bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Electromyography and Instrumentation in Patients with Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Dias Anderson Alves , Lanna Rachel Alvarenga Boy , Junior Marcos Antonio Ferreira , Falcon Roberto Sakamoto , Rech Paulo Renato , Vargas Rogerio de Almeida , Menezes Cristiano Magalhães
Published: April 2016

Introduction

The objective of this study is to relate the use of intraoperative electromyography surgical time, proper placement of screws, type of curve and time for screw in idiopathic scoliosis correction surgery in a group of surgeons of Belo Horizonte.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 80 patients undergoing surgical treatment for idiopathic scoliosis correction between December 2008 and January 2015. All patients was performed electromyographic monitoring (EMG) intraoperative by a single column group of surgeons Belo Horizonte. EMG was performed with stimulation of pedicle screws in patients undergoing instrumentation using pedicle screws and fasteners.

Results

It was observed that 85% were female, with a mean age of 17 years (minimum of 6 years and maximum of 34 years), 37.5% of the cases represented the curve was idiopathic Lenke 1AN. 60.0% of all surgical cases had EMG change, and of these 1.3% had already had deficits Pre-procedure and 3.75% of cases post deficits. Of the total cases analyzed 66.3% were positive for real results.

Conclusion

Intraoperative monitoring with EMG is a very important tool for the surgical treatment of patients with scoliosis patients with instrumentation with pedicle screws. Through this feature you can check if the screw is on the correct path contributing to decrease the error rate, post surgical arthrodesis allowing the change in surgical strategy. Besides contributing to the positioning time reduction of the screw and the end of the surgical time.
Intraoperative Electrophysiological Monitoring Navigation Results during Sagittal Anterior Reduction Maneuver of High Grade Spondylolisthesis L5-S1 using an ALIF Surgical Technique
Authors: Diaz Roberto , Berbeo Miguel , Guarnizo Aura , Sardi Juan
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Unstable isthmic spondylolisthesis is a common disease. Treatment of high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis remains challenging. According to the literature, decompressive laminectomy and posterolateral screws fusion is preferred by most surgeons. Surgical treatment of spondylolisthesis has been recommended in patients with pain refractory to conservative treatment, slippage progression, or severe slippage on presentation. Controversy exists as to the optimal surgical approach for high-grade spondylolisthesis. Moreover, some authors reported the incidence of L5 root palsy during the reduction procedure. We believe that satisfactory nerve root decompression may be achieved by complete anterior discectomy and restoration of disc height (Indirect Decompression), followed by ALIF graft and posterior pedicle screws

Material and Methods

We performed a prospective study of 23 cases of surgical treatment using intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring for patients with high-grade spondylolisthesis. Each patient received treatment consisting of anterior retroperitoneal approach and indirect nerve decompression with anterior sagittal progressive realignment maneuver, and circumferential fusion with ALIF cage and L5-S1 minimally invasive pedicle fixation with intraoperative neurological monitoring with transcranial electric motor evoked potentials and continuous spontaneous electromyography recording.

Results

Intraoperative monitoring did show different transitory patterns with no any final abnormal changes. The patients got well after surgery, and they showed no postoperative sensory changes and motor paralysis of the extremities. A postoperative X-rays films showed suitable reduction of the slippage.

Conclusion

This report describes 23 cases of surgical treatment using intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring with transcranial electric motor evoked potentials and continuous spontaneous electromyography for patients with high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis. We successfully perform anterior sagittal reduction maneuvers without any neurological deficit using intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring.
The SpineCor Brace in 2015: A Form of Chiropractic Child Abuse? A Report of Three Cases
Authors: Smith John , Heflin John
Published: April 2016

Background

When the SpineCor brace was introduced ~15 years ago, it touted promise that a flexible, patient friendly brace could arrest curve progression during growth similar to that documented for a rigid Boston-type brace. Subsequent experience with this brace demonstrated that failure rates were similar to the group randomized to no brace in the study by Weinstein et al. Most orthopedic surgeons have abandoned its use. However, Chiropractors have recently advocated that this “new and amazing flexible” brace cannot only control scoliosis but with spinal manipulation, but also correct the curve. This is a report of three cases treated with the SpineCor brace. Case Studies: Patient one is a 15 years/o pre-menarche female who presents with a right thoracic curve of 56 degrees. Surgery was recommended. The family chose to use the SpineCor brace and multiple chiropractic manipulations with a guarantee that surgery could be avoided. Two years later, the family returns to clinic with a curve measuring 110 degrees. Patient two is a 12 years/o female who presents with AIS measuring 54 degrees. Surgery is recommended. The father chose to go with a SpineCor brace, traction Table 4X per week, muscle therapy, a vibration bed, and nuchal therapy for four years. After “tens of thousands of dollars,” the child returns at age 16 with a thoracic curve measuring 115 degrees. Patient three is a 10-year-old female who presents with an AIS curve measuring 32 degrees. Rigid bracing is recommended but the family chose Chiropractic and a SpineCor brace and a promise that the curve could be corrected. She returns at age 13 years with a curve of 75 degrees and surgery is recommended.

