bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Among Recipients of Home Health Services in the United States
Authors: Resnick Helaine E.
Published: March 2012

The 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey was used to generate representative data on diabetic home health patients in the United States. Approximately 30% of home health patients have diabetes (11% have diabetes as the primary diagnosis), 28% were <65, 62% were women, and diabetic patients were more likely to be non-White. Nearly 75% received services immediately following a hospital or emergency room stay, 32% lived alone and nearly 20% did not have a primary caregiver. More than 40% of these patients needed assistance with ≥4 activities of daily living, 38% needed assistance with medication management and more than two thirds of families of diabetic patients received services from the agency that was serving the patient. The cost of services for home health patients with a primary diagnosis of diabetes is US$17.9 million/day.
‘I’m glad she has her glasses on. That really makes the difference’: Grave goods in English and American death rituals
Authors: Harper Sheila
Published: March 2012

Very little has been written about the inclusion of grave goods in contemporary English or American death rituals. Typically, the study of grave goods has fallen within the spheres of archaeological and anthropological research, with sociological theories of material culture considering how objects left behind by the dead form part of the lives of the bereaved. In this article, the author focuses on the objects that are placed with the recently dead in English and American death rituals. She does so by drawing on data collected from a funeral directors’ establishment in England and a funeral home in the USA. Based on this research, she concludes that the practice of including grave goods, such as clothing, eyewear, jewellery, photographs and letters in English coffins and American caskets is common and that this practice should not be neglected when considering the death rituals of different contemporary Western societies.
Nomadism of colour: Painting, technology and waste in the chromo-zones of colonial India c.1765–c.1860
Authors: Eaton Natasha
Published: March 2012

This article explores the contested ‘nomadic’ agency of colour in relation to colonialism in northern and eastern India. The author argues that colour provides us with a vital, if underexplored, field for analysing technologies of enchantment and questions of scarcity and waste in relation to the fundamental centrality of art to imperialism. Her intervention considers the ways in which the fetish, alchemy, alien(ating) material practices on the part of artists and the ontology of Sufism became implicated in struggles for power at the level of the political, the aesthetic and the globalizing economic. Although the palette can be thought of as a micro-centre of calculation – displaying as it does a range of hard-won substances from across the globe that wait to be transformed and perhaps sublimated into the aesthetic of empire – it is nonetheless the heterogeneous space for intense debate and violent, ironic Indian elite and subaltern resistance.
Breaching the wall of traumatic silence: Holocaust survivor and descendant person–object relations and the material transmission of the genocidal past
Authors: Kidron Carol A
Published: March 2012

Deviating from foundational assumptions regarding the semiotic and performative role of material objects, mementos of traumatic pasts are conceptualized as resisting mnemonic re-presentation and inter-objectivity. In keeping with trauma discourse, souvenirs of deathworlds are depicted as incapable of encapsulating sublime suffering or breaching the wall of silence between survivors and descendants, failing to constitute a material legacy. Rather than act as conduits for ‘continuing bonds’ with the past and the dead, survivors are expected to disentangle the self from souvenirs of difficult pasts facilitating separation and recovery. Ethnographic interviews with descendants depict the way discursive framing elides the semiotic potential of domestic material traces of the Holocaust and parent–child–object relations engendering intimate inter-corporeality and embodied memory. Object relations are central in the passage between life- and deathworlds, allowing survivor families to sustain the lived memory of the past in everyday life. Findings problematize the discourse of genocidal suffering that overshadows micro-moments of lived experience.
Engaging with soil, past and present
Authors: Salisbury Roderick B
Published: March 2012

From raw material to sacred clay, from wall plaster to garden plots, soil plays an intimate role in the lives of agriculturalists. In the lives of archaeologists, however, soil too frequently plays the role of overburden, or the stuff holding the more important things, like stones and bones. At best, soil studies are seen as essential for environmental reconstruction or coming to grips with formation processes. A more grounded approach to interpreting agrarian life involves an understanding and appreciation of soil as a partner. In turn, thinking about soil opens new terrain in the study of landscape perception, ideology and memory. This article explores the potential offered by the materiality of sediments and soilscapes.
The making of ‘valuable’ carpets in Lhasa
Authors: Zhang Tracy Y
Published: March 2012

Much of the ethnic art literature investigates how consumers define the value of ethnic cultural commodities and how consumer demand affects production processes. By revealing how Tibetan carpets became valuable in contemporary Lhasa, this article contributes to an emerging literature that critically examines the roles played by ethnic art producers themselves in the politics of value. Further, this article contributes to the Tibetan Cultural Studies literature by tracing the continuities and changes in the Lhasa carpet industry from the early 20th century to the early 21st century. The author’s analysis focuses on three chains of events: (1) the establishment of a carpet workshop by the Tibetan Government; (2) the formation of the first socialist carpet factory; and (3) the entry of international business ventures into the Lhasa carpet industry. She discusses the forms and scale of the struggles over the making of ‘valuable’ carpets, the roles played by Tibetan officials and overseas businessmen in the politics of value under different political–economic regimes, and the ways in which such politics not only presented challenges for Tibetan artisans, but also offered opportunities for empowerment.
‘Deep down where the music plays’: How parents account for childhood gender variance
Authors: Meadow Tey
Published: March 2012

