bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women in Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Authors: Ilan Tal
Published: January 2011

The question of women in Qumran is a recent one. The interest in, and awareness of, women on the site and in the scrolls was slow in coming, and associated with the emergence of intellectual feminism, which put as its chief goal the discovery of women where none had previously been noted. This external phenomenon was bolstered by two internal developments, strongly connected with Qumran research: 4QMMT, with its apparent similarity to Sadducee halakhah, created doubt with regard to the Essene hypothesis; the belated publication of all the documents from Qumran in the 1990s and 2000s made the cumulative presence of women in them ever more evident and difficult to ignore. This article presents an overview of women's appearance in the Qumran texts and discusses their history and state of research. It follows the conventional structure of dividing the Qumran library between biblical texts, apocryphal texts, and unique Qumran-sectarian texts.
Sectarian Communities in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Authors: Collins John J.
Published: January 2011

It has been customary to speak of ‘the Qumran community’. This community is usually identified as an Essene settlement, and is widely assumed to have been celibate. However, this article contends that, regardless of the Essene identification or of the issue of celibacy, the custom of referring to ‘the Qumran community’ is misleading, for several reasons: The Damascus Rule found at Qumran, which envisions multiple settlements of people who married and had children; The Community Rule, or Serekh, which also explicitly allows for multiple communities; and there is also no clear reference to a settlement at Qumran in the scrolls.
The Classical Sources on the Essenes and the Scrolls
Communities
Authors: Taylor Joan E.
Published: January 2011

The nature of groups named in classical sources as ‘Essenes’ was considered in scholarship of Second Temple Judaism long before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but discussion of the Essenes has intensified greatly during the last sixty years. This article reviews the classical sources on the Essenes. It notes propositions on how the Essenes may relate to the scrolls communities and considers how variant opinions may be resolved, with particular reference to the Serekh.
Sociological Approaches to Qumran
Sectarianism
Authors: Jokiranta Jutta
Published: January 2011

Scholarly reflection on the people behind the Qumran documents has been coloured by the use of the term ‘sect’ from very early on, ever since the first announcement of the discovery of the scrolls was made in 1948. However, more and more scholars have also made an effort to be sociologically informed when hypothesizing about the Qumran movement and its nature. This article discusses the prospects of using the sociology of sectarianism in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The emphasis is on sociological approaches, even though some social-psychological perspectives are also referred to. The aim of sociological approaches in biblical studies is, in the end, to ‘challenge, to broaden and to reformulate the methods of historical criticism’, as well as to understand those processes of social life that cannot be unravelled or reconstructed without the aid of sociological concepts and imagination.
Qumran Calendars and Sectarianism
Authors: Stern Sacha
Published: January 2011

The main principles of Qumran calendars are known to most scholars, but only a small circle of specialists have studied them in detail. The centrality of the calendars to Qumran culture, and more particularly sectarianism, was already recognized in the first decade of Qumran scholarship, chiefly by Shemaryahu Talmon, who went as far as arguing that the calendar was one of the cornerstones of Qumran's sectarian schism. This article first assesses the extent to which Qumran calendars differed from other Jewish calendars, both as literary compositions and – if Qumran calendars were ever used in practice – as structures of communal and religious life. The final part of this article assesses their long-standing interpretation as cornerstones of Qumran sectarianism. Qumran calendars can almost all be reduced to a single, common denominator: the 364-day year.
Rewritten Scripture
Authors: Zahn Molly M.
Published: January 2011

The term ‘Rewritten Scripture’ has been used most frequently by scholars to denote a group of texts that reproduce substantial portions of one or more biblical books, but modify the scriptural text by means of addition, omission, paraphrase, rearrangement, or other types of change. The clearest examples of Rewritten Scripture at Qumran include the Book of Jubilees, the Genesis Apocryphon, the Temple Scroll, and perhaps the Reworked Pentateuch manuscripts. This article begins by briefly describing the four Qumran texts. Then, it takes up the question of how ‘Rewritten Scripture’ might best be defined. The article concludes by discussing the importance of Rewritten Scripture texts for an understanding of the interpretation of scripture in late Second Temple period Judaism.
The Continuity of Biblical Interpretation in the
Qumran Scrolls and Rabbinic Literature
Authors: Nitzan Bilhah
Published: January 2011

Considering Qumranic hermeneutical systems with regard to form, this article distinguishes between ‘internal interpretation’ integrated within rewritten biblical books, such as the Temple Scroll, and ‘external interpretation’ which is separated from the biblical lemma. The latter forms appear in the pesharim and in the genre called halakhic midrash. With regard to content, the discussion distinguishes between two hermeneutical systems of ancient literature: interpretation that attempts mainly to explain the reality of the biblical period; and interpretation that attempts to adapt the content of the Bible to the reality of a later period. The first is found in the Qumran scrolls primarily within the ‘Rewritten Scriptures’, and the latter is represented in the pesharim and some types of halakhic midrash.
Exploring the Mystical Background of the Dead Sea
Scrolls
Authors: Davila James R.
Published: January 2011

