bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of recovery following knee and hip replacement in an Australian cohort
Authors: Naylor Justine M , Harmer Alison R , Heard Robert C , Harris Ian A
Published: September 2011

Most literature reporting the impressive results
from knee and hip replacement derives from
international data. Few Australian studies have
comprehensively compared outcomes after joint
replacement up to 1 year. This paper compares
the patterns of recovery across physical and
patient-centred outcomes following knee or hip
replacement in an Australian cohort. One hundred
and twenty-two consecutive patients undergoing
knee or hip replacement were prospectively followed.
Serial assessments were conducted (preoperatively,
and 2, 6, 12, 26 and 52 weeks postsurgery).
Joint pain, patient?s global improvement,
timed mobility, and complications were monitored.
English-proficient patients completed WOMAC
(Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
Osteoarthritis Index) and SF-36v2 (Medical Outcomes
Short-Form 36 version 2) questionnaires.
At 1 year, 81% (55 knee, 44 hip) were available for
follow-up. Significant, large improvements (up to
254%) were evident for most outcomes. Global
improvement was reported by 97%. Recovery for
both surgical groups was greatest within the first
26 weeks, but hip patients improved more quickly
in most outcomes. Wound disturbances were the
most common complication (23 in total, 23%) and
13 patients (13%) were readmitted for complications.
Recovery patterns were similar to that
observed elsewhere. The physical and patientcentred
outcomes provide a useful Australian
reference for clinicians of the temporal aspects of
recovery as well the differences between hip and
knee surgeries. Complication and readmission
rates appeared high, possibly partly explained by
the rigorous capture method.
Health smart cards: differing perceptions of emergency department patients and staff
Authors: Mohd Rosli Reizal , McD Taylor David , Knott Jonathan C , Das Atandrila , Dent Andrew W
Published: September 2011

An analytical, cross-sectional survey of 270 emergency
department patients and 92 staff undertaken
in three tertiary referral hospital emergency departments
was completed to compare the perceptions
of patients and staff regarding the use of health
smart cards containing patient medical records.
The study recorded data on a range of health smart
card issues including awareness, privacy, confidentiality,
security, advantages and disadvantages, and
willingness to use. A significantly higher proportion
of staff had heard of the card. The perceived
disadvantages reported by patients and staff were,
overall, significantly different, with the staff reporting
more disadvantages. A significantly higher proportion
of patients believed that they should choose
what information is on the card and who should
have access to the information. Patients were more
conservative regarding what information should be
included, but staff were more conservative regarding
who should have access to the information.
Significantly fewer staff believed that patients could
reliably handle the cards. Overall, however, the
cards were considered acceptable and useful, and
their introduction would be supported.
Lateral sorting in model membranes by cholesterol-mediated hydrophobic matching
Authors: Kaiser Hermann-Josef , Orłowski Adam , Róg Tomasz , Nyholm Thomas K. M. , Chai Wengang , Feizi Ten , Lingwood Daniel , Vattulainen Ilpo , Simons Kai
Published: September 2011

Theoretical studies predict hydrophobic matching between transmembrane domains of proteins and bilayer lipids to be a physical mechanism by which membranes laterally self-organize. We now experimentally study the direct consequences of mismatching of transmembrane peptides of different length with bilayers of different thicknesses at the molecular level. In both model membranes and simulations we show that cholesterol critically constrains structural adaptations at the peptide-lipid interface under mismatch. These constraints translate into a sorting potential and lead to selective lateral segregation of peptides and lipids according to their hydrophobic length.
Hydrogen production from inexhaustible supplies of fresh and salt water using microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cells
Authors: Kim Younggy , Logan Bruce E.
Published: September 2011

There is a tremendous source of entropic energy available from the salinity difference between river water and seawater, but this energy has yet to be efficiently captured and stored. Here we demonstrate that H
2
can be produced in a single process by capturing the salinity driven energy along with organic matter degradation using exoelectrogenic bacteria. Only five pairs of seawater and river water cells were sandwiched between an anode, containing exoelectrogenic bacteria, and a cathode, forming a microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell. Exoelectrogens added an electrical potential from acetate oxidation and reduced the anode overpotential, while the reverse electrodialysis stack contributed 0.5–0.6 V at a salinity ratio (seawater:river water) of 50. The H
2
production rate increased from 0.8 to 1.6 m
3
-H
2
/m
3
-anolyte/day for seawater and river water flow rates ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 mL/ min. H
2
recovery, the ratio of electrons used for H
2
evolution to electrons released by substrate oxidation, ranged from 72% to 86%. Energy efficiencies, calculated from changes in salinities and the loss of organic matter, were 58% to 64%. By using a relatively small reverse electrodialysis stack (11 membranes), only ∼1% of the produced energy was needed for pumping water. Although Pt was used on the cathode in these tests, additional tests with a nonprecious metal catalyst (MoS
2
) demonstrated H
2
production at a rate of 0.8 m
3
/m
3
/d and an energy efficiency of 51%. These results show that pure H
2
gas can efficiently be produced from virtually limitless supplies of seawater and river water, and biodegradable organic matter.
Calpain interacts with class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinases regulating their stability and signaling activity
Authors: Beltran Luisa , Chaussade Claire , Vanhaesebroeck Bart , Cutillas Pedro Rodriguez
Published: September 2011

