bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lung tissue bioenergetics and caspase activity in rodents
Authors: Alsuwaidi Ahmed R , Alsamri Mohammed T , Alfazari Ali S , Almarzooqi Saeeda , Albawardi Alia , Othman Aws R , Pramathan Thachillath , Hartwig Stacey M , Varga Steven M , Souid Abdul-Kader
Published: January 2013

Background

This study aimed to establish a suitable in vitro system for investigating effects of respiratory pathogens and toxins on lung tissue bioenergetics (cellular respiration and ATP content) and caspase activity. Wistar rats and C57Bl/6 mice were anesthetized by sevoflurane inhalation. Lung fragments were then collected and incubated at 37°C in a continuously gassed (with 95% O2:5% CO2) Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) or Krebs-Henseleit buffer. Phosphorescence O2 analyzer that measured dissolved O2 concentration as a function of time was used to monitor the rate of cellular mitochondrial O2 consumption. Cellular ATP content was measured using the luciferin/luciferase system. The caspase-3 substrate N-acetyl-asp-glu-val-asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (Ac-DEVD-AMC) was used to monitor intracellular caspase activity; cleaved AMC moieties (reflecting caspase activity) were separated on HPLC and detected by fluorescence. Lung histology and immunostaining with anti-cleaved caspase-3 antibody were also performed.

Results

For Wistar rats, the values of k

c
and ATP for 0 < t ≤ 7 h (mean ± SD) were 0.15 ± 0.02 μM O2 min-1 mg-1 (n = 18, coefficient of variation, Cv = 13%) and 131 ± 69 pmol mg-1 (n = 16, Cv = 53%), respectively. The AMC peak areas remained relatively small despite a ~5-fold rise over 6 h. Good tissue preservation was evident despite time-dependent increases in apoptotic cells. Lung tissue bioenergetics, caspase activity and structure were deleterious in unoxygenated or intermittently oxygenated solutions. Incubating lung tissue in O2 depleted MEM for 30 min or anesthesia by urethane had no effect on lung bioenergetics, but produced higher caspase activity.

Conclusions

Lung tissue bioenergetics and structure could be maintained in vitro in oxygenated buffer for several hours and, thus, used as biomarkers for investigating respiratory pathogens or toxins.
Treatment of penetrating trauma of the extremities: ten years’ experience at a dutch level 1 trauma center
Authors: Van Waes Oscar JF , Van Lieshout Esther MM , Hogendoorn Wouter , Halm Jens A , Vermeulen Jefrey
Published: January 2013

Background

A selective non-operative management (SNOM) has found to be an adequate and safe strategy to assess and treat patients suffering from penetrating trauma of the extremities (PTE). With this SNOM comes a strategy in which adjuvant investigations or interventions are not routinely performed, but based on physical examination only.

Methods

All subsequent patients presented with PTE at a Dutch level I trauma center from October 2000 to June 2011 were included in this study. In-hospital and long-term outcome was analysed in the light of assessment of these patients according to the SNOM protocol.

Results

A total of 668 patients (88.2% male; 33.8% gunshot wounds) with PTE presented at the Emergency Department of a level 1 traumacenter, of whom 156 were admitted for surgical treatment or observation. Overall, 22 (14%) patients that were admitted underwent exploration of the extremity for vascular injury. After conservative observation, two (1.5%) patients needed an intervention to treat (late onset) vascular complications. Other long-term extremity related complications were loss of function or other deformity (n = 9) due to missed nerve injury, including 2 patients with peroneal nerve injury caused by delayed compartment syndrome treatment.

Conclusion

A SNOM protocol for initial assessment and treatment of PTE is feasible and safe. Clinical examination of the injured extremity is a reliable diagnostic 'tool' for excluding vascular injury. Repeated assessments for nerve injuries are important as these are the ones that are frequently missed and result in long-term disability. Level of evidence: II / III, retrospective prognostic observational cohort study Key words Penetrating trauma, extremity, vascular injury, complications.
Vascular disrupting agent for neovascular age related macular degeneration: a pilot study of the safety and efficacy of intravenous combretastatin a-4 phosphate
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed A , Do Diana V , Sepah Yasir J , Shah Syed M , Van Anden Elizabeth , Hafiz Gulnar , Donahue J Kevin , Rivers Richard , Balkissoon Jai , Handa James T , Campochiaro Peter A , Nguyen Quan Dong
Published: January 2013

Background

This study was designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of intravenous infusion of CA4P in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

Prospective, interventional, dose-escalation clinical trial. Eight patients with neovascular AMD refractory to at least 2 sessions of photodynamic therapy received CA4P at a dose of 27 or 36 mg/m2as weekly intravenous infusion for 4 consecutive weeks. Safety was monitored by vital signs, ocular and physical examinations, electrocardiogram, routine laboratory tests, and collection of adverse events. Efficacy was assessed using retinal fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Results

The most common adverse events were elevated blood pressure (46.7%), QTc prolongation (23.3%), elevated temperature (13.3%), and headache (10%), followed by nausea and eye injection (6.7%). There were no adverse events that were considered severe in intensity and none resulted in discontinuation of treatment. There was reduction of the excess foveal thickness by 24.15% at end of treatment period and by 43.75% at end of the two-month follow-up (p = 0.674 and 0.161, respectively). BCVA remained stable throughout the treatment and follow-up periods.

