bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder among US children: Results from a national survey
Authors: Lingineni Ravi K , Biswas Swati , Ahmad Naveed , Jackson Bradford E , Bae Sejong , Singh Karan P
Published: May 2012

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and various factors using a representative sample of US children in a comprehensive manner. This includes variables that have not been previously studied such as watching TV/playing video games, computer usage, family member’s smoking, and participation in sports.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of 68,634 children, 5–17 years old, from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH, 2007–2008). We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with ADHD classification as the response variable and the following explanatory variables: sex, race, depression, anxiety, body mass index, healthcare coverage, family structure, socio-economic status, family members’ smoking status, education, computer usage, watching television (TV)/playing video games, participation in sports, and participation in clubs/organizations.

Results

Approximately 10% of the sample was classified as having ADHD. We found depression, anxiety, healthcare coverage, and male sex of child to have increased odds of being diagnosed with ADHD. One of the salient features of this study was observing a significant association between ADHD and variables such as TV usage, participation in sports, two-parent family structure, and family members’ smoking status. Obesity was not found to be significantly associated with ADHD, contrary to some previous studies.

Conclusions

The current study uncovered several factors associated with ADHD at the national level, including some that have not been studied earlier in such a setting. However, we caution that due to the cross-sectional and observational nature of the data, a cause and effect relationship between ADHD and the associated factors can not be deduced from this study. Future research on ADHD should take into consideration these factors, preferably through a longitudinal study design.
Is the process of delivery of an individually tailored lifestyle intervention associated with improvements in LDL cholesterol and multiple lifestyle behaviours in people with Familial Hypercholesterolemia?
Authors: Broekhuizen Karen , Jelsma GM Judith , van PoppelNM Mireille , Koppes LJ Lando , Brug Johannes , van Mechelen Willem
Published: May 2012

Background

More insight in the association between reach, dose and fidelity of intervention components and effects is needed. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate reach, dose and fidelity of an individually tailored lifestyle intervention in people with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) and the association between intervention dose and changes in LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C), and multiple lifestyle behaviours at 12-months follow-up.

Methods

Participants (n = 181) randomly allocated to the intervention group received the PRO-FIT intervention consisting of computer-tailored lifestyle advice (PRO-FIT*advice) and counselling (face-to-face and telephone booster calls) using Motivational Interviewing (MI). According to a process evaluation plan, intervention reach, dose delivered and received, and MI fidelity were assessed using the recruitment database, website/counselling logs and the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI 3.1.1.) code. Regression analyses were conducted to explore differences between participant and non-participant characteristics, and the association between intervention dose and change in LDL-C, and multiple lifestyle behaviours.

Results

A 34% (n = 181) representative proportion of the intended intervention group was reached during the recruitment phase; participants did not differ from non-participants (n = 623) on age, gender and LDL-C levels. Of the participants, 95% received a PRO-FIT*advice log on account, of which 49% actually logged on and completed at least one advice module. Nearly all participants received a face-to-face counselling session and on average, 4.2 telephone booster calls were delivered. None of the face-to-face sessions were implemented according to MI guidelines. Overall, weak non-significant positive associations were found between intervention dose and LDL-C and lifestyle behaviours.

Conclusions

Implementation of the PRO-FIT intervention in practice appears feasible, particularly PRO-FIT*advice, since it can be relative easily implemented with a high dose delivered. However, only less than half of the intervention group received the complete intervention-package as intended. Strategies to let participants optimally engage in using web-based computer-tailored interventions like PRO-FIT*advice are needed. Further, more emphasis should be put on more extensive MI training and monitoring/supervision.

Trial registration

NTR1899 at ww.trialregister.nl.
Identification Of Small Molecule TRABID Deubiquitinase Inhibitors By Computation-Based Virtual Screen
Authors: Shi Tong , Bao Ju , Wang Nick X , Zheng Jie , Wu Dianqing
Published: May 2012

Background

Wnt/β-catenin-mediated gene transcription plays important roles in a wide range of biological and pathophysiological processes including tumorigenesis where β-catenin-mediated transcription activity frequently elevates. TRABID, a deubiquitinase, was shown to have a positive Wnt/β-catenin-mediated gene transcription and hence holds a promise as a putative anti-cancer target.

Results

In this study, we used a combination of structure based virtual screening and an in vitro deubiquitinase (DUB) assay to identify several small molecules that inhibit TRABID DUB activity. However, these inhibitors failed to show inhibitory effects on β-catenin-mediated gene transcription. In addition, expression of TRABID shRNAs, wildtype TRABID, or the DUB activity-deficient mutant showed little effects on β-catenin-mediated gene transcription.

