bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypocaloric Diet and Regular Moderate Aerobic Exercise Is an Effective Strategy to Reduce Anthropometric Parameters and Oxidative Stress in Obese Patients
Authors: Gutierrez-Lopez Liliana , Garcia-Sanchez Jose Ruben , Rincon-Viquez Maria de Jesus , Lara-Padilla Eleazar , Sierra-Vargas Martha P. , Olivares-Corichi Ivonne M.
Published: March 2012

Background: Studies show that diet and exercise are important in the treatment of obesity. The aim of this study was to determine whether additional regular moderate aerobic exercise during a treatment with hypocaloric diet has a beneficial effect on oxidative stress and molecular damage in the obese patient. Methods: Oxidative stress of 16 normal-weight (NW) and 32 obese 1 (O1) subjects (BMI 30–34.9 kg/m2) were established by biomarkers of oxidative stress in plasma. Recombinant human insulin was incubated with blood from NW or O1 subjects, and the molecular damage to the hormone was analyzed. Two groups of treatment, hypocaloric diet (HD) and hypocaloric diet plus regular moderate aerobic exercise (HDMAE), were formed, and their effects in obese subjects were analyzed. Results: The data showed the presence of oxidative stress in O1 subjects. Molecular damage and polymerization of insulin was observed more frequently in the blood from O1 subjects. The treatment of O1 subjects with HD decreased the anthropometric parameters as well as oxidative stress and molecular damage, which was more effectively prevented by the treatment with HDMAE. Conclusion: HD and HDMAE treatments decreased anthropometric parameters, oxidative stress, and molecular damage in O1 subjects.
Increased Risk of Unfavorable Metabolic Outcome during Short-Term Follow-Up in Subjects with Nonfunctioning Adrenal Adenomas
Authors: Yener S. , Ertilav S. , Secil M. , Akinci B. , Demir T. , Kebapcilar L. , Yesil S.
Published: March 2012

Objective: To demonstrate long-term changes in the prevalence of several types of metabolic derangements in subjects with nonfunctioning adrenal adenomas. Subjects and Methods: 273 subjects with adrenal adenomas, including 231 with nonfunctioning adenoma and 42 with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (sCS), were evaluated with respect to anthropometric and laboratory characteristics and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome (MS), prediabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Median duration was 24 months. Follow-up data of 114 participants with nonfunctioning adrenal adenomas are also presented while those of 117 were missing. Follow-up data regarding changes in anthropometric and laboratory parameters and prevalence rates of metabolic disturbances were obtained from the medical records. Results: The prevalence rates for both patients with nonfunctioning adenoma and sCS were: dyslipidemia: 161 (59%), hypertension: 147 (54%), MS: 128 (47%), prediabetes: 62 (23%), T2DM: 49 (18%), and CVD: 21 (8%). Hypertension and CVD were prevalent in subjects with sCS compared to participants with nonfunctioning adenoma. In follow-up, body mass index (p = 0.005), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p = 0.005), homeostasis model assessment (p = 0.046), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = 0.023), total cholesterol (p < 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.001) and prevalence of hypertension (p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (p < 0.001), prediabetes (p < 0.001) and MS (p < 0.01) significantly increased in subjects with nonfunctioning adenoma. Conclusion: The data showed that nonfunctioning adrenal adenomas were associated with the development or deterioration of atherosclerotic risk factors. Therefore, follow-up and management strategies should be developed to decrease atherosclerotic morbidity in those individuals.
Apolipoprotein E ε4 Status Modifies the Effects of Sex Hormones on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Xing Yi , Qin Wei , Li Fang , Jia Xiang-Fei , Jia Jianping
Published: March 2012

Background: Studies on the associations between sex hormones and multiple neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are lacking. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status may modify the effects of sex hormones on neuropsychiatric symptoms. Methods: A total of 86 male and 87 female AD patients participated in the present study. The adjusted associations between symptoms on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and serum levels of estradiol (total, bioavailable) and testosterone (total, bioavailable) were analyzed. Results: Agitation/aggression was negatively associated with quartiles of bioavailable estradiol among male patients, and positively associated with testosterone levels among female patients. The modifying effects of APOE genotype only existed in female patients. Those females with higher levels of estradiol and the ε4 allele had higher odds of agitation/aggression. Furthermore, the testosterone × APOE ε4 status interaction was positively associated with hallucinations in female patients. Conclusion: There were sex-specific effects of sex hormones on agitation/aggression in AD. Sex hormones and APOE ε4 status synergistically influence some neuropsychiatric symptoms among female but not male AD patients.
Testosterone Synthesis in Patients with 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 3 Deficiency
Authors: Werner R. , Kulle A. , Sommerfeld I. , Riepe F.G. , Wudy S. , Hartmann M.F. , Merz H. , Döhnert U. , Bertelloni S. , Holterhus P.-M. , Hiort O.
Published: March 2012

