bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness analysis of fecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer
Authors: Lejeune Catherine , Arveux Patrick , Dancourt Vincent , Béjean Sophie , Bonithon-Kopp Claire , Faivre Jean
Published: May 2008

Objectives: Clinical trials have demonstrated that fecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer can significantly reduce mortality. However, to be deemed a priority from a public health policy perspective, any new program must prove itself to be cost-effective. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of screening for colorectal cancer using a fecal occult blood screening test, the Hemoccult-II, in a cohort of 100,000 asymptomatic individuals 50–74 years of age.

Methods: A decision analysis model using a Markov approach simulates the trajectory of the cohort allocated either to screening or no screening over a 20-year period through several health states. Clinical and economic data used in the model came from the Burgundy trial, French population-based studies, and Registry data.

Results: Modeling biennial screening versus the absence of screening over a 20-year period resulted in a 17.7 percent mortality reduction and a discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 3,357 € per life-year gained among individuals 50–74 years of age. Sensitivity analyses performed on epidemiological and economic data showed the strong impact on the results of colonoscopy cost, of compliance to screening, and of specificity of the screening test.

Conclusions: Cost-effectiveness estimates and sensitivity analyses suggest that biennial screening for colorectal cancer with fecal occult blood test could be recommended from the age of 50 until 74. Our findings support the attempts to introduce large-scale population screening programs.
Costs and effects of ultrasonography in the evaluation of palpable breast masses
Authors: Flobbe Karin , Kessels Alfons G. H. , Severens Johan L. , Beets Geerard L. , de Koning Harry J. , von Meyenfeldt Maarten F. , van Engelshoven Jos M. A.
Published: May 2008

Objective: To study the costs and effects of incorporating ultrasonography in the triple assessment of palpable breast masses.

Methods: A decision analytic model was designed to compare a conventional strategy of performing fine-needle aspiration cytology after clinical examination and mammography, with three different experimental strategies of preceding ultrasonography. Empirical data were used from a prospective study in 522 breasts in 492 patients with a palpable mass, including 93 malignancies. In strategy 1, cases with probably benign, suspect malignant, and malignant ultrasonography results were referred for fine-needle aspiration cytology; in strategy 2, benign cases were also referred for fine-needle aspiration cytology; and in strategy 3, ultrasonography was only performed in patients with benign results on clinical examination and mammography, whereas immediate fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed in patients with suspicious lesions. Outcome variables included the total costs and the expected number of life years. Sensitivity analysis was performed on all parameters in the model.

Results: All strategies reported a similar life expectancy of 31.0 years. Cost-minimization demonstrated that experimental strategy 3 was the least expensive strategy (€ 3,013). Experimental strategy 2 was the most costly one (€ 3,512). Compared with the conventional strategy of immediate fine-needle aspiration cytology (€ 3,087), both ultrasonography strategies 1 and −3 were preferred.

Conclusions: Incorporating ultrasonography in the triple assessment of palpable breast masses can result in a reduction of the total costs for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Cost effectiveness of tension-free vaginal tape for the surgical management of female stress incontinence
Authors: Kilonzo Mary , Vale Luke , Stearns Sally C. , Grant Adrian , Cody June , Glazener Cathryn M. A. , Wallace Sheila , McCormack Kirsty
Published: May 2008

Objectives: Stress urinary incontinence affects between 10 percent and 50 percent of women. Surgery is commonly recommended for troublesome incontinence that does not respond to nonsurgical management. Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) is a newer, minimal access surgical sling procedure, which is being increasingly adopted worldwide. The cost-effectiveness of TVT in comparison with other surgical procedures, particularly open colposuspension, is assessed.

Methods: Effectiveness estimates came from a systematic review of TVT compared with other surgical procedures (open and laparoscopic colposuspension, traditional slings, and injectables). Deterministic and probabilistic analyses were used to assess the likelihood of TVT being cost-effective. Sensitivity analyses assessed the impact of changing assumptions about cure rates and costs for TVT, cure rates for retreatment open colposuspension, and proportions of women who choose retreatment.

Results: Reliable estimates of relative effectiveness were difficult to derive because the few randomized controlled comparisons had not been optimally analyzed or fully reported. Results of the economic model suggested that TVT dominates open colposuspension (lower cost and same quality of life years[QALYs]) within 5 years after surgery. Stochastic analysis indicated that the likelihood of TVT being cost-effective was 100 percent if decision-makers are unwilling to pay for additional QALYs. TVT's dominance depended on the assumption fact that retreatment open colposuspension has lower cure rates than a first colposuspension.

Conclusions: Analysis based on current short-term data indicates dominance of TVT over open colposuspension from approximately 5 years. There is a need for longer-term follow-up data from methodologically rigorous randomized trials to provide a sounder basis for estimating the relative benefits and cost implications.
The cost effectiveness of prenatal ultrasound screening for trisomy 21
Authors: Harris Anthony H.
Published: May 2008

Objectives: The cost-effectiveness of opportunistic nuchal translucency ultrasound screening in pregnancy was compared with alternative screening strategies for trisomy 21 in Australia.

Methods: A decision analytic model was used of various pregnancy screening strategies based on a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of nuchal translucency ultrasound and serum screening and costs based on current reimbursement fees. The model included the likelihood and cost of terminations after diagnostic testing and the associated risk of fetal loss. All prices are in 2001 Australian dollars.