Parents of gender variant children routinely negotiate their child's gender with social institutions, from schools to churches to neighborhood associations. These interactions require that parent develop narratives about why their particular child violates gender norms. In this paper, I argue that over the last century, there has been a proliferation within biomedicine, psychiatry and popular culture of the ways in which we can “know” gender; and as a result, ever more emotional work is required to account for the “self” that inhabits the gendered body. This analysis of the work parents of gender variant children do to explain their children to others demonstrates that these identities require a distinctly modern form of accounting. With that call to articulate the self comes an attendant proliferation of the ways in which gender can be regulated; yet, despite much sociological evidence that medicine, psychology and spirituality are often mechanisms for social control, they also provide ready tools for exploring, facilitating and embracing the multiplicity and plasticity of contemporary gender identities.
‘As long as they keep away from me’: The paradox of antigay violence in a gay-friendly country
Authors: Buijs Laurens , Hekma Gert , Duyvendak Jan Willem
Published: March 2012

Considering the tolerant and gay-friendly image of the Netherlands, antigay violence is a remarkably grave problem. By combining a broad survey of Amsterdam youth with in-depth interviews with smaller groups and individual attackers and reviewing recent cases, we conclude that traditional norms of gender and sexuality present in broader society form the breeding ground of the violence. The gay-friendly narrative that dominates discussions on citizenship in the Netherlands – opposing the liberal ‘Dutch’ to the Muslim ‘Other’ – coexists next to traditional norms of gender and sexuality, thereby not challenging the roots of homonegativity. Even perpetrators duplicate the prevailing gay-tolerant rhetoric of Dutch society, but do not refrain from all sorts of violence as soon as they are confronted with aspects of it that collide with traditional norms of gender and sexuality. Peer pressure and the fear of seduction often function as triggers of the violence. However, these situational factors can only be understood in a larger macro-sociological framework, showing the necessity of a multilevel approach in coming towards a comprehensive understanding of antigay violence.
Learning the ABCs: What kinds of picture books facilitate young children’s learning?
Authors: Chiong Cynthia , DeLoache Judy S.
Published: March 2012

One of the most common types of interaction between parents and their very young children is picture-book reading, with alphabet books being one of the most popular types of book used in these interactions. Here we report two studies examining alphabet letter learning by 30- to 36-month-old children in book-reading interactions with an adult. Each child encountered either a standard type of children’s book or a book with manipulative features – flaps, levers, textures and other elements designed to elicit physical manipulation. In the first study, the children learned more letters with the relatively plain books than with a book with manipulative features. The manipulative elements apparently distracted them from the information in that book. In the second study, a manipulative feature that was specifically designed to attract children’s attention to the letters did not facilitate performance. These results are consistent with the theoretical concept of dual representation and they have important practical implications for the design and selection of educationally oriented books for very young children.
Coupled thermodynamic/kinetic model for hydrogen transport during electron beam welding of titanium alloy
Authors: Huang J L , Gebelin J-C , Strangwood M , Reed R C , Warnken N
Published: March 2012

Hydrogen transport during the welding of titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V is analysed. A coupled thermodynamic/kinetic treatment is proposed in which the driving force for hydrogen migration is its chemical potential gradient, which is in turn calculated using the Thermo-Calc software package. The model is applied to the case of the electron beam welding of Ti–6Al–4V, for which a simple process model is presented for the temperature evolution expected. There is a thermodynamic driving force for accumulation of hydrogen in the weld pool. However, agreement with the limited amount of experimental data in the literature for the hydrogen field caused by welding indicates that account needs to be taken of the hydrogen degassing from the weld pool.
Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibition suppresses cell growth and enhances radiation sensitivity in medulloblastoma cells
Authors: Harris Peter S , Venkataraman Sujatha , Alimova Irina , Birks Diane K , Donson Andrew M , Knipstein Jeffrey , Dubuc Adrian , Taylor Michael D , Handler Michael H , Foreman Nicholas K , Vibhakar Rajeev
Published: March 2012

Background

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and remains a therapeutic challenge due to its significant therapy-related morbidity. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is highly expressed in many cancers and regulates critical steps in mitotic progression. Recent studies suggest that targeting PLK1 with small molecule inhibitors is a promising approach to tumor therapy.

Methods

We examined the expression of PLK1 mRNA in medulloblastoma tumor samples using microarray analysis. The impact of PLK1 on cell proliferation was evaluated by depleting expression with RNA interference (RNAi) or by inhibiting function with the small molecule inhibitor BI 2536. Colony formation studies were performed to examine the impact of BI 2536 on medulloblastoma cell radiosensitivity. In addition, the impact of depleting PLK1 mRNA on tumor-initiating cells was evaluated using tumor sphere assays.

