bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity of Inactivated Monovalent Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Vaccine Administered With or Without AS03 Adjuvant
Authors: Chen Wilbur H. , Jackson Lisa A. , Edwards Kathryn M. , Keitel Wendy A. , Hill Heather , Noah Diana L. , Creech C. Buddy , Patel Shital M. , Mangal Brian , Kotloff Karen L.
Published: September 2014

Background.  The national stockpile for influenza pandemic preparedness includes vaccines against an array of strains and adjuvants that could be utilized to induce immunologic priming as a pandemic wave emerges. We assessed the feasibility of a strategy that allows the flexibility of postmanufacture mixture of vaccine and adjuvant at the point of care.

Methods.  We conducted a randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial among healthy adults aged 18–49 years who received 2 doses of inactivated influenza A/Indonesia/05/2005 (H5N1 clade 2.2.3) virus vaccine containing either 3.75, 7.5, or 15 µg of hemagglutinin (HA) with or without AS03 adjuvant, administered 21 days apart. Subjects were observed for local (injection site) and systemic reactogenicity and adverse events. Sera were tested for hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralization (MN) antibody levels against the homologous strain and 4 heterologous avian strains.

Results.  Vaccine containing ASO3 adjuvant was associated with significantly more local reactions compared with nonadjuvanted vaccine, but these were short-lived and resolved spontaneously. Although the immune response to nonadjuvanted vaccine was poor, 2 doses of AS03-adjuvanted vaccine containing as little as 3.75 µg of HA elicited robust immune responses resulting in seroprotective titers (≥1:40) to the homologous strain in ≥86% of subjects by HAI and in 95% of subjects by MN. Cross-clade antibody responses were also observed with AS03-adjuvanted vaccine, but not nonadjuvanted vaccine.

Conclusions.  AS03 adjuvant formulated with inactivated vaccine at the administration site significantly enhanced the immune responses to H5N1 vaccine and has the potential to markedly improve vaccine responses and accelerate delivery during an influenza pandemic.

Clinical Trials Registration.  NCT01317758.
Atypical Mycobacterial Infection Following Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty
Authors: Crosswell Edward G. , Leyngold Ilya M.
Published: September 2014

Atypical mycobacterial infection is a rare complication following periocular surgery. The majority of previously reported cases are following dacryocystorhinostomy or lower eyelid blepharoplasty. To the authors’ knowledge, there is only 1 reported culture-proven case of atypical mycobacterial infection following upper eyelid blepharoplasty. The authors describe the first known case of Mycobacterium fortuitum infection after upper eyelid blepharoplasty successfully treated with oral doxycycline.
A Case of Blunt Trauma of the Eyeball Associated With an Inferior Oblique Muscle and an Inferior Rectus Muscle Rupture
Authors: Nitta Keisuke , Kashima Tomoyuki , Miura Fumihide , Hiroe Takashi , Akiyama Hideo , Kishi Shoji
Published: September 2014

Rupture of the extraocular muscle in the absence of significant injury to the eyeball and adnexa is uncommon. The authors report a case of blunt trauma of the eyeball associated with an inferior oblique muscle and an inferior rectus muscle rupture. A 55-year-old man slipped and fell down hitting his eye on an extended windshield wiper blade. Although he had treatment in the emergency room, he complained of diplopia in the primary position 1 day postoperatively. After noticing ruptures of the inferior oblique muscle and an inferior rectus muscle during exploratory surgery, the authors carefully repaired it. Diplopia in the primary position had disappeared within 1 month after the operation and by 6 months postoperatively. The movement of the eye had almost completely recovered.
Reflections on a measurement of the gravitational constant using a beam balance and 13 tons of mercury
Authors: Schlamminger S. , Pixley R. E. , Nolting F. , Schurr J. , Straumann U.
Published: September 2014

In 2006, a final result of a measurement of the gravi- tational constant
G
performed by researchers at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, was published. A value of
G
=6.674252(122)×10
−11
 m
3
 kg
−1
 s
−2
was obtained after an experimental effort that lasted over one decade. Here, we briefly summarize the measurement and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
Microbacter margulisiae gen. nov., sp. nov., a propionigenic bacterium isolated from sediments of an acid rock drainage pond
Authors: Sánchez-Andrea Irene , Sanz Jose Luis , Stams Alfons J. M.
Published: September 2014