Results: With a twenty percentage point difference in detection rate, the incremental cost for a combination of nuchal translucency and serum screening with age in the first trimester compared with maternal serum screening in the second trimester was $105,484 per extra case detected and $374,779 per live trisomy 21 birth avoided. Serum screening in the second trimester had an incremental cost per extra case detected of between $61,700 and $117,100 per extra live birth avoided when compared with no screening.

Conclusions: The cost-effectiveness of ultrasound screening for trisomy 21 would appear to be more attractive if it were done at the same time as current dating ultrasound. Any funding mechanism for screening should take this strategy into account by incorporating, as far as possible, provision of nuchal translucency screening into existing services provided in early pregnancy.
Prioritization of patients on waiting lists for hip and knee replacement: Validation of a priority criteria tool
Authors: Conner-Spady Barbara , Estey Angela , Arnett Gordon , Ness Kathleen , McGurran John , Bear Robert , Noseworthy Tom
Published: May 2008

Objectives: This study tested the reliability and validity of the Western Canada Waiting List Project priority criteria score (PCS) for prioritizing patients waiting for hip and knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Sixteen orthopedic surgeons assessed 233 consecutive patients at consultation for hip or knee arthroplasty. Measures included the PCS, a visual analogue scale of urgency (VAS urgency), and maximum acceptable waiting time (MAWT). Patients completed a VAS urgency, an MAWT, the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the EQ-5D. Using correlational analysis, convergent and discriminant validity was assessed between similar constructs in the priority criteria and WOMAC. Median MAWTs were determined for five levels of urgency based on PCS percentiles. Internal consistency reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha.

Results: The sample of 233 patients (62 percent female) ranged in age from 18 to 89 years (mean, 66.3 years). A total of 45 percent were booked for hip and 55 percent for knee arthroplasty. Correlations were strong between the PCS and surgeon VAS urgency (r=.79) and weaker between patient and surgeon measures of VAS urgency (r=.24) and MAWT (r=.44). Correlation coefficients between similar constructs in the priority criteria and WOMAC ranged from 0.24 to 0.32 and were higher than those measuring dissimilar constructs. For decreasing levels of urgency, the median MAWT ranged from 10 to 12 weeks for surgeons and 4 to 12 weeks for patients. Cronbach's alpha was 0.79.

Conclusions: Results support the validity of the PCS as a measure of surgeon-rated urgency. Patients might be ranked differently with different prioritization measures.
Impact of physician training level on emergency readmission within internal medicine
Authors: Adamiak Grazyna Teresa , Karlberg Ingvar
Published: May 2008

Objectives: The research question was whether training level of admitting physicians and referrals from practitioners in primary health care (PHC) are risk factors for emergency readmission within 30 days to internal medicine.

Methods: This report is a prospective multicenter study carried out during 1 month in 1997 in seven departments of internal medicine in the County of Stockholm, Sweden. Two of the units were at university hospitals, three at county hospitals and two in district hospitals. The study area is metropolitan–suburban with 1,762,924 residents. Data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression.

Results: A total of 5,131 admissions, thereby 408 unplanned readmissions (8 percent) were registered (69.8 percent of 7,348 true inpatient episodes). The risk of emergency readmission increased with patient's age and independently 1.40 times (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.13–1.74) when residents decided on hospitalization. Congestive heart failure as primary or comorbid condition was the main reason for unplanned readmission. Referrals from PHC were associated with risk decrease (odds ratio, 0.53; 95 percent CI, 0.38–0.73).

Conclusion: The causes of unplanned hospital readmissions are mixed. Patient contact with primary health care appears to reduce the recurrence. In addition to the diagnoses of cardiac failure, training level of admitting physicians in emergency departments was an independent risk factor for early readmission. Our conclusion is that it is cost-effective to have all decisions on admission to hospital care confirmed by senior doctors. Inappropriate selection of patients to inpatient care contributes to poor patient outcomes and reduces cost-effectiveness and quality of care.
Diffusion of thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction from 1981 to 2000 in England: Trend analysis and comparison with need
Authors: Packer Claire , Stevens Andrew , Cook Alison , Raftery James
Published: May 2008

Objectives:To describe the adoption and take up of thrombolytic agents for acute myocardial infarction since 1980 in England and compare use with the estimated ceiling of need.

Methods:Data on national sales and use of thrombolysis since 1980 (supplied by IMS Health) was used to draw an adoption and diffusion curve. The epidemiological ceiling of acute myocardial infarction, from hospital activity statistics, was modified to an estimated clinical need by accounting for diagnostic difficulty and contraindications using information from published surveys of thrombolysis use in the United Kingdom.

Results:There was a rapid uptake of thrombolytic agents in the first 2 years after availability in 1987, then a plateau, followed by a rise to a peak use in 1995. The shortfall in doses resulting from the difference between estimated ceiling of clinical need and doses purchased and provided in the 14 years since availability is estimated as 167,800 (95 percent confidence range 94,000 to 241,700).

