bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Associations between smoking, components of metabolic syndrome and lipoprotein particle size
Authors: Slagter Sandra N , van Vliet-Ostaptchouk Jana V , Vonk Judith M , Boezen H Marike , Dullaart Robin PF , Kobold Anneke C Muller , Feskens Edith J , van Beek André P , van derKlauw Melanie M , Wolffenbuttel Bruce HR
Published: September 2013

Background

The clustering of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors is known as metabolic syndrome (MetS). The risk of having MetS is strongly associated with increased adiposity and can be further modified by smoking behavior. Apolipoproteins (apo) associated with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) may be altered in MetS. This study aimed to examine the association between smoking and the following parameters: MetS and its components, levels of apolipoproteins and estimated lipoprotein particle size, separately for men and women, and in different body mass index (BMI) classes.

Methods

We included 24,389 men and 35,078 women aged between 18 and 80 years who participated in the LifeLines Cohort Study between December 2006 and January 2012; 5,685 men and 6,989 women were current smokers. Participants were categorized into three different body mass index (BMI) classes (BMI <25; BMI 25 to 30; BMI ≥30 kg/m2). MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP:ATPIII) criteria. Blood pressure, anthropometric and lipid measurements were rigorously standardized, and the large sample size enabled a powerful estimate of quantitative changes. The association between smoking and the individual MetS components, and apoA1 and apoB, was tested with linear regression. Logistic regression was used to examine the effect of smoking and daily tobacco smoked on risk of having MetS. All models were age adjusted and stratified by sex and BMI class.

Results

Prevalence of MetS increased with higher BMI levels. A total of 64% of obese men and 42% of obese women had MetS. Current smoking was associated with a higher risk of MetS in both sexes and all BMI classes (odds ratio 1.7 to 2.4 for men, 1.8 to 2.3 for women, all P values <0.001). Current smokers had lower levels of HDL cholesterol and apoA1, higher levels of triglycerides and apoB, and higher waist circumference than non-smokers (all P <0.001). Smoking had no consistent association with blood pressure or fasting blood glucose. In all BMI classes, we found a dose-dependent association of daily tobacco consumption with MetS prevalence as well as with lower levels of HDL cholesterol, higher triglyceride levels and lower ratios of HDL cholesterol/apoA1 and, only in those with BMI <30, LDL cholesterol/apoB (all P <0.001).

Conclusions

Smoking is associated with an increased prevalence of MetS, independent of sex and BMI class. This increased risk is mainly related to lower HDL cholesterol, and higher triglycerides and waist circumference. In addition, smoking was associated with unfavorable changes in apoA1 and apoB, and in lipoprotein particle size.

Please see related commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/196.
A culturally adapted lifestyle intervention addressing a Middle Eastern immigrant population at risk of diabetes, the MEDIM (impact of Migration and Ethnicity on Diabetes In Malmö): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Saha Sanjib , Leijon Matti , Gerdtham Ulf , Sundquist Kristina , Sundquist Jan , Arvidsson Daniel , Bennet Louise
Published: September 2013

Background

Studies have shown that lifestyle interventions are effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients. However, research on the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in high-risk immigrant populations with different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds is scarce. The aim was to design a culturally adapted lifestyle intervention for an immigrant population and to evaluate its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Methods/design

In this randomized controlled trial, 308 participants (born in Iraq, living in Malmö, Sweden and at high risk of type 2 diabetes) will be allocated to either a culturally adapted intervention or a control group. The intervention will consist of 10 group counseling sessions focusing on diet, physical activity and behavioral change over 6 months, and the offer of exercise sessions. Cultural adaptation includes gender-specific exercise sessions, and counseling by a health coach community member. The control group will receive the information about healthy lifestyle habits provided by the primary health care center. The primary outcome is change in fasting glucose level. Secondary outcomes are changes in body mass index, insulin sensitivity, physical activity, food habits and health-related quality of life. Measurements will be taken at baseline, after 3 and 6 months. Data will be analyzed by the intention-to-treat approach. The cost-effectiveness during the trial period and over the longer term will be assessed by simulation modeling from patient, health care and societal perspectives.

Discussion

This study will provide a basis to measure the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention designed for immigrants from the Middle East in terms of improvement in glucose metabolism, and will also assess its cost-effectiveness. Results from this trial may help health care providers and policy makers to adapt and implement lifestyle interventions suitable for this population group that can be conducted in the community.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov,NCT01420198
Tumor volume is an independent prognostic indicator of local control in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy
Authors: Feng Mei , Wang Weidong , Fan Zixuan , Fu Binyu , Li Jie , Zhang Shichuan , Lang Jinyi
Published: September 2013

Background

To retrospectively analyze whether primary tumor volume and primary nodal volume could be considered independent prognostic factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

Methods

Three hundred sixty-three consecutive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who were stage I-IVa+b and treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in our center from October 2003 to October 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. The predictive ability of gender, age, T and N stage, combined chemotherapy, primary tumor and nodal volume for the 5-year local control (LC), distant-metastasis free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) rate were investigated. Primary tumor and nodal volume were measured based on registration of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis, the log-rank test was used for univariate analyses and the Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate prognostic analyses.

