bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Activation and Deactivation of Cp*Ir(TsDPEN) Hydrogenation Catalysts in Water
Authors: Letko Christopher S. , Heiden Zachariah M. , Rauchfuss Thomas B.
Published: October 2009

The addition of H3PO4 to Cp*Ir(TsDPEN‐H), where TsDPEN = H2NCHPhCHPhNTs–, is a simple method to obtain a water‐soluble hydrogenation catalyst capable of reducing aromatic ketones to their corresponding alcohols in aqueous solutions. Key to the reactivity is the low affinity of the coordinatively unsaturated [Cp*Ir(TsDPEN)]+ for H2PO4–. Catalyst degradation proceeds via the protonation of the tosylamido ligand, as was established by the crystallographic characterization of the tosylamine complex [Cp*Ir(NCMe)(HTsDPEN)]2+.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Formation of Unusual Trinuclear Assemblies: Scope and Mechanism of Zn(salphen)‐Templated Activation of Pyridine‐Alcohol Substrates
Authors: Martínez Belmonte Marta , Escudero‐Adán Eduardo C. , Benet‐Buchholz Jordi , Kleij Arjan W.
Published: October 2009

We report here a full study on the templating properties of a series of Zn(salphen) complexes toward pyridine‐alcohol substrates by selective activation of the OH group providing trinuclear supramolecular assemblies as products. The templated process was investigated by various techniques including NMR spectroscopy, MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry and X‐ray diffraction studies. A range of substrates were tested to reveal the scope and limitations of this process. The successful examples furnish remarkable trinuclear supramolecular assemblies comprising a non‐symmetrical central unit made up of two monodeprotonated pyridine‐alcohol ligands that coordinate a ZnII ion. The anionic oxygen atoms of this central Zn complex in turn are both associated with a Zn(salphen) unit. A number of model compounds were also prepared and substantiated the view that the first step in the templated mechanism involves the coordination of the alcohol function to the ZnII centre of the salphen complex. Hereafter, a double proton transfer to the salphen ligand occurs with simultaneous formation of the nonsymmetrical central complex, which combines with two Zn(salphen) modules through coordinative Zn–O bonds. The latter may be regarded as effective supramolecular protecting groups: stability studies performed in more polar media have revealed the full reversibility of the templated process. The reactivity of the Zn(salphen) complex towards alcoholic substrates may be useful in Lewis acid mediated synthesis. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Facile Synthesis of Tumor‐Associated Carbohydrate Antigen Ganglioside GM3from Sialic Acid, Lactose, and Serine
Authors: Xing Guo‐wen , Chen Li , Liang Fen‐fen
Published: October 2009

Ganglioside GM3[α‐Neu5Ac‐(2,3)‐β‐Gal‐(1,4)‐β‐Glc‐(1,1)‐Cer;1] is considered as an important tumor‐associated carbohydrate antigen, which can be used in the development of tumor vaccine. In this study, a facile and convergent synthetic strategy for GM3was developed, and the preparation of three building blocks started from the most readily available compounds sialic acid, lactose, andL‐serine. Ceramide aglycon9was constructed fromL‐serine in 13 steps with 6 % overall yield, and lactosyl trichloroacetimidate14was synthesized from lactose in 7 steps with 25 % yield. With novelN‐acetyl‐5‐N,4‐O‐oxazolidinone protectedp‐toluenethiosialoside15as donor, which was developed by our group, the sialylation of benzoyl‐protected lactosyl ceramide diol23was successfully accomplished in 54 % yield. Our strategy here provides a shorter linear total synthesis of GM3in five steps and with 26 % overall yield. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Rapid and Efficient Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Phosphinic Acids R′P(O)OHR″
Authors: Fougère Cécile , Guénin Erwann , Hardouin Julie , Lecouvey Marc
Published: October 2009

A new synthesis of unsymmetrical phosphinic acids R′P(O)OHR″ has been evaluated. The first P–C bond was formed by base‐promoted H‐phosphinate alkylation of a protected H‐phosphinate, which is easier and safer to handle. A one‐pot methodology was developed for the second P–C bond formation reaction that involves the sila‐Arbuzov reaction. This methodology was then extended to the synthesis of a dialkylphosphinic acid with an amino functionality. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Enantiomerically Pure Cyclopropylamines from Cyclopropylboronic Esters
Authors: Pietruszka Jörg , Solduga Gemma
Published: October 2009

Cyclopropylamines are versatile intermediates and products both in organic synthesis in general and for active substances in particular. Although the synthesis of the corresponding enantiomerically pure cyclopropylboronic esters had been established previously, the C–B to C–N transformation was elusive. A detailed study directed towards the synthesis of several enantiomerically pure cyclopropylamines is disclosed; tranylcypromine [(1S,2R)‐36] and the known belactosin A intermediate 43 were both obtained by use of trifluoroborates as key intermediates. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Practical aspects of demand and capacity evaluation of RC members in the context of EC8‐3
Authors: Romão Xavier , Delgado Raimundo , Costa Aníbal
Published: October 2009

