bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor, Activated Protein C Resistance, and Risk of Ischemic Stroke due to Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy
Authors: Rossouw Jacques E. , Johnson Karen C. , Pettinger Mary , Cushman Mary , Sandset Per Morten , Kuller Lewis , Rosendaal Frits , Rosing Jan , Wasserthal-Smoller Sylvia , Martin Lisa W. , Manson JoAnn E. , Lakshminarayan Kamakshi , Merino Jose G. , Lynch John
Published: February 2012

Background and Purpose—

To test whether changes in plasma tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) levels or activated protein C resistance (normalized activated protein C resistance ratio [nAPCsr]) modify the increased risk of ischemic stroke due to postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Methods—

Nested case–control study of 455 cases of ischemic stroke and 565 matched control subjects in the Women's Health Initiative trials of postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Results—

Baseline free TFPI was associated with ischemic stroke risk (OR per SD increase, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01–1.37;
P
=0.039), but baseline nAPCsr was not (OR per SD increase, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.75–1.05;
P
=0.15). Baseline TFPI levels and nAPCsr did not modify the effect of postmenopausal hormone therapy on ischemic stroke. Treatment-induced mean changes of −28% in free TFPI and +65% in nAPCsr did not change the risk of ischemic stroke (interaction
P
=0.452 and 0.971, respectively). In subgroup analyses, baseline nAPCsr was inversely associated with lacunar strokes (OR per SD increase, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57–0.96;
P
=0.025) and baseline free TFPI interacted with treatment to increase large vessel atherosclerotic strokes (
P
=0.008).

Conclusions—

Procoagulant changes in TFPI or nAPCsr do not modify the increased ischemic stroke risk due to postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT 00000611.
Myelin Loss Associated With Neuroinflammation in Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Jalal Fakhreya Y. , Yang Yi , Thompson Jeffrey , Lopez Anita C. , Rosenberg Gary A.
Published: February 2012

Background and Purpose—

Small vessel disease is the major cause of white matter injury in patients with vascular cognitive impairment. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated inflammation may be involved in the white matter damage with oligodendrocyte (Ol) death. Therefore, we used spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats to study the role of neuroinflammation in white matter damage.

Methods—

Permanent unilateral carotid artery occlusion was performed at 12 weeks of age in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats. Following surgery, rats were placed on a Japanese permissive diet and received 1% NaCl in drinking water. MRI, histology, biochemistry, and ELISA characterized white matter lesions, and cognitive impairment was tested by Morris water maze.

Results—

White matter damage was observed 4 to 5 weeks following permanent unilateral carotid artery occlusion/Japanese permissive diet. Immunoblotting showed marked reduction in myelin basic protein and upregulation of immature Ols. Mature Ols underwent caspase-3-mediated apoptosis. Morris water maze showed cognitive impairment. Abnormally appearing vessels were observed and surrounded by inflammatory-like cells. IgG extravasation and hemorrhage, indicating blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, was closely associated with MMP-9 expression. Lesions in white matter showed reactive astrocytosis and activated microglia that expressed tumor necrosis factor-α. MMP-3 and MMP-9 were significantly increased, and MMP-2 was reduced in both astrocytes and Ol.

Conclusions—

We found apoptosis of mature Ols with an increase in immature Ols. Increased MMP-3, MMP-9, and tumor necrosis factor-α were associated with myelin breakdown and BBB disruption. Neuroinflammation is an important factor in white matter damage and Ol death, and studies using this new model can be performed to assess agents to block inflammation.
Impact of Primary Stroke Center Certification on Location of Acute Ischemic Stroke Care in Georgia
Authors: Switzer Jeffrey A. , Akinwuntan Abiodun , Waller Jennifer , Nichols Fenwick T. , Hess David C. , Bruno Askiel
Published: February 2012

Background and Purpose—

Primary stroke centers (PSCs) are associated with greater rates of tissue plasminogen activator use and improved outcomes. The American Stroke Association has advocated for the preferential transport of stroke patients to PSCs. We investigated the impact of PSC certification on hospital stroke discharge patterns in Georgia communities with a choice between PSC and non-PSC.

Methods—

We analyzed data from the Georgia Discharge Data System before (2004) and after stroke certification (2009). Only Metropolitan Statistical Areas containing ≥1 PSC and ≥1 non-PSC were included in the analysis. We calculated the odds of acute stroke discharge from a PSC in 2009 compared with 2004.

Results—

In Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Areas with at least 1 PSC and 1 non-PSC hospital, the percent of patients discharged from a subsequently designated PSC increased from 50.2% to 56.6% between 2004 and 2009 (OR, 1.29;
P
<0.0001). In 4 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, the proportion of stroke discharges from PSCs increased, whereas in 2 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, there was no significant increase, and in 1, there was a trend toward less stroke discharges from PSCs.

