bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
5-allyl-7-gen-difluoromethoxychrysin enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human lung carcinoma A549 cells
Authors: Xie Zhao-Hui , Quan Mei-Fang , Liu Fei , Cao Jian-Guo , Zhang Jian-Song
Published: July 2011

Background

5-allyl-7-gen-difluoromethoxychrysin (AFMC) is a novel synthetic analogue of chrysin that has been reported to inhibit proliferation in various cancer cell lines. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising anti-cancer agent.

Methods

The cytotoxicity of A549 and WI-38 cells were determined using colorimetry. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry (FCM) after propidium iodide (PI) fluorescence staining and agarose gel electrophoresis. Caspase activities were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The expressions of DR4 and DR5 were analyzed using FCM and western blot.

Results

Subtoxic concentrations of AFMC sensitize human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. Combined treatment of A549 cells with AFMC and TRAIL significantly activated caspase-3, -8 and -9. The caspase-3 inhibitor zDEVD-fmk and the caspase-8 inhibitor zIETD-fmk blocked the apoptosis of A549 cells induced by co-treatment with AFMC and TRAIL. In addition, we found that treatment of A549 cells with AFMC significantly induced the expression of death receptor 5 (DR5). AFMC-mediated sensitization of A549 cells to TRAIL was efficiently reduced by administration of a blocking antibody or small interfering RNAs against DR5. AFMC also caused increase of the Sub-G1 cells by TRAIL treatment and increased the expression levels of DR5 in other NSCLC H460 and H157 cell lines. In contrast, AFMC-mediated induction of DR5 expression was not observed in human embryo lung WI-38 cells, and AFMC did not sensitize WI-38 cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Conclusions

AFMC synergistically enhances TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in NSCLC cells through up-regulating DR5 expression.
Emotional impact of screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Collins Ruth E , Lopez Laureen M , Marteau Theresa M
Published: July 2011

Background

There is a widely held expectation that screening for disease has adverse emotional impacts. The aim of the current review is to estimate the short (< 4 weeks) and longer term (> 4 weeks) emotional impact of such screening.

Methods

Studies selected for inclusion were (a) randomised controlled trials in which (b) participants in one arm underwent screening and received test results, and those in a control arm did not, and (c) emotional outcomes were assessed in both arms. MEDLINE via PubMed (1950 to present), EMBASE (1980 to present), PsycINFO (1985 to present) using OVID SP, and CINAHL (1982 to present) via EBSCO were searched, using strategies developed with keywords and medical subject headings. Data were extracted on emotional outcomes, type of screening test and test results.

Results

Of the 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria, six involved screening for cancer, two for diabetes, and one each for abdominal aortic aneurysms, peptic ulcer, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. Five studies reported data on anxiety, four on depression, two on general distress and eight on quality of life assessed between one week and 13 years after screening (median = 1.3 years).

Meta-analyses revealed no significant impact of screening on longer term anxiety (pooled SMD 0.01, 95% CI -0.10, 0.11), depression (pooled SMD -0.04, 95% CI -.12, 0.20), or quality of life subscales (mental and self-assessed health pooled SMDs, respectively: 0.03; -0.01, (95% CI -.02, 0.04; 0.00, 95% CI -.04, 0.03).

Conclusion

Screening does not appear to have adverse emotional impacts in the longer term (> 4 weeks). Too few studies assessed outcomes before four weeks to comment on the shorter term emotional impact of screening.
Empathy in senior year and first year medical students: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Magalhães Eunice , Salgueira Ana P , Costa Patrício , Costa Manuel J
Published: July 2011

Background

The importance of fostering the development of empathy in undergraduate students is continuously emphasized in international recommendations for medical education. Paradoxically, some studies in the North-American context using self-reported measures have found that empathy declines during undergraduate medical training. Empathy is also known to be gender dependent- (highest for female medical students) and related to specialty preference - (higher in patient-oriented than technology-oriented specialties). This factor has not been studied in Portuguese medical schools.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study of undergraduate medical students on self-rated measures of empathy collected at entrance and at the conclusion of the medical degree, and on the association of empathy measures with gender and specialty preferences in one medical school in Portugal. Empathy was assessed using the Portuguese adaptation of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-students version (JSPE-spv) among three cohorts of undergraduate medical students in the first (N = 356) and last (N = 120) year. The construct validity of JSPE-spv was cross-validated with Principal Component Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach' Alpha. Global JSPE-spv score differences were examined by year of medical school, gender and specialty preferences (people-oriented vs technology-oriented specialties).

Results

The empathy scores of students in the final year were higher as compared to first year students (F (1,387) = 19.33, p < .001, ɳ2
p = 0.48; π = 0.99). Female students had higher empathy scores than male students (F (1,387) = 8.82, p < .01, ɳ 2
p = 0.23; π = 0.84). Significant differences in empathy were not found between the students who prefer people-oriented specialties compared to those who favor the technology-oriented specialties (F (1,387) = 2.44, p = .12, ɳ 2
p = 0.06; π = 0.06).

