bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic asthma: is it intrinsic to the smooth muscle?
Authors: Black J. L. , Roth M.
Published: May 2009

The traditional view of the pathophysiology of asthma is that its characteristic features are secondary to a major allergic or immunological dysfunction. However, this does not explain intrinsic asthma, which can occur in the absence of atopy. An alternative view is that an abnormality in the airway smooth muscle cell, which is capable of producing inflammatory, immunological and growth factors as well as molecules, which facilitate interaction with inflammatory cells, is the primary or instigating event. Evidence is rapidly accumulating that the smooth muscle is abnormal, in that it proliferates faster, produces more chemokines and cytokines as well as a different profile of extracellular matrix proteins than its non‐asthmatic counterpart. These abnormalities may arise from altered calcium homoeostasis leading to increased mitochondrial biogenesis and/or decreases in the levels of key transcription factors such as CCAAT enhancer binding protein−α. Conditions under which smooth muscle is ablated, such as bronchial thermoplasty, may help us to understand more about the contribution of an airway smooth muscle dysfunction to asthma aetiology.
Occurrence of impaired fasting glucose in GH‐deficient adults receiving GH replacement compared with untreated subjects
Authors: Woodmansee Whitney W. , Hartman Mark L. , Lamberts Steven W.J. , Zagar Anthony J. , Clemmons David R. ,   on behalf of the International HypoCCS Advisory Board
Published: May 2009

Objective  The effects of GH replacement on glucose metabolism in GH‐deficient (GHD) adults in clinical practice are not well defined. Therefore, we assessed GH treatment effects on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (A1c) concentrations in GHD adults in a clinical setting.

Design  Post‐hoc analysis of the observational Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study conducted at 157 US centres (1997–2002).

Patients  GH‐deficient adults who were GH‐naïve at study entry and had at least two FPG measurements.

Measurements  Effect of GH treatment on the frequency and time course of abnormal FPG (≥5·6 mmol/l) development, FPG normalization, progression of increased FPG and abnormal follow‐up A1c (>6%) values in GHD patients treated with GH (n = 403) or untreated (n = 169) at their physician’s discretion.

Results  In subjects without pre‐existing diabetes mellitus, development of an abnormal FPG tended to occur in a greater percentage of GH‐treated than untreated subjects (35·3% versus 24·5, P = 0·06). Additionally, GH treatment was associated with a mild, transient increase in FPG and shorter time to development of an abnormal FPG in these subjects (P < 0·01). Most (∼80%) abnormal FPG values were below 7 mmol/l and normalized in 69% of GH‐treated subjects without diabetes. Treatment with GH had no effect on the rate of FPG normalization, progression of increased FPG or abnormal follow‐up A1c values.

Conclusions  Initiation of GH replacement in GHD adults was associated with a mild increase in FPG that often normalized spontaneously. Nevertheless, clinicians should monitor FPG in patients receiving GH treatment.
Characterising functional trait diversity and trait–environment relationships in fish assemblages of boreal lakes
Authors: ERŐS TIBOR , HEINO JANI , SCHMERA DÉNES , RASK MARTTI
Published: May 2009

1. Characterisation of biodiversity is typically based on taxonomic approaches, while much less is known about other related aspects. Functional trait diversity is one such component of biodiversity that has not been addressed rigorously in ecological research until recently. We tested the congruence between taxonomic‐ and trait‐based approaches, and examined how spatial configuration, local abiotic environmental factors and biotic effects interact to influence taxonomic‐ and trait‐based characterisation of freshwater fish assemblages.

2. Fish assemblage data were compiled for 124 lakes in southern Finland. Variance partitioning in both linear regression analyses and redundancy analysis was used to quantify the relative contribution of spatial and environmental variables to taxonomic and functional trait diversity and structure. Additionally, a null model analysis was used to test for the potential effects of interspecific segregation and biotic interactions on the co‐occurrence of species.

3. The species pool was relatively poor. However, trait‐based classification of species indicated that most species belonged to unique functional entities, which suggested low redundancy in species composition. Correlation analysis indicated a very strong relationship between species richness (SR) and the number of unique trait combinations (UTC). Ecoregion‐level heterogeneity in SR and UTC were well represented in a relatively small group of randomly selected lakes (c. 30 lakes). Multiple regressions indicated moderate roles for abiotic environmental variables (i.e. lake surface area, depth, total phosphorous, colour and pH) in determining SR, UTC and the distribution of single trait categories, whereas geographical location was not generally influential.

4. Redundancy analysis revealed similar patterns to those of diversity analyses for taxonomic and associated trait‐based structure, emphasising the effect of abiotic environmental variables and the negligible effect of geographical position.

5. Co‐occurrence analysis indicated significant checkerboard distribution at the whole assemblage level, but interspecific segregation proved to be of relatively minor importance in the constrained analyses, where species pair combinations within trait category groups were evaluated.

6. Our results suggest that taxonomic‐ and trait‐based patterns of boreal lake fish assemblages are strongly interrelated. Environmental filtering through the effects of local abiotic variables seems to have the most prominent role in determining trait‐based assemblage patterns among lakes, which may also be secondarily shaped by biotic interactions.