Conclusions

The safety profile of intravenous CA4P was consistent with that reported in oncology trials of CA4P and with the class effects of vascular disruptive agents; however, the frequency of adverse events was different. There are evidences to suggest potential efficacy of CA4P in neovascular AMD. However, the level of systemic safety and efficacy indicates that systemic CA4P may not be suitable as an alternative monotherapy to current standard-of-care therapy.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01570790.
Resuscitative strategies in traumatic hemorrhagic shock
Authors: Bouglé Adrien , Harrois Anatole , Duranteau Jacques
Published: January 2013

Managing trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock is complex and difficult. Despite our knowledge of the pathophysiology of hemorrhagic shock in trauma patients that we have accumulated during recent decades, the mortality rate of these patients remains high. In the acute phase of hemorrhage, the therapeutic priority is to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible. As long as this bleeding is uncontrolled, the physician must maintain oxygen delivery to limit tissue hypoxia, inflammation, and organ dysfunction. This process involves fluid resuscitation, the use of vasopressors, and blood transfusion to prevent or correct acute coagulopathy of trauma. The optimal resuscitative strategy is controversial. To move forward, we need to establish optimal therapeutic approaches with clear objectives for fluid resuscitation, blood pressure, and hemoglobin levels to guide resuscitation and limit the risk of fluid overload and transfusion.
Reversible impairment of the ku80 gene by a recyclable marker in Aspergillus aculeatus
Authors: Tani Shuji , Tsuji Atsushi , Kunitake Emi , Sumitani Jun-ichi , Kawaguchi Takashi
Published: January 2013

Auxotrophic mutants of Aspergillus can be isolated in the presence of counter-selective compounds, but the process is laborious. We developed a method to enable reversible impairment of the ku80 gene (Aaku80) in the imperfect fungus Aspergillus aculeatus. Aaku80 was replaced with a selection marker, orotidine 5’-phosphate decarboxylase (pyrG), followed by excision of pyrG between direct repeats (DR) to yield the Aaku80 deletion mutant (MR12). The gene-targeting efficiency at the ornithine carbamoyltransferase (argB) locus was drastically elevated from 3% to 96% in MR12. The frequency of marker recycling depended on DR length. One uridine auxotroph was obtained from 3.3 × 105, 1.4 × 105, and 9.2 × 103 conidia from strains harboring 20-, 98-, and 495-bp DRs, respectively. Because these strains maintained the short DRs after 5 d of cultivation, we investigated whether Aaku80 function was disrupted by pyrG insertion with the 20-bp DR and restored after excision of pyrG. The Aaku80 disruption mutant (coku80) was bred by inserting pyrG sandwiched between 20-bp DRs into the second intron of Aaku80, followed by excision of pyrG between the DRs to yield the coku80rec strain. Analyses of homologous recombination frequency and methyl methanesulfonate sensitivity demonstrated that Aaku80 function was disrupted in coku80 but restored in coku80rec. Furthermore, pyrG was maintained in coku80 at least for ten generations. These data indicated that reversible impairment of ku80 in A. aculeatus is useful for functional genomics in cases where genetic segregation is not feasible.
Expression, purification and characterization of a recombinant fusion protein based on the human papillomavirus-16 E7 antigen
Authors: Granadillo Milaid , Batte Aileen , Lugo Victoria M , Musacchio Alexis , Bequet-Romero Mónica , Betancourt Lázaro , Besada Vladimir , Javier Luis , Molina Raychel , Falcón Viviana , Torrens Isis
Published: January 2013

A fusion protein comprising a cell penetrating and immunostimulatory peptide corresponding to residues 32 to 51 of theLimulus polyphemusprotein linked to human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 E7 antigen (LALF32-51-E7) was expressed inE. coliBL21 (DE3) cells. The recombinant protein inE. coliaccounted for approximately 18% of the total cellular protein and purified with a single affinity chromatographic step. Yields of approximately 38 mg purified LALF32-51-E7 per liter of induced culture was obtained with an overall 52% recovery and constitutes a promising setting for the future production and scaling-up. Purified protein was characterized as soluble aggregates with molecular weight larger than 670 kDa, which is considered an important property to increase the immunogenicity of an antigen preparation. The recombinant fusion protein LALF32-51-E7 will be a promising vaccine candidate for the treatment of HPV-16 related malignancies.
Effect of humidity on egg hatchability and reproductive biology of the bamboo borer (Dinoderus minutus Fabricius)
Authors: Norhisham Ahmad R , Abood Faizah , Rita Muhamad , Hakeem Khalid Rehman
Published: January 2013

Wood products are highly exposed to infestation by powder post beetles. Dinoderus minutus (bamboo borer) is a wood boring beetle that seriously damage dried bamboo and finished bamboo products. Management of D. minutus using pesticides showed negative effects on environment despite being very costly. By understanding influence of natural climatic conditions on their reproductive behaviour, could help us to develop a cost effective and environmental friendly strategy to cope up with this problem. In the present study, reproductive parameters and egg development of the bamboo borer were determined at 20%, 40%, 56%, 75% and 85% r.h. levels at constant temperature of 30° ± 2°C with 8 L-16D photoregime. From the results, eclosion to first instar larva was recorded at all relative humidities tested. The lowest shortest percentage of hatchability was recorded at 20% and 85% relative humidity with a mean incubation period of 4.63 ± 0.25 and 10.43 ± 0.32 days, respectively. It was noted that pre-ovipositional period decreased from 14.20 ± 0.49 to 7.20 ± 0.31 days as relative humidity increased from 20% to 75% and slightly increased to 8.00 ± 0.37 days at 85% relative humidity. We conclude that female beetles may have a particular hygropreference in oviposition as total egg production increased with increasing relative humidity.
Biogenic amines activate blood leukocytes via trace amine-associated receptors TAAR1 and TAAR2
Authors: Babusyte Agne , Kotthoff Matthias , Fiedler Julia , Krautwurst Dietmar
Published: January 2013

