MR Dampers, Part I: Formulation of Control Schemes and Numerical Simulation
Authors: Xiao Min Dong  , Miao YuI  , Zushu Li  , Changrong Liao  , Weimin Chen
Published: January 2009

Due to significant nonlinearity of magnetorheological (MR) suspension, one of the main challenges in the application of this technology is to develop appropriate control algorithms. The main purpose of this study is to identify a suitable control method for semi-active isolation in MR suspension application. The semi-active control schemes include the following: a new proposed intelligent control scheme, Human Simulated Intelligent Control (HSIC) and three representative semi-active control schemes that are skyhook control, hybrid control algorithm, and fuzzy logic control. A full-car dynamic model considering the effect of roll motion is adopted as the baseline model for our analysis. After deriving the governing motion equations of the proposed dynamic model, the HSICler and other three controllers with nonlinearity of MR dampers are formulated. Then each control policy is applied to the baseline model equipped with four MR dampers. The performances of each control algorithm under various road conditions are compared along with the equivalent passive model in both time and frequency domains. The results indicate that the semi-active suspension with each control scheme is more effective than the passive in reducing vibration of the vehicle body. The results further indicate that HSICler performs the best among the considered control policies.
Lay Appraisal of Cognitive Impairment Symptoms and Related Prevention Beliefs in a Community-Dwelling Sample of Midlife and Older Adults
Authors: VonDras Dean D.
Published: January 2009

This study explores how age and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may be related to the identification and appraisal of cognitive impairment symptoms as well as associated prevention beliefs. Participants were 140 community-dwelling adults ranging in age from 49 to 90 years who completed a survey containing a vignette about an adult with cognitive impairment symptoms and questions about the illness symptoms, prevention beliefs, and HRQoL. Identification of symptoms as Alzheimer's disease or dementia was reported by 83% of respondents. Correlational analyses suggested age and education to be associated with perceived significance of symptoms as well as the recommendation to seek medical care. Multiple regression modeling indicated interactive effects that suggest advancing age and poor HRQoL may be associated with greater delay in seeking care for cognitive impairment symptoms and unrealistic optimism regarding prevention outcomes. Educational interventions to bolster the individuals' and caregivers' knowledge of Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
Constraint-following Servo Control Design for Mechanical Systems
Authors: Chen Ye-Hwa
Published: January 2009

A mechanical system is required to obey a set of constraints. The tools to accomplish this performance requirement are a set of servo controls1 that is, the servo controls are to generate the appropriate constraint force. In this article, the servo control design problem for constraint-following is thoroughly discussed. The problem is formulated as an algebraic setting in which a second order constraint is adopted. The control is a solution to the problem, whose projection to a subspace is used to ensure conformation to the constraint. The complete solution to this problem is provided in analytical form. It is shown that the environmentally constrained system simply adopts the minimum form of the complete solution. The setting presented here helps to broaden the scope of traditional Lagrangian mechanics.
Waveguides of a Composite Plate by using the Spectral Finite Element Approach
Authors: Barbieri E. , Cammarano A. , De Rosa S. , Franco F.
Published: January 2009

This work presents the extension of an existing procedure for evaluating the waveguides and the dispersion curves of a laminate made up of thin orthotropic composite plates arbitrarily oriented. The adopted approach is based on one-dimensional finite-element mesh throughout the thickness. Stiffness and mass matrices available in the literature for isotropic material are reported in full expanded form for the selected problem. The aim of the work is the development of a tool for the simulation of the most common composite materials. The knowledge of the wave characteristics in a plate allows correct sizing of the numerical mesh for the frequency-dependent analysis. The development of new stiffness matrices and the analysis for different heading angles are detailed to take into account the general anisotropic nature of the composite. The procedure concerns a standard polynomial eigenvalue problem in the wavenumber variable and is focused on the evaluation of the dispersion curves for all the propagating waves within the materials. A comparison with an analytical approach is also shown in the results using the classical laminate plate theory (CLPT). However, limits of CLPT are outlined and spectral finite element method can be successfully used to overcome such limitations.
Experiences of South Asian Brides Entering Canada After Recent Changes to Family Sponsorship Policies
Authors: Merali Noorfarah
Published: January 2009

South Asians in Canada often apply the traditional custom of arranged marriage across international borders, leading to male sponsorship of family-chosen brides from their home countries. This qualitative study examined understandings of sponsorship and marital/resettlement experiences among English-proficient and non-English-proficient South Asian brides who entered Canada after recent immigration policy changes to reduce sponsored women's vulnerability to maltreatment. English-proficient women were aware of their rights and permanent resident status, and reported significant integration support. In contrast, non-English-proficient women misunderstood sponsorship and faced multiple barriers to participation in Canadian life, along with severe abuse and neglect.
Improving California's Infrastructure Services
Authors: Dowall David E. , Ried Robin
Published: January 2009

