bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential Modulation in Binding of Ketoprofen to Bovine Serum Albumin in the Presence and Absence of Surfactants: Spectroscopic and Calorimetric Insights
Authors: Misra Pinaki P. , Kishore Nand
Published: March 2013

Surfactants have long been implicated in the unique static and dynamic effect on the structure and function of serum albumins. However, there is very little information on the mode of interactions of drugs to serum albumins in presence of surfactants. The importance of such studies lay in the fact that apart from binding to serum albumins, surfactants are known to radically influence the solvents' micro environment and protein structure. Thus, we have studied the binding of the racemic form of ketoprofen with bovine serum albumin at pH 7.4 in the presence and absence of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X‐100, and NaCl. The structural studies of ketoprofen with bovine serum albumin as investigated by circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed a significant stabilization of bovine serum albumin. However, the combined presence of the surfactants, NaCl and ketoprofen, demonstrated an extremely erratic behavior in terms of stabilization. Further the values of Stern–Volmer and dynamic quenching constant suggested the binding site of ketoprofen to be scattered in the region of domain I B and II A, close to Trp 134. The results of differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the binding of ketoprofen to bovine serum albumin leads to its temperature‐dependent separation into two units. The binding parameters of bovine serum albumin obtained from isothermal titration calorimetry in the combined presence of ketoprofen and surfactants/NaCl correlate well with the differential scanning calorimetry studies further confirming the localization of ketoprofen in domain I B and II A. In the combined presence of surfactants, NaCl and ketoprofen, the binding of ketoprofen to bovine serum albumin exhibited altered binding parameters far different from the binding of ketoprofen alone. Overall, the experimental findings strongly indicated positive as well as negative modulation in the binding of ketoprofen to bovine serum albumin in the presence of ligands.
Use of emollients in dry-skin conditions: consensus statement
Authors: Moncrieff G. , Cork M. , Lawton S. , Kokiet S. , Daly C. , Clark C.
Published: March 2013

Emollients can perform an important role in the treatment of a number of dermatological conditions. Currently, the use of emollient therapy in the UK is supported only by limited guidelines and a best-practice statement, although guidelines do exist for specific conditions such as childhood eczema. To address this need, a group of clinical professionals covering acute community-care settings and medicines management met to review current data and practice. Their aim was to support other professionals in their approach to the use of emollient therapies in dry-skin conditions.
Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and inflammatory bowel disease: a review of the literature
Authors: Reddy H. , Shipman A. R. , Wojnarowska F.
Published: March 2013

We present a review of all previously reported cases of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We found 42 cases of coincident EBA and IBD in the literature: 35 cases of Crohn disease (CD) and 7 of ulcerative colitis (UC). The clinical and immunopathological features of the cases are described and the demographics collected. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis of IBD predated the development of the skin condition. The association between EBA and IBD was more common for CD than for UC. We discuss the immunopathogenesis of IBD and EBA, and also the link between them, namely type VII collagen.
Diaphragmatic disease of the colon: systematic review
Authors: Munipalle P. C. , Garud T. , Light D.
Published: March 2013

Aim

Diaphragmatic disease is rare. This review aims to increase awareness of this condition and its management.

Method

A literature search was conducted using the key terms ‘colon’ or ‘colonic’ in combination with ‘diaphragm’ or ‘diaphragm disease’ for publications until August 2012. All cases of colonic diaphragm syndrome were identified and the required data were collected.

Results

Forty‐five cases of colon diaphragm disease were included. The highest incidence was in the seventh decade of life, with a female preponderance (40F:5M). Most patients presented with chronic (median 3 months) and multiple symptoms. The median use of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was 5 years including diclofenac as the most commonly used NSAID. Colonoscopy was the most informative investigation and the ascending colon was the most common site of diaphragm disease. Nearly two‐thirds of the patients were treated by discontinuing NSAID treatment combined with other forms of treatment, mostly surgery.

Conclusion

Diaphragm disease of the colon is a rare condition associated with long‐term use of NSAIDs with a range of presentations and symptoms. Based on this review, when colon diaphragm disease is diagnosed we would recommend a trial cessation of NSAIDs. Therapeutic endoscopic techniques should be considered but surgery may be required for definitive treatment.
PRIVACY LEAKAGE IN HEALTH SOCIAL NETWORKS
Authors: Faresi Ahmed Al , Alazzawe Ahmed , Alazzawe Anis
Published: March 2013

