bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How professionals talk about complex cases: a critical discourse analysis
Authors: Hood Rick
Published: January 2014

This paper reports on a qualitative study of child protection in the UK. The research involved children's practitioners from a range of agencies, including social care, education, health and youth offending, who were asked about working together on complex child protection cases. The aim was to explore how participants talked about complexity in these cases, in order to deconstruct influential perspectives on interprofessional working. Interview transcripts were analysed using critical discourse analysis, a qualitative method that examines patterns of language use in relation to social structures of power and control. The findings identified three overall perspectives: clinical, expert system and relation‐centred approaches, which practitioners combined in various ways. These perspectives have a bearing on how the ‘team around the child’ is conceptualized in discourse about child protection. The paper links these findings to the assumptions of predictability and control currently embedded in policy and practice guidance, and explores their implications for social workers and other children's practitioners.
Intralobar pulmonary sequestration complicating with cryptococcal infection
Authors: Guan Chao , Chen Hui , Shao Changzhou , He Lixian , Song Yuanlin
Published: January 2014

Introduction

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital malformation characterized by accessory lung tissue supplied by an aberrant systemic artery. It often presents with recurrent infections. But fungus infection is exceptional.

Objectives

To help other clinicians deal with patients with pulmonary sequestration complicating with cryptococcal infection.

Methods

We reported a case of pulmonary sequestration complicating with pulmonary and eye cryptococcosis and did literature review.

Results

A 20‐year‐old immunocompetent male patient suffered from eye pain and blurred vision, and received antibiotics and dexamethasone therapy with no improvement. Bacteriology inspection and computerized tomography scan indicated a diagnosis of cryptococcal infection in both eye and lung. Vitrectomy and antifungal agents were administered. Since symptoms fluctuations, lobectomy was operated. The surgery revealed the presence of pulmonary sequestration. Literature review showed that there is no report about pulmonary sequestration complicating with cryptococcal infection so far.

Conclusions

Pulmonary sequestration is a very important but extremely negligent cause for pulmonary cryptococcal infection.
miR‐138 inhibits proliferation by targeting 3‐phosphoinositide‐dependent protein kinase‐1 in non‐small cell lung cancer cells
Authors: Ye Xian‐wei , Yu Hong , Jin Yan‐kun , Jing Xiao‐ting , Xu Mei , Wan Zi‐fen , Zhang Xiang‐yan
Published: January 2014

Objective

Underlying mechanisms of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development remain poorly understood. miR‐138 and 3‐phosphoinositide‐dependent protein kinase‐1 (PDK1) have been reported to be involved in the genesis of NSCLC. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanisms of miR‐138 and PDK1 in human NSCLC cells.

Methods

The effect of miR‐138 on proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells was first examined using 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The expression of PDK1 in A549 lung cancer cells was assessed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction further. A luciferase reporter activity assay was conducted to confirm target association between miR‐138 and 3′ untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of PDK1. Finally, the role of PDK1 on proliferation of A549 cells was evaluated by transefection of PDK1 small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Results

Proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells was suppressed by miR‐138 in a concentration‐dependent manner. Furthermore, miR‐138 can bind to the 3′‐UTR of PDK1 and downregulate expression of PDK1 at both mRNA and protein levels. Knockdown of PDK1 by siRNA significantly inhibits the proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that miR‐138 as a potential tumor suppressor could inhibit cell proliferation by targeting PDK1 in NSCLC cells, which could be employed as a potential therapeutic target for miRNA‐based NSCLC therapy.
Using Indicators to Assess Climate Change Vulnerabilities: Are There Lessons to Learn for Emerging Loss and Damage Debates?
Authors: Vincent Katharine , Cull Tracy
Published: January 2014