Conclusions

TRABID may not be a critical component in canonical Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction or that a minute amount of this protein is sufficient for its role in regulating Wnt activity.
Association of rs5888 SNP in the scavenger receptor class B type 1 gene and serum lipid levels
Authors: Wu Dong-Feng , Yin Rui-Xing , Hu Xi-Jiang , Aung Lynn Htet Htet , Cao Xiao-Li , Miao Lin , Li Qing , Yan Ting-Ting , Wu Jin-Zhen , Pan Shang-Ling
Published: May 2012

Background

Bai Ku Yao is a special subgroup of the Yao minority in China. The present study was undertaken to detect the association of rs5888 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SCARB1) gene and several environmental factors with serum lipid levels in the Guangxi Bai Ku Yao and Han populations.

Methods

A total of 598 subjects of Bai Ku Yao and 585 subjects of Han Chinese were randomly selected from our stratified randomized cluster samples. Genotypes of the SCARB1 rs5888 SNP were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism combined with gel electrophoresis, and then confirmed by direct sequencing.

Results

The levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein (Apo) AI were lower but ApoB was higher in Bai Ku Yao than in Han (P < 0.05-0.001). The frequencies of C and T alleles were 78.3% and 21.7% in Bai Ku Yao, and 73.7% and 26.3% in Han (P < 0.01); respectively. The frequencies of CC, CT and TT genotypes were 60.0%, 36.6% and 3.4% in Bai Ku Yao, and 54.2%, 39.0% and 6.8% in Han (P < 0.01); respectively. The subjects with TT genotype in both ethnic groups had lower HDL-C and ApoAI levels than the subjects with CC or CT genotype (P < 0.05 for all). Subgroup analyses showed that the subjects with TT genotype in Bai Ku Yao had lower HDL-C and ApoAI levels in males than the subjects with CC or CT genotype (P < 0.05 for all), and the T allele carriers had higher TC, LDL-C and ApoB levels in females than the T allele noncarriers (P < 0.05 for all). The participants with TT genotype in Han also had a lower tendency of HDL-C and ApoAI levels in males than the participants with CC or CT genotype, but the difference did not reach statistically significant (P = 0.063 and P = 0.086; respectively). The association of serum HDL-C and ApoAI levels and genotypes was confirmed by the multiple linear regression analysis in both ethnic groups. Serum lipid parameters were also correlated with several environmental factors.

Conclusions

The differences in serum lipid levels between the two ethnic groups might partially attribute to the differences in the SCARB1 rs5888 SNP and several environmental factors.
The human proteome – a scientific opportunity for transforming diagnostics, therapeutics, and healthcare
Authors: Vidal Marc , Chan Daniel W , Gerstein Mark , Mann Matthias , Omenn Gilbert S , Tagle Danilo , Sechi Salvatore ,   Workshop Participants
Published: May 2012

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) workshop was convened in Bethesda, MD on September 26–27, 2011, with representative scientific leaders in the field of proteomics and its applications to clinical settings. The main purpose of this workshop was to articulate ways in which the biomedical research community can capitalize on recent technology advances and synergize with ongoing efforts to advance the field of human proteomics. This executive summary and the following full report describe the main discussions and outcomes of the workshop.
A polarity comparison timing synchronization estimation for MB-OFDM-based UWB systems
Authors: Wang Xue , Qian Zhihong , Wang Yijun
Published: May 2012

We propose a new approach for timing synchronization estimation with polarity comparison for multi-band orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM)-based UWB systems. We attempt to locate the start sample of frame sequences by calculating difference of the two cross-correlation functions, between received symbols, the successive received symbols, and predefined preamble sequence. It makes sense to propose polarity comparison and identification ideas to the scenario, the cross-correlation difference exceeding predefined threshold is not unique. If polarities of selected symbols are not all the same, the estimator is put forward to find out a peak of correlation summation to figure out the unique timing point and promote synchronization accuracy. Uniqueness and accuracy of timing synchronization, therefore, could be guaranteed. The performance of the proposed estimator is evaluated by mean square error (MSE) and synchronization probability. The proposed estimator could carry out timing synchronization for MB-OFDM-based UWB systems and make the uniqueness of timing index for sure. The MSEs of the proposed estimator are evidently lower than the reference method for a great deal. Total and exact synchronization probability could get as much as 100 and 96%.
Existence of positive solutions to a non-positive elastic beam equation with both ends fixed
Authors: Lu Haixia , Sun Li , Sun Jingxian
Published: May 2012

This article is concerned with the existence of nontrivial solutions for a non-positive fourth-order two-point boundary value problem (BVP) and the existence of positive solutions for a semipositive fourth-order two-point BVP. In mechanics, the problem describes the deflection of an elastic beam rigidly fixed at both ends. The method to show our main results is the topological degree and fixed point theory of nonlinear operator on lattice.

Mathematics Subject Classification 2010: 34B18; 34B16; 34B15.
T cell independent secondary antibody responses to the envelope protein of simian immunodeficiency virus
Authors: Nabi Ghulam , Temchura Vladimir , Großmann Claudius , Kuate Seraphin , Tenbusch Matthias , Überla Klaus
Published: May 2012

Background

During human (HIV) and simian (SIV) immunodeficiency virus infection, loss of CD4+ T cells and progression to AIDS are associated with a decline in antibody titers to the viral Gag protein, while antibodies to the Env protein remain high, suggesting a T cell independent antibody response to Env.