17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD 3) deficiency is a rare cause of 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD). At puberty, these patients experience a surge of androstenedione and also testosterone, leading to substantial virilization. The origin of testosterone synthesis in these patients remains elusive. We investigated the expression of the isoenzyme AKR1C3 (17β-HSD 5) in the testis and patient-derived genital skin fibroblasts (GSF) as well as the ability of GSF to synthesize testosterone. Supernatants of GSF cultures and serum samples of one patient before and after gonadectomy were analyzed by liquid and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The androgenic potential of GSF-derived supernatants was also assessed by androgen receptor-mediated transactivation of a reporter gene in transiently transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. Although AKR1C3 is expressed both in the testes and in GSF, androstenedione is rapidly metabolized and is not synthesized to testosterone. The transactivation potential of GSF supernatants towards the androgen receptor is declining within 48 h. However, under testis-equivalent androstenedione concentration, testosterone can be synthesized in 17β-HSD 3-negative GSF. After gonadectomy, both androstenedione and testosterone decline rapidly in vivo. In 17β-HSD 3 deficiency, relevant amounts of testosterone are synthesized most probably through AKR1C3 in the testis and not peripherally in GSF.
The Expression of Omental 11β-HSD1 Is Not Increased in Severely Obese Women with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Michalaki Marina , Kyriazopoulou Venetsana , Antonacopoulou Anna , Koika Vasiliki , Nikolaou Marinos , Tsoukas Athanasios , Kalfarentzos Fotis , Vagenakis Apostolos G. , Voukelatou Georgia , Papavassiliou Athanasios G.
Published: March 2012

Objective: Plasma cortisol in obese subjects does not differ from that in normoweight subjects. Extra-adrenal cortisol production by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) can result in local hypercortisolemia. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of visceral hypercortisolemia in the development of metabolic syndrome in severe obesity. Methods: Eight lean women during hysterectomy (controls) and 19 severely obese women during bariatric surgery were studied, 8 without metabolic syndrome (OM– group) and 11 with it (OM+ group). Biopsies of omental and subcutaneous fat were performed in the severely obese women during surgery, but only omental biopsies in the controls. Expression of 11β-HSD1, glucocorticoid receptor α (GRα) and glucocorticoid receptor β (GRβ) was evaluated using real-time PCR.Results: Omental 11β-HSD1 expression was different between groups (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.01). Post-hoc analysis revealed that mean omental 11β-HSD1 mRNA levels were higher in the OM– group compared to controls, whereas they were similar when comparing the OM+ group with lean controls. Expression of 11β-HSD1 in subcutaneous fat was not different between OM+ and OM– groups. GRα expression in omental fat did not differ among groups or between omental and subcutaneous fat in severely obese patients. An expression of GRβ was not detected.Conclusion: Contrary to our original hypothesis, omental 11β-HSD1 expression is not increased in the OM+ group.
Olive Oil Consumption, BMI, and Risk of Obesity in Spanish Adults
Authors: Benítez-Arciniega Alejandra D. , Gómez-Ulloa David , Vila Anna , Giralt Laia , Colprim Daniel , Rovira Martori Maria-Asunción , Schröder Helmut
Published: March 2012

Background: Olive oil is an energy-dense food frequently consumed in south European countries with increasingly high obesity prevalence. Evidence of the impact of olive oil consumption on BMI and the risk of obesity is limited. We analyzed this association taking into consideration the problem of energy underreporting. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 6,352 Spanish adults were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Height and weight were measured. Results: Higher olive oil consumption was not associated with energy compensation in the overall diet. Olive oil consumptionwas positively associated (p < 0.004) with BMI in non-energy-adjusted multivariate linear regression models. Statistical significance of this association disappeared after controlling for energy intake in plausible energy intake reporters. The obesity risk increased for olive oil consumption of more than 2 tablespoons/day in both plausible energy intake reporters (odds ratio 1.30 (95% CI 1.01–1.70)) and energy intake underreporters (odds ratio 3.06 (95% CI 2.15–4.35)). This association was not significant after additional adjustment for energy intake (odds ratio 1.19 (95% CI 0.91–1.56)) in plausible energy intake reporters. Conclusion: Olive oilintake did not affect BMI and the risk of obesity after adjustment for total energy intake in plausible energy intake reporters. The lack of energy intake compensation for olive oil consumption might explain the positive associations in models not adjusted for energy.
Insulin Sensitivity Deteriorates after Short-Term Lifestyle Intervention in the Insulin Sensitive Phenotype of Obesity
Authors: Gilardini Luisa , Vallone Luciana , Cottafava Raffaella , Redaelli Gabriella , Croci Marina , Conti Antonio , Pasqualinotto Lucia , Invitti Cecilia
Published: March 2012

