bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uncomplicated Depression, Suicide Attempt, and the DSM-5 Bereavement Exclusion Debate
Authors: Wakefield Jerome C. , Schmitz Mark F.
Published: July 2013

Purpose:

To evaluate the claim, made repeatedly during Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition debates over eliminating the bereavement exclusion (BE), that “uncomplicated” depressive reactions have elevated suicidality like other major depressive disorder (MDD), so exclusions risk missing suicidal cases.

Method:

We found no published evidence assessing suicide risk specifically in uncomplicated depression. Using data from four epidemiological surveys, we calculated suicide attempt rates both concurrently and predictively for those with histories of no MDD, uncomplicated MDD, and standard MDD.

Results:

Both concurrently and predictively, uncomplicated MDD suicide attempt rates were no greater than no-MDD history rates and less than standard MDD rates.

Discussion:

Excluding uncomplicated cases from MDD poses no risk of missing elevated suicidal rates typical of depression. The “suicide” argument used to support BE elimination was spurious.
Mental imagery in the navigation domain: a computational model of sensory-motor simulation mechanisms
Authors: Chersi Fabian , Donnarumma Francesco , Pezzulo Giovanni
Published: July 2013

Recent experimental evidence indicates that animals can use mental simulation to make decisions about the actions to take during goal-directed navigation. The principal brain areas found to be active during this process are the hippocampus, the ventral striatum and the sensory-motor cortex. In this paper, we present a computational model that includes biological aspects of this circuit and explains mechanistically how it may be used to imagine and evaluate future events. Its most salient characteristic is that choices about actions are made by simulating movements and their sensory effects using the same brain areas that are active during overt execution. More precisely, the simulation of an action (e.g., walking) creates a new sensory pattern that is evaluated in the same way as real inputs. The model is validated in a navigation task in which a simulated rat is placed in a complex maze. We show that hippocampal and striatal cells are activated to simulate paths, to retrieve their estimated value and to make decisions. We link these results with a general framework that sees the brain as a predictive device that can ‘detach’ itself from the here-and-now of current perception using mechanisms such as episodic memories, motor and visual imagery.
Efficient allocation of data mining tasks in mobile environments
Authors: Comito Carmela , Falcone Deborah , Talia Domenico , Trunfio Paolo
Published: July 2013

Mobile data mining can be a significant added service for nomadic users, enterprises, and organizations that need to perform analysis of data generated either from a mobile device or from remote sources. A key aspect to enable data analysis and mining over mobile devices is ensuring energy efficiency, as mobile devices are battery-power operated. We worked in this direction by defining a distributed architecture in which mobile devices cooperate in a peer-to-peer style to perform a data mining process, tackling the problem of energy capacity shortage by distributing the energy consumption among the available devices. Within this framework, we propose an energy-aware scheduling strategy that assigns data mining tasks over a network of mobile devices optimizing the energy usage. The main design principle of the energy-aware strategy is finding a task allocation that prolongs the lifetime of the entire network of mobile devices by balancing the energy load among the devices. The energy-aware strategy has been evaluated through discrete-event simulation. The experimental results show that significant energy savings can be achieved by using the energy-aware scheduler in a mobile data mining scenario, compared to classical time-based schedulers.
Targeting the Good Target
Authors: Human Lauren J. , Biesanz Jeremy C.
Published: July 2013

A person’s judgeability, or the extent to which a person is easy to understand, plays an important role in how accurately a target will be perceived by others. Research on this topic, however, has not been systematic or well-integrated. The current review begins to remedy this by integrating the available research on judgeability from the fields of personality perception, nonverbal communication, and social cognition. Specifically, this review summarizes the characteristics that are likely to promote judgeability and explores its potential consequences. A diverse range of characteristics are identified as predictors of judgeability, all relating to three broader categories: psychological adjustment, social status, and socialization. Furthermore, being judgeable has a variety of potential, largely positive, consequences for the target, leaving good targets poised for greater personal and interpersonal well-being. Nevertheless, many questions on this topic remain and it is crucial for this relatively understudied topic to receive more systematic empirical attention.
Action, Outcome, and Value
Authors: Cushman Fiery
Published: July 2013

Dual-system approaches to psychology explain the fundamental properties of human judgment, decision making, and behavior across diverse domains. Yet, the appropriate characterization of each system is a source of debate. For instance, a large body of research on moral psychology makes use of the contrast between “emotional” and “rational/cognitive” processes, yet even the chief proponents of this division recognize its shortcomings. Largely independently, research in the computational neurosciences has identified a broad division between two algorithms for learning and choice derived from formal models of reinforcement learning. One assigns value to actions intrinsically based on past experience, while another derives representations of value from an internally represented causal model of the world. This division between action- and outcome-based value representation provides an ideal framework for a dual-system theory in the moral domain.
Relating news analysis and public opinion: Applying a communications method as a ‘tool’ to aid interpretation of survey results
Authors: Statham Paul , Tumber Howard
Published: July 2013