The Dead Sea Scrolls provide considerable evidence for a vibrant mystical tradition that involved not only theoretical musings about the heavenly realm based on scriptural exegesis, but also ritual practices closely associated with such imaginative constructs, along with an interest in transformational ascents to heaven by biblical figures and perhaps others. There is evidence that some of these mystical traditions survived and were developed by Jews and Christians in later centuries, although it is not yet entirely clear whether these survivals came from a vision mysticism common to Second Temple Judaism or from a successionist priestly mysticism derived directly from Qumran sectarianism or both, and not all scholars are convinced of a genetic link at all between the earlier and later traditions. The discussion also looks into the Hekhalot literature and early Christian mysticism.
Was the Dead Sea Sect a Penitential Movement?
Authors: Lambert David
Published: January 2011

In several important ways, the Dead Sea Scrolls provide an unusually rich context in which to investigate ancient religious phenomena. This article considers the case of repentance, a mainstay of Western religions and a concept that has been called upon to explain aspects of various practices in the scrolls, such as initiation, punishment, and prayer, all of which come to play a role in penitential rites. It has been said, through analogy with one common representation of the Jesus movement, that the Dead Sea sect was a penitential movement, that Israel's repentance was one of its central tasks. The discussion argues that, on the contrary, it is anachronistic to speak of repentance as a concept operative at Qumran, and that the sect had recourse to a significantly different complex of terms, all related to what is referred to here as a notion of ‘divine re-creation’.
Reviewing the Links between the Dead Sea Scrolls
and the Cairo Genizah
Authors: Reif Stefan C.
Published: January 2011

The question has often been raised about the relative importance of the Genizah vis-à-vis the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls have undoubtedly attracted wider attention because they are so closely linked in location and chronology with the world of Jesus and the emergence of early Christianity. The Genizxah texts, on the other hand, cover a wider variety of literary genres and historical events and represent a unique source of illumination for the early medieval period. This article delineates the similarities and differences of the two collections with regard to such obvious literary themes as the Hebrew Bible and its interpretation, Hebrew grammar and Masorah, Jewish religious law, and the composition and use of liturgy. It also considers disposal; survival; palaeography and codicology; contents and dating; languages and function; discovery, accessibility, and location; and description and exploitation.
The Scrolls and the Legal Definition of
Authorship
Authors: MacQueen Hector L.
Published: January 2011

This article presents the facts and decision in Elisha Qimron v. Hershel Shanks; some general remarks on copyright law; and the Issues re-ventilated in Dr. Lionel Sawkins v. Hyperion Records Ltd. The fundamental copyright issue in the Dead Sea Scrolls case was what constituted authorship. The discussion agrees with Jane Gisburg's claim that reconstructive editorial work is that of an author. It also notes that the existence of copyright in an edited text does not enable the right-holder to ‘lock up scholarship’ or prevent access to the material. The very act of publication precludes this, since copyright law does not bar anyone from reading, and the work may be used for private study and research, or quoted from for purposes of criticism and review, so long as that amounts to fair dealing.
Denmark: Between Local Democracy and Implementing
Agency of the Welfare State
Authors: Blom‐Hansen Jens , Heeager Anne
Published: January 2011

The Danish local government balances between self-government and central control. On the one hand, Denmark has a tradition of strong local government and on the other hand, Denmark has a tradition of central government control and interference in local affairs. This article focuses on the uneasy balance between local government and local democracy as an implementing agency in the central government. It discusses the historical background of the current system by tracing the emergence of tension between local and central government during the era of the absolutist royal rule. The article also discusses the present local government system. It discusses the reforms undertaken by the government which led to the large-scale municipal amalgations, the abolition of the counties, and the introduction of a new set of regions. The article concludes with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the Danish municipalities and regions as a result of the 2007 reform.
France: Between Centralization and Fragmentation
Authors: Cole Alistair
Published: January 2011

Pre-revolutionary France was marked largely by the attempts of the monarchy to impose central control, however, these changed at the advent of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1794. The revolution introduced the idea that the nation was no longer embodied by the monarch but by ‘the people’ and thus became largely synonymous with that of the Republic itself. For 150 years after 1789, France was under three periods of monarchy, five republics, two imperial rules, and reactionary wartime rule by the Vichy state. During these periods, there were attempts to restore monarchical and imperial forms of government as the political system of France. However, the republic became firmly embedded in the French political consciousness as a natural revolutionary form of government. This republic form of government was re-established several times over as the form of government in France and has been the political system of the nation from 1958 to the present. This article discusses the French political system with particular emphasis on the Fifth Republic. It discusses the two Acts of decentralization that have reduced the tutelage of the central state, introduced genuine territorial checks and balances, produced a degree of policy emulation across local authorities, and improved local democracy. While the institutions of French democracy contributed in a positive manner to the issue of trust in the broader polity, the French subnational government system, however, has many principal weaknesses: particularly in terms of the institutional layering and the public confusion on where the responsibility lies for delivering services. Topics included as well in this article include: local finances and public expenditure; transparency, layering, and democracy; new forms of central steering and European regulation. The article concludes with the challenges and constraints in the French political system.
Cyprus: Political Modernity and the Structures of
Democracy in a Divided Island
Authors: Varnava Andrekos , Yakinthou Christalla
Published: January 2011