Conclusions:Although there was a rapid initial uptake of thrombolysis in England, usage took 8 years to reach the ceiling of clinical need of 65 percent of patients with acute myocardial infarction, with many patients missing the opportunity to benefit. Monitoring of uptake of innovations known to be cost-effective is required to identify those developments that need additional stimulus for change to ensure that patients do not miss out on the opportunity to benefit.
Influences upon the diffusion of thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction in England: Case study
Authors: Cook Alison , Packer Claire , Stevens Andrew , Quinn Tom
Published: May 2008

Objectives: To investigate the factors that influenced the adoption and diffusion of thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction in England and to verify usage data from 1981 to 2001.

Methods: Survey of cardiologists in England using a pre-prepared time line of historical events and a plot of thrombolysis diffusion since 1981. The cardiologists were divided into three groups that were provided with (i) the time line only, (ii) the diffusion curve only, and (iii) the time line and the diffusion curve.

Results: The GISSI and ISIS-2 clinical trials were perceived to have had a significant influence upon the initial diffusion of thrombolysis in England occurring over the 3 years after launch. Other positive influences included the initial listing in the national formulary, the change to administration in emergency departments, the rise in evidence-based medicine, and production of national guidance.

Conclusions: Although it is apparent that the overall influences on adoption and diffusion of thrombolysis were multiple; clinical trials, service developments, and national guidelines all were judged to have played a part. The GISSI and ISIS-2 clinical trials were confirmed as the major influence on initial adoption.
Technology assessment, priority setting and appropriate care in Dutch health care
Authors: Berg Marc , van der Grinten Tom , Klazinga Niek
Published: May 2008

References 8, 29, and 32 are incorrect as they appear in the article entitled “Technology assessment, priority setting, and appropriate care in Dutch health care,” by Marc Berg, Tom van der Grinten, and Niek Klazinga (Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2004;20[1]:35-43). They should appear as follows:
8. Burgers JS, Bailey JV, Klazinga NS, et al. Inside guidelines: comparative analysis of recommendations and evidence in diabetes guidelines from 13 countries. Diabetes Care 2002;11:1933-1939.29. Zwart-van Rijkom JE, Leufkens HG, Busschbach JJ, et al. Differences in attitudes, knowledge and use of economic evaluations in decision-making in The Netherlands. The Dutch results from the EUROMET Project. Pharmacoeconomics 2000;2:149-160.32. Van der Grinten TED. Hervorming van de gezondheidszorg. Zal het deze keer wel lukken? Beleid & Maatschappij 2002;3:172-176.
Efficiency of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects in small and symptomatic children
Authors: Fraisse Alain , Losay Jean , Bourlon François , Agnoletti Gabriella , Lusson Jean-René , Godart François , De Geeter Bernard , Petit Jérôme , Piechaud Jean François
Published: May 2008

Objectives

We report the multicentric French experience with transcatheter closure in children weighing 15 kilograms or less, with the aim of assessing the efficacy of the procedure in this age group.

Patients

We included all children weighing 15 kilograms or less, and seen between January, 1997, and June, 2004, who had successful transcatheter closure of an interatrial communication within the oval fossa.

Results

Transcatheter closure was performed in 35 patients weighing 15 kilograms or less, of whom 14 were male and 21 female. The procedures were undertaken in 8 different centres, the patients having a median age of 3 years, with a range from zero to 6.2 years, and a mean weight of 13 kilograms, with a range from 3.6 to 15 kilograms. All the patients were symptomatic, with associated cardiac malformations present in 4 cases, and extracardiac anomalies in 4 patients, including Down’s syndrome in 3, and Adams Oliver syndrome in the other case. In 1 patient, emergency cardiac surgery was needed 24 h after the procedure to correct a previously undiagnosed divided right atrium. No other complication occurred. After a median follow-up of 2 years, with a range from 0.5 to 5.2 years, all the patients are asymptomatic, except for one long-standing patient with bronchodysplasia. In 1 other patient, a small residual bidirectional shunt was detected by echocardiography. No patient presented significant arrhythmia. In the patients followed-up for more than 12 months, we found a significant gain in weight gain.

Conclusion

Transcatheter closure of an interatrial communication within the oval fossa is efficient in children weighing 15 kilograms or less, and can be proposed as a first line of treatment in symptomatic patients. Children with retarded growth tend to have complete recovery within one year of closure.
Sociodemographic, health and lifestyle characteristics reported by discrete groups of adult dietary supplement users in Alberta, Canada: findings from The Tomorrow Project
Authors: Robson Paula J , Siou Geraldine Lo , Ullman Ruth , Bryant Heather E
Published: May 2008

Objective

To determine the extent to which differences in sociodemographic, dietary and lifestyle characteristics exist between users of different types of dietary supplements and supplement non-users.

Design

We analysed cross-sectional data obtained from self-administered questionnaires completed at baseline by participants in The Tomorrow Project; a prospective cohort study in Alberta, Canada. Participants who used at least one type of dietary supplement at least weekly in the year prior to questionnaire completion were defined as supplement users, while the remainder were classified as non-users. Seven discrete user categories were created: multivitamins (+/− minerals) only, specific nutritional supplements only, herbal/other supplements only, and all possible combinations. Differences in sociodemographic, dietary and lifestyle characteristics between different groups of supplement users and non-users were analysed using Rao–Scottχ2tests and multinomial logistic regression.

Subjects and setting

Subjects were 5067 men and 7439 women, aged 35–69 years, recruited by random digit dialling throughout Alberta.

