bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of retinoblastoma programs in Central America
Authors: Wilimas Judith A. , Wilson Matthew W. , Haik Barrett G. , Barnoya Margarita , Fu Ligia , Castellanos Mauricio , Bonilla Miguel , Phillips Blanca , Helveston Eugene M. , Luna‐Fineman Sandra , Ribeiro Raul , Rodriguez‐Galindo Carlos
Published: March 2009

Background

Retinoblastoma, a curable eye tumor, is associated with poor survival in Central America (CA). To develop a retinoblastoma program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, twinning initiatives were undertaken between local pediatric oncology centers, nonprofit foundations, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the University of Tennessee Hamilton Eye Institute.

Procedure

The retinoblastoma program focused on developing early diagnosis programs in Honduras with national vaccination campaigns, developing treatment protocols suited to local conditions, building local networks of oncologists and ophthalmologists, training local healthcare providers, using modern donated equipment for diagnosis and treatment, and the ORBIS Cybersight consultation program and Internet meetings to further education and share expertise. Pediatric ophthalmologists and oncologists worked with foundations to treat patients locally with donated equipment and Internet consultations, or at the center in Guatemala.

Results

Number of patients successfully treated increased after the program was introduced. For 2000–2003 and 2004–2007, patients abandoning/refusing treatment decreased in Guatemala from 20 of 95 (21%) to 14 of 123 (11%) and in Honduras from 13 of 37 (35%) to 7 of 37 (19%). Survival in El Salvador was good and abandonment/refusal low for both periods. Of 18 patients receiving focal therapy for advanced disease, 14 have single remaining eyes.

Conclusion

Development of the program in CA has decreased abandonment/refusal and enabled ophthalmologists at local centers to use modern equipment to provide better treatment. This approach might serve as a guide for developing other multispecialty programs. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:42–46. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Outcome of patients with recurrent medulloblastoma or central nervous system germinoma treated with low dose continuous intravenous etoposide along with dose‐intensive chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell rescue
Authors: Grodman Howard , Wolfe Lawrence , Kretschmar Cynthia
Published: March 2009

Background

Adults and children with recurrent malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors have a poor prognosis despite high dose chemotherapy with a conventional stem cell rescue regimen. In this study we evaluated the results of low dose, continuous infusion etoposide over 21 days added to a conventional high‐dose regimen of carboplatin and thiotepa in eight patients with relapsed pediatric CNS tumors.

Procedure

Patients with high risk CNS tumors were treated with etoposide 25 mg/m2/day by continuous intravenous (IV) infusion from day −22 to day −2, carboplatin 667 mg/m2/dose IV (or area under the curve = 9 mg/ml/min according to the Calvert formula on days −8, −7, and −6, and thiotepa 300 mg/m2/dose IV on days −5, −4, and −3, followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell rescue on day 0.

Results

Eight adults and children, with a mean age of 12.9 years (age range 5.6–27.8 years), with relapsed primary CNS tumors (metastatic medulloblastoma (7), germinoma (1)), were enrolled. The mean survival post‐transplant was 4.8+ years, (range 8–160+ months). The 2‐ and 5‐year overall survival rates were 75% and 50% respectively. None of the survivors required additional salvage irradiation.

Conclusion

The strategy of low dose chronic exposure to a topoisomerase inhibitor along with ablative carboplatin and thiotepa with stem cell rescue showed promising survival outcomes in these relapsed patients. This treatment strategy deserves further evaluation in a larger group of high‐risk or relapsed primary CNS tumors. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:33–36. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Male gonadal toxicity
Authors: Meistrich Marvin L.
Published: March 2009

Cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy causes gonadal toxicity in male patients. The endpoint of most concern for future reproductive options is the induction of prolonged azoospermia, which may or may not be reversible. The immediate effects of therapy and its reversibility are most readily observed in post‐pubertal patients, but the same antineoplastic regimens given to prepubertal males can induce permanent azoospermia. The probability of permanent azoospermia is related to the specific agents used and their doses. The most damaging are alkylating agents (particularly chlorambucil, procarbazine, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, and busulfan), cisplatin and radiation to the region of the testicles. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:261–266. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanical properties of high temperature cyanate ester/BMI blend composites
Authors: Ganesan Anuradha , Muthusamy Sarojadevi
Published: March 2009

A new Schiff base functionalized dicyanate ester was synthesized and the monomer was characterized by FTIR, 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR and elemental analysis techniques. This prepared dicyanate ester with catalyst was then blended with BMI resin at different ratios by solution technique. The composites were made by impregnating the fibers with the blend solution followed by curing at various time‐temperature schedules. The mechanical properties of the blend composites were tested. The fiber volume fraction of the composites were found to be in the range 41 ± 3%. The mechanical properties such as tensile modulus (32–35 GPa), flexural modulus (56–59 GPa) and Mode I fracture toughness (GIC = 104–136 J/m2) and impact response (1,121–1,218 J/m) were found to increase with increasing cyanate ester content in the Cy/BMI blends. From the DMA study it was observed that as the cyanate content increases from 3 to 9% in the blend the tan δ value increases from 0.112 to 0.126 and the storage modulus decreases from 24,750 to 22,870 MPa indicating that the crosslink density of the blends decreases. The SEM analysis shows the absence of phase separation. Moisture absorption and chemical resistance of the blend composites increase with increasing cyanate content. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Mechanical and tribological behaviors of PA66/PVDF blends filled with calcium sulphate whiskers
Authors: Wang Hong‐Gang , Mu Bo , Ren Jun‐Fang , Jian Ling‐Qi , Zhang Jun‐Yan , Yang Sheng‐Rong
Published: March 2009