Class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are signaling enzymes with key roles in the regulation of essential cellular functions and disease, including cancer. Accordingly, their activity is tightly controlled in cells to maintain homeostasis. The formation of multiprotein complexes is a ubiquitous mechanism to regulate enzyme activity but the contribution of protein–protein interactions to the regulation of PI3K signaling is not fully understood. We designed an affinity purification quantitative mass spectrometry strategy to identify proteins interacting dynamically with PI3K in response to pathway activation, with the view that such binding partners may have a functional role in pathway regulation. Our study reveals that calpain small subunit 1 interacts with PI3K and that the association between these proteins is lower in cells stimulated with serum compared to starved cells. Calpain and PI3K activity assays confirmed these results, thus demonstrating that active calpain heterodimers associate dynamically with PI3K. In addition, calpains were found to cleave PI3K proteins in vitro (resulting in a reduction of PI3K lipid kinase activity) and to regulate endogenous PI3K protein levels in vivo. Further investigations revealed that calpains have a role in the negative regulation of PI3K/Akt pathway activity (as measured by Akt and ribosomal S6 phosphorylation) and that their inhibition promotes cell survival during serum starvation. These results indicate that the interaction between calpain and PI3K is a novel mechanism for the regulation of class IA PI3K stability and activity.
Optimal defocus estimation in individual natural images
Authors: Burge Johannes , Geisler Wilson S.
Published: September 2011

Defocus blur is nearly always present in natural images: Objects at only one distance can be perfectly focused. Images of objects at other distances are blurred by an amount depending on pupil diameter and lens properties. Despite the fact that defocus is of great behavioral, perceptual, and biological importance, it is unknown how biological systems estimate defocus. Given a set of natural scenes and the properties of the vision system, we show from first principles how to optimally estimate defocus at each location in any individual image. We show for the human visual system that high-precision, unbiased estimates are obtainable under natural viewing conditions for patches with detectable contrast. The high quality of the estimates is surprising given the heterogeneity of natural images. Additionally, we quantify the degree to which the sign ambiguity often attributed to defocus is resolved by monochromatic aberrations (other than defocus) and chromatic aberrations; chromatic aberrations fully resolve the sign ambiguity. Finally, we show that simple spatial and spatio-chromatic receptive fields extract the information optimally. The approach can be tailored to any environment–vision system pairing: natural or man-made, animal or machine. Thus, it provides a principled general framework for analyzing the psychophysics and neurophysiology of defocus estimation in species across the animal kingdom and for developing optimal image-based defocus and depth estimation algorithms for computational vision systems.
Excess mortality in Europe following a future Laki-style Icelandic eruption
Authors: Schmidt Anja , Ostro Bart , Carslaw Kenneth S. , Wilson Marjorie , Thordarson Thorvaldur , Mann Graham W. , Simmons Adrian J.
Published: September 2011

Historical records show that the A.D. 1783–1784 Laki eruption in Iceland caused severe environmental stress and posed a health hazard far beyond the borders of Iceland. Given the reasonable likelihood of such an event recurring, it is important to assess the scale on which a future eruption could impact society. We quantify the potential health effects caused by an increase in air pollution during a future Laki-style eruption using a global aerosol model together with concentration-response functions derived from current epidemiological studies. The concentration of particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 µm is predicted to double across central, western, and northern Europe during the first 3 mo of the eruption. Over land areas of Europe, the current World Health Organization 24-h air quality guideline for particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 µm is exceeded an additional 36 d on average over the course of the eruption. Based on the changes in particulate air pollution, we estimate that approximately 142,000 additional cardiopulmonary fatalities (with a 95% confidence interval of 52,000–228,000) could occur in Europe. In terms of air pollution, such a volcanic eruption would therefore be a severe health hazard, increasing excess mortality in Europe on a scale that likely exceeds excess mortality due to seasonal influenza.
Remote control of regioselectivity in acyl-acyl carrier protein-desaturases
Authors: Guy Jodie E. , Whittle Edward , Moche Martin , Lengqvist Johan , Lindqvist Ylva , Shanklin John
Published: September 2011

