bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is TIMP-1 immunoreactivity alone or in combination with other markers a predictor of benefit from anthracyclines in the BR9601 adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy trial?
Authors: Munro Alison F , Bartels Annette , Balslev Eva , Twelves Christopher J , Cameron David A , Brünner Nils , Bartlett John MS
Published: April 2013

Introduction

Predictive cancer biomarkers to guide the right treatment to the right patient at the right time are strongly needed. The purpose of the present study was to validate prior results that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) alone or in combination with either HER2 or TOP2A copy number can be used to predict benefit from epirubicin (E) containing chemotherapy compared with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) treatment.

Methods

For the purpose of this study, formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue from women recruited into the BR9601 clinical trial, which randomized patients to E-CMF versus CMF, were analyzed for TIMP-1 immunoreactivity. Using previously collected data for HER2 amplification and TOP2A gene aberrations, we defined patients as "anthracycline non-responsive", that is, 2T (TIMP-1 immunoreactive and TOP2A normal) and HT (TIMP-1 immunoreactive and HER2 negative) and anthracycline responsive (all other cases).

Results

In total, 288 tumors were available for TIMP-1 analysis with (183/274) 66.8%, and (181/274) 66.0% being classed as 2T and HT responsive, respectively. TIMP-1 was neither associated with patient prognosis (relapse free survival or overall survival) nor with a differential effect of E-CMF and CMF. Also, TIMP-1 did not add to the predictive value of HER2, TOP2A gene aberrations, or to Ki67 immunoreactivity.

Conclusion

This study could not confirm the predictive value of TIMP-1 immunoreactivity in patients randomized to receive E-CMF versus CMF as adjuvant treatment for primary breast cancer.
Relaxation shift in rocks containing viscoelastic pore fluids
Authors: Mavko Gary
Published: April 2013

The interaction of pore stiffness with pore fluid moduli leads to shifts in viscoelastic relaxation times of the overall rock relative to those of the fluids alone. Crack-based and fluid substitution models indicate that stiff pores cause little shift, whereas thin, soft cracks can shift relaxation times by several orders of magnitude toward lower frequencies (longer relaxation times). Pore stiffness also causes a shift in apparent temperature dependence of rock viscoelasticity toward higher temperatures when cracks are present. As with more conventional fluid substitution problems, quantifying the effects of pore fluids on rock properties requires information about the crack and pore stiffness distributions in addition to the complex moduli and viscosity of the pure fluid.
Volumetric estimates of seismic reflector rotation and convergence—tools for mapping rotation about faults and seismic stratigraphy
Authors: Chopra Satinder , Marfurt Kurt J.
Published: April 2013

Geometric attributes such as coherence and curvature are commonly used for mapping structural deformation and depositional environment. Coherence proves useful for identification of faults, channel edges, reef edges, and collapse features while curvature images folds, flexures, subseismic conjugate faults that appear as drag or as folds adjacent to faults, rollover anticlines, diagenetically altered fractures, karst, and differential compaction over channels. Unfortunately, these two attributes have limited value in imaging classic seismic stratigraphy features such as progradation and erosional truncation. Seismic stratigraphy refers to the analysis of the configuration and termination of seismic reflection events, packages of which are then interpreted as stratigraphic patterns. These packages are then correlated to well-known patterns such as toplap, onlap, downlap, hummocky clinoforms, and so forth, which in turn represent architectural elements of a depositional environment (Mitchum et al., 1977). By integrating these elements with well control as well as modern and paleo analogs, the interpreter produces a probability map of lithofacies. Seismic facies also thicken and thin with increasing and decreasing accommodation space. Rotation of lithologic units about faults can provide increased accommodation space or subject uplifted areas to erosion.
Application of volumetric seismic discontinuity attribute for fault detection: Case study using deep-water Niger Delta 3D seismic data
Authors: Jibrin Babangida W. , Reston Tim J. , Westbrook Graham K.
Published: April 2013

Techniques for detecting faults have been applied to a 3D seismic volume acquired in the outer fold and thrust belt in the deep-water Niger Delta. Firstly, the dip and azimuth of seismic traces in the data were calculated in a volume referred to as the “raw steering” data. The data were further improved by calculating two additional generations of dip volumes representing localized and subregional structural dips referred to as the “detailed” and “background” steering volumes, respectively. A multitrace similarity attribute volume was then calculated with the reflectivity and background dip-steering data as the input. The attribute data detected discrete zones of dip and similarity anomalies, trending WNW-ESE, that represented the location of discontinuities in the area. The anomalies may not have been seen clearly in the reflectivity and similarity data calculated without the application of dip-steering.
A simplified workflow for accurate time-to-depth conversion using 3D grid tomography
Authors: Mancini Fabio
Published: April 2013

Time-to-depth conversion is the process where seismic velocities are scaled accordingly to check shots and well logs so that geological markers and seismic horizons match in depth. The final stacked seismic volume, if imaged in the depth domain, is stretched to time with the migration velocity, or a smoothed version of it (Jones, 2009), before redepthing with the calibrated velocity model. There are many different techniques used routinely in the industry (see Etris at al., 2001, for a detailed summary), by scaling either average velocities or interval velocities with some derived correction functions. These functions can be simple scalars, depth variant scalars, or more complex time and space variant functions, which need to be interpolated between wells. In any case, the depthing process is quite laborious because the derivation correction functions for each well is time-consuming. The application of these correction functions may produce results that look somehow discontinuous, with jumps in velocity at the horizons where the corrections have been applied, and, when working on average velocities, interpolated between wells, they could produce unrealistic interval velocity in the presence of thin layers.
Geophysics bright spots
Authors: Sun Yonghe
Published: April 2013

