bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Iron supplementation for the treatment of chronic heart failure and iron deficiency: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Avni Tomer , Leibovici Leonard , Gafter‐Gvili Anat
Published: February 2012

Aims

Over half of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients are anaemic, and iron deficiency is common. Iron replacement therapy (oral or i.v.) might improve exercise capacity and quality of life (QOL).

Methods and results

We carried out a systematic review and meta‐analysis of all randomized control trials that compared iron with no therapy for CHF patients with iron deficiency, whether or not they were anaemic. We searched electronic databases as well as haematology and cardiology conferences up to August 2011. The primary outcome was the effect of iron on QOL parameters such as New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHWFQ). Secondary outcomes included all‐cause mortality, mean ejection fraction, 6 min walk distance (6MWD), hospitalizations due to any cause, iron indices, C‐reactive protein levels, and adverse events. Four trials performed fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 370 patients were treated with i.v. iron, compared with 224 control patients. There was significant improvement in QOL in the iron arm according to the MLWHFQ score at 26 weeks, with a weighted mean difference of –18.00 (–22.54, –13.46, I2 = 0%]. The point estimate for improvement in NYHA class was in favour of iron. Iron reduced the number of hospitalizations and C‐reactive protein levels, and increased the 6MWD and mean ejection fraction. Iron indices were significantly improved without a change in haemoglobin levels. No increase in the rate of adverse events was found.

Conclusion

Intravenous iron therapy is associated with improved QOL parameters, reduction in hospitalizations, and increased 6MWD. Treatment with i.v. iron is safe, with no increased rate of adverse events. The results of our analysis are limited by the paucity of trials, and significant heterogeneity between trials.
Effects of Postharvest Elevated‐Temperature Exposure on Rice Quality and Functionality
Authors: Ambardekar Amogh A. , Siebenmorgen Terry J.
Published: February 2012

Rapid drying with high‐temperature air has gained interest in the rice industry, but the effects of elevated‐temperature exposure on physicochemical properties of rice are of concern. This study investigated the effects of exposing rough rice to elevated temperatures for various durations without removing moisture. Physicochemical property response was evaluated in terms of head rice yield (HRY), germination rate (GR), milled‐rice yellowing, pasting properties, and gelatinization temperatures. Two long‐grain cultivars (pure‐line Wells and hybrid CL XL729) at initial moisture contents (IMCs) of 17.9 and 18.6%, respectively, and dried moisture content (DMC) of 12.5%, were hermetically sealed and exposed to 40, 60, and 80°C for various durations. Exposure to 80°C of IMC samples of Wells and CL XL729 resulted in a significant (2.3–2.5 percentage point) reduction in the HRYs. A 2 hr exposure of both cultivars at IMC level to 60°C completely inhibited GR, and exposure to 80°C of the cultivars at both moisture content (MC) levels immediately inhibited GR. Exposure to 80°C for almost all durations and 60°C for durations over 4 hr produced significant yellowing in both cultivars at IMC. Significant yellowing in both cultivars at DMC was also observed during a 28 day storage following 80°C exposure. In general, peak viscosities of both cultivars at IMC increased only after extended exposure to 40 and 60°C, but peak viscosities of the cultivars exposed to 80°C increased sharply and immediately upon exposure. No significant differences were observed in gelatinization temperatures of either cultivar at either MC level from elevated‐temperature exposure. Results from this study suggest that extreme‐temperature exposure of rough rice affects HRY, GRs, yellowing, and pasting properties of rice, but the extent of impact is MC dependent.
Cell Death ofNicotiana benthamianaIs Induced by Secreted Protein NIS1 ofColletotrichum orbiculareand Is Suppressed by a Homologue of CgDN3
Authors: Yoshino Kae , Irieda Hiroki , Sugimoto Fumie , Yoshioka Hirofumi , Okuno Tetsuro , Takano Yoshitaka
Published: February 2012

Colletotrichum orbiculare, the causal agent of cucumber anthracnose, infects Nicotiana benthamiana. Functional screening of C. orbiculare cDNAs in a virus vector-based plant expression system identified a novel secreted protein gene, NIS1, whose product induces cell death in N. benthamiana. Putative homologues of NIS1 are present in selected members of fungi belonging to class Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, or Orbiliomycetes. Green fluorescent protein–based expression studies suggested that NIS1 is preferentially expressed in biotrophic invasive hyphae. NIS1 lacking signal peptide did not induce NIS1-triggered cell death (NCD), suggesting apoplastic recognition of NIS1. NCD was prevented by virus-induced gene silencing of SGT1 and HSP90, indicating the dependency of NCD on SGT1 and HSP90. Deletion of NIS1 had little effect on the virulence of C. orbiculare against N. benthamiana, suggesting possible suppression of NCD by C. orbiculare at the postinvasive stage. The CgDN3 gene of C. gloeosporioides was previously identified as a secreted protein gene involved in suppression of hypersensitive-like response in Stylosanthes guianensis. Notably, we found that NCD was suppressed by the expression of a CgDN3 homologue of C. orbiculare. Our findings indicate that C. orbiculare expresses NIS1 at the postinvasive stage and suggest that NCD could be repressed via other effectors, including the CgDN3 homologue.
Biological Impact of Divergent Land Management Practices on Tomato Crop Health
Authors: Chellemi Dan O. , Wu Tiehang , Graham Jim H. , Church Greg
Published: February 2012

