bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Duration of Melatonin Regulates Seasonal Changes in Song Control Nuclei of the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus: Independence from Gonads and Circadian Entrainment
Authors: Cassone Vincent M. , Bartell Paul A. , Earnest Barbara J. , Kumar Vinod
Published: February 2008

Avian behavior and physiology are temporally regulated by a complex circadian clock on both a daily and an annual basis. The circadian secretion of the hormone melatonin is a critical component of the regulation of circadian/daily processes in passerine birds, but there is little evidence that the gland regulates annual changes in primary reproductive function. Here it is shown that locomotor rhythms of house sparrows, Passer domesticus, which are made arrhythmic by either pinealectomy or maintenance in constant light, can be synchronized by daily administration of melatonin of different durations to simulate the melatonin profiles indicative of long and short photoperiods. Pinealectomized male sparrows maintained in constant darkness were entrained by both melatonin regimens. In both cases, testes were regressed and the song control nuclei were small. Intact male house sparrows maintained in constant light were also entrained to both melatonin regimens. However, sparrows that received a long duration melatonin cycle exhibited small song control nuclei, while sparrows that received short duration melatonin or no melatonin at all exhibited large song control nuclei. The data indicate that seasonal changes in melatonin duration contribute to the regulation of song control nuclei.
The Circadian Clock Protein BMAL1 Is Necessary for Fertility and Proper Testosterone Production in Mice
Authors: Alvarez J.D. , Hansen Amanda , Ord Teri , Bebas Piotr , Chappell Patrick E. , Giebultowicz Jadwiga M. , Williams Carmen , Moss Stuart , Sehgal Amita
Published: February 2008

Although it is well established that the circadian clock regulates mammalian reproductive physiology, the molecular mechanisms by which this regulation occurs are not clear. The authors investigated the reproductive capacity of mice lacking Bmal1 ( Arntl, Mop3), one of the central circadian clock genes. They found that both male and female Bmal1 knockout (KO) mice are infertile. Gross and microscopic inspection of the reproductive anatomy of both sexes suggested deficiencies in steroidogenesis. Male Bmal1 KO mice had low testosterone and high luteinizing hormone serum concentrations, suggesting a defect in testicular Leydig cells. Importantly, Leydig cells rhythmically express BMAL1 protein, suggesting peripheral control of testosterone production by this clock protein. Expression of steroidogenic genes was reduced in testes and other steroidogenic tissues of Bmal1 KO mice. In particular, expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein ( StAR) gene and protein, which regulates the rate-limiting step of steroidogenesis, was decreased in testes from Bmal1 KO mice. A direct effect of BMAL1 on StAR expression in Leydig cells was indicated by in vitro experiments showing enhancement of StAR transcription by BMAL1. Other hormonal defects in male Bmal1 KO mice suggest that BMAL1 also has functions in reproductive physiology outside of the testis. These results enhance understanding of how the circadian clock regulates reproduction.
Photoperiodic Regulation of Behavioral Responses to Bacterial and Viral Mimetics: A Test of the Winter Immunoenhancement Hypothesis
Authors: Baillie Scott R. , Prendergast Brian J.
Published: February 2008

Siberian hamsters ( Phodopus sungorus) exhibit changes in immune function following adaptation to short photoperiods, including a marked attenuation of energetically expensive thermoregulatory and behavioral responses to gram-negative bacterial infections. Whether this seasonal attenuation of the immune response is idiosyncratic to gram-negative infections or is representative of innate immune responses in general is not known. If seasonal attenuation of responsiveness to infection is indeed driven primarily by anticipation of energetic constraints, then one would predict that responsiveness to all pathogens would be diminished during short days. If, on the other hand, seasonal changes in responsiveness to infection reflect anticipation of specific pathogens that are common at different phases of the annual cycle, then one would expect short photoperiods to attenuate responsiveness to some pathogens and long photoperiods to attenuate responsiveness to others. To resolve this issue, we exposed male Siberian hamsters to either long or short photoperiods for 11 weeks, then examined their behavioral sickness responses to compounds that represent the minimally immunogenic components of gram-negative bacterial (lipopolysaccharide), gram-positive bacterial (muramyl dipeptide), and viral (polyinosinepolycytidylic acid) organisms. Hamsters exhibited anorexic, anhedonic, ponderal, and/or thermoregulatory sickness behaviors to all 3 pathogen mimetics, but in all cases in which sickness responses were evident, they were attenuated in short days. Energetically costly behavioral responses to several distinct classes of infectious organisms are attenuated in anticipation of winter. The data are not consistent with a pathogen-specific seasonal modulation of innate immune responses.
Casein kinase Iε Does Not Rescue double-time Function in Drosophila Despite Evolutionarily Conserved Roles in the Circadian Clock
Authors: Sekine Tatsumori , Yamaguchi Terumi , Hamano Kunikatsu , Young Michael W. , Shimoda Masami , Saez Lino
Published: February 2008

