bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designing a 3D Virtual HRD Environment From a Scholar-Practitioner Perspective
Authors: Short Darren C.
Published: May 2013

The Problem

When the global economy went into recession, many organizations needed to revisit their training investment. In this case study, one organization wanted to retain its emphasis on training without committing to the flight and hotel costs associated with in-person delivery for a globally distributed workforce. The training department therefore looked for a virtual training solution informed by research and theory that could host existing in-person training courses in a virtual environment while also providing a professional experience and high evaluation ratings.

The Solution

The organization selected a 3D virtual world to host a custom-built training environment consisting of an auditorium, a training center, a student center, and interactive displays. Within 5 months, the environment was hosting regular multiday training courses that delivered high evaluation ratings while saving the company just under US$1,000,000 over a 2-year period. The case study describes the environment as well as the lessons learned from the implementation.

The Stakeholders

This article provides scholar-practitioners with an example of how research and theory can inform practice to create a better solution for a real-life organizational problem. It also provides scholar-practitioners with guidance on how to explore 3D virtual worlds for use in their own organizations and in training delivery more widely.
Effects of the Interaction of Caffeine and Water on Voice Performance
Authors: Franca Maria Claudia , Simpson Kenneth O.
Published: May 2013

The objective of this pilot investigation was to study the effects of the interaction of caffeine and water intake on voice as evidenced by acoustic and aerodynamic measures, to determine whether ingestion of 200 mg of caffeine and various levels of water intake have an impact on voice. The participants were 48 females ranging in age from 18 to 35 years who self-reported normal vocal production and were tested following a protocol that included recording weight and height, as well as menstrual cycle phase identification. Results revealed that statistically significant changes were not apparent in any of the voice acoustic or aerodynamic measures across the four groups. These results suggest that 200 mg of caffeine may not degrade vocal acoustics and aerodynamics, and that the interaction of 200 mg of caffeine and water hydration may not lead to statistically significant changes. Further investigation regarding the effects of caffeine and water interaction on voice should examine thresholds of acoustic and aerodynamic measurable responses, particularly by involving increasingly higher levels of caffeine.
Sensory Desensitization Training for Successful Net Application and EEG/ERP Acquisition in Difficult to Test Children
Authors: Roesler Cynthia P. , Flax Judy , MacRoy-Higgins Michelle , Fermano Zena , Morgan-Byrne Julie , Benasich April A.
Published: May 2013

This study examined the effectiveness of sensory desensitization training for 12 nonverbal children with autism to facilitate participation in an electrophysiological study assessing linguistic processing. Sensory desensitization was achieved for 10 of the 12 children and thus allowed collection of usable data in a passive linguistic paradigm. Application of such desensitization methods may be useful as a precursor to other assessment protocols for individuals who are difficult to test.
Supervised defect detection on textile fabrics via optimal Gabor filter
Authors: Jing Junfeng , Yang Panpan , Li Pengfei , Kang Xuejuan
Published: May 2013

An effective defect detection scheme for textile fabrics is designed in this article. Interestingly, this approach is particularly useful for patterned fabric. In the proposed method, firstly, Gabor filter is adjusted to match with the texture information of non-defective fabric image via genetic algorithm. Secondly, adjusted optimal Gabor filter is used for detecting defects on defective fabric images and defective fabric images to be detected have the same texture background with corresponding defect-free fabric images. The significance of the proposed approach lies in selecting Gabor filter parameters with an abundance of choices to build the optimal Gabor filter by means of genetic algorithm and achieving accurate defect detection on patterned fabric. High success rate and accuracy with little computational time online are obtained in the defect detection on fabrics, which indicate that the suggested method can be put to use in practice.
Enter
Authors: Hofsess Brooke A. , Sonenberg Jennifer L.
Published: May 2013

In cowriting this article, we set out to (re)vision qualitative research data. From the domain of “traditional” methods of interviewing, we attempted to slip—differently and productively—away from data conceptualized as stable, knowable, and collectible. Our revisionary approach was to view data as words at play in theory. Deleuze and Guattari’s (1980/1987) logic of the AND encouraged our experimentation, and so paired with their concept of the rhizome, we began to think and do data differently, by mapping connections, movements, and flows of data/words across a visual script: situating data in a dynamic space of multiplicity, unsettling constraints within the discourse of scholarship. We conceptualized ho/rhizoanalysis, rendering the joyful currents of connection and expression that data invites. What can become on the written page is a structure that is both bounded, yet in which, we can still play.
Examining an Online Content General Outcome Measure
Authors: Mooney Paul , McCarter Kevin S. , Russo Robert J. , Blackwood Danielle L.
Published: May 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate technical adequacy features of an online adaptation of vocabulary matching known as critical content monitoring. Validity and reliability studies were conducted with a sample of 106 students from one school in fifth-grade science content. Participants were administered 20 parallel forms of the general outcome measure over a 2-week period. Criterion-related validity correlations with a statewide accountability test ranged from .36 to .55 for the 20 parallel forms. A pooled estimate of a common correlation between the state test and the probes was found to be .45. While correlation differences were not found, statistically significant differences in probe mean scores were identified across the body of parallel forms. Student commentary regarding the online assessment process was largely positive. Alternate-form reliability correlations ranged from .21 to .73, with a median correlation of .56. Limitations and implications are addressed.
Molecular dynamics simulation on the tensile behavior of gold nanowires with diameters between 3 and 6 nm
Authors: Wang Weidong , Yi Chenglong , Ma Boyuan
Published: May 2013