7. From the applied perspective, it may not necessarily matter whether traditional taxonomic or more novel trait‐based approaches are used in characterising spatial patterns in boreal fish assemblages. However, trait‐based approaches may provide complementary information which cannot be directly revealed by taxonomic data.
Could rising aquatic carbon dioxide concentrations favour the invasion of elodeids in isoetid‐dominated softwater lakes?
Authors: SPIERENBURG P. , LUCASSEN E.C.H.E.T. , LOTTER A.F. , ROELOFS J.G.M.
Published: May 2009

1. During the past century, isoetid vegetation types in softwater lakes have often been invaded by faster‐growing elodeids. In these C‐limited systems, this may be related to rising aquatic CO2 levels.

2. In a laboratory experiment we tested the growth response of two elodeid species, Myriophyllum alterniflorum and Callitriche hamulata, at four different CO2 levels, ranging from 20 to 230 μmol L−1. In addition, we tested the effect of the nutrient status of the sediment on the growth of C. hamulata at the different CO2 levels.

3. Shoot and root growth increased with rising CO2 availability. Irrespective of sediment type, growth was minimal to negative at the lowest CO2 treatment level, while becoming positive at CO2 levels around 40–50 μmol L−1. Substantial growth was only obtained when the macrophytes were growing on mesotrophic sediments. The plants reached close to maximal growth at CO2 levels of c. 100 μmol L−1.

4. Within this experiment, the growth of C. hamulata at CO2 levels above 90 μmol L−1 may have been limited by N and P availability in both sediment types. The growth rate of M. alterniflorum did not seem to be limited by N and P availability, most likely due to its much higher relative root production.

5. The experimental results show that neither M. alterniflorum nor C. hamulata is able to invade isoetid‐dominated softwater lakes at very low aquatic CO2 concentrations. However, if the sediments contain enough nutrients, a rise in aquatic CO2 could allow the invasion of elodeid species leading to the subsequent disappearance of slow‐growing isoetids.
Studies on the pharmacokinetics of cisatracurium in anesthetized dogs:in vitro–in vivocorrelations
Authors: CHEN C. , YAMAGUCHI N. , VARIN F.
Published: May 2009

Cisatracurium undergoes primarily temperature and pH‐dependent Hofmann elimination in humans. This study was conducted to describe the pharmacokinetics of cisatracurium in anesthetized dogs and determine whether itsin vitrodegradation rate in plasma is predictive of itsin vivoelimination rate, as this is the case in humans. Nine dogs were anesthetized with pentobarbital and administered different bolus doses of cisatracurium in a randomized cross‐over design. Arterial blood was collected at frequent intervals after each bolus injection.In vitrodegradation rate (kin vitro) of cisatracurium was determined in each dog blank plasma. Plasma concentrations were determined by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed using two compartmental models assuming central or both central and peripheral elimination. Meanin vivoterminal elimination rate of cisatracurium (16.4 ± 2.7 min) was twofold faster than meanin vitrodegradation rate (32.9 ± 3.7 min) in our dogs. Organ clearance was 6.12 ± 1.69 mL/min·kg and accounted for 56 ± 12% of the total body clearance. Apparent volume of distribution, an exit site‐dependent parameter, averaged 212 or 184 mL/kg whether or not peripheral elimination was accounted for in the model. Thein vitrorate of degradation in plasma is not of predictive value for thein vivoelimination rate of cisatracurium in anesthetized dogs. Organ clearance plays a more important role in the elimination of cisatracurium in dogs than in humans. Increased biliary excretion and/or presence of renal secretion are potential mechanisms that need to be explored.
Subgenotypes of hepatitis B virus genotype D (D1, D2, D3 and D5) in India: differential pattern of mutations, liver injury and occult HBV infection
Authors: Chandra P. K. , Biswas A. , Datta S. , Banerjee A. , Panigrahi R. , Chakrabarti S. , De B. K. , Chakravarty R.
Published: May 2009

Summary.  Hepatitis B genotype D (HBV/D) is the most widespread genotype and exists as at least five subgenotypes (HBV/D1–D5). However, little is known about the association of virological characteristics with clinical differences among HBV/D subgenotypes. To investigate the virological characteristics of these subgenotypes and their clinical implications, we selected a cohort of 109 genotype D infected individuals from the state of West Bengal, India, including 68 HBsAg positive patients and 41 with occult HBV infection. Among the HBsAg positive subjects 28 had chronic hepatitis B virus infection, 40 were asymptomatic carriers based on clinical examination, liver function test and ultrasonograph results. Overall, HBV/D1 was found in 17%, HBV/D2 in 29%, HBV/D3 in 34% and HBV/D5 in 20% of the cases. HBV/D1 was significantly associated with chronic liver disease (P = 0.01), and in this subgenotype A1896 (PreC mutations) were most common. Although BCP mutations (A/C1753 and T1762/A1764) were found to be frequently associated with HBV/D2 (33% and 33%) and D5 (47% and 59%), no apparent clinical correlation was observed. On the other hand, occult HBV infection was significantly associated with HBV/D3 infection, along with low level of BCP and PreC mutations and several non‐synonymous substitutions in the catalytic reverse transcriptase (RT) domain of polymerase gene. Similar nucleotide substitutions in the surface (S) gene region were observed from both northern and eastern Indian HBV/D3 isolates. In conclusion, HBV/D subgenotypes differ in their mutational patterns in the S, polymerase and the BCP/PreC regions that may influence their clinical outcomes.
Results of up to 2 years of entecavir vs lamivudine therapy in nucleoside‐naïve HBeAg‐positive patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Chang T.‐T. , Chao Y.‐C. , Gorbakov V. V. , Han K.‐h. , Gish R. G. , De Man R. , Cheinquer H. , Bessone F. , Brett‐Smith H. , Tamez R.
Published: May 2009

