bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive model of how reality distortion and symptoms occur in schizophrenia: Could impairment in learning‐dependent predictive perception account for the manifestations of schizophrenia?
Authors: Krishnan Ranga R. , Kraus Michael S. , Keefe Richard S. E.
Published: March 2011

Conventional wisdom has not laid out a clear and uniform profile of schizophrenia as a unitary entity. One of the key first steps in elucidating the neurobiology of this entity would be to characterize the essential and common elements in the group of entities called schizophrenia. Kraepelin in his introduction notes ‘the conviction seems to be more and more gaining ground that dementia praecox on the whole represents, a well characterized form of disease, and that we are justified in regarding the majority of the clinical pictures which are brought together here as the expression of a single morbid process, though outwardly they often diverge very far from one another’. But what is that single morbid process? We suggest that just as the uniform defect in all types of cancer is impaired regulation of cell proliferation, the primary defect in the group of entities called schizophrenia is persistent defective hierarchical temporal processing. This manifests in the form of chronic memory‐prediction errors or deficits in learning‐dependent predictive perception. These deficits account for the symptoms that present as reality distortion (delusions, thought disorder and hallucinations). This constellation of symptoms corresponds with the profile of most patients currently diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. In this paper we describe how these deficits can lead to the various symptoms of schizophrenia.
Overexpression of Eg5 predicts unfavorable prognosis in non‐muscle invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Ding Sentai , Xing Naidong , Lu Jiaju , Zhang Hui , Nishizawa Koji , Liu Shuai , Yuan Xiaodong , Qin Yejun , Liu Ying , Ogawa Osuma , Nishiyama Hiroyuki
Published: March 2011

Objective:  To investigate the relationship between Eg5 expression and prognosis of patients with non‐muscle invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Methods:  Eg5 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in non‐muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma specimens (grade: G1, 32 cases; G2, 92 cases; and G3, 39 cases. Stage: pTa, 49 cases and pT1, 114 cases). The correlation between clinicopathological characteristics and Eg5 expression was evaluated. The prognostic significance of Eg5 immunoreactivity was analyzed through survival analysis in 163 non‐muscle invasive cases that were treated with transurethral resection and adjuvant intravesical instillations.

Results:  The expression of Eg5 was significantly associated with tumor grade (P = 0.006), with a trend towards significant association with stage (P = 0.057). The 163 patients with non‐muscle invasive tumors were regularly followed with the mean of 32.52 (from 6 to 72) months. Univariate analysis showed Eg5 overexpression exhibited a significant unfavorable influence on intravesical recurrence (P = 0.012) while having only a marginal correlation with disease progression (P = 0.070). Subsequent Cox hazard multivariate analysis showed that both grade (P = 0.045) and Eg5 expression (P = 0.029) were independent predictors for early intravesical recurrence.

Conclusions:  Overexpression of Eg5 correlates with poor differentiation of bladder cancer, and it represents an independent prognostic factor in predicting early intravesical recurrence in non‐muscle invasive bladder carcinoma patients.
Families' experience of harmony and disharmony in systemic psychotherapy and its effects on family life
Authors: Yap Patricia Michelle Eng Hui , Tan Boon Huat
Published: March 2011

Family harmony is highly valued by Asian families. This qualitative study sets out to explore the contribution that harmony makes to therapy. Four Singaporean Chinese family members, a mother and daughter from one family, and a sister and brother from another, were interviewed about harmony and disharmony. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to make sense of the in‐depth interviews. The results suggested that family harmony was important and was defined as harmonious co‐existence in family life. Systemic psychotherapy sessions successfully influenced the family members' experience of harmony and disharmony with other members and contributed to harmony in therapy and family life. Lastly, the participants detailed the links between harmony or disharmony and systems at the individual, family and sociocultural levels. The findings highlight the fact that therapists who work with families of Asian origin need to understand how harmony is perceived by them. Asking reflexive questions from an authoritative position that is respectful of clients is recommended to contribute to self‐healing in disharmonious families. Furthermore, therapists may wish to use aspects of individual, family and sociocultural systems that can contribute to family harmony.
The Big Five Personality Factors as Predictors of Changes Across Time in Burnout and Its Facets
Authors: Armon Galit , Shirom Arie , Melamed Samuel
Published: March 2011

We tested the effects of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness on burnout across time, controlling for age, gender, work hours, and depressive symptoms. Our theoretical model included both global burnout and its physical, emotional, and cognitive facets, consistent with the bifactor approach to modeling second‐order constructs in structural equation modeling. Data were gathered from 1,105 respondents (63% men) who completed questionnaires at Time 1 (T1) and approximately 24 months later at Time 2 (T2). Neuroticism positively predicted T1 global burnout and negatively predicted T1 and T2 emotional exhaustion. Conscientiousness negatively predicted T1 global burnout and T1 and T2 cognitive weariness, and positively predicted T1 and T2 emotional exhaustion. Our gender‐specific exploratory analysis revealed that for each gender, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness predicted different facets of burnout at T1 and T2. We recommend that future research test the possibility that the associations of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness with global burnout and its facets may be gender specific.
Plastid expression of a double‐pentameric vaccine candidate containing human papillomavirus‐16 L1 antigen fused with LTB as adjuvant: transplastomic plants show pleiotropic phenotypes
Authors: Waheed Mohammad T. , Thönes Nadja , Müller Martin , Hassan Syed W. , Gottschamel Johanna , Lössl Elke , Kaul Hans‐Peter , Lössl Andreas G.
Published: March 2011