This article discusses political and democratic development in Cyprus. Compared to the other nations discussed, Cyprus is a complicated case. The complicated nature of the Cyprus case is due to the stunted growth of political modernity and democracy in the nation during the colonial period and the disturbances caused by civil war and invasion. Modern democracy in Cyprus remains weak. The weakness and the slow progress of democracy and political modernity in the country are due to the perpetuation of conflicts and systematic tumours caused by the ongoing state of exception on both sides. While democracy and political modernity in the nation is facing a rough patch, the membership of Cyprus in the European Union brings about hope. Through its membership in the EU, it is hope that the irregularities of governance and democratic deficit in Cyprus will be ironed out. Even then, however, the united federal state of Cyprus must overcome the traditional and entrenched familial and clientelist networks of the nation that hinder the open and pluralistic functioning of the democratic processes.
Slovenia in Transition: Decentralization as a
Goal
Authors: Setnikar‐Cankar Stanka
Published: January 2011

This article discusses the development and transition of Slovenian self-governance and democracy after gaining independence from Yugoslavia. Until independence, for around seventy years of the twentieth century, the political and legal organization of Slovenia was subordinate to the Yugoslav state. During this period, Slovenia was a state within the socialist Yugoslavia with its own constitution and with a constitutionally defined right to self-determination. This political set-up heavily influenced the political and legal mentality of the Slovenes. In 1990, following a ten-day war and several months of partial international isolation, Slovenia gained independence. And in 1991, Slovenia adopted a new constitution and elected new higher branches of state power. These events marked the foremost and most dramatic phase of Slovenian transition to independent statehood. The second phase of the Slovenian transition is relatively difficult. This phase was compounded by the demands for a new legal system of government and by the demands for the successful functioning of all the three branches of political power: legislative, executive, and judicial. This phase was also complicated by the intense struggle among political parties for political, economic, and wide-ranging dominance. Regardless of the challenges faced by the Slovenian transition, the transition phase was nevertheless successful. By adopting a new constitution in 1991, Slovenia joined the Western European sphere of culture and civilization which is based on constitutionalism and the rule of law. The adoption of the constitution measured the maturity of the Slovenian nation and its politics.
Romania: From Historical Regions to Local
Decentralization via the Unitary State
Authors: Dobre Ana Maria
Published: January 2011

This article discusses Romania, a unitary nation-state created at the end of the nineteenth century through the territorial and political union of the historical regions of Moldavia, Vallachia, and Transylvania. The state's initial choice for the Napoleonic tradition gave rise to a centralized unitary model, which was reinforced during the pre-communist and communist historical periods. This model of unitary state evolved in the post-communist period with the inclusion and introduction of local governments. This reform in the unitary state model of Romania led to the shaping of a decentralized unitary state. In this article, the aim is to determine how the Romanian subnational democracy is connected to and shaped by the main state traditions and models of democracy. Roman accounts of democratization, decentralization, and regionalism are examined in a wider context to illustrate the evolution of Romanian subnational governance.
Effective Willis constitutive equations for periodically stratified anisotropic elastic media
Authors: Shuvalov A. L. , Kutsenko A. A. , Norris A. N. , Poncelet O.
Published: January 2011

A method to derive homogeneous effective constitutive equations for periodically layered elastic media is proposed. The crucial and novel idea underlying the procedure is that the coefficients of the dynamic effective medium can be associated with the matrix logarithm of the propagator over a unit period. The effective homogeneous equations are shown to have the structure of a Willis material, characterized by anisotropic inertia and coupling between momentum and strain, in addition to effective elastic constants. Expressions are presented for the Willis material parameters which are formally valid at any frequency and horizontal wavenumber as long as the matrix logarithm is well defined. The general theory is exemplified for scalar SH motion. Low frequency, long wavelength expansions of the effective material parameters are also developed using a Magnus series, and explicit estimates are derived for the rate of convergence.
A peptide with similarity to baculovirus ODV-E66 binds the gut epithelium of Heliothis virescens and impedes infection with Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus
Authors: Sparks Wendy O. , Rohlfing Amy , Bonning Bryony C.
Published: January 2011

