bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded with glass ionomer cement
Authors: Mitic Vladimir
Published: November 2009

Introduction. A great number of techniques have been used for bonding orthodontic brackets to the tooth surfaces. Glass ionomer cements are frequently used material for this purpose. The aim of this study was to measure the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded with glass ionomer cement Ortho Fuji LC and remained adhesive on the enamel surface after brackets debonding. Material and methods. A total of 40 extracted premolars for orthodontic reasons in different gender patients, 10-16 years old, were randomly divided into four groups. Using glass ionomer cement Ortho Fuji LC (Tokyo, Japan) stainless steel brackets were bonded to the teeth with the average surface area of the bracket base of 14.7 mm2. The shear bond strengths were measured at a crosshead speed of 1 mm per minute, and the load applied at the time of fracture was recorded using electronic dynamometer. Remained adhesive on the enamel after bracket debonding was evaluated using the adhesive remnant index (ARI). Results. Shear bond strength had the highest value for the group where enamel was etched right before bonding bracket (9.14 MPa), than in the group 2 (7.43 MPa), while in the groups 1 (6.72 MPa) and 3 (6.22 MPa), where etching was not performed, bond strength was lower. Conclusion. Shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded with glass ionomer cement Ortho Fuji LC had higher values when the enamel was etched than without etching.
Preventive programme for improving oral health in primary school children in Banjaluka
Authors: Knezevic Ranka , Skrobic Ivana , Celic Branka , Zubovic Nina
Published: November 2009

Introduction. Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most frequent oral diseases and therefore determine oral health condition. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of the preventive programme for improving oral health in primary school children from first to fourth grade in Banjaluka. Material and methods.. Triennial study started in 2005 and included 911 second grade and 1491 fourth grade pupils in primary schools in Banjaluka. The study was completed in 2008. In the school year of 2007/08, 885 fourth grade pupils (examined in 2005. as second grade pupils) who were comprised by prevention program were reexamined. Dental check-ups were conducted by dentists on daylight using dental mirror and dental probe. Caries prevalence was analyzed using the DMFT index while oral hygiene was assessed using oral hygiene index (OHI). Results. The structure of DMFT among the second grade pupils (in the school year 2005/06) showed that the dominant component of DMFT was for healthy teeth (81%), followed by decayed (14%) and filled teeth (5%). The average value of OHI was 1.47 for this group of pupils. The structure of DMFT in the fourth grade pupils (in the year 2005/06) showed that the dominant component of DMFT was also for healthy teeth (75%). The next were decayed (18%) and filled teeth (7%). The average value of OHI was 1.60. Data analyses in the school year 2007/08 from the fourth grade pupils (who were second grade pupils during the school year 2005/06) and were comprised by preventive programme, showed that DMFT had the dominant component of healthy teeth (81%) followed by 10% of decayed teeth and 8% of filled teeth. Extracted teeth were only 1%. OHI was 0.95. Conclusion. The preventive programme applied in primary schools in Banjaluka since 2005. decreased the number of oral diseases and improved oral hygiene among the children who participated in this program.
Coupling agents and biomimetic methods of calcium hydroxyapatites design as basic elements of the hierarchically structured bone scaffold
Authors: Jokanovic Vukoman , Colovic Bozana , Markovic Zoran
Published: November 2009

In this paper, various modifications of agent coupling and biomimetic methods of synthesis and design of calciumhydroxyapatites as basic elements of the hierarchically structured bone scaffold are described. These elements are created to have a very strictly defined geometry and phase composition, which can have essential importance for the morphology and geometry design of the bone scaffold thin inner walls, with strong influence to the bone cell activity and their balance during the processes of bone modeling and remodeling. Different kind of these methods for synthesis basic elements, e.g. calcium hydroxyapatite, as constitutive elements of the scaffold inner walls with their specific design from the aspects of the size and shape of their particles are the key factors in the processes of the tissue engineering and osteointegration of these materials used as building blocks of scaffold structure.
Decreased Muscle Strength Relates to Self-Reported Stooping, Crouching, or Kneeling Difficulty in Older Adults
Authors: Hernandez Manuel E. , Goldberg Allon , Alexander Neil B.
Published: November 2009

Background

Bending down and kneeling are fundamental tasks of daily living, yet nearly a quarter of older adults report having difficulty performing or being unable to perform these movements. Older adults with stooping, crouching, or kneeling (SCK) difficulty have demonstrated an increased fall risk. Strength (force-generating capacity) measures may be useful for determining both SCK difficulty and fall risk.

Objective

The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine muscle strength differences in older adults with and without SCK difficulty and (2) to examine the relative contributions of trunk and leg muscle strength to SCK difficulty.

Design

This was a cross-sectional observational study.

Methods

Community-dwelling older adults (age [X̅±SD]=75.5±6.0 years) with SCK difficulty (n=27) or without SCK difficulty (n=21) were tested for leg and trunk strength and functional mobility. Isometric strength at the trunk, hip, knee, and ankle also was normalized by body weight and height.