Conclusion

There is no credible data that would support the use of a SpineCor brace as an effective alternative to rigid bracing, or that this brace can actually correct a curve. In addition, there seems to be no consequences or accountability for prescribing chiropractors when the brace fails, leaving children with severe, high-risk curves. As Orthopedic surgeons, we have a responsibility to educate the public and no longer ignore the misleading information that our patients are receiving about “complimentary” therapies. This is a small series of cases and probably missed all of the successes of the SpineCor brace.
Reconsideration of the Definition of Chiari Malformation Type 1 Radiologically and Clinically
Authors: Murakami Tomohiro
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Chiari malformation type 1 (CM-1) is diagnosed by more than 3 or 5 mm caudal displacement of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum. This definition is a simple and easy method neuroradiologically, but it is obscure which is 3 or 5 mm. The purpose of this study is to analyze their clinical symptoms and radiological features.

Materials and Methods

We had 7788 new outpatients in our neurosurgical hospital in 2013 and 2014. In whom, patients undergone head CT or MRI were examined retrospectively. We diagnosed chiari marformation type 1 using more than 3 mm tonsillar herniation. Their clinical symptoms and the following measurements were analyzed: the distances from the pontomedullary junction (PMJ) to the basion (PMJ-Ba), PMJ to the basion-opisthion (PMJ-BO), the distances from the basion-opisthion to tip of the cerebellar tonsil, from BO to the obex (BO-obex), and from basion to opisthion, the clivo-axial angle, and the length of the clivus using T1-weighted sagittal images.

Results

There were 32 patients with CM-1 aged from 10 to 78 years (mean: 37.6 years) consisted of 8 men and 24 women. In whom 20 patients with tonsillar herniation of less than 5 mm were determined as T-3 group (T-3) and remained 12 patients as T-5 group (T-5). No patients had syringomyelia. Headache was the most common symptom. Four patients in T-3 group were diagnosed incidentally, 3 in head injury and one in memory disturbance. The distances of PMJ-Ba, PMJ-BO, BO-obex, BO, the clivo-axial angle, and the length of the clivus were similar between both groups.

Conclusions

The patients in both groups had similar sympotms and posterior cranial fossa structures, however, patients in T-3 group without symptoms associated with CM-1 were diagnosed incidentally. Chiari malformation type 1 should be diagnosed based on not only tonsillar herniation but also clinical symptoms and other MRI findings such as brainstem ptosis.
Long-Term Outcome following Surgical Treatment for Spondylodiscitis in 211 Cases
Authors: Shiban Ehab , Janssen Insa , Meyer Bernhard , Reiner Jessica , Ringel Florian
Published: April 2016

Aim

To determine the safety and efficacy of surgical debridement with instrumentation in treating pyogenic infection of the spine.

Material/Methods

Between June 2006 and December 2013, 229 consecutive patients suffering from spondylodiscitis were admitted to our department. 211 (92%) underwent surgical debridement and instrumentation while 18 were treated conservatively. Surgically treated patients were analyzed. Clinical outcome was assessed with neurological and laboratory examinations at 3 months following surgery. Long-term clinical outcome was assessed at a minimum of 12 months following surgery with a telephone interview.

Results

The mean age at presentation was 67 years, 139 patients were male (66%). Distribution of the inflammation was lumbar in 134 (63%), thoracic in 37 (18%) and cervical in 30 (14%) cases. Ten patients (5%) had two concomitant non-contiguous spondylodiscitis in different segments of the spine. Epidural abscess was found in 74 patients (35%). 191 patients (90%) had pain. Neurological deficit was found in 96 patients (45%). In the thoracic and lumbar cases, dorsal instrumentation alone was considered sufficient in 34 cases, additional interbody fusion from dorsal was performed in 86 cases. 360-degree instrumentation was performed in 53 cases. In the cervical cases, ventral spondylodesis was performed in 13 cases and ventral plating, dorsal instrumentation alone in 8 cases and 360-degree instrumentation 13 cases. Postoperative intravenous antibiotics were administered for 13,6 ± 8,2 days followed by 3.0 ± 0.9 months of oral antibiotics. Complete healing of the inflammation was achieved in 204 (97%) of cases. Only 4 patients had a relapse of the inflammation, in 3 cases following dorsal instrumentation alone and in one case after additional interbody fusion with a PEEK cage from dorsal in the lumbar spine. This was followed by debridement and anterior interbody fusion upon relapse. Five patients died due to septic shock (two because of fulminant endocarditis and three by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome). 1 patient died postoperatively due to pulmonary embolism. From the 96 patients with neurological deficit, 44 (46%) had full recovery and 33 (34%) had improved incompletely after surgery.

Conclusion

Surgical debridement and instrumentation is relatively safe and very effective approach to achieve complete healing of spinal inflammation. Thereby, a short period of intravenous antibiotics of 1–2 weeks is followed by 3 months of oral antibiotics is appropriate in most cases.
Instrumented Circumferential Fusion for Tuberculosis of the Dorso-Lumbar Spine. A Single- or Double-Stage Procedure?
Authors: Refai Omar , Elsabrout Moataz , Hasan Mohamed , Ali Hassan , El-Sharkawi Mohammad , Said Galal
Published: April 2016

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to present our experience in treating dorso-lumbar tuberculosis by one-stage posterior circumferential fusion and to compare this group with a historical group treated by anterior debridement followed by postero-lateral fusion and stabilization.