The mechanical and tribological performance of the PA66/PVDF blends filled with various amount of calcium sulphate whiskers (CSW) was investigated. The whiskers improve the tensile and flexural performance of the PA66/PVDF blends. Meanwhile, the addition of CSW obviously decreases friction coefficient and improves the wear resistance of the blends. With the further increase of CSW, friction coefficient of the blends relatively keeps stable and the wear resistance of the blends slightly decreases. The PA66/PVDF blends filled with 5 wt% CSW exhibited the best anti‐wear ability. FTIR analysis shows that the chemical change has not occurred in the debris. XPS analysis shows that some tribo‐chemical reactions have occurred during friction process and produces some compounds such as FeF2, Fe2O3 on the transfer film surfaces. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Drug use among children under 5 with respiratory illness and/or diarrhoea in a rural district of Vietnam
Authors: Hoan Le Thi , Chuc Nguyen Thi Kim , Ottosson Ellinor , Allebeck Peter
Published: March 2009

Objectives

To describe the pattern of drug use among the children with respiratory illnesses and/or diarrhoea; and to analyze the association between various socio‐economic factors and pattern of drug use.

Methods

A population‐based survey of 4087 children under five was conducted within the framework of an epidemiological surveillance site in a rural district of Vietnam. Through interviewing mothers or caretakers, data on self‐reported illness, use of drugs, and use of health services during 2 weeks prior to the survey and other background information were collected.

Results

Out of 4087 children, 1836 children had respiratory illness and/or diarrhoea during 2 weeks before the interview and drugs were used in the majority of cases. Antibiotics (72.2%) and analgesics/antipyretics (53.5%) were the drugs most commonly reported. Corticosteroids were used in 11.6% of all cases. Among children with diarrhoea, Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) was used in 9.7%, while anti‐diarrhoea drugs were used in 36.1% of all cases. There was a significant association between the family's socio‐economic condition and use of corticosteroids, but to a lesser degree regarding other drugs. There was no significant association between pattern of drug use and type of health service consulted.

Conclusions

There are major problems about irrational drug use among children. The treatment guidelines for respiratory illness and diarrhoea are not followed. Urgent actions are needed and should target all actors in the field, mothers, doctors, pharmacy staff, and authorities in order to improve this situation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adverse events with use of antiepileptic drugs: a prescription and event symmetry analysis
Authors: Tsiropoulos Ioannis , Andersen Morten , Hallas Jesper
Published: March 2009

Purpose

To assess adverse events with use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) by the method of sequence symmetry analysis.

Methods

We used data from two population‐based sources in Funen County, Denmark (population 2006: 479 000); prescription data from Odense University Pharmacoepidemiological Database (OPED) for the period of 1 August 1990–31 December 2006, and diagnoses from the County Hospital register for the period of 1994–2006 to perform sequence symmetry analysis. The method assesses the distribution of disease entities and prescription of other drugs (ODs), before and after initiation of AED treatment, as asymmetry in these distributions may indicate adverse events of AED use. Crude and adjusted sequence ratios (ASRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

Results

We identified 24 882 incident AED users during the study period. Analysis with predefined drugs and diagnoses detected known AED adverse events of unspecific (constipation, nausea) and specific character (hyponatraemia, osteoporosis). Unanticipated signals from analysis without any preselection of drugs and diagnoses were the association of topiramate with dopaminergic agents (ASR 10.4; 95%CI 1.5–448), of gabapentin with glaucoma (ASR 8.0; 95%CI 1.1–355) and of valproic acid with hypothyroidism (ASR 8.0; 95%CI 1.1–355).

Conclusions

Few unsuspected adverse AED effects were recognized in our study. Sequence symmetry analysis is a feasible method of monitoring for adverse AED effects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An increased risk of road traffic accidents after prescriptions of lithium or valproate?
Authors: Bramness Jørgen G. , Skurtveit Svetlana , Neutel C. Ineke , Mørland Jørg , Engeland Anders
Published: March 2009

Objectives

Studies have shown that lithium may cause psychomotor and cognitive impairment and impose an increased risk of traffic accidents. The antiepileptic drug valproate is also used as a mood stabilizer, but the impact on traffic safety has not been studied. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the use of lithium or valproate increased the risk of being involved in traffic accidents.

Methods

Between April 2004 and September 2006, information on prescriptions, road accidents and emigrations/deaths was obtained from three Norwegian population‐based registries. Data on people between the ages 18–70 (3.1 million) were linked. Exposure consisted of receiving prescriptions for either lithium or valproate. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated by comparing the incidence of motor vehicle accidents during time exposed with the incidence over the time not exposed. Lithium was studied separately from valproate.