Results

To explore differential regulation of Gag and Env antibody responses, immunocompetent BALB/c and T cell deficient nude mice were immunized with virus like particles (VLP) of simian immunodeficiency virus or adenoviral vectors expressing SIV Gag and Env. High levels of antibodies against Gag and Env could only be induced in immunocompetent mice, but not in the immunodeficient mice. Thus, neither cells expressing Env after adenoviral gene transfer nor VLPs induce a T cell independent primary anti-Env antibody response. However, secondary B cell responses to Env, but not to Gag, were observed in immunodeficient mice after transfer of primed B cells and boosting with VLPs or adenoviral vectors expressing Gag and Env. This T cell independent secondary antibody response to Env was reduced after stimulation with VLPs modified to contain monomeric membrane bound gp130 surface subunit of Env and undetectable after injection of soluble gp130.

Conclusions

Membrane-bound trimeric Env seems to be responsible for the maintenance of high levels of anti-Env antibodies during progression to AIDS. This T cell independent secondary antibody response may prevent T cell-dependent affinity maturation and thus contribute to viral immune escape by favoring persistence of non-protective antibodies.
The slow-scale linear noise approximation: an accurate, reduced stochastic description of biochemical networks under timescale separation conditions
Authors: Thomas Philipp , Straube Arthur V , Grima Ramon
Published: May 2012

Background

It is well known that the deterministic dynamics of biochemical reaction networks can be more easily studied if timescale separation conditions are invoked (the quasi-steady-state assumption). In this case the deterministic dynamics of a large network of elementary reactions are well described by the dynamics of a smaller network of effective reactions. Each of the latter represents a group of elementary reactions in the large network and has associated with it an effective macroscopic rate law. A popular method to achieve model reduction in the presence of intrinsic noise consists of using the effective macroscopic rate laws to heuristically deduce effective probabilities for the effective reactions which then enables simulation via the stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA). The validity of this heuristic SSA method is a priori doubtful because the reaction probabilities for the SSA have only been rigorously derived from microscopic physics arguments for elementary reactions.

Results

We here obtain, by rigorous means and in closed-form, a reduced linear Langevin equation description of the stochastic dynamics of monostable biochemical networks in conditions characterized by small intrinsic noise and timescale separation. The slow-scale linear noise approximation (ssLNA), as the new method is called, is used to calculate the intrinsic noise statistics of enzyme and gene networks. The results agree very well with SSA simulations of the non-reduced network of elementary reactions. In contrast the conventional heuristic SSA is shown to overestimate the size of noise for Michaelis-Menten kinetics, considerably under-estimate the size of noise for Hill-type kinetics and in some cases even miss the prediction of noise-induced oscillations.

Conclusions

A new general method, the ssLNA, is derived and shown to correctly describe the statistics of intrinsic noise about the macroscopic concentrations under timescale separation conditions. The ssLNA provides a simple and accurate means of performing stochastic model reduction and hence it is expected to be of widespread utility in studying the dynamics of large noisy reaction networks, as is common in computational and systems biology.
Spice: discovery of phenotype-determining component interplays
Authors: Chen Zhengzhang , Padmanabhan Kanchana , Rocha Andrea M , Shpanskaya Yekaterina , Mihelcic James R , Scott Kathleen , Samatova Nagiza F
Published: May 2012

Background

A latent behavior of a biological cell is complex. Deriving the underlying simplicity, or the fundamental rules governing this behavior has been the Holy Grail of systems biology. Data-driven prediction of the system components and their component interplays that are responsible for the target system’s phenotype is a key and challenging step in this endeavor.

Results

The proposed approach, which we call System Phenotype-related Interplaying Components Enumerator (Spice), iteratively enumerates statistically significant system components that are hypothesized (1) to play an important role in defining the specificity of the target system’s phenotype(s); (2) to exhibit a functionally coherent behavior, namely, act in a coordinated manner to perform the phenotype-specific function; and (3) to improve the predictive skill of the system’s phenotype(s) when used collectively in the ensemble of predictive models.Spicecan be applied to both instance-based data and network-based data. When validated,Spiceeffectively identified system components related to three target phenotypes: biohydrogen production, motility, and cancer. Manual results curation agreed with the known phenotype-related system components reported in literature. Additionally, using the identified system components as discriminatory features improved the prediction accuracy by 10% on the phenotype-classification task when compared to a number of state-of-the-art methods applied to eight benchmark microarray data sets.