Material and Methods

Between 2003 and 2012, 43 patients with active spinal tuberculosis were treated by one-stage posterior circumferential fusion and prospectively followed for a minimum of two years. Pain severity was measured using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Neurological assessment was done using the Frankel scale. The operative data, clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes were also compared with a similar group of 25 patients treated with anterior debridement and fusion, followed 10–14 days later by posterior stabilization and postero-lateral fusion.

Results

The mean operative time and duration of hospital stay were significantly longer in the two-stage group. The mean estimated blood loss was also larger, though insignificantly, in the two-stage group. The incidence of complications was significantly lower in the one-stage group. At final follow-up, all 38 patients with pre-operative neurological deficits showed at least one Frankel grade of neurological improvement, all 68 patients showed significant improvement of their VAS back pain score, the mean kyphotic angle has significantly improved, all patients achieved solid fusion and 53 (78%) patients returned to their pre-disease activity level or work.

Conclusion

Instrumented circumferential fusion, whether in one or two stages, is an effective treatment for dorso-lumbar tuberculosis. One-stage surgery, however, is advantageous because it has lower complication rate, shorter hospital stay, less operative time and blood loss.
Stimulation EMG Thresholds during Percutaneous Robotic Assisted Pedicle Screw Placement
Authors: Cannestra Andrew
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Robotic assisted placement of pedicle screws has become increasingly popular in minimally invasive lumbar surgery (MIS). Stimulated EMG measurements during robotic pedicle cannulation have previously not been possible. Although often performed as a second step during subsequent tapping, this tapping may result in the destruction of the pedicle and a breach if too medial. We developed an insulated cannulation tube for electrical measurements to increase patient safety.

Methods

We developed a custom insulated cannulation tube for robotic assisted pedicle screw placement. This was coated with a micron thick non-conductive coating with 3cm of exposure at the distal tip corresponding to the length of the pedicle. This was then used in surgery and stimulated EMG thresholds were take prior to and after tapping (with a 4.5mm tap) during robot assisted surgery. Measurements were taken using in house neural monitoring as well as using the Nuvasive NVM5 system.

Results

34 levels were cannulated using the Mazor Renaissance Robotic system in a percutenous MIS approach. No breaches were identified by stimulation criteria. (i.e all stimulation EMG thresholds were greater then 10 in all groups). The difference (absolute value) between the cannula and tap was 5.3 +/− 0.3 mA. The tap had equal or lower thresholds 75% of the time (relative to the insulated cannula) and higher values in 25% of the stimulations. When comparing between the two monitoring techniques, the variability was consistent, 3.8 +/− 0.3mA

Conclusions

An insulated cannula during percutenous robotic assisted pedicle cannulation provides accurate and reliable measures of stimulated EMG thresholds. These measurements were consistent with subsequent tapping with only small variation. Measurements between in house monitoring and Nuvasive monitoring were consistent with only slight variation.
Final Fusion in Patients Treated with Rib Based Distraction: A Review of Peri-Operative Results
Authors: Heflin John , Morgan Jessica , Heagy Victoria , Smith John
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Rib based distraction for early onset scoliosis (EOS) and thoracic insufficiency is an accepted form of managing progressive spinal and chest wall deformities. Once growth has ceased, these patients generally undergo definitive fusion surgery to prevent further progression of deformity. Our objective was to review peri-operative outcomes in patients undergoing definitive fusion following rib-based distraction treatment for EOS.

Methods

27 patients treated with rib-based distraction for EOS who subsequently underwent final fusion were evaluated with an IRB approved patient registry. All patients were treated by a single surgeon. Information from the registry, patient operative reports, and X-rays were reviewed. Surgical time, blood-loss, complications, overall correction, and need for osteotomies were documented. Radiographic measurements included pre and post-operative sagittal and coronal Cobb angles. All numerical measurements were evaluated for statistical mean, range, and standard deviation.

Results

The average age at implantation of the rib-based construct was 7.45 (1.78–11.78) years. The mean age at definitive fusion was 13.51 (9.21–18.51) years, following an average of 10.5 (0–18) lengthening procedures and 13.35 (3–21) total surgeries. The mean coronal Cobb angle measured 67.42 (40–107) degrees prior to fusion and 50.17 (32–82) degrees following fusion. Pre-operative mean kyphosis was 61.08 (8–113) degrees and post-operatively averaged 50.00 (20–85) degrees. Operative time averaged 256 (115–520) minutes with a mean 534 cc (180–1280) blood loss. Osteotomies were required in 11 patients (41%). Complications occurred in 12 patients (44%), 9 requiring a repeat procedure.