Results

During the study period, 20 494 road accidents occurred including 36 while exposed to lithium and 31 while exposed to valproate. The overall accident risk was neither increased after having received prescriptions for lithium (SIR 1.3; 95%CI: 0.9–1.8), nor after having received a prescription for valproate (SIR 0.9; 0.6–1.3). The exception was a three‐fold increase in risk for younger female drivers exposed to lithium.

Conclusions

We found no increase in the traffic accident risk after being exposed to lithium or valproate, except for young female drivers on lithium. This may be because these drugs carry no increased risk or because patients exposed to these drugs refrain from driving. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Incidence rates of heart failure, stroke, and acute myocardial infarction among Type 2 diabetic patients using insulin glargine and other insulin
Authors: Juhaeri Juhaeri , Gao Shujun , Dai Wanju S.
Published: March 2009

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare incidence rates of heart failure, stroke, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Type 2 diabetic patients using different types of insulin.

Methods

Included were patients with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and at least one insulin prescription from May 2001 to July 2007. Incidence rate ratios (RRs) of heart failure, stroke, and AMI were estimated using Poisson regression with adjustment for age, gender, history of hypertension, dyslipidemia history, days supply, and duration of diabetes.

Results

Incidence rates of heart failure, stroke, and AMI in the insulin glargine group were 306.9 (95%CI: [278.9, 334.8]), 174.8 (95%CI: [153.7, 195.8]), and 105.2 (95%CI: [88.9, 121.5]) cases per 10 000 person–years, respectively. After adjustment for covariates, the incidence rates of CVD events in the insulin glargine were comparable to those in the other long/intermediate acting insulin group (reference), except for AMI, which tended to be lower in the insulin glargine group (RR = 0.81, 95%CI: [0.65, 1.02]). Using the same reference, the incidence rate of stroke was higher in patients taking rapid/short acting insulin, premixed insulin, or mixed use of insulin except insulin glargine (RR = 1.20, 95%CI: [1.04, 1.40]).

Conclusion

This study suggested that insulin glargine use might be associated with a lower risk of AMI, compared to the other long/intermediate acting insulin use, and that insulin regimen of rapid/short acting insulin, premixed insulin, or mixed use of insulin except insulin glargine was associated with a higher risk of stroke using the same reference. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐guided Langevin dynamics study of regulatory interactions in NtrC
Authors: Damjanović Ana , García‐Moreno E. Bertrand , Brooks Bernard R.
Published: March 2009

Multiple self‐guided Langevin dynamics (SGLD) simulations were performed to examine structural and dynamical properties of the receiver domain of nitrogen regulatory protein C (NtrCr). SGLD and MD simulations of the phosphorylated active form structure suggest a mostly stable but broad structural ensemble of this protein. The finite difference Poisson–Boltzmann calculations of the pKa values of the active site residues suggest an increase in the pKa of His‐84 on phosphorylation of Asp‐54. In SGLD simulations of the phosphorylated active form with charged His‐84, the average position of the regulatory helix α4 is found closer to the starting structure than in simulations with the neutral His‐84. To model the transition pathway, the phosphate group was removed from the simulations. After 7 ns of simulations, the regulatory helix α4 was found approximately halfway between positions in the NMR structures of the active and inactive forms. Removal of the phosphate group stimulated loss of helix α4, suggesting that the pathway of conformational transition may involve partial unfolding mechanism. The study illustrates the potential utility of the SGLD method in studies of the coupling between ligand binding and conformational transitions. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pressure study on the semiconductor–metal transition in a quantum well
Authors: Nithiananthi P. , Jayakumar K.
Published: March 2009

The effect of Γ–X band crossing due to the applied hydrostatic pressure on the semiconductor–metal transition in a quasi‐two‐dimensional system like GaAs/Alx Ga1–x As quantum well has been shown through the drastic change in diamagnetic susceptibility of donors at critical concentration in the effective mass approximation using the variational principle. The nonparabolicity of the conduction band has been taken into account in the calculation. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A person‐focused analysis of resilience resources and coping in patients with diabetes
Authors: Yi‐Frazier Joyce P. , Smith Ronald E. , Vitaliano Peter P. , Yi Jean C. , Mai Scarlett , Hillman Matthew , Weinger Katie
Published: March 2009

This study investigated the resilience resources and coping profiles of patients with diabetes. A total of 145 patients with diabetes completed a questionnaire packet including two measurements of coping (COPE and Coping Styles Questionnaires) and personal resources. Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was also assessed. Resilience was defined by a factor score derived from measures of self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, self‐mastery and optimism. All of the maladaptive coping subscales were negatively associated with resilience (r's range from −0.34 to −0.56, all p values are <0.001). Of the adaptive coping subscales, only acceptance, emotional support and pragmatism were positively associated with resilience. The upper, middle and lower tertiles of the resilience factor were identified, and the coping profiles of these groups differed significantly, with low‐resilience patients favouring maladaptive strategies much more than those with high‐ or moderate‐resilience resources do. Resilience groups did not differ in HbA1c levels; correlation coefficients of the coping subscales with HbA1c were explored. This study demonstrates a link between maladaptive coping and low resilience, suggesting that resilience impacts one's ability to manage the difficult treatment and lifestyle requirements of diabetes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal Modulation of Nanomotor Movement
Authors: Balasubramanian Shankar , Kagan Daniel , Manesh Kalayil Manian , Calvo‐Marzal Percy , Flechsig Gerd‐Uwe , Wang Joseph
Published: March 2009