TAAR1 and TAAR2 are necessary for biogenic amine-induced in vitro activation of PMN migration, Th-cell cytokine secretion, and B-cell immunoglobulin E production.

Certain biogenic amines, such as 2-PEA, TYR, or T1AM, modulate blood pressure, cardiac function, brain monoaminergic systems, and olfaction-guided behavior by specifically interacting with members of a group of rhodopsin-like receptors, TAAR. A receptor that is absent from olfactory epithelia but had long been identified in the brain and a variety of peripheral tissues, TAAR1 has been found recently in blood B cells, suggesting a functional role of TAAR1 in these cells. With the present study, we have set out to clarify the expression and functional roles of TAAR in different isolated human blood leukocyte types. Here, we report the functional expression of TAAR1 and its closest relative TAAR2 in blood PMN and T and B cells. Both receptors are coexpressed in a subpopulation of PMN, where they are necessary for the chemosensory migration toward the TAAR1 ligands 2-PEA, TYR, and T1AM, with EC50 values of 0.43 ± 0.05 nM, 0.52 ± 0.05 nM, and 0.25 ± 0.04 nM, respectively. The same amines, with similar potencies, triggered cytokine or Ig secretion, in purified blood T or B cells, respectively. Notably, 2-PEA regulated mRNA expression of 28 T cell function-related genes, above all of the CCL5. In siRNA-guided experiments, TAAR1 and TAAR2 proved to be necessary for amine-induced blood leukocyte functions. In summary, our results demonstrate that biogenic amines potently regulate blood cell functions via TAAR1 and TAAR2 and open the perspective of their specific pharmacological modulation.
Research Resource: Tissue- and Pathway-Specific Metabolomic Profiles of the Steroid Receptor Coactivator (SRC) Family
Authors: York Brian , Sagen Jørn V. , Tsimelzon Anna , Louet Jean-Francios , Chopra Atul R. , Reineke Erin L. , Zhou Suoling , Stevens Robert D. , Wenner Brett R. , Ilkayeva Olga , Bain James R. , Xu Jianming , Hilsenbeck Susan G. , Newgard Christopher B. , O'Malley Bert W.
Published: January 2013

The rapidly growing family of transcriptional coregulators includes coactivators that promote transcription and corepressors that harbor the opposing function. In recent years, coregulators have emerged as important regulators of metabolic homeostasis, including the p160 steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) family. Members of the SRC family have been ascribed important roles in control of gluconeogenesis, fat absorption and storage in the liver, and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle. To provide a deeper and more granular understanding of the metabolic impact of the SRC family members, we performed targeted metabolomic analyses of key metabolic byproducts of glucose, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism in mice with global knockouts (KOs) of SRC-1, SRC-2, or SRC-3. We measured amino acids, acyl carnitines, and organic acids in five tissues with key metabolic functions (liver, heart, skeletal muscle, brain, plasma) isolated from SRC-1, -2, or -3 KO mice and their wild-type littermates under fed and fasted conditions, thereby unveiling unique metabolic functions of each SRC. Specifically, SRC-1 ablation revealed the most significant impact on hepatic metabolism, whereas SRC-2 appeared to impact cardiac metabolism. Conversely, ablation of SRC-3 primarily affected brain and skeletal muscle metabolism. Surprisingly, we identified very few metabolites that changed universally across the three SRC KO models. The findings of this Research Resource demonstrate that coactivator function has very limited metabolic redundancy even within the homologous SRC family. Furthermore, this work also demonstrates the use of metabolomics as a means for identifying novel metabolic regulatory functions of transcriptional coregulators.
Evolutionary Yarns in Seahorse Valley: Living Tissues, Wooly Textiles, Theoretical Biologies
Authors: Roosth Sophia
Published: January 2013

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef (HCCR) is a distributed venture of thousands of women who cooperatively fabricate a collection of yarn and plastic coral reefs. Under the auspices of the Institute For Figuring, these crafters use the technique of “hyperbolic crochet” invented by geometer Daina Taimina to make wooly reefs, with the aim of drawing attention to the menace that climate change poses to the world’s coral reefs. Hyperbolic crochet is a method of fabricating models of hyperbolic geometry, a kind of non-Euclidean geometric space characterized by negative curvature. Many marine organisms have evolved to embody hyperbolic geometry; it affords them a maximum surface area with which to filter feed in a minimal volume. This essay asks, What is the place of biology—and specifically of biological theory—in the HCCR? After describing the Reef’s origins in geometrical modeling, the author traces the manifold biological theories that inform Reef makers’ descriptions of their project, showing how they gather and weave together the diverse theories and narratives that have marked nineteenth- and twentieth-century biology, drawing on contemporary, historic, and folk understandings of evolution and morphogenesis in describing their work. Such theories include Romantic notions of life forwarded by Johann Friedrich Goethe and Lorenz Oken, twentieth-century theoreticians such as D’Arcy Thompson and François Jacob, and, more recently, Susan Oyama and Niles Eldredge. The result is a composite, materially instantiated theory of biological change that is wholly their own.
The Forgetting Dis-Ease: Making Time Matter
Authors: Dib Lina
Published: January 2013

