bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Who gets in? Ideology and government membership in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Savage Lee Michael
Published: April 2012

Studies of government participation in established democracies demonstrate that ideological factors significantly influence whether or not a party gets into government. Thus far, research on government participation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) indicates that ideological considerations have been insignificant. This is unexpected given what we know from the literature on parties and party systems in the region. Party systems have become more stable and parties themselves rapidly developed identifiable policy platforms. I argue that one of the reasons for this disparity between the government participation literature in new and established democracies is the failure to understand the ideological space across the CEE region. Although party competition can be conceptualized as a one-dimensional space in each country, the policies that underpin notions of ‘left’ and ‘right’ vary. Imposing a definition of the ideological space that was developed for West European countries ignores the ideological context of CEE. This article finds that when the left–right space is defined in a way that is meaningful to CEE countries, ideological factors are highly significant indicators of government membership across the region. Specifically, ideological proximity to the formateur and proximity to the median significantly increase a party’s probability of participating in government.
The making of a political stronghold: A Dalit neighbourhood’s exit from the Hindu Nationalist riot system
Authors: Jaoul Nicolas
Published: April 2012

This article highlights the contribution of political competition and people’s movements to the dynamics of symbolization of space. In India, the symbolic appropriation of space represents an important yet under-explored local repertoire of collective action that impacts the contemporary reproduction of local subjectivities. This case study narrates the political conflict that occurred in a Dalit (Untouchable) basti of the North Indian city of Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). One political faction of the youth sought to overpower the Hindu Nationalist faction and turn the neighbourhood from an armed bastion of the Hindu nationalist politics and Hindu-Muslim violence into a stronghold of Dalit emancipation. Interrogating the notion of political stronghold, the study documents the techniques and stakes involved as well as the power networks that were mobilized in this localized political battle, which contributed to the defeat of a local riot system .
Male Dating Violence Victimization and Adjustment
Authors: Shorey Ryan C. , Febres Jeniimarie , Brasfield Hope , Stuart Gregory L.
Published: April 2012

Dating violence is a prevalent problem. Research demonstrates that males and females are victimized at comparable rates in their dating relationships and experience a number of mental health and relationship problems. Less research has examined male dating violence victimization, its association to mental health and relationship satisfaction, and whether coping styles influence mental health symptoms and relationship satisfaction among victims. The current study examined physical and psychological aggression victimization, adjustment (posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and relationship satisfaction), and problem-focused and emotion-focused coping among heterosexual college males in a current dating relationship ( n = 184). Results identified that psychological victimization was associated with posttraumatic stress and relationship discord above and beyond physical victimization. Interaction findings identified that psychological victimization was associated with increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at high levels of problem-focused coping, whereas psychological victimization was associated with less relationship satisfaction at low levels of emotion-focused coping. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
Elves, environmentalism, and “eco-terror”: Leaderless resistance and media coverage of the Earth Liberation Front
Authors: Joosse Paul
Published: April 2012

Over the past decade and a half, North America has seen a rash of environmentally motivated arsons. One group in particular, the clandestine Earth Liberation Front (ELF), has targeted ski resorts, genetic research labs, SUV dealerships, and forestry buildings, leading James Jarboe of the FBI to declare the ELF the “number one” domestic terrorist threat facing the USA. This article analyses the social construction of the “ecoterrorist threat” in the pages of the New York Times. Various stakeholders—including ELF spokespersons, moderate environmentalists, corporate interests, and state agencies—have sought to influence the way that media covers the ELF. Ultimately, much to the chagrin of ELF spokespersons, discourses of ecoterrorism have normalized in mainstream media, which regularly frames the spokespersons and activists as “dangerous clowns.” In turn, this coverage has prevented the expression of the ELF’s ideology, foreclosing the potential for the mainstream media to represent as legitimate the concerns of the ELF. I argue that blame for this failure rests in part with certain implications of the ELF’s organizational strategy of “leaderless resistance,” which—unlike civil disobedience movements of the past—is predicated on having its actors remain unsympathetically faceless and nameless.
Prozac leadership and the limits of positive thinking
Authors: Collinson David
Published: April 2012

This article critically examines excessive positivity in leadership dynamics. It argues that the tendency for leader positivity to become excessive is a recurrent but under-researched medium through which power and identity can be enacted in leadership dynamics. Drawing on the metaphor of ‘Prozac’, it suggests that leaders’ excessive positivity is often characterized by a reluctance to consider alternative voices, which can leave organizations and societies ill-prepared to deal with unexpected events. Prozac leadership encourages leaders to believe their own narratives that everything is going well and discourages followers from raising problems or admitting mistakes. The article also argues that followers (broadly defined) are often quick to identify leaders’ excessive positivity and are likely to respond through various forms of resistance. It concludes by considering the extent to which excessive positivity also characterizes leadership studies, and raises additional questions for further critical analyses of Prozac leadership.
Micronutrient Deficiencies in Pediatric Celiac Disease
Authors: Friedman Amy
Published: April 2012

