bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perineural Dexmedetomidine Added to Ropivacaine for Sciatic Nerve Block in Rats Prolongs the Duration of Analgesia by Blocking the Hyperpolarization-activated Cation Current
Authors: Brummett Chad M. , Hong Elizabeth K. , Janda Allison M. , Amodeo Francesco S. , Lydic Ralph
Published: June 2011

Background

The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that the increased duration of analgesia caused by adding dexmedetomidine to local anesthetic results from blockade of the hyperpolarization-activated cation (I(h)) current.

Methods

In this randomized, blinded, controlled study, the analgesic effects of peripheral nerve blocks using 0.5% ropivacaine alone or 0.5% ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine (34 μM or 6 μg/kg) were assessed with or without the pretreatment of α(1)- and α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists (prazosin and idazoxan, respectively) and antagonists and agonists of the I(h) current (ZD 7288 and forskolin, respectively). Sciatic nerve blocks were performed, and analgesia was measured by paw withdrawal latency to a thermal stimulus every 30 min for 300 min postblock.

Results

The analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine was not reversed by either prazosin or idazoxan. There were no additive or attenuated effects from the pretreatment with ZD 7288 (I(h) current blocker) compared with dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine. When forskolin was administered as a pretreatment to ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine, there were statistically significant reductions in duration of analgesia at time points 90-180 min (P < 0.0001 for each individual comparison). The duration of blockade for the forskolin (768 μM) followed by ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine group mirrored the pattern of the ropivacaine alone group, thereby implying a reversal effect.

Conclusion

Dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine caused approximately a 75% increase in the duration of analgesia, which was reversed by pretreatment with an I(h) current enhancer. The analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine was not reversed by an α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist.
Searching for the most cost-effective strategy for controlling epidemics spreading on regular and small-world networks
Authors: Kleczkowski Adam , Oleś Katarzyna , Gudowska-Nowak Ewa , Gilligan Christopher A.
Published: June 2011

We present a combined epidemiological and economic model for control of diseases spreading on local and small-world networks. The disease is characterized by a pre-symptomatic infectious stage that makes detection and control of cases more difficult. The effectiveness of local (ring-vaccination or culling) and global control strategies is analysed by comparing the net present values of the combined cost of preventive treatment and illness. The optimal strategy is then selected by minimizing the total cost of the epidemic. We show that three main strategies emerge, with treating a large number of individuals (global strategy, GS), treating a small number of individuals in a well-defined neighbourhood of a detected case (local strategy) and allowing the disease to spread unchecked (null strategy, NS). The choice of the optimal strategy is governed mainly by a relative cost of palliative and preventive treatments. If the disease spreads within the well-defined neighbourhood, the local strategy is optimal unless the cost of a single vaccine is much higher than the cost associated with hospitalization. In the latter case, it is most cost-effective to refrain from prevention. Destruction of local correlations, either by long-range (small-world) links or by inclusion of many initial foci, expands the range of costs for which the NS is most cost-effective. The GS emerges for the case when the cost of prevention is much lower than the cost of treatment and there is a substantial non-local component in the disease spread. We also show that local treatment is only desirable if the disease spreads on a small-world network with sufficiently few long-range links; otherwise it is optimal to treat globally. In the mean-field case, there are only two optimal solutions, to treat all if the cost of the vaccine is low and to treat nobody if it is high. The basic reproduction ratio,R0, does not depend on the rate of responsive treatment in this case and the disease always invades (but might be stopped afterwards). The details of the local control strategy, and in particular the optimal size of the control neighbourhood, are determined by the epidemiology of the disease. The properties of the pathogen might not be known in advance for emerging diseases, but the broad choice of the strategy can be made based on economic analysis only.
Generalized methods and solvers for noise removal from piecewise constant signals. I. Background theory
Authors: Little Max A. , Jones Nick S.
Published: June 2011

Removing noise from piecewise constant (PWC) signals is a challenging signal processing problem arising in many practical contexts. For example, in exploration geosciences, noisy drill hole records need to be separated into stratigraphic zones, and in biophysics, jumps between molecular dwell states have to be extracted from noisy fluorescence microscopy signals. Many PWC denoising methods exist, including total variation regularization, mean shift clustering, stepwise jump placement, running medians, convex clustering shrinkage and bilateral filtering; conventional linear signal processing methods are fundamentally unsuited. This paper (part I, the first of two) shows that most of these methods are associated with a special case of a generalized functional, minimized to achieve PWC denoising. The minimizer can be obtained by diverse solver algorithms, including stepwise jump placement, convex programming, finite differences, iterated running medians, least angle regression, regularization path following and coordinate descent. In the second paper, part II, we introduce novel PWC denoising methods, and comparisons between these methods performed on synthetic and real signals, showing that the new understanding of the problem gained in part I leads to new methods that have a useful role to play.
Ontogenetic immune challenges shape adult personality in mallard ducks
Authors: Butler Michael W. , Toomey Matthew B. , McGraw Kevin J. , Rowe Melissah
Published: June 2011

