bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Left Supraclavicular Spindle Cell Lipoma
Authors: Olaleye Oladejo , Fu Bertram , Moorthy Ram , Lawson Charles , Black Myles , Mitchell David
Published: May 2010

Background. Spindle cell lipoma (SCL) is a benign lipomatous tumour, typically occurring in the posterior neck, shoulder or upper back of elderly males. They compose of fat, CD34 positive spindle cells, and ropey collagen on a myxoid matrix. This case highlights a rare presentation of SCL and the need for pre-operative diagnosis.Case Report. A 63-year-old gentleman presented with a pre-existing left supraclavicular mass that had recently increased in size. FNA and CT Scans were performed and results discussed in the mutidisciplinary team meeting. Excisional biopsy was recommended.Radiology. CT neck showed a left supraclavicular mass of fatty density with fine internal septations. A low-grade liposarcoma could not be excluded.Histopathology. FNA was indeterminate. Histology of specimen showed bland spindle cells with no evidence of malignancy. Immuno-histochemistry showed SCL with CD34 positivity and negative staining on CDK4 and p16.Management. Excision biopsy of the mass was performed which was technically difficult as the mass invaginated around the brachial plexus. The patient recovered well post-operatively with no neurological deficits.Conclusion. Spindle cell lipoma is a rare benign tumour and a pre-operative diagnosis based on the clinical context, imaging and immuno-histochemistry is crucial to management.
Does Information on Systolic and Diastolic Function Improve Prediction of a Cardiovascular Event by Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Arterial Hypertension?
Authors: de Simone Giovanni , Izzo Raffaele , Chinali Marcello , De Marco Marina , Casalnuovo Giuseppina , Rozza Francesco , Girfoglio Daniela , Iovino Gianni Luigi , Trimarco Bruno , De Luca Nicola
Published: May 2010

Left ventricular (LV) mass (LVM) is the most important information requested in hypertensive patients referred for echocardiography. However, LV function also predicts cardiovascular (CV) risk independent of LVM. There is no evidence that addition of LV function significantly improves model prediction of CV risk compared with LVM alone. Thus, composite fatal and nonfatal CV or cerebrovascular events were evaluated in 5380 hypertensive outpatients (2336 women, 298 diabetics, and 1315 obese subjects) without prevalent CV disease (follow-up: 3.5±2.8 years). We compared 5 risk models using Cox regression and adjusting for age and sex: (1) LV mass normalized for height in meters
2.7
(LVMi); (2) LVMi, concentric LV geometry, by relative wall thickness (>0.43), ejection fraction, and transmitral diastolic pattern (by thirtiles of mitral deceleration index); (3) LVMi, LV geometry, midwall shortening, and mitral deceleration index thirtiles; (4) as No. 2 with the addition of left atrial dilatation (>23 mm); and (5) as No. 3 with the addition of left atrial dilatation. Individual hazard functions were compared using receiving operating characteristic curves and
z
statistics. Areas under the curves increased from 0.60 in the model with the sole LVMi to 0.62 in the others (all
P
values for differences were not significant). The additional information on systolic and diastolic function decreased the contribution (Wald statistics) of LVMi in the Cox model without improving the model ability to predict CV risk. We conclude that risk models with inclusion of information on LV geometry and systolic and diastolic function, in addition to LVMi, do not improve the prediction of CV events but rather redistribute the impact of individual predictors within the risk variance.
Advances in Extracting Cloud Composition Information from Spaceborne Infrared Radiances—A Robust Alternative to Brightness Temperatures. Part I: Theory
Authors: Pavolonis Michael J.
Published: May 2010

Infrared measurements can be used to obtain quantitative information on cloud microphysics, including cloud composition (ice, liquid water, ash, dust, etc.), with the advantage that the measurements are independent of solar zenith angle. As such, infrared brightness temperatures (BT) and brightness temperature differences (BTD) have been used extensively in quantitative remote sensing applications for inferring cloud composition. In this study it is shown that BTDs are fundamentally limited and that a more physically based infrared approach can lead to significant increases in sensitivity to cloud microphysics, especially for optically thin clouds. In lieu of BTDs, a derived radiative parameter β, which is directly related to particle size, habit, and composition, is used. Although the concept of effective absorption optical depth ratios β has been around since the mid-1980s, this is the first study to explore the use of β for inferring cloud composition in the total absence of cloud vertical boundary information. The results showed that, even in the absence of cloud vertical boundary information, one could significantly increase the sensitivity to cloud microphysics by converting the measured radiances to effective emissivity and constructing effective absorption optical depth ratios from a pair of spectral emissivities in the 8–12-μm “window.” This increase in sensitivity to cloud microphysics is relative to BTDs constructed from the same spectral pairs. In this article, the focus is on describing the physical concepts (which can be applied to narrowband or hyperspectral infrared measurements) used in constructing the β data space.
Convective Snowbands Downstream of the Rocky Mountains in an Environment with Conditional, Dry Symmetric, and Inertial Instabilities
Authors: Schumacher Russ S. , Schultz David M. , Knox John A.
Published: May 2010