Development of sustainable food systems is contingent upon the adoption of land management practices that can mitigate damage from soilborne pests. Five diverse land management practices were studied for their impacts on Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici), galling of roots by Meloidogyne spp. and marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and to identify associations between the severity of pest damage and the corresponding soil microbial community structure. The incidence of Fusarium wilt was >14% when tomato was cultivated following 3 to 4 years of an undisturbed weed fallow or continuous tillage disk fallow rotation and was >4% after 3 to 4 years of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) rotation or organic production practices that included soil amendments and cover crops. The incidence of Fusarium wilt under conventional tomato production with soil fumigation varied from 2% in 2003 to 15% in 2004. Repeated tomato cultivation increased Fusarium wilt by 20% or more except when tomato was grown using organic practices, where disease remained less than 3%. The percent of tomato roots with galls from Meloidogyne spp. ranged from 18 to 82% in soil previously subjected to a weed fallow rotation and 7 to 15% in soil managed previously as a bahiagrass pasture. Repeated tomato cultivation increased the severity of root galling in plots previously subjected to a conventional or disk fallow rotation but not in plots managed using organic practices, where the percentage of tomato roots with galls remained below 1%. Marketable yield of tomato exceeded 35 Mg ha–1 following all land management strategies except the strip-tillage/bahiagrass program. Marketable yield declined by 11, 14, and 19% when tomato was grown in consecutive years following a bahiagrass, weed fallow, and disk rotation. The composition of fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and bacterial 16S rDNA amplicons isolated from soil fungal and bacterial communities corresponded with observed differences in the incidence of Fusarium wilt and severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp. and provided evidence of an association between the effect of land management practices on soil microbial community structure, severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp., and the incidence of Fusarium wilt.
Location of Acidovorax citrulli in Infested Watermelon Seeds Is Influenced by the Pathway of Bacterial Invasion
Authors: Dutta B. , Avci U. , Hahn M. G. , Walcott R. R.
Published: February 2012

Watermelon seeds can become infested by Acidovorax citrulli, the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits via penetration of the ovary pericarp or by invasion of the pistil. This study investigated the effect of these invasion pathways on A. citrulli localization in seeds. Seed samples (n = 20 or 50 seeds/lot) from pistil- and pericarp-inoculated lots were dissected into testa, perisperm-endosperm (PE) layer, and embryo tissues and tested for A. citrulli by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by plating on semiselective media. Less than 8% of the testa samples were A. citrulli-positive regardless of the method of seed inoculation. Additionally, the difference in percentages of contaminated testae between the two seed lot types was not significant (P = 0.64). The percentage of A. citrulli-positive PE layer samples as determined by real-time PCR assay was significantly greater for seeds from pistil-inoculated lots (97%) than for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (80.3%). The mean percentage of A. citrulli-positive embryo samples was significantly greater for seeds from pistil-inoculated lots (94%) than for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (≈8.8%) (P = 0.0001). Removal of PE layers and testae resulted in a significant reduction in BFB seed-to-seedling transmission percentage for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (14.8%) relative to those from pistil-inoculated lots (72%). Additionally, using immunofluorescence microscopy, A. citrulli cells were observed in the PE layers and the cotyledons of pistil-inoculated seeds but only in the PE layers of pericarp-inoculated seeds. These results suggest that pericarp invasion results in superficial contamination of the testae and PE layers while pistil invasion results in the deposition of A. citrulli in seed embryos.
Loss of Virulence of the Phytopathogen Ralstonia solanacearum Through Infection by φRSM Filamentous Phages
Authors: Addy Hardian S. , Askora Ahmed , Kawasaki Takeru , Fujie Makoto , Yamada Takashi
Published: February 2012

φRSM1 and φRSM3 (φRSM phages) are filamentous phages (inoviruses) that infect Ralstonia solanacearum, the causative agent of bacterial wilt. Infection by φRSM phages causes several cultural and physiological changes to host cells, especially loss of virulence. In this study, we characterized changes related to the virulence in φRSM3-infected cells, including (i) reduced twitching motility and reduced amounts of type IV pili (Tfp), (ii) lower levels of β-1,4-endoglucanase (Egl) activity and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) production, and (iii) reduced expression of certain genes (egl, pehC, phcA, phcB, pilT, and hrpB). The significantly lower levels of phcA and phcB expression in φRSM3-infected cells suggested that functional PhcA was insufficient to activate many virulence genes. Tomato plants injected with φRSM3-infected cells of different R. solanacearum strains did not show wilting symptoms. The virulence and virulence factors were restored when φRSM3-encoded orf15, the gene for a putative repressor-like protein, was disrupted. Expression levels of phcA as well as other virulence-related genes in φRSM3-ΔORF15-infected cells were comparable with those in wild-type cells, suggesting that orf15 of φRSM3 may repress phcA and, consequently, result in loss of virulence.
RNA‐guided DNA rearrangements in ciliates: Is the best genome defence a good offence?
Authors: Coyne Robert S. , Lhuillier‐Akakpo Maoussi , Duharcourt Sandra
Published: February 2012