Conclusions

This cross-sectional study in one medical school in Portugal showed that the empathy measures of senior year students were higher than the scores of freshmen. A longitudinal cohort study is needed to test variations in students' empathy measures throughout medical school.
Predicting disease risks from highly imbalanced data using random forest
Authors: Khalilia Mohammed , Chakraborty Sounak , Popescu Mihail
Published: July 2011

Background

We present a method utilizing Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) dataset for predicting disease risk of individuals based on their medical diagnosis history. The presented methodology may be incorporated in a variety of applications such as risk management, tailored health communication and decision support systems in healthcare.

Methods

We employed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data, which is publicly available through Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), to train random forest classifiers for disease prediction. Since the HCUP data is highly imbalanced, we employed an ensemble learning approach based on repeated random sub-sampling. This technique divides the training data into multiple sub-samples, while ensuring that each sub-sample is fully balanced. We compared the performance of support vector machine (SVM), bagging, boosting and RF to predict the risk of eight chronic diseases.

Results

We predicted eight disease categories. Overall, the RF ensemble learning method outperformed SVM, bagging and boosting in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). In addition, RF has the advantage of computing the importance of each variable in the classification process.

Conclusions

In combining repeated random sub-sampling with RF, we were able to overcome the class imbalance problem and achieve promising results. Using the national HCUP data set, we predicted eight disease categories with an average AUC of 88.79%.
Morphology engineering - Osmolality and its effect on Aspergillus niger morphology and productivity
Authors: Wucherpfennig Thomas , Hestler Timo , Krull Rainer
Published: July 2011

Background

The filamentous fungusAspergillus nigeris a widely used strain in a broad range of industrial processes from food to pharmaceutical industry. One of the most intriguing and often uncontrollable characteristics of this filamentous organism is its complex morphology, ranging from dense spherical pellets to viscous mycelia depending on culture conditions. Optimal productivity correlates strongly with a specific morphological form, thus making high demands on process control.

Results

In about 50 2L stirred tank cultivations the influence of osmolality onA.nigermorphology and productivity was investigated. The specific productivity of fructofuranosidase producing strainA. nigerSKAn 1015 could be increased notably from 0.5 to 9 U mg-1h-1around eighteen fold, by increasing the culture broth osmolality by addition of sodium chloride. The specific productivity of glucoamylase producing strainA. nigerAB1.13, could be elevated using the same procedure. An optimal producing osmolality was shown to exist well over the standard osmolality at about 3.2 osmol kg-1depending on the strain. Fungal morphology of all cultivations was examined by microscope and characterized by digital image analysis. Particle shape parameters were combined to a dimensionless Morphology number, which enabled a comprehensive characterization of fungal morphology correlating closely with productivity. A novel method for determination of germination time in submerged cultivations by laser diffraction, introduced in this study, revealed a decelerated germination process with increasing osmolality.

Conclusions

Through the introduction of the versatile Morphology number, this study provides the means for a desirable characterization of fungal morphology and demonstrates its relation to productivity. Furthermore, osmolality as a fairly new parameter in process engineering is introduced and found to affect fungal morphology and productivity. Osmolality might provide an auspicious and reliable approach to increase the productivity in industrial processes. Because of the predictable behavior fungal morphology showed in dependence of osmolality, a customization of morphology for process needs seems feasible.
Retinoid production using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli with a two-phase culture system
Authors: Jang Hui-Jeong , Yoon Sang-Hwal , Ryu Hee-Kyung , Kim Jung-Hun , Wang Chong-Long , Kim Jae-Yean , Oh Deok-Kun , Kim Seon-Won
Published: July 2011

Background

Retinoids are lipophilic isoprenoids composed of a cyclic group and a linear chain with a hydrophilic end group. These compounds include retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, retinyl esters, and various derivatives of these structures. Retinoids are used as cosmetic agents and effective pharmaceuticals for skin diseases. Retinal, an immediate precursor of retinoids, is derived by β-carotene 15,15'-mono(di)oxygenase (BCM(D)O) from β-carotene, which is synthesized from the isoprenoid building blocks isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). Retinoids are chemically unstable and biologically degraded via retinoic acid. Although extensive studies have been performed on the microbial production of carotenoids, retinoid production using microbial metabolic engineering has not been reported. Here, we report retinoid production using engineered Escherichia coli that express exogenous BCM(D)O and the mevalonate (MVA) pathway for the building blocks synthesis in combination with a two-phase culture system using a dodecane overlay.

Results

Among the BCM(D)O tested in E. coli, the synthetic retinoid synthesis protein (SR), based on bacteriorhodopsin-related protein-like homolog (Blh) of the uncultured marine bacteria 66A03, showed the highest β-carotene cleavage activity with no residual intracellular β-carotene. By introducing the exogenous MVA pathway, 8.7 mg/L of retinal was produced, which is 4-fold higher production than that of augmenting the MEP pathway (dxs overexpression). There was a large gap between retinal production and β-carotene consumption using the exogenous MVA pathway; therefore, the retinal derivatives were analyzed. The derivatives, except for retinoic acid, that formed were identified, and the levels of retinal, retinol, and retinyl acetate were measured. Amounts as high as 95 mg/L retinoids were obtained from engineered E. coli DH5α harboring the synthetic SR gene and the exogenous MVA pathway in addition to dxs overexpression, which were cultured at 29°C for 72 hours with 2YT medium containing 2.0% (w/v) glycerol as the main carbon source. However, a significant level of intracellular degradation of the retinoids was also observed in the culture. To prevent degradation of the intracellular retinoids through in situ extraction from the cells, a two-phase culture system with dodecane was used. The highest level of retinoid production (136 mg/L) was obtained after 72 hours with 5 mL of dodecane overlaid on a 5 mL culture.

