bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential outcome of neurological HCMV infection in two hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
Authors: Colombo Anna Amelia , Giorgiani Giovanna , Rognoni Vanina , Villani Paola , Furione Milena , Bonora Mario Regazzi , Alessandrino Emilio Paolo , Zecca Marco , Baldanti Fausto
Published: October 2012

Background

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare but life threatening condition which may follow hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Diagnosis, monitoring and treatment approaches rely on anecdotal reports.

Case presentations

The different outcomes of HCMV CNS disease in an adult and a pediatric T-cell depleted hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipient are reported. In the first case, HCMV encephalitis emerged in the context of simultaneous impairment of the T- and B-cell immunity. Antiviral treatment only reduced viral load in peripheral blood and the patient died. In the second case, an HCMV radiculopathy was observed and antiviral treatment was adjusted on the basis of intrathecal drug level. In addition, donor HCMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were infused. Viral load in the CNS decreased and the patient recovered from the acute event. In neither case were drug-resistant HCMV variants observed in blood or CNS samples.

Conclusions

T-cell depleted HSCT appears a predisposing condition for CNS HCMV infection since never observed in other HSCT recipients at our center in the last 15 years. Intensive diagnostic approaches and timely aggressive combination treatments might improve clinical outcome in these patients.
Patient satisfaction in pediatric outpatient settings from the parents’ perspective - The Child ZAP: A psychometrically validated standardized questionnaire
Authors: Bitzer Eva Maria , Volkmer Stephanie , Petrucci Marco , Weissenrieder Nikolaus , Dierks Marie-Luise
Published: October 2012

Background

Patient surveys constitute a valuable source of information in patient-focused health care. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a standardized, patient centered, quantitative instrument to assess parent satisfaction in ambulatory pediatric care to be used in quality management and benchmarking activities, the Child-ZAP.

Methods

A preliminary version of the survey (38 items) was conducted in n = 19 pediatric practices. After psychometric testing a modified Child-ZAP was tested in a second survey (n = 20 new pediatric practices). Data from n = 979 patients were available for analysis.

Results

The final version of the Child-ZAP contains eight dimensions, three "Child-Scales" and five "Parent-Scales". Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the three hypothesized child dimensions as well as the five parent dimensions. The factorial structure is confirmed in subgroups of younger and older children.

Conclusions

With satisfactory to good results for validity and reliability testing, the final Child-ZAP is applicable in pediatric ambulatory care for children of all age groups.
Impact of acute exercise on brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation in young healthy people
Authors: Hwang In-Chang , Kim Kyung-Hee , Choi Won-Suk , Kim Hyun-Jin , Im Moon-Sun , Kim Yong-Jin , Kim Sang-Hyun , Kim Myung-A , Sohn Dae-Won , Zo Joo-Hee
Published: October 2012

Background

Although chronic effects of exercise on endothelial function are established, the impact of acute exercise on flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of brachial artery has not been elucidated yet.

Methods

Eighty-six young healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled from January 2011 to December 2011. The subjects completed FMD tests at rest and immediately after treadmill exercise test. Primary outcome was the impact of acute exercise on FMD, measured by the difference of FMD before and after exercise. Secondary outcomes were the relationship of gender and exercise habit with FMD.

Results

Seventy-four subjects who met the eligibility criteria were included for analysis. Thirty-five (47.3%) were male, and the mean age was 22.7±2.7 years. FMD was reduced after exercise (8.98±4.69 to 7.51±4.03%; P=0.017) and the reduction was found in female group (10.36±5.26 to 7.62±3.71%; P=0.002) but not in male group. Post-exercise FMD was significantly impaired in subjects who did not exercise regularly (6.92±3.13% versus 8.95±5.33%; P=0.003). The decrease of FMD after exercise was greater in female group (−2.75±5.28% versus 0.27±3.24%; P=0.003) and was associated with exercise habit (β=2.532; P=0.027).

Conclusions

In healthy young subjects, FMD was reduced after a bout of acute exercise. The impact of acute exercise showed significant differences according to gender and exercise habit. FMD impairment after acute exercise was observed in females and subjects without regular exercise.
On the user performance of orthogonal projection signal alignment scheme in MIMO relay systems
Authors: Zhao Zhongyuan , Ding Zhiguo , Han Bin , Wang Wenbo , Peng Mugen
Published: October 2012

In this article, an orthogonal projection signal alignment (OP-SI) scheme is proposed for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) relay systems, and the user performance is studied with and without perfect channel state information (CSI). Particularly we focus on an important scenario in cellular systems, where the base station exchanges messages with multiple users via a relay. By jointly designing the precoding matrices at the base station and the relay, information exchanging can be accomplished within two time slots. When the perfect CSI is available, closed form expressions of ergodic sum rate are developed for the proposed scheme, where we can demonstrate that the proposed scheme yields a better performance than the existing zero-forcing signal alignment scheme. When the channel estimation is not perfect, both the intra-stream and inter-stream interference cannot be completely removed. To evaluate the impact of channel estimation error, an approximation of ergodic sum rate for the OP-SI scheme is developed to show that the system performance could significantly decrease as the covariance of channel estimation error increases. Moreover, the outage capacity is also analyzed. Furthermore, an enhanced relay precoding scheme is also introduced to improve the transmission performance. Numerical results are provided to show the accuracy of the developed analytical results.
Assessment of tumour size in PET/CT lung cancer studies: PET- and CT-based methods compared to pathology
Authors: Cheebsumon Patsuree , Boellaard Ronald , de Ruysscher Dirk , van Elmpt Wouter , van Baardwijk Angela , Yaqub Maqsood , Hoekstra Otto S , Comans Emile FI , Lammertsma Adriaan A , van Velden Floris HP
Published: October 2012