Objective: To investigate the effects of a 3-month lifestyle intervention on insulin sensitivity and its related cardiometabolic factors in obese patients. Methods: Anthropometry, body composition, oral glucose tolerance test, lipids, alanine aminotransferase, insulin sensitivity (insulinogenic index (ISI), homeostasis model assessment, β-cell performance (disposition index)) were evaluated in 263 obese women and 93 obese men before and after 3 months of hypocaloric low fat/high protein diet associated with physical activity 30 min/day. Results: Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the intervention-induced ISI changes: group 1 (decrease), group 2 (stability) and group 3 (increase). Insulin sensitivity and the disposition index were significantly higher before the intervention in group 1 than in group 3. BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass significantly decreased in groups 1 and 3 in both sexes. β-cell performance decreased in group 1 and increased in group 3. Metabolic variables improved in group 3, whereas glucose levels increased in women of group 1. The post-intervention insulin sensitivity was lower in group 1 than in group 3. Conclusion: Lifestyle intervention induces changes in insulin sensitivity and metabolic factors that depend on the pre-intervention degree of insulin sensitivity. Weight loss leads to metabolic benefits in insulin-resistant, obese patients, whereas it may paradoxically worsen the metabolic conditions in the insulin-sensitive phenotype of obesity.
BMI Trends, Socioeconomic Status, and the Choice of Dataset
Authors: Grabner Michael
Published: March 2012

Objective:This study is a descriptive investigation of trends in BMI in the USA over time, across race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) groups, and across different datasets. Methods: The study analyzes micro-level data from three widely used cross-sectional US health datasets: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), from the 1970s to 2008. Consistent race/ethnicity and SES groups are constructed for all datasets. SES is measured by education and income. Focusing on adults aged 20–74 years, the study estimates BMI time trends, distributional shifts, and incremental associations (gradients) with SES. Results: SES-BMI gradients are consistently larger for women than for men, differ across race/ethnicity groups, and are similar across datasets. Trends in mean BMI are comparable across White, Black and Hispanic males, while Hispanic females range between White and Black females. Self-reported BMI in the NHANES differs markedly from self-reports in the NHIS and BRFSS. Conclusion: The NHANES, NHIS, and BRFSS provide similar evidence regarding BMI trends over time and across race/ethnicity, gender, and SES groups. Racial disparities in BMI remain after adjusting for SES and should be studied further.
Body-part-specific Representations of Semantic Noun Categories
Authors: Carota Francesca , Moseley Rachel , Pulvermüller Friedemann
Published: March 2012

Word meaning processing in the brain involves ventrolateral temporal cortex, but a semantic contribution of the dorsal stream, especially frontocentral sensorimotor areas, has been controversial. We here examine brain activation during passive reading of object-related nouns from different semantic categories, notably animal, food, and tool words, matched for a range of psycholinguistic features. Results show ventral stream activation in temporal cortex along with category-specific activation patterns in both ventral and dorsal streams, including sensorimotor systems and adjacent pFC. Precentral activation reflected action-related semantic features of the word categories. Cortical regions implicated in mouth and face movements were sparked by food words, and hand area activation was seen for tool words, consistent with the actions implicated by the objects the words are used to speak about. Furthermore, tool words specifically activated the right cerebellum, and food words activated the left orbito-frontal and fusiform areas. We discuss our results in the context of category-specific semantic deficits in the processing of words and concepts, along with previous neuroimaging research, and conclude that specific dorsal and ventral areas in frontocentral and temporal cortex index visual and affective–emotional semantic attributes of object-related nouns and action-related affordances of their referent objects.
Provisional Registration of a Retirement Fund under Scrutiny in Swaziland
Authors: Mhango Mtendeweka , Thejane P.
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Recently the Industrial Court of Swaziland was faced with a complaint in Mngadi v Motor Vehicle Accident Fund’s Pension Fund, which raised two important issues of first impression in Swaziland retirement law. This note discusses the significance and effects of Mngadi on provisional registration of retirement funds in Swaziland. It argues that Mngadi should be welcomed because it clarifies the significance of the need for retirement funds to operate in accordance with their registered rules. The note also discusses the problems with the Registrar’s power to issue a provisional certificate of registration under Section 5 in light of the problems that emerged in Mngadi. The note argues that Mngadi should be welcomed because it highlights the characteristics of a defined benefit fund, and implicitly distinguishes it from a defined contribution fund. While Mngadi should generally be welcomed, the Industrial Court should be criticised for its failure to develop the law.
The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Revisionist History through the Lens of Jewish-Christian Relations
Authors: Le Donne Anthony
Published: March 2012

This essay challenges the standard paradigm for the intellectual history of ‘Jesus Quests’ popularized by Albert Schweitzer and mimicked by almost every survey since. I argue that historical reconstruction begins at least with Augustine (perhaps sooner) and with an eye to Jewish-Christian relations. By analyzing key moments in the intellectual history of Jesus studies, I argue that a common thread has been Jewish-Christian relations. This thread suggests that an important (perhaps seminal) impetus for study of the historical Jesus before the Enlightenment and through to the modern period has been largely neglected by the standard ‘Jesus Quests’ paradigm.
Contextualising the Media and the Uprisings: A Return to History
Authors: Matar Dina
Published: March 2012