Members of health social networks may be susceptible to privacy leaks by the amount of information they leave behind. The threat to privacy increases when members of these networks reuse their pseudonyms in other social networks. The risk of re‐identifying users from such networks requires quantitative estimates to evaluate its magnitude. The estimates will enable managers and members of health social communities to take corrective measures. We introduce a new re‐identification attack, the social network attack, that takes advantage of the fact that users reuse their pseudonyms. To demonstrate the attack, we establish links between MedHelp and Twitter (two popular social networks) based on matching pseudonyms. We used Bayesian networks to model the re‐identification risk and used stylometric techniques to identify the strength of the links. On the basis of our model 7‐11. 8% of the MedHelp members in the sample population who reused their pseudonyms in Twitter were re‐identifiable compared with 1% who did not. The risk estimates were measured at the 5% risk threshold. Our model was able to re‐identify users with a sensitivity of 41% and specificity of 96%. The potential for re‐identification increases as more data is accumulated from these profiles, which makes the threat of re‐identification more serious.
The use of eculizumab in renal transplantation
Authors: Barnett A. Nicholas R. , Asgari Elham , Chowdhury Paramit , Sacks Steven H. , Dorling Anthony , Mamode Nizam
Published: March 2013

The complement system plays a vital role in mediating disease processes within renal allografts. Eculizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets complement protein C5, inhibiting cleavage into C5a and C5b, and therefore preventing formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC). It has been used primarily within renal transplantation to treat atypical hemolytic‐uremic syndrome (aHUS) and antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR) post‐transplant, and also as prophylaxis in transplants at high risk for these conditions. Eculizumab appears to be effective in protecting renal allografts when post‐transplant aHUS or AMR occur, although the published cases report relatively short follow‐up. It is unclear how long treatment should continue (a particularly important issue given the expense of the drug), or whether eculizumab contributes to the development of accommodation in humans. When used for prophylaxis, eculizumab also appears to be effective. Some highly sensitized patients have developed either acute AMR or features of chronic AMR despite administration of the drug – this suggests that complement activation is not the only mechanism responsible for AMR. All patients should receive vaccination against Neisseria meningitidis prior to receiving eculizumab. Clinical trials, predominantly in antibody‐incompatible renal transplantation, are ongoing to determine the optimal use of C5 inhibition.
Recipient‐related predictors of kidney transplantation outcomes in the elderly
Authors: Hatamizadeh Parta , Molnar Miklos Z. , Streja Elani , Lertdumrongluk Paungpaga , Krishnan Mahesh , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Kalantar‐Zadeh Kamyar
Published: March 2013

Background

It is not clear whether in old people with end‐stage renal disease kidney transplantation is superior to dialysis therapy.

Methods

We compared mortality rates between kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and the general population across different age categories. We also examined patient and allograft survival in 15 667 elderly KTRs (65–<90 yr old, 36% female) within three age subgroups (65–<70, 70–<75, and ≥75 yr).

Results

The rise in the relative risk of death in older age groups was substantially less in KTRs than in the general population, that is, 1.8 and 2.0 vs. 21.4 and 76.6 in those aged 65–<75 and ≥75 yr, respectively, compared with 15‐ to <65‐yr‐old people (reference group). In 65‐ to <70‐yr‐old KTRs, obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) was associated with 19% higher risk of graft failure (HR: 1.19 [1.07–1.33], p = 0.002). Diabetes was a predictor of worse patient survival in all age groups but poorer allograft outcome in the youngest age group (65–<70 yr old) only. None of the examined risk factors affected allograft outcome in the oldest group (≥75 yr old) although there was a 49% lower trend of graft failure in very old Hispanic recipients (HR: 0.51 [0.26–1.01], p = 0.05).

Conclusions

Kidney transplantation may attenuate the age‐associated increase in mortality, and its superior survival gain is most prominent in the oldest recipients (≥75 yr old). The potential protective effect of kidney transplantation on longevity in the elderly deserves further investigation.
The cradle of causal reasoning: newborns’ preference for physical causality
Authors: Mascalzoni Elena , Regolin Lucia , Vallortigara Giorgio , Simion Francesca
Published: March 2013

Perception of mechanical (i.e. physical) causality, in terms of a cause–effect relationship between two motion events, appears to be a powerful mechanism in our daily experience. In spite of a growing interest in the earliest causal representations, the role of experience in the origin of this sensitivity is still a matter of dispute. Here, we asked the question about the innate origin of causal perception, never tested before at birth. Three experiments were carried out to investigate sensitivity at birth to some visual spatiotemporal cues present in a launching event. Newborn babies, only a few hours old, showed that they significantly preferred a physical causality event (i.e. Michotte's Launching effect) when matched to a delay event (i.e. a delayed launching; Experiment 1) or to a non‐causal event completely identical to the causal one except for the order of the displacements of the two objects involved which was swapped temporally (Experiment 3). This preference for the launching event, moreover, also depended on the continuity of the trajectory between the objects involved in the event (Experiment 2). These results support the hypothesis that the human system possesses an early available, possibly innate basic mechanism to compute causality, such a mechanism being sensitive to the additive effect of certain well‐defined spatiotemporal cues present in the causal event independently of any prior visual experience.
THE HABIT OF GIVING
Authors: MEER JONATHAN
Published: March 2013