Based on the embedded atom method potential, this article presents a molecular dynamics study of gold nanowires with three diameter sizes at a strain rate of 1.4 × 109 s−1 applied in <100> axial orientation. The mechanical properties including Young’s modulus, yielding stresses and yielding strains are computed and compared with available results. The atomic configuration stress–strain curves are given and analyzed in detail. The simulation results show that for the same-length gold nanowires, Young’s modulus and the yielding stress will decrease with the decrease in the diameter size of gold nanowires. Due to surface premelting at room temperature, Young’s modulus of the nanowires with the smallest diameter was about 28.6% smaller than the experimental value of 46.49 GPa. The nanowires displayed crystalline-ordered deformation governed by the formation of a main dislocation plane and the development of subplanes around the main plane. In case of diameters smaller than 5.84 nm, the nanowires experienced a double elastic periods and double plastic periods phenomenon subject to the strain rate and the characteristic size.
Adults with cystic fibrosis – responding to a new ageing population
Authors: Edwards Jill , Clarke Amanda , Greenop Daz
Published: May 2013

Worldwide, the life expectancy of adults with cystic fibrosis has increased substantially over the last two decades and cystic fibrosis can no longer be regarded as a paediatric condition. Adults with cystic fibrosis are becoming a new ageing population and are working, having families of their own and are likely to retire due to old age rather than ill health. Despite this progress, little is known about how people with cystic fibrosis are experiencing ageing with this long-term condition and how prepared they are for older age. This paper highlights the implications that ageing with cystic fibrosis may have for specialist health services and in particular the individual with cystic fibrosis, as well as providing pointers for future research.
Community policing and reassurance: Three studies, one narrative
Authors: Hamilton-Smith Niall , Mackenzie Simon , Henry Alistair , Davidones Catherine
Published: May 2013

Drawing on data from three separate studies of community policing (CP) in Scotland this article identifies common themes in the practice of contemporary CP. First, following in the wake of the global financial crisis, we have an austerity drive with cuts to policing budgets setting the context in which CP practice is now negotiated. Second all three studies evidence an increasingly entrenched performance management framework for policing which exerts pressures on beat officers to depart from established, valued and often ‘unmeasurable’ activities within CP practice. Third, we see the depletion of the traditional ‘tools of the trade’ of CP as new recruits, lacking the skills of the traditional beat officer, are assigned CP functions, while mentoring opportunities for supporting their professional development become increasingly inadequate. Finally, the idea of reassurance as a core policing goal has informed the re-organization of Scotland’s main police forces towards models which purport to increase CP numbers, visibility and public engagement. In the context of the preceding three themes however, these re-inventions of CP have been problematic in various ways: conflicted, superficial and unconnected to developments in policing and procedural justice theory around legitimacy and public confidence. Indeed, we will argue that given the formal increase in public-facing CP numbers across the sites examined here, the procedural justice perspective, with its focus on the quality of police–public encounters, has real potential to enhance the efficacy of CP in Scotland.
Long-term outcome (22–36 years) of silicone lunate arthroplasty for Kienböck’s disease
Authors: Viljakka T. , Tallroth K. , Vastamäki M.
Published: May 2013

Silicone lunate arthroplasty for Kienböck’s disease was abandoned several years ago due to severe silicone cyst formation. We identified 53 patients and retrospectively evaluated short-term radiological and clinical results, as well as long-term radiological outcome, pain relief, range of motion, strength, and functional results, a mean 27 years after surgery. The incidence of silicone cysts was 78%. Twelve implants were removed — three due to implant dislocation and nine due to silicone synovitis — and six wrist joints were fused. Pain on the visual analogue scale averaged 2.2 at rest and 5.4 during heavy exertion. Range of motion of those wrists not fused reached 65% of that of the contralateral wrist, and strength of all wrists reached 72%. Those few patients who developed no silicone cysts by 10 years post-operatively will not form cysts and will retain their satisfactory clinical, functional, and radiological result. These very long-term results confirm that silicone lunate arthroplasty should not be used for Kienböck’s disease.
Bisphosphonate drug holiday: who, when and how long
Authors: Diab Dima L. , Watts Nelson B.
Published: May 2013