Results

Compared with older adults with no SCK difficulty, those with SCK difficulty had significant decreases in normalized trunk extensor, knee extensor, and ankle dorsiflexor and plantar-flexor strength. In 2 separate multivariate analyses, raw ankle plantar-flexor strength (odds ratio [OR]=0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.95–0.99) and normalized knee extensor strength (OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.44–0.82) were significantly associated with SCK difficulty. Stooping, crouching, and kneeling difficulty also correlated with measures of functional balance and falls.

Limitations

Although muscle groups that were key to rising from SCK were examined, there are other muscle groups that may contribute to safe SCK performance.

Conclusions

Decreased muscle strength, particularly when normalized for body size, predicts SCK difficulty. These data emphasize the importance of strength measurement at multiple levels in predicting self-reported functional impairment.
Comparative efficacy of various methods of physical treatment given to a selected group of patients presented with non specific low back pain
Authors: Ullah Md Ahsan , Rahman Md Shahidur , Shakoor MA , Ahmed Syed Mozaffor , Hasan Suzon Al
Published: November 2009

Key words: low back pain; short wave diathermy; exercisedoi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v18i1.3815Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2007: 18(1):15-18
Residential field site training project abstracts - 45th Batch Session: 2002-2003 MBBS Students
Authors: Editor The
Published: November 2009

doi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v18i1.3820Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2007: 18(1):35-41
The shape of the human adult trachea among Bangladeshi males
Authors: Yousuf BM Ali , Begum K , Shamim KM
Published: November 2009

Key words: trachea; cross-sectional shape; endotracheal; CT scandoi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v18i2.3832Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2007: 18(2):26-27
Documentation of some changes in policy and practice that may have effects on the standard and outcome of medical education in Bangladesh after liberation
Authors: Yunus Emran Bin
Published: November 2009

doi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v18i2.3836Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2007: 18(2):43-46
Residential field site training project abstracts - 45th Batch Session: 2002-2003 4th year MBBS Students, CMC
Authors: Editor The
Published: November 2009

doi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v18i2.3840Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2007: 18(2):58-62
Surgical outcome of patients with extradural hematoma at the Department of Neurosurgery in Chittagong Medical College Hospital: A study of 30 patients
Authors: Nath Haradhan Deb , Rahman Md Lutfor , Rahman Zillur , Uddin Kamal , Sahajahan Md
Published: November 2009

Key words: extradural haematoma; Glasgow Coma Scale; pupillary dilatation; computerized axial tomographydoi: 10.3329/jcmcta.v19i1.3843Journal of Chittagong Medical College Teachers' Association 2008: 19(1):8-10
Benjamin's Literary History of Attention: Between Reception and Production
Authors: Duttlinger Carolin
Published: November 2009

This article argues that attention and distraction form a central concern of Benjamin's writings on literature. Individually and in conjunction, they underpin processes of textual production and reception, yet their relationship is fluid and subject to historical change. In this respect, Benjamin's exploration of the interplay of attention and distraction in writers such as Leskov, Baudelaire and Brecht also leads to more general reflections about the social, cultural and psychological shifts brought about by industrialization and modern mass culture. Benjamin's writings on literature trace developments which he also explores in relation to film. And echoes of his ‘literary history of attention’ can also be found in both his own critical approach and his self-reflexive comments on the process of writing.
Between Erlebnis and Erfahrung: Cinema Experience with Benjamin
Authors: Elsaesser Thomas
Published: November 2009

The ‘turn’ to emotion and affect in film and media studies may take its distance from earlier ways of understanding spectatorial involvement (modelled on psychoanalytic notions of identification). But such approaches, whether cognitivist in intent, or inspired by phenomenology, also return to an earlier interest in bodily sensations and somatic responses when exposed to sudden motion and moving images (associated with ideas such as innervation, shock and over-stimulation). The essay proposes to bring Walter Benjamin into the debate, with a term central to his idea of modernity, namely ‘experience’, and to revive his distinction between Erfahrung and Erlebnis. Noting certain features of excess and liminiality in contemporary cinema, and mapping them across the three distinct domains of body, time and agency, Benjamin's own attempt to locate the emotional core of the technical media is reappraised. Grounded in the peculiar variability but also interdependence of place, narration and perception, the cinema would then appear to provide Erlebnis without Erfahrung, a state formerly associated with trauma, but now the very definition of the media event.
Between Creation and Last Judgement, the Creaturely and the Holy: Benjamin and Secularization
Authors: Weigel Sigrid
Published: November 2009

This article analyses how Benjamin takes Kraus's reference to the creaturely (Kreatur) as a symptom of an ahistorical attitude which projects the state of genesis, i.e. the world of God's creatures, into history. It reads the essay on Karl Kraus as a main site for Benjamin's dialectical approach to secularization, which is characterized by the distance both from genesis and redemption. The awareness of the fundamental difference which separates human concepts from biblical ideas or words which may be observed in many of Benjamin's texts (such as the book on the Baroque Trauerspiel and the essays on language, on Goethe's Elective Affinities, and on Kafka) forms a kind of leitmotif of his work. It is only from this radical separation that he is able to deal with the echo realm of the sacred in modernity.
Between Part and Whole: Benjamin and the Single Trait
Authors: Weber Samuel
Published: November 2009

