bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Collocation Method Based on the Bernoulli Operational Matrix for Solving High-Order Linear Complex Differential Equations in a Rectangular Domain
Authors: Toutounian Faezeh , Tohidi Emran , Shateyi Stanford
Published: April 2013

This paper contributes a new matrix method for the solution of high-order linear complex differential equations with variable coefficients in rectangular domains under the considered initial conditions. On the basis of the presented approach, the matrix forms of the Bernoulli polynomials and their derivatives are constructed, and then by substituting the collocation points into the matrix forms, the fundamental matrix equation is formed. This matrix equation corresponds to a system of linear algebraic equations. By solving this system, the unknown Bernoulli coefficients are determined and thus the approximate solutions are obtained. Also, an error analysis based on the use of the Bernoulli polynomials is provided under several mild conditions. To illustrate the efficiency of our method, some numerical examples are given.
Not Just Another Cause of Dyspnea: Common Complaint Leads to a Rare Diagnosis
Authors: Goyal Hemant , Arora Shitij , Duffoo Frantz , Bhat Utpal , Bhandari Rekha , Rajupet Sritha , Lwin Kyaw Kyaw , Patel Jigar
Published: April 2013

A 62-year-old man with past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) and hypertension presented with progressive shortness of breath since three months. He was diagnosed with diabetic polyradiculopathy with diaphragmatic involvement and was started on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy. Rapid improvement was seen as evidenced by increased vital capacity and other pulmonary function parameters. Considering the patient’s positive response to intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg), this case strengthens the fact that diaphragmatic involvement in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus can be a part of focal or polyneuropathy and that the pathogenesis is immune mediated.
Long-Term Survival of Patients With Radiation Heart Disease Undergoing Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Wu Willis , Masri Ahmad , Popovic Zoran B. , Smedira Nicholas G. , Lytle Bruce W. , Marwick Thomas H. , Griffin Brian P. , Desai Milind Y.
Published: April 2013

Background—

Thoracic radiation results in radiation-associated heart disease (RAHD), often requiring cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). We sought to measure long-term survival in RAHD patients undergoing CTS, to compare them with a matched control population undergoing similar surgical procedures, and to identify potential predictors of long-term survival.

Methods and Results—

In this retrospective observational cohort study of patients undergoing CTS, matched on the basis of age, sex, and type/time of CTS, 173 RAHD patients (75% women; age, 63±14 years) and 305 comparison patients (74% women; age, 63±4 years) were included. The vast majority of RAHD patients had prior breast cancer (53%) and Hodgkin lymphoma (27%), and the mean time from radiation was 18±12 years. Clinical and surgical parameters were recorded. The preoperative EuroSCORE and all-cause mortality were recorded. The mean EuroSCOREs were similar in the RAHD and comparison groups (7.8±3 versus 7.4±3, respectively;
P
=0.1). Proximal coronary artery disease was higher in patients with RAHD versus the comparison patients (45% versus 38%;
P
=0.09), whereas redo CTS was lower in the RACD versus the comparison group (20% versus 29%;
P
=0.02). About two thirds of patients in either group had combination surgical procedures. During a mean follow-up of 7.6±3 years, a significantly higher proportion of patients died in the RAHD group than in the comparison group (55% versus 28%;
P
<0.001). On multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, RAHD (2.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.82–3.36), increasing EuroSCORE (1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–1.29), and lack of β-blockers (0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.47–0.93) were associated with increased mortality (all
P
<0.01).

Conclusions—

In patients undergoing CTS, RAHD portends increased long-term mortality. Alternative treatment strategies may be required in RAHD to improve long-term survival.
Review of Chinese species of genus Scaphomonus Viraktamath, 2009 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with description of a new species
Authors: XING JI-CHUN , LI ZI-ZHONG
Published: April 2013

The Chinese leafhopper species of the genus Scaphomonus Viraktamath are reviewed, and one new species Scaphomonus furcatus sp. nov. is described and illustrated. A key is given to distinguish Chinese species of the genus. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China (GUGC).
The discovery of genus Fredegunda Fitton, Shaw & Gauld in China, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae)
Authors: LIU JING-XIAN , HE JUN-HUA , CHEN XUE-XIN
Published: April 2013

The genus Fredegunda Fitton, Shaw & Gauld (Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) is newly reported both from China and the Ori-ental region. A new species, Fredegunda sinica sp. nov. from Fujian, China is described and illustrated. A key to the known species of Fredegunda is provided.
Reflective accounts of psychiatry in Australasia, 1963–2000
Authors: Lawrence Joan , White Richard , O’Connor Nick , Robertson Michael
Published: April 2013

Objective:

To provide reflective accounts of psychiatry through the first four decades of the existence of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP).