The article outlines a four step framework for improving infrastructure planning, programming and investment decision-making. It grew out of discussions held between the Governor of California's Office staff and State Assembly and State Senate members in 2008. The purpose of the paper is twofold: first to define an overarching policy framework on performance-based infrastructure; and second to outline how California might launch a series of integrated policy and program initiatives to provide high-quality infrastructure services. While focused on California, the paper is relevant for policy makers in other states and countries who are interested in improving infrastructure delivery and performance.
Multidisciplinary investigations recognize high prevalence of co-morbidity of psychiatric and somatic diagnoses in long-term sickness absentees
Authors: Salmi Peter , Svedberg Pia , Hagberg Jan , Lundh Göran , Linder Jürgen , Alexanderson Kristina
Published: January 2009

Aims: In Sweden, the Social Insurance Offices each year refer long-term sickness absentees to comprehensive investigations to clarify medical conditions. However, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about these patients and their morbidity. The aim was to characterize a population of these sickness absentees regarding prevalence of somatic and psychiatric diagnoses and possible associations with sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was made up of 635 sickness absentees below the age of 64, who the local Social Insurance Offices in Stockholm County, Sweden, referred to a special unit for multidisciplinary investigation. Data was obtained from questionnaires and medical records. The patients were examined by board certified specialists in psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery, and rehabilitation medicine. Relative risks were estimated by use of modified Poisson regression to assess the associations between characteristics and diagnose outcomes. Results: About 80% of the patients had more than one diagnosis. The vast majority had a psychiatric diagnosis, and approximately 55% had that in combination with at least one somatic diagnosis. An increased risk for being given a psychiatric diagnosis was found for men and unemployed people. In addition, lack of social life and friends and self-reported mental health problems were associated with psychiatric diagnoses but also among those who were given somatic diagnoses in combination with psychiatric diagnoses. Increased risks for somatic diagnoses were found for women and for patients with a higher education. Conclusions: Long-term sickness absentees referred to multidisciplinary investigations display high co-morbidity of psychiatric and somatic diagnoses and are a heterogeneous group with diverse sociodemographic and medical characteristics.
Usefulness of the Beck Depression Inventory as a screening method for depression among the general population of Finland
Authors: Nuevo Roberto , Lehtinen Ville , Reyna-Liberato Patricia M. , Ayuso-Mateos José Luis
Published: January 2009

Background: The present paper studies the effectiveness of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a screening measure for depression in a general population sample from Finland. Methods: The study analysed the Finnish sample of the ODIN study, a multicentre epidemiology study of depression in Europe. From this general population sample, 311 subjects were selected according to their score on the BDI within a larger assessment that included a structured diagnostic interview. Of these, 31.2% were diagnosed with major depression. Results: A cut-off score of 17/18 simultaneously maximized both sensitivity and specificity in the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.806. Similar results were found across gender, and the AUCs were not significantly different between men and women. Limitations: The results cannot be directly generalized to institutionalized persons, people in clinical settings, or those with range of ages not included in the present study. Conclusions: The Beck Depression Inventory is a valid instrument for the diagnosis of depression among the general population of Finland. As a screening measure, the optimal cut-off score would be 17 or higher.
Development and quality analysis of the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS)
Authors: Bringsén Åsa , Andersson H. Ingemar , Ejlertsson Göran
Published: January 2009

Background: Current health measurement instruments tend to measure aspects of ill-health rather than health in general. There is a need for a salutogenic perspective when describing health and developing a health measurement instrument. The aim of this article is to present the development process and quality assessment of a salutogenic health indicator scale. Methods: A description of health, emanating from the concept of health, positive health and well-being, was used as a basis for the construction of the scale. The scale is a semantic differential consisting of 12 indicator items covering nine heath-related dimensions. A principal component analysis was performed, and three health indicator indexes were constructed. Correlation with self-rated health questions was investigated, weighted kappa values were calculated, and Cronbach's alpha (CA) was used to check internal consistency. Results: The analysis resulted in a two-factor model, and the indexes were named intrapersonal characteristics (CA= 0.90) and interactive function (CA= 0.84), summarised into health complete (CA= 0.92). Kappa values ranged from 0.44 to 0.67, and correlations with self-rated health status were stronger than those with self-rated sick-leave. Conclusions: Our health description was characterized by complexity, but the instrument is a short salutogenic health indicator scale. The shortness increases the usability. The instrument seems to be able to offset the current problem of there being a lack of salutogenic health measurement instruments. The results indicate that further testing is justified.
The Impact of Seeding, Home Continent, and Hosting on FIFA World Cup Results
Authors: Monks James , Husch Jared
Published: January 2009