Results

Analysis of gene expression in two independent cohorts revealed that PLK1 mRNA is overexpressed in some, but not all, medulloblastoma patient samples when compared to normal cerebellum. Inhibition of PLK1 by RNAi significantly decreased medulloblastoma cell proliferation and clonogenic potential and increased cell apoptosis. Similarly, a low nanomolar concentration of BI 2536, a small molecule inhibitor of PLK1, potently inhibited cell growth, strongly suppressed the colony-forming ability, and increased cellular apoptosis of medulloblastoma cells. Furthermore, BI 2536 pretreatment sensitized medulloblastoma cells to ionizing radiation. Inhibition of PLK1 impaired tumor sphere formation of medulloblastoma cells and decreased the expression of SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2) mRNA in tumor spheres indicating a possible role in targeting tumor inititiating cells.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that targeting PLK1 with small molecule inhibitors, in combination with radiation therapy, is a novel strategy in the treatment of medulloblastoma that warrants further investigation.
Hyperglycemic conditions inhibit C3-mediated immunologic control of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Hair Pamela S , Echague Charlene G , Rohn Reuben D , Krishna Neel K , Nyalwidhe Julius O , Cunnion Kenji M
Published: March 2012

Background

Diabetic patients are at increased risk for bacterial infections; these studies provide new insight into the role of the host defense complement system in controlling bacterial pathogens in hyperglycemic environments.

Methods

The interactions of complement C3 with bacteria in elevated glucose were assayed for complement activation to opsonic forms, phagocytosis and bacterial killing. C3 was analyzed in euglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions by mass spectrometry to measure glycation and structural differences.

Results

Elevated glucose inhibitedS. aureusactivation of C3 and deposition of C3b and iC3b on the bacterial surface.S. aureus-generated C5a and serum-mediated phagocytosis by neutrophils were both decreased in elevated glucose conditions. Interestingly, elevated glucose increased the binding of unactivated C3 toS. aureus, which was reversible on return to normal glucose concentrations. In a model of polymicrobial infection,S. aureusin elevated glucose conditions depleted C3 from serum resulting in decreased complement-mediated killing ofE. coli. To investigate the effect of differing glucose concentration on C3 structure and glycation, purified C3 incubated with varying glucose concentrations was analyzed by mass spectrometry. Glycation was limited to the same three lysine residues in both euglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions over one hour, thus glycation could not account for observed changes between glucose conditions. However, surface labeling of C3 with sulfo-NHS-biotin showed significant changes in the surface availability of seven lysine residues in response to increasing glucose concentrations. These results suggest that the tertiary structure of C3 changes in response to hyperglycemic conditions leading to an altered interaction of C3 with bacterial pathogens.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that hyperglycemic conditions inhibit C3-mediated complement effectors important in the immunological control ofS. aureus. Mass spectrometric analysis reveals that the glycation state of C3 is the same regardless of glucose concentration over a one-hour time period. However, in conditions of elevated glucose C3 appears to undergo structural changes.
MGMT promoter methylation in gliomas-assessment by pyrosequencing and quantitative methylation-specific PCR
Authors: Håvik Annette Bentsen , Brandal Petter , Honne Hilde , Dahlback Hanne-Sofie Spenning , Scheie David , Hektoen Merete , Meling Torstein Ragnar , Helseth Eirik , Heim Sverre , Lothe Ragnhild A , Lind Guro Elisabeth
Published: March 2012

Background

Methylation of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter is a favorable prognostic factor in glioblastoma patients. However, reported methylation frequencies vary significantly partly due to lack of consensus in the choice of analytical method.

Method

We examined 35 low- and 99 high-grade gliomas using quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP) and pyrosequencing. Gene expression level of MGMT was analyzed by RT-PCR.

Results

When examined by qMSP, 26% of low-grade and 37% of high-grade gliomas were found to be methylated, whereas 97% of low-grade and 55% of high-grade gliomas were found methylated by pyrosequencing. The average MGMT gene expression level was significantly lower in the group of patients with a methylated promoter independent of method used for methylation detection. Primary glioblastoma patients with a methylated MGMT promoter (as evaluated by both methylation detection methods) had approximately 5 months longer median survival compared to patients with an unmethylated promoter (log-rank test; pyrosequencing P = .02, qMSP P = .06). One third of the analyzed samples had conflicting methylation results when comparing the data from the qMSP and pyrosequencing. The overall survival analysis shows that these patients have an intermediate prognosis between the groups with concordant MGMT promoter methylation results when comparing the two methods.