Conclusions—

Although there has been an overall increase in stroke discharges from PSCs, the impact of stroke certification on patient destination was small and inconsistent across the state suggesting that local factors influence the location of hospitalization.
Adaptive Optimal Control Without Weight Transport
Authors: Chinta Lakshminarayan V. , Tweed Douglas B.
Published: February 2012

Many neural control systems are at least roughly optimized, but how is optimal control learned? There are algorithms for this purpose, but in their current forms, they are not suited for biological neural networks because they rely on a type of communication that is not available in the brain, namely, weight transport—transmitting the strengths, or “weights,” of individual synapses to other synapses and neurons. Here we show how optimal control can be learned without weight transport. Our method involves a set of simple mechanisms that can compensate for the absence of weight transport in the brain and so may be useful for neural computation generally.
Analytical Integrate-and-Fire Neuron Models with Conductance-Based Dynamics and Realistic Postsynaptic Potential Time Course for Event-Driven Simulation Strategies
Authors: Rudolph-Lilith Michelle , Dubois Mathieu , Destexhe Alain
Published: February 2012

In a previous paper (Rudolph & Destexhe, 2006 ), we proposed various models, the gIF neuron models, of analytical integrate-and-fire (IF) neurons with conductance-based (COBA) dynamics for use in event-driven simulations. These models are based on an analytical approximation of the differential equation describing the IF neuron with exponential synaptic conductances and were successfully tested with respect to their response to random and oscillating inputs. Because they are analytical and mathematically simple, the gIF models are best suited for fast event-driven simulation strategies. However, the drawback of such models is they rely on a nonrealistic postsynaptic potential (PSP) time course, consisting of a discontinuous jump followed by a decay governed by the membrane time constant. Here, we address this limitation by conceiving an analytical approximation of the COBA IF neuron model with the full PSP time course. The subthreshold and suprathreshold response of this gIF4 model reproduces remarkably well the postsynaptic responses of the numerically solved passive membrane equation subject to conductance noise, while gaining at least two orders of magnitude in computational performance. Although the analytical structure of the gIF4 model is more complex than that of its predecessors due to the necessity of calculating future spike times, a simple and fast algorithmic implementation for use in large-scale neural network simulations is proposed.
On the Relation Between Encoding and Decoding of Neuronal Spikes
Authors: Koyama Shinsuke
Published: February 2012

Neural coding is a field of study that concerns how sensory information is represented in the brain by networks of neurons. The link between external stimulus and neural response can be studied from two parallel points of view. The first, neural encoding, refers to the mapping from stimulus to response. It focuses primarily on understanding how neurons respond to a wide variety of stimuli and constructing models that accurately describe the stimulus-response relationship. Neural decoding refers to the reverse mapping, from response to stimulus, where the challenge is to reconstruct a stimulus from the spikes it evokes. Since neuronal response is stochastic, a one-to-one mapping of stimuli into neural responses does not exist, causing a mismatch between the two viewpoints of neural coding. Here we use these two perspectives to investigate the question of what rate coding is, in the simple setting of a single stationary stimulus parameter and a single stationary spike train represented by a renewal process. We show that when rate codes are defined in terms of encoding, that is, the stimulus parameter is mapped onto the mean firing rate, the rate decoder given by spike counts or the sample mean does not always efficiently decode the rate codes, but it can improve efficiency in reading certain rate codes when correlations within a spike train are taken into account.
The Neural Representation of Time: An Information-Theoretic Perspective
Authors: Hass Joachim , Herrmann J. Michael
Published: February 2012

A prominent finding in psychophysical experiments on time perception is Weber's law, the linear scaling of timing errors with duration. The ability to reproduce this scaling has been taken as a criterion for the validity of neurocomputational models of time perception. However, the origin of Weber's law remains unknown, and currently only a few models generi- cally reproduce it. Here, we use an information-theoretical framework that considers the neuronal mechanisms of time perception as stochastic processes to investigate the statistical origin of Weber's law in time perception and also its frequently observed deviations. Under the assumption that the brain is able to compute optimal estimates of time, we find that Weber's law only holds exactly if the estimate is based on temporal changes in the variance of the process. In contrast, the timing errors scale sublinearly with time if the systematic changes in the mean of a process are used for estimation, as is the case in the majority of time perception models, while estimates based on temporal correlations result in a superlinear scaling. This hierarchy of temporal information is preserved if several sources of temporal information are available. Furthermore, we consider the case of multiple stochastic processes and study the examples of a covariance-based model and a model based on synfire chains. This approach reveals that existing neurocomputational models of time perception can be classified as mean-, variance- and correlation-based processes and allows predictions about the scaling of the resulting timing errors.
Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods for State-Space Models with Point Process Observations
Authors: Yuan Ke , Girolami Mark , Niranjan Mahesan
Published: February 2012