Every 4 years, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) organizes one of the largest sporting events in the world, the soccer (football) World Cup tournament. Successful players, teams, and national soccer federations are the recipients of significant financial returns, both directly from FIFA and indirectly through professional and endorsement contracts. The structure of this tournament is such that playing on one's own continent and being a seeded team have significant effects on World Cup success. Specifically, we estimate that the ``continental effect'' increases a team's probability of reaching the final eight by 12% points, whereas being seeded increases one's probability of making the quarterfinals by 26% points.
The Link Between Juvenile Offending and Victimization
Authors: Xiaojin Chen
Published: January 2009

Although previous studies have shown a consistent association between juvenile offending and violent victimization, the mechanism that leads to this association remains unclear. The association between juvenile offending and victimization could be due to consequences of delinquent behavior and offenders' risky activities, social bonding to conventional institutions, or persistent individual traits. Based on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the current article uses fixed effects regression models to assess the net effect of offending on victimization while controlling for adolescents' social bonding to parents/schools and for persistent individual characteristics. There is clear evidence that delinquent behavior causes violent victimization. The offending—victimization linkage, however, appears to be victimization specific, with persistent individual characteristics partially explaining this linkage for less serious victimization but not for severe violent victimization.
The News Media on School Crime and Violence
Authors: Kupchik Aaron , Bracy Nicole L.
Published: January 2009

This article examines how the print news media report on the problem of school crime and violence. Based on a sample of news stories from The New York Times and USA Today , it analyzes the characteristics of these reports and how they fuel fears of school crime and violence. The study reveals that print news articles frame school crime as bad or getting worse; that they persistently remind readers about the potential for tragedy at school; that they rely on emotional responses to inform readers, rather than more objective sources of information; and that they describe school violence as being unpredictable while suggesting that schools should be blamed for failing to recognize warning signs of violence. These characteristics of news stories stoke readers' fears by providing a heightened sense of the threat of school violence, without a broader context for understanding how rare it is.
The human Pk histo-blood group antigen provides protection against HIV-1 infection
Authors: Lund Nicole , Olsson Martin L. , Ramkumar Stephanie , Sakac Darinka , Yahalom Vered , Levene Cyril , Hellberg Åsa , Ma Xue-Zhong , Binnington Beth , Jung Daniel , Lingwood Clifford A. , Branch Donald R.
Published: January 2009

Several human histo-blood groups are glycosphingolipids, including P/P1/Pk. Glycosphingolipids are implicated in HIV-host-cell-fusion and some bind to HIV-gp120 in vitro. Based on our previous studies on Fabry disease, where Pk accumulates and reduces infection, and a soluble Pk analog that inhibits infection, we investigated cell surface–expressed Pk in HIV infection. HIV-1 infection of peripheral blood–derived mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from otherwise healthy persons, with blood group P1k, where Pk is overexpressed, or blood group p, that completely lacks Pk, were compared with draw date–matched controls. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis and/or thin layer chromatography were used to verify Pk levels. P1k PBMCs were highly resistant to R5 and X4 HIV-1 infection. In contrast, p PBMCs showed 10- to 1000-fold increased susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. Surface and total cell expression of Pk, but not CD4 or chemokine coreceptor expression, correlated with infection. Pk liposome–fused cells and CD4+ HeLa cells manipulated to express high or low Pk levels confirmed a protective effect of Pk. We conclude that Pk expression strongly influences susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, which implicates Pk as a new endogenous cell-surface factor that may provide protection against HIV-1 infection.
Zebrafish granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor signaling promotes myelopoiesis and myeloid cell migration
Authors: Liongue Clifford , Hall Chris J. , O'Connell Bree A. , Crosier Phil , Ward Alister C.
Published: January 2009