Conclusions:

The period from the 1960s to the end of the millennium saw significant changes in both the craft of psychiatry and the social and cultural context in which specialist training in psychiatry occurred.
Increased annexin A1 and A2 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are associated with resistance to respiratory disease in beef calves
Authors: Senthilkumaran Chandrika , Clark Mary Ellen , Abdelaziz Khaled , Bateman Ken G , MacKay Allison , Hewson Joanne , Caswell Jeff L
Published: April 2013

Strategies to control bovine respiratory disease depend on accurate classification of disease risk. An objective method to refine the risk classification of beef calves could be economically beneficial, improve welfare by preventing unexpected disease occurrences, refine and reduce the use of antibiotics in beef production, and facilitate alternative methods of disease control. The objective of this study was to identify proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of stressed healthy calves that predict later disease outcome, serve as biomarkers of susceptibility to pneumonia, and play a role in pathogenesis. BALF was collected from 162 healthy beef calves 1–2 days after weaning and transportation. Difference in gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and mass spectrometry were used to compare proteins in samples from 7 calves that later developed respiratory disease compared to 7 calves that remained healthy. Calves that later developed pneumonia had significantly lower levels of annexin A1, annexin A2, peroxiredoxin I, calcyphosin, superoxide dismutase, macrophage capping protein and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase 3. Differences in annexin levels were partially confirmed by western blot analysis. Thus, lower levels of annexins A1 and A2 are potential biomarkers of increased susceptibility to pneumonia in recently weaned and transported feedlot cattle. Since annexins are regulated by glucocorticoids, this finding may reflect individual differences in the stress response that predispose to pneumonia. These findings also have implications in pathogenesis. Annexins A1 and A2 are known to prevent neutrophil influx and fibrin deposition respectively, and may thus act to minimize the harmful effects of the inflammatory response during development of pneumonia.
Ski-interacting protein (SKIP) interacts with androgen receptor in the nucleus and modulates androgen-dependent transcription
Authors: Abankwa Daniel , Millard Susan M , Martel Nick , Choong Catherine S , Yang Miao , Butler Lisa M , Buchanan Grant , Tilley Wayne D , Ueki Nobuhide , Hayman Michael J , Leong Gary M
Published: April 2013

Background

The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of ligand-inducible DNA transcription factors, and is the major mediator of male sexual development, prostate growth and the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Cell and gene specific regulation by the AR is determined by availability of and interaction with sets of key accessory cofactors. Ski-interacting protein (SKIP; SNW1, NCOA62) is a cofactor shown to interact with several NRs and a diverse range of other transcription factors. Interestingly, SKIP as part of the spliceosome is thought to link mRNA splicing with transcription. SKIP has not been previously shown to interact with the AR.

Results

The aim of this study was to investigate whether SKIP interacts with the AR and modulates AR-dependent transcription. Here, we show by co-immunoprecipitation experiments that SKIP is in a complex with the AR. Moreover, SKIP increased 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) induced N-terminal/C-terminal AR interaction from 12-fold to almost 300-fold in a two-hybrid assay, and enhanced AR ligand-independent AF-1 transactivation. SKIP augmented ligand- and AR-dependent transactivation in PC3 prostate cancer cells. Live-cell imaging revealed a fast (half-time=129 s) translocation of AR from the cytoplasm to the nucleus upon DHT-stimulation. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments suggest a direct AR-SKIP interaction in the nucleus upon translocation.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that SKIP interacts with AR in the nucleus and enhances AR-dependent transactivation and N/C-interaction supporting a role for SKIP as an AR co-factor.
Clustering evolving proteins into homologous families
Authors: Chan Cheong Xin , Mahbob Maisarah , Ragan Mark A
Published: April 2013

Background

Clustering sequences into groups of putative homologs (families) is a critical first step in many areas of comparative biology and bioinformatics. The performance of clustering approaches in delineating biologically meaningful families depends strongly on characteristics of the data, including content bias and degree of divergence. New, highly scalable methods have recently been introduced to cluster the very large datasets being generated by next-generation sequencing technologies. However, there has been little systematic investigation of how characteristics of the data impact the performance of these approaches.

Results

Using clusters from a manually curated dataset as reference, we examined the performance of a widely used graph-based Markov clustering algorithm (MCL) and a greedy heuristic approach (UCLUST) in delineating protein families coded by three sets of bacterial genomes of different G+C content. Both MCL and UCLUST generated clusters that are comparable to the reference sets at specific parameter settings, although UCLUST tends to under-cluster compositionally biased sequences (G+C content 33% and 66%). Using simulated data, we sought to assess the individual effects of sequence divergence, rate heterogeneity, and underlying G+C content. Performance decreased with increasing sequence divergence, decreasing among-site rate variation, and increasing G+C bias. Two MCL-based methods recovered the simulated families more accurately than did UCLUST. MCL using local alignment distances is more robust across the investigated range of sequence features than are greedy heuristics using distances based on global alignment.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that sequence divergence, rate heterogeneity and content bias can individually and in combination affect the accuracy with which MCL and UCLUST can recover homologous protein families. For application to data that are more divergent, and exhibit higher among-site rate variation and/or content bias, MCL may often be the better choice, especially if computational resources are not limiting.
Whole-transcriptome, high-throughput RNA sequence analysis of the bovine macrophage response to Mycobacterium bovis infection in vitro
Authors: Nalpas Nicolas C , Park Stephen DE , Magee David A , Taraktsoglou Maria , Browne John A , Conlon Kevin M , Rue-Albrecht Kévin , Killick Kate E , Hokamp Karsten , Lohan Amanda J , Loftus Brendan J , Gormley Eamonn , Gordon Stephen V , MacHugh David E
Published: April 2013

Background

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, is an intracellular pathogen that can persist inside host macrophages during infection via a diverse range of mechanisms that subvert the host immune response. In the current study, we have analysed and compared the transcriptomes ofM. bovis-infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) purified from six Holstein-Friesian females with the transcriptomes of non-infected control MDM from the same animals over a 24 h period using strand-specific RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). In addition, we compare gene expression profiles generated using RNA-seq with those previously generated by us using the high-density Affymetrix® GeneChip® Bovine Genome Array platform from the same MDM-extracted RNA.