Bisphosphonates have been widely used in the treatment of osteoporosis with robust data from numerous placebo-controlled trials demonstrating efficacy in fracture risk reduction over 3–5 years of treatment. Although bisphosphonates are generally safe and well tolerated, concerns have emerged about adverse effects related to long-term use. For most patients with osteoporosis, the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Because these agents accumulate in bone with some persistent antifracture efficacy after therapy is stopped, it is reasonable to consider a ‘drug holiday.’ There is considerable controversy regarding the optimal duration of therapy and the length of the holiday, both of which should be based on individual assessments of risk and benefit.
Latest advances in connective tissue disorders
Authors: Rao Vijay , Bowman Simon
Published: May 2013

The connective tissue disorders comprise a number of related conditions that include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the antiphospholipid (Hughes) syndrome, scleroderma, myositis and Sjögren’s syndrome. They are characterized by autoantibody production and other immune-mediated dysfunction. There are common clinical and serological features with some patients having multiple overlapping connective tissue disorders. The latest advances include new approaches to therapy, including more focused utilization of existing therapies and the introduction of biological therapies in SLE, more precise protocols for assessment of severe disease manifestations such as in interstitial lung disease and pulmonary artery hypertension in scleroderma, new antibodies for disease characterization in myositis and new approaches to patient assessment in Sjögren’s syndrome. B cells have a critical role in most, if not all of these disorders such that B-cell depletion or suppression of B-cell activating cytokines improves disease in many patients. In particular, the introduction of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the CD20 molecule on B cells, into clinical practice for rheumatoid arthritis and B-cell lymphoma has been a key driver of experimental approaches to therapy in connective tissue disorders. Genetic studies also suggest a role for the innate immune system in disease pathogenesis, suggesting further future targets for biological therapies over the next few years.
A review on strontium ranelate long-term antifracture efficacy in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis
Authors: Cianferotti Luisella , D’Asta Federica , Brandi Maria Luisa
Published: May 2013

Osteoporotic fractures are one of the major causes of increased morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women and the overall aging population. One of the major issues in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis is to find a safe and effective treatment in the long term (>3 years) to achieve and maintain a reduction in the risk of fracture. Strontium ranelate (PROTELOS®) is a relatively novel drug, currently approved in Europe for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Strontium ranelate is the first agent of a new therapeutic class in osteoporosis, capable of both promoting bone formation and, to a lesser extent, inhibiting bone resorption. This uncoupling in bone turnover results in a net gain in bone mineral density (BMD), bone quality improvement and reduction in risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, as initially demonstrated in the preplanned long-term registrative trials SOTI (Spinal Osteoporosis Therapeutic Intervention) and TROPOS (Treatment of Peripheral Osteoporosis) at 5 years. Recently, open-label extensions of the SOTI and TROPOS trials up to 8 and, recently, 10 years have confirmed the sustained efficacy of strontium ranelate in increasing BMD, the long-term safety profile and the high compliance to treatment, independently from baseline BMD or other risk factors for osteoporotic fractures. Recent economic impact analyses have proved that long-term treatment with strontium ranelate is highly cost effective, especially in women older than 70 years of age. Histomorphometric analyses in animals and humans participating in the phase III trials have proved that the quality of mineralization is preserved in the long term and bone microarchitecture is ameliorated, with increased bone strength. Thus, strontium ranelate has been confirmed to be an effective compound for the long-term, chronic treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
The continuing relevance of old debates
Authors: Cox Kevin R
Published: May 2013

How carefully my paper was read is in question. Some of the claims made both mystify and dismay. There is also a general bemusement as to why I wanted to reopen this debate but some of the responses suggest that it was indeed needed. Critical realism usefully opened up a number of important methodological issues. These included ones of abstraction, internal relations, emergence and the nature of causation. The Marxist position on these was always quite different and has received very little attention in the geographic literature. The distinctions are reiterated in this response because the critical comments seem to indicate a continuing bafflement. A critique of critical realist research in which the author was involved is then described to demonstrate the difference in approaches to the question of causality. The author rejects the view that these issues should no longer be of interest in human geography.
Who encounters what here?
Authors: D’Souza Radha
Published: May 2013

A distinctive feature of Marxist method is that analysis of ideas and theories go hand in hand with social relations that produce them. The encounter between Critical Realism and Historical Materialism needs to be located in the transformations of capitalism into transnational monopoly finance capitalism in the beginning of the 20th century, a change that Lenin referred to as a new ‘epoch’. The trajectory of Marxism is also subject to historical materialist methods of analysis. Not taking a historical materialist approach to developments within Marxism renders Marxism into an ideology rather than a living guide to emancipatory political action.
Stirrings in the attic
Authors: Samers Michael
Published: May 2013