Regiospecific desaturation of long-chain saturated fatty acids has been described as approaching the limits of the discriminatory power of enzymes because the substrate entirely lacks distinguishing features close to the site of dehydrogenation. To identify the elusive mechanism underlying regioselectivity, we have determined two crystal structures of the archetypal Δ9 desaturase from castor in complex with acyl carrier protein (ACP), which show the bound ACP ideally situated to position C9 and C10 of the acyl chain adjacent to the diiron active site for Δ9 desaturation. Analysis of the structures and modeling of the complex between the highly homologous ivy Δ4 desaturase and ACP, identified a residue located at the entrance to the binding cavity, Asp280 in the castor desaturase (Lys275 in the ivy desaturase), which is strictly conserved within Δ9 and Δ4 enzymes but differs between them. We hypothesized that interaction between Lys275 and the phosphate of the pantetheine, seen in the ivy model, is key to positioning C4 and C5 adjacent to the diiron center for Δ4 desaturation. Mutating castor Asp280 to Lys resulted in a major shift from Δ9 to Δ4 desaturation. Thus, interaction between desaturase side-chain 280 and phospho-serine 38 of ACP, approximately 27 
Å
from the site of double-bond formation, predisposes ACP binding that favors either Δ9 or Δ4 desaturation via repulsion (acidic side chain) or attraction (positively charged side chain), respectively. Understanding the mechanism underlying remote control of regioselectivity provides the foundation for reengineering desaturase enzymes to create designer chemical feedstocks that would provide alternatives to those currently obtained from petrochemicals.
Extensive divergence of yeast stress responses through transitions between induced and constitutive activation
Authors: Tirosh Itay , Wong Koon Ho , Barkai Naama , Struhl Kevin
Published: September 2011

Closely related species show a high degree of differences in gene expression, but the functional significance of these differences remains unclear. Similarly, stress responses in yeast typically involve differential expression of numerous genes, and it is unclear how many of these are functionally significant. To address these issues, we compared the expression programs of four yeast species under different growth conditions, and found that the response of these species to stress has diverged extensively. On an individual gene basis, most transcriptional responses are not conserved in any pair of species, and there are very limited common responses among all four species. We present evidence that many evolutionary changes in stress responses are compensated either (
i
) by the response of related genes or (
ii
) by changes in the basal expression levels of the genes whose responses have diverged. Thus, stress-related genes are often induced upon stress in some species but maintain high levels even in the absence of stress at other species, indicating a transition between induced and constitutive activation. In addition, ∼15% of the stress responses are specific to only one of the four species, with no evidence for compensating effects or stress-related annotations, and these may reflect fortuitous regulation that is unimportant for the stress response (i.e., biological noise). Frequent compensatory changes and biological noise may explain how diverged expression responses support similar physiological responses.
Marking Boundaries, Marking Time: The Iranian Past and the Construction of the Self by Qajar Thinkers
Authors: Cole Juan R. I.
Published: September 2011

The intellectual model of european nationalism had a powerful impact in the second half the nineteenth century upon Qajar intellectuals and officials, many of whom lived abroad, were fluent in some European language, or were influenced by translations of European works. These thinkers, beginning in the 1850s, were the first to attempt to “imagine” an Iranian nation. That they made this attempt is a result not only of the influence upon them of the modular nationalist experience, but also of their own encounter with the same forces of modernity that were hammering Europe itself—new media of communication, new forms of transportation, and processes of economic differentiation deriving from the rise of core industrial economies and vastly increased world trade—all of which afforded states and other institutions the resources for disciplinary technologies that reshaped the Self.
The “Iranization” of Biblical Heroes in Judeo‐Persian Epics: Shahin's Ardashīr-nāmah and ᶜEzrā-nāmah
Authors: Moreen Vera B.
Published: September 2011

Judeo-Persian literature is one of the most neglected areas of both Jewish and Iranian studies. Although Judeo-Persian texts—New Persian documents in the Hebrew alphabet—date as far back as the second half of the eighth century and constitute, in fact, the first recorded texts in New Persian, they are still largely unexplored for two major reasons. First, most Judeo- Persian texts are available only in manuscript form, and these manuscripts are located in largely uncatalogued library collections. Second, the study of Judeo- Persian manuscripts requires a thorough knowledge not only of several languages (Persian, Hebrew, and Arabic) but also of Judaism and Islam in their respective religious and secular literatures.

Strides have been made in the study of Judeo-Persian texts since the latenineteenth century. Nevertheless, much remains to be done, especially in the realm of editing texts, the first and most important step toward their comprehensive study.
Armenians and the Jangalis
Authors: Arkun Aram
Published: September 2011

During World War I a movement developed in the forests of Gilan to free Iran from foreign control and internal despotism. Tsarist Russian, Soviet, Ottoman, German, and British forces all attempted to influence the course of events in Gilan, often through the use of force. From their strongholds in the forests, or jangal—whence their name—the Jangalis gained the strength several times, first with the weakening of Russian forces in the region after the 1917 Russian Revolution and then with the assistance of the Iranian Communist Party after the arrival of Soviet troops in Gilan in May 1920, to take control of Rasht, Anzali, and other towns in Gilan province. They even harbored hopes of marching on Tehran to take control of the Iranian central government. This nationalist movement initially had a formal organizational structure under the name ittihād-i Islām, but basically was under the control of the charismatic Mirza Kuchik Khan, along with several other powerful leaders.
сAbdoIkarim Sorush and the Secularization of Islamic Thought in Iran
Authors: Matin-asgari Afshin
Published: September 2011

