bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blame and Punishment? The Electoral Politics of Extreme Austerity in Greece
Authors: Karyotis Georgios , Rüdig Wolfgang
Published: September 2013

Can governments that introduce extreme austerity measures survive elections? Contrary to economic voting expectations, the PASOK government in Greece initially appeared to cope quite well, claiming victory in regional elections in 2010 despite widespread anti-austerity protests. In this article, we interpret this result with the help of a post-election survey, which also covered future voting intentions. The explanatory power of models based on theories of economic voting and blame attribution as well as the electoral impact of the government's representation of the crisis as an existential threat are assessed. Our analysis challenges the interpretation of the 2010 election as an indication of support for PASOK's austerity policies and reveals weaknesses in its support base, which help contextualise its downfall in the 2012 parliamentary elections. The article also underlines the importance of studying the impact of crisis discourses on voting choice, particularly since blame attribution receives little support in this case.
Is Personality Associated with Health Care Use by Older Adults?
Authors: FRIEDMAN BRUCE , VEAZIE PETER J. , CHAPMAN BENJAMIN P. , MANNING WILLARD G. , DUBERSTEIN PAUL R.
Published: September 2013

Context

The patterns of health care utilization in the United States pose well‐established challenges for public policy. Although economic and sociological research has resulted in considerable knowledge about what influences the use of health services, the psychological literature in this area is underdeveloped. Importantly, it is not known whether personality traits are associated with older adults’ use of acute and long‐term care services.

Methods

Data were collected from 1,074 community‐dwelling seniors participating in a Medicare demonstration. First they completed a self‐report questionnaire measuring the “Big Five” personality traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. During the next two years, the participants maintained daily journals of their use of health care services. We used regression models based on the Andersen behavioral model of health care utilization to test for associations.

Findings

Our hypothesis that higher Neuroticism would be associated with greater health care use was confirmed for three services—probability of any emergency department (ED) use, likelihood of any custodial nursing home use, and more skilled nursing facility (SNF) days for SNF users—but was disconfirmed for hospital days for those hospitalized. Higher Openness to Experience was associated with a greater likelihood of custodial home care use, and higher Agreeableness and lower Conscientiousness with a higher probability of custodial nursing home use. For users, lower Openness was associated with more ED visits and SNF days, and lower Conscientiousness with more ED visits. For many traits with significant associations, the predicted use was 16 to 30 percent greater for people high (low) versus low (high) in specific traits.

Conclusions

Personality traits are associated with Medicare beneficiaries’ use of many expensive health care services, findings that have implications for health services research and policy. Accordingly, person‐centered interventions, population‐based translational effectiveness programs, and other personalized approaches that leverage the profound advances in personality psychology in recent decades should be considered.
How Contexts and Issues Influence the Use of Policy‐Relevant Research Syntheses: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis
Authors: MOAT KAELAN A. , LAVIS JOHN N. , ABELSON JULIA
Published: September 2013

Context

Evidence briefs have emerged as a promising approach to synthesizing the best available research evidence for health system policymakers and stakeholders. An evidence brief may draw on systematic reviews and many other types of policy‐relevant information, including local data and studies, to describe a problem, options for addressing it, and key implementation considerations. We conducted a systematic review to examine the ways in which context‐ and issue‐related factors influence the perceived usefulness of evidence briefs among their intended users.

Methods

We used a critical interpretive synthesis approach to review both empirical and nonempirical literature and to develop a model that explains how context and issues influence policymakers’ and stakeholders’ views of the utility of evidence briefs prepared for priority policy issues. We used a “compass” question to create a detailed search strategy and conducted electronic searches in CINAHL, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, IPSA, MEDLINE, OAIster (gray literature), ProQuest A&I Theses, ProQuest (Sociological Abstracts, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, PAIS, Political Science), PsychInfo, Web of Science, and WilsonWeb (Social Science Abstracts). Finally, we used a grounded and interpretive analytic approach to synthesize the results.

Findings

Of the 4,461 papers retrieved, 3,908 were excluded and 553 were assessed for “relevance,” with 137 included in the initial sample of papers to be analyzed and an additional 23 purposively sampled to fill conceptual gaps. Several themes emerged: (1) many established types of “evidence” are viewed as useful content in an evidence brief, along with several promising formatting features; (2) contextual factors, particularly the institutions, interests, and values of a given context, can influence views of evidence briefs; (3) whether an issue is polarizing and whether it is salient (or not) and familiar (or not) to actors in the policy arena can influence views of evidence briefs prepared for that issue; (4) influential factors can emerge in several ways (as context driven, issue driven, or a result of issue‐context resonance); (5) these factors work through two primary pathways, affecting either the users or the producers of briefs; and (6) these factors influence views of evidence briefs through a variety of mechanisms.