A novel anaerobic propionigenic bacterium, strain ADRIT, was isolated from sediment of an acid rock drainage environment (Tinto River, Spain). Cells were small (0.4–0.6×1–1.7 µm), non-motile and non-spore-forming rods. Cells possessed a Gram-negative cell-wall structure and were vancomycin-resistant. Strain ADRITutilized yeast extract and various sugars as substrates and formed propionate, lactate and acetate as major fermentation products. The optimum growth temperature was 30 °C and the optimum pH for growth was pH 6.5, but strain ADRITwas able to grow at a pH as low as 3.0. Oxidase, indole formation, and urease and catalase activities were negative. Aesculin and gelatin were hydrolysed. The predominant cellular fatty acids of strain ADRITwere anteiso-C15 : 0(30.3 %), iso-C15 : 0(29.2 %) and iso-C17 : 03-OH (14.9 %). Major menaquinones were MK-8 (52 %) and MK-9 (48 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 39.9 mol%. Phylogenetically, strain ADRITwas affiliated to the familyPorphyromonadaceaeof the phylumBacteroidetes. The most closely related cultured species werePaludibacter propionicigeneswith 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 87.5 % and several species of the genusDysgonomonas(similarities of 83.5–85.4 % to the type strains). Based on the distinctive ecological, phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of strain ADRIT, a novel genus and species,Microbacter margulisiaegen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is ADRIT( = JCM 19374T = DSM 27471T).
De Novo Genome Assembly of the Economically Important Weed Horseweed Using Integrated Data from Multiple Sequencing Platforms
Authors: Peng Yanhui , Lai Zhao , Lane Thomas , Nageswara-Rao Madhugiri , Okada Miki , Jasieniuk Marie , O’Geen Henriette , Kim Ryan W. , Sammons R. Douglas , Rieseberg Loren H. , Stewart C. Neal
Published: September 2014

Horseweed (Conyza canadensis), a member of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family, was the first broadleaf weed to evolve resistance to glyphosate. Horseweed, one of the most problematic weeds in the world, is a true diploid (2n = 2x = 18), with the smallest genome of any known agricultural weed (335 Mb). Thus, it is an appropriate candidate to help us understand the genetic and genomic bases of weediness. We undertook a draft de novo genome assembly of horseweed by combining data from multiple sequencing platforms (454 GS-FLX, Illumina HiSeq 2000, and PacBio RS) using various libraries with different insertion sizes (approximately 350 bp, 600 bp, 3 kb, and 10 kb) of a Tennessee-accessed, glyphosate-resistant horseweed biotype. From 116.3 Gb (approximately 350× coverage) of data, the genome was assembled into 13,966 scaffolds with 50% of the assembly = 33,561 bp. The assembly covered 92.3% of the genome, including the complete chloroplast genome (approximately 153 kb) and a nearly complete mitochondrial genome (approximately 450 kb in 120 scaffolds). The nuclear genome is composed of 44,592 protein-coding genes. Genome resequencing of seven additional horseweed biotypes was performed. These sequence data were assembled and used to analyze genome variation. Simple sequence repeat and single-nucleotide polymorphisms were surveyed. Genomic patterns were detected that associated with glyphosate-resistant or -susceptible biotypes. The draft genome will be useful to better understand weediness and the evolution of herbicide resistance and to devise new management strategies. The genome will also be useful as another reference genome in the Compositae. To our knowledge, this article represents the first published draft genome of an agricultural weed.
Identification of Phosphatin, a Drug Alleviating Phosphate Starvation Responses in Arabidopsis
Authors: Arnaud Carole , Clément Mathilde , Thibaud Marie-Christine , Javot Hélène , Chiarenza Serge , Delannoy Etienne , Revol Julia , Soreau Paul , Balzergue Sandrine , Block Maryse A. , Maréchal Eric , Desnos Thierry , Nussaume Laurent
Published: September 2014

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is present in most soils at suboptimal concentrations, strongly limiting plant development. Plants have the ability to sense and adapt to the surrounding ionic environment, and several genes involved in the response to Pi starvation have been identified. However, a global understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved in this process is still elusive. Here, we have initiated a chemical genetics approach and isolated compounds that inhibit the response to Pi starvation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Molecules were screened for their ability to inhibit the expression of a Pi starvation marker gene (the high-affinity Pi transporter PHT1;4). A drug family named Phosphatin (PTN; Pi starvation inhibitor), whose members act as partial suppressors of Pi starvation responses, was thus identified. PTN addition also reduced various traits of Pi starvation, such as phospholipid/glycolipid conversion, and the accumulation of starch and anthocyanins. A transcriptomic assay revealed a broad impact of PTN on the expression of many genes regulated by low Pi availability. Despite the reduced amount of Pi transporters and resulting reduced Pi uptake capacity, no reduction of Pi content was observed. In addition, PTN improved plant growth; this reveals that the developmental restrictions induced by Pi starvation are not a consequence of metabolic limitation but a result of genetic regulation. This highlights the existence of signal transduction pathway(s) that limit plant development under the Pi starvation condition.
Synthesis and crystal structures ofRE7Zn21+xSi2–x[RE= Ce, Pr, and Nd; 0.09 (1) <x< 0.95 (1)]
Authors: Hoos James , Suen Nian-Tzu , Bobev Svilen
Published: September 2014

The focus of this paper is on the synthesis and crystal structures of three Zn-rich compounds with the general formulaRE7Zn21+xSi2−x, whereRE= Ce [x= 0.95 (1); heptacerium docosazinc silicon], Pr [x= 0.09 (1); heptapraseodymium henicosazinc disilicon], and Nd [x= 0.53 (1); heptaneodymium docosazinc silicon]. The compounds were obtained by high-temperature reactions, using the respective elements as starting materials. The structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compounds crystalize in the orthorhombic space groupPbam(No. 55, Pearson symboloP60) and are isostructural with about a dozenRE7Zn21+xTt2−x(RE= La–Nd;Tt= Ge, Sn, and Pb) compounds previously reported by our group. The results from the present refinements confirm the previously published data onRE7Zn21+xSi2−x(RE= La and Ce;x≃ 1.45) [Maliket al.(2013).Intermetallics,36, 118–126]. Additionally, magnetic susceptibility measurements on the corresponding bulk samples show Curie–Weiss paramagnetic behavior from 5 to 300 K, consistent withRE3+ground states and local-moment magnetism due to the core 4felectrons.
A study of one-dimensional incommensurate modulated structure determination in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Li Xueming , Ge Binghui , Li Fanghua , Luo Huiqian , Wen Haihu
Published: September 2014