Climate change is one of the most pressing global issues. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is committed to supporting adaptation in developing countries but identifying priority needs depends on an assessment of vulnerability. Indicators and indices are one common method for vulnerability assessments. A variety of vulnerability indicators and indices have been created for global level, cross‐country comparison within regions and also at sub‐national level, and as a result of these indicators, a variety of methodological critiques have arisen. This paper reviews vulnerability science and the evolution of indicators for vulnerability assessment and then assesses whether there is utility in using indicators for assessing the risk of loss and damage – one of the latest thrusts of the international policy negotiations.
‘Equally at home on Beacon Hill and Hill 16’? Transnational identities among Irish‐born return migrants from the United States
Authors: RALPH DAVID
Published: January 2014

In this article, I examine the transnational identities that return migrants create upon resettlement in their country of origin. Specifically, I draw on interviews with Republic of Ireland‐born return migrants from the United States between the years 1996 and 2006. The analysis shows that return migrants – like other migrant groups – maintain and establish translocal identities and practices that straddle ‘here’ (Ireland) and ‘there’ (United States) upon return. However, the article goes further, asking why returnees develop such border‐spanning social fields. Some recent scholarship suggests that some migrants develop transnational identities as an adaptive response to a hostile receiving society. The analysis here shows a similar process at play for certain return migrants in the post‐return environment. Doubtless, for some returnees, a transnational identity is a natural outgrowth of having spent several years in the United States. Yet for others, one can better explain this transnational identity as a coping strategy to buffer resettlement anxieties and disappointments.
Anatomical factors associated with left innominate vein stenosis in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Shi Yaxue , Cheng Jiejun , Song Yanyan , Zhang Jiwei
Published: January 2014

Central venous stenosis remains a challenge in hemodialysis patients. Venograms have shown that left innominate vein (LIV) stenosis often occurs in front of the trachea, where it crosses the aortic arch, suggesting that there may be an anatomical factor involved, such as iliac vein compression syndrome. The goal of this study was to determine whether LIV stenosis can be attributed to compression. From September 2008 to December 2011, 19 hemodialysis patients (ten women, nine men) with symptomatic venous hypertension of the upper‐left extremity were enrolled in this study. Venography and multidetector computed tomography were used to determine the location of the venous stenosis and to assess LIV anatomy. LIV diameter and the space between the sternum and aortic arch were compared between the LIV stenosis (LIVS) group (n = 9) and the non‐LIV‐stenosis (NLIVS) group (n = 10). The mean age of the cohort was 63 ± 17.3 years. The mean LIV diameter was 1.69 ± 1.55 mm in the LIVS group and 8.71 ± 2.33 mm in the NLIVS group. The space between the aortic arch and sternum was smaller in the LIVS group (4.55 ± 2.67 mm) than in the NLIVS group (15.25 ± 6.12 mm, P < 0.001). A contributing factor to LIV stenosis may be due to anatomical compression of the aortic arch behind the sternum. Preoperative noncontrast computed tomography is recommended for hemodialysis patients to exclude extrinsic compression.
The Making of the Indian Constitution: A Case for a Non‐nationalist Approach
Authors: Elangovan Arvind
Published: January 2014

The writing of the Indian constitution has often been celebrated for its momentousness, as it came at the end of a long period of anticolonial struggle. However, very little has been written on the making of the constitution. Often, the event of drafting the constitution is written‐off as part of a logical end to the British Empire in India or as part of a fulfilling of the promise made by India's anticolonial leaders. However, this has led to a severe impoverishment of the field of Indian constitutional history. In this essay, I suggest that we could benefit so much more by considering the long, complicated, and fraught history of constitution making separately from the process of the making of independent India. By separating nation‐making from constitution‐making, the field of constitutional and political history can only be a richer and more informative resource to understand the complex postcolonial developments in India.
Living in ‘New Times’: Historicizing 1980s Britain
Authors: Brooke Stephen
Published: January 2014