Many charitable organizations believe it is worthwhile to solicit very small donations, particularly from young people, because these gifts form a habit of giving which leads to larger donations in the future. Indeed, there is some evidence of a positive correlation between giving when young and giving when old. However, such a correlation, by itself, does not constitute evidence of habit formation. Using data on alumni contributions to a university, we assess whether the correlation is due to habit formation—true state dependence—or to unobservable factors such as affinity to the school. We further examine whether habits form by the mere act of giving or based on the amount given. We implement an instrumental variables approach using the fact that performance of the school's athletic teams and solicitation by one's former roommates generate shocks to giving while young that are plausibly uncorrelated with giving when older. There is strong evidence of habit formation on the extensive margin, but not in the amount given. This finding has important implications for fundraising strategies, charities' accounting practices, and tax policy. (JEL D64, D91, D12)
Does Brood Parasitism Induce Paternal Care in a Polygynous Host?
Authors: Grayson Phil , Glassey Barb , Forbes Scott
Published: March 2013

Red‐winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are a polygynous songbird with facultative biparental care, and a common host for brown‐headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), an obligate brood parasite. We examined brood parasitism and paternal care in a long‐term study of parental care in red‐winged blackbirds. The presence of a cowbird nestling was associated with a higher likelihood of paternal care by the host male redwing in both naturally and experimentally parasitized nests. This result indicates that it was the presence of the brood parasite that was important and not simply that brood parasites chose hosts where paternal care was more likely. Both male and particularly female redwings increased provisioning to parasitized broods. Our work suggests that brood parasites raise the cost of parental care and push a polygynous host species toward monogamy.
Attitudes of German undergraduate dental students towards the aged
Authors: Nitschke Ina , Clarenbach‐Tran Thanh‐Ha , Schlegel Daphne , Reiber Thomas , Sobotta Bernhard A.J.
Published: March 2013

Objective

To describe attitudes towards the aged and changes in attitudes of dental students during their participation in an undergraduate gerodontology programme.

Background

Attitudes of dentists have been shown to influence their willingness to provide dental services to the aged.

Methods

A questionnaire was administered to 160 (50 men) dental students at Leipzig University aged 19.2–30.5 (mean, 21.7; SD, 2.3) years before entering (T1) and when completing (T2) a gerodontology course. A definition of being young and old and of hopes and fears associated with age was requested. The semantic ageing differential (SAD) was used to measure the students' attitudes towards the aged in three categories. Statistical analysis comprised mean age definitions by gender and mean scores of the SAD at T1 and T2.

Results

Old age was defined as beginning between 56 and 64 years. Female students at T1 regarded a woman as young up to 35.8 years, for male students a woman was young only up to 33.5 years. Male students consider men as old from 60.1 years and women 4.4 years earlier from 55.7 years. Old age fears related mainly to impairment of health and loss of relatives. Hopes for relaxation, rest and serenity were paramount. The SAD results were near neutral in all three dimensions. Minor changes between T1 and T2 occurred.

Conclusion

Students' attitudes were well balanced. Specific barriers to the provision of dental care to the aged emanating from dental students' negative attitudes or fears were not identified. Changes in attitudes occurring during the course appeared small.
Is haemophilia B less severe than haemophilia A?
Authors: Mannucci P. M. , Franchini M.
Published: March 2013

A number of observations suggest that severe factor IX deficiency (<1%) may be less clinically severe than the corresponding factor VIII deficiency: (i) Less factor consumption. There is evidence that patients with haemophilia B (HB) consume yearly less FIX for replacement therapy than patients with haemophilia (HA). Patient registries and data from various sources indicate that regular prophylaxis is implemented less frequently in HB. (ii) Less severe gene mutations. At variance with HA, missense gene mutations are prevalent in severe HB, supporting the view that some FIX may be produced in these patients, albeit not measurable in patient plasma by means of the relatively insensitive available assays. (iii) Less severe clinical symptoms. In the frame of a process meant to develop a score to express the varied clinical severity of both haemophilias in different patients, those with severe HB were less clinically severe, and hence had lower scores, than those with HA. (iv) Less need for orthopaedic surgery. Patients with severe HB needed joint arthroplasty (an indirect index of arthropathy severity) less frequently than those with HA, and this difference was maintained when various confounders were accounted for. In conclusion, these and other data give a hint that HB may be less clinically severe than HA. However, these data are not conclusive, because there are also fewer data in favour of a similar degree of severity of HA and HB.
Filaggrin – revisited
Authors: Harding C. R. , Aho S. , Bosko C. A.
Published: March 2013