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (GCSFR) signaling participates in the production of neutrophilic granulocytes during normal hematopoietic development, with a particularly important role during emergency hematopoiesis. This study describes the characterization of the zebrafish gcsf and gcsfr genes, which showed broad conservation and similar regulation to their mammalian counterparts. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of gcsfr and overexpression of gcsf revealed the presence of an anterior population of myeloid cells during primitive hematopoiesis that was dependent on GCSF/GCSFR for development and migration. This contrasted with a posterior domain that was largely independent of this pathway. Definitive myelopoiesis was also partially dependent on a functional GCSF/GCSFR pathway. Injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide elicited significant induction of gcsf expression and emergency production of myeloid cells, which was abrogated by gcsfr knockdown. Collectively, these data demonstrate GCSF/GCSFR to be a conserved signaling system for facilitating the production of multiple myeloid cell lineages in both homeostatic and emergency conditions, as well as for early myeloid cell migration, establishing a useful experimental platform for further dissection of this pathway.
Selective testing for thrombophilia in patients with first venous thrombosis: results from a retrospective family cohort study on absolute thrombotic risk for currently known thrombophilic defects in 2479 relatives
Authors: Lijfering Willem M. , Brouwer Jan-Leendert P. , Veeger Nic J. G. M. , Bank Ivan , Coppens Michiel , Middeldorp Saskia , Hamulyák Karly , Prins Martin H. , Büller Harry R. , van der Meer Jan
Published: January 2009

Thrombophilia screening is controversial. In a retrospective family cohort, where probands had thrombosis and a thrombophilic defect, 2479 relatives were tested for thrombophilia. In antithrombin-, protein C–, and protein S–deficient relatives, annual incidences of venous thrombosis were 1.77% (95% CI, 1.14-2.60), 1.52% (95% CI, 1.06-2.11), and 1.90% (95% CI, 1.32-2.64), respectively, at a median age of 29 years and a positive family history of more than 20% symptomatic relatives. In relatives with factor V (FV) Leiden, prothrombin 20210G>A, or high FVIII levels, these were 0.49% (95% CI, 0.39-0.60), 0.34% (95% CI, 0.22-0.49), and 0.49% (95% CI, 0.41-0.51), respectively. High FIX, FXI, and TAFI, and hyperhomocysteinemia were not independent risk factors. Annual incidence of major bleeding in antithrombin-, protein C–, or protein S–deficient relatives on anticoagulants was 0.29% (95% CI, 0.03-1.04). Cumulative recurrence rates in relatives with antithrombin, protein C, or protein S deficiency were 19% at 2 years, 40% at 5 years, and 55% at 10 years. In relatives with FV Leiden, prothrombin 20210G>A, or high levels FVIII, these were 7%, 11%, and 25%, respectively. Considering its clinical implications, thrombophilia testing should address hereditary deficiencies of antithrombin, protein C, and protein S in patients with first venous thrombosis at young age and/or a strong family history of venous thrombosis.
PreP+07: improvements of a user friendly tool to preprocess and analyse microarray data
Authors: Martin-Requena Victoria , Muñoz-Merida Antonio , Claros M Gonzalo , Trelles Oswaldo
Published: January 2009

Background

Nowadays, microarray gene expression analysis is a widely used technology that scientists handle but whose final interpretation usually requires the participation of a specialist. The need for this participation is due to the requirement of some background in statistics that most users lack or have a very vague notion of. Moreover, programming skills could also be essential to analyse these data. An interactive, easy to use application seems therefore necessary to help researchers to extract full information from data and analyse them in a simple, powerful and confident way.

Results

PreP+07 is a standalone Windows XP application that presents a friendly interface for spot filtration, inter- and intra-slide normalization, duplicate resolution, dye-swapping, error removal and statistical analyses. Additionally, it contains two unique implementation of the procedures – double scan and Supervised Lowess-, a complete set of graphical representations – MA plot, RG plot, QQ plot, PP plot, PN plot – and can deal with many data formats, such as tabulated text, GenePix GPR and ArrayPRO. PreP+07 performance has been compared with the equivalent functions in Bioconductor using a tomato chip with 13056 spots. The number of differentially expressed genes considering p-values coming from the PreP+07 and Bioconductor Limma packages were statistically identical when the data set was only normalized; however, a slight variability was appreciated when the data was both normalized and scaled.

Conclusion

PreP+07 implementation provides a high degree of freedom in selecting and organizing a small set of widely used data processing protocols, and can handle many data formats. Its reliability has been proven so that a laboratory researcher can afford a statistical pre-processing of his/her microarray results and obtain a list of differentially expressed genes using PreP+07 without any programming skills. All of this gives support to scientists that have been using previous PreP releases since its first version in 2003.
Conservation in the face of diversity: multistrain analysis of an intracellular bacterium
Authors: Dark Michael J , Herndon David R , Kappmeyer Lowell S , Gonzales Mikel P , Nordeen Elizabeth , Palmer Guy H , Knowles Donald P , Brayton Kelly A
Published: January 2009

Background

With the recent completion of numerous sequenced bacterial genomes, notable advances have been made in understanding the level of conservation between various species. However, relatively little is known about the genomic diversity among strains. We determined the complete genome sequence of the Florida strain ofAnaplasma marginale, and near complete (>96%) sequences for an additional three strains, for comparative analysis with the previously fully sequenced St. Maries strain genome.

