bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fibroblast KATP currents modulate myocyte electrophysiology in infarcted hearts
Authors: Benamer Najate , Vasquez Carolina , Mahoney Vanessa M. , Steinhardt Maximilian J. , Coetzee William A. , Morley Gregory E.
Published: February 2013

Cardiac metabolism remains altered for an extended period of time after myocardial infarction. Studies have shown fibroblasts from normal hearts express KATP channels in culture. It is unknown whether fibroblasts from infarcted hearts express KATP channels and whether these channels contribute to scar and border zone electrophysiology. KATP channel subunit expression levels were determined in fibroblasts isolated from normal hearts (Fb), and scar (sMI-Fb) and remote (rMI-Fb) regions of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ligated rat hearts. Whole cell KATP current density was determined with patch clamp. Action potential duration (APD) was measured with optical mapping in myocyte-only cultures and heterocellular cultures with fibroblasts with and without 100 μmol/l pinacidil. Whole heart optical mapping was used to assess KATP channel activity following LAD ligation. Pinacidil activated a potassium current (35.4 ± 7.5 pA/pF at 50 mV) in sMI-Fb that was inhibited with 10 μmol/l glibenclamide. Kir6.2 and SUR2 transcript levels were elevated in sMI-Fb. Treatment with Kir6.2 short interfering RNA decreased KATP currents (87%) in sMI-Fb. Treatment with pinacidil decreased APD (26%) in co-cultures with sMI-Fb. APD values were prolonged in LAD ligated hearts after perfusion with glibenclamide. KATP channels are present in fibroblasts from the scar and border zones of infarcted hearts. Activation of fibroblast KATP channels could modulate the electrophysiological substrate beyond the acute ischemic event. Targeting fibroblast KATP channels could represent a novel therapeutic approach to modify border zone electrophysiology after cardiac injury.
Authors of their own lives? Children, Contracts, their Responsibilities, Rights and Citizenship
Authors: Cockburn Tom
Published: February 2013

This article explores contract theory and suggests that a focus on contracts provides an understanding of what it is to be human and the concomitant rights that spring from this. Thus despite children being a ‘special case’ and requiring higher levels of protection and intervention than adults, this always remains a gift that does not have the clarity or effectiveness that contracts provide. While retaining a constant critical distance attention to children’s ‘ability’ to write contracts illustrates in a clear way the evolving capacities of the child and the graduated way in which children are expected to gain responsibilities. This more complex and contested formulation of rights tends to be embedded in specific case laws at a local level, in direct contrast to the more abstract forms of rights that may present all children as vulnerable and lacking. Though the prism of contracts, a perspective to wider economic inequalities is enabled in a manner that may give us a different approach to issues such as consumerism.
The Participation of the European Union in the Work of the United Nations: Evolving to Reflect the New Realities of Regional Organizations
Authors: Brewer Evan
Published: February 2013

In May 2011, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 65/276 to provide the European Union with an “enhanced observer status” to participate more extensively in the General Assembly. The EU needed to restructure its participation in international organizations following the Lisbon Treaty, and this resolution effected some of those changes. Numerous UN member states expressed concerns that the expanded participation rights might compromise the integrity of the General Assembly as an inter-state entity. Ultimately, the rights granted pose a minor speculative threat, but offer a considerable opportunity at increasing the ability of regional organizations to better represent the common positions of their member states in the General Assembly and to improve the efficiency of the General Assembly.
Locke’s Political Society
Authors: Davis Michael
Published: February 2013

This paper not only describes a confusing network of terms (including “political society”, “commonwealth”, and “community”), thus defining a problem of interpretation, but also partially solves the problem. One result is that Locke turns out to differ in at least one important way from those theorists of social contract supposedly belonging to the same tradition, especially Hobbes, Rousseau, and Rawls. The Two Treatises lacks any social contract, that is, a contract constituting society in the inclusive sense usually given “society” in discussions of “social contract”. Locke’s concept of “political society” deserves a closer look, since it has largely been overlooked until now.
Abelard’s Rib: Dialectics of a Twelfth-Century Monastic Marriage and the Historical Epistemology of Spirituality
Authors: Hellemans Babette S.
Published: February 2013

This article proposes to describe the oxymoronic aspect of twelfth-century ascetic life, as it is couched in the semantics of marital ‘love-talk.’ By extending Christian asceticism to the field of marital semantics, I hope to come closer to a more intellectual kind of spirituality, situated in the philosophical discourse of the ars dialectica. While it is commonplace to state that affective speech in the twelfth century is a constitutive element of Western ‘spirituality’—up to the point that this period is sometimes credited with being the founder of an individual love-talk—the nature of a ‘matrimonial’ love-speech firmly located within monastic walls is far from self-evident. Furthermore, there is the issue of physical desire in both Christian worship (hymns, liturgy) and reflective, religious language. This ‘incarnation’ of love inside the history of Christianity was coined by the twelfth-century reformer and intellectual Bernard of Clairvaux in the most tangible terms possible, especially in his Sermons on the Song of Songs and in his devotional texts on Mary. However, it is not a broad claim with regard to the status of ‘spirituality’ within history that dominates the present article. If anything, this contribution could be characterized as exploring the opposite of the common semantics of spirituality: the argumentative and dialectical speech on the one hand and the fragility of poetry on the other, glooming beneath the surface of a meandering Christian tradition. My analysis of the work of Peter Abelard (1079–1142)—a fierce opponent of Bernard—will demonstrate a rather radical view of ‘spirituality’ as a sometimes veiled (integementum) and sometimes shattered specimen of medieval love-talk.
Climate Change Denial Books and Conservative Think Tanks
Authors: Dunlap Riley E. , Jacques Peter J.
Published: February 2013