Baculoviruses infect their lepidopteran hosts via the midgut epithelium through binding of occlusion-derived virus (ODV) and fusion between the virus envelope and microvillar membranes. To identify genes and sequences that are involved in this process, a random phage display library was screened for peptides that bound to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) derived from the midgut epithelium of Heliothis virescens. Seventeen peptides that bound to BBMV were recovered. Two of these, HV1 and HV2, had sequence similarity to the ODV envelope protein ODV-E66 that is found in five species of alphabaculoviruses. Chemically synthesized versions of HV1 and HV2, and two peptides (AcE66A and AcE66B) derived from similar sequences of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ODV-E66, bound to unfixed cryosections of whole midgut tissues. AcE66A, but not HV1, bound to H. virescens gut BBMV proteins on a far-Western blot. Competition assays with HV1 and purified AcMNPV ODV resulted in decreased mortality of H. virescens larvae at a dose of 1 LD50, and a significant increase in survival time at higher virus concentrations. These results suggest a role for ODV-E66 in baculovirus infection of lepidopteran larval midgut epithelium.
Analysis of HLA‐A24‐restricted peptides of carcinoembryonic antigen using a novel structure‐based peptide‐HLA docking algorithm
Authors: Nakamura Yoji , Tai Sachiko , Oshita Chie , Iizuka Akira , Ashizawa Tadashi , Saito Shuji , Yamaguchi Shigeki , Kondo Haruhiko , Yamaguchi Ken , Akiyama Yasuto
Published: January 2011

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a very common tumor marker because many types of solid cancer usually produce a variety of CEA and a highly sensitive measuring kit has been developed. However, immunological responses associated with CEA have not been fully characterized, and specifically a weak immunogenicity of CEA protein as a tumor antigen is reported in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A24‐restricted CEA peptide‐based cancer immunotherapy. These observations demonstrated that immunogenic and potent HLA‐A24‐restricted CTL epitope peptides derived from CEA protein are seemingly difficult to predict using a conventional bioinformatics approach based on primary amino acid sequence. In the present study, we developed an in silico docking simulation assay system of binding affinity between HLA‐A24 protein and A24‐restricted peptides using two software packages, AutoDock and MODELLER, and a crystal structure of HLA‐A24 protein obtained from the Protein Data Bank. We compared the current assay system with HLA–peptide binding predictions of the bioinformatics and molecular analysis section (BIMAS) in terms of the prediction capability using MHC stabilization and peptide‐stimulated CTL induction assays for CEA and other HLA‐A24 peptides. The MHC stabilization score was inversely correlated with the affinity calculated in the docking simulation alone (r = −0.589, P = 0.015), not with BIMAS score or the IFN‐γ production index. On the other hand, BIMAS was not significantly correlated with any other parameters. These results suggested that our in silico assay system has potential advantages in efficiency of epitope prediction over BIMAS and ease of use for bioinformaticians. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 690–696)
A randomized controlled trial of a smoking reduction plus nicotine replacement therapy intervention for smokers not willing to quit smoking
Authors: Chan Sophia S. C. , Leung Doris Y. P. , Abdullah Abu S. M. , Wong Vivian T. , Hedley Anthony J. , Lam Tai‐Hing
Published: January 2011

Aims  To examine the effectiveness of smoking reduction counselling plus free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smokers not willing to quit.

Design, setting and participants  A total of 1154 Chinese adult smokers not willing to quit but who were interested in reducing smoking were allocated randomly to three arms. Intervention group A1 (n = 479) received face‐to‐face counselling on smoking reduction and adherence to NRT at baseline, 1 week and 4 weeks with 4 weeks of free NRT. Group A2 (n = 449) received the same intervention, but without the adherence intervention. Control group B (n = 226) received simple cessation advice at baseline.

Measurements  Self‐reported 7‐day point prevalence of tobacco abstinence and reduction of cigarette consumption (≥50%) at 6 months and continuous use of NRT for 4 weeks at 3 months.

Findings  Using intention‐to‐treat analysis, compared to control group B, the intervention groups (A1 + A2) had achieved higher 6‐month tobacco abstinence (17.0% versus 10.2%, P = 0.01) and reduction rates (50.9% versus 25.7%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the 4‐week NRT adherence rate at 3 months, but group A1 achieved a higher abstinence rate than group A2 at 6 months (20.9% versus 12.9%; P = 0.001).

Conclusions  In smokers with no immediate plans to quit, smoking reduction programmes with behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy are more effective than brief advice to quit. Current guidelines recommend advice to quit on medical grounds as the best clinical intervention in this group of smokers, but smoking reduction programmes offer an alternative and effective option.
Perpetrators of pharmacokinetic drug–drug interactions arising from altered cytochrome P450 activity: a criteria‐based assessment
Authors: Polasek Thomas M. , Lin Frank P. Y. , Miners John O. , Doogue Matthew P.
Published: January 2011

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Many drugs inhibit or induce cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) to cause clinically significant changes in the concentrations of other drugs, i.e. ‘perpetrate’ pharmacokinetic drug–drug interactions (PK‐DDIs).