Results

The mean value of primary tumor and nodal volume were 31.5 ml and 9.7 ml. The primary tumor and nodal volume were respectively divided into four groups for analysis (primary tumor volume: TV1≤20 ml, 20<TV2≤30 ml, 3040 ml; primay nodal volume: NV1≤5 ml, 5<NV2≤10 ml, 1020 ml). In univariate analysis, the 5-year LC and DMFS rate for TV4 was significantly decreased compared to the other groups (LC: p<0.001, DMFS: p=0.001), the 5-year OS rate for TV3 and TV4 were significantly decreased compared to other two subgroups (p=0.002) and the 5-year regional control (RC), DMFS and OS rate for NV3 and NV4 were significantly less than NV1 and NV2 (RC: p=0.002, DMFS: p=0.01, OS: p=0.014). Multivariate analysis showed that TV>40 ml was an adverse prognostic factor for the 5-year local regional control (LRC) rate (RR 2.454, p=0.002). Primary nodal volume had no statistical significance in predicting 5-year LRC, DMFS and OS rate in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Primary tumor volume could predict LRC rate of NPC patients, and the primary tumor volume of 40 ml may be the cut-off. Primary nodal volume may have predictive significance, but more data are needed. These factors should be considered in the TNM staging system of NPC for better estimates of prognosis.
Healthy ageing and depletion of intracellular glutathione influences T cell membrane thioredoxin-1 levels and cytokine secretion
Authors: Carilho Torrao Rita Barreto Duarte , Dias Irundika HK , Bennett Stuart J , Dunston Christopher R , Griffiths Helen R
Published: September 2013

Background

During ageing an altered redox balance has been observed in both intracellular and extracellular compartments, primarily due to glutathione depletion and metabolic stress. Maintaining redox homeostasis is important for controlling proliferation and apoptosis in response to specific stimuli for a variety of cells. For T cells, the ability to generate specific response to antigen is dependent on the oxidation state of cell surface and cytoplasmic protein-thiols. Intracellular thiols are maintained in their reduced state by a network of redox regulating peptides, proteins and enzymes such as glutathione, thioredoxins and thioredoxin reductase. Here we have investigated whether any relationship exists between age and secreted or cell surface thioredoxin-1, intracellular glutathione concentration and T cell surface thioredoxin 1 (Trx-1) and how this is related to interleukin (IL)-2 production.

Results

Healthy older adults have reduced lymphocyte surface expression and lower circulating plasma Trx-1 concentrations. Using buthionine sulfoximine to deplete intracellular glutathione in Jurkat T cells we show that cell surface Trx-1 is lowered, secretion of Trx-1 is decreased and the response to the lectin phytohaemagglutinin measured as IL-2 production is also affected. These effects are recapitulated by another glutathione depleting agent, diethylmaleate.

Conclusion

Together these data suggest that a relationship exists between the intracellular redox compartment and Trx-1 proteins. Loss of lymphocyte surface Trx-1 may be a useful biomarker of healthy ageing.
Splice variants of zinc finger protein 695 mRNA associated to ovarian cancer
Authors: Juárez-Méndez Sergio , Zentella-Dehesa Alejandro , Villegas-Ruíz Vanessa , Pérez-González Oscar Alberto , Salcedo Mauricio , López-Romero Ricardo , Román-Basaure Edgar , Lazos-Ochoa Minerva , Montes de Oca-Fuentes Víctor Edén , Vázquez-Ortiz Guelaguetza , Moreno José
Published: September 2013

Background

Studies of alternative mRNA splicing (AS) in health and disease have yet to yield the complete picture of protein diversity and its role in physiology and pathology. Some forms of cancer appear to be associated to certain alternative mRNA splice variants, but their role in the cancer development and outcome is unclear.

Methods

We examined AS profiles by means of whole genome exon expression microarrays (Affymetrix GeneChip 1.0) in ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer-derived cell lines, compared to healthy ovarian tissue. Alternatively spliced genes expressed predominantly in ovarian tumors and cell lines were confirmed by RT-PCR.

Results

Among several significantly overexpressed AS genes in malignant ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer cell lines, the most significant one was that of the zinc finger protein ZNF695, with two previously unknown mRNA splice variants identified in ovarian tumors and cell lines. The identity of ZNF695 AS variants was confirmed by cloning and sequencing of the amplicons obtained from ovarian cancer tissue and cell lines.

Conclusions

Alternative ZNF695 mRNA splicing could be a marker of ovarian cancer with possible implications on its pathogenesis.
Global differences in specific histone H3 methylation are associated with overweight and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Jufvas Åsa , Sjödin Simon , Lundqvist Kim , Amin Risul , Vener Alexander V , Strålfors Peter
Published: September 2013

Background

Epidemiological evidence indicates yet unknown epigenetic mechanisms underlying a propensity for overweight and type 2 diabetes. We analyzed the extent of methylation at lysine 4 and lysine 9 of histone H3 in primary human adipocytes from 43 subjects using modification-specific antibodies.