This letter considers how a number of modern Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods can be applied for parameter estimation and inference in state-space models with point process observations. We quantified the efficiencies of these MCMC methods on synthetic data, and our results suggest that the Reimannian manifold Hamiltonian Monte Carlo method offers the best performance. We further compared such a method with a previously tested variational Bayes method on two experimental data sets. Results indicate similar performance on the large data sets and superior performance on small ones. The work offers an extensive suite of MCMC algorithms evaluated on an important class of models for physiological signal analysis.
A Proof of Convergence of the Concave-Convex Procedure Using Zangwill's Theory
Authors: Sriperumbudur Bharath K. , Lanckriet Gert R. G.
Published: February 2012

The concave-convex procedure (CCCP) is an iterative algorithm that solves d.c. (difference of convex functions) programs as a sequence of convex programs. In machine learning, CCCP is extensively used in many learning algorithms, including sparse support vector machines (SVMs), transductive SVMs, and sparse principal component analysis. Though CCCP is widely used in many applications, its convergence behavior has not gotten a lot of specific attention. Yuille and Rangarajan analyzed its convergence in their original paper; however, we believe the analysis is not complete. The convergence of CCCP can be derived from the convergence of the d.c. algorithm (DCA), proposed in the global optimization literature to solve general d.c. programs, whose proof relies on d.c. duality. In this note, we follow a different reasoning and show how Zangwill's global convergence theory of iterative algorithms provides a natural framework to prove the convergence of CCCP. This underlines Zangwill's theory as a powerful and general framework to deal with the convergence issues of iterative algorithms, after also being used to prove the convergence of algorithms like expectation-maximization and generalized alternating minimization. In this note, we provide a rigorous analysis of the convergence of CCCP by addressing two questions: When does CCCP find a local minimum or a stationary point of the d.c. program under consideration? and when does the sequence generated by CCCP converge? We also present an open problem on the issue of local convergence of CCCP.
Linguistic Recognition as a Source of Confidence in the Justice System
Authors: Liu Amy H. , Baird Vanessa A.
Published: February 2012

How does linguistic recognition in the courtroom affect popular confidence in the justice system among minorities? The authors argue (a) the recognition of either a minority language and/or a third-party’s language (lingua franca) during judicial proceedings increases confidence levels but (b) the use of a lingua franca is more effective. This is because minorities are more likely to favor an arrangement that levels the playing field by having everyone speak a lingua franca (relative fairness) than one that allows them to use their own language in a courtroom that is otherwise dominated by the majority language (absolute fairness). Using original data measuring the linguistic recognition in the judiciary, the authors find a significant and robust relationship between languages of the court and popular confidence in the justice system.
Amplifying Silence
Authors: Stern Rachel E. , Hassid Jonathan
Published: February 2012

Well-known tools of state coercion, such as administrative punishment, imprisonment, and violence, affect far fewer than 1% of Chinese journalists and lawyers. What, then, keeps the other 99% in line? Building on work detailing control strategies in illiberal states, the authors suggest that the answer is more complicated than the usual story of heavy-handed repression. Instead, deep-rooted uncertainty about the boundaries of permissible political action magnifies the effect of each crackdown. Unsure of the limits of state tolerance, lawyers and journalists frequently self-censor, effectively controlling themselves. But self-censorship does not always mean total retreat from political concerns. Rather, didactic stories about transgression help the politically inclined map the gray zone between (relatively) safe and unacceptably risky choices. For all but the most optimistic risk takers, these stories—which we call control parables—harden limits on activism by illustrating a set of prescriptions designed to prevent future clashes with authority. The rules for daily behavior, in short, are not handed down from the pinnacle of the state but jointly written (and rewritten) by Chinese public professionals and their government overseers.
Cathodal Iontophoresis of Treprostinil Induces a Sustained Increase in Cutaneous Blood Flux in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Blaise Sophie , Roustit Matthieu , Hellmann Marcin , Millet Claire , Cracowski Jean‐Luc
Published: February 2012

Objective

Prostacyclin analogues are the most effective drugs to treat sclerodermic digital ulcers, but their systemic use is limited by their frequent side effects. The authors tested whether the prostacyclin analogues treprostinil and iloprost, delivered by cutaneous iontophoresis, induce sustained vasodilatation.

Methods

Twenty healthy volunteers received treprostinil by cathodal iontophoresis on the forearm. Skin blood flux was quantified using laser Doppler imaging.

Results

Treprostinil 250 µM induced an increase in cutaneous vascular conductance AUC80 min (31 897 ± 24 390 %BL·min) compared with NaCl 0.9% (P < .005), treprostinil 2.5 µM (P < .005), and treprostinil 25 µM (P < .005). This was confirmed when flux was recorded for up to 10 hours. Systemic and skin tolerance of treprostinil were good. Iloprost was stopped early because of local toxicity.

