bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fishing for SNPs: A Targeted Locus Approach for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Discovery in Rainbow Trout
Authors: Sprowles A. E. , Stephens M. R. , Clipperton N. W. , May B. P.
Published: November 2006

The combination of whole‐genome sequencing efforts and emerging high‐throughput genotyping techniques has made single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) a marker of choice for molecular genetic analyses in model organisms. This class of marker holds great promise for resolving questions of phylogeny, population structure, introgression, and adaptive genetic variation. Fifty‐five polymerase chain reaction primer pairs were used to target variable regions of the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss genome, 48 of which were designed from information found in publicly available DNA sequence databases. Forty of these primer pairs yielded sequenceable products. These sequences were compared across 1−10 individual fish from each of the following representative subspecies and strains: Sacramento redband trout O. mykiss stonei, California golden trout O. mykiss aguabonita, Little Kern golden trout O. mykiss whitei, coastal rainbow trout O. mykiss irideus, and the Mount Shasta hatchery strain. A total of 208 SNPs were identified in 37 loci, and a range of 75–128 SNPs were observed in pairwise comparisons of any two representative trout groups. As a test of high‐throughput genotyping, the TaqMan 5′ nuclease assay was used to genotype 335 fish representing 14 populations at SNP LDH‐156*, enabling us to characterize allelic frequencies in larger sample sizes and additional populations of each subspecies.
Enabling Fictions and Novel Subjects: TheBildungsromanand International Human Rights Law
Authors: Slaughter Joseph R.
Published: November 2006

With adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, the United Nations conscripted, almost by default, the historically Euronationalist forms of theBildungsromanand natural law to legitimate its vision of a new international order. This essay elaborates the conceptual vocabulary, deep narrative grammar, and humanist social vision that normative human rights law and the idealistBildungsromanshare in their cooperative efforts to articulate, normalize, and realize a world founded on the fundamental dignity and equality of what both the UDHR and early theorists of the novel term “the free and full development of the human personality.” Historically, formally, and ideologically, they are mutually enabling and complicit fictions: each projects, in advance of administrative structures comparable to those of the nation-state, an image of human personality and sociality that ratifies (and makes legible) the other's idealistic vision of the proper relations between individual and society. (JRS)
The First Published Review of Octavio Paz's The Labyrinth of Solitude
Authors: Vasconcelos José , Gallo Ruben
Published: November 2006

UNTIL RECENTLY, LITERARY HISTORIANS BELIEVED THAT OCTAVIO PAZ'S THE LABYRINTH OF SOLITUDE (EL LABERINTO DE LA S0LEDAD)—NOW considered one of the most influential analyses of Mexican culture written in the twentieth century—was ignored by Mexico's intellectuals for several years after its publication in February 1950. The country's most influential thinkers, from Samuel Ramos to Alfonso Reyes, remained silent after the book's release, even though Paz touched on many subjects, from political history to the origins of national identity, that they had explored in their work. The Labyrinth received only a handful of reviews, mostly by minor writers who merely summarized its arguments. The critic Enrico Mario Santf has interpreted this silence as a veiled form of ninguneo, the passive-aggressive tendency to turn one's adversaries into “nobodies” by ignoring their work—one of the vicissitudes of Mexican cultural life analyzed in The Labyrinth (49).
Cuando Vienen Matando: On Prepositional Shifts and the Struggle of Testimonial Subjects for Agency
Authors: Partnoy Alicia
Published: November 2006

As i write these lines, back in Argentina a myriad of commemorative events mark the thirtieth anniversary of the genocidal military coup that destroyed our movement for social change in the 1970s. An outpour of testimonial texts is reaching the presses. The words of public intellectuals pepper interviews and newspaper articles dealing with the currency of the testimonial first person. Beatriz Sarlo's new book Tiempo pasado. Cultura de la memoria y giro subjetivo. Una discusion contributes to this debate. Sarlo recognizes the value of the testimonial first person for legal purposes, to set records straight while other documentation is not available (24) and to secure justice. She admits that personal narratives can be a source for historians (25). Sarlo argues, however, that excessive trust is placed on victims and survivors as producers of historical truth (62, 63). Her intervention has been called polemical by journalists in the country and abroad. Arturo Jiménez, from the Mexican newspaper La jornada, has seen it as a call to “go beyond the overwhelming predominance of the testimonial account of the repression by the military dictatorship and to engage with more strength in theoretical reflections to be able to understand what has happened” (my trans.). What concerns me about these words and Sarlo's statements is the belief that survivors are unfit for theoretical reflection unless they undergo traditional academic training and do not refer directly to their experience.
Trauma and Performance: Lessons from Latin America
Authors: Taylor Diana
Published: November 2006

