bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Headache Due to Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension and Subsequent Cerebral Vein Thrombosis
Authors: Costa Paolo , Del Zotto Elisabetta , Giossi Alessia , Volonghi Irene , Poli Loris , Frigerio Michele , Padovani Alessandro , Pezzini Alessandro
Published: October 2012

Cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) is a rare complication of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH). When to suspect a thrombotic disorder during the course of intracranial hypotension is not fully elucidated. A 48‐year‐old woman was admitted because of SIH with no signs of CVT on neuroimaging. The occurrence of diplopia and blurred vision 12 days later led to the performance of further investigations, which revealed thrombosis of the left lateral sinus, in the absence of variations in the headache characteristics. Among the other 4 cases of SIH clearly preceding the occurrence of CVT reported so far, only one had a change in the headache pattern related to CVT development. Although a change in the characteristics of headache is considered a marker of CVT in patients with SIH, this is not invariably part of the clinical scenario. Any new neurologic finding on exam in the disease course should raise a suspicion of venous thrombosis, thus prompting further specific investigations.
African culturally and linguistically diverse communities’ blood donation intentions in Australia: integrating knowledge into the theory of planned behavior
Authors: Polonsky Michael Jay , Renzaho André M.N. , Ferdous Ahmed Shahriar , McQuilten Zoe
Published: October 2012

Background

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been extensively used to examine donation intentions in the general community. This research seeks to examine whether TPB applies to one culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community in Australia and also incorporates blood donation knowledge as an antecedent in the model, given that the TPB assumes people make informed decisions regarding blood donation.

Study design and methods

A cross‐section of 425 members of African CALD communities was surveyed face to face using bilingual workers, ensuring inclusion across literacy levels within the CALD community. Constructs used within the survey were drawn from the TPB blood donation literature (i.e., attitudes, social norms, and self‐efficacy). A new measure of blood donation knowledge was included.

Results

Structural equation modeling found that the Basic TPB model did not hold for African CALD communities in Australia. The Basic TPB model was modified and within this Adapted TPB model attitudes were found not to impact intentions directly, but had a mediating effect through self‐efficacy. An Extended TPB model including overall knowledge was then tested and improved the model fit statistics, explaining 59.8% variation in intentions. Overall knowledge was found to indirectly impact intentions, through self‐efficacy, social norms, and attitudes.

Conclusion

The TPB applies differently when examining African CALD communities’ blood donation intentions in Australia. Knowledge is an important mediating component of the Extended TPB model rather than directly affecting intentions. Addressing CALD communities’ psychographic characteristics may assist blood services in developing targeted strategies to increase donations within these communities.
The effect of frequent whole blood donation on ferritin, hepcidin, and subclinical atherosclerosis
Authors: Peffer Karlijn , den Heijer Martin , Holewijn Suzanne , de Graaf Jacqueline , Swinkels Dorine W. , Verbeek André L.M. , Atsma Femke
Published: October 2012

Background

Iron catalyzes the formation of free radicals, which could lead to damaged vascular walls and subsequent atherosclerosis. Blood donation decreases iron stores and can thus decrease cardiovascular risk. Even within blood donors, differences in stored iron are observed. This study investigates whether increasing lifetime number of donations decreases the extent of subclinical atherosclerosis within blood donors.

Study design and methods

Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated in 269 blood donors by measuring intima–media thickness (IMT), pulse‐wave velocity (PWV), and ankle–brachial index (ABI). Lifetime number of whole blood donations was categorized into sex‐specific donation tertiles.

Results

Ferritin and hepcidin were lower in high‐frequency donors compared to low‐frequency donors. Donors in the third sex‐specific donation tertile had on average a 0.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.6 to +3.0%) lower IMT, a 2.1% (95% CI, −3.9 to +8.0%) higher PWV, and a 1.5% (95% CI, −1.4 to +4.5%) higher ABI compared to donors in the first sex‐specific donation tertile.

Conclusion

With such small differences and no consistent trend across donation groups, it cannot be concluded that blood donation has a beneficial effect on the extent of subclinical atherosclerosis.
The Constitutional Philosophy of Barack Obama: Democratic Pragmatism and Religious Commitment
Authors: Smith Rogers M.
Published: October 2012

Objectives

This article examines whether Barack Obama has a Constitutional philosophy and, if so, what those ideas are.

Methods

The article notes contrasting scholarly views on whether Obama's career exhibits consistent ideas and on the content of his ideas. It uses interpretive exposition of Obama's major writings, speeches, and presidential initiatives, based on all of Obama's writings and speeches through 2010, to identify Obama's ideas.

Results

Obama generally expresses and acts on views that accord with modern democratic pragmatist philosophic beliefs in deliberative democracy. It has not been fully recognized that Obama interprets the meaning of the U.S. Constitution as embodying these beliefs; that he blends this Constitutional view with egalitarian commitments that he identifies with black church social justice values; and that he sees the American Constitutional system's central goal as building greater public unity without effacing diversity.

Conclusions

Obama belongs to the modern democratic pragmatist tradition elaborated by American thinkers and political leaders since the Progressive era, but his distinctive Constitutional version of this outlook stresses deliberative democratic processes, black church social justice values, and the contention that the goal of the American Constitutional system is “e pluribus unum,” “out of many, one.”
“A Majority is the Best Repartee”: Barack Obama and Congress, 2009‐2012
Authors: Rudalevige Andrew
Published: October 2012

Objective

To trace the relationship between Barack Obama and Congress during his first term.

