bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
T cell receptor signal strength in Treg and iNKT cell development demonstrated by a novel fluorescent reporter mouse
Authors: Moran Amy E. , Holzapfel Keli L. , Xing Yan , Cunningham Nicole R. , Maltzman Jonathan S. , Punt Jennifer , Hogquist Kristin A.
Published: May 2011

The ability of antigen receptors to engage self-ligands with varying affinity is crucial for lymphocyte development. To further explore this concept, we generated transgenic mice expressing GFP from the immediate early gene Nr4a1 (Nur77) locus. GFP was up-regulated in lymphocytes by antigen receptor stimulation but not by inflammatory stimuli. In T cells, GFP was induced during positive selection, required major histocompatibility complex for maintenance, and directly correlated with the strength of T cell receptor (TCR) stimulus. Thus, our results define a novel tool for studying antigen receptor activation in vivo. Using this model, we show that regulatory T cells (Treg cells) and invariant NKT cells (iNKT cells) perceived stronger TCR signals than conventional T cells during development. However, although Treg cells continued to perceive strong TCR signals in the periphery, iNKT cells did not. Finally, we show that Treg cell progenitors compete for recognition of rare stimulatory TCR self-ligands.
Acute pain management in principle
Authors: Cashman Jeremy N.
Published: May 2011

Pain measurement is essential in evaluating response to analgesic therapy.

The oral route is the route of choice for analgesics in non-fasting patients.

Administering opioids by the neuraxial route provides superior analgesia to the same drug administered by parenteral routes.

Clinical practice guidelines may be useful in acute pain management.

Acute Pain Services improve the quality of post-operative pain management.
Post-operative pain
Authors: Ashley Elizabeth , Doraiswami Mano
Published: May 2011

Pain relief is a basic human right.

Pain has detrimental acute and chronic effects on the physiology and psychology of patients.

Inadequately controlled pain can cause post-operative morbidity, prolong recovery time, increase the use of health care resources, thereby increasing total health care costs.

Post-operative pain is most effectively managed with a multimodal approach.
Day surgery analgesia
Authors: Kamming Damon
Published: May 2011

Seventy-five per cent of all elective surgery will soon be day surgery.

Thirty to fifty per cent of the patients do not take post discharge analgesia around the clock regularly as instructed.

Thirty per cent of the patients experience moderate to severe pain post discharge as a result of only taking analgesia as required after day surgery.

Patient education in preassessment clinic (PAC) is vital to ensure that patients understand day surgery analgesia management.

Proactive pre-emptive and multimodal analgesia utilizing regional anaesthesia reduce opioid-related side effects and enable discharge home.

Post discharge regular multimodal analgesia is key to achieving goal of mild post discharge pain scores.

Patient follow up is vital for audit and ensuring quality clinical care.
Treatment of pain in burns patients
Authors: Welechew Edward
Published: May 2011

Pain from burns has three components: background, breakthrough, and procedural pain.

Central sensitization is an important component of the ongoing pain.

Early management of pain, prior to the arrival at hospital is essential.

Multimodal treatment including opiates will be necessary and psychological support is key.

Procedural pain is of high intensity and short duration, and will require a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of analgesia.

Central sensitization and opiate tolerance are common problems in burns patients.
Clinical assessment and diagnostic work-up
Authors: Rolke Roman
Published: May 2011

Neuropathic pain arises as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system

The diagnostic work-up of neuropathic pain syndromes includes information on the patients history and a bedside examination focussed on the main questions:

Is the distribution of pain and sensory deficit neuroanatomically logical?...
Complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: Bush Dudley
Published: May 2011

Complex regional pain syndrome is the current name for the conditions previously called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (now CRPS type I) and causalgia (now CRPS type II).

It occurs in distal limbs following trauma or surgery, is not related to intensity of initial insult, and is idiopathic in 10% of cases. There are around 10,000 cases in the UK and it is four times more common in females....
Ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists
Authors: Fallon Marie , Fergus Cameron , Laird Barry J.A.
Published: May 2011

Ketamine is a non-competitive N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and is most effective in pain states where hyper-excitability is established

Ketamine undergoes first-pass metabolism to norketamine, which is a more potent analgesic than ketamine. This can explain why oral ketamine is more potent than parenteral ketamine...
Acne analysis, grading and computational assessment methods: an overview
Authors: Ramli Roshaslinie , Malik Aamir Saeed , Hani Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad , Jamil Adawiyah
Published: May 2011

Introduction: This paper presents a comprehensive review of acne grading and measurement. Acne is a chronic disorder of the pilosebaceous units, with excess sebum production, follicular epidermal hyperproliferation, inflammation and Propionibacterium acnes activity. Most patients are affected with acne vulgaris, which is the prevalent type of acne. Acne vulgaris consists of comedones (whitehead and blackhead), papules, pustules, nodules and cysts.

Objectives: To review and identify the issues for acne vulgaris grading and computational assessment methods. To determine the future direction for addressing the identified issues.

Methods: There are two main methods of assessment for acne severity grading, namely, lesion counting and comparison of patient with a photographic standard. For the computational assessment method, the emphasis is on computational imaging techniques.