Conclusions

In this study, we successfully produced 136 mg/L retinoids, which were composed of 67 mg/L retinal, 54 mg/L retinol, and 15 mg/L retinyl acetate, using a two-phase culture system with dodecane, which produced 68-fold more retinoids than the initial level of production (2.2 mg/L). Our results demonstrate the potential use of E. coli as a promising microbial cell factory for retinoid production.
A nucleoside anticancer drug, 1-(3-C-ethynyl-β-D-ribo-pentofuranosyl)cytosine (TAS106), sensitizes cells to radiation by suppressing BRCA2 expression
Authors: Meike Shunsuke , Yamamori Tohru , Yasui Hironobu , Eitaki Masato , Matsuda Akira , Morimatsu Masami , Fukushima Masakazu , Yamasaki Yasundo , Inanami Osamu
Published: July 2011

Background

A novel anticancer drug 1-(3-C-ethynyl-β-D-ribo-pentofuranosyl)cytosine (ECyd, TAS106) has been shown to radiosensitize tumor cells and to improve the therapeutic efficiency of X-irradiation. However, the effect of TAS106 on cellular DNA repair capacity has not been elucidated. Our aim in this study was to examine whether TAS106 modified the repair capacity of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in tumor cells.

Methods

Various cultured cell lines treated with TAS106 were irradiated and then survival fraction was examined by the clonogenic survival assays. Repair of sublethal damage (SLD), which indicates DSBs repair capacity, was measured as an increase of surviving cells after split dose irradiation with an interval of incubation. To assess the effect of TAS106 on the DSBs repair activity, the time courses of γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci formation were examined by using immunocytochemistry. The expression of DNA-repair-related proteins was also examined by Western blot analysis and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis.

Results

In clonogenic survival assays, pretreatment of TAS106 showed radiosensitizing effects in various cell lines. TAS106 inhibited SLD repair and delayed the disappearance of γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci, suggesting that DSB repair occurred in A549 cells. Western blot analysis demonstrated that TAS106 down-regulated the expression of BRCA2 and Rad51, which are known as keys among DNA repair proteins in the homologous recombination (HR) pathway. Although a significant radiosensitizing effect of TAS106 was observed in the parental V79 cells, pretreatment with TAS106 did not induce any radiosensitizing effects in BRCA2-deficient V-C8 cells.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that TAS106 induces the down-regulation of BRCA2 and the subsequent abrogation of the HR pathway, leading to a radiosensitizing effect. Therefore, this study suggests that inhibition of the HR pathway may be useful to improve the therapeutic efficiency of radiotherapy for solid tumors.
Evaluation of safety margins of Chenopodium albumseed decoction: 14-day subacute toxicity and microbicidal activity studies
Authors: Kumar Shrabanti , Biswas Shampa , Banerjee Sukdeb , Mondal Nirup B
Published: July 2011

Background

Sperm immobilizing activity and plausible mechanism of action of Chenopodium album seed decoction (CAD) have been elucidated in our earlier studies. The present study has been carried out to explore the safety standards of CAD along with microbicidal properties as prerequisite for its use as a topically applicable vaginal contraceptive.

Methods

The safety standards of CAD were assessed by a) Hemolytic index determination using rabbit erythrocytes, to set the doses of the other experiments, b) Dermal irritancy test using refined version of Draize scoring system on rabbits, c) Possible effect on local tissues and reproductive performance in female rats after fourteen daily single dose application, d) PCNA staining- to evaluate the effect of CAD on vaginal tissue proliferation, e) TUNEL assay- to examine its ability to induce in situ apoptosis in the vaginal tissue sections of the treated animals, and f) Microbicidal activity- to explore the effect of CAD on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Candida albicans.

Results

In vitro irritation studies on rabbit erythrocytes revealed the hemolytic index of CAD to be 8.2 mg/ml. The dermal irritation test showed it to be a non-irritant even at higher doses. Intra vaginal application of CAD in rat vagina for 14 consecutive days caused slight reversible inflammation on vaginal epithelial cells at doses as high as 82 mg/ml. However, at this dose level it neither had any adverse effect on vaginal tissue proliferation nor did it cause in situ apoptosis as evident from PCNA staining and TUNEL assay. Fertility and fecundity were restored 4-15 days after withdrawal of CAD application. At dose level 10 times that of its spermicidal MEC (minimum effective concentration), CAD did not block the growth of Lactobacillus, although the size of individual colony was marginally reduced. However, growth of the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans was completely inhibited with 20 mg/ml of CAD.