Conclusion

In our opinion, MGMT promoter methylation analysis gives sufficient prognostic information to merit its inclusion in the standard management of patients with high-grade gliomas, and in this study pyrosequencing came across as the better analytical method.
Epitaxial deposition of silver ultra-fine nano-clusters on defect-free surfaces of HOPG-derived few-layer graphene in a UHV multi-chamber by in situ STM, ex situ XPS, and ab initio calculations
Authors: Ndlovu Gebhu F , Roos Wiets D , Wang Zhiming M , Asante Joseph KO , Mashapa Matete G , Jafta Charl J , Mwakikunga Bonex W , Hillie Kenneth T
Published: March 2012

The growth of three-dimensional ultra-fine spherical nano-particles of silver on few layers of graphene derived from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite in ultra-high vacuum were characterized using in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in conjunction with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The energetics of the Ag clusters was determined by DFT simulations. The Ag clusters appeared spherical with size distribution averaging approximately 2 nm in diameter. STM revealed the preferred site for the position of the Ag atom in the C-benzene ring of graphene. Of the three sites, the C-C bridge, the C-hexagon hollow, and the direct top of the C atom, Ag prefers to stay on top of the C atom, contrary to expectation of the hexagon-close packing. Ab initio calculations confirm the lowest potential energy between Ag and the graphene structure to be at the exact site determined from STM imaging.
Isolation of dimorphic chloroplasts from the single-cell C4 species Bienertia sinuspersici
Authors: Lung Shiu-Cheung , Yanagisawa Makoto , Chuong Simon DX
Published: March 2012

Three terrestrial plants are known to perform C4 photosynthesis without the dual-cell system by partitioning two distinct types of chloroplasts in separate cytoplasmic compartments. We report herein a protocol for isolating the dimorphic chloroplasts from Bienertia sinuspersici. Hypo-osmotically lysed protoplasts under our defined conditions released intact compartments containing the central chloroplasts and intact vacuoles with adhering peripheral chloroplasts. Following Percoll step gradient purification both chloroplast preparations demonstrated high homogeneities as evaluated from the relative abundance of respective protein markers. This protocol will open novel research directions toward understanding the mechanism of single-cell C4 photosynthesis.
Rat tail static compression model mimics extracellular matrix metabolic imbalances of matrix metalloproteinases, aggrecanases, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Yurube Takashi , Takada Toru , Suzuki Teppei , Kakutani Kenichiro , Maeno Koichiro , Doita Minoru , Kurosaka Masahiro , Nishida Kotaro
Published: March 2012

Introduction

The longitudinal degradation mechanism of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the interbertebral disc remains unclear. Our objective was to elucidate catabolic and anabolic gene expression profiles and their balances in intervertebral disc degeneration using a static compression model.

Methods

Forty-eight 12-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rat tails were instrumented with an Ilizarov-type device with springs and loaded statically at 1.3 MPa for up to 56 days. Experimental loaded and distal-unloaded control discs were harvested and analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) messenger RNA quantification for catabolic genes [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1a, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-13, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)-4, and ADAMTS-5], anti-catabolic genes [tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3], ECM genes [aggrecan-1, collagen type 1-α1, and collagen type 2-α1], and pro-inflammatory cytokine genes [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6]. Immunohistochemistry for MMP-3, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3 was performed to assess their protein expression level and distribution. The presence of MMP- and aggrecanase-cleaved aggrecan neoepitopes was similarly investigated to evaluate aggrecanolytic activity.

Results

Quantitative PCR demonstrated up-regulation of all MMPs and ADAMTS-4 but not ADAMTS-5. TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were almost unchanged while TIMP-3 was down-regulated. Down-regulation of aggrecan-1 and collagen type 2-α1 and up-regulation of collagen type 1-α1 were observed. Despite TNF-α elevation, ILs developed little to no up-regulation. Immunohistochemistry showed, in the nucleus pulposus, the percentage of immunopositive cells of MMP-cleaved aggrecan neoepitope increased from 7 through 56 days with increased MMP-3 and decreased TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 immunopositivity. The percentage of immunopositive cells of aggrecanase-cleaved aggrecan neoepitope increased at 7 and 28 days only with decreased TIMP-3 immunopositivity. In the annulus fibrosus, MMP-cleaved aggrecan neoepitope presented much the same expression pattern. Aggrecanase-cleaved aggrecan neoepitope increased at 7 and 28 days only with increased ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 immunopositivity.

Conclusions

This rat tail sustained static compression model mimics ECM metabolic imbalances of MMPs, aggrecanases, and TIMPs in human degenerative discs. A dominant imbalance of MMP-3/TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 relative to ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5/TIMP-3 signifies an advanced stage of intervertebral disc degeneration.
Effects of a pre-visit educational website on information recall and needs fulfilment in breast cancer genetic counselling, a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Albada Akke , van Dulmen Sandra , Bensing Jozien M , Ausems Margreet GEM
Published: March 2012

Introduction

Pre-visit education which helps counselees to prepare for their first visit for breast cancer genetic counseling might enhance information recall and needs fulfilment. This study assessed the effects of a pre-visit website with tailored information and question prompt sheet (QPS), named E-info geneca.

Methods

A total of 197 counselees were randomized to receive usual care (UC) or UC plus E-info geneca. All counselees completed a pre- and post-visit questionnaire and visits were videotaped. We studied effects on counselees' information recall, knowledge about breast cancer and heredity, fulfillment of needs, risk perception alignment, anxiety and perceived personal control, using multilevel regression analyses.