Genomes, like crazy patchwork quilts, are stitched together over evolutionary time from diverse elements, including some unwelcome invaders. To deal with parasitic mobile elements, most eukaryotes employ a genome self‐defensive manoeuvre to recognise and silence such elements by homology‐dependent interactions with RNA–protein complexes that alter chromatin. Ciliated protozoa employ more ‘offensive’ tactics by actually unstitching and reassembling their somatic genomes at every sexual generation to eliminate transposons and their remnants, using as patterns the maternal genomes that were rearranged in the previous cycle. Genetic and genomic studies of the distant relatives Paramecium and Tetrahymena have begun to reveal how such events are carried out with remarkable precision. Whole genome, non‐coding transcripts from the maternal genome are compared with transcripts from the zygotic genome that are processed through an RNA interference (RNAi)‐related process. Sequences found only in the latter are targeted for elimination by the resulting short ‘scanRNAs’ in many thousand DNA splicing reactions initiated by a domesticated transposase. The involvement of widely conserved mechanisms and protein factors clearly shows the relatedness of these phenomena to RNAi‐mediated heterochromatic gene silencing. Such malleability of the genome on a generational time scale also has profound evolutionary implications, possibly including the epigenetic inheritance of acquired adaptive traits.
A randomised, placebo‐controlled trial comparing the effects of tapentadol and oxycodone on gastrointestinal and colonic transit in healthy humans
Authors: Jeong I. D. , Camilleri M. , Shin A. , Iturrino J. , Boldingh A. , Busciglio I. , Burton D. , Ryks M. , Rhoten D. , Zinsmeister A. R.
Published: February 2012

Background

Tapentadol is a mu‐opioid receptor agonist and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. In clinical trials, tapentadol provided somatic pain relief comparable to mu‐opioids such as oxycodone, with significantly less gastrointestinal adverse effects. The acute effects of tapentadol on gastrointestinal and colonic transit are unclear.

Aim

To compare acute effects of oral tapentadol and oxycodone on gastric, small bowel and colonic transit of solids in 38 healthy human subjects.

Methods

In a randomised, parallel‐group, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of the effects of identical‐appearing tapentadol immediate release (IR), 75 mg t.d.s., or oxycodone IR, 5 mg t.d.s., for 48 h, we measured gastric (GE), small bowel (SBT measured as colonic filling at 6 h) and colonic transit by validated scintigraphy. Drug was commenced on the evening before the start of the transit test. The primary endpoints were overall colonic transit (geometric centre, GC) at 24 h and GE half‐time (t1/2). ancova of transit data included gender or BMI as covariates. Adverse effects were summarised.

Results

At the doses tested, oxycodone and tapentadol significantly delayed GE t1/2 and SBT, but not overall colonic transit, compared to placebo. Transit profiles in all regions were not significantly different between oxycodone and tapentadol at the doses tested. Both oxycodone and tapentadol were associated with nausea and central effects attributable to central opiate effects.

Conclusions

Tapentadol significantly delayed gastric emptying t1/2 and small bowel transit, similar to oxycodone. These data suggest that acute administration of tapentadol may not have significant advantages over standard mu‐opioids, in terms of the potential to avoid upper gastrointestinal motor dysfunction.
The differential effects of recombinant brain natriuretic peptide, nitroglycerine and dihydralazine on systemic oxygen delivery and gastric mucosal microvascular oxygenation in dogs*
Authors: Schwarte L. A. , Schwartges I. , Scheeren T. W. L. , Schober P. , Picker O.
Published: February 2012

Brain natriuretic peptide has vasodilatory properties and may thus increase splanchnic perfusion and oxygenation. We compared the effects of recombinant brain natriuretic peptide on gastric mucosal microvascular haemoglobin oxygenation (reflectance spectrophotometry) and systemic variables with those of equi‐hypotensive doses of two other vasodilators (nitroglycerine and dihydralazine). Chronically instrumented, healthy dogs were randomly allocated to receive on different days, one of the three drugs (nitroglycerine and dihydralazine doses titrated to reduce mean arterial pressure by ∼20%). Brain natriuretic peptide significantly increased gastric mucosal microvascular haemoglobin oxygenation selectively, i.e. without concomitant haemodynamic effects. In contrast, the other vasodilators either did not increase gastric mucosal microvascular haemoglobin oxygenation at all (nitroglycerine), or did so only with marked increases in other systemic haemodynamic variables (dihydralazine). Our data suggest a potential role of recombinant brain natriuretic peptide selectively for increasing microvascular mucosal oxygenation. Studies are required to extend these findings to the clinical setting.
The impact of focused transthoracic echocardiography in the pre‐operative clinic
Authors: Canty D. J. , Royse C. F. , Kilpatrick D. , Bowman L. , Royse A. G.
Published: February 2012