Conclusion

Definitive fusion in patients treated with rib-based distraction is both technically challenging and tends to be associated with longer operative times, higher blood loss, and a higher rate of complications. Although the amount of correction is limited by stiffness, scaring, and autofusion, definitive fusion surgery does improve pre-operative coronal Cobb angles and kyphosis. Longer term studies will be needed to establish whether correction is maintained over time.
Sacral Fractures
Authors: Suarez-Huerta Maria Luz , Betegon-Nicolas Jesus , Casas-Ramos Paula , Esteban-Blanco Marta , Villar-Perez Julio , Encinas Jose Hernandez , Lozano-Muñoz Ana Isabel , Fernandez-Gonzalez Manuel
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Sacral fractures can result from a range of injury mechanisms. While sacral fractures typically result from high-energy injuries, there is increasing identification of low-energy insufficiency fractures of the sacrum and pelvis in elderly and osteoporotic patients. The pattern, location, and stability of the fracture also vary greatly. Stable nondisplaced fractures are usually treated nonoperatively, while significantly displaced fractures require reduction and internal fixation.

Materials and Methods

Observational, longitudinal, retrospective study of patients diagnosed sacrum fracture at the Leon hospital from 1 January 2010 until 31 December 2014. We collected sociodemographic variables, types of fractures, treatments and sequelae. We did a statistical analysis using SPSS software v22.0

Results

55 patients, 56,1% men, 39.3 years. The pelvic fracture occur in ~50,9% of sacral fractures. Etiology: 40% precipitates, 27% traffic crash, 23% hit by car. 64% had associated fracture in the superior extremities, 56% in the lower extremities, 50% had vertebral fractures. There were 7% of deaths. Denis classification more frequent were 1 and 2. 14% had spinopelvic dissociation, 80% were men of 32,4 years, 70% were suicidal jumpers. The kind more frequent of Transverse Sacral Fractures was H and U.

Conclusion

Sacral fractures can be classified based on anatomical and morphological characteristics. This classification serves an important purpose in that it helps the surgeon identify fractures more commonly associated with neural compromise as well as those fractures requiring surgical fixation.
Evaluation of Functional and Radiographic Outcomes of Thoracolumbar Fractures
Authors: Andalib Ali
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Thoracolumbar fractures are the most common fractures of the spinal column. There is no consensus about the preference of treatment method among the authors. The purpose of this study to compare the radiographic and functional outcomes of conservative management with that of surgical treatment in thoracolumbar spine fractures.

Material and Methods

Forty-nine patients with single level acute thoracolumbar fractures and without neurological complications were evaluated, of those 21 underwent surgery and 28 were treated with orthosis. Radiographic outcomes were evaluated by measuring sagittal kyphotic angle and anterior vertebral body collapse; and functional outcomes were assessed using SF36 health survey questionnaire and Denis work and pain scales

Results

Among the surgically treated patients, sagittal kyphotic angle was significantly lower immediately after operation and in the last follow-up compared with preoperative measurements ( p < 0.001), and the functional results of SF36 score and pain scale were satisfactory. Among those receiving conservative management, sagittal kyphotic angle and anterior vertebral collapse were not significantly different before and after bracing ( p = 0.4 and p = 0.8, respectively), functional outcome of SF36 scores were satisfactory, and functional and radiographic results had no correlation.

Conclusion

This study showed that functional outcome in both groups with surgical and non surgical treatment was satisfactory. Radiographic indices were improved with surgical treatment, and no correlation was found between functional and radiographic outcome.
Preclinical evaluation of an endoscopic electroporation system
Authors: Forde Patrick F. , Sadadcharam Mira , Bourke Michael G. , Conway Thomas A. , Guerin Shane R. , de Kruijf Marcel , O’Sullivan Gerald C. , Impellizeri Joseph , Clover Anthony J. P. , Soden Declan M.
Published: April 2016

Background and study aims: Targeted delivery of specific chemotherapeutic drugs into tumors can be achieved by delivering electrical pulses directly to the tumor tissue. This causes a transient formation of pores in the cell membrane that enables passive diffusion of normally impermeant drugs. A novel device has been developed to enable the endoscopic delivery of this tumor permeabilizing treatment. The aim of the preclinical studies described here was to investigate the efficacy and safety of this nonthermal ablation system in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer models.

Methods: Murine, porcine, and canine gastrointestinal tumors and tissues were used to assess the efficacy and safety of electroporation delivered through the special device in combination with bleomycin. Tumor cell death, volume, and overall survival were recorded.

Results: Murine tumors treated with electrochemotherapy showed excellent responses, with cell death being induced rapidly, mainly via an apoptotic-type mechanism. Use of the system in canine gastrointestinal cancers demonstrated successful local endoluminal tumor resolution, with no safety or adverse effects noted.