The 2011 Arab uprisings have called into question the assumptions and questions that have defined much of the scholarship on the media of and about the Arab world and its various publics. Much of this scholarship remains largely shaped by the ‘political’ agendas of the dominant analytical paradigms prominent in the 1970s, including the modernisation paradigm. Furthermore, many studies consider mediated cultures as being of the ‘here’ and the ‘now’ rather than a product of ongoing historical processes and conjunctures. This short intervention calls for rethinking the broad assumptions about the role of media in the ongoing protests. While not ignoring the role of media, it suggests broadening our conceptual and research agendas to incorporate a historical perspective that would also seriously consider the material and immaterial ‘geneaologies’—particular histories of nation-states, religion(s), capitalist class formations, national, regional and international politics as well as cultural and discursive formations.
Does the Quality of Democracy Matter for Women’s Rights? Just Debate and Democratic Transition in Chile and South Africa
Authors: Walsh Denise M.
Published: March 2012

Gender scholars have found that democratization is rarely associated with advances in women’s rights and offer a range of reasons why. This article offers a new explanation that targets the quality of democracy in the leading institutions in the public sphere. The author argues that open and inclusive debate conditions, or women’s access, voice, and capacity for contestation in the legislature, civil society, and the media, enable them to shape debate content and pressure the state to respond with legislative reform. The author tests this claim through a structured, focused comparison of Chile and South Africa during the period prior to the transition to democracy, when the public sphere expanded and debate conditions were dynamic. The author finds that different levels of openness and inclusiveness coincide with different outcomes in women’s rights. This suggests that the quality of democracy in the public sphere shapes women’s rights and that it may shape the outcomes of rights for other marginalized groups and in long-standing democracies as well.
Early American Sociology and the Holocaust: The Failure of a Discipline
Authors: Halpert Burton P.
Published: March 2012

American sociology, established as an academic discipline in 1905, passed through two early developmental stages, Christian reformism and sociological positivism, together forming the basis for what was taught and researched in the academy. Topics not fitting this religious and positivistic paradigm were dismissed by the leaders of the discipline. Included among the neglected topics was the Holocaust, the paradigmatic genocide of the twentieth century. Permeated with religious ideology and anti-Semitism, American sociology as practiced in the leading universities in the United States institutionalized a professional milieu that precluded recognition of the Holocaust, even after World War II. Drawing upon archival materials, previously published sources, and interviews with professor emeriti who lived through the earlier era, I document the failings of a discipline in this important area of sociological inquiry.
Critical Race Theory and Criminal Justice
Authors: Delgado Richard , Stefancic Jean
Published: March 2012

In this speech delivered at an inaugural colloquium at John Jay College, Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic address the implications of Critical Race Theory (CRT) for criminal law and justice. CRT sprang up in the late 1980s when the Civil Rights Movement stalled; new theories were needed to cope with emerging forms of institutional or “colorblind” racism and a public that seemed tired of hearing about race. Critical race theorists showed how racism is routine, not exceptional, and that liberal accounts were inadequate to understand its persistence and power. Although Critical Race Theory has provided many useful insights, it has largely left crime and criminal justice unexplored. Delgado and Stefancic review the history of CRT, including the small number of efforts to come to terms with crime and delinquency by CRT scholars, and list a number of issues that seem ripe for critical analysis. They also show how such critical tools as interest convergence, social constructionism, differential racialization, legal storytelling, and the critique of White normativity may help understand society's fixation on Black and Latino criminality. They conclude by urging critical scholars to devote more attention to crime and race and to propose a research agenda for the future.
“I Change Myself, I Change the World”: Gloria Anzaldúa's Sociological Imagination in Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza
Authors: Tamdgidi Mohammad H.
Published: March 2012

What lessons can sociologists draw from Chicana cultural theorist and spiritual activist Gloria E. Anzaldúa to advance the sociological imagination and intellectual agenda that make a public difference? In this paper I argue the key to Anzaldúa's public impact has to be sought in her thesis of the simultaneity of self and global transformations, and the intricate strategies she used to advance the thesis through her writings such as Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987). Closely reading the text, I note how the transformation of self/world for Anzaldúa's essentially involves the task of bridging/transcending/healing a vast array of habitual dualisms deeply ingrained in our personal and global landscapes. Progressively unpacking Anzaldúa's sociological imagination to highlight its potential contributions to enriching the Millsian and symbolic interactionist traditions in sociology, I provide a plausible answer to the question of what is so publicly transformative and energizing in Anzaldúa's often privately focused, reflexive writings. I argue that it is the dialectic of public and private sociology informing her sociological imagination that renders her intellectual work so effective. Amid current debates on ways to advance public sociology, Anzaldúa's way of going private to advance public sociology is paradoxically effective and refreshing.
Illusions of Affection: Bureaucratic Ritualization's Relation to Emotional Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes
Authors: Ulsperger Jason S. , Knottnerus J. David
Published: March 2012