Conclusion

Treprostinil cathodal iontophoresis induces a sustained increase in cutaneous blood flow with good local tolerance. This could be investigated as a new local therapy for digital ulcers in scleroderma.
Academic Innovation and Autonomy
Authors: Mars Matthew M. , Ginter Mary Beth
Published: February 2012

Employing interviews with individuals from 16 community colleges across the country, as well as an independent consultant engaged in activities of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), this study considers the organizational structures and academic practices associated with community college entrepreneurship education. More specifically, community college entrepreneurship education is argued to be a market-oriented trend that has been largely overlooked as a curricular alternative to workforce development models. The exploration is guided by and placed within the context of academic capitalism as articulated by Slaughter and Rhoades.
Identifying the Local Impacts of National ATE Centers on Their Host Institutions
Authors: Henderson Charles , Fynewever Herb , Petcovic Heather , Bierema Andrea
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this study is to identify the local impacts of national advanced technological education (ATE) centers on their host institutions. A sample of three mature, national ATE centers are chosen, with each center serving as a case for a mixed-methods, collective case study research design. Results, drawn from interviews and surveys, indicate that national ATE centers create a variety of direct local impacts (i.e., impacts related to improving education in the targeted technology field) and indirect local impacts (i.e., impacts on the host institution that are beyond the targeted technology field). Direct impacts are created by a depth of focus on and connections to the targeted technology field, whereas indirect impacts are created by diversification within the host institution through collaborations with other projects on campus. The organizational structure and physical location of a center are also found to be important factors affecting the types of impacts created. In addition, characteristics such as strong center–industry partnerships, leadership qualities of the center directors, and a culture that promotes grant getting at the host institution are found to contribute to both types of impacts. The authors suggest that local impacts can be sustained through development and articulation of an ATE center’s core competencies.
A Multi-institutional Study of Students’ Perceptions and Experiences in the Research-based Capstone Course in Sociology
Authors: McKinney Kathleen , Day Melissa D.
Published: February 2012

In this article, we describe student perceptions of, and experiences in, a one-semester, required sociology research capstone course. The data come from 106 students in eight sections of the course taught at three institutions. We used multiple methods for data collection: questionnaires, focus groups, and learning reflection essays. Our results include students’ having a good sense of what to expect from the course, reporting learning many research-related skills, and having more positive attitudes about the course in the postmeasures than in the premeasures. Students also stated that the highly structured nature of the course was important for their success but somewhat frustrating. Other important student perceptions were that the course was demanding and time consuming; past courses helped prepare for the capstone experience but that there are gaps in this preparation; they learn best via active learning, feedback, and application; they are proud of their course achievements; and they are engaged in the discipline but are ambiguous about future work in sociology.
Becoming independent storytellers: Modeling children’s development of narrative macrostructure
Authors: Kelly Kimberly Reynolds , Bailey Alison Louise
Published: February 2012

For parents to provide effective support for their children’s language development, they must be attuned to their child’s changing abilities. This study presents a theoretically driven strategy that addresses a methodological challenge present when tracking longitudinally the cessation or ‘fading’ of behaviors by capturing withdrawal of maternal assistance over time relative to change in child participation. Data are the co-constructed narratives of 31 mother–child dyads when the children were 3, 4, and 5 years old. Responsibility for providing narrative macrostructure shifted from children relying on maternal prompts to contributing them spontaneously, while maternal contributions showed a gradual cessation. The findings support the notion of bidirectionality in co-construction and are interpreted using a dose-effect model of the shift in responsibility for the narration over time with implications for intervention.
The Challenge of Staying Happier
Authors: Sheldon Kennon M. , Lyubomirsky Sonja
Published: February 2012

The happiness that comes from a particular success or change in fortune abates with time. The Hedonic Adaptation Prevention (HAP) model specifies two routes by which the well-being gains derived from a positive life change are eroded—the first involving bottom-up processes (i.e., declining positive emotions generated by the positive change) and the second involving top-down processes (i.e., increased aspirations for even more positivity). The model also specifies two moderators that can forestall these processes—continued appreciation of the original life change and continued variety in change-related experiences. The authors formally tested the predictions of the HAP model in a 3-month three-wave longitudinal study of 481 students. Temporal path analyses and moderated regression analyses provided good support for the model. Implications for the stability of well-being, the feasibility of “the pursuit of happiness,” and the appeal of overconsumption are discussed.
Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tube Placement Using a Balloon Catheter in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Fujita Takeshi , Tanabe Masahiro , Kobayashi Taiga , Washida Yasuo , Kato Masatoshi , Iida Etsushi , Shimizu Kensaku , Matsunaga Naofumi
Published: February 2012