Kevin Cox’s (2013) analysis of the distinction between historical geographical materialism (HGM) and critical realism (CR) offers a sharp and remarkably timely discussion, despite that the debate between HGM and CR appears to be buried to one degree or another in geography’s philosophical archives. Its timeliness stems from a relative exhaustion with post-structuralism in the 21st century, a continually explicit, or more likely implicit use of CR, and a return to Marxism in especially political ecology. Cox’s (2013) rehearsal of this debate impels us once more to think carefully, for example, about how we “abstract” in our research. While my commentary broadly concurs with Cox’s (2013) analysis of the distinction between HGM and CR and the significance of this debate, I suggest that his analysis would have benefitted from a dialogue with work in human geography over the last decade, which has addressed some thorny ontological and epistemological issues with respect to, let us say, dialectics and the notion of totality. By the same token, his apparent calls for a simple recovery of certain philosophical or methodological elements of HGM warrants further reflection. Nonetheless, I argue in my concluding section that for economic geography, at least, his excavation of the debate is vital insofar as a decade ago, economic geography began to embrace “relationality” as if the whole history of dialectics did not exist. In a similar way, practice-based economic geographies risk marginalizing theory and the problem of abstraction in the social sciences.
Looking forward to new realist debates
Authors: Sayer Andrew
Published: May 2013

This response to Kevin Cox (2013) links questions relating to critical realism to recent debates on assemblage theory in geography. It argues that similar issues about ontology have been raised in the latter’s version of realism, though they have been answered differently. A key difference between the two is assemblage theory’s rejection of internal relations in favour of a more restrictive ontology of universal external relations. I argue that we need to avoid both the totalizing view of the world implied in some of Cox’s (2013) comments and the universal external relations ontology of assemblage theory.
Social media experiments
Authors: Gibson Chris , Gibbs Leah
Published: May 2013

We draw out and seek to build on two key insights in Kitchin et al. (2013), namely the possibilities of social media for transforming knowledge production practices and for generating new spaces of collegiality and communality. Most promising are capacities to shape the terms of academic labour and to disrupt binaries of core/periphery, research/impact and academic/public.
The creation and circulation of public geographies
Authors: Kitchin Rob , Linehan Denis , O’Callaghan Cian , Lawton Philip
Published: May 2013

In response to the commentaries, we discuss further how social media disrupts and remakes the creation and circulation of geographical knowledges and potentially reconfigures the moral economy of the social sciences. In particular, we examine questions of what is meant by public geography, the publics which such geographies serve, alternative and complementary approaches to social media, the politics of authorship within collective blogs, the politics and mechanisms of knowledge circulation, and the extent to which social media has an impact beyond the academy, enacting ‘minimal politics’.
Study of effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on stages of sexual function in Iranian patients with major depressive disorder
Authors: Safa Mitra , Sadr Saeid , Talischi Firouzeh , Ghasem Boroujerdi Fatemeh
Published: May 2013

Objective:

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the world. Lifetime prevalence is 15% among men and 25% among women. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants are often used for depression, with their own side effects. This study was carried out since little information on sexual dysfunction due to these medications is available in Iran.

Methods:

This observational cross-sectional study included 100 patients attending a university or private psychiatry clinic who, after an interview based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition criteria, were considered depressed. These patients had no history of depression, sexual dysfunction or use of psychiatric medications. Sexual functioning of patients was evaluated at the start of the study, and after 2, 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Data were evaluated using SPSS software and t and χ2 tests.

Results:

A total of 75% of patients reported sexual dysfunction: 66.7% of men and 79.7% of women. A total of 74.1% of patients on fluvoxamine, 100% on fluoxetine, 75% on sertraline, 71.4% on citalopram and 100% on paroxetine reported sexual dysfunction. The most frequent sexual dysfunction was difficulty with orgasm, which affected 41.17% of women and 33.33% of men.

Conclusion:

The incidence of sexual dysfunction among users of SSRIs was highest in patients on fluvoxamine, but this was not statistically significant. Minimization of sexual side effects should be an essential consideration when prescribing antidepressants.
Readability of patient information leaflets for urological conditions and treatments
Authors: Hadjipavlou Marios , Khan Shahid , Rane Abhay
Published: May 2013

Objective

Patient information leaflets (PILs) are commonly used to improve the understanding of conditions and treatments. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) is a test used to evaluate the readability of a text with the score corresponding to the grade level of a student in the United States. The objective of our study was to assess the readability of PILs produced by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS), patient.co.uk and the American Urological Association (AUA).

Methods

All PILs from the BAUS and AUA websites and urology-related PILs on the patient.co.uk site were assessed. PILs were individually analysed to derive the word count, number of characters per word and the FKGL (readability score). The mean values from each source were compared.