double-time ( dbt) is a casein kinase gene involved in cell survival, proliferation, and circadian rhythms in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Genetic and biochemical studies have shown that dbt and its mammalian ortholog casein kinase Iε ( hckIε) regulate the circadian phosphorylation of period ( per), thus controlling per subcellular localization and stability. Mutations in these kinases can shorten the circadian period in both mammals and Drosophila. Since similar activities in circadian clock have been described for these kinases, we investigated whether the expression of mammalian casein kinase I can replace the activity of dbt in flies. Global expression of the full-length dbt rescued lethality of the null mutant dbt revVIII and rescued flies showed normal locomotor activity rhythms. Global expression of dbt also restored the locomotor activity rhythm of the arrhythmic genotype, dbtar/ dbtrevVIII. In contrast, global expression of hckIε or hckIα did not rescue lethality or locomotor activity of dbt mutants. Furthermore dbt overexpression in wild-type clock cells had only a small effect on period length, whereas hckIε expression in clock cells greatly lengthened period to ~30.5 hours and increased the number of arrhythmic flies. These results indicate that hckIε cannot replace the activity of dbt in flies despite the high degree of similarity in primary sequence and kinase function. Moreover, expression of hckIε in flies appears to interfere with dbt activity. Thus, caution should be used in interpreting assays that measure activity of mammalian casein kinase mutants in Drosophila, or that employ vertebrate CKI in studies of dPER phosphorylations.
Photic Sensitivity Ranges of Hamster Pupillary and Circadian Phase Responses Do Not Overlap
Authors: Hut Roelof A. , Oklejewicz Malgorzata , Rieux Camille , Cooper Howard M.
Published: February 2008

Mammalian retinal photoreceptors form an irradiance detection system that drives many nonvisual responses to light such as pupil reflex and resetting of the circadian clock. To understand the role of pupil size in circadian light responses, pupil diameter was pharmacologically manipulated and the effect on behavioral phase shifts at different irradiance levels was studied in the Syrian hamster. Dose-response curves for steady-state pupil size and for behavioral phase shifts were constructed for 3 pupil conditions (dilated, constricted, and control). Retinal irradiance was calculated from corneal irradiance, pupil size, retinal surface area, and absorption of ocular media. The sensitivity of photic responses to retinal irradiance is approximately 1.5 log units higher than to corneal irradiance. When plotted against corneal irradiance, pharmacological pupil constriction reduces the light sensitivity of the circadian system, but pupil dilation has no effect. As expected, when plotted against retinal irradiance all dose-response curves superimposed, confirming that the circadian system responds to photon flux on the retina. Pupil dilation does not increase the circadian response to increasing irradiance, since the response of the circadian system attains saturation at irradiance levels lower than those required to induce pupil constriction. The main finding shows that due to the different response sensitivities, the effect of pupil constriction on the light sensitivity of the circadian system in the hamster under natural conditions is virtually negligible. We further suggest the existence of distinct modulating mechanisms for the differential retinal irradiance sensitivity of the pupil system and the circadian system, which enables the different responses to be tuned to their specific tasks while using similar photoreceptive input.
Apposition and affective communication
Authors: Blakemore Diane
Published: February 2008

This article focuses on the rhetorical effects of structures that involve the apposition of two (or more) segments with similar, but not identical, interpretations — for example, He felt depressed, flattened. Building on existing relevance theoretic accounts of poetic effects, it aims to show how these structures can be used to communicate an impression of emphasis or intensification that can be compared with the effects achieved by repetitions. It argues that these effects are not achieved in the same way, and that three different cases can be distinguished. First, the use of this structure may lie in the way it encourages the reader to explore the differences between the interpretation of the second segment and the interpretation of the first. Second, it may encourage the reader to explore the total set of contextual assumptions made accessible by both (or all) segments for the derivation of an interpretation that cannot be derived from any one segment alone. Finally, the article considers the use of these structures by authors who use free indirect style to represent a character's struggle to identify an emotion s/he is experiencing.
What's in a clause?
Authors: Twose Gareth
Published: February 2008

In this article, I aim to identify and explicate stylistic distinctiveness in the use of - ed clauses in parts of Milton's Paradise Lost, in the process testing findings outlined in a 1968 article by Seymour Chatman. I compare the frequency of occurrence of the clause type in the Milton texts with that in a constructed corpus of Early Modern English poetry, and with that in the Helsinki corpus. I measure differences in usage of the clause type by focusing on the use of -ed clauses in stretched chains of control, and on the way adverbially functioning -ed clauses map onto conceptual semantic space. I demonstrate how literary effects are conditioned and enabled by the clause type's properties as outlined in cross-linguistic studies. I prove that in the data analysed Milton's use of -ed clauses is a distinctive feature of his style.
Creating physically embodied agents using realistic human motion models
Authors: Sukthankar Gita , Mandel Michael , Sycara Katia
Published: February 2008