Background

Positron emission tomography (PET) may be useful for defining the gross tumour volume for radiation treatment planning and for response monitoring of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The purpose of this study was to compare tumour sizes obtained from CT- and various more commonly available PET-based tumour delineation methods to pathology findings.

Methods

Retrospective non-respiratory gated whole body [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET/CT studies from 19 NSCLC patients were used. Several (semi-)automatic PET-based tumour delineation methods and manual CT-based delineation were used to assess the maximum tumour diameter.

Results

50%, adaptive 41% threshold-based and contrast-oriented delineation methods showed good agreement with pathology after removing two outliers (R2=0.82). An absolute SUV threshold of 2.5 also showed a good agreement with pathology after the removal of 5 outliers (R2: 0.79), but showed a significant overestimation in the maximum diameter (19.8 mm, p<0.05). Adaptive 50%, relative threshold level and gradient-based methods did not show any outliers, provided only small, non-significant differences in maximum tumour diameter (<4.7 mm, p>0.10), and showed fair correlation (R2>0.62) with pathology. Although adaptive 70% threshold-based methods showed underestimation compared to pathology (36%), it provided the best precision (SD: 14%) together with good correlation (R2=0.81). Good correlation between CT delineation and pathology was observed (R2=0.77). However, CT delineation showed a significant overestimation compared with pathology (3.8 mm, p<0.05).

Conclusions

PET-based tumour delineation methods provided tumour sizes in agreement with pathology and may therefore be useful to define the (metabolically most) active part of the tumour for radiotherapy and response monitoring purposes.
methylKit: a comprehensive R package for the analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation profiles
Authors: Akalin Altuna , Kormaksson Matthias , Li Sheng , Garrett-Bakelman Francine E , Figueroa Maria E , Melnick Ari , Mason Christopher E
Published: October 2012

DNA methylation is a chemical modification of cytosine bases that is pivotal for gene regulation,cellular specification and cancer development. Here, we describe an R package, methylKit, thatrapidly analyzes genome-wide cytosine epigenetic profiles from high-throughput methylation andhydroxymethylation sequencing experiments. methylKit includes functions for clustering, samplequality visualization, differential methylation analysis and annotation features, thus automatingand simplifying many of the steps for discerning statistically significant bases or regions of DNAmethylation. Finally, we demonstrate methylKit on breast cancer data, in which we find statisticallysignificant regions of differential methylation and stratify tumor subtypes. methylKit is availableat http://code.google.com/p/methylkit.
Epigenetic interplay between mouse endogenous retroviruses and host genes
Authors: Rebollo Rita , Miceli-Royer Katharine , Zhang Ying , Farivar Sharareh , Gagnier Liane , Mager Dixie L
Published: October 2012

Background

Transposable elements are often the targets of repressive epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation that, in theory, have the potential to spread toward nearby genes and induce epigenetic silencing. To better understand the role of DNA methylation in the relationship between transposable elements and genes, we assessed the methylation state of mouse endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) located near genes.

Results

We found that ERVs of the ETn/MusD family show decreased DNA methylation when near transcription start sites in tissues where the nearby gene is expressed. ERVs belonging to the IAP family, however, are generally heavily methylated, regardless of the genomic environment and the tissue studied. Furthermore, we found full-length ETn and IAP copies that display differential DNA methylation between their two long terminal repeats (LTRs), suggesting that the environment surrounding gene promoters can prevent methylation of the nearby LTR. Spreading from methylated ERV copies to nearby genes was rarely observed, with the regions between the ERVs and genes apparently acting as a boundary, enriched in H3K4me3 and CTCF, which possibly protects the unmethylated gene promoter. Furthermore, the flanking regions of unmethylated ERV copies harbor H3K4me3, consistent with spreading of euchromatin from the host gene toward ERV insertions.