This article documents the methodological steps taken to use news analysis as a ‘tool’ for retrieving systematic information on political events to be used in the interpretation of findings from surveys on public opinion. The approach uses the selection function of mass media in producing ‘news’ as a proxy to identify the ‘political climate’ of a specific country at a specific time. This information on ‘political climate’ can be used to control whether ‘exceptional’ political events occurred during the period of fieldwork for surveys on public opinion that may have unduly biased the findings. Such a tool is especially useful for cross-national comparative survey research that is also longitudinal and the project described here was conducted within the framework of the European Social Survey (ESS). The specific news analysis method used to develop the tool draws inspiration from ‘claims-making analysis’.1
The heart of the matter: Journal editors and journals
Authors: Richards Ian , Wasserman Herman
Published: July 2013

Publication in peer-reviewed journals is the life-blood of academic existence. Yet surprisingly little research has been devoted to the views of the journal editors who play such a central role in this process. This essay reports a pilot project which set out to shed some light on these views. As editors of two peer-reviewed journals in the fields of journalism and journalism studies, the essay’s authors initially drew upon their own experience to identify common issues facing journal editors. Their approach was also informed by perspectives acquired from the personal experience of their own global positioning – one located on the periphery of the Global North and one in the Global South.

An online questionnaire was distributed to editors of 24 journals in the fields of communication, journalism and journalism studies. The essay reports that the responses received suggest that journal editors are not only conversant with a plethora of complicated and vexing problems, but also have developed a range of successful strategies for responding to them. At the same time, however, publication – or, rather, non-publication – of papers authored in the Global South is a contentious issue which produced divergent responses. The authors conclude that this is the issue most likely to become politicised in future.
Little mermaids and pro-sumers
Authors: Owen Stephen , Imre Robert
Published: July 2013

In this article the authors explore the ways in which social media and social network sites (SNSs) are mediating the new urban environment. Many analyses of these technologies highlight the ways in which they are predicated on surveillance techniques and how the self is increasingly entwined within them. The authors examine the processes of surveillance, and the surveillant assemblage, and how the self interacts with these technologies to produce an authentic self in mediated urban spaces. They argue that SNS technologies privilege a version of the contemporary self, limiting choice to ‘pro-sumer’ activity, and a mandatory self-surveillance. Instead of constructing an open public sphere, these technologies operate to build a ‘second city’ of commodified urban space in which the recording of banal activities in an everyday setting is the authentic lived experience of people using this technology.
Ball recovery patterns as a performance indicator in elite soccer
Authors: Barreira Daniel , Garganta Júlio , Guimarães Pedro , Machado João , Anguera Maria T
Published: July 2013

In soccer, it seems relevant to understand the relationship between the ball recovering and the subsequent success or failure of attacking play. However, few studies have considered the links between the type of ball recovery in different pitch zones, the competition stages and the overall teams success. The present study aims to analyze the attacks ( n = 1619) carried out by the semi-finalist teams in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in order to explore ball recovery patterns as a performance indicator. SoccerEye observational instrument, SoccerEye recording software, Sequential Data Interchange Standard-Generalized Sequential Querier (SDIS-GSEQ) and SPSS analytic software—one-way analysis of variance, two-way analysis of variance and regressions—were applied. Direct ball recovery, in specific by interception and defensive behavior followed by a pass, was the mostly frequent behavior, with the later inducing attacking play efficacy ( p<0.017). Differences were detected between the group and play-off stages with regard to the types of direct ball recoveries. The ball was most often regained in defensive and mid-defensive central zones, evidencing differences to all other pitch zones ( p≤0.001). Throw-ins were the only type of ball recovery that differentiated the semi-finalists, namely Germany and Spain ( p<0.009). It was found that recovering directly the ball possession in mid-defensive central zones increases attacking efficacy. Consequently, coaches should consider this tactical determinant in order to organize the training process. Specifically, it is fundamental to improve the collective defensive organization protecting central strip zones and simultaneously performing high-pitched pressure to constrain the ball carrier.
Monounsaturated and Saturated, but Not n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Decrease Cartilage Destruction under Inflammatory Conditions
Authors: Bastiaansen-Jenniskens Y.M. , Siawash M. , van de Lest C.H.A. , Verhaar J.A.N. , Kloppenburg M. , Zuurmond A.-M. , Stojanovic-Susulic V. , Van Osch G.J.V.M. , Clockaerts S.
Published: July 2013

Purpose:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with obesity in which altered fatty acid levels have been observed. We investigated whether the most common fatty acids in synovial fluid influence cartilage deterioration in OA.

Design:

Cartilage was obtained from OA patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Chondrocytes or cartilage explants were cultured with linoleic (n-6 polyunsaturated), oleic (monounsaturated), or palmitic (saturated) acid. After preculture, media were renewed and inflammation was simulated in half of the samples by addition of 10 ng/mL tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) with or without the fatty acids. Effects on lipid uptake (Oil-Red-O), cell toxicity (lactate dehydrogenase), prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) release and gene expression for prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 (PTGS2), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1), and MMP13, and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 were determined on chondrocytes in monolayer. Effects on glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release were evaluated on cartilage explants.