The structural safety assessment procedures proposed in Part 3 of Eurocode 8 (EC8‐3) for the case of reinforced concrete structures are addressed. The practical evaluation of the member chord rotation demand according to EC8‐3 is examined in detail along with several alternative formulations. The need for these formulations is demonstrated by presenting example situations where the EC8‐3 proposal is difficult to apply. The effectiveness of the proposed approaches is assessed through an example application and recommendations for their practical use are defined. Given the importance of the shear span in this context, a sensitivity analysis of the EC8‐3 capacity models with respect to this parameter is carried out and discussed in a later section. This analysis aims to assess the validity of the simplifications proposed by a previous research study for the quantification of the EC8‐3 capacity values. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Population‐based survey of cancer risks in chromosome 3 translocation carriers
Authors: Woodward Emma R. , Skytte Anne‐Bine , Cruger Dorthe G. , Maher Eamonn R.
Published: October 2009

Familial renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is genetically heterogeneous and may be associated with germline mutations in a number of genes. Twelve different constitutional translocations involving chromosome 3 have also been described in association with inherited RCC. In some families the lifetime risk of RCC in chromosome 3 translocation carriers has been estimated to be more than 80%; however the cancer risks in patients with chromosome 3 translocations not ascertained because of a family history of RCC are not well defined. We report a retrospective population‐based study using Danish national cytogenetic and cancer registries to clarify tumor risks associated with constitutional translocations involving chromosome 3. We identified 222 (105 females, 117 males) individuals with a constitutional chromosome 3 translocation and compared their cancer risks to those of the Danish population. None of the chromosome 3 translocation carriers had developed RCC at the time of study (female 95% CIs 0.000–0.042, male 95% CIs 0.000–0.038) (P = 1.0 and P = 0.498 for females and males compared to Danish population). Fourteen translocation carriers had developed cancer but there was no evidence of an excess of early onset disease and lifetime cancer risks in chromosome 3 translocation carriers were similar that in the Danish population. There was no association between cancer risk and location of the chromosome 3 breakpoint (HR = 1.322, P = 0.673). These findings suggest that, in the absence of a family history of RCC or evidence of disruption of a specific tumor suppressor gene, chromosome 3 translocations carriers are not at high risk of developing RCC. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enhanced effectiveness in visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions with increasing stimulus salience
Authors: Kim Sunah , James Thomas W.
Published: October 2009

The occipital and parietal lobes contain regions that are recruited for both visual and haptic object processing. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the underlying neural mechanisms for bimodal integration of vision and haptics in these visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions to find out whether these brain regions are sites of neuronal or areal convergence. Our sensory conditions consisted of visual‐only (V), haptic‐only (H), and visuo‐haptic (VH), which allowed us to evaluate integration using the superadditivity metric. We also presented each stimulus condition at two different levels of signal‐to‐noise ratio or salience. The salience manipulation allowed us to assess integration using the rule of inverse effectiveness. We were able to localize previously described visuo‐haptic object‐selective regions in the lateral occipital cortex (lateral occipital tactile‐visual area) and the intraparietal sulcus, and also localized a new region in the left anterior fusiform gyrus. There was no evidence of superadditivity with the VH stimulus at either level of salience in any of the regions. There was, however, a strong effect of salience on multisensory enhancement: the response to the VH stimulus was more enhanced at higher salience across all regions. In other words, the regions showed enhanced integration of the VH stimulus with increasing effectiveness of the unisensory stimuli. We called the effect “enhanced effectiveness.” The presence of enhanced effectiveness in visuo‐haptic object‐selective brain regions demonstrates neuronal convergence of visual and haptic sensory inputs for the purpose of processing object shape. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The influence of traffic‐related pollution on individuals' life‐style: results from the BRFSS
Authors: Di Novi Cinzia
Published: October 2009

This paper employs the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2001) data in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality System data to investigate how air pollution caused by motor vehicle emissions affects the likelihood of good health and the amount of health investments. Models are estimated using three different measures of overall health: a measure of self‐assessed health and two health outcome indicators (asthma and blood pressure). A multivariate probit approach is used to estimate recursive systems of equations for self‐assessed health, health outcomes and life‐styles. The most interesting result concerns the influence of pollution on health‐improving life‐style choices: only if traffic pollution is in the ‘satisfactory range’ (AQI level at or below 100), individuals will have incentive to invest in health. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cannabinoids modulate hippocampal memory and plasticity
Authors: Abush Hila , Akirav Irit
Published: October 2009