• Tables that list the substrates, inhibitors and inducers of CYP are common, but they lack consistency and are constructed from evidence of variable quality.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• This is the first study to catalogue important perpetrators of PK‐DDIs using objective criteria and clinical pharmacokinetic drug interaction studies. This information is intended to inform clinical decisions on PK‐DDIs.

• Existing tables of CYP inhibitors and inducers have low sensitivity and low positive predictive value in identifying the major perpetrators of PK‐DDIs.

• Several drugs were identified which potentially perpetrate CYP‐mediated PK‐DDIs, but quality clinical pharmacokinetic interaction studies are lacking. This information may be used to inform future research.

AIMS To catalogue the perpetrators of CYP‐mediated pharmacokinetic drug–drug interactions (PK‐DDIs) using clinically relevant criteria, and to compare this with an analogous catalogue.

METHODS Candidate inhibitors and inducers of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A (‘perpetrators’) were evaluated using published clinical pharmacokinetic interaction studies. Studies were selected on the basis of ≥six human subjects, use of a validated in vivo probe substrate for the CYP enzyme, and clinically relevant dosing. Inhibitors were described according to the FDA classifications of strong, moderate or weak, whereas inducers were classified as major (≥twofold decrease in AUC) or weak (<twofold decrease in AUC). A catalogue of major perpetrators was constructed based on twofold changes in the clearance of probe substrates. Perpetrators in the clinical version of the Cytochromes P450 Drug Interaction Table (CDIT) were compared with the ‘accepted’ major perpetrators.

RESULTS From a list of 216 candidate drugs (349 CYP‐perpetrator pairs, CYP‐PPs), 36 inhibitors and eight inducers were accepted as major perpetrators of PK‐DDIs, resulting in 58 CYP‐PPs. In comparison, the clinical version of the CDIT had a sensitivity of 33% and a positive predictive value of 68%. One hundred and ninety‐nine CYP‐PPs were rejected as major perpetrators, and 92 CYP‐PPs had insufficient published human pharmacokinetic data for robust classification.

CONCLUSIONS Using a criteria‐based assessment, the number of drugs that are proven or likely major perpetrators of CYP‐mediated PK‐DDIs is relatively small. Current clinical decision support on PK‐DDIs is inconsistent with the published evidence and can be improved using simple criteria.
Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of myeloma and other cancers
Authors: Richardson Paul G. , Mitsiades Constantine S. , Laubach Jacob P. , Lonial Sagar , Chanan‐Khan Asher A. , Anderson Kenneth C.
Published: January 2011

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that is induced in response to cellular stress and stabilizes client proteins involved in cell cycle control and proliferative/anti‐apoptotic signalling. HSP90 is overexpressed in a range of cancers, and may contribute to tumour cell survival by stabilizing aberrant signalling proteins and by interfering with apoptosis. Tanespimycin, an HSP90 inhibitor, reduces tumour cell survivalin vitro. In multiple myeloma (MM), HSP90 inhibition affects multiple client proteins that contribute to tumour cell survival, including the IGF1 receptor and the IL‐6 receptor, and elements of the PI3/Akt, STAT3, and MAPK signalling pathways. HSP90 inhibition also abrogates the protective effect of bone marrow stromal cells and inhibits angiogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Tanespimycin acts synergistically with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in MM cells and tumour explants, possibly reducing their ability to resist bortezomib‐induced stress to the endoplasmic reticulum. The combination of tanespimycin and bortezomib has demonstrated significant and durable responses with acceptable toxicity in a phase I/II study in patients with relapsed and relapsed/refractory MM. HSP90 inhibition is a promising strategy in MM especially in combination with bortezomib; additional studies will further evaluate optimal dosings of candidate drugs and schedules, as well as confirm efficacy in comparative phase III trials.
Using peer mentoring for people with spinal cord injury to enhance self‐efficacy beliefs and prevent medical complications
Authors: Ljungberg Inger , Kroll Thilo , Libin Alexander , Gordon Samuel
Published: January 2011

Aims and objectives.  Individuals with spinal cord injury/disease are faced with a myriad of psychosocial adjustment challenges. This article describes the implementation of a peer‐mentoring programme designed to support this adjustment process for people with SCI/disease and the programme’s believed impact on self‐efficacy and prevention of medical complications.

Background.  With shorter length of stay in acute inpatient rehabilitation after spinal cord injury/disease, peer mentor programmes are becoming an important component to assist with education and community re‐integration.

Design.  Quasi‐experimental non‐controlled pretest/post‐test.

Method.  Patients with newly acquired spinal cord injury/disease participated in a one‐ year spinal cord injury peer‐mentoring programme. Peer mentors met with their assigned participants regularly during inpatient care and on discharge to track medical complications and assist with adjusting to life after spinal cord injury/disease.

Results.  In all, of 37 mentees enrolled, 24 successfully completed the programme. Sixty‐seven per cent showed improved self‐efficacy score between the two time points. Medical complications and doctor visits all decreased significantly between 0–6 months and 7–12 months. Our findings indicate that the older an individual is, the lower the likelihood of having a urinary tract infection (p = 0·006). The programme was well received by all mentees who felt they could connect well with their peer mentor.