Results:

None of the fatty acids were cytotoxic and all were taken up by the cells, resulting in a higher amount of intracellular lipid in chondrocytes. Linoleic acid increased PGE2 production in the presence of TNFα. Oleic acid and palmitic acid inhibited MMP1 gene expression in chondrocytes stimulated with TNFα. In cartilage explants, GAG release was also inhibited by oleic acid and palmitic acid, and oleic acid decreased PTGS2 gene expression in stimulated chondrocytes.

Conclusions:

Linoleic acid has a pro-inflammatory effect on cartilage whereas oleic acid and palmitic acid seem to inhibit cartilage destruction. These results indicate that altered fatty acid levels may influence loss of cartilage structure in OA.
“We didn’t call it dating”: The disrupted landscape of relationship advice for evangelical Protestant youth
Authors: Irby Courtney Ann
Published: July 2013

Studies of religious meaning-making, especially on young adults, tend to prioritize the views of religious elites and orthodox doctrines. By focusing on the everyday activity of romantic relationships, a topic that has no orthodox position, this article analyzes both how religious elites construct discursive fields of meaning and how laity negotiate this field. Drawing on a study of popular Christian relationship advice books and interviews with young evangelicals, I describe a disrupted landscape produced by evangelical cultural elite discourses that becomes an important context for how young adults imagine and pursue relationships. Yet these efforts, for both evangelical elites and young adults, operate within a broader cultural context of secular “hooking up” practices which serves to create some cohesion among the two groups while also challenging the relevance of the evangelical cultural elite discourses, requiring young adults to engage in their own process of religious meaning-making.
Insiders, outsiders, advocates and apostates and the religions they study: Location and the sociology of religion
Authors: Neitz Mary Jo
Published: July 2013

Awareness of how researchers’ locations and sympathies influence their research agendas and outcomes has long been a topic for methodological consideration. This article complicates that question by considering the position of the researcher in relation to the position in society of the religions researched, and asks whether what we understand as constituting criticism or advocacy varies depending on whether the religions in question are powerful, dominating traditions or small, new, and/or beleaguered traditions. The Locations Matrix is an application of the insights of standpoint analysis to the question of critical research in the sociology of religion. Researchers’ own locations—as an insider, an outsider, an apostate and/or an advocate—have consequences for the questions they ask, and to whom they address them, as well as how they interpret the data they collect. This article pushes scholars of religion to reflect on the significance of their own location in relation to the location of the religion they study.
Laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy: a UK centre's experience
Authors: Youssef FR , Smith DJ , Oakley NE
Published: July 2013

Introduction

Laparoscopy allows minimally invasive approaches for procedures traditionally performed openly, with associated lower morbidity. Nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) is mostly regarded as an open procedure because laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) is technically challenging. We evaluated our centre's experience with LPN and open partial nephrectomy (OPN).

Methods

All patients over five years (2005–2010) undergoing NSS were identified retrospectively from our operating room management information system. Case notes, diagnostic and post-operative surveillance imaging were reviewed. Post-operative morbidity, histopathology and serum full blood count and urea and electrolyte reports were recorded.

Results

A total of 97 OPNs and 23 LPNs were performed. Median length of stay was six days for OPNs and three days for LPNs (p= 0.005). Mean drop in haemoglobin (Hb) was 2.6 g/dl for both OPNs and LPNs. No significant difference in transfusion rates was observed. Median warm ischaemia time (WIT) for OPNs was 14 minutes and 32 minutes for LPNs (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was seen in changes from baseline serum creatinine when comparing OPNs with LPNs at day 1 (p = 0.7572) and at 12 months (p = 0.7406) post-operatively. Surgical margins were positive in 20 (21.5%) OPNs and negative in all LPNs (p = 0.038). One patient developed local recurrence following OPN (clear margins) and two patients developed distant metastases.

Conclusions

Benefits of LPN include shorter hospital stay and satisfactory long-term preservation of renal function, despite longer WITs. This demonstrates the benefits of LPNs in patients with single exophytic renal tumours performed by highly experienced, regionally selected laparoscopists.
Temporal Trends in the Diagnosis and Management of Childhood Obesity/Overweight in Primary Care
Authors: Nader Nicole , Singhal Vibha , Javed Asma , Weaver Amy , Kumar Seema
Published: July 2013

