bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential Response to Methylphenidate in Inattentive and Combined Subtype ADHD
Authors: Beery Susan H. , Quay Herbert C. , Pelham William E.
Published: January 2013

Objective: To examine response to methylphenidate (MPH) assessed by direct observation of ecologically valid behaviors in boys with ADHD with high hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) and those with predominantly inattentive symptoms (ADHD/I). Method: Sixty-three boys ages 7 to 13 participated in an ADHD Summer Treatment Program and received a double-blind placebo-controlled assessment of .3 mg/kg of MPH on problem behaviors and individualized behavior goals. Medication effect sizes were calculated for each child for each behavior. Results: Children with ADHD/HI ( n = 21) displayed larger MPH effect sizes for interrupting, verbal abuse, and compliance, and marginally greater response for teasing and counselor-directed goals. Children with ADHD/I ( n = 21) displayed small medication effect sizes ( ds < .20) for many behaviors often identified as primary deficits in this group (e.g., attention to activities, peer interaction, class work completion, and accuracy). Conclusion: Systematic medication assessment for ADHD/I that quantifies response in ecologically valid areas of functional impairment is essential.
Safety Assessment of Alkyl Benzoates as Used in Cosmetics
Authors: 'Becker Lillian C. , Bergfeld Wilma F. , Belsito Donald V. , Hill Ronald A. , Klaassen Curtis D. , Liebler Daniel , Marks James G. , Shank Ronald C. , Slaga Thomas J. , Snyder Paul W. , Andersen F. Alan
Published: January 2013

The functions of alkyl benzoates in cosmetics include fragrance ingredients, skin-conditioning agents—emollient, skin-conditioning agents—miscellaneous, preservatives, solvents, and plasticizers. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel reviewed the relevant animal and human data and noted gaps in the available safety data for some of the alkyl benzoates. Similar structure activity relationships, biologic functions, and cosmetic product usage allowed the available data of many of the alkyl benzoates to be extended to the entire group. Carcinogenicity data were not available, but available data indicated that these alkyl benzoate cosmetic ingredients are not genotoxic. Also benzoic acid and tested component alcohols were not reproductive or developmental toxicants, are not genotoxic in almost all assays, and are not carcinogenic. These ingredients were determined to be safe in the present practices of use and concentration.
Case analyses of all children’s drowning deaths occurring in Sweden 1998–2007
Authors: Schyllander Jan , Janson Staffan , Nyberg Cecilia , Eriksson Ulla-Britt , Stark Ekman Diana
Published: January 2013

Aims: The goal of this research project was to explore circumstances surrounding each drowning death occurring to children and adolescents ages 0–17 in Sweden during the years 1998–2007. Methods: Records from the National Board of Forensic Medicine (NBFM) and other sources were analysed. We collected information on children’s personal characteristics (sex, age, ethnic background, weight, height, physical condition, and pre-existing health conditions) and the circumstances of deaths (time and place of occurrence, type of drowning, resuscitation efforts and medical care given, for example). We also collected information on prevention factors: the physical environment, adult supervision, whether or not the child could swim, and if the child was using a personal flotation device at the time of death. Results: Our analysis showed that 109 children had drowned in Sweden during the study period – of this group, 96 had died from unintentional causes. Children from immigrant backgrounds, particularly with families coming from the Middle East and Iran, were inordinately represented in the group of victims who had died from unintentional drowning deaths. Other risk factors included: coming from a single parent-headed family, alcohol use by older victims and a lack of ability to swim. Conclusions: Prevention efforts to prevent drowning in the future should focus on preventing alcohol use by young bathers; better fencing around swimming sites; improved coverage of swimming lessons to all children in Sweden, especially children from immigrant families; more education on drowning risks for single parents; and better awareness by adults on the need for constant supervision of children and adolescents in and near water.
The M235T polymorphism in the angiotensinogen gene and myocardial infarction risk: A meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Yu-Jing , Pan Yan
Published: January 2013

Objective:

The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI), but previous studies have been inconsistent. The present study aimed at assessing the association of M235T polymorphism in the AGT gene with MI using a meta-analysis.

Methods:

We retrieved literature in Google Scholar, PubMed, Cochrane Library and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (January 1990–December 2011) for the relevant studies on the AGT polymorphism M235T and risk of MI. Statistical analyses were carried out using Stata 10.0 for combining all the relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. Begg’s test was used to measure publication bias.

Results:

A total of 21 case-control studies containing 5887 patients and 6164 controls were enrolled into this meta-analysis. Overall, significant association was found between the AGT gene M235T polymorphism and risk of MI in the subgroup analysis for TT vs MT in Asians (OR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.01–2.12; p = 0.04). No associations were detected between AGT M235T and the risk of MI in total population and Caucasians.