The importance of low-frequency seismic for exploration can be appreciated every time we see the light of day. Thanks to atmospheric gases and other particles that scatter the blues and greens (high frequencies) toward us we see the blue sky instead of the darkness of space as we would on the moon. We see a reddish sky during sunrise and sunset again because blue and green colors are scattered away while the red and orange (low frequencies) stay on course along the atmospheric journey to reach us. The same concept applies to the illumination of subsalt reflectors, only now the propagation path is two-way. The low frequencies survive the torturous scattering by the rugosity of salt surfaces and other shallower inhomogeneities, carrying information about deep reflectors to the surface.
Multiple Myeloma Treatment Transformed: A Population-Based Study of Changes in Initial Management Approaches in the United States
Authors: Warren Joan L. , Harlan Linda C. , Stevens Jennifer , Little Richard F. , Abel Gregory A.
Published: April 2013

Purpose

Despite improved outcomes for multiple myeloma, little is known about changes in initial treatment at the population level for US patients. We report trends in treatment practices.

Patients and Methods

Patients (n = 1,976) with newly diagnosed myeloma in 1999, 2003, and 2007 were examined by using the National Cancer Institute's Patterns of Care Studies. We assessed use of common chemotherapies (melphalan, vincristine, and doxorubicin), novel agents (thalidomide, bortezomib, or lenalidomide), or hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) during the first year after diagnosis. By using logistic regression, we evaluated the association of race and insurance status with receipt of high-cost treatments—transplantation or novel agents.

Results

From 1999 to 2007, use of melphalan alone dropped from 32.0% to 4.1%, and vincristine and doxorubicin use declined from 18.2% to 0.4%. The percentage of patients receiving any novel agent rose from 3.9% in 1999 to 75.5% in 2007. HSCT increased from 11.1% in 1999 to 21.7% in 2007. For white patients, use of novel agents was lower for those with Medicare only (42.6%) than for those with private insurance (50.2%). For patients of other races, those with Medicare only or Medicaid were less likely to receive novel agents or transplantation compared with those with private insurance.

Conclusion

Initial treatment for multiple myeloma has changed markedly. Most patients now receive novel agents, with a decline in the use of traditional chemotherapy. Use of transplantation and novel agents varies with race and insurance. These findings document rapid changes in patterns of care and highlight addressable disparities in myeloma care.
Renal Protective Effects of Toll-like Receptor 4 Signaling Blockade in Type 2 Diabetic Mice
Authors: Cha J. J. , Hyun Y. Y. , Lee M. H. , Kim J. E. , Nam D. H. , Song H. K. , Kang Y. S. , Lee J. E. , Kim H. W. , Han J. Y. , Cha D. R.
Published: April 2013

Chronic inflammation caused by high glucose and high free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Recent evidence suggests that activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling induces peripheral insulin resistance and mediates central insulin and leptin resistance. In this study, we investigated the renal effects of TLR4 signaling blockade in type 2 diabetic mice. Eight-week-old db/db mice were treated for 12 weeks with (S,R)-3-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxasole acetic acid (GIT27), which targets macrophages through the inhibition of TLR4- and TLR2/6-mediated signaling pathways. Although GIT27 treatment improved glycemic control and insulin tolerance, which is associated with a lower lipid profile, it did not impact body weight or food consumption. GIT27 treatment also markedly decreased urinary albumin excretion, decreased proinflammatory cytokine synthesis, improved tissue lipid metabolism, induced oxidative stress, and improved glomerulosclerosis compared with the control db/db group. In cultured podocytes and adipocytes, high glucose levels with FFA stimulation increased TLR4 expression and proinflammatory cytokine synthesis, but the effects were abolished by GIT27 treatment. In addition, knockdown of TLR4 expression by stealth small interfering RNA abolished FFA-induced proinflammatory cytokine synthesis in cultured podocytes. In conclusion, our results suggest that GIT27 treatment improves insulin resistance and protects against the renal injury that occurs in type 2 diabetic nephropathy through both metabolic and antiglomerulosclerotic mechanisms. These results suggest that TLR pathway inhibition might play a direct protective role in diabetic kidney disease.
Molecular pathways regulating mitotic spindle orientation in animal cells
Authors: Lu Michelle S. , Johnston Christopher A.
Published: April 2013

Orientation of the cell division axis is essential for the correct development and maintenance of tissue morphology, both for symmetric cell divisions and for the asymmetric distribution of fate determinants during, for example, stem cell divisions. Oriented cell division depends on the positioning of the mitotic spindle relative to an axis of polarity. Recent studies have illuminated an expanding list of spindle orientation regulators, and a molecular model for how cells couple cortical polarity with spindle positioning has begun to emerge. Here, we review both the well-established spindle orientation pathways and recently identified regulators, focusing on how communication between the cell cortex and the spindle is achieved, to provide a contemporary view of how positioning of the mitotic spindle occurs.
Zebrafish Foxi1 provides a neuronal ground state during inner ear induction preceding the Dlx3b/4b-regulated sensory lineage
Authors: Hans Stefan , Irmscher Anne , Brand Michael
Published: April 2013