Conclusion

We formulate a problem—enumeration of phenotype-determining system component interplays—and propose an effective methodology (Spice) to address this problem.Spiceimproved identification of cancer-related groups of genes from various microarray data sets and detected groups of genes associated with microbial biohydrogen production and motility, many of which were reported in literature.Spicealso improved the predictive skill of the system’s phenotype determination compared to individual classifiers and/or other ensemble methods, such as bagging, boosting, random forest, nearest shrunken centroid, and random forest variable selection method.
Genome-scale modeling using flux ratio constraints to enable metabolic engineering of clostridial metabolism in silico
Authors: McAnulty Michael J , Yen Jiun Y , Freedman Benjamin G , Senger Ryan S
Published: May 2012

Background

Genome-scale metabolic networks and flux models are an effective platform for linking an organism genotype to its phenotype. However, few modeling approaches offer predictive capabilities to evaluate potential metabolic engineering strategies in silico.

Results

A new method called “f lux b alance a nalysis with flux ratio s (FBrAtio)” was developed in this research and applied to a new genome-scale model of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (i CAC490) that contains 707 metabolites and 794 reactions. FBrAtio was used to model wild-type metabolism and metabolically engineered strains of C. acetobutylicum where only flux ratio constraints and thermodynamic reversibility of reactions were required. The FBrAtio approach allowed solutions to be found through standard linear programming. Five flux ratio constraints were required to achieve a qualitative picture of wild-type metabolism for C. acetobutylicum for the production of: (i) acetate, (ii) lactate, (iii) butyrate, (iv) acetone, (v) butanol, (vi) ethanol, (vii) CO2 and (viii) H2. Results of this simulation study coincide with published experimental results and show the knockdown of the acetoacetyl-CoA transferase increases butanol to acetone selectivity, while the simultaneous over-expression of the aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase greatly increases ethanol production.

Conclusions

FBrAtio is a promising new method for constraining genome-scale models using internal flux ratios. The method was effective for modeling wild-type and engineered strains of C. acetobutylicum.
Oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) by Serratia marcescens UCP 1549 formed biphenyl as final product
Authors: de Araújo HélviaW Casullo , de Freitas Siva Marta Cristina , Lins Clarissai Matos , do Nascimento Aline Elesbão , da Silva CarlosAlberto Alves , Campos-Takaki Galba M
Published: May 2012

Background

The desulphurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT), a recalcitrant thiophenic fossil fuel component by Serratia marcescens (UCP 1549) in order for reducing the Sulphur content was investigated. The Study was carried out establishing the growth profile using Luria Bertani medium to different concentrations of DBT during 120 hours at 28°C, and orbital Shaker at 150 rpm.

Results

The results indicated that concentrations of DBT 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mM do not affected the growth of the bacterium. The DBT showed similar Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MCB) (3.68 mM). The desulphurization of DBT by S. marcescens was used with 96 hours of growth on 2 mM of DBT, and was determined by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. In order to study the desulphurization process by S. marcescens was observed the presence of a sulfur-free product at 16 hours of cultivation.

Conclusions

The data suggests the use of metabolic pathway “4S” by S. marcescens (UCP 1549) and formed biphenyl. The microbial desulphurization process by Serratia can be suggest significant reducing sulphur content in DBT, and showed promising potential for reduction of the sulfur content in diesel oil.
Increased type II collagen cleavage by cathepsin K and collagenase activities with aging and osteoarthritis in human articular cartilage
Authors: Dejica Valeria M , Mort John S , Laverty Sheila , Antoniou John , Zukor David J , Tanzer Michael , Poole A Robin
Published: May 2012

Introduction

The intra-helical cleavage of type II collagen by proteases, including collagenases and cathepsin K, is increased with aging and osteoarthritis (OA) in cartilage as determined by immunochemical assays. The distinct sites of collagen cleavage generated by collagenases and cathepsin K in healthy and OA human femoral condylar cartilages were identified and compared.

Methods

Fixed frozen cartilage sections were examined immunohistochemically, using antibodies that react with the collagenase-generated cleavage neoepitopes, C2C and C1,2C, and the primary cleavage neoepitope (C2K) generated in type II collagen by the action of cathepsin K and possibly by other proteases, but not by any collagenases studied to date.

Results

In most cases, the staining patterns for collagen cleavage were similar for all three epitopes: weak to moderate mainly pericellular staining in non-OA cartilage from younger individuals and stronger, more widespread staining in aging and OA cartilages that often extended from the superficial to the mid/deep zone of the tissue. In very degenerate OA specimens, with significant disruption of the articular surface, staining was distributed throughout most of the cartilage matrix.

Conclusions

Cleavage of collagen by proteases usually arises pericellularly around chondrocytes at and near the articular surface, subsequently becoming more intense and extending progressively deeper into the cartilage with aging and OA. The close correspondence between the distributions of these products suggests that both collagenases and cathepsin K, and other proteases that may generate this distinct cathepsin K cleavage site, are usually active in the same sites in the degradation of type II collagen.
Green tea drinking and subsequent risk of breast cancer in a population to based cohort of Japanese women
Authors: Iwasaki Motoki , Inoue Manami , Sasazuki Shizuka , Sawada Norie , Yamaji Taiki , Shimazu Taichi , Willett Walter C , Tsugane Shoichiro ,   Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Group
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Although many in vitro and animal studies have demonstrated a protective effect of green tea against breast cancer, findings from epidemiological studies have been inconsistent, and whether high green tea intake reduces the risk of breast cancer remains unclear.