This text, which is part of a project, ‘Toward a Politics and Poetics of Singularity’, explores the implications of a phrase used more or less simultaneously, although independently, by Walter Benjamin and Sigmund Freud, ‘the single trait’ (der einzige Zug). In his 1962 lectures on the problem of identification, Jacques Lacan focused on this phrase in Freud in order to exemplify the difference between the subject and the signifier. The use of the phrase by Benjamin in his essay on ‘Destiny and Character’ inflects the discussion toward questions of ‘comedy’ and ‘tragedy’, and thereby links the singularity of the signifying process to literary and theatrical forms.
The Mausoleum of Youth: Between Experience and Nihilism in Benjamin's Berlin Childhood
Authors: Jennings Michael W.
Published: November 2009

Key sections of Walter Benjamin's montage-text Berlin Childhood around 1900 figure the relationship between human experience and modern media, with the sections that frame the text, ‘Loggias’ and ‘The Moon’, structured around metaphors of photography. Drawing on the work of Siegfried Kracauer, and especially his seminal essay ‘Photography’, Benjamin develops, in the course of his book, a theory of photography's relationship to experience that runs counter to the better-known theories developed in such essays as ‘Little History of Photography’ and ‘The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility’, theories that are part of the broad currents of technological utopianism and, as such, emphasize photography's transformative potentials. In the Berlin Childhood, Benjamin instead emphasizes photography's role in the mortification and annihilation of meaningful human experience. Photography emerges here as the mausoleum of youth and hope.
Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang: A Tradition of Reconfiguring the Filipino Child
Authors: Katrina Gutierrez Anna
Published: November 2009

This article explores the relationship between ‘glocalisation’ and the formation of national identity in Christine S. Bellen's picturebook retellings of four Philippine fairy tales from the Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang [Tales of Grandmother Basyang] series by Severino Reyes. ‘Glocalisation’ is an effect of globalisation and exists in the dialectic between global phenomenon and local culture, resulting in a dynamic glocal identity. The choice to explore glocal phenomenon in Bellen's picture books comes from the likelihood of these being some of the child's first experiences of glocal literature as well as the fact that the tales carry on a tradition of appropriation and re-creation. Bellen's retellings shift the fairy tales from post-colonial texts to glocal texts and, by grounding global signs on local significance, give voice to the glocal Filipino child.
Whose War Were We Fighting? Constructing Memory and Managing Trauma in South Korean Children's Fiction
Authors: Zur Dafna
Published: November 2009

The Korean War (1950–3) was one of the most traumatic events in the history of the Korean peninsula. Known commonly as the ‘Forgotten War’, it is explained as a civil war that was exacerbated by the Soviet Union and the United States into an arena for the Cold War. Since then, North and South Korea have had to construct their national identities in accordance with the political ideologies that defined them. Consequently, each has told their national birth story – the story of division and war – in historical narratives for children. While a strict anti-communist ideology muted personal experiences of the war that might diverge from the anti-communist rhetoric of the immediate post-war period, contemporary children's literature reveals that the authority that the myth of innocence maintains in children's fiction firmly places the child protagonists in a position to pose tough questions about the nature of the conflict. Hegemonic Korean War narratives are challenged in contemporary fiction through ‘truth-telling’ uses of realism and folktales; at the same time, this paper questions the extent to which contemporary fiction presents its young audience with freedom of interpretation, and asks what implications it has for the relief of trauma.
Damaging Goods? Francophone Children's Books in a Postcolonial World
Authors: Vaclavik Kiera
Published: November 2009

The recent furore over Tintin au Congo in Britain is symptomatic of Western concerns about the perpetuation of negative racial stereotypes within much classic children's literature. This article interrogates such anxiety via discussion of three texts (by Hergé, Michel Tournier and Maryse Condé) produced for a European readership but set and – crucially – read in other parts of the world. Each text demonstrates the difficulty of predicting responses which frequently confound expectations and vary widely according to the situation of the reader. An ostensibly disparaging text can be a source of pride and hilarity, whilst a work produced to fight the cause of an oppressed community can distress and disturb members of that very group. Critical attendance to the reception of canonical texts within colonial and postcolonial settings will, it is argued, provide the most satisfactory response to the calls for censorship which utterly neglect alternative, resistant readings and non-European readers.
The Selection of Children's Books Translated from Spanish to Galician, Basque and Catalan (1940–80)
Authors: Pérez Mónica Domínguez
Published: November 2009

This study deals with children's literature translated from Castilian Spanish into Galician, Basque and Catalan by a different publisher from that of the source text, between 1940 and 1980, and with the criteria used to choose books for translation during that period. It compares the different literatures within Spain and examines the intersystemic and intercultural relations that the translations reflect. Following the polysystems theory, literature is here conceived as a network of agents of different kinds: authors, publishers, readers, and literary models. Such a network, called a polysystem, is part of a larger social, economic, and cultural network. These extra-literary considerations play an important role in determining the selection of works to be translated. The article suggests that translations can be said to establish transcultural relations, and that they demonstrate different levels of power within a specific interliterary community. It concludes that, while translations may aim to change the pre-existent relationships, frequently they just reflect the status quo.
Buddhist Visions of Transculturalism: Picturing Miyazawa Kenji's Yamanashi (Wild Pear)
Authors: Kilpatrick Helen
Published: November 2009