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer in women worldwide, which is currently prevented by vaccines based on virus‐like particles (VLPs). However, these vaccines have certain limitations in their availability to developing countries, largely due to elevated costs. Concerning the highest burden of disease in resource‐poor countries, development of an improved mucosal and cost‐effective vaccine is a necessity. As an alternative to VLPs, capsomeres have been shown to be highly immunogenic and can be used as vaccine candidate. Furthermore, coupling of an adjuvant like Escherichia coli heat‐labile enterotoxin subunit B (LTB) to an antigen can increase its immunogenicity and reduce the costs related to separate co‐administration of adjuvants. Our study demonstrates the expression of two pentameric proteins: the modified HPV‐16 L1 (L1_2xCysM) and LTB as a fusion protein in tobacco chloroplasts. Homoplasmy of the transplastomic plants was confirmed by Southern blotting. Western blot analysis showed that the LTB‐L1 fusion protein was properly expressed in the plastids and the recombinant protein was estimated to accumulate up to 2% of total soluble protein. Proper folding and display of conformational epitopes for both LTB and L1 in the fusion protein was confirmed by GM1‐ganglioside binding assay and antigen capture ELISA, respectively. However, all transplastomic lines showed chlorosis, male sterility and growth retardation, which persisted in the ensuing four generations studied. Nevertheless, plants reached maturity and produced seeds by pollination with wild‐type plants. Taken together, these results pave the way for the possible development of a low‐cost adjuvant‐coupled vaccine with potentially improved immunogenicity against cervical cancer.
Chloroplast‐derived vaccines against human diseases: achievements, challenges and scopes
Authors: Lössl Andreas G. , Waheed Mohammad T.
Published: March 2011

Infectious diseases represent a continuously growing menace that has severe impact on health of the people worldwide, particularly in the developing countries. Therefore, novel prevention and treatment strategies are urgently needed to reduce the rate of these diseases in humans. For this reason, different options can be considered for the production of affordable vaccines. Plants have been proved as an alternative expression system for various compounds of biological importance. Particularly, plastid genetic engineering can be potentially used as a tool for cost‐effective vaccine production. Antigenic proteins from different viruses and bacteria have been expressed in plastids. Initial immunological studies of chloroplast‐derived vaccines have yielded promising results in animal models. However, because of certain limitations, these vaccines face many challenges on production and application level. Adaptations to the novel approaches are needed, which comprise codon usage and choice of proven expression cassettes for the optimal yield of expressed proteins, use of inducible systems, marker gene removal, selection of specific antigens with high immunogenicity and development of tissue culture systems for edible crops to prove the concept of low‐cost edible vaccines. As various aspects of plant‐based vaccines have been discussed in recent reviews, here we will focus on certain aspects of chloroplast transformation related to vaccine production against human diseases.
Youth and the revolution in Egypt (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Shahine Selim H.
Published: March 2011

The 2011 popular uprising that led to the overthrow of the Egyptian regime was initiated by groups of engaged ‘internet youth’. In this editorial I offer some personal reflections on the shift in political consciousness among Egypt's urban middle‐class youth, and on the discourse about generations that has unified Egyptians during the momentous events currently sweeping the Arab world. Whereas for members of my generation, the ‘stability’ of the Egyptian regime connoted comforts and opportunities, for today's Egyptian youth, it had come to signify no prospects for the future.
A ‘clash of civilizations’ on Mafia Island? The story of a dance festival (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Caplan Pat
Published: March 2011

This paper considers what happened when it was proposed to hold a large trance‐dance festival, formerly held in Greece, on Mafia Island, one of the poorest and most remote districts of Tanzania. While festival organizers sought to portray Mafia as an exotic, unspoiled and unchanged place, a majority of local people opposed the festival for a number of reasons, the chief one being that the arrival of several thousand young Westerners for an event of this kind would threaten their customs and traditions. Following a lengthy and complex decision‐making process involving actors both on and off the island, official permission to hold the festival was eventually refused, just a month before it was due to start and after many tickets had already been sold.
Happy to See Me, Aren’t You, Sally? Signal Detection Analysis of Emotion Detection in Briefly Presented Male and Female Faces
Authors: PIXTON TONYA S.
Published: March 2011

Pixton, T. S. (2011). Happy to see me, aren’t you, Sally? Signal detection analysis of emotion detection in briefly presented male and female faces. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 361–368.