Methods

A largely qualitative review of the literature on presidential‐congressional relations and of Obama's interactions with Congress and the lessons he drew from them.

Results

Obama's practice, if not his rhetoric, shifted even before 2010 from an effort to transcend partisanship to using it to pass his legislative program. After the debt crisis negotiations of 2011, the president has sought to run against, and around, the legislative branch.

Conclusions

Polarized preferences and rigid partisanship made it impossible for Obama to expect large‐scale change to attract consensual support. That does not appear likely to change in the near future, whoever is president after the 2012 election.
COUGH TRANSMISSION RATIO: AN INDICATOR OF SUBURETHRAL VAGINAL WALL TENSION RATHER THAN URETHRAL CLOSURE?
Authors: Petros Peter E. Papa , Ulmsten Ulf I.
Published: October 2012

Abstract The significance of cough transmission ratios (CTR) in 6 unoperated and 15 previously operated patients is discussed. It is concluded that CTR is an index of periurethral muscle contractile activity, and vaginal wall tension, rather than urethral closure.
THE TUCK PROCEDURE: A SIMPLIFIED VAGINAL REPAIR FOR TREATMENT OF FEMALE URINARY INCONTINENCE
Authors: Petros Peter E. Papa , Ulmsten Ulf I.
Published: October 2012

Abstract A minor operative procedure involving the excision of bilateral small elliptical 1 × 0.5 cm pieces of vaginal mucosa is described as a proposed alternative to a Kelly Repair. Twelve month success rate was 47%. The modus operandi of the procedure is examined with reference to the Integral Theory of Female Urinary Incontinence, as are the possible reasons for the operative failure.
CURE OF URGE INCONTINENCE BY THE COMBINED INTRAVAGINAL SLING AND TUCK OPERATION
Authors: Petros Peter E. Papa , Ulmsten Ulf I.
Published: October 2012

Abstract Seventeen women, 14 with urge incontinence, and 3 with with debilitating sensory urgency symptoms were operated on with a combined Intravaginal Sling operation and Tuck procedure. All but three were cured of their preoperative symptoms. The reason for the high cure rate achieved may be explained by restoration of anatomical support below the bladder neck. This prevents the stretch receptors from firing off at rest. Importantly, Intravaginal Sling operation and Tuck procedure do not elevate the bladder neck, so that these stretch/pain receptors are not stimulated by the elevation process. The results accord with the Integral Theory of Female Urinary Incontinence, which states that urge as well as stress symptoms may derive from the same anatomical defect, a loose vagina.
NON STRESS NON URGE FEMALE URINARY INCONTINENCE — DIAGNOSIS AND CURE: A PRELIMINARY REPORT
Authors: Petros Peter E. Papa , Ulmsten Ulf I.
Published: October 2012

Abstract Six patients, average age 80 years, with no previous operations, presented with urinary incontinence. The predominant symptoms were “being wet all the time” and “sudden uncontrolled urine loss”. They had no symptoms of urgency or stress incontinence, and no objective evidence of “detrusor instability” or urine loss on cough stress pad testing. All but one patients were cured by the simultaneous combined Intravaginal Sling and Tuck operation, indicating that the primary cause of the symptoms was an anatomical defect in the vagina and the ligamentous supports in the region of the bladder neck, as stated in the Integral Theory of Urinary Incontinence, this supplement, elderly.
Glass Ceilings and Bottomless Pits: Women's Work, Women's Poverty
Authors: Albelda Randy , Tilly Chris
Published: October 2012

Changes in welfare and safety net programs will worsen poverty for women. But there are policy alternatives that would strengthen work and family.
Welfare and Jobs: Rebuilding the Labor Market from the Bottom Down
Authors: Baldwin Marc
Published: October 2012

The welfare‐to‐work experiment will force unions to rethink their approach to low‐wage workers.
BOOK REVIEW
Authors: Weiss Stefanie
Published: October 2012

Book reviewed in this article:

The Teacher Unions: How the NEA and AFT Sabotage Reform and Hold Students, Parents, Teachers, and Taxpayers Hostage to Bureaucracy By Myron Lieberman

United Mind Workers: Unions and Teaching in the Knowledge Society By Charles Taylor Kerchner, Julia E. Koppich & Joseph G. Weeres
Labor
Authors: Hester Katherine
Published: October 2012

“Jane takes Monroe's hands between hers … she presses herself into his hands: a road map of every job he's held, the lifeline of his labor.”
Talking Union With Pete Seeger
Authors: Seeger Pete
Published: October 2012

Folksinger and activist Pete Seeger believes workers win when labor sings.
Still Building the Foundation: Women in the Construction Trades
Authors: Eisenberg Susan
Published: October 2012

For 20‐some years, women have struggled to win training and jobs working construction. Here are some of their stories.
Labor Video: Organizing Is the Message
Authors: Witt Matt , Williams Gaye
Published: October 2012

Unions should use videos as organizing tools to bring workers together to talk, develop strategies, and take action.
From the Ashes of the Old: Labor Needs a New Political Strategy
Authors: Aronowitz Stanley
Published: October 2012