Objective: To determine the temporal trends in diagnosis and management of pediatric overweight/obesity by primary care providers at a single medical center. Patients: Children 2 to 18 years old undergoing a general medical examination during 3 calendar years (2003, 2006, and 2009). The number of visits for general medical examination were 6390 in 2003, 6646 in 2006, and 7408 in 2009. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the electronic medical records for weight related diagnostic and/or management terms and laboratory screening in children with body mass index at or greater than the 85th percentile (n = 1630 in 2003, 1495 in 2006, and 1730 in 2009). Results: There was a significant increase in the diagnosis of obesity among obese children seen in 2009 (53.3%) compared with 2006 (36%, P < .001) and 2003 (24.3%, P < .001). Weight-related counseling was documented in a higher proportion of obese children in 2009 (49.4%) compared with 2006 (34.8%) and 2003 (26.6%). There was a significant increase in counseling regarding screen time in 2009 compared with 2006. A significant increase in screening for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was also noted (30.5% in 2009 vs 21.9% in 2006, P = .018). Conclusions: There has been steady improvement in the rates of obesity diagnosis and obesity-related counseling by primary care providers. However, continued efforts to increase awareness of these issues are needed as nearly half of obese children remained undiagnosed and recommended laboratory screening for obesity-related comorbidities was performed in only a third of obese children.
“Sexual Ornament” or “Spiritual Trainer”? Envisioning and Marketing to a Female Audience Through the NHL’s “Inside the Warrior” Advertising Campaign
Authors: Gee Sarah
Published: July 2013

This study investigates the unique association between female hockey fans, dominant conceptions of gender in sport, and the role of cultural intermediaries in the cultural production of media texts. In particular, it focuses on the National Hockey League’s “Inside the Warrior” advertising campaign created by marketing agency Conductor (for the relaunch of the League after the 2004–2005 lockout), that was, in part, envisioned for and marketed to target female audience. Using insights revealed through in-depth semistructured interviews with two cultural intermediaries, the critical analysis in this article focuses on how the cultural intermediaries from Conductor imagined and conceptualised female hockey fans as a target audience, engages in a comparative analysis between the creative strategies in the production of the “Inside the Warrior” campaign and characteristics of female narratives to attract a female audience, and discusses the accommodation of resistance to the stereotypical representations of gender in the “Inside the Warrior” campaign by the cultural intermediaries. These insights serve to highlight the hegemonic position of cultural intermediaries and the disjuncture between the encoding by producers and the interpretation by consumers and fans.
A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Gender and Ethnicity Portrayals on ESPN’s SportsCenter From 1999 to 2009
Authors: Turner Jacob S.
Published: July 2013

This longitudinal content analysis of ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1999 to 2009 found that women’s sports continue to be almost wholly absent from the influential program. Women were also no more likely to be depicted as show hosts, reporters, or coaches in 2009 than 1999. Furthermore, coverage of women’s sports was noteworthy for a lack of journalistic depth when compared to men’s sports. This study also looked at coverage of athletes of color. Results revealed increasing evidence of the hypervisible Black male athlete in the relative absence of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in positions of power (from SportsCenter hosts to head coaches) across the two seasons. These results, when taken together, point to the perpetuation of normative hegemonic White masculinity in mediated sports.
A Longitudinal Examination of Adolescent and Young Adult Homeless Experience, Life Course Transitions, and Health
Authors: Stablein Timothy , Appleton Allison A.
Published: July 2013

While many have studied the antecedents of homelessness and health status among the actively homeless, no studies have evaluated the long-term health outcomes of formerly homeless adolescents and young adults. In this article, we examine the prospective association of early homeless experience and health outcomes after homelessness has subsided and whether factors that impede successful life course transitions following homeless experiences (e.g., low education attainment, depressive symptoms) mediate these associations. Among 4,651 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth–Child Study participants, formerly homeless adolescents and young adults (aged 15–25) were at greater risk of developing asthma, health-limiting conditions (HLCs), and fair/poor self-rated health over 8 years of follow-up, particularly among females. Factors that disrupt life course transitions mediated associations for asthma and HLCs. Using 20 years of life course information, this study demonstrates the enduring health risks for adolescents and young adults with homeless experience as they age.
Clinical Application of the “Glenoid Track” Concept for Defining Humeral Head Engagement in Anterior Shoulder Instability
Authors: Metzger Paul D. , Barlow Brian , Leonardelli Dominic , Peace William , Solomon Daniel J. , Provencher Matthew T.
Published: July 2013

Background:

The optimal treatment of Hill-Sachs injuries is difficult to determine and is potentiated by the finding that a Hill-Sachs injury becomes more important in the setting of glenoid bone loss, making engagement of the humeral head on the glenoid inherently easier. The “glenoid track” concept was developed to biomechanically quantify the effects of a combined glenoid and humeral head bony defects on instability.

Purpose:

To clinically evaluate humeral head engagement on the glenoid by utilizing glenoid track measurements of both humeral head and glenoid bone loss.

Study Design:

Retrospective cohort.

Methods:

A total of 205 patients with recurrent anterior shoulder instability were evaluated, and of these, 140 patients (68%; 9 females [6%] and 131 males [94%]) with a Hill-Sachs lesion and a mean age of 27.6 years (range, 15-47 years; standard error of mean [SEM], 0.59) were included in the final magnetic resonance angiogram [MRA]) analysis. Bipolar bone loss measures of glenoid bone loss (sagittal oblique MRA) and multiple size measures of the Hill-Sachs injury (coronal, axial, and sagittal MRA) were recorded. Based on the extent of the bipolar lesion, patients were classified with glenoid track as either outside and engaging of the glenoid on the humeral head (OUT-E) or inside and nonengaging (IN-NE). The 2 groups were then compared with clinical evidence of engagement on examination under anesthesia (EUA) using video arthroscopy, number of dislocations, length of instability, and patient age.