Results

A mean of 7.2 million reads from each MDM sample mapped uniquely and unambiguously to singleBos taurusreference genome locations. Analysis of these mapped reads showed 2,584 genes (1,392 upregulated; 1,192 downregulated) and 757 putative natural antisense transcripts (558 upregulated; 119 downregulated) that were differentially expressed based on sense and antisense strand data, respectively (adjustedP-value ≤ 0.05). Of the differentially expressed genes, 694 were common to both the sense and antisense data sets, with the direction of expression (i.e.up- or downregulation) positively correlated for 693 genes and negatively correlated for the remaining gene. Gene ontology analysis of the differentially expressed genes revealed an enrichment of immune, apoptotic and cell signalling genes. Notably, the number of differentially expressed genes identified from RNA-seq sense strand analysis was greater than the number of differentially expressed genes detected from microarray analysis (2,584 genes versus 2,015 genes). Furthermore, our data reveal a greater dynamic range in the detection and quantification of gene transcripts for RNA-seq compared to microarray technology.

Conclusions

This study highlights the value of RNA-seq in identifying novel immunomodulatory mechanisms that underlie host-mycobacterial pathogen interactions during infection, including possible complex post-transcriptional regulation of host gene expression involving antisense RNA.
Glomerular input patterns in the mouse olfactory bulb evoked by retronasal odor stimuli
Authors: Furudono Yuichi , Cruz Ginny , Lowe Graeme
Published: April 2013

Background

Odorant stimuli can access the olfactory epithelium either orthonasally, by inhalation through the external nares, or retronasally by reverse airflow from the oral cavity. There is evidence that odors perceived through these two routes can differ in quality and intensity. We were curious whether such differences might potentially have a neural basis in the peripheral mechanisms of odor coding. To explore this possibility, we compared olfactory receptor input to glomeruli in the dorsal olfactory bulb evoked by orthonasal and retronasal stimulation. Maps of glomerular response were acquired by optical imaging of transgenic mice expressing synaptopHluorin (spH), a fluorescent reporter of presynaptic activity, in olfactory nerve terminals.

Results

We found that retronasally delivered odorants were able to activate inputs to multiple glomeruli in the dorsal olfactory bulb. The retronasal responses were smaller than orthonasal responses to odorants delivered at comparable concentrations and flow rates, and they displayed higher thresholds and right-shifted dose–response curves. Glomerular maps of orthonasal and retronasal responses were usually well overlapped, with fewer total numbers of glomeruli in retronasal maps. However, maps at threshold could be quite distinct with little overlap. Retronasal responses were also more narrowly tuned to homologous series of aliphatic odorants of varying carbon chain length, with longer chain, more hydrophobic compounds evoking little or no response at comparable vapor levels.

Conclusions

Several features of retronasal olfaction are possibly referable to the observed properties of glomerular odorant responses. The finding that retronasal responses are weaker and sparser than orthonasal responses is consistent with psychophysical studies showing lower sensitivity for retronasal olfaction in threshold and suprathreshold tests. The similarity and overlap of orthonasal and retronasal odor maps at suprathreshold concentrations agrees with generally similar perceived qualities for the same odorant stimuli administered by the two routes. However, divergence of maps near threshold is a potential factor in perceptual differences between orthonasal and retronasal olfaction. Narrower tuning of retronasal responses suggests that they may be less influenced by chromatographic adsorption effects.
Health-related quality of life and long-term care needs among elderly individuals living alone: a cross-sectional study in rural areas of Shaanxi Province, China
Authors: Liu Ning , Zeng Lingxia , Li Zhe , Wang Jue
Published: April 2013

Background

The number of elderly individuals living alone is rising, especially in rural areas of China, and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an increasing public health concern. However, little is known about factors that influence HRQoL and the need for long-term care services. The aim of the study was to identify these factors and the long-term care requirements of persons aged 60 and older living alone in rural areas of Shaanxi Province, China.

Methods

The study included 424 older subjects, selected by stratified random sampling. Logistic regression adjusted for age was conducted to analyze factors influencing HRQoL and the need for long-term care services. Pearson correlative analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between HRQoL score and long-term care needs.

Results

HRQoL among elderly subjects living alone declined with age in both males and females. The main diseases influencing HRQoL among the elderly were hypertension, cardiac disease, chronic bronchitis, neurological disease and cancer. Cataract disease was the most important factor related to HRQoL. This was followed by long-term care needs, living conditions, economic status, Cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and age. Factors affecting long-term care needs were economic status, education level, alcohol intake, living conditions, general health and age. HRQoL and long-term care needs among this elderly population were significantly correlated (r=−0.204, p<0.01).

