bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No Association between TERT-CLPTM1L Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs401681 and Mean Telomere Length or Cancer Risk
Authors: Pooley Karen A. , Tyrer Jonathan , Shah Mitul , Driver Kristy E. , Leyland Jean , Brown Judith , Audley Tina , McGuffog Lesley , Ponder Bruce A.J. , Pharoah Paul D.P. , Easton Douglas F. , Dunning Alison M.
Published: July 2010

Background: A recent study reported genetic variants in the TERT-CLPTM1L locus that were associated with mean telomere length, and with risk of multiple cancers.

Methods: We evaluated the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs401681 (C > T) and mean telomere length, using quantitative real-time PCR, in blood-extracted DNA collected from 11,314 cancer-free participants from the Sisters in Breast Screening study, the Melanoma and Pigmented Lesions Evaluative Study melanoma family study, and the SEARCH Breast, Colorectal, Melanoma studies. We also examined the relationship between rs401618 genotype and susceptibility to breast cancer (6,800 cases and 6,608 controls), colorectal cancer (2,259 cases and 2,181 controls), and melanoma (787 cases and 999 controls).

Results: The “per T allele” change in mean telomere length (ΔCt), adjusted for age, study plate, gender, and family was 0.001 [95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.01-0.02; P trend = 0.61]. The “per T allele” odds ratio for each cancer was 1.01 for breast cancer (95% CI, 0.96-1.06; P trend = 0.64), 1.02 for colorectal cancer (95% CI, 0.94-1.11; P trend = 0.66), and 0.99 for melanoma (95% CI, 0.84-1.15; P trend = 0.87).

Conclusions: We found no evidence that this SNP was associated with mean telomere length, or with risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or melanoma.

Impact: Our results indicate that the observed associations between rs401681 and several cancer types might be weaker than previously described. The lack of an association in our study between this SNP and mean telomere length suggests that any association with cancer risk at this locus is not mediated through TERT. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(7); 1862-5. ©2010 AACR.
Specialty Supplements and Breast Cancer Risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort
Authors: Brasky Theodore M. , Lampe Johanna W. , Potter John D. , Patterson Ruth E. , White Emily
Published: July 2010

Background: Use of nonvitamin, nonmineral “specialty” supplements has increased substantially over recent decades. Several supplements may have anti-inflammatory or anticancer properties. Additionally, supplements taken for symptoms of menopause have been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer in two case-control studies. However, there have been no prospective studies of the association between the long-term use of these supplements and breast cancer risk.

Methods: Participants were female members of the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. Postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 76 years, who were residents of western Washington State, completed a 24-page baseline questionnaire in 2000 to 2002 (n = 35,016). Participants were queried on their recency (current versus past), frequency (days/week), and duration (years) of specialty supplement use. Incident invasive breast cancers (n = 880) from 2000 to 2007 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Multivariable-adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: Current use of fish oil was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50-0.92). Ten-year average use was suggestive of reduced risk (P trend = 0.09). These results held for ductal but not lobular cancers. The remaining specialty supplements were not associated with breast cancer risk: Specifically, use of supplements sometimes taken for menopausal symptoms (black cohosh, dong quai, soy, or St. John's wort) was not associated with risk.

Conclusions: Fish oil may be inversely associated with breast cancer risk.

Impact: Fish oil is a potential candidate for chemoprevention studies. Until that time, it is not recommended for individual use for breast cancer prevention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(7); 1696–708. ©2010 AACR.
Inter- and Intra-Biobank Networks: Classification of Biobanks
Authors: Shickle Darren , Griffin Marcus , El-Arifi Karen
Published: July 2010

Background: Many biobanks have struggled to deliver on the high expectations and claims made for them because of insufficient samples, inadequate infrastructure, cost of establishing and maintaining a large enough resource over the long term, and satisfying legal, ethics and governance requirements. Increasingly, networks have formed to help with the collection, processing, storage, advertising, and distribution of samples. However, there are also challenges to establishing and maintaining biobank networks. Aim: To classify biobanks in order to better understand the problems faced by biobank networking. Methods: Interviews were conducted with principal investigators and/or managers responsible for 33 biobanks in 9 countries. Results: Biobanks were classified into the following categories: ‘storage’, ‘bring-and-share’, ‘catalogue’, ‘partnership’, ‘contribution’ and ‘expertise’. Conclusion: It was possible to allocate all of the biobanks visited to one of the network categories although some fitted better than others. Thus, the classification may not be mutually exclusive nor encompass all types of biobanks. Many of the governance and operational problems associated with the biobanks visited were due to networking functions: either intra- or inter-biobank networks. Thus, this proposed classification system should help better understand these issues and identify solutions.
Induction of GNE in Myofibers after Muscle Injury
Authors: Nakamura Kenichiro , Tsukamoto Yoshiyuki , Hijiya Naoki , Higuchi Yasunori , Yano Shinji , Yokoyama Shigeo , Kumamoto Toshihide , Moriyama Masatsugu
Published: July 2010

Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify the expression of uridine diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) protein and mRNA in damaged or regenerating myofibers. Methods: We investigated the muscle expression pattern of GNE protein by immunohistochemistry using a murine model involving intramuscular injection of cardiotoxin (CTX), and the expression level of GNE mRNA by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of damaged or regenerating myofibers that had been collected directly from tissue sections using laser-capture microdissection. Results: The expression of GNE protein was increased in severely damaged myofibers as well as in regenerating myofibers with central nuclei, both of which also showed an increase in the expression of GNE mRNA. In regenerating myofibers, immunoreactivity for GNE protein in nuclei relative to that in the cytoplasm was higher at 7 days than at 4 days after CTX injection. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that GNE expression is induced when myofibers are damaged or regenerating, and that GNE plays a role in muscle regeneration.
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Can Export Hyaluronan
Authors: Schulz Tobias , Schumacher Udo , Prante Christian , Sextro Wolfgang , Prehm Peter
Published: July 2010

Objectives: Hyaluronan, a major water binding component of the extracellular matrix, is synthesised within the cytosol and exported across the plasma membrane by the ABC-transporter MRP5 in fibroblasts. Although its synthesis is vital for embryogenesis, MRP5-deficient mice are without phenotype, suggesting that another transporter had substituted for the MRP5 protein. Thus, we searched for a compensatory exporter in fibroblasts from MRP5 deficient mice and found that cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA was upregulated. Methods: Hyaluronan export was measured in cell culture. The CFTR transporter was knocked out using si-RNA. Blockers of the ABC-transporter family were used to ascertain the hyaluronan transport capabilities functionally. Results: CFTR specific siRNA inhibited hyaluronan export. The tetrasaccharide was exported in undegraded form only from normal human epithelial cells and not from human epithelial cells carrying ΔF508 CFTR. The CFTR inhibitors GlyH-101 and CFTR172 reduced hyaluronan export from CFTR-expressing mouse fibroblasts and from human breast cancer cell lines. Bronchial secretions from patients with cystic fibrosis that consist mainly of necrotic epithelia contained at least 40-fold higher concentration of hyaluronan than secretions from patients with acute bronchitis. Conclusions: CFTR transports hyaluronan across the plasma membrane of epithelial cells and this transport mechanism is defective in cystic fibrosis patients.
Dietary Linoleic Acid and Glucose Enhances Azoxymethane-Induced Colon Cancer and Metastases via the Expression of High-Mobility Group Box 1
Authors: Ohmori Hitoshi , Luo Yi , Fujii Kiyomu , Sasahira Tomonori , Shimomoto Takasumi , Denda Ayumi , Kuniyasu Hiroki
Published: July 2010

Objective: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was closely associated with progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer. Methods: We examined the significance of HMGB1 in causing colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM) injection in Fischer 344 rats fed on a control diet (group C), a 15% linoleic acid (LA) diet (group L), a control diet with 10% glucose drink (group G), and a 15% LA diet with a 10% glucose drink (group L+G). Results: Group L+G showed the highest body weight and calorie intake. Serum and mucosal HMGB1 levels were temporally increased in all groups, while the highest levels were observed in group L+G. Mucosal HMGB1 levels were correlated with cancer multiplicity and nodal metastases. In the AOM-injected rats fed the 15% LA diet with 10% glucose drink, administration of HMGB1 antibody suppressed serum HMGB1 concentration and cancer multiplicity . Conclusion: These data suggest that dietary LA and glucose provided the synergistic effect on AOM-induced rat colon cancer through HMGB1 induction.
Genetic Differences between Five European Populations
Authors: Moskvina Valentina , Smith Michael , Ivanov Dobril , Blackwood Douglas , StClair David , Hultman Christina , Toncheva Draga , Gill Michael , Corvin Aiden , O’Dushlaine Colm , Morris Derek W. , Wray Naomi R. , Sullivan Patrick , Pato Carlos , Pato Michele T. , Sklar Pamela , Purcell Shaun , Holmans Peter , O’Donovan Michael C. , Owen Michael J. , Kirov George ,   International Schizophrenia Consortium1
Published: July 2010

Aims: We sought to examine the magnitude of the differences in SNP allele frequencies between five European populations (Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Bulgaria and Portugal) and to identify the loci with the greatest differences. Methods: We performed a population-based genome-wide association analysis with Affymetrix 6.0 and 5.0 arrays. We used a 4 degrees of freedom χ2 test to determine the magnitude of stratification for each SNP. We then examined the genes within the most stratified regions, using a highly conservative cutoff of p < 10–45. Results: We found 40,593 SNPs which are genome-wide significantly (p ≤ 10–8) stratified between these populations. The largest differences clustered in gene ontology categories for immunity and pigmentation. Some of the top loci span genes that have already been reported as highly stratified: genes for hair color and pigmentation (HERC2, EXOC2, IRF4), the LCT gene, genes involved in NAD metabolism, and in immunity (HLA and the Toll-like receptor genes TLR10, TLR1, TLR6). However, several genes have not previously been reported as stratified within European populations, indicating that they might also have provided selective advantages: several zinc finger genes, two genes involved in glutathione synthesis or function, and most intriguingly, FOXP2, implicated in speech development. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrates that many SNPs show genome-wide significant differences within European populations and the magnitude of the differences correlate with the geographical distance. At least some of these differences are due to the selective advantage of polymorphisms within these loci.
Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Sherman Morris
Published: July 2010

The epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is changing as a result of immigration to Europe and North America. Immigrants to these countries bring with them the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis that exists in their home countries. In addition, epidemics of hepatitis C infection in Europe in the 1950–1970s and in North America in the 1960s and 1970s have produced a cohort of infected individuals who have reached a duration of infection when HCC increases in incidence. Therefore, the epidemiology of HCC parallels the epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Whereas in Japan the peak of HCC incidence may have passed, elsewhere HCC continues to increase in incidence.
Lipid Metabolism and Liver Disease in Hepatitis C Viral Infection
Authors: Koike Kazuhiko , Tsutsumi Takeya , Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi , Moriya Kyoji
Published: July 2010

Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major risk toward development of hepatocellular carcinoma. A number of transgenic mouse lines carrying the cDNA of HCV genome have been established and evaluated in the study of HCV pathogenesis. Among those, the studies using transgenic mouse lines that carry the HCV genome containing the core gene indicate the direct involvement of HCV in pathogenicity, including that in oncogenesis. Oxidative stress overproduction and intracellular signaling augmentation are shown to be the key events in HCV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. Besides the data in hepatitis C patients, connecting liver fibrosis progression and the disturbance in lipid and glucose metabolisms, these mouse models also show a close relationship between HCV and metabolic alterations including hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. Furthermore, the persistent activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α has recently been found, yielding dramatic changes in the lipid metabolism and oxidative stress overproduction in cooperation with the mitochondrial dysfunction. These results would provide a clue for further understanding of the role of lipid metabolism in pathogenesis of hepatitis C including liver injury and hepatocarcinogenesis.
Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Updated Review in 2010
Authors: Kudo Masatoshi
Published: July 2010

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was introduced in Japan in 1999. It has been established as a main local treatment method worldwide including Japan. On comparing outcomes between resection and RFA, they were comparable when cases were limited to those with 3 or fewer tumors 3 cm or smaller in many reports, based on which RFA has become the main treatment for small HCCs. The 5-year survival rate following RFA was as high as 57% in patients registered in the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan, 73% when cases were limited to liver damage A (Child-Pugh A), and 83.8 and 76.3% in liver damage A (Child-Pugh A) cases with a single 2-cm or smaller and 2- to 5-cm liver tumor, respectively, showing outcomes equivalent to those of resection. The outcomes at our facility were also favorable: the 5-year survival rates of Child-Pugh A liver function HCC cases with 3 or fewer tumors 3 cm or smaller following RFA and resection were 84 and 78%, respectively. Various complications and limitations of RFA have previously been reported, but the advances of physicians’ skills and development of various techniques have reduced complications and expanded the indications for RAF. TACE-combined, artificial pleural effusion- and ascites-combined, and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography-guided RFAs are good examples. Adjuvant therapy, such as interferon and molecular targeted therapies following curative therapy, is expected to further improve survival after RFA.
Gender Disparity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Roles of Sex Hormones
Authors: Yeh Shiou-Hwei , Chen Pei-Jer
Published: July 2010

Men have a higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than women. Epidemiologic and animal studies have suggested that it might be due to the stimulatory effects of androgen and the protective effects of estrogen. Recently, increasing molecular mechanisms underlying the carcinogenic effect of both sex hormones were reported. Knockout of androgen receptor (AR) expression in hepatocytes delayed the development of N′,N′-diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC, suggesting the active AR pathway in augmenting the HCC risk. Moreover, an intriguing interaction between the viral protein of hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) and the androgen pathway was established. HBx can enhance the transcriptional activity of AR in a ligand concentration-dependent manner, mainly through its effects on the c-Src and GSK-3β kinase pathways. The studies from the DEN-induced HCC mouse model further provided a mechanism for the protective role of estrogen in female HCC. Estrogen can protect hepatocytes from malignant transformation via downregulation of IL-6 release from Kupffer cells, a critical process in this mouse model. Intriguingly, suppression of the ERα protein by overexpression of miR-18a, which occurs preferentially in female HCC, was identified as a novel mechanism to block the tumor-protective function of estrogen in female HCC. In conclusion, the current studies demonstrated that the gender disparity of HCC is attributed by both androgen and estrogen sex hormone pathways, with distinct roles in each gender. Therefore, the ligand and the receptor factors of both sex hormones need to be included for assessing the relative risk of HCC patients of each gender.
Spousal Interrelations in Self-Reports of Cognition in the Context of Marital Problems
Authors: Strawbridge William J. , Wallhagen Margaret I. , Shema Sarah J.
Published: July 2010