Results

These comparisons revealed thatA. marginalehas a closed-core genome with few highly plastic regions, which include themsp2andmsp3genes, as well as theaaaplocus. Comparison of the Florida and St. Maries genome sequences found that SNPs comprise 0.8% of the longer Florida genome, with 33.5% of the total SNPs between all five strains present in at least two strains and 3.0% of SNPs present in all strains except Florida. Comparison of genomes from three strains ofMycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacillus anthracis, andNessieria meningiditis, as well as fourChlamydophila pneumoniaestrains found that 98.8%–100% of SNPs are unique to each strain, suggestingA. marginale, with 76.0%, has an intermediate level of strain-specific SNPs. Comparison of genomes from other organisms revealed variation in diversity that did not segregate with the environmental niche the bacterium occupies, ranging from 0.00% to 8.00% of the larger pairwise-compared genome.

Conclusion

Analysis of multipleA. marginalestrains suggests intracellular bacteria have more variable SNP retention rates than previously reported, and may have closed-core genomes in response to the host organism environment and/or reductive evolution.
Genic regions of a large salamander genome contain long introns and novel genes
Authors: Smith Jeramiah J , Putta Srikrishna , Zhu Wei , Pao Gerald M , Verma Inder M , Hunter Tony , Bryant Susan V , Gardiner David M , Harkins Timothy T , Voss S Randal
Published: January 2009

Background

The basis of genome size variation remains an outstanding question because DNA sequence data are lacking for organisms with large genomes. Sixteen BAC clones from the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum: c-value = 32 × 109 bp) were isolated and sequenced to characterize the structure of genic regions.

Results

Annotation of genes within BACs showed that axolotl introns are on average 10× longer than orthologous vertebrate introns and they are predicted to contain more functional elements, including miRNAs and snoRNAs. Loci were discovered within BACs for two novel EST transcripts that are differentially expressed during spinal cord regeneration and skin metamorphosis. Unexpectedly, a third novel gene was also discovered while manually annotating BACs. Analysis of human-axolotl protein-coding sequences suggests there are 2% more lineage specific genes in the axolotl genome than the human genome, but the great majority (86%) of genes between axolotl and human are predicted to be 1:1 orthologs. Considering that axolotl genes are on average 5× larger than human genes, the genic component of the salamander genome is estimated to be incredibly large, approximately 2.8 gigabases!

Conclusion

This study shows that a large salamander genome has a correspondingly large genic component, primarily because genes have incredibly long introns. These intronic sequences may harbor novel coding and non-coding sequences that regulate biological processes that are unique to salamanders.
In planta localisation patterns of MADS domain proteins during floral development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Urbanus Susan L , de Folter Stefan , Shchennikova Anna V , Kaufmann Kerstin , Immink Richard GH , Angenent Gerco C
Published: January 2009

Background

MADS domain transcription factors play important roles in various developmental processes in flowering plants. Members of this family play a prominent role in the transition to flowering and the specification of floral organ identity. Several studies reported mRNA expression patterns of the genes encoding these MADS domain proteins, however, these studies do not provide the necessary information on the temporal and spatial localisation of the proteins. We have made GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) translational fusions with the four MADS domain proteins SEPALLATA3, AGAMOUS, FRUITFULL and APETALA1 from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and analysed the protein localisation patterns in living plant tissues by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).

Results

We unravelled the protein localisation patterns of the four MADS domain proteins at a cellular and subcellular level in inflorescence and floral meristems, during development of the early flower bud stages, and during further differentiation of the floral organs. The protein localisation patterns revealed a few deviations from known mRNA expression patterns, suggesting a non-cell autonomous action of these factors or alternative control mechanisms. In addition, we observed a change in the subcellular localisation of SEPALLATA3 from a predominantly nuclear localisation to a more cytoplasmic localisation, occurring specifically during petal and stamen development. Furthermore, we show that the down-regulation of the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL in ovular tissues is preceded by the occurrence of both AGAMOUS and SEPALLATA3 proteins, supporting the hypothesis that both proteins together suppress WUSCHEL expression in the ovule.