Patients with suspected or symptomatic cardiac disease, associated with increased peri‐operative risk, are often seen by anaesthetists in the pre‐assessment clinic. The use of transthoracic echocardiography in this setting has not been reported. This prospective observational study investigated the effect of echocardiography on the anaesthetic management plan in 100 patients who were older than 65 years or had suspected cardiac disease. Echocardiography was performed by an anaesthetist, and was validated by a cardiologist. Overall, the anaesthetic plan was changed in 54 patients. Haemodynamically significant cardiac disease was revealed in 31 patients, resulting in a step‐up of treatment in 20 patients, including: cardiology referral (four patients); altered surgical (two) and anaesthetic (four) technique; use of invasive monitoring (13); planned use of vasopressor infusion (10); and postoperative high dependency care (five). Reassuring negative findings in 69 patients led to a step‐down in treatment in 34 patients: altered anaesthetic technique (six); procedure not cancelled (10); cardiology referral not made (10); use of invasive monitoring not required (seven); and high dependency care not booked (11). We conclude that focused transthoracic echocardiography in the pre‐operative clinic is feasible and frequently alters management in patients with suspected cardiac disease.
Using the experiences of people with familial hypercholesterolaemia to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: a qualitative systematic review
Authors: Muir Lauretta A. , George Peter M. , Whitehead Lisa
Published: February 2012

muir l.a., george p.m. & whitehead l. (2012) Using the experiences of people with familial hypercholesterolaemia to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: a qualitative systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(9), 1920–1932.

Aims.  This paper presents the results of a systematic review of qualitative studies identifying the experiences and perceptions of people living with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Background.  Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a genetic condition that causes cardiovascular disease and early death. It can be easily diagnosed and treated. Diagnostic rates sit around 20% of the at‐risk population in western countries. Screening the relatives of diagnosed people is the best way of identifying those at risk so that, if necessary, treatment can be offered. Presentation for screening can depend on diagnosed people informing relatives of their increased risk and advising them to volunteer for testing. We conducted this review to identify if this approach to screening contributes to low diagnostic and treatment rates.

Data sources.  Searches were made of 11 electronic databases and grey literature from 1990–February 2011.

Review method.  A systematic review of studies that met the review aim was undertaken. Relevant data were extracted and a narrative synthesis conducted.

Results.  Poor health literacy, family and other social dynamics can both impede the ability and reduce the likelihood of diagnosed people approaching and adequately explaining the risk of familial hypercholesterolaemia to relatives. Relatives may misunderstand the significance of their messages or not see them as personally relevant.

Conclusion.  To ensure contact takes place and relatives are able to make informed decisions around being tested, expert clinicians must evaluate the health literacy and social contexts of diagnosed people before assigning them responsibility for contacting family and actively provide support and follow up.
Mixed methods evaluation of an interdisciplinary sexuality education programme for staff working with people who have an acquired physical disability
Authors: Higgins Agnes , Sharek Danika , Nolan Maeve , Sheerin Barbara , Flanagan Paul , Slaicuinaite Sniguole , Mc Donnell Sinead , Walsh Heather
Published: February 2012

higgins a., sharek d., nolan m., sheerin b., flanagan p., slaicuinaite s., mc donnell s. & walsh h. (2012) Mixed methods evaluation of an interdisciplinary sexuality education programme for staff working with people who have an acquired physical disability. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(11), 2559–2569.

Aim.  To report a study evaluating the effectiveness of a 1‐day interdisciplinary sexuality education programme for staff working with people with acquired physical disability.

Background.  Changes associated with an acquired physical disability can diminish a person’s self‐esteem, sense of attractiveness, relationships, and sexual functioning. Research suggests that people are dissatisfied with the quality of information and support around sexuality during their rehabilitation.

Design.  A mixed methods design was used, involving pretest and posttest questionnaires and interviews.

Methods. Questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistics and paired samples t‐tests to evaluate the effects of the programme on knowledge, skills, and comfort. Interview data were analyzed thematically, with particular emphasis on participants’ opinions about the application of the course within practice. Participants were working in the area of acquired disability and rehabilitation, and were drawn from a number of disciplines. Data were collected between 2008–2009.

Results.  Comparison of the pre‐ and postmeasures, based on paired samples t‐tests, showed that the programme statistically significantly increased participants’ knowledge, skills, and comfort. Participants felt positive and enthusiastic about the programme and reported numerous incidents where they were more willing to raise issues for discussion and create a supportive listening space for patients to talk about their concerns around sexuality.

Conclusion.  Providing healthcare practitioners with a 1‐day programme leads to positive changes in knowledge, skills, and comfort towards sexuality. Sexuality education may be an ideal topic for bringing practitioners together within an interdisciplinary education context.
Development and testing of a cancer appetite and symptom questionnaire
Authors: Halliday V. , Porock D. , Arthur A. , Manderson C. , Wilcock A.
Published: February 2012

How to cite this article:Halliday V., Porock D., Arthur A., Manderson C. & Wilcock A. (2012) Development and testing of a cancer appetite and symptom questionnaire.J Hum Nutr Diet.25, 217–224

Background: Poor appetite and weight loss are common in patients with cancer, contributing to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Early identification of those at greatest risk is problematic. The Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) is short and easy to use, although it is not specific to cancer populations. The present study aimed to build on the CNAQ to develop a cancer appetite and symptom questionnaire (CASQ) for predicting weight loss in patients with cancer.