Conclusions

Those persons funding and preparing evidence briefs need to consider a variety of context‐ and issue‐related factors when deciding how to make them most useful in policymaking.
Successful enrichment of the ubiquitous freshwater acI Actinobacteria
Authors: Garcia Sarahi L. , McMahon Katherine D. , Grossart Hans‐Peter , Warnecke Falk
Published: September 2013

Actinobacteria of the acI lineage are often the numerically dominant bacterial phylum in surface freshwaters, where they can account for > 50% of total bacteria. Despite their abundance, there are no described isolates. In an effort to obtain enrichment of these ubiquitous freshwater Actinobacteria, diluted freshwater samples from Lake Grosse Fuchskuhle, Germany, were incubated in 96‐well culture plates. With this method, a successful enrichment containing high abundances of a member of the lineage acI was established. Phylogenetic classification showed that the acI Actinobacteria of the enrichment belonged to the acI‐B2 tribe, which seems to prefer acidic lakes. This enrichment grows to low cell densities and thus the oligotrophic nature of acI‐B2 was confirmed.
Addiction Research Centres and the Nurturing of Creativity
Authors: Tohyama Tomomi , Yokoyama Akira , Matsushita Sachio , Higuchi Susumu
Published: September 2013

The Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center began to conduct research and to provide medical care for alcohol‐related problems in 1963, when special alcoholism treatment wards were established in Japan for the first time. At first, the provision of medical care to patients was prioritized. However, training courses for specialists were initiated in 1975, and the Department of Clinical Research was established in 1984, which led to the formation of the present management structure in which the centre's staff are shared by three departments: Medical Care, Clinical Research and Education and Information. The Department of Medical Care provides specialized treatment for alcohol use disorders and medical services for other conditions, including behavioural addictions such as internet addiction and gambling disorder, as well as dementia and other psychiatric disorders. The Departments of Clinical Research and Education and Information are engaged mainly in specialized activities related to alcohol. The Department of Clinical Research conducts research on the epidemiology of alcohol use, the effects of alcohol on health and the treatment of alcohol use disorders in Japan, in cooperation with universities and other research institutions. The Department of Education and Information fosters the human capacity to achieve the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of alcohol‐related problems and the dissemination of information on alcohol. The centre also performs alcohol‐related problem prevention activities, government consultations and international collaborative research and personal exchanges, thereby functioning as a central institution for alcohol policy‐based medical services and research in Japan.
A new gall midge of the genusDentifibula(Diptera:Cecidomyiidae), a predator of the scale insectAulacaspis australisfeeding on mangroveBruguiera gymnorrhiza
Authors: Kolesik Peter , De Faveri Stefano
Published: September 2013

Dentifibula nigroapicalis Kolesik sp. nov., a new species of gall midge, is described whose larvae were found preying on the mangrove scale insectAulacaspis australis Brimblecombe (Hemiptera:Coccoidea:Diaspididae). The mangrove scale was feeding on leaves of the mangroveBruguiera gymnorrhiza(Rhizophoraceae) inQueensland. The new species is the firstDentifibula Felt known fromAustralia.
Advances in research, education and practice in geriatric medicine, 1982–2012
Authors: Flicker Leon
Published: September 2013

Over the last 30 years, major advances in the provision of services for frail older people in Australasia have taken place. This has been spurred on by the accumulation of the evidence for benefits of the multidisciplinary team model of comprehensive geriatric assessment and management. Current research is now uncovering mechanisms of frailty associated with the ageing process and will lead to further interventions in the management of the health problems of older people. These interventions will almost certainly include both medical and lifestyle strategies. Although there have been major improvements in the education of health professionals in aspects of geriatrics, more concerted efforts are required for the ageing population.
Death Receptor 6 is Epigenetically Silenced by Histone Deacetylation in Endometriosis and Promotes the Pathogenesis of Endometriosis
Authors: Kai Kentaro , Nasu Kaei , Kawano Yukie , Aoyagi Yoko , Tsukamoto Yoshiyuki , Hijiya Naoki , Abe Wakana , Okamoto Mamiko , Moriyama Masatsugu , Narahara Hisashi
Published: September 2013

Problem

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the involvement of death receptor (DR) 6 in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Methods of study

Endometriotic cyst stromal cells (ECSCs) and normal endometrial stromal cells (NESCs) were isolated from ovarian endometriotic tissues and the eutopic endometrial tissues, respectively. The effect of valproic acid (VPA) on the DR6 expression in ECSCs was examined. The roles of DR6 in NESC proliferation and apoptosis were investigated with DR6 siRNA transfection. The distribution of DR6 protein in ovarian endometriotic tissues and normal proliferative‐phase endometrium was examined by immunohistochemistry. The expression of DR6 mRNA and protein in ECSCs and NESCs was also examined.

Results

Death receptor 6 expression was attenuated in ECSCs and in endometriotic tissues, and its expression was upregulated by VPA stimulation. VPA treatment resulted in an accumulation of acetylated histone H4 in the promoter region of the DR6 gene. DR6 knockdown directed the stimulation of cell proliferation and the resistance to apoptosis in NESCs.