Human Rights violations traumatize more than the immediate victims of “barbarous acts.” they wound families, communities, and entire societies sometimes for years, even generations. While the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights locates rights primarily in the individual (“Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law”), it is clear that “the human family” invoked in the opening sentence both sustains claims to inalienable rights and suffers from their transgression. Nonetheless, most responses to violations focus on individual victims almost to the exclusion of family and the broader community. Several countries sponsor “torture clinics” to reintegrate victims into society or find them asylum elsewhere. Survivors are diagnosed, and therapists help them work through their trauma in different ways, usually involving individual, group, and family therapy. These important programs medicalize trauma as individual pathology and attempt to reduce symptoms and empower survivors. However, even when particular programs are successful, problems and contradictions abound. Not all communities have access to mental health care. Not all governments are willing to sponsor programs that recognize the traumatic effects of their political actions. The wider impact of criminal politics on society as a whole remains unexplored. The question of whether society is the site of the so-called normal rather than a highly repressive or toxic environment is left unexamined. The individual becomes both the exclusive site of traumatic injury and the subject to be healed.
Notes on the Afterlife of Feminist Criticism
Authors: McDermott Sinead
Published: November 2006

In responding to the title of this roundtable, i was determined to do two things. First, i did not want to revisit the metaphors of illness and death offered by Susan Gubar as indicative of the state of feminist criticism in 1998. It is clear to me that feminist criticism and what we mean by that term are changing, but I also want to acknowledge the continued significance of this methodology for my own work. Feminist criticism works for me as a mode of literary analysis and as a way of seeing the world, and I am reluctant to offer a doomsday scenario for its future.
“I Am Not a Feminist, But…”: How Feminism Became the F-Word
Authors: Moi Toril
Published: November 2006

If PMIA invites us to reflect on the state of feminist theory today, it must be because there is a problem. Is feminist theory thought to be in trouble because feminism is languishing? Or because there is a problem with theory? Or—as it seems to me—both? Theory is a word usually used about work done in the poststructuralist tradition. (Luce Irigaray and Michel Foucault are “theory” Simone de Beauvoir and Ludwig Wittgenstein are not.) The poststructuralist paradigm is now exhausted. We are living through an era of “crisis,” as Thomas Kuhn would call it, an era in which the old is dying and the new has not yet been born (74–75). The fundamental assumptions of feminist theory in its various current guises (queer theory, postcolonial feminist theory, transnational feminist theory, psychoanalytic feminist theory, and so on) are still informed by some version of poststructuralism. No wonder, then, that so much feminist work today produces only tediously predictable lines of argument.
Enhancing the Regenerative Potential of Guided Tissue Regeneration to Treat an Intrabony Defect and Adjacent Ridge Deformity by Orthodontic Extrusive Force
Authors: Ogihara Shigeki , Marks Manuel H.
Published: November 2006

Background: The biologic potential of the periodontal ligament (PDL) can be harnessed to solve complex clinical problems involving several dental disciplines. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate that orthodontic extrusive force can enhance the regenerative potential of guided tissue regeneration (GTR) to eliminate an intrabony defect and augment a ridge deformity.

Methods: Regenerative therapy by open debridement with particulate anorganic cancellous bovine‐derived bone xenograft (BDX), bioabsorbable membrane, and minocycline root conditioning was carried out. Eight weeks after the initial surgery, orthodontic extrusion and uprighting simultaneously were initiated.

Results: Radiographs and reentry documentation demonstrated that orthodontic extrusive force could enhance the regenerative potential of GTR. Consequently, the intrabony defect and alveolar ridge were successfully treated.

Conclusion: This case report demonstrates that orthodontic‐regenerative combined therapy can resolve complex clinical problems involving several dental disciplines.
The Influence of Cyclosporin A on Mechanical Retention of Dental Implants Previously Integrated to the Bone: A Study in Rabbits
Authors: Sakakura Celso E. , Margonar Rogerio , Sartori Rafael , Morais Juliana A.N.D. , Marcantonio Elcio
Published: November 2006

Background: Immunosuppressive agents may induce severe changes on bone metabolism and may impair the osseointegration process during the implant healing. No data are available concerning the influence of cyclosporin A on dental implants previously integrated to the bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cyclosporin A administration on the mechanical retention of bone previously integrated to dental implants.

Methods: Eighteen female New Zealand rabbits were submitted to an implant surgery. Each animal received one commercial dental implant of 10 × 3.75 mm. After 12 weeks of an undisturbed healing period, six animals were randomly sacrificed and the removal torque test was performed (group A). In addition, six animals were submitted to a daily injection of cyclosporin A in a dosage of 10 mg/kg (group C), and six animals received saline solution as a control (group B). After 12 weeks of cyclosporin A administration, groups B and C were sacrificed and submitted to a removal torque test in which higher values can be interpreted as higher mechanical bone retention to the implant surface or higher osseointegration.

Results: The removal torque results were 30.5 (±9.8) Ncm for group A, 50.17 (±17.5) Ncm for group B, and 26 (±7.8) Ncm for group C. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between groups A and B (P <0.05) and groups B and C (P <0.01).

Conclusion: Cyclosporin A administration may impair the mechanical retention of dental implants previously integrated to the bone.
Quality of Trials in a Systematic Review of Powered Toothbrushes: Suggestions for Future Clinical Trials
Authors: Robinson Peter G. , Damien Walmsley A. , Heanue Michael , Deacon Scott , Deery Christopher , Glenny Ann Marie , Worthington Helen , Shaw William
Published: November 2006

Background: This study aimed to assess the quality of reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing manual and powered toothbrushes and provide advice on how future trials might be improved.