Conclusions

For elderly persons living alone, factors such as chronic disease, lower income level and living in a rural area may limit their ability to form social relationships. Reducing the level of loneliness, with better care and support, may be helpful in improving their HRQoL. There is a need for an overall improvement in the planning, provision and financing of long-term care and psychogeriatric services for elderly individuals living alone in China.
Extremely low flow tracheal gas insufflation of helium-oxygen mixture improves gas exchange in a rabbit model of piston-type high-frequency oscillatory ventilation
Authors: Baba Atsushi , Nakamura Tomohiko , Aikawa Tetsuya , Koike Kenichi
Published: April 2013

Objective

The purpose of this study was to show the effects of the tracheal gas insufflation (TGI) technique on gas exchange using helium-oxygen mixtures during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). We hypothesized that a helium-oxygen mixture delivered into the trachea using the TGI technique (0.3 L/min) would enhance gas exchange during HFOV.

Methods

Three rabbits were prepared and ventilated by HFOV with carrier 70% helium/oxygen or 70% nitrogen/oxygen gas mixture with TGI in a crossover study. Changing the gas mixture from nitrogen70% to helium70% and back was performed three times per animal with constant ventilation parameters.

Results

Compared with the nitrogen-oxygen mixture, the helium-oxygen mixture of TGI reduced PaCO2 by 7.6 mmHg (p < 0.01) and improved PaO2 by 14 mmHg (p < 0.01). Amplitude during TGI was significantly lower with the helium-oxygen mixture than with the nitrogen-oxygen mixture (p < 0.01) and did not significantly affect mean airway pressure.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that a helium-oxygen mixture delivered into the trachea using the TGI technique would enhance CO2 elimination and improve oxygenation during HFOV.
MRI guided wire localization muscle biopsy in a child with juvenile dermatomyositis
Authors: Tuen Victoria C , Zingula Shannon N , Moir Christopher , Reed Ann M , Matsumoto Jane M , Woodrum David A
Published: April 2013

A novel technique for preoperative MRI guided wire localization for targeted surgical excisional biopsy of muscle is described in a pediatric patient with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). This technique allows for preoperative localization of abnormalities seen only with MRI. Using this technique, the patient underwent successful targeted muscle biopsy for confirmation of the diagnosis and staging of dermatomyositis.
Homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in micropolar fluid flow from a permeable stretching or shrinking sheet in a porous medium
Authors: Shaw Sachin , Kameswaran Peri K , Sibanda Precious
Published: April 2013

The effects of a homogeneous-heterogeneous reaction on steady micropolar fluid flow from a permeable stretching or shrinking sheet in a porous medium are numerically investigated in this paper. The model developed by Chaudhary and Merkin (Fluid Dyn. Res. 16:311-333, 1995) for a homogeneous-heterogeneous reaction in boundary layer flow with equal diffusivities for reactant and autocatalysis is used and extended in this study. The uniqueness of this problem lies in the fact that the solutions are possible for all values of the stretching parameter

λ
>
0

, while for

λ
<
0

(shrinking surface), solutions are possible only for a limited range of values. The effects of physical and fluid parameters such as the stretching parameter, micropolar parameter, permeability parameter, Schmidt number, strength of homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction parameter on the skin friction, velocity and concentration are analyzed, and these results are presented through graphs. The solute concentration at the surface is found to decrease with the strength of the homogeneous reaction, and to increase with heterogeneous reactions, the permeability parameter and stretching or shrinking parameters. The velocity at the surface was found to increase with the micropolar parameter.
Fructose-induced stress signaling in the liver involves methylglyoxal
Authors: Wei Yuren , Wang Dong , Moran Gretchen , Estrada Andrea , Pagliassotti Michael J
Published: April 2013

Background

Fructose produces hepatic insulin resistance in humans and animals. We have proposed that the selective metabolism of fructose by the liver can, under conditions of elevated fructose delivery, inflict a metabolic insult that is localized to the hepatocyte. The present study was designed to identify potential cellular effectors of this insult.

Methods

Primary hepatocytes were incubated with 8 mM glucose and 0.12% inulin (G, n = 6) or 8 mM glucose, 0.12% inulin and 28 mU of inulinase (GF, n = 6) in the presence or absence of insulin for 0, 2, or 4 h.

Results

GF produced fructose concentrations of ~0.7 mM over the 4 h experiment. GF induced phosphorylation of MKK7 and JNK, phosphorylation of serine307 on IRS-1, and reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and -2. GF increased ceramide levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS); however inhibitors of ceramide synthesis or ROS accumulation did not prevent GF-mediated changes in MKK7, JNK or IRS proteins. GF increased cellular methylglyoxal concentrations and a selective increase in methylglyoxal recapitulated the GF-induced changes in MKK7, JNK and IRS proteins.