Conclusions

We have shown that spreading of DNA methylation from ERV copies toward active gene promoters is rare. We provide evidence that genes can be protected from ERV-induced heterochromatin spreading by either blocking the invasion of repressive marks or by spreading euchromatin toward the ERV copy.
EpiExplorer: live exploration and global analysis of large epigenomic datasets
Authors: Halachev Konstantin , Bast Hannah , Albrecht Felipe , Lengauer Thomas , Bock Christoph
Published: October 2012

Epigenome mapping consortia are generating resources of tremendous value for studying epigenetic regulation. To maximize their utility and impact, new tools are needed that facilitate interactive analysis of epigenome datasets. Here we describe EpiExplorer, a web tool for exploring genome and epigenome data on a genomic scale. We demonstrate EpiExplorer's utility by describing a hypothesis-generating analysis of DNA hydroxymethylation in relation to public reference maps of the human epigenome. All EpiExplorer analyses are performed dynamically within seconds, using an efficient and versatile text indexing scheme that we introduce to bioinformatics. EpiExplorer is available at http://epiexplorer.mpi-inf.mpg.de.
Economic Growth with Bubbles
Authors: Martin Alberto , Ventura Jaume
Published: October 2012

We develop a stylized model of economic growth with bubbles in which changes in investor sentiment lead to the appearance and collapse of macroeconomic bubbles or pyramid schemes. These bubbles mitigate the effects of financial frictions. During bubbly episodes, unproductive investors demand bubbles while productive investors supply them. These transfers of resources improve economic efficiency thereby expanding consumption, the capital stock and output. When bubbly episodes end, there is a fall in consumption, the capital stock and output. We argue that the stochastic equilibria of the model provide a natural way of introducing bubble shocks into business cycle models. (JEL E22, E23, E32, E44, O41)
Darius Cooper, The Cinema of Satyajit Ray: Between Tradition and Modernity (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000). xii + 260 pages.
Authors: Sil Narasingha P.
Published: October 2012

Darius Cooper's book, based on his doctoral dissertation at the University of Southern California (year not known), has not been updated with recent Ray scholarship, notably the studies by critics and specialists of Ray's Calcutta. On the other hand, even a cursory glance at Cooper's
bibliography reveals the inclusion of an idiosyncratic melange of peripheral titles, some dealing with critical theory and literary criticism and some with Western cinema. Conspicuous for their absence are studies by Bengali writers, published both in Bengali and in English. Obviously the
author's major handicap has been his unfamiliarity with Bengali language and culture, the medium and foundation of Ray's films respectively. Nevertheless, his puzzling oversight of numerous specialist studies in English, especially after Ray's death in 1992, is unconscionable.
Neglected "Classical" Periods: Hong Kong and Korean Cinemas of the 1960s
Authors: Rist Peter
Published: October 2012

Before discussing the subject cinemas of this paper, I think it is important to consider some general concerns on film history/histories. My own major interest is in histories or taxonomies of film style, both general and personal. I wrote my Ph.D. thesis on visual style in the early
films of John Ford. Here I argued that the director, whose films are perhaps the most greatly admired (worldwide) from the Hollywood studio era, for their personal visual distinctiveness, in fact, took a long time to develop his style. He worked with a series of brilliant cinematographers
and art directors at various studios, and learned from them. In fact, I suggest that the focus on directorial authorship of Hollywood films which began in earnest with the Cahiers du Cinéma group of critics in the 1950s has ultimately done a disservice to Hollywood cinematographers
like Lee Garmes, Joseph August, and John Alton and art directors like Anton Grot and William Cameron Menzies whose career work may actually be more distinctive in terms of "visual style" than the "auteur" directors with whom they worked: e.g., Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann,
and Michael Curtiz.1
"To Live" Beyond Good and Evil
Authors: Wang Rujie
Published: October 2012

I believe that for a long time now Chinese films have been too abstract, conceptual, gimmicky. They don't relate at all to the lives of ordinary Chinese people. I'm certain that most audiences will like this film. We haven't gone overboard on the tragic elements, but rather have focused
on the minute, amusing details in the life of a nobody. There are tears and laughter, one following the other in a gentle rhythm like the breath of a bellows. Zhang Yimou
Like Father, like Son: Yuen Wo-ping's Iron Monkey and the Evolution of Wong Fei-hung
Authors: Stokes Lisa Odham , Hoover Michael
Published: October 2012

The most enduring figure in the cinematic history of Hong Kong martial arts has been folk hero Wong Fei-hung, now regarded at the level of symbol and myth The real WongFei-hung was born in 1847 in Xiqiao village, Nanhai county, in Guangdong province (Canton), and he died in 1924 at
the age of 77. He became a famous and respected martial artist in Southern China and also one of the province's best lion dancers, earning him the name "the king of the lions." A disciple cf the hung gar school of Shaolin martial arts, he was an expert in iron wire fist, five forms
fist, tiger vanishing fist and shadowless kick as well as highly skilled at using the long staff.
Animation in China Yesterday and Today- The Pioneers Speak Out
Authors: Lent John A. , Ying Xu
Published: October 2012

Animation had its birth in China in 1926 through the persistent efforts of the four Wan brothers, but the period that revolutionized the profession commenced in 1949, when famed cartoonist Te Wei and painter Jin Xi were asked by the Ministry of Culture to go to the northeast and establish
an animation group at the Changchun Film Studio. Te Wei was not very enthusiastic about doing animation, because he dreaded "all those monotonous frames," but most of all, because he knew absolutely nothing about animation production (Te Wei, 2001).
A "New" Phenomenon of Chinese Cinema: Happy-New-Year Comic Movie
Authors: Ying Xu , Zhongquan Xu
Published: October 2012