Methods: Studies were identified in the Cochrane systematic review of RCTs comparing powered versus manual toothbrushes. Reports were assessed against predefined criteria on the design of the studies to determine the effectiveness of the brushes in everyday home use and on their methodological quality.

Results: Only 42 of 297 identified studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and were eligible for inclusion in the review. Many studies were excluded for more than one reason. Fifteen studies employed split‐mouth designs that may have changed toothbrushing behavior. Of 42 included RCTs, the generation of randomization sequence was adequate in 15 trials and concealment of allocation was adequate in 16 trials. Intention‐to‐treat analysis was reported in only five studies. Plaque data were reported using 10 different indices and gingivitis with nine indices. Only 12 trials lasted 3 months or longer, and there were no data on the benefits of powered toothbrushes for periodontal attachment.

Conclusions: Some designs created an artificial research environment that may have undermined the findings. Authors of toothbrush trials should consider the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement. Greater standardization of the indices used is required. Trials of longer duration would enhance the evaluation of powered toothbrushes. Data on thresholds for clinically significant differences in plaque and gingivitis levels would help to determine whether oral hygiene aids provide important health benefits.
Root Coverage With a Coronally Positioned Flap Used in Combination With Enamel Matrix Derivative: 18‐Month Clinical Evaluation
Authors: Pilloni Andrea , Paolantonio Michele , Camargo Paulo M.
Published: November 2006

Background: Ginigival recession can be successfully treated with coronally positioned flaps. Twelve‐month data failed to demonstrate that topical application of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) used in combination with the coronally positioned flap enhances clinical outcomes of the surgical technique used alone. This study was designed to examine the effects of EMD combined with the coronally positioned flap over an 18‐month postoperative period.

Methods: Thirty patients presenting with Miller Class I or II gingival recessions on single‐rooted teeth participated in this parallel‐design clinical study. Six weeks after phase I therapy, recession areas were surgically treated with a coronally positioned flap for root coverage. Teeth in the experimental group received EMD treatment of the exposed root, whereas control teeth did not. Clinical parameters evaluated at baseline and 18 months postoperatively included gingival recession, clinical attachment level, probing depth, and the apico‐coronal dimension of the keratinized tissue.

Results: Compared to baseline, 18‐month measurements showed a significant reduction in probing depth, gain in attachment level, and decrease in gingival recession for control and experimental groups. When the results of the two treatment groups were compared, the experimental group presented with significantly greater root coverage than the control group (2.66 ± 0.61 mm versus 1.73 ± 0.70 mm, respectively), more gain in clinical attachment than the control group (2.80 ± 0.76 mm versus 2.06 ± 0.70 mm, respectively), and a greater gain in the apico‐coronal dimension of the keratinized tissue than the control group (0.13 ± 0.06 mm versus −0.06 ± 0.01 mm, respectively).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that topical application of EMD is beneficial in augmenting the effects of the coronally positioned flap in terms of amount of root coverage, gain in clinical attachment, and in increasing the apico‐coronal dimension of the keratinized tissue.
Characterization of Minocycline Transport by Human Neutrophils
Authors: Walters John D.
Published: November 2006

Background: Tetracyclines are used in periodontal therapy as antimicrobial agents and as inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases. Neutrophils appear to accumulate minocycline and other tetracyclines through a mechanism that has not been fully characterized.

Methods: The transport of minocycline and other tetracyclines by isolated human neutrophils was characterized by measuring the increase in cell‐associated fluorescence.

Results: Quiescent neutrophils took up minocycline through a saturable, concentrative, sodium‐dependent mechanism with a Michaelis constant (Km) of 153 μg/ml (501 μM) and a maximal velocity of 240 ng/minute/106 cells. The efficiency of minocycline transport was not influenced significantly by a two‐unit variation in extracellular pH and was not enhanced upon cell activation with phorbol myristate acetate. Neutrophil incubation in medium containing 10 μg/ml minocycline, doxycycline, or tetracycline yielded steady‐state intracellular/extracellular concentration ratios of ∼64.0, 7.5, or 1.8, respectively. The dilution of extracellular minocycline or doxycycline triggered efflux from cells loaded with these antibiotics. Minocycline transport was competitively inhibited by the organic cations carnitine, diphenhydramine, and verapamil, but penicillin and other organic anions failed to produce inhibition.

Conclusion: Transport of tetracyclines by neutrophils could potentially enhance the effectiveness of these agents in periodontal therapy by enhancing or sustaining their therapeutic levels at inflammatory sites and by enhancing the killing of phagocytosed bacterial pathogens.
Effects of Endogenous and Exogenous Prostaglandin E2 on the Proliferation and Differentiation of a Mouse Cementoblast Cell Line (OCCM‐30)
Authors: Mada Y. , Miyauchi M. , Oka H. , Kitagawa M. , Sakamoto K. , Iizuka S. , Sato S. , Noguchi K. , Somerman M.J. , Takata T.
Published: November 2006

Background: Cementum formation is considered to be a critical event for successful regeneration of periodontal tissues. Cementoblasts share many characteristics with osteoblasts. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important local factor in bone metabolism. Although the effects of PGE2 on osteoblasts are well known, its effects on cementoblasts have not yet been established. We examined the effects of PGE2 on proliferation and differentiation in a mouse cementoblast cell line, OCCM‐30 cells.