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis demonstrated that the AGT M235T polymorphism could be a prediction marker for risk of MI in Asians. Conclusive evidence on the effects of the variants in MI should be addressed in further studies.
Cholecalciferol administration blunts the systemic renin–angiotensin system in essential hypertensives with hypovitaminosis D
Authors: Carrara Davide , Bernini Matteo , Bacca Alessandra , Rugani Ilaria , Duranti Emiliano , Virdis Agostino , Ghiadoni Lorenzo , Taddei Stefano , Bernini Giampaolo
Published: January 2013

Introduction:

Vitamin D plasma levels are negatively associated with blood pressure and cardiovascular mortality, and vitamin D supplementation reduces cardiovascular events. Renin–angiotensin system (RAS) suppression may be one of the mechanisms involved. However, there are no interventional prospective studies demonstrating a reduction in circulating RAS components after vitamin D treatment.

Methods:

Fifteen consecutive drug-free patients with essential hypertension and hypovitaminosis D underwent therapy with an oral dose of 25000 I.U. of cholecalciferol once a week for two months, while maintaining a constant-salt diet. In basal conditions and at the end of the study, RAS activity (plasma angiotensinogen, renin, PRA, angiotensin II, aldosterone and urinary angiotensinogen) was investigated, in addition to blood pressure and plasma vitamin D levels (25(OH)D).

Results:

After cholecalciferol administration, all patients exhibited normalized plasma 25(OH)D values. At the end of the study, a reduction ( p < 0.05) in plasma renin and aldosterone, and a decrement, although not significant, of PRA and angiotensin II, was observed. No difference was found in plasma and urinary angiotensinogen or blood pressure values.

Conclusions:

Our data indicate that in essential hypertensives with hypovitaminosis D, pharmacological correction of vitamin D levels can blunt systemic RAS activity.
Left ventricular remodelling after acute myocardial infarction: Impact of clinical, echocardiographic parameters and polymorphism of angiotensinogen gene
Authors: Zaliaduonyte-Peksiene Diana , Simonyte Sandrita , Lesauskaite Vaiva , Vaskelyte Jolanta , Gustiene Olivija , Mizariene Vaida , Jurkevicius Renaldas , Jariene Giedre , Tamosiunas Abdonas , Zaliunas Remigijus
Published: January 2013

Introduction:

The development of left ventricular remodelling after acute myocardial infarction is a predictor of heart failure and mortality. The purpose of the present study was to assess whether the polymorphism of angiotensinogen ( AGT) gene with threonine (T) instead of methionine (M) at amino acid 235 in exon 2 ( M235T) had effects on cardiac remodelling after acute myocardial infarction.

Methods:

One hundred and forty-one patients (mean age 56.4±11.1 years) with a first acute myocardial infarction were enrolled. Within 24–72 hours of the onset of the symptoms and at a four month period two-dimensional echocardiography was performed. Remodelling was defined as a 20% increase from the baseline in left ventricular end-diastolic volume. The genotypes of the study group were compared with the reference group ( n=1010) genotypes. AGT M235T polymorphism was determined using polymerase chain reaction amplification.

Results:

At follow-up, 49 patients (34.7%) were classified as having left ventricular remodelling. Anterior localization of the infarct ( p=0.008), leucocyte count at admission ( p=0.040), global left ventricular longitudinal strain ( p=0.021) and MM genotype of AGT ( p=0.024) were independent predictors of ventricular remodelling after myocardial infarction.

Conclusions:

Anterior wall infarction, increased leucocyte count, decreased longitudinal strain of left ventricular and polymorphism of AGT M235T may predict remodelling after myocardial infarction.
Cinehistory and Experiments on Film
Authors: Shell Hanna Rose
Published: January 2013

This article considers what time-based audio-visual media can bring to historical scholarship in science and visual culture studies. The author argues that the history and critical analysis of cinematography and other time-based optical research methods used in the social, life and physical sciences, are productively accomplished through a simultaneously theory- and practice-bound model of multimedia history. She introduces the concept and term cinehistory through analysis of her own film and video installation work, focusing specifically on her Experiments on Film project (2004–2011), a series of multisensory, filmic histories of physiologist and inventor Étienne-Jules Marey’s development of underwater chronophotography in the 1890s.
‘Beauty of Chance’: Film ist
Authors: Gaycken Oliver
Published: January 2013

A lesser-known aspect of André Bazin’s film criticism is his love of science films. Bazin’s key reflection in this regard, ‘Le film scientifique: beauté du hasard’, argues that the science film is not just another kind of filmmaking; rather, placed under the scrutiny of Bazin’s cinephilic, Surrealist gaze, the science film is revealed as the repository of true cinematic beauty. A similar approach to the science film is evident in contemporary avant-garde practice. Gustav Deutsch’s Film ist. 1–6 (1998), the first part of an ongoing compilation project, reveals an affinity with Bazin’s appreciation of the science film. Taken together, these approaches suggest an alternative strand of documentary history that is located at the intersection of scientific and avant-garde filmmaking practices.
Police culture, stress conditions and working styles
Authors: Terpstra Jan , Schaap Dorian
Published: January 2013