Methods

In this Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study, 581 cases of breast cancer were newly diagnosed in 53,793 women during 13.6 years' follow-up from the baseline survey in 1990 to 1994. After the five-year follow-up survey in 1995 to 1998, 350 cases were newly diagnosed in 43,639 women during 9.5 years' follow-up. The baseline questionnaire assessed the frequency of total green tea drinking while the five-year follow-up questionnaire assessed that of two types of green tea, Sencha and Bancha/Genmaicha, separately.

Results

Compared with women who drank less than one cup of green tea per week, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for women who drank five or more cups per day was 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81 to 1.56; P for trend = 0.60) in the baseline data. Similarly, compared with women who drank less than one cup of Sencha or Bancha/Genmaicha per week, adjusted HRs for women who drank 10 or more cups per day were 1.02 (95% CI 0.55 to 1.89; P for trend = 0.48) for Sencha and 0.86 (0.34 to 2.17; P for trend = 0.66) for Bancha/Genmaicha. No inverse association was found regardless of hormone receptor-defined subtype or menopausal status.

Conclusions

In this population-based prospective cohort study in Japan we found no association between green tea drinking and risk of breast cancer.
Downregulation of the tumor-suppressor miR-16 via progestin-mediated oncogenic signaling contributes to breast cancer development
Authors: Rivas Martin A , Venturutti Leandro , Huang Yi-Wen , Schillaci Roxana , Huang Tim Hui-Ming , Elizalde Patricia V
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Experimental and clinical evidence points to a critical role of progesterone and the nuclear progesterone receptor (PR) in controlling mammary gland tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms of progesterone action in breast cancer still remain elusive. On the other hand, micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short ribonucleic acids which have also been found to play a pivotal role in cancer pathogenesis. The role of miRNA in progestin-induced breast cancer is poorly explored. In this study we explored progestin modulation of miRNA expression in mammary tumorigenesis.

Methods

We performed a genome-wide study to explore progestin-mediated regulation of miRNA expression in breast cancer. miR-16 expression was studied by RT-qPCR in cancer cell lines with silenced PR, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) or c-Myc, treated or not with progestins. Breast cancer cells were transfected with the precursor of miR-16 and proliferation assays, Western blots or in vivo experiments were performed. Target genes of miR-16 were searched through a bioinformatical approach, and the study was focused on cyclin E. Reporter gene assays were performed to confirm that cyclin E 3'UTR is a direct target of miR-16.

Results

We found that nine miRNAs were upregulated and seven were downregulated by progestin in mammary tumor cells. miR-16, whose function as a tumor suppressor in leukemia has already been shown, was identified as one of the downregulated miRNAs in murine and human breast cancer cells. Progestin induced a decrease in miR-16 levels via the classical PR and through a hierarchical interplay between Stat3 and the oncogenic transcription factor c-Myc. A search for miR-16 targets showed that the CCNE1 gene, encoding the cell cycle regulator cyclin E, contains conserved putative miR-16 target sites in its mRNA 3' UTR region. We found that, similar to the molecular mechanism underlying progestin-modulated miR-16 expression, Stat3 and c-Myc participated in the induction of cyclin E expression by progestin. Moreover, overexpression of miR-16 abrogated the ability of progestin to induce cyclin E upregulation, revealing that cyclin E is a novel target of miR-16 in breast cancer. Overexpression of miR-16 also inhibited progestin-induced breast tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating for the first time, a role for miR-16 as a tumor suppressor in mammary tumorigenesis. We also found that the ErbB ligand heregulin (HRG) downregulated the expression of miR-16, which then participates in the proliferative activity of HRG in breast tumor cells.

Conclusions

In this study, we reveal the first progestin-regulated miRNA expression profile and identify a novel role for miR-16 as a tumor suppressor in progestin- and growth factor-induced growth in breast cancer.
Gender differences in psychological morbidity and treatment in intensive care survivors - a cohort study
Authors: Schandl Anna , Bottai Matteo , Hellgren Elisabeth , Sundin Örjan , Sackey Peter
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Many hospitals have initiated follow-up to facilitate rehabilitation after critical illness and intensive care, although the efficacy of such an intervention is uncertain. Studies in trauma research indicate significant differences in psychological reactions to traumatic events between men and women. Our aim, in a quasi-experimental design, was to compare psychological morbidity and treatment effects between men and women enrolled in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up programme (follow-up group) and ICU patients not offered such follow-up (control group).

Methods

Men and women treated more than four days in the ICU in 2006, before ICU follow-up started, were compared with men and women treated in 2007 and 2008, when all patients with an ICU stay of more than four days were offered ICU follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months post-ICU. Fourteen months after ICU discharge, psychological problems were measured with Impact of Event Scale (IES) for posttraumatic stress and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for anxiety and depression.