Many simulations are populated with physically embodied agents capable of taking physical actions in the virtual world. Creating these agents, or virtual humans, is demanding; not only must the agents demonstrate visual verisimilitude, but they must plan and act in a way that is consistent with that of humans, especially for training simulations in which the participants are attempting to learn real-world skills. This article discusses an approach for adapting agent decision-making techniques to accurately model the physical capabilities of human subjects. To achieve this, the authors rely on human movement data acquired with a motion capture apparatus to build physically realistic models of human movement. To aid agents' planning, the authors construct a physical capability model for the agents, an accurate estimate of the time required for a real human to perform various movement sequences. A cost map over the space of agent actions is calculated by creating and stochastically sampling motion graphs assembled from the human data exemplars. The agents can use this cost model during the planning process to select between equivalent goal-achieving plans. This technique leverages highly accurate movement information acquired from human subjects to create agents that plan in physically realistic ways.
Development and Examination of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale
Authors: Hart Trevor A. , Flora David B. , Palyo Sarah A. , Fresco David M. , Holle Christian , Heimberg Richard G.
Published: February 2008

The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) was created to measure anxiety about being negatively evaluated by others because of one's overall appearance, including body shape. This study examined the psychometric properties of the SAAS in three large samples of undergraduate students (respective n s = 512, 853, and 541). The SAAS demonstrated a unifactorial structure with high test-retest reliability and internal consistency. The SAAS was positively associated with measures of social anxiety. The SAAS was also related to greater disparity between perceived, actual, and ideal physical attributes, beliefs that one's appearance is inherently flawed and socially unacceptable and that being unattractive is socially deleterious, feelings of unattractiveness, emphasis on appearance and its maintenance, and a preoccupation with being overweight. It was a unique predictor of social anxiety above and beyond negative body image indicators. Findings suggest that the SAAS is a psychometrically valid measure of social anxiety regarding one's overall appearance.
Measurement Invariance of the Appearance Schemas Inventory–Revised and the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory Across Age and Gender
Authors: Rusticus Shayna A. , Hubley Anita M. , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: February 2008

The majority of body image measures have largely been developed with younger female samples. Before these measures can be applied to men, and to middle-aged and older women, and used to make gender and age comparisons, they must exhibit adequate cross-group measurement invariance. This study examined the age and gender cross-group measurement invariance of the Appearance Schemas Inventory—Revised (ASI-R) and the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI), with a sample of 1,262 adults (422 men and 840 women) aged 18 to 98 years. For the ASI-R, all groups met requirements for configural and metric invariance. Scalar invariance was found only for the three age groups, which indicated that mean comparisons may be conducted across gender for young, middle-aged, and older adults but should not be conducted across age groups within either gender. Results for the BIQLI indicated that observed mean comparisons may be conducted across all age and gender groups.
Characteristics of the Florida Cognitive Activities Scale in Older African Americans
Authors: Dotson Vonetta M. , Schinka John A. , Brown Lisa M. , Mortimer James A. , Borenstein Amy R.
Published: February 2008

Substantial research effort has recently focused on the potential protective effect of cognitively demanding activities on cognitive decline in late life. A significant methodological issue in this effort has been the lack of consistency in approaches to the operational measurement of cognitive activity. In this study, data in support of the reliability and construct validity of the recently developed Florida Cognitive Activities Scale (FCAS) in a sample of 223 African American older adults are provided. Consistent with the findings of the Schinka et al. study using a sample of Whites, the FCAS full scale showed a reasonably high level of internal consistency, small negative correlations with age and a measure of depressive symptomatology, and moderate positive correlations with years of education and neuropsychological measures of overall cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning. Even after controlling for the effects of age, education, and gender, the full scale score contributed significantly to the prediction of global cognitive functioning. The results of this study suggest that the FCAS is a reliable and valid measure of cognitive activities in older African Americans and provides additional, although not causative, evidence in support of the hypothesis of a protective effect of cognitive activity against cognitive decline regardless of ethnicity or race.
Incremental Validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 and Symptom Checklist–90–Revised With Mental Health Inpatients
Authors: Simonds Elise C. , Handel Richard W. , Archer Robert P.
Published: February 2008

This study evaluated the incremental validity of scores from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI-2) and the Symptom Checklist—90—Revised (SCL-90-R) in a sample of mental health inpatients originally published by Archer, Griffin, and Aiduk (1995). The incremental validity of scores from the SCL-90-R primary symptom dimensions and MMPI-2 Clinical, Content, and Restructured Clinical scales was assessed in a sample of 544 mental health inpatients using conceptually related items from the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) as criteria. A series of hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that scores from the SCL-90-R primary symptom dimensions exhibited limited incremental validity (Mdn ΔR 2 = .01, range = 0—.01), whereas scores from MMPI-2 scales contributed additional information in the prediction of ratings on all but one BPRS item (Mdn ΔR 2 = .08, range = .04—.12).
The Quest to Confront Suburban Decline
Authors: Vicino Thomas J.
Published: February 2008