Conclusion

The overall result evolved from the study strengthens the candidature of CAD as a safe microbicidal spermicide. It is almost non-irritant to rabbit skin and rat vaginal tissues at doses 10 fold higher than its hemolytic index. The effect of CAD on Lactobacillus culture was not highly encouraging but it prevented the growth of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans at 20 mg/ml of CAD.
Effect of estradiol on proliferation and differentiation of side population stem/progenitor cells from murine endometrium
Authors: Xu Jing , Hu Fei-Fei , Cui Yu-Gui , Luo Jian , Jiang Chun-Yan , Gao Li , Qian Xiao-Qiao , Mao Yun-Dong , Liu Jia-Yin
Published: July 2011

Background

In our previous study, endometrium side population cells (SP cells) were isolated from postpartum murine uterus, and characterized by a heterogeneous population of stem/progenitor cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of estrogen on the proliferation and differentiation of SP cells.

Methods

SP and non-SP cells of postpartum murine endometrium were isolated by DNA dye Hoechst 33342. The expression of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Real-time PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. The proliferation and differentiation of SP cells treated with different concentrations [10(-8) M-10(-6) M] of estradiol (E2) and E2+ ICI182780 (Faslodex, inhibitor of ESR1) were measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazoly1-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) and clonogenic assays.

Results

(1) SP cells expressed ESR1 at a higher level than non-SP cells. (2) The level of E2 in the serum and the expression of ESR1 in the uterus of postpartum murine changed in the same manner with the ratio of SP cells to total uterus cells at a different postpartum time point. ESR1, as ABCG2 is also predominantly located in the stroma and the glandular epithelium of the uterus. (3) 10(-6) M E2 notably promoted the proliferation of SP cells after treatment for 24 h. This effect could be inhibited by ICI182780. E2 at the concentration of 10(-7) M or 10(-8) M was sent to impair the large cloning efficiency (CE) of SP cells.

Conclusions

The effect of estrogen on the proliferation and differentiation of endometrium SP cells via ESR1 was observed and it was in a concentration dependent fashion. Clearly, more work is needed to understand the in vivo effect of E2 at the physiological concentration on the differentiation of SP cells.
Development of one-step SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR for quantifying bovine viral diarrhea virus type-1 and its comparison with conventional RT-PCR
Authors: Zhang Ni , Liu Zhengwen , Han Qunying , Qiu Jianming , Chen Jinghong , Zhang Guoyu , Li Zhu , Lou Sai , Li Na
Published: July 2011

Background

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a worldwide pathogen in cattle and acts as a surrogate model for hepatitis C virus (HCV). One-step real-time fluorogenic quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay based on SYBR Green I dye has not been established for BVDV detection. This study aims to develop a quantitative one-step RT-PCR assay to detect BVDV type-1 in cell culture.

Results

One-step quantitative SYBR Green I RT-PCR was developed by amplifying cDNA template from viral RNA and using in vitro transcribed BVDV RNA to establish a standard curve. The assay had a detection limit as low as 100 copies/ml of BVDV RNA, a reaction efficiency of 103.2%, a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.995, and a maximum intra-assay CV of 2.63%. It was 10-fold more sensitive than conventional RT-PCR and can quantitatively detect BVDV RNA levels from 10-fold serial dilutions of titrated viruses containing a titer from 10-1 to 10-5 TCID50, without non-specific amplification. Melting curve analysis showed no primer-dimers and non-specific products.

Conclusions

The one-step SYBR Green I RT-PCR is specific, sensitive and reproducible for the quantification of BVDV in cell culture. This one-step SYBR Green I RT-PCR strategy may be further optimized as a reliable assay for diagnosing and monitoring BVDV infection in animals. It may also be applied to evaluate candidate agents against HCV using BVDV cell culture model.
Absence of vaccine-enhanced RSV disease and changes in pulmonary dendritic cells with adenovirus-based RSV vaccine
Authors: Krause Anja , Xu Yaqin , Ross Sara , Wu Wendy , Joh Ju , Worgall Stefan
Published: July 2011

The development of a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been hampered by the risk for vaccine-enhanced RSV pulmonary disease induced by immunization with formalin-inactivated RSV (FIRSV). This study focuses on the evaluation of vaccine-enhanced pulmonary disease following immunization with AdF.RGD, an integrin-targeted adenovirus vector that expresses the RSV F protein and includes an RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) motif. Immunization of BALB/c mice with AdF.RGD, resulted in anti-RSV protective immunity and induced increased RSV-specific IFN-γ T cell responses compared to FIRSV. RSV infection 5 wk after immunization with FIRSV induced pulmonary inflammatory responses in the lung, that was not observed with AdF.RGD. Additionally, In the FIRSV-immunized mice following infection with RSV, pulmonary DC increased and Tregs decreased. This suggests that distinct responses of pulmonary DC and Tregs are a features of vaccine-enhanced RSV disease and that immunization with an RGD-modified Ad vaccine does not trigger vaccine-enhanced disease.
Cortical Plasticity as a New Endpoint Measurement for Chronic Pain
Authors: Zhuo Min
Published: July 2011