Considerable evidence demonstrates that cannabinoid agonists impair whereas cannabinoid antagonists improve memory and plasticity. However, recent studies suggest that the effects of cannabinoids on learning do not necessarily follow these simple patterns, particularly when emotional memory processes are involved. We investigated the involvement of the cannabinoid system in hippocampal learning and plasticity using the fear‐related inhibitory avoidance (IA) and the non‐fear‐related spatial learning paradigms, and cellular models of learning and memory, i.e., long‐term potentiation (LTP) and long‐term depression (LTD). We found that microinjection into the CA1 of the CB1/CB2 receptor agonist WIN55,212‐2 (5 μg/side) and an inhibitor of endocannabinoid reuptake and breakdown AM404 (200 ng/side) facilitated the extinction of IA, while the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (6 ng/side) impaired it. WIN55,212‐2 and AM251 did not affect IA conditioning, while AM404 enhanced it, probably due to a drug‐induced increase in pain sensitivity. However, in the water maze, systemic or local CA1 injections of AM251, WIN55,212‐2, and AM404 all impaired spatial learning. We also found that i.p. administration of WIN55,212‐2 (0.5 mg/kg), AM404 (10 mg/kg), and AM251 (2 mg/kg) impaired LTP in the Schaffer collateral‐CA1 projection, whereas AM404 facilitated LTD. Our findings suggest diverse effects of the cannabinoid system on CA1 memory and plasticity that cannot be categorized simply into an impairing or an enhancing effect of cannabinoid activation and deactivation, respectively. Moreover, they provide preclinical support for the suggestion that targeting the endocannabinoid system may aid in the treatment of disorders associated with impaired extinction‐like processes, such as post‐traumatic stress disorder. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Blockade of TGF‐β enhances tumor vaccine efficacy mediated by CD8+ T cells
Authors: Takaku Shun , Terabe Masaki , Ambrosino Elena , Peng Judy , Lonning Scott , McPherson John M. , Berzofsky Jay A.
Published: October 2009

Though TGF‐β inhibition enhances antitumor immunity mediated by CD8+ T cells in several tumor models, it is not always sufficient for rejection of tumors. In this study, to maximize the antitumor effect of TGF‐β blockade, we tested the effect of anti‐TGF‐β combined with an irradiated tumor vaccine in a subcutaneous CT26 colon carcinoma tumor model. The irradiated tumor cell vaccine alone in prophylactic setting significantly delayed tumor growth, whereas anti‐TGF‐β antibodies alone did not show any antitumor effect. However, tumor growth was inhibited significantly more in vaccinated mice treated with anti‐TGF‐β antibodies compared to vaccinated mice without anti‐TGF‐β, suggesting that anti‐TGF‐β synergistically enhanced irradiated tumor vaccine efficacy. CD8+ T‐cell depletion completely abrogated the vaccine efficacy, and so protection required CD8+ T cells. Depletion of CD25+ T regulatory cells led to the almost complete rejection of tumors without the vaccine, whereas anti‐TGF‐β did not change the number of CD25+ T regulatory cells in unvaccinated and vaccinated mice. Though the abrogation of CD1d‐restricted NKT cells, which have been reported to induce TGF‐β production by MDSC through an IL‐13‐IL‐4R‐STAT6 pathway, partially enhanced antitumor immunity regardless of vaccination, abrogation of the NKT cell‐IL‐13‐IL‐4R‐STAT‐6 immunoregulatory pathway did not enhance vaccine efficacy. Taken together, these data indicated that anti‐TGF‐β enhances efficacy of a prophylactic vaccine in normal individuals despite their not having the elevated TGF‐β levels found in patients with cancer and that the effect is not dependent on TGF‐β solely from CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells or the NKT cell‐IL‐13‐IL‐4R‐STAT‐6 immunoregulatory pathway.
Sterile alpha motif containing domain 9 is involved in death signaling of malignant glioma treated with inactivated Sendai virus particle (HVJ‐E) or type I interferon
Authors: Tanaka Masahiko , Shimbo Takashi , Kikuchi Yasushi , Matsuda Masahide , Kaneda Yasufumi
Published: October 2009

Malignant glioma is one of the most aggressive cancers. For the development of effective therapeutic strategies against such malignant diseases, elucidation of molecular targets is necessary. We found that inactivated Sendai virus particle (HVJ‐E) induced extensive cell death in the human glioblastoma cell line U251MG. Intradermal U251MG tumors were more effectively suppressed by HVJ‐E than interferon (IFN)‐β. From microarray analysis of gene expression in U251MG cells treated with HVJ‐E, we focused on the up‐regulation of sterile alpha motif containing domain 9 (SAMD9) gene. The expression of the SAMD9 gene was induced by administration of recombinant human IFN‐α, ‐β or ‐γ. The up‐regulation of the SAMD9 gene by HVJ‐E treatment was abrogated by IFN receptor blocking antibody or JAK inhibitor treatment. When SAMD9 expression was knocked down by RNA interference, apoptotic cell death induced by HVJ‐E was blocked in U251MG cells. Suppression of SAMD9 using SAMD9 siRNA also inhibited IFN‐β‐induced death in U251MG cells with a small, but significant, difference to control groups. However, overexpression of the SAMD9 gene failed to induce significant cell death in U251MG cells. Thus, SAMD9 could be a key molecule to control cancer cell death by HVJ‐E or IFN‐β treatment.
Attenuation of estradiol on the reduction of striatal dopamine by amphetamine in ovariectomized rats
Authors: Yu Po‐Ling , Wu Ching‐I , Lee Tzong‐Shyuan , Pan Wynn H.T. , Wang Paulus S. , Wang Shyi‐Wu
Published: October 2009