The social and economic decline of first-tier suburbs has emerged as an important issue in metropolitan America, yet little is known about the political and policy responses to this problem. An analysis of Baltimore County demonstrates that the local government was able to implement revitalization projects from 1995 to 2005 since it had jurisdiction over its first-tier suburbs. Characteristics such as a large population in both first-tier and outer suburbs, an affluent tax base, and the lack of municipalities allowed Baltimore County to redistribute funds for these projects. I argue that if policymakers and planners are serious about confronting suburban decline, then either a regional growth boundary or a regional zoning tool is necessary to slow the pressures of urban decentralization. The political realities suggest that the will to maintain local autonomy is stronger than the will to eliminate the real barriers to revitalizing first-tier suburbs.
Using a Client Memo to Assess Critical Thinking of Finance Majors
Authors: Carrithers David , Bean John C.
Published: February 2008

This article describes a holistic, discourse-based method for assessing the critical thinking skills of undergraduate senior-level finance majors. Rejecting a psychometric assessment approach in which component features of critical thinking are disaggregated, this study is based on a holistic scoring of student memos. Students were asked to recommend and justify a course of action to a lay client facing an ill-structured finance problem. Analysis of student memos reveals critical thinking weaknesses that may be ameliorated by changes in assignments or instructional methods. The memos reveal four kinds of critical thinking problems: (a) failure to address the client's problem, (b) random rather than purposeful application of finance tools and methodologies, (c) inability to translate finance concepts or methods into lay language, and (d) inability to construct rhetorically useful graphics. The curricular implications of this study are discussed.
Communicating Across the Curriculum in an Undergraduate Business Program: Management 100—Leadership and Communication in Groups
Authors: Tuleja Elizabeth A. , Greenhalgh Anne M.
Published: February 2008

Educating undergraduate business students in the 21st century requires more than addressing the quantitative side of business; rather, it calls for including the more qualitative “soft skills,” such as speaking and writing. This article examines the design, delivery, and effectiveness of an undergraduate program dedicated to leadership, teamwork, and communication and describes this program within the context of the communication across the curriculum movement.
Use of health-related information from the Internet by English-speaking patients
Authors: Khechine Hager , Pascot Daniel , Prémont Pierre
Published: February 2008

The aim of this research is to determine the kinds of health-related information that patients seek more often from websites written in English, and at which stages of the healthcare decisional process they use this information more intensively. A quantitative study was performed. Canadian English-speaking patients who have long-term diseases and who use the Internet completed an 18-item questionnaire online. Respondents were questioned about the categories of health-related websites they visit the most (scientific, general, commercial websites, or discussion groups) and the stages of the medical decisional process during which they use the information obtained (identification of possible treatments, treatment choice, and treatment application or follow-up). Results show that respondents use Internet information displayed in English mostly at the stages of identification of possible treatments (94.2%) and treatment application or follow-up (86%). At these two stages, patients look more often for information from scientific websites.
Group disparities and health information: a study of online access for the underserved
Authors: Lorence Daniel , Park Heeyoung
Published: February 2008

The Internet is an oft-cited learning resource, useful to consumers who seek to educate themselves on specific technical issues or knowledge-intensive topics. Availability of public-access Internet portals and decreasing costs of personal computers have created a consensus that unequal access to information, or a “Digital Divide”, presents a like problem specific to information for uninsured or under-insured healthcare consumers. Access to information, however, is now an essential part of consumer-centric healthcare management. To date little research has been done to differentiate levels of health information access on the Web by different subgroups, linking online socioeconomic characteristics and health seeking behaviors. This analysis of a landmark Pew Foundation survey seeks to differentiate and delineate information access, or lack of desired access, across targeted, “digitally underserved” subgroups.
A method to map heterogeneity between near but non-equivalent semantic attributes in multiple health data registries
Authors: Schuurman Nadine , Leszczynski Agnieszka
Published: February 2008

Health registries from multiple jurisdictions often include terms that are assumed to be semantically equivalent (e.g. fetal death and stillbirth). Closer examination reveals that such attributes have near — but non-equivalent — semantics. Thus their degree of semantic heterogeneity is an important indicator of uncertainty associated with data integration between registries. We build an OWL-encoded ontology which formalizes the relationships between similar perinatal concepts found in different databases. We also introduce the concept of ontology-based metadata as a means of contextualizing such terms and linking context to the attribute data. This extended metadata are exported as XML from the health registries, and it — along with the OWL ontology — is interfaced via a web-based GUI accessible to health researchers. The GUI mapping serves as the basis for making ad hoc comparison and integration decisions. Uncertainty is addressed by precisely mapping semantic heterogeneity between fields.
Total body irradiation, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, and autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation followed by randomization to therapy with interleukin-2 versus observation for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: results of a phase 3 randomized trial by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG 9438)
Authors: Thompson John A. , Fisher Richard I. , LeBlanc Michael , Forman Stephen J. , Press Oliver W. , Unger Joseph M. , Nademanee Auayporn P. , Stiff Patrick J. , Petersdorf Stephen H. , Fefer Alexander
Published: February 2008