Using signal detection methods, possible effects of emotion type (happy, angry), gender of the stimulus face, and gender of the participant on the detection and response bias of emotion in briefly presented faces were investigated. Fifty‐seven participants (28 men, 29 women) viewed 90 briefly presented faces (30 happy, 30 angry, and 30 neutral, each with 15 male and 15 female faces) answering yes if the face was perceived as emotional and no if it was not perceived as emotional. Sensitivity [d’, z(hit rate) minus z(false alarm rate)] and response bias (β, likelihood ratio of “signal plus noise” vs. “noise”) were measured for each face combination for each presentation time (6.25, 12.50, 18.75, 25.00, 31.25 ms). The d’ values were higher for happy than for angry faces and higher for angry‐male than for angry‐female faces, and there were no effects of gender‐of‐participant. Results also suggest a greater tendency for participants to judge happy‐female faces as emotional, as shown by lower β values for these faces as compared to the other emotion‐gender combinations. This happy‐female response bias suggests, at least, a partial explanation to happy‐superiority effects in studies where performance is only measured as percent correct responses, and, in general, that women are expected to be happy.
Preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Psychiatric Scepticism Scale
Authors: SWAMI VIREN , FURNHAM ADRIAN
Published: March 2011

Swami, V. & Furnham, A. (2011). Preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Psychiatric Scepticism Scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 399–403.

Despite much commentary on “psychiatric skepticism”, there remains a dearth of appropriate psychometric scales for the measurement of this concept. To overcome this limitation, the present study examined the psychometric properties and correlates of the recently developed Psychiatric Scepticism Scale (PSS). A total of 564 individuals from the community in London, England, completed the PSS along with measures of anti‐scientific attitudes, attitudes to authority, knowledge of mental health disorders, and demographics. Results showed that the PSS has a one‐dimensional factor structure with very good internal consistency. In addition, it showed adequate convergent (anti‐scientific attitudes, knowledge of mental health disorders) and construct validity (attitudes to authority, religiosity). Results also showed that there were small but significant differences in psychiatric skepticism by ethnicity and education, but not sex or previous diagnosis of mental health disorder. These results confirm that the PSS has adequate psychometric properties for the measurement of psychiatric skepticism.
Onset of summer flowering in a ‘Sky Island’ is driven by monsoon moisture
Authors: Crimmins Theresa M. , Crimmins Michael A. , Bertelsen C. David
Published: March 2011

See also the Commentary by Primack and Miller‐Rushing
Selective suppression of self‐initiated sounds in an auditory stream: An ERP study
Authors: Baess Pamela , Horváth János , Jacobsen Thomas , Schröger Erich
Published: March 2011

Numerous studies have shown that the N1 event‐related potential (ERP) response is attenuated when it is elicited by self‐initiated sounds. This N1 suppression effect is generally interpreted to reflect an internal prediction mechanism, which enables the discrimination of the sensory consequences of our own actions and those of others. The blocked design used in the forerunner studies (i.e., self‐ and externally initiated sounds presented in different blocks) seriously limits the relevance of these findings, because the N1 effect can simply be explained by contextual task differences. In the present study, self‐ and externally initiated sounds were mixed within blocks. N1 suppression was found, and its magnitude was even larger than that observed in a traditional blocked condition. This result supports the involvement of an internal prediction mechanism in the discrimination of the sensory consequences of one's own actions and those of others.
Expecting the unexpected: An N400 study of risky sentence processing in adolescents
Authors: Grose‐Fifer Jillian , Hoover Steven , Zottoli Tina , Rodrigues Andrea
Published: March 2011

Teens often engage in risk taking. Avoiding risk may be aided by rapid access to cognitive models for danger. This study investigated whether these schemata are immature in adolescence. An N400 sentential priming paradigm compared risky, predictable, and incongruent sentence processing in adolescents and adults. Adults and teens processed predictable sentences similarly, as evidenced by equivalent N400 priming. However, in adults, more activation was required to access final words in a risky sentence than when the situation was predictable and benign. Conversely, teens showed little difference in N400s generated by risky or expected sentences. This suggests that risky scenario final words were unexpected for adults but not for adolescents because of age‐related differences in world knowledge and risk‐related schemata. This study may help to explain why teenagers engage in risky activities when there is little time for deliberative thought.
The postcranial osteology and phylogenetic position of the small ornithischian dinosaur Changchunsaurus parvus from the Quantou Formation (Cretaceous: Aptian–Cenomanian) of Jilin Province, north‐eastern China
Authors: BUTLER RICHARD J. , LIYONG JIN , JUN CHEN , GODEFROIT PASCAL
Published: March 2011

Abstract:  Ornithopods were the most important group of Cretaceous ornithischians and achieved high levels of abundance and taxonomic diversity. An understanding of the phylogeny, early evolution and diagnosis of the clade is hampered by a shortage of detailed anatomical descriptions of basal taxa. One of the most important basal ornithopod taxa discovered in recent years is Changchunsaurus parvus, from the Quantou Formation (‘middle’ Cretaceous) of Jilin Province, China, represented by excellent cranial and postcranial material. Here, we present the first description of the postcranial anatomy of the holotype specimen of Changchunsaurus and provide comparisons to other basal cerapodans and basal ornithopods. A phylogenetic analysis finds relationships amongst basal ornithopods to be extremely poorly resolved, but supports a sister‐group relationship between Changchunsaurus and Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis from the Yixian Formation (late Barremian–early Aptian) of Liaoning Province, China. Numerous characters distinguish the two taxa, supporting their generic distinction. The proposed sister‐group relationship suggests that an endemic clade of small‐bodied bipedal ornithopods existed in north‐east China during the Early to ‘middle’ Cretaceous.
The cannabinoid receptor inverse agonist AM251 regulates the expression of the EGF receptor and its ligands via destabilization of oestrogen‐related receptor α protein
Authors: Fiori JL , Sanghvi M , O'Connell MP , Krzysik‐Walker SM , Moaddel R , Bernier M
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE AM251 is an inverse agonist of the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) that can exert ‘off‐target’ effects in vitro and in CB1R knock‐out mice. AM251 is also potent at modulating tumour cell growth, suggesting that growth factor‐mediated oncogenic signalling could be regulated by AM251. Since dysregulation of the EGF receptor has been associated with carcinogenesis, we examined AM251 regulation of EGF receptor (EGFR) expression and function.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The various biological functions of AM251 were measured in CB1R‐negative human cancer cells. Pharmacological and genetic approaches were used to validate the data.