Conclusion

The present findings suggested that DR6 is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis by creating the proliferative and anti‐apoptotic characteristics of endometriosis. The results also suggest that histone deacetylase inhibitors are promising agents for the treatment of endometriosis.
Evaluation of an intragastric challenge model forShigella dysenteriae1 in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) for the pre‐clinical assessment ofShigellavaccine formulations
Authors: Islam Dilara , Ruamsap Nattaya , Khantapura Patchariya , Aksomboon Ajchara , Srijan Apichai , Wongstitwilairoong Boonchai , Bodhidatta Ladaporn , Gettayacamin Montip , Venkatesan Malabi M , Mason Carl J.
Published: September 2013

Shigellosis is a worldwide disease, characterized by abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and the passage of blood‐ and mucus‐streaked stools. Rhesus monkeys and other primates are the only animals that are naturally susceptible to shigellosis. A suitable animal model is required for the pre‐clinical evaluation of vaccines candidates. In this study, the minimal dose ofShigella dysenteriae1 1617 strain required to produce dysentery in four of five (80% attack rate) monkeys using an escalating dose range for three groups [2 × 108, 2 × 109and 2 × 1010colony forming unit (CFU)] was determined. In addition, the monkeys were re‐infected. The identified optimal challenge dose was 2 × 109CFU; this dose elicited 60% protection in monkeys when they were re‐challenged with a one log higher dose (2 × 1010CFU). The challenge dose, 2 × 1010CFU, produced severe dysentery in all monkeys, with one monkey dying within 24 h, elicited 100% protection when re‐challenged with the same dose. All monkeys exhibited immune responses. This study concludes that the rhesus monkey model closely mimics the disease and immune response seen in humans and is a suitable animal model for the pre‐clinical evaluation ofShigellavaccine candidates. Prior infection with the 1617 strain can protect monkeys against subsequent re‐challenges with homologous strains.
Fill the ships and we shall fill the shops: the making of geographies of manufacturing
Authors: Birtchnell Thomas
Published: September 2013

Alongside ‘Dig for Victory’, ‘Make Do and Mend’ is a well‐known ideology from the austerity campaigns unleashed on Britain's home front in the Second World War. Less well known are the post‐war prosperity campaigns. These campaigns mutated the moral economy created by wartime propaganda to encourage the British to become reacquainted with geographies of manufacturing and to focus again on imports and exports. Post‐Second World War consumers were entreated to forego localism, embrace the global and ‘export or die’. That the drive for the global was showcased in an equally compelling political campaign is particularly poignant. This article examines the processes by which the British were made to become part of the complex, distributed and far‐spanning geographies of manufacturing prevalent today. It sheds light on a brief lapse from globalisation and addresses a critical need in geography for a historical survey of the making of present global production networks and global cultures of consumption.
Metabolic tumor volume by positron emission tomography/computed tomography as a clinical parameter to determine therapeutic modality for early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma
Authors: Song Moo‐Kon , Chung Joo‐Seop , Lee Je‐Jung , Jeong Shin Young , Lee Sang‐Min , Hong Jun‐Shik , Chong Ari , Moon Joon‐Ho , Kim Ji‐Hyun , Lee Seok‐Mo , Kim Seong Jang , Shin Ho‐Jin
Published: September 2013

Recent studies have shown that metabolic tumor volume (MTV) by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an important prognostic parameter in patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, it is unknown whether doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) alone in early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma would lead to similar disease control as combined modality therapy (CMT) using MTV by PET/CT. One hundred and twenty‐seven patients with early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma who underwent PET/CT at diagnosis were enrolled. The MTV was delineated on PET/CT by the area ≥SUVmax, 2.5 (standardized uptake value [SUV]). Sixty‐six patients received six cycles of ABVD only. The other 61 patients received CMT (involved‐field radiotherapy after 4–6 cycles of ABVD). The calculated MTV cut‐off value was 198 cm3. Clinical outcomes were compared according to several prognostic factors (i.e. age ≥50 years, male, performance status ≥2, stage II, B symptoms, ≥4 involved sites, extranodal site, large mediastinal mass, CMT, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and high MTV). Older age (progression‐free survival [PFS], P = 0.003; overall survival [OS], P = 0.007), B symptoms (PFS, P = 0.006; OS, P = 0.036) and high MTV (PFS, P = 0.008; OS, P = 0.007) were significant independent prognostic factors. Survival of two high MTV groups treated with ABVD only and CMT were lower than the low MTV groups (PFS, P < 0.012; OS, P < 0.045). ABVD alone was sufficient to control disease in those with low MTV status. However, survival was poor, even if the CMT was assigned a high MTV status. The MTV would be helpful for deciding the therapeutic modality in patients with early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Lower gefitinib dose led to earlier resistance acquisition before emergence of T790M mutation in epidermal growth factor receptor‐mutated lung cancer model
Authors: Hayakawa Hiromi , Ichihara Eiki , Ohashi Kadoaki , Ninomiya Takashi , Yasugi Masayuki , Takata Saburo , Sakai Katsuya , Matsumoto Kunio , Takigawa Nagio , Tanimoto Mitsune , Kiura Katsuyuki
Published: September 2013