Results

Women with no follow-up reported significantly higher IES scores than men. Women in the follow-up group reported significantly lower IES scores compared to women in the control group, both in crude analysis and after adjusting for significant confounders/predictors (age, ICU length of stay and previous psychological problems). Furthermore, the 75th percentile for IES and HADS-Depression scores (high scores and degree of symptoms of psychological problems) in women in the follow-up group was lower than in those without follow-up (IES: -17.4 p, P <.01, HADS-depression: -4.9 p, P <.05). For men, no significant differences were found between the no follow-up and the follow-up group.

Conclusion

Psychological problems after critical illness and intensive care appear to be more common in women than in men. A multidisciplinary ICU follow-up may reduce the incidence of long-term symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression for women.
Transthoracic Echocardiography with Doppler Tissue Imaging predicts weaning failure from mechanical ventilation: evolution of the left ventricle relaxation rate during a spontaneous breathing trial is the key factor in weaning outcome
Authors: Moschietto Sébastien , Doyen Denis , Grech Ludovic , Dellamonica Jean , Hyvernat Hervé , Bernardin Gilles
Published: May 2012

Introduction

There is growing evidence to suggest that transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) should be used to identify the cardiac origin of respiratory weaning failure. The aims of our study were: first, to evaluate the ability of transthoracic echocardiography, with mitral Doppler inflow E velocity to annular tissue Doppler Ea wave velocity (E/Ea) ratio measurement, to predict weaning failure from mechanical ventilation in patients, including those with atrial fibrillation; and second, to determine whether the depressed left ejection fraction and/or diastolic dysfunction participate in weaning outcome.

Methods

The sample included patients on mechanical ventilation for over 48 hours. A complete echocardiography was performed just before the spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) and 10 minutes after starting the SBT. Systolic dysfunction was defined by a left ventricle ejection fraction under 50% and relaxation impairment by a protodiastolic annulus mitral velocity Ea under or equal to 8 cm/second.

Results

A total of 68 patients were included. Twenty failed the weaning process and the other 48 patients succeeded. Before the SBT, the E/Ea ratio was higher in the failed group than in the successful group. The E/Ea measured during the SBT was also higher in the failed group. The cut-off value, obtained from receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, to predict weaning failure gave an E/Ea ratio during the SBT of 14.5 with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 95.8%. The left ventricular ejection fraction did not differ between the two groups whereas Ea was lower in the failed group. Ea increased during SBT in the successful group while no change occurred in the failed group.

Conclusions

Measurement of the E/Ea ratio with TTE could predict weaning failure. Diastolic dysfunction with relaxation impairment is strongly associated with weaning failure. Moreover, the impossibility of enhancing the left ventricle relaxation rate during the SBT seems to be the key factor of weaning failure. In contrast, the systolic dysfunction was not associated with weaning outcome.
Evaluation of a new pocket echoscopic device for focused cardiac ultrasonography in an emergency setting
Authors: Biais Matthieu , Carrié Cédric , Delaunay François , Morel Nicolas , Revel Philippe , Janvier Gérard
Published: May 2012

Introduction

In the emergency setting, focused cardiac ultrasound has become a fundamental tool for diagnostic, initial emergency treatment and triage decisions. A new ultra-miniaturized pocket ultrasound device (PUD) may be suited to this specific setting. Therefore, we aimed to compare the diagnostic ability of an ultra-miniaturized ultrasound device (Vscan™, GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI) and of a conventional high-quality echocardiography system (Vivid S5™, GE Healthcare) for a cardiac focused ultrasonography in patients admitted to the emergency department.

Methods

During 4 months, patients admitted to our emergency department and requiring transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in this single-center, prospective and observational study. Patients underwent TTE using a PUD and a conventional echocardiography system. Each examination was performed independently by a physician experienced in echocardiography, unaware of the results found by the alternative device. During the focused cardiac echocardiography, the following parameters were assessed: global cardiac systolic function, identification of ventricular enlargement or hypertrophy, assessment for pericardial effusion and estimation of the size and the respiratory changes of the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter.

Results

One hundred fifty-one (151) patients were analyzed. With the tested PUD, the image quality was sufficient to perform focused cardiac ultrasonography in all patients. Examination using PUD adequately qualified with a very good agreement global left ventricular systolic dysfunction (κ = 0.87; 95%CI: 0.76-0.97), severe right ventricular dilation (κ = 0.87; 95%CI: 0.71-1.00), inferior vena cava dilation (κ = 0.90; 95%CI: 0.80-1.00), respiratory-induced variations in inferior vena cava size in spontaneous breathing (κ = 0.84; 95%CI: 0.71-0.98), pericardial effusion (κ = 0.75; 95%CI: 0.55-0.95) and compressive pericardial effusion (κ = 1.00; 95%CI: 1.00-1.00).