KEY RESULTS The mRNA levels for EGFR and its associated ligands, including HB‐EGF, were induced several fold in PANC‐1 and HCT116 cells in response to AM251. This event was associated with enhanced expression of EGFR on the cell surface with concomitant increase in EGF‐induced cellular responses in AM251‐treated cells. Exposure to XCT790, a synthetic inverse agonist of the orphan nuclear oestrogen‐related receptor α (ERRα), also induced EGFR and HB‐EGF expression to the same extent as AM251, whereas pretreatment with the ERRα‐selective agonist, biochanin A, blunted AM251 actions. AM251 promoted the degradation of ERRα protein without loss of the corresponding mRNA. Knock‐down of ERRα by siRNA‐based approach led to constitutive induction of EGFR and HB‐EGF levels, and eliminated the biological responses of AM251 and XCT790. Finally, AM251 displaced diethylstilbestrol prebound to the ligand‐binding domain of ERRα.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS AM251 up‐regulates EGFR expression and signalling via a novel non‐CB1R‐mediated pathway involving destabilization of ERRα protein in selected cancer cell lines.
Influence of ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of risperidone in healthy subjects with CYP2D6*10/*10
Authors: Yoo Hee‐Doo , Lee Sang‐No , Kang Hyun‐Ah , Cho Hea‐Young , Lee Il‐Kwon , Lee Yong‐Bok
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The objective of this study was to investigate the combined influence of genetic polymorphisms in ABCB1 and CYP2D6 genes on risperidone pharmacokinetics.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Seventy‐two healthy Korean volunteers receiving a single oral dose of 2 mg risperidone were included in this study.

KEY RESULTS Significant differences were observed between the ABCB1 3435C>T genotypes for the pharmacokinetic parameters (peak serum concentration) of risperidone and the active moiety (risperidone and its main metabolite, 9‐hydroxyrisperidone). There were no significant differences in the area under the serum concentration‐time curves of risperidone and the active moiety among the ABCB1 2677G>T/A and 3435C>T genotypes. However, the peak serum concentration and area under the serum concentration‐time curves were significantly different among the ABCB1 3435C>T genotypes in CYP2D6*10/*10.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings indicate that polymorphisms of ABCB1 3435C>T in individuals with CYP2D6*10/*10, which has low metabolic activity, could play an important role in the potential adverse effects or toxicity of risperidone.
Kaempferol acts through mitogen‐activated protein kinases and protein kinase B/AKT to elicit protection in a model of neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells
Authors: Park SE , Sapkota K , Kim S , Kim H , Kim SJ
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Kaempferol, a dietary flavonoid and phyto‐oestrogen, is known to have anti‐inflammatory properties. Microglial activation has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases. Anti‐inflammatory effects of kaempferol and the underlying mechanisms were investigated by using LPS‐stimulated microglial BV2 cells.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Cell viability was measured using MTT and neutral red assays. elisa, Western blot, immunocytochemistry and electrophoretic mobility‐shift assay were used to analyse NO, PGE2, TNF‐α and IL‐1β production, inducible NOS (iNOS), COX‐2 expression and the involvement of signalling pathways such as toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4), MAPK cascades, PKB (AKT) and NF‐κB. Accumulation of reaction oxygen species (ROS) was measured by nitroblue tetrazolium and 2′7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay. Matrix metalloproteinase activity was investigated by zymography and immunoblot assay. Phagocytotic activity was assessed by use of latex beads.

KEY RESULTS Kaempferol significantly attenuated LPS‐induced NO, PGE2, TNF‐α, IL‐1β and ROS production and phagocytosis in a concentration‐dependent manner. Kaempferol suppressed the expression of iNOS, COX‐2, MMP‐3 and blocked the TLR4 activation. Moreover, kaempferol inhibited LPS‐induced NF‐κB activation and p38 MAPK, JNK and AKT phosphorylation.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Kaempferol was able to reduce LPS‐induced inflammatory mediators through the down‐regulation of TLR4, NF‐κB, p38 MAPK, JNK and AKT suggesting that kaempferol has therapeutic potential for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases.
A novel model for evaluating the risk of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation
Authors: Xu Xiao , Tu Zhenhua , Wang Bei , Ling Qi , Zhang Lin , Zhou Lin , Jiang Guoping , Wu Jian , Zheng Shusen
Published: March 2011

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence is a major risk factor affecting the long‐term survival of recipients for liver transplantation (LTx). Therefore, a model that can assess this risk before transplantation is highly desirable.