Non‐small‐cell lung cancers with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs); however, unlike cytotoxic agents, it is generally accepted that minimal doses of drugs inhibiting target molecules are sufficient when molecular‐targeted agents, including EGFR‐TKIs, are used. Thus, any utility of higher doses remains unclear. We compared low‐dose (15 mg/kg) gefitinib therapy with high‐dose (50 mg/kg) therapy using an EGFR‐mutated lung cancer xenograft model. Both gefitinib doses induced tumor shrinkage, but tumors regrew in the low‐dose group within 1 month, whereas tumors in the high‐dose group did not. Neither the T790M mutation nor MET amplification was apparent in regrown tumors. We also compared outcomes after two doses of gefitinib (5 and 25 mg/kg) in a transgenic EGFR‐mutated lung cancer mouse model. In line with the results obtained using the xenograft model, both gefitinib doses completely inhibited tumor growth, but tumors treated with the lower dose of gefitinib developed earlier drug resistance. In conclusion, a low gefitinib dose caused tumors to become drug‐resistant prior to acquisition of the T790M mutation or MET amplification in EGFR‐mutated models of lung cancer. This suggests that it is important to optimize the EGFR‐TKI dose for treatment of EGFR mutation‐associated lung cancer. Gefitinib may need to be given at a dose greater than the minimum required for inhibition of target molecules.
Elevated serum IGF‐I, but unaltered sex steroid levels, in healthy boys with pubertal gynaecomastia
Authors: Mieritz Mikkel G. , Sorensen Kaspar , Aksglaede Lise , Mouritsen Annette , Hagen Casper P. , Hilsted Linda , Andersson Anna‐Maria , Juul Anders
Published: September 2013

Objective

Pubertal gynaecomastia is a very common condition. Although the underlying aetiology is poorly understood, it is generally accepted that excess of oestrogens and deficit of androgens are involved in the pathogenesis. Furthermore, adiposity as well as the GH/IGF‐I axis may play a role. In this study, we elucidate the association of adiposity and levels of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, oestrogen, IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 with the presence of pubertal gynaecomastia in a large cohort of healthy boys.

Patients

A total of 501 healthy Danish school boys (aged 6·1–19·8 year) from the COPENHAGEN Puberty Study.

Measurements

Anthropometry and pubertal stages (PH1‐6 and G1‐5) were evaluated, and the presence of gynaecomastia was assessed. Body fat percentage was calculated by means of four skin folds and impedance. Nonfasting blood samples were analysed for FSH, LH, testosterone, SHBG, oestradiol, IGF‐I, IGFBP‐3 and prolactin.

Results

We found that 23% (31/133) of all pubertal boys had gynaecomastia. More specifically, 63% (10/16) of boys in genital stage 4 had gynaecomastia. Boys with gynaecomastia had significantly higher IGF‐I levels compared with controls (IGF‐I SD‐score 0·72 vs −0·037, P < 0·001). This difference was maintained after adjusting for confounders (age and pubertal stage). Sex steroid levels, oestradiol/testosterone ratio or free testosterone were not associated with the presence of gynaecomastia with or without adjustment for confounders.

Conclusions

IGF‐I levels were elevated in healthy boys with pubertal gynaecomastia compared with boys without gynaecomastia, whereas sex steroid levels did not differ. We speculate that the GH‐IGF‐I axis may be involved in the pathogenesis of pubertal gynaecomastia.
Continuity, Complexity and Reciprocity in a Cambodian Orphanage
Authors: Carpenter Kathie
Published: September 2013

Although Cambodia's ‘orphanage boom’ has sparked widespread concern, the children in Cambodia's orphanages are often faring well. Participant‐observation research reveals distinctive elements of one Cambodian orphanage that may contribute to the well‐being of the resident children. These include the complexity of the environment, its continuity with the surrounding community and reciprocity of access, which not only makes community resources available to the resident children but also makes orphanage resources available to the community.
The Distribution and Evolution of Physical Neighborhood Problems during the Great Recession
Authors: Allen Ryan
Published: September 2013

While the Great Recession had clear effects on economic growth, unemployment, and household wealth and earnings in the United States, it also likely affected the quality of neighborhoods. Situated in the literature on locational attainment and economic shocks, this research considers how a national economic crisis affects physical neighborhood problems and existing disparities between minority and white households in experiencing these problems (e.g., street disrepair, trash, abandoned buildings, window bars). Results indicate that neighborhood problems increased between 2005 and 2009 and large and persistent disparities existed between some minority groups and white non–Hispanics in experiencing these problems, even after controlling for potentially confounding factors. However, there is little support for the idea that disparities between minorities and white non–Hispanics in experiencing neighborhood problems increased during this time. These research findings suggest that large and pervasive shocks, such as an economic recession, can influence locational attainment by changing neighborhood quality in absolute terms but may not affect the relative hierarchy of place.
From Environmental Trauma to Safe Haven: Place Attachment and Place Remaking in Three Marginalized Neighborhoods of Barcelona, Boston, and Havana
Authors: Anguelovski Isabelle
Published: September 2013