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer frequently require gastrostomy feeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy with push‐type gastrostomy tubes using a rupture‐free balloon (RFB) catheter under computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopic guidance in patients with head and neck cancer with swallowing disturbance or trismus. Methods: Percutaneous CT and fluoroscopic gastrostomy placement of push‐type gastrostomy tubes using a RFB catheter was performed in consecutive patients with head and neck cancer between April 2007 and July 2010. The technical success, procedure duration, and major or minor complications were evaluated. Results: Twenty‐one patients (14 men, 7 women; age range, 55–78 years; mean age, 69.3 years) underwent gastrostomy tube placement. The tumor location was the pharynx (n = 8), oral cavity (n = 7), and gingiva (n = 6). Gastrostomy was performed in 15 patients during treatment and 6 patients after treatment. Percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy was technically successful in all patients. The median procedure time was 35 ± 19 (interquartile range) minutes (range, 25–75). The average follow‐up time interval was 221 days (range, 10–920 days). No major complications related to the procedure were encountered. No tubes failed because of blockage, and neither tube dislodgement nor intraperitoneal leakage occurred during the follow‐up periods. Conclusion: Percutaneous CT and fluoroscopic‐guided gastrostomy with push‐type tubes using a RFB catheter is a relatively safe and effective means of gastric feeding, with high success and low complication rates in patients with head and neck cancer in whom endoscopy was not feasible.
Emergence of Canine Distemper Virus Strains With Modified Molecular Signature and Enhanced Neuronal Tropism Leading to High Mortality in Wild Carnivores
Authors: Origgi F. C. , Plattet P. , Sattler U. , Robert N. , Casaubon J. , Mavrot F. , Pewsner M. , Wu N. , Giovannini S. , Oevermann A. , Stoffel M. H. , Gaschen V. , Segner H. , Ryser-Degiorgis M.-P.
Published: February 2012

An ongoing canine distemper epidemic was first detected in Switzerland in the spring of 2009. Compared to previous local canine distemper outbreaks, it was characterized by unusually high morbidity and mortality, rapid spread over the country, and susceptibility of several wild carnivore species. Here, the authors describe the associated pathologic changes and phylogenetic and biological features of a multiple highly virulent canine distemper virus (CDV) strain detected in and/or isolated from red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badgers ( Meles meles), stone ( Martes foina) and pine ( Martes martes) martens, from a Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx), and a domestic dog. The main lesions included interstitial to bronchointerstitial pneumonia and meningopolioencephalitis, whereas demyelination—the classic presentation of CDV infection—was observed in few cases only. In the brain lesions, viral inclusions were mainly in the nuclei of the neurons. Some significant differences in brain and lung lesions were observed between foxes and mustelids. Swiss CDV isolates shared together with a Hungarian CDV strain detected in 2004. In vitro analysis of the hemagglutinin protein from one of the Swiss CDV strains revealed functional and structural differences from that of the reference strain A75/17, with the Swiss strain showing increased surface expression and binding efficiency to the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). These features might be part of a novel molecular signature, which might have contributed to an increase in virus pathogenicity, partially explaining the high morbidity and mortality, the rapid spread, and the large host spectrum observed in this outbreak.
Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Cyclically Impairs Long Bone Trabecular Modeling in Experimental Persistently Infected Fetuses
Authors: Webb B. T. , Norrdin R. W. , Smirnova N. P. , Campen H. Van , Weiner C. M. , Antoniazzi A. Q. , Bielefeldt-Ohmann H. , Hansen T. R.
Published: February 2012

Persistent infection (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has been associated with osteopetrosis and other long bone lesions, most commonly characterized as transverse zones of unmodeled metaphyseal trabeculae in fetuses and calves. This study was undertaken to characterize the morphogenesis of fetal long bone lesions. Forty-six BVDV-naïve pregnant Hereford heifers of approximately 18 months of age were inoculated with noncytopathic BVDV type 2 containing media or media alone on day 75 of gestation to produce PI and control fetuses, respectively, which were collected via cesarean section on days 82, 89, 97, 192, and 245 of gestation. Radiographic and histomorphometric abnormalities were first detected on day 192, at which age PI fetal long bone metaphyses contained focal densities (4 of 7 fetuses) and multiple alternating transverse radiodense bands (3 of 7 fetuses). Day 245 fetuses were similarly affected. Histomorphometric analysis of proximal tibial metaphyses from day 192 fetuses revealed transverse zones with increased calcified cartilage core (Cg.V/BV, %) and trabecular bone (BV/TV, %) volumes in regions corresponding to radiodense bands ( P < .05). Numbers of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase positive osteoclasts (N.Oc/BS, #/mm2) and bone perimeter occupied (Oc.S/BS, %) were both decreased ( P < .05). Mineralizing surface (MS/BS, %), a measure of tissue level bone formation activity, was reduced in PI fetuses ( P < .05). It is concluded that PI with BVDV induces cyclic abnormal trabecular modeling, which is secondary to reduced numbers of osteoclasts. The factors responsible for these temporal changes are unknown but may be related to the time required for osteoclast differentiation from precursor cells.
When humans are the exception: Cross-species databases at the interface of biological and clinical research
Authors: Leonelli Sabina
Published: February 2012