Conclusion.  Peer mentoring in a rehabilitation setting enhances the understanding of challenges that patients and medical staff deal with on a day‐to‐day basis. Our findings suggest it is important to monitor and educate individuals with spinal cord injury/disease at the acute stage to improve medical outcomes. Caution is advised in the interpretation of these results as they were obtained in a small non‐random sample using self‐report data.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Peer mentors play an increasingly important role in nurse‐delivered education in the spinal cord injury/disease population.
Soil organisms and global climate change
Authors: Pritchard S. G.
Published: January 2011

Climate changes will influence soil organisms both directly (warming) and indirectly (warming and elevated CO2) via changes in quantity and quality of plant‐mediated soil C inputs. Elevated atmospheric CO2 commonly stimulates flow of organic C into the soil system, increases root production and exudation, but decreases litter quality. There is little evidence that atmospheric CO2 enrichment will increase total soil organic matter content because greater C flow into soil stimulates the soil food web, often leading to equivalent increases in soil CO2 efflux. Effects of warming on C allocation belowground, on the other hand, will depend largely on the temperature optima of different plant species. Warming is likely to increase the rate of soil organic matter decomposition by stimulating soil heterotrophic respiration, although some degree of acclimatization to warming is likely. Mycorrhizal and N2‐fixing relationships are generally enhanced by CO2 enrichment, but effects of warming are highly variable. Data suggest that energy flow through fungal pathways may be enhanced relative to bacterial pathways by both warming and atmospheric CO2 enrichment. Whether the shift toward fungal domination of soils will increase soilborne fungal disease occurrence in the future is still an open question. Plant heat and drought tolerance, along with resistance to pathogens in warmer and wetter soils, may be achieved, to some unknown extent, by exploitation and management of beneficial soil organisms. Further study is needed to develop a more holistic understanding of the effects of climate change on belowground processes.
Climate change, plant diseases and food security: an overview
Authors: Chakraborty S. , Newton A. C.
Published: January 2011

Global food production must increase by 50% to meet the projected demand of the world’s population by 2050. Meeting this difficult challenge will be made even harder if climate change melts portions of the Himalayan glaciers to affect 25% of world cereal production in Asia by influencing water availability. Pest and disease management has played its role in doubling food production in the last 40 years, but pathogens still claim 10–16% of the global harvest. We consider the effect of climate change on the many complex biological interactions affecting pests and pathogen impacts and how they might be manipulated to mitigate these effects. Integrated solutions and international co‐ordination in their implementation are considered essential. Providing a background on key constraints to food security, this overview uses fusarium head blight as a case study to illustrate key influences of climate change on production and quality of wheat, outlines key links between plant diseases, climate change and food security, and highlights key disease management issues to be addressed in improving food security in a changing climate.
Apoptosis: A Programme of Cell Death or Cell Disposal?
Authors: Pereira W. O. , Amarante‐Mendes G. P.
Published: January 2011

Based primarily on morphological features, apoptosis was described as the cell death that occurs during physiological situations, whereas necrosis was observed during acute harmful conditions. Apoptosis was, therefore, associated with a programme of cell death, as opposed to necrosis, considered an accidental, uncontrolled, pathological cell death. The apoptotic machinery was first unravelled in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, where a protease called CED‐3 was central to the execution of cells destined to die. Inactivation of ced‐3 gene prevents developmental cell death in the worm, an observation that reinforces the notion that apoptosis holds the switch between life and death. In mammals, proteins homologous to CED‐3, members of the family collectively called caspases, are considered the executioner proteases responsible for generating fundamentally all aspects of apoptosis. However, inhibition of the so‐called executioner caspases (i.e. inhibition of apoptosis) does not prevent cell death to occur. Consequently, in mammals, the decision switch between life and death resides upstream of the activation of caspases and the ensuing apoptotic cell death. Therefore, apoptosis is not a programme of cell death but purely a termination step of a cell death programme, responsible for proper disposal of the already‐committed, dying cells.
Use of the Whole Leucocyte Population in the Study of the NFκB Pathway
Authors: Reilly S.‐J. , Odeberg J. , Tornvall P.
Published: January 2011