This research uses 40 ethnographies, biographies, and autobiographies to explore various symbolic themes expressed through everyday interaction in nursing homes. The themes involve bureaucratic concepts such as staff separation, rules, documentation, and efficiency. They also involve ideas of emotional abuse and neglect, like objectification, compassion transgressions, and spiritual negligence. Relying on structural ritualization theory, we argue ritualized symbolic practices of bureaucracy unintentionally facilitate attitudes and acts of emotional neglect in both for-profit and nonprofit nursing homes. This assists in the development of rituals facilitating the poor treatment of residents. Overall, we propose that if society is going to have humane care for nursing home residents, it must first understand the ritual dynamics that lead to employees viewing and treating those they care for with a lack of dignity.
Social Support and Mental Health in Middle-Aged Men and Women
Authors: Fiori Katherine L. , Denckla Christy A.
Published: March 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between various aspects of social support and depressive symptoms separately among men and women. Method: Using a sample of 6,767 middle-aged adults from one wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (1992-1993), the authors performed a series of ANCOVAs predicting depressive symptoms and controlling for background variables. Results: The authors found that the receipt of emotional support was associated with mental health in women only, whereas the provision of emotional and instrumental support was associated with mental health among men and women, but with varying patterns. For example, men who provided instrumental support to nonkin only had the highest levels of depressive symptoms, whereas women who provided instrumental support to kin only had the highest levels of symptoms. Discussion: This study helps to clarify if and what types of social support are related to mental health in men and women.
Intelligent libraries and apomediators: Distinguishing between Library 3.0 and Library 2.0
Authors: Kwanya Tom , Stilwell Christine , Underwood Peter G.
Published: March 2012

Using the ‘point oh’ naming system for developments in librarianship is attracting debate about its appropriateness, basis and syntax and the meaning and potential of Library 2.0. Now a new term, Library 3.0, has emerged. Is there is any significant difference between the two models? Using documentary analysis to explore the terms, the authors conclude that Library 2.0 and Library 3.0 are different. Whereas Library 2.0 could be seen as attempting to weaken the role of librarians in the emerging information environment, Library 3.0 projects librarians as prominent apomediaries guiding library users on how best to locate, access and use credible information in myriad formats from diverse sources, at the point of need. The Library 3.0 model has revived hope amongst those who were uncomfortable with the crowd intelligence architecture on which the Library 2.0 model was founded. It provides the tools and framework to organize the infosphere that the Library 2.0 threw into disarray. The authors see the 3.0 library as a personalizable, intelligent, sensitive and living institution created and sustained by a seamless engagement of library users, librarians and subject experts on a federated network of information pathways.
Training Executive, Attention, and Motor Skills
Authors: Halperin Jeffrey M. , Marks David J. , Bedard Anne-Claude V. , Chacko Anil , Curchack Jocelyn T. , Yoon Carol A. , Healey Dione M.
Published: March 2012

Objective: To examine whether cognitive enhancement can be delivered through play to preschoolers with ADHD and whether it would affect severity of ADHD symptoms. Method: Twenty-nine 4- and 5-year-old children and their parents participated in separate group sessions (3-5 children/group). Child groups were introduced games designed to enhance inhibitory control, working memory, attention, visuospatial abilities, planning, and motor skills. Parent groups were encouraged playing these games with their children at least 30 to 45 min/day and taught strategies for scaffolding difficulty levels and dealing with obstacles to daily playing. Results: Parent ratings and session attendance indicated considerable satisfaction with the program. Parent ( p < .001) and teacher ( p = .003) ratings on the ADHD-Rating Scale–IV (ADHD-RS-IV) indicated significant improvement in ADHD severity from pre- to post-treatment, which persisted 3 months later. Conclusion: This play-based intervention for preschoolers with ADHD is readily implemented at home. Preliminary evidence suggests efficacy beyond the termination of active treatment.
Patterns and Trends in Elder Homicide Across Race and Ethnicity, 1985-2009
Authors: Feldmeyer Ben , Steffensmeier Darrell
Published: March 2012

In this report, we assess total and race/ethnicity-disaggregated patterns and temporal trends in elderly homicide (age 55-74) compared with younger age groups for the 1985-to-2009 period. To do this, we use California arrest statistics that provide annual homicide figures by race and ethnicity (including a Hispanic identifier) and by age. Major aims of our analysis are to establish whether (a) elderly homicide rates are different/similar across race/ethnic comparisons; (b) the elderly share of homicide and age-homicide distributions more generally differ across race/ethnicity; and (c) elderly rates of homicide and the share of elderly homicide relative to younger age groups is similar or different now as compared with 20 to 30 years ago. Our analysis is important and timely because some commentators have suggested that elderly homicide levels have been rising over the past one to two decades and because there is a virtual absence of research of any sort on elderly homicide trends that involve comparisons by race and ethnicity. Key findings are that elderly shares of homicide offending relative to younger ages have not increased (or decreased), that elder homicides continue to account for a small fraction of all homicides, and that these patterns persist across race/ethnicity comparisons.
Neoliberalism, welfare policy and health: A qualitative meta-synthesis of single parents’ experience of the transition from welfare to work
Authors: Cook Kay
Published: March 2012