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy that occurs in response to gluten ingestion in predisposed individuals. The autoimmune response results in villous atrophy in the small intestine, the primary site of nutrient absorption. Consequently, micronutrient deficiencies may occur in undiagnosed CD. Deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D, iron, folate, vitamin B12, and zinc have all been demonstrated in children with CD. Complications as a result of these nutrient deficiencies may affect a child’s growth, development, and overall well-being. The gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only known treatment for CD. Compliance with the diet is vital in correcting and preventing future micronutrient deficiencies. The purpose of this article is to give a background on CD and to present research that has shown micronutrient deficiencies in the pediatric population. The article will also focus on the crucial role of the health care team in both the recognition and management of pediatric patients with CD.
Testosterone’s Negative Relationship With Empathic Accuracy and Perceived Leadership Ability
Authors: Ronay Richard , Carney Dana R.
Published: April 2012

Two studies examine the relationship between naturally occurring levels of circulating testosterone and empathic accuracy. In Study 1, the authors find that higher endogenous levels of testosterone are negatively related to the accuracy with which people infer the thoughts and feelings of others. In Study 2, the authors use 360 data collected in the field to show that individuals with higher levels of endogenous testosterone are evaluated by their real-world professional colleagues as functioning with lower levels of empathic accuracy. Furthermore, the authors report evidence that this negative relationship between testosterone and perceived empathic accuracy has downstream consequences for perceptions of one’s leadership skills and abilities.
Big Two Personality and Religiosity Across Cultures
Authors: Gebauer Jochen E. , Paulhus Delroy L. , Neberich Wiebke
Published: April 2012

How are the Big Two personality dimensions of agency (e.g., competence, uniqueness, ambition) and communion (e.g., warmth, relatedness, morality) related to religiosity? A standard view assumes that communion encourages religiosity, whereas agency is independent of religiosity. Our model is more nuanced, taking into account the Big Two’s motivational base as well as culture: Because communal individuals seek assimilation with their ambient culture, they should be most religious in religious cultures and least religious in nonreligious cultures. Conversely, because agentic individuals seek differentiation from their ambient culture, they should be most religious in nonreligious cultures and least religious in religious cultures. Data from 187,957 individuals across 11 cultures supported this model. Thus, direct relations between the Big Two and religiosity are not culturally universal. Instead, communal individuals are religious conformists, whereas agentic individuals are religious contrarians. In this sense, the patterns are culturally universal.
Testing a Model of Work Performance in an Academic Environment
Authors: Tatum B. Charles
Published: April 2012

In modern society, people both work and study. The intersection between organizational and educational research suggests that a common model should apply to both academic and job performance. The purpose of this study was to apply a model of work and job performance (based on general expectancy theory) to a classroom setting, and test the predicted relationships using a causal/path model methodology. The findings revealed that motivation and ability predicted student expectations and self-efficacy, and that expectations and efficacy predicted class performance. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed. This study showed how the research in industrial and organizational psychology is relevant to education. It was concluded that greater effort should be made to integrate knowledge across a wider set of domains.
A Selective Review of Commonly Used Sonography-Guided Hyperthermic Ablative Technologies for Malignant Lesions of the Liver
Authors: LeVeque Michelle Katherine
Published: April 2012

The use of percutaneous ablation therapy to manage focal malignant liver lesions has been widely embraced and integrated into clinical practice. These minimally invasive procedures offer a successful alternative to surgery for patients limited by poor hepatic reserve or problematic anatomy. Radiofrequency is currently the most commonly performed ablation therapy technique; however, new research in the field of microwave technology suggests certain advantages over radio frequency. This article analyzes the differences between these two technologies and discusses the circumstances in which one method may be preferred over the other for hepatic malignancies.
Prediction of cytogenetic abnormalities with gene expression profiles
Authors: Zhou Yiming , Zhang Qing , Stephens Owen , Heuck Christoph J. , Tian Erming , Sawyer Jeffrey R. , Cartron-Mizeracki Marie-Astrid , Qu Pingping , Keller Jason , Epstein Joshua , Barlogie Bart , Shaughnessy John D.
Published: April 2012

Cytogenetic abnormalities are important clinical parameters in various types of cancer, including multiple myeloma. We developed a model to predict cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with multiple myeloma using gene expression profiling and validated it by different cytogenetic techniques. The model has an accuracy rate up to 0.89. These results provide proof of concept for the hypothesis that gene expression profiling is a superior genomic method for clinical molecular diagnosis and/or prognosis.
The impact of platelet transfusion characteristics on posttransfusion platelet increments and clinical bleeding in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia
Authors: Triulzi Darrell J. , Assmann Susan F. , Strauss Ronald G. , Ness P. M. , Hess John R. , Kaufman Richard M. , Granger Suzanne , Slichter Sherrill J.
Published: April 2012