Cross-species comparison has long been regarded as a stepping-stone for medical research, enabling the discovery and testing of prospective treatments before they undergo clinical trial on humans. Post-genomic medicine has made cross-species comparison crucial in another respect: the ‘community databases’ developed to collect and disseminate data on model organisms are now often used as a template for the dissemination of data on humans and as a tool for comparing results of medical significance across the human-animal boundary. This paper identifies and discusses four key problems encountered by database curators when integrating human and non-human data within the same database: (1) picking criteria for what counts as reliable evidence, (2) selecting metadata, (3) standardising and describing research materials and (4) choosing nomenclature to classify data. An analysis of these hurdles reveals epistemic disagreement and controversies underlying cross-species comparisons, which in turn highlight important differences in the experimental cultures of biologists and clinicians trying to make sense of these data. By considering database development through the eyes of curators, this study casts new light on the complex conjunctions of biological and clinical practice, model organisms and human subjects, and material and virtual sources of evidence – thus emphasizing the fragmented, localized and inherently translational nature of biomedicine.
Pharmaceutical prospects: Biopharming and the geography of technological expectations
Authors: Milne Richard
Published: February 2012

The paper explores the role of imagined geographies in the shaping of new technologies. I argue that the role of place in future-oriented visions of technoscience is a neglected topic in studies of the social shaping of technology. The paper proposes an approach that combines the sociology of expectations with the geography of science. It focuses on the interplay between envisaged and current geographies to highlight the recursive dynamics of place and imagination. To illustrate this approach, the paper discusses the example of biopharming, the production of biopharmaceuticals using genetically modified crops. I argue that expectations for biopharming bear the imprint of place, or rather of the places in which they are imagined, as well as those they imagine, and ultimately those they produce. I use this example to suggest how social studies of science and technology can usefully investigate the spaces, places and scales of technological development.
Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus
Authors: Hunt Kenneth J. , Lee Arthur T. , Lindsey Derek P. , Slikker William , Chou Loretta B.
Published: February 2012

Background: Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are a common cause of ankle pain and disability. Current clinical guidelines favor autogenous or allogenic osteochondral grafting procedures for lesions larger than 10 mm in diameter because of increased failure rates in these larger lesions with arthroscopic debridement, curettage, and microfracture. There are currently no biomechanical data nor level I clinical data supporting this size threshold.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of OLT defect size on stress concentration, rim stress, and location of peak stress and whether a threshold defect size exists.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods: Progressively larger medial OLTs were created (6, 8, 10, and 12 mm) in 8 fresh-frozen cadaveric ankle joints. With a calibrated Tekscan pressure sensor in the tibiotalar joint, an axial load of 686 N was applied, and pressure was recorded in neutral and 15° of plantar flexion with each defect size. Peak stress, contact area, peak and average rim stresses, and location of peak stress were determined.

Results: The distance between peak stress and defect rim was significantly decreased with increasing defect size for lesions of 10 mm and larger. Total tibiotalar contact area was significantly decreased with increasing defect size and with ankle plantar flexion. While peak joint stress and peak rim stress were not affected by defect size or plantar flexion, average rim stress was significantly increased by plantar flexion.

Conclusion: Reduction in contact area and shift in the location of peak stress with increasing defect size may contribute to articular cartilage degeneration, pain, and defect enlargement in patients with OLTs. There appears to be a threshold of 10 mm after which the distance between the rim of the defect and the peak stress decreases; however, there is no change in peak stress magnitude with increasing defect size.

Clinical Relevance: The location of peak stress in the ankle joint becomes closer to the rim of the defect in OLTs at a threshold of 10 mm and greater in diameter. These data may have implications toward OLT size thresholds for surgical decision making in symptomatic lesions (ie, primary osteochondral transplantation procedure vs curettage and debridement). The ultimate goal is to determine whether there is a threshold defect size for primary osteoarticular graft techniques.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Stimulates Cell Proliferation and Enhances Matrix Gene Expression and Synthesis in Tenocytes From Human Rotator Cuff Tendons With Degenerative Tears
Authors: Jo Chris Hyunchul , Kim Ji Eun , Yoon Kang Sup , Shin Sue
Published: February 2012

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains various growth factors and appears to have a potential to promote tendon healing, but evidence is lacking regarding its effect on human tenocytes from rotator cuff tendons with degenerative tears.