In recent years, local activists in the Global North and South have been organizing to improve degraded and abandoned spaces in marginalized neighborhoods by creating parks, playgrounds, urban farms, or community gardens. This paper integrates existing knowledge on urban place attachment and sense of community with scholarship on environmental justice in order to understand the role of place attachment in environmental mobilization in distressed neighborhoods across political systems and urbanization contexts. It examines the different forms of connections that activists develop and express toward neighborhoods with long–time substandard environmental conditions and how their experience of the neighborhood shapes their engagement in environmental revitalization projects. This comparison of three neighborhoods in Barcelona, Boston, and Havana shows that activists in all three places intend for their environmental endeavors to express grief at the loss of community, fears of erasure, and emotional connection and feelings of responsibility to place. To address environmental trauma, they aim to construct nurturing, soothing, “safe havens,” recreate rootedness, and remake place for residents.
Review: comparison of PET rubidium‐82 with conventional SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging
Authors: Ghotbi Adam A. , Kjær Andreas , Hasbak Philip
Published: September 2013

Nuclear cardiology has for many years been focused on gamma camera technology. With ever improving cameras and software applications, this modality has developed into an important assessment tool for ischaemic heart disease. However, the development of new perfusion tracers has been scarce. While cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) so far largely has been limited to centres with on‐site cyclotron, recent developments with generator produced perfusion tracers such as rubidium‐82, as well as an increasing number of PET scanners installed, may enable a larger patient flow that may supersede that of gamma camera myocardial perfusion imaging.
Here's looking at you, kid: attention to infant emotional faces in mothers and non‐mothers
Authors: Thompson‐Booth Chloe , Viding Essi , Mayes Linda C. , Rutherford Helena J.V. , Hodsoll Sara , McCrory Eamon J.
Published: September 2013

Infant facial cues play a critical role in eliciting care and nurturance from an adult caregiver. Using an attentional capture paradigm we investigated attentional processing of adult and infant emotional facial expressions in a sample of mothers (n = 29) and non‐mothers (n = 37) to determine whether infant faces were associated with greater task interference. Responses to infant target stimuli were slower than adult target stimuli in both groups. This effect was modulated by parental status, such that mothers compared to non‐mothers showed longer response times to infant compared to adult faces. Both groups also responded more slowly to emotional faces, an effect that was more marked for infant emotional faces. Finally, it was found that greater levels of mothers' self‐reported parental distress was associated with less task interference when processing infant faces. These findings indicate that for adult women, infant faces in general and emotional infant faces in particular, preferentially engage attention compared to adult faces. However, for mothers, infant faces appear to be more salient in general. Therefore, infant faces may constitute a special class of social stimuli. We suggest that alterations in attentional processing in motherhood may constitute an adaptive behavioural change associated with becoming a parent.
From Financialization to Sociospatial Polarization of the City? Evidence fromCanada
Authors: Walks Alan
Published: September 2013

Financialization is a key attribute of globalized neoliberal capitalism. Among other things, it is associated with rising household indebtedness, which has certainly been true inCanada. Another widely recognized trait of neoliberal capitalism is growing social inequality and polarization. However, despite growing awareness and understanding of the relationships between debt and inequality at the household, national, and international scales, it remains unclear what role household debt may have in fashioning patterns of income segregation within the metropolis and how it may be related to processes of urban economic restructuring. This article seeks to fill this gap through an empirical analysis of the spatial distribution of household debt and its relationship to prevailing patterns of neighborhood income inequality within Canadian metropolitan areas. The effects of household debt in either ameliorating or exacerbating prevailing levels of income segregation are analyzed, after which the metropolitan‐level factors that are associated with regressive neighborhood distributions of debt are examined. The implications of the results for understanding the relationship between financialization and predominant patterns of urban economic restructuring are then discussed.
Reproducibility in Echocardiographic Two‐ and Three‐Dimensional Mitral Valve Assessment
Authors: Hien Maximilian Dominik , Großgasteiger Manuel , Weymann Alexander , Rauch Helmut , Rosendal Christian
Published: September 2013

Background

Three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) has been demonstrated to provide more accurate information than two‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2DTEE) in the localization of mitral valve prolapse (MVP). However, most studies have been single‐rater studies. Few results were tested for inter‐observer variability with a single second rater. This multicenter study aimed to determine reliability of 2D and 3DTEE mitral valve evaluations by calculating inter‐observer agreement between various echocardiographers.

Methods

Fifteen observers from 4 institutions in Germany and Switzerland interpreted 2D and 3DTEE images from 6 patients selected to represent a large spectrum of MVP diversity. Surgical findings served as reference. Individual assessments of MVP and ruptured chordae tendineae (ChR) pathology were compared by calculating Randolph's free‐marginal multirater kappa coefficient.

Results

Accuracy of MVP evaluation with 3DTEE was 83.9%, CI [81.0%; 86.8%] and 78.7% CI [76.6% 80.8%] with 2DTEE. Flail leaflets with chordal ruptures were described correctly in 91.1%, CI [85.8, 96.4] with 3D compared to 71.1%, CI [65.0, 77.2] with 2DTEE. The multirater kappa coefficient of inter‐observer agreement among all 15 observers was κ = 0.65/0.58 for 3D/2D evaluation of MVP and κ = 0.70/0.54 for detection of ChR.