Summary.  Entecavir is a potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase. The efficacy and safety of entecavir in nucleoside‐naïve patients with hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive chronic hepatitis B was established in a large, international, double‐dummy study (ETV‐022) where patients were randomized to entecavir 0.5 mg/day (n = 354) or lamivudine 100 mg/day (n = 355) once daily. ETV‐022 had a 52‐week blinded treatment phase, followed by an extended blinded treatment phase for up to 44 additional weeks (96 weeks total). Treatment was discontinued for patients achieving a protocol‐defined response as determined by patient management criteria that intended to test the possibility of finite therapy, which has not previously been studied for entecavir or other anti‐HBV agents in a large trial. Early results from this study have been previously presented/published separately. This paper compiles the results of up to 2 years of treatment for protocol‐defined responders, virologic responders and nonresponders. For responders who discontinued therapy (per protocol), 24‐week off‐treatment evaluation is presented to provide a more ‘complete picture’ of what clinicians can expect when treating nucleoside‐naïve HBeAg‐positive patients with chronic hepatitis B. For patients who discontinued therapy because of nonresponse (nonresponders) and subsequently entered the rollover study ETV‐901, follow‐up results, including resistance profile, are provided.
Structural and bioinformatic analysis of the Roman snail Cd‐Metallothionein gene uncovers molecular adaptation towards plasticity in coping with multifarious environmental stress
Authors: EGG MARGIT , HÖCKNER MARTINA , BRANDSTÄTTER ANITA , SCHULER DIETMAR , DALLINGER REINHARD
Published: May 2009

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a family of multifunctional proteins involved, among others, in stress response. The Cadmium (Cd)‐MT gene of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia), for example, encodes for a protein induced upon cadmium exposure. While our previous studies have demonstrated that the expressed Cd‐MT isoform of Roman snails assists detoxification of cadmium, the present work focuses on the potential plasticity of this gene in response to a variety of environmental stressors playing a crucial role in the specific ecological niche of H. pomatia. Our hypothesis is based on a bioinformatic approach involving gene sequencing, structural and in silico analysis of transcription factor binding sites (TFBs), and a comparison of these features with other MT genes. Our results show that the Roman snail's Cd‐MT gene not only is the largest known MT gene, but also contains — apart from the regulatory promoter region — several intronic repeat cassettes of putative TFBs suggested to be involved in environmental stress response, immune competence, and regulation of gene expression. Moreover, intronic scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs) and stress‐induced duplex destabilization sites confer a high potential for epigenetic gene regulation. This suggested regulatory plasticity is also supported by physiological data showing that Cd‐MT in Roman snails can be induced differentially not only after cadmium exposure, but also in response to nonmetallic environmental stressors. It is concluded that structural analysis combined with bioinformatic screening may constitute valuable tools for predicting the potential for plasticity and niche‐specific adaptation of stress‐responsive genes in populations living under rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Treponema pallidum, the stealth pathogen, changes, but how?
Authors: Radolf Justin D. , Desrosiers Daniel C.
Published: May 2009

Treponema pallidum rapidly disseminates from a genital site of inoculation to diverse organs where it establishes persistent infection. T. pallidum has long been regarded as a stealth pathogen because of its poorly antigenic and non‐inflammatory surface. There is now increasing evidence that antigenic variation also contributes to the ability of the spirochaete to evade host defences. Among the small number of proteins encoded by the T. pallidum genome with sequence similarity to well‐characterized transcription factors is TP0262, an orthologue for cAMP regulatory protein (CRP) of Escherichia coli. Giacani and co‐workers identified sequences matching the CRP consensus‐binding motif upstream of the promoters of tprE, tprG and tprJ, three members of the T. pallidum repeat (tpr) gene family (subfamily II). Using electrophoretic mobility shift assay, DNaseI footprinting and an E. coli‐based reporter system, they demonstrated that TP0262 specifically recognizes the putative binding sequences and that DNA binding is cAMP‐dependent. Their report, a major methodological advance for syphilis research, suggests that T. pallidum has appropriated a paradigmatic global regulator of metabolic processes in heterotrophic bacteria to further its capacity for immune evasion in its obligate human host.
The histone deacetylase OsHDAC1 epigenetically regulates the OsNAC6 gene that controls seedling root growth in rice
Authors: Chung Pil Joong , Kim Yeon Shic , Jeong Jin Seo , Park Su‐Hyun , Nahm Baek Hie , Kim Ju‐Kon
Published: May 2009