Hypothesis: Platelet-rich plasma stimulates cell proliferation and enhances matrix gene expression and synthesis in tenocytes isolated from human rotator cuff tendons with degenerative tears.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: Tenocytes were enzymatically isolated and cultured. To evaluate cell proliferation, tenocytes were cultured with 10% (vol/vol) platelet-poor plasma (PPP), PRP activated with calcium, and PRP activated with calcium and thrombin at platelet concentrations of 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, and 16,000 × 103/µL for 14 days. Cell number was measured at days 7 and 14. To investigate matrix gene expression and synthesis, cells were cultured with a PPP or PRP gel (10% vol/vol) at a platelet concentration of 1000 × 103/µL for 14 days. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expressions of type I and III collagen, decorin, tenascin-C, and scleraxis, and measurements of total collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis were conducted at days 7 and 14.

Results: Platelet-rich plasma significantly increased cell proliferation at days 7 and 14 in a dose-dependent manner, and the addition of thrombin moved up the plateau of proliferation. Platelet-rich plasma significantly induced the gene expression of type I collagen at day 7 but not at day 14, while it significantly promoted that of type III both at days 7 and 14. The ratio of type III/I collagens did not change at days 7 and 14. The expressions of decorin and scleraxis significantly increased at day 14, whereas that of tenascin-C significantly increased at days 7 and 14. Platelet-rich plasma significantly increased total collagen synthesis at days 7 and 14 and GAG synthesis at day 14.

Conclusion: Platelet-rich plasma promoted cell proliferation and enhanced gene expression and the synthesis of tendon matrix in tenocytes from human rotator cuff tendons with degenerative tears.

Clinical Relevance: These findings suggest that PRP might be used as a useful biological tool for regenerative healing of rotator cuff tears by enhancing the proliferation and matrix synthesis of tenocytes from tendons with degenerative tears.
Seeking and Using Service User Input to Improve Clinical Services
Authors: Healy Kevin , Boyd Cathy
Published: February 2012

This article uses the contributions of one particular service user to highlight the value of seeking and using service user input into the design, delivery and evaluation of clinical services. The voices of patients have often gone unheard and unheeded on such issues. The Cassel Hospital, which is usually seen as a champion for listening to the views of patients, is used to exemplify the very real difficulties involved in true listening. It is seen to have been difficult and complicated for us in that institution to give up a more paternalistic omniscient stance. However the many values of true listening makes it easier, once started, to continue with seeking and using service user input to improve clinical services. Transference is seen to be robust. We end with a challenge to colleagues working in other psychotherapy service settings to seek to find the value for them in involving and listening to the views of service users.
Can Group Therapy Survive NICE? A Wider Perspective on the Systematic Review
Authors: Kennard David
Published: February 2012

This article traces the fluctuating interest in research in group analysis since the 1970s and how resistance to evidence-based research was eventually overcome by threats posed by NHS commissioning, leading to the joint IGA/GAS commissioning of the systematic review of the effectiveness of group analysis and dynamic group psychotherapy. The findings and recommendations of the review appear to pose a strategic choice between accepting the rules of the ‘evidence game’ or setting our own standards for meaningful research. Both involve the need to ‘sell’ group analysis. Five steps are suggested as a combination of the two strategies.
Can the Clinician–Researcher Gap be Bridged? Experiences from a Randomized Clinical Trial in Analytic/Dynamic Group Psychotherapy
Authors: Horneland Marthe , Børnes Dagny Sande , Høbye Kirsten , Knutsen Helge , Lorentzen Steinar
Published: February 2012

This article describes how four seasoned clinicians and group analysts working in public mental health services, experience their participation in a randomized trial of short-term versus long-term analytic group psychotherapy (20 or 80 sessions). The design makes it possible to integrate the research with regular clinical practice, and participation gives the institutions the opportunity to fulfil obligations of doing research, that are imposed on the Community Mental Health Centres. The experiences are mainly described from the clinicians’ position, but some comments from the research director are included. The collaboration across approximately five years is found to be interesting and rewarding. Based on the assumption that further steps are made to strengthen and develop the qualitative aspects of such projects, the clinicians recommend such collaboration as a feasible and useful way to build and maintain a bridge across the gap that too often seems to separate researchers and clinicians. This is assumed to be profitable for everyone involved, not least the patients.
Being Economical with the Evidence
Authors: Haigh Rex
Published: February 2012

The systematic review undertaken for the Group Analytic Community by Sheffield University is an excellent piece of work ‘of its time’, but it may not speak to everybody in the field. Some of the reasons for this are the precise methodology of such reviews, concerned with an exclusively rationalist model for selecting and appraising evidence in a framework, which excludes other schools of thought (particularly the social sciences, including critical theory, anthropology and economics). As many of those who work in group analysis have backgrounds in these and allied disciplines, rather than biomedical science, there is a risk of excluding much useful and scholarly collaboration with adjacent disciplines unless we hold an open mind about such methodologies. As group analysts, we are in a strong position to observe and criticize the ‘evidence-based hegemony’ when it becomes closer to dogma than science.