Animal models of chronic pain are widely used to investigate basic mechanisms of chronic pain and to evaluate potential novel drugs for treating chronic pain. Among the different criteria used to measure chronic pain, behavioral responses are commonly used as the end point measurements. However, not all chronic pain conditions can be easily measured by behavioral responses such as the headache, phantom pain and pain related to spinal cord injury. Here I propose that cortical indexes, that indicate neuronal plastic changes in pain-related cortical areas, can be used as endpoint measurements for chronic pain. Such cortical indexes are not only useful for those chronic pain conditions where a suitable animal model is lacking, but also serve as additional screening methods for potential drugs to treat chronic pain in humans. These cortical indexes are activity-dependent immediate early genes, electrophysiological identified plastic changes and biochemical assays of signaling proteins. It can be used to evaluate novel analgesic compounds that may act at peripheral or spinal sites. I hope that these new cortical endpoint measurements will facilitate our search for new, and more effective, pain medicines, and help to reduce false lead drug targets.
Surgical management of low grade isthmic spondylolisthesis; a randomized controlled study of the surgical fixation with and without reduction
Authors: Audat Ziad M , Darwish Fayeq T , Al Barbarawi Moh'd M , Obaidat Moatasem M , Haddad Walid H , Bashaireh Khaldoon M , Al-Aboosy Ihsan A
Published: July 2011

Background

spondylolisthesis is a condition in which a vertebra slips out of the proper position onto the bone below it as a result of pars interarticularis defect. The slipped segment produces abnormal positioning of the vertebrae in relation to each other along the spinal column and causes mechanical back pain and neural breach.

Materials and methods

A randomized and double blinded study consisted of 41 patients aged 36-69 years (18 females and 28 males) treated for symptomatic spondylolisthesis between December,2006 and December, 2009. All patients were randomly distributed into two groups I and II. Twenty patients were in Group I; they underwent reduction of the slipped vertebrae by using Reduction-Screw Technique and posterior lumbar interbody fixation (PLIF). Group II consisted of twenty one patients who underwent only surgical fixation (PLIF) without reduction. All patients in this study had same pre and post operative management.

Results

only one case had broken rod in group I that required revision. Superficial wound infection was experienced in two patients and one patient, from group II, developed wound hematoma. The outcome in both groups was variable on the short term but was almost the same on the long term follow up.

Conclusion

surgical management of symptomatic low grade spondylolisthesis should include neural decompression and surgical fixation. Reduction of slipped vertebral bodies is unnecessary as the ultimate outcome will be likely similar.
Scoliosis and dental occlusion: a review of the literature
Authors: Saccucci Matteo , Tettamanti Lucia , Mummolo Stefano , Polimeni Antonella , Festa Felice , Salini Vincenzo , Tecco Simona
Published: July 2011

Background

Idiopathic scoliosis is a deformity without clear etiology. It is unclear wether there is an association between malocclusion and scoliosis. Several types of occlusion were described in subjects with scoliosis, mostly case-reports.

Objectives

The aim of this review was to evaluate the type of occluslins more prevalent in subjects with scoliosis

Search strategy

All randomised and controlled clinical trials identified from the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, a MEDLINE search using the Mesh term scoliosis, malocclusion, and relevant free text words, and the bibliographies of papers and review articles which reported the outcome of orthodontic treatment in subjects with scoliosis that were published as abstracts or papers between 1970 and 2010.

Selection criteria

All randomised and controlled clinical trials published as full papers or abstracts which reported quantitative data on the outcomes malocclusion in subjects with scoliosis.

Data collection and analysis

Data were extracted without blinding to the authors, age of patients or type of occlusion.

Main results

Using the search strategy eleven observational longitudinal studies were identified. No randomized clinical trials were recorded. Twenty-three cross-sectional studies were recorderd, and the others studies were reviews, editorials, case-reports, or opinions. The clinical trials were often not controlled and were about the cephalometric evaluation after treatment with the modified Milwuakee brace, followed by the orthodontic treatment of the class II relationship with a functional appliance. Clinical trials also included the study of the associations between scoliosis and unilateral crossbite, in children with asymmetry of the upper cervical spine. This association was also investigated in rats, pigs and rabbits in clinical trials. The other associations between scoliosis and occlusion seems to be based only on cross-sectional studies, case-reports, opinions.

Authors' conclusions

Based on selected studies, this review concludes that there is plausible evidence for an increased prevalence of unilateral Angle Class II malocclusions associated with scoliosis, and an increased risk of lateral crossbite, midline deviation in children affected by scoliosis. Also, documentation of associations between reduced range of lateral movements and scoliosis seem convincing. Data are also mentioned about the association between plagiocephaly and scoliosis.
Effects of ulinastatin and docetaxel on breast cancer invasion and expression of uPA, uPAR and ERK
Authors: Luo Jie , Sun Xin , Gao Feng , Zhao Xiaoliang , Zhong Biao , Wang Hong , Sun Zhijun
Published: July 2011

Objective

To investigate the effects of ulinastatin and docetaxel on invasion of breast cancer cells and expression of uPA, uPAR and ERK, breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells.

Methods

The nude mice were treated with PBS, ulinastatin, docetaxel, and ulinastatin plus docetaxel, respectively. Their effects on 1) cell invasion ability was assayed using Transwell; 2) expression of uPA, uPAR and ERK was detected by real time PCR and Western blot; 3) uPA, uPAR and p-ERK protein level in nude mice was quantified by immunohistochemistry.