Synopsis

Profilaggrin (proFLG) and its processing products are critical to the health and appearance of skin. The recent identification of loss‐of‐function filaggrin (FLG) mutations as a predisposing factor in ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis has lead to a resurgent interest in this enigmatic protein. Here, we review the literature on the structure and many functions of proFLG, from its role as a filament‐aggregating protein and a source of natural moisturizing factor (NMF), to the more recent discoveries of its role in epidermal barrier formation and its more speculative functions as an antimicrobial and sunscreen. Finally, we discuss the relationship of proFLG with dry skin, the influence of moisturizers on NMF generation and speculate on next generation of FLG research.
A randomized controlled trial of nurses vs. doctors in the resolution of acute disease of low complexity in primary care
Authors: Iglesias Begoña , Ramos Francisca , Serrano Beatriz , Fàbregas Mireia , Sánchez Carmen , García María José , Cebrian Hèlia Marta , Aragonés Rosa , Casajuana Josep , Esgueva Neus ,   PIPA Group
Published: March 2013

Aims

To compare the effectiveness of care delivered by nurses to the usual care delivered by general practitioners, in adult patients requesting same day appointments in primary care practices in Catalonia (Spain).

Background

Same day appointments conducted by nurses are characterized by high patient satisfaction and a high resolution index. The profile of nursing and the organization of primary care services in our country differ from other countries.

Design

Multicentre, randomized, unblinded clinical trial with two parallel groups.

Methods

Patients were randomized to an intervention group (seen by nurses trained to respond to low complexity problems) or a control group (seen by the general practitioner) using an automatic probabilistic function. Setting: 38 primary care practices in Catalonia, 142 general practitioners and 155 nurses participated. Population study: ≥ 18‐year‐old patients who requested a same day consultation. Recruitment period: January–May, 2009. Of the 1,461 randomized patients, 92·5% completed the study. Main outcome measures: resolution of symptoms and patient satisfaction 2 weeks after the visit.

Results

Seven hundred and fifty‐three patients were assigned to the intervention group and 708 to the control group. Nurses successfully solved 86·3% of the cases. We did not observe any differences in resolution of symptoms or patient satisfaction between the groups.

Conclusions

Nurses trained specifically to resolve acute health problems of low complexity give comparable quality of care to that provided by general practitioners in terms of resolution of the problem 15 days after the visit and in patient satisfaction with the visit.
Patterns and drivers of regeneration of tree species in forests of peninsular Spain
Authors: Vayreda Jordi , Gracia Marc , Martinez‐Vilalta Jordi , Retana Javier
Published: March 2013

Aim

Our study aimed to identify and explore the main factors that influence tree recruitment of multiple species at a regional scale across peninsular Spain, an understanding of which is essential for predicting future forest species composition in the face of ongoing environmental change. The study focused on the dynamics of the key transition phase from saplings to adult trees.

Location

The forests of peninsular Spain.

Methods

We used the extensive network of plots sampled in two consecutive Spanish national forest inventories (> 30,000 plots) to identify the factors that determine regeneration patterns of the 10 most abundant forest species of Spain at relatively large temporal (c. 10 years) and spatial scales (across Spain): five coniferous species of Pinus (pines) and five broadleaved species of the genera Fagus and Quercus. We fitted separate generalized linear models for the pine species and the broadleaved species to assess the response of sapling abundance and ingrowth rate to the spatial variability of climate (temperature, water availability and recent warming), forest structure (tree density, understorey and overstorey canopy cover, and basal area change) and disturbances (previous forest logging, wildfires and grazing).

Results

Mean sapling abundance was four times higher for broadleaved species than for pines, while mean annual ingrowth was twice as high. Sapling abundance and ingrowth rate were mainly determined by stand structure, both in pines and broadleaved trees. The direct effects of disturbances and climate were comparatively smaller, and there was no detectable effect of recent warming.

Main conclusions

The higher values of ingrowth rate of broadleaved species can be explained by their ability to maintain a higher sapling bank due to their greater shade tolerance. This differential response of pines and broadleaved species to canopy closure suggests a probable increase in broadleaved species at the expense of pines. This transition could occur earlier in stands with faster canopy closure dynamics. Spatially explicit, mixed‐species demographic models incorporating both the ingrowth and the tree mortality components are needed for predicting the composition of future forests.
Annual Research Review: The neurobiology and physiology of resilience and adaptation across the life course
Authors: Karatsoreos Ilia N. , McEwen Bruce S.
Published: March 2013

Background

Adaptation is key to survival. An organism must adapt to environmental challenges in order to be able to thrive in the environment in which they find themselves. Resilience can be thought of as a measure of the ability of an organism to adapt, and to withstand challenges to its stability. In higher animals, the brain is a key player in this process of adaptation and resilience, and through a process known as “allostasis” can obtain “stability through change”; protecting homeostasis in the face of stressors in the environment. Mediators of allostasis, such as glucocorticoids, can cause changes in the structure and function of neural circuits, clearly impacting behavior. How developmental stage interacts with stress and leads to long‐lasting changes is a key question addressed in this review.