Vertebrate inner ear development is a complex process that involves the induction of a common territory for otic and epibranchial precursors and their subsequent segregation into otic and epibranchial cell fates. In zebrafish, the otic-epibranchial progenitor domain (OEPD) is induced by Fgf signaling in a Foxi1- and Dlx3b/4b-dependent manner, but the functional differences of Foxi1 and Dlx3b/4b in subsequent cell fate specifications within the developing inner ear are poorly understood. Based on pioneer tracking (PioTrack), a novel Cre-dependent genetic lineage tracing method, and genetic data, we show that the competence to embark on a neuronal or sensory fate is provided sequentially and very early during otic placode induction. Loss of Foxi1 prevents neuronal precursor formation without affecting hair cell specification, whereas loss of Dlx3b/4b inhibits hair cell but not neuronal precursor formation. Consistently, in Dlx3b/4b- and Sox9a-deficient b380 mutants almost all otic epithelial fates are absent, including sensory hair cells, and the remaining otic cells adopt a neuronal fate. Furthermore, the progenitors of the anterior lateral line ganglia also arise from the OEPD in a Foxi1-dependent manner but are unaffected in the absence of Dlx3b/4b or in b380 mutants. Thus, in addition to otic fate Foxi1 provides neuronal competence during OEPD induction prior to and independently of the Dlx3b/4b-mediated sensory fate of the developing inner ear.
An extracellular region of Serrate is essential for ligand-induced cis-inhibition of Notch signaling
Authors: Fleming Robert J. , Hori Kazuya , Sen Anindya , Filloramo Gina V. , Langer Jillian M. , Obar Robert A. , Artavanis-Tsakonas Spyros , Maharaj-Best Ayiti C.
Published: April 2013

Cell-to-cell communication via the Notch pathway is mediated between the membrane-bound Notch receptor and either of its canonical membrane-bound ligands Delta or Serrate. Notch ligands mediate receptor transactivation between cells and also mediate receptor cis-inhibition when Notch and ligand are co-expressed on the same cell. We demonstrate in Drosophila that removal of any of the EGF-like repeats (ELRs) 4, 5 or 6 results in a Serrate molecule capable of transactivating Notch but exhibiting little or no Notch cis-inhibition capacity. These forms of Serrate require Epsin (Liquid facets) to transduce a signal, suggesting that ELR 4-6-deficient ligands still require endocytosis for Notch activation. We also demonstrate that ELRs 4-6 are responsible for the dominant-negative effects of Serrate ligand forms that lack the intracellular domain and are therefore incapable of endocytosis in the ligand-expressing cell. We find that ELRs 4-6 of Serrate are conserved across species but do not appear to be conserved in Delta homologs.
Getting out and about: the emergence and morphogenesis of the vertebrate lymphatic vasculature
Authors: Koltowska Katarzyna , Betterman Kelly L. , Harvey Natasha L. , Hogan Benjamin M.
Published: April 2013

The lymphatic vascular system develops from the pre-existing blood vasculature of the vertebrate embryo. New insights into lymphatic vascular development have recently been achieved with the use of alternative model systems, new molecular tools, novel imaging technologies and growing interest in the role of lymphatic vessels in human disorders. The signals and cellular mechanisms that facilitate the emergence of lymphatic endothelial cells from veins, guide migration through the embryonic environment, mediate interactions with neighbouring tissues and control vessel maturation are beginning to emerge. Here, we review the most recent advances in lymphatic vascular development, with a major focus on mouse and zebrafish model systems.
Rapid and widespread suppression of self-renewal by microRNA-203 during epidermal differentiation
Authors: Jackson Sarah J. , Zhang Zhaojie , Feng Dejiang , Flagg Meaghan , O’Loughlin Evan , Wang Dongmei , Stokes Nicole , Fuchs Elaine , Yi Rui
Published: April 2013

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in differentiation of stem cells. However, the precise dynamics of miRNA induction during stem cell differentiation have not been visualized and molecular mechanisms through which miRNAs execute their function remain unclear. Using high-resolution in situ hybridization together with cell lineage and proliferation markers in mouse skin, we show that miR-203 is transcriptionally activated in the differentiating daughter cells upon the asymmetric cell division of interfollicular progenitor cells. Once induced, miR-203 rapidly promotes the cell cycle exit within 6 hours and abolishes self-renewal of the progenitor cells. With an inducible mouse model, we identify numerous miR-203 in vivo targets that are highly enriched in regulation of cell cycle and cell division, as well as in response to DNA damage. Importantly, co-suppression of individual targets, including p63, Skp2 and Msi2 by miR-203 is required for its function of promoting the cell cycle exit and inhibiting the long-term proliferation. Together, our findings reveal the rapid and widespread impact of miR-203 on the self-renewal program and provide mechanistic insights into the potent role of miR-203 during the epidermal differentiation. These results should also contribute to understanding the role of miR-203 in the development of skin cancer.
Silenced Intertext: Pliny on Martial on Pliny (on Regulus)
Authors: Marchesi Ilaria
Published: April 2013