Results

The level of lysine 9 dimethylation was stable, while adipocytes from type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic overweight subjects exhibited about 40% lower levels of lysine 4 dimethylation compared with cells from normal-weight subjects. In contrast, trimethylation at lysine 4 was 40% higher in adipocytes from overweight diabetic subjects compared with normal-weight and overweight non-diabetic subjects. There was no association between level of modification and age of subjects.

Conclusions

The findings define genome-wide molecular modifications of histones in adipocytes that are directly associated with overweight and diabetes, and thus suggest a molecular basis for existing epidemiological evidence of epigenetic inheritance.
Influence of subcutaneous specific immunotherapy on drug costs in children sufferingfrom allergic asthma
Authors: Reinhold Thomas , Ostermann Julia , Thum‐Oltmer Susanne , Brüggenjürgen Bernd
Published: September 2013

Background

Subcutaneous specific immunotherapy (SCIT) is an effective treatment attenuatingthe progression of allergic asthma. To date, there is a lack of studiesinvestigating the economic consequences of SCIT on health care expenditures.

Methods

A health‐economic piggy‐back analysis of SCIT was conducted based on a RCT thatenrolled 65 children and adolescents with allergic asthma. Patients were allocatedinto two groups: A group receiving SCIT with a high‐dose hypoallergenic house dustmite preparation plus asthma medication and a control group receiving only asthmamedication. For both groups asthma control was achieved before the start of the SCIT treatment and was maintained during the study. Both, costs andcost‐effectiveness of SCIT with the high‐dose hypoallergenic house dust mitepreparation were investigated based on total medication costs, incrementalmedication costs and treatment effects (measured as lung function), respectively. A bootstrap analysis was performed to validate the results.

Results

A steady decline in medication costs could be observed in the SCIT group one yearafter treatment start compared to the control group. This cost trend becamestatistically significant 3 years after SCIT started. The calculated potentialsavings in the SCIT group correlated with an improved lung function. Thedistribution of the bootstrap results revealed that the probability of SCIT havinga superior effectiveness compared to the control group is around 90%.

Conclusion

SCIT with a high‐dose hypoallergenic preparation received by children andadolescents suffering from mite induced allergic asthma reduces the allergicmedication intake and has cost‐saving effects. Additional costs associated withSCIT may be completely compensated by drug cost savings 4 years after end of SCIT. Additionally, SCIT is superior compared to routine care as measured by the lungfunction that improved in SCIT‐treated patients. Trial registration: (EudraCT no.2004 – 003892 – 35).
pPCV, a versatile vector for cloning PCR products
Authors: Janner Christiane R , Brito Ana Lívia P , Moraes Lidia Maria P , Reis Viviane CB , Torres Fernando AG
Published: September 2013

The efficiency of PCR product cloning depends on the nature of the DNA polymerase employed because amplicons may have blunt-ends or 3′ adenosines overhangs. Therefore, for amplicon cloning, available commercial vectors are either blunt-ended or have a single 3′ overhanging thymidine. The aim of this work was to offer in a single vector the ability to clone both types of PCR products. For that purpose, a minimal polylinker was designed to include restriction sites for Eco RV and Xcm I which enable direct cloning of amplicons bearing blunt-ends or A-overhangs, respectively, still offering blue/white selection. When tested, the resulting vector, pPCV, presented high efficiency cloning of both types of amplicons.
Informed choice about breast cancer prevention: randomized controlled trial of an online decision aid intervention
Authors: Korfage Ida J , Fuhrel-Forbis Andrea , Ubel Peter A , Zikmund-Fisher Brian J , Greene Sarah M , McClure Jennifer B , Smith Dylan M , Hensley Alford Sharon , Fagerlin Angela
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Tamoxifen and raloxifene are chemopreventive drugs that can reduce women's relative risk of primary breast cancer by 50%; however, most women eligible for these drugs have chosen not to take them. The reasons for low uptake may be related to women's knowledge or attitudes towards the drugs. We aimed to examine the impact of an online breast cancer chemoprevention decision aid (DA) on informed intentions and decisions of women at high risk of breast cancer.

Methods

We conducted a randomized clinical trial, assessing the effect of a DA about breast cancer chemoprevention on informed choices about chemoprevention. Women (n = 585), 46- to 74-years old old, completed online baseline, post-test, and three-month follow-up questionnaires. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group, a standard control group that answered questions about chemoprevention at baseline, or a three-month control group that did not answer questions about chemoprevention at baseline . The main outcome measures were whether women's intentions and decisions regarding chemoprevention drugs were informed, and whether women who viewed the DA were more likely to make informed decisions than women who did not view the DA, using a dichotomous composite variable 'informed choice' (yes/no) to classify informed decisions as those reflecting sufficient knowledge and concordance between a woman's decision and relevant attitudes.

Results

Analyses showed that more intervention than standard control participants (52.7% versus 5.9%) made informed decisions at post-test, P <0.001. At the three-month follow-up, differences in rates of informed choice between intervention (16.9%) and both control groups (11.8% and 8.0%) were statistically non-significant, P = 0.067.