We have previously isolated a rice gene encoding a histone deacetylase, OsHDAC1, and observed that its transgenic overexpression increases seedling root growth. To identify the transcriptional repression events that occur as a result of OsHDAC1 overexpression (OsHDAC1OE), a global profiling of root‐expressed genes was performed on OsHDAC1OE or HDAC inhibitor‐treated non‐transgenic (NT) roots, in comparison with untreated NT roots. We selected 39 genes that are induced and repressed in HDAC inhibitor‐treated NT and OsHDAC1OE roots, compared with NT roots, respectively. Interestingly, OsNAC6, a member of the NAM‐ATAF‐CUC (NAC) family, was identified as a key component of the OsHDAC1 regulon, and was found to be epigenetically repressed by OsHDAC1 overexpression. The root phenotype of OsNAC6 knock‐out seedlings was observed to be similar to that of the OsHDAC1OE seedlings. Conversely, the root phenotype of the OsNAC6 overexpressors was similar to that of the OsHDAC1 knock‐out seedlings. These observations indicate that OsHDAC1 negatively regulates the OsNAC6 gene that primarily mediates the alteration in the root growth of the OsHDAC1OE seedlings. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays of the OsNAC6 promoter region using antibodies specific to acetylated histones H3 and H4 revealed that OsHDAC1 epigenetically represses the expression of OsNAC6 by deacetylating K9, K14 and K18 on H3 and K5, K12 and K16 on H4.
Rice OGR1 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat–DYW protein and is essential for RNA editing in mitochondria
Authors: Kim Sung‐Ryul , Yang Jung‐Il , Moon Sunok , Ryu Choong‐Hwan , An Kyungsook , Kim Kyung‐Me , Yim Jieun , An Gynheung
Published: May 2009

RNA editing is the alteration of RNA sequences via insertion, deletion and conversion of nucleotides. In flowering plants, specific cytidine residues of RNA transcribed from organellar genomes are converted into uridines. Approximately 35 editing sites are present in the chloroplasts of higher plants; six pentatricopeptide repeat genes involved in RNA editing have been identified in Arabidopsis. However, although approximately 500 editing sites are found in mitochondrial RNAs of flowering plants, only one gene in Arabidopsis has been reported to be involved in such editing. Here, we identified rice mutants that are defective in seven specific RNA editing sites on five mitochondrial transcripts. Their various phenotypes include delayed seed germination, retarded growth, dwarfism and sterility. Mutant seeds from heterozygous plants are opaque. This mutation, named opaque and growth retardation 1 (ogr1), was generated by T‐DNA insertion into a gene that encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein containing the DYW motif. The OGR1–sGFP fusion protein is localized to mitochondria. Ectopic expression of OGR1 in the mutant complements the altered phenotypes. We conclude that OGR1 is essential for RNA editing in rice mitochondria and is required for normal growth and development.
Respiratory viral infections within one year after pediatric lung transplant
Authors: Liu M. , Worley S. , Arrigain S. , Aurora P. , Ballmann M. , Boyer D. , Conrad C. , Eichler I. , Elidemir O. , Goldfarb S. , Mallory G.B. , Mogayzel P.J. , Parakininkas D. , Visner G. , Sweet S. , Faro A. , Michaels M. , Danziger‐Isakov L.A.
Published: May 2009

Abstract: To characterize epidemiology and risk factors for respiratory viral infections (RVI) in pediatric lung transplant recipients within the first post‐transplant year, a retrospective multicenter study of pediatric lung transplant recipients from 1988 to 2005 was conducted at 14 centers in the United States and Europe. Data were recorded for 1 year post transplant. Associations between RVI and continuous and categorical risk factors were assessed using Wilcoxon's rank‐sum and χ2 tests, respectively. Associations between time to RVI and risk factors or survival were assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Of 576 subjects, 79 subjects (14%) had 101 RVI in the first year post transplant. Subjects with RVI were younger than those without RVI (median ages 9.7, 13; P<0.01). Viruses detected included adenovirus (n=25), influenza (n=9), respiratory syncytial virus (n=21), parainfluenza virus (n=19), enterovirus (n=4), and rhinovirus (n=22). In a multivariable model for time to first RVI, etiology other than cystic fibrosis (CF), younger age, and no induction therapy were independently associated with risk of RVI. Cytomegalovirus serostatus and acute rejection were not associated with RVI. RVI was independently associated with decreased 12‐month survival (hazard ratio 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.6–4.4). RVI commonly occurs after pediatric lung transplantation with risk factors including younger age and non‐CF diagnosis. RVI is associated with decreased 1‐year survival.
Cryptococcal disease presenting as necrotizing cellulitis in transplant recipients
Authors: Baer S. , Baddley J.W. , Gnann J.W. , Pappas P.G.
Published: May 2009

Abstract: Disseminated cryptococcosis uncommonly presents with skin lesions in immunocompromised hosts. Necrotizing fasciitis, necrotizing vasculitis, myositis, or necrotizing soft tissue infection are even more rare presentations. We report 3 cases of cryptococcal necrotizing soft tissue infection, 2 in renal transplant patients, and 1 in a heart transplant patient, and discuss similar cases from the literature. Cryptococcus neoformans should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cellulitis or necrotizing soft tissue infections in immunocompromised patients.
Improving the estimation of realized effective population sizes in farm animals
Authors: Gutiérrez J.P. , Cervantes I. , Goyache F.
Published: May 2009

Computation of inbreeding rate (ΔF) must consider that inbreeding is delayed with one generation with respect to the idealized population when addressed using individual inbreeding coefficients. The expression relating inbreeding in generation t with inbreeding rate Ft = 1 – (1–ΔF)t should be more correctly written in real animal populations as Ft = 1 – (1–ΔF)t−1, as changes in allele frequencies occur in the equivalent co‐ancestries in the previous generation. This simple approach is tested on simulated and real pedigrees thus demonstrating that: (i) the adjusted individual increase in inbreeding becomes stable in populations under random mating while the unadjusted parameter does not; (ii) regression of the unadjusted parameter over generations in pedigrees under random mating is highly significant while after correction it is not significant; and (iii) the variance of the adjusted parameter is reduced with the generations.
Pure ‘natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery’ for transvaginal nephrectomy in the porcine model
Authors: Haber Georges‐Pascal , Brethauer Stacy , Crouzet Sebastien , Berger Andre , Gatmaitan Patrick , Kamoi Kazumi , Gill Inderbir
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVES

To determine the technical feasibility and reproducibility of pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) transvaginal nephrectomy using NOTES‐specific instrumentation, with no transabdominal assistance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Five female farm pigs (mean weight 45 kg) had a right NOTES nephrectomy, using a single‐channel gastroscope in the first three pigs and a dual‐channel gastroscope in the remaining two. The peritoneal cavity was accessed through the posterior fornix of the vagina. Dissection was started at the lower pole of the kidney, and the ureter was retracted laterally and followed towards the hilum. An XL articulated 60 cm endo‐GIA stapler (US Surgical, Norwalk, CO, USA), inserted transvaginally via a separate vaginal incision, was used for tissue retraction and renal hilar transection. The kidney was freed, entrapped in an impermeable sac, and extracted intact transvaginally.

RESULTS

All five procedures were successful with no addition of a transabdominal laparoscopic port or open conversion. The total operative duration decreased from 200 min in the first pig to 60 min in the last (mean 113 min); the mean blood loss was <50 mL, the mean kidney length was 13.9 cm and the weight was 142 g. There were no intraoperative complications; at autopsy, there was no pelvic or bowel injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Pure NOTES transvaginal nephrectomy is feasible in the porcine model. It has the potential of a less morbid approach, providing truly scar‐less surgery. Further development of instrumentation is necessary.
Glucose monitoring by microdialysis: performance in a multicentre study
Authors: Nielsen J. K. , Freckmann G. , Kapitza C. , Ocvirk G. , Koelker K. H. , Kamecke U. , Gillen R. , Amann‐Zalan I. , Jendrike N. , Christiansen J. S. , Koschinsky T. , Heinemann L.
Published: May 2009

Aims  The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the Continuous Research Tool (CRT) in a multicentre clinical‐experimental study.

Methods  Three patient groups totalling 28 subjects with diabetes [group A 10 Type 1 (Ulm), group B 10 Type 1 (Neuss), group C eight Type 2 (Aarhus)] participated in this trial. Two CRT microdialysis probes were inserted in parallel in the abdominal subcutaneous tissue for 120 h in each subject. In subjects in group A, glucose excursions were induced on one study day and those in group B underwent a glucose clamp (eu‐, hypo‐ or hyperglycaemic) on one study day. CRT data were calibrated once with a retrospective calibration model based on a run‐in time of 24 h and three blood glucose measurements per day.

Results  All analysable experiments, covering a broad range of blood glucose values, yielded highly accurate data for the complete experimental time with a mean relative absolute difference of 12.8 ± 6.0% and a predictive residual error sum of squares of 15.6 ± 6.3 (mean ± SD). Of all measurement results, 98.2% were in zones A and B of the error grid analysis. The average absolute differences were 1.14 mmol/l for Type 1 and 0.88 mmol/l for Type 2 diabetic patients. Relative absolute differences were 16.0% for Type 1 and 12.6% for Type 2 diabetic patients.

Conclusions  These results demonstrate that this microdialysis system allows reliable continuous glucose monitoring in patients with diabetes of either type.
The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Program: a web‐based program to translate evidence to clinical practice in Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Chan J. , So W. , Ko G. , Tong P. , Yang X. , Ma R. , Kong A. , Wong R. , Le Coguiec F. , Tamesis B. , Wolthers T. , Lyubomirsky G. , Chow P.
Published: May 2009

Aims  The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Program is the first web‐based program incorporating a comprehensive risk engine, care protocols, clinical decision and self‐management support to improve ambulatory diabetes care. The aim was to validate the risk stratification system of the JADE Program using a large prospective cohort.

Methods  The JADE interactive risk engine stratifies patients into different risk levels using results from an annual comprehensive assessment of complications and risk factors. We used a prospective registry consisting of 7534 Type 2 diabetic patients [45.6% men, median (range) age 57 years (13–92)] to perform internal validation of the risk engine.

Results  The JADE Risk Engine categorized patients into four risk levels (from low to high): level 1, n = 4520 (6%); level 2, n = 1468 (19.5%); level 3, n = 4476 (59.4%); and level 4, n = 1138 (15.1%). After a median follow‐up period of 5.5 years (mean ± sd 5.4 ± 2.81 years), 763 (10.1%) died, 1129 (14.9%) developed cardiovascular disease (CVD), 282 (3.7%) developed end‐stage renal disease and 1400 (18.6%) had at least one of these events. Compared with risk level 1, levels 2, 3 and 4 were associated with 2.8‐, 4.7‐ and 8.6‐fold increased risk of clinical end‐points. Risk levels 3 and 4 were, respectively, associated with 2.2‐ and 3.9‐fold increased risk for all‐cause death and 4.8‐ and 12.1‐fold increased CVD risks.

Conclusion  Based on results from a comprehensive assessment, the JADE Risk Engine successfully categorizes patients into different risk levels to guide clinical management.
Psychometric validation and use of a novel diabetes in‐patient treatment satisfaction questionnaire
Authors: Sampson M. J. , Singh H. , Dhatariya K. K. , Jones C. , Walden E. , Bradley C.
Published: May 2009

Aims  To develop the first psychometrically validated Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for in‐patients (DTSQ‐IP) and examine determinants of in‐patient diabetes treatment satisfaction.