…a necessary prerequisite to democratization of religious government is to make religious thought more flexible by elevating the role of ‘reason’ in it; and that is not individual but collective reason, arising from the participation of all and benefiting from humanity's experiences; and this is possible only through democratic means.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is seriously challenged by a secularizing intellectual force from within. It may seem ironic for such a movement to appear in a clerical-dominated regime, initially thought by many to embody the victory of religion and tradition over secularism and modernization. But the Iranian revolution came in the wake of at least a century of exposure to secular ideas and institutions, an experience whose impact continued to be discerned during and after the revolution by observers who could see beyond the rhetoric of Islamism.
Rereading the Past: Poor Esfandiyar! An Excerpt from Bichareh Esfandiyar
Authors: Sirjani ᶜAli Akbar Saᶜidi
Published: September 2011

The Esfandiyar of the title is the hero of a cycle of stories in the Iranian national epic, the Shahnameh of Abolqasem Ferdowsi, and Bichareh Esfandiyar is Sacidi Sirjani's lengthy and impassioned interpretation of that cycle. The book has the form of lecture notes. That is, the author retells the story of Esfandiyar from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, paraphrasing it at times, quoting from it at others, and commenting on the events and personalities of the story whenever he proceeds through it. This form of discourse, one which is relatively common in Iranian scholarly writing, has closer affinities to the tradition of the coffeehouse reciter or naqqal than it does to the scholarly essay, and Sacidi Sirjani says explicitly that he views himself as a naqqal not a scholar, a somewhat disingenuous claim inasmuch as he has spent a long and productive professional life as a scholar, editor, and professor of literature.
Identity Politics and Iranian Exile Music Videos
Authors: Naficy Hamid
Published: September 2011

All Cultures are Located in Place and Time. Exile culture is located at the intersection and in the interstices of other cultures. Physically placed outside its original homeland, it is mentally and emotionally both here and there, and, as a result, it is both local and global. Exile culture is not just physically, mentally, and emotionally [dis]located; it is also discursively and sociopolitically situated in a foreign land. Exile discourse, therefore, must be able to deal not only with the problem of location but also with the continuing problematic of multiple locations. Traditionally, mass media are considered as homogenizing agents that inculcate the dominant values. One of the key themes of my work in recent years, however, has been to describe and theorize about the manner in which these very media may also serve the opposite purpose by consolidating alternative values–which may be driven by differences in ethnicity, race, gender, class, nationality, religion, or politics.
Ethnic Identity among Second-Generation Iranians in the United States
Authors: Mahdi Ali Akbar
Published: September 2011

For Second-Generation Iranians in the Untied States the question of identity is not as easily settled as it is for their parents. Their parents claim they are genuine Iranians because they were born and raised in Iran, they relate to Iranian culture more than to American culture, they were active members of the Iranian society for decades, they might still have immediate family members in Iran, and they still hope to go back there someday. Are second-generation Iranian youths able to make these claims? Do they think of themselves as Iranians? Apart from the fact that some were born in Iran, might still know the Persian language, and are familiar with some aspects of Iranian culture, what else about these young people makes them distinctly Iranian?

Sociological studies of immigrants indicate that the first generation's pattern of adaptation is quite different from that of the second and third.'
1739: History, Self, and Other in Afsharid Iran and Mughal India
Authors: Tucker Ernest
Published: September 2011

An important event in the early modern history of india was Nadir Shah's conquest, culminating in the battle of Karnal and the sack of Delhi in the spring of 1739. During this campaign, Nadir looted a huge part of the Mughal treasury, including the fabled Peacock Throne and the Kuh-i Nur diamond, and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of citizens of Delhi in a great slaughter carried out by his army. Historians of India have viewed this invasion as a crushing blow from which the Mughal dynasty never truly recovered, paving the way for European power to become established on the subcontinent in the next few decades. It has been remembered by some Iranian historians as Nadir's crowning military achievement, after which he denied his country the benefits of his victory, wasting away the final years of his reign in an orgy of terror and blood.
Social Institutions
Authors: Akhavi Shahrough
Published: September 2011

According to S. N. Elsenstadt, Institutions are Those Processes and structures, together with the associated set of regulative principles, that arrange human activities in a community “into definite organizational patterns from the point of view of some of the perennial, basic problems of any society or ordered social life.” From this perspective, the social dimension of the concept of social institutions is seen in terms of its “institutional spheres,” which include family and kinship, education, economics, politics, culture, and stratification. To this list may be added those approaches in psychology in which the unit of analysis is the group, community, or society.