Conclusions: Electroporation via the new device in combination with bleomycin offers a nonthermal tumor ablative approach, and presents clinicians with a new option for the management of gastrointestinal cancers.
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on a Solution-Processable Benzimidazole-Functionalised Cationic Iridium Complex
Authors: Zhi Xiujuan , Du Bin , Yuan Sichun
Published: April 2016

A cationic iridium(iii) complex with formula [Ir(ppy)2(pybmz)]+(PF6)– (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine; pybmz = 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-hexylbenzimidazole) was synthesised. The photoluminescence spectrum of the complex showed an orange–red emission peak at 590 nm with a quantum efficiency of 18 % and a luminescence lifetime of 1.2 µs in solid state. The complex was used as a phosphorescent dopant in light-emitting diodes with the configuration ITO/PEDOT : PSS(50 nm)/PVK (70) : PBD (30) : complex (x wt-%, x = 5, 20, 50, 100)(75nm)/TPBI(50nm)/Ba(4 nm)/Al(150 nm) [ITO = indium tin oxide; PEDOT = poly(ethylenedioxythiophene); PSS = poly(styrene sulfonic acid); PVK = polyvinylcarbazole; PBD = 5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-(bi-phenyl-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole; TPBI = 1,3,5-tris-(2-N-phenylbenzimidazolyl) benzene]. The best device performances were obtained for the non-doped (100 wt-%) material, with an external quantum efficiency of 5.6 %, a luminous efficiency of 9.3 cd A–1, and a power efficiency of 3 lm W–1. High brightness of 8700 cd m–2 and luminous efficiency of 8 cd A–1 were realised at a current density of 110 mA cm–2.
Response of fish assemblage structure to changing flood and flow pulses in a large subtropical river
Authors: Espínola L. A. , Rabuffetti A. P , Abrial E , Amsler M. L. , Blettler M. C. A. , Paira A. R. , Simões N. R. , Santos L. N.
Published: April 2016

Fish assemblages recorded from August 2010 to July 2013 in two lotic and lentic environments of the Middle Paraná River floodplain were studied in the light of flood and flow pulse variations. Three flood pulses occurred during the period of study, each with a different magnitude, duration and timing. Instead four flow pulses were recorded during this period. The varied hydrological conditions had an influence on the ichthyofauna. The fish species richness in both lentic and lotic habitat was negatively correlated with the maximum water level and fish assemblages were spatially and temporally structured according to their different reproductive strategies. Long- and short-distance migratory species were dominant after the flood pulse of the highest intensity and longest duration, whereas sedentary fish and internal fertilisation prevailed during flow pulses and lower flood pulses. Fish assemblage similarity was generally low between habitats during flood and flow pulses, but increased after those events depending on their magnitude, duration and timing. Apparently, flow pulses would also function like floods, as mechanisms of spatio-temporal structuring of fish assemblages.
Graphical symbols for consumer products in an international context
Authors: Brigham Fred
Published: April 2016

Graphical symbols are widely used on consumer and professional products. This paper discusses some of the practical issues involved in the design and application of graphical symbols, taking into account activities in the field of international standardisation and industrial practice. Special emphasis is given to the importance of understanding the role of graphical symbols in the communication process. The need to view the comprehension of graphical symbols as a usability issue is also stressed. Any meaningful statement about the comprehensibility of a graphical symbol must take users, tasks and context of use into account. The paper concludes with summary of guiding principles for designers based on the issues discussed.
Predictors of pictorial symbol comprehension
Authors: Young Stephen L. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: April 2016

Open-ended comprehension testing is a commonly-recommended form of evaluation for safety symbols, but such testing can be costly in terms of time, effort and expense. The present study examines several issues related to symbol testing. First, two alternative rating methods intended to approximate open-ended comprehension results were evaluated in both Study 1 and 2. The first method, used previously in the literature, had participants estimate the percentage of the population that would correctly interpret the symbols meaning. The second method involved providing participants with the symbol and its meaning and having them provide a rating of the correspondence between the two. Results demonstrated that both ratings correlated highly with participants open-ended comprehension results. A second issue relates to the way in which people perceive various qualitative aspects of the symbols (e.g., quality of the drawing, clutter, legibility and the extent to which the symbol conveyed a sense of hazard or danger) and how these variables relate to one another. Implications for symbol evaluation are discussed.
Face Matching Impairment in Developmental Prosopagnosia
Authors: White David , Rivolta Davide , Burton A. Mike , Al-Janabi Shahd , Palermo Romina
Published: April 2016

Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is commonly referred to as ‘face blindness’, a term that implies a perceptual basis to the condition. However, DP presents as a deficit in face recognition and is diagnosed using memory-based tasks. Here, we test face identification ability in six people with DP, who are severely impaired on face memory tasks, using tasks that do not rely on memory. First, we compared DP to control participants on a standardized test of unfamiliar face matching using facial images taken on the same day and under standardized studio conditions ( Glasgow Face Matching Test; GFMT). Scores for DP participants did not differ from normative accuracy scores on the GFMT. Second, we tested face matching performance on a test created using images that were sourced from the Internet and so varied substantially due to changes in viewing conditions and in a person's appearance ( Local Heroes Test; LHT). DP participants showed significantly poorer matching accuracy on the LHT than control participants, for both unfamiliar and familiar face matching. Interestingly, this deficit is specific to ‘match’ trials, suggesting that people with DP may have particular difficulty in matching images of the same person that contain natural day-to-day variations in appearance. We discuss these results in the broader context of individual differences in face matching ability.
P53- and mevalonate pathway–driven malignancies require Arf6 for metastasis and drug resistance
Authors: Hashimoto Ari , Oikawa Tsukasa , Hashimoto Shigeru , Sugino Hirokazu , Yoshikawa Ayumu , Otsuka Yutaro , Handa Haruka , Onodera Yasuhito , Nam Jin-Min , Oneyama Chitose , Okada Masato , Fukuda Mitsunori , Sabe Hisataka
Published: April 2016