Consistent individual differences in behaviour are widespread in animals, but the proximate mechanisms driving these differences remain largely unresolved. Parasitism and immune challenges are hypothesized to shape the expression of animal personality traits, but few studies have examined the influence of neonatal immune status on the development of adult personality. We examined how non-pathogenic immune challenges, administered at different stages of development, affected two common measures of personality, activity and exploratory behaviour, as well as colour-dependent novel object exploration in adult male mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). We found that individuals that were immune-challenged during the middle (immediately following the completion of somatic growth) and late (during the acquisition of nuptial plumage) stages of development were more active in novel environments as adults relative to developmentally unchallenged birds or those challenged at an earlier developmental time point. Additionally, individuals challenged during the middle stage of development preferred orange and avoided red objects more than those that were not immune-challenged during development. Our results demonstrate that, in accordance with our predictions, early-life immune system perturbations alter the expression of personality traits later in life, emphasizing the role that developmental plasticity plays in shaping adult personality, and lending support to recent theoretical models that suggest that parasite pressure may play an important role in animal personality development.
Persistence of high diversity in non-equilibrium ecological communities: implications for modern and fossil ecosystems
Authors: Olszewski Thomas D.
Published: June 2011

Explaining the origin and maintenance of biodiversity is critical for understanding the potential consequences of present-day environmental change on ecological communities, as well as the evolutionary history of ecosystems in the Earth's past. Much effort in theoretical ecology has focused on identifying mechanisms that promote stable coexistence of species at equilibrium. However, in a consumer–resource model of competition along an environmental gradient, high-diversity assemblages have the potential to persist in non-equilibrium states for millions of generations with very little species loss. Species' populations in such competitively accommodated communities show slow drift; if disrupted, they rapidly reorganize into alternative persistent states. Fossil examples of prolonged ecological stability lasting 1–5 Myr punctuated by rapid reorganization (e.g. brachiopods from the Permian Reef of west Texas) suggest that some palaeocommunities represent a record of periodically disrupted transient states rather than stable equilibria. The similarity between the theoretical results reported here and palaeontological data suggests that the maintenance of high-diversity communities, both in the past and present, may reflect long-duration, non-equilibrium transient dynamics. If so, this has implications for the response of such communities to present-day environmental change, as well as for the evolution of lineages in such systems.
Rapid, Organ-Specific Transcriptional Responses to Light Regulate Photomorphogenic Development in Dicot Seedlings
Authors: Li Ying , Swaminathan Kankshita , Hudson Matthew E.
Published: June 2011

The dicotyledon seedling undergoes organ-specific photomorphogenic development when exposed to light. The cotyledons open and expand, the apical hook opens, and the hypocotyl ceases to elongate. Using the large and easily dissected seedlings of soybean (Glycine max ‘Williams 82’), we show that genes involved in photosynthesis and its regulation dominate transcripts specific to the cotyledon, even in etiolated seedlings. Genes for cell wall biosynthesis and metabolism are expressed at higher levels in the hypocotyl, while examination of genes expressed at higher levels in the hook region (including the shoot apical meristem) reveals genes involved in cell division and protein turnover. The early transcriptional events in these three organs in response to a 1-h treatment of far-red light are highly distinctive. Not only are different regulatory genes rapidly regulated by light in each organ, but the early-responsive genes in each organ contain a distinctive subset of known light-responsive cis-regulatory elements. We detected specific light-induced gene expression for the root phototropism gene RPT2 in the apical hook and also phenotypes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) rpt2 mutants demonstrating that the gene is necessary for normal photomorphogenesis in the seedling apex. Significantly, expression of the RPT2 promoter fused to a β-glucuronidase reporter gene shows differential expression across the hook region. We conclude that organ-specific, light-responsive transcriptional networks are active early in photomorphogenesis in the aerial parts of dicotyledon seedlings.
Population pharmacokinetics of atazanavir/ritonavir in HIV‐1‐infected children and adolescents
Authors: Foissac Frantz , Blanche Stéphane , Dollfus Catherine , Hirt Déborah , Firtion Ghislaine , Laurent Corinne , Treluyer Jean‐Marc , Urien Saïk
Published: June 2011

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Population pharmacokinetics has been studied in adult patients. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) co‐medication could decrease atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) exposure.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• This first ATV/r population analysis in children and adolescents provides useful insights into the fate of this drug and shows that the allometric scaling of clearance and volume parameters based on bodyweight reduced the associated between‐subject variability. Moreover, the effects of combined ritonavir and tenofovir on ATV clearance are precisely quantified.

AIMS To investigate atazanavir (ATV) population pharmacokinetics in children and adolescents, establish factors that influence ATV pharmacokinetics and investigate the ATV exposure after recommended doses.

METHODS Atazanavir concentrations were measured in 51 children/adolescents during a mean therapeutic monitoring follow up of 6.6 months. A total of 151 ATV plasma concentrations were obtained, and a population pharmacokinetic model was developed with NONMEM. Patients received ATV alone or boosted with ritonavir.

