bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liberating the wanderers: using technology to unlock doors for those living with dementia
Authors: Wigg Johanna M.
Published: February 2010

This paper focuses on surveillance technologies applied to wandering elders in dementia care facilities in the United States. Drawing on data collected in two long‐term care settings, I examine how different forms of technology (e.g. locked doors and motion detectors) are used to monitor wanderers in the context of managing risk. In contrast to the locked facility that defined wandering as pathology, the care facility that defined wandering as purposeful and therapeutic improved wanderers’ sense of wellbeing and agency. The comparison of the two environments challenges the medicalisation of wandering and suggests a need to redefine approaches to safe wandering that incorporate technologies that monitor but do not confine residents. I argue that surveillance technologies such as locked doors dehumanise and frighten individuals by halting their ability to exit. In contrast, surveillance technologies such as motion detectors may offer increased quality of life and health benefits by allowing individuals to wander safely in the company of a care provider. Efforts to allow individuals to wander safely challenge both the medicalisation of this behaviour as well as the tendency to emphasise its riskiness.
Development and application of vision statements in river rehabilitation: the experience of Project Twin Streams, New Zealand
Authors: Gregory Claire E , Brierley Gary J
Published: February 2010

Vision statements are promoted within river rehabilitation literature as a tool to guide a shared perspective of an improved environmental future. This study analyses the visioning process applied in Project Twin Streams, a community–local government partnership river rehabilitation project in Waitakere City, New Zealand. The process of developing the vision statement through to its implementation was traced. This process was critiqued through discourse analysis of planning documents and transcripts from 14 semi‐structured interviews undertaken with key informants (managers and strategic planners involved in the project). Lines of questioning were informed by various discourses around sustainability and environmental management, with key attention paid to the core elements incorporated into the vision, who decides the vision, and notions of adaptivity. Community empowerment and restoration of biophysical processes are key attributes comprising the vision, providing a strong sustainability focus. While the vision was developed by a select few ‘visionaries’, the vision encapsulates the desire for broadened participation as community capacity is developed. The vision was also developed in anticipation that specific goals would change through time as biophysical, social and institutional systems change, and as the knowledge base broadens and deepens, creating a ‘living’ vision. This experience is not intended as a ‘blueprint’ for other river rehabilitation initiatives, rather it sheds critical insight as to how vision statements translate goals and ambition into action.
Surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy associated with mesial temporal sclerosis in the older patient: A long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Murphy Michael , Smith Paul D. , Wood Martin , Bowden Stephen , O’Brien Terence J. , Bulluss Kristian J. , Cook Mark J.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  To assess the outcomes from temporal lobectomy for hippocampal sclerosis in patients 50 years or older. Controversy exists as to the suitability of older patients for epilepsy surgery, with most of the previous studies demonstrating a correlation between increasing age and poor outcome. However, the inclusion of temporal lobe epilepsy of multiple etiologies has confounded many previous studies of this age group.

Methods:  Twenty‐one patients aged 50 years or older (mean 54.9 years) at the time of surgery were included in the study group. All patients had a pathologic diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis. A retrospective analysis was performed comparing seizure outcomes following a standardized anterior temporal lobectomy with those from 103 patients younger than 50 (mean age 34.7 years) operated upon over the same time period. The mean follow‐up period for the study was 9.57 years.

Results:  Twenty of the 21 patients in the older group (95.2%) had a satisfactory seizure outcome (Engel classes I and II) compared with 90.3% of the younger patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the outcomes between the two groups (p = 0.719). Across both groups of patients combined, there was no significant difference between the mean age in the patients with a satisfactory seizure outcome compared to those with an unsatisfactory outcome (38.3 vs. 34.7 years, p = 0.213).

Discussion:  Patients 50 years or older with intractable seizures from hippocampal sclerosis have seizure outcomes following temporal lobectomy that are comparable to young patients over the long term. Older patients should not be denied treatment on the basis of age.
Epileptic phenotypes in children with respiratory chain disorders
Authors: El Sabbagh Sandra , Lebre Anne‐Sophie , Bahi‐Buisson Nadia , Delonlay Pascale , Soufflet Christine , Boddaert Nathalie , Rio Marlène , Rötig Agnès , Dulac Olivier , Munnich Arnold , Desguerre Isabelle
Published: February 2010

Purpose:  Epilepsy is a commonly reported but rarely described clinical hallmark of mitochondrial respiratory chain defects (RCDs) with encephalopathy.

Methods:  From 1990–2006 we collected data about 56 children with RCD (single, n = 24 or multiple, n = 20 mitochondrial complex deficiencies; mtDNA mutation, n = 11; mtDNA depletion n = 10 of 21; and nuclear gene mutation n = 11). Epileptic features were reviewed retrospectively.

Results:  First seizures were frequently (47 patients, 82.5%) preceded by failure to thrive, psychomotor delay, ataxia, or multisystemic dysfunction. Sixty percent of the patients had several seizure types. Six age‐related epilepsy phenotypes could be identified: status epilepticus complicating neonatal multivisceral deficiency (2 patients), neonatal myoclonic encephalopathy (3 patients), infantile spasms (8 patients), refractory or recurrent status epilepticus (21 patients), epilepsia partialis continua (4 patients), and myoclonic epilepsy (18 patients). Except for infantile spasms, epilepsy was difficult to control in most patients (95%). Valproate was administered to 25 patients, one of whom developed acute liver failure 6 days later. Twenty‐two patients (45%) died, half of them within 9 months from the onset of epilepsy.