This article explores ways of writing the history of 1980s Britain. It argues that historians should avoid an overreliance upon identifying the decade with the politics of Margaret Thatcher and her government. Instead, the article suggests that a richer historical understanding of the 1980s will be achieved if we look for other trajectories and developments that intersect with immediate political change, but are not entirely dependent upon events at Westminster. This article also offers thoughts on how historians might conceptualize social change in the 1980s. The article reviews both older literature on Britain in the 1970s and 1980s and more recent interventions and suggests directions in which research might proceed.
Consumption and the Making of the Middle‐Class in South Asia
Authors: Utsa Ray
Published: January 2014

The historiography of the middle‐class in colonial India is a long and checkered one. Although traditional scholarship focused on the economic origins of this class, in recent years, scholars have become interested in knowing how this class fashioned itself. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's concept of the ‘cultural capital’, these scholars try to delve into the contradictory forces that mark the self‐fashioning of the middle‐class. In this paper, I will discuss these new trends in the historiography of the middle‐class. I will chiefly focus on the historiography of taste and consumption in the context of colonial as well as post‐colonial India. A focus on consumption and the middle‐class, I argue, enables us to understand how the middle‐class negotiates its self‐fashioning through various social hierarchies.
‘The Aristocracy in Seventeenth‐Century Ireland: Wider Contexts and Comparisons’
Authors: Ohlmeyer Jane
Published: January 2014

During the early decades of the early 17th century, the Stuart crown trebled the number of Irish peers. With this inflation of honours, itself an exercise in social engineering, the monarch created a peerage – a service élite – that comprised, in roughly equal numbers, catholic and protestant lords. Land, inherited through the practice of primogeniture, provided the income that sustained these lineages. As landlords, developers, entrepreneurs, politicians and military commanders, these lords operated as regional and national powerbrokers, exercising influence in Ireland and beyond. From the crown's perspective, the peers served as effective instruments in its efforts to ‘civilise’ and anglicize a particularly troublesome colony. This article provides a brief introduction to the role that Irish aristocrats played in shaping 17th century Ireland. It also situates the study of these Irish lords in the wider context of noble studies and reflects on why Irish historians have not examined the aristocracy as a collective. Finally, this article seeks to draw out some comparisons between the aristocracy in Ireland and their counterparts in the composite monarchies of Britain, Spain and Austria. The fact that during these years Ireland, like other states across early modern Europe, was responding to similar sets of pressures – state formation, confessionalisation, the professionalisation of warfare and so on – facilitate meaningful comparisons around the contributions that their aristocracies made to these transformative processes.
Translucent Cerium Fluoride Ceramics Fabricated by Hot‐Pressing for Scintillation Application
Authors: Li Wei , Chen Min , Kou Huamin , Liu Jun , Shi Yun , Feng Xiqi , Pan Yubai , Guo Jingkun
Published: January 2014

In this study, translucent CeF3 ceramics was firstly fabricated by hot‐pressing, aiming to develop an economical, radiation hard scintillation material. After sintering at 950°C and pressure exertion of 300MPa for 2 h, a transmittance of 10–25% was achieved in the visible region, through a thickness of 0.75 mm. Microstructure investigations indicated the average grain size was around 42.7 μm, with no obvious pores observed on the fracture surface. The X‐ray luminescence spectra, decay time, and thermoluminescence spectra were measured, and the results of the ceramics were similar to its corresponding single crystals, which proved it to be a promising scintillation material.
Glass Science in the United States: Current Status and Future Directions
Authors: Mauro John C. , Philip Charles S. , Vaughn Daniel J. , Pambianchi Michael S.
Published: January 2014

We review the current state of academic research in glass science in the United States. Our analysis is based on an evaluation of the number of journal articles published across the major segments of glass research. While the great majority of commercial opportunity is in silicate glasses and glass ceramics, together these represent less than one‐quarter of publication activity. Academic research activity in glass ceramics is essentially nonexistent in the United States, while the attention given to metallic and chalcogenide glasses is disproportionately larger than the current industrial value for such glasses. We identify areas of glass research that are presently less explored, yet highly promising in terms of both industrial application and training students for future careers in industry.
RENAL nephrometry score is a predictive factor for the annual growth rate of renal mass
Authors: Matsumoto Ryuji , Abe Takashige , Shinohara Nobuo , Murai Sachiyo , Maruyama Satoru , Tsuchiya Kunihiko , Nonomura Katsuya
Published: January 2014

Objective

To evaluate the association between the RENAL nephrometry score and annual growth rates of renal masses presumed to be renal cell carcinoma.