Methods  We studied 366 in‐patients with insulin‐treated diabetes at a single UK centre. We developed a 19‐item DTSQ‐IP to assess in‐patient diabetes treatment satisfaction, and collected data on in‐patient length of stay (LOS) and in‐patient care at the same time.

Results  Psychometric analyses including Principal Components Analysis and Cronbach’s α reliability coefficient showed that a single satisfaction score (excluding two items scored individually) can be computed for the entire DTSQ‐IP, indicating very good internal consistency reliability (0.92). The DTSQ‐IP detected considerable dissatisfaction with meal choice and timing (13.7% of in‐patients would never have chosen similar meals at home), and with in‐patient hypoglycaemia (35.3% felt that their blood glucose was too low most of the time). In‐patients on surgical wards, women, and those long established on insulin were significantly more dissatisfied, particularly with competence of hospital staff. Patients who administered their own insulin were not significantly less dissatisfied overall, but were so with the choice of meals (P = 0.005). Multiple regression analysis produced a model accounting for 8.2% of variability in DTSQ‐IP (r = 0.29; P = 0.0058) and 21.7% of variability in LOS (r = 0.46; P = 0.0001).

Conclusions  The DTSQ‐IP is a novel, psychometrically validated and sensitive tool that adds to the DTSQ portfolio. The DTSQ‐IP facilitates efforts to assess and improve treatment satisfaction in in‐patients with diabetes.
First‐Person Authority and Self‐Knowledge as an Achievement
Authors: Corbí Josep E.
Published: May 2009

Abstract: There is much that I admire in Richard Moran's account of how first‐person authority may be consistent with self‐knowledge as an achievement. In this paper, I examine his attempt to characterize the goal of psychoanalytic treatment, which is surely that the patient should go beyond the mere theoretical acceptance of the analyst's interpretation, and requires instead a more intimate, first‐personal, awareness by the patient of their psychological condition.

I object, however, that the way in which Moran distinguishes between the deliberative and the theoretical attitudes is ultimately inconsistent with a satisfactory account of psychoanalytic practice; mainly because, despite Moran's claims to the contrary, such a distinction is still inspired by a Cartesian picture of the self. I argue that, in the light of his distinction, Moran may emphasize that an agent's psychological dispositions should be permeable to her decisions and projects, but is forced to reject the idea that permeability could go the other way too. I explore Bernard Williams' notion of acknowledgment and Simone Weil's distinction between two notions of necessity, in order to articulate a notion of receptive passivity which may help us to characterize this second direction of permeability. I finally outline why receptive passivity (and, thereby, the double direction of permeability) is crucial in order to identify the goal of psychoanalytic treatment and, derivatively, to understand how a certain kind of awareness may have a significant therapeutic effect.
Non‐union employee representation: exploring the riddle of managerial strategy
Authors: Butler Peter
Published: May 2009

Utilising case‐study research in two organisations this article considers the strategy underpinning managerially imposed systems of non‐union employee representation. Drawing on Dundon and Gollan's ‘sensitising framework’, an interplay of external factors and internal dynamics is seen to prompt objectives that are both defensive (union avoidance) and proactive in nature (e.g. the legitimisation of change). The article suggests that such goals represent ‘rival logics of action’, the tensions unleashed being ultimately reflected in the ineffective functioning of the institutions under review.
Collective bargaining and new work regimes: ‘too important to be left to bosses’
Authors: Findlay Patricia , McKinlay Alan , Marks Abigail , Thompson Paul
Published: May 2009

The formal negotiations process remains perhaps the least‐studied moment of collective bargaining. Drawing on ideal types of ‘distributive’ and ‘integrative’ bargaining and the ‘formal/informal’ distinction, this article reports non‐participant observation and ethnographic research into the negotiations process that enabled a change agreement in a British multinational, hereafter anonymised as FMCG. Informal bargaining relations provided the backdrop to—and emerged within—the formal negotiations process. Formal bargaining established new employment contracts based on a simplified internal labour market and generated the joint governance processes to enable and regulate the change process. Neither management nor union strategy was wholly derived from rational, interest‐based positions. The negotiations process was essential to strategy formation and to the emergence of sufficient ‘integrative’ bargaining for all parties to devise and approve new processual institutions and norms to deliver a more flexible labour process and to restore the long‐run viability for ‘distributive’ bargaining.
The hair follicle melanocytes in vitiligo in relation to disease duration
Authors: Anbar T S , Abdel‐Raouf H , Awad S S , Ragaie M H , Abdel‐Rahman A T
Published: May 2009

Background and aims  Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentary disorder of skin and hair. Active melanocytes in hair follicles can be detected by DOPA and immunohistochemical staining, while amelanotic melanocytes can only be detected by the latter. None of the studies on hair melanocytes in vitiligo discussed the effect of disease duration on these melanocytes.

Here, we study the presence of melanotic and amelanotic melanocytes in vitiligo hair follicles and statistically correlating their presence with the disease duration.

Methods  This study was conducted on 30 patients with vitiligo and 10 normal volunteers. Three biopsies were taken from each patient: two from black and white hairs from vitiliginous areas and the third from apparently normal skin of the same patients. Sections were stained by DOPA reaction and NKI/beteb then examined for the presence of melanocytes. The presence of melanocytes and the disease duration were correlated statistically using the t‐test.