Starting with the assumption that memory and temporality are the fabric from which both individuals and societies are cut, scientists who are part of a network called Memories for Life seek to redress the fallible nature of human memory. Through the design of wearable cameras and sensors or the creation of timelines and lifelines, these researchers want to help individuals achieve comprehensive memories, which they hope will lead to greater self-understanding and, ultimately, to greater self-management. In doing so, these memories are made to matter, they are made material, and as they are stored, they are made valuable. This essay focuses on two extreme cases of life-logging that make use of prototypical recording technologies: that of Gordon Bell, a senior researcher at Microsoft, who is on a quest to record his life for the sake of increased objectivity, productivity, and digital posterity; and that of Mrs. B, a woman who suffers from amnesia and wears a camera in the hope of leading a normal life in which she can share the past with loved ones. The author discusses how new recording technologies are both a symptom of, and a cure for, anxieties about time, arguing that prototypical recording machines bring with them the obligation to rethink the divide that their makers draw between the fantasy of total recall and the fear of complete amnesia. In short, this essay shows that in their encounter with the world, these technological objects raise new polyphonic formulations of the very concepts of memory and forgetting.
Haunted Measurements: Demonic Work and Time in Experimentation
Authors: Schrader Astrid
Published: January 2013

Physics has a long history of employing demons as thought experiments in order to probe the limits of human knowledge. Maxwell’s demon is such a thought experiment: a molecule-sorting demon invented in 1878 by James Clerk Maxwell in order to con/test the universal validity of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics not only postulates a universal increase of entropy and an “arrow of time” but also has been based on human ignorance, the assumption that there is an objective world independent of us that we can know only incompletely. Maxwell’s demon figures the scientist’s ability to acquire knowledge about the microscopic molecular world but ostensibly without the expenditure of work. This essay offers a rereading of Leo Szilard’s influential account of Maxwell’s demon (1929), which explores the influence of human intelligence on scientific measurements in relation to an increase of entropy and the irreversibility of measurements. Opening up ambiguities in Szilard’s account of measurement and memory and comparing it to quantum mechanical experiments (the quantum erasure effect), the author reads both through Karen Barad’s onto-epistemological framework of “agential realism” and Jacques Derrida’s ghostly logic of time, proposing that all measurements are haunted and that scientific activities, reconfigured as intra-active work, constitute time, rather than accumulating knowledge in time. At stake in such a deconstruction of the scientific “arrow of time” from within physics is the possibility of making a difference that matters in science or, in other words, accounting for transformation and rearticulation work as physical work.
Initial Conditions
Authors: Kirby Vicki
Published: January 2013

Metaphysical terms like science, matter, nature, and reality have always been in limbo in critical theory; scholars have deconstructed and problematized and critiqued them, yet they still will not go away. Debates over science’s relationship to discourse and knowledge particularly revolve around the extent to which science’s objects are “real” or, put more formally, to what extent objects of human inquiry exist outside their investigation. This essay critiques two important interlocutors in the debate—Butler and Latour—to argue that this is the wrong question to ask. Resisting the temptation to make the poststructuralist move of positing culture as the origin of nature, which would grant culture the primary status that nature has historically held, Kirby bypasses arguments over whether matter is out in the world or a product of language by expanding what counts as language. Rather than claim that nature in its prerepresentational form is impossible to experience, she argues that nature itself consists of representations, and not just human-made ones. This essay, and, in its own way, each essay in the special issue it responds to, shows how the binaries operating in science were never really binaries. Nature and culture, body and mind, and subject and object are not opposing terms that need to be brought together but always already related terms whose relatedness must be—and, throughout the issue of differences in which it appears, will be—unveiled.
InDrosophila, RhoGEF2 cooperates with activated Ras in tumorigenesis through a pathway involving Rho1–Rok–Myosin-II and JNK signalling
Authors: Khoo Peytee , Allan Kirsten , Willoughby Lee , Brumby Anthony M. , Richardson Helena E.
Published: January 2013