Platelet characteristics, such as platelet dose, platelet source (apheresis vs pooled), platelet donor-recipient ABO compatibility, and duration of platelet storage, can affect posttransfusion platelet increments, but it is unclear whether these factors impact platelet transfusion efficacy on clinical bleeding. We performed secondary analyses of platelet transfusions given in the prospective randomized Platelet Dose Study, which included 1272 platelet-transfused hematology-oncology patients who received 6031 prophylactic platelet transfusions. The primary outcome of these analyses was time from first transfusion to first World Health Organization ≥ grade 2 bleeding. Platelet transfusion increments were assessed at 0.25 to 4 hours and 16 to 32 hours after platelet transfusion. There were 778 patients evaluable for analysis of time to bleeding. Adjusted models showed that randomized dose strategy, platelet source, ABO compatibility, and duration of storage did not predict this outcome. Platelet increments were generally higher for transfusions of apheresis platelets, ABO-identical platelets, and platelets stored 3 days versus 4 to 5 days. Thus, although platelet source, ABO compatibility, and duration of storage exert a modest impact on both absolute and corrected posttransfusion platelet increments, they have no measurable impact on prevention of clinical bleeding. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00128713.
Broadening the factor V Leiden paradox: pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis as 2 sides of the spectrum
Authors: van Langevelde Kirsten , Flinterman Linda E. , van Hylckama Vlieg Astrid , Rosendaal Frits R. , Cannegieter Suzanne C.
Published: April 2012

Risk factors for deep-vein thrombosis have been shown not to be always the same as for pulmonary embolism. A well-known example is the factor V Leiden (FVL) paradox: the FVL mutation poses a clearly higher risk for deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) than for pulmonary embolism. We aimed to expand this paradox and therefore present risk estimates for several established risk factors for DVT and pulmonary embolism separately. When such separate risk estimates could not be retrieved from the literature, we calculated these risks in our own data, a large population-based case-control study on venous thrombosis (the MEGA study). Our results showed that the FVL paradox can be broadened (ie, the risk factors oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, puerperium, minor leg injuries, and obesity have an effect comparable with FVL). Furthermore, we found that pulmonary conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and sickle cell disease, were risk factors with an opposite effect: a higher risk of pulmonary embolism, but little or no effect on DVT. These findings suggest that pulmonary embolism and DVT may not always have the same etiology, and encourage unraveling this phenomenon in further studies.
Improvement of defective cystic fibrosis airway epithelial wound repair after CFTR rescue
Authors: Trinh Nguyen Thu Ngan , Bardou Olivier , Privé Anik , Maillé Emilie , Adam Damien , Lingée Sarah , Ferraro Pasquale , Desrosiers Martin-Yvon , Coraux Christelle , Brochiero Emmanuelle
Published: April 2012

Airway damage and remodelling are important components of lung pathology progression in cystic fibrosis (CF). Although repair mechanisms are engaged to restore the epithelial integrity, these processes are obviously insufficient to maintain lung function in CF airways. Our aims were therefore to study how the basic cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) defect could impact epithelial wound healing and to determine if CFTR correction could improve it.

Wound-healing experiments, as well as cell migration and proliferation assays, were performed to study the early phases of epithelial repair in human CF and non-CF airway cells. CFTR function was evaluated using CFTR small interferring (si)RNA and inhibitor GlyH101 in non-CF cells, and conversely after CFTR rescue with the CFTR corrector VRT-325 in CF cells.

Wound-healing experiments first showed that airway cells from CF patients repaired slower than non-CF cells. CFTR inhibition or silencing in non-CF primary airway cells significantly inhibited wound closure. GlyH101 also decreased cell migration and proliferation. Interestingly, wild-type CFTR transduction in CF airway cell lines or CFTR correction with VRT-325 in CFBE-ΔF508 and primary CF bronchial monolayers significantly improved wound healing.

Altogether our results demonstrated that functional CFTR plays a critical role in wound repair, and CFTR correction may represent a novel strategy to promote the airway repair processes in CF.
EnzyBase: a novel database for enzybiotic studies
Authors: Wu Hongyu , Lu Hairong , Huang Jinjiang , Li Guodong , Huang Qingshan
Published: April 2012

Background

Enzybiotics are becoming increasingly recognized as potential alternative therapies for drug-resistant bacteria. Although only a few enzybiotics are currently well characterized, much information is still missing or is unavailable for researchers. The construction of an enzybiotics database would therefore increase efficiency and convenience in investigating these bioactive proteins and thus help reduce or delay the recent increase in antibiotic resistance.

Description

In the present manuscript, we describe the development of a novel and original database called EnzyBase, which contains 1144 enzybiotics from 216 natural sources. To ensure data quality, we limited the source of information to authoritative public databases and published scientific literature. The interface of EnzyBase is easy to use and allows users to rapidly retrieve data according to their desired search criteria and blast the database for homologous sequences. We also describe examples of database-aided enzybiotics discovery and design.