Motion control is essential for various applications of man‐made nanomachines. The ability to control and regulate the movement of catalytic nanowire motors is illustrated by applying short heat pulses that allow the motors to be accelerated or slowed down. The accelerated motion observed during the heat pulses is attributed primarily to the thermal activation of the redox reactions of the H2O2 fuel at the Pt and Au segments and to the decreased viscosity of the aqueous medium at elevated temperatures. The thermally modulated motion during repetitive temperature on/off cycles is highly reversible and fast, with speeds of 14 and 45 µm s−1 at 25 and 65 °C, respectively. A wide range of speeds can be generated by tailoring the temperature to yield a linear speed–temperature dependence. Through the use of nickel‐containing nanomotors, the ability to combine the thermally regulated motion of catalytic nanomotors with magnetic guidance is also demonstrated. Such on‐demand control of the movement of nanowire motors holds great promise for complex operations of future manmade nanomachines and for creating more sophisticated nanomotors.
Cytotoxicity and Immunological Response of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles of Different Sizes
Authors: Yen Hung‐Jen , Hsu Shan‐hui , Tsai Ching‐Lin
Published: March 2009

The immunological response of macrophages to physically produced pure Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) (in three different sizes) is investigated in vitro. The treatment of either type of NP at ≥10 ppm dramatically decreases the population and increases the size of the macrophages. Both NPs enter the cells but only AuNPs (especially those with smaller diamter) up‐regulate the expressions of proinflammatory genes interlukin‐1 (IL‐1), interlukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐α). Transmission electron microscopy images show that AuNPs and AgNPs are both trapped in vesicles in the cytoplasma, but only AuNPs are organized into a circular pattern. It is speculated that part of the negatively charged AuNPs might adsorb serum protein and enter cells via the more complicated endocytotic pathway, which results in higher cytotoxicity and immunological response of AuNPs as compared to AgNPS.
QoS aware admission and power control for cognitive radio cellular networks
Authors: Xiang Jie , Zhang Yan , Skeie Tor , He Jianhua
Published: March 2009

In cognitive radio cellular networks (CogCell), the secondary users (SUs) are allowed to access the channels licensed to the primary users (PUs) including Primary Transmitters (PTs) and Primary Receivers (PRs), only if the interference to the PRs is less than the predefined threshold, and the quality of service (QoS) requirements of PTs are guaranteed. In addition, different SUs may require different levels of QoS, and pay differently depending on the provided QoS. The network operator achieves different secondary revenues by admitting SUs in different QoS levels. The problem we address in this paper is to maximize the total secondary revenue relative to the interference constraints on PRs, and QoS requirements for both PTs and SUs. We formulate this optimization problem, and propose a power control scheme for both PTs and SUs. Then, we introduce three solutions including an exact solution using dynamic programming, a greedy heuristic algorithm, and a minimal signal‐interference‐plus‐noise‐ratio (SINR) removal algorithm. Based on these algorithms, we propose three QoS aware admission and power control (QAPC) schemes, one optimal solution called QAPC‐dynamic, and two approximate solutions called QAPC‐greedy and QAPC‐minimal SINR removal algorithm (MSRA), respectively. Numerical results show that QAPC‐dynamic always achieves the highest secondary revenue while QAPC‐MSRA gives the lowest secondary revenue. Since the time complexity of QAPC‐dynamic is much higher than the other two schemes, QAPC‐greedy is recommended considering the trade‐off between the computation complexity and performance gain. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Collaborative spreading for the downlink of overloaded CDMA
Authors: Ali Falah H. , Shakya Indu
Published: March 2009

A new scheme called ‘Collaborative Spreading’ is proposed for the downlink of CDMA to allow the sharing of the same spreading sequence by more than one user. In particular, it addresses the problem of user overloading and maintain the use of the same set of available orthogonal sequences and simple receiver structure. In this scheme, a total ofKusers are divided intoGgroups each containingTusers which are collaboratively coded to form uniquely decodable composite codewords. These codewords are spread using a single sequence to perform the CDMA function between the groups. At the receiver, a low complexity maximum likelihood (ML) joint detection and decoding is carried out over a small set of allowed composite codewords to recover the desired user's data. Theoretical and simulation performance analysis of the bit error rate (BER) and user capacity are presented in different channel conditions. It is shown that the proposed collaborative spreading is a simple and very effective means for extending the user capacity at the cost of a modest degradation in BER performance compared with non‐overloaded fully orthogonal CDMA. It can achieve higher signal‐to‐interference plus noise ratio (SINR) and higher overloading ratio compared with Orthogonal CDMA/Orthogonal CDMA schemes and other group orthogonal CDMA schemes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust and low‐communication geographic routing for wireless ad hoc networks
Authors: Witt Matthias , Turau Volker
Published: March 2009