Background: Problems with cognitive function are common among older adults, yet there is little research assessing the extent to which the cognitive problems of older husbands and wives are related to those of their partners and whether any observed relationships are moderated by gender or marital quality. Objectives: Our purpose was to analyze longitudinal relationships between older spouses’ cognitive function and the cognitive function of their partners 5 years later, as well as to assess moderating roles of gender and marital quality. Methods: The subjects were 378 community-dwelling couples aged 46–89 years at baseline who were followed for 5 years. Cognitive function was measured with a scale assessing problems remembering names, finding the right word, misplacing things and paying attention. Marital quality was assessed by comparing those reporting marital problems often or sometimes with those reporting marital problems rarely or never. All data were collected by self-report. Statistical models adjusted for paired data where appropriate and included partner cognitive function, age, chronic conditions and financial hardship. Stratified models assessed moderating roles of gender and marital problems. Results: We found a negative relationship between husbands’ baseline lower cognitive function and wives’ subsequent cognitive function but only for the wives reporting marital problems. We found no comparable relationship between wives’ baseline lower cognitive function and their husbands’ subsequent cognitive function. Conclusions: Our gender-specific finding for wives is consistent with the gender differences noted in 2 previous studies. The limitation to wives with problems in their marriages is a new finding and might follow increased stress and depression responding to changes in their husbands’ cognitive functioning.
Microarray Analysis of Irradiated Growth Plate Zones following Laser Microdissection Shows Later Importance of Differentially Expressed Genes during Radiorecovery
Authors: Pritchard Meredith R. , Horton Jason A. , Keenawinna Lihini S. , Damron Timothy A.
Published: July 2010

Purpose: Potential targets for selective radiorecovery modulation were investigated via the identification of late upregulated genes and pathways during growth plate chondrocyte recovery. Methods and Materials: Three groups of six 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent fractionated irradiation to the right tibiae over 5 days totaling 17.5 Gy and were then killed at 7, 11, and 16 days following the first radiotherapy fraction. The growth plates were collected from the proximal tibiae bilaterally and subsequently underwent laser microdissection to separate reserve, perichondral, proliferative, and hypertrophic zones. Differential gene expression was analyzed between irradiated right and nonirradiated left tibiae using RAE230 2.0 GeneChip microarray, compared between zones and time points, and subjected to functional pathway cluster analysis with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm selected results. Results: The reserve zone showed the greatest number of differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways: 259 and 134, respectively. Differentially expressed genes included: Timp3, Gpx1, Gas6, Notch2, VEGF, and HIF-1. Enriched pathways included the developmental processes of regeneration, antiapoptosis, developmental growth, tissue regeneration, mesenchymal cell proliferation, negative regulation of immune response, and determination of symmetry. The reserve zone late upregulation of genes was validated using real-time PCR for Mgp, Gas6, and Eef1a1. Conclusions: A significant difference in late upregulated genes between growth plate zones exists. The reserve zone shows the greatest change, containing a 10-fold increase in the total number of genes differentially expressed between days 7 and 16. These findings suggest that reserve zone chondrocytes may play a later role in growth plate recovery response following irradiation.
The Explicit Syntax of Implicit Arguments
Authors: Landau Idan
Published: July 2010

Although they participate in control relations, implicit arguments are standardly viewed as unprojected ϑ-roles, absent from the syntax. I challenge this view and argue that implicit arguments are syntactically represented. The argument rests on the observation that implicit arguments can exercise partial control, and the claim that partial control must be encoded in the syntax (given plausible assumptions on the limits of lexical relations). I further argue that the syntactic constitution of implicit arguments is more impoverished than that of pro, explaining their differential visibility to various syntactic processes.
Perfects, Resultatives, and Auxiliaries in Earlier English
Authors: McFadden Thomas , Alexiadou Artemis
Published: July 2010

In this article, we investigate the peculiar distribution of the auxiliaries have and be in Earlier English and its consequences for theories of the perfect and auxiliary selection. We argue on the basis of a large-scale corpus study that the periphrastic construction with be was restricted to a stative resultative interpretation, whereas that with have developed a wider range of uses, crucially including the experiential perfect in addition to resultatives. Support comes from comparing the Earlier English patterns with related ones in Norwegian and German for which native-speaker judgments are available. On the basis of this insight, we propose distinct formal analyses for the two constructions and show how they account for the attested patterns and changes in Middle and Early Modern English. Of particular theoretical relevance is the premise that what has been called the “perfect” is not a homogeneous, monolithic category, and that certain kinds of variation can only be understood by teasing apart the pieces involved. Earlier English and German auxiliaries have distinct distributions because their “perfects” have disinct syntactic and semantic makeups.
Elsewhere in Romance: Evidence from Clitic Clusters
Authors: Pescarini Diego
Published: July 2010