Drug resistance, metastasis, and a mesenchymal transcriptional program are central features of aggressive breast tumors. The GTPase Arf6, often overexpressed in tumors, is critical to promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition and invasiveness. The metabolic mevalonate pathway (MVP) is associated with tumor invasiveness and known to prenylate proteins, but which prenylated proteins are critical for MVP-driven cancers is unknown. We show here that MVP requires the Arf6-dependent mesenchymal program. The MVP enzyme geranylgeranyl transferase II (GGT-II) and its substrate Rab11b are critical for Arf6 trafficking to the plasma membrane, where it is activated by receptor tyrosine kinases. Consistently, mutant p53, which is known to support tumorigenesis via MVP, promotes Arf6 activation via GGT-II and Rab11b. Inhibition of MVP and GGT-II blocked invasion and metastasis and reduced cancer cell resistance against chemotherapy agents, but only in cells overexpressing Arf6 and components of the mesenchymal program. Overexpression of Arf6 and mesenchymal proteins as well as enhanced MVP activity correlated with poor patient survival. These results provide insights into the molecular basis of MVP-driven malignancy.
Septins recognize micron-scale membrane curvature
Authors: Lobato-Márquez Damián , Mostowy Serge
Published: April 2016

How cells recognize membrane curvature is not fully understood. In this issue, Bridges et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201512029) discover that septins, a component of the cytoskeleton, recognize membrane curvature at the micron scale, a common morphological hallmark of eukaryotic cellular processes.
Levitical Cities
Authors: Spencer John R.
Published: April 2016

The story told in the biblical text is that when land is distributed to the ancient Israelite tribes in Joshua (13–19), the tribe of Levi is not included. Instead the Levites are assigned a group of forty-eight cities [Joshua 21:1–42 and I Chronicles 6:54–81 (=MT 6:39–66)] drawn from the other twelve tribes. The biblical rationale for giving these cities to the Levites starts with the special status of the Levites. According to Genesis 34, the Levites are involved with Simeon in the killing of the recently circumcised males in Shechem. As a result they are supposedly disbanded as a tribe in “Jacob’s Blessing” (Genesis 49:5–7) and thus are to receive no land. However, more likely rationales to explain their lack of land are provided in other parts of the Hebrew Bible. Because they are to serve (guard) the tent of meeting (Numbers 18:21–24), because they are to carry the ark (Deuteronomy 10:8–9), because Yahweh is their inheritance (Joshua 13:32–33), or because their priesthood is their inheritance (Joshua 18:7), they are not to receive an allotment of land among the other tribes. Thus, their cultic status, although varied in the accounts, provides a more reasonable explanation of their “landlessness.” The passage that establishes what they do receive is found earlier in the Bible, in Numbers 35:1–8, where, commanded by God through Moses, the Levites are assigned the forty-eight cities. In addition to the cities, they are to receive the “pasture” land (not agricultural land) around the cities to a distance of 2,000 cubits in all four directions. The details of this distribution of cities are found in Joshua 21:1–42 and I Chronicles 6:54–81 (=MT 6:39–66). The passages specify which clans or families of the Levites will receive which cities from which tribes. In addition, the distribution includes the designation of six of the forty-eight cities as cities of refuge (asylum), the rationale for which is found in Joshua 20; Deuteronomy 19:1–13; and Numbers 35:9–34. In spite of this supposedly logical explanation of the Levitical Cities, there are a number of issues that emerge. The first issue revolves around the historicity of the lists. Are they realistic, utopian, or some combination? Associated with that question is the date of the lists, both when the events reported might have taken place and when they ended up in their current literary form. This then leads to questions of the literary sources in the Bible that present these accounts. Finally, one cannot help but notice that the lists of Levitical Cities in Joshua 21 and I Chronicles 6 do not totally match. This observation is further complicated by the differences in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. (see also Leviticus; Aaron; Zadok/Zadokites; Priest/Priesthood; Cities of Refuge/Asylum; Alien/Ger).
Pietro Aretino
Authors: Waddington Raymond B.
Published: April 2016