Results

1) Treatment with ulinastatin, docetaxel, and ulinastatin plus docetaxel, respectively, significantly inhibited MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell invasion; 2) mRNA and protein levels of uPA, uPAR and ERK1/2 were inhibited by ulinastatin, but enhanced by docetaxel.

Conclusion

Ulinastatin can enhance the effects of docetaxel on invasion of breast cancer cells. And that uPA, uPAR and p-ERK expression is obviously inhibited by ulinastatin.
The hen model of human ovarian cancer develops anti-mesothelin autoantibodies in response to mesothelin expressing tumors
Authors: Yu Yi , Edassery Seby L , Barua Animesh , Abramowicz Jacques S , Bahr Janice M , Hellstrom Ingegerd , Luborsky Judith L
Published: July 2011

Objective

Study of the hen immune system led to seminal contributions to basic immunological principles. Recent studies of spontaneous ovarian cancer in the laying hen show strikingly similar tumor types and antigen expression compared to human ovarian cancer, suggesting hens would be valuable for studies of tumor immunology and pre-clinical vaccine development. Circulating mesothelin is a relatively specific marker for human ovarian cancer and autoantibodies to mesothelin were reported. We hypothesized that hen tumors express mesothelin and that circulating anti-mesothelin antibodies occur in response to tumors.

Methods

Mesothelin mRNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR in hen ovarian tumors and normal ovaries. Mesothelin protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and two-dimensional SDS-PAGE Western blots. Anti-mesothelin antibodies were assessed by immunoassay of sera from hens with normal ovaries and with ovarian tumors.

Results

Significant mesothelin mRNA expression was observed in 57% (12/21) of hen ovarian tumors but not in normal ovaries and was found predominantly in serous tumors as in humans. Mesothelin protein was detected in tumors with mesothelin mRNA by IHC and 2D Western blots, but not in normal ovaries or tumors without mesothelin mRNA. Circulating anti-mesothelin antibodies occurred in 44% (n = 4/9) of hens with ovarian tumors which express mesothelin mRNA and were not found in hens with tumors that did not express mesothelin (n = 0/5) or normal ovaries (n = 0/5).

Conclusion

The results support the utility of the hen as a novel model for preclinical studies of mesothelin as a biomarker and a target for immunotherapy.
Metabolic and anthropometric parameters contribute to ART‐mediated CD4+ T cell recovery in HIV‐1‐infected individuals: an observational study
Authors: Azzoni Livio , Foulkes Andrea S , Firnhaber Cynthia , Yin Xiangfan , Crowther Nigel J , Glencross Deborah , Lawrie Denise , Stevens Wendy , Papasavvas Emmanouil , Sanne Ian , Montaner Luis J
Published: July 2011

Background

The degree of immune reconstitution achieved in response to suppressive ART is associated with baseline individual characteristics, such as pre‐treatment CD4 count, levels of viral replication, cellular activation, choice of treatment regimen and gender. However, the combined effect of these variables on long‐term CD4 recovery remains elusive, and no single variable predicts treatment response. We sought to determine if adiposity and molecules associated with lipid metabolism may affect the response to ART and the degree of subsequent immune reconstitution, and to assess their ability to predict CD4 recovery.

Methods

We studied a cohort of 69 (48 females and 21 males) HIV‐infected, treatment‐naïve South African subjects initiating antiretroviral treatment (d4T, 3Tc and lopinavir/ritonavir). We collected information at baseline and six months after viral suppression, assessing anthropometric parameters, dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging scans, serum‐based clinical laboratory tests and whole blood‐based flow cytometry, and determined their role in predicting the increase in CD4 count in response to ART.

Results

We present evidence that baseline CD4+ T cell count, viral load, CD8+ T cell activation (CD95 expression) and metabolic and anthropometric parameters linked to adiposity (LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio and waist/hip ratio) significantly contribute to variability in the extent of CD4 reconstitution (ΔCD4) after six months of continuous ART.

Conclusions

Our final model accounts for 44% of the variability in CD4+ T cell recovery in virally suppressed individuals, representing a workable predictive model of immune reconstitution.
PPARβ Activation Induces Rapid Changes of Both AMPK Subunit Expression and AMPK Activation in Mouse Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Lendoye E. , Sibille B. , Rousseau A-S. , Murdaca J. , Grimaldi P. A. , Lopez P.
Published: July 2011

AMP-activated protein kinases (AMPK) are heterotrimeric, αβγ, serine/threonine kinases. The γ3-AMPK subunit is particularly interesting in muscle physiology because 1) it is specifically expressed in skeletal muscle, 2) α2β2γ3 is the AMPK heterotrimer activated during exercise in humans, and 3) it is down-regulated in humans after a training period. However, mechanisms underlying this decrease of γ3-AMPK expression remained unknown. We investigated whether the expression of AMPK subunits and particularly that of γ3-AMPK are regulated by the PPARβ pathway. We report that PPARβ activation with GW0742 induces a rapid (2 h) and sustained down-regulation of γ3-AMPK expression both in mouse skeletal muscles and in culture myotubes. Concomitantly, phosphorylation levels of both AMPK and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase are rapidly modified. The γ3-AMPK down-regulation is also observed in muscles from young and adult transgenic mice with muscle-specific overexpression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β (PPARβ). We showed that γ3-AMPK down-regulation is a rapid physiological muscle response observed in mouse after running exercise or fasting, two situations leading to PPARβ activation. Finally, using C2C12, we demonstrated that dose and time-dependent down-regulation of γ3-AMPK expression upon GW0742 treatment, is due to decrease γ3-AMPK promoter activity.
Design and Performance of Plastic Drainage Pipes in Environmental Containment Facilities
Authors: Brachman R. W. I.
Published: July 2011