The methods for determining incommensurate modulated structures (IMSs) in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy have been studied and improved to a level more perfect than before. This is demonstrated by means of the IMS determination for Bi2.31Sr1.69CuO6+δas an example. First, as previously, the projected potential map (PPM) of the IMS with resolution 0.2 nm was obtained after image deconvolution from a [100] image. Secondly, the resolution of the PPM was enhanced to 0.1 nm through phase extension combined with the electron-diffraction data so that the substitutional and displacive modulation functions could be determined. Thirdly, a (2+1)-dimensional structure model that corresponds to the [100] projected IMS was built for calculating the related partial structure factors that were utilized to correct the experimental electron-diffraction intensities for both main and satellite reflections. After three cycles of diffraction-intensity correction and phase extension, all unoverlapped atoms projected along the [100] direction in Bi2.31Sr1.69CuO6+δwere resolved, and the modulations of substitution and displacement could be observed clearly. The substitution of Bi for Sr atoms at the Sr(O) columns was seen in the final PPM and verified by high-dimensional image simulation.
Human papillomavirus infection in Bowen disease: Negative p53 expression, not p16INK4a overexpression, is correlated with human papillomavirus‐associated Bowen disease
Authors: Murao Kazutoshi , Yoshioka Rika , Kubo Yoshiaki
Published: September 2014

Genital Bowen disease (BD) has been linked to the high‐risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Recently, it has been recognized that HPV also can be associated with extragenital BD. HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 interfere with the function of p53 and pRb, respectively, leading carcinogenesis. p16INK4a overexpression induced by inactivation of pRb is recognized as a surrogate marker for HPV‐associated cervical cancer. In this study, we examined the presence of HPV DNA in 142 BD lesions by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and determined the type of HPV by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism or direct DNA sequencing. HPV DNA was detected in 66.7% of genital BD and 8.3% of extragenital BD. The types of HPV detected were HPV types 6, 16, 33, 52, 56, 58 and 59. We also investigated the expression of p16INK4a, pRb and p53 by immunohistochemistry. Positive expression was detected in 88.6% for p16INK4a, 25.2% for pRb, and 63.8% for p53. There was no significant difference in p16INK4a and pRb expression between HPV‐positive and ‐negative BD. However, a strong correlation of HPV positivity with p53 negativity was found. A total of 66.7% of HPV‐positive BD showed no p53 expression, whereas the corresponding rate was 32.8% of HPV‐negative BD. This study demonstrated that HPV can participate in the development of BD, not only in the genital lesion, but also in extragenital lesion. p16INK4a overexpression is not a marker for HPV infection in BD. Instead, negative p53 expression is correlated with HPV‐associated BD.
Nordic Contributions to Comparative Research
Authors: Anckar Carsten , Sundberg Jan
Published: September 2014

Comparative politics has traditionally not been one of the dominant sub‐fields of political science in the Nordic countries. Although early pioneering efforts were made by Herbert Tingsten and later by Stein Rokkan, this field of research led an obscure life in these countries until the late 1980s/early 1990s. This article gives a short overview of the development and present state of comparative research in the Nordic countries. It also gives a brief account of the comparative research profiles at the political science departments in Nordic universities. In order to give an empirical assessment of the status of comparative politics among Nordic political scientists, the article follows up an earlier study on publication patterns in five Nordic political science journals. In addition, a bibliographical analysis of Nordic contributions in international journals with a focus on comparative politics is undertaken. The results show, among other things, that there has been a marked increase in the share and number of comparative articles published by Danish, Swedish and Norwegian scholars. In Finland (and Iceland), however, no similar trend can be discerned. The conclusion is that the internationalization of political science is likely to stimulate cross‐country research and accordingly comparative politics is likely to consolidate its position as a major political science discipline in Scandinavia.
Establishing mutual misunderstanding: a Buryat shamanic ritual in Ulaanbaatar
Authors: Delaplace Gregory
Published: September 2014

This article discusses a strange case of shamanic ritual performed for a Buryat family in Mongolia's capital city Ulaanbaatar. This performance not only differs from those described in the regional literature, but it also seems to challenge some of the models used to account for ritual efficacy. Indeed, while the cathartic use of Buryat traumatic history to deal with a patient's misfortune in shamanic rituals is quite well documented, this performance stands out for the uncompassionate hopelessness with which spirits spoke of the family's fate as exiles in Mongolia. Meanwhile, the ever‐growing tension between participants, which culminated in an open crisis, would be a sure sign of a ritual failure had it not been the clear result of the shaman's own efforts to establish mutual misunderstanding between the spirits, the patients, and herself. Drawing on a pragmatic approach to ritual efficacy, this article ponders on the specific purpose of a performance which seems to be aimed at creating a context of miscommunication between participants.
Death in theCathedral: mortuary practices in sport stadiums
Authors: Vaczi Mariann
Published: September 2014