Results: Current acne grading methods are very time consuming and tedious. Generally, they rely on approximation for counting lesions and hence the assessment is quite subjective, with both inter and intra‐observer variability. It is important to accurately assess acne grade to evaluate its severity as this influences treatment selection and assessment of response to therapy. This will further help in better disease management and more efficacious treatment.

Conclusion: Semi‐automated or automated methods based on computational imaging techniques should be devised for acne grade assessment.
Impaired executive functions in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients
Authors: Isık Taner Yasemen , Erdogan Bakar Emel , Oner Ozgur
Published: May 2011

Isık Taner Y, Erdogan Bakar E, Oner O. Impaired executive functions in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

Objective:There are only few studies which investigated the neuropsychological performances of paediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies show that most of adult OCD patients had an onset of their first symptoms before the age of 15. Our objective was to evaluate the neuropsychological functions in paediatric patients with OCD.

Methods:We compared the executive functions and general intelligence of child and adolescent OCD patients (n= 20) with age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n= 20). To compare mentioned skills, a neuropsychological test battery including Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Test and Verbal Fluency Test was performed.

Result:Performances of the OCD and control subjects on neuropsychological tests were statistically analysed by using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), in which Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) results were taken into consideration as a covariate to observe FSIQ's effect on test scores. Our results showed that the differences in WISC-R Picture Arrangement and Coding scores remained significant when co-analysed with FSIQ scores. In a similar manner, the OCD group exhibited worse performances on STR1-duration, STR3-duration, STR3-error, STR4-duration, STR4-error, STR5-correct response, and STR5-error as compared with the control group when FSIQ scores were taken into calculation. Some variables of the WCST (perseverative responses, percent errors, abstraction-flexibility and categories completed) also yield lower test scores in the OCD group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding Verbal Fluency Test scores.

Conclusion:Our results suggested that paediatric OCD patients had worse abstraction-flexibility, mental set-shifting, verbal comprehension and visuospatial/construction abilities.
Bypassing public procurement regulation: A study of rationality in local decisionmaking
Authors: Hansson Lisa , Holmgren Johan
Published: May 2011

Using private contractors through procurement is common in most public sector areas. Despite the benefits of procurement, officials are sometimes tempted to circumvent procurement regulations. The aim of this article is to examine the strategies used by local governmental decisionmakers to bypass procurement regulations and to analyze the rationality underlying these officials' actions. Interviews, court documents, municipal documents, and newspaper articles describing the actions of Swedish municipal officials concerning special transport service (STS) procurements were collected and analyzed. In a case in which rural municipalities lost regular taxi services after STS procurement, we demonstrate how decisions were driven by pressure from the public and local interest groups, making municipal officials deviate from procurement regulations in striving to secure the existence of regular taxi services. One outcome was that local businesses were given preferential treatment, violating regulations and reducing economic efficiency.
Simulations of Multiphase Particle Deposition on Endwall Film-Cooling
Authors: Lawson Seth A. , Thole Karen A.
Published: May 2011

Demand for clean energy has increased motivation to design gas turbines capable of burning alternative fuels such as coal derived synthesis gas (syngas). One challenge associated with burning coal derived syngas is that trace amounts of particulate matter in the fuel and air can deposit on turbine hardware reducing the effectiveness of film-cooling. For the current study, a method was developed to dynamically simulate multiphase particle deposition through injection of a low melting temperature wax. The method was developed so the effects of deposition on endwall film-cooling could be quantified using a large scale vane cascade in a low speed wind tunnel. A microcrystalline wax was injected into the mainstream flow using atomizing spray nozzles to simulate both solid and molten particulate matter in a turbine gas path. Infrared thermography was used to quantify cooling effectiveness with and without deposition at various locations on a film-cooled endwall. Measured results indicated reductions in adiabatic effectiveness by as much as 30% whereby the reduction was highly dependent on the location of the film-cooling holes relative to the vane.
Progress in the Function and Regulation of ADP-RibosylationA report on the 18th International Conference on ADP-Ribosylation, Zurich, Switzerland, 18 to 21 August 2010.
Authors: Hottiger Michael O. , Boothby Mark , Koch-Nolte Friedrich , Lüscher Bernhard , Martin Niall M. B. , Plummer Ruth , Wang Zhao-Qi , Ziegler Mathias
Published: May 2011

Scientists gathered in Zurich, Switzerland, to discuss new insights into cell, structural, and developmental biology of ADP-ribosylation.
Break Down to Build Up
Authors: Hurtley Stella M.
Published: May 2011

A cellular compartment allows simultaneous protein synthesis and degradation.
Visualizing the Cardiac Cycle: A Useful Tool to Promote Student Understanding
Authors: Ho Ivan Shun
Published: May 2011