Methods: One hundred and eighty‐five consecutive liver transplant recipients because of HBV‐related end‐stage liver diseases were selected. Their perioperative laboratory examination results, treatment protocol and the status of HBV recurrence were the primary parameters used to assess their risk of post‐transplant HBV recurrence. A model that may be generally used to evaluate the risk of post‐transplant HBV recurrence was thus established. A cohort for further validation and a cross‐validation were designed.

Results: After a follow‐up time of 26.0 ± 10.8 months, the overall HBV recurrence rate was 8.6%. The 1‐, 2‐ and 3‐year cumulative survival rates were 98.5, 89.2 and 83.4% respectively. By correlation with the pretransplant presence of hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC), serum HBV DNA level and status of antiviral treatment (AVT), the risk assessment model can be summarized using the following equation: RISK=−4.378+1.493 × HCC+1.286 × DNA−2.426 × AVT. The HBV recurrence rate and survival were found to be significantly different between the recipients with risk scores≤−2.8 and>−2.8. The model was well validated in this work.

Conclusions: Pretransplant HBV DNA level, presence of HCC, AVT status and post‐transplant viral mutation were identified as the major risk factors associated with HBV recurrence after LTx. A novel model incorporating these factors could effectively evaluate the risk of post‐transplant HBV recurrence before transplantation.
Effect of Rikkunshi‐to on appetite loss found in elderly dementia patients: a preliminary study
Authors: UTUMI Yushi , ISEKI Eizo , MURAYAMA Norio , NOZAWA Motohiro , KUMAGAI Ryo , MATSUBARA Youichiro , ICHIMIYA Yosuke , ARAI Heii
Published: March 2011

Background:  Functional gastrointestinal symptoms are frequently found in elderly dementia patients. In such a case, we attempt treatment by the administration of antidepressants or second‐generation antipsychotics. However, these medications have a risk of side‐effects. In the present study, we carried out oral administration of Rikkunshi‐to to elderly dementia patients with appetite loss, and examined its effects on food intake.

Methods:  Six elderly dementia patients were recruited from inpatients. They showed appetite loss, but no organic abnormalities of the gastrointestinal organs. These patients were given Rikkunshi‐to, at 7.5 g per day, t.i.d. for 4 weeks. We examined the food intake, weight, total protein, albumin and potassium in plasma before administration and for 4 weeks after administration. In statistical analyses, the percentage of food consumed for 4 weeks was analyzed by anova. We also examined the side‐effects of Rikkunshi‐to.

Results:  In patient 3, we stopped investigation after 3 weeks because of the development of cholecystitis. The values of 4 weeks in patient 3 were calculated as the mean values of 4 weeks in the other five patients. anova and Tukey's multiple comparison showed a marginally significant difference in weight between before Rikkunshi‐to was given and 4 weeks after. In change of food intake, there were no significant differences between before Rikkunshi‐to was given and 1 day after, 1 day and 2 days after, 2 days and 3 days after, 3 days and 1 week after, and 1 week and 2 weeks after; however, there were significant increases in food intake between other times. With regard to the side‐effects, mild lower limb oedema appeared in the two patients.

Conclusion:  In the present study, we showed the effect of Rikkunshi‐to in improving appetite loss in elderly dementia patients. The present study suggests that Rikkunshi‐to might be useful in improving functional appetite loss in elderly dementia patients, because there are no serious side‐effects.
Bipolar disorder and dementia: where is the link?
Authors: MASOUY Anaïs , CHOPARD Gilles , VANDEL Pierre , MAGNIN Eloi , RUMBACH Lucien , SECHTER Daniel , HAFFEN Emmanuel
Published: March 2011

Cognitive disorders appearing in the course of bipolar disease have been identified, and recent studies have defined the neuropsychological characteristics of this pathology, which includes attention, executive function, memory and language disorders. However, questions remain concerning the appearance of dementia symptoms over the course of bipolar disorder in certain patients: is it a chance association or is there a connection between bipolar disorders and dementia? If the latter hypothesis is considered, what is the nature of the dementia, which might be considered as a dementia specific to bipolar disorder? Current clinical, neuropsychological and cerebral imaging data are inconclusive, but similarities with frontotemporal dementia might be highlighted. Functional imaging studies might provide answers as well as more specific tests in neuropsychology. The cause of cognitive damage in bipolar disease also raises questions concerning a neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative process, because several factors seem to influence cognition and these two processes might occur simultaneously. Long‐term studies are necessary to determine whether cognitive deterioration in bipolar disease is stable or progressive. There might also be different neurobiological subgroups of patients with bipolar disease.
Post‐stroke depression and apathy: Interactions between functional recovery, lesion location, and emotional response
Authors: HAMA Seiji , YAMASHITA Hidehisa , YAMAWAKI Shigeto , KURISU Kaoru
Published: March 2011