Methods: The content validity of the CNAQ was assessed by an expert panel (n = 41) using the content validity index (CVI). The resulting CASQ was tested for reliability among patients receiving radiotherapy (n = 34). Predictive validity of the CASQ was determined in patients with lung or upper gastrointestinal cancer (n = 185), comparing CASQ scores (possible range 0–48) recorded at baseline with percentage weight change after 12 weeks.

Results: In all but one CNAQ item, the CVI was above the minimum level of agreement (>0.70). Comments from expert panel members led to minor modifications and the introduction of new items resulting in the 12‐item CASQ. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the CASQ was 0.80 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.68–0.92] and the difference between total scores at two time points was −0.20 (95% CI = −1.21 to 0.80). The optimum cut‐off point of the instrument to predict >10% weight loss was 29/30 (area under curve = 0.75; sensitivity 71%, specificity 66%, positive predictive value 19%, negative predictive value 95%) [Correction added on 30 April 2012, after first online publication: in the preceding sentence, <10% was corrected to >10%].

Conclusions: The CASQ can predict weight loss among patients with lung and upper gastrointestinal cancer. Acknowledgment of the low positive predictive value is needed if the instrument is to be used within clinical practice.
Relationship between Incidence of Brown Eye Spot of Coffee Cherries and the Chemical Composition of Coffee Beans
Authors: De Lima Luciana Maria , Pozza Edson Ampélio , Da Silva Santos Florisvalda
Published: February 2012

To study the chemical composition of coffee beans from coffee cherries infected by brown eye spot, two experiments were conducted with coffee cherries from Catuaí Amarelo and Acaiá Cerrado farms, in the full physiological maturity stage. The coffee cherries were harvested manually, and 20 litres of cherries without visible symptoms of brown eye spot (healthy coffee cherries) and 20 l of cherries with visible symptoms of the disease (diseased coffee cherries) were individually separated. After separation, the cherries were mixed in five different proportions to form the treatments: 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of diseased coffee cherries to 100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% of healthy coffee cherries. The experimental design was performed in randomized blocks, with each 8 l of coffee cherries being considered an experimental unit. After drying (humidity 12%), the chemical characteristics were analysed. Polyphenols, potassium leachate and electrical conductivity had a linear increase with the rising of the proportion of diseased coffee cherries. Total sugars, soluble solids and pH decreased linearly with the rising of the proportion of diseased coffee cherries.
Hemispheric asymmetry in non‐linear interdependence of EEG in post‐traumatic stress disorder
Authors: Kim Jinho , Chae Jeong‐Ho , Ko Hee‐kyoung , Latchoumane Charles‐Francois Vincent , Banerjee Aveek , Mandell Donald J. , Hoven Christina W. , Jeong Jaeseung
Published: February 2012

Aim:  While volumetric and metabolic imaging on post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients has been intensively performed, few studies using electroencephalograms (EEG) have been done as yet. The aim of the present study was to investigate abnormalities in functional connectivity of cortical networks in PTSD.

Methods:  Non‐linear interdependence (NI), a measure of bidirectional, non‐linear information transmission between two time series, was used. Resting EEG were recorded for 18 PTSD patients and 18 sex‐matched healthy subjects on 16 channels with their eyes closed.

Results:  The NI patterns in PTSD patients were hemisphere asymmetric: an increase in NI in the fronto‐parieto‐temporal regions of the left hemisphere (F7, F3, T3, C3, T5 and P3) and a decrease in the fronto‐parieto‐occipital regions of the right hemisphere (F4, C4, P4 and O2). The non‐linearity of NI in EEG, estimated from the surrogate data method, exhibited an increase in the PTSD patients as compared with that of healthy subjects, particularly in the left hemispheric cortex.

Conclusion:  Abnormal functional connectivity in PTSD can be assessed using NI, a measure of multi‐channel EEG.
Views on suicide among middle‐aged and elderly populations in Japan: Their association with demographic variables and feeling shame in seeking help
Authors: Kageyama Takayuki
Published: February 2012

Aims:  The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between inappropriate views on suicide, such as it being a personal choice, inevitable, unpreventable, and permissible, with demographic variables and the feeling of shame in seeking help among the general population.

Methods:  A self‐administered questionnaire on mental health and suicide was distributed to all residents aged 40–74 in four areas in Oita Prefecture, Japan, and 4487 responded. The association of seven inappropriate views on suicide with demographic variables was examined by multiple logistic analyses. The association between feeling shame in seeking help with demographic variables and the above views on suicide was similarly analyzed.

Results:  Inappropriate views on suicide were associated with gender (i.e. men). Some of these views also correlated with age, never having been married, and living in rural areas or areas with high suicide mortality rates. Multivariate analysis revealed that feeling shame in seeking help when distressed was associated with being aged 70–74, living in rural areas or areas with high suicide mortality rates, the view on suicide as a matter of self‐choice, and a pessimistic view toward life.