The conservative movement and especially its think tanks play a critical role in denying the reality and significance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), especially by manufacturing uncertainty over climate science. Books denying AGW are a crucial means of attacking climate science and scientists, and we examine the links between conservative think tanks (CTTs) and 108 climate change denial books published through 2010. We find a strong link, albeit noticeably weaker for the growing number of self-published denial books. We also examine the national origins of the books and the academic backgrounds of their authors or editors, finding that with the help of American CTTs climate change denial has spread to several other nations and that an increasing portion of denial books are produced by individuals with no scientific training. It appears that at least 90% of denial books do not undergo peer review, allowing authors or editors to recycle scientifically unfounded claims that are then amplified by the conservative movement, media, and political elites.
The Influence of Between-Dimension Correlation, Misfit, and Test Length on Multidimensional Rasch Model Information-Based Fit Index Accuracy
Authors: Harrell-Williams Leigh M. , Wolfe Edward W.
Published: February 2013

Most research on confirmatory factor analysis using information-based fit indices (Akaike information criterion [AIC], Bayesian information criteria [BIC], bias-corrected AIC [AICc], and consistent AIC [CAIC]) has used a structural equation modeling framework. Minimal research has been done concerning application of these indices to item response models, especially within the framework of multidimensional Rasch analysis with an emphasis of the role of between-dimension correlation on index accuracy. We investigated how sample size, between-dimension correlation, model-to-data misfit, and test length affect the accuracy of these indices in model recovery in dichotomous data using a multidimensional Rasch analysis simulation methodology. Results reveal that, at higher values of between-dimension correlation, AIC indicated the correct two-dimension generating structure slightly more often than the BIC or CAIC. The results also demonstrated that violations of the Rasch model assumptions are magnified at higher between-dimension correlations. We recommend that practitioners working with highly correlated multidimensional data use moderate length (roughly 40 items) instruments and minimize data-to-model misfit in the choice of model used for confirmatory factor analysis (multidimensional random coefficient multinomial logit or other multidimensional item response theory models).
Inter-layer thermal contact resistance evolution with the degree of intimate contact in the processing of thermoplastic composite laminates
Authors: Levy Arthur , Heider Dirk , Tierney John , Gillespie John W
Published: February 2013

This article focuses on the contact between layers in forming processes of composite laminate. The link between the degree of intimate contact and the consequent thermal contact resistance between layers is investigated. A hot plate forming process experiment allows to propose a relation and determine the missing parameter for APC2 thermoplastic prepreg composite. Besides the new proposed relation, this work showed that the internal thermal contact resistances in the laminate is significant. Therefore, thermal modeling of forming processes of composite laminate (such as automatic tape placement) should account for this phenomenon.
Numerical micromechanical investigation of interfacial strength parameters in a carbon fibre composite material
Authors: O'Dwyer DJ , O'Dowd NP , McCarthy CT
Published: February 2013

A finite element micromechanical model of a high strength composite material is subjected to a range of loading conditions to demonstrate its ability to predict failure. An investigation into the relative magnitude and distribution of the normal and shear stresses within the interface region of a single fibre embedded in a matrix region is compared to that of a multi-fibre representative volume element, where the fibre placement is statistically equivalent to that of a real material. A study is subsequently undertaken in which the relative magnitudes of the shear and normal strengths of the fibre–matrix interface are varied under transverse tension and shear. The results are interpreted with relation to the yield strength of the matrix. The predicted performance of the composite is shown to compare well with published experimental data, under transverse tension and in-plane shear. It is concluded that a single set of interface strength parameters can be used to represent the behaviour of the composite material. The results also show that interfacial shear strengths are expected to be equal, and higher than the interfacial normal strength.
The Political Economy of Foreign Investment in Latin America
Authors: Higginbottom Andy
Published: February 2013

Examination of foreign investment inflows, stock, and outgoing profit flows from Latin America in the neoliberal period shows that the basic tenet of the dependency thesis still holds: there is a huge and underreported transfer of surplus value out of the continent. European capital has overtaken U.S. capital as a source of investment, and within the Andean region there are two distinct groups of countries with regard to investment regime: the Andean nations of the Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela), which have succeeded in increasing the proportion of surplus profits retained in their national economies against that part captured by international capital, and their non-ALBA neighbors. A new dialectic of domination and dependency is at work, with the focus on contesting bilateral free-trade agreements and investment treaties.