The history of Chinese Happy-New-Year comic movie is not long, less than five years, in fact. When the Chinese film industry was reformed from a planned economy to a market economy in 1995, and the National Film Import and Export Company was no longer in charge of domestic film release,
most film studios had to find their own way to make money. Filmmakers have had to think of the film market first before they make films. Some have tried to follow Hong Kong to make martial art action movies, others have followed Hollywood to make money-making commercial movies. Under that
situation in 1997, the Happy-New-Year comic movie emerged, in the process, shining a spotlight on the base of old Chinese comic films.
Review
Authors: Sil Narasingha P.
Published: October 2012

Since the 1980s, and especially since his death in 1992, Satyajit Ray, the famous Indian film- maker, has been the subject of a flurry of studies, both in Bengali and in English, written mostly by Indian critics and scholars as well as by those of the Indian diaspora. In this growing
corpus, the appearance of Suranjan Ganguly's succinct and searching study under review is a welcome addition. The author, a native of Ray's native Calcutta and academically trained in film studies, had, in fact, interviewed Ray sometime in 1987. As he admits in the Preface, this encounter
with Satyajit inspired him to study Rays oeuvre for bringing out a critical appraisal of the master.
Pakistani Cinema: Between the Domestic and the Regional
Authors: Egan Eric
Published: October 2012

Despite the turbulent, changing, and troubled history of Pakistan since its inception as an independent state in 1947, its cinema has remained, for the most part, a model of unchanging stability. Exclusively rooted in the commercial and entertainment sphere of cultural production, it
has evolved into a format that exhibits conventional, formulaic, and generic elements, which as Aijaz Gul (2000: 44) states, are manifested in "films of two-and-a-half to three hours, which combine six songs and dances with comedy, tragedy, action and romance."
Impact of Globalization on the Cinema in China
Authors: Ying Xu
Published: October 2012

In the 1990s, globalization became a hot topic in China. In many professional fields, especially economics, globalization was not only limited to theoretical explorations, but also was permeated with concrete rules and operating ways. With the "opening door" policy at the
beginning of 1980s, the Chinese government started economic reforms and encouraged the quick development of science and technology in an effort to catch up with the advanced countries as soon as possible.
Beyond Swords and Samurai: Another Look at the Films of Kurosawa
Authors: Ehrlich Linda C.
Published: October 2012

When Kurosawa Akira (1910–1998) was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1989 Academy Awards, the montage of images presented from his films consisted primarily of large-scale action scenes from his jidaigeki (historical dramas). This common view of Kurosawa's artistry
neglects to give equal weight to his masterful presentation of "smaller" moments—moments which are no less monumental. Looking at the span of Kurosawa's 50-year career in the cinema (from 1943–1993), we can see how he was able to produce moments of quiet epiphany which
often remain in the mind of the viewer long after the thrill of the battle has passed. To counterbalance the spectacular fighting scenes, Kurosawa treated us to bittersweet moments of celebration and of a "trickster's" refusal to give up in the face of authority, even in the face
of death. These complimentary and interlocking modes help us understand Kurosawa's cinematic universe.
Transnational Film and the Politics of Becoming: Negotiating East Asian Identity in Hong Kong Night Club and Moonlight Express
Authors: Hitchcock Lori D.
Published: October 2012

Recent years have witnessed the growth of a body of literature concerned with what Sheldon Hsiao-peng Lu has termed "Chinese cinemas,"1 sparked by the increased international visibility of films from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and characterized by an emerging interest
in the ways that such works negotiate both "the triumphantly universal and the resiliency particular"2 in their unique situatedness within both regional Chinese and global media markets.

In the context of the 1997 return of Hong Kong to mainland China, this emphasis has engendered
significant critical attention to issues of local Hong Kong identity within a dramatically altered political, social, and cultural climate, represented by two discursive trends that at once implicitly and explicitly reference 1997 as the seminal turning-point of Hong Kong's media industries.
Critical Reception of Rashomon in the West
Authors: Smith Greg M.
Published: October 2012

Most of us who write about films may as well relax and confess that we know nothing at first hand about Japanese movie production; that all we have as data has come to us from presssheets, from quick consultations with the nearest Japanese bystander, or. . . whatever we have been able
to find useful in the way of analogy and of seeing the "unaccredited" performances of Kabuki.

--Vernon Young (1955: 416)
What You Hear..., What You See... That's Not All You Get (Filmed Representations of South Asians in the Diaspora)
Authors: Ghosh Monica
Published: October 2012

This article focuses on how South Asians in the diaspora are represented in independent and Hollywood blockbuster films based on the way they speak English, which I will refer to hereafter as a South Asian accent. This cultural critical approach is intended to open up and engage in
a discussion that begins with what you hear (the accent), and what you see (filmed representations) and extends to an articulation of complex negotiations for new spaces in new places by engaging directly with issues of race, class, religion, and sexual orientation for and among South Asians
in the diaspora.
From Novel to Film: White Badge
Authors: Williams Tony
Published: October 2012