The Ras oncogene contributes to ~30% of human cancers, but alone is not sufficient for tumorigenesis. In a Drosophila screen for oncogenes that cooperate with an activated allele of Ras (RasACT) to promote tissue overgrowth and invasion, we identified the GTP exchange factor RhoGEF2, an activator of Rho-family signalling. Here, we show that RhoGEF2 also cooperates with an activated allele of a downstream effector of Ras, Raf (RafGOF). We dissect the downstream pathways through which RhoGEF2 cooperates with RasACT (and RafGOF), and show that RhoGEF2 requires Rho1, but not Rac, for tumorigenesis. Furthermore, of the Rho1 effectors, we show that RhoGEF2 + Ras (Raf)-mediated tumorigenesis requires the Rho kinase (Rok)–Myosin-II pathway, but not Diaphanous, Lim kinase or protein kinase N. The Rho1–Rok–Myosin-II pathway leads to the activation of Jun kinase (JNK), in cooperation with RasACT. Moreover, we show that activation of Rok or Myosin II, using constitutively active transgenes, is sufficient for cooperative tumorigenesis with RasACT, and together with RasACT leads to strong activation of JNK. Our results show that Rok–Myosin-II activity is necessary and sufficient for Ras-mediated tumorigenesis. Our observation that activation of Myosin II, which regulates Filamentous actin (F-actin) contractility without affecting F-actin levels, cooperates with RasACT to promote JNK activation and tumorigenesis, suggests that increased cell contractility is a key factor in tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we show that signalling via the Tumour necrosis factor (TNF; also known as Egr)-ligand–JNK pathway is most likely the predominant pathway that activates JNK upon Rok activation. Overall, our analysis highlights the need for further analysis of the Rok–Myosin-II pathway in cooperation with Ras in human cancers.
Use of zinc-finger nucleases to knock out theWASgene in K562 cells: a human cellular model for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
Authors: Toscano Miguel G. , Anderson Per , Muñoz Pilar , Lucena Gema , Cobo Marién , Benabdellah Karim , Gregory Philip D. , Holmes Michael C. , Martin Francisco
Published: January 2013

Mutations in the WAS gene cause Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), which is characterized by eczema, immunodeficiency and microthrombocytopenia. Although the role of WASP in lymphocytes and myeloid cells is well characterized, its role on megakaryocyte (MK) development is poorly understood. In order to develop a human cellular model that mimics the megakaryocytic-derived defects observed in WAS patients we used K562 cells, a well-known model for study of megakaryocytic development. We knocked out the WAS gene in K562 cells using a zinc-finger nuclease (ZFN) pair targeting the WAS intron 1 and a homologous donor DNA that disrupted WASP expression. Knockout of WASP on K562 cells (K562WASKO cells) resulted in several megakaryocytic-related defects such as morphological alterations, lower expression of CD41α, lower increments in F-actin polymerization upon stimulation, reduced CD43 expression and increased phosphatidylserine exposure. All these defects have been previously described either in WAS-knockout mice or in WAS patients, validating K562WASKO as a cell model for WAS. However, K562WASPKO cells showed also increased basal F-actin and adhesion, increased expression of CD61 and reduced expression of TGFβ and Factor VIII, defects that have never been described before for WAS-deficient cells. Interestingly, these phenotypic alterations correlate with different roles for WASP in megakaryocytic differentiation. All phenotypic alterations observed in K562WASKO cells were alleviated upon expression of WAS following lentiviral transduction, confirming the role of WASP in these phenotypes. In summary, in this work we have validated a human cellular model, K562WASPKO, that mimics the megakaryocytic-related defects found in WAS-knockout mice and have found evidences for a role of WASP as regulator of megakaryocytic differentiation. We propose the use of K562WASPKO cells as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the megakaryocytic-related defects observed in WAS patients and as a cellular model to study new therapeutic strategies.
The recent history of the clinical case report: a narrative review
Authors: Nissen Trygve , Wynn Rolf
Published: January 2013

Clinical case reporting in the form of case reports and case series reports has always been an integral part of medical literature. From the late 1970s the genre appeared to fall from grace and was marginalized in many medical journals. There was controversy as to its value as a research method. From the late 1990s and onwards, there has been an increased demand for and publication of case reports and case series. The various causes for its decline and subsequent return are discussed with an emphasis on the recent historical context.
Effect of an environmental health educational programme for paediatricians in an Egyptian University Hospital: before and after study
Authors: Abbas Reem A , Alghobashy Ashgan A
Published: January 2013

Objectives

To study the effect of an educational intervention on paediatricians’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding children's environmental health and to identify the sources of information and common environmental history taking constrains.

Design

Before and after study.

Setting

Zagazig University Paediatric Hospital.

Participants

Practising paediatricians from all specialty units.

Main outcome measures

The outcome of a specifically designed educational programme about paediatric environmental health was assessed using structured pre- and post-test questionnaires.

Results

Nearly half the participants were aware about most of the paediatric environmental health-related topics. Textbooks/guidelines (85.7%) and the Internet (64.3%) were the main sources of information. The participants demonstrated relatively strong positive attitudes towards the importance of children's environmental health. However, less than half of them (44.6%) reported environmental history taking as a routine practice; where lack of time (94.6%), wide range of hazardous exposures (91.1%) and lack of expertise and training (91.1%) were the main constrains. Significant improvement in participants’ knowledge, attitudes and practices was revealed after the educational programme.

Conclusions

There is a demand for continuous medical education about environmental health in paediatric practice, particularly environmental and occupational history taking.
Comparison and Evaluation of Cardiac Biomarkers in Patients with Intermittent Claudication: Results from the CAVASIC Study
Authors: Kollerits Barbara , Sturm Gisela , Lamina Claudia , Hammerer-Lercher Angelika , Rantner Barbara , Stadler Marietta , Ziera Tim , Struck Joachim , Klein-Weigel Peter , Fraedrich Gustav , Kronenberg Florian
Published: January 2013

BACKGROUND

Plasma concentrations of the peptides midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), and C-terminal endothelin-1 precursor fragment (CT-proET-1) are increased in various cardiovascular conditions. However, there is limited information about the association and comparative performance of these peptides in peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

METHODS

The associations of MR-proADM, MR-proANP, and CT-proET-1 plasma concentrations with symptomatic PAD were investigated in the CAVASIC (Cardiovascular Disease in Intermittent Claudication) Study. Study participants were a male cohort of 238 patients with a diagnosis of intermittent claudication (IC) and 245 age- and diabetes-matched controls. Results were compared to those for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP).