The standard model of police culture assumes that internal and external stress shapes police culture and that this culture promotes certain styles of policing. This model has been tested using a survey of police officers in the Netherlands. The street-level culture of the Dutch police has some elements in common with what we know from Anglo-Saxon studies, but there are also important differences. Dutch rank-and-file police are less conservative, the machismo element is less dominant and the fundamental mistrust of strangers is not as widespread. The findings of this study generally correspond with the causal relations of the model. Remarkably, no relationship was found between the professional police style and cultural elements in the police.
Central statistical monitoring: Detecting fraud in clinical trials
Authors: Pogue Janice M , Devereaux PJ , Thorlund Kristian , Yusuf Salim
Published: January 2013

Background

Central statistical monitoring in multicenter trials could allow trialists to identify centers with problematic data or conduct and intervene while the trial is still ongoing. Currently, there are few published models that can be used for this purpose.

Purpose

To develop and validate a series of risk scores to identify fabricated data within a multicenter trial, to be used in central statistical monitoring.

Methods

We used a database from a multicenter trial in which data from 9 of 109 centers were documented to be fabricated. These data were used to build a series of risk scores to predict fraud at centers. All analyses were performed at the level of the center. Exploratory factor analysis was used to select from 52 possible predictors, chosen from a variety of previously published methods. The final models were selected from a total of 18 independent predictors, based on the factors identified. These models were converted to risk scores for each center.

Results

Five different risk scores were identified, and each had the ability to discriminate well between centers with and without fabricated data (area under the curve values ranged from 0.90 to 0.95). True- and false-positive rates are presented for each risk score to arrive at a recommended cutoff of seven or above (high risk score). We validated these risk scores, using an independent multicenter trial database that contained no data fabrication and found the occurrence of false-positive high scores to be low and comparable to the model-building data set.

Limitations

These risk score have been validated only for their false-positive rate and require validation within another trial that contains centers that have fabricated data. Validation in noncardiovascular trials is also required to gage the usefulness of these risk scores in central statistical monitoring.

Conclusions

With further validation, these risk scores could become part of a series of tools that provide evidence-based central statistical monitoring, which in turn can improve the efficiency of trials, and minimize the need for more expensive on-site monitoring.
Mycobacterium avium subspecies impair dendritic cell maturation
Authors: Basler Tina , Brumshagen Christina , Beineke Andreas , Goethe Ralph , Bäumer Wolfgang
Published: January 2013

Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne’s disease, a chronic, granulomatous enteritis of ruminants. Dendritic cells (DC) of the gut are ideally placed to combat invading mycobacteria; however, little is known about their interaction with MAP. Here, we investigated the interaction of MAP and the closely related M. avium ssp. avium (MAA) with murine DC and the effect of infected macrophages on DC maturation. The infection of DC with MAP or MAA induced DC maturation, which differed to that of LPS as maturation was accompanied by higher production of IL-10 and lower production of IL-12. Treatment of maturing DC with supernatants from mycobacteria-infected macrophages resulted in impaired DC maturation, leading to a semi-mature, tolerogenic DC phenotype expressing low levels of MHCII, CD86 and TNF-α after LPS stimulation. Though the cells were not completely differentiated they responded with an increased IL-10 and a decreased IL-12 production. Using recombinant cytokines we provide evidence that the semi-mature DC phenotype results from a combination of secreted cytokines and released antigenic mycobacterial components of the infected macrophage. Our results indicate that MAP and MAA are able to subvert DC function directly by infecting and indirectly via the milieu created by infected macrophages.
Children’s Interpretation of Facial Expressions: The Long Path from Valence-Based to Specific Discrete Categories
Authors: Widen Sherri C.
Published: January 2013

According to a common sense theory, facial expressions signal specific emotions to people of all ages and therefore provide children easy access to the emotions of those around them. The evidence, however, does not support that account. Instead, children’s understanding of facial expressions is poor and changes qualitatively and slowly over the course of development. Initially, children divide facial expressions into two simple categories (feels good, feels bad). These broad categories are then gradually differentiated until an adult system of discrete categories is achieved, likely in the teen years. Children’s understanding of most specific emotions begins not with facial expressions, but with their understanding of the emotion’s antecedents and behavioral consequences.
Facial Expression in Nonhuman Animals
Authors: Waller Bridget M. , Micheletta Jérôme
Published: January 2013

Many nonhuman animals produce facial expressions which sometimes bear clear resemblance to the facial expressions seen in humans. An understanding of this evolutionary continuity between species, and how this relates to social and ecological variables, can help elucidate the meaning, function, and evolution of facial expression. This aim, however, requires researchers to overcome the theoretical and methodological differences in how human and nonhuman facial expressions are approached. Here, we review the literature relating to nonhuman facial expressions and suggest future directions that could facilitate a better understanding of facial expression within an evolutionary context.
Advances in the Study of Facial Expression: An Introduction to the Special Section
Authors: Fernández-Dols José-Miguel
Published: January 2013