Conclusion

This approach provides a highly detailed in situ map of MADS domain protein presence during early and later stages of floral development. The subcellular localisation of the transcription factors in the cytoplasm, as observed at certain stages during development, points to mechanisms other than transcriptional control. Together this information is essential to understand the role of these proteins in the regulatory processes that drive floral development and leads to new hypotheses.
Results based on 124 cases of breast cancer and 97 controls from Taiwan suggest that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP309) in the MDM2 gene promoter is associated with earlier onset and increased risk of breast cancer
Authors: Sun Ying-Fang , Leu Jyh-Der , Chen Su-Mei , Lin I-Feng , Lee Yi-Jang
Published: January 2009

Background

It has been suggested that the single nucleotide polymorphism 309 (SNP309, T -> G) in the promoter region of the MDM2 gene is important for tumor development; however, with regards to breast cancer, inconsistent associations have been reported worldwide. It is speculated that these conflicting results may have arisen due to different patient subgroups and ethnicities studied. For the first time, this study explores the effect of the MDM2 SNP309 genotype on Taiwanese breast cancer patients.

Methods

Genomic DNA was obtained from the whole blood of 124 breast cancer patients and 97 cancer-free healthy women living in Taiwan. MDM2 SNP309 genotyping was carried out by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay. The multivariate logistic regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were used for analyzing the risk association and significance of age at diagnosis among different MDM2 SNP309 genotypes, respectively.

Results

Compared to the TT genotype, an increased risk association with breast cancer was apparent for the GG genotype (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.04 to 8.95), and for the TG genotype (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 0.90 to 5.00) after adjusting for age, cardiovascular disease/diabetes, oral contraceptive usage, and body mass index, which exhibits significant difference between cases and controls. Furthermore, the average ages at diagnosis for breast cancer patients were 53.6, 52 and 47 years for those harboring TT, TG and GG genotypes, respectively. A significant difference in median age of onset for breast cancer between GG and TT+TG genotypes was obtained by the log-rank test (p = 0.0067).

Conclusion

Findings based on the current sample size suggest that the MDM2 SNP309 GG genotype may be associated with both the risk of breast cancer and an earlier age of onset in Taiwanese women.
Crash characteristics and patterns of injury among hospitalized motorised two-wheeled vehicle users in urban India
Authors: Fitzharris Michael , Dandona Rakhi , Kumar G Anil , Dandona Lalit
Published: January 2009

Background

Traffic crashes and consequent injuries represent a growing public health concern in India, particularly in light of increasing motorization. Motorised two-wheeled vehicles (MTV) constitute a large portion of the vehicle fleet in India. We report the crash characteristics and injury patterns among a cohort of MTV riders and pillions presenting to hospital post-crash.

Methods

Consecutive MTV riders and pillions, whether alive or dead, injured in a road traffic crash presenting to the emergency departments of two government hospitals and three branches of a private hospital in urban Hyderabad, India, were recruited to this study.

Results

378 MTV users were enrolled to the study of whom 333 (88.1%) were male, 252 (66.7%) were riders and median age was 31.3 years. A total of 223 (59%) MTV users were injured in multi-vehicle crashes while one-third had a frontal impact. The majority (77%) were assessed as having a Glasgow coma score (GCS) of 13–15, 12% a GCS of 9–12 and 11% a GCS of 3–8. No difference was seen in the severity distribution of injuries based on GCS among riders and pillions. Open wounds and superficial injuries to the head (69.3%) and upper extremity (27%) and lower extremity (24%) were the most common injuries. 43 (11%) sustained an intracranial injury, including 12 (28%) with associated fracture of the bones of the head. There were few differences in types of injuries sustained by riders and pillions though riders had a significantly lower risk of crush injuries of the lower extremity than pillions (relative risk, RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.08–0.81) and female pillions were at a significantly lower risk of sustaining fractures of the lower extremity than male pillions (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.09 – 0.94). Overall, 42 (11%) MTV users died, of which 42.8% died before reaching the hospital. Only 74 (19.6%) MTV users had worn a helmet correctly and failure to wear a helmet was associated with a five times greater risk of intracranial injury (RR 4.99, 95% CI 1.23–20.1). Of the 19 pre-hospital deaths, 16 (84%) had not worn a helmet.

Conclusion

Head injuries accounted for the major proportion of injuries sustained in MTV users. Non-helmet use was associated with increased risk of serious head injuries. The data presented on the nature and severity of injuries sustained by MTV users can assist with planning to deal with these consequences as well as prevention of these injuries given the high use of MTV in India.
Is new drug prescribing in primary care specialist induced?
Authors: Florentinus Stefan R , Heerdink Eibert R , van Dijk Liset , Griens AMG Fabiënne , Groenewegen Peter P , Leufkens Hubert GM
Published: January 2009

Background

Medical specialists are often seen as the first prescribers of new drugs. However, the extent to which specialists influence new drug prescribing in primary care is largely unknown.