Going beyond the explicit dialogue between Epistle 3.21, by Pliny on Martial, and Epigram 10.19(20), by Martial on Pliny, this paper discusses a range of peripheral texts addressing issues of political patronage ( Epistle 1.5, in the context of Epigrams 1.12 and 1.82), social customs ( Epistle 4.2 and 4. 9 along with Epigram 6.38), and editorial etiquette ( Epistle 3.1 and 3.20 in light of Epigram 10.19[20]). This reconnaissance into the subtler intertextual links uniting Pliny and Martial’s bodies of writing brings to the fore the figure of Regulus--his adversarial relation to Pliny, his display of mourning at his son’s death, and the frantic activity as self-editor--as the deeper connecting element, the embarrassing and yet unavoidable point of reference for both Pliny and Martial in their work as producers of culture.
On the Intersignification of Monuments in Augustan Rome
Authors: Roller Matthew
Published: April 2013

The erection of public monuments in Rome was an arena of aristocratic competition, as scholars have long recognized. Victorious generals, who set up temples, porticoes, statues, columns, and the like, typically selected these monuments’ appearance and location to create a studied contrast with preexisting monuments. This dynamic, which I call “intersignification,” bears fruitful comparison with the “intertextual” dynamics of Latin poetry. I offer two case studies comparing monumental intersignification in the Augustan era with literary intertextuality, and conclude with general reflections on how the signs in any given system of signification may be made to interact.
“Negroes’ Number One Hero”: Doris Miller, Pearl Harbor, and Retroactive Multiculturalism in World War II Remembrance
Authors: Chester Robert K.
Published: April 2013

This essay examines wartime and postwar representations of African American Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller and offers a theoretical framework by which to understand the place of race in cultural memory of World War II. Tracing the changing meanings attached to remembering (and forgetting) Miller in the “official” discourse of the US Navy and in African American culture, I argue that, notably after the early-1970s dissolution of the draft, the navy and the state recalled the black hero only in order to proclaim racism consigned to the past. This incorporative structure of memory, which I call retroactive multiculturalism , fosters military triumphalism and diminishes recognition of historical inequality, working against racial justice by shaping the image of an already color-blind contemporary nation.
Injustice and Chaucer's Man of Law
Authors: McCarthy Conor
Published: April 2013

Chaucer's portrait of the Man of Law suggests the lawyer's expertise in jurisprudence, but the portrait's satirical intent is shown in its use of language, specifically the word termes (I.323), used elsewhere in Chaucer to suggest technical or deceptive language. Contemporary awareness of the potential failures of jurisprudence may be seen in the medieval English court of Chancery, and its role in providing a remedy for the problems posed in the common law courts by failures in jurisprudence. Further evidence of satirical intent may be found in the Man of Law's Tale , which raises difficult questions about man's injustice that reflect back awkwardly upon the Sergeant of Law.
'Thy hunger-starved men': Shakespeare's Henry Plays and the Contemporary Lot of the Common Soldier
Authors: Leahy William
Published: April 2013

Between 1589 and 1599, Shakespeare wrote six Henry plays, two on the reign of Henry IV, one on that of Henry V and three covering that of Henry VI. An important preoccupation which runs through all of these plays is the conditions in which common soldiers lived. The years leading up to the appearance of the first of the plays, 1 Henry VI , saw many outbreaks of discontentment on the part of the soldiers in Elizabeth I's army. The mass recruitment of troops for Ireland in the 1590s increased such discontentment. This paper examines the contemporary lot of the common soldiers, and shows that Shakespeare's interest in their situation was one that articulated pervasive early modern anxieties.
Marketing the Gift: Jonson, Multiple Patronage, and Strategic Exchange.
Authors: Scott Alison V.
Published: April 2013

Challenging the notion that gift and commodity economies were mutually exclusive in the early modern period, this article takes a fresh look at Jonson's negotiation of systems of aristocratic patronage. Examining literary gifts which were given to more than one recipient, and for the purposes of extracting multiple rewards, the article suggests that when poets such as Jonson strategically denied the self-interest of literary gifts, it was, in fact, a particular strategy for inducing competitive recompense. Jonson's writing combined and exploited gift ethics and market principles; in this way the poet strove to make a living as a professional writer at the same time as he asserted himself as the author of a classical body of Workes .
The Early History of Glastonbury Abbey: A Hypothesis Regarding the 'British Charter'
Authors: Grimmer Martin
Published: April 2013

The so-called 'British charter' of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, contained in William of Malmesbury's De antiquitate Glastonie ecclesie of c. 1129, records a grant made in AD 601 by an unnamed king of British Dumnonia of land at ' Ineswitrin '. As William regarded this to be the British Celtic name for Glastonbury, the charter has been used to proclaim a pre-Saxon foundation for the Abbey. When the characteristics of the charter are considered, in particular the use of a scribal attestation, it appears however that it is West Saxon in form and should be dated to the later seventh century when Somerset was within West Saxon control. The charter cannot therefore substantiate the Abbey's existence before this time, though it does imply some level of cooperation between the West Saxon Church and the kingdom of Dumnonia.
Early Modern Print Culture: Assessing the Models
Authors: Love Harold
Published: April 2013