Because the subject of “Social Institutions” covers such a vast domain, it will be necessary to focus upon only certain entries of the EIr in this domain. However, before proceeding, it is worth noting that some 150 articles in the first seven volumes may be classified under “social institutions,” including the subsections of articles.
Silesian in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: a language caught in the net of conflicting nationalisms, politics, and identities
Authors: Kamusella Tomasz
Published: September 2011

A probe into the changing perceptions and classifications of Silesian (i.e. the Slavic dialect and the Slavic-Germanic creole of Upper Silesia, or both construed as the ethnolect of the Silesians) during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as most saliently influenced by the mutually nullifying competition of German and Polish ethnolinguistic nationalisms. This competition opened the space for the rise of the Silesian national-cum-regional movement, which sometimes undertook the task of codifying a Silesian language. Such codifications were frustrated during the periods of dictatorship and totalitarianism, which lasted in Upper Silesia from 1926/1933 to 1989. Berlin and Warsaw suppressed the possibility of the rise of a Silesian language, perceived as an ideological threat to the ethnolinguistic legitimization of German and Polish national statehood. Today, Warsaw dislikes the recent popular grassroots project to codify Silesian as a language, but, under the democratic conditions enjoyed in postcommunist Poland, the state administration has no legal means to suppress this project. The codification of Silesian gathered pace at the turning of the twenty-first century, due, among other reasons, to the rapid spread of access to the Internet. However, without the state's blessing and support, the outcome of the codification project, remains, at best, uncertain.
Transnational minorities challenging the interstate system: Mingrelians, Armenians, and Muslims in and around Abkhazia
Authors: Matsuzato Kimitaka
Published: September 2011

The collapse of socialist regimes resulted in tremendous regional realignments in the regions surrounding the heartland of Eurasia. Remarkably, not only states, but also transnational actors have played significant roles in this process. This study highlights transnational ethnicities (Mingrelians, Armenians, and Muslims) in Abkhazia, and tries to describe how the involvement of transnational religious organizations (such as the Armenian Apostolic Church and Turkey's Diyanet) affected the politics around these minorities. In the Black Sea rim, interstate and transnational politics are rather autonomous from each other. For example, when scores of powerful countries, such as the United States and European Union member states, desperately tried to ignore Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, regarding it as a lawless act, Turkey's Diyanet admitted that Russia's recognition of Abkhazia created a new legal situation and began to fulfill its long-dreamed-of desire to help the Abkhazian Muslims. According to political conjuncture in Abkhazia, the same Gali population changes from Georgians to Mingrelians and back. This demonstrates how ethnic categories are used in a constructivist way in the Black Sea rim.
Legal Representation and Education for Minority Youth Intervention
Authors: TANANA MIKE , Castillo Jason , Próspero Moisés , Davis Matt
Published: September 2011

Literature has revealed that ethnic-racial minority youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. The present study investigated whether providing legal representation to ethnic-racial minority youth in juvenile court would lead to fewer convictions and less severe sanctions. The sample consisted of 10,938 youth (2003–2007), with 32% ethnic-racial minority youth. The state’s juvenile sentencing guidelines were used to evaluate the legal representation practice. Multinomial regressions were conducted to examine the effect of legal representation and ethnicity on convictions and sanctions, controlling for criminal history and severity of offense. Results were that legal representation for both ethnic-racial minority and non-minority youth decreased the likelihood of convictions. However, legal representation was also associated with less and more severe sanctions than recommended sentencing guidelines. Taken together, legal representation for youth in juvenile court may lead to dismissal of criminal charges, but for those youth who are convicted, attorney presence may lead to receiving more severe sanctions.
Explaining Thermodynamic-Like Behavior in Terms of Epsilon-Ergodicity
Authors: Frigg Roman , Werndl Charlotte
Published: September 2011

Why do gases reach equilibrium when left to themselves? The canonical answer, originally proffered by Boltzmann, is that the systems have to be ergodic. This answer is now widely regarded as flawed. We argue that some of the main objections in particular arguments based on the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser theorem and the Markus-Meyer theorem are beside the point. We then argue that something close to Boltzmann’s proposal is true: gases behave thermodynamic-like if they are epsilon-ergodic, that is, ergodic on the phase space except for a small region of measure epsilon. This answer is promising because there is evidence that relevant systems are epsilon-ergodic.
Leroi-Gourhan and the Limits of the Human
Authors: Johnson Christopher
Published: September 2011

Leroi-Gourhan's investigation of human prehistory in
Le Geste et la parole
questions the boundaries, or limits, that more traditional kinds of humanism have assigned to the human, pushing back the origins of the human to include hominid forms that might previously have been regarded as ‘prehuman’, and widening our definition of the human by considering the diverse ‘externalizations’ of mind and body in different forms of technical behaviour. This article examines the different models of interpretation informing the narrative of human evolution proposed in
Le Geste et la parole
— for example, the pervasive but never explicitly marked concept of equilibrium, and modes of conceptualization (e.g. control, feedback) and technical practice (e.g. electronics) drawn from cybernetics. The article argues that, while Leroi-Gourhan's theory of the technical origins of language is a compelling one, as his exposition moves from the prehistorical
homme fossile
to
l'homme actuel
and finally to the hypothetical
homme du futur
, he appears to delineate another limit to the human: a point in human/technological evolution at which humanity becomes not more but less human than its historical and prehistorical ancestors. The article concludes by asking to what extent Leroi-Gourhan's semi-indictment of modern technology is consistent with the more fundamental philosophy of technology that one finds in his work.
Examination of the correlation between the manual and automated serological testing methods for syphilis
Authors: ONOE Tomohiko , HONDA Mariko , MATSUO Koma , SASAKI Hajime , SAWAMURA Masayuki , ONOE Yasuhiko , IWAMOTO Aikichi , ONODERA Shoichi , KAWANA Takashi , TADA Yuki , NIMURA Michihito , NAKAGAWA Hidemi
Published: September 2011