Methods: OCCM‐30 cells were treated with three concentrations of PGE2 (10, 100, and 1,000 ng/ml). Cell number, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and expression for mineralization‐related genes were determined. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) ligand (RANKL) expression were also examined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: The addition of PGE2 at the highest dose used in this study suppressed cell proliferation of OCCM‐30 cells. The expression of mineralization‐related marker mRNA, such as type 1 collagen, ALP, bone sialoprotein (BSP), and osteocalcin (OCN), was constitutively detected in OCCM‐30 cells. PGE2 dose dependently stimulated ALP activity and BSP‐mRNA expression in OCCM‐30 cells at day 3. Transcripts for OPG and RANKL and the protein level of OPG in culture media were upregulated with PGE2 stimulation.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that PGE2 suppressed cementoblast proliferation but stimulated ALP activity and the BSP‐mRNA level, suggesting a role of PGE2 in controlling cementoblast differentiation, and further indicate that PGE2 modulates RANKL and OPG expression in cementoblasts; the increase of OPG secreted from cementoblasts with PGE2 stimulation may be essential to protect the root surface from resorption.
Atrophic Glossitis From Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Case Misdiagnosed as Burning Mouth Disorder
Authors: Lehman Julia S. , Bruce Alison J. , Rogers Roy S.
Published: November 2006

Background: Glossodynia, or painful sensation of the tongue, can have a spectrum of etiologies, such as local infection, trauma, nerve damage, glossitis, or the enigmatic neuropathic pain syndrome, burning mouth disorder (BMD; also known as burning mouth syndrome). Careful history‐taking, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory screening can differentiate these causes of glossodynia and direct further therapy.

Methods: A 73‐year‐old woman presented with several months of glossodynia having previously been diagnosed by her primary care physician with primary BMD. Subsequently, she consulted an otolaryngologist, who pursued further diagnostic evaluation.

Results: Examination revealed the presence of a beefy, red, smooth tongue, and further laboratory evaluation yielded a low serum vitamin B12 level and macrocytosis. Three months of oral vitamin B12 supplementation led to partial restoration of serum vitamin B12 levels and a modest improvement in symptoms. Her final diagnoses were atrophic glossitis and glossodynia secondary to vitamin B12 deficiency, most likely due to pernicious anemia.

Conclusions: The results of this case have important clinical implications for the diagnostic evaluation and management of patients with glossodynia and apparent BMD. Pathogenic mechanisms of nutrient deficiency in atrophic glossitis are discussed.
Histologic and Ultrastructural Analysis of Regenerated Bone in Maxillary Sinus Augmentation Using a Porcine Bone–Derived Biomaterial
Authors: Orsini Giovanna , Scarano Antonio , Piattelli Maurizio , Piccirilli Marcello , Caputi Sergio , Piattelli Adriano
Published: November 2006

Background: The purpose of the present study was the histologic and ultrastructural evaluation of a biomaterial composed of cortical pig bone in the form of granules.

Methods: After maxillary sinus augmentation using this biomaterial, 10 specimens were retrieved after 5 months in 10 patients using this biomaterial. The specimens were processed to be observed under light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Histomorphometric measurements were presented by means ± standard deviations.

Results: LM showed that most of the particles were surrounded by newly formed bone. In some areas, the osteoid matrix was present; however, mainly compact bone was present at the interface. There was no evidence of an acute inflammatory infiltrate. The newly formed bone was 36% ± 2.8% and marrow spaces were 38% ± 1.6%, whereas residual grafted material was 31% ± 1.6%. Under TEM, all phases of bone formation (osteoid matrix, woven, and lamellar bone) were observed in proximity with the biomaterial particles. The bone‐biomaterial interface showed a close contact between the porcine bone particles and the surrounding bone that had mainly features of mature bone with numerous osteocytes. A lamina limitans was sometimes present at this interface.

Conclusions: According to our knowledge, this is the first study presenting data on TEM of a porcine bone–derived biomaterial used in sinus augmentation procedures in humans. Our findings show that this is a biocompatible biomaterial that can be used for maxillary sinus augmentation procedures without interfering with the normal reparative bone processes.
A Retrospective Evaluation of 1,387 Single‐Tooth Implants: A 6‐Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Levin Liran , Sadet Paul , Grossmann Yoav
Published: November 2006

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall survival rate and factors that affect the clinical outcome of 1,387 consecutively placed implant‐supported single restorations up to 6 years.

Methods: During 6 years (1999 to 2005), 1,387 implants were placed in 1,215 subjects (1,073 males and 142 females) who required single‐tooth replacements. The average time from implant placement was 2.7 ± 3.27 years. Implants were mostly placed in the maxillary premolar area (39.5%) followed by the anterior maxillary area (28.7%). Implant survival and location, need for bone augmentation, and implant dimensions were recorded and analyzed.