While 'print culture' and the notion of an 'age of print' have become accepted terms in media theory and early modern historical and literary scholarship, there is much disagreement over what they signify and whether they actually explain much. The present article looks at a number of ways in which the terms have been conceptualised over the last 30 years in each of the disciplinary fields mentioned and tries to assess both the usefulness and the limitations of the models proposed by such scholars as Ong, Eisenstein, Chartier, McKenzie, and Johns. Particular attention is given to print culture as a 'noetic' conception; to its use as a way of describing the social relationships of production and consumption; and to the place of the print media within the wider early modern informational economy. New ways of modelling the second and third of these categories are proposed.
'the Kynge sent to the Qwene, by a Gentylman, a grett tame Hart' Marriage, gift exchange, and politics: Margaret Tudor and James IV 1502-13
Authors: Barrow Lorna G.
Published: April 2013

When John Younge, Somerset Herald, recorded the 1502 political marriage of Margaret Tudor, a young English princess, and James IV, a mature Scottish king, his intention was to have this momentous occasion remembered by future generations. The ceremonies and pageants associated with the royal wedding can be interpreted as a series of complex gift exchanges, including that of the princess as a supreme gift. Connected with the concept of the princess as a gift is the present of a hart the king sent her as she entered Edinburgh. Incorporating religious, mythical, historical, and literary views with anthropological ideas associated with that gift shifts the emphasis and the significance of the marriage onto the stage of sixteenth-century Anglo-Scottish politics.
Gender Difference and Tudor Monarchy: The Significance of Queen Mary I
Authors: Richards Judith
Published: April 2013

The long absence of queens regnant in England owed little to any principled opposition to female rule. Even in France the fourteenth-century appeal to Salic law owed more to pragmatic politics than to systemic hostility to queens. Although there were no clear-cut barriers to female accession, Mary Tudor, England's first Queen Regnant was undoubtedly more acceptable because she came to the throne a mature woman, with an impeccable sexual reputation. Her accession was also made easier by Henry VIII's extended use of statute law; in turn she eased the path to the throne for the younger and allegedly more disreputable Elizabeth.
Godly Advice, Court News, and Atlantic Adventures: Maurice Browne and his Patrons in the 1580s
Authors: Wall Alison
Published: April 2013

Maurice Browne was an ambitious minor figure at the Elizabethan Court, seeking patrons. In 1580 he became London agent for the wealthy Wiltshire gentleman John Thynne of Longleat, sending news and vigorous advice on godly religious attitudes. While emphasising God's role, Browne worked at Court for Thynne's worldly interests, offering hints on tactics and even dress. Browne had useful contacts because he was in the service of Secretary Sir Francis Walsingham, who sent him on diplomatic business to the Azores, but also encouraged him to join Sir Humphrey Gilbert's doomed expedition to found a Newfoundland colony, during which Browne, and Gilbert, drowned.
Paul Best and the Limits of Toleration in Civil War England
Authors: McGregor J. F.
Published: April 2013

The attempt during the English Civil War to execute Paul Best for denying in private correspondence the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity fuelled the debate on religious freedom begun by John Milton and Roger Williams in 1644. The Best case was more pragmatically concerned with the question of whether a godly society should tolerate a degree of religious dissent in order to maintain political unity. Best's status as a scholar and gentleman challenged the theocratic intolerance of the English Presbyterians who failed either to secure Best's death or to reverse the longer term trend to secularize blasphemy as an aspect of popular disorder.
Environmentality: Military Maneuvers, the Ecosystem, and the Accidental
Authors: Marzec Robert P.
Published: April 2013

This essay argues that current efforts by United States security institutions and the security society to adopt climate change as a central mandate have begun to reformulate radically the constitution of the citizen-subject. State-formed life and the liberatory pole of citizen-subject life face a collapse in this reformulation that pulls the citizen-subject away from its relation to a groundless liberation. The action around which this separation of the citizen-subject from "permanent revolution" (Balibar) occurs is what the essay calls, after Virilio, "The Accidental." The Accidental is a name for the colonization of groundless liberation, and manifests in the security society's deployment of the accident of global ecological crisis as a naturalized enemy of the State.
Spenser’s Mutabilitie and the Indeterminate Universe
Authors: Powrie Sarah
Published: April 2013

In the Two Cantos of Mutabilitie , Spenser allegorically explores the unpredictable and revolutionary implications of the new science through Mutabilitie’s insurrection, which transforms the heavens from a recognized hierarchy into an undifferentiated space of uncertainty and debate. Mutabilitie’s challenge to Jove’s superiority resembles the science of Tycho Brahe and Giordano Bruno, both of whom also contested the hierarchical structure of the traditional world system. Mutabilitie signals that the determinate meaning presupposed in the Aristotelian cosmos and the transcendent aspirations of allegory cannot be sustained in a post-Copernican universe.
EJE Prize 2013: Regulation of aldosterone secretion: from physiology to disease
Authors: Beuschlein Felix
Published: April 2013