Following the United States’ lead, the emergence of neoliberal welfare policy across the western world has resulted in employment programmes for single parents, who are predominantly single mothers. While some governments claim that employment will improve single parents’ incomes and well-being, researchers dispute that single parents can unproblematically move into the workforce, with net positive effects. While researchers have quantified the socio-economic effect of these programmes, in particular on participant health, no study has yet synthesized participants’ experiences of welfare-to-work. Here, I present a meta-synthesis of eight qualitative health-related studies of single parents’ (and exclusively single mothers’) welfare-to-work transition. I report that single mothers faced a combination of health and economic issues which made their transition from welfare to work difficult, including degrees of poor physical and mental health. For participants in the United States, these health issues were often compounded by a loss of health benefits on moving into low-wage employment. In countries where a return to employment was required before children reached school age, a lack of affordable and appropriate child care, especially for children with health problems, exacerbated these difficulties. As a result of scarce resources, single mothers in receipt of welfare benefits often relied on food banks or went without food. A return to the workforce did not alleviate this problem as additional child care and reduced government subsidies depleted the funds available for food. I conclude that welfare-to-work policies are underpinned by the neoliberal assumption that the market more efficiently distributes resources than the State. However, for the women in the studies examined here, labour market participation often depleted access to essential resources. Interventions to address the ‘problem’ of welfare dependency must recognize the complex interplay between work incentives and disincentives and the care-work of single mothers.
CpGPAP: CpG island predictor analysis platform
Authors: Chuang Li-Yeh , Yang Cheng-Huei , Lin Ming-Cheng , Yang Cheng-Hong
Published: March 2012

Background

Genomic islands play an important role in medical, methylation and biological studies. To explore the region, we propose a CpG islands prediction analysis platform for genome sequence exploration (CpGPAP).

Results

CpGPAP is a web-based application that provides a user-friendly interface for predicting CpG islands in genome sequences or in user input sequences. The prediction algorithms supported in CpGPAP include complementary particle swarm optimization (CPSO), a complementary genetic algorithm (CGA) and other methods (CpGPlot, CpGProD and CpGIS) found in the literature. The CpGPAP platform is easy to use and has three main features (1) selection of the prediction algorithm; (2) graphic visualization of results; and (3) application of related tools and dataset downloads. These features allow the user to easily view CpG island results and download the relevant island data. CpGPAP is freely available at http://bio.kuas.edu.tw/CpGPAP/.

Conclusions

The platform's supported algorithms (CPSO and CGA) provide a higher sensitivity and a higher correlation coefficient when compared to CpGPlot, CpGProD, CpGIS, and CpGcluster over an entire chromosome.
Identification and characterization of microRNAs in Phaseolus vulgaris by high-throughput sequencing
Authors: Peláez Pablo , Trejo Minerva S , Iñiguez Luis P , Estrada-Navarrete Georgina , Covarrubias Alejandra A , Reyes José L , Sanchez Federico
Published: March 2012

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously encoded small RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiRNAs play essential roles in almost all plant biological processes. Currently, few miRNAs have been identified in the model food legume Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean). Recent advances in next generation sequencing technologies have allowed the identification of conserved and novel miRNAs in many plant species. Here, we used Illumina's sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology to identify and characterize the miRNA population of Phaseolus vulgaris.

Results

Small RNA libraries were generated from roots, flowers, leaves, and seedlings of P. vulgaris. Based on similarity to previously reported plant miRNAs,114 miRNAs belonging to 33 conserved miRNA families were identified. Stem-loop precursors and target gene sequences for several conserved common bean miRNAs were determined from publicly available databases. Less conserved miRNA families and species-specific common bean miRNA isoforms were also characterized. Moreover, novel miRNAs based on the small RNAs were found and their potential precursors were predicted. In addition, new target candidates for novel and conserved miRNAs were proposed. Finally, we studied organ-specific miRNA family expression levels through miRNA read frequencies.

Conclusions

This work represents the first massive-scale RNA sequencing study performed in Phaseolus vulgaris to identify and characterize its miRNA population. It significantly increases the number of miRNAs, precursors, and targets identified in this agronomically important species. The miRNA expression analysis provides a foundation for understanding common bean miRNA organ-specific expression patterns. The present study offers an expanded picture of P. vulgaris miRNAs in relation to those of other legumes.
Blocking effect of twin boundaries on partial dislocation emission from void surfaces
Authors: Zhang Lifeng , Zhou Haofei , Qu Shaoxing
Published: March 2012

Recent discovery that nanoscale twin boundaries can be introduced in ultrafine-grained metals to improve strength and ductility has renewed interest in the mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of these nanostructured materials. By controlling twin boundary spacing, the effect of twin boundaries on void growth is investigated by using atomistic simulation method. The strength is significantly enhanced due to the discontinuous slip system associated with these coherent interfaces. Atomic-scale mechanisms underlying void growth, as well as the interaction between twin boundaries and the void, are revealed in details.
Hollow nitrogen-containing core/shell fibrous carbon nanomaterials as support to platinum nanocatalysts and their TEM tomography study
Authors: Zhou Cuifeng , Liu Zongwen , Du Xusheng , Mitchell David Richard Graham , Mai Yiu-Wing , Yan Yushan , Ringer Simon
Published: March 2012