Results

Supplement use was extensive in this study population (69·8 %). Users of herbal/other supplements only, and women who used multivitamins only, tended to report dietary and lifestyle characteristics that were not significantly different from non-users. In contrast, those who reported using a combination of multivitamins, specific nutritional and herbal/other supplements were more likely than non-users to report behaviours and characteristics consistent with current health guidelines.

Conclusions

Dichotomizing participants as supplement users or non-users is likely to mask further differences in sociodemographic, dietary and lifestyle characteristics among users of different types of supplements. This may have implications for analysis and interpretation of observational studies.
Nationalism, religion and community: A. B. Salem, the politics of identity and the disappearance of Cochin Jewry
Authors: Chiriyankandath James
Published: May 2008

This article considers how the existence of an ancient community, the Jews of Cochin on India’s Malabar coast, was transformed by the force of two powerful twentieth-century nationalisms – Indian nationalism and Zionism. It does so through telling the story of a remarkable individual, A. B. Salem, a lawyer, politician, Jewish religious reformer, and Indian nationalist, who was instrumental in promoting the Zionist cause and facilitating the mass migration of the Cochin Jews to Israel. Salem’s story illustrates how the prioritization and translation of kinds of identity into the public sphere is fluid and contingent upon a variety of circumstances, personal as well as the outcome of changes in the wider world.
The contradictions of late nineteenth-century nationalist doctrines: three keys to the ‘globalism’ of José Martí’s nationalism
Authors: García de la Torre Armando
Published: May 2008

Scholarly literature on nineteenth-century nationalism concentrates on its strong exclusionary tendencies, while studies of the Cuban independence leader José Martí (1853–95) focus on his articulation of Cuban nationalism and pan-Latin American regionalism through his political activities and writings. This article identifies the globalism of Martí’s nationalism, moving beyond the national and regional frameworks to which studies of Martí have consigned the Cuban freedom fighter. It argues that the global history narratives that Martí wrote for children constitute critical and innovative components of his programme for national liberation and nation building, and encapsulate his nationalist ideology through three key components: the right to self-determination at the national level, the right to self-determination at the personal level, and a sense of global humanitarianism. The article’s transnational perspective places Martí, through his inclusionary, racially blind, humanitarian form of nationalism, as contradicting late nineteenth-century nationalist doctrines, and begs for ideas about the general intellectual climate of the period to be rethought.
Acetylcholine inhibits cell cycle progression in rat Schwann cells by activation of the M2 receptor subtype
Authors: Loreti Simona , Ricordy Ruggero , Egle De Stefano M. , Augusti-Tocco Gabriella , Maria Tata Ada
Published: May 2008

Cultures of Schwann cells from neonatal rat sciatic nerves were treated with acetylcholine agonists and the effects on cell proliferation evaluated. 3[H]-thymidine incorporation shows that acetylcholine (ACh) receptor agonists inhibit cell proliferation, and FACS analysis demonstrates cell-cycle arrest and accumulation of cells in the G1 phase. The use of arecaidine, a selective agonist of muscarinic M2 receptors reveals that this effect depends mainly on M2 receptor activation. The arecaidine dependent-block in G1 is reversible because removal of arecaidine from the culture medium induces progression to the S phase. The block of the G1-S transition is also characterized by modulation of the expression of several cell-cycle markers. Moreover, treatment with ACh receptor agonist causes both a decrease in the PCNA protein levels in Schwann cell nuclei and an increase in p27 and p53 proteins. Finally, immuno-electron microscopy demonstrates that M2 receptors are expressed by Schwann cells in vivo. These results indicate that ACh, by modulating Schwann cell proliferation through M2 receptor activation, might contribute to their progression to a more differentiated phenotype.
Aufgaben der Allgemeinpsychiatrie und der Forensischen Psychiatrie bei Stalking
Authors: Dreßing Harald , Bindeballe Nils , Gallas Christine , Gass Peter
Published: May 2008

Stalking ist in der Bevölkerung von Industrienationen ein weit verbreitetes Phänomen, die Lebenszeitprävalenz beträgt über 11 %. Hinter den relativ gleichförmig erscheinenden Stalkingverhaltensweisen verbergen sich sehr unterschiedliche Täter, Täter-Opfer-Beziehungen und Motivationsstrukturen. Die in der Arbeit vorgestellte multiaxiale Stalkingklassifikation betont die Bedeutung einer psychopathologischen Diagnostik. Im Hinblick auf den Stalker hat der Psychiater wichtige Aufgaben bei der Diagnostik, Schuldfähigkeits- und Prognosebegutachtung, Therapie und der Zuweisung zur Psychiatrie oder Maßregelvollzugsklinik. Bei den Stalkingopfern ergeben sich für den Psychiater ebenfalls wichtige Aufgaben bei der Diagnostik, Behandlung und Begutachtung.
Entwicklung und Validierung eines Fragebogens zur standardisierten Selbsteinschätzung emotionaler Kompetenzen (SEK-27)
Authors: Berking Matthias , Znoj Hansjörg
Published: May 2008