Convective snowbands moved slowly over Wyoming and northern Colorado on 16–17 February 2007 and produced up to 71 mm (2.8 in.) of snow that was unpredicted by operational numerical weather prediction models and human forecasters. The northwest–southeast-oriented bands lasted for over 6 h, comprising both a single major band (more than 30 km wide) and multiple minor bands (about 10 km wide). The convective bands initiated within the ascending branch of a secondary circulation associated with both near-surface and elevated frontogenesis, but the bands remained nearly stationary while the near-surface frontogenesis moved quickly equatorward. The bands occurred downstream of complex terrain on the anticyclonic-shear side of a midlevel jet streak, where conditional, dry symmetric (negative potential vorticity), and inertial (negative absolute vorticity) instabilities were present.

To determine the mechanisms responsible for the development and organization of these bands, simulations using a convection-permitting numerical model are conducted. In contrast to the operational models, these simulations are able to produce convective bands in the same area and at about the same time as that observed. The simulated bands occurred in an environment with a nearly well-mixed, baroclinic boundary layer, positive convective available potential energy, and widespread negative potential vorticity. Individual bands initiated on the low-momentum side of vorticity banners downstream of mountains, and in association with frontogenetical ascent along two baroclinic zones. In addition, ascent caused by both frontogenesis and banded moist convection produced additional narrow regions of negative vorticity by transporting low-momentum air upward and creating strong horizontal gradients in wind speed. This event is similar to other observed instances of banded convection in the western United States on the anticyclonic-shear side of strong mid- and upper-tropospheric jets in environments lacking large-scale saturation. In contrast, these events differ from previously published banded precipitation events in the comma head of extratropical cyclones and downstream of mountains where large-scale saturation is present.
Dynamical Core of an Atmospheric General Circulation Model on a Yin–Yang Grid
Authors: Baba Yuya , Takahashi Keiko , Sugimura Takeshi , Goto Koji
Published: May 2010

The three-dimensional dynamical core of an atmospheric general circulation model employing Yin–Yang grid is developed and examined. Benchmark test cases based on the shallow-water model configuration are first performed to examine the validity of two-dimensional calculations. The experiments show that the model simulates reasonable flow fields with second-order accuracy. The model validation is then extended to three-dimensional features where the capability of the dynamical core on the Yin–Yang grid has not been tested before: the global mountain gravity wave, long-term integration, and life cycle experiments. The simulated flow fields are in good agreement with the results of original experiments in all three experiments. The sensitivity of the model flow field to the overset region is also tested. The experiments reveal that the presence of the overset region does not significantly affect the dynamics on both long and short time scales, if the number of overset grids is fixed to three and the high-order interpolation method is applied for data interpolation between the Yin–Yang grids.
Aortic Atherosclerosis Predicts the Extent and Severity of Coronary Atherosclerosis Detected by Multidetector Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography
Authors: Yorgun Hikmet , Hazırolan Tuncay , Kaya Ergün Barış , Canpolat Uğur , Sunman Hamza , Ertuğrul Özgür , Ateş Ahmet Hakan , Aksoy Hakan , Aytemir Kudret , Tokgözoğlu Lale , Kabakçı Giray , Oto Ali
Published: May 2010

We investigated the association between atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta and the severity and extent of coronary atherosclerosis detected by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography. In 122 patients, atherosclerotic plaque was scored from 0 to 4 points by the percentage of the luminal surface at the cross-sectional area of proximal, mid, and distal segments of the descending aorta. Critical coronary atherosclerosis was defined as lesions causing >50% luminal narrowing. Atherosclerotic plaque score of the descending aorta was associated with the severity (noncritical: 2.95 ± 1.45 vs critical: 4.09 ± 2.25, P < .001) and extent of coronary atherosclerosis (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < .005). Logistic regression revealed that aortic plaque score was as an independent risk factor associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.01-1.73, P <.05). Atherosclerotic plaque burden of the descending aorta was associated with the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.
To Dismiss “The Received View”
Authors: Agassi Joseph
Published: May 2010

This volume is a historical anthology of interesting views on science from antiquity to the twentieth century plus a defensive anthology of logical positivism, whose legacy deserves better: clear-eyed assessment and then putting to rest.
Blockade of mGLUR5 receptors differentially alters amphetamine-induced enhancement of locomotor activity and of brain stimulation reward
Authors: Gormley Stéphanie , Rompré Pierre-Paul
Published: May 2010