Core/shell nanostructured carbon materials with carbon nanofiber (CNF) as the core and a nitrogen (N)-doped graphitic layer as the shell were synthesized by pyrolysis of CNF/polyaniline (CNF/PANI) composites prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline on CNFs. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared and Raman analyses indicated that the PANI shell was carbonized at 900°C. Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were reduced by formic acid with catalyst supports. Compared to the untreated CNF/PANI composites, the carbonized composites were proven to be better supporting materials for the Pt nanocatalysts and showed superior performance as catalyst supports for methanol electrochemical oxidation. The current density of methanol oxidation on the catalyst with the core/shell nanostructured carbon materials is approximately seven times of that on the catalyst with CNF/PANI support. TEM tomography revealed that some Pt nanoparticles were embedded in the PANI shells of the CNF/PANI composites, which might decrease the electrocatalyst activity. TEM-energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping confirmed that the Pt nanoparticles in the inner tube of N-doped hollow CNFs could be accessed by the Nafion ionomer electrolyte, contributing to the catalytic oxidation of methanol.
Tailoring of Seebeck coefficient with surface roughness effects in silicon sub-50-nm films
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Bagga Anjana , Neeleshwar S
Published: March 2012

The effect of surface roughness on the Seebeck coefficient in the sub-50-nm scale silicon ultra thin films is investigated theoretically using nonequilibrium Green's function formalism. For systematic studies, the surface roughness is modelled by varying thickness periodically with square wave profile characterized by two parameters: amplitude (A0) and wavelength (λ). Since high Seebeck coefficient is obtained if the temperature difference between the ends of device produces higher currents and higher induced voltages, we investigate how the generated current and induced voltage is affected with increasingA0andλ. The theoretical investigations show that pseudoperiodicity of the device structure gives rise to two effects: firstly the threshold energy at which the transmission of current starts is shifted towards higher energy sides and secondly transmission spectra of current possess pseudobands and pseudogaps. The width of the pseudobands and their occupancies determine the total generated current. It is found that current decreases with increasingA0but shows a complicated trend withλ. The trends of threshold energy determine the trends of Seebeck voltage with roughness parameters. The increase in threshold energy makes the current flow in higher energy levels. Thus, the Seebeck voltage, i.e. voltage required to nullify this current, increases. Increase in Seebeck voltage results in increase in Seebeck coefficient. We find that threshold energy increases with increasingA0and frequency (1/λ). Hence, Seebeck voltage and Seebeck coefficient increase vice versa. It is observed that Seebeck coefficient is tuneable with surface roughness parameters.
Fixed point theorems and demiclosedness principle for mappings of asymptotically nonexpansive type in Banach spaces
Authors: Deng Caixia , Zhang Jingxin , Cui Yunan
Published: March 2012

In this article, we prove the existence of fixed points for the mappings of asymptotically non-expansive type in a Banach space with its characteristic of noncompact convexity associated to the separation measure of noncompactness less than the weakly convergent sequence coefficient. We also verify the demiclosedness principle for mappings of asymptotically nonexpansive type in Banach spaces with locally uniform Opial condition.

Mathematics Subject Classification: 47H09; 47H10.
The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis and its receptor fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 have a neuroprotective effect in the central nervous system
Authors: Echeverry Ramiro , Wu Fang , Haile Woldeab B , Wu Jialing , Yepes Manuel
Published: March 2012

Background

Cerebral cortical neurons have a high vulnerability to the harmful effects of hypoxia. However, the brain has the ability to detect and accommodate to hypoxic conditions. This phenomenon, known as preconditioning, is a natural adaptive process highly preserved among species whereby exposure to sub-lethal hypoxia promotes the acquisition of tolerance to a subsequent lethal hypoxic injury. The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and its receptor fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) are found in neurons and their expression is induced by exposure to sub-lethal hypoxia. Accordingly, in this work we tested the hypothesis that the interaction between TWEAK and Fn14 induces tolerance to lethal hypoxic and ischemic conditions.

Methods

Here we used in vitro and in vivo models of hypoxic and ischemic preconditioning, an animal model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and mice and neurons genetically deficient in TWEAK, Fn14, or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) to investigate whether treatment with recombinant TWEAK or an increase in the expression of endogenous TWEAK renders neurons tolerant to lethal hypoxia. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to study the effect of TWEAK on the expression of neuronal TNF-α, Western blot analysis to investigate whether the effect of TWEAK was mediated by activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and immunohistochemical techniques and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis to study the effect of TWEAK on apoptotic cell death.