The unions' alliance with the Democratic Party should give way to an aggressive, independent social movement on behalf of working people.
Religion and Labor: Reawakening the Alliance
Authors: Bole William
Published: October 2012

Church activists and trade unionists, once divided by cold war politics, today fight together for worker rights.
How Creative Tactics Help Labor Win First Contracts
Authors: Bruno Robert , Schulz Gordan
Published: October 2012

Psychologists in Chicago voted to unionize and then ran an innovative campaign to win a good initial labor agreement.
Can Workers Tame Unrestrained Globalization?
Authors: Moberg David
Published: October 2012

The new global economic system increases corporate power and income inequality. Labor needs new strategies to fight back.
Making Technology Work for Workers
Authors: Cherkasky Todd , Scannell Ray
Published: October 2012

For labor to influence technology issues, it must get involved proactively in design, distribution, and work organization.
Workers' Rights Are Civil Rights
Authors: Lichtenstein Nelson
Published: October 2012

How to put the labor movement back at the center of American political culture.
Railroad Voices
Authors: Niemann Linda , Bertucci Lina
Published: October 2012

Stories of railroad life in America.
Genetic Testing in the Workplace: A Caste System for Workers?
Authors: Samuels Sheldon W.
Published: October 2012

Unless protections are put in place, employers and health insurers will use genetic screening to hire and fire.
Early Warning Systems: A Proactive Economic Strategy for Labor
Authors: Swinney Dan
Published: October 2012

Plant closings can be prevented if workers build coalitions, research companies, and develop alternatives.
WORKINGUSA INTERVIEW: A Coalition Fights for Justice in the Maquiladoras
Authors: Anderson Sarah
Published: October 2012

Martha Ojeda, who once worked in Mexican factories on the U.S. border, talks about efforts to improve conditions there.
Labor and the Catholic Church: Opportunities for Coalitions
Authors: Russo John , Corbin Brian R.
Published: October 2012

Catholic social teaching embraces union rights and the priority of labor over capital.
The Battle over Workers' Compensation
Authors: Ellenberger James
Published: October 2012

For a decade, employers and insurers won drastic cuts in coverage and benefits. In Ohio, labor fought back.
Certifying International Worker Rights
Authors: Levinson Jerome
Published: October 2012

An expert urges a new approach to protect labor rights after recent trade negotiations have failed to do so.
Application of frequency conversion of starlight to high-resolution imaging interferometry. On-sky sensitivity test of a single arm of the interferometer
Authors: Ceus D. , Reynaud F. , Woillez J. , Lai O. , Delage L. , Grossard L. , Baudoin R. , Gomes J.-T. , Bouyeron L. , Herrmann H. , Sohler W.
Published: October 2012

We investigate the sensitivity of frequency conversion of starlight using a non-linear optical sum frequency process. This study is being carried out in the context of future applications of optical interferometry dedicated to high-resolution imaging. We have implemented a complete experimental chain from telescope to detector. The starlight frequency is shifted from the infrared to the visible using an optically non-linear crystal. To fulfil the requirements of interferometry, our experimental setup uses spatially single-mode and polarization maintaining components. Due to the small size of the collecting aperture (8 inches Celestron C8) with a 3 nm spectral bandwidth, on-sky tests were performed on bright stars in the H band. The detection was achieved in a true photon counting operation, using synchronous detection. Betelgeuse (HMag =−3.9), Antares (HMag =−3.6) and Pollux (HMag =−1) were successfully converted and detected in visible light. Despite the low transmission of our experiment, our results prove that the efficiency of frequency conversion offers sufficient sensitivity for future interferometric applications.
Nutrient release from integrated constructed wetlands sediment receiving farmyard run‐off and domestic wastewater
Authors: Dong Yu , Kayranli Birol , Scholz Miklas , Harrington Rory
Published: October 2012

Constructed wetland sediments are frequently contaminated with nitrogen and phosphorus. There is a risk that accumulated pollutants can either be remobilised or reach the groundwater. Five identical mesocosms, which were filled with subsoil collected from full‐scale integrated constructed wetland (the first cell receives the most contaminated influent), were set up to examine nutrient removal within sediment layers. The results indicated that accumulated nutrients leached out into inflow water and that the sediment capacity of nutrient retention decreased as the wetlands aged. Furthermore, the mesocosm planted withPhragmites australisachieved better treatment results compared with the one planted withAgrostis stolonifera. The risk of contamination to groundwater does not exist because none of the treated water reached the bottom outlet during the study period. Both the bentonite (clay) and biogeochemical processes taking place within sediments proved to be efficient in preventing polluted water from infiltrating into lower lying soils.
Treatment of neurological injury with thymosin β4
Authors: Morris Daniel C. , Zhang Zheng G. , Zhang Jing , Xiong Ye , Zhang Li , Chopp Michael
Published: October 2012