Conclusion:  These findings suggest that inappropriate views on suicide adversely affect coping strategies and mental health. Suicide prevention programs aimed at improving mental health literacy in a community should take into consideration the characteristics of elderly male residents.
Metachronous aortic aneurysms due to sarcoidosis
Authors: Hou Li , Masuda Masanori , Akashi Michiaki , Kido Shinichi , Takase Yukari , Kai Keita , Tokunaga Osamu
Published: February 2012

A 62‐year‐old male developed metachronous aortic aneurysms at different locations over an interval of one year and three months. He was diagnosed to have sarcoid aneurysms due to the presence of noncaseating epithelioid granulomas in the aortic wall and lymph nodes. The patient was treated with steroids, but his sarcoidosis progressed gradually and extended into other major organs, and the lungs and heart were clinically determined to have been involved by sarcoidosis. He died of cardiac tamponade four years after the first operation for an aortic aneurysm.
CXCR7: A novel tumor endothelial marker in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Maishi Nako , Ohga Noritaka , Hida Yasuhiro , Akiyama Kosuke , Kitayama Kazuko , Osawa Takahiro , Onodera Yuichiro , Shinohara Nobuo , Nonomura Katsuya , Shindoh Masanobu , Hida Kyoko
Published: February 2012

Tumor angiogenesis is necessary for progression and metastasis of solid tumor. Tumor blood vessels are morphologically different from their normal counterparts. In this study, we isolated tumor endothelial cells (TECs) and revealed their abnormalities. We have compared the gene expression profiles of TECs and normal endothelial cells (NECs) by microarray analysis and found that several genes were upregulated in TECs. Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR7 mRNA was higher in TECs than in NECs. However, information regarding the expression of CXCR7 in the tumor vessels of renal cell carcinoma is limited. CXCR7 and its ligand CXCL12 have been implicated in tumor cell survival. In this study, the expression of CXCR7 in the tumor vessels of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was investigated. Real‐time PCR revealed higher expression level of CXCR7 in cultured TECs than in cultured NECs. Furthermore, similar to mouse TECs, immunostaining revealed strong expression of CXCR7 in vivo in human tumor vessels. These findings suggest that CXCR7 is a novel TEC marker and a target for antiangiogenic therapy for RCC.
Indications and practice for tube feeding in Japanese geriatricians: Implications of multidisciplinary team approach
Authors: Ogita Mihoko , Utsunomiya Hiroko , Akishita Masahiro , Arai Hidenori
Published: February 2012

Aim:  The aim of this study was to examine how geriatricians decide the indication of tube feeding in the elderly with eating difficulty as a result of several disorders, and to determine the factors associated with their decision making and interventions for dysphagia.

Methods:  The design was a cross‐sectional study. All board‐certified geriatricians in the Japan Geriatrics Society were recruited to this study in September 2010. We sent questionnaires to 1469 geriatricians. Among them, 629 agreed to participate. The survey consisted of self‐administered questionnaires regarding demographic information, indications of tube feeding and interventions for dysphagia before tube feeding.

Results:  We analyzed the remaining 555 questionnaires after excluding incomplete ones. Over 90% of geriatricians answered that “neurological disorder” and “stroke” are indications, whereas 46.8% of them answered that “dementia” is an indication for tube feeding. Geriatricians who organize a multidisciplinary team conference tended to carry out more “interventions for dysphagia before the prescription of tube feeding” compared with the reference group (odds ratio 2.1–8.7) after multivariate adjustment.

Conclusions:  The results show that approximately half of the geriatricians prescribe tube feeding when the patient has dementia with loss of appetite or apraxia for eating. There is no consensus among Japanese geriatricians about the indication of tube feeding for demented people. We suggest that guidelines for tube feeding in the elderly should be established. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach would be desirable for decision making for tube feeding. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–••.
When touch matters: An affective tactile intervention for older adults
Authors: Mammarella Nicola , Fairfield Beth , Di Domenico Alberto
Published: February 2012

Aim:  Our goal was to test the hypothesis that positive tactile experiences can lead to an improvement in cognitive, emotional skills and perceived quality of life in a group of healthy community‐dwelling older adults.

Methods:  During a 10‐week period, older adults completed a series of activities that required manipulating either a piece of velvet, a piece of canvas or velcro.

Results:  Only older adults who worked with velvet showed an increase in cognitive and emotional skills, and the perceived quality of life.