The cardiac cycle is an important concept presented in human anatomy and physiology courses. At Kingsborough Community College, all Allied Health majors taking Anatomy & Physiology must understand the cardiac cycle to grasp more advanced concepts. Contemporary textbooks illustrate the cardiac cycle’s concurrent events via linear models with overlapping line segments as physiological readouts. This presentation is appropriate for reference but, in the interactive classroom the promotion of understanding through clear, concise visual cues is essential. Muzio and Pilchman created a diagram to summarize events of the cardiac cycle. After discussions with one of the authors, I modified the diagram to aid visualization of the cycle and emphasize it as a repetitive, continuous process. A flow diagram presenting the portions of the cycle individually and progressively was also constructed. Three labeled phases are made from the diagram, based on grouped events occurring at different points. The simple, compartmentalized, cyclical diagram presented here promotes understanding of the cardiac cycle visually.
A Review of
Two Online Microbiology Teaching Resources
Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology, freely accessible at www.textbookofbacteriology.net andThrough the Microscope: A Look at All Things Small, paid online subscription at http://www.microbiologytext.com/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=52
Authors: Patterson Gary
Published: May 2011

Review of:
two online micobiology teaching resources, including
Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology
and
Through the Microscope: A Look at All Things Small.
A Review of
Bacterial Pathogenesis
Bacterial Pathogenesis: A Molecular Approach,	Third Edition;	WilsonBrenda ASalyersAbigail AWhittDavidWinklerMalcom E; (	2011).	American Society for Microbiology Press,	Washington, DC.	526 pages. Illustrated.
Authors: Cunningham Doreen
Published: May 2011

Review of:
Bacterial Pathogenesis: A Molecular Approach, Third Edition;
Brenda A. Wilson, Abigail A. Salyers, David Whitt, and Malcom E. Winkler; (2011). American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, DC. 526 pages. Illustrated.
EFFECTS OF AGENT'S REPULSION IN 2D FLOCKING MODELS
Authors: MOUSSA NAJEM , TARRAS ILIASS , MAZROUI M'HAMMED , BOUGHALEB YAHYA
Published: May 2011

In nature many animal groups, such as fish schools or bird flocks, clearly display structural order and appear to move as a single coherent entity. In order to understand the complex behavior of these systems, many models have been proposed and tested so far. This paper deals with an extension of the Vicsek model, by including a second zone of repulsion, where each agent attempts to maintain a minimum distance from the others. The consideration of this zone in our study seems to play an important role during the travel of agents in the two-dimensional (2D) flocking models. Our numerical investigations show that depending on the basic ingredients such as repulsion radius (R1), effect of density of agents (ρ) and noise (η), our nonequilibrium system can undergo a kinetic phase transition from no transport to finite net transport. For different values of ρ, kinetic phase diagrams in the plane (η ,R1) are found. Implications of these findings are discussed.
ON THE POSSIBILITY TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DETERMINE THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE FLUXES OF SOLAR pp-NEUTRINOS AND COSMIC RAY MUONS
Authors: ANICIN I. V. , PEJOVIĆ V. , PAVIĆEVIĆ M. K. , AMTHAUER G. , BOEV B. , BOSCH F. , BRÜCHLE W. , DJURCIĆ Z. , HENNING W. F. , FAESTERMANN T. , JELENKOVIĆ R. , NIEDERMANN S. , WEISS A.
Published: May 2011

The Allchar mine in the southern FYR Macedonia contains the world's largest known concentration of thallium bearing minerals. LOREX (acronym for the geo-chemical LORandite EXperiment) is an international collaboration exploring the opportunity to use the rare mineral lorandite ( TlAsS 2) for the determination of the solar pp-neutrino flux, averaged over the 4.3 million year age of the deposit. Here we discuss the possibility to determine simultaneously both the solar neutrino and the cosmic ray muon flux, averaged over the same period of time. Cosmic-ray muons participate in the reaction 205 Tl (μp, n)205 Pb , whereas the neutrinos induce the capture reaction 205 Tl (νe, e)205 Pb * → 205 Pb . Both fluxes can in principle be determined by counting the number of atoms of the long-lived 205 Pb present in the mineral, produced by both muons and neutrinos in the reactions with the most abundant stable isotope, 205 Tl .
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENT ON A NOVEL KIND OF SINGLE MODE LARGE-MODE-AREA ERBIUM-DOPED FIBER
Authors: PENG JIAN , LIU LISONG , WEI HUAI , SUN JIANG , KANG ZEXIN , JIAN SHUISHENG
Published: May 2011

A kind of large-mode-area (LMA) erbium-doped fiber (EDF) is required to get high output power with good beam quality. This new LMA EDF has a multi-layer-core structure which makes the mode area bigger. The key process is deposition of multi-layer-core structure by using modified MCVD to make every layer of the core with different refractive index. Furthermore, the key optical specifications of the fiber are measured. The absorption peak is 10.6 dB/m at 980 nm and 20 dB/m at 1550 nm. The cutoff wavelength is about 1300 nm. The mode field diameter (MFD) is 12.6 μm and 13.2 μm at 1550 nm according to Petermann-2 and Gaussian definitions, respectively. The core diameter is about 12 μm. The MFD of conventional standard EDFs is in a limited range ~5–8 μm, so the experimental result has made a big progress for MFD. Especially, we can improve the parameters of the multi-layer-core structure to get single mode EDF with larger mode area for high power fiber laser.
THE SPECTRUM OF CHAOTIC TIME SERIES (II): WAVELET ANALYSIS
Authors: CHEN GOONG , HSU SZE-BI , HUANG YU , ROQUE-SOL MARCO A.
Published: May 2011