Conclusion

Three‐dimensional assessment of MVP was superior to 2DTEE, although the accuracy of both 3DTEE and 2DTEE was found to be lower than previously published. 3D MVP assessment is less operator dependent than 2DTEE evaluation. Although validity has been demonstrated before, we provide evidence that 3DTEE is reproducible among 15 observers and is a reliable method for MVP evaluation.
Left Ventricular Strain Examination of Different Aged Adults with 3D Speckle Tracking Echocardiography
Authors: Xia Ji‐zhu , Xia Ji‐yi , Li Gang , Ma Wen‐yan , Wang Qing‐qing
Published: September 2013

The purpose of this study was to identify traits of the left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), global circular strain (GCS), and global area tracking (GAT) with three‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE), and to determine the relationship between strain and age in healthy adults of different ages. A total of 153 volunteers were divided into young adult, middle‐aged, and elderly groups, and examined with echocardiography to obtain general data and live two‐dimensional (2D) images of the apical four‐chamber view, which were assembled to obtain the full volume view of the LV. The images were then analyzed with 3DSTE software. Compared with the young adult and middle‐aged groups, elderly adults demonstrated lower GLS, GRS, GCS, and GAT. Significant differences were not noted in GLS, GRS, and GCS between the young adult and middle‐aged groups; however, the GAT of the middle‐aged group was lower than that of the young adult group. The longitudinal strain (LS), radial strain (RS), and area tracking (AT) of 16 LV segments of the young adult group decreased gradually in level from the mitral valve to the apex, and increased in circular strain (CS). The LS, RS, CS, and AT of the middle‐aged group also decreased gradually. The LS, RS, CS, and AT of the elderly people were highest from the mitral valve to the apex level and lowest at the papillary muscle. The results of this study demonstrated that LV GLS, GRS, GCS, and GAT decrease with age.
Aorto‐Right Atrial Fistula at Aortotomy Site Following Surgical Myectomy
Authors: Kalra Ankur , Kohl Louis P. , Asinger Richard W. , Bachour Fouad A. , Van Camp Joseph R. , Ayenew Woubeshet , Bart Bradley A.
Published: September 2013

Mini‐Abstract

Aorto‐right atrial fistula (A‐RAF) is a rare condition that has been reported as a postsurgical complication following cardiac surgery. Diagnosing A‐RAF can be challenging, and requires a high index of suspicion. In our patient, following surgical myectomy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aortic dissection occurred at the aortotomy site that was then contained by postsurgical adhesions, leading to formation of A‐RAF.
Molecular profiling of EGFR family in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: correlation with airway obstruction
Authors: Anagnostis Aristotelis , Neofytou Eirini , Soulitzis Nikolaos , Kampas Dimitris , Drositis Ioannis , Dermitzaki Despina , Tzanakis Nikolaos , Schiza Sofia , Siafakas Nikolaos M. , Tzortzaki Eleni G.
Published: September 2013

Background

Growth factors mediate various cellular responses to environmental stimuli. Specifically, exposure of lung epithelium to oxidative stress induced by cigarette smoke stimulates aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (ERBB) family activation. This study's objective was to evaluate the expression of ERBB1–4 receptors in the lung tissue of smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Materials and methods

ERBBs expression was measured by microarray analysis in lung tissue samples from five patients with COPD and five non‐COPD smokers, and by quantitative real‐time PCR in additional 20 patients with COPD (GOLD stage II), 15 non‐COPD smokers and 10 nonsmoker controls.

Results

Microarray data analysis revealed that ERBB receptors expression was elevated in patients with COPD compared to non‐COPD smokers, ranging from 1·62‐ to 2·45‐fold, (P < 0·01). Real‐time qPCR verified that patients with COPD had higher ERBB1–3 expression levels compared with non‐COPD smokers (PERBB1 < 0·001; PERBB2 = 0·003; PERBB3 = 0·003) and nonsmokers (PERBB1 = 0·019; PERBB2 = 0·005; PERBB3 = 0·011). On the other hand, ERBB4 mRNA levels gradually increased from nonsmokers (0·74 ± 0·19) to non‐COPD smokers (1·11 ± 0·05) to patients with COPD (1·57 ± 0·28) and were correlated with the degree of airflow obstruction (PFEV1 < 0·001).

Discussion

These data suggest that ERBB1–3 overexpression is not related only to smoking exposure but probably to epithelial remodelling and mucociliary system distortion, characterizing COPD. Additionally, the inverse correlation of ERBB4 with FEV1 exhibits a possible link between ERBB4 and COPD severity.
Fractalkine/CX3CL1 modulates GABAA currents in human temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Roseti Cristina , Fucile Sergio , Lauro Clotilde , Martinello Katiuscia , Bertollini Cristina , Esposito Vincenzo , Mascia Addolorata , Catalano Myriam , Aronica Eleonora , Limatola Cristina , Palma Eleonora
Published: September 2013

Purpose

The chemokine fractalkine/CX3CL1 and its receptor CX3CR1 are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent evidence showed that CX3CL1 participates in inflammatory responses that are common features of CNS disorders, such as epilepsy. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the prevalent form of focal epilepsy in adults, and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) represents the most common underlying pathologic abnormality, as demonstrated at autopsy and postresection studies. Relevant features of MTLE are a characteristic pattern of neuronal loss, as are astrogliosis and microglia activation. Several factors affect epileptogenesis in patients with MTLE, including a lack of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibitory efficacy. Therefore, experiments were designed to investigate whether, in MTLE brain tissues, CX3CL1 may influence GABAA receptor (GABAAR) mediatedtransmission, with a particular focus on the action of CX3CL1 on the use‐dependent decrease (rundown) of the GABA‐evoked currents (IGABA), a feature underlying the reduction of GABAergic function in epileptic tissue.