A novel beacon‐less algorithm called Blind Geographic Routing (BGR) is presented, which comes with an effective and robust recovery strategy to circumvent voids, and a new technique to avoid simultaneous forwarding by more than one node, features not included in other beacon‐less algorithms. BGR is the first beacon‐less algorithm that also works in 3D topologies. Additionally, BGR supports different delivery semantics, which specify how close a node must be to the destination location in order to receive the message, and how many nodes shall receive it. These semantics allow for routing not only to designated nodes with network‐wide known locations such as sinks, but to arbitrary destinations within the network area.

It is shown through extensive simulation that BGR performs well even in the case of mobility, radio irregularity, and location errors, while GPSR as a beacon‐based algorithm suffers from severe problems in realistic scenarios that do not follow the unit disk graph model, even with recent enhancements of the original GPSR algorithm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Summary Comments: Multi‐Level Community Based Culturally Situated Interventions
Authors: Trickett Edison J. , Schensul Jean J.
Published: March 2009

In this critical summary the editors summarize main themes that cut across special issue papers including challenges in introducing interventions into communities theorized as dynamic systems, strengths and problems presented by multilevel interventions in single communities, the value of community based culturally situated preventive interventions, and some solutions to evaluation of interventions in complex social settings.
Who wants to live forever? Roe deer survival in a favourable environment
Authors: Cobben Marleen M. P. , Linnell John D. C. , Solberg Erling J. , Andersen Reidar
Published: March 2009

The survival rates and body masses of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were studied on the island of Storfosna in central Norway in relation to sex, age, season and year. There were no predators on the island, and hunting was halted during the study period, resulting in a population increase from 10 to 40 individuals per km2 during the period 1991–1994. A total of 352 individual roe deer were radio‐monitored on a monthly basis. Survival rates were analyzed using the MARK software. An age effect in survival was found separating fawns from yearlings and adults, and for yearlings and adults we furthermore found a year effect. There was evidence for density dependence in body masses of fawns and yearlings, but no density effect in survival rates. We found no sex effect in winter body mass, but a significant sex effect in survival rates. We conclude that (1) increased population density can have an effect on body masses without causing a change in survival rates (2) roe deer can maintain very high survival rates under favourable environmental conditions even at very high population densities (3) male adults can reach equally high survival rates as females under favourable circumstances.
Comparative efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine versus divalproex sodium in the treatment of acute mania: A pilot study
Authors: Kakkar Ashish Kumar , Rehan H.S. , Unni K.E.S. , Gupta Neeraj Kumar , Chopra Deepti , Kataria Dinesh
Published: March 2009

Objective

This study compared the efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine and divalproex sodium in acute mania patients.

Subjects and methods

In this 12 week, randomized, double-blind pilot study, 60 patients diagnosed with acute mania (DSM-IV) and a baseline Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score of 20 or more received flexibly dosed oxcarbazepine (1000–2400 mg/day) or divalproex (750–2000 mg/day). The mean decrease in the YMRS score from baseline was used as the main outcome measure of response to treatment. A priori protocol-defined threshold scores were ≤12 for remission and ≥15 for relapse. Number of patients showing adequate response and the time taken to achieve improvement was compared. Adverse events were systematically recorded throughout the study.

Results

Over 12 weeks, mean improvement in YMRS scores was comparable for both the groups including the mean total scores as well as percentage fall from baseline. There were no significant differences between treatments in the rates of symptomatic mania remission (90% in divalproex and 80% in oxcarbazepine group) and subsequent relapse. Median time taken to symptomatic remission was 56 days in divalproex group while it was 70 days in the oxcarbazepine group (p = 0.123). A significantly greater number of patients in divalproex group experienced one or more adverse drug events as compared to patients in the oxcarbazepine group (66.7% versus 30%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Oxcarbazepine demonstrated comparable efficacy to divalproex sodium in the management of acute mania. Also the overall adverse event profile was found to be superior for oxcarbazepine.
Cannabis use and age of diagnosis of schizophrenia
Authors: Sugranyes Gisela , Flamarique Itziar , Parellada Eduard , Baeza Immaculada , Goti Javier , Fernandez-Egea Emilio , Bernardo Miquel
Published: March 2009

Background and objectives

Observational studies have reported earlier onset of psychosis in schizophrenic patients with a history of cannabis use. Earlier age of onset of schizophrenia has been associated with a poorer outcome. We aimed to examine whether cannabis use determined an earlier onset of schizophrenia in a sample of first episode patients, in an area with one of Europe's highest rates of cannabis use.

Methods

116 subjects with first episode psychosis and subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia (after a 12-month follow-up) were included Age at first antipsychotic treatment (A1T) was used as proxy for age of psychosis onset, and acted as dependent variable for the statistical analysis. Cannabis use was evaluated retrospectively, and divided into three groups according to peak frequency (never, sporadic/frequent, daily).