Scope and Methods

We discuss the concept of allostasis, its role in resilience, the neural and physiological systems mediating these responses, the modulatory role of development, and the consequences for adult functioning. We present this in the context of mediators the brain and body engage to protect against threats to homeostasis. The review has been informed by comprehensive searches on PubMed and Scopus through November 2012.

Findings

Stressors in the environment can have long lasting effects on development, depending upon the stage of life at which they are experienced. As such, adverse childhood experiences can alter resilience of individuals, making it more difficult for them to respond normally to adverse situations in adulthood, but the brain maintains the capacity to re‐enter a more plastic state where such effects can be mitigated.

Conclusions

The brain regulates responses that allow for adaptation to challenges in the environment. The capacity of the brain and body to withstand challenges to stability can be considered as “resilience”. While adverse childhood experiences can have long‐term negative consequences, under the right circumstances, the brain can re‐enter plastic states, and negative outcomes may be mitigated, even later in life.
Editorial Commentary: Resilience in child development – interconnected pathways to wellbeing
Authors: Panter‐Brick Catherine , Leckman James F.
Published: March 2013

Resilience offers the promise of a paradigm shift in many fields of research, clinical practice, and policy. A lens on resilience shifts the focus of attention – from concerted efforts to appraise risk or vulnerability, towards concerted efforts to enhance strength or capability. It also shifts the focus of analysis – from asking relatively limited questions regarding health outcomes, such as what are the linkages between risk exposures and functional deficits, to asking more complex questions regarding wellbeing, such as when, how, why and for whom do resources truly matter. Thus we might ask when interventions are most effective, within the time frame of human development and evolutionary life history; and how do we best measure pathways of human experience, to uncover ways in which individuals and communities withstand adversity.

To many, resilience is an intuitive, albeit opaque, concept – akin to fortitude in the face of adversity. We may have an intuitive grasp of what resilience means, but fall short of measuring it comprehensively and meaningfully (the same is true of risk). This Annual Research Review issue features ten articles from leaders in the field on how resilience can transform the field of child development. Each articulates important lessons on resilience some of which we editors wish to summarize at the outset. First, resilience is best understood as a process that unfolds over the course of development; consequently, we seek to understand human experience of adversity as pathways of risk and resilience. Second, research on resilience focuses attention on the biological and social trade‐offs in human experience: issues of timing, process, and context to understand change or adaptability.
Validity of the medical outcomes study sleep scale in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Korea
Authors: Kim Sang Soo , Won Jong Chul , Kwon Hyuk Sang , Kim Chong Hwa , Lee Ji Hyun , Park Tae Sun , Ko Kyung Soo , Cha Bong Yun
Published: March 2013

Aims/Introduction

Sleep disturbances caused by painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) might have substantial impacts on the multifaceted aspects of PDN, including quality of life. There are no convincing data on the validation or reliability of sleep problem measurements in patients with PDN in Korea. This large population‐based cross‐sectional study examined psychometric properties of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Sleep Scale in patients with PDN in Korea.

Materials and Methods

Measurements of patient‐reported outcomes (Brief Pain Inventory‐short form, MOS Sleep Scale and EuroQoL Health [EQ‐5D]) were documented. PDN was diagnosed if the average daily pain intensity was ≥4 based on the visual analog scale or if patients were taking medication for their current pain.

Results

There were 577 patients with PDN (41.6% with diabetic peripheral neuropathy). The internal consistency of reliability for the MOS Sleep Scale was 0.80 as measured by Cronbach's alpha. The extent to which multiple items in a dimension were intercorrelated and formed a dimension measuring the same underlying concept (Pearson's correlation coefficient) ranged from 0.24 to 0.71 (all P < 0.001). Each item of the MOS Sleep Scale was significantly correlated with the average pain score and the pain interference score (Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.20 to 0.28 and from 0.29 to 0.40, respectively; all P < 0.001). The correlations between the EQ‐5D index and the MOS Sleep Scale ranged from −0.27 to −0.31 (all P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The MOS Sleep Scale showed good reliability in the evaluation of PDN in Korean type 2 diabetic patients.
Intracellular dialysis disrupts Zn2+ dynamics and enables selective detection of Zn2+ influx in brain slice preparations
Authors: Aiba Isamu , West Adrian K. , Sheline Christian T. , Shuttleworth C. William
Published: March 2013