Results

Patient.co.uk PILs were significantly the most readable on average with an FKGL of 8.09 ( p value < 0.0001). The mean FKGL of PILs by BAUS was 11.61, which was insignificantly lower than that of AUA (mean 11.94; p value 0.059). Overall, only 54 (16.4%) of all 330 PILs had an FKGL less than 10, the readability level for a 15-year-old.

Conclusions

Although PILs produced by these large organisations may be easily readable by well-educated adults, comprehension may be difficult for a significant proportion of the United Kingdom adult population.
The Role of Essential Fatty Acids in Human Health
Authors: Glick Norris R. , Fischer Milton H.
Published: May 2013

Fatty acid research began about 90 years ago but intensified in recent years. Essential fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic) must come from diet. Other fatty acids may come from diet or may be synthesized. Fatty acids are major components of cell membrane structure, modulate gene transcription, function as cytokine precursors, and serve as energy sources in complex, interconnected systems. It is increasingly apparent that dietary fatty acids influence these vital functions and affect human health. While the strongest evidence for influence is found in cardiovascular disease and mental health, many additional conditions are affected. Problematic changes in the fatty acid composition of human diet have also taken place over the last century. This review summarizes current understanding of the pervasive roles of essential fatty acids and their metabolites in human health.
Four Stakeholder’s Perception on Educational Effectiveness of Nigerian Turkish International Colleges
Authors: Aydin Hasan
Published: May 2013

This study examined the perceptions of the efficacy of the Gülen educational initiative and provides an analysis of the educational viability of “Gülen-inspired” schools in Nigeria, which named “Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges (NTICs). This study used a qualitative methodology with case study approach in which 22 individuals participated, among them 3 administrators, 7 Nigerian/Turkish teachers, 8 students, and 4 parents. Interviews were conducted on a one-to-one basis and in small focus groups to elicit the lived experience of people involved with the schools. Data collection consisted beyond the interviews was collected through classroom observations as well. The study finds NTIC schools are successful in promoting academic achievement in an environment that also teaches sound values and acceptance of others through curriculum, school organization, and the quality of the people who work in the schools, people who are hardworking, giving, and dedicated to improving quality of life in Nigeria through education.
Rapid Reduction in HIV Viral Load in Late Pregnancy with Raltegravir
Authors: Cha Agnes , Shaikh Raisa , Williams Shalonda , Berkowitz Leonard L.
Published: May 2013

The use of raltegravir (RAL) is not preferred to prevent perinatal transmission in pregnancy due to lack of safety and pharmacokinetic data in this population. Data have been limited to few case reports of patients who present for treatment late in pregnancy, have multidrug resistance, or have poor adherence, requiring an additional class such as an integrase inhibitor to further lower viral load. This case report describes and supports the initiation of RAL in very late pregnancy (week 33) to rapidly decrease viral load and successfully prevent perinatal transmission. By increasing the efficacy and safety data of RAL use in pregnancy, we believe this report can help provide some guidance on the management of complex cases.
Rotator Cuff Weakness Is Not a Risk Factor for First-Time Anterior Glenohumeral Instability
Authors: Roach Christopher J. , Cameron Kenneth L. , Westrick Richard B. , Posner Matthew A. , Owens Brett D.
Published: May 2013

Background:

Shoulder instability is a common problem in young athletes and can lead to pain and decreased ability to participate in high-level activities. Little is known about the modifiable risk factors for glenohumeral joint instability.

Hypothesis:

Isometric shoulder strength at baseline would be a modifiable risk factor associated with subsequent first-time anterior instability events.

Study Design:

Cohort study.

Methods:

Study participants were freshmen entering the United States Military Academy in June 2006. All participants completed bilateral isometric strength evaluations with a hand-held dynamometer at baseline upon entry into the study. Variables measured included internal and external rotation at 0° (IR0, ER0) and internal and external rotation at 45° of abduction (IR45, ER45). All subjects were followed for subsequent glenohumeral joint instability events until graduation in May 2010. Independent t tests were used to analyze the data.

Results:

Baseline strength data were available for 1316 shoulders with no prior history of instability, of which 26 went on to have an acute first-time anterior shoulder instability event while the individuals were at the academy. There were no significant differences in mean strength between shoulders that did not go on to develop instability (uninjured; n = 1290) and those that did develop anterior instability (injured; n = 26). The mean strength values in pounds of force for uninjured and injured shoulders, respectively, were as follows: IR0 (49.80 vs 49.29; P = .88), ER0 (35.58 vs 33.66; P = .27), IR45 (47.38 vs 46.93; P = .88), and ER45 (40.08 vs 38.98; P = .59).