Conclusion

EnzyBase serves as a unique tool for enzybiotic studies. It has several potential applications, e.g. in silico enzybiotic combination as cocktails, and novel enzybiotic design, in response to continuously emerging drug-resistant pathogens. This database is a valuable platform for researchers who are interested in enzybiotic studies. EnzyBase is available online at http://biotechlab.fudan.edu.cn/database/EnzyBase/home.php.
Dexmedetomidine is neuroprotective in an in vitro model for traumatic brain injury
Authors: Schoeler Marc , Loetscher Philip D , Rossaint Rolf , Fahlenkamp Astrid V , Eberhardt Georg , Rex Steffen , Weis Joachim , Coburn Mark
Published: April 2012

Background

The α2-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine is known to provide neuroprotection under ischemic conditions. In this study we investigated whether dexmedetomidine has a protective effect in an in vitro model for traumatic brain injury.

Methods

Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures were subjected to a focal mechanical trauma and then exposed to varying concentrations of dexmedetomidine. After 72 h cell injury was assessed using propidium iodide. In addition, the effects of delayed dexmedetomidine application, of hypothermia and canonical signalling pathway inhibitors were examined.

Results

Dexmedetomidine showed a protective effect on traumatically injured hippocampal cells with a maximum effect at a dosage of 1 μM. This effect was partially reversed by the simultaneous administration of the ERK inhibitor PD98059.

Conclusion

In this TBI model dexmedetomidine had a significant neuroprotective effect. Our results indicate that activation of ERK might be involved in mediating this effect.
Genistein cooperates with the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat to induce cell death in prostate cancer cells
Authors: Phillip Cornel J , Giardina Christopher K , Bilir Birdal , Cutler David J , Lai Yu-Heng , Kucuk Omer , Moreno Carlos S
Published: April 2012

Background

Among American men, prostate cancer is the most common, non-cutaneous malignancy that accounted for an estimated 241,000 new cases and 34,000 deaths in 2011. Previous studies have suggested that Wnt pathway inhibitory genes are silenced by CpG hypermethylation, and other studies have suggested that genistein can demethylate hypermethylated DNA. Genistein is a soy isoflavone with diverse effects on cellular proliferation, survival, and gene expression that suggest it could be a potential therapeutic agent for prostate cancer. We undertook the present study to investigate the effects of genistein on the epigenome of prostate cancer cells and to discover novel combination approaches of other compounds with genistein that might be of translational utility. Here, we have investigated the effects of genistein on several prostate cancer cell lines, including the ARCaP-E/ARCaP-M model of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), to analyze effects on their epigenetic state. In addition, we investigated the effects of combined treatment of genistein with the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat on survival in prostate cancer cells.

Methods

Using whole genome expression profiling and whole genome methylation profiling, we have determined the genome-wide differences in genetic and epigenetic responses to genistein in prostate cancer cells before and after undergoing the EMT. Also, cells were treated with genistein, vorinostat, and combination treatment, where cell death and cell proliferation was determined.

Results

Contrary to earlier reports, genistein did not have an effect on CpG methylation at 20 μM, but it did affect histone H3K9 acetylation and induced increased expression of histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1). In addition, genistein also had differential effects on survival and cooperated with the histone deacteylase inhibitor vorinostat to induce cell death and inhibit proliferation.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that there are a number of pathways that are affected with genistein and vorinostat treatment such as Wnt, TNF, G2/M DNA damage checkpoint, and androgen signaling pathways. In addition, genistein cooperates with vorinostat to induce cell death in prostate cancer cell lines with a greater effect on early stage prostate cancer.
Bean and rice meals reduce postprandial glycemic response in adults with type 2 diabetes: a cross-over study
Authors: Thompson Sharon V , Winham Donna M , Hutchins Andrea M
Published: April 2012

Background

Around the world, beans and rice are commonly consumed together as a meal. With type 2 diabetes increasing, the effect of this traditional diet pattern on glycemic response has not been studied fully.

Methods

We evaluated the glycemic response of bean and rice traditional meals compared to rice alone in adults with type 2 diabetes. Seventeen men and women with type 2 diabetes controlled by metformin (n = 14) or diet/exercise (n = 3) aged 35–70 years participated in the randomized 4 × 4 crossover trial. The white long grain rice control, pinto beans/rice, black beans/rice, red kidney beans/rice test meals, matched for 50 grams of available carbohydrate, were consumed at breakfast after a 12 hour fast. Capillary blood glucose concentrations at baseline and at 30 minute intervals up to 180 minutes postprandial were collected. MANOVA for repeated measures established glucose differences between treatments. Paired t tests identified differences between bean types and the rice control following a significant MANOVA.

Results

Postprandial net glucose values were significantly lower for the three bean/rice treatments in contrast to the rice control at 90, 120 and 150 minutes. Incremental area under the curve values were significantly lower for the pinto and black bean/rice meals compared to rice alone, but not for kidney beans.

Conclusions

Pinto, dark red kidney and black beans with rice attenuate the glycemic response compared to rice alone. Promotion of traditional foods may provide non-pharmaceutical management of type 2 diabetes and improve dietary adherence with cultural groups.