This article is based on a talk given to a Group Analytic Society conference entitled ‘Can Group Therapy Survive NICE?’ held in London on 29 January 2010.
Mapping the Matrix: Using Compendium as a Tool for Recording the Analytic Group
Authors: Brown Marion , Downie Andrew , Buckingham Shum Simon
Published: February 2012

This article describes the application of Compendium, a knowledge cartography software tool, for the recording of group process. As a hypertext tool, it enables analysts to visualize connections between people, ideas and information, establishing an evidence base within and across contexts (such as group sessions). After customizing its visual language, templates and keyword system, it has been piloted as a research tool for the measurement of group process. This would appear to hold the promise of providing a ‘digital substrate’ for recording, discussing and analysing long term group dynamics in new ways. While the project is in its early stages, early indications are that it is a useful tool, which can highlight group process and record change over time. In the longer term, it seems plausible that group processes such as multiple mirroring and identification, and such complex structures as the matrix, could be made visible and researchable through this methodology.
Effect of levosimendan injection on oxidative stress of rat myocardium
Authors: Başel Halil , Kavak Servet , Demir Halit , Meral Ismail , Ekim Hasan , Bektaş Hava
Published: February 2012

This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of levosimendan injection on lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant glutathione (GSH) levels, and activities of antioxidant enzymes in myocardium of rats. Twenty male Wistar-albino rats were divided randomly into 2 study groups, each consisting of 10 rats. The animals in the first group were not treated with drug and served as control. It was found that the MDA and GSH levels decreased in levosimendan injected group. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and carbonic anhydrase enzyme activities were lower in levosimendan injected group than controls. It was concluded that lower tissue free radical level caused by levosimendan injection led to a lower antioxidant enzymes synthesis in the body and a decrease in the antioxidant enzyme activity and free radical scavenger level in myocardium of rat.
Jody Williams: Nobel Laureate’s Insights on Activism and Social Work
Authors: Saleh Mahasin F.
Published: February 2012

Jody Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines in 1997. She is the chairwoman of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, which was established by the sister Nobel Peace Laureates in 2006. Williams is also the first Nobel Laureate since Jane Addams to teach social work. As a longtime grassroots activist, she urges individuals to take action for a better world. This article includes excerpts from an interview in which Williams shares her insights with social workers, students, and educators about activism, social work, and justice and equality for women.
Love, rights and solidarity: Studying children’s participation using Honneth’s theory of recognition
Authors: Thomas Nigel
Published: February 2012

Recent attempts to theorize children’s participation have drawn on a wide range of ideas, concepts and models from political and social theory. The aim of this article is to explore the specific usefulness of Honneth’s theory of a ‘struggle for recognition’ in thinking about this area of practice. The article identifies what is distinctive about Honneth’s theory of recognition, and how it differs from other theories of recognition. It then considers the relevance of Honneth’s conceptual framework to the social position of children, including those who may be involved in a variety of ‘participatory’ activities. It looks at how useful Honneth’s ideas are in direct engagement with young people’s praxis, drawing on ethnographic research with members of a children and young people’s forum. The article concludes by reflecting on the implications of this theoretical approach and the further questions which it opens up for theories of participation and of adult–child relations more generally.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Bone Marrow Transplant
Authors: Madonia Lara
Published: February 2012

The first attempted bone marrow transplant (BMT) dates back to 1896. In the following centuries, the medical community pioneered an ongoing progression of breakthroughs. In 1954 the first successful solid organ transplant, the kidney, was performed. In the 1960s advances led to the first successful lung, pancreas, liver and heart transplant and in 1973 the first successful BMT was achieved. BMT has traditionally been used to treat malignant diseases. However, scientific and technological progress has expanded its scope and today, BMT is used to treat a spectrum of diseases. While BMT is a complex procedure, the medical community expects that it will one day play a role in the treatment of other diseases. As the science evolves, it is essential that nurses educate themselves about these emerging transplant populations, one of which is children with osteogenesis impefecta. This manuscript will provide nurses with a critical background on the disease, a description of the transplant theory, and the implications for the nursing care of these children.
School Liaison Program for Children With Brain Tumors
Authors: Bruce Beth S. , Newcombe Janice , Chapman Ann
Published: February 2012

A school liaison program that familiarized teachers with the implications of each child’s brain tumor treatment with respect to learning, behavior, and socialization was implemented. The study explored the experiences of nine families and their teachers and health staff who participated in the program. The successes and challenges of the program were captured through interviews that were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim for data analysis. Individualized programs were negotiated between families and education staff to address behavioral, academic, and social needs of each child. Children were able to learn to their ability rather than be judged on the achievements of their respective grade levels. Parents reported that the program strengthened their advocacy skills and improved the children’s social and learning achievements. Teachers reported an improved ability to provide more comprehensive educational programming suited to the child’s needs. Overall, most children in the program achieved or exceeded their initial academic, social, and behavioral expectations. The school liaison program demonstrated significant potential to enhance the learning experience for children with brain tumors.