Amphetamine (AMPH) is a highly addictive drug of abuse which exhibits toxicity to dopaminergic neurons in long‐term abusers. Estrogen seems to show neuroprotection in dopamine (DA) deficit caused by AMPH. The present study was to investigate the effects of estradiol on the levels of striatal DA in ovariectomized (Ovx) rats treated with or without AMPH. Female rats were Ovx for 2 weeks before administration of AMPH (5 mg/kg/day, i.p.) with or without 17β‐estradiol benzoate (EB) (25 µg/kg/day, s.c.) for 7 days. The striatal tissues were collected, homogenized with DA mobile phase, and centrifuged. The concentrations of DA in the supernatants were detected by HPLC. The protein expressions of dopamine transporter (DAT), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT‐2), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were analyzed by Western blotting. The results indicated that AMPH could attenuate DA level significantly in striatum (P < 0.01). Comparing to control groups, administration of either EB or EB plus AMPH increased DA level (P < 0.01). The protein expression of striatal DAT was significant greater (P < 0.01) in rats treated with AMPH plus EB than AMPH treated animals. These results suggest that the DA levels in striatum can be enhanced by EB via an increase of DAT expression following administration of AMPH. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 1318–1324, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
1,4‐butanediyl‐bismethanethiosulfonate (BMTS) induces apoptosis through reactive oxygen species‐mediated mechanism
Authors: Hossain Khaled , Kawamoto Yoshiyuki , Hamada Masataka , Akhand Anwarul A. , Yanagishita Takeshi , Hoque Md. Ashraful , Tsuboi Hideo , Kato Masashi , Nakashima Izumi
Published: October 2009

Although methane sulfonate compounds are widely used for the protein modification for their selectivity of thiol groups in proteins, their intracellular signaling events have not yet been clearly documented. This study demonstrated the methane sulfonate chemical 1,4‐butanediyl‐bismethanethiosulfonate (BMTS)‐induced cascades of signals that ultimately led to apoptosis of Jurkat cells. BMTS induced apoptosis through fragmentation of DNA, activation of caspase‐9 and caspase‐3, and downregulation of Bcl‐2 protein with reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, BMTS intensely and transiently induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ROS produced by BMTS was mediated through mitochondria. We also found that a reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) and an anti‐oxidant N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC) inhibited BMTS‐mediated caspase‐9 and ‐3 activation, ROS production and induction of Annexin V/propidium iodide double positive cells, suggesting the involvement of ROS in the apoptosis process. Therefore, this study further extends our understanding on the basic mechanism of redox‐linked apoptosis induced by sulfhydryl‐reactive chemicals. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 1059–1065, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐pressure freezing of spermiogenic nuclei supports a dynamic chromatin model for the histone‐to‐protamine transition
Authors: Martens Garnet , Humphrey Elaine C. , Harrison Lionel G. , Silva‐Moreno Begonia , Ausió Juan , Kasinsky Harold E.
Published: October 2009

In this study, we present for the first time a description of the dynamic chromatin changes that occur during spermiogenesis in the internally fertilizing caenogastropod mollusc Nucella lamellosa. Chromatin condensation in developing sperm cells in some animals, such as the model biological system used here, involves the histone‐to‐protamine transition and proceeds through a patterning stage from granules to fibers to lamellae. This may be due to the physicochemical phenomenon of phase separation by spinodal decomposition, a dynamic mechanism known to generate pattern. This hypothesis is based entirely on published transmission electron microscopy photomicrographs using conventional fixation technology. We now report that spermatid nuclear patterning and subsequent condensation in testis of Nucella lamellosa fixed by high‐pressure freezing and freeze substitution (HPF/FS) is similar to that in glutaraldehyde‐fixed testis, and can be related to the processing of sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs). J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 1399–1409, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Q‐DockLHM: Low‐resolution refinement for ligand comparative modeling
Authors: Brylinski Michal , Skolnick Jeffrey
Published: October 2009

The success of ligand docking calculations typically depends on the quality of the receptor structure. Given improvements in protein structure prediction approaches, approximate protein models now can be routinely obtained for the majority of gene products in a given proteome. Structure‐based virtual screening of large combinatorial libraries of lead candidates against theoretically modeled receptor structures requires fast and reliable docking techniques capable of dealing with structural inaccuracies in protein models. Here, we present Q‐DockLHM, a method for low‐resolution refinement of binding poses provided by FINDSITELHM, a ligand homology modeling approach. We compare its performance to that of classical ligand docking approaches in ligand docking against a representative set of experimental (both holo and apo) as well as theoretically modeled receptor structures. Docking benchmarks reveal that unlike all‐atom docking, Q‐DockLHM exhibits the desired tolerance to the receptor's structure deformation. Our results suggest that the use of an evolution‐based approach to ligand homology modeling followed by fast low‐resolution refinement is capable of achieving satisfactory performance in ligand‐binding pose prediction with promising applicability to proteome‐scale applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
A new force field for simulating phosphatidylcholine bilayers
Authors: Poger David , Van Gunsteren Wilfred F. , Mark Alan E.
Published: October 2009