Plastic drainage pipes are an essential component of modern engineered barrier systems used in municipal and hazardous solid waste landfills. The design and performance of plastic pipes in these applications is significantly different than conventional municipal sewers and culverts. For example, the plastic pipe may be surrounded by very coarse gravel backfill which results in additional local bending stresses from the irregular loading and support for the pipe. These plastic pipes also experience local stress concentrations from the perforations required to collect fluid. Both of these factors are exacerbated by potentially large overburden pressures acting above the pipe. They must also perform their function while being exposed to chemicals in landfill leachate for long periods of time and at temperatures significantly larger than those for conventional sewers and culverts. The influence of coarse gravel backfill, large perforations, large overburden stresses, chemical exposure and elevated temperatures on the long-term performance of plastic drainage pipes is examined.
Technical Considerations When Fabricating PVC Pressure Fittings
Authors: Franzen Tom , Fisher Craig , Rahman Shah
Published: July 2011

Unlike the fully automated production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pressure pipes and injection molded fittings that involve large production volumes, manufacture of fabricated PVC pressure fittings is labor-intensive and involves short production runs. Fabricating PVC fittings is as much an art as it is a science. It is important to understand the steps involved in the manufacture process to appreciate the considerable amount of engineering and design that goes into their production. Quality control measures that are in place, as well as the importance of meeting various applicable industry standards, are discussed. Development of various unique configurations of fittings as well as advances in technology within the industry, such as an integral joint restraint mechanism, is also discussed.
New Cast Iron Alloys with High Wear Resistance at Elevated Temperatures
Authors: Theisen Werner , Gevelmann Gerhard
Published: July 2011

New production processes demand a higher wear resistance of tools, especially at elevated temperatures, in order to make the business more profitable and effective. Based on equilibrium calculations, new cast iron alloys have been developed. The influence of different alloying elements was investigated before first bulk materials were casted. The materials were tested with respect to their microstructure, hardness, (micro)red hardness, fracture toughness, and wear properties (at room and elevated temperatures) and compared to the standard high speed steel HS6-5-3 (≈ M3 class 2). It turns out that one of the new alloys has comparable mechanical properties but superior wear resistance, especially at elevated temperatures, thanks to a tripled carbide content and increased temperature strength of the matrix material.
Modeling of Hardness of Low Alloy Steels by Means of Neural Networks
Authors: Penha Renata Neves , Canale Lauralice Franceschini , Canale Antonio Carlos
Published: July 2011

The tempering process aims to get the microstructures that lead to service mechanical properties and to promote the relaxation of the residual stresses generated during quenching. The goal of this work is to predict the effect of tempering time and tempering temperature on hardness by means of neural networks (NNs). Five types of steels, SAE 4140, SAE 4340, SAE 5160, SAE 6150, and SAE 52 100, were tempered in different conditions. The inputs of the NNs were the chemical composition, the tempering time, and tempering temperature, while hardness was the output. The selected temperatures were 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700°C. The time on each temperature was 10, 90, 900, 3600, 9000, and 86 400 s. Many architectures were tested, until the best one that fitted the data was found. To evaluate this NN the correlation coefficient (R value) was calculated and an analysis of variance test was performed.
Effect of Creep and Oxidation on the Isothermal and Thermomechanical Fatigue Behavior of an Austenitic Stainless Steel
Authors: Christ Hans-Jürgen , Bauer Valerij
Published: July 2011

Austenitic stainless steels are often used for high-temperature applications under conditions where fatigue loading occurs in combination with varying temperatures, superimposed mean stresses or dwell times and environmental effects. In order to characterize and separate the various damage contributions on the deformation behavior and the damage evolution of AISI304L, isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue tests were carried out at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 800°C. The test results in combination with microstructural observations were used for an adaption and application of a simple multi-component model to predict the stress-strain response under thermomechanical fatigue conditions solely from isothermal data. A very reasonable predictive accuracy was obtained and the cyclic stress-strain calculation was directly incorporated in fatigue life assessment models. Two models, which were found to be suitable for isothermal fatigue conditions, are presented. These models were extended and applied to non-isothermal conditions. A comparison of the experimentally observed fatigue life data with the predicted values revealed that thermomechanical fatigue life can reasonably be assessed from isothermal test results, if environmental effects are correctly taken into account. Thermomechanical fatigue tests employing dwell periods indicate that the life prediction models developed are robust and conservative.
The Effects of Dwell on the LCF Behavior of IN617
Authors: Shinde Sachin , Gravett Philip
Published: July 2011