Conclusions

The DA increased informed decision making about breast cancer chemoprevention, although the impact on knowledge diminished over time. This study was not designed to determine how much knowledge decision makers must retain over time. Examining informed decisions increases understanding of the impact of DAs. A standard for defining and measuring sufficient knowledge for informed decisions is needed.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00967824
The Emergence of Econophysics: A New Approach in Modern Financial Theory
Authors: Jovanovic Franck , Schinckus Christophe
Published: September 2013

Financial economics and mathematical finance are the two traditional scientific disciplines that constitute modern financial theory. Although they still largely dominate modern financial theory, in the past few years a new “player” has increasingly been making itself felt and could lead to a rethinking of some of the theoretical foundations of modern financial theory. This new player is econophysics. Econophysics is a very recent movement that is beginning to interest increasing numbers of financial practitioners. To date, no history of econophysics has been produced. This article aims at filling this gap. It analyzes the theoretical foundations of econophysics and their connections with the history of financial economics. It also explores the reasons underlying the emergence of econophysics and explains how econophysics has become the third component of modern financial theory.
I Speak in the Third Person: Women and Language in Colonial Vietnam
Authors: Tran Ben
Published: September 2013

This essay examines the cultural translation of the Western first-person grammatical category into Vietnamese literature during French colonial rule. In the 1930s, Vietnamese writers began to assimilate the first-person pronoun “tôi” into their writing. The prevalence of tôi suggests a shift from Vietnamese collectivism to individualism during this period. However, through a reading of Khái Hưng's novel Nửa chừng xuân (In the Midst of Spring), this article argues that although male Vietnamese writers adapted the European first-person grammatical category to express individual autonomy, modern female authors and protagonists remained circumscribed by sociolinguistic structures and thus were unable to assume the first-person voice. Khái Hưng's novel, I contend, addresses the gendered transformations of modern Vietnamese language and literature by exploring how the female protagonist must discursively relate herself with and against existing sociolinguistic structures. The heroine's subjectivity is formed not through an appropriation of European individualism but rather through the chasm between the imported first-person and the sociolinguistic structures particular to Vietnam.
Modernism, Hysteria, and the Colonial Double Bind: Pak T'aewŏn's One Day in the Life of the Author, Mr. Kubo
Authors: Hanscom Christopher P.
Published: September 2013

This article addresses the conjunction of disease, desire, and language in modernist Korean fiction of the late colonial period, particularly in Pak T'aewŏn's representative novella One Day in the Life of the Author, Mr. Kubo (1934). I bring to bear two central concepts on the work. First, the concept of hysteria is used to describe the thematic use of symptoms in the novella, to theorize the modernist text itself as symptom, and finally to propose the hystericizing force of the text on the reader or critic. The article understands hysteria beyond individual etiology as the product of a certain social discourse, a relational condition linking desire with language in which the hysterical subject attains false satisfaction with the conversion of actual or repressed desire into the symptom and always distrusts the signifier as a medium of truth. Satisfaction is always deferred for the hysteric, including the pleasure of meaning or referentiality. Second, I link Pak's work with its historical context by locating “hysteria” as one possible outcome of the paradoxical demands of discriminatory colonial discourse, which I characterize using Bateson's concept of the double bind. Here I read the novella (at both levels of style and content) in relation to the hystericizing injunctions of forced assimilation. By taking the protagonist Kubo not as a neurasthenic (the text's own diagnosis) but as a hysteric, by insisting on addressing the problematic relationship between signifier and referent in 1930s fiction and literary criticism, and by linking hysteria with the contradictory commands of a differentiating assimilation (“Be like us! But not too much like us”), this article moves toward understanding modernist fiction — and a crisis of representation in Seoul literary circles more generally — as deeply engaged with the difficult questions of subjectivity and language under colonial rule.
Sovereignty, Coinage, and Kinship in Early China
Authors: Chen Jack W.
Published: September 2013

This essay examines the discursive constellation of the concepts of sovereignty, coinage, and kinship from the Warring States Period to the first empires of the Qin and Han dynasties. Drawing upon philosophical texts, including the Lunyu, Mengzi, and Guanzi, as well as historical texts such as the Shang shu, Shi ji, and Han shu, I will argue that the foundational narrative for the emergence of coinage in China was inextricable from theories of both sagely and tyrannical sovereignties — an ideological ambivalence that was reflected in the discourse on coinage itself. The coin of the realm was the symbol of power and profit and thus of the political and the economic realities of empire. Yet imperial anxieties over political tyranny would lead classical political theorists to recode the minting of coin in terms of a moral discourse, one that was also instrumental in the moral legitimation of imperial sovereignty itself. This would be the discourse on kinship, which allowed theorists to equate the sovereign with the parent. Coinage, then, like sovereignty, would appeal to the language of kinship, and in this way would be translated from base tokens of material profit into symbols of the sovereign's beneficent concern.
Embodied Visions: Chinese Queer Experimental Documentaries by Shi Tou and Cui Zi'en
Authors: Wang Qi
Published: September 2013