Conclusions

We hypothesize that GF-mediated changes in stress signaling involve methylglyoxal in primary hepatocytes.
Circulating glucagon-like peptide-1 increases in response to short-term overfeeding in men
Authors: Wadden Danny , Cahill Farrell , Amini Peyvand , Randell Edward , Vasdev Sudesh , Yi Yanqing , Church Jon , Sun Guang
Published: April 2013

Background

Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone secreted from the gastrointestinal tract that facilitates the glucose-dependent insulin response. Additionally, GLP-1 is thought to be involved in energy homeostasis. Currently little is known about GLP-1’s responsiveness to an energy surplus, a fundamental cause of obesity and diabetes. Our objective was to examine the response of serum GLP-1 to short-term (7 day) overfeeding in young men.

Methods

Seventy-two young men from the Canadian province of Newfoundland were recruited for the study. For 7-days, the subjects consumed 70% more calories than required at baseline.

Various measurements including: anthropometrics, body composition, markers of glucose/lipid metabolism and serum total GLP-1, were taken at a fasted state before (day 1) and after (day 8) the challenge. Paired t-test analyses were used to assess the change in variables after the overfeeding period. Additionally, the relationship between serum GLP-1 and the measured variables at baseline and change due to overfeeding were analyzed.

Results

Serum GLP-1 was significantly increased in all groups in response to the 7-day energy surplus, indicating the increase was independent of adiposity status. There was no significant difference in fasting GLP-1 at baseline between the normal weight and overweight/obese groups. At baseline, GLP-1 concentration negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol and positively correlated with triacylglycerols and markers of insulin resistance in the overweight/obese group. Also GLP-1 was negatively correlated with change in percent gynoid fat in the overweight/obese subjects. Percent change in GLP-1 was negatively associated with percent change in gynoid fat in the normal weight group and positively associated with percent change in cholesterol in the overweight/obese group. Percentage change of circulating triacylglycerols was positively associated with percent change in GLP-1 in both adiposity groups.

Conclusion

Our findings showed that GLP-1 serum concentration is not a significant factor in determining obesity status. The increase of GLP-1 in all subjects regardless of obesity status, suggest GLP-1 serves as a protective role, counteracting energy surplus.
The use of neutrophil elastase inhibitor in the treatment of acute lung injury after pneumonectomy
Authors: Lee Sang Kwon , Son Bong Soo , Hwang Jung Joo , Kim Kil Dong , Kim Do Hyung
Published: April 2013

Background

The prognosis of acute lung injury (ALI) after pneumonectomy is poor, with reported mortality rates of 30-100%. Neutrophil elastase inhibitor (NEI) is known to prevent lung injury caused by neutrophil elastase and improve lung function in ALI. We evaluated the effect of NEI on ALI after pneumonectomy.

Methods

We analyzed nine patients who required ventilator care due to ALI after pneumonectomy. Five of these patients underwent conventional ventilator care (group I), and four patients underwent ventilator care and were administrated NEI (group II). We retrospectively analyzed the lung injury score (LIS) for 10 days after intubation.

Results

The LIS before intubation satisfied the diagnostic criteria of ALI or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in all patients. After intubation, the LIS improved in both groups. But, as times went on, the mean value of the LIS in group II was lower compared to group I. In group I, only one patient underwent extubation. In group II, extubation was possible in three patients. Mortality rates were 80% in group I and 25% in group II.

Conclusions

We conclude that NEI may improve the lung function, shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation, and reduce mortality in patients with ALI after pneumonectomy.
Prevalence, predictors and clinical significance of Blastocystis sp. in Sebha, Libya
Authors: Abdulsalam Awatif M , Ithoi Init , Al-Mekhlafi Hesham M , Khan Abdul Hafeez , Ahmed Abdulhamid , Surin Johari , Mak Joon Wah
Published: April 2013

Background

Blastocystis sp. has a worldwide distribution and is often the most common human intestinal protozoan reported in children and adults in developing countries. The clinical relevance of Blastocystis sp. remains controversial. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Blastocystis infection and its association with gastrointestinal symptoms among outpatients in Sebha city, Libya.

Methods

A total of 380 stool samples were collected from outpatients attending the Central Laboratory in Sebha, Libya for routine stool examination. The presence of Blastocystis sp. was screened comparing light microscopy of direct smears against in vitro cultivation. Demographic and socioeconomic information were collected with a standardized questionnaire.

Results

The overall prevalence of Blastocystis infection was 22.1%. The prevalence was significantly higher among patients aged ≥18 years compared to those aged < 18 years (29.4% vs 9.9%; x

2
 = 19.746; P < 0.001), and in males compared to females (26.4% vs 17.5%; x

2
 = 4.374; P = 0.036). Univariate analysis showed significant associations between Blastocystis infection and the occupational status (P = 0.017), family size (P = 0.023) and educational level (P = 0.042) of the participants. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed that the age of ≥ 18 years (OR = 5.7; 95% CI = 2.21; 9.86) and occupational status (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.02, 4.70) as significant predictors of Blastocystis infection among this population. In those who had only Blastocystis infection but no other gastrointestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms was higher compared to those without Blastocystis infection (35.3% vs 13.2%; x

2
 = 25.8; P < 0.001). The most common symptoms among these patients were abdominal pain (76.4%), flatulence (41.1%) and diarrhoea (21.5%).