Results

46 (39.7%) subjects had never used cannabis, 23 (19.9%) had done so sporadically/frequently, and 47 (40.5%) daily. A1T differed between the three groups (mean, in years and [SD]: 27.0 [4.94]; 25.7 [4.44] and 24.5 [4.36]; p = 0.033) and diminished as cannabis use increased (linear tendency; p = 0.009). Post-hoc analysis showed that cannabis use (irrespective of frequency) was significantly associated with decrease in A1T (p = 0.033), as shown by the first contrast [1 −1/2 −1/2]. Post-hoc contrast showed that cannabis users had a significantly lower age of onset of psychosis (mean decrease, in years: 1.93; CI (confidence interval) 95%: 0.17–3.70; p = 0.033).

Conclusions

Cannabis use was significantly associated with a decrease in age of onset of schizophrenia. Age of onset of the disease correlated with frequency of cannabis use.
Increasing self-esteem: Efficacy of a group intervention for individuals with severe mental disorders
Authors: Borras L. , Boucherie M. , Mohr S. , Lecomte T. , Perroud N. , Huguelet Ph.
Published: March 2009

Background

Individuals with psychosis are known to have a lower self-esteem compared to the general population, in part because of social stigma, paternalistic care, long periods of institutionalization and negative family interactions. This study aimed at assessing the efficacy of a self-esteem enhancement program for individuals with severe mental illness and at analyzing the results in their European context.

Method

A randomized cross-over study including 54 outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia from Geneva, Switzerland, was conducted. Twenty-four were recruited from an outpatient facility receiving traditional psychiatric care whereas 30 came from an outpatient facility with case-management care. Psychosocial, diagnostic and symptom measures were taken for all the subjects before treatment, after treatment, and at 3-months' follow-up.

Results

Results indicated significant positive self-esteem module effects on self-esteem, self-assertion, active coping strategies and symptom for the participants receiving case-management care. Results were not significant for those receiving traditional care. However, 71% of all participants expressed satisfaction with the module.

Conclusion

Individuals with schizophrenia appear to be benefit from the effects of the self-esteem module, particularly when they are involved in a rehabilitation program and followed by a case manager who liaises with the other partners of the multidisciplinary team. This encourages reconsidering the interventions' format and setting in order to ensure lasting effects on the environment and in turn on coping, self-esteem and overall empowerment.
Homocysteine and lipids: S‐Adenosyl methionine as a key intermediate
Authors: Obeid Rima , Herrmann Wolfgang
Published: March 2009

An association between hyperlipidemia and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) has been suggested. This link is clinically important in management of vascular risk factors especially in elderly people and patients with metabolic syndrome. Higher plasma homocysteine (Hcy) was associated with lower high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol level. Moreover, HHCY was associated with disturbed plasma lipids or fatty liver. It seems that hypomethylation associated with HHCY is responsible for lipid accumulation in tissues. Decreased methyl group will decrease the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, a major phospholipid required for very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) assembly and homeostasis. The effect of Hcy on HDL‐cholesterol is probably related to inhibiting enzymes or molecules participating in HDL‐particle assembly.
Conformational change induced by ATP binding correlates with enhanced biological function of Arabidopsis cryptochrome
Authors: Burney Sarah , Hoang Nathalie , Caruso Michael , Dudkin Elizabeth A. , Ahmad Margaret , Bouly Jean-Pierre
Published: March 2009

Cryptochromes are widely distributed blue light photoreceptors involved in numerous signaling functions in plants and animals. Both plant and animal‐type cryptochromes are found to bind ATP and display intrinsic autokinase activity; however the functional significance of this activity remains a matter of speculation. Here we show in purified preparations of Arabidopsis cry1 that ATP binding induces conformational change independently of light and increases the amount and stability of light‐induced flavin radical formation. Nucleotide binding may thereby provide a mechanism whereby light responsivity in organisms can be regulated through modulation of cryptochrome photoreceptor conformation.
Challenges in cancer research and multifaceted approaches for cancer biomarker quest
Authors: Martinkova Jirina , Gadher Suresh Jivan , Hajduch Marian , Kovarova Hana
Published: March 2009

Recent advances in cancer biology have subsequently led to the development of new molecularly targeted anti‐cancer agents that can effectively hit cancer‐related proteins and pathways. Despite better insight into genomic aberrations and diversity of cancer phenotypes, it is apparent that proteomics too deserves attention in cancer research. Currently, a wide range of proteomic technologies are being used in quest for new cancer biomarkers with effective use. These, together with newer technologies such as multiplex assays could significantly contribute to the discovery and development of selective and specific cancer biomarkers with diagnostic or prognostic values for monitoring the disease state. This review attempts to illustrate recent advances in the field of cancer biomarkers and multifaceted approaches undertaken in combating cancer.
Exploring the complexities of value creation: The role of engagement strength
Authors: Scholer Abigail A. , Higgins E. Tory
Published: March 2009