Depression and apathy are often observed after stroke and are often confused with one another. In the present review, we argue that the current concept of ‘post‐stroke depression’ (PSD) in fact consists of two core symptoms or syndromes: (i) affective (depressive) PSD; and (ii) apathetic PSD. We argue that these two core symptoms are each associated with a different underlying neuroanatomical mechanism, a pattern that influences functional recovery. Post‐stroke disabilities can provoke several distinct emotional responses, some of which are associated with severe depression. We examined one of these emotional responses previously, namely ‘insistence on recovery’, which was believed to be a negative indicator of functional improvement in disabled stroke patients. However, an appropriate level of insistence on recovery may, in fact, be associated with reduced depression and apathy, resulting in enhanced recovery from stroke‐related disabilities. Improvements in physical disabilities (trunk stability or activities of daily living, such as walking) also reduce depression and apathy. Therefore, the experience of PSD/apathy may be intertwined with various initial emotional responses and improvements in physical functioning. Effective treatment of PSD/apathy requires a multidisciplinary approach, such that neuroanatomical/neurobiological, emotional, and physical (rehabilitation) domains are all addressed.
Woman as Vulnerable Self: The Trope of Maternity in Levinas's Otherwise Than Being
Authors: Rosato Jennifer
Published: March 2011

Much due criticism has been directed at Levinas's images of the feminine and “the Woman” in Time and the Other and Totality and Infinity, but less attention has been paid to the metaphor of maternity and the maternal body that Levinas employs in Otherwise Than Being. This metaphor should be of interest, however, because here we find an instance in which Levinas uses a female image without in any way seeming to exclude women from full ethical selfhood.

In the first three sections of this paper I explain how maternity functions in Otherwise Than Being. I argue that maternity is used as (1) an image of the vulnerability or passive sensibility that characterizes the relation with the Other, as well as (2) a metaphor for Levinas's account of ethical responsibility as substitution. In the final section of the paper, I defend the claim that Levinas's maternal metaphors are not disparaging to real, empirical women. I also discuss a remaining worry that feminists may have about the metaphor: namely, that it characterizes pregnancy and motherhood in ways that challenge some pro‐choice assumptions.
21. Phantom Pain
Authors: Wolff Andre , Vanduynhoven Eric , van Kleef Maarten , Huygen Frank , Pope Jason E. , Mekhail Nagy
Published: March 2011

Abstract:  Phantom pain is pain caused by elimination or interruption of sensory nerve impulses by destroying or injuring the sensory nerve fibers after amputation or deafferentation. The reported incidence of phantom limb pain after trauma, injury or peripheral vascular diseases is 60% to 80%. Over half the patients with phantom pain have stump pain as well. Phantom pain can also occur in other parts of the body; it has been described after mastectomies and enucleation of the eye.

Most patients with phantom pain have intermittent pain, with intervals that range from 1 day to several weeks. Even intervals of over a year have been reported. The pain often presents itself in the form of attacks that vary in duration from a few seconds to minutes or hours. In most cases, the pain is experienced distally in the missing limb, in places with the most extensive innervation density and cortical representation. Although there are still many questions as to the underlying mechanisms, peripheral as well as central neuronal mechanisms seem to be involved.

Conservative therapy consists of drug treatment with amitriptyline, tramadol, carbamazepine, ketamine, or morphine.

Based on the available evidence some effect may be expected from drug treatment.

When conservative treatment fails, pulsed radiofrequency treatment of the stump neuroma or of the spinal ganglion (DRG) or spinal cord stimulation could be considered (evidence score 0). These treatments should only be applied in a study design.
Animal and Human Dose‐Response Models for Brucella Species
Authors: Teske Sondra S. , Huang Yin , Tamrakar Sushil B. , Bartrand Timothy A. , Weir Mark H. , Haas Charles N.
Published: March 2011

Human Brucellosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases worldwide. Disease transmission often occurs through the handling of domestic livestock, as well as ingestion of unpasteurized milk and cheese, but can have enhanced infectivity if aerosolized. Because there is no human vaccine available, rising concerns about the threat of Brucellosis to human health and its inclusion in the Center for Disease Control's Category B Bioterrorism/Select Agent List make a better understanding of the dose‐response relationship of this microbe necessary.

Through an extensive peer‐reviewed literature search, candidate dose‐response data were appraised so as to surpass certain standards for quality. The statistical programming language, “R,” was used to compute the maximum likelihood estimation to fit two models, the exponential and the approximate beta‐Poisson (widely used for quantitative risk assessment) to dose‐response data. Dose‐response models were generated for prevalent species of Brucella: Br. suis, Br. melitensis, and Br. abortus. Dose‐response models were created for aerosolized Br. suis exposure to guinea pigs from pooled studies. A parallel model for guinea pigs inoculated through both aerosol and subcutaneous routes with Br. melitensis showed that the median infectious dose corresponded to a 30 colony‐forming units (CFU) dose of Br. suis, much less than the N50 dose of about 94 CFU for Br. melitensis organisms. When Br. melitensis was tested subcutaneously on mice, the N50 dose was higher, 1,840 CFU. A dose‐response model was constructed from pooled data for mice, rhesus macaques, and humans inoculated through three routes (subcutaneously/aerosol/intradermally) with Br. melitensis.
The Impact of CEO Turnover on Property–Liability Insurer Performance
Authors: He Enya , Sommer David W. , Xie Xiaoying
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Chief executive officer (CEO) turnover has long been an important topic in the academic literature. Previous research has focused mostly on the rationale for CEO turnovers, or circumstances that lead to CEO changes, with much less attention paid to how CEO turnovers affect future firm performance. We extend the literature regarding the impact of CEO turnover on performance using data for U.S. property‐liability insurers. Measuring firm performance with cost efficiency (CE) and revenue efficiency (RE) scores, we find strong support for the hypothesis that firms with a CEO turnover, especially those with a nonroutine turnover, experience more favorable performance changes than firms without a CEO turnover.
What the Brownstones Say: Surveying Place in Brooklyn
Authors: Snajdr Edward , Trinch Shonna
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place, Brooklyn, redevelopment project, Atlantic Yards, community, urban anthropology]
Civic Ecology and the Anthropology of Place: Urban Community Gardens and the Creation of Inclusionary Landscapes
Authors: Sokolovsky Jay
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place. civic ecology, community garden, urban anthropology, urban space]
Cities, Infectious Diseases and the Embodiment of Place
Authors: Nading Alex
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place, infectious disease, medical anthropology, cholera, dengue, vaccine, biosecurity]
Performing Pisgah: Endurance Mountain Bikers Generating the National Forest
Authors: Fowler Cynthia
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place, Pisgah, mountain biking, endurance, athletes, Southern Appalachia]
Cafecitos y Nostalgia: Building Transnational Landscapes in the Cuban Diaspora
Authors: Andrews‐Swann Jenna
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place, transnational landscape, cuba, Miami Cuban, Cuban American, diaspora]
Summer of Shame: Displaced Roma in Istanbul, Turkey
Authors: Potuoǧlu‐Cook Öykü
Published: March 2011