RESULTS Atazanavir pharmacokinetics was best described by a one‐compartment model with first‐order absorption and elimination. The effect of bodyweight was added on both apparent elimination clearance (CL/F) and volume of distribution using allometric scaling. Atazanavir CL/F was reduced by ritonavir by 45%. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) co‐medication (300 mg) increased significantly by 25% the atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) CL/F. Mean ATV/r CL/F values with or without TDF were 8.9 and 7.1 L h−1 (70 kg)−1, respectively. With the recommended 250/100 mg and 300/100 mg ATV/r doses, the exposure was higher than the mean adult steady‐state exposure in the bodyweight range of 32–50 kg.

CONCLUSIONS To target the mean adult exposure, children should receive the following once‐daily ATV/r dose: 200/100 mg from 25 to 39 kg, 250/100 mg from 39 to 50 kg and 300/100 mg above 50 kg. When 300 mg TDF is co‐administered, children should receive (ATV/r) at 250/100 mg between 35 and 39 kg, then 300/100 mg over 39 kg.
Predictors of treatment difficulties and satisfaction with haemophilia therapy in adult patients
Authors: REMOR E.
Published: June 2011

Summary.  Adherence is a complex and multifaceted behaviour. The study of factors influencing adherence behaviour, including difficulties with treatment and treatment satisfaction (TS), are still needed. This research report describes different questions related to treatment adherence, focusing on perceived barriers and difficulties with treatment, satisfaction with treatment and risk factors that help explain the experience of difficulties and low TS. A cross‐sectional study assessing 121 Spanish adult patients (range 17–70) collected information about the characteristics of treatment, perceived barriers to treatment, difficulties and satisfaction with treatment and negative affect. The results show differences in difficulties and satisfaction with treatment depending on haemophilia severity level and describe an association of negative affect with the greater experience of treatment difficulties and lower TS. In conclusion, perceived barriers, level of skills related to self‐treatment, haemophilia severity level and affective state are important predictors of treatment difficulties and satisfaction with treatment and these should be taken into account in strategies for improving compliance and maintaining quality of life.
Mechanisms of Phragmites australis invasion: feedbacks among genetic diversity, nutrients, and sexual reproduction
Authors: Kettenring Karin M. , McCormick Melissa K. , Baron Heather M. , Whigham Dennis F.
Published: June 2011

1. A fundamental challenge to invasion ecology is to determine what factors cause an exotic species to spread rapidly long after the initial introduction. The increase of a resource (e.g. nitrogen) could trigger an expansion, but in other instances, species have overcome biological limitations (e.g. an Allee effect) like accumulating sufficient genetic diversity for successful reproduction. Understanding the ecological mechanisms governing plant invasions, such as nutrient enrichment or Allee effects, can be used to improve invasive plant management.

2. We used the invasive, introduced grass Phragmites australis as a model to evaluate the role of nutrient enrichment and Allee effects in invasion. Based on recent studies that demonstrated the importance of sexual reproduction in this plant’s spread, we chose to focus our efforts on reproductive output. We examined the effects of patch‐level genetic diversity on viable seed production across watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay, USA, with differing levels of anthropogenic development (a proxy for nutrient enrichment). In an outdoor mesocosm experiment, we treated Phragmites plants originating from forested and developed watersheds with elevated vs. ambient nutrients and cross vs. self‐pollination and determined the effects on viable seed, floret and inflorescence production.

3. The proportion of viable seeds produced at field sites varied widely and was not directly related to watershed development. Instead, seed viability was positively related to patch‐level genetic diversity, and patches in more developed watersheds had higher genetic diversity. Also, plants in larger patches produced a higher proportion of viable seeds. In the mesocosm experiment, seed viability was substantially higher for out‐crossed plants. Elevated nutrients resulted in greater floret and inflorescence production, particularly for plants originating from developed vs. forested watersheds.

4. These findings have important management implications: small populations should be controlled before they accumulate sufficient genetic variation for prolific viable seed production, and landscape‐scale nutrient management could further limit reproductive output.

5. Synthesis and applications. Our research shows how nutrient enrichment and a weak Allee effect can interact across multiple scales to impact invasion success and how understanding the ecological mechanisms governing plant invasions can be used to better inform invasive plant management.
Proton‐driven sucrose symport and antiport are provided by the vacuolar transporters SUC4 and TMT1/2
Authors: Schulz Alexander , Beyhl Diana , Marten Irene , Wormit Alexandra , Neuhaus Ekkehard , Poschet Gernot , Büttner Michael , Schneider Sabine , Sauer Norbert , Hedrich Rainer
Published: June 2011