Regulatory engagement theory (Higgins, E. T. (2006). Value from hedonic experience and engagement. Psychological Review, 113, 439–460; Higgins, E.T. & Scholer, A.A. (2009). Engaging the consumer: The science and art of the value creation process. Journal of Consumer Psychology) proposes that engagement strength plays a critical role in the creation of value intensity. We discuss the ways in which engagement, in this model, can be distinguished from arousal, motivation to act, and experienced difficulty. We distinguish between the mechanisms and predictions made by regulatory engagement theory versus cognitive dissonance theory and a goal systems approach. We also describe the complexities and conditions under which some sources of engagement strength (e.g., regulatory fit) may relate to value creation. For instance, while regulatory fit has more typically been associated with increased engagement strength, regulatory nonfit may also sometimes increase engagement by serving as an obstacle to be overcome. We review existing evidence and highlight open questions related to the role of engagement strength in creating value.
New carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary interval from SW China: implications for global correlation
Authors: LI DA , LING HONG-FEI , JIANG SHAO-YONG , PAN JIA-YONG , CHEN YONG-QUAN , CAI YUAN-FENG , FENG HONG-ZHEN
Published: March 2009

The Yangtze Platform preserves relatively thick carbonate successions and excellent fossil records across the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary interval. The intensely studied Meishucun section in East Yunnan was one of the Global Stratotype Section candidates for the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. However, depositional breaks were suspected in the section and the first appearance of small shelly fossils could not be verified. The Laolin section located in NE Yunnan is more continuous and shows great potential for global correlation of carbon isotope features across the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. However, the stratigraphic framework and correlations were controversial. We studied and systematically sampled the Laolin section and present here new carbon isotope data for this section. The Laolin section consists of, in ascending order, the Baiyanshao dolostone of the Dengying Formation, the Daibu siliceous dolostone, Zhongyicun dolomitic phosphorite, lower Dahai dolostone and upper Dahai limestone of the Zhujiaqing Formation, and the black siltstone of the Shiyantou Formation. Our data reveal a large negative δ13C excursion (−7.2‰, L1′) in the Daibu Member, which matches the previously published data for the Laolin section, and a large positive excursion (+3.5‰, L4) in the Dahai Member, which was not shown in the published data. The excursion L1′ correlates well with the similarly large negative excursion near the first appearance of small shelly fossils in Siberia and Mongolia. Similar magnitude excursions are also known from Morocco and Oman, for which there are no robust fossil constraints but from where volcanic ash beds have been dated precisely at 542 Ma, thus confirming a global biogeochemical event near the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. Our data also indicate that deposition was more continuous at the Laolin section compared with the Meishucun section, where there are no records of a comparable negative excursion near the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary, nor any comparable positive excursion in the Dahai Member. Therefore, the Laolin section has proven potential to be a supplementary Global Stratotype Section for the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary on the Yangtze Platform.
Digenean trematode species in the cockle Cerastoderma edule: identification key and distribution along the north-eastern Atlantic shoreline
Authors: de Montaudouin Xavier , Thieltges David W. , Gam Mériame , Krakau Manuela , Pina Suzana , Bazairi Hocein , Dabouineau Laurent , Russell-Pinto Fernanda , Jensen K. Thomas
Published: March 2009

We describe the digenean fauna of one of the dominant intertidal hosts, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule, in terms of biomass, off north-eastern Atlantic shores. Using published and unpublished literature we have prepared an identification key and provide an up-date of the large-scale distributional patterns of digenean species of the common cockle. At least sixteen digenean species, belonging to seven families, use cockles as intermediate host. Among these species two utilize cockles as first intermediate host only, whereas two species utilize cockles as both first and second intermediate host. The remaining eleven species have cockles as their second intermediate host. Water birds and fish are the definitive hosts to twelve and four species, respectively.

Cockles are infected with digeneans along the latitudinal gradient from southern Morocco to the western region of the Barents Sea often with high infection levels. Whereas some of these digenean species occur along most of the latitudinal gradient others show a more restricted northern or southern distribution mostly caused by an underlying latitudinal gradient of host species.

Knowledge of digenean species and their large-scale distribution pattern may serve as a baseline for future studies dealing with the effects of climate change on parasite–host systems. For such studies the cockle and its digenean community could be an ideal model system.
C1-generic symplectic diffeomorphisms: partial hyperbolicity and zero centre Lyapunov exponents
Authors: Bochi Jairo
Published: March 2009

We prove that if f is a C1-generic symplectic diffeomorphism then the Oseledets splitting along almost every orbit is either trivial or partially hyperbolic. In addition, if f is not Anosov then all the exponents in the centre bundle vanish. This establishes in full a result announced by Mañé at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1983. The main technical novelty is a probabilistic method for the construction of perturbations, using random walks.
Local models in the ramified case. III Unitary groups
Authors: Pappas G. , Rapoport M.
Published: March 2009