A new force field for the simulation of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the liquid‐crystalline, fluid phase at zero surface tension is presented. The structure of the bilayer with the area per lipid (0.629 nm2; experiment 0.629–0.64 nm2), the volume per lipid (1.226 nm3; experiment 1.229–1.232 nm3), and the ordering of the palmitoyl chains (order parameters) are all in very good agreement with experiment. Experimental electron density profiles are well reproduced in particular with regard to the penetration of water into the bilayer. The force field was further validated by simulating the spontaneous assembly of DPPC into a bilayer in water. Notably, the timescale on which membrane sealing was observed using this model appears closer to the timescales for membrane resealing suggested by electroporation experiments than previous simulations using existing models. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
Congenital left atrial appendage aneurysm diagnosed by fetal echocardiography
Authors: Cho Min Jung , Park Ji Ae , Lee Hyoung Doo , Choo Ki Seok , Sung Si Chan
Published: October 2009

A newborn infant was evaluated because of a large cystic mass adjacent to the left atrium on prenatal ultrasound. The diagnosis was an aneurysm of the left atrial appendage. Most cases of this rare lesion are recognized between the 2nd and 4th decades of life. The present case, however, was detected on fetal echocardiography. The patient showed significant mitral regurgitation caused by the compression of the left atrioventricular groove. Simple aneurysmectomy without mitral valvuloplasty was sufficient to relieve significant mitral regurgitation in this case. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2010
Selective tropism of the recombinant adeno‐associated virus 9 serotype for rat cardiac tissue
Authors: Qi Yanfei , Liu Xuan , Li Hongwei , Shenoy Vinayak , Li Qiuhong , Hauswirth William W. , Sumners Colin , Katovich Michael J.
Published: October 2009

Background

Cardiac gene transfer may serve as a novel therapeutic approach for heart disease. Numerous serotypes of recombinant adeno‐associated virus (rAAV) have been identified with variable tropisms to cardiac tissue.

Methods

Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were undertaken to compare cardiac tropisms of rAAV‐2, 5, 7, 8 and 9. For the in vitro studies, 107 vector genome (vg) of rAAV‐2, 5, 7, 8 or 9 were used to transduce both rat neonatal cardiac myocytes (RNCM) and fibroblasts (RNCF). For the in vivo studies, 4 × 1010 vg of rAAV‐2, 5, 7, 8 or 9, and 4 × 1011 vg of rAAV8 or 9 were administered in 5‐day‐old rats via a relatively non‐invasive intracardiac injection. One and two months post‐administration, green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in tissues was visualized and GFP mRNA was quantified by the real‐time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

At 3 days post‐viral transduction, rAAV9 and rAAV2 produced the highest transducing efficiency in RNCM. Only rAAV2 elicited any transduction in the RNCF. The results obtained in vivo indicated that the order for transduction efficiency in the heart was: rAAV9 > rAAV8 > rAAV7 > rAAV2 = rAAV5. The transduction efficiency order in the liver was: rAAV2 > rAAV5 > rAAV7 > rAAV8 > rAAV9. Injection of a higher dose (4 × 1011 vg) of rAAV9 provided more widespread and highly cardiac‐selective GFP expression in the heart than rAAV8. Zero to minimal expression of GFP was found in the lung and kidney for both doses of all rAAV serotypes utilized.

Conclusions

Collectively, the results obtained in the present study suggest that rAAV9 provides the most selective and stable transduction efficiency in cardiac tissue, and this expression was primarily exhibited in cardiac myocytes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of duty‐hour restriction on resident inpatient teaching
Authors: Mazotti Lindsay A. , Vidyarthi Arpana R. , Wachter Robert M. , Auerbach Andrew D. , Katz Patricia P.
Published: October 2009

BACKGROUND:

Education and patient care are essential to academic hospitalists, and residents are key partners in these goals. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty‐hour restrictions (DHR) likely impacted aspects of resident teaching, well‐being, and patient care practices that affect the duties of academic hospitalists.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the impact of DHR on resident teaching time and the factors associated with, and impacts of, time spent teaching.

DESIGN:

Cross‐sectional survey.

SETTING AND MEASUREMENTS:

A total of 164 internal medicine residents at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA were queried regarding their time spent teaching, completion of administrative tasks, number of hours worked, frequency of emotional exhaustion, and satisfaction with quality of patient care provided after DHR. Regression analyses identified factors associated with decreased teaching time and determined that there were associations between time spent teaching, emotional exhaustion, and satisfaction with quality of patient care.

RESULTS:

A total of 125 residents (76%) responded; 24% reported spending less time teaching. Less time teaching was associated with being a postgraduate year (PGY)‐2 (odds ratio [OR], 7.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56‐32.79) or PGY‐3 (OR, 8.23; 95% CI, 1.44‐47.09), reporting working <80 hours/week (OR, 5.99; 95% CI, 1.11‐32.48) and spending a greater percentage of time on administrative tasks (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00‐1.06). Those residents who spent less time teaching also reported less frequent emotional exhaustion (P = 0.003) and more satisfaction with quality of care (P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS:

DHR has decreased teaching time for some residents, and those residents are more likely to be less emotionally exhausted and deliver self‐perceived higher quality of care. Academic hospitalists should consider these impacts of DHR and make adjustments such as educational and work‐life innovations to account for these shifts. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:476–480. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Multioccupancy hospital rooms: Veterans' experiences and preferences
Authors: Ehrlander Wyatt , Ali Fazalit , Chretien Katherine Chang
Published: October 2009

BACKGROUND:

Although common, multioccupancy hospital rooms have long been criticized for concerns about safety and privacy. In 2006, despite limited evidence, the Health Guidelines Revision Committee recommended to eliminate them entirely from U.S. hospitals. We used a survey to evaluate patients' experiences and preferences regarding room type in order to help inform public policy decisions.