Over the last two decades, South Korean literature and cinema have begun interrogating key aspects of historical events long dormant within the national consciousness. During 1950-1953, the Korean peninsula suffered extreme physical and psychological devastation during a conflict the
West later preferred to forget under the convenient axiom of "the forgotten war." However, while Chinese and North Korean literature and film celebrated the conflict while Hollywood cinema produced more half-hearted and pessimistic representations, South Korean attitudes remained
ambivalent. After emerging from the war, the country went through a series of dictatorial governments. Until the assassination of President Park Chung Hee in 1979, a strict system of censorship dominated South Korea, making oppositional voices both in politics and the humanities extremely
dangerous.
Kirk Wong's Hong Kong Crimes
Authors: Stokes Lisa Odham , Hoover Michael
Published: October 2012

While John Woo, Ringo Lam, and Tsui Hark have become well known names in the West, Hong Kong director Kirk Wong has yet to break into the mainstream. His 1998 black comedy The Big Hit didn't score big enough with Western audiences although it did a respectable business, budgeted at
$13 million and grossing $27 million in the US that year (double its production cost). But a look at Wong's dark vision in earlier Hong Kong films provides a partial explanation for his dark horse status. In Wong films, action emerges from characters' emotional conflicts, carrying
them forward towards narrative resolution.
Of "Women" and "Relationships" in Contemporary Bengali Cinema: Rituporno Ghosh's Oeuvre
Authors: Mandal Somdatta
Published: October 2012

He explores human relationships with a rare sensitivity. In all his films he handles human frailties with tenderness and understanding, humor and irony. It is this quality that won the young Bengali director Rituporno Ghosh, laurels for all the seven films he's made till date. In less
than a decade, he has acquired a reputation that takes him far beyond his immediate area of creative operation in West Bengal. A simple storyline and superb acting make his movies special.

As his films revolve around relationships, they are emotionally gripping and do not need the props
of songs and dance.
Effortful Listening: The Processing of Degraded Speech Depends Critically on Attention
Authors: Wild Conor J. , Yusuf Afiqah , Wilson Daryl E. , Peelle Jonathan E. , Davis Matthew H. , Johnsrude Ingrid S.
Published: October 2012

The conditions of everyday life are such that people often hear speech that has been degraded (e.g., by background noise or electronic transmission) or when they are distracted by other tasks. However, it remains unclear what role attention plays in processing speech that is difficult to understand. In the current study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the degree to which spoken sentences were processed under distraction, and whether this depended on the acoustic quality (intelligibility) of the speech. On every trial, adult human participants attended to one of three simultaneously presented stimuli: a sentence (at one of four acoustic clarity levels), an auditory distracter, or a visual distracter. A postscan recognition test showed that clear speech was processed even when not attended, but that attention greatly enhanced the processing of degraded speech. Furthermore, speech-sensitive cortex could be parcellated according to how speech-evoked responses were modulated by attention. Responses in auditory cortex and areas along the superior temporal sulcus (STS) took the same form regardless of attention, although responses to distorted speech in portions of both posterior and anterior STS were enhanced under directed attention. In contrast, frontal regions, including left inferior frontal gyrus, were only engaged when listeners were attending to speech and these regions exhibited elevated responses to degraded, compared with clear, speech. We suggest this response is a neural marker of effortful listening. Together, our results suggest that attention enhances the processing of degraded speech by engaging higher-order mechanisms that modulate perceptual auditory processing.
Opioids Disrupt Pro-Nociceptive Modulation Mediated by Raphe Magnus
Authors: Hellman Kevin M. , Mason Peggy
Published: October 2012

In anesthetized rats, opioid analgesia is accompanied by a specific pattern of tonic activity in two neuronal populations within the medullary raphe magnus (RM): opioids silence pain-facilitatory ON cells and produce sustained discharge in pain-inhibitory OFF cells. These tonic activity patterns, hypothesized to generate a tonic analgesic state, have not been observed in recordings made without anesthesia. Therefore, we recorded ON and OFF cell activity before and after an analgesic dose of morphine in unanesthetized mice. The tonic activity of ON and OFF cells was unchanged by morphine. Rather, morphine suppressed the phasic ON cell excitation and OFF cell inhibition evoked by noxious stimulation. Before morphine, the magnitude of the noxious stimulus-evoked burst in ON cells correlated with motor withdrawal magnitude, suggesting that ON cells facilitate nocifensive motor reactions. Contrary to model prediction, OFF cell activity was greater before stimulus trials that evoked withdrawals than those without withdrawals. Since withdrawals only occurred when OFF cell activity was suppressed, a decrease in OFF cell activity appears to serve as a pro-nociceptive signal that synchronizes and therefore strengthens the ensuing motor reaction. We further propose that morphine acts in RM to suppress ON and OFF cell phasic responses and thereby disable RM's pro-nociceptive output. Thus, RM cells produce antinociception by failing to exert the pro-nociceptive effects normally engaged by noxious stimulation. These findings revise the conventional understanding of supraspinal opioid analgesia and demonstrate that RM produces on demand rather than state modulation, allowing RM cells to serve other functions during pain-free periods.
Light-Mediated Control of Rhodopsin Movement in Mosquito Photoreceptors
Authors: Hu Xiaobang , Leming Matthew T. , Metoxen Alexander J. , Whaley Michelle A. , O'Tousa Joseph E.
Published: October 2012