Trial registration

Clinical Trials number NCT01241253
Removal of 10-nm contaminant particles from Si wafers using CO2 bullet particles
Authors: Kim Inho , Hwang Kwangseok , Lee JinWon
Published: April 2012

Removal of nanometer-sized contaminant particles (CPs) from substrates is essential in successful fabrication of nanoscale devices. The particle beam technique that uses nanometer-sized bullet particles (BPs) moving at supersonic velocity was improved by operating it at room temperature to achieve higher velocity and size uniformity of BPs and was successfully used to remove CPs as small as 10 nm. CO2 BPs were generated by gas-phase nucleation and growth in a supersonic nozzle; appropriate size and velocity of the BPs were obtained by optimizing the nozzle contours and CO2/He mixture fraction. Cleaning efficiency greater than 95% was attained. BP velocity was the most important parameter affecting removal of CPs in the 10-nm size range. Compared to cryogenic Ar or N2 particles, CO2 BPs were more uniform in size and had higher velocity and, therefore, cleaned CPs more effectively.
Joint parameter estimation and Cramer-Rao bound analysis in ground-based forward scatter radar
Authors: Zeng Tao , Hu Cheng , Cherniakov Mikhail , Zhuo Chao , Mao Cong
Published: April 2012

Forward scatter radar (FSR) has potential applications such as target detection, classification, and recognition. The success of these issues depends on the accuracy of parameter estimation. Many parameter estimation methods for air-based FSR have been given, but cannot directly be applied in the ground-based ones for the different system functions. The received signal in ground-based FSR depends on the target's electrical size and trajectory, which are unknown a priori. It is impossible to construct an optimal reception with accurate reference function in practical situations. An adaptive method of parameter estimation is therefore proposed in this article, which includes the construction of reference function and the two-dimensional parameter estimation. Furthermore, the Crammer-Rao bounds of estimation accuracy are obtained via the analytical derivation, which can be in turn utilized to determine the estimation step in the algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is shown using both simulated and experimental data.
Age-related guanine nucleotide exchange factor, mouse Zizimin2, induces filopodia in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells
Authors: Sakabe Isamu , Asai Azusa , Iijima Junko , Maruyama Mitsuo
Published: April 2012

Background

We recently isolated and identified Zizimin2 as a functional factor that is highly expressed in murine splenic germinal center B cells after immunization with T-cell-dependent antigen. Zizimin2 was revealed to be a new family member of Dock (dedicator of cytokinesis), Dock11, which is the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42, a low-molecular-weight GTPase. However, the molecular function of Zizimin2 in acquired immunity has not been elucidated.

Results

In this study, we show that the protein expression of Zizimin2, which is also restricted to lymphoid tissues and lymphocytes, is reduced in aged mice. Over-expression of full-length Zizimin2 induced filopodial formation in 293T cells, whereas expression of CZH2 domain inhibited it. Stimulation of Fcγ receptor and Toll-like receptor 4 triggered Zizimin2 up-regulation and Cdc42 activation in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells.

Conclusions

These data suggest that Zizimin2 is an immune-related and age-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factor, which facilitates filopodial formation through activation of Cdc42, which results in activation of cell migration.
Emergency total thyroidectomy due to non traumatic disease. Experience of a surgical unit and literature review
Authors: Testini Mario , Logoluso Francesco , Lissidini Germana , Gurrado Angela , Campobasso Giuseppe , Cortese Rocco , De Luca Giuseppe Massimiliano , Franco Ilaria Fabiola , De Luca Alessandro , Piccinni Giuseppe
Published: April 2012

Background

Acute respiratory failure due to thyroid compression or invasion of the tracheal lumen is a surgical emergency requiring urgent management. The aim of this paper is to describe a series of six patients treated successfully in the emergency setting with total thyroidectomy due to ingravescent dyspnoea and asphyxia, as well as review related data reported in literature.

Methods

During 2005-2010, of 919 patients treated by total thyroidectomy at our Academic Hospital, 6 (0.7%; 4 females and 2 men, mean age: 68.7 years, range 42-81 years) were treated in emergency. All the emergency operations were performed for life-threatening respiratory distress. The clinical picture at admission, clinical features, type of surgery, outcomes and complications are described. Mean duration of surgery was 146 minutes (range: 53-260).

Results

In 3/6 (50%) a manubriotomy was necessary due to the extension of the mass into the upper mediastinum. In all cases total thyroidectomy was performed. In one case (16.7%) a parathyroid gland transplantation and in another one (16.7%) a tracheotomy was necessary due to a condition of tracheomalacia. Mean post-operative hospital stay was 6.5 days (range: 2-10 days). Histology revealed malignancy in 4/6 cases (66.7%), showing 3 primitive, and 1 secondary tumors. Morbidity consisted of 1 transient recurrent laryngeal palsy, 3 transient postoperative hypoparathyroidism, and 4 pleural effusions, treated by medical therapy in 3 and by drains in one. There was no mortality.