The vacuolar membrane is involved in solute uptake into and release from the vacuole, which is the largest plant organelle. In addition to inorganic ions and metabolites, large quantities of protons and sugars are shuttled across this membrane. Current models suggest that the proton gradient across the membrane drives the accumulation and/or release of sugars. Recent studies have associated AtSUC4 with the vacuolar membrane. Some members of the SUC family are plasma membrane proton/sucrose symporters. In addition, the sugar transporters TMT1 and TMT2, which are localized to the vacuolar membrane, have been suggested to function in proton‐driven glucose antiport. Here we used the patch‐clamp technique to monitor carrier‐mediated sucrose transport by AtSUC4 and AtTMTs in intact Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll vacuoles. In the whole‐vacuole configuration with wild‐type material, cytosolic sucrose‐induced proton currents were associated with a proton/sucrose antiport mechanism. To identify the related transporter on one hand, and to enable the recording of symporter‐mediated currents on the other hand, we electrophysiologically characterized vacuolar proteins recognized by Arabidopsis mutants of partially impaired sugar compartmentation. To our surprise, the intrinsic sucrose/proton antiporter activity was greatly reduced when vacuoles were isolated from plants lacking the monosaccharide transporter AtTMT1/TMT2. Transient expression of AtSUC4 in this mutant background resulted in proton/sucrose symport activity. From these studies, we conclude that, in the natural environment within the Arabidopsis cell, AtSUC4 most likely catalyses proton‐coupled sucrose export from the vacuole. However, TMT1/2 probably represents a proton‐coupled antiporter capable of high‐capacity loading of glucose and sucrose into the vacuole.
Validation study of the Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire in a multi‐ethnic Asian population
Authors: Mahadeva Sanjiv , Chan Wah‐Kheong , Mohazmi Mohammed , Sujarita Ramanujam , Goh Khean‐Lee
Published: June 2011

Background and Aim:  Outcome measures for clinical trials in dyspepsia require an assessment of symptom response. There is a lack of validated instruments assessing dyspepsia symptoms in the Asian region. We aimed to translate and validate the Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire (LDQ) in a multi‐ethnic Asian population.

Methods:  A Malay and culturally adapted English version of the LDQ were developed according to established protocols. Psychometric evaluation was performed by assessing the validity, internal consistency, test‐retest reliability and responsiveness of the instruments in both primary and secondary care patients.

Results:  Between April and September 2010, both Malay (n = 166) and Malaysian English (n = 154) versions were assessed in primary and secondary care patients. Both language versions were found to be reliable (internal consistency was 0.80 and 0.74 (Cronbach's α) for Malay and English, respectively; spearman's correlation coefficient for test‐retest reliability was 0.98 for both versions), valid (area under receiver operating curve for accuracy of diagnosing dyspepsia was 0.71 and 0.77 for Malay and English versions, respectively), discriminative (median LDQ score discriminated between primary and secondary care patients in Malay (11.0 vs 20.0, P < 0.0001) and English (10.0 vs 14.0, P = 0.001), and responsive (median LDQ score reduced after treatment in Malay (17.0 to 14.0, P = 0.08) and English (18.0 to 11.0, P = 0.008) to dyspepsia.

Conclusions:  The Malaysian versions of the LDQ are valid, reliable and responsive instruments for assessing symptoms in a multi‐ethnic Asian population with dyspepsia.
Effect of warfarin on menstruation and menstrual management of the adolescent on warfarin
Authors: Peake Lyndal J , Grover Sonia R , Monagle Paul T , Kennedy Andrew D
Published: June 2011

Aim:  The aim of this study was to review a consecutive cohort of adolescent females on warfarin to determine the effect of warfarin on menstruation, management options and their perceived efficacy.

Methods:  All female patients on warfarin, over the age of 10 years, as of 31 August 2006, were identified using the Department of Haematology (Royal Children's Hospital) warfarin database. The presence of menorrhagia was defined by clinical indicators.

Results:  Of 81 adolescent females on warfarin, 24 (30%) were referred to gynaecology due to a concern about heavy periods and one for anticipatory guidance, on the basis of impending menarche. In 18 cases (22% of the cohort), menorrhagia could be substantiated on the basis of clinical indicators. Nineteen patients required treatment for menorrhagia with the options for treatment being the combined oral contraceptive pill, subdermal hormone administrations, tranexamic acid and the progesterone‐only contraceptive pill. Significant adolescent psychosocial stresses were identified in those adolescents taking warfarin.

Conclusions:  Adolescent females on warfarin commonly suffer from menorrhagia. Adolescent review of all teenage girls receiving warfarin therapy is indicated.
Effects of Nordic walking on health‐related quality of life in overweight individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, impaired or normal glucose tolerance
Authors: Fritz T. , Caidahl K. , Osler M. , Östenson C. G. , Zierath J. R. , Wändell P.
Published: June 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 1362–1372 (2011)

Aims  To assess the effects of 4 months of increased physical activity on health‐related quality of life in overweight individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, normal or impaired glucose tolerance.

Methods  We included 212 individuals without severe physical or cardiovascular impairments aged 61 (57–64) years, with BMI of 29 (27.5–32) kg/m2. Numbers are median (25th–75th percentile). Subjects were stratified based on normal glucose tolerance (n = 128), impaired glucose tolerance (n = 34) or Type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 50). They were randomized into either a control group (n = 125), who maintained unaltered habitual lifestyle, or an exercise intervention group (n = 87), who were directed to engage in Nordic walking with walking poles, 5 h per week over 4 months. Self‐reported physical activity and health‐related quality of life was assessed at the time of inclusion and after 4 months.