Methods

This study estimates the influence of medical specialists on new drug prescribing in primary care shortly after market introduction. The influence of medical specialists on prescribing of five new drugs was measured in a cohort of 103 GPs, working in 59 practices, over the period 1999 until 2003. The influence of medical specialists on new drug prescribing in primary care was assessed using three outcome measures. Firstly, the proportion of patients receiving their first prescription for a new or reference drug from a specialist. Secondly, the proportion of GPs prescribing new drugs before any specialist prescribes to their patients. Thirdly, we compared the time until the GP's first own prescribing between GPs who waited for prescriptions from specialists and those who did not.

Results

The influence of specialists showed considerable differences among the new drugs studied. The proportion of patients receiving their first prescription from a specialist was greatest for the combination salmeterol/fluticasone (60.2%), and lowest for rofecoxib (23.0%). The proportion of GPs prescribing new drugs before waiting for prescriptions from medical specialists ranged from 21.1% in the case of esomeprazole to 32.9% for rofecoxib. Prescribing new drugs by specialists did not shorten the GP's own time to prescribing.

Conclusion

This study shows that the influence of medical specialists is clearly visible for all new drugs and often greater than for the existing older drugs, but the rapid uptake of new drugs in primary care does not seem specialist induced in all cases. GPs are responsible for a substantial amount of all early prescriptions for new drugs and for a subpopulation specialist endorsement is not a requisite to initiate in new drug prescribing. This contradicts with the idea that the diffusion of newly marketed drugs always follows a two-step model, with medical specialists as the innovators and GPs as the followers.
Effects of job rotation and role stress among nurses on job satisfaction and organizational commitment
Authors: Ho Wen-Hsien , Chang Ching Sheng , Shih Ying-Ling , Liang Rong-Da
Published: January 2009

Background

The motivation for this study was to investigate how role stress among nurses could affect their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and whether the job rotation system might encourage nurses to understand, relate to and share the vision of the organization, consequently increasing their job satisfaction and stimulating them to willingly remain in their jobs and commit themselves to the organization. Despite the fact that there have been plenty of studies on job satisfaction, none was specifically addressed to integrate the relational model of job rotation, role stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among nurses.

Methods

With top managerial hospital administration's consent, questionnaires were only distributed to those nurses who had had job rotation experience. 650 copies of the questionnaire in two large and influential hospitals in southern Taiwan were distributed, among which 532 valid copies were retrieved with a response rate of 81.8%. Finally, the SPSS 11.0 and LISREL 8.54 (Linear Structural Relationship Model) statistical software packages were used for data analysis and processing.

Results

According to the nurses' views, the findings are as follows: (1) job rotation among nurses could have an effect on their job satisfaction; (2) job rotation could have an effect on organizational commitment; (3) job satisfaction could have a positive effect on organizational commitment; (4) role stress among nurses could have a negative effect on their job satisfaction; and (5) role stress could have a negative effect on their organizational commitment.

Conclusion

As a practical and excellent strategy for manpower utilization, a hospital could promote the benefits of job rotation to both individuals and the hospital while implementing job rotation periodically and fairly. And when a medical organization attempts to enhance nurses' commitment to the organization, the findings suggest that reduction of role ambiguity in role stress has the best effect on enhancing nurses' organizational commitment. The ultimate goal is to increase nurses' job satisfaction and encourage them to stay in their career. This would avoid the vicious circle of high turnover, which is wasteful of the organization's valuable human resources.
Cost-effectiveness of MRI compared to mammography for breast cancer screening in a high risk population
Authors: Moore Susan G , Shenoy Pareen J , Fanucchi Laura , Tumeh John W , Flowers Christopher R
Published: January 2009

Background

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a sensitive method of breast imaging virtually uninfluenced by breast density. Because of the improved sensitivity, breast MRI is increasingly being used for detection of breast cancer among high risk young women. However, the specificity of breast MRI is variable and costs are high. The purpose of this study was to determine if breast MRI is a cost-effective approach for the detection of breast cancer among young women at high risk.

Methods

A Markov model was created to compare annual breast cancer screening over 25 years with either breast MRI or mammography among young women at high risk. Data from published studies provided probabilities for the model including sensitivity and specificity of each screening strategy. Costs were based on Medicare reimbursement rates for hospital and physician services while medication costs were obtained from the Federal Supply Scale. Utilities from the literature were applied to each health outcome in the model including a disutility for the temporary health state following breast biopsy for a false positive test result. All costs and benefits were discounted at 5% per year. The analysis was performed from the payer perspective with results reported in 2006 U.S. dollars. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses addressed uncertainty in all model parameters.