Multiple mechanisms contribute to a photoreceptor's ability to adapt to ambient light conditions. The mosquitoAedes aegyptiexpresses the long-wavelength rhodopsin Aaop1 in all R1–R6 photoreceptors and most R8 photoreceptors. These photoreceptors alter the cellular location of Aaop1 and reorganize their photosensitive rhabdomeric membranes on a daily basis. During daylight periods, Aaop1 is excluded from the light-sensitive rhabdomeres and localized to multivesicular bodies (MVBs) within the photoreceptor cytoplasm. In the dark, Aaop1 accumulates in the rhabdomeres and no Aaop1-containing MVBs are present in the cytoplasm. Manipulation of light treatments shows the cellular movement of Aaop1 in and out of the rhabdomere is directly controlled by light. In a separate process, the photoreceptors reduce Aaop1 protein content during a time period spanning from late afternoon into the first 2 h of the dark period. Aaop1 levels then gradually increase through the dark period and remain high following movement of Aaop1 to the cytoplasm at dawn. These results demonstrate that mosquito photoreceptors control rhodopsin availability during the daily light-dark cycle by novel mechanisms not discerned from analysis of traditional invertebrate models. These mechanisms will maximize a photoreceptor's light sensitivity range and therefore may be common in organisms active in low light conditions.
Extinction of Aversive Memories Associated with Morphine Withdrawal Requires ERK-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Transcription in the Rat Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Wang Wei-Sheng , Kang Shuo , Liu Wen-Tao , Li Mu , Liu Yao , Yu Chuan , Chen Jie , Chi Zhi-Qiang , He Ling , Liu Jing-Gen
Published: October 2012

Recent evidence suggests that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors facilitate extinction of rewarding memory of drug taking. However, little is known about the role of chromatin modification in the extinction of aversive memory of drug withdrawal. In this study, we used conditioned place aversion (CPA), a highly sensitive model for measuring aversive memory of drug withdrawal, to investigate the role of epigenetic regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in extinction of aversive memory. We found that CPA extinction training induced an increase in recruiting cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) to and acetylation of histone H3 at the promoters of BDNF exon I transcript and increased BDNF mRNA and protein expression in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) of acute morphine-dependent rats and that such epigenetic regulation of BDNF gene transcription could be facilitated or diminished by intra-vmPFC infusion of HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor U0126 (1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(methylthio)butadiene) before extinction training. Correspondingly, disruption of the epigenetic regulation of BDNF gene transcription with U0126 or suppression of BDNF signaling with Trk receptor antagonist K252a or BDNF scavenger tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB)-Fc blocked extinction of CPA behavior. We also found that extinction training-induced activation of ERK and CREB and extinction of CPA behavior could be potentiated or suppressed by intra-vmPFC infusion ofd-cycloserine, a NMDA receptor partial agonist or aminophosphonopentanoic acid, a NMDA receptor antagonist. We conclude that extinction of aversive memory of morphine withdrawal requires epigenetic regulation of BDNF gene transcription in the vmPFC through activation of the ERK-CREB signaling pathway perhaps in a NMDA receptor-dependent manner.
Double Dissociation between Regulation of Conditioned Disgust and Taste Avoidance by Serotonin Availability at the 5-HT3Receptor in the Posterior and Anterior Insular Cortex
Authors: Tuerke Katharine J. , Limebeer Cheryl L. , Fletcher Paul J. , Parker Linda A.
Published: October 2012

A taste associated with emetic drugs produces conditioned disgust reactions in rats (predominantly gaping), unlike nonemetic drugs that can still produce conditioned taste avoidance but not conditioned disgust. That difference suggests nausea is a prerequisite for learning disgust reactions to tastes. Depletion of forebrain serotonin (5-HT) by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) lesions of the dorsal raphe nucleus and median raphe nucleus prevents LiCl-induced conditioned disgust reactions (Limebeer et al., 2004). Here we demonstrate that partial depletion of 5-HT in the insular cortex (IC) prevents LiCl-induced conditioned disgust reactions. Furthermore, a double dissociation occurred in the partial regulation of disgust and taste avoidance by selective 5-HT3receptor antagonism/agonism in the posterior (granular) region of the IC and the anterior (dorsal agranular) region of the IC, respectively. Intracranial administration of the 5-HT3receptor antagonist, ondansetron (OND), to the posterior IC impaired the establishment of LiCl-induced conditioned gaping reactions, but not LiCl-induced conditioned taste avoidance (CTA). Likewise, posterior IC administration of the 5-HT3receptor agonistm-chlorophenylbiguanide (mCPBG) enhanced the establishment of LiCl-induced conditioned gaping and produced conditioned gaping on its own (which was prevented by intracranially administered OND), with no effect on CTA. On the other hand, anterior IC administration of OND partially reduced the establishment of LiCl-induced CTA, and mCPBG produced a weak CTA, both without effect on gaping. These results suggest that activation of 5-HT3receptors in the posterior IC is important for the production of nausea-induced conditioned disgust reactions, while activation of 5-HT3receptors in the anterior IC are involved in the production of CTA.
Biasing Amacrine Subtypes in the Atoh7 Lineage through Expression of Barhl2
Authors: Jusuf Patricia R. , Albadri Shahad , Paolini Alessio , Currie Peter D. , Argenton Francesco , Higashijima Shin-ichi , Harris William A. , Poggi Lucia
Published: October 2012