To determine the effect of posttransplantation immunotherapy with IL-2 on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) after autologous stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT), patients with previously treated NHL were treated with cyclophosphamide, etoposide, total body irradiation (TBI), and PBSCT. Twenty-eight to 80 days after PBSCT, patients were randomized to IL-2 versus observation. Three hundred seventy-six eligible patients were registered (with 4-year PFS of 34% and 4-year OS of 52%), and 194 eligible patients were randomized to continuous infusion intravenous IL-2 (9 million units/m2/day for 4 days followed 5 days later by 1.6 million units/m2/day for 10 days) versus observation. In randomized patients, there was no significant difference in PFS (hazard ratio of IL-2 to observation = 0.90; P =.56) or in OS (hazard ratio of IL-2 to observation = 0.88; P =.55). There were no deaths related to IL-2 treatment. Grade 4 IL-2–related toxicities (n = 14) were reversible. These results confirm earlier SWOG findings that cyclophosphamide, etoposide, TBI, and PBSCT can be administered to patients with relapsed/refractory NHL with encouraging PFS and OS. Posttransplantation IL-2 given at this dose and schedule of administration had no significant effect on PFS or OS. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00002649.
Genetic susceptibility to progressive massive fibrosis in coal miners
Authors: Yucesoy B. , Johnson V. J. , Kissling G. E. , Fluharty K. , Kashon M. L. , Slaven J. , Germolec D. , Vallyathan V. , Luster M. I.
Published: February 2008

Progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease with a complex aetiology that can occur after cumulative dust exposure. A case–control study was conducted to test the hypothesis that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes involved in inflammatory and fibrotic processes modulate the risk of PMF development.

The study population consisted of 648 underground coal miners participating in the National Coal Workers Autopsy Study, of which 304 were diagnosed with PMF. SNPs that influence the regulation of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-β1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor intercellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 genes were determined using a 5′-nuclease real-time PCR assay.

There were no significant differences in the distribution of any individual SNP or haplotype between the PMF and control groups. However, the polygenotype of VEGF +405/ICAM-1 +241/IL-6 -174 (C-A-G) conferred an increased risk for PMF (odds ratio 3.4, 95% confidence interval 1.3–8.8).

The present study suggests that the examined genetic variations that help regulate inflammatory and fibrotic processes are unlikely to strongly influence susceptibility to this interstitial lung disease, although the role of vascular endothelial growth factor, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 and interleukin-6 polymorphisms in the development of progressive massive fibrosis may require further investigation.
Tumour necrosis factor gene polymorphisms are associated with COPD
Authors: Gingo M. R. , Silveira L. J. , Miller Y. E. , Friedlander A. L. , Cosgrove G. P. , Chan E. D. , Maier L. A. , Bowler R. P.
Published: February 2008

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α has been shown to be an important factor in animal models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, human studies ofTNFpolymorphisms in COPD have been equivocal.

SixTNFsingle nucleotide polymorphisms (-1031C/T, -863C/A, -857C/T, -237G/A, -308G/A and +487G/A) and their haplotypes were investigated in 423 Caucasian smokers (298 patients with spirometric evidence of COPD and 125 without airflow obstruction).

The -308 minor allele (A) had a higher odds ratio (OR) of being associated with COPD in multivariate analysis (controlling for age, sex, pack-yrs; OR 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–3.2) and was also associated with worse forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity. The -237 minor allele (A) had a lower OR of being associated with COPD (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.86). In COPD patients, the -857 minor allele (T) had a lower OR of being associated with severe stages of COPD (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease stage III and IVversusstage I and II, OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.24–0.88). Other TNF single nucleotide polymorphisms were not associated with COPD but the -1031/-863 haplotype CC/TC had a lower OR in COPD patientsversussmoking controls (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05–0.97).

The present study adds further evidence that tumour necrosis factor genotypes play a role in susceptibility to cigarette smoke.
Hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in Taiwan: Comparison between women born in Taiwan and other southeast countries
Authors: Lin Ching-Chiang , Hsieh Hsiu-Shu , Huang Yu-Jie , Huang Yeou-Lih , Ku Ming-Kun , Hung Hsin-Chia
Published: February 2008

Background

Taiwan's national vaccination program has successfully decreased the prevalence of hepatitis B infection after twenty years of implementation and might be indirectly beneficial to the second generation. In this study, we compared the hepatitis B infection status of two groups: pregnant Taiwanese women and other Southeast Asian women, who because they had immigrated later in life to Taiwan by marriage to a Taiwanese man, had not been exposed to that vaccination program to evaluate the effect of hepatitis vaccination program on women of child-bearing age and further explored the potential impact of immigration on the hepatitis B public health policy in Taiwan.