Conclusions

In an emergency setting, this new ultraportable echoscope (PUD) was reliable for the real-time detection of focused cardiac abnormalities.
Serum metabolomic profile as a means to distinguish stage of colorectal cancer
Authors: Farshidfar Farshad , Weljie Aalim M , Kopciuk Karen , Buie W Don , MacLean Anthony , Dixon Elijah , Sutherland Francis R , Molckovsky Andrea , Vogel Hans J , Bathe Oliver F
Published: May 2012

Background

Presently, colorectal cancer (CRC) is staged preoperatively by radiographic tests, and postoperatively by pathological evaluation of available surgical specimens. However, present staging methods do not accurately identify occult metastases. This has a direct effect on clinical management. Early identification of metastases isolated to the liver may enable surgical resection, whereas more disseminated disease may be best treated with palliative chemotherapy.

Methods

Sera from 103 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma treated at the same tertiary cancer center were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Metabolic profiling was done using both supervised pattern recognition and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (O-PLS-DA) of the most significant metabolites, which enables comparison of the whole sample spectrum between groups. The metabolomic profiles generated from each platform were compared between the following groups: locoregional CRC (N = 42); liver-only metastases (N = 45); and extrahepatic metastases (N = 25).

Results

The serum metabolomic profile associated with locoregional CRC was distinct from that associated with liver-only metastases, based on 1H NMR spectroscopy (P = 5.10 × 10-7) and GC-MS (P = 1.79 × 10-7). Similarly, the serum metabolomic profile differed significantly between patients with liver-only metastases and with extrahepatic metastases. The change in metabolomic profile was most markedly demonstrated on GC-MS (P = 4.75 × 10-5).

Conclusions

In CRC, the serum metabolomic profile changes markedly with metastasis, and site of disease also appears to affect the pattern of circulating metabolites. This novel observation may have clinical utility in enhancing staging accuracy and selecting patients for surgical or medical management. Additional studies are required to determine the sensitivity of this approach to detect subtle or occult metastatic disease.
Presidential Lecture: Discourse and Authority in Histories Painted, Knotted, and Threaded
Authors: Boone Elizabeth Hill
Published: May 2012

This essay argues for the study of histories that are executed in graphic registers other than alphabetic writing, specifically histories that are painted, knotted, and threaded. As the products of the recording systems of the indigenous people themselves, they are inherently closer to indigenous epistemology than are alphabetic documents. They reveal the indigenous framework for conceptualizing and recording the past. As objects, they are the sites of discourse about the past, and they convey the authority of that past.
The Kamba War: Foundation Narratives, Ethnogenesis, and the Invention of the Zaramo in Precolonial East Africa
Authors: Owens Geoffrey Ross
Published: May 2012

This article focuses on narratives told by the Zaramo people of east central Tanzania, the largest ethnic group in the regions surrounding Dar es Salaam. Their tradition includes a founder-leader known as Pazi Kilama or Pazi Kibwe Banduka who is said to have come to the aid of the Shomvi, Swahili-speaking residents of Indian Ocean coastal settlements, who were being attacked by the Kamba people of Kenya. Subsequently, the Shomvi agreed to offer the Pazi an annual tribute as ongoing payment for his assistance. Analyzing the Kamba War account as both foundation narrative and historical text, it becomes possible to recover the emergence of Zaramo ethnic consciousness in the context of a bourgeoning nineteenth-century caravan economy as well as in relation to the melding of Zaramo and Shomvi cultural patterns into a precolonial mosaic society predating the rise of Zanzibar's commercial empire as a dominant power of the mid-nineteenth century.
Taking Back Times Square
Authors: Potter Claire Bond
Published: May 2012

The history of feminism's sex wars has mostly focused on questions of sexual censorship, free speech, and the alleged support that antipornography feminists offered conservative policy-makers during the backlash of the 1980s. These are all important questions. But what has been overlooked is the contest over physical and cultural space, as well as the conversation about democratizing public space, that Women Against Pornography initiated when they marched on Times Square in 1979. By imagining heteropatriarchy as a regime, and antipornography feminist strategies as repertoires, this article explores new ways of imagining the possibilities and the limitations of a movement which rejected the terms of a sexual revolution that it viewed as having unleashed cultural and actual violence against women.
Vestiges of a Hidden Life
Authors: Caimari Lila
Published: May 2012

The collections displayed at the Buenos Aires Police Museum convey various narratives about police identity. They are organized along two overarching lines. The first, somewhat predictable, may be referred to as “police as corporate identity and symbolic tradition.” It stems from the display of a rather formalized pantheon of heroes, uniformed mannequins, guns, and pieces of old technology. A second, more elusive (though essential) brand of corporate identity points to the police as archaeologists of a hidden life. It blends symbols and professional artifacts with a display of an intimate knowledge of petty crime, criminal episodes embedded in folk memory, and gruesome sensationalism. This essay argues that in this mix of objects evoking technological modernity and empirical knowledge of the “other side” of social reality lies a critical claim to intellectual superiority and professional legitimacy.
Using Radical Public History Tours to Reframe Urban Crime
Authors: Amato Rebecca , Manuel Jeffrey T.
Published: May 2012