RESULTS

Each increase of MR-proADM, MR-proANP, and CT-proET-1 by 1 SD was significantly associated with symptomatic PAD: odds ratio (OR) = 1.78 (95% CI, 1.41–2.25, P < 0.001), OR = 1.32 (95% CI, 1.06–1.66, P = 0.014), and OR = 1.80 (95% CI, 1.43–2.28, P < 0.001), respectively. The association remained significant for all 3 markers after additional adjustment for log C-reactive protein, serum creatinine, HDL cholesterol, and current smoking. When one adjusts for log NT-proBNP and excluding individuals with prevalent cardiovascular disease, MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 still predicted symptomatic PAD. Extended adjustment models including MR-proADM or CT-proET-1 showed significantly improved model fits compared to models including classical cardiac risk factors or NT-proBNP and led to significant reclassification (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study in a male cohort of patients with IC and age- and diabetes-matched controls indicates a significant association of high MR-proADM, MR-proANP, and CT-proET-1 concentrations with PAD. MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 provide additive information in comparison to NT-proBNP. Moreover, MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 significantly predict PAD in those patients and controls free from prevalent CVD.
Albuminuria Prevalence in First Morning Void Compared with Previous Random Urine from Adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010
Authors: Saydah Sharon H , Pavkov Meda E , Zhang Cindy , Lacher David A , Eberhardt Mark S , Burrows Nilka Rios , Narva Andrew S , Eggers Paul W , Williams Desmond E
Published: January 2013

BACKGROUND

Albuminuria, defined as urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥30 mg/g, is a diagnostic component of chronic kidney disease (CKD). National estimates of ACR and CKD prevalence have been based on single random urine samples. Although 2 urine samples or a first morning void are known to produce different estimates of ACR, the impact of differing urine sampling schemes on nationally estimated rates of CKD is unknown.

METHODS

In 2009–2010, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants provided 2 untimed urine samples for sequential ACR measurement: an initial random urine collected in the NHANES mobile examination center and a subsequent first morning void collected at home. Rates of albuminuria were calculated in the overall population and broken down by demographics, diagnosed diabetes and hypertension status, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

RESULTS

Overall, 43.5% of adults with increased ACR (≥30 mg/g) in a random urine also had increased ACR in a first morning urine. This percentage was higher among individuals ≥50 years old (48.9%), males (53.3%), participants with diagnosed diabetes (56.3%) and hypertension (51.5%), and eGFR <60 mL/min/1.72m2 (56.9%). The use of confirmed increased ACR (defined as the presence of ACR ≥30 mg/g in both samples taken within 10 days) to define CKD resulted in a lower overall prevalence (11.6%) than first morning urine (12.7%) or random spot urine only (15.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

ACR measured on random urine samples appears to overestimate the prevalence of albuminuria compared to first morning urine collections.
Role of nuclear IκBs in inflammation regulation
Authors: Chiba Tomoki , Inoko Hidetoshi , Kimura Minoru , Sato Takehito
Published: January 2013

A wide variety of environmental cues, including inflammatory cytokines, ligands for pattern recognition receptors and endogenous danger signals, activate the inducible transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which is a central regulator of inflammatory and immune responses. Excessive activation of NF-κB results in the development of severe diseases, such as chronic inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Therefore, the transcriptional activity of NF-κB is tightly regulated at multiple steps. One mechanism is mediated by the inhibitor of κB (IκB), a well-defined regulator of NF-κB that resides in the cytoplasm and prevents NF-κB from nuclear entry by sequestration. Recently, several atypical IκBs that reside in the nucleus were identified: Bcl-3, IκBζ, IκBNS and IκBη. In contrast to conventional IκBs, these atypical IκBs positively and negatively modulate NF-κB-mediated transcription. The function of atypical IκBs is independent of the prevention of NF-κB nuclear entry. Therefore, atypical IκBs are considered distinct from conventional IκBs and have been termed ‘nuclear IκBs.’ In addition to these members, our recent study indicated that IκBL, originally reported as a susceptibility gene for rheumatoid arthritis, also serves as a nuclear IκB. Biological and genetic studies strongly suggest that nuclear IκBs play important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases via the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in our understanding of nuclear IκBs in the context of NF-κB-mediated transcriptional regulation and inflammatory responses.
Modulation of paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity by phosphodiesterase isozyme inhibition in rats: a preliminary study
Authors: Ekor Martins , Odewabi Adesina O. , Kale Oluwafemi E. , Bamidele Titilayo O. , Adesanoye Omolola A. , Farombi Ebenezer O.
Published: January 2013

Background: Altered regulation of nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO-cGMP) is present in liver cirrhosis. Several experimental studies have shown that selective modulation of NO metabolism in the liver reduces intrahepatic resistance and portal pressure in cirrhosis. This preliminary study investigated whether selective inhibition of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), which prevents the conversion of cGMP to 5′-GMP, as well as non-selective inhibition of PDE isozymes could ameliorate hepatic toxicity induced by paracetamol (PCM).