Results:

The mean glenoid bone loss was 7.6% (range, 0%-29%; SEM, 1.20%), and 31 of 140 (22%) patients demonstrated clinical engagement on EUA. Radiographically, 19 (13.4%) patients were determined to be OUT-E, while 121 (86.6%) were IN-NE and not expected to engage. Of those 19 patients with suggested radiographic engagement (OUT-E), 16 (84.5%) had clinical evidence of engagement versus only 12.4% that clinically engaged (15/121) without radiographic evidence of engagement (IN-NE) ( P < .001). Younger age and a greater number of recurrence events were jointly predictive of a patient being classified as OUT-E (11.8 vs 6.4 dislocations; P = .015).

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that glenohumeral engagement was well predicted based on preoperative glenoid and humeral head bone loss measurements using the glenoid track method. In addition, younger age and a greater number of recurrences were predictive of engagement. The glenoid track concept may be important to fully assess the overall risk for engagement prior to surgery and may help guide surgical decision making such as bony augmentation procedures.
The Moral Nature and Practice of Natural Family Planning versus Contraception
Authors: Mullady Brian , Ruppersberger Lester
Published: July 2013

The morality of contraception has not always been clear to many Catholics. Although the popes have been clear in their teaching that it is a grave evil, many theologians, priests, and Catholics either deny this teaching or, at least, are skeptical as to its truth. Many health-care providers seem unclear concerning the evil of this practice also. Many do not seem interested in discovering the possible good moral fruits of the practice of natural family planning. To understand the essential evil of contraception and how it differs from natural family planning in both theory and practice first requires a clear delineation of the sources for determining Catholic moral action. These are the object, circumstances, and intention. Each is objectively determined by the relationship of the act in question to an objective human nature which can be discovered by reason alone. To be good, all three of these factors must conform to human nature. The sexual act is evil while using artificial pills or devices to preclude birth and no circumstances or intention can justify one in doing such use. This not only denies children, but also precludes total self-giving love from being expressed in such an act. It has the further result of introducing self-fulfillment as the primary value into the most important natural act of all, the one which leads to human life. Natural family planning is not a form of contraception and so it is objectively completely different in its moral nature. The human decision to refrain from the sexual act is not contraception. When undertaken in the right circumstances and for the right intention, natural family planning is an objective cooperation with the justice due to the Creator in the transmission of life and not a denial of his rights. A physician who would assist in the performance of the sexual act in which the possibility of birth is excluded by prescribing some artificial means to preclude birth would be cooperating with the evil of contraception. One could not do this with a correct conscience.
Why NFP
Authors: Norris Charles W.
Published: July 2013

Natural family planning, as a function of God's will is also a function of the natural law. For years we have been waging war on our fertility in the practice of artificial birth control to the point that many countries, especially in the West are demographically below replacement levels. On the other hand, while vast numbers of women are ignorant of the significance of those changing mucus sensations, modern methods of NFP, if the intention is to avoid/postpone pregnancy are scientifically secure. Natural family planning also has several advantages which benefit the marriage. Concluding, the article proposes that all Catholic physicians begin to conduct NFP-only practices.
The IL-10 homologue encoded by cyprinid herpesvirus 3 is essential neither for viral replication in vitro nor for virulence in vivo
Authors: Ouyang Ping , Rakus Krzysztof , Boutier Maxime , Reschner Anca , Leroy Baptiste , Ronsmans Maygane , Fournier Guillaume , Scohy Sophie , Costes Bérénice , Wattiez Ruddy , Vanderplasschen Alain
Published: July 2013

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), a member of the familyAlloherpesviridae, is the causative agent of a lethal disease in common and koi carp. CyHV-3 ORF134 encodes an interleukin-10 (IL-10) homologue. The present study was devoted to this ORF. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that ORF134 is expressed as a spliced gene belonging to the early-late class. Proteomic analyses of CyHV-3 infected cell supernatant demonstrated that the ORF134 expression product is one of the most abundant proteins of the CyHV-3 secretome. To investigate the role of ORF134 in viral replication in vitro and in virulence in vivo, a deleted strain and a derived revertant strain were produced using BAC cloning technologies. The recombinant ORF134 deleted strain replicated in vitro comparably to the parental and the revertant strains. Infection of fish by immersion in water containing the virus induced comparable CyHV-3 disease for the three virus genotypes tested (wild type, deleted and revertant). Quantification of viral DNA by real time TaqMan PCR (in the gills and the kidney) and analysis of carp cytokine expression (in the spleen) by RT-qPCR at different times post-infection did not revealed any significant difference between the groups of fish infected with the three virus genotypes. Similarly, histological examination of the gills and the kidney of infected fish revealed no significant differences between fish infected with ORF134 deleted virus versus fish infected with the control parental or revertant strains. All together, the results of the present study demonstrate that the IL-10 homologue encoded by CyHV-3 is essential neither for viral replication in vitro nor for virulence in common carp.
Abnormal expression of Pygopus 2 correlates with a malignant phenotype in human lung cancer
Authors: Liu Yang , Dong Qian-Ze , Wang Si , Fang Chang-Qing , Miao Yuan , Wang Liang , Li Ming-Zhu , Wang En-Hua
Published: July 2013

Background

Pygopus 2 (Pygo2) is a Pygo family member and an important component of the Wnt signaling transcriptional complex. Despite this data, no clinical studies investigating Pygo2 expression in lung cancer have yet been reported.