Conclusion:  Our study is one of the first to show that positive tactile experiences might have a beneficial effect on the psychological well‐being of healthy community‐dwelling older adults across different domains. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–••.
The Emergence of Biobanks in the Legal Landscape: Towards a New Model of Governance
Authors: Rial‐Sebbag Emmanuelle , Cambon‐Thomsen Anne
Published: February 2012

Biobanks are increasingly seen as new tools for medical research. Their main purpose is to collect, store, and distribute human body materials. These activities are regulated by legal instruments which are heterogeneous in source (national and international), and in form (binding and non‐binding). We analyse these to underline the need for a new model of governance for modern biobanks. The protection initially ensured by respect for fundamental rights will need to focus on more interactions with society in order to ensure biobanks' sustainability. International regulation is more oriented on ethical principles and traces the limits of the uses of genetics, while European regulation is more concerned with the protection of fundamental rights and the elaboration of standards for biobanks' quality assurance. But is this protection adequate and sufficient? Do we need to move from the biomedical research analogy to new forms of legal protection, and governance systems which involve citizens?
The Materiality of What?
Authors: Pottage Alain
Published: February 2012

A singularly influential sense of ‘material worlds’ has been developed by actor‐network theories of science and technology, which trace out the kind of social action that emerges from encounters between ‘humans’ and ‘non‐humans’. What happens when this approach to materiality takes on the question of law? One answer is suggested by Bruno Latour's recent ethnography of law making in France's Conseil d'Etat. Interestingly, this study turns out to be not so much an actor‐network theory of law as occasion to add a new dimension to the material worlds of actor‐networks, namely, the communicative dimension of ‘regimes of enunciation’. My hypothesis is that this distinction between the sociality of actor‐networks and the logic of enunciation is problematic because it uncritically adopts the premise that there is an institution such as ‘law’ that has to be explained or materialized by social science, thereby diminishing the critical energy that the theory of actor‐networks or of dispositifs might bring to the study of law.
Modulation of kernel storage proteins in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)
Authors: Kumar Tejinder , Dweikat Ismail , Sato Shirley , Ge Zhengxiang , Nersesian Natalya , Chen Han , Elthon Tom , Bean Scott , Ioerger Brian P. , Tilley Mike , Clemente Tom
Published: February 2012

Sorghum prolamins, termed kafirins, are categorized into subgroups α, β, and γ. The kafirins are co‐translationally translocated to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where they are assembled into discrete protein bodies that tend to be poorly digestible with low functionality in food and feed applications. As a means to address the issues surrounding functionality and digestibility in sorghum, we employed a biotechnology approach that is designed to alter protein body structure, with the concomitant synthesis of a co‐protein in the endosperm fraction of the grain. Wherein perturbation of protein body architecture may provide a route to impact digestibility by reducing disulphide bonds about the periphery of the body, while synthesis of a co‐protein, with known functionality attributes, theoretically could impact structure of the protein body through direct association and/or augment end‐use applications of sorghum flour by stabilizing ß‐sheet formation of the kafirins in sorghum dough preparations. This in turn may improve viscoelasticity of sorghum dough. To this end, we report here on the molecular and phenotypic characterizations of transgenic sorghum events that are down‐regulated in γ‐ and the 29‐kDa α‐kafirins and the expression of a wheat Dy10/Dx 5 hybrid high‐molecular weight glutenin protein. The results demonstrate that down‐regulation of γ‐kafirin alone does not alter protein body formation or impacts protein digestibility of cooked flour samples. However, reduction in accumulation of a predicted 29‐kDa α‐kafirin alters the morphology of protein body and enhances protein digestibility in both raw and cooked samples.
The Contradictory Logic of Global Ecosystem Services Markets
Authors: McAfee Kathleen
Published: February 2012

Commodification and transnational trading of ecosystem services is the most ambitious iteration yet of the strategy of ‘selling nature to save it’. The World Bank and UN agencies contend that global carbon markets can slow climate change while generating resources for development. Consonant with ‘inclusionary’ versions of neoliberal development policy, advocates assert that international payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects, financed by carbon‐offset sales and biodiversity banking, can benefit the poor. However, the World Bank also warns that a focus on poverty reduction can undermine efficiency in conservation spending. The experience of ten years of PES illustrates how, in practice, market‐efficiency criteria clash directly with poverty‐reduction priorities. Nevertheless, the premises of market‐based PES are being extrapolated as a model for global REDD programmes financed by carbon‐offset trading. This article argues that the contradiction between development and conservation observed in PES is inevitable in projects framed by the asocial logic of neoclassical economics. Application in international conservation policy of the market model, in which profit incentives depend upon differential opportunity costs, will entail a net upward redistribution of wealth from poorer to wealthier classes and from rural regions to distant centres of capital accumulation, mainly in the global North.
Post‐neoliberalism in Latin America: Rebuilding and Reclaiming the State after Crisis
Authors: Grugel Jean , Riggirozzi Pía
Published: February 2012

The idea that states should take on an enhanced role in the pursuit of development is once again becoming increasingly pronounced in the global South. In Latin America, the ‘return of the state’ is associated with neostructuralism or post‐neoliberalism and the rise of the New Left. Post‐neoliberal projects of governance seek to retain elements of the previous export‐led growth model whilst introducing new mechanisms for social inclusion and welfare. In addition to being a project of growth based on exports and expanded social spending, post‐neoliberalism has a distinctive political character. This article explores the pillars of the new governance project, emphasizing the citizenship claims associated with it, along with some of the tensions that arise from export‐dependent growth, budget limitations, a weak tax base and the difficulties of managing enhanced social expectations. In making their argument, the authors draw on the examples of Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina.
Market Masquerades: Uncovering the Politics of Community‐level Payments for Environmental Services in Cambodia
Authors: Milne Sarah , Adams Bill
Published: February 2012