Much has been studied on the individual effects of creep and fatigue on alloy life. However, not much is known of the combined effects of these two mechanisms. Therefore, a study was put into place to determine the effects of dwell on fatigue life and deformation mechanisms, for IN617, a solid-solution strengthened Ni-base alloy used widely in the power generation and aerospace industries. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were conducted from 649–982°C with either tensile or compressive dwell. Fracture surfaces of the test specimens as well as longitudinal and transverse sections were examined via scanning electron microscopy to determine the damage and failure mechanisms. Test results confirmed tensile dwell lives that were significantly lower than those seen in compressive dwell. The mechanics for the reduction in cyclic life for tensile dwell was attributed to creep damage accumulation at grain boundaries that led to widespread intergranular cracking and failure. Tensile dwell life reductions were largest in tests at moderate (649–760°C) temperatures. The failed specimens for this temperature range showed the most evidence of grain boundary cavitation and intergranular cracking. At higher test temperatures, the tensile dwell sensitivity for IN617 was significantly reduced or almost entirely eliminated at high temperatures (871–982°C). This was attributed to the lower stresses that developed at these temperatures for a given strain range. The LCF testing and subsequent analysis indicated that a substantial tensile stress during dwell time coupled with moderate temperatures, to allow for diffusion creep, lead to grain boundary damage that can reduce cyclic life.
Groundwater Impacts from Leaching of Coal Combustion Products in Roadway Embankment Constructions
Authors: Li Lin , Peng Bin , Santos Fabio , Li Yadong , Amini Farshad
Published: July 2011

When the coal combustion products are used in soil stabilization and embankments construction, leaching of trace elements into groundwater can be a concern. This paper presents a modeling study to evaluate the impacts of leaching on groundwater from coal combustion products in roadway embankment constructions. A computer program, WiscLEACH, based on three analytical solutions for the advection-dispersion-reaction process in the subsurface was used. The soil stabilization module and embankment module were developed in the program. Predictions made with the analytical method were compared to field data from a fly ash embankment. The predicted concentrations with WiscLEACH are in reasonable agreement with the field data. Dilution factor at the point of compliance was defined and used as quantitative parameter to compare the different scenarios. Parametric studies indicate that the lowest dilution factor exponentially decrease as the thickness of the coal combustion products layer and the seepage velocity in the vadose zone increase. Correlations among the dilution factor at the point of compliance and the construction geometry and hydrogeological condition were also developed.
Ways of Improving the Interfacial Durability of Silicone Adhesives in Building Applications
Authors: Vandereecken P. , Maton I.
Published: July 2011

Beyond their application as sealants, silicone formulations are used as adhesives in insulated glass and structural glazing applications. The adhesion durability of such assemblies is a function of both the adhesion at the glass-interface surfaces and the internal cohesion of the adhesive. Failure in the bulk of the adhesive will occur if external stresses exceed the ultimate strength of the adhesive or when the movement capability of the adhesive is lower than required by the application. The most often observed reasons for failure are, however, substrate-adhesive interface ruptures. If similar silicone adhesives are used in different building projects, the substrates can vary widely, leading to many different interfaces. Interface adhesion can be improved by modifying the substrate surface, modifying the adhesive formulation, or using a primer. In this work, improved adhesion durability on different substrates will be shown with an improved version of a two-part silicone adhesive used for insulated glass and structural glazing applications, which was introduced in Europe in 2010. Results without primer and with the use of either a wet primer or a dry SiOx (Pyrosil®) flame treatment will be shown. Adhesion durability after water immersion, UV irradiation, and high humidity will be reported for new low E insulated glass coatings, powder coated aluminum, stainless steel, and some other standard building substrates.
Negative illness perceptions are associated with impaired quality of life in patients after long-term remission of Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Tiemensma Jitske , Kaptein Adrian A , Pereira Alberto M , Smit Johannes W A , Romijn Johannes A , Biermasz Nienke R
Published: July 2011

Objective

Illness perceptions pertain to the pattern of beliefs patients develop about their illness. Illness perceptions are determinants of quality of life (QoL). Factors contributing to persisting impaired QoL after Cushing's syndrome (CS) remain largely unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore illness perceptions, as potentially modifiable psychological factors, in relation to QoL in patients with long-term remission of CS.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

We included patients with long-term remission of CS (n=52). Illness perceptions were evaluated using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ)-Revised, and QoL was measured using the physical symptom checklist, EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D), and the CushingQoL. Reference data were derived from recent studies and included patients with vestibular schwannoma (n=80), acute (n=35) or chronic (n=63) pain, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=171).

Results

Illness perceptions showed a strong correlation with QoL. Patients with CS scored distinctively more negative on the IPQ compared with patients with vestibular schwannoma and patients with acute pain, and also reported more illness-related complaints (all P<0.01). There were also some differences in illness perceptions between patients with CS and patients with chronic pain and patients with COPD, but there was no distinct pattern.

Conclusions

Patients after long-term remission of CS report more negative illness perceptions compared with patients with other acute or chronic conditions. Further research is needed to assess whether QoL in CS can be improved by addressing these illness perceptions, for example, by a self-management intervention program.