Results  Baseline health‐related quality of life of this study cohort was similar to, or better than, an age‐ and sex‐matched Swedish population sample, for 12 of 13 scales. Quality of sleep and BMI were improved for participants with normal glucose tolerance after 4 months of Nordic walking, with little or no musculoskeletal pain as compared with control subjects. No correlation was evident between improved quality of sleep and improved BMI.

Conclusions  Quality of sleep improved in the group with normal glucose tolerance following 4 months of Nordic walking. BMI reduction did not account for this improvement. Nordic walking can be introduced in a primary health care setting as a low‐cost mode of exercise that promotes weight loss and improved health satisfaction.
Fit for Work? The Influence of Sick Pay and Job Flexibility on Sickness Absence and Implications for Presenteeism
Authors: Irvine Annie
Published: June 2011

Recent developments in UK policy on health and employment have sought to change perceptions about what constitutes ‘fitness for work’. With the aim of reducing the incidence and duration of sickness absence, a range of initiatives, including the introduction of the ‘fit note’, are challenging the belief that it is necessary to be 100 per cent well in order to be at work. However, this article suggests that contextual factors independent of health may also influence people's decisions about whether or not to attend work at times of reduced wellness. Drawing upon data from a qualitative study of mental health and employment, this article illustrates how the terms and conditions of a person's employment may influence sickness absence decisions in a number of ways. It is argued that sick pay provisions, size of employer and nature of work may influence both decisions to take time off and decisions about when to return to work. The degree of flexibility to manage one's workload around times of poorer health may also have a bearing on whether people feel able to carry on with their work without recourse to sickness absence. Therefore, it may be important for policy interventions to consider not only health circumstances but also structural/contextual influences on conceptualizations of being ‘fit for work’. The implications of such contextually‐influenced decision‐making for ‘presenteeism’ are also considered. It is suggested that current conceptualizations of presenteeism are somewhat ambiguous; employees coming to work despite ill health is simultaneously presented as a problem and an aspiration.
AFRICAN TOURISM GEOGRAPHIES: EXISTING PATHS AND NEW DIRECTIONS
Authors: ROGERSON CHRISTIAN M. , VISSER GUSTAV
Published: June 2011

In the global profile of scholarship on tourism geographies, Africa is the least represented continent. With Africa's incorporation into the global tourism economy, considerable optimism has been raised by many national governments as well as external international development agencies as to the potential contribution of tourism for social and economic development across the continent. The number of geographical voices interrogating the nexus of tourism and development is small but expanding. This paper provides a review of the existing paths and new directions of tourism geographies of the region of Southern Africa as the context for this special dossier. It is argued that tourism research and debates in Southern Africa are growing in importance, including an expansion of geographical research.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF TOURISM INCOME IN NAMIBIAN COMMUNAL LANDS: A NEW INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
Authors: LAPEYRE RENAUD
Published: June 2011

This paper applies a new institutional framework to analyse the generation and distribution of tourism income in Namibian communal lands. Utilising two of Williamson's four levels of institutions, it is shown that reallocating and securing property rights (rules of the game), is essential to allow rural communities to benefit from tourism activities on their land. Contingent to those rights and local communities' capacity and social capital, a typology of institutional arrangements (play of the game), is proposed that govern relationships between actors (local communities, the private sector and the State), in the tourism sector. Overall, this framework facilitates understanding of why and how actors craft specific governance structures in order to operate tourism activities, redistribute revenues and minimise transaction costs.
PLACE MARKETING IN SHRINKING EUROPE: SOME GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Authors: HOSPERS GERT‐JAN
Published: June 2011

One third of Europe's regions is confronted with a shrinking population: they are losing inhabitants due to ageing, low fertility and brain drain. To turn the tide, many local authorities invest in place marketing aimed at attracting new residents and firms. This paper deals with the question as to how useful place marketing to beat demographic shrinkage really is. Theoretical and empirical insights from geography (e.g. place fuzziness, sense of place and locational inertia), are used to argue that there are limits to place marketing to attract newcomers. To illustrate this argument, some examples and data from European territories are presented. We conclude that it is more useful for Europe's shrinking territories to focus on ‘warm’ marketing that tries to retain rather than to attract place customers.
ARDIS: knowledge‐based architecture for visual system configuration in dynamic surface inspection
Authors: Martín D. , Rincón M. , García‐Alegre M. C. , Guinea D.
Published: June 2011

Abstract: This work presents an approach to dynamic surface inspection in laminated materials based on the configuration of a visual system to obtain good quality control of the manufacturing surface. It aims to overcome some of the limitations of the single‐use visual inspection systems by integrating and differentiating knowledge. The configuration task for surface inspection is solved as a Configuration‐Design task according with the CommonKADS methodology. This task is analysed at the knowledge level and is decomposed into simple subtasks to reach the inference level. The generic domain knowledge involved in the configuration and revision tasks is differentiated in six types: initial, global, environment, real‐time, image quality and computer vision techniques. The main goal of the proposed architecture is to reuse this partitioned knowledge for the configuration and revision of different visual surface inspection systems. The architecture has been implemented in a platform that distinguishes several operation modes: visualization of specific surface inspection results, system configuration and knowledge injection. Results obtained in the configuration and revision tasks for two surface inspection systems, stainless‐steel and wood, are presented.
Type‐2 histone deacetylases as new regulators of elicitor‐induced cell death in plants
Authors: Bourque Stéphane , Dutartre Agnès , Hammoudi Valentin , Blanc Sabrina , Dahan Jennifer , Jeandroz Sylvain , Pichereaux Carole , Rossignol Michel , Wendehenne David
Published: June 2011