Methods: PCM (250 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered to induce hepatotoxicity. Control rats received physiological saline (10 mL/kg, p.o.), while sildenafil (a selective PDE-5 inhibitor) and aminophylline (a non-selective PDE inhibitor) were administered separately at 10 mg/kg p.o. to PCM-treated rats.

Results: PCM hepatotoxicity, characterized by elevation of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, hepatic degeneration, and centrilobular necrosis, was attenuated by both PDE inhibitors. Sildenafil and aminophylline significantly (p<0.05) reduced plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity by 49.6% and 39.8%, respectively, with moderate increase in alanine aminotransferase activity by 26.1% and 20.4%, respectively, in PCM-treated rats. Decreases in total protein and albumin induced by PCM were significantly (p<0.05) prevented by 30.0% and 22.2%, respectively, following sildenafil administration, while aminophylline decreased these proteins by 14.0% and 25.9%, respectively. Sildenafil and aminophylline significantly (p<0.05) reduced lipid peroxidation by 30.7% and 19.7%, respectively, while moderately increasing glutathione (GSH) in the PCM-treated rats. Both drugs did not significantly alter the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that pharmacological inhibition of PDE isozymes may be a useful strategy in protecting against PCM hepatic toxicity.
Multi-scale habitat use and selection of common genet Genetta genetta (Viverridae, Carnivora) in a Mediterranean environment
Authors: Camps David , Alldredge J. Richard
Published: January 2013

We assessed habitat use and selection of 16 radio-tracked adult common genets (Genetta genetta) using log-linear models at three different scales (plot, home range and core area) in a Mediterranean area situated in northeast Iberian Peninsula. Genets demonstrate flexibility in habitat use and select habitats using different criteria depending on the scale of analysis, although they show clear selection for habitats formed by forest areas with a tree layer and dense underbrush vegetation cover. Vegetation cover is the most important factor determining habitat selection across all scales. Selections within home range and core area are very similar, with genets showing a preference for pine forest, ravine and holm oak forest over other habitat types (crops, lowland sparse, maquis vegetation and anthropized areas). In resting sites, genets show a strong preference for ravines. Ravine was also the only habitat that is present in the home ranges and core areas of all individuals. Vegetation-associated ravines provide the most cover of all available habitats, and therefore we conclude that these habitats are selected by genets to provide the resources they need. We recommend that management should maintain vegetation cover to preserve the populations of genets.
Compression of Single-Crystal Micropillars of the ζ Intermetallic Phase in the Fe-Zn System
Authors: Inomoto Masahiro , Okamoto Norihiko L. , Inui Haruyuki
Published: January 2013

The deformation behaviour of the ζ (zeta) phase in the Fe-Zn system has been investigated via room-temperature compression tests of single-crystal micropillar specimens prepared by the focused ion beam method. Trace analysis of slip lines indicates that {110} slip occurs for the specimens investigated in the present study. Although the slip direction has not been uniquely determined, comparison of Schmid factors and yield stress values suggests that the slip direction might be <1$\overline 1 $2>, which is inconsistent with the easiest slip system {110}[001] predicted on the basis of the primitive Peierls-Nabarro model.
Effects of the microstructure and minor elements on the fracture toughness of Nb-Si alloy
Authors: Okawa Takuya , Miura Seiji , Mohri Tetsuo
Published: January 2013

The development of a new high temperature structural material is recently required in various fields. As one of the potential materials, Nb-Si alloys have attracted attention due to their high melting point and low density. A microstructure composed of ductile Nb matrix containing finely dispersed spherical Nb5Si3 phase is obtained by the addition of ternary elements such as Au and it is found that such microstructure is effective in improving room temperature toughness. The main purpose of the present study is evaluating fracture toughness of Nb-Si-Au alloys using small specimens and investigating the effects of the microstructure and other minor elements on the fracture toughness. Alloy ingots of Nb-15at.%Si-3at.%Au and Nb-3at.%Au are prepared by arc-melting under Ar atmosphere, followed by heat-treatments at up to 1500oC for 100 hours. Chevron notched specimens with a size of 1.0x2.0x10mm are subjected to four-point bending tests under a laser confocal microscope for in-situ observation of crack propagation, and the effect of the microstructure and minor elements such as oxygen on the evaluated fracture toughness is investigated on both the Nb/Nb5Si3 alloys and the Nb solid solution (Nbss) alloys.
Effective Refractory Metal Alloy Barrier Layer for High Temperature Microelectronic Device Application
Authors: Adedeji A.V. , Ross M.R. , Hamden N. , Pradhan A.K. , Ahyi A.C. , Isaacs-Smith T.
Published: January 2013

The oxidation and diffusion of Molybdenum layer sputter-deposited on 2μm CVD diamond grown on silicon substrate has been studied. The Mo layer was protected by refractory metal silicide barrier layer. The samples were annealed in air ambient at 500°C over 30 hours. The oxidation of the samples was monitored with Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS). The effect of reactive sputtering of refractory silicide target in argon-nitrogen gas mixture (5% nitrogen by flow rate) on the barrier characteristics was investigated. The sheet resistivity of the barrier layer on SiC substrates as a function of annealing time in air at 500°C is reported. The surface structure and morphology of the refractory silicide films was determined with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).
Influência da densidade do solo na estimativa da umidade em um nitossolo vermelho distroférrico, por meio da técnica de TDR
Authors: Gonçalves Antônio Carlos Andrade , Trintinalha Marcos Antonio , Tormena Cássio Antônio , Folegatti Marcos Vinicius
Published: January 2013