Un análisis de la inversión extranjera, las acciones y el flujo de beneficios externos producidos en América Latina durante el período neoliberal muestra que aún se mantiene el principio básico de la tesis de la dependencia: hay una enorme transferencia de plusvalía fuera del continente, una buena parte de la cual no se reporta. El capital europeo ha superado al capital estadounidense como fuente de inversión y, dentro de la región andina, hay dos grupos de países con distintas estrategias en relación al régimen de inversiones: en el primero están los miembros de la Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela), que han logrado aumentar la proporción de excedentes retenidos en sus economías nacionales en relación a la parte capturada por el capital internacional; en el segundo, sus vecinos que no pertenecen a ALBA. Aquí se está desarrollando una nueva dialéctica de dominación y dependencia centrada en la disputa alrededor de acuerdos bilaterales de libre comercio y tratados de inversión.
Diabetes Education Kiosks in a Latino Community
Authors: Bolin Jane N. , Ory Marcia G. , Wilson Ashley D. , Salge Lesley
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation, use, and sustainability of a computerized touch-screen diabetes education kiosk ( Diosk) designed to provide “on-demand” education in a predominantly Latino community in South Texas.

Methods

A pilot study was conducted to examine the implementation, use, and sustainability of the Diosk in 5 settings (eg, clinics, community centers, and pharmacies) serving low-income, low-literacy populations. Both quantitative and qualitative data from embedded computerized usage tracking, user surveys, and key stakeholder interviews were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

There were more than 5300 uses of the Diosk in the different sites during the 11-month study. The majority of users were female, between the ages of 36 and 64 years, and Latino, and they identified themselves as having or being at risk for type 2 diabetes. Several challenges were faced in maintaining the Diosk during the study, such as organizational capacity to host wireless Internet and establishing “office champions” responsible for overseeing the Diosk. At the end of the study, 3 of the 5 sites committed to sustaining the Diosk on their own.

Conclusions

This pilot study testing the feasibility and acceptability of the Diosk demonstrated that a Diosk can be implemented, used, and sustained in a population with high rates of diabetes and limited prior use of disease management programs. Computerized technology offers one solution to expanding the reach of diabetes education through easily accessible community and clinical settings.
Metal allergy in patients with total hip replacement: A review
Authors: Zeng Yirong , Feng Wenjun
Published: February 2013

Metal-on-metal prostheses are increasingly and widely used in total hip arthroplasty, and offer particular benefit to patients with osteoarthritis. Adverse effects related to the release of metal ions (such as cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity and metal allergy) are common, however. The aims of this review article were to explore the relationship between corrosion products and implant-related hypersensitivity, define normal and toxic metal ion concentrations, and differentiate between allergy and infection in painful total hip replacement. The simultaneous presence of corrosion products and hypersensitivity-related tissue reactions indicates a relationship between the development of corrosion and implant-related hypersensitivity. There are no clear boundaries between normal and toxic metal ion concentrations. Several methods exist for the differential diagnosis of metal allergy and infection, including ultrasound-guided aspiration, patch testing and arthroscopic biopsy. More research is required to elucidate fully the relationship between metal articulations and allergy, and to determine the concentrations of metal ions that lead to harmful effects.
Immunohistochemical Evaluation of the Effects of Paraffin Section Storage on Biomarker Stability
Authors: Ramos-Vara J. A. , Webster J. D. , DuSold D. , Miller M. A.
Published: February 2013

Environmental stresses can alter immunoreactivity of biomarkers in stored tissue sections. The effect of temperature and lighting on 49 cellular or microbial antigens was evaluated in 4 serial paraffin sections, cut 12 months, 10 months, 8 months, 5 months, 3 months, 1 month, 3 days, and 1 day before immunohistochemistry. Slides were stored at room temperature (RT) in the dark, at 4°C in the dark, at RT under fluorescent light, or at RT with windowpane exposure to sunlight. Immunohistochemistry was performed simultaneously in an automated immunostainer. Immunoreactivity was compared with that in the corresponding 1-day-old section and scored as 4 (<10% reduction), 3 (10%–25% reduction), 2 (26%–60% reduction), 1(>60% reduction), or 0 (no reactivity). Any loss of immunoreactivity was proportional to the tissue section age and was least in sections stored in the dark. Immunoreactivity was only completely lost in light-exposed sections and as early as 1 month for CD45. Other markers with complete loss of immunoreactivity were bovine viral diarrhea virus, CD18 (only with fluorescent light), CD31, CD68, canine parvovirus, chromogranins, and thyroid transcription factor-1. Markers with complete loss after light exposure also had reduced immunoreactivity when stored in the dark, as early as day 3. Eight markers ( Bartonella spp, CD11d, high molecular weight cytokeratins, feline coronavirus, GATA-4, insulin, p63, progesterone receptor) had minimal decrease in immunoreactivity, regardless of treatment. In conclusion, light-induced antigen decay (tissue section aging) is antigen dependent and could explain unexpectedly weak or negative immunohistochemical reactions in stored paraffin sections.
Delayed Onset of Peroneal Neuropathy After Minor Ankle Torsion in a 9-Year-Old Boy
Authors: Wang Jia-Chi , Chan Rai-chi , Yang Tsui-Fen
Published: February 2013