See also the Commentary by Ma and Berkowitz
The pharmacology of Adrenomedullin 2/Intermedin
Authors: Hong Yanguo , Hay Debbie L , Quirion Remi , Poyner David R
Published: June 2011

Adrenomedullin 2 (AM2) or intermedin is a member of the calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP)/calcitonin family of peptides and was discovered in 2004. Unlike other members of this family, no unique receptor has yet been identified for it. It is extensively distributed throughout the body. It causes hypotension when given peripherally, but when given into the CNS, it increases blood pressure and causes sympathetic activation. It also increases prolactin release, is anti‐diuretic and natriuretic and reduces food intake. Whilst its effects resemble those of AM, it is frequently more potent. Some characterization of AM2 has been done on molecularly defined receptors; the existing data suggest that it preferentially activates the AM2 receptor formed from calcitonin receptor‐like receptor and receptor activity modifying protein 3. On this complex, its potency is generally equivalent to that of AM. There is no known receptor‐activity where it is more potent than AM. In tissues and in animals it is frequently antagonised by CGRP and AM antagonists; however, situations exist in which an AM2 response is maintained even in the presence of supramaximal concentrations of these antagonists. Thus, there is a partial mismatch between the pharmacology seen in tissues and that on cloned receptors. The only AM2 antagonists are peptide fragments, and these have limited selectivity. It remains unclear as to whether novel AM2 receptors exist or whether the mismatch in pharmacology can be explained by factors such as metabolism.

LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Secretin Family (Class B) G Protein‐Coupled Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2012.166.issue‐1
A Src family kinase inhibitor improves survival in experimental acute liver failure associated with elevated cerebral and circulating vascular endothelial growth factor levels
Authors: Aspinall Richard J. , Weis Sara M. , Barnes Leo , Lutu‐Fuga Kimberly , Bylund David J. , Pockros Paul J. , Cheresh David A.
Published: June 2011

Background and aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) is frequently complicated by cerebral oedema, systemic inflammation and multiorgan dysfunction. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may stimulate liver regeneration but it can also be pro‐inflammatory, activating endothelial cells and increasing permeability, actions mediated through Src kinase signalling. We therefore examined whether a Src inhibitor could have therapeutic potential in ALF.

Methods: Murine ALF was induced with azoxymethane. Liver pathology was graded by a blinded examiner and apoptosis quantified by immunohistochemistry. Cerebral VEGF expression was imaged using VEGF‐green fluorescent protein transgenic mice. Circulating and macrophage‐secreted VEGF levels were measured. Experimental animals received a Src inhibitor or vehicle controls.

Results: VEGF was undetectable in normal plasma but reached a mean of 835 pg/ml at grade III encephalopathy (P<0.001). Ammonia, lipopolysaccharide and interferon‐gamma acted synergistically to enhance VEGF secretion by macrophages. Production of VEGF by cerebral cortical astrocytes increased with disease progression. Late treatment with inhibitors of Src or VEGF did not improve liver histology, encephalopathy or survival. However, early use of a Src kinase inhibitor significantly reduced hepatic injury, delayed encephalopathy and allowed 25% of mice to survive an otherwise lethal insult.

Conclusion: Systemic and cerebral VEGF levels are significantly elevated during experimental ALF and may be exacerbated by hyperammonemia and macrophage activation. Early use of a Src inhibitor reduced hepatocellular injury and enabled survival, indicating such agents may have some promise in the treatment of ALF.
Platelet transfusions in neonates: practices in the United States vary significantly from those in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
Authors: Cremer Malte , Sola‐Visner Martha , Roll Stephanie , Josephson Cassandra D. , Yilmaz Zeynep , Bührer Christoph , Dame Christof
Published: June 2011

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia affects 20% to 35% of patients admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Platelet (PLT) transfusions are usually administered to neonates with thrombocytopenia at higher thresholds than those used for older children or adults, although there is a paucity of evidence to guide these decisions.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this study, we used a Web‐based survey to investigate the PLT transfusion thresholds used in Level 1 NICUs (equivalent to Level 3 in the US) in three European countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland [AUT/GER/SUI]). This survey was identical to the one that was previously sent to US neonatologists, thus allowing for a direct comparison of their responses to 11 case‐based scenarios.

RESULTS: In nine of the scenarios, AUT/GER/SUI neonatologists selected substantially lower PLT transfusion thresholds than US neonatologists (p < 0.0001). Transfusion thresholds were more similar when treating neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and before invasive procedures. The clinical impact of these differences was estimated by extrapolating the AUT/GER/SUI versus the US answers to a cohort of neonates with a birth weight below 1000 g. This suggested that, in AUT/GER/SUI, these neonates would receive 167 PLT transfusions per 1000 infants, compared to 299 PLT transfusions in the United States.