This study was aimed at determining the role of mGLUR5 glutamate receptors on amphetamine-induced enhancement of locomotion and of brain stimulation reward (BSR). The effect of different doses of the mGLUR5 antagonist, MPEP (0, 1, 3 and 9 mg/kg, i.p.), was assessed on reward induced by electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus, and on the enhancement of reward by amphetamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) in adult male Long Evans rats. The effect of a single dose of MPEP (0 and 9 mg/kg) on amphetamine-induced increase in locomotor activity was also assessed. Systemic injection of MPEP alone did not alter reward threshold and maximum rate of responding. Amphetamine produced a 25–30% decrease in reward threshold, an effect not altered by the highest dose of MPEP. At this dose, MPEP produced a weak inhibition of spontaneous locomotion and a significant attenuation of the enhanced locomotor activity induced by amphetamine. These findings show that mGLUR5 glutamate receptors are unlikely to constitute important elements of the reward-relevant pathway, and do not intervene in the enhancement effect of amphetamine. They also show, however, that these glutamate receptors play a key role in amphetamine-induced increased locomotor activity, providing additional evidence for a dissociation between the substrates that mediate these two behaviours.
Country Differences in Sustainable Consumption: The Case of Organic Food
Authors: Thøgersen John
Published: May 2010

In a sustainability perspective, consumption research has an unfortunate individualizing bias, which means that macro and structural causes of unsustainable consumption tend to be ignored. Hence, a comprehensive model of determinants of the sustainability of consumption is developed and applied on a specific case: organic food consumption. The analyzed data are published research on why consumer purchase of organic food products differs between countries. As expected, organic food’s share of total food consumption depends heavily on political regulation, including legal definitions and standards, financial support to farmers, and a national labeling system. Other important structural factors are soil conditions, an effective and efficient distribution system, and the size of the premium price demanded for organic food products. Macro factors such as the food culture and the culture’s level of postmaterialism and environmental concern play an additional role. The evidence suggests that, together, macro and structural factors such as these are more, and probably considerably more, important for the sustainability of food consumption than are individual-level attitudinal variables.
Banana Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites - A Review
Authors: Venkateshwaran N. , Elayaperumal A.
Published: May 2010

This paper presents a summary of research work published in the field of banana fiber reinforced polymer composites with special references to the structure, physical and mechanical properties of the composites.
Physical and mechanical characterizations of oil palm fruit bunch fiber filled polypropylene composites
Authors: Kalam A. , Berhan MN , Ismail H.
Published: May 2010

Pulverized oil palm fruit bunch (OPFB) fiber was used as filler in Polypropylene (PP). Pulverized OPFB was added at various sizes (250 μm, 180 μm, 125 μm, and 100 μm) to study its effect on the physical and mechanical properties of OPFB filled PP. OPFB powder was mixed with polypropylene at 20 wt% and maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) was also added as coupling agent at 2 wt%. Water absorption behavior of composites followed the normal trend where the water uptake increases with the increasing of OPFB size due to its hydrophilic characteristic. The incorporation of OPFB also decreases the thermal stability of composites at initial stage. Tensile and flexural properties were enhanced with the addition of OPFB powder and further increased with the increase of OPFB size. Meanwhile elongation at break and impact strength were decreased with the increase of OPFB size. SEM observation on the fracture surface of tensile, flexural, and impact tested samples provide further understanding on the effect of OPFB as filler in the matrix.
On the Analogy Between Flashover and Thermal Ignition
Authors: Jones J.C.
Published: May 2010

The Forum is intended to provide for dialogue and discussion among fire experts, scientists and consultants. Contributions to The Forum will not be refereed in the conventional sense, but will be subject to review by the Editor or a member of the Journal’s Editorial Board relative to appropriateness, clarity, timeliness, and scope of interest. The Editor will be the sole judge of those contributions to be published. Opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors and not of the Editor or Sage Publications, Ltd.
Molecular Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Mendell Jerry R. , Rodino-Klapac Louise R. , Malik Vinod
Published: May 2010

Since the discovery of the gene for Duchenne muscular dystrophy more than 20 years ago, scientists have worked to apply molecular principles for restoration of the dystrophin protein and correction of the underlying physiologic defect that predisposes muscle fibers to injury. Recent studies provide realistic hope that molecular therapies may help patients who have this disorder. At present, only corticosteroids can improve walking ability and increase quality of life for boys with this disease. The results are modest and encumbered by side effects. The authors review 3 molecular therapeutic approaches that have been introduced into the clinic: (1) gene replacement therapy, (2) mutation suppression, and (3) exon skipping.
Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization Among South Korean College Students: A Focus on Gender and Childhood Maltreatment
Authors: Gover Angela R. , Park MiRang , Tomsich Elizabeth A. , Jennings Wesley G.
Published: May 2010

Unlike the attention given to intimate partner violence among adolescents and young adults in western societies, dating violence is not currently recognized in South Korea as a social phenomenon in terms of research, prevention, and intervention. Childhood maltreatment has been identified in previous research as a risk factor for violence in a later dating relationship. This study examines the relationship between childhood maltreatment and physical and psychological dating violence perpetration and victimization among 1,399 college students in South Korea, with a specific focus on gender. Poisson regression models and tests of equivalent parameters were conducted to determine whether the observed relationships were invariant across gender. Findings indicated that childhood maltreatment is a consistent predictor of involvement in dating relationships characterized by violence for males and females. The implications of the current research within a cultural context are discussed.
Linking Burglary and Target Hardening at the Property Level: New Insights Into Victimization and Burglary Protection
Authors: Hirschfield Alex , Newton Andrew , Rogerson Michelle
Published: May 2010