Methods

Patch‐clamp recordings were obtained from cortical pyramidal neurons in slices from six MTLE patients after surgery. Alternatively, the cell membranes from epileptic brain tissues of 17 MTLE patients or from surgical samples and autopsies of nonepileptic patients were microtransplanted into Xenopus oocytes, and IGABA were recorded using the standard two‐microelectrode voltage‐clamp technique. Immunohistochemical staining and double‐labeling studies were carried out on the same brain tissues to analyze CX3CR1 expression.

Key Findings

In native pyramidal neurons from cortical slices of patients with MTLE, CX3CL1 reduced IGABA rundown and affected the recovery of IGABA amplitude from rundown. These same effects were confirmed in oocytes injected with cortical and hippocampal MTLE membranes, whereas CX3CL1 did not influence IGABA in oocytes injected with nonepileptic tissues. Consistent with a specific effect of CX3CL1 on tissues from patients with MTLE, CX3CR1 immunoreactivity was higher in MTLE sclerotic hippocampi than in control tissues, with a prominent expression in activated microglial cells.

Significance

These findings indicate a role for CX3CL1 in MTLE, supporting recent evidence on the relevance of brain inflammation in human epilepsies. Our data demonstrate that in MTLE tissues the reduced GABAergic function can be modulated by CX3CL1. The increased CX3CR1 expression in microglia and the modulation by CX3CL1 of GABAergic currents in human epileptic brain suggests new therapeutic approaches for drug‐resistant epilepsies based on the evidence that the propagation of seizures can be influenced by inflammatory processes.
Efficacy of ketamine hydrochloride administered as a basilar sesamoid nerve block in alleviating foot pain in horses caused by natural disease
Authors: Schumacher J. , DeGraves F. , Cesar F. , Duran S.
Published: September 2013

Reasons for performing study

A local anaesthetic agent capable of temporarily resolving lameness after being administered perineurally would be helpful because rapid return of lameness would allow for other analgesic techniques to be performed within a short period of time.

Objectives

To determine if a 3% solution of ketamine hydrochloride (HCl), administered around the palmar nerves at the level of the base of the proximal sesamoid bones, can improve naturally occurring lameness that can be improved or abolished with a basilar sesamoid nerve block performed using lidocaine HCl and to compare the change in gait produced using lidocaine to the change in gait produced using ketamine by using objective lameness assessment.

Study design

Experimental trial using research horses with naturally occurring lameness.

Methods

Seven horses, chronically lame on a thoracic limb, were chosen for the study. A wireless, inertial, sensor‐based, motion analysis system was used to evaluate lameness before and after administration of 2% lidocaine and later, before and after administration of 3% ketamine over the palmar digital nerves at the base of the proximal sesamoid bones (a basilar sesamoid nerve block) at 5 min intervals for 30 min. Lameness scores obtained before and after administration of lidocaine and ketamine HCl were compared using repeated measures analysis.

Results

Gait significantly improved after basilar sesamoid nerve blocks using 2% lidocaine, but gait did not significantly improve after performing the same nerve block using 3% ketamine HCl.

Conclusions

Ketamine (3%) administered perineurally for regional anaesthesia of the digit does not desensitise the digit to the same extent as does lidocaine and thus 3% ketamine appears to have no value as a local anaesthetic agent for diagnostic regional anaesthesia.
Heterologous expression and purification of an active human TRPV3 ion channel
Authors: Kol Stefan , Braun Christian , Thiel Gerhard , Doyle Declan A. , Sundström Michael , Gourdon Pontus , Nissen Poul
Published: September 2013

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) cation channel is widely expressed in human tissues and has been shown to be activated by mild temperatures or chemical ligands. In spite of great progress in the TRP‐channel characterization, very little is known about their structure and interactions with other proteins at the atomic level. This is mainly caused by difficulties in obtaining functionally active samples of high homogeneity. Here, we report on the high‐level Escherichia coli expression of the human TRPV3 channel, for which no structural information has been reported to date. We selected a suitable detergent and buffer system using analytical size‐exclusion chromatography and a thermal stability assay. We demonstrate that the recombinant purified protein contains high α‐helical content and migrates as dimers and tetramers on native PAGE. Furthermore, the purified channel also retains its current inducing activity, as shown by electrophysiology experiments. The ability to produce the TRPV3 channel heterologously will aid future functional and structural studies.