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Defizite und Ressourcen im Bereich der allgemeinen Emotionsregulation spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei Entstehung, Aufrechterhaltung und Behandlung psychischer Störungen. Fragestellung: Um möglichst viele Bereiche des konstruktiven Umgangs mit negativen Emotionen ökonomisch erfassen zu können, wurde der Fragebogen zur Selbsteinschätzung Emotionaler Kompetenzen (SEK-27) entwickelt und validiert. Methode: Anhand von zwei nicht-klinischen (N = 952) und drei klinischen Stichproben (N = 238) wurden verschiedene Indikatoren der Testgüte bestimmt. Ergebnisse: Die Befunde sprechen für die ausreichende bis sehr gute Reliabilität, Validität und Veränderungssensitivität des Fragebogens. Schlussfolgerungen: Mit dem SEK-27 steht ein ökonomischer Fragebogen mit angemessenen psychometrischen Eigenschaften zur Selbsteinschätzung des konstruktiven Umgangs mit negativen Emotionen zur Verfügung.
Differential Stability
Authors: Gschwendner Tobias , Hofmann Wilhelm , Schmitt Manfred
Published: May 2008

The current research explored the stability of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998 ) depending on contextual constraints and chronic accessibility. Two studies incorporated background pictures into the IAT. In Study 1, the 2-week stability of an IAT assessing anxiety was higher when IAT stimuli were embedded in an anxiety-relevant background (e.g., a snake). In Study 2, this context effect could be replicated in the domain of racial attitudes. Moreover, the context effect in Study 2 was especially pronounced for participants with high chronic access to the relevant concept. The results support the assumption that implicit measures like the IAT are sensitive to contextual constraints and that these constraints can be utilized to enhance the stability of the IAT.
Comparison of regional carbon flux estimates from CO2 concentration measurements and remote sensing based footprint integration
Authors: Chen Baozhang , Chen Jing M. , Mo Gang , Black T. Andrew , Worthy Douglas E. J.
Published: May 2008

Quantification of terrestrial CO2 sources and sinks at regional scales (∼102–106 km2) is fundamental to improving our understanding of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Two independent methods to extract the gross primary productivity (GPP) from atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements were explored and compared in this study. The methods are (1) planetary boundary layer (PBL) carbon budget analysis that allows the estimation of regional GPP at daily time steps from hourly CO2 concentration measurements and (2) spatially explicit hourly carbon cycle modeling based on remote sensing and then integrating the daily flux field with a concentration footprint function depending on wind and stability. These methods have been applied to a 28‐m tower at an old black spruce site near Candle Lake (∼100 km NE of Prince Albert: 53.98717°N, 105.11779°W). The estimates of daily GPP by these two approaches agreed well for 2003 (slope = 0.99; r2 = 0.89). In order to test these methods of inferring the regional GPP from mixing ratio measurements, we also compared the estimates of regional GPP with estimates made using eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements, although their respective source areas are different. They had similar seasonal patterns, but the regional estimates were consistently smaller than the local EC flux derived GPP throughout the growing season in 2003. These estimates of annual regional GPP were 649–664 g C m−2 for 2003 while the EC‐derived annual GPP was 819–847 g C m−2. The annual difference was about 20–25%. The EC flux footprint of the tower was relatively homogeneous old black spruce while the concentration footprint, which was a few orders of magnitude larger than the flux footprint, covered boreal evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forests, grassland, cropland, and lakes. Nonforested land occupied about 10–50% of the concentration footprint depending on wind direction and speed and was less productive than the black spruce forest. The discrepancies between regional and local GPP estimates reflected the differences in underlying land surfaces represented by the different footprint areas.
Seasonal and intraseasonal surface chlorophyll‐a variability along the northwest African coast
Authors: Lathuilière C. , Echevin V. , Lévy M.
Published: May 2008

Five years of SeaWiFS ocean color data are used to characterize the variability of surface chlorophyll (SCHL) over seasonal and intraseasonal timescales along the northwest African coast (between 10°N and 33°N). This variability is interpreted in regards of remotely sensed wind stress and sea surface temperature and of climatological surface nitrate concentration. Three regions with fairly different behaviors are identified: the region of the subtropical gyre (24°N–33°N) is characterized by a weak seasonality and chlorophyll confined at the coast. The inter‐gyre region off Cape Blanc (19°N–24°N) is characterized by a weak seasonality and a persistent large offshore extension of chlorophyll. The region of the recirculation gyre (10°N–19°N) is characterized by a strong seasonality and a large offshore extension of chlorophyll from February to May followed by an abrupt chlorophyll drop that propagates northward from May to June. The seasonal variability is well explained by the seasonal variability in wind‐forcing. Nutrient limitation is the key factor that explains the weak offshore extension of chlorophyll in the North. The chlorophyll drop in the South is attributed to the weakening of the wind‐forcing and the simultaneous advection of warm water from the South by a coastal and seasonal branch of the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC). Intraseasonal variability is present in all regions. The cases of good correlation between the intraseasonal variability of the chlorophyll and of the wind‐forcing are found to be associated with weak chlorophyll offshore extension and large nutrient limitation.
Validation of Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) nadir ozone profiles using ozonesonde measurements
Authors: Nassar Ray , Logan Jennifer A. , Worden Helen M. , Megretskaia Inna A. , Bowman Kevin W. , Osterman Gregory B. , Thompson Anne M. , Tarasick David W. , Austin Shermane , Claude Hans , Dubey Manvendra K. , Hocking Wayne K. , Johnson Bryan J. , Joseph Everette , Merrill John , Morris Gary A. , Newchurch Mike , Oltmans Samuel J. , Posny Françoise , Schmidlin F. J. , Vömel Holger , Whiteman David N. , Witte Jacquelyn C.
Published: May 2008