Within the developing vertebrate retina, particular subtypes of amacrine cells (ACs) tend to arise from progenitors expressing the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, Atoh7, which is necessary for the early generation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). All ACs require the postmitotic expression of the bHLH pancreas transcription factor Ptf1a; however, Ptf1a alone is not sufficient to give subtype identities. Here we use functional andin vivotime-lapse studies in the zebrafish retina to investigate on the developmental programs leading to ACs specification within the subsequent divisions of Atoh7-positive progenitors. We find evidences that the homeobox transcription factor Barhl2 is an AC subtype identity-biasing factor that turns on within Atoh7-positive descendants.In vivolineage tracing reveals that particular modes of cell division tend to generate Barhl2-positive precursors from sisters of RGCs. Additionally, Atoh7 indirectly impacts these division modes to regulate the right number ofbarhl2-expressing cells. We finally find that Atoh7 itself influences the subtypes of Barhl2-dependent ACs. Together, the results from our study uncover lineage-related and molecular logic of subtype specification in the vertebrate retina, by showing that specific AC subtypes arise via a particular mode of cell division and a transcriptional network cascade involving the sequential expression of firstatoh7followed byptf1aand thenbarhl2.
Sustaining Sleep Spindles through Enhanced SK2-Channel Activity Consolidates Sleep and Elevates Arousal Threshold
Authors: Wimmer Ralf D. , Astori Simone , Bond Chris T. , Rovó Zita , Chatton Jean-Yves , Adelman John P. , Franken Paul , Lüthi Anita
Published: October 2012

Sleep spindles are synchronized 11–15 Hz electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations predominant during nonrapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS). Rhythmic bursting in the reticular thalamic nucleus (nRt), arising from interplay between Cav3.3-type Ca2+channels and Ca2+-dependent small-conductance-type 2 (SK2) K+channels, underlies spindle generation. Correlative evidence indicates that spindles contribute to memory consolidation and protection against environmental noise in human NREMS. Here, we describe a molecular mechanism through which spindle power is selectively extended and we probed the actions of intensified spindling in the naturally sleeping mouse. Using electrophysiological recordings in acute brain slices from SK2 channel-overexpressing (SK2-OE) mice, we found that nRt bursting was potentiated and thalamic circuit oscillations were prolonged. Moreover, nRt cells showed greater resilience to transit from burst to tonic discharge in response to gradual depolarization, mimicking transitions out of NREMS. Compared with wild-type littermates, chronic EEG recordings of SK2-OE mice contained less fragmented NREMS, while the NREMS EEG power spectrum was conserved. Furthermore, EEG spindle activity was prolonged at NREMS exit. Finally, when exposed to white noise, SK2-OE mice needed stronger stimuli to arouse. Increased nRt bursting thus strengthens spindles and improves sleep quality through mechanisms independent of EEG slow waves (<4 Hz), suggesting SK2 signaling as a new potential therapeutic target for sleep disorders and for neuropsychiatric diseases accompanied by weakened sleep spindles.
Rapid Simultaneous Enhancement of Visual Sensitivity and Perceived Contrast during Saccade Preparation
Authors: Rolfs Martin , Carrasco Marisa
Published: October 2012

Humans and other animals with foveate vision make saccadic eye movements to prioritize the visual analysis of behaviorally relevant information. Even before movement onset, visual processing is selectively enhanced at the target of a saccade, presumably gated by brain areas controlling eye movements. Here we assess concurrent changes in visual performance and perceived contrast before saccades, and show that saccade preparation enhances perception rapidly, altering early visual processing in a manner akin to increasing the physical contrast of the visual input. Observers compared orientation and contrast of a test stimulus, appearing briefly before a saccade, to a standard stimulus, presented previously during a fixation period. We found simultaneous progressive enhancement in both orientation discrimination performance and perceived contrast as time approached saccade onset. These effects were robust as early as 60 ms after the eye movement was cued, much faster than the voluntary deployment of covert attention (without eye movements), which takes ∼300 ms. Our results link the dynamics of saccade preparation, visual performance, and subjective experience and show that upcoming eye movements alter visual processing by increasing the signal strength.
Heterogeneous time-dependent response of adipose tissue during the development of cancer cachexia
Authors: Batista M L , Neves R X , Peres S B , Yamashita A S , Shida C S , Farmer S R , Seelaender M
Published: October 2012