This paper analyses the interaction between the 1920s narrative of Yamanashi by Miyazawa Kenji and two sets of contemporary accompanying images. Both books challenge centrist ideologies and nationalist Nihonjinron theories of a homogeneous Japan that arose after World War II. Kobayashi Toshiya's (1985) more representational rendering of the story's Buddhist significance of co-existence within nature provides the basis for comparison with the minimalist artwork of Kim Tschang Yeul (1984). While Kobayashi's multiple viewing perspectives demonstrate how a non-Buddhist like fear of death can be transcended in an underwater microcosm, Kim's non-replicatory rendering of the story extends this signification towards the transcendence of xenophobia. Comparison of the focalisation strategies of these two artists shows how, through a combination of references to culture and nature, a more transcultural focus is brought to the original Buddhist theme of interdependence. Whereas Kobayashi's quiet monochromes demonstrate an integrated natural environment, Kim's famous trompe-l'oeil water drops set against different cultural backgrounds show how this integration is extended to intercultural themes. Both books challenge dominant cultural epistemologies in Japan and elsewhere.
Estructura de los mármoles alpujárrides situados entre Calahonda y Castell de Ferro (Cordillera Bética, provincia de Granada)
Authors: Sanz de Galdeano C.
Published: November 2009

Los mármoles de Calahonda-Castell de Ferro presentan dos sistemas de pliegues: uno de dirección N70°E a E-O y otro posterior N-S. Ambos se han formado en condiciones en las que los mármoles tenían una neta plasticidad. La dirección de los primeros pliegues es común en la Zona Interna Bética, ligada a etapas de compresión y emplazamientos de mantos. Los segundos pliegues podrían estar relacionados con el desplazamiento de dicha zona hacia el oeste. Buena parte de las fallas y diaclasas existentes son posteriores e ilustran sobre otras etapas de transcurrencia, exhumación, compresión y extensión. La transcurrencia es la continuación de la traslación hacia el oeste y las siguientes etapas se produjeron durante el Mioceno medio y sobre todo el superior.
Phase Reversion‐Induced Nanograined/Ultrafine‐Grained Structures in Austenitic Stainless Steel and their Significance in Modulating Cellular Response: Biochemical and Morphological Study with Fibroblasts
Authors: Misra R. Devesh Kumar , Thein‐Han Wah‐Wah , Somani Mahesh Chandra , Pentti Karjalainen L.
Published: November 2009

Materials science, engineering, and biological sciences have been combined to improve the tissue compatibility of medical devices. In this regard, nano/ultrafine structuring of austenitic stainless steel obtained using an innovative approach of “phase‐reversion” has been evaluated for modulation of cellular activity. The biochemical and morphology study with fibroblasts point toward the improvement of tissue compatibility on comparison with coarse‐grained structures, strengthening the foundation of nanostructured materials for bio‐medical applications.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of New AlCoxCrFeMo0.5Ni High‐Entropy Alloys
Authors: Hsu Chin‐You , Wang Woei‐Ren , Tang Wei‐Yeh , Chen Swe‐Kai , Yeh Jien‐Wei
Published: November 2009

Effects of Co content on microstructures and hot hardness of a new high‐entropy alloy system, AlCoxCrFeMo0.5Ni (x = 0.5 to 2.0) were investigated. As cobalt content increases, the microstructure changes from dendrite to polygrain type and the constituent phases change from BCC + σ at x = 0.5 to BCC + FCC + σ at x = 2.0. The alloy hardness varies from Hv 788 at x = 0.5 to Hv 596 at x = 2.0. This can be explained with the relative amount of hard σ phase, medium hard BCC phase and soft FCC phase. All the AlCoxCrFeMo0.5Ni alloys possess higher hardness level than that of Ni‐based superalloys In 718/In 718 H from room temperature to 1273 K. They obey the Westbrook equation presenting the normal heating behavior. Both alloys of x = 0.5 and 1.0 exhibit a transition temperature higher than that of Co‐based alloy T‐800 by about 200 K. They also have a high hot hardness of Hv 347 at 1273 K, which is higher than those of In 718 and In718 H by Hv 220. The strengthening mechanism for their superiority is proposed. The AlCoxCrFeMo0.5Ni alloy system has great potential in high‐temperature applications.
A New Technique for Severe Plastic Deformation: The Cone–Cone Method
Authors: Bouaziz Olivier , Estrin Yuri , Kim Hyong Seop
Published: November 2009

A new technique for producing ultrafine grained materials by severe plastic deformation is proposed. The principle and possible design of this technique, referred to as “cone–cone method,” are outlined and the first results of numerical simulations that demonstrate its feasibility are reported. These results give promise with regard to achieving very large plastic strains and the concomitant grain refinement in sheet products.
Impact of Ethanol on the Developing GABAergic System
Authors: Isayama Ricardo Noboro , Leite Paulo Emilio Correa , Lima Jean Pierre Mendes , Uziel Daniela , Yamasaki Edna Nanami
Published: November 2009