This article discusses an emerging mortuary practice: the establishment of columbaria in sport stadiums, and surreptitious ash dispersal on their playing fields. Focusing on aSpanish‐Basque fan community, I explore ethnographically the beliefs, identifications, and experiences that allow fans to think their insertion, once dead, into a football stadium. Contrary to the view that considers the mobility of ash remains as a result of increasing individual choice, and decreasing concern with space and place, ash dispersal in stadiums shows that, while the act is an individual decision, there remains a great concern with place, and with the act's consequences for the community. Stadiums are becoming final resting places precisely because of their pivotal social, communal, and emotional relevance. In sum, the article argues that individualized approaches to death and dying take collective forms.
Power and Persuasion in the Vaccine Debates: An Analysis of Political Efforts and Outcomes in the United States, 1998‐2012
Authors: LILLVIS DENISE F. , KIRKLAND ANNA , FRICK ANNA
Published: September 2014

Policy Points:

From 2011 to 2013, immunization proponents won significant legislative victories that tightened philosophical exemptions in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Highlighting data on the high rates of unvaccinated children and subsequent, preventable infectious disease outbreaks has proven to be quite compelling to state lawmakers, especially when combined with physician expert testimony. Even vigorous protest from vaccine‐critical organizations failed to defeat recent legislative wins when other political conditions were favorable. 

Our research suggests that immunization proponents have not been as active as they could be, and that much of the energy in pressing for new policies over the past 15 years has been on the vaccine‐critical side of the aisle. 

Context

This article examines trends in state‐level childhood vaccine policies in the United States from 1998 to 2012 and explains the trajectories for both vaccine‐critical and proimmunization legislative efforts. Successful mobilization by vaccine critics during the height of the autism and thimerosal scares (roughly 1998 to 2003) yielded a few state‐level expansions for the most permissive type of exemption from vaccine mandates for public school attendance, those based on personal beliefs. Vaccine‐critical positions, however, have largely become discredited. How has vaccine critics’ ability to advance preferred policies and prevent the passage of unfavorable legislation changed over time?

Methods

We created a unique data set of childhood vaccine bills (n = 636), introduced from 1998 to 2012 across the 50 state legislatures, and coded them by type of effort (exemption, mandate, mercury ban, and information policies) and outcome. We then mapped out the trends in vaccine policies over time. In order to contextualize the trends we identified, we also reviewed numerous primary sources and conducted interviews with stakeholders.

Findings

In general, we found that vaccine critics’ legislative success has begun to wane. In only 20 bills in our data set were vaccine critics able to change policy in their preferred direction via the legislative process. Only 5 of those wins were significant (such as obtaining a new philosophical exemption to vaccine mandates), and the last of these was in 2007. Critics were more successful at preventing passage of proimmunization legislation, such as mandates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Conclusions

Recent legislation in California, Oregon, and Washington that tightened philosophical exemptions by means of informational requirements suggests that vaccine politics may be entering another phase, one in which immunization supporters may be able to counter increasing opt‐out rates, particularly in states with recent outbreaks and politicians favoring science‐based policies.
Trust and Financial Reporting Quality
Authors: GARRETT JACE , HOITASH RANI , PRAWITT DOUGLAS F.
Published: September 2014

Using unique survey data from Great Place to Work® Institute, we investigate the association of intraorganizational trust (i.e., employees’ trust in management) with three aspects of financial reporting: accruals quality, misstatements, and internal control quality. We find that trust is associated with better accrual quality, lower likelihood of financial statement misstatements, and lower likelihood of internal control material weakness disclosures. However, these effects are not uniform across all companies. Consistent with trust improving financial reporting quality through improved information production and information sharing, we find that trust is significantly associated with financial reporting quality in relatively decentralized firms, but not in firms that are relatively centralized. Our results are robust to several analyses that attempt to control for potential alternative explanations.
Identifying the site for intercostal catheter insertion in the emergency department: Is clinical examination reliable?
Authors: Carter Peter , Conroy Sheree , Blakeney Jade , Sood Bimal
Published: September 2014

Objective

To determine whether ED doctors, comprising both consultants and registrars, can accurately identify the 4th or 5th intercostal space (ICS), commonly used for intercostal catheter insertion.

Methods

An observational study was designed using a sample of ED doctors applying their clinical skills to a convenience sample of patients reflecting a heterogeneous mix of ED patients. Patients already receiving a CXR in our ED were examined by a registrar or consultant who placed a radiopaque marker on the patients' chest wall over the site they determined to be the 4th or 5th ICS. Consultant radiologists reported the marker's position from postero‐anterior projection CXRs, and results were analysed comparing consultants with registrars, right to left hemithoraces and male to female patients.

Results

ED doctors participating in the present study placed the marker over the 4th or 5th ICS 36.2% of the time, with no significant difference between consultant and registrar groups, nor right or left hemithoraces. Accuracy was improved in female patients compared with male patients.