Results

Intent-to-treat analysis showed that counselees in the intervention group (n = 103) had higher levels of recall of information from the consultation (β = .32; confidence interval (CI): .04 to .60; P = .02; d = .17) and post-visit knowledge of breast cancer and heredity (β = .30; CI: .03 to .57; P = .03) than counselees in the UC group (n = 94). Also, intervention group counselees reported better fulfilment of information needs (β = .31; CI: .03 to .60; P = .03). The effects of the intervention were strongest for those counselees who did not receive an indication for DNA testing. Their recall scores showed a larger increase (β = .95; CI: .32 to 1.59; P = .003; d = .30) and their anxiety levels dropped more in the intervention compared to the UC group (β = -.60; CI: -1.12 to -.09; P = .02). No intervention effects were found after the first visit on risk perception alignment or perceived personal control.

Conclusions

This study shows that pre-counseling education, using tailored information technology, leads to more effective first visits for breast cancer genetic counseling, in particular for counselees who received no indication for DNA testing and, therefore, had no indication for a second visit. Future study should focus on the effects of a pre-visit website on the outcomes after a complete series of visits.

Trial registration

Dutch Trial Register ISRCTN82643064.
Markov-chain Monte Carlo estimation of distributed Debye relaxations in spectral induced polarization
Authors: Keery John , Binley Andrew , Elshenawy Ahmed , Clifford Jeremy
Published: March 2012

There is growing interest in the link between electrical polarization and physical properties of geologic porous media. In particular, spectral characteristics may be controlled by the same pore geometric properties that influence fluid permeability of such media. Various models have been proposed to describe the spectral-induced-polarization (SIP) response of permeable rocks, and the links between these models and hydraulic properties have been explored, albeit empirically. Computation of the uncertainties in the parameters of such electrical models is essential for effective use of these relationships. The formulation of an electrical dispersion model in terms of a distribution of relaxation times and associated chargeabilities has been demonstrated to be an effective generalized approach; however, thus far, such an approach has only been considered in a deterministic framework. Here, we formulate a spectral model based on a distribution of polarizations. By using a simple polynomial descriptor of such a distribution, we are able to cast the model in a stochastic manner and solve it using a Markov-chain Monte Carlo (McMC) sampler, thus allowing the computation of model-parameter uncertainties. We apply the model to synthetic data and demonstrate that the stochastic method can provide posterior distributions of model parameters with narrow bounds around the true values when little or no noise is added to the synthetic data, with posterior distributions that broaden with increasing noise. We also apply our model to experimental measurements of six sandstone samples and compare physical properties of a number of samples of porous media with stochastic estimates of characteristic relaxation times. We demonstrate the utility of our method on electrical spectra with different response characteristics and show that a single metric of relaxation time for the SIP response is not sufficient to provide clear insight into the physical characteristics of a sample.
Cost-Utility Analysis of Primary Prophylaxis Versus Secondary Prophylaxis With Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Elderly Patients With Diffuse Aggressive Lymphoma Receiving Curative-Intent Chemotherapy
Authors: Chan Kelvin K.W. , Siu Eric , Krahn Murray D. , Imrie Kevin , Alibhai Shabbir M.H.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline recommended primary prophylaxis (PP) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) instead of secondary prophylaxis (SP) for elderly patients with diffuse aggressive lymphoma receiving chemotherapy. We examined the cost-effectiveness of PP when compared with SP.

Methods

We conducted a cost-utility analysis to compare PP to SP for diffuse aggressive lymphoma. We used a Markov model with an eight-cycle chemotherapy time horizon with a government-payer perspective and Ontario health, economic, and cost data. Data for efficacies of G-CSF, probabilities, and utilities were obtained from published literature. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was conducted.

Results

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of PP to SP was $700,500 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). One-way sensitivity analyses (willingness-to-pay threshold = $100,000/QALY) showed that if PP were to be cost-effective, the cost of hospitalization for febrile neutropenia (FN) had to be more than $31,138 (2.5 × > base case), the cost of G-CSF per cycle less than $960 (base case = $1,960), the risk of first-cycle FN more than 47% (base case = 24%), or the relative risk reduction of FN with G-CSF more than 91% (base case = 41%). Our result was robust to all variables. PSA revealed a 10% probability of PP being cost-effective over SP at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY.

Conclusion

PP is not cost-effective when compared with SP in this population. PP becomes attractive only if the cost of hospitalization for FN is significantly higher or the cost of G-CSF is significantly lower.
Prospective Study of 2-[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in the Assessment of Regional Nodal Spread of Disease in Patients With Breast Cancer: An Ontario Clinical Oncology Group Study
Authors: Pritchard Kathleen I. , Julian Jim A. , Holloway Claire M.B. , McCready David , Gulenchyn Karen Yvonne , George Ralph , Hodgson Nicole , Lovrics Peter , Perera Francisco , Elavathil Leela , O'Malley Frances P. , Down Nancy , Bodurtha Audley , Shelley Wendy , Levine Mark N.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

2-[18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is potentially useful in assessing lymph nodes and detecting distant metastases in women with primary breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

Women diagnosed with operable breast cancer within 3 months underwent FDG-PET at one of five Ontario study centers followed by axillary lymph node assessment (ALNA) consisting of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone if sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were negative, SLNB with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) if SLNB or PET was positive, or ALND alone if SLNs were not identified.