Results: Failed implants totaled 96, resulting in an overall survival rate of 93.1%. The vast majority of failures (94.8%) occurred during the first year following implant placement. Bone augmentation was performed in 9.7% of the implants with a 92.5% survival rate, similar to the survival rate of non‐augmented areas (93.1%; P = 0.79). The average implant length was 13.3 mm, ranging from 8 to 16 mm. Longer implants (≥11 mm) showed similar survival rates as implants <11 mm (93.2% versus 90.2%, respectively; P = 0.4). Implant width ranged between 3.25 to 5 mm (mean 3.9), with no effect on implant survival (P = 0.43). There was a significant difference in implant survival according to the anatomic zone of implant placement (P = 0.0075). The maxillary premolar area showed the highest survival rate (96.2%).

Conclusion: Implant‐supported single‐tooth replacement is a predictable procedure with good survival rates up to 6 years.
Season of birth interacts with measures of inbreeding in multiplex schizophrenia pedigrees: evidence from genetic isolates in Daghestan
Authors: Bulayeva Kazima , McGrath John
Published: November 2006

While the season-of-birth effect is one of the most consistent epidemiological features of schizophrenia, there is a lack of consistency with respect to the interaction between season of birth and family history of schizophrenia. Apart from family history, measures related to consanguinity can be used as proxy markers of genomic heterogeneity. Thus, these measures may provide an alternate, indirect index of genetic susceptibility. We had the opportunity to explore the interaction between season of birth and measure of consanguinity in well-described genetic isolates in Daghestan, some of which are known for their relatively high prevalence of schizophrenia. Our previous population-genetic study showed Daghestan has an extremely high genetic diversity between the ethnic populations and a low genetic diversity within them. The isolates selected for this study include some with more than 200 and some with less than 100 generations of demographical history since their founding. Based on pedigrees of multiply-affected families, we found that among individuals with schizophrenia, the measure of consanguinity was significantly higher in the parents of those born in winter/spring compared to those born in summer/autumn. Furthermore, compared to summer/autumn born, winter/spring born individuals with schizophrenia had an earlier age-of-onset, and more prominent auditory hallucinations. Our results suggest that the offspring of consanguineous marriages, and thus those with reduced allelic heterogeneity, may be more susceptible to the environmental factor(s) underpinning the season-of-the effect in schizophrenia.
Developmental progression in the confidence‐accuracy relationship in event recall: insights provided by a calibration perspective
Authors: Howie Pauline , Roebers Claudia M.
Published: November 2006

The development of discrimination and realism was investigated in the event recall of 156 8‐year‐olds, 133 10‐year‐olds and 146 adults, using categorical confidence judgements. Target questions were either a mixture of misleading and unbiased (‘non‐bombardment’), or restricted to one question format (‘bombardment’). The confidence judgements of all age groups discriminated between incorrect and correct responses to unbiased questions, but with misleading questions, this ability was undermined in the children, particularly when ‘bombarded’. Calibration‐style analyses of unbiased questions revealed a systematic confidence–accuracy association across age and question mix for unbiased questions. For misleading questions, however, the absence of a drop in performance from intermediate to low confidence at all ages suggested relative underconfidence at the lowest confidence level. At high confidence levels, there was evidence of realistic congruence between confidence and performance in adults, but this was not the case in the 10‐year‐olds when bombarded with misleading questions, or in the 8‐year‐olds, regardless of bombardment. Exploratory analyses of question difficulty revealed poor calibration across ages for difficult unbiased questions, and in the 8‐year‐olds, even for easy unbiased questions when intermixed with misleading questions. Bombardment with difficult misleading questions further undermined children's calibration. Implications for the role of social and cognitive factors in the development of metacognitive monitoring are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ZnO–SnO2 Hollow Spheres and Hierarchical Nanosheets: Hydrothermal Preparation, Formation Mechanism, and Photocatalytic Properties
Authors: Wang W.‐W. , Zhu Y.‐J. , Yang L.‐X.
Published: November 2006

ZnO–SnO2 hollow spheres and hierarchical nanosheets are successfully synthesized using an aqueous solution containing ZnO rods, SnCl4, and NaOH by using a simple hydrothermal method. The effects of hydrothermal temperature and time on the morphology of ZnO–SnO2 are investigated. The formation process of ZnO–SnO2 hollow spheres and nanosheets is discussed. The samples are characterized using X‐ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy. Both hollow spheres and hierarchical nanosheets show higher photocatalytic activities in the degradation of methyl orange than that of ZnO rods or SnO2.
Photoresponsive Ferroelectric Liquid‐Crystalline Polymers
Authors: Beyer P. , Krueger M. , Giesselmann F. , Zentel R.
Published: November 2006