We continue our study of the reduction of PEL Shimura varieties with parahoric level structure at primespat which the group defining the Shimura variety ramifies. We describe ‘good’p-adic integral models of these Shimura varieties and study their étale local structure. In the present paper we mainly concentrate on the case of unitary groups for a ramified quadratic extension. Some of our results are applications of the theory of twisted affine flag varieties that we developed in a previous paper.
Observation of swell dissipation across oceans
Authors: Ardhuin Fabrice , Chapron Bertrand , Collard Fabrice
Published: March 2009

Global observations of ocean swell, from satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar data, are used to estimate the dissipation of swell energy for a number of storms. Swells can be very persistent with energy e‐folding scales exceeding 20,000 km. For increasing swell steepness this scale shrinks systematically, down to 2800 km for the steepest observed swells, revealing a significant loss of swell energy. This value corresponds to a normalized energy decay in time β = 4.2 × 10−6 s −1. Many processes may be responsible for this dissipation. The increase of dissipation rate in dissipation with swell steepness is interpreted as a laminar to turbulent transition of the boundary layer, with a threshold Reynolds number of the order of 100,000. These observations of swell evolution open the way for more accurate wave forecasting models, and provide a constraint on swell‐induced air‐sea fluxes of momentum and energy.
AIRS impact on the analysis and forecast track of tropical cyclone Nargis in a global data assimilation and forecasting system
Authors: Reale O. , Lau W. K. , Susskind J. , Brin E. , Liu E. , Riishojgaard L. P. , Fuentes M. , Rosenberg R.
Published: March 2009

Tropical cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean pose serious challenges to operational weather forecasting systems, partly due to their shorter lifespan and more erratic track, compared to those in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Moreover, the automated analyses of cyclones over the northern Indian Ocean, produced by operational global data assimilation systems (DASs), are generally of inferior quality than in other basins, partly because of asymmetric data distribution and the absence of targeted observations inside cyclones. In this work it is shown that the assimilation of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) temperature retrievals under partial cloudy conditions can significantly impact the representation of the cyclone Nargis (which caused devastating loss of life in Myanmar in May 2008) in a global DAS. Forecasts produced from these improved analyses by a global model produce substantially smaller track errors. The impact of the assimilation of clear‐sky radiances on the same DAS and forecasting system is positive, but smaller than the one obtained by ingestion of AIRS retrievals, probably due to poorer coverage.
A study of a Hurricane Katrina–induced phytoplankton bloom using satellite observations and model simulations
Authors: Liu Xiaoming , Wang Menghua , Shi Wei
Published: March 2009

Satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a concentration from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua revealed a phytoplankton bloom event in the vicinity of the Loop Current (LC) in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Katrina's passage in August 2005. The sea surface height (SSH) anomaly data derived from satellite altimetry measurements indicated that the phytoplankton bloom coincided with a LC frontal eddy and thus suggested that the cold‐core eddy may have played a critical role in the phytoplankton bloom event. Using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), we have carried out numerical simulations to understand the mechanism that triggers the phytoplankton bloom after Katrina passage. The model study shows that the preexisting cold‐core eddy strengthens the upper ocean dynamics and nutrient responses with significant increase of nutrient concentration after the passage of Hurricane Katrina, because of the uplift of nutrient fields within the cold‐core eddy. The Hurricane Katrina–triggered phytoplankton bloom is attributed to the preexisting cold eddy as well as the slowly passing hurricane. The nutrient distribution after Hurricane Katrina indicates that the increase of nitrate concentration plays a dominant role in the development of the phytoplankton bloom.
Aging of black carbon in outflow from anthropogenic sources using a mixing state resolved model: Model development and evaluation
Authors: Oshima N. , Koike M. , Zhang Y. , Kondo Y. , Moteki N. , Takegawa N. , Miyazaki Y.
Published: March 2009

The mixing state of black carbon (BC) aerosols, namely, the degree to which BC particles are coated with other aerosol components, has been recognized as important for evaluating aerosol radiative forcing. In order to resolve the BC mixing state explicitly in model simulations, a two‐dimensional aerosol representation, in which aerosols are given for individual particle diameters and BC mass fractions, is introduced. This representation was incorporated into an aerosol module, the Model of Aerosol Dynamics, Reaction, Ionization, and Dissolution (MADRID), and a new box model, MADRID‐BC, was developed. MADRID‐BC can accurately simulate changes in the entire BC mixing state resulting from condensation/evaporation processes. Aircraft observations conducted in March 2004 show that the mass fraction of thickly coated BC particles increased in air horizontally transported out from an urban area in Japan over the ocean. MADRID‐BC generally reproduces this feature well when observed bulk aerosol concentrations are used as constraints. The model simulations in this particular case show that for particles with BC core diameters of 100–200 nm, the particle diameters, including both core and coating materials, had already increased by a factor of 1.6 on average when they left the source region and by as large as a factor of 1.9 of the BC core diameters after their transport over the ocean for a half day. The model simulations also show that 58% of the total condensed mass was partitioned onto BC‐free particles during transport, indicating their importance for the BC mixing state. Although the model simulations are applied to a limited number of the observations in this study, they clearly show the time evolution of the coating thicknesses of BC‐containing particles, which is necessary for calculating aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei activities.