This article focuses on sequences of Romance clitics wherein a pronominal form is replaced by another clitic exponent, which is prima facie morphologically unmotivated. Bonet (1991) and Harris (1994) among others have argued that these synthetic clusters can be due to the insertion of an elsewhere clitic: a default, nonspecified item that is inserted as a last resort whenever the insertion of other clitics is ruled out. In this article, independent pieces of evidence gathered from Italian and Italian dialects are shown to support this hypothesis.
Variability in the Case Patterns of Causative Formation in Romance and Its Implications
Authors: Torrego Esther
Published: July 2010

Taking Folli and Harley's (2007) analysis of Italian fare-causatives as a starting point, and focusing on Spanish, I examine variation in the distribution of the subject of the embedded infinitive in so-called faire-causatives, and I suggest that there is a robust correlation between the size of the embedded complement and the licensing of particular arguments. I reach this conclusion by investigating syntactic complexity in the domain of hacer-causatives, showing that richer structures obtain when Case factors associated with dative-case-marked arguments are considered. I further show that the specific conditions imposed by these arguments are language particular and arise in the language independently of analytical causatives.
Verbless Sentences and Clause Structure
Authors: Hazout Ilan
Published: July 2010

Present tense verbless sentences involve a full clausal structure and not a reduced structure of the kind familiar under the term small clause. This article presents two new arguments in favor of this view. These arguments are based on differences between root verbless sentences and familiar instances of small clauses (rather than on similarities between present tense verbless sentences and verbal sentences in other tenses, as in Benmamoun 2008). The arguments presented in this article provide substantial evidence bearing on the fundamental issue of what a clausal structure needs to have in order to qualify as an independent nonelliptical utterance.
Effects of psychiatric training on nursing students’ attitudes towards people with mental illness in Japan
Authors: Yamauchi Takashi , Semba Tsuneo , Sudo Anju , Takahashi Nobuko , Nakamura Hirofumi , Yoshimura Kunihiro , Koyama Hitoshi , Ishigami Shoko , Takeshima Tadashi
Published: July 2010

Background: Nursing students’ attitudes towards people with mental illness can be influenced by training experience.

Aim: To examine the relationship between the attitudes of nursing students towards people with mental illness and the psychiatric training imparted to the students by using textual data and conducting frequency analysis.

Methods: We identified the words/phrases which were considered to represent the attitudes towards people with mental illness at pre-training (T1) and post-training (T2) stages from reports written by 76 Japanese nursing students, and examined the differences in the frequencies of the words/phrases used at T1 and T2.

Results: With regard to the students’ attitudes towards people with mental illness, generally, the frequencies of words/phrases that had somewhat negative to strongly negative nuances were high at T1, whereas those of the words/phrases that had somewhat positive or neutral nuances were high at T2. Also, analysis showed that words/phrases such as ‘scary’ were used more frequently at T1, whereas words/phrases such as ‘not scary’ were used more often at T2.

Conclusion: The students’ attitudes may change favourably owing to, at least in part, psychiatric training.
Sliding mode tracking for actuators comprising pneumatic muscle and torsion spring
Authors: Xing Kexin , Huang Jian , He Jiping , Wang Yongji , Xu Qi , Wu Jun
Published: July 2010

In this study, the sliding mode approach is applied to the tracking control problem of a planar arm manipulator system driven by a new type of actuator, which comprises a pneumatic muscle (PM) and a torsion spring. Unlike the traditional agonist/antagonist PM actuator, the PM is arranged in place of bicep and the torsion spring provides opposing torque in the presented actuator. The dynamic model is derived for this system and a sliding mode controller is designed to make the joint angle track a desired trajectory within a guaranteed accuracy even there are modelling uncertainties. A selection method is also proposed to obtain an appropriate spring coefficient, which plays an important role in the tracking control task. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations. The differences between the control results of using our new actuator and that of using the traditional PM actuator in opposing pair configuration are also compared.
Evolving Management of Middle-Third Clavicle Fractures in the National Football League
Authors: Morgan Robert J. , Bankston Larry S. , Hoenig Michael P. , Connor Patrick M.
Published: July 2010

Background

Clavicle fractures have historically been managed nonoperatively. Recent literature suggests a subset of clavicle fractures may be best treated with primary surgical treatment.

Purpose

To review the National Football League (NFL) experience in the management of middle-third clavicle fractures over a 5-year period.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

A retrospective review of clavicle fractures that occurred during a 5-season period was obtained from the NFL Injury Surveillance System. A detailed questionnaire was also sent to the medical staff of all 32 NFL teams.

Results

Nineteen players sustained a middle-third clavicle fracture over the 5-year period. Six fractures were nondisplaced or minimally displaced. All 6 healed at an average time of 7.3 weeks. Thirteen fractures were 100% displaced. Six of the 13 underwent acute surgical fixation that resulted in fracture healing without complication at an average of 8.8 weeks. The remaining 7 players with a completely displaced fracture were initially treated nonoperatively. Three of these 7 healed clinically without sequela at an average of 13.3 weeks after injury; however, 4 players sustained a refracture within 1 year of the initial injury.