Arterial hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor that affects between 10 and 40% of the population in industrialized countries. Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary hypertension with an estimated prevalence of around 10% in referral centers and 4% in a primary care setting. Despite its high prevalence until recently, the underlying genetic and molecular basis of this common disease had remained largely obscure. Over the past decade, a number of insights have been achieved that have relied onin vitrocellular systems, wild-type and genetically modifiedin vivomodels, as well as clinical studies in well-characterized patient populations. This progress has been made possible by a number of independent technical developments including that of specific hormone assays that allow measurement in small sample volumes as well as genetic techniques that enable high-throughput sequencing of a large number of samples. Furthermore, animal models have provided important insights into the physiology of aldosterone regulation that have served as a starting point for investigation of mechanisms involved in autonomous aldosterone secretion. Finally, national and international networks that have built up registries and biobanks have been instrumental in fostering translational research endeavors in PA. Therefore, it is to be expected that in the near future, further pathophysiological mechanisms that result in autonomous aldosterone secretion will be unraveled.
FDA’s Pediatric Device Consortia: National Program Fosters Pediatric Medical Device Development
Authors: Ulrich Linda C. , Joseph Francesca D. , Lewis Debra Y. , Koenig Robert L.
Published: April 2013

OBJECTIVES:

This article reports on the progress made in addressing pediatric medical device needs through the establishment of the Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program. Pediatric practitioners should be aware of both the imperative for well-studied devices for children and the existence of recently created resources to help foster the development of such products.

METHODS:

This article discusses some of the challenges associated with pediatric device development and describes the implementation of section 305 of the Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act of 2007. This statute called for the creation of nonprofit consortia to facilitate the development, production, and distribution of pediatric medical devices.

RESULTS:

A summary of the accomplishments of the pediatric device consortia is presented. Eleven million dollars have been awarded to 5 consortia since 2009. As of July 2012, they have collectively assisted in the development of 219 pediatric device ideas. The consortia provide innovators with both mentorship and services to help advance proposed pediatric device projects, including assistance with prototyping, identification of potential funding sources, preclinical and clinical trial design, and introductions to potential manufacturers.

CONCLUSIONS:

Currently, 5 federally funded pediatric device consortia exist to help advance the development of potential pediatric devices. These consortia serve as a national resource for those with ideas for medical devices that may advance the health and well-being of children.
Plate Size and Children’s Appetite: Effects of Larger Dishware on Self-Served Portions and Intake
Authors: DiSantis Katherine I. , Birch Leann L. , Davey Adam , Serrano Elena L. , Zhang Jun , Bruton Yasmeen , Fisher Jennifer O.
Published: April 2013

OBJECTIVES:

Dishware size is thought to influence eating behaviors, but effects on children’s self-served portion sizes and intakes have not been studied. We aimed to evaluate whether larger dishware increased children’s self-served portion sizes and intake during meals.

METHODS:

A within-subjects experimental design was used to test the effects of dishware size (ie, plates and bowls) on children's self-served portion sizes and intakes in a naturalistic setting. Subjects were predominantly African American elementary school–aged children (n = 42) observed on repeated occasions during school lunch. Children served themselves an entree and side dishes using either child- or adult-size dishware, which represented a 100% increase in the surface area of plates and volume of bowls across conditions. Condition order was randomly assigned and counterbalanced across 2 first-grade classrooms. Entrées of amorphous and unit form were evaluated on separate days. Fruit and vegetable side dishes were evaluated at each meal. Fixed portions of milk and bread were provided at each meal.

RESULTS:

Children served more energy (mean = 90.1 kcal, SE = 29.4 kcal) when using adult-size dishware. Adult-size dishware promoted energy intake indirectly, where every additional calorie served resulted in a 0.43-kcal increase in total energy intakes at lunch (t = 7.72, P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Children served themselves more with larger plates and bowls and consumed nearly 50% of the calories that they served. This provides new evidence that children’s self-served portion sizes are influenced by size-related facets of their eating environments, which, in turn, may influence children’s energy intake.
Timing of Solid Food Introduction and Obesity: Hong Kong’s “Children of 1997” Birth Cohort
Authors: Lin Shi Lin , Leung Gabriel M. , Lam Tai Hing , Schooling C. Mary
Published: April 2013

BACKGROUND:

Some observational studies in Western settings show that early introduction of solid food is associated with subsequent obesity. However, introduction of solid food and obesity share social patterning. We examined the association of the timing of the introduction of solid food with BMI and overweight (including obesity) into adolescence in a developed non-Western setting, in which childhood obesity is less clearly socially patterned.

METHODS:

We used generalized estimating equation models to estimate the adjusted associations of the timing of the introduction of solid food (<3, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, and >8 months) with BMI z score and overweight (including obesity) at different growth phases (infancy, childhood, and puberty) in 7809 children (88% follow-up) from a Chinese birth cohort, “Children of 1997.” We assessed if the associations varied with gender or breastfeeding. We used multiple imputation for missing exposure and confounders.

RESULTS:

The introduction of solid food at <3 months of age was associated with lower family socioeconomic position (SEP) but was not clearly associated with BMI or overweight (including obesity) in infancy [mean difference in BMI z score: 0.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.14 to 0.17], childhood (0.14; 95% CI: −0.11 to 0.40), or at puberty (0.22; 95% CI: −0.07 to 0.52), adjusted for SEP and infant and maternal characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS:

In a non-Western developed setting, there was no clear association of the early introduction of solid food with childhood obesity. Together with the inconsistent evidence from studies in Western settings, this finding suggests that any observed associations might simply be residual confounding by SEP.
Eating Frequency and Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Kaisari Panagiota , Yannakoulia Mary , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B.
Published: April 2013

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the effect of eating frequency on body weight status in children and adolescents.