This article draws on a recent study that examined the impact of target hardening on domestic burglary in the City of Liverpool, England, between July 2005 and December 2007. Individual property-level data, from a range of sources, were collated for each residential property in the City enabling details about burglaries (timing, location, modus operandi) to be linked to data on the nature, timing, and location of target-hardening activity. Properties were grouped according to the presence or absence of burglary and/or target hardening at each address and the sequence of events. Groups included properties burgled, target hardened, and not subsequently burgled; no prior burglary, target hardened, subsequent burglary; burgled, never target hardened, and other combinations.The results suggest that property-level data give a richer picture of the relationship between burglary and target hardening than is possible using aggregate data at an area level.
A Problem of Fit: Extreme Delinquents, Blended Sentencing, and the Determinants of Continued Adult Sanctions
Authors: Trulson Chad R. , Caudill Jonathan W. , Belshaw Scott H. , DeLisi Matt
Published: May 2010

One of the most significant changes to juvenile justice processing in recent decades has been blended sentencing. Unlike traditional juvenile court or adult court waiver processes, blended sentencing statutes provide authority to juvenile or adult court judges to sanction delinquent offenders with juvenile and adult dispositions. Although state variations abound, most blended sentencing schemes feature a fail-safe postadjudication stage where decisions are made to suspend or invoke the adult portion of the original blended sentence. Based on data from 1,504 serious and violent male delinquents sanctioned via a blended sentencing statute, this study explored the relationship of a battery of delinquent background, commitment offense, and postadjudication institutional misconduct variables on decisions to invoke or suspend the adult portion of a blended sentence. Results of the analysis revealed that commitment offense type, age at commitment and, to a lesser extent, institutional misconduct behavior weighed most heavily in decisions to invoke the adult portion of the blended sentence.
Making Meaning of Traumatic Events: Youths’ Strategies for Processing Childhood Sexual Abuse are Associated With Psychosocial Adjustment
Authors: Simon Valerie A. , Feiring Candice , Kobielski McElroy Sarah
Published: May 2010

The need to make meaning of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is common and often persists long after the abuse ends. Although believed to be essential for healthy recovery, there is a paucity of research on how youth process their CSA experiences. The current study identified individual differences in the ways youth process their CSA and examined associations with psychosocial adjustment. A sample of 108 youth with confirmed abuse histories enrolled in the study within 8 weeks of abuse discovery, when they were between 8 and 15 years old. Six years later, they participated in interviews about their CSA experiences, reactions, and perceived effects. Using a coding system developed for this study, youths’ CSA narratives were reliably classified with one of three processing strategies: Constructive (13.9%), Absorbed (50%), or Avoidant (36.1%). Absorbed youth reported the highest levels of psychopathological symptoms, sexual problems, and abuse-specific stigmatization, whereas Constructive youth tended to report the fewest problems. Avoidant youth showed significantly more problems than Constructive youth in some but not all areas. Interventions that build healthy processing skills may promote positive recovery by providing tools for constructing adaptive meanings of the abuse, both in its immediate aftermath and over time.
The Interface Work of Narrative
Authors: Cross Beth
Published: May 2010

The article explores further Lyra (1999) and Hermans’ (1999, 2001a, 2001b) glossing of complexity terminology within analysis of identity formation, taking a particular interest in differing uses of narrative within identity negotiations. Lyra (1999) draws attention to the importance of using an extended time frame to assess the power dynamics involved within any communicative exchange. The fragments of speech often under consideration in academic texts often preclude an appreciation of such groundwork. This article looks at a group discussion in terms of preceding ethnographic material that contextualises it within a larger socio-educational history. A mapping methodology first traces the power dynamics and different moments of dialogical activity (Lyra, 1999) across the discussion and then details the stances depicted within narratives which have a correspondence to Hermans’ (2001a, 2001b) I-stances. Initially, condensed narratives confirm each other. Subsequently, partial versions of narratives voice divergence. Boje’s (2007) concept of ante-narratives aids the analysis of these latter discursive moves and their role as exploratory devices for considering possible future identity strategies. Taken together these maps contribute to an understanding of selves as dynamic systems (Lyra, 2007, p. 180) tasked with creating coherency and yet responding creatively to uncertainty (Hermans, 2001a).
Commentary: Framing Sympathy
Authors: Innis Robert E.
Published: May 2010