Conclusion

Emergency registrars and consultants sampled from a regional ED appeared unable to reliably identify the 4th or 5th ICS, as evidenced by marker position, in a heterogeneous patient population.
The totalitarian dynamic behind HRM's democratic façade
Authors: Abbott Keith
Published: September 2014

The terms ‘authoritarian’ and ‘democratic’ are political concepts often applied as a means of distinguishing human resource management (HRM) from older forms of labour management, the common assertion being that former authoritarian practices have become more democratic under HRM. This article challenges this view by arguing that the foundational principles and practices of HRM, when orientated by the expectations of a ‘desired’ organisational culture, cast it into a role that involves mobilising the collective psychology of organisational members to accept willingly the legitimacy of managerial authority and the virtues of firm loyalty. It is suggested that such a role has no parallel in orthodox democratic arrangements; that if political concepts are to be applied to the way labour is managed under HRM, a clearer affinity exists with the aims and practices of totalitarian regimes and their use of propaganda and other means to control civilian populations.
Geography and the Australian Curriculum: Unfulfilled Knowledges in Secondary School Education
Authors: CASINADER NIRANJAN
Published: September 2014

The introduction of geography as a separate discipline within the Australian Curriculum offers hope for revitalisation of the subject in Australian school education after decades of decline. Since the 1990s, the subject has been largely submerged within an integrated curriculum framework that has had significant consequences for the presence and character of secondary school geography. Its inclusion in the learning area of SOSE (Studies of Society and Environment) within schools has diluted the degree, breadth and depth of geographical education. However, in spite of the hope provided by its re‐institution, the process of national curriculum construction has had disconcerting consequences for the type of geography being offered to Australian students at the secondary level. Building on critical overviews of the history of secondary geography as an Australian school subject since the 1980s, recent philosophical discourse on approaches to geographical knowledge in a school context, and the author's personal experience as a geographical educator and researcher, this paper argues that the nature of knowledge embodied by the new geography study design in Years 7–10 is flawed in both its scope and its direction. While reflecting many of the characteristics of a social realist approach to geographical knowledge, the Australian Curriculum minimises the elements of critical analysis that provide geography with its unique educational identity and value.
Effects of NaCl Concentration and Potassium Chloride Substitutions on the Thermal Properties and Lipid Oxidation of Dry‐Cured Pork
Authors: Zhang Yingyang , Feng Xianchao , Wu Haizhou , Tang Jing , Zhang Jianhao
Published: September 2014

The thermal properties of cured meat are important for determining storage life and nutritional quality. However, few studies have focused on the thermal properties of dry‐cured pork, particularly in relation to salt level and type. In order to study the thermal properties of dry‐cured pork, we used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate the net heat energy (enthalpy, ΔH), onset (Tonset), and maximum (Tmax) temperatures of different pork cuts salted with mixtures of chloride (NaCl and KCl) salts within the curing and ripening temperature range. Within the curing temperature range (−5 to 20 °C), the Tonset, Tmax, and ΔH of cured meat treated with different NaCl : KCl mixtures were generally lower than for fresh meat, which indicates that the addition of NaCl or KCl can reduce the melting of lipids and water (especially lipids), in different pork cuts. Within the ripening temperature range (5 to 50 °C), heat absorption peaks in belly and leg cuts were between 29 and 33 °C. However, no obvious heat absorption peak was found in loin cuts. Compared to non‐KCl substitutions, a slightly higher KCl substitution could significantly (P < 0.05) enhance ΔH values of dry‐cured belly and leg cuts. The likely cause of this phenomenon is that high KCl substitutions promote lipid oxidation (r = 0.98, for belly; r = 0.95, for leg cuts). Therefore, KCl substitution should be no more than 30% (wt/wt), especially for high lipid pork, to prevent excessive melting and oxidation of lipids during the dry‐curing process.
β‐Carotene as a Membrane Antioxidant Probed by Cholesterol‐Anchored Daidzein
Authors: Hu Feng , Jia Zhi‐Yu , Liang Ran , Wang Peng , Ai Xi‐Cheng , Zhang Jian‐Ping , Skibsted Leif H.
Published: September 2014

β‐Carotene is found to be more effective as an antioxidant in phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes when protecting against hydrophilic radicals compared to lipophilic radicals, as measured by the rate of formation of conjugated dienes. Daidzein alone is without effect, but decreases the antioxidative effect of β‐carotene for hydrophilic initiation and increases the effect for lipophilic initiation. The newly synthesized 7‐cholesterylglycol daidzein has the opposite effect for β‐carotene as antioxidant, with a strong enhancement for hydrophilic initiation and a slight decrease for lipophilic initiation. Redistributing β‐carotene to membrane surfaces by cholesterol‐anchoring of daidzein enhances protection against aqueous radicals significantly at the expense of protection against lipid‐derived radicals. Anchoring of daidzein to cholesterol is concluded to be useful as a mechanistic tool for controlling antioxidant distribution in membranes sensitive to radical damage, as supported by quantum mechanical calculation within the density function theory and further supported by fluorescence probes and fluorescence polarization probes.
Emulsifying Properties of Legume Proteins Compared to β‐Lactoglobulin and Tween 20 and the Volatile Release from Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions
Authors: Benjamin O. , Silcock P. , Beauchamp J. , Buettner A. , Everett D.W.
Published: September 2014