Neurorestorative therapy targets multiple types of parenchymal cells in the intact tissue of injured brain tissue to increase neurogenesis, angiogenesis, oligodendrogenesis, and axonal remodeling during recovery from neurological injury. In our laboratory, we tested thymosin β4 (Tβ4) as a neurorestorative agent to treat models of neurological injury. This review discusses our results demonstrating that Tβ4 improves neurological functional outcome in a rat model of embolic stroke, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, and a rat model of traumatic brain injury. Tβ4 is a pleiotropic peptide exhibiting many actions in several different types of tissues. One mechanism associated with improvement of neurological improvement from Tβ4 treatment is oligodendrogenesis involving the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells to mature myelin‐secreting oligodendrocytes. Moreover, our preclinical data provide a basis for movement of Tβ4 into clinical trials for treatment of these devastating neurological diseases and injuries.
Therapeutic potential of thymosin β4 in myocardial infarct and heart failure
Authors: Stark Christoffer , Taimen Pekka , Tarkia Miikka , Pärkkä Jussi , Saraste Antti , Alastalo Tero‐Pekka , Savunen Timo , Koskenvuo Juha
Published: October 2012

Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a peptide known for its abilities to protect and facilitate regeneration in a number of tissues following injury. Its cardioprotective effects have been evaluated in different animal models and, currently, a clinical trial is being planned in patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction. This paper focuses on the effects of Tβ4 on cardiac function in animal studies utilizing different imaging modalities for outcome measurements.
Myocardial regeneration: expanding the repertoire of thymosin β4 in the ischemic heart
Authors: Smart Nicola , Bollini Sveva , Dubé Karina N. , Vieira Joaquim M. , Zhou Bin , Riegler Johannes , Price Anthony N. , Lythgoe Mark F. , Davidson Sean , Yellon Derek , Pu William T. , Riley Paul R.
Published: October 2012

Efficient cardiac regeneration postinfarction (MI) requires the replacement of lost cardiomyocytes, formation of new coronary vessels and appropriate modulation of the inflammatory response. However, insight into how to stimulate repair of the human heart is currently limited. Using the embryonic paradigm of regeneration, we demonstrated that the actin‐binding peptide thymosin β4 (Tβ4), required for epicardium‐derived coronary vasculogenesis, can recapitulate its embryonic role and activate quiescent adult epicardial cells (EPDCs). Once stimulated, EPDCs facilitate neovascularization of the ischemic adult heart and, moreover, contribute bona fide cardiomyocytes. EPDC‐derived cardiomyocytes structurally and functionally integrate with resident muscle to regenerate functional myocardium, limiting pathological remodeling, and effecting an improvement in cardiac function. Alongside pro‐survival and anti‐inflammatory properties, these regenerative roles, via EPDCs, markedly expand the range of therapeutic benefits of Tβ4 to sustain and repair the myocardium after ischemic damage.
Thymosin β4 mobilizes mesothelial cells for blood vessel repair
Authors: Shelton Elaine L. , Bader David M.
Published: October 2012

Mesothelium is the simple squamous epithelium covering all abdominal organs and the coeloms in which those organs reside. While the structural characteristics of this cell type were documented a century ago, its potential in development, disease, and wound healing is only now becoming apparent. In the embryo, mesothelia provide vasculogenic cells for the developing heart, lungs, and gut. Furthermore, adult mesothelial cells can be reactivated using thymosin β4 and mobilized to aid in tissue repair. Despite their positive role in development and repair, mesothelia are also susceptible to adhesion and tumor formation. With knowledge that the mesothelium is an important mediator of tissue repair as well as disease, it will be important to identify other factors like thymosin β4 that have the ability to potentiate these cells. Future use of chemical and genetic agents in conjunction with mesothelial cells will lead to enhanced therapeutic potential and mitigation of deleterious outcomes.
Thymosin β4 affecting the cytoskeleton organization of the myofibroblasts
Authors: Ehrlich H. Paul , Hazard Sprague W.
Published: October 2012

In previous studies, granulation tissue from subcutaneous sponge implants in rats receiving thymosin β4, a 43‐amino acid actin‐binding protein that advances wound repair, produced the unexpected absence of myofibroblast populations, along with uniform organized collagen fibers within the newly deposited connective tissue matrix. This result raised the question of whether the Tβ4 effect on blocking fibroblasts transformation into myofibroblasts a direct or indirect one. We report here work in progress to address this question. When human dermal fibroblasts are plated at low density, upon reaching confluence, they all express α smooth muscle actin (αSMA) within their cytoplasmic stress fibers, morphologically defining them as myofibroblasts. Treating low‐density plated fibroblasts with Tβ4 prevents their expression of αSMA, as well as the generation an uneven distribution of microtubules within the cytoplasm. The speculation is that Tβ4 disruption of the distribution of microtubules alters the TGF‐β–Smad signaling pathway, thus blocking fibroblast transformation into myofibroblasts.
Thymosin β4 and cardiac protection: implication in inflammation and fibrosis
Authors: Gupta Sudhiranjan , Kumar Sandeep , Sopko Nikolai , Qin Yilu , Wei Chuanyu , Kim Il‐Kwon
Published: October 2012

Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) is a ubiquitous protein with diverse biological functions. The effecter molecules targeted by Tβ4 in cardiac protection remain unknown. We summarize previously published work showing that treatment with Tβ4 in the myocardial infarction setting improves cardiac function by activating Akt phosphorylation, promoting the ILK–Pinch–Parvin complex, and suppressing NF‐κB and collagen synthesis. In the presence of Wortmannin, Tβ4 showed minimal cardiac protection. In vitro findings revealed that pretreatment with Tβ4 resulted in reduction of intracellular ROS in the cardiac fibroblasts and was associated with increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, reduction of Bax/Bcl2 ratio, and attenuation of profibrotic genes. Silencing of Cu/Zn‐SOD, catalase, and Bcl2 genes abrogated the protective effect of Tβ4. Our findings suggest that Tβ4 improves cardiac function by enhancing Akt and ILK activation and suppressing NF‐κB activity and collagen synthesis. Furthermore, Tβ4 selectively upregulates catalase, Cu/Zn‐SOD, and Bcl2, thereby protecting cardiac fibroblasts from H2O2‐induced oxidative damage. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the signaling pathway(s) involved in the cardiac protection afforded by Tβ4.
Constrained‐beam inverse planning for intensity‐modulated radiation therapy of prostate cancer patients with bilateral hip prostheses
Authors: Martin Darren A , Hruby George , Whitaker May K , Foo Kerwyn Y‐M
Published: October 2012

Hip prostheses present a technical challenge in the planning of curative external beam radiation treatment for patients with prostate cancer. Bilateral prostheses compel planners to compromise between target coverage and avoidance of beam entry through the prostheses. Inverse planning systems given objectives to avoid dose to prostheses are overly restricted from allowing exit dose to them. We report a novel inverse planning technique for intensity‐modulated radiation therapy of patients with prostate cancer and bilateral hip prostheses, by constraining beam characteristics rather than dose in the inverse planning process.
Endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) for the saphenous reflux and varicose veins: A follow‐up study
Authors: Firouznia Kavous , Ghanaati Hossein , Hedayati Mahsa , Shakiba Madjid , Jalali Amir Hossein , Mirsharifi Rasoul , Dargahi Abbas
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study is to report our experience about endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) for lower extremity varices in our centre which was followed by ultrasonography during the 6‐month period.

Methods

During a 1‐year period, 46 patients who were treated by EVLT with the 940‐nm diode laser for venous insufficiency enrolled in the study. The diagnosis of greater saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence with reflux was made by clinical evaluation and duplex Doppler examinations. Clinical outcomes, complications and duplex ultrasound of the GSV were assessed within 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, after the endovascular laser treatment.

Results

The mean age of our patients was 44 ± 11 years (24–70), and among them, 23 (50%) were male. Improvement in visible varicosity was seen in 39 (84.8%) patients after 6 months (P value = 0.011). The baseline mean diameter of GSV was 4.9 ± 1.6 mm and it dropped to 3.5 ± 1.3 after 6 months (P < 0.0001). After 6 months, 95.7% of our patients were satisfied and recommended this procedure to others.

Conclusions

Endovascular laser ablation seems to be a safe and effective method for the treatment of lower limb varices.
Robust tests of equivalence for k independent groups
Authors: Koh Andy , Cribbie Robert
Published: October 2012

A common question of interest to researchers in psychology is the equivalence of two or more groups. Failure to reject the null hypothesis of traditional hypothesis tests such as the ANOVA F‐test (i.e., H0: μ1 = … = μk) does not imply the equivalence of the population means. Researchers interested in determining the equivalence of k independent groups should apply a one‐way test of equivalence (e.g., Wellek, 2003). The goals of this study were to investigate the robustness of the one‐way Wellek test of equivalence to violations of homogeneity of variance assumption, and compare the Type I error rates and power of the Wellek test with a heteroscedastic version which was based on the logic of the one‐way Welch (1951) F‐test. The results indicate that the proposed Wellek–Welch test was insensitive to violations of the homogeneity of variance assumption, whereas the original Wellek test was not appropriate when the population variances were not equal.
Modification of chromosomal architecture in human spermatozoa with large vacuoles
Authors: Perdrix A. , Travers A. , Clatot F. , Sibert L. , Mitchell V. , Jumeau F. , Macé B. , Rives N.
Published: October 2012

Human normal spermatozoa present a specific chromatin organization, illustrated particularly by the non‐random chromosome positioning. Spermatozoa with large vacuoles, described using motile sperm organelle morphology organization (MSOME), are associated with nuclear alterations, such as abnormal chromatin condensation and aneuploidy. To question a probable association between large nuclear vacuoles and chromatin disorganization, we evaluated chromosomes X, Y and 18 topography in normal spermatozoa (NS) compared with spermatozoa with large vacuoles (SLV). After centrifugation on a gradient density system, 229 NS (spermatozoa presenting a normal nuclear shape and a vacuole area <6.5% of head area) from 10 normal semen samples and 221 SLV (spermatozoa presenting a vacuole area >13% of head area) from 10 semen samples with teratozoospermia were selected using MSOME. A three‐colour FISH was carried out using α‐satellite centromeric probes for chromosomes X, Y and 18. For each chromosome, longitudinal and spatial positioning of centromeres was analysed. Distribution of each chromosome was non‐random in NS and in SLV, whatever the methodology used. Using longitudinal positioning, distribution of chromosome 18 and chromosome Y centromeres did not differ significantly between SLV and NS. On the contrary, chromosome X centromeres were more frequently positioned in the posterior region of sperm nucleus in SLV (p = 0.01). Considering spatial positioning, distributions differed significantly between SN and SLV for chromosome Y (p = 0.02) and chromosome 18 (p < 10−4) and marginally for chromosome X (p = 0.08). Our study concluded to a modification in chromosomes X, Y and 18 centromere topography between NS and SLV, representing a novel and supplementary evidence to argue chromatin disorganization in SLV.
The relationship between anogenital distance and age
Authors: Eisenberg M. L. , Hsieh T.‐C. , Lipshultz L. I.
Published: October 2012