Conclusion

On the basis of our experience and of literature review, we strongly advocate elective surgery for patients with thyroid disease at the first signs of tracheal compression. When an acute airway distress appears, an emergency life-threatening total thyroidectomy is recommended in a high-volume centre.
RAC1 GTPase plays an important role in γ-irradiation induced G2/M checkpoint activation
Authors: Yan Ying , Greer Patrick M , Cao Phu T , Kolb Ryan H , Cowan Kenneth H
Published: April 2012

Introduction

In response to gamma-irradiation (IR)-induced double-strand DNA breaks, cells undergo cell-cycle arrest, allowing time for DNA repair before reentering the cell cycle. G2/M checkpoint activation involves activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/ATM- and rad3-related (ATR) kinases and inhibition of Cdc25 phosphatases, resulting in inhibition of Cdc2 kinase and subsequent G2/M cell-cycle arrest. Previous studies from our laboratory showed that the G2/M checkpoint activation after IR exposure of MCF-7 breast cancer cells is dependent on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) signaling. In the present studies, we investigated the role of Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) in IR-induced G2/M checkpoint response and ERK1/2 activation, as well as in cell survival after IR.

Methods

With Rac1-specific inhibitor, dominant negative mutant Rac1 (N17Rac1) and specific small interfering RNA, the effect of Rac1 on IR-induced G2/M checkpoint response and ERK1/2 activation was examined in human breast cancer cells. In addition, the effect of Rac1 on cell survival after irradiation was assessed by using Rac1-specific inhibitor.

Results

IR exposure of MCF-7 breast cancer cells was associated with a marked activation of Rac1 GTPase. Furthermore, inhibition of Rac1 by using specific inhibitor, dominant-negative Rac1 mutant, or specific siRNA resulted in attenuation of IR-induced G2/M arrest and concomitant diminution of IR-induced activation of ATM, ATR, Chk1, and Chk2 kinases, as well as phosphorylation of Cdc2-Tyr15. Moreover, Rac1 inhibition or decreased Rac1 expression also abrogated IR-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 and 2 (MEK1/2) and ERK1/2. Ultimately, inhibition of Rac1 markedly increased cellular sensitivity to IR exposure, which involves induction of apoptosis.

Conclusion

Studies in this report suggest that Rac1 GTPase plays an essential role in the activation of IR-induced ERK1/2 signaling and subsequent G2/M checkpoint response. Furthermore, results also support a role for Rac1 in promoting cell survival after irradiation treatment.
Correlation between high blood IL-6 level, hyperglycemia, and glucose control in septic patients
Authors: Nakamura Masataka , Oda Shigeto , Sadahiro Tomohito , Watanabe Eizo , Abe Ryuzo , Nakada Taka-aki , Morita Yasumasa , Hirasawa Hiroyuki
Published: April 2012

Introduction

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the blood IL-6 level, the blood glucose level, and glucose control in septic patients.

Methods

This retrospective observational study in a general ICU of a university hospital included a total of 153 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock who were admitted to the ICU between 2005 and 2010, stayed in the ICU for 7 days or longer, and did not receive steroid therapy prior to or after ICU admission. The severity of stress hyperglycemia, status of glucose control, and correlation between those two factors in these patients were investigated using the blood IL-6 level as an index of hypercytokinemia.

Results

A significant positive correlation between blood IL-6 level and blood glucose level on ICU admission was observed in the overall study population (n = 153; r = 0.24, P = 0.01), and was stronger in the nondiabetic subgroup (n = 112; r = 0.42, P < 0.01). The rate of successful glucose control (blood glucose level < 150 mg/dl maintained for 6 days or longer) decreased with increase in blood IL-6 level on ICU admission (P < 0.01). The blood IL-6 level after ICU admission remained significantly higher and the 60-day survival rate was significantly lower in the failed glucose control group than in the successful glucose control group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions

High blood IL-6 level was correlated with hyperglycemia and with difficulties in glucose control in septic patients. These results suggest the possibility that hypercytokinemia might be involved in the development of hyperglycemia in sepsis, and thereby might affect the success of glucose control.
The Role of Symbolic Capital in Protest: State-Society Relations and the Destruction of the Halabja Martyrs Monument in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Watts Nicole F.
Published: April 2012

This essay examines state-society relations in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq through a case study of the March 2006 protest in Halabja, during which protesters destroyed a memorial built to honor the victims of the 1988 chemical bombing of the city. The article suggests that contradictions between word and deed fueled local perceptions that the Kurdistan Regional Government was exploiting Halabja’s symbolic and material legacy. The essay’s main argument is that these contradictions, along with Halabja’s symbolic capital, gave student protesters leverage for renegotiating the terms of the relationship between authorities and local people. They mobilized the politics of shame to pressure officials, transformed the monument site and the commemoration into a theater for conveying their challenge, and acquired influential allies capable of substantiating and institutionalizing their demands.
Four Daughters of Tököldösh: Kyrgyz Actresses Define Soviet Modernity
Authors: İğmen Ali F.
Published: April 2012