Pietro Aretino (b. 1492–d. 1556) displaced the humanist Pietro Bembo, a generation his senior, as the leading man of letters in Italy during the second quarter of the century. His dominance signaled a revolution. Whereas Bembo was a skilled Latinist and advocated imitating the “pure” Italian of 14th-century Tuscany, Aretino wrote exclusively in the vernacular, evolving his own colorful, vital, and distinctive prose style. His work reveals an acute knowledge of humanist literary kinds and conventions as well as the approved fashions of Ciceronianism, Petrarchism, and Neoplatonism, often satirizing or inverting them. Aretino adopted “follow nature” as his credo and boasted that he lived by the sweat of his ink. After having begun his career as a court poet in Rome, he adapted to Venice’s flourishing printing industry, becoming highly and variously productive. Equally adept at praise and blame, Aretino was a justly feared satirist; however, his greatest success came with his enormously popular books of letters, which created a new literary vogue. His religious writings, biblical narratives and saints’ lives, also were popular and influential before Counter-Reformation repression. Aretino spearheaded the emancipation of writers from dependence on court patronage. Despite the handicaps of modest origin and lack of formal education, Aretino transcended class barriers to become the correspondent and confidant of nobility and princes, “the secretary of the world” in one of his epithets (“secretary” meaning “keeper of secrets”). Aretino befriended and cultivated many artists, particularly the painter Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) and the architect and sculptor Jacopo Sansovino; the three men came to be recognized as an informal artistic triumvirate in Venice. Aretino’s letters and sonnets have been recognized for contributing to the development of art criticism. He was the first writer to take full advantage of reproductive artistic media to enhance his status as a celebrity author whose face and personality were even better known than his books. All of this makes it possible to argue that Aretino was not the greatest but the most important Italian author of the 16th century.
Material Culture of Slavery in the British Atlantic
Authors: Lenik Stephan
Published: April 2016

The material culture of Atlantic World slavery includes all portable and non-portable objects and structures that were associated with and produced because of the enslavement of Africans from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Defining the geographical extent of slavery’s material culture starts in coastal and interior regions of Africa, which formed the sociopolitical and economic landscape that existed because of and alongside the slave trade, with the objects deployed to capture, brutalize, and transport people to coastal forts and ships that carried captive Africans via the brutal Middle Passage. The material culture of slaves forms a major focus of research, encompassing the varied experiences of slavery in the Americas, with the homes, possessions, agricultural implements, gardens, and foodways of enslaved Africans as well as commodities produced by their labor on and beyond the plantations. This material culture also must consider slavery’s wider context in the plantations, military installations, urban settings, and other locales where slavery occurred and the elites around the Atlantic basin who profited from commodities and wealth produced by enslaved labor. Also, material objects that were in the possession of maroons and the emancipated are not covered here. A wide array of sources preserve evidence of this material culture, and while the work of historians and historical archaeologists figures most prominently, there is a significant crossover among disciplines as anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, geographers, literary scholars, and others make important contributions. Textual sources related to material culture of slavery consist of primary documents, paintings, prints, and other visual media bearing evidence of material things, plus a rapidly growing secondary literature. Though textual and visual sources yield valuable information these represent an incomplete record. Many aspects of slavery were impartially recorded, if at all, and thus the systematic excavations conducted by historical and maritime archaeologists access a material record of Atlantic World slavery that is, in many cases, the only source of information about the lives of slaves as well as elites who enslaved them. To interpret this material culture in its various forms researchers must navigate between local contexts and Atlantic World slavery’s global scale. Interpreting functions or meanings of particular objects, buildings, and spoken or written words relies on the particular temporal and spatial context, but material things were made and used in patterned ways as they were enmeshed in regional or global interests. Moreover, the millions of people involved in Atlantic World slavery actively engaged in the material world of things, places, and people should be comprehended as such without being removed from the context of lived experience.
The Godfather Trilogy
Authors: Mason Fran
Published: April 2016

The Godfather Trilogy forms an important body of work in American cinema, not only because the films, particularly Part I (1972) and Part II (1974), have received acclaim from journalists, critics, and audiences but also because they have received so much attention from academics. The emphasis in the study and appreciation of the trilogy has, however, been on Parts I and II, partly because of their complexity and longevity but also because of how they helped redefine the gangster genre in portraying the Mafia on film, and because of the films’ contributions to the development of New Hollywood Cinema in the 1970s (all of which have formed important perspectives in academic approaches to the trilogy). Part III (1990) has been felt by critics either to be a disappointment or a coda to the prior incarnations of the series, although it has also attracted academic interest for these very reasons. It is, however, Parts I and II that have served as the main focus of critical attention and not only as gangster films—even if the study of genre has had further influence because their generic revisions introduced the Mafia film. This innovation has produced a range of academic responses that locate the films via reference to histories of organized crime and author Mario Puzo’s representation of the Mafia crime family in the novel on which Parts I and II are based as well as accounts that extend discussion to consider their influence on related representations of the criminal underworld, their impact on popular conceptions of the Mafia, and their representation of Italian-American ethnicity and related areas such as the family and gender. The family has also formed another nexus of connections in criticism because it is so often treated in relation to American culture, and this has also generated a significant body of work on the political and ideological consideration of capitalism in the films. Finally, because Francis Ford Coppola was an important influence in New Hollywood Cinema, there have also been significant considerations of all three films by reference to auteur theory and to Coppola’s balancing of artistic and commercial imperatives.
Ancrene Wisse, and the Katherine and Wooing Groups
Authors: Gunn Cate , Lazikani Ayoush
Published: April 2016