Methods

Data was collected from 10,327 women born in Taiwan and 1,418 women born in other Southeast Asian countries, both groups receiving prenatal examinations at Fooyin University Hospital between 1996 and 2005. The results of serum hepatitis B s-Antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e-Antigen (HBeAg) tests and other demographic data were obtained by medical chart review.

Results

The pregnant women from Taiwan had a higher HBsAg positive rate (15.5%) but lower HBeAg(+)/HBsAg(+) ratio (32.1%) than the women from other countries (8.9% and 52.4%). For those born before July, 1984, the period of no national vaccination program, Taiwanese women had a higher HBsAg positive rate than other Southeast Asian women (15.7% vs. 8.4%), but for women born after that day and before June 1986, the period of vaccination for high risk newborns, the HBsAg positive rates found to be slightly lower for Taiwanese women than for other Southeast Asian women (11.4% vs. 12.3%) and the difference was more significant (3.1% vs. 28.6%) after June 1986, the period of vaccination for all newborns. While the HBeAg(+)/HBsAg(+) ratios decreased with age in both groups, they were consistently higher in women from other Southeast Asian countries than in women born in Taiwan after age 20.

Conclusion

In Taiwan, the neonatal vaccination program that was implemented in 1984 has successfully reduced hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in present day, and is likely to indirectly prevent hepatitis B infection in the next generation. However, the increasing number of pregnant women from other Southeast Asian countries without a national neonatal vaccination program or with a program that was introduced later than the one in Taiwan will likely lessen the positive impact of this program and should be further assessed.
Ginger extract inhibits LPS induced macrophage activation and function
Authors: Tripathi Sudipta , Bruch David , Kittur Dilip S
Published: February 2008

Background

Macrophages play a dual role in host defence. They act as the first line of defence by mounting an inflammatory response to antigen exposure and also act as antigen presenting cells and initiate the adaptive immune response. They are also the primary infiltrating cells at the site of inflammation. Inhibition of macrophage activation is one of the possible approaches towards modulating inflammation. Both conventional and alternative approaches are being studied in this regard. Ginger, an herbal product with broad anti inflammatory actions, is used as an alternative medicine in a number of inflammatory conditions like rheumatic disorders. In the present study we examined the effect of ginger extract on macrophage activation in the presence of LPS stimulation.

Methods

Murine peritoneal macrophages were stimulated by LPS in presence or absence of ginger extract and production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were observed. We also studied the effect of ginger extract on the LPS induced expression of MHC II, B7.1, B7.2 and CD40 molecules. We also studied the antigen presenting function of ginger extract treated macrophages by primary mixed lymphocyte reaction.

Results

We observed that ginger extract inhibited IL-12, TNF-α, IL-1β (pro inflammatory cytokines) and RANTES, MCP-1 (pro inflammatory chemokines) production in LPS stimulated macrophages. Ginger extract also down regulated the expression of B7.1, B7.2 and MHC class II molecules. In addition ginger extract negatively affected the antigen presenting function of macrophages and we observed a significant reduction in T cell proliferation in response to allostimulation, when ginger extract treated macrophages were used as APCs. A significant decrease in IFN-γ and IL-2 production by T cells in response to allostimulation was also observed.

Conclusion

In conclusion ginger extract inhibits macrophage activation and APC function and indirectly inhibits T cell activation.
Is There a Role for Positron Emission Tomography in Breast Cancer Staging?
Authors: Hodgson Nicole C. , Gulenchyn Karen Y.
Published: February 2008

Positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a radiotracer imaging method that is used in the care of patients with cancer. We conducted a nonsystematic review of the literature regarding the applicability of this technique in patients with breast cancer, encompassing the impact of FDG-PET on surgical management, including axillary node staging and sentinel lymph node biopsy; the use of FDG-PET in the evaluation of the primary tumor; the role of FDG-PET in the evaluation of distant metastases both at diagnosis and in the investigation of suspected recurrence; and the ability of FDG-PET to predict treatment response. FDG-PET is not sufficiently sensitive to replace histologic surgical staging of the axilla. Although FDG avidity of the primary tumor has been shown to be an unfavorable indicator, there is insufficient information to recommend its routine use for this indication. FDG-PET is more sensitive than conventional imaging in the detection of metastatic or recurrent disease, but the impact of increased sensitivity on patient care and outcome has not been demonstrated. The data regarding prediction of treatment response are insufficient to reach any conclusion. There are a number of prospective, adequately powered clinical trials currently in progress that should provide more definitive answers regarding the role, if any, of this technique in the management of patients with breast cancer.
Statement of the Science Concerning Locoregional Treatments After Preoperative Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Institute Conference
Authors: Buchholz Thomas A. , Lehman Constance D. , Harris Jay R. , Pockaj Barbara A. , Khouri Nagi , Hylton Nola F. , Miller Michael J. , Whelan Timothy , Pierce Lori J. , Esserman Laura J. , Newman Lisa A. , Smith Barbara L. , Bear Harry D. , Mamounas Eleftherios P.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

To review the state of the science with respect to diagnostic imaging and locoregional therapy for patients with breast cancer receiving preoperative chemotherapy.