We compare Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) version 2 (V002) nadir ozone profiles with ozonesonde profiles from the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Ozonesonde Network Study, the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center, the Global Monitoring Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory, and the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesonde archives. Approximately 1600 coincidences spanning 72.5°S–80.3°N from October 2004 to October 2006 are found. The TES averaging kernel and constraint are applied to the ozonesonde data to account for the TES measurement sensitivity and vertical resolution. TES sonde differences are examined in six latitude zones after excluding profiles with thick high clouds. Values for the bias and standard deviation are determined using correlations of mean values of TES ozone and sonde ozone in the upper troposphere (UT) and lower troposphere (LT). The UT biases range from 2.9 to 10.6 ppbv, and the LT biases range from 3.7 to 9.2 ppbv, excluding the Arctic and Antarctic LT where TES sensitivity is low. A similar approach is used to assess seasonal differences in the northern midlatitudes where the density and frequency of sonde measurements are greatest. These results are briefly compared to TES V001 ozone validation work which also used ozonesondes but was carried out prior to improvements in the radiometric calibration and ozone retrieval in V002. Overall, the large number of TES and sonde comparisons indicate a positive bias of approximately 3–10 ppbv for the TES V002 nadir ozone data set and have helped to identify areas of potential improvement for future retrieval versions.
Observation of atmospheric tides in the Martian exosphere using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter radio tracking data
Authors: Mazarico E. , Zuber M. T. , Lemoine F. G. , Smith D. E.
Published: May 2008

Based on the perturbations of the trajectory of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter due to atmospheric drag, we estimate, using Precision Orbit Determination, the density of the Martian exosphere near 250 km altitude with much better temporal (and therefore spatial) resolution than previously possible with this method. Small longitudinal density variations are observed to be consistent over long time periods. Although they appear fixed with respect to the planet, we interpret them as non‐migrating tides because of the Sun‐synchronous spacecraft orbit. Similar tides were observed previously by MGS at much lower altitude (∼125 km), and our results agree to first order with the MGS findings.
Will present day glacier retreat increase volcanic activity? Stress induced by recent glacier retreat and its effect on magmatism at the Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland
Authors: Pagli Carolina , Sigmundsson Freysteinn
Published: May 2008

Global warming causes retreat of ice caps and ice sheets. Can melting glaciers trigger increased volcanic activity? Since 1890 the largest ice cap of Iceland, Vatnajökull, with an area of ∼8000 km2, has been continuously retreating losing about 10% of its mass during last century. Present‐day uplift around the ice cap is as high as 25 mm/yr. We evaluate interactions between ongoing glacio‐isostasy and current changes to mantle melting and crustal stresses at volcanoes underneath Vatnajökull. The modeling indicates that a substantial volume of new magma, ∼0.014 km3/yr, is produced under Vatnajökull in response to current ice thinning. Ice retreat also induces significant stress changes in the elastic crust that may contribute to high seismicity, unusual focal mechanisms, and unusual magma movements in NW‐Vatnajökull.
Steroid substrate-induced epimerase mechanism in the active site of the human 11&946;-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1
Authors: Hennebert Olivier , Montes Matthieu , Favre-Reguillon Alain , Chermette Henry , Ferroud Clotilde , Morfin Robert
Published: May 2008

Cytochrome P4507B1 7[alpha]-hydroxylates dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), epiandrosterone (EpiA) and 5[alpha]-androstane-3[beta],17[beta]-diol (Adiol). 11[beta]-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11[beta]-HSD1) interconverts 7[alpha]- and 7[beta]- forms. Whether the inter-conversion proceeds through oxido-reductive steps or epimerase activity is investigated. Experiments using ^3^H-labeled 7[beta]-hydroxy-DHEA, 7[beta]-hydroxy-EpiA and 7[beta]-hydroxy-Adiol show the ^3^H-label to accumulate in 7-oxo-DHEA trap but neither in 7-oxo-EpiA nor 7-oxo-Adiol traps. Computed models of 7-oxygenated steroids dock in the active site of 11[beta]-HSD1 either in a flipped or turned form relative to cortisone and cortisol. 7-Oxo-steroid reduction in 7[alpha]- or 7[beta]-hydroxylated derivatives results from either turned or flipped forms. 11[beta]-HSD1 incubation in H~2~^18^O medium with each 7-hydroxysteroid did not incorporate ^18^O in 7-hydroxylated derivatives of EpiA and Adiol independently of the cofactor used. Thus oxido-reductive steps apply for the interconversion of 7[alpha]- and 7[beta]-hydroxy-DHEA through 7-oxo-DHEA. Epimerisation may proceed on the 7-hydroxylated derivatives of EpiA and Adiol through a mechanism involving the cofactor and Ser170.
IR spectra reveal water vapor in regions where terrestrial planets form
Authors: Blau Steven K.
Published: May 2008

The observations of water and organic molecules may help astronomers explore the structure and dynamics of the disks that ultimately evolve into solar systems.
Universities and industry find roadblocks to R&D partnering
Authors: Kramer David
Published: May 2008