METHODS:

Medical service inpatients at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center were asked upon discharge to complete an anonymous written survey containing questions about privacy, nursing availability, loneliness, fear of death, interactions with roommates, and room preferences.

RESULTS:

Of the 162 patients who completed surveys, private room patients were more likely to report adequate privacy (92% vs. 53%; P ≤ 0.01) and available nursing (79% vs. 64%; P = 0.025) than shared room patients. There was no difference in reported loneliness or fear of death. Most shared room patients (59%) indicated that they enjoyed speaking with their roommates, and 35% reported receiving help from roommates. The overall preference strongly favored private rooms (79%), most commonly for the sake of privacy. Patients who preferred shared rooms most often cited a desire for conversation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients felt that privacy was inadequate in the shared rooms, and a strong preference was found for private rooms. For those who preferred shared rooms, positive aspects of the experience included exchange of conversation and assistance between roommates. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:E22–E27. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Body mass index (BMI) and risk of noncardiac postoperative medical complications in elderly hip fracture patients: A population‐based study
Authors: Batsis John A. , Huddleston Jeanne M. , Melton L. Joseph , Huddleston Paul M. , Larson Dirk R. , Gullerud Rachel E. , McMahon M. Molly
Published: October 2009

BACKGROUND:

Obese patients are thought to be at higher risk of postoperative medical complications. We determined whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with postoperative in‐hospital noncardiac complications following urgent hip fracture repair.

METHODS:

We conducted a population‐based study of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents operated on for hip fracture in 1988 to 2002. BMI was categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5‐24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0‐29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Postoperative inpatient noncardiac medical complications were assessed. Complication rates were estimated for each BMI category and overall rates were assessed using logistic regression modeling.

RESULTS:

There were 184 (15.6%) underweight, 640 (54.2%) normal, 251 (21.3%) overweight, and 105 (8.9%) obese hip fracture repairs (mean age, 84.2 ± 7.5 years; 80% female). After adjustment, the risk of developing an inpatient noncardiac complication for each BMI category, compared to normal BMI, was: underweight (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95‐1.88; P = 0.10), overweight (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.74‐1.38; P = 0.95), and obese (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.82‐1.98; P = 0.27). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that an ASA status of III‐V vs. I‐II (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.25‐2.71; P = 0.002), a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.18‐2.12; P = 0.002), male sex (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.10‐2.02; P = 0.01), and older age (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03‐1.06; P < 0.001) contributed to an increased risk of developing a postoperative noncardiac inpatient complication. Underweight patients had higher in‐hospital mortality rates than normal BMI patients (9.3 vs. 4.4%; P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:

BMI has no significant influence on postoperative noncardiac medical complications in hip‐fracture patients. These results attenuate concerns that obese or frail, underweight hip‐fracture patients may be at higher risk postoperatively for inpatient complications. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:E1–E9. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
A case‐based teaching module combined with audit and feedback to improve the quality of consultations
Authors: Wright Renee , Howell Eric , Landis Regina , Wright Scott , Kisuule Flora , Minter Jordan Myechia
Published: October 2009

BACKGROUND:

Medical consultation is an integral part of hospitalist physicians' practice, yet there is no uniform training to achieve competency in this area during residency.

OBJECTIVE:

To improve the quality of medical consultations performed by hospitalists in an academic medical center.

DESIGN:

Single group pre‐post study design comparing knowledge and behaviors after exposing physicians to an educational intervention.

SETTING:

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 2006‐2007.

PARTICIPANTS:

Seven hospitalist faculty members, and 12 internal medicine house‐staff members, who served on the medical consultation service during the study period.

INTERVENTION:

Participants were exposed to an educational intervention consisting of a case‐based module teaching the principles of medical consultation, as well as audit and feedback in which they critically reviewed their most recent written consultations.

MEASUREMENTS:

Pretests and posttests were used to assess knowledge. Performance and physician behaviors were assessed following the intervention; consultations done by hospitalists in the months prior to the educational intervention were scored and compared to their postintervention consultations. Wilcoxon signed rank tests and paired t tests were used for the analyses.

RESULTS:

Improvement in the median knowledge score (pretest vs. posttest) was significant only for house‐staff and not for faculty (10/14 vs. 12/14, P = 0.03 and 11/14 vs. 12/14, P = 0.08, respectively). The quality of consults written by all hospitalists improved after the educational intervention; the mean scores increased from 2.7 to 3.3 (P = 0.0006).