This collaborative essay invites historians to consider radical walking tours' potential as a dynamic strategy for critiquing liberal understandings of crime in urban settings. The authors examine two very different cities—New York City and East St. Louis, Illinois—in which existing tours have missed opportunities to redefine the legal and the criminal. Rebecca Amato notes how sensationalist crime tours in New York have obscured more challenging legal histories of gentrification and property laws that allow for displacement of poor immigrant neighborhoods. Jeffrey Manuel then describes how certain crimes, notably crimes committed by corporations, are covered up in East St. Louis's rare tours and suggests how tours could be used to reveal the ways in which corporations and governments use the law to harm people and the environment. In each case, existing tours either downplay the contemporary built environment or treat it as mere background to the historical narrative. To conclude the essay, the authors offer four suggestions for incorporating radical walking tours of the law into classrooms and public history projects.
The Reformation of Scholarship: A Reply to Debora Shuger
Authors: Simpson James
Published: May 2012

This essay is a rebuttal to Debora Shuger’s 2008 essay, “The Reformation of Penance,” in which she takes aim at revisionist Reformation scholarship, and in particular at James Simpson’s Reform and Cultural Revolution, published in 2002, as exemplary of the error of the revisionists with regard to penance. Her larger charge against the revisionists is that they tend to offer a history of “loss,” and that they have introduced “polemical distortion” into Reformation scholarship that had been free of that for fifty or so years. This essay challenges Shuger’s scholarly procedure as well as her substantive arguments. The larger aim of the essay is to establish ground rules for engagement in the rapidly developing field of Trans-Reformation cultural studies.
Lorenzo Valla’s Radical Philology: The “Preface” To the Annotations to the New Testament in Context
Authors: Celenza Christopher S.
Published: May 2012

The last fifty years of scholarly research have revealed the fifteenth-century thinker Lorenzo Valla as a powerfully original intellect, difficult to shoehorn into contemporary disciplinary divisions. One of the most interesting areas of his work concerns the intersection of philology, theology, and philosophy, which Valla himself did not, in practice, separate discretely. His Annotations to the New Testament presents a case in point. As a collection of critical notes on the standard Latin translation of the New Testament (the Vulgate), the annotations themselves range from lexicographical to theoretical. Yet the “Preface” that Valla wrote for the Annotations has not been studied in great detail; the two versions of this “Preface” represent Valla’s views on the importance of studying scripture with philological tools, his respect for the Greek language, and his strong sense of himself as a rather revolutionary interpreter. This article brings these concerns into relief and offers the first English translation of the two versions of the “Preface.”
Balaam to Bottom: Artifact and Theatrical Translation in the Sixteenth Century
Authors: Schreyer Kurt
Published: May 2012

This essay proposes a sixteenth-century provenance for the ass’s head in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a history that includes orthodox liturgies and festivals, mid-century Reformed polemics, and above all provincial mystery plays. What would it mean if this famous prop was inspired by or acquired from a Chester guild that had once used it to advertise the artisanal skill of its craftsmen-players? Tracing the ass’s cultural associations implicates long-held views of the medieval/early modern divide and of Shakespeare as an author. For once the ongoing agency of supposedly superseded theatrical objects is appreciated, it is possible to consider how the mystery plays shaped dramatic production long after their demise. In this context, Shakespeare may be seen as a play-wright, a dramatic artisan who forged new theatrical works from the material remnants of an older dramatic tradition.
Approximating the Nonlinear Newsvendor and Single-Item Stochastic Lot-Sizing Problems When Data Is Given by an Oracle
Authors: Halman Nir , Orlin James B. , Simchi-Levi David
Published: May 2012

The single-item stochastic lot-sizing problem is to find an inventory replenishment policy in the presence of discrete stochastic demands under periodic review and finite time horizon. A closely related problem is the single-period newsvendor model. It is well known that the newsvendor problem admits a closed formula for the optimal order quantity whenever the revenue and salvage values are linear increasing functions and the procurement (ordering) cost is fixed plus linear. The optimal policy for the single-item lot-sizing model is also well known under similar assumptions.

In this paper we show that the classical (single-period) newsvendor model with fixed plus linear ordering cost cannot be approximated to any degree of accuracy when either the demand distribution or the cost functions are given by an oracle. We provide a fully polynomial time approximation scheme for the nonlinear single-item stochastic lot-sizing problem, when demand distribution is given by an oracle, procurement costs are provided as nondecreasing oracles, holding/backlogging/disposal costs are linear, and lead time is positive. Similar results exist for the nonlinear newsvendor problem. These approximation schemes are designed by extending the technique of K-approximation sets and functions.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast: case report and review of literature
Authors: Veeratterapillay R , Veeratterapillay S , Ward E , Khout H , Fasih T
Published: May 2012

We report the case of a patient who presented with a painful breast lump that turned out to be an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast. The literature is reviewed, highlighting the good prognosis associated with this rare condition and the current preferred treatment modalities.