Methods

Published data relevant to clinical staging, monitoring of tumor response, and locoregional therapy for patients with breast cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy were reviewed.

Results

High-quality data from prospective randomized trials are limited. Available data suggest that locoregional therapy decisions should be based on both the pretreatment clinical extent of disease and the pathologic extent of the disease after chemotherapy. Accordingly, physical examination and imaging studies that accurately define the initial extent of disease are required before treatment. Sentinel lymph node biopsy can be performed either before or after preoperative chemotherapy for patients with clinical N0 disease. The success of breast conservation after preoperative chemotherapy depends on careful patient selection and achieving negative surgical margins. Adjuvant breast radiation is indicated for all patients treated with breast conservation. For patients treated with mastectomy, chest-wall and regional nodal radiation should be considered for those who present with clinical stage III disease or have histologically positive lymph nodes after preoperative chemotherapy. Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the value of postmastectomy radiation for patients with stage II breast cancer who have negative lymph nodes after chemotherapy.

Conclusion

The increased use of preoperative chemotherapy has raised new questions concerning the optimal methods to stage and monitor disease response to treatment and how to optimize locoregional treatment. The available evidence suggests that a multidisciplinary approach improves outcomes.
Development of the 21-Gene Assay and Its Application in Clinical Practice and Clinical Trials
Authors: Sparano Joseph A. , Paik Soonmyung
Published: February 2008

Several multigene markers that predict relapse more accurately than classical clinicopathologic features have been developed. The 21-gene assay was developed specifically for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)–positive breast cancer, and has been shown to predict distant recurrence more accurately that classical clinicopathologic features in patients with ER-positive breast cancer and negative axillary nodes treated with adjuvant tamoxifen; validation studies in this population led to its approval as a diagnostic test. In a similar population, it also may be used to assess the benefit of adding chemotherapy to hormonal therapy. Other validation studies indicate that it also predicts the risk of distant and local recurrence in other populations with ER-positive disease, including node-negative patients receiving no adjuvant therapy and patients with positive axillary nodes treated with doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. The Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment (TAILORx) is multicenter trial that integrates the 21-gene assay into the clinical decision-making process and is designed to refine the utility of the assay in clinical practice and to provide a resource for evaluating additional molecular markers as they are developed in the future.
Sustained epithelial β-catenin activity induces precocious hair development but disrupts hair follicle down-growth and hair shaft formation
Authors: Närhi Katja , Järvinen Elina , Birchmeier Walter , Taketo Makoto M. , Mikkola Marja L. , Thesleff Irma
Published: February 2008

During embryonic and postnatal development, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in several stages of hair morphogenesis from placode formation to hair shaft differentiation. Using a transgenic approach, we have investigated further the role of β-catenin signaling in embryonic hair development. Forced epithelial stabilization of β-catenin resulted in precocious and excessive induction of hair follicles even in the absence of Eda/Edar signaling, a pathway essential for primary hair placode formation. In addition, the spacing and size of the placodes was randomized. Surprisingly,the down-growth of follicles was suppressed and hair shaft production was severely impaired. Gene and reporter expression analyses revealed elevated mesenchymal Wnt activity, as well as increased BMP signaling, throughout the skin that was accompanied by upregulation of Sostdc1 (Wise,ectodin) expression. Our data suggest that BMPs are downstream of Wnt/β-catenin and that their interplay may be a critical component in establishing correct patterning of hair follicles through the reaction-diffusion mechanism.
Molecular Definition of High-resolution Multicolor Banding Probes: First Within the Human DNA Sequence Anchored FISH Banding Probe Set
Authors: Weise Anja , Mrasek Kristin , Fickelscher Ina , Claussen Uwe , Cheung Sau Wai , Cai Wei Wen , Liehr Thomas , Kosyakova Nadezda
Published: February 2008