Alcohol intake during pregnancy has a tremendous impact on the developing brain. Embryonic and early postnatal alcohol exposures have been investigated experimentally to elucidate the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders' (FASD) milieu, and new data have emerged to support a devastating effect on the GABAergic system in the adult and developing nervous system. GABA is a predominantly inhibitory neurotransmitter that during development excites neurons and orchestrates several developmental processes such as proliferation, migration, differentiation, and synaptogenesis. This review summarizes and brings new data on neurodevelopmental aspects of the GABAergic system with FASD in experimental telencephalic models. Anat Rec, 292:1922–1939, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inhibition of 2A‐mediated ‘cleavage’ of certain artificial polyproteins bearing N‐terminal signal sequences
Authors: de Felipe Pablo , Luke Garry A. , Brown Jeremy D. , Ryan Martin D.
Published: November 2009

Where 2A oligopeptide sequences occur within ORFs, the formation of the glycyl–prolyl peptide bond at the C‐terminus of (each) 2A does not occur. This property can be used to concatenate sequences encoding several proteins into a single ORF: each component of such an artificial polyprotein is generated as a discrete translation product. 2A and ‘2A‐like’ sequences have become widely utilised in biotechnology and biomedicine. Individual proteins may also be co‐ and post‐translationally targeted to a variety of sub‐cellular sites. In the case of polyproteins bearing N‐terminal signal sequences we observed, however, that the protein downstream of 2A (no signal) was translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We interpreted these data as a form of ‘slipstream’ translocation: downstream proteins, without signals, were translocated through a translocon pore already formed by the signal sequence at the N‐terminus of the polyprotein. Here we show this effect is, in fact, due to inhibition of the 2A reaction (formation of fusion protein) by the C‐terminal region (immediately upstream of 2A) of some proteins when translocated into the ER. Solutions to this problem include the use of longer 2As (with a favourable upstream context) or modifying the order of proteins comprising polyproteins.
Plant‐based corosolic acid: Future anti‐diabetic drug?
Authors: Sivakumar Ganapathy , Vail Daniel R. , Nair Vipin , Medina‐Bolivar Fabricio , Lay Jackson O.
Published: November 2009

Diabetes is one of the nation's most prevalent, debilitating and costly diseases. For diabetes, frequent insulin treatment is very expensive and may increase anti‐insulin antibody production, which may cause unwanted side effects. Corosolic acid may also have some efficacy in the treatment of diabetes, but without induction of anti‐insulin antibodies. Recently, corosolic acid from Lagerstroemia speciosa L. leaf extracts has been reported to act via an indirect mechanism (unlike insulin) in animal experiments. The insulin‐complementary anti‐diabetic therapeutic value observed in these Japanese preliminary clinical trials has led to renewed interest in the biosynthesis of this compound. So far, there has been no clear evidence for a corosolic acid biosynthetic pathway in plants. This article provides possible roles of corosolic acid and hypothetical information on the biosynthetic pathway in plants.
Medicinally important secondary metabolites in recombinant microorganisms or plants: Progress in alkaloid biosynthesis
Authors: Schäfer Holger , Wink Michael
Published: November 2009

Plants produce a high diversity of natural products or secondary metabolites which are important for the communication of plants with other organisms. A prominent function is the protection against herbivores and/or microbial pathogens. Some natural products are also involved in defence against abiotic stress,e.g.UV‐B exposure. Many of the secondary metabolites have interesting biological properties and quite a number are of medicinal importance. Because the production of the valuable natural products, such as the anticancer drugs paclitaxel, vinblastine or camptothecin in plants is a costly process, biotechnological alternatives to produce these alkaloids more economically become increasingly important. This review provides an overview of the state of art to produce alkaloids in recombinant microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast. Some progress has been made in metabolic engineering usually employing a single recombinant alkaloid gene. More importantly, for benzylisoquinoline, monoterpene indole and diterpene alkaloids (taxanes) as well as some terpenoids and phenolics the proof of concept for production of complex alkaloids in recombinantEscherichia coliand yeast has already been achieved. In a long‐term perspective, it will probably be possible to generate gene cassettes for complete pathways, which could then be used for production of valuable natural products in bioreactors or for metabolic engineering of crop plants. This will improve their resistance against herbivores and/or microbial pathogens.
Quinobis(imidazolylidene): Synthesis and Study of an Electron‐Configurable Bis(N‐Heterocyclic Carbene) and Its Bimetallic Complexes
Authors: Tennyson Andrew G. , Ono Robert J. , Hudnall Todd W. , Khramov Dimitri M. , Er Joyce A. V. , Kamplain Justin W. , Lynch Vincent M. , Sessler Jonathan L. , Bielawski Christopher W.
Published: November 2009