METHODS:

In this meta-analysis, original observational studies published to October 2011 were selected through a literature search in the PubMed database. The reference list of the retrieved articles was also used to identify relevant articles; researchers were contacted when needed. Selected studies were published in English, and they reported on the effect of eating frequency on overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random effects model.

RESULTS:

Ten cross-sectional studies and 1 case-control study (21 substudies in total), comprising 18 849 participants (aged 2–19 years), were included in the analysis. Their combined effect revealed that the highest category of eating frequency, as compared with the lowest, was associated with a beneficial effect regarding body weight status in children and adolescents (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, log OR = –0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.41 to –0.06). The observed beneficial effect remained significant in boys (OR = 0.76, log OR = –0.27, 95% CI –0.47 to –0.06), but not in girls (OR = 0.96, log OR = –0.04, 95% CI –0.40 to 0.32) (P for sex differences = 0.14).

CONCLUSIONS:

Higher eating frequency was associated with lower body weight status in children and adolescents, mainly in boys. Clinical trials are warranted to confirm this inverse association, evaluate its clinical applicability, and support a public health recommendation; more studies are also needed to further investigate any sex-related differences, and most importantly, the biological mechanisms.
Control of parasitic infections among school children in the peri-urban area of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Dórea Regina Coeli Cunha , Salata Ednir , Padovani Carlos Roberto , Anjos Gilberto Lupi dos
Published: April 2013

Tide prevalence of intestinal parasitosis ivas investigated in a primaiy school located in Rubiâo Júnior, a peri-urban district of Botucatu, São Paulo slate, Brazil, in order to assess the effect of treatment and practical measures of prophylaxis in the control of parasitic infections among 7-to- 18-year-old school children of a low socio-economic status. The first series of parasitological examinations included 219 school children, ef which 123 (56.1 %) were found to be infected with one or more parasite species. Eighty- four children canying pathogenic parasites were submitted to various anti-parasitic treatment schedules. We re-evaluated 15 (89 %) students after 4 to 6 months post- chemotherapy. The results indicate that the combination of treatment with prophylactic measures has been successful in the control of parasitic infections, since reinfection rates were generally low (< 5-3 %), except for Giardia lamblia infections (18.6 %), and a marked reduction oti the prevalence rates was obsewed with a significant percentage of cure (> 73-1 %) in children infected with most parasite species. The reasons for the apparent failure in the control of infections caused by Hymenolepis nana and Strongyloides stercoralis are discussed.
Prevalência dos marcadores sorológicos dos vírus da hepatite B e D em crianças das tribos Caiabietxucarramãe do parque indígena do Xingu, Brasil central
Authors: Azevedo Ramiro Anthero , Silva Antonio Eduardo , Ferraz Maria Lúcia Gomes , Marcopito Luiz Francisco , Baruzzi Roberto Geraldo
Published: April 2013

O Parque Indígena do Xingu (PIX) está localizado no estado do Mato Grosso, na região de transição de cenado ao sul e da floresta Amazônica ao norte. Dados de literatura mostram que a população adulta apresenta elevada prevalência de marcadores do vírus da hepatite B (HBV). O presente estudo visa determinar a prevalência dos marcadores do HBV e do HDV na população indígena do PIX de zero a 14 anos, e investigar a forma de transmissão do HBV na região. Entre as 17 tribos existentes no PIX escolheu-se os Caiabi e os Txucairamãe que diferem em seus hábitos de vida e habitam a região Norte do parque com características de clima, vegetação e fauna semelhantes ás da região Amazônica. Avaliaram-se 222 crianças (116 Txucarramãe e 106 Caiabi) e 33 mulheres em idade fértil. A pesquisa de marcadores sorológicos para HBV e HDV foi feita por técnica imunoenzimãtica. A prevalência global dos marcadores sorológicos nas crianças foi: HBsAg 4,5%; anti-HBs 39,6%; anti- HBc 44,1%; presença de algum marcador do HBV 47,3% e anti-HDV 0,0%, enquanto que nas mulheres em idade fértil foi: HBsAg 12%, todas anti-HBe positivas. A infecção pelo HBV ocoireu mais precocemente entre os Txucarramãe, quando se considerou algum marcador do HBV (p < 0,001). No PIX, área de alta endemicidadepara infecção pelo HBV, a transmissão do vírus ocorre provavelmente de maneira horizontal e não vertical como seria de se esperar, características culturais, condições de habitação e presença de insetos hematófagos são importantes determinantes na sua transmissão. Apesar de não ter sido detectado nenhum caso com hepatite Delta, o PIX é uma área propícia para a sua disseminação.
Giardiose e criptosporidiose em creches no município de Campinas, SP
Authors: Franco Regina Maura B. , Cordeiro Nelson da S.
Published: April 2013