Results

Breast MRI provided 14.1 discounted quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at a discounted cost of $18,167 while mammography provided 14.0 QALYs at a cost of $4,760 over 25 years of screening. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of breast MRI compared to mammography was $179,599/QALY. In univariate analysis, breast MRI screening became < $50,000/QALY when the cost of the MRI was < $315. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, MRI screening produced a net health benefit of -0.202 QALYs (95% central range: -0.767 QALYs to +0.439 QALYs) compared to mammography at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY. Breast MRI screening was superior in 0%, < $50,000/QALY in 22%, > $50,000/QALY in 34%, and inferior in 44% of trials.

Conclusion

Although breast MRI may provide health benefits when compared to mammographic screening for some high risk women, it does not appear to be cost-effective even at willingness to pay thresholds above $120,000/QALY.
Prevalence of Plasmodium spp. in malaria asymptomatic African migrants assessed by nucleic acid sequence based amplification
Authors: Marangi Marianna , Di Tullio Rocco , Mens Pètra F , Martinelli Domenico , Fazio Vincenzina , Angarano Gioacchino , Schallig Henk DFH , Giangaspero Annunziata , Scotto Gaetano
Published: January 2009

Background

Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world. Although most cases are found distributed in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Central and South Americas, there is in Europe a significant increase in the number of imported cases in non-endemic countries, in particular due to the higher mobility in today's society.

Methods

The prevalence of a possible asymptomatic infection with Plasmodium species was assessed using Nucleic Acid Sequence Based Amplification (NASBA) assays on clinical samples collected from 195 study cases with no clinical signs related to malaria and coming from sub-Saharan African regions to Southern Italy. In addition, base-line demographic, clinical and socio-economic information was collected from study participants who also underwent a full clinical examination.

Results

Sixty-two study subjects (31.8%) were found positive for Plasmodium using a pan Plasmodium specific NASBA which can detect all four Plasmodium species causing human disease, based on the small subunit 18S rRNA gene (18S NASBA). Twenty-four samples (38%) of the 62 18S NASBA positive study cases were found positive with a Pfs25 mRNA NASBA, which is specific for the detection of gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum. A statistically significant association was observed between 18S NASBA positivity and splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and leukopaenia and country of origin.

Conclusion

This study showed that a substantial proportion of people originating from malaria endemic countries harbor malaria parasites in their blood. If transmission conditions are available, they could potentially be a reservoir. Thefore, health authorities should pay special attention to the health of this potential risk group and aim to improve their health conditions.
Vitamin C in plasma is inversely related to blood pressure and change in blood pressure during the previous year in young Black and White women
Authors: Block Gladys , Jensen Christopher D , Norkus Edward P , Hudes Mark , Crawford Patricia B
Published: January 2009

Background

The prevalence of hypertension and its contribution to cardiovascular disease risk makes it imperative to identify factors that may help prevent this disorder. Extensive biological and biochemical data suggest that plasma ascorbic acid may be such a factor. In this study we examined the association between plasma ascorbic acid concentration and blood pressure (BP) in young-adult women.

Methods

Participants were 242 Black and White women aged 18–21 yr from the Richmond, CA, cohort of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. We examined the associations of plasma ascorbic acid with BP at follow-up year 10, and with change in BP during the previous year.

Results

In cross-sectional analysis, plasma ascorbic acid at year 10 was inversely associated with systolic BP and diastolic BP after adjusting for race, body mass index, education, and dietary intake of fat and sodium. Persons in the highest one-fourth of the plasma ascorbic acid distribution had 4.66 mmHg lower systolic BP (95% CI 1.10 to 8.22 mmHg, p = 0.005) and 6.04 mmHg lower diastolic BP (95% CI 2.70 to 9.38 mmHg, p = 0.0002) than those in the lowest one-fourth of the distribution. In analysis of thechangein BP, plasma ascorbic acid was also inversely associated with change in systolic BP and diastolic BP during the previous year. While diastolic blood pressure among persons in the lowest quartile of plasma ascorbic acid increased by 5.97 mmHg (95% CI 3.82 to 8.13 mmHg) from year 9 to year 10, those in the highest quartile of plasma vitamin C increased by only 0.23 mmHg (95% CI -1.90 to +2.36 mmHg) (test for linear trend: p < 0.0001). A similar effect was seen for change in systolic BP, p = 0.005.

Conclusion

Plasma ascorbic acid was found to be inversely associated with BP and change in BP during the prior year. The findings suggest the possibility that vitamin C may influence BP in healthy young adults. Since lower BP in young adulthood may lead to lower BP and decreased incidence of age-associated vascular events in older adults, further investigation of treatment effects of vitamin C on BP regulation in young adults is warranted.