Discussion:  In RCD, epilepsy is not only difficult to control but its occurrence often indicates a severe turn in the course of the disease. For one‐third of the patients, classical biochemical measures failed to reveal any abnormality and RCD could be detected in the liver only.
Patient Recall in Advanced Education in Prosthodontics Programs in the United States
Authors: Afshari Fatemeh S. , Koslow Alyson H. , Knoernschild Kent L. , Sukotjo Cortino
Published: February 2010

Purpose: This study surveyed program directors of Advanced Education Programs in Prosthodontics (AEPP) in the United States to determine the extent, type, incidence, and perceived effectiveness of implemented recall systems.

Material and Methods: Surveys were sent to AEPP directors across the United States to assess their program's recall protocol. This survey first identified whether an active recall program existed. For programs with recall systems, rigor in promoting ongoing oral health was surveyed by focusing on recall frequency, patient tracking protocol, involved personnel, interaction with other university departments, provided clinical procedures, and therapy completion protocol. Whether the directors perceived that their recall system was successful was also investigated.

Results: Thirty‐three of 46 programs responded, giving a response rate of 72%. Of these 33 programs, only 21 (64%) had an active recall system, although 30 (91%) believed recall to be important. Twelve (57%) directors with recall programs considered their system to be effective.

Conclusions: Prosthodontic program directors felt their program's recall effectiveness could be improved. Due to the numerous potential benefits of an active recall system, AEPPs should consider implementing or enhancing their recall programs. Further studies are indicated to determine specific criteria that describe an effective recall system for prosthodontic programs within the context of patient health promotion, program curriculum, and financial ramifications.
Fe3+ Ions Acting as Probes and Agents in Aggregation Processes and Solid‐State Reactions in AlO(OH)/Al2O3 Matrices
Authors: Stößer Reinhard , Feist Michael , Menzel Michael , Nofz Marianne
Published: February 2010

The fate of doped iron species during various mechanically and thermally initiated redox reactions and aggregation processes in crystalline and amorphous AlO(OH) or Al2O3 matrices was investigated. The amorphization of the matrix was performed by chemical (i.e., via sol–gel processes) or mechanochemical treatment (high‐energy ball milling). Thermal analysis, coupled with mass spectrometry (TA‐MS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electron spin resonance (ESR), was used. The TA under various gas atmospheres allowed preparing samples under a controlled temperature regime, together with a controlled gas influence. Both the effect of mechanical activation and the influence of the iron doping could be followed macroscopically via the down‐shift of the peak temperature of the corundum formation. The ESR data characterize the Fe3+ ions and their interaction with the magnetic surrounding based on the fine structure parameters. The Mössbauer data allowed the characterization of the Fe(0), Fe2+, and Fe3+ species, together with providing information about their coordinative surrounding. Both methods provided general complementary spectroscopical information.

Unexpectedly, (FeOx)n and (FexAl1−x)2O3 aggregates could also be detected in the range of low Fe concentrations. It was demonstrated that even in the low‐level doped systems [(FexAl1−x)2O3 with x≥0.01], all the essential spectroscopic phenomena occur. At higher Fe concentrations, they were discovered to be caused by magnetic and spin exchange interactions as well as by solid‐state reactions during and after the mechanical activation.
Foamy cell angiosarcoma: a rare and deceptively bland variant of cutaneous angiosarcoma
Authors: Tatsas Amy D. , Keedy Vicki L. , Florell Scott R. , Simpson Jean F. , Coffin Cheryl M. , Kelley Mark C. , Cates Justin M. M.
Published: February 2010

Cutaneous angiosarcoma can sometimes mimic other benign and malignant lesions, thereby presenting a difficult differential diagnosis. In the two cases of cutaneous angiosarcoma presented herein, extensive foamy cell alteration of tumor cells resembled a reactive xanthogranulomatous process. Foamy cell angiosarcoma is an unusual and deceptively benign morphologic variant of cutaneous angiosarcoma. Critical features for diagnosis include the presence of a deep, permeative, sometimes ‘scaffolding’ growth pattern and subtle areas of vascular formation.

Tatsas AD, Keedy VL, Florell SR, Simpson JF, Coffin CM, Kelley MC, Cates JMM. Foamy cell angiosarcoma: a rare and deceptively bland variant of cutaneous angiosarcoma.
Positive performance and health effects of a football training program over 12 weeks can be maintained over a 1‐year period with reduced training frequency
Authors: Randers M. B. , Nielsen J. J. , Krustrup B. R. , Sundstrup E. , Jakobsen M. D. , Nybo L. , Dvorak J. , Bangsbo J. , Krustrup P.
Published: February 2010