Methods

The current study included 47 renal tumors followed up for at least 12 months, of which 26 tumors were found to be pathologically proven renal cell carcinomas. Annual tumor growth rates were calculated from changes in the maximal diameter on computed tomography, and RENAL nephrometry scores were recorded on initial imaging by two senior urologists. The associations between clinical characteristics including the RENAL nephrometry score and annual growth rates were analyzed using a linear regression model.

Results

The median tumor size at diagnosis was 1.7 cm (range 0.6–5.8). The median nephrometry score at diagnosis was 7 (range 4–10). Overall, the median tumor growth rate was 0.34 cm per year (range −0.19–2.0). Linear regression analysis showed that the annual tumor growth rate was associated with the RENAL nephrometry score (P < 0.0001), but it was independent of the age at diagnosis, sex and initial tumor size. In addition, the correlation between the RENAL nephrometry score and annual growth rate remained significant in the 26 pathologically proven renal cell carcinomas.

Conclusions

The RENAL nephrometry score is associated with the annual growth rate of renal masses. Our findings further support the association between the RENAL nephrometry score and tumor biology.
Lower urinary tract symptoms in diabetic women with and without urinary incontinence
Authors: Yılmaz Sema D. , Bal Meltem D. , Celık Selda , Beji Nezihe K. , Dınccag Nevin , Yalcin Onay
Published: January 2014

Determination of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in diabetic women with and without urinary incontinence (UI) and its related factors is significant to define essential measures associated with prevention. The aim of this study is to compare the features of diabetes mellitus (DM) in diabetic women with and without UI, and to investigate LUTS and its related factors. Applying to the Diabetes Department of Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University (IMFIU) between May and December 2011, 77 diabetic women with the complaint of UI and 88 diabetic continent women were enrolled into the descriptive study. Data were collected via a questionnaire defining socio‐demographic and clinical features, and The Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS‐SF) after obtaining an approval from the ethical board of the institution. It was found that diabetic continent women and those with UI showed no statistically significant difference regarding age, BMI and duration of DM (p > 0·05). Among women with UI, levels of fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were significantly higher (p < 0·05). The total BFLUTS‐SF and subscale scores of women with UI were significantly higher than continent women (p < 0·05). A significant correlation was determined between total BFLUTS‐SF score, and fasting blood glucose (r = 0·185), BMI (r = 0·192), HbA1c (r = 0·245), complaint of vaginal itching (r = 0·629) and exposure to frequent vaginal infections (r = 0·701; p < 0·05). It was found that increased HbA1c was effective on total BFLUTS‐SF. Consequently, diabetic women with UI show high rates of fasting blood glucose and HbA1c, compared to diabetic women without UI. Therefore, diabetic women should meticulously be followed and evaluated in terms of LUTS by health care professionals.
Differential gene expression in laboratory strains of human head and body lice when challenged with Bartonella quintana, a pathogenic bacterium
Authors: Previte D. , Olds B. P. , Yoon K. , Sun W. , Muir W. , Paige K. N. , Lee S. H. , Clark J. , Koehler J. E. , Pittendrigh B. R.
Published: January 2014