Reaction of bromanil with N,N′‐dimesitylformamidine followed by deprotonation with NaN(SiMe3)2 afforded 1,1′,3,3′‐tetramesitylquinobis(imidazolylidene) (1), a bis(N‐heterocyclic carbene) (NHC) with two NHC moieties connected by a redox active p‐quinone residue, in 72 % yield of isolated compound. Bimetallic complexes of 1 were prepared by coupling to FcN3 (2) or FcNCS (3; Fc=ferrocenyl) or coordination to [M(cod)Cl] (4 a or 4 b, where M=Rh or Ir, respectively; cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene). Treatment of 4 a and 4 b with excess CO(g) afforded the corresponding [M(CO)2Cl] complexes 5 a and 5 b, respectively. Analysis of 2–5 by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction indicated that the electron‐deficient quinone did not significantly affect the inherent spectral properties or coordination chemistry of the flanking imidazolylidene units, as compared to analogous NHCs. Infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry revealed that decreasing the electron density at MLn afforded an increase in the stretching energy and a decrease in the reduction potential of the quinone, indicative of metal–quinone electronic interaction. Differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry of the metal‐centered oxidations in 2–4 revealed two single, one‐electron peaks. Thus, the metal atoms bound to 1 are oxidized at indistinguishable potentials and do not appear electronically coupled. However, the metal–quinone interaction was used to increase the electron density at coordinated metal atoms. Infrared spectroelectrochemistry revealed that the average νCO values for 5 a and 5 b decreased by 14 and 15 cm−1, respectively, upon reduction of the quinone embedded within 1. These shifts correspond to 10 and 12 cm−1 decreases in the Tolman electronic parameter of this ditopic ligand.
Reduction vs. Metathesis in the Reactions of Bismuth Tribromide with a Bulky Lithium Silanide – An Experimental and Theoretical Study
Authors: Monakhov Kirill Yu. , Zessin Thomas , Linti Gerald
Published: November 2009

On reaction of BiBr3 with Li(thf)3SiPh2tBu (1) in the corresponding ratios redox/metathesis reactions were observed, yielding dibismuthane (tBuPh2Si)4Bi2 (2) and disilylbismuth halide (tBuPh2Si)2BiBr (3). The latter is a reaction intermediate in the formation of the dark‐red 2. The X‐ray crystal structures of 1–3 were determined by low‐temperature X‐ray diffraction. The Si2Bi–BiSi2 core of 2 is in the semi‐eclipsed conformation. No oligomerization of “nonthermochromic” 2 was observed. Compound 3 is a mixed substituted monomer with a pyramidal environment around the bismuth center. On the basis of quantum chemical calculations, the formation of tertiary bismuthane (tBuPh2Si)3Bi is not expected for steric reasons. According to DFT‐optimized geometries of the simplified model systems n[(H3Si)2Bi]2 (n = 1–3), the closed‐shell attraction between intermolecular Bi centers in the chain provides a moderate elongation of the intramolecular Bi–Bi bond in the dibismuthane unit and a shortening of the intermolecular Bi···Bi contacts. According to MP4(SDQ) computations, such oligomerization is carried out by intermolecular interaction of s lone pairs that are bound together and p‐type orbitals of the Bi–Bi bonds in the bismuth chain. An increase in the number of [(H3Si)2Bi]2 molecules per chain results in a decrease in the HOMO–LUMO gap and leads to a bathochromic shift. TD‐PBE0 computations suggest that the lowest energy electron transition in 2 is metal–metal charge transfer. In addition, the attractive contributions in the chain [(H3A)2Bi]2···[Bi(AH3)2]2 with silyl groups (A = Si) outweigh the repulsion of the Bi···Bi centers, whereas for the alkyl‐substituted bismuth chain (A = C) the repulsive van der Waals force dominates. This fact makes the rectangle oligomerization model more preferred for n[(H3A)2Bi]2 (A = C; n = 2), while for A = Si chain formation is favored in the gas phase.
A Versatile, Modular Platform for Multivalent Peptide Ligands Based on a Dendritic Wedge
Authors: Lempens Edith H. M. , Helms Brett A. , Bayles Andrea R. , Merkx Maarten , Meijer E. W.
Published: November 2009

A general methodology for the synthesis of multifunctional AB2, AB3, AB4, and AB5 dendritic wedges is described based on an orthogonal protection strategy. Asymmetric polyamide dendrons that possess N‐terminal cysteine residues at the periphery were quantitatively functionalized with C‐terminal thioester peptides using native chemical ligation. Conjugation of biologically relevant groups at the focal point resulted in a series of related structures with a highly controlled valency (2–5) that can directly be used in a systematic study on the strength of multivalent interactions. Using our modular approach various ligands, functional groups and spacers can readily be combined in order to generate a toolbox for the development of smart biomaterials used in molecular medicine and imaging.
Ultrasensitive Eletrogenerated Chemiluminescence Immunoassay by Magnetic Nanobead Amplification
Authors: Li Mingyue , Sun Yuming , Chen Li , Li Lu , Zou Guizheng , Zhang Xiaoli , Jin Wenrui
Published: November 2009