Ancrene Wisse is an important prose work of early Middle English, probably composed originally in the thirteenth century. Interest in it is due both to the language (Ancrene Wisse being one of the earliest extant prose works in English after the Norman Conquest) and to the light it shines on the lives of religious women in the High Middle Ages. Although often referred to as a single work (also known as the Ancren Riwle), the text appears in various versions in manuscripts dating from the first part of the thirteenth century to the late fourteenth century, and as extracts in later works. Since none of the manuscripts contains the author’s original text, paleography and codicology (not always precise tools) can provide only a date by which the work must have been composed; internal references to religious practices, source material, et cetera provide further evidence of possible authorship and dating. While the dating and location of both manuscripts and the composition of the work itself remain a matter of debate, the generally accepted conclusion is that Ancrene Wisse was written originally in the first half of the thirteenth century at the request of three sisters who required guidance in the vocation of anchoritism they had chosen; that is, they intended to live an enclosed life, probably attached to a church, and adhering to basic vows of obedience, chastity, and stability of abode but without entering a nunnery. A nexus of manuscripts exists that contain Ancrene Wise and/or other texts with a similar readership of women following a religious vocation. The other texts in these manuscripts have been assigned to two groups: the Wooing Group and the Katherine Group. Although these classifications have no medieval authority, they remain useful for handling and classifying material. Interest in these works was mostly philological in the early twentieth century, but they are now crucial for the study of women and sexuality in the Middle Ages. The texts also provide material for those concerned with manuscript studies and reading practices, devotional practices, and anchoritism as an alternative to monasticism; they promote a contemplative life and have been read as mystical. Ancrene Wisse, however, also incorporated advice for a non-religious readership, and the works came to have a wider audience. The works included in the Katherine Group are the lives of Saint Katherine, Saint Margaret, and Saint Juliene along with other works found in MS Bodley 34, that is Hali Meiðhad (also known as Epistel of Meidenhad and Hali Meidenhad; in English Holy Maidenhood) and Sawles Warde, see Katherine Group for further details; the Wooing Group comprises “On wel swuðe God Ureisun of God Almihti” (or “On Ureisun of ure Louerde”), “Þe Oreisun of Seinte Marie” (or “On Lofsong of ure Lefdi”), “On Lofsong of ure Louerde,” and the text after which the group is named, “Þe Wohunge of ure Lauerd” (“The Wooing of Our Lord”); for the possible inclusion of “On god ureisun of ure lefdi,” see the Wooing Group.
Gender identification in Chicken (Gallus gallus) by PCR using whole blood and dried blood spot on filter paper as template: without prior DNA isolation
Authors: Dhanasekaran S. , Dhinakar Raj G. , Vignesh A. R. , Selvan S. T. , Prakash B. , Perumal P. , Arivudainambi Seenichamy , Ganesh Babu Thambidurai
Published: April 2016

Accurate sex identification of pure line chickens in their early age has significant economic impact in breeding industry. In the recent years, range of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based sex determination techniques are routinely used to identify the sex of parent lines in breeding industries, however purified DNA is a prerequisite. Hence this study was aimed to develop a rapid and inexpensive PCR based gender identification method for chicken using whole blood samples and dried blood spots as template for PCR without DNA extraction. In addition, practicability of two W-chromosome specific gene targets in chicken for sex determination also characterised. Successful amplification of sex specific fragments and an internal control was achieved with the range of 0.125μl and 0.250μl volume of whole blood on filter paper (~1 mm) prepared from chicken and dried blood spot. This technique does not require DNA extraction, freeze/thawing of blood samples, pre-treatment with any reagents, dilution of whole blood or dried blood spots on filter paper. It can be carried out with commercially available Taq polymerase enzymes with increased concentration of MgCl2 (3 mM) and 0.5% of DMSO without optimisation of PCR buffers. In conclusion, as compared to the existing PCR based sex identification techniques, the present approach is relatively economic, time saving, requires minimal steps and eliminates the need for DNA extraction.
Privacy-Preserving Read Mapping Using Locality Sensitive Hashing and Secure Kmer Voting
Authors: Popic Victoria , Batzoglou Serafim
Published: April 2016

The recent explosion in the amount of available genome sequencing data imposes high computational demands on the tools designed to analyze it. Low-cost cloud computing has the potential to alleviate this burden. However, moving personal genome data analysis to the cloud raises serious privacy concerns. Read alignment is a critical and computationally intensive first step of most genomic data analysis pipelines. While significant effort has been dedicated to optimize the sensitivity and runtime efficiency of this step, few approaches have addressed outsourcing this computation securely to an untrusted party. The few secure solutions that have been proposed either do not scale to whole genome sequencing datasets or are not competitive with the state of the art in read mapping. In this paper, we presentBALAUR, a privacy-preserving read mapping algorithm based on locality sensitive hashing and secure kmer voting.BALAURsecurely outsources a significant portion of the computation to the public cloud by formulating the alignment task as a voting scheme between encrypted read and reference kmers. Our approach can easily handle typical genome-scale datasets and is highly competitive with non-cryptographic state-of-the-art read aligners in both accuracy and runtime performance on simulated and real read data. Moreover, our approach is significantly faster than state-of-the-art read aligners in long read mapping.