This article analyzes the lives of four stage personalities whose lives, career paths, and achievements connect us to the cultural makeup of Soviet Kyrgyzstan during the second half of the twentieth century. The stories of Sabira Kumushalieva, Saira Kiyizbaeva, Baken Kydykeeva, and Darkul Kuiukova take us back to an era when Kyrgyz women first took charge of their lives in a public forum. These “four daughters of Tököldösh” established the modern conventions of Kyrgyz stage and film. They helped construct idealized models for Kyrgyz women and fashioned a new Kyrgyz identity that redefined the meaning of “Sovietness.”
The Colonial State and Its Multiple Relations: A Case Study of Egypt
Authors: Abi-Hamad Saad
Published: April 2012

This article examines the nature of the colonial state as it existed in Egypt at the turn of the twentieth century. It delves into issues surrounding the multiple societal relations that the colonial state had to maintain to ensure its continued existence. It also considers the very nature of the colonial relationship as exemplified by the attitudes and actions of British colonial administrators in Egypt at the turn of the twentieth century.
Hijab Martyrdom, Headscarf Debates: Rethinking Violence, Secularism, and Islam in Germany
Authors: Weber Beverly M.
Published: April 2012

Fereshta Ludin’s struggle to be appointed as a public school teacher while wearing a hijab received massive media attention in Germany, while the xenophobically motivated murder of Marwa el-Sherbini, who was eventually dubbed the “hijab martyr” internationally, elicited muted response. Yet interpreting the reactions to these two cases together reveals much about the existence of racism and Islamophobia in contemporary Germany. In this article I juxtapose the public discussions of these two cases to consider the potential for a critique of headscarf discourse. I suggest that interrogation of headscarf discourse is only possible by turning the very notion of critique against itself in order to interrogate the conditions of secularism.
Alternative Narratives of the Veil in Contemporary Art
Authors: Behiery Valerie
Published: April 2012

The Muslim veil is a heavily charged site in mainstream Western culture and media. However, its continued use as a visual shorthand for the oppressed Muslim woman, and by extension for the misogyny and violence of Islam, stands in sharp contrast to the numerous depictions of the veil present in contemporary artistic practice. This article analyzes mainstream representations of the veil and their various subtexts, before charting three alternative narratives of the veil found in contemporary art produced by artists of Muslim descent who now exhibit, and often live, in Europe and North America. The specific works examined and the new narratives of the veil they bring forward reorient the gaze. By displacing the veil, a site of cross-cultural mistranslation, they remap the world and uncover the possible spaces of transnational literacy and communication.
The Mythology of the Veil in Europe: A Brief History of a Debate
Authors: Batur Ayşe Lucie
Published: April 2012

The Islamic headscarf became an issue of controversy in Western European countries beginning in the late 1980s. This controversy increasingly began to include diverse issues such as the integration of Muslim immigrants into their host countries, the politicization of Islam, the ghettoization of Muslim populations, and the congruity of Islam with modernity. This article provides a history of this debate, with a focus on its emergence, with the aim to address the different contexts and issues raised in France, Britain, and Germany. It adopts a semiological approach in understanding the social dimensions through which an object, a form of clothing, can bear contested meanings and rouse debates that evoke unresolved problems related to immigration, secularism, and the reception of Islam in the West. The first section provides a historical narrative of the emergence of the headscarf debate in Western Europe and compares the different discursive contexts in France, Britain, and Germany. The second section proposes a mythological reading of the veil by using the notion of myth as employed by Roland Barthes. The third section argues that the myth of the veil demonstrates the conflicts between religion and society that were thought to have been resolved. Furthermore, the myth of the veil, as it emerged in European countries, functions both to present the Muslim presence in Europe as a new and sudden occurrence without a history and to distance the religious and colonial history of Europe in its search for its identity.
World Metaphor, Metametaphor: Veils in Literature, Literature as Veil
Authors: Knirsch Christian
Published: April 2012

For the past decades, public discourse on veils in Western societies has mainly focused on the Islamic veil. In the Western history of thought, however, veils have frequently been used as symbols in epistemological contexts, too, both in literary and in theoretical primary texts. Astonishingly, an overwhelming majority of secondary sources concerned with veils as epistemological symbols in Western culture continue to talk about “the veil” — as if there were only one. Indeed, veils have usually been used in similar epistemological contexts, albeit expressing completely different worldviews depending on the degree of transparency or opacity, the material structure, and — most important — the veils’ position in relation to the subject. Consequently, “the veil” as such does not exist; there is rather a plurality of different types of veils, for example, the veil of Isis, the metaphysical veil, the discursive veil, the veil of perception, the psychological veil, or the veil between subjects, all of which contribute to an all-encompassing veil in the sense of a “world metaphor.” Different literary texts from the corresponding periods in literary history use veils as epistemological metaphors, too, and thereby reflect the conception of reality dominant in the respective epoch.
From Traditional Mahallehs to Modern Neighborhoods: The Case of Narmak, Tehran
Authors: Mirgholami Morteza , Sintusingha Sidh
Published: April 2012