Human head and body lice are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that belong to a single species, Pediculus humanus. Only body lice, however, are vectors of the infectious Gram‐negative bacterium Bartonella quintana. Because of their near identical genomes, yet differential vector competence, head and body lice provide a unique model system to study the gain or loss of vector competence. Using our in vitro louse‐rearing system, we infected head and body lice with blood containing B. quintana in order to detect both differences in the proliferation of B. quintana and transcriptional differences of immune‐related genes in the lice. B. quintana proliferated rapidly in body lice at 6 days post‐infection, but plateaued in head lice at 4 days post‐infection. RNAseq and quantitative real‐time PCR validation analyses determined gene expression differences. Eight immunoresponse genes were observed to be significantly different with many associated with the Toll pathway: Fibrinogen‐like protein, Spaetzle, Defensin 1, Serpin, Scavenger receptor A and Apolipoporhrin 2. Our findings support the hypothesis that body lice, unlike head lice, fight infection from B. quintana only at the later stages of its proliferation.
Socio‐cultural Adaptation of Second‐generation Afghans in Iran
Authors: Abbasi‐Shavazi Mohammad Jalal , Sadeghi Rasoul
Published: January 2014

The long‐term settlement of Afghan immigrants in Iran, along with their high fertility, has produced an important shift in the composition of their population with the emergence of a “second generation”. This article aims to examine how second‐generation Afghans have adapted to the host society and to what extent their adaptation patterns have correlated with demographic and contextual factors. The data is drawn from the 2010 Afghans Adaptation Survey which covered 520 second‐generation Afghans.

Results revealed that second‐generation Afghans have a variety of adaptation patterns. Integration is the most prevalent pattern of adaptation and acculturation (which is observed among 35.8 per cent of respondents) followed by separation (33.3%), assimilation (17.1%) and marginalization (13.8%). Our multivariate analysis showed that such socio‐demographic factors as gender, education, ethnicity, perceived discrimination, family context, neighbourhood characteristics, length and city of residence are associated with their adaptation patterns.

Policy Implications

Successful implementation of policies and durable solutions for Afghans in Iran rests on the diversity of the adaptation patterns of their second‐generation.

Restriction on employment opportunities has led to downward assimilation and marginalization of some of the Afghans in Iran. Improvement in labour laws would promote the integration of Afghans in the society.

Afghan females have relatively better access to a gender‐equitable environment in Iran than they do in Afghanistan, and are less willing to return to their homeland. The Government of Afghanistan should improve service and security provisions for women to ensure their voluntary repatriation.
Learning Confounds Algometric Assessment of Mechanical Thresholds in Normal Dogs
Authors: Coleman Kevin D. , Schmiedt Chad W. , Kirkby Kristin A. , Coleman Amanda E. , Robertson Sheilah A. , Hash Jon , Lascelles B. Duncan X.
Published: January 2014

Objective

To perform algometric readings in normal dogs in a design that would assess possible confounding factors.

Study Design

Prospective study.

Animals

Skeletally mature spayed female, intact male and castrated male retriever or retriever mix dogs without orthopedic or neurologic disease (n = 19).

Methods

Twelve common surgical sites were selected for algometric pressure testing. Threshold response was defined as a conscious recognition of the stimulus, and recorded in Newtons. Sites were tested in the same order, and the testing sequence repeated 3 times on each side of the dog. Dogs were tested in the morning and evening of the same day and was repeated 10–14 days later, allowing 4 separate data collections for each dog.

Results

Data were analyzed using ANOVA or ANCOVA. When all the data were included in the analysis, dog (P < .0001), order (P < .0001), site (P < .0001), site order (P = .0217), time (P < .0001), day (P < .0001) and repetition (P < .0001) all significantly affected the algometer readings. When only the first reading for each site was included in the analysis, dog (P < .0001), site (P < .0001) and sex (P < .0001) all significantly affected algometer readings.

Conclusion

These results suggest that learning occurred over repeated collection time points, with dogs anticipating the stimulus and reacting at lower thresholds.
Intra‐Articular Pharmacokinetics of a Gentamicin Impregnated Collagen Sponge in the Canine Stifle: An Experimental Study
Authors: Hayes Galina M. , Gibson Thomas W.G. , Moens Noel. M.M. , Monteiro Beatriz , Johnson Ron J.
Published: January 2014

Objective

To investigate local and systemic pharmacokinetics of gentamicin after intra‐articular implantation of a gentamicin impregnated collagen sponge (GICS) in the inflamed canine joint.