For more than a century expressions have been approached as bidimensional, static, instantaneous, self-contained, well-defined, and universal signals. These assumptions are starting to be empirically reconsidered: this special section of Emotion Review includes reviews on the physical, social, and cultural dynamics of expressions, and on the complex ways in which, throughout the lifespan, facial behavior and emotion are perceived and categorized by primates’ and humans’ brain. All these advances are certainly paving the way for new exciting approaches to facial behavior more likely to strike an appropriate balance between description and explanation.
The Role of Gaze in the Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions
Authors: Rigato Silvia , Farroni Teresa
Published: January 2013

Gaze plays a fundamental role in the processing of facial expressions from birth. Gaze direction is a crucial part of the social signal encoded in and decoded from faces. The ability to discriminate gaze direction, already evident early in life, is essential for the development of more complex socially relevant tasks, such as joint and shared attention. At the same time, facial expressions play a fundamental role in the encoding of gaze direction and, when combined, expression and gaze communicate behavioural motivation to approach or avoid. However, the investigation of how gaze direction and emotional expression interact during the processing of a face has been relatively neglected, and is the key question of this review.
Distinct Contributions to Facial Emotion Perception of Foveated versus Nonfoveated Facial Features
Authors: Atkinson Anthony P. , Smithson Hannah E.
Published: January 2013

Foveated stimuli receive visual processing that is quantitatively and qualitatively different from nonfoveated stimuli. At normal interpersonal distances, people move their eyes around another’s face so that certain features receive foveal processing; on any given fixation, other features therefore project extrafoveally. Yet little is known about the processing of extrafoveally presented facial features, how informative those extrafoveally presented features are for face perception (e.g., for assessing another’s emotion), or what processes extract task-relevant (e.g., emotion-related) cues from facial features that first appear outside the fovea, and how these processes are implemented in the brain.
Contextualizing Facial Activity
Authors: Parkinson Brian
Published: January 2013

Drawing on research reviewed in this special section, the present article discusses how various contextual factors impact on production and decoding of emotion-related facial activity. Although emotion-related variables often contribute to activation of prototypical “emotion expressions” and perceivers can often infer emotional meanings from these facial configurations, neither process is invariant or direct. Many facial movements are directed towards or away from events in the shared environment, and their effects depend on these relational orientations. Facial activity is not only a medium for descriptive representation of internal affective states, but also a means of adjusting to, and operating on, external objects, and of influencing other people’s appraisals of those objects.
Neuroscience and Facial Expressions of Emotion: The Role of Amygdala–Prefrontal Interactions
Authors: Whalen Paul J. , Raila Hannah , Bennett Randi , Mattek Alison , Brown Annemarie , Taylor James , van Tieghem Michelle , Tanner Alexandra , Miner Matthew , Palmer Amy
Published: January 2013

The aim of this review is to show the fruitfulness of using images of facial expressions as experimental stimuli in order to study how neural systems support biologically relevant learning as it relates to social interactions. Here we consider facial expressions as naturally conditioned stimuli which, when presented in experimental paradigms, evoke activation in amygdala–prefrontal neural circuits that serve to decipher the predictive meaning of the expressions. Facial expressions offer a relatively innocuous strategy with which to investigate these normal variations in affective information processing, as well as the promise of elucidating what role the aberrance of such processing might play in emotional disorders.
Results of a phase 2 trial of the single-agent histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat in patients with relapsed/refractory Waldenström macroglobulinemia
Authors: Ghobrial Irene M. , Campigotto Federico , Murphy Timothy J. , Boswell Erica N. , Banwait Ranjit , Azab Feda , Chuma Stacey , Kunsman Janet , Donovan Amanda , Masood Farzana , Warren Diane , Rodig Scott , Anderson Kenneth C. , Richardson Paul G. , Weller Edie , Matous Jeffrey
Published: January 2013

Key Points

Presents the data from a phase 2 clinical trial of panobinostat in patients with relapsed WM. Establishes a role for histone deacetylase inhibitors as an active class of therapeutic agents in WM.
Sense and nonsense of high-dose cytarabine for acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Löwenberg Bob
Published: January 2013

High-dose cytarabine applied during remission induction or as consolidation after attainment of a complete remission has become an established element in the treatment of adults with acute myeloid leukemia. Recent evidence has challenged the need for these exceptionally high-dose levels of cytarabine. In this review, we present a reappraisal of the usefulness of high-dose cytarabine for acute myeloid leukemia treatment.
Cytotoxic function of CD8+ T lymphocytes isolated from patients with acute severe cerebral infarction: an assessment of stroke-induced immunosuppression
Authors: Li Gang , Wang Xin , Huang Li-hong , Wang Yue , Hao Jun-jie , Ge Xia , Xu Xiao-yun
Published: January 2013

Background

There is increasing evidence on complex interaction between the nervous and immune systems in patients with cerebral infarction. This study was conducted to evaluate cytotoxic function of CD8+ T lymphocytes isolated from patients with acute severe cerebral infarction. In order to determine role of immune system in stroke, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were taken and cytotoxic function of CD8+ T lymphocytes were induced by virus peptides and cells were analyzed on a four-color flow cytometer. Expression of CD107a, intracellular expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and cell proliferation assay were analyzed by using carboxyl fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE).