This article explores the visual representation of minority (especially queer) identities in the highly stylized and experimental documentaries of independent filmmakers Shi Tou and Cui Zi'en, two of the most prominent cultural figures in the Chinese queer community. My analysis focuses on Shi's documentary 50 Minutes of Women (2005) and Cui's semi-documentary Night Scene (2003) in conjunction with discussions of Shi's paintings and Cui's queer science fiction as well as his other video works such as The Narrow Path (2003) and Shi Tou and That Nana (2005). Through a close examination of the intimately embodied vision, haptic camera, reflexive performances, as well as subjectivized editing strategies manifest in their works, I demonstrate that Shi and Cui not only present alternative perspectives on identity issues from inside the queer communities but, more significantly, they practice a boldly performative and intimately engaged mode of documentary filmmaking and in the process challenge the very distinction between documentary and fiction, truth and opinion, self and other. Their embodied approaches not only demonstrate the potential of minority discourses to actively and critically engage social reality but also represent an important direction — that of increasing reflexivity — for the continued development of documentary filmmaking in China.
An Application of the Coalescence Theory to Branching Random Walks
Authors: Athreya K. B. , Hong Jyy-I
Published: September 2013

In a discrete-time single-type Galton--Watson branching random walk {Zn, ζn}n≤ 0, where Zn is the population of the nth generation and ζn is a collection of the positions on ℝ of the Zn individuals in the nth generation, let Yn be the position of a randomly chosen individual from the nth generation and Zn(x) be the number of points in ζn that are less than or equal to x for x∈ℝ. In this paper we show in the explosive case (i.e. m=E(Z1∣ Z0=1)=∞) when the offspring distribution is in the domain of attraction of a stable law of order α,0 <α<1, that the sequence of random functions {Zn(x)/Zn:−∞<x<∞} converges in the finite-dimensional sense to {δx:−∞<x<∞}, where δx≡ 1{N≤ x} and N is an N(0,1) random variable.
Chromatin reprogramming during the somatic-to-reproductive cell fate transition in plants
Authors: She Wenjing , Grimanelli Daniel , Rutowicz Kinga , Whitehead Marek W. J. , Puzio Marcin , Kotliński Maciej , Jerzmanowski Andrzej , Baroux Célia
Published: September 2013

The life cycle of flowering plants is marked by several post-embryonic developmental transitions during which novel cell fates are established. Notably, the reproductive lineages are first formed during flower development. The differentiation of spore mother cells, which are destined for meiosis, marks the somatic-to-reproductive fate transition. Meiosis entails the formation of the haploid multicellular gametophytes, from which the gametes are derived, and during which epigenetic reprogramming takes place. Here we show that in the Arabidopsis female megaspore mother cell (MMC), cell fate transition is accompanied by large-scale chromatin reprogramming that is likely to establish an epigenetic and transcriptional status distinct from that of the surrounding somatic niche. Reprogramming is characterized by chromatin decondensation, reduction in heterochromatin, depletion of linker histones, changes in core histone variants and in histone modification landscapes. From the analysis of mutants in which the gametophyte fate is either expressed ectopically or compromised, we infer that chromatin reprogramming in the MMC is likely to contribute to establishing postmeiotic competence to the development of the pluripotent gametophyte. Thus, as in primordial germ cells of animals, the somatic-to-reproductive cell fate transition in plants entails large-scale epigenetic reprogramming.
A non-canonical role for Rgnef (p190RhoGEF) in promoting integrin-stimulated focal adhesion kinase activation
Authors: Miller Nichol L. G. , Lawson Christine , Kleinschmidt Elizabeth G. , Tancioni Isabelle , Uryu Sean , Schlaepfer David D.
Published: September 2013

Rgnef (p190RhoGEF/Arhgef28) is a Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that binds focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK is recruited to adhesions and activated by integrin receptors binding to matrix proteins, such as fibronectin (FN). Canonical models place Rgnef downstream of integrin-FAK signaling in regulating Rho-GTPase activity and cell movement. Herein, we establish a new, upstream role for Rgnef in enhancing FAK localization to early peripheral adhesions and promoting FAK activation upon FN binding. Rgnef−/− mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibit defects in adhesion formation, levels of FAK phosphotyrosine (pY)-397 and FAK localization to peripheral adhesions upon FN replating. Rgnef re-expression rescues these defects, but requires Rgnef-FAK binding. Rgnef pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain mutation inhibits adhesion formation, FAK localization, FAK-pY397 and paxillin-pY118 without disrupting Rgnef-FAK interaction. A GEF-inactive Rgnef mutant rescues FAK-pY397 and early adhesion localization, but not paxillin-pY118. This suggests that downstream of FN-binding, paxillin-pY118 requires Rgnef GEF activity through a mechanism distinct from adhesion formation and FAK activation. These results support a scaffolding role for Rgnef in FAK localization and activation at early adhesions in a PH domain-dependent but GEF activity-independent manner.
MR appearance of paraganglioma of the cauda equina: Case reports
Authors: Taira H. , Takasita M. , Yoshida S. , Takita C. , Tsumura H. , Torisu T.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To investigate the value of MR imaging for preoperative diagnosis of paraganglioma of the cauda equina.

Material and Methods: A retrospective review of 2 cases of paraganglioma of the cauda equina examined with MR imaging was undertaken. Features assessed included the homogeneity of the lesions, presence or absence of serpiginous flow void and thin hypointense margins.

Results: In case 1, the tumor was hyperintense on the postcontrast examination and serpiginous flow void suggested vessels in the upper pole of the tumor. In case 2, the tumor was encapsulated by a thin hypointense margin on both T1- and T2-weighted images, which suggested hemosiderin.