Academic red tape, bickering over rights to inventions, and attractive terms abroad are limiting growth in industry-sponsored research at US universities.
Detectors could miss bomb-grade uranium at ports, group warns
Authors: Kramer David
Published: May 2008

The NRDC says next-generation radiation monitors could be thwarted by modest shielding.
Iodide accumulation provides kelp with an inorganic antioxidant impacting atmospheric chemistry
Authors: Küpper Frithjof C. , Carpenter Lucy J. , McFiggans Gordon B. , Palmer Carl J. , Waite Tim J. , Boneberg Eva-Maria , Woitsch Sonja , Weiller Markus , Abela Rafael , Grolimund Daniel , Potin Philippe , Butler Alison , Luther George W. , Kroneck Peter M. H. , Meyer-Klaucke Wolfram , Feiters Martin C.
Published: May 2008

Brown algae of the Laminariales (kelps) are the strongest accumulators of iodine among living organisms. They represent a major pump in the global biogeochemical cycle of iodine and, in particular, the major source of iodocarbons in the coastal atmosphere. Nevertheless, the chemical state and biological significance of accumulated iodine have remained unknown to this date. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we show that the accumulated form is iodide, which readily scavenges a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We propose here that its biological role is that of an inorganic antioxidant, the first to be described in a living system. Upon oxidative stress, iodide is effluxed. On the thallus surface and in the apoplast, iodide detoxifies both aqueous oxidants and ozone, the latter resulting in the release of high levels of molecular iodine and the consequent formation of hygroscopic iodine oxides leading to particles, which are precursors to cloud condensation nuclei. In a complementary set of experiments using a heterologous system, iodide was found to effectively scavenge ROS in human blood cells.
Inhibition of Wnt signaling by the osteoblast-specific transcription factor Osterix
Authors: Zhang Chi , Cho Kyucheol , Huang Yehong , Lyons Jon P. , Zhou Xin , Sinha Krishna , McCrea Pierre D. , de Crombrugghe Benoit
Published: May 2008

The recent identification of the genes responsible for several human genetic diseases affecting bone homeostasis and the characterization of mouse models for these diseases indicated that canonical Wnt signaling plays a critical role in the control of bone mass. Here, we report that the osteoblast-specific transcription factor Osterix (Osx), which is required for osteoblast differentiation, inhibits Wnt pathway activity. First, in calvarial cells of embryonic day (E)18.5
Osx
-null embryos, expression of the Wnt antagonist
Dkk1
was abolished, and that of Wnt target genes
c-Myc
and
cyclin D1
was increased. Moreover, our studies demonstrated that Osx bound to and activated the
Dkk1
promoter. In addition, Osx inhibited β-catenin-induced Topflash reporter activity and β-catenin-induced secondary axis formation in
Xenopus
embryos. Importantly, in calvaria of E18.5
Osx
-null embryos harboring the
TOPGAL
reporter transgene, β-galactosidase activity was increased, suggesting that Osx inhibited the Wnt pathway in osteoblasts
in vivo
. Our data further showed that Osx disrupted binding of Tcf to DNA, providing a likely mechanism for the inhibition by Osx of β-catenin transcriptional activity. We also showed that Osx decreased osteoblast proliferation. Indeed, E18.5
Osx
-null calvaria showed greater BrdU incorporation than wild-type calvaria and that Osx overexpression in C2C12 mesenchymal cells inhibited cell growth. Because Wnt signaling has a major role in stimulating osteoblast proliferation, we speculate that Osx-mediated inhibition of osteoblast proliferation is a consequence of the Osx-mediated control of Wnt/β-catenin activity. Our results add a layer of control to Wnt/β-catenin signaling in bone.
Human ApoD, an apolipoprotein up-regulated in neurodegenerative diseases, extends lifespan and increases stress resistance in
Drosophila
Authors: Muffat Julien , Walker David W. , Benzer Seymour
Published: May 2008

Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) expression increases in several neurological disorders and in spinal cord injury. We provide a report of a physiological role for human ApoD (hApoD): Flies overexpressing hApoD are long-lived and protected against stress conditions associated with aging and neurodegeneration, including hyperoxia, dietary paraquat, and heat stress. We show that the fly ortholog,
Glial Lazarillo
, is strongly up-regulated in response to these extrinsic stresses and also can protect
in vitro
-cultured cells in situations modeling Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In adult flies, hApoD overexpression reduces age-associated lipid peroxide accumulation, suggesting a proximal mechanism of action. Similar data obtained in the mouse [Ganfornina, M.D.,
et al.
, (2008) Apolipoprotein D is involved in the mechanisms regulating protection from oxidative stress.
Aging Cell
10.1111/j.1474-9726.2008.00395.] as well as in plants (Charron
et al.
, personal communication) suggest that ApoD and its orthologs play an evolutionarily conserved role in response to stress, possibly managing or preventing lipid peroxidation.
Tissue-engineered endothelial and epithelial implants differentially and synergistically regulate airway repair
Authors: Zani Brett G. , Kojima Koji , Vacanti Charles A. , Edelman Elazer R.
Published: May 2008