The expression of emotion takes many forms and their linguistic expression is one of the key ways they are articulated. The study of the semantic fields in which the expression of emotion takes place is in need of an appropriate methodology and a sufficiently broad set of examples. Anna Gladkova’s attempt to use the methodology of Natural Semantic Metalanguage to explore the semantics of certain emotion terms in English and Russian is examined and evaluated in light of certain philosophical and semiotic categories and considerations. Of principal interest is the bearing of the work of C.S. Peirce and John Dewey, from the American pragmatist tradition, and of Karl Bühler, from the psychological tradition, on such a methodology. It appears that the expression of emotion in language is embedded in multiple fields of rather different types and performs different semantic functions. I indicate how this would modify, without reducing the need for, the types of analyses undertaken by Gladkova.
Borderline personality disorder: current drug treatments and future prospects
Authors: Olabi Bayanne , Hall Jeremy
Published: May 2010

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from marked affective disturbance, an unstable sense of self, difficulty in interpersonal relationships and heightened impulsivity, leading to high rates of self-harm and suicide. Patients are often refractory to treatment and are at high risk for acute or dangerous presentations, with a serious impact on mental health services. There has been much debate on the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in treating different facets of the psychopathology of the disorder. Several guidelines recommend the use of antidepressant agents, mood stabilizers for affective dysregulation and impulsive-behavioural dyscontrol, and antipsychotics for cognitive-perceptual symptoms. However, concerns have recently been raised regarding the strength of evidence for these treatment recommendations in BPD. Here, we review the evidence for efficacy of the main psychotropic medications used in BPD, drawing, in particular, on evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses. Overall, meta-analysis provides little evidence to support the use of antidepressant medication in BPD outside episodes of major depression. However, there is evidence for the use of both mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications for the treatment of specific aspects of the disorder. Most existing studies have been conducted on small numbers of patients, and there is a requirement for further large-scale trials to substantiate these findings. In addition, given the limitations of current pharmacological treatment of BPD, there is a pressing need to investigate potential new therapeutic targets, including neuropeptides, such as the opioids and vasopressin, and drugs targeted at ameliorating the biological effects of early life stress.
PGE2 transiently enhances DC expression of CCR7 but inhibits the ability of DCs to produce CCL19 and attract naive T cells
Authors: Muthuswamy Ravikumar , Mueller-Berghaus Jan , Haberkorn Uwe , Reinhart Todd A. , Schadendorf Dirk , Kalinski Pawel
Published: May 2010

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an inflammatory mediator often used to increase CCR7 expression in the dendritic cells (DCs) used as cancer vaccines and to enhance their responsiveness to lymph node–associated chemokines. Here, we show that high surface expression of CCR7 on PGE2-matured DCs is associated with their suppressed production of the endogenous CCR7 ligand, CCL19, and is reversible by exogenous CCL19. In contrast to the PGE2-matured DCs, DCs matured in the presence of toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and interferons produce high levels of both CCL19 and CCR7 mRNA/protein, but show selectively reduced expression of surface CCR7, which is compensated after DC removal from the CCL19-rich maturation environment. In accordance with these findings, PGE2-matured DCs show significantly higher in vitro migratory responsiveness to lymph node–associated chemokines directly after DC generation, but not after additional short-term culture in vitro, nor in vivo in patients injected with 111indium-labeled DCs. The differences in CCL19-producing ability imprinted during DC maturation result in their different abilities to attract CCR7+ naive T cells. Our data help to explain the impact of PGE2 on CCR7 expression in maturing DCs and demonstrate a novel mechanism of regulatory activity of PGE2, mediated by the inhibition of DCs ability to attract naive T cells.
Lack of glucose recycling between endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm underlies cellular dysfunction in glucose-6-phosphatase-β–deficient neutrophils in a congenital neutropenia syndrome
Authors: Jun Hyun Sik , Lee Young Mok , Cheung Yuk Yin , McDermott David H. , Murphy Philip M. , De Ravin Suk See , Mansfield Brian C. , Chou Janice Y.
Published: May 2010

G6PC3 deficiency, characterized by neutropenia and neutrophil dysfunction, is caused by deficiencies in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase-β (G6Pase-β or G6PC3) that converts glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) into glucose, the primary energy source of neutrophils. Enhanced neutrophil ER stress and apoptosis underlie neutropenia in G6PC3 deficiency, but the exact functional role of G6Pase-β in neutrophils remains unknown. We hypothesized that the ER recycles G6Pase-β–generated glucose to the cytoplasm, thus regulating the amount of available cytoplasmic glucose/G6P in neutrophils. Accordingly, a G6Pase-β deficiency would impair glycolysis and hexose monophosphate shunt activities leading to reductions in lactate production, adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) production, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity. Using annexin V–depleted neutrophils, we show that glucose transporter-1 translocation is impaired in neutrophils from G6pc3−/− mice and G6PC3-deficient patients along with impaired glucose uptake in G6pc3−/− neutrophils. Moreover, levels of G6P, lactate, and ATP are markedly lower in murine and human G6PC3-deficient neutrophils, compared with their respective controls. In parallel, the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits and membrane translocation of p47phox are down-regulated in murine and human G6PC3-deficient neutrophils. The results establish that in nonapoptotic neutrophils, G6Pase-β is essential for normal energy homeostasis. A G6Pase-β deficiency prevents recycling of ER glucose to the cytoplasm, leading to neutrophil dysfunction.
Metabolic flexibility revealed in the genome of the cyst-forming α-1 proteobacterium Rhodospirillum centenum
Authors: Lu Yih-Kuang , Marden Jeremiah , Han Mira , Swingley Wesley D , Mastrian Stephen D , Chowdhury Sugata Roy , Hao Jicheng , Helmy Tamer , Kim Sun , Kurdoglu Ahmet A , Matthies Heather J , Rollo David , Stothard Paul , Blankenship Robert E , Bauer Carl E , Touchman Jeffrey W
Published: May 2010