An ultrasensitive electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) immunoassay was proposed by using magnetic nanobeads (MNBs) as the carrier of ECL labels for ECL emission amplification. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and MNBs were initially immobilized on a platform in 1 : 1 molar ratio via sandwich immunoreaction. Subsequently, the MNBs were released from the platform and labeled with Ru(bpy)32+ species. After the MNBs with Ru(bpy)32+ were immobilized on an Au electrode, ECL of the Ru(bpy)32+ was measured for CEA determination. A linear relation between the ECL intensity and CEA concentration was obtained in a range of 1×10−14 to 3×10−13 mol/L (2.0 to 60 pg/mL) with a limit of detection of 8.0×10−15 mol/L (1.6 pg/mL).
On‐Line Electrochemistry/Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (EC/ESI‐MS) for the Generation and Identification of Nucleotide Oxidation Products
Authors: Baumann Anne , Lohmann Wiebke , Jahn Sandra , Karst Uwe
Published: November 2009

The oxidation behavior of DNA and RNA nucleotides is studied by an on‐line set‐up consisting of an electrochemical thin‐layer cell (EC) directly coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS). This set‐up allows the generation of nucleotide oxidation products in the electrochemical cell at increasing potentials. Moreover, the products are determined directly, without isolation or derivatization steps, by electrospray ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI‐ToF/MS). The dependence of the mass spectra on the applied potential is displayed as ‘mass voltammograms’. An advanced set‐up, consisting of the electrochemical cell coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (EC/ESI‐MS/MS) allows further structure elucidation based on fragmentation experiments. The electrochemical conversion is performed using a boron doped diamond (BDD) working electrode, which is known to generate hydroxyl radicals at high potentials. The capability of the EC‐MS system to generate highly relevant oxidation products which also occur upon oxidative damage in vivo is demonstrated in this study by the formation of well known biomarkers for DNA damage, including 2′‐deoxy‐8‐oxo‐guanosine 5′‐monophosphate.
Predictors of adherence to atypical antipsychotics (risperidone or olanzapine) in older patients with schizophrenia: an open study of 3½ years duration
Authors: Ritchie C. W. , Harrigan S. , Mastwyk M. , Macfarlane S. , Cheesman N. , Ames D.
Published: November 2009

Objective

Although the evidence base for the use of antipsychotics in older people with schizophrenia is generally of low quality, it tends to support the use of atypical antipsychotics. Only limited information regarding longer term adherence to these apparently more effective drugs is available. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of adherence to risperidone or olanzapine in patients over 60.

Methods

Patients receiving care from old age psychiatrists for their schizophrenia were randomised to treatment with olanzapine or risperidone and were followed for up to 3½ years. Kaplan–Meier curves were generated to assess the univariate effect of randomisation drug on long‐term adherence and Cox regression adjusted for baseline variables which may have affected adherence.

Results

In total, 60.6% of the 66 patients in the study were still taking their randomised drug by the end of the interval in which they remained under observation (64.7% olanzapine and 56.3% risperidone). This difference was non‐significant. No baseline variable was associated with an increased risk of non‐adherence, though the delivery form of pre‐randomisation drug (oral or depot) was weakly (p = 0.054) associated with patients originally on depot being less likely to be adherent to an atypical drug.

Conclusions

Overall adherence with atypical medication was good with almost two‐thirds of the patients remaining on their randomisation drug for the interval in which they were under observation. Patients taken off depot were less likely to be adherent but there was no significant difference in adherence between olanzapine and risperidone. Scrutiny of the survival curves suggested that non‐adherence is an early event in treatment and patients adherent at 6 months were likely to remain adherent over a longer time period. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three sides of the same coin: measuring global cognitive impairment with the MMSE, ADAS‐cog and CAMCOG
Authors: Wouters Hans , van Gool Willem A. , Schmand Ben , Zwinderman Aeilko H. , Lindeboom Robert
Published: November 2009

Objective

The total scores of the ADAS‐cog, MMSE and CAMCOG, comprising various cognitive tasks, are widely used to measure a dimension of global cognitive impairment. It is unknown, however, whether this dimension is common to these instruments. This hampers comparisons when either of these instruments is used. The extent to which these instruments share a common dimension of global cognitive impairment and how their scores relate was examined.

Methods

Rasch analysis of CAMCOG and MMSE data of participants from a population based study and two memory clinics pooled with ADAS‐cog and MMSE data of participants from three RCTs (overall N = 1566) to estimate a common dimension of global cognitive impairment and to examine the goodness of fit of the individual items to this dimension.

Results

Using the estimated common dimension of global cognitive impairment, the total scores of the instruments could be related, e.g. a mean level of global cognitive impairment corresponded to a predicted score of 11.4 (ADAS‐cog), 72.6 (CAMCOG) and 22.2 (MMSE). When revised according to The Rasch validity analyses, every individual item could be fitted to the dimension.

Conclusions

The MMSE, ADAS‐cog and CAMCOG reflect a valid common dimension of global cognitive impairment, which enables comparisons of RCTs that use the ADAS‐cog and observational studies that use the CAMCOG and MMSE. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Primary care and dementia: 2. long‐term care at home: psychosocial interventions, information provision, carer support and case management
Authors: Robinson Louise , Iliffe Steve , Brayne Carol , Goodman Claire , Rait Greta , Manthorpe Jill , Ashley Peter , Moniz‐Cook Esme ,   the DeNDRoN Primary Care Clinical Studies Group
Published: November 2009

Objective

To write a narrative review of the role of primary care physicians in the long‐term care of people with dementia living at home, with a focus on psychosocial interventions, the provision of information and carer support, behavioural and psychological symptoms and case management.