In humans, recent studies have correlated anogenital distance (AGD) in adult men to intrinsic testicular function. Although rodent studies suggest that AGD is determined in utero and remains constant in adult life, it is not certain if AGD remains constant across a man's adult life. We sought to determine if adult male AGD varies based on age. A cross‐sectional study of men being evaluated at a men's health clinic. Anogenital distance (the distance from the posterior aspect of the scrotum to the anal verge) and penile length (PL) were measured using digital callipers. anova and linear regression were used to determine correlations between AGD, fatherhood status and age. In all, 473 men were included in the analysis with a mean age of 43 ± 13 years. The mean AGD for the group was 39 ± 13 mm. Anogenital distance did not vary between age categories for the entire group, for fathers, and for childless men. Moreover, penile length also remained constant across age categories. On adjusted analyses stratified by fatherhood status, there was no relationship between AGDp and age. The current cross‐sectional study demonstrates that anogenital distance, defined as the distance from the posterior scrotum to the anal verge, is similar for men of different ages. As such, AGD may provide a measure for genital development and function throughout adult life. However, confirmation with longitudinal studies is needed.
The Ethics of Exhibiting Salvaged Shipwrecks
Authors: Rodley Edward
Published: October 2012

Abstract   The contentious relationship between cultural heritage professionals and commercial entities is nowhere more fraught than in underwater archeological sites. More and more often, museums are drawn into this conflict through hosting traveling exhibitions. This article explores the ethical issues in two shipwreck exhibitions, Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, and Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship, and the specific responses museums have made to address the ethical issues around commercial exploitation of cultural heritage. The article calls for museums to be more thoughtful and deliberate consumers, and embrace their potential as safe venues for exploring ethical dilemmas these sites embody.
Experiencing Exhibitions: A Review of Studies on Visitor Experiences in Museums
Authors: Kirchberg Volker , Tröndle Martin
Published: October 2012

Abstract   This article reviews empirically oriented studies from the United States and Europe concerning visitor experiences in museum exhibitions in order to pinpoint similarities and differences among them. In the last 20 years, only a few scholars have tackled this research question in multifaceted empirical ways, although some of them have done so extensively. By comparing theoretical and methodical issues, as well as important results, we are able to outline several analytical building blocks that compose a complex framework of visitor expectations, experiences, and outcomes. Gathering credible data on experiences of visitors in exhibitions or museums, a method dating back to the tracking records of Robinson (1928), is an ongoing challenge for the empirically inclined science of museum studies. Social scientists at universities and museums have been asking for 20 years: What are the findings regarding factors, structures, and consequences of exhibition experiences? Where are the blind spots? Which questions should be researched?
The Power of Expectation
Authors: Pekarik Andrew J. , Schreiber James B.
Published: October 2012

Abstract   In 1999, the first author and his colleagues at the Smithsonian Institution published an article in Curator: The Museum Journal introducing research on the experiences visitors find satisfying in museums. Subsequent data collection has expanded on these findings, as this Research Note will elucidate. In general, the team found that experiences that visitors were looking forward to on entrance tended to have a distribution similar to that of the experiences they found satisfying on exit. The aim of this note is to present data that demonstrates this consistency, and to observe that visitors’ expectations that they would have certain types of experiences upon entering a museum or exhibition were a much larger factor in determining their responses than were minor differences in museum or exhibition content or presentation. In other words, on the whole they came in knowing what experiences they expected, and they left having found them, regardless of what museum personnel presented to them inside.
Effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss. Essential Oil on Growth and Citrinin Production by Penicillium citrinum in Culture Media and Mozzarella Cheese
Authors: Noori Negin , Yahyaraeyat Ramak , Khosravi Alireza , Atefi Parinaz , Akhondzadeh Basti Afshin , Akrami Fateme , Bahonar Alireza , Misaghi Ali
Published: October 2012

In the present work, the effects of Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil (EO) against growth and citrinin production by Penicillium citrinum ATCC 1156 were evaluated in culture media and mozzarella cheese.

The growth was completely inhibited at 200 ppm on potato dextrose agar, and minimum fungicidal concentration of the EO was estimated at 400 ppm.

EO strongly suppressed the growth and citrinin formation in media with a dose‐dependent manner. At 200 ppm in yeast extract sucrose (broth) flasks, mycelial dry weight and citrinin production significantly reduced by 87.5 and 92.4%, respectively (P < 0.05).

The EO at all concentrations had an inhibitory effect against fungal growth and citrinin production by P. citrinum in mozzarella cheese but no concentration of EO tested was able to absolutely prevent the fungal growth and citrinin production in mozzarella cheese.

It is concluded that this EO could be safely used as a preservative material on some kinds of food such as cheese to protect them from fungal contaminations.