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) banding approaches are standard for the exact characterization of simple, complex, and even cryptic chromosomal aberrations within the human genome. The most frequently applied FISH banding technique is the multicolor banding approach, also abbreviated as m-band, MCB, or in its whole genomic variant multitude MCB (mMCB). MCB allows the differentiation of chromosome region–specific areas at the GTG band and sub-band level and is based on region-specific microdissection libraries, producing changing fluorescence intensity ratios along the chromosomes. The latter are used to assign different pseudocolors to specific chromosomal regions. Here we present the first bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) mapped, comprehensive, genome-wide human MCB probe set. All 169 region-specific micro-dissection libraries were characterized in detail for their size and the regions of overlap. In summary, the unique possibilities of the MCB technique to characterize chromosomal breakpoints in one FISH experiment are now complemented by the feature of being anchored within the human DNA sequence at the BAC level.
Glycodelin Protein and mRNA Is Downregulated in Human First Trimester Abortion and Partially Upregulated in Mole Pregnancy
Authors: Toth Bettina , Roth Karin , Kunert-Keil Christiane , Scholz Christoph , Schulze Sandra , Mylonas Ioannis , Friese Klaus , Jeschke Udo
Published: February 2008

Glycodelin (Gd) is a major reproductive glycoprotein and a mediator for immunomodulatory effects directed to cellular, humoral, and innate immunity. Human pregnancy depends on a diversity of physiological processes including modulation of the maternal immunosystem. We evaluated the expression of Gd protein and mRNA in first trimester decidual tissue of normal pregnancies and spontaneous abortion and hydatidiform moles. Furthermore, in vitro experiments on endometrial cancer cells to analyze the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on Gd regulation were performed. In decidual tissue of abortion patients, Gd expression was significantly decreased compared with normal gestation, which was confirmed by in situ hybridization. In mole pregnancy, an upregulation of Gd in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy was present. Gd is a main product of decidual tissue in the first trimester of human pregnancy. Reduced Gd expression in abortive pregnancy could lead to an increased activation of the maternal immunosystem, thus causing rejection of the developing fetus. Moreover, Gd expression in endometrial cancer cells in vitro could be stimulated by addition of hCG. Therefore, we speculate that hCG could be one of the factors regulating Gd expression because hCG is downregulated in women with abortion and upregulated in mole pregnancy. In addition, we found a positive feedback loop in Gd and hCG expression in human pregnancy.
Breaking the frame: How Edith Wharton's short stories subvert their magazine context
Authors: Whitehead Sarah
Published: February 2008

This article focuses on the restrictive nature of the American magazine in both the Gilded Age and Progressive Era of mass publication, the two periods in which Wharton published seventy-eight of her short stories. I consider the textual disunity often created by the use of illustrations, including advertisements, and the challenge to authorial autonomy presented by editorial intervention. I argue here that this material frame influenced Wharton's narrative strategies in her shorter fiction and examine how she successfully subverts the cultural frame in which her texts were placed, using apparent restrictions to add depth and complexity to her stories. To my knowledge, this is the first sustained study of the interaction between Wharton's short stories and their magazine frames, and the first focus on the subversive nature of her narrative strategies in her shorter fiction, in terms of challenging their material context.
Reviews
Authors: Gibson Marion
Published: February 2008

The Civil War in American Culture, Will Kaufman (2006) Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 193 pp., ISBN 0748619356 (pbk), 14.99
Interesting times: A meditation on American Studies in Britain, 2007
Authors: Castillo Susan
Published: February 2008

This article examines some of the issues facing Area Studies in general, and American Studies in particular, in today's academy: the viability, or not, of the nation/state as interpretative paradigm; the extent to which disciplinary structures in today's universities have actually evolved
(or not) to reflect geographical areas as a legitimate object of scholarly enquiry; and finally the desirability (or not) of focussing on the interactions of diverse linguistic groups within an area. After a brief overview of history of the concept of academic disciplinarity and the ways in
which it is linked to geographical space, it then analyses Janice Radway's groundbreaking Presidential Address to the American Studies Association in 1998, and Shelley Fisher Fishkin's in 2004. Finally, it draws some conclusions about possible new directions for American Studies in Britain
and for the British American Studies community.
The Imperial Reigns of Leo II
Authors: Croke Brian
Published: February 2008

The boy-emperor Leo II has bequeathed us more than his share of chronological puzzles. He was only seven years old when he died in 474 but he had possessed imperial authority for nearly half his short life. There is uncertainty about the date of his birth, and most of his career as emperor with his grandfather Leo I. If we still had the chronicle of Nestorianos which actually terminated at the death of Leo II we would probably be fully informed on these matters. Instead, several of the relevant documents have been consistently misconstrued, that is, they have been made to fit a predetermined interpretation or order of events. Moreover, one important text has been ignored altogether. The chronology of the boy-emperor's career depends on Seeck's Regesten which has inevitably shaped the coverage in the standard accounts of Bury and Stein. The authority of Seeck also underpins the entry in the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire which sets out the following chronology of Leo's brief life and imperial career:

467 – birth;

473 – elevated to Caesar by Leo I, October;

474 – elevated to Augustus by Leo I, before 18 January;

474 – death, November.

This investigation is designed to show that the multiple phases in the imperial rule of Leo II have never been properly disentangled. To do so not only brings greater precision to the sequence of events, and to Leo's short career, but also casts light on the wider context of these turbulent few years.