Background

Rhodospirillum centenum is a photosynthetic non-sulfur purple bacterium that favors growth in an anoxygenic, photosynthetic N2-fixing environment. It is emerging as a genetically amenable model organism for molecular genetic analysis of cyst formation, photosynthesis, phototaxis, and cellular development. Here, we present an analysis of the genome of this bacterium.

Results

R. centenum contains a singular circular chromosome of 4,355,548 base pairs in size harboring 4,105 genes. It has an intact Calvin cycle with two forms of Rubisco, as well as a gene encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) for mixotrophic CO2 fixation. This dual carbon-fixation system may be required for regulating internal carbon flux to facilitate bacterial nitrogen assimilation. Enzymatic reactions associated with arsenate and mercuric detoxification are rare or unique compared to other purple bacteria. Among numerous newly identified signal transduction proteins, of particular interest is a putative bacteriophytochrome that is phylogenetically distinct from a previously characterized R. centenum phytochrome, Ppr. Genes encoding proteins involved in chemotaxis as well as a sophisticated dual flagellar system have also been mapped.

Conclusions

Remarkable metabolic versatility and a superior capability for photoautotrophic carbon assimilation is evident in R. centenum.
Energy metabolism of Heliobacterium modesticaldum during phototrophic and chemotrophic growth
Authors: Tang Kuo-Hsiang , Yue Hai , Blankenship Robert E
Published: May 2010

Background

Heliobacterium modesticaldum is a gram-positive nitrogen-fixing phototrophic bacterium that can grow either photoheterotrophically or chemotrophically but not photoautotrophically. Surprisingly, this organism is lacking only one gene for the complete reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle required for autotrophic carbon fixation. Along with the genomic information reported recently, we use multiple experimental approaches in this report to address questions regarding energy metabolic pathways in darkness, CO2 fixation, sugar assimilation and acetate metabolism.

Results

We present the first experimental evidence that D-ribose, D-fructose and D-glucose can be photoassimilated by H. modesticaldum as sole carbon sources in newly developed defined growth medium. Also, we confirm two non-autotrophic CO2-fixation pathways utilized by H. modesticaldum: reactions catalyzed by pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and report acetate excretion during phototrophic and chemotrophic growth. Further, genes responsible for pyruvate fermentation, which provides reducing power for nitrogen assimilation, carbon metabolism and hydrogen production, are either active or up-regulated during chemotrophic growth. The discovery of ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase (FNR) activity in cell extracts provides the reducing power required for carbon and nitrogen metabolisms. Moreover, we show that photosynthetic pigments are produced by H. modesticaldum during the chemotrophic growth, and demonstrate that H. modesticaldum performs nitrogen fixation during both phototrophic and chemotrophic growth.

Conclusion

Collectively, this report represents the first comprehensive studies for energy metabolism in heliobacteria, which have the simplest known photosynthetic machinery among the entire photosynthetic organisms. Additionally, our studies provide new and essential insights, as well as broaden current knowledge, on the energy metabolism of the thermophilic phototrophic bacterium H. modesticaldum during phototrophic and chemotrophic growth.
The development of a 16S rRNA gene based PCR for the identification of Streptococcus pneumoniaeand comparison with four other species specific PCR assays
Authors: El Aila Nabil Abdullah , Emler Stefan , Kaijalainen Tarja , De Baere Thierry , Saerens Bart , Alkan Elife , Deschaght Pieter , Verhelst Rita , Vaneechoutte Mario
Published: May 2010

Background

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most frequently encountered pathogens in humans but its differentiation from closely related but less pathogenic streptococci remains a challenge.

Methods

This report describes a newly-developed PCR assay (Spne-PCR), amplifying a 217 bp product of the 16S rRNA gene of S. pneumoniae, and its performance compared to other genotypic and phenotypic tests.

Results

The new PCR assay designed in this study, proved to be specific at 57°C for S. pneumoniae, not amplifying S. pseudopneumoniae or any other streptococcal strain or any strains from other upper airway pathogenic species. PCR assays (psaA, LytA, ply, spn9802-PCR) were previously described for the specific amplification of S. pneumoniae, but psaA-PCR was the only one found not to cross-react with S. pseudopneumoniae.