The photoresponse of ferroelectric smectic side‐chain liquid‐crystalline (LC) polymers containing a photoisomerizable azobenzene derivative as a covalently linked photochromic side group is investigated. By static measurements in different photostationary states, the effect of trans–cis isomerization on the material's phase‐transition temperatures and its ferroelectric properties (spontaneous electric polarization PS and director tilt angle θ) are analyzed. It turns out that the Curie temperature (transition SC* to SA) can be reversibly shifted by up to 17 °C. The molecular mechanism of this “photoferroelectric effect” is studied in detail using time‐resolved measurements of the dye's optical absorbance, the director tilt angle, and the spontaneous polarization, which show a direct response of the ferroelectric parameters to the molecular isomerization. The kinetics of the thermal reisomerization of the azo dye in the LC matrix are evaluated. A comparison to the reisomerization reaction in isotropic solution (toluene) reveals a faster thermal relaxation of the dye in the LC phase.
Synthetische molekulare Motoren und mechanische Maschinen
Authors: Kay Euan R. , Leigh David A. , Zerbetto Francesco
Published: November 2006

In der Natur spielen gesteuerte Bewegungen auf molekularer Ebene bei vielen Prozessen eine Schlüsselrolle. Das Schließen der Lücke zwischen der aktuellen Generation synthetischer Verbindungen, bei denen hauptsächlich elektronische und chemische Effekte genutzt werden, und makroskopischen Maschinen, deren Funktionsfähigkeit auf der synchronisierten Bewegung von Maschinenteilen beruht, wäre ein großer Erfolg. Dieses Forschungsgebiet wird derzeit intensiv bearbeitet und wächst außerordentlich schnell. Die ersten Überlegungen zu molekularen Maschinen reichen allerdings weiter zurück in die Vergangenheit, in eine Zeit, in der die Konzepte vom statistischen Verhalten der Materie und die Gesetze der Thermodynamik formuliert wurden. Wir umreißen hier die Erfolgsgeschichte der Bändigung molekularer Bewegungen, der Beherrschung der grundlegenden Prinzipien, an denen sich das Design zu orientieren hat, und der Fortschritte bei der Anwendung synthetischer Systeme, die durch mechanische Bewegung Aufgaben verrichten können. Ferner werden wir auf einige ungelöste Probleme eingehen.
Synthetic Molecular Motors and Mechanical Machines
Authors: Kay Euan R. , Leigh David A. , Zerbetto Francesco
Published: November 2006

The widespread use of controlled molecular‐level motion in key natural processes suggests that great rewards could come from bridging the gap between the present generation of synthetic molecular systems, which by and large rely upon electronic and chemical effects to carry out their functions, and the machines of the macroscopic world, which utilize the synchronized movements of smaller parts to perform specific tasks. This is a scientific area of great contemporary interest and extraordinary recent growth, yet the notion of molecular‐level machines dates back to a time when the ideas surrounding the statistical nature of matter and the laws of thermodynamics were first being formulated. Here we outline the exciting successes in taming molecular‐level movement thus far, the underlying principles that all experimental designs must follow, and the early progress made towards utilizing synthetic molecular structures to perform tasks using mechanical motion. We also highlight some of the issues and challenges that still need to be overcome.
Association of the PTPN22 R620W polymorphism with anti–topoisomerase I– and anticentromere antibody–positive systemic sclerosis
Authors: Gourh Pravitt , Tan Filemon K. , Assassi Shervin , Ahn Chul W. , McNearney Terry A. , Fischbach Michael , Arnett Frank C. , Mayes Maureen D.
Published: November 2006

Objective

To determine any associations of the PTPN22 R620W single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with systemic sclerosis (SSc) or with anticentromere antibody (ACA)–positive or anti–topoisomerase I (anti–topo I) antibody–positive SSc, in a case–control study of US white, black, Hispanic, and Choctaw Indian individuals.

Methods

A total of 850 white, 130 black, 120 Hispanic, and 20 Choctaw Indian patients with SSc were compared with 430 white, 164 black, 146 Hispanic, and 76 Choctaw Indian control subjects, respectively. All subjects were living in the US. PTPN22 SNP (rs2476601) genotyping was performed by TaqMan 5′ allelic discrimination assay and pyrosequencing.

Results

The PTPN22 CT/TT genotype showed significant association with anti–topo I antibody–positive SSc in white patients (odds ratio [OR] 2.21, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.3–3.7) and with ACA‐positive white patients with SSc (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.1–2.7). Frequency of the PTPN22*T allele also showed significant association with anti–topo I antibody–positive SSc in white patients (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.3–3.2). When data for patients in the 3 ethnic groups (black, white, and Hispanic) were combined, a significant association with both genotype and allele frequencies was observed, suggesting a trend toward association in ACA‐positive and anti–topo I antibody–positive SSc. Stepwise logistic regression analysis (controlled for the confounding effects of sex and race) showed that the PTPN22 CT/TT genotype was associated with a significantly higher risk of SSc compared with the CC genotype (for patients with SSc, OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.2–2.2; for ACA‐positive patients with SSc, OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.0–2.6; for anti–topo I antibody–positive SSc, OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.5–3.7).