Conclusion: The MR appearance may be of great value in the preoperative diagnosis of paraganglioma of the cauda equina.
Primary tuberculosis of the breast: A case report
Authors: Zandrino F. , Monetti F. , Gandolfo N.
Published: September 2013

The mammographic and US features of a case of primary tuberculosis of the breast are presented. The differential diagnosis with other benign or malignant conditions of the breast can be difficult with imaging methods due to the variable pattern of presentation of such an inflammatory lesion.
High-resolution MR imaging of the knee at 3 T
Authors: Niitsu M. , Nakai T. , Ikeda K. , Tang G.-Y. , Yoshioka H. , Itai Y.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To examine the practical feasibility of using a 3.0-T MR unit to obtain high-quality, high-resolution images of the knee joint.

Material and Methods: One human cadaveric and 5 porcine knees were imaged with the 3.0-T unit. Sets of T1-weighted spin echo images were obtained with in-plane resolution of 0.195 × 0.39 mm and an acquisition time of approximately 5 min. Two porcine knees were also imaged with the 1.0-T unit with an identical imaging protocol and the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios were measured on images at 3 T and 1 T.

Results: The 3-T MR system provided detailed delineation of the knees. Deep layers of the medial collateral ligament and associated fine fibers beneath the medial and lateral collateral ligament were demarcated. We observed precise demonstration of the tibial attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament, irregularity of the meniscal free edge, and conjoint tendon formation together with the lateral collateral ligament and the biceps femoris tendon. Compared to the 1-T unit, the S/N ratio with the 3-T unit was increased by a factor of 1.39 to 1.72.

Conclusion: Due to the potential advantage of obtaining detailed images, the 3-T MR system suggests a practical utility for fine demonstration of the knee morphology.
Experimental intracerebral and subarachnoid/intraventricular haemorrhages: MR detectability at 0.5 T and 1.5 T
Authors: Alemany Ripoll M. , Raininko R.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To compare the detectability of small experimental intracranial haemorrhages on MR imaging at 0.5 T and 1.5 T, from hyperacute to subacute stages.

Material and Methods: 1 ml of autologous blood was injected into the brain of 15 rabbits to create intraparenchymal haematomas. Since the blood partially escaped into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces, detectability of subarachnoid and intraventricular blood was also evaluated. MR imaging at 0.5 T and at 1.5 T was repeated up to 14 days, including T1-, proton density- and T2-weighted (w) spin-echo (SE), FLAIR and T2*-w gradient echo (GE) pulse sequences. The last MR investigation was compared to the formalin-fixed brain sections in 7 animals.

Results: The intraparenchymal haematomas were best revealed with T2*-w GE sequences, with 100% of sensitivity at 1.5 T and 90–95% at 0.5 T. Blood in the CSF spaces was significantly ( p < 0.05) better detected at 1.5 T with T2*-w GE sequences and detected best during the first 2 days. The next most sensitive sequence for intracranial blood was FLAIR. SE sequences were rather insensitive.

Conclusion: 1.5 T equipment is superior to 0.5 T in the detection of intracranial haemorrhages from acute to subacute stages. T2*-w GE sequences account for this result but other sequences are also needed for a complete examination.
Oligodendrogliomas: A comparison of CT and MR imaging features with histological malignancy grading in 20 cases: A pathoradiological study
Authors: Reiche W. , Grunwald I. , Hermann K. , Deinzer M. , Reith W.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To study the pattern of contrast enhancement in MR and CT of oligodendrogliomas and to compare this with other imaging findings and with histopathological grading criteria.

Material and Methods: 20 patients with oligodendrogliomas (12 low-grade WHO II and 8 anaplastic WHO III) were reviewed. 20 complete MR investigations, 20 non-enhanced CT studies and 16 CTs after contrast enhancement were estimated blindly without knowledge of the tumour histological grades.

Results: All anaplastic oligodendrogliomas showed tumour contrast enhancement on MR and CT images. Also in 6/12 low-grade oligodendrogliomas the contrast was enhanced on MR imaging. In 5 of these, tumour calcifications were detected by CT. The remaining 6/12 WHO grade II cases showed no significant MR contrast enhancement. Of the oligodendrogliomas grade II, CT showed contrast uptake in 3 cases and no enhancement in 6, while in 3 cases postcontrast CT was not available. A comparison of contrast enhancement with tumour grade resulted in a p-value of 0.042 for MR and of 0.011 for CT. A combined statistical test of tumour grade and calcifications detected by CT compared with MR contrast enhancement showed a significant correlation ( p=0.014).

Conclusion: These data demonstrated that a clear grading of oligodendrogliomas based on the image criterion MR contrast enhancement was not possible. We suppose that, besides tumour neovascularisation, additional factors such as calcifications may disturb the blood-brain barrier.
Negative spiral CT in acute pulmonary embolism
Authors: Nilsson T. , Olausson A. , Johnsson H. , Nyman U. , Aspelin P.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcome of non-anticoagulated patients with clinically suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and no symptoms or signs of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) following a negative contrast medium-enhanced spiral CT of the pulmonary arteries (s-CTPA).