A growing number of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) schemes are being implemented at the community level in developing countries, especially in the context of climate change mitigation efforts to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). In parallel, there is vigorous commentary about the implications of market‐based or neoliberal conservation strategies, and their potential effects on communities that depend on natural resources. This article explores the political dimensions of community‐level PES in Cambodia, where contracts for ‘avoided deforestation’ and ‘biodiversity conservation’ were implemented in five communities. The research examines three aspects of the community‐level PES model that are inherently political: the engagement of communities as single homogeneous entities, capable of entering PES contracts; the simplification of land‐use practices and resource rights; and the assumption that contracts are voluntary or reflect ‘community choice’. These elements of PES work both discursively and practically to silence certain voices and claims, while privileging others. Therefore, the problematic nature of community‐level PES is not that it is a market per se, but that it is a powerful intervention masquerading as a market. This process of ‘market masquerades’ emerges as a key element in the politics of neoliberal conservation in practice.
Nature™ Inc.: Changes and Continuities in Neoliberal Conservation and Market‐based Environmental Policy
Authors: Arsel Murat , Büscher Bram
Published: February 2012

Nature™ Inc. describes the increasingly dominant way of thinking about environmental policy and biodiversity conservation in the early twenty‐first century. Nature is, and of course has long been, ‘big business’, especially through the dynamics of extracting from, polluting and conserving it. As each of these dynamics seems to have become more intense and urgent, the capitalist mainstream is seeking ways to off‐set extraction and pollution and find (better) methods of conservation, while increasing opportunities for the accumulation of capital and profits. This has taken Nature™ Inc. to new levels, in turn triggering renewed attention from critical scholarship. The contributions to this Debate section all come from a critical perspective and have something important to say about the construction, workings and future of Nature™ Inc. By discussing the incorporation of trademarked nature and connecting what insights the contributions bring to the debate, we find that there might be what we call an intensifying dialectic between change and limits influencing the relations between capitalism and nature. Our conclusion briefly points to some of the issues and questions that this dialectic might lead to in future research on neoliberal conservation and market‐based environmental policy.
‘TEEB Begins Now’: A Virtual Moment in the Production of Natural Capital
Authors: MacDonald Kenneth Iain , Corson Catherine
Published: February 2012

This article uses theories of virtualism to analyse the role of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project in the production of natural capital. Presented at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the project seeks to redress the ‘economic invisibility of nature’ by quantifying the value of ecosystems and biodiversity. This endeavour to put an economic value on ecosystems makes nature legible by abstracting it from social and ecological contexts and making it subject to, and productive of, new market devices. In reducing the complexity of ecological dynamics to idealized categories TEEB is driven by economic ideas and idealism, and, in claiming to be a quantitative force for morality, is engaged in the production of practices designed to conform the ‘real’ to the virtual. By rendering a ‘valued’ nature legible for key audiences, TEEB has mobilized a critical mass of support including modellers, policy makers and bankers. We argue that TEEB's rhetoric of crisis and value aligns capitalism with a new kind of ecological modernization in which ‘the market’ and market devices serve as key mechanisms to conform the real and the virtual. Using the case of TEEB, and drawing on data collected at COP10, we illustrate the importance of international meetings as key points where idealized models of biodiversity protection emerge, circulate and are negotiated, and as sites where actors are aligned and articulated with these idealized models in ways that begin further processes of conforming the real with the virtual and the realization of ‘natural capital’.
Fight or Acquiesce? Religion and Political Process in Turkey's and Egypt's Neoliberalizations
Authors: Tuğal Cihan
Published: February 2012

The Polanyian expectation that disruptive marketization will lead to movements and policies that seek to ‘embed’ the market in society needs to be tempered by closer scrutiny to historical, religious and political contexts. This article studies how movements respond to marketization. The analysis proceeds through a comparison of the Turkish and Egyptian neoliberalizations, religious movements of the last decades, secular opposition, and finally recent processes, which have led to generally different social takes on neoliberalism. The irony of the Turkish case is that with the empowerment of the Islamists, religious opposition to neoliberalism was muted and secular opposition further marginalized and labelled as ‘anti‐democratic’. As a result, free market policies were not only sustained, but deepened and intensified, turning Turkey into a neoliberal ‘success story’. The (thus far) sustained mobilization of youth and labour in Egypt makes a direct imitation unlikely. Another major factor that would prevent a ‘Turkish’ solution to Egypt's crisis is the contrasting structure of the religious fields. Moreover, while the passive revolution has further solidified the professional and unified religious field in Turkey, the revolutionary process in Egypt seems to reinforce the fragmentation of the religious field. The article points out that making Islam compatible with neoliberalism would be more difficult in a country with a fragmented religious field, such as Egypt. Although neoliberalism was imposed from above and resisted from below in both nations, in Turkey it came to be embraced in the name of Islam and democracy, whereas in Egypt it remains an imposition and popular struggles against it persist. It is suggested that this process and field‐based approach to a Polanyian problem can also shed new light on discussions about ‘actually existing neoliberalisms’.