Results

Between January 2005 and March 2007, 325 analyzable women entered this study. Sentinel nodes were found for 312 (96%) of 325 women and were positive for tumor in 90 (29%) of 312. ALND was positive in seven additional women. Using ALNA as the gold standard, sensitivity for PET was 23.7% (95% CI, 15.9% to 33.6%), specificity was 99.6% (95% CI, 97.2% to 99.9%), positive predictive value was 95.8% (95% CI, 76.9% to 99.8%), negative predictive value was 75.4% (95% CI, 70.1% to 80.1%), and prevalence was 29.8% (95% CI, 25.0% to 35.2%). Using logistic regression, tumor size was predictive for prevalence of tumor in the axilla and for PET sensitivity. PET scan was suspicious for distant metastases in 13 patients; three (0.9%) were confirmed as metastatic disease and 10 (3.0%) were false positive.

Conclusion

FDG-PET is not sufficiently sensitive to detect positive axillary lymph nodes, nor is it sufficiently specific to appropriately identify distant metastases. However, the very high positive predictive value (96%) suggests that PET when positive is indicative of disease in axillary nodes, which may influence surgical care.
Assessing the Impact of a Cooperative Group Trial on Breast Cancer Care in the Medicare Population
Authors: Soulos Pamela R. , Yu James B. , Roberts Kenneth B. , Raldow Ann C. , Herrin Jeph , Long Jessica B. , Gross Cary P.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) C9343 trial found that adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) provided minimal benefits for older women with breast cancer. Although treatment guidelines were changed to indicate that some women could forego RT, the impact of the C9343 results on clinical practice is unclear.

Patients and Methods

We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) –Medicare data set to assess the use of adjuvant RT in a sample of women ≥ 70 years old diagnosed with stage I breast cancer from 2001 to 2007 who fulfilled the C9343 inclusion criteria. We used log-binomial regression to estimate the relation between publication of C9343 and use of RT in the full sample and across strata of patient and health system characteristics.

Results

Of the 12,925 Medicare beneficiaries in our sample (mean age, 77.7 years), 76.5% received RT. Approximately 79% of women received RT before study publication compared with 75% after (adjusted relative risk of receiving RT postpublication v prepublication: 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95 to 0.98). Although use of RT was lower after the trial within all strata of age and life expectancy, the magnitude of this decrease did not differ significantly by strata. For instance, among patients with life expectancy less than 5 years, RT use decreased by 3.7%, from 44.4% prepublication to 40.7% postpublication. Among patients with life expectancy ≥ 10 years, RT use decreased by 3.0%, from 92.0% to 89.0%.

Conclusion

The C9343 trial had minimal impact on the use of RT among older women in the Medicare population, even among the oldest women and those with shorter life expectancies.
Subjects in Difference: Walter Benjamin, Frantz Fanon, and Postcolonial Theory
Authors: Chaudhary Zahid R.
Published: March 2012

This essay aims to rethink historical difference in light of Walter Benjamin’s formulation of mimesis and Frantz Fanon’s phenomenology of difference. Divided into three parts, the essay engages Dipesh Chakrabarty’s account of historical difference, considers how an understanding of mimesis might safeguard against some of the philosophical pitfalls within Chakrabarty’s formulation, and revisits Fanon for an explication of a theory of mimesis and difference that may be the grounds for a renewed understanding of historical difference. The essay makes a case for the relevance of Frankfurt School dialectics for postcolonial problematics.
Changes in intra-nuclear mobility of mature snRNPs provide a mechanism for splicing defects in Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Authors: Clelland Allyson Kara , Bales Alexandra Beatrice Elizabeth , Sleeman Judith Elizabeth
Published: March 2012

It is becoming increasingly clear that defects in RNA metabolism can lead to disease. Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a leading genetic cause of infant mortality, results from insufficient amounts of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. SMN is required for the biogenesis of snRNPs: essential components of the spliceosome. Splicing abnormalities have been detected in models of SMA but it is unclear how lowered SMN affects the fidelity of pre-mRNA splicing. We have examined the dynamics of mature snRNPs in cells depleted of SMN and demonstrated that SMN depletion increases the mobility of mature snRNPs within the nucleus. To dissect the molecular mechanism by which SMN deficiency affects intra-nuclear snRNP mobility, we employed a panel of inhibitors of different stages of pre-mRNA processing. This in vivo modeling demonstrates that snRNP mobility is altered directly as a result of impaired snRNP maturation. Current models of nuclear dynamics predict that sub-nuclear structures, including the spliceosome, form by self-organization mediated by stochastic interactions between their molecular components. Thus, alteration of the intra-nuclear mobility of snRNPs provides a molecular mechanism for splicing defects in SMA.
Intra-hematopoietic cell fusion as a source of somatic variation in the hematopoietic system
Authors: Skinner Amy M. , Grompe Markus , Kurre Peter
Published: March 2012