Conclusion:

No association was found between isometric shoulder strength measures at baseline and subsequent first-time anterior glenohumeral joint instability within the high-risk athletic population studied in this prospective cohort.
Clonal evolution in relapsed NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Krönke Jan , Bullinger Lars , Teleanu Veronica , Tschürtz Florian , Gaidzik Verena I. , Kühn Michael W. M. , Rücker Frank G. , Holzmann Karlheinz , Paschka Peter , Kapp-Schwörer Silke , Späth Daniela , Kindler Thomas , Schittenhelm Marcus , Krauter Jürgen , Ganser Arnold , Göhring Gudrun , Schlegelberger Brigitte , Schlenk Richard F. , Döhner Hartmut , Döhner Konstanze
Published: May 2013

Key Points

Relapsed AML with NPM1 mutation is genetically related to the primary leukemia and characterized by an increase in high-risk aberrations. DNMT3A mutations show the highest stability and thus may precede NPM1 mutations.
Safety and efficacy of imatinib cessation for CML patients with stable undetectable minimal residual disease: results from the TWISTER study
Authors: Ross David M. , Branford Susan , Seymour John F. , Schwarer Anthony P. , Arthur Christopher , Yeung David T. , Dang Phuong , Goyne Jarrad M. , Slader Cassandra , Filshie Robin J. , Mills Anthony K. , Melo Junia V. , White Deborah L. , Grigg Andrew P. , Hughes Timothy P.
Published: May 2013

Key Points

Approximately 40% of patients with undetectable minimal residual disease on imatinib can stop treatment without loss of molecular response. Patients in treatment-free remission still have detectable BCR-ABL DNA several years after stopping imatinib.
Quantity of virulent fowl adenovirus serotype 1 correlates with clinical signs, macroscopical and pathohistological lesions in gizzards following experimental induction of gizzard erosion in broilers
Authors: Grafl Beatrice , Liebhart Dieter , Günes Ayse , Wernsdorf Patricia , Aigner Franz , Bachmeier Josef , Hess Michael
Published: May 2013

In the present study day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) and commercial broilers with maternally derived fowl adenovirus serotype 1 (FAdV-1) antibodies were orally infected with a European “pathogenic” FAdV-1, isolated from broilers showing signs of gizzard erosion. During the experiment, broilers were observed and weighed daily up to 17 days post infection (dpi). Clinically, both infected groups showed significant decrease of weight compared to respective negative control groups. Birds were examined by necropsy at 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 dpi. Pathological changes in the gizzards were noticed in both experimentally infected groups from 7 dpi onwards. Macroscopically, erosion of the koilin layer and inflammation or ulceration of the gizzard mucosa were observed. Histologically, presence of FAdV-1 in intranuclear inclusion bodies of degenerated glandular epithelial cells was demonstrated by in-situ hybridization and inflammatory cell infiltration of the lamina propria, submucosa and muscle layer was detected. Tissue samples were investigated by a recently developed real-time PCR and the viral DNA load was calculated from gizzard, liver, spleen and cloacal swabs with the highest amounts of FAdV-1 DNA found in the gizzard. For the first time, successful reproduction of clinical signs in broilers as well as pathological lesions in the gizzard were achieved with a European FAdV-1 isolate displaying some genetic differences to so far reported virulent FAdV-1 from Japan. Furthermore, highest viral load in gizzards could be linked with macroscopical and histological lesions. Therefore, the conducted analyses provide important insights into the pathogenesis of adenoviral gizzard erosion.
Detection and genotyping of restriction fragment associated polymorphisms in polyploid crops with a pseudo-reference sequence: a case study in allotetraploid Brassica napus
Authors: Chen Xun , Li Xuemin , Zhang Bing , Xu Jinsong , Wu Zhikun , Wang Bo , Li Haitao , Younas Muhammad , Huang Lei , Luo Yingfeng , Wu Jiangsheng , Hu Songnian , Liu Kede
Published: May 2013

Background

The presence of homoeologous sequences and absence of a reference genome sequence make discovery and genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) more challenging in polyploid crops.

Results

To address this challenge, we constructed reduced representation libraries (RRLs) for two Brassica napus inbred lines and their 91 doubled haploid (DH) progenies using a modified ddRADseq technique. A bioinformatics pipeline termed RFAPtools was developed to discover and genotype SNPs and presence/absence variations (PAVs). Using this pipeline, a pseudo-reference sequence (PRF) containing 180,991 sequence tags was constructed. By aligning sequence reads to the pseudo-reference sequence, allelic SNPs as well as PAVs were identified and genotyped with RFAPtools. Two parallel linkage maps, one SNP bin map containing 8,780 SNP loci and one PAV linkage map containing 12,423 dominant loci, were constructed. By aligning marker sequences to B. rapa sequence scaffolds, whose genome is available, we assigned 44 unassembled sequence scaffolds comprising 8.15 Mb onto the B. rapa chromosomes, and also identified 14 instances of misassembly and eight instances of mis-ordering sequence scaffolds.