Practical Applications

The significant (P < 0.05) inhibitory effect of the essential oil (EO) on growth and citrinin production by Penicillium citrinum presented in this study can propose the use of the EO as an antifungal compound in the food industry.
Prevalence of Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in Turkey Meat and Antibiotic Resistance of C. jejuni Isolates
Authors: Cakmak O. , Erol I.
Published: October 2012

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey meat samples by conventional cultivation method, to confirm the Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter lari isolates by the detection of specific genes with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and to find out the antimicrobial susceptibility of the C. jejuni isolates using disc diffusion method. In the present study, thermophilic Campylobacter spp. were in 123 of 270 (45.6%) turkey meat samples. Among the isolates, 109 (40.4%) were C. jejuni and 11 (4.1%) were C. coli as identified by conventional cultivation technique and verified by PCR assay. Prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. was higher in warm months than cold months. In the study, 104 (95.4%) of the C. jejuni isolates were found resistant to azithromycin, while 103 (94.5%) to erythromycin, 40 (36.7%) to tetracycline, 19 (17.4%) to ciprofloxacin and 10 (9.2%) to nalidixic acid.

Practical Applications

Thermophilic Campylobacter is one of the major causes of human gastroenteritis worldwide and the present study emphasizes the importance of turkey meat as an important thermophilic Campylobacter spp. source from a public health point of view. Although antimicrobial therapy is suggested for human campylobacteriosis, an increase in antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni, isolates from human cases and animals were reported. In the present study, prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey meat and the antibiotic resistance profiles of the C. jejuni isolates were reported.
Phomopsis (Diaporthe) Species as the Cause of Soybean Seed Decay in Korea
Authors: Sun Suli , Kim Moon Young , Chaisan Tanapon , Lee Yin‐Won , Van Kyujung , Lee Suk‐Ha
Published: October 2012

Soybeans are an important crop known to harbour a complex of Diaporthe and Phomopsis species. This complex has been reported to be involved in several soybean diseases, including Phomopsis seed decay. In this study, two species of Diaporthe/Phomopsis fungi from soybean plants were identified by morphological and molecular characterizations. Koch's postulates were confirmed by pathogenicity tests on hypocotyls of soybean seedlings. Phomopsis longicolla was found to be the most common and virulent pathogen to soybeans in Korea. Phomopsis sp., which was considered as a new soybean pathogen, might have been introduced from other plants given that similar strains of Phomopsis sp. have infected fruit trees in China, Japan and Portugal and vegetable plants in the United States.
Therapeutic potential of RNA interference: a new molecular approach to antiviral treatment for hepatitis C
Authors: Motavaf M. , Safari S. , Alavian S. M.
Published: October 2012

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major cause of chronic liver disease with an estimated 170 million carriers worldwide. Current treatments have significant side effects and have met with only partial success. Therefore, alternative antiviral drugs that efficiently block virus production are needed. During recent decades, RNA interference (RNAi) technology has not only become a powerful tool for functional genomics but also represents a new therapeutic approach for treating human diseases including viral infections. RNAi is a sequence‐specific and post‐transcriptional gene silencing process mediated by double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA). As the HCV genome is a single‐stranded RNA that functions as both a messenger RNA (mRNA) and replication template, it is an attractive target for the study of RNAi‐based viral therapies. In this review, we will give a brief overview about the history and current status of RNAi and focus on its potential application as a therapeutic option for treatment for HCV infection.
Macrophage‐derived hedgehog ligands promotes fibrogenic and angiogenic responses in human schistosomiasis mansoni
Authors: Pereira Thiago A. , Xie Guanhua , Choi Steve S. , Syn Wing‐Kin , Voieta Izabela , Lu Jiuyi , Chan Isaac S. , Swiderska Marzena , Amaral Kirsten B. , Antunes Carlos M. , Secor William E. , Witek Rafal P. , Lambertucci José R. , Pereira Fausto L. , Diehl Anna Mae
Published: October 2012

Background

Schistosomiasis mansoni is a major cause of portal fibrosis and portal hypertension. The Hedgehog pathway regulates fibrogenic repair in some types of liver injury.

Aims

Determine if Hedgehog pathway activation occurs during fibrosis progression in schistosomiasis and to determine if macrophage‐related mechanisms are involved.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the cells that generate and respond to Hedgehog ligands in 28 liver biopsies from patients with different grades of schistosomiasis fibrosis staged by ultrasound. Cultured macrophages (RAW264.7 and primary rat Kupffer cells) and primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) were treated with schistosome egg antigen (SEA) and evaluated using qRT‐PCR. Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway was used to investigate its role in alternative activation of macrophages (M2) and vascular tube formation.

Results

Patients with schistosomiasis expressed more ligands (Shh and Ihh) and target genes (Patched and Gli2) than healthy individuals. Activated LSEC and myofibroblasts were Hedgehog responsive [Gli2(+)] and accumulated in parallel with fibrosis stage (P < 0.05). Double IHC for Ihh/CD68 showed that Ihh(+) cells were macrophages. In vitro studies demonstrated that SEA‐stimulated macrophages to express Ihh and Shh mRNA (P < 0.05). Conditioned media from such macrophages induced luciferase production by Shh‐LightII cells (P < 0.001) and Hedgehog inhibitors blocked this effect (P < 0.001). SEA‐treated macrophages also up‐regulated their own expression of M2 markers, and Hh pathway inhibitors abrogated this response (P < 0.01). Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway in LSEC blocked SEA‐induced migration and tube formation.