Study Design

Descriptive repeated measures experimental study.

Animals

Dogs (n = 9).

Methods

Stifle joint inflammation was caused by urate injection. Twenty‐four hours later a GICS (gentamicin dose, 6 mg/kg) was arthroscopically implanted. Synovial fluid and plasma gentamicin concentrations were measured for 14 days after implantation, and pharmacokinetic parameters modeled using statistical moment analyses.

Results

Intra‐articular gentamicin concentrations fell to sub‐MIC forStaphylococcussp. (4 µg/mL) by 22.4 hours (95% CI: 18.6–26.2) after sponge implantation. Cmax synovialwas 2397 µg/mL (95%CI: 1161–3634 µg/mL) at 1.2 hours (95%CI: 0.5–1.8 hours). Plasma gentamicin concentrations achieved levels of Cmax plasma = 8.0 µg/mL (95%CI: 6.1–10.0 µg/mL) at 1.5 hours (95%CI: 0.8–2.1) after GICS placement and fell below target trough of 2.0 µg/mL by 5.6 hours (95%CI: 4.7–6.5 hours) after GICS placement.

Conclusions

Intra‐articular gentamicin concentration after GICS placement at an IV‐equivalent dose reached high levels and declined rapidly. The maximum plasma levels attained were ∼1/3 of the recommended sub‐toxic target for people after parenteral gentamicin administration.
Regenerating Mandibular Bone Using rhBMP‐2: Part 1—Immediate Reconstruction of Segmental Mandibulectomies
Authors: Arzi Boaz , Verstraete Frank J.M. , Huey Daniel J. , Cissell Derek D. , Athanasiou Kyriacos A.
Published: January 2014

Objective

To describe a surgical technique using a regenerative approach and internal fixation for immediate reconstruction of critical size bone defects after segmental mandibulectomy in dogs.

Study Design

Prospective case series.

Animals

Dogs (n = 4) that had reconstruction after segmental mandibulectomy for treatment of malignant or benign tumors.

Methods

Using a combination of extraoral and intraoral approaches, a locking titanium plate was contoured to match the native mandible. After segmental mandibulectomy, the plate was secured and a compression resistant matrix (CRM) infused with rhBMP‐2, implanted in the defect. The implant was then covered with a soft tissue envelope followed by intraoral and extraoral closure.

Results

All dogs that had mandibular reconstruction healed with intact gingival covering over the mandibular defect and had immediate return to normal function and occlusion. Mineralized tissue formation was observed clinically within 2 weeks and solid cortical bone formation within 3 months. CT findings at 3 months showed that the newly regenerated mandibular bone had ∼50% of the bone density and porosity compared to the contralateral side. No significant complications occurred.

Conclusion

Mandibular reconstruction using internal fixation and CRM infused with rhBMP‐2 is an excellent solution for immediate reconstruction of segmental mandibulectomy defects in dogs.
Social problem‐solving, perceived stress, negative life events, depression and life satisfaction in psoriasis
Authors: Eskin M. , Şavk E. , Uslu M. , Küçükaydoğan N.
Published: January 2014

Background

Psoriasis is a chronic dermatosis which may cause significant impairment of the patient's quality of life.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the social problem‐solving skills, perceived stress, negative life events, depression and life satisfaction in psoriasis patients.

Methods

Data were gathered by means of questionnaires and clinical evaluations from 51 psoriatic patients and 51 matched healthy controls.

Results

Average disease duration was 16.47 years and average Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score was 3.67. Compared with the controls, the patients displayed lower social problem‐solving skills. They displayed higher negative problem orientation and impulsive‐careless problem‐solving style scores than the controls. Patients tended also to show more avoidant problem‐solving style and lower life satisfaction than controls. There was no difference between psoriatic patients and controls in terms of depression, perceived stress and negative life events. Higher social problem‐solving skills were associated with lower depression, perceived stress and fewer numbers of negative life events but higher level of life satisfaction.