Conclusions

Blastocystis sp. is prevalent and associated with gastrointestinal symptoms among communities in Sebha city, Libya. Age and occupational status were the significant predictors of infection. However, more studies from different areas in Libya are needed in order to delineate the epidemiology and clinical significance of this infection.
Evaluation of erythroblast macrophage protein related to erythroblastic islands in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Mao Xiaolu , Shi Xiaoyan , Liu Feng , Li Guining , Hu Lihua
Published: April 2013

Background

Hematopoietic evaluation of the patients after Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is very important. Erythroblast macrophage protein (Emp) is a key protein with function in normal differentiation of erythroid cells and macrophages. Emp expression correlates with erythroblastic island formation, a process widely believed to be associated with hematopoiesis in bone marrow. We aimed to investigate the hematopoietic function of bone marrow from 46 HSCT patients and 16 inpatients with severe anemia applied to the treatment of EPO by measuring Emp expression level.

Methods

Emp mRNA and protein expression levels in mononuclear cells of bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting method respectively.

Results

While hematopoiesis occurs in bone marrow, Emp expression level was elevated and more erythroblastic islands were found , and Emp is upregulated in bone marrow in response to erythropoietin (EPO) treatment.

Conclusions

Emp expression correlates with erythroblastic island formation and has an important function for bone marrow hematopoiesis. Emp could be a potential biomarker for hematopoietic evaluation of HSCT patients.
Physiological and morphological responses of Lead or Cadmium exposed Chlorella sorokiniana 211-8K (Chlorophyceae)
Authors: Carfagna Simona , Lanza Nicola , Salbitani Giovanna , Basile Adriana , Sorbo Sergio , Vona Vincenza
Published: April 2013

The heavy metal pollution in soils and aquatic environments is a serious ecological problem. In the green-microalga Chlorella sorokiniana 211-8K (Chlorophyceae) exposed to ions of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) we studied the metabolic responses to the toxicity of these two heavy metals. Our data indicate that both the pollutants alter the alga cell ultrastructure and its physiological characteristics (growth, photosynthesis, respiration, enzyme activities). The toxic effects of the two metals resulted time-dependent to the exposure. After 24 h of treatment with 250 μM Pb or Cd, photosynthesis was inhibited until to 77 and 86%, however respiration was strongly enhanced up to 300 and 350%, respectively. In the algal cells Pb or Cd exposure induced a reduction in the content of the total chlorophylls and a decrease of the soluble protein levels, significantly compromising the growth, particularly in cultures cadmium-treated. We report data on ultrastructural changes induced by the two heavy metals; they affected overall chloroplast ultrastructure of the alga. Most importantly, the O-acetyl-L-serine(thiol)lyase (OASTL) activity was appreciably increased after only 2 h of Cd exposure, indicating the existence of a link between the metal contamination and cysteine synthesis. Then, Chlorella sorokiniana cells seem to better tolerate high concentrations of Pb while appear to be more sensitive to Cd ions. These results provide some additional information that can lead to better understand consequences of heavy metal poisoning in microalgae.
Information and phase transitions in socio-economic systems
Authors: Bossomaier Terry , Barnett Lionel , Harré Michael
Published: April 2013

We examine the role of information-based measures in detecting and analysing phase transitions. We contend that phase transitions have a general character, visible in transitions in systems as diverse as classical flocking models, human expertise, and social networks. Information-based measures such as mutual information and transfer entropy are particularly suited to detecting the change in scale and range of coupling in systems that herald a phase transition in progress, but their use is not necessarily straightforward, possessing difficulties in accurate estimation due to limited sample sizes and the complexities of analysing non-stationary time series. These difficulties are surmountable with careful experimental choices. Their effectiveness in revealing unexpected connections between diverse systems makes them a promising tool for future research.
HIF-1α stimulates aromatase expression driven by prostaglandin E2 in breast adipose stroma
Authors: Samarajeewa Nirukshi U , Yang Fangyuan , Docanto Maria M , Sakurai Minako , McNamara Keely M , Sasano Hironobu , Fox Stephen B , Simpson Evan R , Brown Kristy A
Published: April 2013

Introduction

The majority of postmenopausal breast cancers are estrogen-dependent. Tumor-derived factors, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), stimulate CREB1 binding to cAMP response elements (CREs) on aromatase promoter II (PII), leading to the increased expression of aromatase and biosynthesis of estrogens within human breast adipose stromal cells (ASCs). Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a key mediator of cellular adaptation to low oxygen levels, is emerging as a novel prognostic marker in breast cancer. We have identified the presence of a consensus HIF-1α binding motif overlapping with the proximal CRE of aromatase PII. However, the regulation of aromatase expression by HIF-1α in breast cancer has not been characterized. This study aimed to characterize the role of HIF-1α in the activation of aromatase PII.

Methods

HIF-1α expression and localization were examined in human breast ASCs using quantitative PCR (QPCR), Western blotting, immunofluorescence and high content screening. QPCR and tritiated water-release assays were performed to assess the effect of HIF-1α on aromatase expression and activity. Reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were performed to assess the effect of HIF-1α on PII activity and binding. Treatments included PGE2 or DMOG ((dimethyloxalglycine), HIF-1α stabilizer). Double immunohistochemistry for HIF-1α and aromatase was performed on tissues obtained from breast cancer and cancer-free patients.