Ankle sprain is only rarely reported as the cause of peroneal nerve palsy and occurs predominantly in adults. Peroneal nerve palsy following an ankle sprain is extremely rare in children. Furthermore, peroneal nerve palsy most commonly results from a severe ankle sprain with considerable pain and edema. Peroneal nerve palsy after minor ankle torsion without major clinical symptoms of ankle sprain is uncommon. Here, we report the case of a 9-year-old boy who developed right peroneal neuropathy, leading to foot drop, following minor ankle plantar flexion/inversion torsion. Electrophysiological findings confirmed a focal neuropathy around the fibular head. The neurologic symptoms resolved completely 4 months after the injury. This case emphasizes that peroneal neuropathy can occur after minor ankle torsion without evident ankle sprain symptoms. Moreover, electrophysiological evaluation is very helpful to confirm the diagnosis and is important for prognostic evaluation.
Attention Restores Discrete Items to Visual Short-Term Memory
Authors: Murray Alexandra M. , Nobre Anna C. , Clark Ian A. , Cravo André M. , Stokes Mark G.
Published: February 2013

When a memory is forgotten, is it lost forever? Our study shows that selective attention can restore forgotten items to visual short-term memory (VSTM). In our two experiments, all stimuli presented in a memory array were designed to be equally task relevant during encoding. During the retention interval, however, participants were sometimes given a cue predicting which of the memory items would be probed at the end of the delay. This shift in task relevance improved recall for that item. We found that this type of cuing improved recall for items that otherwise would have been irretrievable, providing critical evidence that attention can restore forgotten information to VSTM. Psychophysical modeling of memory performance has confirmed that restoration of information in VSTM increases the probability that the cued item is available for recall but does not improve the representational quality of the memory. We further suggest that attention can restore discrete items to VSTM.
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus: pooled analysis of the literature reviews and report of six new cases
Authors: Shaharir SS , Remli R , Marwan AA , Said MSM , Kong NCT
Published: February 2013

Introduction

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare neurological disorder which is increasingly recognized to occur in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of SLE patients with PRES and the associated factors of the poor outcome among them.

Methods

We investigated SLE patients who developed PRES between 2005–2011 at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. A comprehensive literature search was done to find all published cases of PRES in SLE. Pooled analysis was conducted to identify the factors associated with poor outcome.

Results

There were 103 cases of PRES in SLE published in the literature but only 87 cases were included in the analysis in view of incomplete individual data in the remaining cases. The majority of the cases were Asians (74.2%), female (95.4%) with mean age of 26.3 ± 8.8 years. PRES was highly associated with active disease (97.5%), hypertension (91.7%) and renal involvement (85.1%). We found that 79 patients had a full recovery (90.8%) with a mean onset of full clinical recovery in 5.6 ± 4.1 days. On univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis the predictors of poor outcome, defined as incomplete clinical recovery or death, were intracranial hemorrhage, odds ratio (OR) 14 (1.1–187.2), p = 0.04 and brainstem involvement in PRES, OR 10.9 (1.3–90.6), p = 0.003.

Conclusion

Intracranial hemorrhage and brainstem involvement were the two important predictors of poor outcome of PRES. Larger prospective studies are needed to further delineate the risk of poor outcome among them.
SYNTAX Score Predicts the Left Ventricle Thrombus Development in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for First Anterior Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Gökdeniz Tayyar , Boyacı Faruk , Hatem Engin , Aslan Ahmet Oguz , Aykan Ahmet Çağrı , Gül İlker , Turan Turhan , Kalaycıoğlu Ezgi , Çelik Şükrü
Published: February 2013

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between left ventricular thrombus (LVT) developments and the SYNTAX score (SS) in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for first anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods:

We enrolled 160 patients. All participants were evaluated by serial transthoracic echocardiography. Baseline clinical, echocardiographic, and procedural features of PPCI were analyzed to find predictors of LVT development.

Results:

The LVT was detected in 32 (20%) patients. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and SS-I were found to be independent predictors of LVT development. Receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a cutoff value >19.5 for SS-I (area under the curve: 0.697, 95% confidence interval 0.620-0.767, P < .001) with a specificity of 45.3% and a sensitivity of 84.3%.