Methods

The systematic review carried out for the NICE/SCIE Guidelines was updated from January 2006, Cochrane Reviews were identified and other publications found by consultations with experts.

Results

In primary care, the long‐term care of people with dementia living at home can be structured around several key themes: reframing dementia with a focus on a social model of disability; active use of information sources; supporting carers (caregivers); the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms and a structured case management approach.

Conclusions

Caring for people with dementia in primary care demands the same systematic approach as the management of other long‐term conditions. The systematic follow‐up of both people with dementia and their carers should be integrated into primary care. Reframing dementia, with an emphasis on abilities retained may allow people with dementia and their families to develop more effective coping strategies; an increase in skill mix within primary care is required to deliver this and may also improve the management of behavioural problems. The potential benefits of person‐centred interventions, like advance care planning, and alternative models of service delivery, such as a structured, collaborative care approach which promotes integrated case management within primary care, require further evaluation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Who will be eligible? An investigation of the dementia population eligible for cholinesterase treatment following the change in NICE guidance
Authors: Matthews Fiona E , Muniz‐Terrera Graciela , McKeith Ian , Brayne Carol ,   MRC CFAS
Published: November 2009

Objectives

Investigate the impact of the changes in eligibility within England and Wales (E&W) for prescription within the UK National Health Service for treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods

A population‐based study in England and Wales with 13 004 individuals measured with MMSE at baseline was used to examine the distributions of individuals within eligibility criteria. Information obtained from informants enabled classification of the study defined dementia cases to ICD10 diagnosis of subtype (AD, dementia with vascular risk, both or other).

Results

Fifty six per cent of dementia patients (representing 323 000 individuals in E&W) fall into the new MMSE criteria band. A further 120 000, 20% of dementia patients, are estimated to have disease that is considered too mild for treatment. Further examination of type of dementia showed that those with mixed AD and vascular dementia had similar proportions of dementia cases within the treatable MMSE group as the subgroup with AD alone, though with mixed disease individuals more often score below the lower threshold. There is substantial instability in the eligibility groupings over a short time period.

Conclusions

The population impact of new NICE criteria of excluding high MMSE scores is to exclude one in five individuals with AD and a further one in ten of those with a mixed disease. Changing the guidance has almost balanced the loss of treatment for the high MMSE group (13%) with the introduction of treatment for those scoring 10/11 (11%). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neuropsychiatric correlates of white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Berlow Yosef A. , Wells William M. , Ellison James M. , Sung Young Hoon , Renshaw Perry F. , Harper David G.
Published: November 2009

Objective

To investigate the association of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMH).

Methods

Thirty‐seven patients with probable AD received the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), and an MRI scan as part of their initial evaluation at the Outpatient Memory Diagnostic Clinic at McLean Hospital. MRI‐based volumetric measurements of whole brain atrophy, hippocampal volumes, and WMH were obtained. Analysis of covariance models, using age as a covariate and the presence of specific BPSD as independent variables, were used to test for differences in whole brain volumes, hippocampal volumes and WMH volumes.

Results

Increased WMH were associated with symptoms of anxiety, aberrant motor behavior, and night time disturbance, while symptoms of disinhibition were linked to lower WMH volume. No associations were found for whole brain or hippocampal volumes and BPSD.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that white matter changes are associated with the presence of BPSD in AD. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐neglect and cognitive function among community‐dwelling older persons
Authors: Dong XinQi , Wilson Robert S. , Mendes de Leon Carlos F. , Evans Denis A.
Published: November 2009

Objective

Elder self‐neglect is a common public health issue, but it is unclear to what degree it is associated with cognitive function. This study aimed to examine the cross‐sectional association between self‐neglect and cognitive function.

Methods

Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) is a population‐based epidemiological study conducted in a geographically defined community in Chicago (N = 8698): we identified 1094 CHAP participants who had self‐neglect reported to social services agency, which assessed the self‐neglect severity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (Perceptual Speed), and both immediate and delayed recall of the East Boston Memory Test (Episodic Memory). An index of global cognitive function scores was derived by averaging z‐scores of all tests. Linear regression models were used to assess the association of self‐neglect severity and cognitive function.

Results

Self‐neglect was associated with poorer cognitive function. After adjusting for confounders, self‐neglect was associated with lower global cognitive function (parameter estimate[PE] = −0.367, standard error[SE] = 0.026, p < 0.001), lower MMSE (PE = −2.592, SE = 0.182, p < 0.001), episodic memory (PE = −0.288, SE = 0.032, p < 0.001), and perceptual speed (PE = −5.428, SE = 0.444, p < 0.001). In addition, higher self‐neglect severity scores were associated with lower global cognitive function (PE = −0.008, SE = 0.003, p = 0.014). Greater self‐neglect severity was not correlated with worse performance on MMSE, but was correlated with worse performance on episodic memory (PE = −0.008,=SE = 0.003, p = 0.010), and perceptual speed (PE = −0.131, SE = 0.042, p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Self‐neglect is associated with lower global cognitive function, episodic memory and perceptual speed. Future studies are needed to examine the temporality of these associations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.