Results

Results indicate that PGE2 increases HIF-1α transcript and protein expression, nuclear localization and binding to aromatase PII in human breast ASCs. Results also demonstrate that HIF-1α significantly increases PII activity, and aromatase transcript expression and activity, in the presence of DMOG and/or PGE2, and that HIF-1α and CREB1 act co-operatively on PII. There is a significant increase in HIF-1α positive ASCs in breast cancer patients compared to cancer-free women, and a positive association between HIF-1α and aromatase expression.

Conclusions

This study is the first to identify HIF-1α as a modulator of PII-driven aromatase expression in human breast tumor-associated stroma and provides a novel mechanism for estrogen regulation in obesity-related, post-menopausal breast cancer. Together with our on-going studies on the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the regulation of breast aromatase, this work provides another link between disregulated metabolism and breast cancer.
Advances in systemic therapy for advanced pancreatobiliary malignancies
Authors: Halfdanarson Thorvardur R , Haraldsdottir Sigurdis , Borad Mitesh J
Published: April 2013

Pancreatobiliary malignancies are relatively uncommon and the overall prognosis is poor. Treatment options for advanced disease are limited to systemic therapy for metastatic disease and a combination of systemic therapy and radiation therapy for locally advanced but unresectable tumors. There have been significant advances in the treatment of pancreatobiliary cancers in recent years but the prognosis for patient survival remains disappointingly poor. We review the current treatment options for locally advanced pancreatobiliary malignancies and highlight recent advances in systemic therapy, including novel approaches using targeted treatments.
Philosophie, Logik, Naturwissenschaft, Geschichte
Authors: Crane Tim
Published: April 2013

Analytic philosophy is sometimes said to have particularly close connections to logic and to science, and no particularly interesting or close relation to its own history. It is argued here that although the connections to logic and science have been important in the development of analytic philosophy, these connections do not come close to characterizing the nature of analytic philosophy, either as a body of doctrines or as a philosophical method. We will do better to understand analytic philosophy – and its relationship to continental philosophy – if we see it as a historically constructed collection of texts, which define its key problems and concerns. It is true, however, that analytic philosophy has paid little attention to the history of the subject. This is both its strength – since it allows for a distinctive kind of creativity – and its weakness – since ignoring history can encourage a philosophical variety of “normal science.”
Moralphänomenologie und gegenwärtige Wertphilosophie
Authors: Vendrell Ferran Íngrid
Published: April 2013

This paper discusses the question about the nature of values and how we experience them from the point of view of moral phenomenology. Two senses of this term are distinguished: a historical sense and a methodological one. The paper takes as point of departure the thesis that values are experienced by affective acts such as feelings, emotions, desires and volitions. Two different versions of the thesis, their arguments, and counter arguments are then examined: Dispositionalism and Realism. Both can be found in the tradition of the Brentano school including that taken up by his pupils from the Graz school, in phenomenology, and in current Metaethics: Finally I argue that value dispositionalism is a better option to understand the experience of value.
Theorizing Character in Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda
Authors: Britton Jeanne M.
Published: April 2013

Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda (1801) demands to be read through the dual meanings of “character”—the literary persona and the moral sense. Through performances of literary character that work to reveal moral character, Edgeworth generates a theory of novelistic character that is shaped by impersonation and interiority. Often considered an unfortunate episode in an otherwise sophisticated novel, Edgeworth’s incorporation of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s Paul et Virginie (1788) in Belinda is in fact central to the novel’s consideration of character. Edgeworth’s meditation on character illuminates a number of issues: first, relationships between the genre of the novel and subject-formation; second, fictional representations of surface legibility and psychological interiority; third, the ideological function of the marriage plot. In her consideration of imaginative identification, psychological interiority, and subject-formation through Belinda’s recasting of Bernardin’s novel, Edgeworth presents her theorization of character, which postulates that the moral sense—what we might call a living person’s “character”—depends on an engagement with literary character.
Stealing the “Parson’s Surplice” / the Person’s Surplus: Narratives of Abstraction and Exchange in Silas Marner
Authors: Blumberg Ilana M.
Published: April 2013

Silas Marner (1861) depicts a stolen hoard of glittering gold at a historical moment that saw an increasing displacement of coinage by paper money in one of the major developments of industrial capitalist modernity. Reading the novel as George Eliot’s aesthetic and ethical response to the modern processes of abstraction that absorbed nineteenth-century thinkers from Auguste Comte to Ludwig Feuerbach and Karl Marx, I suggest that Silas Marner consoles for a potentially impoverishing process of abstraction by refiguring it as an opportunity for a new form of value, one that transcends material limitations and depends upon human networks for its realization. Associating the “abstraction” of gold with the creation of a post-Malthusian modern economy in which giving has little personal cost and, on the contrary, produces collective, practical benefit, Silas Marner reflects the possibilities for abundance, surplus, and shared wealth that could be glimpsed in England at the outset of the 1860s. As the novel shifts from describing money as an unchanging, inanimate object to describing it instead as an exchange-value whose meaning is expressed in relation to the natural growth and repeating cycles of human experience, George Eliot offers a historically relevant fable of moral progress dependent on the abstractions common to material exchange, social sympathy, and narrative itself.
A Comparison of Cancer Incidence among Physician Specialists and the General Population: A Taiwanese Cohort Study
Authors: Lin Shih‐Yi , Lin Cheng‐Li , Hsu Wu‐Huei , Wang I‐Kuan , Chang Chiz‐Chung , Huang Chiu‐Ching , Kao Chia‐Hung , Liu Shu‐Hui , Sung Fung‐Chang
Published: April 2013