Conclusion:

High SS which was obtained through diagnostic angiogram of PPCI may be associated with LVT development in patients with first anterior wall STEMI.
The Power of Participation
Authors: Go Min Hee
Published: February 2013

The uneven distribution of urban services has been the subject of debate in the urban studies literature, and yet no consensus has been reached upon its determinants. This article reexamines this puzzle by looking at variation in post-Hurricane Katrina building permit issuance in New Orleans. Focusing on the potential effect of civic competence on urban service delivery patterns, I test a hypothesis that the number of building permits and the speed of permit issuance are positively associated with the degree of community participation in local politics. Results indicate that local political participation not only contributes to increasing the number of permits but also facilitates the permit issuance process.
Curricular Implications of Virtual World Technology
Authors: Cyphert Dale , Wurtz M. Susan , Duclos Leslie K.
Published: February 2013

As business organizations grow increasingly virtual, traditional principles of organizational communication require examination and modification. This article considers the curricular implications of the growing business uses of virtual world technology through three different lenses—students as employee-users, students as strategic designers and decision makers, and students as theorists. The instructor’s approach to communication principles relevant to persistent virtual worlds should be grounded in current and anticipated business applications. Emerging business practice provides guidance regarding the communication principles and skills that might be required of students entering careers in a contemporary business world of networked, digitized, and virtually enhanced communication.
Health care access disparities among children entering kindergarten in Nevada
Authors: Fulkerson Nadia Deashinta , Haff Darlene R , Chino Michelle
Published: February 2013

The objective of this study was to advance our understanding and appreciation of the health status of young children in the state of Nevada in addition to their discrepancies in accessing health care. This study used the 2008–2009 Nevada Kindergarten Health Survey data of 11,073 children to assess both independent and combined effects of annual household income, race/ethnicity, primary language spoken in the family, rural/urban residence, and existing medical condition on access to health care. Annual household income was a significant predictor of access to health care, with middle and high income respondents having regular access to care compared to low income counterparts. Further, English proficiency was associated with access to health care, with English-speaking Hispanics over 2.5 times more likely to have regular access to care than Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Rural residents had decreased odds of access to preventive care and having a primary care provider, but unexpectedly, had increased odds of having access to dental care compared to urban residents. Finally, parents of children with no medical conditions were more likely to have access to care than those with a medical condition. The consequences for not addressing health care access issues include deteriorating health and well-being for vulnerable socio-demographic groups in the state. Altogether these findings suggest that programs and policies within the state must be sensitive to the specific needs of at risk groups, including minorities, those with low income, and regionally and linguistically isolated residents.
Inequality in child mortality across different states of India
Authors: De Partha , Dhar Arpita
Published: February 2013

The burden of social inequality falls disproportionately on child health and survival. This inequality raises the question of how wide this gap is, or what its relation is with the level of child mortality. Whether these disparities are increasing or declining with the development and how they differ from region to region or from state to state within the country needs to be looked into. As a measure of inequality and to compare the disparities between different states of India, concentration curves and indices are constructed from infant and under five mortality data classified under different quintiles of wealth index from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data of India. Inequality measures indicate that inequality in child mortality is more concentrated in the comparatively developed states than the poorer states in India.
Resilience as a protective factor for the behavioral problems in school-aged children with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Kim Dong Hee , Im Yeo Jin
Published: February 2013

This study investigates the relationships between resilience and behavioral problems in school-aged children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and identifies factors associated with these behavioral problems. A total of 102 school-aged children suffering from chronic AD were administered a self-report questionnaire on resilience, and the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist, to measure their internalizing/externalizing behavioral problems. The means of the internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems of children with AD were 6.58 and 7.26, respectively. Both resilience and economic status were negatively correlated with the internalizing, r = −0.262, p < 0.05, and externalizing, r = −0.248, p < 0.05, behaviors in children. The higher the children’s school achievements, the less externalizing behavioral problems were reported, r = −0.327, p < 0.05. Resilience was identified as the single potent variable affecting children’s behavioral problems. The higher the children’s resilience scores, the lower was the chance of both internalizing, β = −1.648, p = 0.034, and externalizing behavioral problems, β = −1.382, p = 0.041. To prevent possible behavioral problems in children with chronic AD, a care plan enhancing their resilience (i.e. promoting parenting skills and social supports for children) should be developed.
An exploratory study on the effectiveness and experience of a parent enhancement group adopting a narrative approach
Authors: To Siu-ming , So Yuk-yan , Chan Ting-sam
Published: February 2013

Parent education has been gathering momentum in Hong Kong since its inception in the 1970s; however, much emphasis has been put on imparting childrearing knowledge and skills to parents rather than facilitating the reorganization of parents’ lived experiences and their identity development. Based on the results of an exploratory study conducted in Hong Kong, this article discusses the possible outcomes and experiences of a parent enhancement group adopting a narrative approach. The group comprised three, 5-hour sessions held weekly. The participants included 20 Hong Kong parents with at least one child in preschool. Through the adoption of a pretest–posttest design coupled with a 6-month follow-up survey and three post-intervention focus groups, the study attempted to examine the effects of the program and the subjective experiences of the participants.