Conclusion

Spne-PCR, developed for this study, and psaA-PCR were the only two assays which did not mis-identify S. pseudopneumoniae as S. pneumoniae. Four other PCR assays and the AccuProbe assay were unable to distinguish between these species.
Human immunodeficiency virus type I-specific CD8+T cell subset abnormalities in chronic infection persist through effective antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Pohling Julia , Zipperlen Katrin , Hollett Natasha A , Gallant Maureen E , Grant Michael D
Published: May 2010

Background

Effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduces human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, restores CD4+ T lymphocyte counts and greatly reduces the incidence of opportunistic infections. While this demonstrates improved generalized immune function, rapid rebound to pre-treatment viral replication levels following treatment interruption indicates little improvement in immune control of HIV replication. The extent to which HAART can normalize HIV-specific CD8+ T cell function over time in individuals with chronic infection remains an important unresolved issue. In this study, we evaluated the magnitude, general specificity and character of HIV specific CD8+ T cell responses at four time points across 2-9 years in 2 groups of chronically infected individuals separated on the basis of either effective antiretroviral suppression or ongoing replication of HIV.

Methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with overlapping 15mer peptides spanning HIV Gag, Pol, Env and Nef proteins. Cells producing interferon-γ (IFN-γ) or interleukin-2 (IL-2) were enumerated by ELISPOT and phenotyped by flow cytometry.

Results and Conclusions

The magnitude of the HIV-specific CD8+ T cell response ranged from < .01 to approximately 1.0% of PBMC and was significantly greater in the group with detectable viral replication. Stronger responses reflected higher numbers of CD8+CD45RA- effector memory cells producing IFN-γ, but not IL-2. Magnitude, general specificity and character of the HIV-specific CD8+ T cell response changed little over the study period. While antiretroviral suppression of HIV in chronic infection reduces HIV-specific CD8+ T cell response magnitude in the short term, it had no significant effect on response character over periods up to 9 years.
Pretreatment malnutrition and quality of life - association with prolonged length of hospital stay among patients with gynecological cancer: a cohort study
Authors: Laky Brenda , Janda Monika , Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan Srinivas , Cleghorn Geoffrey , Obermair Andreas
Published: May 2010

Background

Length of hospital stay (LOS) is a surrogate marker for patients' well-being during hospital treatment and is associated with health care costs. Identifying pretreatment factors associated with LOS in surgical patients may enable early intervention in order to reduce postoperative LOS.

Methods

This cohort study enrolled 157 patients with suspected or proven gynecological cancer at a tertiary cancer centre (2004-2006). Before commencing treatment, the scored Patient Generated - Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) measuring nutritional status and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale measuring quality of life (QOL) were completed. Clinical and demographic patient characteristics were prospectively obtained. Patients were grouped into those with prolonged LOS if their hospital stay was greater than the median LOS and those with average or below average LOS.

Results

Patients' mean age was 58 years (SD 14 years). Preoperatively, 81 (52%) patients presented with suspected benign disease/pelvic mass, 23 (15%) with suspected advanced ovarian cancer, 36 (23%) patients with suspected endometrial and 17 (11%) with cervical cancer, respectively. In univariate models prolonged LOS was associated with low serum albumin or hemoglobin, malnutrition (PG-SGA score and PG-SGA group B or C), low pretreatment FACT-G score, and suspected diagnosis of cancer. In multivariable models, PG-SGA group B or C, FACT-G score and suspected diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer independently predicted LOS.

Conclusions

Malnutrition, low quality of life scores and being diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer are the major determinants of prolonged LOS amongst gynecological cancer patients. Interventions addressing malnutrition and poor QOL may decrease LOS in gynecological cancer patients.
A survey of visual function in an Austrian population of school-age children with reading and writing difficulties
Authors: Dusek Wolfgang , Pierscionek Barbara K , McClelland Julie F
Published: May 2010

Background

To describe and compare visual function measures of two groups of school age children (6-14 years of age) attending a specialist eyecare practice in Austria; one group referred to the practice from educational assessment centres diagnosed with reading and writing difficulties and the other, a clinical age-matched control group.

Methods

Retrospective clinical data from one group of subjects with reading difficulties (n = 825) and a clinical control group of subjects (n = 328) were examined.

Statistical analysis was performed to determine whether any differences existed between visual function measures from each group (refractive error, visual acuity, binocular status, accommodative function and reading speed and accuracy).