Most cities in developing countries experience unprecedented changes in their physical and social structures during the process of modernization. This article investigates daily life in a modern neighborhood of Tehran, Narmak, designed in 1951 based on Western ideas, through the application of qualitative research methods to examine the transformation of this neighborhood from a Gemeinschaft community to a more urban community. This article uses the public spaces of the neighborhood as a tool to monitor daily life and the changes that have emerged in the neighborhood. It considers the social interactions in the public spaces of the neighborhood as a synthesis between the new norms stemming from the modern culture and the traditional cultural and religious norms reflected in gender, family, and neighborhood relations. The findings reveal that despite Narmak’s modern design and planning, a synthesis between traditional and modern culture can be observed in this neighborhood. Five decades after its design, the original low-density residential neighborhood has been transformed into a mixed-use, medium-density neighborhood with new migrants consisting of half of its population. Observations suggest differences both with the old mahallehs (neighborhoods), such as the blur of the previously more clear-cut public-private boundaries and the use of public spaces by youths and women, and with qualities inherited from traditional mahallehs, such as a sense of community, the exclusion of strangers, cul-de-sacs, and so forth.
A Door Ajar: National Borders and the Character of Islam in Pakistan
Authors: Bedford Ian
Published: April 2012

The modern nation-state has a national space and national borders. Yet borders are not always for defense. In Pakistan, since 2001, and from as far back as the 1980s, the premise (or implied threat) of unsecured borders on the North-West Frontier has become an unadmitted aspect of state policy which can be partly explained by a distinctive factor: the commitment of the post–General Zia state (or part of it) to a militant version of Islam. Pakistan owes its being to Islam. In August, 1947, the eastern border of the new state was opened to the flow of Muslim refugees from India. Even in those early days, the “homeland for the Muslims of India” was conceived (ideally) in two guises: either as a container for the Muslims that lived or migrated there, or as a project for making Pakistanis. The Indian Islam of large sections of the existing population was not of a kind to be respected by all architects of the new project. Before the 1980s, the state took a defensive (though sometimes accommodating) attitude toward the demands of a radical minority that society in Pakistan be brought into accord with Islamic norms. But state-sponsored processes of Islamization have since come to be deeply entwined with the cross-border conduct of policy and war in Afghanistan. Drawing particular attention to the Munir Report (1954), an inquiry into civil disturbances soon after the foundation of the country, this paper considers the events of more recent times in terms of the interdependence of two kinds of question: that of the nation-state and its borders, and that of the character of Islam in a particular country.
Aestivation: signaling and hypometabolism
Authors: Storey Kenneth B. , Storey Janet M.
Published: April 2012

Aestivation is a survival strategy used by many vertebrates and invertebrates to endure arid environmental conditions. Key features of aestivation include strong metabolic rate suppression, strategies to retain body water, conservation of energy and body fuel reserves, altered nitrogen metabolism, and mechanisms to preserve and stabilize organs, cells and macromolecules over many weeks or months of dormancy. Cell signaling is crucial to achieving both a hypometabolic state and reorganizing multiple metabolic pathways to optimize long-term viability during aestivation. This commentary examines the current knowledge about cell signaling pathways that participate in regulating aestivation, including signaling cascades mediated by the AMP-activated kinase, Akt, ERK, and FoxO1.
Differential limb loading in miniature pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus): a test of chondral modeling theory
Authors: Congdon Kimberly A. , Hammond Ashley S. , Ravosa Matthew J.
Published: April 2012

Variation in mechanical loading is known to influence chondrogenesis during joint formation. However, the interaction among chondrocyte behavior and variation in activity patterns is incompletely understood, hindering our knowledge of limb ontogeny and function. Here, the role of endurance exercise in the development of articular and physeal cartilage in the humeral head was examined in 14 miniature swine (Sus scrofa domesticus). One group was subjected to graded treadmill running over a period of 17 weeks. A matched sedentary group was confined to individual pens. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed for histomorphometry of cartilage zone thickness, chondrocyte count and cell area, with these parameters compared multivariately between exercised and sedentary groups. Comparisons were also made with femora from the same sample, focusing on humerus–femur differences between exercised and sedentary groups, within-cohort comparisons of humerus–femur responses and correlated changes within and across joints. This study shows conflicting support for the chondral modeling theory. The humeral articular cartilage of exercised pigs was thinner than that of sedentary pigs, but their physeal cartilage was thicker. While articular and physeal cartilage demonstrated between-cohort differences, humeral physeal cartilage exhibited load-induced responses of greater magnitude than humeral articular cartilage. Controlling for cohort, the humerus showed increased chondrocyte mitosis and cell area, presumably due to relatively greater loading than the femur. This represents the first known effort to evaluate chondral modeling across multiple joints from the same individuals. Our findings suggest the chondral response to elevated loading is complex, varying within and among joints. This has important implications for understanding joint biomechanics and development.