Results

A total of 30 patients with cerebral infarction and 30 healthy volunteers with an average age 57 (range, 49 to 71) years, were evaluated. The PBMCs were separated from blood samples of both, patients with cerebral infarction 6 hours after onset of stroke and healthy volunteers. After stimulation with virus peptides, CD107a expression and intracellular production of IFN-γ and TNF-α was decreased in patients with cerebral infarction as compared to healthy volunteers (p < 0.01). Degranulation analysis reported decreased expression of CD107a + in patient group as compared to healthy group, p <0.01. A mild decrease in intracellular expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α was also shown in patients without stimulation of virus peptides (p < 0.05). However, proliferation of CD8+ T lymphocytes in patients with acute severe cerebral infarction was not decreased.

Conclusions

The study results indicated that cytotoxic function of CD8+ T lymphocytes were suppressed in patients with acute severe cerebral infarction. This could possibly be associated with complicated infectious diseases and neuroprotective mechanism.
Prognostic value of α-fetoprotein and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin responses in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization
Authors: Lee Yong Kang , Kim Seung Up , Kim Do Young , Ahn Sang Hoon , Lee Kwang Hun , Lee Do Yun , Han Kwang-Hyub , Chon Chae Yoon , Park Jun Yong
Published: January 2013

Background/Aims

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) have been used as diagnostic tools for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, prediction of outcome using AFP and DCP has not been elucidated. We investigated the clinical role of AFP and DCP as predictors of treatment outcome in patients with HCC undergoing trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Methods

Between January 2003 and December 2005, we enrolled 115 treatment-naïve patients who received TACE as an initial treatment modality. An AFP or DCP response was defined as a reduction of more than 50% from the baseline level 1 month after TACE. Patients with AFP < 20 ng/mL or DCP < 20 mAU/mL were excluded.

Results

The median age was 59 years and the male gender predominated (n = 81, 70.4%). AFP and DCP response was identified in 91 (79.1%) and 77 (66.9%) patients after TACE. Although progression-free survival (PFS) did not differ according to AFP response (P = 0.150), AFP responders showed significantly better overall survival (OS) than non-responders (34.9 vs. 13.2 months; P = 0.002). In contrast, DCP response did not influence either PFS or OS (all P > 0.05). Multivariate analyses showed that gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and baseline AFP were predictors of PFS (all P < 0.05) and that male gender, the presence of liver cirrhosis, baseline DCP, number of measurable tumors and AFP response were independent predictors of OS (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

AFP response and higher baseline DCP level are significant predictors of OS in treatment-naïve patients with HCC receiving TACE who showed pretreatment elevation of both AFP and DCP.
Measuring engagement in deliberate self-harm behaviours: psychometric evaluation of six scales
Authors: Latimer Shane , Meade Tanya , Tennant Alan
Published: January 2013

Background

Engagement in Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) is commonly measured by behavioural scales comprised of specific methods of self-harm. However, there is a scarcity of information about the degree to which the methods relate to the same DSH construct although such scales are routinely used to provide a DSH total score. This study addresses the shortfall by evaluating the dimensionality of six commonly used behavioural measures of DSH.

Methods

The DSH measures were Self-Injury Questionnaire Treatment Related (SIQTR), Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI), Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI), Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS), Self-Harm Information Form (SHIF) and Self-Harm Inventory (SHI). The behavioural scales contained in each measure were administered to 568 young Australians aged 18 to 30 years (62% university students, 21% mental health patients, and 17% community members). Scale quality was examined against the stringent standards for unidimensional measurement provided by the Rasch model.

Results

According to the stringent post-hoc tests provided by the Rasch measurement model, there is support for the unidimensionality of the items contained within each of the scales. All six scales contained items with differential item functioning, four scales contained items with local response dependency, and one item was grossly misfitting (due to a lack of discrimination).

Conclusions

This study supports the use of behavioural scales to measure a DSH construct, justifies the summing of items to form a total DSH score, informs the hierarchy of DSH methods in each scale, and extends the previous evidence for reliability and external validity (as provided by test developers) to a more complete account of scale quality. Given the overall adequacy of all six scales, clinicians and researchers are recommended to select the scale that best matches their adopted definition of DSH.
Increased vertebral morphometric fracture in patients with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism despite normal bone mineral density
Authors: Mendonça Maira L , Pereira Francisco A , Nogueira-Barbosa Marcello H , Monsignore Lucas M , Teixeira Sara R , Watanabe Plauto CA , Maciel Lea MZ , de Paula Francisco JA
Published: January 2013

Background

The mechanism behind parathyroid hormone (PTH) activation of bone remodeling is intimately dependent on the time of exposure of bone cells to hormone levels. Sustained high PTH levels trigger catabolism, while transitory elevations induce anabolism. The effects of hypoparathyroidism (PhPT) on bone are unknown. The objective was to study the impact of PhPT on bone mineral density (BMD), on the frequency of subclinical vertebral fracture and on mandible morphometry.