We examined whether improvements in the performance and health profile of an intensive 12‐week football intervention could be maintained with a reduced training frequency. Seventeen healthy untrained males completed the study. Ten subjects trained 2.4 times/week for 12 weeks and another 52 weeks with 1.3 sessions/week [football group (FG)] and seven subjects acted as controls [control group (CG)]. For FG, fat mass (3.2 kg) and systolic blood pressure (8 mmHg) were lower (P<0.05) after 64 than 0 weeks, and VO2max (8%) and Yo‐Yo intermittent endurance level 2 test performance (49%) were higher (P<0.05), with no difference between 64 and 12 weeks. After 64 weeks, quadriceps muscle mass (11%), mean fiber area (10%) and citrate synthase activity (18%) were higher (P<0.05) than those at 0 weeks. Leg bone mass (3.5%) and density (2.0%) were higher (P<0.05) after 64 than 0 weeks, but not different between 12 and 0 weeks. Plantar jump force (17–18%), 30‐m sprinting velocity (1.3–3.0%) and muscle glycogen concentration (19–21%) were higher (P<0.05) and blood lactate during submaximal exercise was lower (27–72%, P<0.05) after 64 than after 12 and 0 weeks. The above‐mentioned variables were unaltered for CG. In conclusion, positive adaptations in cardiovascular fitness obtained over 12 weeks of regular recreational football training can be maintained over a 1‐year period with a reduced training frequency, with further development in musculo‐skeletal fitness.
Why ADR Programs Aren't More Appealing: An Empirical Perspective
Authors: Heise Michael
Published: February 2010

Standard law and economic theory suggests that litigating parties seeking to maximize welfare will participate in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs if they generate a surplus. ADR programs claim to generate social surplus partly through promoting settlements and reducing case disposition time. Although most associate ADR programs with trial courts, a relatively recent trend involves appellate court use of ADR programs. The emergence of court‐annexed ADR programs raises a question. Specifically, if ADR programs achieve their goals of promoting settlements and reducing disposition time, why do some courts find it necessary to impose ADR participation? Attention to ADR's ability to achieve its goals provides one clue. Most empirical assessments of ADR program efficacy have been mixed. This study exploits a uniquely comprehensive database of state civil court trials and appeals and tests hypotheses germane to questions about whether court‐annexed appellate ADR programs stimulate settlement and reduce disposition time. Using data from 46 large counties consisting of 8,038 trials that generated 965 filed appeals, with 166 appeals participating in ADR programs, findings from this study provide mixed support for ADR programs. Specifically, results from this study indicate that participation in an ADR program correlates with an increased likelihood of settlement but not with reduced disposition time. ADR program mixed efficacy diminishes its appeal to litigants. Institutional interests help explain why appellate courts impose ADR participation notwithstanding mixed results on ADR efficacy.
Long-term functional improvement and gene expression changes after bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitor cell transplantation in myocardial infarction
Authors: Jameel Mohammad Nurulqadr , Li Qinglu , Mansoor Abdul , Qiang Xiong , Sarver Aaron , Wang Xiaohong , Swingen Cory , Zhang Jianyi
Published: February 2010

The study examined the long-term outcome of cardiac stem cell transplantation in hearts with postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Myocardial infarction (MI) was created by ligating the first and second diagonal branches of the left anterior descending coronary artery in miniature swines. Intramyocardial injections of 50 million LacZ-labeled bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitor cells (MPC) were performed in the periscar region (Cell, n = 7) immediately after MI, whereas, in control animals (Cont, n = 7), saline was injected. Functional outcome was assessed monthly for 4 mo with MRI and 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Engraftment was studied on histology, and gene chip (Affymetrix) array analysis was used to study differential expression of genes in the two groups. MPC treatment resulted in improvement of ejection fraction as early as 10 days after MI (Cell, 43.4 ± 5.1% vs. Cont, 32.2 ± 5.5%; P < 0.05). This improvement was seen each month and persisted to 4 mo (Cell, 51.2 ± 4.8% vs. Cont, 35.7 ± 5.0%; P < 0.05). PCr-to-ATP ratio (PCr/ATP) improved with MPC transplantation, which was most pronounced at high cardiac work states (subendocardial PCr/ATP was 1.70 ± 0.10 vs. 1.34 ± 0.14, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in scar size (scar/LV area ∗ 100) at 10 days postinfarction. However, at 4 mo, there was a significant decrease in scar size in the Cell group (Cell, 4.6 ± 1.0% vs. Cont, 8.6 ± 2.4%; P < 0.05). No significant engraftment of MPC was observed. MPC transplantation was associated with a downregulation of mitochondrial oxidative enzymes and increased levels of myocyte enhancer factor 2a and zinc finger protein 91. In conclusion, MPC transplantation leads to long-term functional and bioenergetic improvement in a porcine model of postinfarction LV remodeling, despite no significant engraftment of stem cells in the heart. MPC transplantation reduces regional wall stresses and infarct size and mitigates the adverse effects of LV remodeling, as seen by a reduction in LV hypertrophy and LV dilatation, and is associated with differential expression of genes relating to metabolism and apoptosis.
Familial resemblance and shared latent familial variance in recurrent fall risk in older women
Authors: Faulkner Kimberly A. , Cauley Jane A. , Roth Stephen M. , Kammerer Candace , Stone Katie , Hillier Teresa A. , Ensrud Kristine E. , Hochberg Marc , Nevitt Michael C. , Zmuda Joseph M.
Published: February 2010