Results

Statistical analysis using one way ANOVA demonstrated no differences between the two groups in terms of refractive error and the size or direction of heterophoria at distance (p > 0.05). Using predominately one way ANOVA and chi-square analyses, those subjects in the referred group were statistically more likely to have poorer distance visual acuity, an exophoric deviation at near, a lower amplitude of accommodation, reduced accommodative facility, reduced vergence facility, a reduced near point of convergence, a lower AC/A ratio and a slower reading speed than those in the clinical control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

This study highlights the high proportions of visual function anomalies in a group of children with reading difficulties in an Austrian population. It confirms the importance of a full assessment of binocular visual status in order to detect and remedy these deficits in order to prevent the visual problems continuing to impact upon educational development.
Excessive TV viewing and cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents. The AVENA cross-sectional study
Authors: Martinez-Gomez David , Rey-López J Pablo , Chillón Palma , Gómez-Martínez Sonia , Vicente-Rodríguez Germán , Martín-Matillas Miguel , Garcia-Fuentes Miguel , Delgado Manuel , Moreno Luis A , Veiga Oscar L , Eisenmann Joey C , Marcos Ascension ,   AVENA Study Group
Published: May 2010

Background

Excessive television (TV) viewing might play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to examine the independent associations between TV viewing and CVD risk factors in adolescents.

Methods

A sample of 425 adolescents, aged 13- to 18.5-year-old, was included in this study. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo) A-1, apo B-100, and lipoprotein(a) levels were determined. A composite CVD risk score was computed based on age-, sex-, sexual maturation- and race-standardized triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and glucose. TV viewing was self-reported.

Results

Two hundred and twenty-five adolescents (53%) who spent >3 hrs/day watching TV were considered as the "high TV viewing" group. Ninety-nine adolescents (23%) from the total sample were classified as overweight according to International age- and sex-specific BMI values. The high TV viewing group had significantly less favorable values of HDL-cholesterol, glucose, apo A1 and CVD score, independent of age, sex, sexual maturation, race and weight status. There was a significant interaction effect of TV viewing × weight status (P = 0.002) on WC, and the negative influence of TV viewing on WC persisted in the overweight group (P = 0.031) but was attenuated in non-overweight adolescents (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Excessive TV viewing seems to be related to an unfavorable CVD risk factors profile in adolescence. Reducing TV viewing in overweight adolescents might be beneficial to decrease abdominal body fat.
Critical Aspects of the History of Occupational Asthma
Authors: Tarlo Susan M.
Published: May 2010

The medical history is the gateway to the diagnosis of occupational asthma. The medical history should indicate whether a patient's asthma began during a work period and whether the asthma worsens during work periods or improves on days when the patient is off work or on holidays. A suspicion of sensitizer-induced occupational asthma will increase if the patient was exposed to a recognized respiratory sensitizer in the workplace at the time of the onset of symptoms or if the patient had associated symptoms of allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. A history of accidental high respiratory irritant exposure shortly before the initial onset of symptoms would raise the possibility of irritant-induced occupational asthma. Although such features of the history are sensitive indicators of occupational asthma, they are not specific and should therefore be followed by further investigations to confirm the diagnosis of asthma and its relation to the workplace exposure. The earlier the diagnosis is suspected and investigated, the better the outcome is likely to be for the patient.
Local Nasal Specific Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Passalacqua Giovanni , Canonica Giorgio Walter
Published: May 2010

The possibility of producing local hyposensitization by administering allergens via mucosal routes was envisaged at the beginning of 1900, and local nasal immunotherapy has been extensively studied since the 1970s. Presently, there are 21 randomized controlled trials being conducted with the most common allergens, consistently showing the clinical efficacy of local nasal immunotherapy for rhinitis. Other advantages are that it has an optimal safety profile and can be self-administered at home by the patient. Moreover, there are several data from animal models and from humans that confirm the immunomodulatory effect of intranasally administered antigens. On the other hand, local nasal immunotherapy seems to be effective only on rhinitis symptoms and requires a particular technique of administration. For these reasons, its clinical use is progressively declining in favour of the sublingual route although nasal immunotherapy is validated in official documents and remains a viable alternative to injection.
Coaggregation of FcεRI with FcγRIIB Inhibits Degranulation but Not Induction of Bcl-2 Family Members A1 and Bim in Mast Cells
Authors: Ekoff Maria , Möller Christine , Xiang Zou , Nilsson Gunnar
Published: May 2010

The aggregation of high-affinity immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptors (FcεRI) on mast cells is a critical event in the initiation of an allergic reaction. Coengagement of FcεRI with immunoglobulin G (IgG) low-affinity receptor FcγRIIB/CD32 inhibits degranulation and the release of inflammatory mediators from mast cells and has therefore been proposed as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of allergies. In this study, we investigated whether FcγRIIB, besides inhibiting degranulation, negatively regulates other signalling pathways downstream of FcεRI. For this, we determined the phosphorylation and/or expression of proteins involved in the regulation of mast-cell apoptosis. Coaggregation led to an attenuation of Akt phosphorylation but did not inhibit phosphorylation of transcription factor Foxo3a or its proapoptotic target, Bim. Similarly, FcεRI-dependent expression of the prosurvival gene A1 was not affected by coaggregation. Our data demonstrate that coengagement of FcεRI and FcγRIIB inhibits degranulation but not the signalling pathways regulating Bcl-2 family members Bim and A1.