The trilaminate vascular architecture provides biochemical regulation and mechanical integrity. Yet regulatory control can be regained after injury without recapitulating tertiary structure. Tissue-engineered (TE) endothelium controls repair even when placed in the perivascular space of injured vessels. It remains unclear from vascular repair studies whether endothelial implants recapitulate the vascular epithelial lining or expose injured tissues to endothelial cells (ECs) with unique healing potential because ECs line the vascular epithelium and the vasa vasorum. We examined this issue in a nonvascular tubular system, asking whether airway repair is controlled by bronchial epithelial cells (EPs) or by ECs of the perfusing bronchial vasculature. Localized bronchial denuding injury damaged epithelium, narrowed bronchial lumen, and led to mesenchymal cell hyperplasia, hypervascularity, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Peribronchial TE constructs embedded with EPs or ECs limited airway injury, although optimum repair was obtained when both cells were present in TE matrices. EC and EP expression of PGE
2
, TGFβ1, TGFβ2, GM-CSF, IL-8, MCP-1, and soluble VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 was altered by matrix embedding, but expression was altered most significantly when both cells were present simultaneously. EPs may provide for functional control of organ injury and fibrous response, and ECs may provide for preservation of tissue perfusion and the epithelium in particular. Together the two cells optimize functional restoration and healing, suggesting that multiple cells of a tissue contribute to the differentiated biochemical function and repair of a tissue, but need not assume a fixed, ordered architectural relationship, as in intact tissues, to achieve these effects.
Dvorák to Duke Ellington
Authors: Peress Maurice
Published: May 2008

Drawing upon a mix of research and the personal experience of a career devoted to the music about which Dvorák so presciently spoke, this book's narrative goes behind the scenes of the burgeoning American school of music and beyond. The book begins with Dvorák's three year residency as Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York (1892-5), and his students, in particular Will Marion Cook and Rubin Goldmark, who would in turn become the teachers of Ellington, Gershwin, and Copland. The book follows Dvorák to the famed Chicago World's Fair of 1893, where the book brings to light the little known African American presence at the Fair: the piano professors, about-to-be ragtimers; and the gifted young artists Paul Dunbar, Harry T. Burleigh, and Cook, who gathered at the Haitian Pavilion with its director, Frederick Douglass, to organize their own gala concert for Colored Persons Day. The author of this book, a distinguished conductor, is himself a part of this story; working with Duke Ellington on the “Suite from Black, Brown and Beige” and his “opera comique”, Queenie Pie; conducting the world premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass; and reconstructing landmark American concerts at which George Antheil's Ballet Mècanique, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, James Reese Europe's Clef Club (the first all-black concert at Carnegie Hall), and Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige, were first presented. The book concludes with a look at Ellington and his music.
1 Antonin Dvořák Comes to America
Authors: Peress Maurice
Published: May 2008

Be it money, wanderlust, love, or politics — whatever the combination of causes that drew Dvorák to American shores — one of the most significant cultural exchanges in American history was about to begin when Dvorák, his wife, Anna, and their two oldest children, boarded the SS Saale in Bremen on September 17, 1892. After nine stormy days, they debarked onto a pier in Hoboken, New Jersey.
3 Dvořák’s Symphony From the New World
Authors: Peress Maurice
Published: May 2008

This chapter starts with Dvorák's witnessing of the exuberant festivities for the 400th anniversary of Columbusás landing in the New World only a few days after his arrival and his first concert appearance. It is here that Dvorák often hears Negro Spirituals sung by his new assistant, Harry T. Burleigh, as he composes a new Symphony. Dvorák explicitly announces that his “newly completed symphony reflects the Negro melodies, upon which ... the coming American school must be based ... will be a surprise to the world”. He carefully signs his completed score and dates it, “Fine, Praised be to God! May 24, 1893, at nine in the morning”. In an unusual gesture, Dvorák returns to the score later that day to add a euphoric note, “Family arrives at Southhampton! (telegram l:33)”. Famous American and European musicians react to Dvorák's “negro music idea”. After that, the Dvoráks leave by train for their summer vacation in a small Czech speaking farm community in Spillville, Iowa. En route they stop in Chicago to visit the Fair.
4 The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893
Authors: Peress Maurice
Published: May 2008

The Chicago World Columbian Exposition of 1893 (“The Fair”) celebrated America, its industry, and its people. It was among the first events of its kind to honor the achievements of women. Almost overnight, the Fair and Chicago became a gathering place for the nation's gifted and talented from every scientific and artistic discipline. There was a significant Negro presence at the Fair; Dahomey Village from Africa's Gold Coast, the Haitian Pavillion was a gathering place for black intelligentsia — hootchie cootchies doing the belly dance, piano professors exchanging licks and forms — these were soon were to emerge as the new national musical rage, ragtime. On Colored Person's Honor Day, Will Marion Cook, the future mentor of Duke Ellington, meets Dvorák. He is invited to attend the National Conservatory that fall; after that the Dvorák family returns to New York.
6 Paul Laurence Dunbar, Clorindy, and “The Talented Tenth”
Authors: Peress Maurice
Published: May 2008

Prominent black intellectuals, led by a distinguished minister, John Wesley Crumell, and including the young scholar, William E. B. Dubois and the poet, Paul Dunbar, had their own ideas “for the development of Negro genius”. Cook and Dunbar created the first all Negro musical show on Broadway, Clorindy, The Origin of the Cakewalk (1898), “moving the Great White Way from the waltz to ragtime”.