Findings

The quantitative results showed that the group might have positive impacts on the enhancement of parental satisfaction, parental efficacy, and parent–child relationships. The qualitative findings indicated that the group might help develop the parent identity through strengthening the parent–child relational connection and integration of parents’ life stories. The participants also had a deeper understanding of the impact of parents’ personal growth on their parenting practice and children’s development.

Applications

The findings offer a knowledge base for evaluating this approach to parent enhancement programs. Of particular importance are its transformative effect, retention effect, ripple effect, and empowerment effect. The findings also provide reference materials for practitioners to rethink the direction of parent education.
Reliability demonstration based on accelerated degradation testing for unknown model parameters
Authors: Luo Wei , Zhang Chun-Hua , Chen Xun , Tan Yuan-Yuan
Published: February 2013

Conventional reliability demonstration tests are becoming increasingly difficult to apply for high-reliability and long-lifetime products owing to the excessive test duration, which conflicts with the marketplace demands for decreased development time. Accelerated degradation testing has been strongly recommended to reduce test time, but few studies employ this method for reliability demonstrations. In this article, a test methodology based on accelerated degradation testing is developed to demonstrate the reliability target for the case in which the model parameters for the test plan design are unknown. In the proposed procedure, step-stress accelerated degradation testing is employed as a preliminary test to estimate the model parameters. The data from step-stress accelerated degradation testing are converted based on equivalent degradation criterion and then used to make decisions by the method of two steps accelerated reliability demonstration test. If there are not enough converted data to make a decision, an accelerated degradation testing as a complementary test is conducted to complete the demonstration according to the estimates of the model parameters from the preliminary test; the two steps accelerated reliability demonstration test method is applied. The proposed methodology incorporates step-stress accelerated degradation testing with two steps accelerated reliability demonstration test to permit the test duration to be reduced as much as possible. It is useful to demonstrate a high-reliability target at long mission times within a feasible test duration when the design parameters are unknown.
Performance of a knotless four-strand flexor tendon repair with a unidirectional barbed suture device: a dynamic ex vivo comparison
Authors: Peltz T. S. , Haddad R. , Scougall P. J. , Gianoutsos M. P. , Bertollo N. , Walsh W. R.
Published: February 2013

With increased numbers of reports using barbed sutures for tendon repairs we felt the need to design a specific tendon repair method to draw the best utility from these materials. We split 30 sheep deep flexor tendons in two groups of 15 tendons. One group was repaired with a new four-strand barbed suture repair method without knot. The other group was repaired with a conventional four-strand cross-locked cruciate repair method (Adelaide repair) with knot. Dynamic testing (3–30 N for 250 cycles) and additional static pull to failure was performed to investigate gap formation and final failure forces. The barbed suture repair group showed higher resistance to gap formation throughout the test. Additionally final failure force was higher for the barbed suture group compared with the conventional repair group. When used appropriately, barbed suture materials could be beneficial to use in tendon surgery, especially with regard to early loading of the repair site and gap formation.
A new technique for closed management of displaced intra-articular fractures of metacarpal and phalangeal head delayed on presentation: report of eight cases
Authors: Houshian S. , Jing S. S.
Published: February 2013

We present the outcomes of the delayed management of eight displaced intra-articular fractures of the metacarpal and phalangeal heads treated with capsuloligamentotaxis using the Penning mini-external fixator. Closed anatomical reduction with a 2 mm over-distraction was achieved at the time of operation at an average of 20 days after the initial injury. Excellent outcomes in terms of function and pain were obtained at 6 month’s follow-up in all cases. This technique is simple, minimally invasive, and effective, with minimal complications.
The pathogenesis of ulnar polydactyly in humans
Authors: Al-Qattan M. M. , Al-Motairi M. I.
Published: February 2013

The pathogenesis of ulnar polydactyly in humans is not known. There are numerous syndromes that are associated with ulnar polydactyly. We have noted that the genetic defects in these syndromes lead to a disturbance of the normal balance between the two forms of the Gli3 protein (the active and repressor forms of Gli3, which are known as Gli3-A and Gli3-R, respectively), leading to a relative increase in the Gli3-R protein. We offer the hypothesis of a unified pathogenesis of ulnar polydactyly through the relative predominance of Gli3-R.
Differences in Pain Perceptions between Automated Breast Ultrasound and Digital Screening Mammography
Authors: Zintsmaster Stephen , Morrison James , Sharman Shreya , Shah Biren A.
Published: February 2013

A prospective single-site survey was performed to gauge perceived pain during automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) and digital x-ray mammography (XRM). Patients also described differences in duration of the exams, provided their bra size, and indicated whether they would recommend ABUS to a friend. Pain was measured on a Likert-type visual analog scale (1–10). Participants were 199 female volunteers who also participated in the prospective, multicenter, nationwide clinical research study SOMO•INSIGHT. There was a mean pain and/or discomfort score of 6.41 (± 2.41) for XRM and a mean score of 1.86 (± 1.24) for ABUS ( P = .001). Bra size and perceived examination duration played no role in determining patient pain and/or discomfort. One hundred percent of patients who participated said that they would recommend ABUS to a friend. These data suggest that if ABUS is proven to be a valuable adjunctive screening test for breast cancer among women with dense breast tissue, its routine use will be well tolerated by patients.
IUD Perforation to the Urinary Bladder
Authors: Nilsestuen Lee
Published: February 2013

Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUD) are a popular method of birth control, typically with minimal side effects, and are used worldwide. Serious side effects such as uterine perforation are rare. Most often, a perforated IUD is found in the intraperitoneal space, although in rare instances, an IUD may perforate to the urinary bladder. In the case presented, a combination of 2D and 3D sonography was used to identify a missing IUD within the urinary bladder. The IUD was removed by cystoscopy without serious consequences to the patient.
Comparative genomics using teleost fish helps to systematically identify target gene bodies of functionally defined human enhancers
Authors: Parveen Nazia , Masood Ayesha , Iftikhar Nouman , Minhas Bushra F , Minhas Rashid , Nawaz Uzma , Abbasi Amir Ali
Published: February 2013

Background

Human genome is enriched with thousands of conserved non-coding elements (CNEs). Recently, a medium throughput strategy was employed to analyze the ability of human CNEs to drive tissue specific expression during mouse embryogenesis. These data led to the establishment of publicly available genome wide catalog of functionally defined human enhancers. Scattering of enhancers over larger regions in vertebrate genomes seriously impede attempts to pinpoint their precise target genes. Such associations are prerequisite to explore the significance of this in vivo characterized catalog of human enhancers in development, disease and evolution.

Results

This study is an attempt to systematically identify the target gene-bodies for functionally defined human CNE-enhancers. For the purpose we adopted the orthology/paralogy mapping approach and compared the CNE induced reporter expression with reported endogenous expression pattern of neighboring genes. This procedure pinpointed specific target gene-bodies for the total of 192 human CNE-enhancers. This enables us to gauge the maximum genomic search space for enhancer hunting: 4 Mb of genomic sequence around the gene of interest (2 Mb on either side). Furthermore, we used human-rodent comparison for a set of 159 orthologous enhancer pairs to infer that the central nervous system (CNS) specific gene expression is closely associated with the cooperative interaction among at least eight distinct transcription factors: SOX5, HFH, SOX17, HNF3β, c-FOS, Tal1beta-E47S, MEF and FREAC.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the systematic wiring of cis-acting sites and their target gene bodies is an important step to unravel the role of in vivo characterized catalog of human enhancers in development, physiology and medicine.
Health care workers causing large nosocomial outbreaks: a systematic review
Authors: Danzmann Lisa , Gastmeier Petra , Schwab Frank , Vonberg Ralf-Peter
Published: February 2013

Backgrounds

Staff in the hospital itself may be the source of a nosocomial outbreak (NO). But the role of undetected carriers as an outbreak source is yet unknown.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted to evaluate outbreaks caused by health care workers (HCW). The Worldwide Outbreak Database and PubMed served as primary sources of data. Articles in English, German or French were included. Other reviews were excluded. There were no restrictions with respect to the date of publication.

Data on setting, pathogens, route of transmission, and characteristics of the HCW was retrieved. Data from large outbreaks were compared to smaller outbreaks.

Results

152 outbreaks were included, mainly from surgery, neonatology, and gynecology departments. Most frequent corresponding infections were surgical site infections, infection by hepatitis B virus, and septicemia. Hepatitis B virus (27 NO), S. aureus (49 NO) and S. pyogenes (19 NO) were the predominant pathogens involved. 59 outbreaks (41.5%) derived from physicians and 56 outbreaks (39.4%) derived from nurses. Transmission mainly occurred via direct contact. Surgical and pediatric departments were significantly associated with smaller outbreaks, and gynecology with larger outbreaks. Awareness of carrier status significantly decreased the risk of causing large outbreaks.

Conclusions

As NO caused by HCW represent a rare event, screening of personnel should not be performed regularly. However, if certain species of microorganisms are involved, the possibility of a carrier should be taken into account.
Physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Malaysian honeys produced by Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis mellifera
Authors: Moniruzzaman Mohammed , Khalil Md Ibrahim , Sulaiman Siti Amrah , Gan Siew Hua
Published: February 2013

Background

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Malaysian monofloral honey samples—acacia, pineapple and borneo honey—and compare them with tualang honey. Acacia and pineapple honey are produced by Apis mellifera bees while borneo and tualang honey are produced by Apis cerana and Apis dorsata bees, respectively.

Methods

The physical parameters of honey, such as pH, moisture content, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), color intensity, total sugar and apparent sucrose content, were measured. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was measured using high performance liquid chromatography, and a number of biochemical and antioxidant tests were performed to determine the antioxidant properties of the honey samples.