Results  Active melanocytes were detected in black hairs of 6.7% of vitiligo patients and in 100% of apparently normal skin of the same patients and controls. On examining black hairs of the 28 vitiligo patients with negative DOPA reaction, 19 of them (67.9%) showed positive NKI/beteb stain. Disease duration was inversely correlated with the melanocytes’ presence within hair follicles. Melanocytes were absent from 100% of white hairs.

Conclusions  The melanotic melanocytes were the first target of the disease process followed by the amelanotic melanocytes. Since the disappearance of the latter was inversely correlated with the disease duration, early treatment in vitiligo is advised.

Conflicts of interest

None declared.
Is there any relation between serum insulin and insulin‐like growth factor‐I in non‐diabetic patients with skin tag?
Authors: Jowkar F , Fallahi A , Namazi MR
Published: May 2009

Background  Skin tags are common benign lesion occurring mainly on the neck and major flexures as a small soft pedunculated protrusion. This study evaluate insulin and insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) in non‐diabetic ones.

Methods and materials  A case–control study was conducted in non‐diabetic persons. Comparing insulin and IGF‐I between matched cases (n = 40) and controls (n = 40) by radioimmunoassay test. Cases and controls were recruited from patients consecutively seen at an academic outpatient dermatology clinic.

Results  The insulin level in patients with skin tags was significantly higher than controls (P = 0.00) but IGF‐I level was not significantly different (P = 0.43).

Conclusion  These results show an increased insulin level in non‐diabetics ones and overall importance of insulin effect in pathogenesis of skin tags.
Tinea capitis in early infancy treated with itraconazole: a pilot study
Authors: Binder B , Richtig E , Weger W , Ginter‐Hanselmayer G
Published: May 2009

Background  Tinea capitis is the most common fungal infection of the scalp in childhood, but a very rare disorder in the first year of life.

Objective  To evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of itraconazole in 7 children aged between 3 and 46 weeks (median: 36 weeks) suffering from tinea capitis caused by Microsporum canis.

Methods  Prospective case note study. In all patients KOH testing and fungal cultivation on Sabouraud dextrose agar were performed.

Results  7 patients (5 girls and 2 boys) were included in the period between 2001 and 2008. The causative etiologic agent was Microsporum canis in all children. The patients received itraconazole 5mg/kg bodyweight daily for 3 to 6 weeks with no clinically side effects being noted. In all patients clinical and mycological cure could be achieved.

Conclusion  Itraconazole proved to be a safe and effective treatment option for Microsporum canis induced tinea capitis in children in their first year of life.
Effects of host mineral re‐equilibration during uplift and cooling on the fidelity of primary hydrothermal fluid inclusions: a theoretical example using Mississippi Valley‐type ore fluids
Authors: McKIBBEN M. A.
Published: May 2009

At the moment of its trapping as a primary fluid inclusion, a hydrothermal fluid is typically at or near equilibrium with multiple mineral species at depth and temperature. After trapping, however, the isolated inclusion fluid can re‐equilibrate only with its own host mineral species during later uplift and cooling to surface conditions. Because the solubility versus temperature behavior is unique for each host mineral species, identical inclusions trapped at the same time within different species may re‐equilibrate in a disparate manner upon cooling and become variably less representative of the original trapped fluid once they reach ambient temperature. To test the significance of this effect, a series of theoretical equilibrium reaction models was constructed in which a trapped hydrothermal fluid characteristic of Mississippi Valley‐type ore deposits is cooled in contact with silicate, sulfide and carbonate hosts, respectively, from 100 to 25°C. Dissolved base metal concentrations are predicted to decline by two to four orders of magnitude in inclusions in all hosts, due to the precipitation of optically undetectable masses of sulfide daughter minerals. Fluids in the calcite host show the greatest decline in dissolved base metals upon cooling, due to its retrograde solubility and consequent shift in the pH and aqueous C speciation of the fluid.δ13C values for CO2in all hosts become depleted by 2–7‰ relative to the original trapped fluid, with depletions again being the greatest for the calcite host due to its retrograde dissolution. Analytical techniques that extract and analyze the complete contents of fluid inclusions at room temperature can account for the predicted precipitation of microscopic daughter minerals during cooling, but may not compensate for chemical changes caused by the retrograde dissolution of calcite. Such solubility effects are another reason to be cautious in using carbonate minerals for fluid inclusion studies, in addition to their undesirable physical properties of softness, deformability and perfect cleavage.
Modeling fluid flow in a heterogeneous, fault‐controlled hydrothermal system
Authors: FAIRLEY J. P.
Published: May 2009