The emulsifying properties of plant legume protein isolates (soy, pea, and lupin) were compared to a milk whey protein, β‐lactoglobulin (β‐lg), and a nonionic surfactant (Tween 20). The protein fractional composition was characterized using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The following emulsion properties were measured: particle diameter, shear surface ζ‐potential, interfacial tension (IT), and creaming velocity. The effect of protein preheat treatment (90 °C for 10 min) on the emulsifying behavior and the release of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from emulsions under oral conditions was also investigated in real time using proton transfer reaction‐mass spectrometry. The legume proteins showed comparable results to β‐lg and Tween 20, forming stable, negatively charged emulsions with particle diameter d3,2 < 0.4 μm, and maintained stability over 50 d. The relatively lower stability of lupin emulsions was significantly correlated with the low protein surface hydrophobicity and IT of the emulsion. After heating the proteins, the droplet size of pea and lupin emulsions decreased. The VOC release profile was similar between the protein‐stabilized emulsions, and greater retention was observed for Tween 20‐stabilized emulsions. This study demonstrates the potential application of legume proteins as alternative emulsifiers to milk proteins in emulsion products.
Meta‐analysis of diagnosis of liver metastatic cancers: Comparison of 18FDG PET‐CT and gadolinium‐enhanced MRI
Authors: Deng Jinlong , Tang Jiande , Shen Naipeng
Published: September 2014

Introduction

We performed a meta‐analysis to compare the performance of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) positron emission tomography‐CT (PET‐CT) with that of gadolinium‐enhanced MRI for the detection of liver metastatic cancers.

Methods

The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant original articles. The histology and/or imaging follow‐up data served as the reference standard. We calculated the pooled sensitivities, specificities, positive likelihood ratios, negative likelihood ratios and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves for 18FDG PET‐CT and gadolinium‐enhanced MRI, respectively.

Results

Ten studies (1105 patients) were included for this meta‐analysis. 18FDG PET‐CT has similar patient‐based specificity (1.00 and 0.99), positive likelihood ratios (253.1 and 138.2), negative likelihood ratios (0.16 and 0.10) and area under curves (0.99 and 0.99) with gadolinium‐enhanced MRI. Gadolinium‐enhanced MRI tends to have higher sensitivity (0.91 and 0.84) than 18FDG PET‐CT.

Conclusion

Both 18FDG PET‐CT and gadolinium‐enhanced MRI have excellent diagnostic performance for the detection of liver metastatic cancer.
Regional and Multilateral Surveillance: Normative Tensions and Implications for Cooperation in East Asia
Authors: Robles Theresa
Published: September 2014

Financial crises have underscored two important points for East Asia's economic and financial stability and resilience: regional economies must become more self‐reliant while acknowledging that the growing interdependence has intensified the need for cooperation. Reconciling the need for self‐reliance with the reality of increasing interdependence has critical implications for East Asian financial regionalism as it drives how regional and multilateral processes link and interact with each other. This article explores how normative tensions can limit coordination of regional and multilateral surveillance mechanisms and investigates whether the 2008 global financial crisis has changed the normative dynamics in surveillance. Studies on the interaction of ideas and interests and its impact on financial governance have made important contributions to discussions on postcrisis reform. However, current analyses tend to overlook how normative tensions drive collective action between regional and multilateral levels. Furthermore, existing research in this field tends to focus on processes of change and devote little attention to cases wherein it might result in stasis instead. This article focuses on how two trends – the growing divergence in conceptions of financial risk and stability and the loss of an intellectual compass to guide the surveillance agenda – may hinder deeper cooperation between regional and multilateral surveillance mechanisms in East Asia.
Differential diagnosis and cancer staging of a unique case with multiple nodules in the lung – lung adenocarcinoma, metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma, and colon adenocarcinoma metastasizing to lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Bai Yun , Qiu Jianxing , Shang Xueqian , Liu Ping , Zhang Ying , Wang Ying , Xiong Yan , Li Ting
Published: September 2014

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world. Despite this, there have been few cases of simultaneous primary and metastatic cancers in the lung reported, let alone coexisting with tumor‐to‐tumor metastasis. Herein, we describe an extremely unusual case. A 61‐year‐old man with a history of colon adenocarcinoma was revealed as having three nodules in the lung 11 months after colectomy. The nodule in the left upper lobe was primary lung adenocarcinoma, the larger one in the right upper lobe was a metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma, and the smaller one in the right upper lobe was colon adenocarcinoma metastasizing to lung adenocarcinoma. Our paper focused on the differential diagnosis and cancer staging of this unique case, and discussed the uncommon phenomenon of the lung acting as a recipient in tumor‐to‐tumor metastasis.
Giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: A case report
Authors: Liu Baodong , Liu Lei , Li Yuanbo
Published: September 2014