Background: A possible familial component to fracture risk may be mediated through a genetic liability to fall recurrently. Methods: Our analysis sample included 186 female sibling-ships ( n = 401) of mean age 71.9 yr (SD = 5.0). Using variance component models, we estimated residual upper-limit heritabilities in fall-risk mobility phenotypes (e.g., chair-stand time, rapid step-ups, and usual-paced walking speed) and in recurrent falls. We also estimated familial and environmental (unmeasured) correlations between pairs of fall-risk mobility phenotypes. All models were adjusted for age, height, body mass index, and medical and environmental factors. Results: Residual upper-limit heritabilities were all moderate ( P < 0.05), ranging from 0.27 for usual-paced walking speed to 0.58 for recurrent falls. A strong familial correlation between usual-paced walking speed and rapid step-ups of 0.65 ( P < 0.01) was identified. Familial correlations between usual-paced walking speed and chair-stand time (−0.02) and between chair-stand time and rapid step-ups (−0.27) were both nonsignificant ( P > 0.05). Environmental correlations ranged from 0.35 to 0.58 (absolute values), P < 0.05 for all. Conclusions: There exists moderate familial resemblance in fall-risk mobility phenotypes and recurrent falls among older female siblings, which we expect is primarily genetic given that adult siblings live separate lives. All fall-risk mobility phenotypes may be coinfluenced at least to a small degree by shared latent familial or environmental factors; however, up to approximately one-half of the covariation between usual-paced walking speed and rapid step-ups may be due to a common set of genes.
Personalized Prognosis and Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes – Vision or Fiction?
Authors: Müller Günter
Published: February 2010

Typical civilization diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, share several features: their worldwide frequency, the complexity of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, heterogeneity in the phenotypes and their multifactorial nature due to a wide variety of possible combinations of disease susceptibility or protective genes in different tissues and negative or positive environmental factors. This is in sharp contrast to classical inherited diseases, such as Huntington’s chorea, which are often caused by complete loss- or gain-of-function mutations in a single gene. The causative polymorphisms of susceptibility genes, however, are characterized by relatively subtle alterations in the function of the corresponding gene products, i.e. low penetrance and effect size, which do not support the pathogenesis per se, and by their high frequency; these two characteristics result in high expenditures for their identification and a rather low predictive value. In the future, the reliable and early diagnosis of common diseases will thus depend on the determination of all (or as many as possible) polymorphisms of each susceptibility gene together with the corresponding gene products and the metabolites emerging thereof for each individual. Great hopes are currently associated with systems biology to cover these demands in time (i.e. along the pathogenesis) and space (i.e. in all relevant tissues).
Application of a decision rule and a D-dimer assay in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism
Authors: Douma Renee , Squizzato Alessandro , Sohne Maaike , Buller Harry , Gerdes Victor , Gibson Nadine
Published: February 2010

Current strategies for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) include a clinical decision rule (CDR), followed by a D-dimer assay in patients with an unlikely clinical probability. We assessed the implementation of the current guidelines for the diagnosis of PE. A first questionnaire was sent to internists and pulmonologists to assess the proportion of physicians that adequately applied the guidelines. Two versions of a second questionnaire were sent presenting five hypothetical cases of which in two cases with an intermediate clinical probability an abnormal D-dimer test result was added to one version. We assessed the variation of the CDR and compared the proportions of a likely clinical probability between the two versions. A total of 65 physicians responded to the first questionnaire (response rate 75%). Half of the physicians (N=29; 46%) indicated that they use a CDR in all patients and 22 physicians (45%) indicated that they review the D-dimer result after they examined patients. Sixty-two physicians responded on the second questionnaire (response rate 36%). A shift was observed from an unlikely to a likely probability when an abnormal D-dimer test result was added to the clinical information (22% to 41%; p=0.22 and 26% to 50%; p<0.05). Our findings indicate that physicians do not use the guidelines for diagnosis of PE consistently. Furthermore, the knowledge of an abnormal D-dimer test result before seeing the patient leads to a higher CDR score. Physicians should therefore first examine patients before taking note of the D-dimer test result.
Augmented Superoxide Production By Nox2-Containing NADPH Oxidase Causes Cerebral Artery Dysfunction During Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Miller Alyson A. , De Silva T. Michael , Judkins Courtney P. , Diep Henry , Drummond Grant R. , Sobey Christopher G.
Published: February 2010

Background and Purpose—

We tested the hypothesis that elevated superoxide production by Nox2-NADPH oxidase occurs in cerebral arteries during hypercholesterolemia and causes decreased nitric oxide function.

Methods—

Wild-type (WT), apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE
−/−
) and Nox2
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
mice were fed a high-fat diet for 7 to 14 weeks. Basal superoxide production by cerebral arteries was measured using L-012 (100 μmol/L)-enhanced chemiluminescence. Nitric oxide function was assessed in isolated middle cerebral arteries through the constrictor response to N
ω
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester (
l
-NAME; 100 μmol/L). Western blotting was used to measure protein expression of Nox2, p47phox, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and superoxide dismutases (1–3).