Cell fusion plays a well-recognized, physiologic role during development. Bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells have been shown to fuse with non-hematopoietic cells in a wide variety of tissues. Some organs appear to resolve the changes in ploidy status, generating functional and mitotically-competent events. However, cell fusion exclusively involving hematopoietic cells has not been reported. Indeed, genomic copy number variation (CNV) in highly replicative hematopoietic cells is widely considered a hallmark of malignant transformation. Here we show that cell fusion occurs between cells of the hematopoietic system under injury as well as non-injury conditions. Experiments reveal the acquisition of genetic markers in fusion products, their tractable maintenance during hematopoietic differentiation and long-term persistence after serial transplantation. Fusion events were identified in clonogenic progenitors as well as differentiated myeloid and lymphoid cells. These observations provide a new experimental model for the study of non-pathogenic somatic diversity in the hematopoietic system.
The Non-coding 3′UTR of CD44 Induces Metastasis by Regulating Extracellular Matrix Functions
Authors: Jeyapalan Zina , Yang Burton B.
Published: March 2012

The importance of non-coding RNA transcripts in regulating microRNA (miRNA) functions, especially the 3′ untranslated region (UTR), has been revealed in recent years. Genes encoding the extracellular matrix normally produce large mRNA transcripts including the 3′UTR. How these large transcripts affect miRNA functions and how miRNAs modulate the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein expression are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the over-expression of the CD44 3′UTR results in enhanced cell motility, invasion and cell adhesion in human breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231. Furthermore, we found that expression of the CD44 3′UTR enhances metastasis in vivo. We hypothesized that the increased expression of the CD44 3′UTR affected miRNA binding and modulated synthesis of the extracellular matrix. Computational analysis indicated that miRNAs that interact with the CD44 3′UTR also have binding sites in other matrix encoding mRNA 3′UTRs, including collagen type 1α1 (Col1α1) repressed by miR-328 and fibronectin type 1 (FN1) repressed by miR-512-3p, miR-491 and miR-671. Protein analysis demonstrated that expression of CD44, Col1α1, and FN1 were synergistically up-regulated in vitro and in vivo upon transfection of the CD44 3′UTR. The non-coding 3′UTR of CD44 interacts with multiple miRNAs that target extracellular matrix properties and thus can be used to antagonize miRNA activities.
GRIM-19 Mediated Translocation of STAT3 to Mitochondria is Necessary for TNF Induced Necroptosis.
Authors: Shulga Nataly , Pastorino John G.
Published: March 2012

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) can induce necroptosis, wherein inhibition of caspase activity prevents apoptosis but initiates an alternative programmed necrosis. The activity of receptor interacting protein kinase- 1 (RIPK-1) is required for necroptosis to proceed, with suppression of RIPK-1 expression or inhibition of RIPK-1 activity with necrostatin-1 preventing TNF induced necroptosis. Downstream from the TNF receptor, the generation of reactive oxygen species at the mitochondria has been identified as necessary for the execution of necroptosis; with antioxidants and inhibitors of mitochondrial complex I preventing TNF induced cytotoxicity. However components of the signaling pathway that lay between activated RIPK-1 and the mitochondria are unknown. In the present study we demonstrate that during TNF induced necroptosis, STAT3 is phosphorylated on serine 727, which is dependent on RIPK-1 expression or activity. The phosphorylation of STAT3 induces interaction with GRIM-19, a subunit of mitochondrial complex I, with a resultant translocation of STAT3 to the mitochondria, where it induces an increase of reactive oxygen species production and cell death.
Sequential combination treatment (arterial embolization and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation) of inoperable renal cell carcinoma: single-center pilot study
Authors: Nakasone Yutaka , Kawanaka Koichi , Ikeda Osamu , Tamura Yoshitaka , Yamashita Yasuyuki
Published: March 2012

Background

Potential drawbacks of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) include local recurrence after RFA due to a limited ablation area, massive hemorrhage induced by kidney puncture, and difficulty in visualizing the tumor at CT-guided puncture.

Purpose

To evaluate retrospectively the technical success, effectiveness, and complications elicited in patients with unresectable RCC following single-session sequential combination treatment consisting of renal arterial embolization followed by RFA.

Material and Methods

Ten patients (12 RCCs) who were not candidates for surgery were included in this pilot study. All tumors ranged from 18–66 mm in size (mean 31 ± 3.9 mm), and were percutaneously ablated several hours after embolization of the tumor vessels with iodized oil and gelatin sponges. We evaluated the technical success, effectiveness, effect on renal function, and complications of this treatment. Effectiveness was judged on CT and/or MR images obtained every three months after RFA. The effect on renal function was assessed based on the creatinine level and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) before, one week, and three months after the procedure.