Results

We found that either treatment with recombinant TWEAK or an increase in the expression of TWEAK and Fn14 induce hypoxic and ischemic tolerance in vivo and in vitro. This protective effect is mediated by neuronal TNF-α and activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 pathway via phosphorylation and inactivation of the B-cell lymphoma 2-associated death promoter protein.

Conclusions

Our work indicate that the interaction between TWEAK and Fn14 triggers the activation of a cell signaling pathway that results in the induction of tolerance to lethal hypoxia and ischemia. These data indicate that TWEAK may be a potential therapeutic strategy to protect the brain from the devastating effects of an ischemic injury.
Robot-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy with preservation of the vascular supply for autologous islet cell isolation and transplantation: a case report
Authors: Giulianotti Piero , Gorodner Veronica , Kinzer Katie , Benedetti Enrico , Oberholzer Jose
Published: March 2012

Introduction

For patients with chronic pancreatitis presenting with medically intractable abdominal pain, surgical intervention may be the only treatment option. However, extensive pancreatic resections are typically performed open and are associated with a substantial amount of postoperative pain, wound complications and long recovery time. Minimally invasive surgery offers an avenue to improve results; however, current limitations of laparoscopic surgery render its application in the setting of chronic pancreatitis technically demanding. Additionally, pancreatic resections are associated with a high incidence of diabetes. Transplantation of islets isolated from the resected pancreas portion offers a way to prevent post-surgical diabetes; however, preservation of the vascular supply during pancreatic resection, which determines islet cell viability, is technically difficult using current laparoscopic approaches. With recent advances in the surgical field, robotic surgery now provides a means to overcome these obstacles to achieve the end goals of pain relief and preserved endocrine function. We present the first report of a novel, minimally invasive robotic approach for resection of the pancreatic head that preserves vascular supply and enables the isolation of a high yield of viable islets for transplantation.

Case presentation

A 35-year old Caucasian woman presented with intractable chronic abdominal pain secondary to chronic pancreatitis, with a stricture of her main pancreatic duct at the level of the ampulla of Vater and distal dilatation. She was offered a robotic-assisted pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy and subsequent islet transplantation, to both provide pain relief and preserve insulin-secretory reserves.

Conclusion

We present a novel, minimally invasive robotic approach for resection of the pancreatic head with complete preservation of the vascular supply, minimal warm ischemia time (less than three minutes) and excellent islet recovery (134,727 islet equivalent). Our patient is currently pain-free with normal glycemic control. Robot-assisted pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy and autologous islet transplantation can be safely performed and has the potential to minimize operative traumas as well as to partially preserve endocrine function. Results from this case report suggest that this dual procedure should be considered as a treatment option for patients with chronic pancreatitis at earlier stages of the disease, before irreversible islet loss occurs.
Hypoxia mediated isolation and expansion enhances the chondrogenic capacity of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells
Authors: Adesida Adetola B , Mulet-Sierra Aillette , Jomha Nadr M
Published: March 2012

Introduction

The capacity of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) to be induced into chondrocytes has drawn much attention for cell-based cartilage repair. BMSCs represent a small proportion of cells of the bone marrow stromal compartment and, thus, culture expansion is a necessity for therapeutic use. However, there is no consensus on how BMSCs should be isolated nor expanded to maximize their chondrogenic potential. During embryonic development pluripotent stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes and form cartilage in a hypoxic microenvironment.

Methods

Freshly harvested human BMSCs were isolated and expanded from the aspirates of six donors, under either hypoxic conditions (3% O2) or normoxic conditions (21% O2). A colony-forming unit fibroblastic (Cfu-f) assay was used to determine the number of cell colonies developed from each donor. BMSCs at passage 2 (P2) were characterized by flow cytometry for the phenotypic expression of cell surface markers on mesenchymal stem cells. BMSCs at P2 were subsequently cultured in vitro as three-dimensional cell pellets in a defined serum-free chondrogenic medium under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Chondrogenic differentiation of the BMSCs was characterized by biochemical and histological methods and by quantitative gene-expression analysis.

Results

After 14 days of culture, the number of BMSC colonies developed under hypoxia was generally higher (8% to 38% depending on donor) than under normoxia. BMSCs were positive for the cell surface markers CD13, CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105 and CD151, and negative for CD34. Regardless of the oxygen tension during pellet culture, hypoxia-expanded BMSC pellets underwent a more robust chondrogenesis than normoxia-expanded BMSC pellets after three weeks of culture, as judged by increased glycosaminoglycan synthesis and Safranin O staining, along with increased mRNA expression of aggrecan, collagen II and Sox9. Hypoxic conditions enhanced the mRNA expression of hypoxia inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) but suppressed the mRNA expression of collagen X in BMSC pellet cultures regardless of the oxygen tension during BMSC isolation and propagation.

Conclusions

Taken together, our data demonstrate that isolation and expansion of BMSCs under hypoxic conditions augments the chondrogenic potential of BMSCs. This suggests that hypoxia-mediated isolation and expansion of BMSCs may improve clinical applications of BMSCs for cartilage repair.