Material and Methods: During a 24-month period, 739 of 751 patients underwent s-CTPA with acceptable diagnostic quality for clinically suspected acute PE. All patients who had a CT study not positive for PE were followed up with a questionnaire, a telephone interview and review of all medical reports, including autopsies and death certificates for any episodes of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during a 3-month period.

Results: PE was diagnosed in 158 patients. Of the remaining 581 patients with a negative s-CTPA, 45 patients were lost to follow-up. 88 patients were excluded because of anticoagulation treatment (cardiac disorder n=32, chronic VTE or acute symptomatic DVT n=31, PE diagnosed at pulmonary angiography n=1, thrombus prophylaxis during diagnostic work-up or other reasons than VTE n=24) and 7 patients undergoing lower extremity venous studies because of symptoms of DVT (all negative). Thus, 441 patients with a negative s-CTPA and no DVT symptoms, venous studies or anticoagulant treatment constituted the follow-up cohort. Four of these patients had proven VTE (all PE) during the 3-month follow-up period. Two of the PE episodes contributed to the patient's death.

Conclusion: Patients with clinically suspected acute PE, no symptoms or signs of DVT and a negative single slice s-CTPA using 3–5 mm collimation, may safely be left without anticoagulation treatment unless they are critically ill, have a limited cardiopulmonary reserve and/or if a high clinical suspicion remains.
CT findings in skeletal cystic echinococcosis
Authors: Tüzün M. , Hekimoǧlu B.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To evaluate the CT findings of skeletal cystic echinococcosis.

Material and Methods: CT findings of 7 patients with pathologically confirmed skeletal cystic echinococcosis were evaluated.

Results: There were 4 men and 3 women, aged 36–75 years. Hydatid cysts were located in the spine (n=2), a rib (n=3), the pelvis and a vertebra (n=1), the pelvis and the left femur (n=1). The size of the lesions varied from 1=cm to 15=cm. CT showed well defined, single or multiple cystic lesions with no contrast enhancement, no calcification, no daughter cysts, and no germinal membrane detachment. The cystic lesion had a honeycomb appearance in 2 cases; there was pathologic fracture in 2 cases, bone expansion in 5 cases, cortical thinning in 6 cases, cortical destruction in 6 cases, bone sclerosis in 1 case, and soft tissue extension in 6 cases.

Conclusion: Preoperative differential diagnosis of skeletal cystic lesions should include cystic echinococcosis, especially in endemic areas, since this diagnosis may easily be missed unless kept in mind.
Echo-enhanced color Doppler cystosonography of vesicoureteral reflux in children: Improvement by stimulated acoustic emission
Authors: Riccabona M. , Mache C. J. , Lindbichler F.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the potential of echo-enhanced color Doppler sonography (ee-CDS) using the acoustic stimulated emission technique in the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in children.

Material and Methods: 30 children (age: 0–9 years) with suspicion of VUR were submitted for echo-enhanced cystosonography (ee-CS) and conventional voiding cysto-urethrography (VCU). Conventional US and then color Doppler sonography (CDS) were performed after instillation of Levovist into the catheterized urinary bladder that had been prefilled with saline. Finally, output gain was increased in order to ‘burst’ the bubbles (= stimulated acoustic emission, burst-CS). Thereafter VCU was performed in the same session. The results of conventional ee-CS and burst-CS were compared to VCU findings.

Results: Twenty-four refluxing systems were found in a total of 66 collecting systems by both techniques. Ee-CS and burst-CS detected VUR in four systems not seen by VCU (grades 1–4), but missed low-degree VUR in 2 cases. In low-degree VUR, burst-CS was particularly helpful in 9 patients with equivocal results on conventional ee-CS. In 6 of them, VUR was proven by burst-CS, the other 3 showed VURs neither on VCU nor on burst-CS.

Conclusion: Levovist ee-CS is feasible in the pediatric bladder. It enables reliable visualization of VUR in the renal collecting system. Burst-CS improves visualization of contrast reflux, particularly in non-dilative or minimally dilative VUR, which is sometimes difficult to depict with conventional ee-CS.
Localization of breast sentinel lymph nodes by MR lymphography with a conventional gadolinium contrast agent: Preliminary observations in dongs and humans
Authors: Suga K. , Yuan Y. , Ogasawara N. , Okada M. , Matsunaga N.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To test the capability of an indirect MR lymphography (MRLG) using a conventional extracellular gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agent for localizing breast sentinel lymph node (SLN).

Methods: A total of 1 and 0.5 ml of undiluted gadopentetate dimeglumine were injected subcutaneously into the two periareolar areas overlying each caudal mammary gland in 10 female dogs. Contiguous 2-mm-thick fast gradient echo MR images were acquired through the upper breast and axilla before and for 60 min after gentle massage at the injection sites, yielding 3D displays. The localized SLN was resected from the living animals, followed by post mortem examinations. MRLG (1 ml contrast agent injected) was also attempted in 5 female volunteers.