Results

Renal arterial embolization followed by percutaneous RFA was technically successful in all patients. On contrast CT and/or MR images obtained one week and three months after RFA we observed necrosis in the embolized segment of all RCCs. There were no major complications during and after the procedure. All patients reported tolerable pain and a burning sensation during RFA. After the procedure, five patients (50%) experienced back pain, one each manifested fluid collection, subcapsular hematomas, hematuria, or nausea. There were no instances of recurrence during a mean follow-up period of 47 ± 3.8 months. We noted no significant difference in serum creatinine and GFR before and after treatment.

Conclusion

Our pilot study suggests that sequential combination treatment by renal arterial embolization followed by percutaneous RFA is feasible in patients with inoperable RCC. The treatment complications were acceptable and excellent effects were obtained.
Evaluation of middle cerebral artery stents using multidetector row CT angiography in vivo study: comparison of the three different kernels
Authors: Jang Jin Hee , Lim Yeon Soo , Lee Youn Joo , Yoo Won Jong , Sung Mi Sook , Kim Bum Soo
Published: March 2012

Background

There are very few reports assessing middle cerebral artery (MCA) stents using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).

Purpose

To assess MCA stents using multidetector CT angiography (CTA) in vivo evaluation: the differences in the CTA results according to the three different kernels.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 27 MCA stents from 26 patients who underwent CTA with 16- and 64-slice MDCT after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS). By CTA, using medium-smooth kernel (B30), medium-sharp kernel (B50), and sharp kernel (B60), the lumen diameter, artificial luminal narrowing (ALN), and subjective visibility score of the stented vessels were evaluated. The subjective visibility score ranged from 1 (poor quality) to 5 (excellent) using a five-point scale.

Results

There were excellent inter-observer agreements for the lumen diameter measurements ( P < 0.001). The mean diameter of the stented vessels was 2.10 ± 0.31 mm on digital subtraction angiography (DSA), 0.93 ± 0.20 mm on CTA using B30, 1.18 ± 0.27 mm on CTA using B50, and 1.29 ± 0.29 mm on CTA using B60. The mean ALN was 55.7 ± 6.0% on CTA using B30, 43.8 ±7.5% on CTA using B50, and 38.7 ± 8.3% on CTA using B60. CTA with higher kernels had a smaller ALN than images with smaller kernels. The median subjective visibility score on the CTA using B50 was 3, which was higher than for the other kernels. The differences in the lumen diameter, ALN, and the subjective visibility score of the stented vessels on CTA using the three different kernels was statistically significant ( P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The sharp kernel was better to assess the lumen diameter and ALN, but was inferior to the medium-sharp kernel for in-stent evaluation due to high image-to-noise. CTA with medium-sharp kernel showed good lumen visibility and acceptable ALN for MCA stents. This could therefore be a non-invasive, readily applicable clinical method for assessing MCA stent patency after stent placement.
Agaricus bisporuslectins mediates isletβ-cell proliferation through regulation of cell cycle proteins
Authors: Wang Yi , Liu Yuande , Wang Hailian , Li Chunyang , Qi Ping , Bao Jinku
Published: March 2012

This study was designed to determine the therapeutic effect of Agaricus bisporus lectins (ABL) by the regeneration of β-cells in mice following 70% partial pancreatectomy (PPx), and to explore the mechanisms of ABL-induced β-cell proliferation. Adult C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a 70% PPx operation or a sham operation, and mice received 10 mg/kg body weight of ABL or saline immediately after surgery. Blood glucose concentrations and insulin secretion levels were measured. To determine the growth rates of β-cells and duct cells, immunohistological analysis of pancreatic tissues was performed. Key cell cycle proteins and β-cell specific genes were measured by realtime polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and immunohistological staining. In this study, a significant decrease in blood glucose concentrations, increase in glucose tolerance and expanded β-cell mass were observed in the ABL-treated mice. At the same time, after ABL treatment, increased β-cell proliferation rates were observed. Further studies on the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin D2 and Cdk4 demonstrated that these genes were significantly up-regulated in the ABL-treated mice. Meanwhile, Cdk4 activity was also enhanced. Moreover, the expression of PDX-1 (pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1), Ngn3 (neurogenin 3), insulin, GLUT-1 (glucose transporter 1) and glucokinase was also increased in the ABL-treated mice. These findings demonstrate that ABL administration could partially reverse the impaired β-cell growth potential by regulating cell cycle proteins. Induction of islet β-cell proliferation by ABL suggests the therapeutic potential in preventing and/or treating diabetes.
Qualitative inquiry into women's menopause experiences in southeastern Iran
Authors: Alidoosti Kobra , Abbaszadeh Abbas , Hosseininasab Ali
Published: March 2012

Menopause is defined as amenorrhea for one year. Signs and symptoms are categorized as physical and psychological changes, including depression, hot flushes and ageing. Woman's responses to menopause are governed by lifestyle factors. The purpose of this study was to determine how Iranian women experience menopause and hormone therapy. A qualitative inquiry was conducted through semistructured, in-depth interviews to explore study questions in 11 menopausal women. Participants had positive and negative menopause experiences. Negative menopause experiences are due to severity of symptoms. Menopause can be facilitated by increasing women's knowledge about this phase and ways to cope with it.