Estudou-se as prevalências de Gíardia duodenalís e Cryptosporidium parvum, conforme sexo e faixa etária. em crianças de 2-60 meses (n = 310), atendidas em 8 creches. Giardiose ocoireu em 42 (13,5%) das crianças e foi mais freqüente na faixa etãria de 19-24 meses, embora crianças nos primeiros seis meses de vida apresentassem amostras fecais positivas. Teste estatístico não revelou associação entre sexo e parasitismo (p > 0,05). C. parvum foi encontrado em 20 crianças (6,4%) com maior frequência no grupo de 7-12 meses. Crianças entre 25-30 meses e acima de 36 meses não apresentaram oocistos nas fezes. Oocistos foram detectados em 4 crianças na faixa etãria de 0-6 meses. Não houve significância estatística entre criptosporidiose e sexo (p = 0,09) e, entre creches (p = 0,068). Ocorreu associação entre idade e a presença do coccídio (p = 0,004). Abordou-se os aspectos epidemiológicos por meio de inquérito familiar, exames parasitolõgicos entre contatos dos casos-índices e dos animais presentes no domicílio. Prevalência de C. parvum foi maior quando pelo menos um dos pais era profissional da Área de Saúde (73,6% positivas), hai:ia relato de doença concomitante (52,6%) positivas) e diairéia era o principal sintoma por ocasião de exame fecal (78,9%) positivas). Exames de fezes dos animais domésticos foram negativos para estes dois parasitos.
O uso do Moodle como reforço ao ensino presencial de parasitologia e micologia no curso de graduação em medicina
Authors: Mezzari Adelina , Iser Isabele , Wiebbelling Adília Maria Pereira , Tarouco Liane
Published: April 2013

O ensino presencial nos cursos de graduação continua sendo o foco do ensino e da aprendizagem. Com o advento de novas tecnologias de ensino, algumas ferramentas têm sido utilizadas como reforço ao ensino presencial. A plataforma Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Distance Learning) tem sido uma das mais empregadas nas instituições de ensino. Este estudo avaliou a relação do ensino presencial com o uso do Moodle institucional na disciplina de Parasitologia e Micologia Médica do curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA). Como reforço a esta atividade, a página da disciplina cadastrada no sistema Moodle disponibilizou casos clínicos para que os alunos realizassem o diagnóstico. Além disso, foram apresentadas outras informações complementares para o ensino presencial. A metodologia buscou exercitar os instrumentos de aprendizagem que o sistema Moodle oferece, como o link a um arquivo ou site, os fóruns de discussão, a ferramenta questionário e o chat. Como o Moodle é institucional, nele está disponível a página da disciplina, onde passaram a constar todas as informações referentes à mesma, bem como as atividades extraclasse
Análise das disparidades de bem-estar entre os estados do Brasil
Authors: Penna Christiano , Linhares Fabrício , Carvalho Eveline , Trompieri Neto Nicolino
Published: April 2013

Os processos de convergência global e de formação de clubes de convergência do índice de bem-estar social propostos por Sen (1974) são testados através da metodologia de séries temporais proposta por Philips e Sul (2007). O trabalho também mensura o montante de recursos necessários para que os estados atinjam o indicador de bem-estar social do estado de São Paulo. Os resultados sugerem que a penalização da renda aludida por Sen não é capaz de evitar a formação dos clubes de convergência anteriormente constatados para o caso brasileiro, e que, além do bem-estar social dos estados do Norte-Nordeste ainda ser relativamente baixo se comparado aos estados do Centro-Sul, esta diferença relativa veio se agravando ao longo dos anos. Ainda, o montante de recursos necessários para se erradicar as disparidades regionais, apesar do atual custo para equiparação do bem-estar entre as regiões ser extremamente alto - cerca de 1/3 do PIB -- torna-se baixo se comparado aos valores passados.
A gestão da informação como proposta de inclusão em uma biblioteca especializada
Authors: Neves Barbara Coelho , Padilha Maria Célia Nery
Published: April 2013

Esta comunicação apresenta o relato de experiência da implementação do Núcleo de Gestão da Informação e Inteligência administrado pela Biblioteca da Defensoria Pública do Estado da Bahia. O Núcleo tem o propósito de corroborar com o estoque informacional, baseando-se na captação do conhecimento tácito dos defensores públicos da Defensoria Pública do Estado da Bahia. Ambiciona-se a inclusão social e a preservação da memória dos direitos humanos empregada nas atividades defensoriais desenvolvidas. O maior benefício da criação do Núcleo de Gestão da Informação e Inteligência é proporcionar a disponibilidade de informação adquirida pelos defensores, de maneira estruturada, a todas as pessoas interessadas nos temas defensoriais apreendidos através de vivências jurídicas, congressos, cursos de capacitação, seminários, workshops, dentre outros. O Núcleo de Gestão da Informação e Inteligência da Biblioteca da Defensoria Pública do Estado da Bahia constitui importante meio para conectar eficientemente "aqueles que sabem" àqueles que "necessitam saber" e converter conhecimento pessoal em memória da organização. Para tanto, a proposta desenvolve a coleta, o armazenamento, gerenciamento e disseminação do conhecimento com uma metodologia baseada em modelos de gestão da informação e gestão do conhecimento, com o auxílio de adolescentes "menores aprendizes" em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa da Fundação Cidade Mãe.