Results—

Morphology of cerebral arteries was similar in WT and ApoE
−/−
mice. In ApoE
−/−
, but not Nox2
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
mice, superoxide production by cerebral arteries was approximately 50% greater than in WT mice (
P
<0.05). Moreover, the magnitude of
l
-NAME-induced contractions of isolated middle cerebral arteries from ApoE
−/−
mice was <50% of that in WT mice (
P
<0.05), whereas in Nox2
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
mice, the contractile response was comparable to WT responses. In the presence of the superoxide scavenger, tempol (1 mmol/L),
l
-NAME-induced contractions of middle cerebral arteries were similar between WT and ApoE
−/−
mice. Expression of p47phox was approximately 2-fold higher in ApoE
−/−
versus WT mice, whereas Nox2, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and superoxide dismutase isoforms were unchanged.

Conclusions—

Elevated superoxide production and reduced basal nitric oxide-mediated relaxation occur in cerebral arteries of hypercholesterolemic mice even in the absence of lesions. These changes appear to be exclusively due to increased activity of Nox2-NADPH oxidase, possibly through increased expression of its regulatory subunit p47phox.
Tyrosine kinase Btk regulates E-selectin–mediated integrin activation and neutrophil recruitment by controlling phospholipase C (PLC) γ2 and PI3Kγ pathways
Authors: Mueller Helena , Stadtmann Anika , Van Aken Hugo , Hirsch Emilio , Wang Demin , Ley Klaus , Zarbock Alexander
Published: February 2010

Selectins mediate leukocyte rolling, trigger β2-integrin activation, and promote leukocyte recruitment into inflamed tissue. E-selectin binding to P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) leads to activation of an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)–dependent pathway, which in turn activates the spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). However, the signaling pathway linking Syk to integrin activation after E-selectin engagement is unknown. To identify the pathway, we used different gene-deficient mice in autoperfused flow chamber, intravital microscopy, peritonitis, and biochemical studies. We report here that the signaling pathway downstream of Syk divides into a phospholipase C (PLC) γ2– and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) γ–dependent pathway. The Tec family kinase Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk) is required for activating both pathways, generating inositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), and inducing E-selectin–mediated slow rolling. Inhibition of this signal-transduction pathway diminished Gαi-independent leukocyte adhesion to and transmigration through endothelial cells in inflamed postcapillary venules of the cremaster. Gαi-independent neutrophil recruitment into the inflamed peritoneal cavity was reduced in Btk−/− and Plcg2−/− mice. Our data demonstrate the functional importance of this newly identified signaling pathway mediated by E-selectin engagement.
Characterization of Φ2954, a newly isolated bacteriophage containing three dsRNA genomic segments
Authors: Qiao Xueying , Sun Yang , Qiao Jian , Di Sanzo Fabiana , Mindich Leonard
Published: February 2010

Background

Bacteriophage Φ12 is a member of the Cystoviridae and is distinct from Φ6, the first member of that family. We have recently isolated a number of related phages and five showed high similarity to Φ12 in the amino acid sequences of several proteins. Bacteriophage Φ2954 is a member of this group.

Results

Φ2954 was isolated from radish leaves and was found to have a genome of three segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), placing it in the Cystoviridae. The base sequences for many of the genes and for the segment termini were similar but not identical to those of bacteriophage Φ12. However, the host specificity was for the type IV pili of Pseudomonas syringae HB10Y rather than for the rough LPS to which Φ12 attaches. Reverse genetics techniques enabled the production of infectious phage from cDNA copies of the genome. Phage were constructed with one, two or three genomic segments. Phage were also produced with altered transcriptional regulation. Although the pac sequences of Φ2954 show no similarity to those of Φ12, segment M of Φ2954 could be acquired by Φ12 resulting in a change of host specificity.

Conclusions

We have isolated a new member of the bacteriophage family Cystoviridae and find that although it shows similarity to other members of the family, it has unique properties that help to elucidate viral strategies for genomic packaging and gene expression.
Short versus standard treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2A plus ribavirin in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3: the cleo trial
Authors: Mecenate Fabrizio , Pellicelli Adriano M , Barbaro Giuseppe , Romano Mario , Barlattani Angelo , Mazzoni Ettore , Bonaventura Maria Elena , Nosotti Lorenzo , Arcuri Pasquale , Picardi Antonio , Barbarini Giorgio , D'Ambrosio Cecilia , Paffetti Amerigo , Andreoli Arnaldo , Soccorsi Fabrizio ,   the Club Epatologi Ospedalieri (CLEO) Group
Published: February 2010

Background

In patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 or 3, 24 weeks' treatment with pegylated interferon alfa (PEG-IFN-alpha) and ribavirin induces a sustained virological response (SVR) in almost 80% of cases. Evidence suggests that a similar response rate may be obtained with shorter treatment periods, especially in patients with a rapid virological response (RVR). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 12 or 24 weeks of treatment in patients with chronic HCV genotype 2 or 3 and to identify patients suitable for 12 weeks treatment.

Methods

Two hundred and ten patients received PEG-IFN-alpha-2a (180 ug/week) and ribavirin (800-1200 mg/day) for 4 weeks. Patients with a RVR (HCV RNA not detectable) were randomized (1:1) to either 12 (group A1) or 24 (group A2) weeks of combination therapy. Patients without a RVR continued with 24-weeks' combination therapy (group B). HCV RNA was monitored at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 24, and at week 24 post-treatment.