This paper is a continuation of Part I where the authors treated the Fourier analysis of chaotic time series generated by a chaotic interval map. Here, we perform multiresolution analysis by using wavelet coefficients and characterize some necessary and sufficient conditions for the occurrence of chaos by the exponential growth with respect to the number of iterations n of certain sums of the wavelet coefficients.
CORPORATE CUSTOMERS' RESISTANCE TO INDUSTRIAL SERVICE INNOVATIONS
Authors: KORHONEN HEIDI M. E. , KAARELA ILARI
Published: May 2011

This paper examines the reasons for corporate customers' resistance to adopt industrial service innovations provided by their supplier companies. It is based on work with nine Finnish suppliers of industrial services and their potential customers. We view organizations as networks of individual adopters. We find that organizational sentiment towards adopting an innovation is often ambivalent and that resisting views reveal important drawbacks of an innovation that need to be addressed. The results clarify the effects of utility, cost, emotion and risk aversion in organizational service decisions emphasizing the fit of the service for the customer.
Composite control of physically simulated characters
Authors: Muico Uldarico , Popović Jovan , Popović Zoran
Published: May 2011

A physics-based control system that tracks a single motion trajectory produces high-quality animations, but does not recover from large disturbances that require deviating from this tracked trajectory. In order to enhance the responsiveness of physically simulated characters, we introduce algorithms that construct composite controllers that track multiple trajectories in parallel instead of sequentially switching from one control to the other. The composite controllers can blend or transition between different path controllers at arbitrary times according to the current system state. As a result, a composite control system generates both high-quality animations and natural responses to certain disturbances. We demonstrate its potential for improving robustness in performing several locomotion tasks. Then we consolidate these controllers into graphs that allow us to direct the character in real time.
Motion reconstruction using sparse accelerometer data
Authors: Tautges Jochen , Zinke Arno , Krüger Björn , Baumann Jan , Weber Andreas , Helten Thomas , Müller Meinard , Seidel Hans-Peter , Eberhardt Bernd
Published: May 2011

The development of methods and tools for the generation of visually appealing motion sequences using prerecorded motion capture data has become an important research area in computer animation. In particular, data-driven approaches have been used for reconstructing high-dimensional motion sequences from low-dimensional control signals. In this article, we contribute to this strand of research by introducing a novel framework for generating full-body animations controlled by only four 3D accelerometers that are attached to the extremities of a human actor. Our approach relies on a knowledge base that consists of a large number of motion clips obtained from marker-based motion capturing. Based on the sparse accelerometer input a cross-domain retrieval procedure is applied to build up a lazy neighborhood graph in an online fashion. This graph structure points to suitable motion fragments in the knowledge base, which are then used in the reconstruction step. Supported by a kd-tree index structure, our procedure scales to even large datasets consisting of millions of frames. Our combined approach allows for reconstructing visually plausible continuous motion streams, even in the presence of moderate tempo variations which may not be directly reflected by the given knowledge base.
On the velocity of an implicit surface
Authors: Stam Jos , Schmidt Ryan
Published: May 2011

In this article we derive an equation for the velocity of an arbitrary time-evolving implicit surface. Strictly speaking, only the normal component of the velocity is unambiguously defined. This is because an implicit surface does not have a unique parametrization. However, by enforcing a constraint on the evolution of the normal field we obtain a unique tangential component. We apply our formulas to surface tracking and to the problem of computing velocity vectors of a motion blurred blobby surface. Other possible applications are mentioned at the end of the article.
Space-time planning with parameterized locomotion controllers
Authors: Levine Sergey , Lee Yongjoon , Koltun Vladlen , Popović Zoran
Published: May 2011

We present a technique for efficiently synthesizing animations for characters traversing complex dynamic environments. Our method uses parameterized locomotion controllers that correspond to specific motion skills, such as jumping or obstacle avoidance. The controllers are created from motion capture data with reinforcement learning. A space-time planner determines the sequence in which controllers must be executed to reach a goal location, and admits a variety of cost functions to produce paths that exhibit different behaviors. By planning in space and time, the planner can discover paths through dynamically changing environments, even if no path exists in any static snapshot. By using parameterized controllers able to handle navigational tasks, the planner can operate efficiently at a high level, leading to interactive replanning rates.
The Effects of Ghrelin on Energy Balance and Psychomotor Activity in a Goldfish Model: An Overview
Authors: Kang Ki Sung , Yahashi Satowa , Matsuda Kouhei
Published: May 2011