Methods

In the present study, the expression patterns of Pygo2 were evaluated by immunochemistry in 168 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to specifically silence Pygo2, and investigated its effect on cell growth by an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry analysis in human lung cancer cell lines.

Results

Immunohistochemical analysis showed low expression of Pygo2 in normal lung tissues and increased nuclear expression in lung cancer tissues, either with or without perinuclear expression. Abnormal Pygo2 expression was associated with poor differentiation and a high Tumor (T), Node (N) and Metastases (M) stage in NSCLC patients, and correlated with poor prognosis. Using MTT assay we observed that Pygo2 downregulation inhibited cell proliferation; in addition, flow cytometry analysis showed that Pygo2 knockdown induced apoptosis and increased numbers of G1-phase cells and a reduction in S-phase cells.

Conclusions

We therefore conclude that abnormal Pygo2 protein expression may be a marker for advanced NSCLC. Furthermore, Pygo2 knockdown suppresses cell growth.
The mystery of persistent pulmonary hypertension: an idiopathic infantile arterial calcification
Authors: Shaireen Huma , Howlett Alexandra , Amin Harish , Yusuf Kamran , Kamaluddeen Majeeda , Lodha Abhay
Published: July 2013

Background

Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification (IIAC) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by wide spread calcifications in arterial walls, leading to vaso-occlusive ischaemia of multiple organs. Mortality is high, and there is no definitive treatment.

Case presentation

A male neonate, 36+5 weeks gestation, 2.81 kg, was admitted to NICU for respiratory distress. At one hour of age, he was noted to be pale, hypoperfused, with weak pulses, a hyperdynamic precordium and a grade IV/VI pansystolic murmur. The rest of his examination was normal. A chest X-ray showed massive cardiomegaly and pulmonary oedema. An echocardiogram (ECHO) indicated moderate persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) of unclear etiology. A diagnosis of Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification was made and a trial of Editronate therapy was given without success.

Conclusion

IIAC is a rare disorder, it should be considered whenever a neonate presents with unexplainable cardiac failure, PPHN, echogenic vessels on X-ray/ultrasound and, or concentric hypertrophic ventricles on ECHO. Serial antenatal ultrasound findings of echogenic cardiac foci should raise the suspicion of IIAC. Further studies to determine the long term effects of Editronate on vascular calcifications, disease outcome, and other treatment options are needed.
Emodin induces apoptosis of human cervical cancer hela cells via intrinsic mitochondrial and extrinsic death receptor pathway
Authors: Yaoxian Wang , Hui Yu , Yunyan Zhang , Yanqin Liu , Xin Ge , Xiaoke Wu
Published: July 2013

Background

Emodin is a natural anthraquinone derivative isolated from the Rheum palmatum L. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of emodin on the apoptosis of the human cervical cancer line HeLa and to identify the mechanisms involved.

Methods

Relative cell viability was assessed by MTT assay after treatment with emodin. Cell apoptosis was detected with TUNEL, Hoechst 33342 staining and quantified with flow cytometry using annexin FITC-PI staining.

Results

The percentage of apoptotic cells was 0.8, 8.2, 22.1, and 43.7%, respectively. The mRNA levels of Caspase-9, -8 and −3 detected by Real-time PCR after treatment with emodin were significantly increased. Emodin increased the protein levels of Cytochome c, Apaf-1, Fas, FasL, and FADD but decreased the protein levels of Pro-caspase-9, Pro-caspase-8 and Pro-caspase-3.

Conclusion

We conclude that the emodin inhibited HeLa proliferation by inducing apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial and extrinsic death receptor pathways.
Association between In Utero arsenic exposure, placental gene expression, and infant birth weight: a US birth cohort study
Authors: Fei Dennis Liang , Koestler Devin C , Li Zhigang , Giambelli Camilla , Sanchez-Mejias Avencia , Gosse Julie A , Marsit Carmen J , Karagas Margaret R , Robbins David J
Published: July 2013

Background

Epidemiologic studies and animal models suggest that in utero arsenic exposure affects fetal health, with a negative association between maternal arsenic ingestion and infant birth weight often observed. However, the molecular mechanisms for this association remain elusive. In the present study, we aimed to increase our understanding of the impact of low-dose arsenic exposure on fetal health by identifying possible arsenic-associated fetal tissue biomarkers in a cohort of pregnant women exposed to arsenic at low levels.