Conclusion

Over the past 5 years, nearly 50% of NFL players with a completely displaced middle-third clavicle fracture were treated successfully with acute surgical fixation without sequela and healed at an average of 8.8 weeks. Three of these players were able to return to play during the same season. In addition, 4 of 7 players initially treated nonoperatively for a completely displaced middle-third clavicle fracture refractured their clavicle within a 1-year period from their initial injury. The 4 players missed an average of 1.5 seasons because of their clavicle injury and subsequent clinical course. Based on this review, it may be reasonable to consider acute surgical treatment of this injury in the NFL player to enable a successful clinical outcome in a predictable time frame.
Towards a reconstruction of Blue Nile baseflow from Ethiopian tree rings
Authors: Wils Tommy H.G. , Robertson Iain , Eshetu Zewdu , Koprowski Marcin , Sass-Klaassen Ute G.W. , Touchan Ramzi , Loader Neil J.
Published: July 2010

Most of the water in the River Nile originates from monsoonal rainfall over the Ethiopian Highlands. Despite warnings of future climate change, little is known about the historical variability in this supply, particularly at annual resolution. Development of tree-ring records in this region has been limited by the occurrence of bi- or multimodal rainfall regimes, causing the development of multiple growth rings that cannot be dated with confidence. In this study, we identified annual rings in 30 Juniperus procera trees from northwest Ethiopia by dendrochronology and AMS radiocarbon dating. Carbon isotope ratios (4 series) and ring widths (73 series) were measured.The carbon isotope series did not contain strong trends possibly attributable to increased anthropogenic atmospheric CO2 concentrations or the juvenile effect. Both carbon isotope values and ring widths were strongly correlated with Blue Nile baseflow, and from composite chronology indices ( r=0.75, p < 0.01), a preliminary reconstruction of Blue Nile baseflow back to AD 1836 was developed. Subsample signal strength remained above 0.85 for most of the reconstruction. Uncertainty bands were relatively narrow and the reliability of the preliminary reconstruction was confirmed by correspondence with reported years of drought and famine. The preliminary reconstruction is characterized by an exceptional decline in baseflow during the late AD 1960s. Flows recovered during the late 1990s. Additional sampling is advised to increase replication, spatial coverage and length of the preliminary reconstruction.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Health Management
Authors: Singh Rajbala , Dixit Shikha
Published: July 2010

The present article discusses the nature of quality of life (QOL) in general and critically evaluates its application in the area of health and illness. As regards health related quality of life (HRQoL), it is now widely recognised that treating a disease in a purely biomedical framework, where emphasis is only on curing the disease and on providing prolonged life to the patient, is not sufficient. Now the focus is also on how to enhance the QOL of patients. In this context this article attempts to identify and critically evaluate some of the contemporary issues relevant in the area of HRQoL. The issues covered in this article include relatively simple issues related to the meaning, importance, usefulness and prevalent approaches in the area of HRQoL research and complex issues such as (i)who would be accountable for a patient’s HRQoL (ii)being HRQoL stable or it changing over time (response shift) for people facing chronic diseases and (iii)whether gender differences exist in this regard. Lastly, the article also discusses the implication of HRQoL in the area of health management and intervention.
Shift Work Related to Stress, Health and Mood States
Authors: Srivastava Urmila Rani
Published: July 2010

This article has two main objectives. The first is to examine the extent of stress, negative mental health outcomes and variations in mood states experienced by shift workers (N = 100) and a control group of day workers (N = 100) employed in Feeder Balancing Dairy, Ramnagar Varanasi and Kanpur, Dugdth Utpadak Sahakari Sangh (brand name Parag, Ltd. for both organisations). Second, to find out the relative contribution of stress variables and mood states in the prediction of mental health outcomes separately for both shift workers and a control group of day workers. Our overall findings concur with other studies and provide evidence that shift workers significantly experienced higher levels of job and life stress, higher indices of negative mental health outcomes (as measured by GHQ – 28) and variations in mood states as compared to day workers. The results of the present study established some significant relationships between stress and negative mental health outcomes among both shift and day group of workers. However, the magnitude of correlation coefficients is slightly higher in the day worker group. For both groups of workers significant positive correlations were found between all the dimensions of negative mental health and mood states of tense arousal, anger, energetic arousal and general arousal. The findings of step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that amount of life stress and role conflicts were the two major predictors of negative mental health outcomes among shift workers. The results of a similar analysis carried out on day workers indicated that in the prediction of mental health of day workers, job related stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload) played a significant role. The findings further indicated that shift workers’ mood states such as anger, tense arousal and hedonic tone were also significant predictors of mental health outcomes. In day group of workers, anger coupled with low level of energetic arousal influenced their mental health. It is interesting to note, however, that in both groups of workers anger was the strongest predictor of all indices of negative mental health outcomes. Thus, the present study adds additional support to the notion that shift and night shift work is a potent source of stress. Shift work is opposed to the human circadian system and this conflict creates multiple physiological, psychological and psychosocial problems for shift workers.
Covenant Marriage
Authors: Cade Rochelle
Published: July 2010