The goldfish
(Carassius auratus) has a
number of merits as a laboratory animal, and we
have extensively identified the mechanisms by
which ghrelin regulates food intake in this
species. For the first time, we have purified
and characterized 11 molecular variants of
ghrelin that are present in goldfish intestine
and shown that 17-residue ghrelin, the
predominant form with
n-octanoyl modification, is
biologically active and implicated in the
regulation of food intake as an endogenous
orexigenic factor. Ghrelin and its receptor
system are present not only in peripheral
tissues such as stomach and intestine, but also
in the central nervous system. Recent studies
have also revealed that a number of
neuropeptides are widely distributed in the
brain in key areas of emotional regulation, and
their role as modulators of behavioral states is
being increasingly recognized. Interestingly,
administration of ghrelin induces an orexigenic
effect and also modifies locomotor activity,
suggesting the involvement of ghrelin in feeding
control and regulation of energy balance.
Information derived from studies of ghrelin has
been increasing, and important results have been
obtained from both fish and mammals. Here, we
present an overview of the effects of ghrelin on
energy balance and psychomotor activity in the
goldfish as an animal model. The available data
provide an insight into evolutionary background
of ghrelin's multiple actions on energy
homeostasis in vertebrates.
Clinical Cancer Therapy by NK Cells via Antibody‐Dependent Cell‐Mediated Cytotoxicity
Authors: Alderson Kory L. , Sondel Paul M.
Published: May 2011

Natural killer (NK) cells are powerful effector cells that can be directed to eliminate tumor cells through tumor‐targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Some tumor‐targeted mAbs have been successfully applied in the clinic and are included in the standard of care for certain malignancies. Strategies to augment the antitumor response by NK cells have led to an increased understanding of how to improve their effector responses. Next‐generation reagents, such as molecularly modified mAbs and mAb‐cytokine fusion proteins (immunocytokines, ICs) designed to augment NK‐mediated killing, are showing promise in preclinical and some clinical settings. Continued research into the antitumor effects induced by NK cells and tumor‐targeted mAbs suggests that additional intrinsic and extrinsic factors may influence the antitumor response. Therefore more research is needed that focuses on evaluating which NK cell and tumor criteria are best predictive of a clinical response and which combination immunotherapy regimens to pursue for distinct clinical settings.
Exploring the Effects of Hope on GPA and Retention among College Undergraduate Students on Academic Probation
Authors: Seirup Holly , Rose Sage
Published: May 2011

This study analyzed the impact of hope on the academic achievement and retention of 235 students on academic probation at a private Northeastern university. Probationary students were enrolled in a mandatory online course designed to facilitate academic and nonacademic skills, to improve student GPAs and overall retention. The Hope Scale (Snyder et al. (1991)) was administered to identify whether students with greater levels of hope would experience an increase in academic success upon completion of the course. Students were broken down into groups of high, medium, and low hope based on their scores on the instrument. Results showed students who completed the course were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the course, had a slight increase in GPA by the end of the semester, and high-hope students showed the greatest overall gain in GPAs.
Experimental Investigation on Corrosion of Cast Iron Pipes
Authors: Mohebbi H. , Li C. Q.
Published: May 2011

It is well known that corrosion is the predominant mechanism for the deterioration of cast iron pipes, leading to the reduction of pipe capacity and ultimate collapse of the pipes. In order to assess the remaining service life of corroded cast iron pipes, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of corrosion over a long term and to develop models for pipe deterioration. Although many studies have been carried out to determine the corrosion behavior of cast iron, little research has been undertaken to understand how cast iron pipes behave over a longer time scale than hours, days, or weeks. The present paper intends to fill the gap regarding the long-term corrosion behaviour of cast iron pipes in the absence of historical data. In this paper, a comprehensive experimental program is presented in which the corrosion behaviour of three exservice pipes was thoroughly examined in three simulated service environments. It has been found in the paper that localised corrosion is the primary form of corrosion of cast iron water pipes. It has also been found that the microstructure of cast irons is a key factor that affects the corrosion behaviour of cast iron pipes. The paper concludes that long-term tests on corrosion behaviour of cast iron pipes can help develop models for corrosion-induced deterioration of the pipes for use in predicting the remaining service life of the pipes.
Effect of Supplementation of Tanshinone IIA and Sodium Tanshinone IIA Sulfonate on the Anticancer Effect of Epirubicin: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Chan Szu-Erh , Lai Hung-Wen , Su Chin-Cheng , Kuo Shou-Jen , Chien Su-Yu , Lin Hui-Yi , Chen Dar-Ren
Published: May 2011

Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) and sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) were found to have protective effects on cardiomyocyte against adriamycin‐induced damage and may be used clinically. It is unclear whether the supplementation of STS or Tan IIA would affect the anticancer activity of anthracycline. To evaluate the effect of Tan IIA or STS on the anticancer of epirubicin, the cell viability, apoptosis, Akt expression, and uptake of epirubicin after supplementation of Tan IIA or STS in the epirubicin‐treated BT‐20 cells were measured and compared. Tan IIA inhibited BT‐20 cell growth and induced apoptosis in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. When Tan IIA was used with epirubicin, an increase of BT‐20 cells apoptosis was accompanied by the decreasing phosphorylation of Akt. STS had no effect on the cell viability of BT‐20 cells. However, when used with epirubicin, STS decreased the epirubicin‐induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in BT‐20 cells. The antagonistic effect of STS on epirubicin‐induced cytotoxicity in BT‐20 cells occurred concomitantly with the reduced epirubicin uptake and the increased phosphorylation of Akt. STS decreased the uptake of epirubicin in BT‐20 cells and blocked epirubicin‐induced apoptosis through activation of Akt.
Safety of Tumescent Liposuction under Local Anesthesia in a Series of 4,380 Patients
Authors: Boeni Roland
Published: May 2011