A 62‐year‐old male farmer weighing 79 kg was taken to a hospital after experiencing exertional dyspnea and shortness of breath for a month. A chest roentgenogram and computed tomography showed a giant mass in his right thorax. A CT‐guided biopsy demonstrated a solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP). Because of the large size of the tumor and the substantial pleural effusion in the right hemithorax, the patient was referred to our institution for radiofrequency ablation. After one month, we performed an exploratory thoracotomy to dissect the giant mass with the right, middle, and lower lobes. The measurement of the tumor was 20 cm × 18 cm × 13 cm and it weighed 3250 g. The histopathology of the resected specimen confirmed SFTP. The patient had no postoperative complications; six months after surgery, no recurrence occurred.
Plasma concentration of ketorolac after local infiltration analgesia in hip arthroplasty
Authors: AFFAS F. , EKSBORG S. , WRETENBERG P. , OLOFSSON C. , STEPHANSON N. , STILLER C.‐O.
Published: September 2014

Background

Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) with local anaesthetic (ropivacaine), a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (ketorolac) and epinephrine after lower extremity arthroplasty has gained increasing popularity during the last decade. This method has certain advantages, which include minimal systemic side effects, faster post‐operative mobilization, earlier post‐operative discharge from hospital and less opioid consumption. However, information regarding plasma concentrations of ketorolac after LIA mixture is insufficient to predict the risk of renal impairment in patients subjected to arthroplasty.

Aim

To determine the maximal plasma concentration and the exposure of ketorolac during the first 30 h following LIA in hip arthroplasty.

Methods

Thirteen patients scheduled for primary total hip arthroplasty with LIA (ropivacaine 200 mg, ketorolac 30 mg and epinephrine 0.5 mg in a volume of 106 ml) were included. Plasma concentration of ketorolac was quantified by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. In addition, we assessed the effect of increasing age and decreasing glomerular filtration rate on the maximal plasma concentration and the total exposure to ketorolac during 30 h.

Results

The range of the maximal plasma concentration, 0.3–2.2 mg/l, was detected 30 min–4 h after completing the infiltration. Similar plasma levels have been reported after intramuscular injection of the same dose of ketorolac to healthy elderly volunteers.

Conclusion

Exposure to ketorolac after LIA may be comparable to an intramuscular injection of the same dose. Decision of dose reduction should be based on clinical assessment of risk factors.
Prevalence and correlates of cigarette smoking among patients with schizophrenia in southeast Nigeria
Authors: Aguocha C. M. , Aguocha J. K. , Igwe M. , Uwakwe R. U. , Onyeama G. M.
Published: September 2014

Objective

To determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among patients with schizophrenia and to explore their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Method

A cross‐sectional descriptive study of 367 patients with schizophrenia. Instruments administered included sociodemographic questionnaire, Present State Examination: schizophrenia section to confirm schizophrenia diagnosis and Present State Examination: tobacco section to those that smoked.

Results

A total of 189 females (51.5%) and 178 (48.5%) males were studied. The mean age of the participants was 34.1 ± 9.94 years. Two hundred and forty‐one (65.7%) had never being married. Two hundred and three (55.3%) had secondary school education. A lifetime prevalence of 25.9% and a current smoking rate of 20.4% were reported. Ninety five (53.4%) of the males had smoked at least once in their lifetime. None of the females smoked. Among those that smoked, being unmarried (ϰ² = 6.51, P < 0.01) and unemployed (ϰ² = 5.11, P < 0.02) were associated with prescription of high doses of antipsychotics. Of those that smoked, the managing psychiatrist identified or documented only twenty‐five (26.3%) of them (kappa = 0.80, P < 0.00).

Conclusion

The rate of smoking in Nigerian patients with schizophrenia is considerably less than is reported for their Western counterparts.
Humour styles, gelotophobia and self‐esteem among Chinese and Indian university students
Authors: Hiranandani Neelam Arjan , Yue Xiao Dong
Published: September 2014

This study examined the relationship between humour styles, gelotophobia and self‐esteem among 102 Indian and 101 Hong Kong university students. The Humour Styles Questionnaire, the GELOPH‐15 Scale and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale were used. Indian students rated the importance of humour significantly higher than Hong Kong Chinese students and considered themselves as being significantly more humorous as well. Both Indian and Hong Kong Chinese students engaged in significantly more affiliative and self‐enhancing humour. Indian students engaged in significantly more affiliative and self‐enhancing humour and reported less gelotophobia than Hong Kong students. Gelotophobia was negatively correlated with self‐esteem and affiliative humour in both samples and was positively correlated with self‐defeating humour in the Indian sample only. Affiliate humour mediated the relationship between self‐esteem and gelotophobia in both samples whereas self‐defeating humour mediated the relationship in the Indian sample only. Taken together, both Indian students and Hong Kong students valued adaptive humour, but Indian students valued humour more than Hong Kong students. This study is a pioneering study of its kind conducted in a Chinese‐Indian sample.
Ratings of physical attractiveness within young, romantically engaged couples in Malaysia
Authors: Tan Alena Yoke Teng , Mellor David , Bt Mamat Norul Hidayah
Published: September 2014