We examined the impact of intracellular dialysis on fluorescence detection of neuronal intracellular Zn2+ accumulation. Comparison between two dialysis conditions (standard; 20 min, brief; 2 min) by standard whole‐cell clamp revealed a high vulnerability of intracellular Zn2+ buffers to intracellular dialysis. Thus, low concentrations of zinc‐pyrithione generated robust responses in neurons with standard dialysis, but signals were smaller in neurons with short dialysis. Release from oxidation‐sensitive Zn2+ pools was reduced by standard dialysis, when compared with responses in neurons with brief dialysis. The dialysis effects were partly reversed by inclusion of recombinant metallothionein‐3 in the dialysis solution. These findings suggested that extensive dialysis could be exploited for selective detection of transmembrane Zn2+ influx. Different dialysis conditions were then used to probe responses to synaptic stimulation. Under standard dialysis conditions, synaptic stimuli generated significant FluoZin‐3 signals in wild‐type (WT) preparations, but responses were almost absent in preparations lacking vesicular Zn2+ (ZnT3‐KO). In contrast, under brief dialysis conditions, intracellular Zn2+ transients were very similar in WT and ZnT3‐KO preparations. This suggests that both intracellular release and transmembrane flux can contribute to intracellular Zn2+ accumulation after synaptic stimulation. These results demonstrate significant confounds and potential use of intracellular dialysis to investigate intracellular Zn2+ accumulation mechanisms.
Introduction: Self in South Asia
Authors: Mookherjee Nayanika
Published: March 2013

The so called western, rational, individual, autonomous, self marked by freedom, potential and choice and deemed essential for modernity has predominantly been juxtaposed with the presumed collective, static, bounded, “identity” of the “non‐west” and its inhabitants. Anthropological scholarship has thus been marked by its focus on the “identity” of its subjects (drawn from a collective and shared with others) instead of a self. Nowhere has this theorisation between the self and the collective been so fraughtly interrogated as in the Anthropology of South Asia. A common place occurrence in academic, policy and everyday discussions, South Asian personhood has been comprehended only through various collective categories like gender, kinship, religion, caste, community following the Dumontian holism that there are no individuals and only caste and hierarchy in India. The discussions of self have also remained understudied in historiography inspite of being intrinsic to the Indian post‐colonial public life. Recently, historians have turned to individual sensibilities and life stories while others have argued that the self is a product of history transformed in a public debate. It is important to reflect on the methodological connotations of using such person‐centred self‐representations – narratives, novels, biographies and memoirs – which are often deemed to be inadequate sources of anthropological and ethnographic value.

Theoretically and methodologically these articles on self in South Asia distinctly depart from the existing anthropological and historical literature by bringing together at the same juncture both synchronic and diachronic accounts in conjunction with psychic and social histories. In this volume we are interested in the practices and conceptual tools behind the self than a definition. The focus here is on the ethnographic examination of the self and personal experience, of the minutae of the interactions of daily life, on the dialogical characters of the self in South Asia rather than a “South Asian” self. The idea of the self becomes particularly pertinent within the shifting contexts of economic liberalization, migration, violent conflicts, consumerism, new media and the role of transnationally affiliated groups in challenging/reifying static, orientalised and essentialising accounts of the self.
An Ethics of Postcolonial Citizenship: Lessons from Reading Women Writing in India
Authors: Sunder Rajan Rajeswari
Published: March 2013

This essay addresses the question of how the ethical values of the postcolonial subject are classed and gendered. A certain kind of postcolonial citizen, enjoying the privileges of birth and position, expresses an attitude that is best described (if somewhat anachronistically) as noblesse oblige. I focus on the writings of a handful of post‐Independence Indian women writers, in particular Shama Futehally's novel Tara Lane (1993), as exemplifying this attitude. My essay will draw upon discussions by Indian feminists which, in different genres and informed by different politics, have set the stage for this historical, autobiographical and conceptual inquiry. Reading Indian women's fiction and Indian feminist theory and politics together, I trace their disjunctures and overlaps, merging these into an ethico‐political inquiry about women and citizenship.
Mothers and Daughters in Historical Perspective: Home, Identity and Double Consciousness inBritishPakistanis' Migration and Return
Authors: Werbner Pnina
Published: March 2013

Scholarly interest has increasingly focused on the predicament of second‐generation counter‐diasporic return migration to an ancestral homeland. The present paper portrays two generations ofPakistani middle class women migrants: two mothers, who arrived inManchester in the 1970s, and their daughters, who both returned to live inPakistan, one at the age of 11 and the other in her twenties, to marry. The latter in particular experiencedPakistan as culturally alien and unhomely. In Britain one mother has become extremely pious after 9/11. The paper looks at the moral careers of mothers and daughters, starting from the fact that migration initiates an irreversible process in which everyday, taken‐for‐granted intimacies and socialities of home and identity are subverted. Refuting simplistic theories of a continuous “transnational field”, it argues that migrants experience “double consciousness”, an awareness of competing rules, expectations and a doubling up of a subject's sense of belonging and alienation, which no return home can reverse.
Children's Physical Activity Levels During Indoor Recess Dance Videos
Authors: Erwin Heather , Koufoudakis Ryann , Beighle Aaron
Published: March 2013

BACKGROUND

Children's physical activity (PA) levels remain low, and schools are being asked to assume a leadership role in PA promotion. Research suggests outdoor recess contributes to children's overall PA levels. However, similar research is not available for indoor recess, which occurs frequently due to a variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to describe PA levels and intensity during indoor recess using PA dance videos.