Methods

The study comprised thirty-three postmenopausal women, 17 controls (CG) and 16 with PhPT (PhPTG) matched for age, weight and height. Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine, total hip and 1/3 radius, radiographic evaluation of vertebral morphometry, panoramic radiography of the mandible, and biochemical evaluation of mineral metabolism and bone remodeling were evaluated in both groups.

Results

There were no significant differences in lumbar spine or total hip BMD between groups. There was marked heterogeneity of lumbar spine BMD in PhPTG (high = 4, normal = 9, osteopenia = 1, and osteoporosis = 2 patients). BMD was decreased in the 1/3 radius in PhPTGP < 0.005). The PhPTG group exhibited an increased frequency of morphometric vertebral fractures and decreased mandible cortical thickness.

Conclusion

The study suggests that vertebral fragility occurs in PhPT despite normal or even high BMD. The current results encourage further studies to evaluate the use of panoramic radiography in the identification of osteometabolic disorders, such as PhPT and the development of a more physiological treatment for PhPT.
Private sector delivery of health services in developing countries: a mixed-methods study on quality assurance in social franchises
Authors: Schlein Karen , De La Cruz Anna York , Gopalakrishnan Tisha , Montagu Dominic
Published: January 2013

Background

Across the developing world health care services are most often delivered in the private sector and social franchising has emerged, over the past decade, as an increasingly popular method of private sector health care delivery. Social franchising aims to strengthen business practices through economies of scale: branding clinics and purchasing drugs in bulk at wholesale prices. While quality is one of the established goals of social franchising, there is no published documentation of how quality levels might be set in the context of franchised private providers, nor what quality assurance measures can or should exist within social franchises. The aim of this study was to better understand the quality assurance systems currently utilized in social franchises, and to determine if there are shared standards for practice or quality outcomes that exist across programs.

Methods

The study included three data sources and levels of investigation: 1) Self-reported program data; 2) Scoping telephone interviews; and 3) In-depth field interviews and clinic visits.

Results

Social Franchises conceive of quality assurance not as an independent activity, but rather as a goal that is incorporated into all areas of franchise operations, including recruitment, training, monitoring of provider performance, monitoring of client experience and the provision of feedback.

Conclusions

These findings are the first evidence to support the 2002 conceptual model of social franchising which proposed that the assurance of quality was one of the three core goals of all social franchises. However, while quality is important to franchise programs, quality assurance systems overall are not reflective of the evidence to-date on quality measurement or quality improvement best practices. Future research in this area is needed to better understand the details of quality assurance systems as applied in social franchise programs, the process by which quality assurance becomes a part of the organizational culture, and the components of a quality assurance system that are most correlated with improved quality of clinical care for patients.
Housing equity for health equity: a rights-based approach to the control of Lassa fever in post-war Sierra Leone
Authors: Kelly J Daniel , Barrie M Bailor , Ross Rachel A , Temple Brian A , Moses Lina M , Bausch Daniel G
Published: January 2013

Poor quality housing is an infringement on the rights of all humans to a standard of living adequate for health. Among the many vulnerabilities of those without adequate shelter is the risk of disease spread by rodents and other pests. One such disease is Lassa fever, an acute and sometimes severe viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in West Africa. Lassa virus is maintained in the rodent Mastomys natalensis, commonly known as the “multimammate rat,” which frequently invades the domestic environment, putting humans at risk of Lassa fever. The highest reported incidence of Lassa fever in the world is consistently in the Kenema District of Sierra Leone, a region that was at the center of Sierra Leone’s civil war in which tens of thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of thousands of dwellings destroyed. Despite the end of the war in 2002, most of Kenema’s population still lives in inadequate housing that puts them at risk of rodent invasion and Lassa fever. Furthermore, despite years of health education and village hygiene campaigns, the incidence of Lassa fever in Kenema District appears to be increasing. We focus on Lassa fever as a matter of human rights, proposing a strategy to improve housing quality, and discuss how housing equity has the potential to improve health equity and ultimately economic productivity in Sierra Leone. The manuscript is designed to spur discussion and action towards provision of housing and prevention of disease in one of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the optical properties of strain-free quantum ring solar cells
Authors: Wu Jiang , Wang Zhiming M , Dorogan Vitaliy G , Li Shibin , Lee Jihoon , Mazur Yuriy I , Kim Eun Soo , Salamo Gregory J
Published: January 2013