Results: Even with 0.5-ml contrast agent, the MRLG clearly visualized the connection of SLN and lymphatic vessels directly draining from the injection sites, and the remaining distant nodes, with the maximal enhancement peaks within 10 min after massage. The 3D images provided comprehensive anatomy of these lymphatic pathways in each axilla. Of the 20 SLN and 128 distant nodes visualized on the MRLG, all the SLN (100%) and 107 (83.5%) distant nodes could be resected pre- and post mortem, in good correlation with the locations and sizes on the MR images. MRLG also effectively localized SLN in the volunteers, without significant adverse effects.

Conclusion: An indirect MRLG using small volumes of conventional Gd-based contrast agent may have potential for accurate identification and surgical biopsy of breast SLN.
Peripheral arterial disease. Contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography of the lower leg and foot compared with conventional angiography
Authors: Cronberg C. N. , Sjöberg S. , Albrechtsson U. , Leander P. , Lindh M. , Norgren L. , Danielsson P. , Sonesson B. , Larsson E.-M.
Published: September 2013

Purpose: To determine whether contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography (CE MRA) could replace digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for the evaluation of atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease of the lower leg and foot.

Material and Methods: Thirty-five patients with symptoms of atherosclerotic disease of the leg were examined prospectively with CE MRA of the foot and the lower legs as well as with DSA from the aorta to the pedal arches. The MRA technique was focused on optimal imaging of the arteries of the foot.

Results: The agreement between CE MRA and DSA for grading of stenosis was moderate to good (weighted κ-values 0.48–0.80). The sensitivity of CE MRA for detection of significant stenosis (≥ 50%) was 92% and the specificity was 64% with DSA as gold standard.

Conclusion: CE MRA is a fairly accurate method for the demonstration of atherosclerotic disease below the knee including the pedal arches. It can replace DSA for the assessment of distal arteries in patients with impaired renal function. However, image quality and resolution still needs to be improved before CE MRA can become the method of choice in all patients.
Quantitative diagnosis of fatty liver with dual-energy CT: An experimental study in rabbits
Authors: Wang B. , Gao Z. , Zou Q. , Li L.
Published: September 2013

Objectives: To explore the correlation between fatty content of fatty liver and the difference of CT attenuation value in dual-energy CT, and to evaluate the value of dual-energy CT in the quantitative diagnosis of fatty liver in rabbits.

Material and Methods: Dual-energy CT at 120 kVp and 90 kVp was performed in 16 rabbits of experimental groups that were induced to various degrees of fatty liver by feeding carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Four healthy rabbits in the control group underwent dual-energy CT at the same time. The CT attenuation values of liver tissues at 120 kVp (H120), 90 kVp (H90) and the difference (ΔH) between them were obtained. The specimens of liver tissues were examined with freeze section (9 μm) and an oil red O stain histologically. The ratio of fatty content in liver to the liver volume (VP value) was measured using the image analyzer system.

Results: The change of CT attenuation values between 120 kVp and 90 kVp was not obvious (ΔH between −0.4 HU and 1.4 HU) in the control group. The density of the liver in the experimental groups decreased differently, and the change in CT attenuation values between high and low energy levels were very clear. H120 values were between 51.0 HU and 91.7 HU and H90 values were between 37.0 HU and 89.2 HU. ΔH values were between 2.5 HU and 14.0 HU. Significant negative linear correlation ( r = −0.92, −0.93, t = 8.51, 9.76, p < 0.001, 0.001, respectively) were found between VP values and H120 and H90, respectively, while significant positive linear correlation ( r = 0.95, t = 11.89, p < 0.001) was found between VP values and ΔH.

Conclusion: The amount and degree of fat in the fatty liver can be assessed exactly by dual-energy CT. It will be a potential new effective method for quantitative diagnosis of fatty livers.
Traumatic childhood sexual events and secondary sexual health complaints in neurotic disorders
Authors: Sobański Jerzy , Müldner-Nieckowski Łukasz , Klasa Katarzyna , Dembińska Edyta , Rutkowski Krzysztof , Cyranka Katarzyna
Published: September 2013

Aim of the study

Assessment of the association between self-reported sexual complaints and recalled childhood sexual adversities in a sample of psychotherapy patients.

Subject or material and methods

Coexistence of memories concerning traumatic events and minor sexual adversities and the currently present symptoms were analyzed on the basis of KO"0" Symptom Checklist and Life Inventory completed prior to treatment in the day hospital for neurotic disorders. Questionnaires from 3929 psychotherapy patients were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed on biographical and symptom items. Odds ratios for men and women were determined separately.

Results

Associations between sexual adverse events, and current sexual health complaints, as estimated by OR coefficients, showed to be statistically significant. In the subgroups of patients who reported two categories of sexual adversities e.g. were both punished for masturbation and were not educated about sex, the risk of sexual complaints was further increased.

Discussion

Both self reported traumatic sexual events and sexual problems are quite common in the patient population and are strongly associated. Our study has replicated other’s findings in a large sample of outpatients suffering from neurotic disorders.

Conclusions

Deficits in sex education, the trauma of incest, punishment for sexual play or masturbation, or too early or unwanted sexual initiation, are important risk factors of sexual symptoms accompanying neurotic syndromes. Results strongly suggest that studies focusing on the effects of sexual traumatic events should take into consideration the co-occurrence of multiple adversities.