Conclusion

SEA stimulates liver macrophages to produce Hh ligands, which promote alternative activation of macrophages, fibrogenesis and vascular remodelling in schistosomiasis.
Epidemiology of candidemia in patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumours in Brazil
Authors: Bergamasco M. D. , Garnica M. , Colombo A. L. , Nucci M.
Published: October 2012

Candidemia in cancer patients may differ according to the type of cancer. To characterise the epidemiology and outcome of candidemia in cancer patients from Brazilian hospitals, we compared the characteristics of patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) and solid tumours (ST). A retrospective study was performed, based on data collected from laboratory‐based surveillance studies in 18 tertiary care hospitals between March/2003 and December/2007. The characteristics of patients with HM (n = 117) were compared with patients with ST (n = 248). Predictors of 30‐day mortality were identified by uni‐ and multivariate analyses. Candidemia in HM was more likely to occur in the setting of chemotherapy, corticosteroids, neutropenia, mucositis and tunnelled central venous catheter (CVC), whereas surgery, intensive care unit admission and invasive procedures (mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and CVC) were more frequent in ST. The 30‐day mortality rate was higher in the ST group (65% vs. 46%, P = 0.001). Factors significantly associated with 30‐day mortality were older age and intensive care unit admission. Important differences in the epidemiology and outcome of candidemia in HM and ST were observed. The characterisation of the epidemiology is important to drive preventive measures and to select appropriate therapies.
An Introduction to the Tibetan Dzogchen (Great Perfection) Philosophy of Mind
Authors: Higgins David
Published: October 2012

This article is an introduction to the philosophy of mind that developed within the syncretistic rDzogs chen (Great Perfection) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism between the 8th and 14th centuries CE. Despite the growing interest in this tradition in recent decades, there has so far been no systematic appraisal of its views on mind that traces their evolution and complex relationships with antecedent Buddhist philosophies of mind. These views merit attention not only because of their intrinsic interest and relevance to contemporary consciousness studies but also because they provide an essential key to understanding the tradition’s leading ideas and practices. From a traditional standpoint, discerning the nature and structure of human consciousness in accordance with the crucial distinction between dualistic mind (sems) and primordial knowing (ye shes) is deemed indispensable to understanding rDzogs chen view and meditation. To this end, the present article focuses on how this distinction allowed rDzogs chen adepts to precisely describe, on the basis of careful first‐personal observation, what occurs when a human being becomes a buddha, and to articulate a disclosive model of goal‐realization commensurate with their findings. It traces the development of the distinction within its historical and doctrinal contexts and then examines its subsequent clarifications and refinements as a soteriological model. It finally summarizes the tradition’s distinctive (re)intepretations of ‘mind’ and ‘primordial knowing’, and concludes with a brief assessment of the contemporary relevance of the distinction.
Biophysical measures of skin tissue water: variations within and among anatomical sites and correlations between measures
Authors: Mayrovitz Harvey N. , Bernal Maria , Brlit Frances , Desfor Rebecca
Published: October 2012

Background

Biophysical measures to assess that skin water includes stratum corneum hydration via capacitance (SC), dermal water via tissue dielectric constant (TDC), and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Since skin differs among anatomical sites and tissue depth we sought to determine the site and depth variability of these measures and their relationships.

Methods

Measurements were done at 17 skin sites from forehead to foot in 32 supine healthy women. Measurements included SC at 1.25 MHz, TDC at 300 MHz to depths of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 mm and TEWL.

Results

Tissue dielectric constant decreased with increasing depth at forehead, forearm, and calf; increased with depth at palm, thenar eminence and great toe; and was independent of depth at cheek, hand dorsum, thumb pulp, and foot dorsum. SC correlated with TDC at most sites and depths. TEWL correlated with TDC at 2.5 mm only at calf sites and thenar eminence.

Conclusions

Results establish parameter ranges for each measure, show that TDC values do not necessarily change with skin depth, and show a significant correlation between TDC and SC values at most sites. These correlations suggest that SC hydration but not TEWL is directly linked to dermal tissue water levels in normal skin.
A Sensor of Protein O‐Glycosylation Based on Sequential Processing in the Golgi Apparatus
Authors: Bachert Collin , Linstedt Adam D.
Published: October 2012

Protein O‐glycosylation is important in numerous processes including the regulation of proteolytic processing sites by O‐glycan masking in select newly synthesized proteins. To investigate O‐glycan‐mediated masking using an assay amenable to large‐scale screens, we generated a fluorescent biosensor with an O‐glycosylation site situated to mask a furin cleavage site. The sensor is activated when O‐glycosylation fails to occur because furin cleavage releases a blocking domain allowing dye binding to a fluorogen activating protein. Thus, by design, glycosylation should block furin from activating the sensor only if it occurs first, which is predicted by the conventional view of Golgi organization. Indeed, and in contrast to the recently proposed rapid partitioning model, the sensor was non‐fluorescent under normal conditions but became fluorescent when the Golgi complex was decompartmentalized. To test the utility of the sensor as a screening tool, cells expressing the sensor were exposed to a known inhibitor of O‐glycosylation extension or siRNAs targeting factors known to alter glycosylation efficiency. These conditions activated the sensor substantiating its potential in identifying new inhibitors and cellular factors related to protein O‐glycosylation. In summary, these findings confirm sequential processing in the Golgi, establish a new tool for studying the regulation of proteolytic processing by O‐glycosylation, and demonstrate the sensor's potential usefulness for future screening projects.