Results

At study end, end of treatment response (ETR) was observed in 62 (86%) patients of group A1 and in 55 (77%) patients of group A2 (p < 0.05) Relapse rate was 3% each in groups A1 and A2, and 6% in group B. Among patients with a HCVRNA test 24 weeks after the end of treatment, SVR was observed in 60 (83%) of group A1 patients and in 53 (75%) of group A2 patients. Rapid virological response, low baseline HCV RNA levels, elevated alanine aminotransferase levels and low fibrosis score, were the strongest covariates associated with SVR, independent of HCV genotype. No baseline characteristic was associated with relapse.

Conclusion

In HCV patients with genotype 2 or 3, 12-week combination therapy is as efficacious as 24-week therapy and several independent covariates were predictive of SVR.

Trial registration

Trial number ISRCTN29259563
Neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation of rectal cancer with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy: summary of technical and dosimetric features and early clinical experience
Authors: Richetti Antonella , Fogliata Antonella , Clivio Alessandro , Nicolini Giorgia , Pesce Gianfranco , Salati Emanuela , Vanetti Eugenio , Cozzi Luca
Published: February 2010

Background

To report about initial technical and clinical experience in preoperative radiation treatment of rectal cancer with volumetric modulated arcs with the RapidArc® (RA) technology.

Methods

Twenty-five consecutive patients (pts) were treated with RA. All showed locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma with stage T2-T4, N0-1. Dose prescription was 44 Gy in 22 fractions (or 45 Gy in 25 fractions). Delivery was performed with single arc with a 6 MV photon beam. Twenty patients were treated preoperatively, five did not receive surgery. Twenty-three patients received concomitant chemotherapy with oral capecitabine. A comparison with a cohort of twenty patients with similar characteristics treated with conformal therapy (3DC) is presented as well.

Results

From a dosimetric point of view, RA improved conformality of doses (CI95% = 1.1 vs. 1.4 for RA and 3DC), presented similar target coverage with lower maximum doses, significant sparing of femurs and significant reduction of integral and mean dose to healthy tissue. From the clinical point of view, surgical reports resulted in a down-staging in 41% of cases. Acute toxicity was limited to Grade 1-2 diarrhoea in 40% and Grade 3 in 8% of RA pts, 45% and 5% of 3DC pts, compatible with known effects of concomitant chemotherapy. RA treatments were performed with an average of 2.0 vs. 3.4 min of 3DC.

Conclusion

RA proved to be a safe, qualitatively advantageous treatment modality for rectal cancer, showing some improved results in dosimetric aspects.
Neural Mechanisms Underlying Action Observation in Adults With Down Syndrome
Authors: Virji-Babul Naznin , Moiseev Alexander , Cheung Teresa , Weeks Daniel J. , Cheyne Douglas , Ribary Urs
Published: February 2010

Results of a magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain imaging study conducted to examine the cortical responses during action execution and action observation in 10 healthy adults and 8 age-matched adults with Down syndrome are reported. During execution, the motor responses were strongly lateralized on the ipsilateral rather than the contralateral side in the Down syndrome group. Observation of movement activated a network of cortical regions that was similar to the control group; however, there was no significant peak activity in the motor areas. In addition, the overall pattern of neural activation was more scattered and less organized in the Down syndrome group. These results further support the hypothesis of a dysfunction in the execution/observation matching system in adults with Down syndrome.
Interlaboratory Diagnostic Validation of Conformation-Sensitive Capillary Electrophoresis for Mutation Scanning
Authors: Mattocks Christopher J , Watkins Gemma , Ward Daniel , Janssens Tom , Bosgoed Ermanno AJ , van der Donk Kim , Ligtenberg Marjolijn J , Pot Bruno , Theelen Joop , Cross Nicholas CP , Scheffer Hans , Matthijs Gert
Published: February 2010

Background: Indirect alternatives to sequencing as a method for mutation scanning are of interest to diagnostic laboratories because they have the potential for considerable savings in both time and costs. Ideally, such methods should be simple, rapid, and highly sensitive, and they should be validated formally to a very high standard. Currently, most reported methods lack one or more of these characteristics. We describe the optimization and validation of conformation-sensitive capillary electrophoresis (CSCE) for diagnostic mutation scanning.

Methods: We initially optimized the performance of CSCE with a systematic panel of plasmid-based controls. We then compared manual analysis by visual inspection with automated analysis by BioNumerics software (Applied Maths) in a blinded interlaboratory validation with 402 BRCA1 (breast cancer 1, early onset) and BRCA2 (breast cancer 1, early onset) variants previously characterized by Sanger sequencing.

Results: With automated analysis, we demonstrated a sensitivity of >99% (95% CI), which is indistinguishable from the sensitivity for conventional sequencing by capillary electrophoresis. The 95% CI for specificity was 90%–93%; thus, CSCE greatly reduces the number of fragments that need to be sequenced to fully characterize variants. By manual analysis, the 95% CIs for sensitivity and specificity were 98.3%–99.4% and 93.1%–95.5%, respectively.