The nuclear factor NF‐{kappa}B (NFκB) is involved in the regulation of innate immunity and in particular, inflammatory genes. It is associated with the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD). It is believed that individual susceptibility to CHD might be affected by differences in gene transcription and therefore gene expression in circulating cell populations such as leucocytes is of interest. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the total white blood cell population (leucocytes) could be used to study the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment on the expression of genes of the NFκB pathway. Gene expression of the NFκB pathway was examined in total leucocyte, monocyte and neutrophil populations. The majority of the 84 genes examined were up‐regulated after treatment with LPS for 12 h in all cell populations examined. The total leucocyte population behaved in a similar manner to both neutrophils and monocytic cells, indicating that it alone could be used in studies, therefore avoiding cell separation, which is time‐consuming and can result in cell activation. Furthermore, in clinical studies, it enables a larger number of patient samples to be studied simultaneously, while also reducing the amount of blood required from each. This will provide enough starting material for use with molecular techniques, such as chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP‐sequencing, and allow large‐scale gene expression studies of the NFκB pathway in patients with chronic and acute inflammation with established CHD.
Effect of artesunate and mefloquine in combination on the Fridericia corrected QT intervals inPlasmodium falciparuminfected adults from Thailand
Authors: Krudsood S. , Looareesuwan S. , Wilairatama P. , Leowattana W. , Tangpukdee N. , Chalermrut K. , Ramanathan S. , Navaratnam V. , Olliaro P. , Vaillant M. , Kiechel J. R. , Taylor W. R. J.
Published: January 2011

Objective To ascertain whether mefloquine (MQ) produces electrocardiogram (ECG) changes that could be a risk for Torsades de Pointe (TdP), a potentially malignant, ventricular tachyarrhythmia.

Methods We measured the Fridericia corrected QT (QTcF) intervals on 12 lead ECGs on days (D) 0, 3, 7 inPlasmodium falciparuminfected adults, treated with oral artesunate (AS) and MQ as a new fixed dose (n = 25) combination or loose tablets (n = 25) over 3 days. Target total doses were 12 mg/kg of AS and 24–25 mg/kg of MQ. MQ concentrations ([MQ]) were measured by HPLC.

Results All ECG intervals were similar between drug arms and were combined for analysis. Mean QTcF values were 389 (D0), 407 (D3) and 399 (D7) ms (Ps < 0.003vs.D0); corresponding heart rates and [MQ]s were 83, 67 and 73 beats/minute (Ps≤0.0003vs.D0) and 0, 3095 and 1721 ng/ml. One male patient (loose arm) had a D3 QTcF 504 ms (D0 406 ms, D7 433 ms). In the modelling of QTcF and JTcF from D0 to D7, significant effects were observed individually for [MQ], temperature and heart rate (HR). The MQ AUC0‐∞was not a significant factor. Using a manual descending, model building approach to select variables, the HR was the only significant variable (P = 0.001) over time in the model that best explained the changes in the QTcF and JTcF intervals.

Conclusions In this small group of patients, slowing heart rates due to malaria resolution best explained the observed increases in the QTcF intervals.
Lobar displacement following pediatric heart‐lung transplantation: Case report and review of literature
Authors: Guglani Lokesh , Tadros Sameh , Morell Victor O. , Spahr Jonathan E. , Webber Steve A. , Kurland Geoffrey
Published: January 2011

Guglani L, Tadros S, Morell VO, Spahr JE, Webber SA, Kurland G. Lobar displacement following pediatric heart‐lung transplantation: Case report and review of literature.

Abstract:  Lobar displacement (LD) after heart–lung transplantation (HLT) has been reported in adults, but there are no reported pediatric cases. Its occurrence may cause vascular compromise of the displaced lung segment leading to necrosis, infection and bronchiectasis, as well as compression of contralateral lobes. We report two cases of LD in children following HLT, treated differently and with different outcomes. Assessment of pulmonary perfusion and weighing the risk of surgical repair may be considered for optimal patient management of this condition.
Dermatofibroma and halo dermatitis
Authors: Schofield Clare , Weedon David , Kumar Sandeep
Published: January 2011

The occurrence of a halo of dermatitis surrounding acquired naevi was initially reported by Meyerson in 1971 with histological features of focal spongiosis, parakeratosis, irregular acanthosis and a lymphocytic infiltrate in the upper dermis. When the same inflammatory reaction occurs around other lesions it is referred to as the Meyerson phenomenon or halo dermatitis. We report a rare case of the Meyerson phenomenon occurring around a dermatofibroma in a 69‐year‐old woman. This case highlights that the phenomenon may occur in a broad range of clinical scenarios and is not limited to acquired naevi in young adults.
Molecular cloning, characterisation and expression analysis of a QM homologue in Mythimna separate (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Li Ke , Xi Geng‐Si , Yin Huan , Lian Zhen‐Min
Published: January 2011

The QM protein has been reported to have an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In our study, a homologue of human QM was isolated from Mythimna separate (Walker). The full‐length cDNA of M. separate QM (MsQM) is 832 bp, containing a 5′‐untranslated region (5′‐UTR) of 116 bp and a 3′‐UTR of 57 bp. The open reading frame of 660 bp encodes a deduced 219‐amino‐acid peptide with a predicted molecular mass of 25.4997 kilodaltons. The deduced MsQM shares an overall identity of 76.7–97.7% with other known QM homologues. The result of real‐time quantitative PCR revealed that the QM transcript levels were well coincident with the amplification of neuroblasts proliferation and the volume increase of neuropils with age. This result suggests that MsQM is developmentally regulated at the level of transcription.
Testis cancer gene D40 expression and its relationship with clinicopathological features in infertile men
Authors: Sasao Takumi , Takimoto Masato , Itoh Naoki , Maeda Toshihiro , Tanaka Toshiaki , Masumori Naoya , Tsukamoto Taiji
Published: January 2011