[in focus, place, urban anthropology, Roma Gypsy, performance, civic action, Turkey]
The effect of neutral and acidic oligosaccharides on stool viscosity, stool frequency and stool pH in preterm infants
Authors: Westerbeek EAM , Hensgens RL , Mihatsch WA , Boehm G , Lafeber HN , van Elburg RM
Published: March 2011

Aim:  To determine the effect of neutral oligosaccharides [small‐chain galacto‐oligosaccharides/long‐chain fructo‐oligosaccharides (scGOS/lcFOS)] in combination with acidic oligosaccharides (pAOS) on stool viscosity, stool frequency and stool pH in preterm infants.

Methods:  In this explorative RCT, preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g received enteral supplementation with scGOS/lcFOS/pAOS or placebo (maltodextrin) between days 3 and 30 of life. Stool samples were collected at day 30 after birth.

Results:  In total, 113 infants were included. Baseline and nutritional characteristics were not different between both groups. Stool viscosity at day 30 was lower in the prebiotics group (16.8N) (3.9–67.8) compared with the placebo group (26.3N) (1.3–148.0) (p = 0.03; 95% CI −0.80 to 0.03). There was a trend towards higher stool frequency in the prebiotics group (3.1 ± 0.8) compared with the placebo group (2.8 ± 0.7) (p = 0.15; 95% CI −0.08 to 0.52). Stool pH at day 30 was lower in the in the prebiotics group (5.9 ± 0.6) compared with the placebo group (6.2 ± 0.3) (p = 0.009; 95% CI 0.08 to 0.53).

Conclusions:  Enteral supplementation of a prebiotic mixture consisting of neutral (scGOS/lcFOS) and acidic oligosaccharides (pAOS) decreases stool viscosity and stool pH with a trend towards increased stool frequency in preterm infants. The inclusion of pAOS in a formula containing a mixture of scGOS/lcFOS does not add specific advantages to the formula in terms of stool viscosity, frequency, pH as well as feeding tolerance.
Germinal center‐specific protein human germinal center associated lymphoma directly interacts with both myosin and actin and increases the binding of myosin to actin
Authors: Lu Xiaoqing , Kazmierczak Katarzyna , Jiang Xiaoyu , Jones Michelle , Watt James , Helfman David M. , Moore Jeffrey R. , Szczesna‐Cordary Danuta , Lossos Izidore S.
Published: March 2011

Human germinal center associated lymphoma (HGAL) is a germinal center‐specific gene whose expression correlates with a favorable prognosis in patients with diffuse large B‐cell and classic Hodgkin lymphomas. HGAL is involved in negative regulation of lymphocyte motility. The movement of lymphocytes is directly driven by actin polymerization and actin–myosin interactions. We demonstrate that HGAL interacts directly and independently with both actin and myosin and delineate the HGAL and myosin domains responsible for the interaction. Furthermore, we show that HGAL increases the binding of myosin to F‐actin and inhibits the ability of myosin to translocate actin by reducing the maximal velocity of myosin head/actin movement. No effects of HGAL on actomyosin ATPase activity and the rate of actin polymerization from G‐actin to F‐actin were observed. These findings reveal a new mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects of germinal center‐specific HGAL protein on lymphocyte and lymphoma cell motility.
Probing the role of the fully conserved Cys126 in triosephosphate isomerase by site‐specific mutagenesis – distal effects on dimer stability
Authors: Samanta Moumita , Banerjee Mousumi , Murthy Mathur R. N. , Balaram Hemalatha , Balaram Padmanabhan
Published: March 2011