Conclusions: CSCE is amenable to a high degree of automation, and analyses can be multiplexed to increase both capacity and throughput. We conclude that once it is optimized, CSCE combined with analysis with BioNumerics software is a highly sensitive and cost-effective mutation-scanning technique suitable for routine genetic diagnostic analysis of heterozygous nucleotide substitutions, small insertions, and deletions.
Effects of photoperiod and temperature on the body mass and the mass of reproductive organs in male Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii)
Authors: Liang Hongchun , Li Ning , Wang Xueli , Li Liang , Shi Dazhao
Published: February 2010

Using a laboratory colony we demonstrated that the body mass (BM) and reproductive organ mass (ROM) of Brandt's voles vary in response to photoperiod and temperature. Male Brandt's voles from 25 days of age were housed under long (14L) or short (10L) photoperiod, which corresponds to seasonal changes in their natural environment. Under 10L, animals housed for the first 7 weeks at 10°C were significantly lighter than those housed at 20°C. This effect was not observed under 14L. However, a change from an initial 10L photoperiod to the 14L photoperiod for the following 9 weeks could compensate the effects of low temperature on BM. Changes in BM in response to photoperiod and/or temperature exposure appeared to be primarily as a result of the deposition or loss of fat-free dry mass and water. For Brandt's voles, ROM was regulated significantly by photoperiod but not by temperature. Taken together, the results suggest that BM and ROM for male Brandt's voles respond selectively to photoperiodic information and temperature. We propose that a compensatory relationship between photoperiod and temperature should be considered in animal physiology research.
Sources of variation in the time budgets of wild nine-banded armadillos
Authors: Ancona Kier A. , Loughry William J.
Published: February 2010

Previous research showed that nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) devoted nearly all of their short active period to feeding. However, it remained unclear to what extent individual differences or environmental conditions might influence time allocation patterns. We collected time budget data during two summers from a wild population of armadillos in western Mississippi, USA. We found few significant differences in time budgets due to individual identity (age, sex, female lactational status), time (time of day, day-to-day, and year-to-year effects), or the environment (various weather conditions). What differences did occur seemed largely tied to the onset of the breeding season and emergence of juveniles from their natal burrows. Our results indicate that, while active, armadillos exhibit relatively uniform time budgets, although the possibility remains that variation resides primarily not in what armadillos do while active but rather in the duration of the active period.
Why Are There No Great Women Chefs?
Authors: druckman charlotte
Published: February 2010

This article applies the rhetorical and deliberately provocative approach of the watershed essay art historian Linda Nochlin wrote in 1971——““Why Have there Been No Great Women Artists?””——to today's culinary industry. Nochlin used the question her title posed as a theoretical trap that would draw attention not only to the inherent sexism or prejudice that pervades the way the public perceives art, but also to those same issues' existence within and impact on academia and the other cultural institutions responsible for posing these sorts of questions. Nochlin bypassed the obvious and irrelevant debate over women's being less or differently talented and, in so doing, exposed that debate for being a distraction from the heart of the matter: how, sociologically (media) or institutionally (museums, foundations, etc.), people define a ““great artist.”” Although it's 40 years later, the polemic is as effective when used to understand the gender divide in the food world.
Conviviality in Catalonia
Authors: robertson a.f.
Published: February 2010

Food, essential to social interaction everywhere, has particular importance in the regeneration of this rural community in Catalonia. The misery of the Civil War in Spain was followed by three decades of rural depopulation and economic decline, but a gradual return to the countryside since the 1980s has encouraged the revival of villages like Mieres. Food and drink play a fundamental role in the fiestas, fairs, and other celebrations that pack the public calendar, creating and sustaining social interaction and rebuilding a sense of community.
Lucent Figs and Suave Veal Chops: Sylvia Plath and Food
Authors: bundtzen lynda k.
Published: February 2010

In popular mythology, poet Sylvia Plath is regarded as a tragic suicide and/or a feminist martyr. If you read her journals and letters, though, you learn that she loved to cook, loved to eat, and often devoted as much time to preparing meals for her husband Ted Hughes as she did to her writing. Cooking was, in fact, often a convenient distraction when she had writer's block, or did not want to prepare classes for teaching, or when she was pregnant and longed for no more intellectual challenge than reading recipes from her beloved Joy of Cooking or The Ladies’’ Home Journal. Plath's huge appetite and enjoyment of food and eating are evident in her sensuous descriptions of meals that sometimes resemble Keats's poetry for their voluptuous appreciation of textures, shapes, colors, tastes, and ambiance. Plath's investment in the role of domestic goddess came to an abrupt end with the breakup of her marriage. The final pages of the article explore Plath's underlying skepticism toward the traditional role of women she had outwardly seemed to embrace so enthusiastically. The Bell Jar's heroine, Esther Greenwood, has a jaundiced view of love and marriage and falls ill of food-poisoning at a banquet prepared by Food Testing Kitchens at a magazine that sounds suspiciously like The Ladies’’ Home Journal. Poems in Ariel portray cooking as dangerous and kitchens as either scary or suffocating for women. In conclusion, the article looks at what we know about Plath's final days, where testimony confirming her hearty appetite seems oddly incongruous with evidence about the depth of her despair.
The role of oestrogen receptor α in human thyroid cancer: contributions from coregulatory proteins and the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2
Authors: Kavanagh Dara O , McIlroy Marie , Myers Eddie , Bane Fiona , Crotty Thomas B , McDermott E , Hill Arnold D , Young Leonie S
Published: February 2010

Epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies suggest a role for oestrogen in thyroid cancer. How oestrogen mediates its effects and the consequence of it on clinical outcome has not been fully elucidated. The participation of coregulatory proteins in modulating oestrogen receptor (ER) function and input of crosstalk with the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2 was investigated. Oestrogen induced cell proliferation in the follicular thyroid cancer (FTC)-133 cells, but not in the anaplastic 8305C cell line. Knockdown of the coactivator steroid receptor coactivator (SRC)-1 inhibited FTC-133 basal, but not oestrogen induced, cell proliferation. Oestrogen also increased protein expression of SRC-1 and the ER target gene cyclin D1 in the FTC-133 cell line. ERα, ERβ, the coregulatory proteins SRC-1 and nuclear corepressor (NCoR), and the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2 were localised by immunohistochemistry and immnofluorescence in paraffin-embedded tissue from thyroid tumour patients (n=111). ERα was colocalised with both SRC-1 and NCoR to the nuclei of the tumour epithelial cells. Expression of ERα and NCoR was found predominantly in non-anaplastic tumours and was significantly associated with well-differentiated tumours and reduced incidence of disease recurrence. In non-anaplastic tumours, HER2 was significantly associated with SRC-1, and these proteins were associated with poorly differentiated tumours, capsular invasion and disease recurrence. Totally, 87% of anaplastic tumours were positive for SRC-1. Kaplan–Meier estimates of disease-free survival indicated that in thyroid cancer, SRC-1 strongly correlates with reduced disease-free survival (P<0.001), whereas NCoR predicted increased survival (P<0.001). These data suggest opposing roles for the coregulators SRC-1 and NCoR in thyroid tumour progression.
Detecting Selection Effects in Community Implementations of Family-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Programs
Authors: Hill Laura G. , Goates Scott G. , Rosenman Robert
Published: February 2010

To calculate valid estimates of the costs and benefits of substance abuse prevention programs, selection effects must be identified and corrected. A supplemental comparison sample is typically used for this purpose, but in community-based program implementations, such a sample is often not available. We present an evaluation design and analytic approach that can be used in program evaluations of real-world implementations to identify selection effects, which in turn can help inform recruitment strategies, pinpoint possible selection influences on measured program outcomes, and refine estimates of program costs and benefits. We illustrate our approach with data from a multisite implementation of a popular substance abuse prevention program. Our results indicate that the program's participants differed significantly from the population at large.
Gas-Solids Flow Properties of a Square Circulating Fluidized Bed with Secondary Air Injection
Authors: Sun Shaozeng , Wang Zhengyang , Chen Hao , Li Dong , Deng Qigang , Wu Shaohua
Published: February 2010

Effects of secondary air (SA) injection or air-staging on the gas-solids flow properties in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) were investigated. The experiments were carried out in a CFB cold model with a square cross-section of 0.25m×0.25m and a height of 6.07m. The axial pressure drop profile along the riser was reported. And the local solids holdup profile at the centerline and the diagonal line of some cross sections which influenced by the SA injection was measured with an optical fiber probe. Two SA arrangement modes, i.e. four SA nozzles located on four walls (Wall SA) and four corners (Corner SA) were conducted. Air-staging results in a denser bottom bed for both two SA modes. The Wall SA case has a higher solids holdup than the Corner SA case in most regions of lower bed except the corner region but was leaner in the vicinity of SA injection level. W-shaped solids concentration profile was found in the region immediately above the SA injection level for Wall SA case but not obvious for Corner SA case. Fractal dimension was analyzed for pressure drop fluctuations and local solids concentration signal. Air-staging led to smaller fractal dimension value than the case without SA injection. The SA jets affected the local gas-solids distribution and fluctuation in the region close to the SA injection. Radial and axial solids transfer should be considered for the fractal analysis.
Simulation Studies of Steam Reforming of Methane using Ni-Al2O3 Catalysts
Authors: Lenzi Giane Gonçalves , Lenzi Ervin Kaminski , Fávero Cláudio Vilas Boas , Lenzi Marcelo Kaminski , Jorge Regina Maria Matos , dos Santos Onélia Aparecida Andreo , Jorge Luiz Mario Matos
Published: February 2010

This paper reports the results of reforming methane into synthesis gas using industrial Ni-Al2O3 catalyst (75% NiO wt.) and Ni-Al2O3 produced by the sol gel method (8% Ni wt.). A mathematical investigation on the performance of a one-dimensional model of catalytic conventional fixed-bed reactor was developed and implemented for the process. The results indicated that the industrial catalyst favored the water gas shift (WGS) reaction increasing CO2 production. However in temperatures of 773 and 973 K the yield (H2/CH4,reacted) was more efficient for the sol-gel catalyst. This result is possibly due to the different characteristics as specific surface area and temperature reduction. The model validation for the adjustment parameters U and a1 was more efficient for temperature profiles (2% error) than for mole fraction (10% error).
The late pleistocene paleoenvironment and paleoclimate of the madaras section (South Hungary), based on preliminary records from mollusks
Authors: Hupuczi Júlia , Sümegi Pál
Published: February 2010

24 species and 110 506 specimens of mollusks were collected and identified from 250 samples of the loess profile at Madaras, South Hungary. According to changes in the mollusk fauna, six malacological-paleoecological zones can be identified in this profile. The Quaternary malacological data from the Madaras loess section suggest that the Middle and Late Pleniglacial development of the mollusk fauna, and local climatic and environmental conditions in this area differed from other loess regions in Europe.