Methods

Arsenic concentrations were determined from the urine samples of a cohort of 133 pregnant women from New Hampshire. Placental tissue samples collected from enrollees were homogenized and profiled for gene expression across a panel of candidate genes, including known arsenic regulated targets and genes involved in arsenic transport, metabolism, or disease susceptibility. Multivariable adjusted linear regression models were used to examine the relationship of candidate gene expression with arsenic exposure or with birth weight of the baby.

Results

Placental expression of the arsenic transporter AQP9 was positively associated with maternal urinary arsenic levels during pregnancy (coefficient estimate: 0.25; 95% confidence interval: 0.05 – 0.45). Placental expression of AQP9 related to expression of the phospholipase ENPP2 which was positively associated with infant birth weight (coefficient estimate: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.09 – 0.47). A structural equation model indicated that these genes may mediate arsenic’s effect on infant birth weight (coefficient estimate: -0.009; 95% confidence interval: -0.032 – -0.001; 10,000 replications for bootstrapping).

Conclusions

We identified the expression of AQP9 as a potential fetal biomarker for arsenic exposure. Further, we identified a positive association between the placental expression of phospholipase ENPP2 and infant birth weight. These findings suggest a path by which arsenic may affect birth outcomes.
Particulate air pollution and health inequalities: a Europe-wide ecological analysis
Authors: Richardson Elizabeth A , Pearce Jamie , Tunstall Helena , Mitchell Richard , Shortt Niamh K
Published: July 2013

Background

Environmental disparities may underlie the unequal distribution of health across socioeconomic groups. However, this assertion has not been tested across a range of countries: an important knowledge gap for a transboundary health issue such as air pollution. We consider whether populations of low-income European regions were a) exposed to disproportionately high levels of particulate air pollution (PM10) and/or b) disproportionately susceptible to pollution-related mortality effects.

Methods

Europe-wide gridded PM10 and population distribution data were used to calculate population-weighted average PM10 concentrations for 268 sub-national regions (NUTS level 2 regions) for the period 2004–2008. The data were mapped, and patterning by mean household income was assessed statistically. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model the association between PM10 and cause-specific mortality, after adjusting for regional-level household income and smoking rates.

Results

Air quality improved for most regions between 2004 and 2008, although large differences between Eastern and Western regions persisted. Across Europe, PM10 was correlated with low household income but this association primarily reflected East–West inequalities and was not found when Eastern or Western Europe regions were considered separately. Notably, some of the most polluted regions in Western Europe were also among the richest. PM10 was more strongly associated with plausibly-related mortality outcomes in Eastern than Western Europe, presumably because of higher ambient concentrations. Populations of lower-income regions appeared more susceptible to the effects of PM10, but only for circulatory disease mortality in Eastern Europe and male respiratory mortality in Western Europe.

Conclusions

Income-related inequalities in exposure to ambient PM10 may contribute to Europe-wide mortality inequalities, and to those in Eastern but not Western European regions. We found some evidence that lower-income regions were more susceptible to the health effects of PM10.
Maternal exposure to combustion generated PM inhibits pulmonary Th1 maturation and concomitantly enhances postnatal asthma development in offspring
Authors: Wang Pingli , You Dahui , Saravia Jordy , Shen Huahao , Cormier Stephania A
Published: July 2013

Background

Epidemiological studies suggest that maternal exposure to environmental hazards, such as particulate matter, is associated with increased incidence of asthma in childhood. We hypothesized that maternal exposure to combustion derived ultrafine particles containing persistent free radicals (MCP230) disrupts the development of the infant immune system and results in aberrant immune responses to allergens and enhances asthma severity.

Methods

Pregnant C57/BL6 mice received MCP230 or saline by oropharyngeal aspiration on gestational days 10 and 17. Three days after the second administration, blood was collected from MCP230 or saline treated dams and 8-isoprostanes in the serum were measured to assess maternal oxidative stress. Pulmonary T cell populations were assayed in the infant mice at six days, three and six weeks of postnatal age. When the infant mice matured to adults (i.e. six weeks of age), an asthma model was established with ovalbumin (OVA). Airway inflammation, mucus production and airway hyperresponsiveness were then examined.

Results

Maternal exposure to MCP230 induced systemic oxidative stress. The development of pulmonary T helper (Th1/Th2/Th17) and T regulatory (Treg) cells were inhibited in the infant offspring from MCP230-exposed dams. As the offspring matured, the development of Th2 and Treg cells recovered and eventually became equivalent to that of offspring from non-exposed dams. However, Th1 and Th17 cells remained attenuated through 6 weeks of age. Following OVA sensitization and challenge, mice from MCP230-exposed dams exhibited greater airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia and pulmonary Th2 responses compared to offspring from non-exposed dams.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that maternal exposure to MCP230 enhances postnatal asthma development in mice, which might be related to the inhibition of pulmonary Th1 maturation and systemic oxidative stress in the dams.
High-Risk Medulloblastoma: A Pediatric Oncology Group Randomized Trial of Chemotherapy Before or After Radiation Therapy (POG 9031)
Authors: Tarbell Nancy J. , Friedman Henry , Polkinghorn William R. , Yock Torunn , Zhou Tianni , Chen Zhengjia , Burger Peter , Barnes Patrick , Kun Larry
Published: July 2013

Purpose

To compare event-free survival (EFS) in children with high-risk medulloblastoma randomly assigned to receive either chemotherapy before radiation or chemotherapy after radiation.