Results

Acacia honey was the most acidic (pH 3.53), whereas pineapple honey had the lowest moisture content (14.86%), indicating that both types of honey can resist microbial spoilage more effectively when compared to tualang honey (pH 3.80 and 17.53% moisture content). Acacia honey contained the highest EC (0.76 mS/cm), whereas borneo honey had the highest (377 ppm) TDS. The mean HMF content in Malaysian honey was 35.98 mg/kg. Tualang honey, which is amber color, had the highest color intensity (544.33 mAU). Acacia honey is the sweetest, and contained the highest concentration of total sugar, reducing sugar and apparent sucrose. Tualang honey had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds (352.73 ± 0.81 mg galic acid/kg), flavonoids (65.65 ± 0.74 mg catechin/kg), DPPH (59.89%), FRAP values (576.91 ± 0.64 μM Fe (II)/100 g) and protein content (4.83 ± 0.02 g/kg) as well as the lowest AEAC values (244.10 ± 5.24 mg/kg), indicating its strong antioxidant properties. Proline, an important amino acid that is present in honey was also measured in the present study and it was found at the highest concentration in pineapple honey. Several strong correlations were found among the biochemical and antioxidant parameters of all the Malaysian honeys.

Conclusion

Although Malaysian honeys are of good quality, tualang honey contains the strongest antioxidant properties by far.
ZIPping to Pain Relief: The Role (or Not) of PKMζ in Chronicc Pain
Authors: Price Theodore J , Ghosh Sourav
Published: February 2013

Chronic pain remains a significant clinical problem despite substantial advances in our understanding of how persistent nociceptor stimulation drives plasticity in the CNS. A major theme that has emerged in this area of work is the strong similarity between plasticity involved in learning and memory in CNS regions such as cortex and hippocampus with mechanisms underlying chronic pain development and maintenance in the spinal dorsal horn and other CNS areas such as anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We, and others have recently implicated an atypical PKC (aPKC), called PKMζ, in the maintenance of pain plasticity based on biochemical assays and the use of a peptide pseudosubstrate inhibitor called ZIP. These studies indicate remarkable parallels between the potential role of PKMζ as a key molecule for the maintenance of long-term memory and long-term potentiation (LTP) and the maintenance of a chronic pain state. On the other hand, very recent studies have disputed the specificity of ZIP and called into question the role of PKMζ as a memory maintenance molecule. Here we critically review the evidence that PKMζ might represent a new target for the reversal of certain chronic pain states. Furthermore, we consider whether ZIP might have other aPKC or even non-aPKC targets and the significance of such off-target effects for evaluating maintenance mechanisms of chronic pain. We conclude that, current controversies aside, utilization of ZIP as a tool to interrogate maintenance mechanisms of chronic pain and further investigations into the potential role of PKMζ, and other aPKCs, in pain plasticity are likely to lead to further insights with the potential to unravel the enigma that is the disease of chronic pain.
Regulatory B cell frequency correlates with markers of HIV disease progression and attenuates anti-HIV CD8+ T cell function in vitro
Authors: Siewe Basile , Stapleton Jack T , Martinson Jeffrey , Keshavarzian Ali , Kazmi Nazia , Demarais Patricia M , French Audrey L , Landay Alan
Published: February 2013

A role for regulatory B cells is shown in HIV-pathogenesis, potentially impacting HIV cell-mediated control.

HIV infection is associated with elevated expression of IL-10 and PD-L1, contributing to impairment of T cell effector functions. In autoimmunity, tumor immunology, and some viral infections, Bregs modulate T cell function via IL-10 production. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that during HIV infection, Bregs attenuate CD8+ T cell effector function, contributing to immune dysfunction. We determined that in vitro, TLR2-, TLR9-, and CD40L-costimulated Bregs from HIV− individuals exhibited a high frequency of cells expressing IL-10 and PD-L1. Compared with Bregs from HIV− individuals, a significantly higher percentage of Bregs from HIV+ individuals spontaneously expressed IL-10 (P=0.0218). After in vitro stimulation with HIV peptides, Breg-depleted PBMCs from HIV+ individuals exhibited a heightened frequency of cytotoxic (CD107a+; P=0.0171) and HIV-specific CD8+ T cells compared with total PBMCs. Furthermore, Breg depletion led to enhanced proliferation of total CD8+ and CD107a+CD8+ T cells (P=0.0280, and P=0.0102, respectively). In addition, augmented CD8+ T cell effector function in vitro was reflected in a 67% increased clearance of infected CD4+ T cells. The observed Breg suppression of CD8+ T cell proliferation was IL-10-dependent. In HIV+ individuals, Breg frequency correlated positively with viral load (r=0.4324; P=0.0095), immune activation (r=0.5978; P=0.0005), and CD8+ T cell exhaustion (CD8+PD-1+; r=0.5893; P=0.0101). Finally, the frequency of PD-L1-expressing Bregs correlated positively with CD8+PD-1+ T cells (r=0.4791; P=0.0443). Our data indicate that Bregs contribute to HIV-infection associated immune dysfunction by T cell impairment, via IL-10 and possibly PD-L1 expression.