Cancer cachexia induces loss of fat mass that accounts for a large part of the dramatic weight loss observed both in humans and in animal models; however, the literature does not provide consistent information regarding the set point of weight loss and how the different visceral adipose tissue depots contribute to this symptom. To evaluate that, 8-week-old male Wistar rats were subcutaneously inoculated with 1 ml (2×107) of tumour cells (Walker 256). Samples of different visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) depots were collected at days 0, 4, 7 and 14 and stored at −80 °C (seven to ten animals/each day per group). Mesenteric and retroperitoneal depot mass was decreased to the greatest extent on day 14 compared with day 0. Gene and protein expression of PPARγ2 (PPARG) fell significantly following tumour implantation in all three adipose tissue depots while C/EBPα (CEBPA) and SREBP-1c (SREBF1) expression decreased over time only in epididymal and retroperitoneal depots. Decreased adipogenic gene expression and morphological disruption of visceral WAT are further supported by the dramatic reduction in mRNA and protein levels of perilipin. Classical markers of inflammation and macrophage infiltration (f4/80, CD68 and MIF-1α) in WAT were significantly increased in the later stage of cachexia (although showing a incremental pattern along the course of cachexia) and presented a depot-specific regulation. These results indicate that impairment in the lipid-storing function of adipose tissue occurs at different times and that the mesenteric adipose tissue is more resistant to the ‘fat-reducing effect’ than the other visceral depots during cancer cachexia progression.
Inovação colaborativa: uma abordagem aberta no desenvolvimento de novos produtos
Authors: Bueno Bruna , Balestrin Alsones
Published: October 2012

As estratégias que as empresas têm adotado para promover inovações tecnológicas de produtos e serviços vêm mudando significativamente nos últimos anos. Um dos elementos de notável evolução diz respeito à maneira como as empresas conduzem a etapa de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D) de novos produtos, serviços, processos e modelos de negócios. Diante dessa problemática, o presente artigo busca identificar práticas de inovação colaborativa no desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Para melhor compreender a mudança nos processos de inovação, elegeu-se como campo empírico um caso da indústria automotiva. Mesmo que essa indústria tenha experimentado o desenvolvimento de P&D em conjunto com os seus fornecedores, a cocriação de valor com os usuários finais é algo muito novo. O objeto de análise foi o projeto de desenvolvimento do Fiat Mio - Fiat Concept Car III (FCCIII) e os resultados demonstraram que, durante o processo de desenvolvimento do FCCIII, foram adotadas diferentes práticas de inovação colaborativa, o que possibilitou o acesso de diferentes conhecimentos externos à organização.
Insatisfação corporal, prática de dietas e comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares em mães residentes em Santos
Authors: Scagliusi Fernanda Baeza , Pereira Patrícia da Rocha , Stelmo Isis de Carvalho , Unsain Ramiro Fernandez , Martins Paula Andrea , Sato Priscila de Morais
Published: October 2012

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a insatisfação corporal, a prática de dietas e os comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares em uma amostra de mães residentes no município de Santos. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo transversal, de base populacional, com 453 mães de filhos com até 10 anos de idade. As mães responderam ao Teste de Atitudes Alimentares (EAT-26), à Escala de Figuras de Stunkard e a uma questão sobre a prática atual de dietas. RESULTADOS: Das mães, 29,9% apresentaram escore positivo para os comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares e 21,8% estavam fazendo dieta para emagrecer no momento da entrevista. No tocante à imagem corporal, 17,5% das mães estavam satisfeitas com o seu tamanho corporal, 71,5% gostariam de diminuir seu tamanho corporal e 11,0% gostariam de aumentá-lo. Os comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares foram mais frequentes nas mães insatisfeitas com seus tamanhos corporais (p < 0,0001). CONCLUSÃO: A maioria das mães investigadas estava insatisfeita com os seus tamanhos corporais. A frequência de mães que praticavam dietas ou tinham comportamentos de risco para transtornos alimentares foi similar ou superior aos demais estudos nacionais, conduzidos, em sua maioria, com populações consideradas de risco, como meninas adolescentes e jovens universitárias.
A questionnaire to evaluate the impact of chronic diseases: validated translation and Illness Effects Questionnaire (IEQ) reliability study
Authors: Fonseca Patrícia Pinto , Oliveira Maria das Graças de , Del Porto José Alberto
Published: October 2012

INTRODUCTION: Patients' perception about their health condition, mainly involving chronic diseases, has been investigated in many studies and it has been associated to depression, compliance with the treatment, quality of life and prognosis. The Illness Effects Questionnaire (IEQ) is a tool which makes the standardized evaluation of patients' perception about their illness possible, so that it is brief and accessible to the different clinical settings. This work aims to begin the transcultural adaptation of the IEQ to Brazil through the validated translation and the reliability study. METHODS: The back-translation method and the test-retest reliability study were used in a sample of 30 adult patients under chronic hemodialysis. The reliability indexes were estimated using the Pearson, Spearman, Weighted Kappa and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. RESULTS: The semantic equivalence was reached through the validated translation. In this study, the reliability indexes obtained were respectively: 0.85 and 0.75 (p < 0.001); 0.68 and 0.92 (p < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: The reliability indexes obtained attest to the stability of responses in both evaluations. Additional procedures are necessary for the transcultural adaptation of the IEQ to be complete. CONCLUSION: The results indicate the translation validity and the reliability of the Brazilian version of the IEQ for the sample studied.