Limitations

The patient group largely included mild and moderate psoriatic cases.

Conclusion

The findings of the study suggest that problem‐solving training or therapy may be a suitable option for alleviating levels of psychological distress in patients suffering from psoriasis.
Cognitive behavioural anger management intervention for people with intellectual disabilities: costs of intervention and impact on health and social care resource use
Authors: Felce D. , Cohen D. , Willner P. , Rose J. , Kroese B. , Rose N. , Shead J. , Jahoda A. , MacMahon P. , Lammie C. , Stimpson A. , Woodgate C. , Gillespie D. , Townson J. , Nuttall J. , Hood K.
Published: January 2014

Background

Anger and aggression among adults with intellectual disability (ID) are associated with a range of adverse consequences for their well‐being and that of their family or staff carers. The aims were to evaluate the effectiveness of an anger management intervention for adults with mild to moderate ID and to evaluate the costs of the intervention and its impact on health and social care resource use. This paper is concerned with the latter aim.

Methods

A cluster‐randomised controlled trial was conducted involving day services for adults with ID in Scotland, England and Wales. Incremental costs of delivering the intervention and its impact on subsequent total health and social care package costs were calculated. Full data comparing costs between baseline and follow‐up 10 months later were collected for 67 participants in the intervention arm and 62 participants in the control arm. Cost differences between the groups at follow‐up, adjusted for baseline levels, were calculated using non‐parametric bootstrapping controlling for clustering.

Results

The mean hourly excess cost of intervention over treatment as usual was £12.34. A mean adjusted cost difference of £22.46 per person per week in favour of the intervention group was found but this was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

The baseline‐adjusted cost difference at follow‐up would result in a fairly immediate compensation for the excess costs of intervention, provided the difference is not a statistical artefact. Further research is needed to clarify the extent to which it might represent a real saving in service support costs.
Drinking preferences in chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger), degus (Octodon degu) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)
Authors: Hagen K. , Clauss M. , Hatt J.‐M.
Published: January 2014

Chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger), degus (Octodon degus) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are South American rodents living in a semi‐arid habitat with varying, species‐specific adaptations to water deprivation. Nonetheless, several diseases have been linked to insufficient water intake when these species are kept as pets, such as urolithiasis or obstipation. This study evaluated preferences for drinking systems. Six animals of each species were given a choice between an open dish and a nipple drinker. Food intake and water intake were measured daily for 13 days. Chinchillas in this study had significantly lower water intakes than the other two species, indicating particular species‐specific adaptations to aridity. All chinchillas favoured open dishes, whereas the degus and guinea pigs had variable individual preferences. Water intake of chinchillas was similar or higher in this study than in previous studies where nipple drinkers were used. The results indicate that degus and guinea pigs can meet their drinking water needs with nipple drinkers; for chinchillas, other drinking systems may be more adequate.
Cyclin‐dependent kinases as therapeutic targets in melanoma
Authors: Miller David M. , Flaherty Keith T.
Published: January 2014

Decades of scientific insights have led to a recent expansion of the therapeutic menu for melanoma. Despite these advances, the current targeted therapies and immune checkpoint agents continue to yield suboptimal response and cure rates. Hitherto, the most effective targeted therapy strategies have centered on effectors in the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. This review focuses on the emerging evidence of combinatorial approaches targeting both MAPK signaling and dysregulations in cell‐cycle checkpoints. We discuss the prospects and limitations of utilizing strategies that promote cellular senescence, such as inhibition of the interphase cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs) and highlight the current state of CDK drug discovery in melanoma.
Genomewide RNAi screen identifies protein kinase Cβ and new members of mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway as regulators of melanoma cell growth and metastasis
Authors: Schönherr Madeleine , Bhattacharya Animesh , Kottek Tina , Szymczak Silke , Köberle Margarethe , Wickenhauser Claudia , Siebolts Udo , Saalbach Anja , Koczan Dirk , Magin Thomas M. , Simon Jan C. , Kunz Manfred
Published: January 2014