CONCLUSIONS:

This curricular intervention including audit and feedback was effective in improving the quality of medical consultations performed by hospitalist physicians. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:486–489. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Value‐driven health care: Implications for hospitals and hospitalists
Authors: Conway Patrick H.
Published: October 2009

There is increasing concern about the quality and cost of health care delivered in the United States. This has led to a focus on value‐driven health care, meaning how we can achieve better quality outcomes per dollar spent on health care. Since a large percentage of costs and patient outcomes are directly related to care received in the hospital, the focus on value‐driven health care by policymakers and payers is likely to increasingly impact hospitals and hospitalists. Hospitalists can play an essential role in leading and facilitating programs to improve hospital system performance. There are many government initiatives and policies focused on improving quality and value with major implications for hospitals and hospitalists, including: value‐based purchasing, quality and cost reporting, Medicare demonstrations, hospital‐acquired conditions, incentives for use of effective health information technology (HIT), and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The goal of these programs is to reward hospitals and physicians who achieve high‐quality, efficient care. As our system and its incentives continue to progress toward alignment with value‐based high‐quality care, hospitalists should lead change and facilitate solutions to transform our health care system to one that provides high‐value care to all. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:507–511. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Leaving against medical advice: Facing the issue in the emergency department
Authors: Monico Edward P. , Schwartz Ian
Published: October 2009

Patients leaving the emergency department (ED) against medical advice (AMA) represent 0.1% to 2.7% of all ED patients. These patients create significant angst for emergency physicians because these patients frequently have serious underlying medical pathology and tend to represent a higher‐than‐average source of medical‐legal liability than other ED patients. This article attempts to mitigate these risks by reviewing what we know about AMA encounters from the ED and providing documentation guidelines for the encounter.
Troublesome times demand more effective practices
Authors: Botkin Mary , Felton Ken
Published: October 2009

The intensifying financial pressures bearing down on the American government and taxpayers due to egregious corporate mismanagement will focus increasing and unprecedented scrutiny on the business world. The risk management community believes a paradigm shift is at hand. Organizations of every kind will feel pressure to do more than they have in the past to understand the risks they face, expose and challenge every assumption they make, and take steps to quantify and appropriately mitigate the exposures they identify. This will not be an easy transition. Just as the healthcare community has struggled over the past 25 years with the paradigm shift from the unsystematic clinical experience to a more analytical, evidence‐based approach, the corporate world will have to move from a traditional silo‐centric risk management system to a more formalized, analytical, enterprise‐wide risk management competency.
Reuse of single‐use devices: Protecting your reprocessing program
Authors: Olsson Lory
Published: October 2009

High‐profile hepatitis C outbreaks in 2008 spurred the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's attention toward legislative and regulatory action in several states around the practice of reuse of single‐use devices. Promulgated in the interest of public safety, some of these new regulations and laws can have a potential impact on hospitals' ability to access third‐party reprocessing duly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Jaw morphology and ontogeny in five species of Ophryotrocha
Authors: Macnaughton Martin Oliver , Worsaae Katrine , Eibye‐Jacobsen Danny
Published: October 2009

Detailed scanning electron microscopy of jaws within the genus Ophryotrocha (Dorvilleidae, Annelida) was performed on 871 jaw parts. The investigations resulted in new understandings of the ontogeny and jaw morphology and have systematic implications for the family. Five species in the genus (Ophryotrocha alborana, O. diadema, O. gracilis, O. hartmanni, and O. labronica pacifica) were kept in culture, and the development of the jaws was studied by sampling throughout their life history. Ophryotrocha species have mandibular plates that remain the same throughout ontogeny, whereas the posterior shafts elongate. Both mandibular plate morphology and shaft ontogeny have species‐specific distinctions. In Ophryotrocha, the maxillae can be assigned to three to four distinct types, which are replaced by moulting. The maxillary morphology and developmental stages at which moults occur are species specific, although with broad intervals. A redefinition is given for some of the basic jaw elements, and new homologies are proposed for structures that are also present across other dorvilleid taxa. J. Morphol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proteomic‐based analytical approach for the characterization of glutenin subunits in durum wheat
Authors: Mamone Gianfranco , Caro Salvatore De , Luccia Aldo Di , Addeo Francesco , Ferranti Pasquale
Published: October 2009

One of the main objectives of wheat glutenin subunit (GS) analysis is the identification of protein components linked to wheat quality. The proteomic characterization of glutenin has to consider the relatively low levels of arginine and lysine residues and the close sequence similarity among the different groups of these subunits, which hinders or even prevents the identification of the GS. In this study, a proteomic approach has been applied to resolve the heterogeneity of wheat glutenin components. Proteins extracted from Triticum durum flour were first analyzed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, which greatly reduced glutenin complexity. The identity of each spot was confirmed by nano liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic peptides. In parallel, measurements of the high mass range by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight analysis allowed detection of the large tryptic peptides. Gathering all data from search engine interrogation, very high sequence coverage was obtained for high molecular weight GS, including Bx7 and By8, in agreement with the known genetic profile of durum wheat. In addition, a truncated form of By8, never detected before, was also found. Low molecular weight GS (LMW‐GS) B‐type was identified with reasonable sequence coverage, while a clear identification of LWM‐GS C‐ and D‐type was hindered by the incompleteness of the wheat DNA databases. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of the glutenin proteome and provides a reliable method for classifying wheat varieties according to their glutenin profile. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Astrocytes protect oligodendrocyte precursor cells via MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling
Authors: Arai Ken , Lo Eng H.
Published: October 2009