Covenant marriage represents an effort by some religious groups and state legislatures to strengthen the institution of marriage. The construct of covenant marriage extends the concept of the marriage contract to a lifelong commitment between the partners within a supportive community, especially among evangelical Christians. Characteristics of covenant marriage, potential strengths, and criticisms of the movement are offered in the review.
The ‘‘Staying Together in Needy Times’’ (STINT) Couple’s Questionnaire
Authors: Eckstein Daniel , Ginsburg Phil
Published: July 2010

One consequence of the current economic climate is that many couples are choosing to keep living under the same roof despite divorce and emotionally detaching. The current article focuses on some of the economic implications and also introduces a checklist that can assist couples in making agreements and identifying issues that are or are not negotiable.
Correlation of self-assessed fatigue and alertness in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Weinges-Evers Nicholetta , Brandt Alexander U , Bock Markus , Pfueller Caspar F , Dörr Jan , Bellmann-Strobl Judith , Scherer Peter , Urbanek Carsten , Boers Claudia , Ohlraun Stephanie , Zipp Frauke , Paul Friedemann
Published: July 2010

Background: Fatigue is the most common symptom in multiple sclerosis patients, but is difficult to measure; quantification thus relies on self-assessed questionnaires.

Objective: To evaluate a battery of neuropsychological tests regarding their capacity to objectify self-reported fatigue.

Methods: We assessed the correlation between age, gender, education, Kurtzke’s Expanded Disability Status Scale, depression, fatigue and neuropsychological testing using a cross-sectional approach in 110 multiple sclerosis patients. Fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale. Cognition was measured using a series of neuropsychological tests including three subtests of the Test of Attentional Performance, the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests and the Faces Symbol Test.

Results: According to the Fatigue Severity Scale 51.4% of the cohort were fatigued (scores ≥4). Age, education and depression showed a significant correlation with the Fatigue Severity Scale. Only 5.5% of the cohort exhibited cognitive impairment in the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests scores. After correction for age, education, Expanded Disability Status Scale and depression, Fatigue Severity Scale scores were an independent predictor of performance in the alertness subtest of the Test of Attentional Performance (standardized coefficient beta = 0.298, p = 0.014).

Conclusion: The alertness subtest of the Test of Attentional Performance may offer an objective method of evaluating self-reported fatigue, and may therefore — in addition to the Fatigue Severity Scale — be a suitable tool for the assessment of multiple sclerosis patients complaining of fatigue.
Tools of the trade: Drugs, law and mobile phones in Canada
Authors: McEwen Rhonda N.
Published: July 2010

Observations of mobile phone use suggest that this medium facilitates existing social practices when used as a tool within, and at times outside, socially determined definitions of ‘normal’ or ‘deviant’ behavior. Written from a social construction of technology perspective, this article examines the mobile phone as a contemporary technology in the context of its use in illegal drug-dealing and the law enforcement of those practices in Canada. The relationship between illegal drug-dealing and law enforcement responses is critically analyzed, highlighting the way groups representing both sides utilize mobile phone technologies to achieve their divergent goals. Existing constitutional guidelines employed by law enforcement to support the use of mobile and wireless technologies for surveillance are considered, particularly considering the notion of privacy. The article concludes by challenging assumptions that mobile phones are primarily personal artifacts, and instead describes the inherently social nature of mobile communications, thereby calling for a re-conceptualization of current ideology on privacy.
Identity formation in a border area
Authors: Mengoni Luisa E.
Published: July 2010

Funerary sites in south-western China, dated from the third century BCE to the second century CE, display distinct combinations of local and non-local elements. The existence of mixed patterns has usually been interpreted within a cultural-historical framework or with reference to ethnic groups recorded in ancient historical records. This article focuses on three cemeteries in Baoxing (Sichuan province), located along the western frontier of a newly established prefecture under the Qin and Han imperial administration, and interprets the acquisition, combination and reinterpretation of non-local elements in grave goods and burial structure in relation to ongoing processes of identity formation. These were taking place in a phase of intense contact in the period immediately preceding the formation of the first Chinese empire in the third century BCE, and during a period of arguably decreasing control by the Han administration in the second—third century CE.
Everyday ethics and help-seeking in early rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Townsend A. , Adam P. , Cox S.M. , Li L.C.
Published: July 2010

Background: Sociological understandings of chronic illness have revealed tensions and complexities around help-seeking. Although ethics underpins healthcare, its application in the area of chronic illness is limited. Here we apply an ethical framework to interview accounts and identify ethical challenges in the early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with eight participants who had been diagnosed with RA in the 12 months prior to recruitment. Applying the concepts of autonomous decision-making and procedural justice highlighted ethical concerns which arose throughout the help-seeking process. Analysis was based on the constant-comparison approach.