Cys126 is a completely conserved residue in triosephosphate isomerase that is proximal to the active site but has been ascribed no specific role in catalysis. A previous study of the C126S and C126A mutants of yeast TIM reported substantial catalytic activity for the mutant enzymes, leading to the suggestion that this residue is implicated in folding and stability [Gonzalez‐Mondragon E et al. (2004) Biochemistry43, 3255–3263]. We re‐examined the role of Cys126 with the Plasmodium falciparum enzyme as a model. Five mutants, C126S, C126A, C126V, C126M, and C126T, were characterized. Crystal structures of the 3‐phosphoglycolate‐bound C126S mutant and the unliganded forms of the C126S and C126A mutants were determined at a resolution of 1.7–2.1 Å. Kinetic studies revealed an approximately five‐fold drop in kcat for the C126S and C126A mutants, whereas an approximately 10‐fold drop was observed for the other three mutants. At ambient temperature, the wild‐type enzyme and all five mutants showed no concentration dependence of activity. At higher temperatures (> 40 °C), the mutants showed a significant concentration dependence, with a dramatic loss in activity below 15 μm. The mutants also had diminished thermal stability at low concentration, as monitored by far‐UV CD. These results suggest that Cys126 contributes to the stability of the dimer interface through a network of interactions involving His95, Glu97, and Arg98, which form direct contacts across the dimer interface.

Database
 Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank under the accession numbers 3PVF, 3PY2, and 3PWA.

Structured digital abstract 

Tim
 binds to Tim by x‐ray crystallography (View interaction)
The evidence for the role of transforming growth factor‐beta in the formation of abnormal scarring
Authors: Chalmers Richard L
Published: March 2011

The complex biological and physiological mechanisms that result in poor quality scarring are still not fully understood. This review looks at current evidence of the role of transforming growth factor‐beta (TGFβ) in this pathological process.
Use of a collagen–elastin matrix for hard to treat soft tissue defects
Authors: Wollina Uwe , Meseg Antje , Weber Andreas
Published: March 2011

As deep soft tissue defects with exposed bone, cartilage or tendons are not suitable for wound closure with skin mesh grafts, other techniques are needed. We report on six patients, one female and five males, aged between 32 and 89 years, and deep soft tissue defects with exposed tendons, cartilage or bone. The aetiology of these defects was vascular (n = 3), tumour surgery (2), and post‐traumatic (1). Wounds were treated with a collagen–elastin matrix applied above the exposed structures. In five patients, the procedure was combined with mesh graft transplantation in the same setting. Follow‐up varied between 12 and 40 weeks. Wound healing was uncomplicated in all transplanted patients until first dressing change after 7 days. All but one transplant showed a 100% take rate and the transplant was stable within 10–14 days. A complete wound closure was also achieved without transplantation, but this took 8 weeks. No adverse effects were noted. There was no skin contracture of the skin grafts. Collagen–elastin matrix with split‐thickness skin grafts is a useful tool in deep soft tissue. The time to heal can be reduced.
Wnt11 in 2011 – the regulation and function of a non‐canonical Wnt
Authors: Uysal‐Onganer P. , Kypta R. M.
Published: March 2011

Genetic studies of Wnt11 have revealed many insights into the roles and regulation of Wnt11, particularly during development. New tools to study Wnt11 have recently become available, making it timely to review the literature regarding this unique Wnt family member. In this study, we focus on mammalian Wnt11, describing its main sites of expression during development, and how the Wnt11 gene is regulated. We highlight an emerging theme in which canonical Wnt signals regulate Wnt11 expression through transcription factors in addition to, or other than, Tcf/LEF family members. We also discuss the frizzled family and other receptors that bind to Wnt11, the intracellular kinases and small GTPases that act downstream of Wnt11, and the effects of Wnt11 on Wnt/β‐catenin signalling. Finally, we elaborate on the relevance of Wnt11 to human cancer, where it appears to be important both for proliferation and/or survival during normal differentiation and for migration/invasion.
Mammalian phospholipase D physiological and pathological roles
Authors: Peng X. , Frohman M. A.
Published: March 2011

Phospholipase D (PLD), a superfamily of signalling enzymes that most commonly generate the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid, is found in diverse organisms from bacteria to humans and functions in multiple cellular pathways. Since the early 1980s when mammalian PLD activities were first described, most of the important insights concerning PLD function have been gained from studies on cellular models. Reports on physiological and pathophysiological roles for members of the mammalian PLD superfamily are now starting to emerge from genetic models. In this review, we summarize recent findings on PLD functions in these model systems, highlighting newly appreciated connections of the superfamily to cancer, neuronal pathophysiology, cardiovascular topics, spermatogenesis and infectious diseases.
Urban biodiversity: patterns and mechanisms
Authors: Faeth Stanley H. , Bang Christofer , Saari Susanna
Published: March 2011

The patterns of biodiversity changes in cities are now fairly well established, although diversity changes in temperate cities are much better studied than cities in other climate zones. Generally, plant species richness often increases in cities due to importation of exotic species, whereas animal species richness declines. Abundances of some groups, especially birds and arthropods, often increase in urban areas despite declines in species richness. Although several models have been proposed for biodiversity change, the processes underlying the patterns of biodiversity in cities are poorly understood. We argue that humans directly control plants but relatively few animals and microbes—the remaining biological community is determined by this plant “template” upon which natural ecological and evolutionary processes act. As a result, conserving or reconstructing natural habitats defined by vegetation within urban areas is no guarantee that other components of the biological community will follow suit. Understanding the human‐controlled and natural processes that alter biodiversity is essential for conserving urban biodiversity. This urban biodiversity will comprise a growing fraction of the world's repository of biodiversity in the future.