Accumulating evidence suggest that trophic coupling among different cell types in the brain is required to maintain normal CNS function. Here we show that astrocytes secrete soluble factors that can be oligodendrocyte‐supportive. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and astrocytes were prepared from neonatal rat brain and cultured separately. We conducted cell culture medium‐transfer experiments to examine whether astrocytes secrete OPC‐protective factors. Conditioned media from astrocytes protected OPCs against H2O2‐induced oxidative stress, starvation, and oxygen‐glucose deprivation. This protective effect may be mediated in part via ERK and Akt signaling pathways. Astrocyte‐conditioned media upregulated the phosphorylation levels of ERK and Akt in OPC cultures. Blockade of ERK or Akt signaling with U0126 or LY294002 cancelled the OPC‐protective effects of astrocyte‐conditioned media. Taken together, these data suggest that astrocytes are an important source for oligodendrocyte‐supportive factors. Coupling between these two major glial components in brain may be vital for sustaining white matter homeostasis. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Gulf Stream and Atlantic sea‐surface temperatures in AD1790–1825
Authors: van der Schrier G. , Weber S. L.
Published: October 2009

We present gridded sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs) for the Atlantic basin (45°S–60°N) as averages over the period AD1790–1825, based on early‐instrumental SST data. The original measurements were compiled by Major James Rennell and made by numerous British naval vessels on behalf of the British Admiralty. We describe the digitization of this dataset and the reconstruction of spatially coherent, averaged conditions for the boreal cold (November‐March) and warm (May–September) season using a reduced space optimal interpolation (RSOI) technique, in which the data is projected on a limited number of empirical orthogonal functions. This approach is validated on modern data that are sampled in a similar way as the early‐instrumental data. The reconstruction for the November–March period shows a large area with anomalously high temperatures from the point where the Gulf Stream separates from the coast until ca. 20°W. A tongue of anomalous cool water is found at the eastern side of the North Atlantic basin, along the coast of Europe and northern Africa. In the northeastern South Atlantic, anomalously high temperatures are found, while temperatures in the southwestern South Atlantic are anomalously cool. For the March–September season, anomalous temperatures in the South Atlantic are similar, but stronger, compared with those in the boreal cold season. Over the North Atlantic, there is not much similarity between the current SST reconstructions and those published in the late 1950s. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Competitiveness through political environmental strategies: The case of Michelin's green tires
Authors: Hanoteau Julien
Published: October 2009

There is a debate as to whether green firms may become economically more competitive, as well. The answer appears circumstantial, depending on the abilities of these firms to implement and benefit from environmental competitive strategies such as environmental differentiation or eco‐efficiency. This article discusses corporate political strategies, targeting environmental regulations, as another source of competitiveness. Based on the case of Michelin's green tires, we characterize this strategy and its conduct, and analyze the conditions for its success. We show that it was the necessary complement to the environmental differentiation strategy developed and implemented by Michelin since the early 1990s. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Social networks and the internationalization of Chinese entrepreneurs
Authors: Xie Yu Henry , Amine Lyn S.
Published: October 2009

Chinese privately owned, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are rapidly internationalizing, yet little research has been reported about how these entrepreneurs manage decisions during internationalization. This study investigates how social networks (guanxi) are used when making strategic, competitive, and marketing decisions. Interviews in China with a small sample of SME entrepreneurs revealed that cultural and ethnic factors play a surprisingly important role in their successful internationalization. In the article, we discuss managerial implications for successful internationalization of Chinese entrepreneurs, we question the completeness of current theories on the internationalization process, and we propose specific directions for future research. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Legal developments—Diversity trends include, but go way beyond, race and gender
Authors: MacGillivray Elizabeth D. , Beecher H. Juanita M. , Golden Deirdre
Published: October 2009

A variety of new academic and other research points to the myriad ways in which society is becoming more diverse. And that fact is playing out in many ways in different workplaces. Demographic trends underlie the impact of increasingly diverse racial and ethnic groups in daily work life, and interpersonal differences range from ethnicity, gender, and religion to generational worldviews. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An intelligent background‐correction algorithm for highly fluorescent samples in Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang Zhi‐Min , Chen Shan , Liang Yi‐Zeng , Liu Zhao‐Xia , Zhang Qi‐Ming , Ding Li‐Xia , Ye Fei , Zhou Hua
Published: October 2009

Fluorescent background is a major problem in recoding the Raman spectra of many samples, which swamps or obscures the Raman signals. The background should be suppressed in order to perform further qualitative or quantitative analysis of the spectra. For this purpose, an intelligent background‐correction algorithm is developed, which simulates manual background‐correction procedure intelligently. It basically consists of three aspects: (1) accurate peak position detection in the Raman spectrum by continuous wavelet transform (CWT) with the Mexican Hat wavelet as the mother wavelet; (2) peak‐width estimation by signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) enhancing derivative calculation based on CWT but with the Haar wavelet as the mother wavelet; and (3) background fitting using penalized least squares with binary masks. This algorithm does not require any preprocessing step for transforming the spectrum into the wavelet space and can suppress the fluorescent background of Raman spectra intelligently and validly. The algorithm is implemented in R language and available as open source software (http://code.google.com/p/baselinewavelet). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.