METHODS

Fifty‐four children (27 girls) wore accelerometers for 5 days during indoor recess. Factorial analyses of variance were conducted to examine the differences in PA between sexes and across grades.

RESULTS

Participants averaged 17.66 (SD = 2.82) minutes in indoor recess. On average, 22.22% (SD = 12.72) was spent in moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and 45.70% (SD = 11.29) of time was spent in low‐intensity physical activity (LPA) totaling 67.92% (SD = 16.54) of total recess time. Boys accumulated a higher percentage of MVPA and total PA compared to girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Students engaged in PA 68% of indoor recess time, equaling almost 12 minutes of PA during recess. Results suggest PA dance videos are 1 effective method for increasing elementary children's PA during indoor recess as an alternative to sedentary activities.
Influence of Professional Preparation and Class Structure on Sexuality Topics Taught in Middle and High Schools
Authors: Rhodes Darson L. , Kirchofer Gregg , Hammig Bart J. , Ogletree Roberta J.
Published: March 2013

BACKGROUND

This study examined the impact of professional preparation and class structure on sexuality topics taught and use of practice‐based instructional strategies in US middle and high school health classes.

METHODS

Data from the classroom‐level file of the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs were used. A series of multivariable logistic regression models were employed to determine if sexuality content taught was dependent on professional preparation and /or class structure (HE only versus HE/another subject combined). Additional multivariable logistic regression models were employed to determine if use of practice‐based instructional strategies was dependent upon professional preparation and/or class structure. Years of teaching health topics and size of the school district were included as covariates in the multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Findings indicated professionally prepared health educators were significantly more likely to teach 7 of the 13 sexuality topics as compared to nonprofessionally prepared health educators. There was no statistically significant difference in the instructional strategies used by professionally prepared and nonprofessionally prepared health educators. Exclusively health education classes versus combined classes were significantly more likely to have included 6 of the 13 topics and to have incorporated practice‐based instructional strategies in the curricula.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicated professional preparation and class structure impacted sexuality content taught. Class structure also impacted whether opportunities for students to practice skills were made available. Results support the need for continued advocacy for professionally prepared health educators and health only courses.
Early Age of First Sex and Health Risk in an Urban Adolescent Population
Authors: Kaplan Deborah L. , Jones Elizabeth J. , Olson E. Carolyn , Yunzal‐Butler Cristina B.
Published: March 2013

BACKGROUND

Early sex is associated with high‐risk behaviors and outcomes, including sexual risk behaviors, forced sex, physical dating violence, and becoming pregnant or impregnating someone.

METHODS

Using 2005 and 2007 data from the New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 17,220), this study examined the prevalence of early sex among public high school students; associations between early sex and other sexual risk factors and violence indicators; and whether associations varied across 4 racial/ethnic groups. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression models estimated the relationship between sexual risk and violence outcomes and “early sex,” defined as first having sexual intercourse before age 14. Separate models with an interaction term for early sex by race/ethnicity were also estimated.

RESULTS

More than one third of students who ever had sex reported having early sex. Adolescents reporting early sex were significantly more likely than those reporting later sex to engage in most sexual risk behaviors and to experience violence. The magnitude of association varied significantly by race/ethnicity for sexual risk behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of early sex, coupled with its associated high‐risk behaviors and outcomes, underscores the necessity of implementing evidence‐based interventions that have been found to positively impact these behaviors beginning in middle school.
Insulin pump therapy in children and adolescents: Changes in dietary habits, composition and quality of life
Authors: Peters Jessica E , Mount Elizabeth , Huggins Catherine E , Rodda Christine , Silvers Mary Anne
Published: March 2013

Aim

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) can improve glycaemic control and dietary flexibility compared with conventional insulin therapies. There is little information on whether users are utilising this increased dietary flexibility, and whether dietary quality is affected.

Methods

A pre‐post observational study was undertaken in 28 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes commencing CSII. Meal pattern and dietary composition was examined from 3‐day food diaries completed before and 3–6 months after CSII commencement. Participants completed the Diabetes‐Specific Quality of Life for Youth Short Form, and body mass index z‐score, and glycated haemoglobin were measured. A second posttest was undertaken at 18 months with those who were still on CSII and contactable (n = 18).