This study examined the matching hypothesis, the positive illusions effect and the love is blind bias in young, romantically engaged couples in Malaysia. Each member of 58 young, romantically engaged heterosexual couples completed the Body Esteem Scale and items assessing physical attractiveness in relation to themselves and their partner. In support of the matching hypothesis, partners' perceptions of their own and their partner's facial and bodily attractiveness were significantly correlated. The positive illusions effect and the love is blind bias were also evident, with participants' ratings of partners being greater than both their own self‐ratings and their partner's self‐ratings of physical attractiveness. Although our findings suggest that these phenomena related to perceptions of physical attractiveness are evident across cultures, further studies are required.
Follow up of intima–media thickness after severe early‐onset preeclampsia
Authors: Blaauw Judith , Souwer Esteban T.D. , Coffeng Sophie M. , Smit Andries J. , van Doormaal Jasper J. , Faas Marijke M. , van Pampus Maria G.
Published: September 2014

Objective

Early‐onset preeclampsia is associated with premature cardiovascular disease. We previously demonstrated that femoral intima–media thickness (IMT) and markers of cardiovascular disease were increased in women 1 year after early‐onset preeclampsia. The current study measured (progression of) IMT, cardiovascular disease risk factors and markers of endothelial cell dysfunction 4–5 years postpartum in the same women.

Study design

Case–control study.

Population

Formerly preeclamptic women.

Methods

IMT of carotid and femoral arteries was measured by ultrasound, as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. Various conventional cardiovascular risk factors were determined, as well as serum markers of endothelial cell activation and inflammation. Values were compared with those 1 year after the first (preeclamptic) pregnancy.

Main outcome measures

IMT.

Results

We included 17 formerly preeclamptic women (cases) and 16 controls. Mean interval between index delivery and day of investigation was 4.7 years for the cases and 4.3 years for the controls. Neither differences nor progression of IMT was observed between the cases and the controls. Increased blood pressure, body mass index, serum triglycerides and inflammatory markers were found in the cases compared with the controls.

Conclusion

IMT was not increased in women with an almost 5‐year history of severe preeclampsia as an indicator of increased cardiovascular risk. This study suggests a transient adaptive response of the arteries in formerly preeclamptic women. The persistence of cardiovascular risk factors in this group emphasizes the need for long‐term follow‐up.
Optic nerve and retinal features in uveitis associated with juvenile systemic granulomatous disease (Blau syndrome)
Authors: Carreño Ester , Guly Catherine M. , Chilov Michael , Hinchcliffe Annie , Arostegui Juan I. , Lee Richard W. J. , Dick Andrew D. , Ramanan Athimalaipet V.
Published: September 2014

Purpose

To determine whether patients with juvenile systemic granulomatous disease (JSGD) (Blau syndrome) and uveitis have a characteristic ocular phenotype.

Methods

Clinical and imaging data were collected retrospectively from patients attending the Regional Combined Paediatric Rheumatology and Ocular Inflammatory Service, Bristol Eye Hospital. General demographic information, laterality of the uveitis, age at onset, anatomical classification and course of the uveitis, clinical phenotype and specific NOD2 mutation were recorded for each patient.

Results

Seventeen eyes from nine patients (five males; four females) were included in the study. Mean age at the disease onset was 15 months, range 1–84 months. Eight patients had bilateral uveitis. Anterior uveitis was present in five eyes, intermediate uveitis in two eyes, and there were 10 eyes with panuveitis, manifesting as multifocal choroiditis. Appearance of optic disc included indistinct disc margins in six eyes, optic nerve head pallor in six eyes, optic disc vessel sheathing in four eyes, and there was peripapillary hypo/hyperpigmentation in 13 eyes accompanied with characteristic peripapillary nodular excrescences. Among NOD2 mutations, the p.R334W was the most commonly detected (n: four cases), and three patients carried novel variants, the p.E338D and p.D390V variants in one patient, and the p.H520Y and p.Q809K variants in two different patients.

Conclusions

Chronic bilateral panuveitis and a nodular peripapillary appearance in childhood onset uveitis are characteristic features of JSGD, which support the need for an appropriate genetic NOD2 analysis.
Contribution of the dorsal branch of the accessory nerve to the innervation of the trapezius muscle in the pig – a retrograde tracing study
Authors: Dudek Agnieszka , Sienkiewicz Waldemar , Kaleczyc Jerzy
Published: September 2014

The study was aimed to establish the contribution of the dorsal branch of the accessory nerve (DBXI) to the innervation of the porcine trapezius muscle (TRAP). Combined retrograde tracing using fluorescent tracer Fast blue (FB) and surgical denervation procedure (excision of DBXI segment) were applied. FB+ neurons supplying the cervical (c‐TRAP) and thoracic part (th‐TRAP) of TRAP were localized in following nerve centres: the ipsilateral ventral horn of the grey matter of cervical neuromers, ipsilateral spinal ganglia and bilateral sympathetic chain ganglia. After the excision of DBXI segment, no FB+ motoneurons supplying c‐TRAP were found while the mean number of those supplying th‐TRAP was significantly decreased. A slight decrease in average numbers of sensory and autonomic neurons implemented in the innervation of both parts of TRAP was also observed. This study has revealed that in the pig DBXI is the only motor pathway to c‐TRAP while the vast majority of motoneurons supplying porcine th‐TRAP send their axons via DBXI.