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the PTPN22 R620W polymorphism is associated with ACA‐positive and anti–topo I antibody–positive subsets of SSc and represents a risk factor in both white patients and black patients. The association of subsets of SSc with the PTPN22 R620W polymorphism further strengthens the classification of SSc within the spectrum of autoimmune diseases and strongly suggests the involvement of common susceptibility genes and similarly disordered immunoregulatory pathways.
A multicenter, prospective, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of corticosteroids and intravenous cyclophosphamide followed by oral azathioprine for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in scleroderma
Authors: Hoyles Rachel K. , Ellis Ross W. , Wellsbury Jessica , Lees Belinda , Newlands Pauline , Goh Nicole S. L. , Roberts Christopher , Desai Sujal , Herrick Ariane L. , McHugh Neil J. , Foley Noeleen M. , Pearson Stanley B. , Emery Paul , Veale Douglas J. , Denton Christopher P. , Wells Athol U. , Black Carol M. , du Bois Roland M.
Published: November 2006

Objective

The lack of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in pulmonary fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has hampered an evidence‐based approach to treatment. This RCT was undertaken to investigate the effects of intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide (CYC) followed by azathioprine (AZA) treatment in pulmonary fibrosis in SSc.

Methods

Forty‐five patients were randomized to receive low‐dose prednisolone and 6 infusions (monthly) of CYC followed by oral AZA, or placebo. Primary outcome measures were change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and change in single‐breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Secondary outcome measures included changes in appearance on high‐resolution computed tomography and dyspnea scores. An intent‐to‐treat statistical analysis was performed.

Results

At baseline, there were no significant group differences in factors linked to outcome, including severity of pulmonary fibrosis and autoantibody status. Sixty‐two percent of the patients completed the first year of treatment. Withdrawals included 9 patients (6 from the placebo group) with significant decline in lung function, 2 with treatment side effects (both from the active treatment group), and 6 with non–trial‐related comorbidity. No hemorrhagic cystitis or bone marrow suppression was observed. Estimation of the relative treatment effect (active treatment versus placebo) adjusted for baseline FVC and treatment center revealed a favorable outcome for FVC of 4.19%; this between‐group difference showed a trend toward statistical significance (P = 0.08). No improvements in DLCO or secondary outcome measures were identified.

Conclusion

This trial did not demonstrate significant improvement in the primary or secondary end points in the active treatment group versus the group receiving placebo. However, for FVC there was a trend toward statistical significance between the 2 groups. This suggests that treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in SSc with low‐dose prednisolone and IV CYC followed by AZA stabilizes lung function in a subset of patients with the disease. Therapy was well tolerated with no increase in serious adverse events.
Systemic sclerosis in childhood: Clinical and immunologic features of 153 patients in an international database
Authors: Martini Giorgia , Foeldvari Ivan , Russo Ricardo , Cuttica Ruben , Eberhard Anne , Ravelli Angelo , Lehman Thomas J. A. , de Oliveira Sheila Knupp Feitosa , Susic Gordana , Lyskina Galina , Nemcova Dana , Sundel Robert , Falcini Fernanda , Girschick Herman , Lotito Ana Paula , Buoncompagni Antonella , Sztajnbok Flavio , Al‐Mayouf Sulaiman M. , Orbàn Ilonka , Ferri Clodoveo , Athreya Balu H. , Woo Patricia , Zulian Francesco
Published: November 2006

Objective

To determine the clinical and immunologic features of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a large group of children and describe the clinical evolution of the disease and compare it with the adult form.

Methods

Data on 153 patients with juvenile SSc collected from 55 pediatric rheumatology centers in Europe, Asia, and South and North America were analyzed. Demographic, clinical, and immunologic characteristics of children with juvenile SSc at the onset, at diagnosis, and during the disease course were evaluated.

Results

Raynaud's phenomenon was the most frequent symptom, followed by skin induration in ∼75% of patients. Musculoskeletal symptoms were present in one‐third of patients, and the most frequently involved internal organs were respiratory and gastrointestinal, while involvement of renal, cerebral, and cardiovascular systems was extremely rare. Antinuclear antibodies were present in the sera of 81% of patients. Anti–topoisomerase I (Scl‐70) and anticentromere antibodies were found to be positive in 34% and 7.1% of patients, respectively. Involvement of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems was more frequent and occurred earlier in patients who died than in those who survived. Compared with the adult form, juvenile SSc appears to be less severe, with the involvement of fewer internal organs, particularly at the time of diagnosis, and has a less characterized immunologic profile.

Conclusion

This study provides information on the largest collection of patients with juvenile SSc ever reported. Juvenile SSc appears to be less severe than in adults because children have less internal organ involvement, a less specific autoantibody profile, and a better long‐term outcome.
Association of a transmembrane polymorphism of Fcγ receptor IIb (FCGR2B) with systemic lupus erythematosus in Taiwanese patients
Authors: Chen Ji‐Yih , Wang Chin Man , Ma Chung‐Chun , Luo Shue‐Fen , Edberg Jeffrey C. , Kimberly Robert P. , Wu Jianming
Published: November 2006

Objective

To investigate the possible association of the Fcγ receptor IIb (FcγRIIb) Ile/Thr187 transmembrane domain polymorphism, which significantly affects receptor signaling, with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Taiwanese patients.

Methods

We used matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization−time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry to genotype 351 Taiwanese SLE patients and 372 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals from the same geographic area. Allele frequencies and genotype distributions were compared between the patients and controls, both as an aggregate and as stratified by sex, autoantibody profile, and clinical parameters. A combined analysis was conducted to assess the FCGR2B Thr187 allele as a common risk factor in different ethnic populations.