We previously identified a novel human cancer/testis gene, D40, which is dominantly expressed in testicular germ cells, various cancer cell lines and primary human tumors. The expression of D40 mRNA and proteins in various testicular tissues was quantified using the conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), real‐time quantitative RT–PCR and western blot analysis. The relationship between levels of D40 expression, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level and Johnsen's score was examined. D40 mRNA expression was observed in the testes of infertile men, except those with Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome or Klinefelter's syndrome. The quantity of D40 mRNA and protein was correlated with Johnsen's score and inversely correlated with serum FSH level. The present results show that the expression levels of D40 mRNA and proteins decrease according to the degree of spermatogenesis impairment in male infertile patients.
Proprioceptive pathways to posterior parietal areas MIP and LIPv from the dorsal column nuclei and the postcentral somatosensory cortex
Authors: Prevosto Vincent , Graf Werner , Ugolini Gabriella
Published: January 2011

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) serves as an interface between sensory and motor cortices by integrating multisensory signals with motor‐related information. Sensorimotor transformation of somatosensory signals is crucial for the generation and updating of body representations and movement plans. Using retrograde transneuronal transfer of rabies virus in combination with a conventional tracer, we identified direct and polysynaptic somatosensory pathways to two posterior parietal areas, the ventral lateral intraparietal area (LIPv) and the rostral part of the medial intraparietal area (MIP) in macaque monkeys. In addition to direct projections from somatosensory areas 2v and 3a, respectively, we found that LIPv and MIP receive disynaptic inputs from the dorsal column nuclei as directly as these somatosensory areas, via a parallel channel. LIPv is the target of minor neck muscle‐related projections from the cuneate (Cu) and the external cuneate nuclei (ECu), and direct projections from area 2v, that likely carry kinesthetic/vestibular/optokinetic‐related signals. In contrast, MIP receives major arm and shoulder proprioceptive inputs disynaptically from the rostral Cu and ECu, and trisynaptically (via area 3a) from caudal portions of these nuclei. These findings have important implications for the understanding of the influence of proprioceptive information on movement control operations of the PPC and the formation of body representations. They also contribute to explain the specific deficits of proprioceptive guidance of movement associated to optic ataxia.
Prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms in association with lower urinary tract symptoms and health‐related quality of life in men and women
Authors: Maserejian Nancy N. , Kupelian Varant , McVary Kevin T. , Doshi Meena , Link Carol L. , McKinlay John B.
Published: January 2011

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (prospective cohort)

Level of Evidence 1b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Post‐micturition symptoms are infrequently reported in isolation of other LUTS. Whether post‐micturition symptoms should be grouped with voiding symptoms in men, as was recently done for women in the IUA/ICS classification for standardized reporting, remains unclear. Data is needed regarding the prevalence and quality‐of‐life impacts of post‐micturition symptoms, considering gender and overlap with other LUTS.

For both men and women, post‐micturition symptoms were more consistently present alongside voiding rather than storage symptoms, thereby providing some support for the new classifications. In men, post‐void dribbling accounted for much of post‐micturition symptoms, whereas in women, incomplete emptying was more common. Across all LUTS subtypes, men and women who reported a feeling of incomplete emptying were among those most bothered by their health problems.

OBJECTIVE

• To estimate the prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms (a feeling of incomplete emptying following urination and post‐micturition dribble) in a population‐based sample of men and women, and to examine overlap with storage and voiding LUTS and associations with health‐related quality of life (HRQL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Data were obtained by in‐person interview in the Boston Area Community Health survey, a population‐based random sample of 2301 men and 3202 women aged 30–79 years in the USA.

• Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were defined using the International Prostate Symptom Score and standardized terminology.

• Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate associations between urological symptoms and validated HRQL measures (SF‐12 and activities interference) cross‐sectionally.

RESULTS

• The overall prevalence of post‐micturition symptoms was 11.8% in men and 8.5% in women.

• The prevalence increased with age in men but not women.

• In men, post‐void dribbling contributed to much of the post‐micturition symptoms, whereas, in women, incomplete emptying was more common.

• For both genders, over 50% with voiding symptoms also had post‐micturition symptoms, compared to less than 50% of respondents who reported storage symptoms.

• The presence of post‐micturition symptoms, particularly incomplete emptying, was indicative of mildly impaired physical HRQL and activities interference in men and women, and mental HRQL in men (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

• Post‐micturition symptoms were more prevalent than any individual voiding symptom and commonly overlapped with other LUTS.

• Over half of men and women with a voiding symptom also had a post‐micturition symptom.

• The presence of post‐micturition symptoms was indicative of impaired HRQL.