We evaluated the correlation between the conventional manual serological testing method for syphilis and a novel automated serological testing method and between six different reagents used in the automated method. Twenty‐six serum samples, which were positive on non‐treponemal manual serological testing, were obtained from 19 patients with early syphilis. The samples were manually analyzed using the non‐treponemal serological test for syphilis kit and automatically analyzed using six different reagents approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan. Statistically significant correlations were observed between most of the reagents used in the automated testing (r = 0.652–0.996, P < 0.001), except for one combination of the reagents. In the simple regression analysis, the slope of the simple regression line (range, 0.014–3.040) and some of the regression coefficients were not equal to 1.0. Therefore, it is recommended that when the automated serological testing method is used to test for syphilis, the same reagent should be consistently selected to evaluate the changes in antibody titers. Statistically significant correlations were also observed between the manual method and all the reagents used in the automated method (r = 0.682–0.811, P < 0.001). In this case, the regression coefficients ranged 0.375–6.270, and the simple regression line intercept ranged −71.926 to 4.184. The regression coefficient and the intercept between the manual method and some of the reagents used in the automated method were not similar to the values described in the documentation attached to the reagents used in this study.
Multilocus sequence analysis and type III effector repertoire mining provide new insights into the evolutionary history and virulence of Xanthomonas oryzae
Authors: HAJRI AHMED , BRIN CHRYSTELLE , ZHAO SHUAI , DAVID PERRINE , FENG JIA‐XUN , KOEBNIK RALF , SZUREK BORIS , VERDIER VALÉRIE , BOUREAU TRISTAN , POUSSIER STEPHANE
Published: September 2011

Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) and type III effector (T3E) repertoire mining were performed to gain new insights into the genetic relatedness of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), two major bacterial pathogens of rice. Based on a collection of 45 African and Asian strains, we first sequenced and analysed three housekeeping genes by MLSA, Bayesian clustering and a median‐joining network approach. Second, we investigated the distribution of 32 T3E genes, which are known to be major virulence factors of plant pathogenic bacteria, in all selected strains, by polymerase chain reaction and dot‐blot hybridization methods. The diversity observed within housekeeping genes, as well as within T3E repertoires, clearly showed that both pathogens belong to closely related, but distinct, phylogenetic groups. Interestingly, these evolutionary groups are differentiated according to the geographical origin of the strains, suggesting that populations of Xoo and Xoc might be endemic in Africa and Asia, and thus have evolved separately. We further revealed that T3E gene repertoires of both pathogens comprise core and variable gene suites that probably have distinct roles in pathogenicity and different evolutionary histories. In this study, we carried out a functional analysis of xopO, a differential T3E gene between Xoo and Xoc, to determine the involvement of this gene in tissue specificity. Altogether, our data contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary history of Xoo and Xoc in Africa and Asia, and provide clues for functional studies aiming to understand the virulence, host and tissue specificity of both rice pathogens.
Increased serum interleukin‐17 and peripheral Th17 cells in children with acute Henoch–Schönlein purpura
Authors: Jen Hsiao‐Yu , Chuang Ya‐Hui , Lin Sheng‐Chieh , Chiang Bor‐Luen , Yang Yao‐Hsu
Published: September 2011

To cite this article: Jen H‐Y, Chuang Y‐H, Lin S‐C, Chiang B‐L, Yang Y‐H. Increased serum interleukin‐17 and peripheral Th17 cells in children with acute Henoch–Schönlein purpura. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011: 22: 862–868.

Background:  Interleukin (IL)‐17 and Th17 cells have been involved in many autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the involvement of IL‐17 and Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of childhood Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP).

Methods:  Serum and supernatant levels of cytokines and chemokines were analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Using intracellular staining, the frequency of peripheral Th17 and Th1 cells was studied by flow cytometry.

Results:  Children with acute HSP had significantly higher serum levels of IL‐17, IL‐6 and transforming growth factor‐β than healthy controls. The IL‐17 levels in culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with anti‐CD3 and CD28 antibody stimulation were much higher in patients with HSP (281.2 ± 91.4 vs. 47.7 ± 22.6 pg/ml, p = 0.022). The patients also had more Th17 cells (1.67 ± 0.36% vs. 0.71 ± 0.15%, p = 0.033) but not Th1 cells in peripheral blood. Moreover, IL‐17 could promote human endothelial cells to produce chemoattractants IL‐8 and monocyte chemotactic protein‐1.