Background: Liposuction is increasingly performed under local anesthesia and in an outpatient setting. The term ‘tumescent liposuction’ has been used in the literature in patients receiving other forms of anesthesia as well, hence the confusion regarding the safety profile of liposuction performed under local anesthesia alone. Objective: To analyze the safety of tumescent liposuction performed under local anesthesia in a larger group of patients. Methods: Between 2003 and 2010, 4,380 consecutive patients underwent tumescent liposuction by the same surgeon. The occurrence of complications was recorded in detail. Results: There were no serious complications requiring hospitalization. There were no injuries, no nerve damage or permanent lymphedema, no deep venous thrombosis or seroma. Seven patients needed closer follow-up due to large hematoma (n = 3; no drainage needed), allergic drug reaction to doxycycline (n = 2), erysipelas (n = 1) and generalized edema (n = 1). Conclusions: Tumescent liposuction under local anesthesia is a safe method, providing it is performed by an experienced surgeon and the guidelines of care for liposuction are strictly followed.
Attention Shift towards Smoking Cues Relates to Severity of Dependence, Smoking Behavior and Breath Carbon Monoxide
Authors: Vollstädt-Klein Sabine , Loeber Sabine , Winter Sebastian , Leménager Tagrid , von der Goltz Christoph , Dinter Christina , Koopmann Anne , Wied Carsten , Winterer Georg , Kiefer Falk
Published: May 2011

The aim of this study was to assess the severity of dependence as a factor affecting the attentional bias of smokers towards smoking-related stimuli and to clarify contradictory results of previous studies. A visual dot probe task was administered to 51 smokers and 41 nonsmokers to assess the attentional bias. Smokers were classified into a group of less severely dependent and a group of more severely dependent smokers according to the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, the number of cigarettes smoked per day or the CO concentration in the expired air. Nicotine craving was assessed as well. The more severely dependent smokers displayed an attentional bias towards smoking-related stimuli, while smokers with less severe nicotine dependence showed a negative attentional bias which was also observed in nonsmokers. A multiple linear regression indicated that CO concentration was the only significant predictor of attentional bias. In the total group of smokers we found a positive association between attentional bias and craving for the rewarding effects of nicotine. Future studies are warranted to further enhance our understanding of factors that affect attentional bias as appetitive responses towards smoking-related stimuli might be an important target for therapeutic interventions.
Predictors of Bleeding and Time Dependence of Association of Bleeding With Mortality
Authors: Hochholzer Willibald , Wiviott Stephen D. , Antman Elliott M. , Contant Charles F. , Guo Jianping , Giugliano Robert P. , Dalby Anthony J. , Montalescot Gilles , Braunwald Eugene
Published: May 2011

Background—

The balance between benefit (ischemia protection) and risk (bleeding) is a key consideration in choosing the intensity of antiplatelet therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes. The goals of this analysis were to identify baseline characteristics that independently predict bleeding and to determine how bleeding events impact the subsequent mortality in the Trial to Assess Improvement in Therapeutic Outcomes by Optimizing Platelet Inhibition With Prasugrel—Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 38 (TRITON-TIMI 38).

Methods and Results—

Multivariable Cox regression analyses adjusted for treatment, baseline, and procedural variables were used to determine the predictors for serious (TIMI major or minor) bleeding. To analyze the hazard ratio and time dependency of bleeding on mortality, we used iterative day-to-day landmark analyses after the bleed. From the 13 420 patients with acute coronary syndromes included in this analysis, 534 (4.0%) experienced a serious bleeding event. Variables with the highest strength of association with risk of serious bleeding were female sex, use of a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, duration of intervention, age, assignment to prasugrel, regional characteristics, admission diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction, femoral access for angiography, creatinine clearance, hypercholesterolemia, and arterial hypertension. Serious bleeding was associated with a significantly increased adjusted hazard ratio of 5.84 (95% confidence interval 4.11 to 8.29) for mortality. However, the hazard ratio did not differ statistically from baseline risk by 40 days after the bleeding event.

Conclusions—

The major predictors of serious bleeding were a combination of patient and procedural characteristics and antiplatelet therapies. Although serious bleeding was strongly associated with mortality within the first month of the bleeding event, this association was not significant beyond 40 days.