Structured digital abstract

TRPV3 and TRPV3 bind by molecular sieving (1, 2)

TRPV3 and TRPV3 bind by blue native page (1, 2, 3)
Crystal structure of endo‐xylogalacturonan hydrolase from Aspergillus tubingensis
Authors: Rozeboom Henriëtte J. , Beldman Gerrit , Schols Henk A. , Dijkstra Bauke W.
Published: September 2013

Endo‐xylogalacturonan hydrolase is a member of glycoside hydrolase family 28 (GH28) that hydrolyzes the glycosidic bond between two β‐xylose‐substituted galacturonic acid residues in pectin. Presented here is the X‐ray crystal structure of the endo‐xylogalacturonan hydrolase from Aspergillus tubingensis (XghA) at 1.75 Å resolution. The high degree of structural conservation in the active site and catalytic apparatus compared with polygalacturonases indicates that cleavage of the substrate proceeds in essentially the same way as found for the other GH28 enzymes. Molecular modeling of a xylosylated tri‐galacturonate in the active site identified the amino acid residues involved in substrate binding. They border a substrate‐binding cleft that is much wider than in other polygalacturonases, and can accommodate xylosylated substrates. The most extensive interactions appear to occur at subsite +2, in agreement with the enzyme kinetics results, which showed enhanced activity on substrates with a xylose attached to the galacturonic acid bound at subsite +2.

Database

Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank database under accession number 4C2L.
Mechanisms of competition between tadpoles of Australian frogs (Litoria spp.) and invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina)
Authors: Cabrera‐Guzmán Elisa , Crossland Michael R. , Shine Richard
Published: September 2013

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) have wrought considerable ecological damage during their invasion of tropical Australia, spurring the search for novel ways to reduce toad numbers.

Previous laboratory and field studies have shown that the tadpoles of native frogs, which often co‐occur with toad tadpoles in temporary waterbodies, compete with the invaders and can suppress their survival, growth and development.

Understanding the mechanisms responsible for that competitive suppression might suggest new ways to control toads: for example, a chemical produced by native tadpoles that disrupts toad development.

Our laboratory experiments confirm that toad tadpoles are negatively affected by the presence of tadpoles of three native hylid frogs (Litoria caerulea, Litoria longipes and Litoria splendida) and identify direct exploitative competition for food as the primary mechanism. Manipulations of chemical cues and visual cues in the water had no significant effects on the viability of toads, whereas manipulations of direct physical contact and food supply relative to tadpole density had strong effects.

The lack of chemically mediated interference competition may reflect the very short timescale of sympatry between the invader and native taxa, restricting opportunities for the evolution of such mechanisms.

Re‐introducing native anurans to anthropogenically degraded sites (especially those where local frogs previously occurred, but have been lost) may provide a simple and effective way to reduce the recruitment rate of invasive cane toads.
Fine‐scale genetics of subterranean syncarids
Authors: Asmyhr Maria G. , Hose Grant , Graham Peter , Stow Adam J.
Published: September 2013

Members of the stygofauna are highly specialised invertebrates living within groundwater systems. The hydrographical isolation of groundwater habitats combined with low dispersal abilities of stygofauna has resulted in narrow distributions and high levels of regional endemism. Consequently, stygofauna are particularly vulnerable to disturbance and habitat destruction. Aquifers are under enormous pressure from excessive water extraction, pollution and mining, and the efficient conservation of groundwater ecosystems requires detailed knowledge of dispersal and colonisation capabilities of stygofauna.

We investigated fine‐scale genetic structure and gene flow in the ancient crustacean Parabathynellidae (Bathynellacea, Syncarida) across a section of the Macquarie River alluvium, New South Wales, Australia. We sampled 175 parabathynellids from eight groundwater monitoring bores at pairwise distances up to 300 m and genotyped each individual at eight microsatellite markers.

We found significant intraspecific genetic structuring over short geographical distances (<50 m), supporting the view of limited dispersal in stygofauna.

Our study is the first extensive microsatellite study of a stygobiont family, and we have gained an insight into the dispersal patterns of these elusive organisms. Genetic data imply that they rarely colonise new habitats, a trait that renders them susceptible to anthropogenic impacts.
Surface properties of walnut protein from AOT reverse micelles
Authors: Liu Fenglan , Wang Xianchang , Zhao Xiaoyan , Hu Haifang , Chen Fengliang , Sun Yali
Published: September 2013

The surface chemical composition and microstructure of walnut protein obtained through aqueous buffer and bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles were determined by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surfaces were characterised by XPS to monitor surface composition. The different components of C 1s, N 1s and O 1s peaks were provided precisely. By comparison with walnut protein surface from aqueous buffer, XPS analysis revealed that the O atomic percentage of walnut protein powder surface from AOT reverse micelles was higher, but the C and N atomic percentages were lower. The N/C ratio of the walnut protein powders using two extraction methods was similar, while significant difference was obtained in the O/N. The obtained results indicated that the reverse micelles could affect the C, O and N components on the surface of walnut protein powder. Protein microstructure after reverse micelle treatment showed many crystals.