Conclusion:  The increased frequency of peripheral Th17 cells and serum IL‐17 levels are shown in childhood HSP that may in part contribute to vascular inflammation, suggesting cellular immunity is likely to be involved in the process of HSP.
Genetic re‐identification and antifungal susceptibility testing of Aspergillus section Nigri strains of the BCCM/IHEM collection
Authors: Hendrickx M. , Beguin H. , Detandt M.
Published: September 2011

Black Aspergilli are widely distributed in the environment and are frequently reported as causative agents of different types of mycoses. Many taxonomical revisions have been made, and presently 19 different species are accepted. In this study we (re‐) identified 123 strains of the Aspergillus niger group of the BCCM/IHEM collection to check for the presence of species other than A. niger in both environmental and clinical samples. The susceptibility for antifungal drugs was compared between A. niger and Aspergillus tubingensis. Strains were identified based on morphological and molecular data and neighbour joining analysis. We revealed the presence of eight different species of this group in our collection. Our results suggest that Aspergillus foetidus, previously shown to be a species closely related to A. niger should not be considered as a separate species, but rather as a variety of A. niger. Furthermore, we found A. tubingensis at the same prevalence than A. niger in clinical samples. Interestingly, A. niger was shown to have a twofold higher sensitivity to treatment with voriconazole and itraconazole than A. tubingensis. These findings underline once more the importance of correct identification up to the species level in clinical isolates.
Perioperative course of FXIII in children undergoing major surgery
Authors: Haas Thorsten , Korte Wolfgang , Spielmann Nelly , Mauch Jacqueline , Madjdpour Caveh , Schmugge Markus , Weiss Markus
Published: September 2011

Background:  Acquired deficiency of FXIII because of perioperative hemodilution has been described several times in adults; however, data in children are scarce. We performed a prospective observational trial to evaluate the intraoperative course of FXIII in children undergoing elective major surgery.

Methods:  Blood samples were repeatedly taken from 46 children aged 0.3–16 years undergoing major surgery. Concentrations of FXIII and fibrinogen, thrombelastometry by ROTEM®, and cell count were assessed intraoperatively.

Results:  A significant decrease in FXIII concentration (median 60%; IQR 49–69%) was already noted at beginning of surgical procedures, while most ROTEM® traces remain unchanged. FXIII levels further deteriorated intraoperatively to minimal levels of 33% (15–61%). Lowest intraoperative clot strength (ExTEM) was 44 mm (34–50 mm), and fibrinogen plasma levels decreased to minimal levels of 130 mg·dl−1 (95–160 mg·dl−1). In 43 of 46 children, transfusion therapy was necessary. Despite of transfusion of fresh frozen plasma (cumulative total dose 22 ml·kg−1 [11–32 ml·kg−1]) in 21 of 46 children, FXIII level remains low in all children till the end of surgery at levels of 39% (20–46%).

Conclusions:  Coagulation factor XIII decreased early during major surgery owing to hemodilution. Overall intraoperative FXIII levels remain low despite of transfusion of fresh frozen plasma.
Non‐transecting anastomotic bulbar urethroplasty: a preliminary report
Authors: Andrich Daniela E. , Mundy Anthony R.
Published: September 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Excision of a stricture and end‐to‐end anastomosis of the two ends is thought to be the best form of treatment for short strictures of the proximal bulbar urethra but involves transecting the main blood supply of the corpus spongiosum and the urethra.

This is a preliminary report of achieving the same goal but without transecting the blood supply of the corpus spongiosum of the urethra.

OBJECTIVE

To report our early experience with a novel approach to the excision and end‐to‐end anastomotic repair of bulbar urethral strictures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 22 patients underwent excision and end‐to‐end anastomosis of a proximal bulbar urethral stricture using a technique in which the corpus spongiosum is not transected, so as to maintain its blood supply intact.

The range of follow‐up was 6–21 months and for 16 patients the follow up was ≥1year.

RESULTS

At 1 year of follow‐up there was no evidence of a recurrent stricture on symptomatic assessment or uroflowmetry in the 16 patients.

On urethrography one patient has a urethral calibre 80% of normal. In the other 15 the calibre is normal or greater than normal.

CONCLUSION

The non‐transecting anastomotic bulbar urethroplasty technique used appears to give results that are as good as those of traditional anastomotic urethroplasty with less surgical trauma.
Comparison of outcomes between pure laparoscopic vs robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: a study of comparative effectiveness based upon validated quality of life outcomes
Authors: Willis Daniel L. , Gonzalgo Mark L. , Brotzman Michelle , Feng Zhaoyong , Trock Bruce , Su Li‐Ming
Published: September 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Few studies exist comparing functional outcomes between RALP and LRP using validated questionnaires.