Previous studies have shown that most hydrothermal systems discharging at the land surface are associated with faulting, and that the location, temperature and rate of discharge of these systems are controlled by the geometry and style of the controlling fault(s). Unfortunately, the transport of heat and fluid in fault‐controlled hydrothermal systems is difficult to model realistically; although heterogeneity and anisotropy are assumed to place important controls on flow in faults, few data or observations are available to constrain the distribution of hydraulic properties within active faults. Here, analytical and numerical models are combined with geostatistical models of spatially varying hydraulic properties to model the flow of heat and fluid in the Borax Lake fault of south‐east Oregon, USA. A geometric mean permeability within the fault of 7 × 10−14 m2with 2× vertical/horizontal anisotropy in correlation length scale is shown to give the closest match to field observations. Furthermore, the simulations demonstrate that continuity of flow paths is an important factor in reproducing the observed behavior. In addition to providing some insight into possible spatial distributions of hydraulic properties at the Borax Lake site, the study highlights one potential avenue for integrating field observations with simulation results in order to gain greater understanding of fluid flow in faults and fault‐controlled hydrothermal and petroleum reservoirs.
Ethanol inhibits L1 cell adhesion molecule tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation and activation of pp60src
Authors: Yeaney Natalie K. , He Min , Tang Ningfeng , Malouf Alfred T. , O’Riordan Mary Ann , Lemmon Vance , Bearer Cynthia F.
Published: May 2009

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a leading cause of mental retardation. The neuropathology found in patients with fetal alcohol syndrome overlaps with those with mutations in the gene for cell adhesion molecule (L1). We have previously shown that L1‐mediated neurite outgrowth and L1 activation of extracellular receptor kinases 1/2 are inhibited at low concentrations of ethanol. One possible mechanism for this effect is through disruption of a tyrosine‐based sorting signal, Y(1176)RSLE, on the cytoplasmic domain of L1. Our goal was to determine if ethanol inhibited the sorting signal or its phosphorylation state. Using cerebellar granule neurons and dorsal root ganglion neurons, we found that ethanol had no effect on L1 distribution to the growth cone or its ability to be expressed on the cell surface as determined by confocal microscopy. In cerebellar granule neurons, clustering of L1 resulted in increased dephosphorylation of Y(1176), increased L1 tyrosine phosphorylation, and an increase in the activation of pp60src as measured by immunoblot. All changes were inhibited by 25 mM ethanol. Using PP2 to inhibit pp60src activation resulted in inhibition of increases in L1 tyrosine and extracellular receptor kinases 1/2 phosphorylation, and Y(1176) dephosphorylation. We conclude that ethanol disrupts L1 trafficking/signaling following its expression on the surface of the growth cone, and prior to its activation of pp60src.
EU Food Safety Standards, Pesticide Use and Farm‐level Productivity: The Case of High‐value Crops in Kenya
Authors: Asfaw Solomon , Mithöfer Dagmar , Waibel Hermann
Published: May 2009

This article provides an empirical analysis of the impact of European Union (EU) private food safety standards on pesticide use and farm‐level productivity among small‐scale vegetable producers in Kenya. We apply an extended three‐stage damage control production framework, accounting for multiple endogeneity problems, to farm‐level data collected from a random cross‐sectional sample of 539 small‐scale producers. Estimation results show that farmers producing vegetables for the domestic market use significantly lower quantities of pesticides than do export farmers. However, contrary to findings elsewhere, the econometric evidence here shows that both domestic and export‐oriented vegetable farmers in Kenya use pesticides at levels below the economic optimum. The results also show that the adoption of standards by export farmers does not have any significant impact on total pesticide use. However, adopter categories are distinguishable in terms of types of pesticide used, i.e. adopters use safer pesticides based on World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The third‐stage structural revenue model results demonstrate that adoption of standards has a positive and significant impact on revenue raised in vegetable production. Nevertheless, farmers producing for the export market are indistinguishable from those producing for the domestic farmers in terms of the total revenue earned from producing vegetables during the rainy season, on a ‘per acre’ basis. Although standards can potentially prevent resource‐poor smallholders from maintaining their position in the lucrative export markets, they can also result in positive changes in the production systems of those small‐scale farmers who adopt it, as shown by these results.
Conservation of arthropod midline netrin accumulation revealed with a cross‐reactive antibody provides evidence for midline cell homology
Authors: Simanton Wendy , Clark Stephanie , Clemons Anthony , Jacowski Caitlin , Farrell‐VanZomeren Adrienne , Beach Paul , Browne William E. , Duman‐Scheel Molly
Published: May 2009

SUMMARY
Although many similarities in arthropod CNS development exist, differences in axonogenesis and the formation of midline cells, which regulate axon growth, have been observed. For example, axon growth patterns in the ventral nerve cord of Artemia franciscana differ from that of Drosophila melanogaster. Despite such differences, conserved molecular marker expression at the midline of several arthropod species indicates that midline cells may be homologous in distantly related arthropods. However, data from additional species are needed to test this hypothesis. In this investigation, nerve cord formation and the putative homology of midline cells were examined in distantly related arthropods, including: long‐ and short‐germ insects (D. melanogaster, Aedes aeygypti, and Tribolium castaneum), branchiopod crustaceans (A. franciscana and Triops longicauditus), and malacostracan crustaceans (Porcellio laevis and Parhyale hawaiensis). These comparative analyses were aided by a cross‐reactive antibody generated against the Netrin (Net) protein, a midline cell marker and regulator of axonogenesis. The mechanism of nerve cord formation observed in Artemia is found in Triops, another branchiopod, but is not found in the other arthropods examined. Despite divergent mechanisms of midline cell formation and nerve cord development, Net accumulation is detected in a well‐conserved subset of midline cells in branchiopod crustaceans, malacostracan crustaceans, and insects. Notably, the Net accumulation pattern is also conserved at the midline of the amphipod P. hawaiensis, which undergoes split germ‐band development. Conserved Net accumulation patterns indicate that arthropod midline cells are homologous, and that Nets function to regulate commissure formation during CNS development of Tetraconata.