Clinical Trial Registration Information—

http://www.clinicaltrial.gov
. Unique identifier NCT00097591.
Phosphorylation of Vasodilator-Stimulated Phosphoprotein Prevents Platelet-Neutrophil Complex Formation and Dampens Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Köhler David , Straub Andreas , Weissmüller Thomas , Faigle Marion , Bender Sarah , Lehmann Rainer , Wendel Hans-Peter , Kurz Julia , Walter Ulrich , Zacharowski Kai , Rosenberger Peter
Published: May 2011

Background—

Recent work has suggested that the formation of platelet-neutrophil complexes (PNCs) aggravates the severity of inflammatory tissue injury. Given the importance of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) for platelet function, we pursued the role of VASP on the formation of PNCs and its impact on the extent of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury.

Methods and Results—

In initial in vitro studies we found that neutrophils facilitated the movement of platelets across endothelial monolayers. Phosphorylation of VASP reduced the formation of PNCs and transendothelial movement of PNCs. During myocardial IR injury,
VASP
−/−
animals demonstrated reduced intravascular formation of PNCs and reduced presence of PNCs within the ischemic myocardial tissue. This was associated with reduced IR injury. Studies using platelet transfer and bone marrow chimeric animals showed that hematopoietic VASP expression was crucial for the intravascular formation of PNCs the presence of PNCs within ischemic myocardial tissue and the extent of myocardial IR injury. Furthermore, phosphorylation of VASP on Ser
153
or Ser
235
reduced intravascular PNC formation and presence of PNCs within ischemic myocardial tissue. This finding was associated with reduced myocardial IR injury.

Conclusion—

Previously unappreciated, the phosphorylation of VASP performs a key function for the formation of PNCs that is crucially important for the extent of myocardial IR injury.
More Than Meets the Eye: Morandi’s Art and Analytic Listening
Authors: Miller J. David
Published: May 2011

This study of Giorgio Morandi, the great twentieth-century Italian painter, departs from the model of Freud’s essay on Leonardo, in which he creates a psychodynamic hypothesis by linking the art with facts and conjecture about the artist’s life. Because personal information about Morandi is remarkably scarce, we can make few connections between his art and his individual psychology. But Morandi’s works can inform psychoanalysis and enhance analytic listening when we reflect on the paintings themselves, our responses to them, and the responses of art critics. This approach to his art evokes core principles of clinical theory, demonstrates the overlap between the creative process in art and analysis, and exemplifies the value of interdisciplinary study for analytic education.
More Than Enough Guilt to Go Around: Oedipal Guilt, Survival Guilt, Separation Guilt
Authors: Erreich Anne
Published: May 2011

The concepts of oedipal guilt, survivor guilt, and separation guilt are examined using clinical material from a child case to demonstrate the intermingling of these constructs. A brief review of their evolution in the psychoanalytic literature reveals a frequent conflation of the terms guilt and fear, the former at times standing in for both meanings. The fear/guilt distinction and the subsequent differentiation of guilt into oedipal, survivor, and separation guilt have implications for how analysts understand and interpret particular kinds of clinical material. Two sets of adult clinical data are next presented: the first illustrates a shift from interpreting a patient’s fear of retribution for forbidden desires to interpreting guilt over pursuing those desires. The second vignette illustrates a common dynamic in which a patient’s fear/anxiety regarding the ability to lead an independent life defends against deeper feelings of guilt over this same desire. This latter dynamic can play an important role in negative therapeutic reactions and interminable analyses. Developmental research suggests that toward the end of the first year of life, infants’ capacity to attribute independent mental states and intentionality to self and others allows for the rudimentary experience of guilt.
Labour Mobility and Housing
Authors: Lux Martin , Sunega Petr
Published: May 2011

This article examines whether housing tenure and regional differences in housing affordability have an impact on labour mobility. This relationship is important for understanding the sources of structural unemployment and impediments to economic growth. Using two sample surveys from the Czech Republic, this research reveals that at the individual level housing tenure is the most powerful factor determining willingness to change residence for employment reasons. A time-series regression analysis reveals that the impact of housing affordability on observed interregional migration patterns is relatively weak and that this effect is concentrated among the highly educated seeking employment in the capital, Prague. These results demonstrate that housing tenure has a significant impact on labour migration plans in case of unemployment and that the dynamic impact of regional differences in housing affordability on labour mobility is concentrated within the most highly skilled segment of the labour force.
Underemployment in a gender-segregated labour market
Authors: Kjeldstad Randi , Nymoen Erik H
Published: May 2011

This article analyses factors behind underemployment in Norway, with a focus on gender. The analysis, based on Labour Force Survey data, shows that economic fluctuations during the latest decade and a half have brought about changing underemployment levels among both women and men. The Norwegian labour market is strongly gender segregated and the processes and characteristics of underemployment differ between male- and female-dominated labour market sectors. The former sectors are generally more sensitive to economic fluctuations than the latter. It is indicated that underemployed men are predominantly temporarily expelled on a part-time basis from their jobs, while women are to a larger extent permanently excluded from longer working-hour contracts in their jobs.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Career Outcomes
Authors: Bergeron Diane M. , Shipp Abbie J. , Rosen Benson , Furst Stacie A.
Published: May 2011