A Comparison of Cancer Incidence among Physician Specialists and the General Population: A Taiwanese Cohort Study: Shih‐Yi LIN, et al. Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taiwan—

Background

Physicians are frequently studied as a population that experiences extremely high stress, burnout, and prolonged working hours that might harm one's health. However, they have sound medical knowledge and have easy access to medical resources. We studied the incidence of cancer among Taiwanese physicians using a nationwide cohort study design.

Methods

Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance (NHI) system in Taiwan. The physician cohort contained 22,309 physicians, and each physician was randomly frequency‐matched according to age and sex with 4 people from the general population.

Results

The overall incidence ratio of cancer was 27% lower in the physician cohort than in the nonphysician comparison cohort (33.9 vs. 46.5 people per 10,000 person‐years, crude hazard ratio (HR)=0.73, 95% CI=0.70, 0.76). The adjusted HR was 0.78 (95% CI=0.72, 0.84). Female physicians experienced a higher incidence rate ratio of overall cancer, compared to male physicians (crude HR=1.17, 95% CI=1.03, 1.33 vs. crude HR=0.70, 95% CI=0.67, 0.74, respectively). Physicians were at a significantly higher risk of thyroid cancer (HR 1.75, 95% CI=1.14, 2.68), prostate cancer (HR=1.54, 95% CI=1.21, 1.97), breast cancer (HR=1.45, 95% CI=1.00, 2.09), and non‐cervical gynecological cancer (HR=4.03, 95% CI=1.77, 9.17), compared with the general population.

Conclusions

Physicians are at lower overall risk of cancer than the general population, apart from cancer of the thyroid, prostate, breast, and non‐cervical gynecological cancer.
Fabrication of Layered Niobium Oxysulfide and Investigation of Structural and Elemental Composition
Authors: Izawa Kazuyoshi , Ida Shintaro , Unal Ugur , Yamaguchi Tomoki , Matsumoto Yasumichi
Published: April 2013

The layered niobium oxysulfide was synthesized by the heat treatment of K4Nb6O17 · 3H2O layered oxide in the mixture of H2S/N2 gases. The layered oxysulfide had the large plate-like shape, and the total ratio of compound was estimated KxNbS2-yOy (The number of x was from 0.2 to 0.4, y was from about 0.5 to 1.0). According to the XPS measurement, the oxidation state of Nb was estimated for +2, +4, +5, and oxidation state of S was -2. It was confirmed that the layered oxysulfide has ion exchange, and intercalation capabilities as proton exchange reactions take place in H2SO4 solution and bulky amine molecules can be intercalated in an amine solution.
Fatores determinantes no desenvolvimento de habilidades comunicativas em crianças com deficiência auditiva
Authors: Novaes Beatriz C. Albuquerque Caiuby , Versolatto-Cavanaugh Maria Carolina , Figueiredo Renata de Souza Lima , Mendes Beatriz de Castro Andrade
Published: April 2013

OBJETIVO: Estabelecer relações entre a idade de início de utilização de aparelhos de amplificação sonora individual (AASI); audição funcional, habilidades comunicativas, envolvimento familiar e as expectativas da família em relação ao desenvolvimento de linguagem em criança com deficiência auditiva diagnosticadas nos três primeiros anos de vida. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 35 bebês com diagnóstico de deficiência auditiva de grau moderado a profundo, ao longo de 24 meses, em acompanhamento no Centro Audição na Criança/Derdic (CeAC). Foram realizadas avaliações semestrais incluindo: VRA - Audiometria de reforço visual (com e sem amplificação); IT-MAIS; MUSS; e satisfação da família com o desenvolvimento das crianças. RESULTADOS: foi realizada análise de agrupamentos entre os sujeitos. O uso consistente do AASI foi a única variável com forte relação com habilidades auditivas e de linguagem entre os grupos. Em comum, os sujeitos com os pais não satisfeitos possuem filhos que apresentam deficiência auditiva de grau profundo e capacidade auditiva limitada mesmo com o uso do AASI, consequentemente também as habilidades auditivas e produção de fala em padrões rebaixados. CONCLUSÃO: O acompanhamento dos recursos de datalogging pode nortear o conhecimento do fonoaudiólogo servindo de estratégia. O envolvimento familiar, a qualidade da participação dos pais no programa de intervenção assim como as expectativas em relação ao futuro são aspectos importantes a serem considerados nesses achados que podem contribuir para terapeutas e pesquisadores na avaliação da efetividade de propostas de intervenção para bebês com deficiência auditiva.