Strain-free GaAs/Al0.33Ga0.67As quantum rings are fabricated by droplet epitaxy. Both photoresponse and photoluminescence spectra confirm optical transitions in quantum rings, suggesting that droplet epitaxial nanomaterials are applicable to intermediate band solar cells. The effects of post-growth annealing on the quantum ring solar cells are investigated, and the optical properties of the solar cells with and without thermal treatment are characterized by photoluminescence technique. Rapid thermal annealing treatment has resulted in the significant improvement of material quality, which can be served as a standard process for quantum structure solar cells grown by droplet epitaxy.
3-D solar cells by electrochemical-deposited Se layer as extremely-thin absorber and hole conducting layer on nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode
Authors: Nguyen Duy-Cuong , Tanaka Souichirou , Nishino Hitoshi , Manabe Kyohei , Ito Seigo
Published: January 2013

A three-dimensional selenium solar cell with the structure of Au/Se/porous TiO2/compact TiO2/fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass plates was fabricated by an electrochemical deposition method of selenium, which can work for the extremely thin light absorber and the hole-conducting layer. The effect of experimental conditions, such as HCl and H2SeO3 in an electrochemical solution and TiO2 particle size of porous layers, was optimized. This kind of solar cell did not use any buffer layer between an n-type electrode (porous TiO2) and a p-type absorber layer (selenium). The crystallinity of the selenium after annealing at 200°C for 3 min in the air was significantly improved. The cells with a selenium layer deposited at concentrations of HCl = 11.5 mM and H2SeO3 = 20 mM showed the best performance, resulting in 1- to 2-nm thickness of the Se layer, short-circuit photocurrent density of 8.7 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage of 0.65 V, fill factor of 0.53, and conversion efficiency of 3.0%.
Study on biodegradation of Mazut by newly isolated strain Enterobacter cloacae BBRC10061: improving and kinetic investigation
Authors: Khorasani Alireza Chackoshian , Mashreghi Mansour , Yaghmaei Soheyla
Published: January 2013

Mazut as a source content of various hydrocarbons is hard to be degraded and its cracking could turn mazut into useful materials. Nevertheless degradation of mazut by routine methods is too expensive but application of indigenous microorganisms as biocatalysts could be effective and important to lower the costs and expand its consumption. Mazut biodegradation can be improved using various strategies; Therefore in this study newly isolated strain Enterobacter cloacae BBRC 10061 was used in a method of gradual addition of mazut into medium and its results were compared with simple addition method. To investigate degradation of mazut by BBRC 10061, influence of increase of mazut concentration was assayed based on gradual addition method. Also different kinetic models were used to evaluate kinetics of the process. Results showed that gradual addition method has been a beneficial technique for improvement of mazut degradation because bacterial induction to produce biosurfactant and essential enzymes for cracking mazut was higher during process. Although addition of more mazut increased the rate of biodegradation but percentage of degradation decreased. pH of medium decreased during biodegradation period while electric potential increased. Also the biodegradation kinetics was not fitted with the biokinetic models; therefore kinetics of biodegradation of mazut has to be studied by new models.
The role of β-adrenergic receptor signaling in the proliferation of hemangioma-derived endothelial cells
Authors: Ji Yi , Chen Siyuan , Li Kai , Xiao Xianmin , Zheng Shan , Xu Ting
Published: January 2013

Background

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is a benign vascular neoplasm that arises from the abnormal proliferation of endothelial cells and enhanced angiogenesis. Recently, propranolol has been found to be effective in the management of IH, suggesting that β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IH.

Results

In the present study, we investigated the β-adrenergic signaling that is associated with hemangioma-derived endothelial cell (HemEC) proliferation. The results showed that both β1- and β2-ARs were expressed in HemECs. Stimulation of the β-ARs by isoprenaline induced cell proliferation and elevation of second messenger cAMP levels. The proliferation-promoting action of isoprenaline was abolished by a β1-selective antagonist and was more effectively abolished by a β2-selective antagonist; the mechanism for the action of the antagonists was a G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest which was associated with decreased cyclin D1, CDK-4, CDK-6 and phospho-Rb expression. Pre-treatment of the cells with VEGFR-2 or ERK inhibitors also prevented the isoprenaline-mediated proliferation of cells. In agreement with the involvement of β-ARs and VEGFR-2 in the HemEC response, β-AR antagonists and the VEGFR-2 inhibitor significantly attenuated isoprenaline-induced ERK phosphorylation. Moreover, treating the cells with isoprenaline markedly increased VEGF-A expression and VEGFR-2 activity in a β2-AR-dependent manner.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that the activation of the β-ARs in the ERK pathway may be important mechanisms in promoting HemEC growth. Furthermore, stimulation of the β-AR may transactivate VEGFR-2 signaling and further increase HemEC proliferation.
Sarcospan: a small protein with large potential for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Marshall Jamie L , Crosbie-Watson Rachelle H
Published: January 2013