Conclusions

These results indicate that the modified ddRADseq approach is a cost-effective and simple method to genotype tens of thousands SNPs and PAV markers in a polyploidy plant species. The results also demonstrated that RFAPtools developed in this study are powerful to mine allelic SNPs from homoeologous sequences in polyploids, therefore they are generally applicable in either diploid or polyploid species with or without a reference genome sequence.
Effects of self-care, self-efficacy, social support on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Gao Junling , Wang Jingli , Zheng Pinpin , Haardörfer Regine , Kegler Michelle C , Zhu Yaocheng , Fu Hua
Published: May 2013

Background

A number of studies have examined the influence of self-efficacy, social support and patient-provider communication (PPC) on self-care and glycemic control. Relatively few studies have tested the pathways through which these constructs operate to improve glycemic control, however. We used structural equation modeling to examine a conceptual model that hypothesizes how self-efficacy, social support and patient-provider communication influence glycemic control through self-care behaviors in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 222 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes in one primary care center. We collected information on demographics, self-efficacy, social support, patient-provider communication (PPC) and diabetes self-care. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values were also obtained. Measured variable path analyses were used to determine the predicted pathways linking self-efficacy, social support and PPC to diabetes self-care and glycemic control.

Results

Diabetes self-care had a direct effect on glycemic control (β = −0.21, p = .007), No direct effect was observed for self-efficacy, social support or PPC on glycemic control. There were significant positive direct paths from self-efficacy (β = 0.32, p < .001), social support (β = 0.17, p = .009) and PPC (β = 0.14, p = .029) to diabetes self-care. All of them had an indirect effect on HbA1c (β =–0.06, β =–0.04, β =–0.03 respectively). Additionally, PPC was positively associated with social support (γ = 0.32, p < .001).

Conclusions

Having better provider-patient communication, having social support, and having higher self-efficacy was associated with performing diabetes self-care behaviors; and these behaviors were directly linked to glycemic control. So longitudinal studies are needed to explore the effect of self-efficacy, social support and PPC on changes in diabetes self-care behaviors and glycemic control.
Arterial bleeding during EUS-guided pseudocyst drainage stopped by placement of a covered self-expandable metal stent
Authors: Săftoiu Adrian , Ciobanu Lidia , Seicean Andrada , Tantău Marcel
Published: May 2013

Background

Hemorrhagic complications during EUS-guided pseudocyst drainage can occur, because the vessels on the internal wall of the pseudocyst might be compressed by the fluid and thus not visible on color Doppler or even power Doppler EUS.

Case presentation

We report a case of an immediate internal spurting arterial bleeding precipitated during EUS-guided pseudocyst drainage which stopped instantaneously by placement of a double flanged covered self-expandable metal stent through mechanical hemostasis.

Conclusion

In an unusual situation of bleeding from collateral circulation near the pseudocyst wall during pseudocyst drainage, the placement of an expandable metal stent proved to be useful.
Effect of elective cesarean section on the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus
Authors: Hu Yali , Chen Jie , Wen Jian , Xu Chenyu , Zhang Shu , Xu Biyun , Zhou Yi-Hua
Published: May 2013

Background

Many clinicians and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected pregnant women prefer elective caesarean section (ECS) to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV, since some studies found higher transmission of HBV in infants born by vaginal delivery (VD) than by cesarean section. However, other studies showed that ECS does not reduce the risk of being infected with HBV in infants. In this study, we aimed to clarify whether ECS may reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HBV.

Methods

Totally 546 children (1–7-year-old) born to 544 HBsAg-positive mothers from 15 cities and rural areas across Jiangsu Province, China, were enrolled. Of these children, 137 (2 pairs of twins) were born to HBeAg-positive mothers; 285 were delivered by ECS and 261 others by VD (one pair of twin in each group). HBV serologic markers were tested by enzyme or microparticle immunoassay.

Results

The maternal and gestational ages, maternal HBeAg-positive rates, and children’s ages, gender ratios, hepatitis B vaccine coverage and administrations of HBIG were comparable between ECS and VD groups (all p >0.05). The overall prevalence of HBsAg in the 546 children was 2.4%, with 2.5% (7/285) and 2.3% (6/261) in those born by ECS and VD respectively (p = 0.904). Further comparison of chronic HBV infection in the 137 children of HBeAg-positive mothers showed that the HBsAg-positive rates in ECS and VD groups were 10.3% (7/68) and 8.7% (6/69) respectively (p = 0.750), while the mothers had similar HBV DNA levels (2.38 × 106 vs. 2.35 × 106 IU/ml, p = 0.586). Additionally, the overall rate of anti-HBs ≥10 mIU/ml in the children was 71.6%, with 72.3% and 70.9% in those born by ECS and VD respectively (p = 0.717).