Entre as técnicas para avaliação da umidade do solo, destaca-se a que utiliza a Reflectometria no Domínio do Tempo (TDR), a qual consiste em um método indireto, não destrutivo, rápido, exato e pouco dependente dos fatores ambientais. Porém, trabalhos desenvolvidos após as suas aplicações sugerem a influência de fatores ligados às características mineralógicas e estruturais dos solos, o que torna necessária a calibração local para o adequado funcionamento da TDR. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a influência da densidade do solo (Ds) na medida da umidade volumétrica do solo (θ), utilizando-se a técnica de TDR, em um Nitossolo Vermelho distroférrico. Um modelo que expressa a relação entre a constante dielétrica do solo (Ka) e θ foi ajustado por meio de regressão polinomial múltipla, com a incorporação da Ds para a estimativa dos seus coeficientes. Os resultados permitiram concluir que, nesse solo, o modelo de calibração deve levar em conta o efeito da Ds, sem o que a qualidade das estimativas de umidade, a partir das medidas de constante dielétrica, fica comprometida. Os resultados evidenciaram também que a sensibilidade da TDR à variação da umidade do solo é elevada, tornando possível que a técnica seja utilizada com exatidão em ações que envolvam o monitoramento da variação da umidade do solo. Os resultados indicaram a necessidade de mais estudos sobre a utilização da TDR em solos tropicais.
Ibn Gabirol e a origem do mundo: apontamentos sobre a questão da unidade
Authors: Macedo Cecilia Cintra Cavaleiro de
Published: January 2013

Ibn Gabirol apresenta, em sua obra Fons Vitae, um modelo metafísico baseado no hilemorfismo universal, ou seja, na presença de matéria e de forma em todos os seres, tanto corpóreos quanto espirituais. Embora considerado um autor neoplatônico, Ibn Gabirol não explicita propriamente uma henologia, mas parte das realidades sensíveis e corpóreas em direção às mais sutis. Este artigo pretende inverter essa apresentação do autor, buscando redesenhar sua metafísica a partir da Essência Primeira até o fim da criação. Para tanto, o ponto específico analisado, ainda que de modo incipiente, é a questão da unidade e seu qualificativo uno/una, tanto na atribuição que ele faz em seu modelo ontológico, quanto nos seus aspectos lógicos.
Hermenêutica medieval: a compreensão espiritual de Joaquim de Fiore
Authors: Rossatto Noeli Dutra
Published: January 2013

O estudo trata a hermenêutica medieval sob o prisma da compreensão espiritual (intelectio spiritualis) de Joaquim de Fiore (1135-1202). Mostra que a noção de Trindade serve de base para retomar o método alegórico e o tipológico da tradição. Além disso, serve para propor o novo método por concórdia que, a nosso ver, culminará na maior inovação da leitura da história medieval. Entre os resultados, destacamos a continuidade imediata dessa hermenêutica com os franciscanos espirituais do século XIII e sua influência direta na cultura luso-brasileira. Avaliamos também os estudos que tentam encontrar em Joaquim a gênese da filosofia da história hegeliana. Por fim, analisamos sumariamente a proposta de Gianni Vattimo, que encontra o novo sentido do cristianismo no legado joaquimita.
A Destruktion heideggeriana da ontologia medieval em Die Grundprobleme Der Phänomenologie (§§ 10-12)
Authors: Santos Bento Silva
Published: January 2013

Em primeiro lugar, (1) examinarei a chamada Destruktion fenomenológica da ontologia medieval, componente básico do método a partir da história da ontologia. Nessa seção, coloco algumas questões sobre a apropriação da Idade Média com base na escolástica tardia, como se esta fosse o "cume" das reflexões precedentes! Em segundo lugar, (2) apresento a reflexão de próprio Heidegger sobre a ontologia medieval tal como se expõe no curso de semestre de verão de 1927 ("Os problemas fundamentais da fenomenologia"), ministrado na Universidade de Marburg. Igualmente nessa parte, faço algumas reflexões críticas sobre a leitura heideggeriana dos medievais, que se presta muito mais para conhecer o próprio modo de pensar de Heidegger do que os medievais em si mesmos, ou seja, pela leitura cursiva dos textos em seu contexto histórico e cultural: sem o élan espiritual, consubstancial aos escritos de Tomás de Aquino, por exemplo, a organização conceitual deste último não pareceria um sistema assaz grandioso e seco? Esta não terá sido a compreensão de Heidegger, fruto da separação metodológica feita entre mística medieval e filosofia escolástica desde o curso não proferido intitulado "Fundamentos filosóficos da Mística Medieval" (1918-1919)?
São Bernardo: apologia e arte arquitetural
Authors: Ivanov Andrey
Published: January 2013

Este artigo busca expor as críticas de Bernardo de Claraval às superfluidades humanas no texto da Apologia, especialmente aquelas referentes à arte arquitetural. Em segundo lugar, procura analisar as implicações estéticas do ascetismo cisterciense e bernardiano. As críticas de Bernardo exercem uma influência decisiva na ornamentação e fazem nascer uma nova arquitetura.