Purification of the proteins associated with dystrophin, the gene product responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, led to the discovery of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Sarcospan, a 25-kDa transmembrane protein, was the last component to be identified and its function in skeletal muscle has been elusive. This review will focus on progress over the last decade revealing that sarcospan is an important regulator of muscle cell adhesion, strength, and regeneration. Investigations using several transgenic mouse models demonstrate that overexpression of sarcospan in the mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy ameliorates pathology and restores muscle cell binding to laminin. Sarcospan improves cell surface expression of the dystrophin- and utrophin-glycoprotein complexes as well as α7β1 integrin, which are the three major laminin-binding complexes in muscle. Utrophin and α7β1 integrin compensate for the loss of dystrophin and the finding that sarcospan increases their abundance at the extra-synaptic sarcolemma supports the use of sarcospan as a therapeutic target. Newly discovered phenotypes in sarcospan-deficient mice, including a reduction in specific force output and increased drop in force in the diaphragm muscle, result from decreased utrophin and dystrophin expression and further reveal sarcospan’s role in determining abundance of these complexes. Dystrophin protein levels and the specific force output of the diaphragm muscle are further reduced upon genetic removal of α7 integrin (Itga7) in SSPN-deficient mice, demonstrating that interactions between integrin and sarcospan are critical for maintenance of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex and force production of the diaphragm muscle. Sarcospan is a major regulator of Akt signaling pathways and sarcospan-deficiency significantly impairs muscle regeneration, a process that is dependent on Akt activation. Intriguingly, sarcospan regulates glycosylation of a specific subpopulation of α-dystroglycan, the laminin-binding receptor associated with dystrophin and utrophin, localized to the neuromuscular junction. Understanding the basic mechanisms responsible for assembly and trafficking of the dystrophin- and utrophin-glycoprotein complexes to the cell surface is lacking and recent studies suggest that sarcospan plays a role in these essential processes.
The MTA family proteins as novel histone H3 binding proteins
Authors: Wu Meng , Wang Lina , Li Qian , Li Jiwen , Qin Jun , Wong Jiemin
Published: January 2013

Background

The nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase complex (Mi2/NRD/NuRD/NURD) has a broad role in regulation of transcription, DNA repair and cell cycle. Previous studies have revealed a specific interaction between NURD and histone H3N-terminal tail in vitro that is not observed for another HDAC1/2-containing complex, Sin3A. However, the subunit(s) responsible for specific binding of H3 by NURD has not been defined.

Results

In this study, we show among several class I HDAC-containing corepressor complexes only NURD exhibits a substantial H3 tail-binding activity in vitro. We present the evidence that the MTA family proteins within the NURD complex interact directly with H3 tail. Extensive in vitro binding assays mapped the H3 tail-binding domain to the C-terminal region of MTA1 and MTA2. Significantly, although the MTA1 and MTA2 mutant proteins with deletion of the C-terminal H3 tail binding domain were assembled into the endogenous NURD complex when expressed in mammalian cells, the resulting NURD complexes were deficient in binding H3 tail in vitro, indicating that the MTA family proteins are required for the observed specific binding of H3 tail peptide by NURD in vitro. However, chromatin fractionation experiments show that the NURD complexes with impaired MTA1/2-H3 tail binding activity remained to be associated with chromatin in cells.

Conclusions

Together our study reveals a novel histone H3-binding activity for the MTA family proteins and provides evidence that the MTA family proteins mediate the in vitro specific binding of H3 tail peptide by NURD complex. However, multiple mechanisms are likely to contribute to the chromatin association of NURD complex in cells. Our finding also raises the possibility that the MTA family proteins may exert their diverse biological functions at least in part through their direct interaction with H3 tail.
Mental health services for young people: matching the service to the need
Authors: Birchwood Max , Singh Swaran P.
Published: January 2013

It is now known that the onset of severe and recurring mental health problems begins for the most part before the age of 25: this provides a clear focus for preventive strategies and public mental health that are a feature of many health policy frameworks. The present distinction between child and adolescent mental health services and adult services at 16 or 18 does not fit easily with these data and the now well-documented problems of transition suggest that a fundamental review of services for young people is overdue. This supplement provides an overview of the epidemiological, conceptual and service structures for young people with emergent and existing mental health problems, and asks the question, ‘How should we design services for young people to promote prevention and service engagement, and to improve outcomes?’
Prevention, innovation and implementation science in mental health: the next wave of reform
Authors: McGorry Patrick
Published: January 2013

Although the corrosive effect of mental ill health on human health and happiness has long been recognised, it is only relatively recently that mental illness has been acknowledged as one of the major threats to economic productivity worldwide. This is because the major mental disorders most commonly have their onset during adolescence and early adulthood, and therefore have a disproportionate impact on the most productive decades of life. With the costs associated with mental ill health estimated to double over the next two decades, a greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention has become even more imperative. Although prevention largely remains aspirational for many reasons, early intervention is well within our current reach and offers the potential to significantly reduce the impact of mental ill health on our health, happiness and prosperity in the immediate future.