Conclusions

With the recommended immunoprophylaxis against hepatitis B, ECS does not reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HBV. Therefore, ECS should not be used in HBsAg-positive pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV.
A new assay for measuring chromosome instability (CIN) and identification of drugs that elevate CIN in cancer cells
Authors: Lee Hee-Sheung , Lee Nicholas CO , Grimes Brenda R , Samoshkin Alexander , Kononenko Artem V , Bansal Ruchi , Masumoto Hiroshi , Earnshaw William C , Kouprina Natalay , Larionov Vladimir
Published: May 2013

Background

Aneuploidy is a feature of most cancer cells that is often accompanied by an elevated rate of chromosome mis-segregation termed chromosome instability (CIN). While CIN can act as a driver of cancer genome evolution and tumor progression, recent findings point to the existence of a threshold level beyond which CIN becomes a barrier to tumor growth and therefore can be exploited therapeutically. Drugs known to increase CIN beyond the therapeutic threshold are currently few in number, and the clinical promise of targeting the CIN phenotype warrants new screening efforts. However, none of the existing methods, including the in vitro micronuclei (MNi) assay, developed to quantify CIN, is entirely satisfactory.

Methods

We have developed a new assay for measuring CIN. This quantitative assay for chromosome mis-segregation is based on the use of a non-essential human artificial chromosome (HAC) carrying a constitutively expressed EGFP transgene. Thus, cells that inherit the HAC display green fluorescence, while cells lacking the HAC do not. This allows the measurement of HAC loss rate by routine flow cytometry.

Results

Using the HAC-based chromosome loss assay, we have analyzed several well-known anti-mitotic, spindle-targeting compounds, all of which have been reported to induce micronuclei formation and chromosome loss. For each drug, the rate of HAC loss was accurately measured by flow cytometry as a proportion of non-fluorescent cells in the cell population which was verified by FISH analysis. Based on our estimates, despite their similar cytotoxicity, the analyzed drugs affect the rates of HAC mis-segregation during mitotic divisions differently. The highest rate of HAC mis-segregation was observed for the microtubule-stabilizing drugs, taxol and peloruside A.

Conclusion

Thus, this new and simple assay allows for a quick and efficient screen of hundreds of drugs to identify those affecting chromosome mis-segregation. It also allows ranking of compounds with the same or similar mechanism of action based on their effect on the rate of chromosome loss. The identification of new compounds that increase chromosome mis-segregation rates should expedite the development of new therapeutic strategies to target the CIN phenotype in cancer cells.
Levels of S100B are raised in female patients with schizophrenia
Authors: O’Connell Kara , Thakore Jogin , Dev Kumlesh K
Published: May 2013

Background

The neurotrophic factor, S100B, is released primarily from astrocytes, with serum and CSF levels of S100B reported as altered in schizophrenia. However, many of these reports are contradictory. Here, serum levels of S100B in schizophrenia and influence of age, gender, medication and illness severity were examined.

Methods

Serum S100B levels were measured in patients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine. Lifestyle, metabolic and illness severity parameters were correlated with S100B concentrations.

Results

Data showed raised serum levels of S100B in schizophrenia female patients, but not male patients, compared to controls. Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive association between S100B serum concentrations and BMI.

Conclusions

This study supports previous findings that adipocytes may contribute to S100B serum concentrations in females, in addition to astrocytes. This study also supports the hypothesis that metabolic effects of medication, lifestyle choices and the illness itself, may be contributing factors to altered levels of S100B.
Nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives by adolescents: a Brazilian national survey
Authors: Opaleye Emerita S , Noto Ana R , Sanchez Zila M , Amato Tatiana C , Locatelli Danilo P , Gossop Michael , Ferri Cleusa P
Published: May 2013

Background

Although the nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives by adolescents is a cause for concern in many countries, there is a shortage of data from low and middle income countries (LAMIC). The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of nonprescribed use of tranquilizers/sedatives by adolescents in Brazil, and to assess how socioeconomic and demographic circumstances, as well as indicators of access to these substances are associated with their use and with risk perception.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage probability sample of 18131 high school students from public and private schools from all 27 Brazilian state capitals. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to obtain information on social and economic circumstances, nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives and risk perception of their use.

Results

Lifetime nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives was reported by 5% of respondents, more commonly among females (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.75-2.75) and those attending private schools (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.17-1.84). The use of tranquilizers/sedatives by relatives or friends was associated with nonprescribed use by the participant (OR: 4.26, 95% CI: 3.46-5.23) and a majority of lifetime users obtained these substances from a family environment (82%). Previous medical prescription was independently associated with nonprescribed use (OR: 6.61, 95% CI: 4.87-8.98) and with low risk perception (OR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.12-5.24).

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of Brazilian adolescents use nonprescribed tranquilizers/sedatives. Easy access to these substances seems to play an important role in this use and should be tackled by preventive and treatment interventions.