Results

Energy and macronutrient intake before and 18 months after CSII commencement were unchanged. Mean snacking events decreased significantly by 1.2 snacks per day (P = 0.009), as did the percentage energy derived from snacks (28.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21.5–36.1 vs. 19.3%, 95% CI 13.2–25.4; P = 0.045). Diabetes‐Specific Quality of Life for Youth Short Form score was not significantly affected by pump commencement (25.9 95% CI 18.2–33.6), and body mass index z‐score remained similar before and after CSII. Glycated haemoglobin decreased by 0.5% in the 3–6 months following CSII commencement, but was similar to baseline at 18 months.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the commencement of CSII did not lead to an abandonment of healthy eating principles, and that patients utilised the increased dietary flexibility to make changes to their snacking pattern.
Concurrent measurements of change in the bark and xylem diameters of trees reveal a phloem‐generated turgor signal
Authors: Mencuccini Maurizio , Hölttä Teemu , Sevanto Sanna , Nikinmaa Eero
Published: March 2013

Currently, phloem transport in plants under field conditions is not well understood. This is largely the result of the lack of techniques suitable for the measurement of the physiological properties of phloem.

We present a model that interprets the changes in xylem diameter and live bark thickness and separates the components responsible for such changes. We test the predictions from this model on data from three mature Scots pine trees in Finland. The model separates the live bark thickness variations caused by bark water capacitance from a residual signal interpreted to indicate the turgor changes in the bark.

The predictions from the model are consistent with processes related to phloem transport. At the diurnal scale, this signal is related to patterns of photosynthetic activity and phloem loading. At the seasonal scale, bark turgor showed rapid changes during two droughts and after two rainfall events, consistent with physiological predictions. Daily cumulative totals of this turgor term were related to daily cumulative totals of canopy photosynthesis. Finally, the model parameter representing radial hydraulic conductance between phloem and xylem showed a temperature dependence consistent with the temperature‐driven changes in water viscosity.

We propose that this model has potential for the continuous field monitoring of tree phloem function.
Carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts, its implication in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a mini review
Authors: Routray S , Sunkavali A , Bari KA
Published: March 2013

The communication between tumor stromal and parenchymal cells provides an insight to tumor progression. One of the main elements of the stroma, a major contributor to the extracellular environment of tumors, is carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts. They can originate from either normal fibroblasts in the immediate vicinity of the tumor or from circulating bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells. These myofibroblasts can arise locally from an endothelial–mesenchymal transformation at the invasive edge of the cancer and are physically associated with carcinoma cells, that is, in the development of high‐grade malignancies and poor prognosis. These carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts feed the epithelial tumor cells in a host–parasite relationship establishing its role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression.
A Novel Method to Calculate Solar UV Exposure Relevant to Vitamin D Production in Humans
Authors: Seckmeyer Gunther , Schrempf Michael , Wieczorek Anna , Riechelmann Stefan , Graw Kathrin , Seckmeyer Stefan , Zankl Maria
Published: March 2013

We present a novel method to calculate vitamin D3–weighted exposure by integrating the incident solar spectral radiance over all relevant parts of the human body. Earlier investigations are based on the irradiance on surfaces, whereas our calculated exposure of a voxel model of a human takes into account the complex geometry of the radiation field. Assuming that sufficient vitamin D3 (1000 international units) can be produced within the human body in one minute for a completely uncovered body in vertical posture in summer at midlatitudes (e.g. Rome, June 21, noon, UV index of 10), we calculate the exposure times needed in other situations or seasons to gain enough vitamin D3. Our calculations show that the UV index is not a good indicator for the exposure which depends on the orientation of the body (e.g. vertical (standing) or horizontal (lying down) posture). Without clothing the exposure is dominated by diffuse sky radiation and it is nearly irrelevant how the body in vertical posture is oriented toward the sun. At the winter solstice (December 21, noon, cloudy) at least in central Europe sufficient vitamin D3 cannot be obtained with realistic clothing, even if the exposure were extended to all daylight hours.
Fatigue in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study of people's experiences
Authors: Stridsman Caroline , Lindberg Anne , Skär Lisa
Published: March 2013

Background

Fatigue is reported to be one of the most common symptoms among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. However, there is hardly any qualitative research describing how fatigue affects people living with this illness.

Aim

To describe people's experience of fatigue in daily life when living with moderate to very severe COPD.

Methods

A purposive sample of 20 people with COPD stages II–IV was recruited from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden COPD study. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with participants regarding their experience of fatigue. The interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis.

Results

One theme was identified: Reconcile with the dimensions of fatigue, and four categories were identified: To understand the reasons of fatigue, To preserve fatigue unexpressed, When fatigue takes control and How to manage fatigue. Fatigue seems to be an always‐present feeling, involving the whole body, raising feelings of hopelessness and controlling one's life. It seems to be accepted as a natural consequence of COPD and may therefore remain unexpressed. Further, when experienced with dyspnoea, fatigue becomes even heavier and more difficult to manage. To gain control of fatigue, people plan daily life and continue with physical activities.

Conclusion

Fatigue affects the daily lives of people with COPD. Perceived with dyspnoea, fatigue was described as overwhelming. Most importantly, fatigue seems to be unexpressed to healthcare professionals and relatives.