Results

The minor Thr187 allele was significantly associated with SLE in Taiwanese subjects (P = 0.017, odds ratio [OR] 1.989 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.119–3.553]). Interestingly, male SLE patients showed enrichment of the Thr/Thr187 genotype (24%; 7 of 29) as compared with female SLE patients (10%; 32 of 322) (P = 0.043, OR 2.884 [95% CI 1.028–7.839]). Additionally, SLE patients with Thr/Thr187 and Ile/Thr187 genotypes were more likely to have pleural effusions (P = 0.038, OR 1.874 [95% CI 1.033–3.411]) and anti‐SSA/Ro antibody production (P = 0.046, OR 2.221 [95% CI 1.013–4.897]). Combined analysis of 4 groups of Asian patients strongly supported the association of the FCGR2B Thr187 allele with the lupus phenotype (P = 0.000159).

Conclusion

The FcγRIIb transmembrane polymorphism is a strong disease susceptibility candidate in epistasis with other genetic effects in Taiwanese and other Asian populations. It may also play a more prominent role in male patients with SLE.
Lung transplantation in scleroderma compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Schachna Lionel , Medsger Thomas A. , Dauber James H. , Wigley Fredrick M. , Braunstein Neil A. , White Barbara , Steen Virginia D. , Conte John V. , Yang Stephen C. , McCurry Kenneth R. , Borja Marvin C. , Plaskon David E. , Orens Jonathan B. , Gelber Allan C.
Published: November 2006

Objective

Lung transplantation is a viable, life‐saving intervention for several primary pulmonary disorders complicated by severe lung dysfunction. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether patients with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disorder, would receive similar benefit from this intervention.

Methods

Survival following lung transplantation was examined at 2 university medical centers among 29 patients with scleroderma as compared with 70 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 38 with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), the latter groups representing pathologically related primary pulmonary disorders. The end point was death from any cause. Risk of mortality in patients with scleroderma was compared with that in patients with IPF or IPAH, with adjustment for demographic and clinical parameters.

Results

During 2 years of followup, 11 patients with scleroderma (38%), 23 with IPF (33%), and 14 with IPAH (37%) died. Cumulative survival at 6 months posttransplantation was 69% in the scleroderma group compared with 80% in the IPF group (log‐rankP= 0.21) and 79% in the IPAH group (P= 0.38). The estimated risk of mortality at 6 months was increased in patients with scleroderma compared with those with IPF (relative risk [RR] 1.70, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.74–3.93) and those with IPAH (RR 1.52, 95% CI 0.59–3.96), but the differences were not statistically significant. Over the following 18 months, there was convergence in the survival rates such that cumulative survival at 2 years was comparable, at ∼64%, among all 3 groups.

Conclusion

Patients with scleroderma who are recipients of lung transplantation experience similar rates of survival 2 years after the procedure compared with those with IPF or IPAH. Lung transplantation may represent a viable therapeutic option to consider for patients with end‐stage lung disease due to scleroderma.
A novel autoantigen to differentiate limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis from diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: The interferon‐inducible gene IFI16
Authors: Mondini Michele , Vidali Matteo , Andrea Marco De , Azzimonti Barbara , Airò Paolo , D'Ambrosio Roberta , Riboldi Piersandro , Meroni Pier Luigi , Albano Emanuele , Shoenfeld Yehuda , Gariglio Marisa , Landolfo Santo
Published: November 2006

Objective

To investigate the presence and clinical significance of autoantibodies against the interferon‐inducible gene IFI16 in systemic sclerosis (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and other autoimmune diseases.

Methods

Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the expression of IFI16 in skin biopsy specimens obtained from patients with SSc and patients with SLE. Levels of antibodies against IFI16 in sera from 82 patients with SSc and 100 patients with SLE were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Other autoimmune diseases such as primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), chronic urticaria, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were also examined.

Results

Expression of IFI16 was greatly increased and was ubiquitous in all layers of the epidermis and in the dermal inflammatory infiltrates of lesional skin from both patients with SLE and patients with SSc. Patients with SLE, those with primary SS, and those with SSc exhibited significantly higher anti‐IFI16 IgG antibody levels compared with normal controls (for SLE, P < 0.002; for primary SS, P < 0.001; for SSc, P < 0.0005). Anti‐IFI16 titers above the ninety‐fifth percentile for control subjects were observed in 26% of the patients with SLE, 50% of those with primary SS, and 21% of those with SSc (28% of patients with limited cutaneous SSc [lcSSc] versus 4% of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc [dcSSc]). In contrast, the prevalence of anti‐IFI16 was 4% in patients with RA, 5% in those with chronic urticaria, and 13% in those with HCV infection.

Conclusion

The results of this study provide evidence that an IFN‐inducible gene, IFI16, may be involved in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of connective tissue disorders such as SSc. Moreover, a strict correlation with lcSSc was also demonstrated, thus providing a novel tool in the differential diagnosis of lcSSc from dcSSc.