CONCLUSION: This first international comparative survey on PLT transfusion practice in neonates reveals substantially higher transfusion thresholds in the United States than in AUT/GER/SUI. Well‐designed clinical studies are needed to address the risks and/or benefits of these different approaches.
Epicardial Scar in a Patient with no Apparent Heart Disease
Authors: CHINUSHI MASAOMI , IZUMI DAISUKE , FURUSHIMA HIROSHI , SATO AKINORI , IIJIMA KENICHI , HASEGAWA KANAE , AIZAWA YOSHIFUSA
Published: June 2011

A 35‐year‐old man, who had an episode of aborted sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation, suffered from multiple storms of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Conventional cardiac examinations did not reveal any structural heart diseases, and he had been treated by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator since 2007. At the latest admission, epicardial but not endocardial voltage mapping revealed a small area of low voltage at the left ventricular (LV) postero‐lateral wall where a delayed potential was recorded during sinus rhythm. Excellent pacemapping with a prolonged stimulus to QRS interval was obtained from the area, and a mid‐diastolic potential was recorded during the VT. Radiofrequency application terminated the VT and any VT became noninducible after the ablation. In some patients diagnosed as LV‐VT with no apparent heart disease, arrhythmogenic substrate may exist on the epicardial surface of the ventricle. (PACE 2012; 35:e136–e139)
Ecological characteristics of ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius from southern Baffin Island, Canada
Authors: Gallagher Colin P. , Dick Terry A.
Published: June 2011

Abstract –  Stable δ13C and δ15N isotopes, diet and parasites demonstrated that the prey consumed by ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius in a small lake on Baffin Island changed during the summer and also revealed intraspecific variation in their ecological niche. In July, there were differences in the diets of male and female ninespine stickleback as indicated by the stable isotopes, differences corroborated by the data on diet composition and the parasite fauna. Differences suggested that the sexes occupied different habitats during spawning. During July, females utilise the shallower littoral areas consuming zooplankton and benthic organisms, while males occupy deeper areas of the littoral zone feeding mainly on pelagic zooplankton. Parasite data support these observations as males had higher infections of copepod‐transmitted parasites than females. There appeared to be no segregation of resources between males and females in late August, although the diet of both male and female ninespine stickleback shifted towards more benthic organisms, compared with July. Differences in δ13C isotope, diet composition and infections of co‐occurring parasites demonstrated that sympatric ninespine stickleback and Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus captured in the littoral zone occupied separate niches. Ninespine stickleback preyed mainly on zooplankton and chironomids, while Arctic char consumed a greater variety of prey items, including zooplankton and larger‐sized prey such as insects and ninespine stickleback. The multifaceted approach improved our understanding of the trophic ecology of ninespine stickleback in southern Baffin Island and quantified resource use and dietary overlap with Arctic char.
Recruitment of Cellular Clathrin to Viral Factories and Disruption of Clathrin‐Dependent Trafficking
Authors: Ivanovic Tijana , Boulant Steeve , Ehrlich Marcelo , Demidenko Aleksander A. , Arnold Michelle M. , Kirchhausen Tomas , Nibert Max L.
Published: June 2011

The viral factories of mammalian reovirus (MRV) are cytoplasmic structures that serve as sites of viral genome replication and particle assembly. A 721‐aa MRV non‐structural protein, µNS, forms the factory matrix and recruits other viral proteins to these structures. In this report, we show that µNS contains a conserved C‐proximal sequence (711‐LIDFS‐715) that is similar to known clathrin‐box motifs and is required for recruitment of clathrin to viral factories. Clathrin recruitment by µNS occurs independently of infecting MRV particles or other MRV proteins. Ala substitution for a single Leu residue (mutation L711A) within the putative clathrin‐binding motif of µNS inhibits clathrin recruitment, but does not prevent formation or expansion of viral factories. Notably, clathrin‐dependent cellular functions, including both endocytosis and secretion, are disrupted in cells infected with MRV expressing wild‐type, but not L711A, µNS. These results identify µNS as a novel adaptor‐like protein that recruits cellular clathrin to viral factories, disrupting normal functions of clathrin in cellular membrane trafficking. To our knowledge, this is the only viral or bacterial protein yet shown to interfere with clathrin functions in this manner. The results additionally establish a new approach for studies of clathrin functions, based on µNS‐mediated sequestration.
Computer‐Aided‐Design/Computer‐Assisted‐Manufactured Adhesive Restoration of Molars with a Compromised Cusp: Effect of Fiber‐Reinforced Immediate Dentin Sealing and Cusp Overlap on Fatigue Strength
Authors: MAGNE PASCAL , BOFF LUÍS L. , ODERICH ELISA , CARDOSO ANTÔNIO C.
Published: June 2011

Statement of Problem:  Cracked teeth may traditionally require the use of complete coverage crowns. Alternative conservative treatments involve the use of adhesive inlays/onlays with the possibility of including a fiber patch to reinforce the cracked cusp.

Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fatigue strength of compromised molars restored with computer‐aided‐design/computer‐assisted‐manufactured (CAD/CAM) composite resin inlays/onlays with and without fiber‐reinforced immediate dentin sealing (IDS).

Methods and Materials:  Large mesio‐occluso‐distal preparations with cracked/undermined palatal cusps were simulated on 40 extracted maxillary molars. All teeth received IDS (Optibond FL, Kerr, Orange, CA, USA), and composite resin (Paradigm MZ100, 3M‐ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA) inlays (N = 20) and onlays (N = 20). A fiber patch (Ribbond, Ribbond Inc., Seattle, WA, USA) was applied in half of the preparations. Restorations were adhesively luted with pre‐heated composite resin (Z100, 3‐M ESPE) and submitted to cyclic isometric loading at 5 Hz, starting with a load of 50 N (5,000 cycles), followed by stages of 150, 300, 450, 600, 750, 900, and 1,050 N at a maximum of 25,000 cycles each. Specimens were loaded until fracture or to a maximum of 180,000 cycles. Groups were compared using the life table survival analysis.

Results:  Differences in survival probability were found (p = 0.04). The inlay group with fiber patch failed at an average load of 870 N, and none of the specimens withstood all 180,000 load cycles; survival rates of inlays and onlays without fibers, and onlays with fibers were 10, 30, and 50%, respectively.

Conclusions:  Onlays (with or without fibers) increased the fatigue resistance of compromised molars in this in vitro study.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The results of this in vitro study suggest that molars with a compromised cusp may be best reinforced by a cusp‐protecting composite resin onlay. There was no benefit of using fiber reinforcement under those indirect restorations.

(J Esthet Restor Dent 24:135–147, 2012)
Effect of Annatto Seed and Coriander Leaves as Natural Antioxidants in Fish Meatballs during Frozen Storage
Authors: Sancho Renata Aparecida Soriano , de Lima Fabíola Aliaga , Costa Gabriel Guerra , Mariutti Lilian Regina Barros , Bragagnolo Neura
Published: June 2011

Abstract:  The effects of annatto (0.1 g/100g) and coriander (0.5 g/100g) were assessed against lipid oxidation in white hake meatballs cooked in boiling water (95 ± 1 °C) for 30 min and stored at −18 °C for 120 d. The fatty acids (FA) and the nutritional quality, cholesterol, cholesterol oxides, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values, and conjugated dienes were analyzed to follow the course of oxidation. Annatto and coriander were efficient in the control of lipid oxidation, also preserving the essential FA. At 120 d of storage, the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentration decreased respectively by 43%, 32%, 12%, and 9% in the control, coriander, annatto, and annatto + coriander patties. For docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), these concentrations decreased, respectively, 44%, 30%, 11%, and 7%, revealing a probable synergistic effect among the antioxidant compounds present in both spices. On the other hand, annatto and coriander were not able to act protecting the meatballs against lipid oxidation when they were cooked, also not exerted any effect in the cholesterol oxidation.
Outcomes and complications following medical thoracoscopy
Authors: Brims Fraser John Hall , Arif Mohammad , Chauhan Anoop Jivan
Published: June 2011

Introduction:  Thoracoscopy is an invasive procedure that may be performed by physicians for the investigation of exudative pleural effusion using local anaesthesia, conscious sedation and a rigid thoracoscope.

Objectives:  We sought to evaluate the safety and outcome of thoracoscopy in Portsmouth Hospitals, UK, a dockyard city with high previous asbestos usage.

Methods:  Retrospective casenote, radiology and laboratory result analysis of patients undergoing thoracoscopy in our institution over a 12‐month period.

Results:  Fifty‐seven of 58 casenotes were available for analysis. Median (interquartile range) age was 73.0 (66.5–79.0) years and 44 (77.2%) were male. Median time with chest drain post‐procedure was 3.0 (2.0–5.0) days, and length of stay (LOS) was 4.0 (2.0–8.0) days. Malignant histology was reported in 40 (70.2%), with 25 (62.5%) cases of mesothelioma. There were no deaths related to the procedure. Hospital‐acquired infection (HAI) occurred in six (10.5%: pneumonia four, empyema two), all had malignancy. The presence of HAI significantly prolonged the LOS 9.0 (7.5–23.5) vs no HAI 4.0 (2.0–7.0) days; P = 0.006). Four patients died within 1 month of the procedure, three had a malignant diagnosis, all had suffered HAI. Trapped lung (persistent hydropneumothorax 5 days post‐procedure) occurred in 11 (19.2%), six of whom had benign histology. Performance status (European Cooperative Oncology Group) prior did not differ with reported histological type: benign 2.0 (2.0–2.0), malignant 2.0 (2.0–3.0), P = 0.170.

Conclusions:  Serious complications following thoracoscopy are rare. HAI is associated with malignancy and prolonged hospital stay. Benign histology may still confer significant morbidity.

Please cite this paper as: Brims FJH, Arif M and Chauhan AJ. Outcomes and complications following medical thoracoscopy. Clin Respir J 2012; 6: 144–149.