Patients and Methods

One hundred twelve patients were randomly assigned to each arm. Criteria used to categorize patients as high risk included M1-4 disease by modified Chang staging classification, T3b/T4 disease, or greater than 1.5 cm3 of residual tumor after surgery. Postoperatively, children with high-risk medulloblastoma were randomly assigned to two arms, either chemotherapy entailing three cycles of cisplatin and etoposide before radiation (chemotherapy first [CT1]) or the same chemotherapy regimen after radiation (radiation therapy first [RT1]). Both groups received consolidation chemotherapy consisting of vincristine and cyclophosphamide.

Results

The median follow-up time was 6.4 years. Five-year EFS was 66.0% in the CT1 arm and 70.0% in the RT1 arm (P = .54), and 5-year overall survival in the two groups was 73.1% and 76.1%, respectively (P = .47). In the CT1 arm, 40 of the 62 patients with residual disease achieved either complete or partial remission.

Conclusion

Five-year EFS did not differ significantly whether, after surgery, patients received chemotherapy before or after radiotherapy.
Phase I Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study of Pazopanib in Children With Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Other Refractory Solid Tumors: A Children's Oncology Group Phase I Consortium Report
Authors: Glade Bender Julia L. , Lee Alice , Reid Joel M. , Baruchel Sylvain , Roberts Timothy , Voss Stephan D. , Wu Bing , Ahern Charlotte H. , Ingle Ashish M. , Harris Pamela , Weigel Brenda J. , Blaney Susan M.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Pazopanib, an oral multikinase angiogenesis inhibitor, prolongs progression-free survival in adults with soft tissue sarcoma (STS). A phase I pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of two formulations of pazopanib was performed in children with STS or other refractory solid tumors.

Patients and Methods

Pazopanib (tablet formulation) was administered once daily in 28-day cycles at four dose levels (275 to 600 mg/m2) using the rolling-six design. Dose determination for a powder suspension was initiated at 50% of the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) for the intact tablet. Ten patients with STS underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) scanning at baseline and 15 ± 2 days after initiation of pazopanib at the tablet MTD.

Results

Fifty-three patients were enrolled; 51 were eligible (26 males; median age, 12.9 years; range, 3.8 to 23.9 years). Hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities were generally mild, with dose-limiting lipase, amylase, and ALT elevation, proteinuria, and hypertension. One patient with occult brain metastasis had grade 4 intracranial hemorrhage. The MTD was 450 mg/m2 for tablet and 160 mg/m2 for suspension. Steady-state trough concentrations were reached by day 15 and did not seem to be dose dependent. One patient each with hepatoblastoma or desmoplastic small round cell tumor achieved a partial response; eight patients had stable disease for ≥ six cycles, seven of whom had sarcoma. All patients with evaluable DCE-MRI (n = 8) experienced decreases in tumor blood volume and permeability (P < .01). Placental growth factor increased, whereas endoglin and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 decreased (P < .01; n = 41).

Conclusion

Pazopanib is well tolerated in children, with evidence of antiangiogenic effect and potential clinical benefit in pediatric sarcoma.
Three-dimensional culture and cAMP signaling promote the maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes
Authors: Ogawa Shinichiro , Surapisitchat James , Virtanen Carl , Ogawa Mina , Niapour Maryam , Sugamori Kim S. , Wang Shuang , Tamblyn Laura , Guillemette Chantal , Hoffmann Ewa , Zhao Bin , Strom Stephen , Laposa Rebecca R. , Tyndale Rachel F. , Grant Denis M. , Keller Gordon
Published: July 2013

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent a novel source of hepatocytes for drug metabolism studies and cell-based therapy for the treatment of liver diseases. These applications are, however, dependent on the ability to generate mature metabolically functional cells from the hPSCs. Reproducible and efficient generation of such cells has been challenging to date, owing to the fact that the regulatory pathways that control hepatocyte maturation are poorly understood. Here, we show that the combination of three-dimensional cell aggregation and cAMP signaling enhance the maturation of hPSC-derived hepatoblasts to a hepatocyte-like population that displays expression profiles and metabolic enzyme levels comparable to those of primary human hepatocytes. Importantly, we also demonstrate that generation of the hepatoblast population capable of responding to cAMP is dependent on appropriate activin/nodal signaling in the definitive endoderm at early stages of differentiation. Together, these findings provide new insights into the pathways that regulate maturation of hPSC-derived hepatocytes and in doing so provide a simple and reproducible approach for generating metabolically functional cell populations.