Results: Individuals described decision-making, illness actions and the medical encounter. The process was complicated by inadequate knowledge about symptoms, common-sense understandings about the GP appointment, difficulties concerning access to specialists, and patient—practitioner interactions. Autonomous decision-making and procedural justice were compromised. The accounts revealed contradictions between the policy ideals of active self-management, patient-centred care and shared decision-making, and the everyday experiences of individuals.

Conclusions: For ethical healthcare there is a need for: public knowledge about early RA symptoms; more effective patient—practitioner communication; and increased support during the wait between primary and secondary care. Healthcare facilities and the government may consider different models to deliver services to people requiring rheumatology consults.
“Not a ‘usual’ property”: a hundred years of protecting Anne of Green Gables
Authors: Devereux Cecily
Published: July 2010

L.M. Montgomery’s 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables, has remained continuously in print and under some kind of protection for a hundred years, notably, within the public domain, which the book entered in 1983 in the US and in 1992 in Canada, and without the advantage of copyright extension. This paper traces the ways in which Anne of Green Gables has been protected since its first publication in 1908, undertaking to demonstrate how the history of this novel relates, on the one hand, to the role and the rights of the author, and on the other, to the place of the text in matters of copyright and the public domain.
Soft Tissue Reconstruction Pyramid in the Diabetic Foot
Authors: Capobianco Claire M. , Stapleton John J. , Zgonis Thomas
Published: July 2010

Foot complications and ulceration are well-known sequelae to uncontrolled diabetes. Patients with chronic foot ulcers or wounds resulting from surgical debridement of deep-space infections are at continued risk for development of osteomyelitis and potential amputation. Moreover, these wounds often necessitate multiple outpatient clinic visits, daily dressing care, and prolonged periods of non—weight bearing, all of which have been shown to adversely affect the patient’s quality of life. After a prudent period of wound-healing response, the authors believe that early and aggressive soft tissue reconstruction is in the patient’s best interest and is crucial for resolution of the chronic nonhealing wound. The options for soft tissue coverage and the logical progression of application of these techniques in the diabetic foot will be described.
The genetics of normal platelet reactivity
Authors: Kunicki Thomas J. , Nugent Diane J.
Published: July 2010

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to a substantial variation in platelet function seen among normal persons. Candidate gene association studies represent a valiant effort to define the genetic component in an era where genetic tools were limited, but the single nucleotide polymorphisms identified in those studies need to be validated by more objective, comprehensive approaches, such as genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of quantitative functional traits in much larger cohorts of more carefully selected normal subjects. During the past year, platelet count and mean platelet volume, which indirectly affect platelet function, were the subjects of GWAS. The majority of the GWAS signals were located to noncoding regions, a consistent outcome of all GWAS to date, suggesting a major role for mechanisms that alter phenotype at the level of transcription or posttranscriptional modifications. Of 15 quantitative trait loci associated with mean platelet volume and platelet count, one located at 12q24 is also a risk locus for coronary artery disease. In most cases, the effect sizes of individual quantitative trait loci are admittedly small, but the results of these studies have led to new insight into regulators of hematopoiesis and megakaryopoiesis that would otherwise be unapparent and difficult to define.
Acanthamoeba produces disseminated infection in locusts and traverses the locust blood-brain barrier to invade the central nervous system
Authors: Mortazavi Parisa N , Goldsworthy Graham , Kirk Ruth , Khan Naveed A
Published: July 2010

Background

Many aspects of Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis remain poorly understood, including host susceptibility and chronic colonization which represent important features of the spectrum of host-pathogen interactions. Previous studies have suggested locusts as a tractable model in which to study Acanthamoeba pathogenesis. Here we determined the mode of parasite invasion of the central nervous system (CNS).

Results

Using Acanthamoeba isolates belonging to the T1 and T4 genotypes, the findings revealed that amoebae induced sickness behaviour in locusts, as evidenced by reduced faecal output and weight loss and, eventually, leading to 100% mortality. Significant degenerative changes of various tissues were observed by histological sectioning. Both isolates produced disseminated infection, with viable amoebae being recovered from various tissues. Histological examination of the CNS showed that Acanthamoeba invaded the locust CNS, and this is associated with disruption of the perineurium cell/glial cell complex, which constitutes the locust blood-brain barrier.

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate that Acanthamoeba invades locust brain by modulating the integrity of the insect's blood-brain barrier, a finding that is consistent with the human infection. These observations support the idea that locusts provide a tractable model to study Acanthamoeba encephalitis in vivo. In this way the locust model may generate potentially useful leads that can be tested subsequently in mammalian systems, thus replacing the use of vertebrates at an early stage, and reducing the numbers of mammals required overall.