Existing research suggests that relationships among organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), task performance, and individual career outcomes are necessarily positive. The authors question this assumption and hypothesize that in organizations with outcome-based control systems, time spent on OCB comes at a cost to task performance. Building on this idea, the authors propose not only that time spent on task performance is more important than time spent on OCB in determining career outcomes (i.e., performance evaluation, salary increase, advancement speed, promotion) in an outcome-based control system but also that time spent on OCB may negatively impact career outcomes. Results based on archival data from 3,680 employees in a professional services firm lend some support for these ideas. Specifically, time spent on task performance was more important than OCB in determining all four career outcomes. Further, controlling for time spent on task performance, employees who spent more time on OCB had lower salary increases and advanced more slowly than employees who spent less time on OCB. These findings suggest that relationships between OCB and outcomes are more complex than originally thought and that boundary conditions may apply to conclusions drawn about the outcomes of OCB.
The utility of the relationship assessment scale in multiple types of relationships
Authors: Renshaw Keith D. , McKnight Patrick , Caska Catherine M. , Blais Rebecca K.
Published: May 2011

Several self-report scales of marital satisfaction exist, but many are too lengthy for research protocols, and none allow for parallel assessment of satisfaction in non-romantic relationships. This paper presents results from the assessment of satisfaction in multiple types of close relationships with slight adaptations to the wording of the seven-item Relationship Assessment Scale. This scale was tested in a series of four research protocols with over 1000 undergraduate students. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, item reliabilities, test—retest reliability, and factorial validity across diverse types of close relationships, with preliminary evidence supporting its convergent and predictive validity as well. These results suggest that the Relationship Assessment Scale can briefly and adequately assess satisfaction in multiple types of relationships.
Cerebellum Enlargement and Corpus Callosum Agenesis: A Longitudinal Case Report
Authors: Pichiecchio Anna , Di Perri Carol , Arnoldi Sergio , Berardinelli Angela , Branca Vincenzo , Balottin Umberto , Bastianello Stefano
Published: May 2011

Macrocerebellum, a neuroradiological and clinical entity of unknown etiology characterized by an isolated, disproportionately large cerebellum, has to date been reported in only a few cases. It has been suggested that the condition could represent a marker for disturbed cerebral development, however, longitudinal reports are lacking. We describe a 19-month-old patient with agenesis of the corpus callosum, who developed enlargement of the cerebellum without clinical signs of cerebellar impairment, a picture that has not been previously described.
The History of Ethical Decision Making in Neonatal Intensive Care
Authors: Placencia Frank X. , McCullough Laurence B.
Published: May 2011

Neonatal ethics has focused on 2 questions: is withholding potentially live-saving treatment from neonates ethically justified? and if so, who has the authority to decide? This article details how these questions developed and provides a description of the possible answers. In the first section, we review a selection of seminal articles by noted authors in the fields of ethics, medicine, and law. The second section provides a detailed account of the development of the Baby Doe Regulations and the impact they had on neonatal ethics, with particular attention to the emergence of the Best Interest Standard as a guideline for decision making. In the last section, we review the landmark position statements by the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP), and the focus on evidence-based decision making. We conclude that forgoing life-saving treatment is ethically justified. However, this requires a rigorous evidence-based process and is limited by the Best Interest Standard. The second question is more difficult to answer, but we feel that in light of legal limitations, physicians acting as both the infant advocate and a proxy for the state, decide what falls in the range of acceptable treatment options, with the parents free to choose within that range.
Preliminary Evidence for Leukocyte Transcriptional Signatures for Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Authors: Werner Jason A. , Schierding William , Dixon David , MacMillan Sandra , Oppedal Douglas , Muenzer Jared , Cobb J. Perren , Checchia Paul A.
Published: May 2011

Objective:

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant contributor to intensive care unit (ICU) morbidity and mortality and presents a significant diagnostic challenge. Our hypothesis was that blood RNA expression profiles can be used to track the response to VAP in children, using the same methods that proved informational in adults.

Design:

A pilot, nonrandomized, repeated measures case-control study of changes in the abundance of total RNA in buffy coat and clinical scores for VAP. Setting: A large, multispecialty university-based pediatric ICU and cardiac ICU.

Patients:

Seven children requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.

Interventions:

Blood samples were drawn at time of enrollment and every 48 hours for a maximum of 11 samples (21 days). Patients ranged in age from 1 to 18 months (mean 8 months). All patients survived to the end of the study. Of the 7 patients studied, 4 developed VAP.

Measurements and Main Results:

Statistical analysis of the Affymetrix Human Genome Focus GeneChip signal was conducted on normalized expression values of 8793 probe sets using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a false discovery rate of 0.10. The expression patterns of 48 genes appeared to discriminate between the 2 classes of ventilated children: those with and those without pneumonia. Gene expression network analysis revealed several gene ontologies of interest, including cell proliferation, differentiation, growth, and apoptosis, as well as genes not previously implicated in sepsis.

Conclusions:

These preliminary data are the first in critically ill children supporting the hypothesis that there is a detectable VAP signal in gene expression profiles. Larger studies are needed to validate these preliminary findings and test the diagnostic value of longitudinal changes in leukocyte RNA signatures.