This single surgeon study utilizes data from the EPIC questionnaire that was collected prospectively to compare urinary and sexual function after prostatectomy. In this comparison, return of post‐prostatectomy continence was similar between groups while RALP patients demonstrated earlier return of sexual function.

OBJECTIVE

To compare perioperative, oncological and functional outcomes of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) with emphasis on health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) data as few studies exist.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients underwent RALP or LRP by a single, fellowship trained surgeon with a standard clinical care pathway.

HRQOL data using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) were collected at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months after 175 consecutive LRP and 174 RALP procedures.

Urinary and sexual function outcomes were compared using two methods: (1) EPIC summary/subscale analyses described as percent return to baseline function and (2) traditional single‐question analysis.

RESULTS

The two groups were statistically similar with respect to demographics, clinical stage, perioperative outcomes, stage‐specific surgical margin rates, and baseline urinary and sexual function scores.

There was no statistical difference in postoperative urinary function between RALP and LRP using EPIC or single‐question analyses at 3, 6 and 12 months.

EPIC questionnaire data showed a greater return to baseline sexual function over time (mixed model analysis) in RALP than in LRP patients who had a bilateral nerve sparing procedure (Sexual Summary Score, P= 0.005; Sexual Function and Bother Subscales, P= 0.007).

Using EPIC, RALP patients receiving a bilateral nerve sparing procedure showed improved percent return to baseline potency at 3 and 6 months (P < 0.025) compared with LRP patients, but had similar outcomes at 12 months (73.7% vs 66.2%, P= 0.3).

Single‐question analysis suggested improved potency after RALP compared with LRP, with a greater percentage of RALP patients reporting successful sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks (87.5% vs 66.7% at 12 months, P= 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

When comparing surgical techniques, RALP and LRP groups showed statistically similar postoperative urinary function outcomes.

RALP patients had an earlier return of sexual function when compared with LRP patients after a bilateral nerve sparing procedure.
SPEAR: SPAMMING‐RESISTANT EXPERTISE ANALYSIS AND RANKING IN COLLABORATIVE TAGGING SYSTEMS
Authors: Yeung Ching‐man Au , Noll Michael G. , Gibbins Nicholas , Meinel Christoph , Shadbolt Nigel
Published: September 2011

In this article, we discuss the notions of experts and expertise in resource discovery in the context of collaborative tagging systems. We propose that the level of expertise of a user with respect to a particular topic is mainly determined by two factors. First, an expert should possess a high‐quality collection of resources, while the quality of a Web resource in turn depends on the expertise of the users who have assigned tags to it, forming a mutual reinforcement relationship. Second, an expert should be one who tends to identify interesting or useful resources before other users discover them, thus bringing these resources to the attention of the community of users. We propose a graph‐based algorithm, SPEAR (spamming‐resistant expertise analysis and ranking), which implements the above ideas for ranking users in a folksonomy. Our experiments show that our assumptions on expertise in resource discovery, and SPEAR as an implementation of these ideas, allow us to promote experts and demote spammers at the same time, with performance significantly better than the original hypertext‐induced topic search algorithm and simple statistical measures currently used in most collaborative tagging systems.
Signalling and sex in the social amoebozoans
Authors: O'Day Danton H. , Keszei Alex
Published: September 2011

The social amoebozoans have a life tricycle consisting of asexual multicellular development leading to fruiting bodies, sexual multicellular development resulting in macrocysts, and unicellular development generating microcysts. This review covers the events of sexual development in the best‐studied heterothallic (Dictyostelium discoideum) and homothallic (D. mucoroides) mating systems. Sexual development begins with pheromonal interactions that produce fusion‐competent cells (gametes) which undergo cell and pronuclear fusion. Calcium‐ and calmodulin‐mediated signalling mediates these early events. As they initiate chemotactic signalling, each zygote increases in size becoming a zygote giant cell. Using cyclic AMP (cAMP), the zygote chemotactically lures in amoebae and engulfs them in an act of cannibalistic phagocytosis. Chemotaxis proceeds more quickly than endocytosis because the breakdown products of cAMP (5‐AMP, adenosine) bind to a presumptive adenosine receptor to inhibit sexual phagocytosis. This slowing of phagocytosis allows amoebae to accumulate around the zygote to form a precyst aggregate. Zygote giant cells also produce several other signalling molecules that feed back to regulate early events. The amoebae surrounding the zygote seal their fate as zygotic foodstuff by secreting a primary cellulose wall, the extracellular sheath, around the zygote and aggregated amoebae, which prevents their escape. Phagocytosis within this precyst continues until all peripheral amoebae are internalized as endocytes and the final macrocyst wall is formed. Endocyte digestion results in a mature macrocyst with a uniform cytoplasm containing a diploid nucleus. After detailing the morphological events of heterothallic and homothallic mating, we review the various intercellular signalling events and other mechanisms involved in each stage. This complete and comprehensive review sets the stage for future research on the unique events that characterize sex in the social amoebozoans.