A large‐scale RNAi screen was performed for eight different melanoma cell lines using a pooled whole‐genome lentiviral shRNA library. shRNAs affecting proliferation of transduced melanoma cells were negatively selected during 10 days of culture. Overall, 617 shRNAs were identified by microarray hybridization. Pathway analyses identified mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway members such as ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and MAP3K7 and protein kinase C β (PKCβ) as candidate genes. Knockdown of PKCβ most consistently reduced cellular proliferation, colony formation and migratory capacity of melanoma cells and was selected for further validation. PKCβ showed enhanced expression in human primary melanomas and distant metastases as compared with benign melanocytic nevi. Moreover, treatment of melanoma cells with PKCβ‐specific inhibitor enzastaurin reduced melanoma cell growth but had only small effects on benign fibroblasts. Finally, PKCβ‐shRNA significantly reduced lung colonization capacity of stably transduced melanoma cells in mice. Taken together, this study identified new candidate genes for melanoma cell growth and proliferation. PKCβ seems to play an important role in these processes and might serve as a new target for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.
Network analysis for motives in suicide cases: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Shiratori Yuki , Tachikawa Hirokazu , Nemoto Kiyotaka , Endo Go , Aiba Miyuki , Matsui Yutaka , Asada Takashi
Published: January 2014

Aim

Suicide victims have various distresses or motives. There are few studies on how these motives toward suicide relate with each other. We used network analyses to extract the structures of correlations among the motives for suicide.

Methods

We obtained datasets of suicide victims from 2007–2009 in Japan in cooperation with Ibaraki Prefectural Police Headquarters. The data were analyzed by network centrality measures and a structural analysis by block modeling.

Results

Among the motives, depression and physical illness showed relatively high scores of ‘degree centrality’, whereas depression and unemployment showed relatively high scores of ‘betweenness centrality’. Structural analysis by block modeling resulted in eight blocks. The most important block comprised eight motives, including conflict between parent and child, marital conflict, economic hardship, and overloaded with debt.

Conclusion

Depression and physical illness were important and priority areas for completed suicides, although these two motives had different influences on suicide behaviors. Furthermore, structural analysis revealed the important role of a block, including some familial and financial motives, which induced hopelessness. Our results suggest that it might be useful to consider the common ways in which motivations for suicide are tied together when suicide intervention is launched from a social model point of view.
L‐3,4‐Dihydroxy‐6‐[F‐18]fluorophenylalanine positron emission tomography demonstrating dopaminergic system abnormality in the brains of obsessive–compulsive disorder patients
Authors: Hsieh Hung‐Jen , Lue Kun‐Han , Tsai Hsin‐Chi , Lee Chau‐Chin , Chen Shin‐Yuan , Kao Pan‐Fu
Published: January 2014

Aim

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disabling neuropsychiatric disorder. Current treatment modalities, such as pharmacological and behavioral methods, are sometimes unsatisfactory. The mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway is supposed to have a role in the pathogenesis of OCD. In this study, L‐3,4‐Dihydroxy‐6‐[F‐18]fluorophenylalanine (F‐18 FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) is exploited to investigate the possible abnormality of dopaminergic neuronal circuits in the brains of OCD patients in vivo.

Methods

The study subjects were recruited after psychological assessment and gave written informed consent to participate. The F‐18 FDOPA PET scans were performed on five OCD patients and six healthy volunteers at 120 min after 185 MBq of F‐18 FDOPA intravenous injection. The PET results were analyzed with the Statistical Parametric Mapping tool.

Results

Compared to the healthy subjects, the OCD brains showed increased dopaminergic metabolism in the left frontal premotor cortex (P < 0.001), along with trends toward an increase in the left posterior cingulate gyrus, the left cuneus, the left lingual gyrus, the right cuneus and precuneus, the right lingual gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, the left cerebellum, and the right cerebellum (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Our observations suggest that the increased dopaminergic neuronal function in these brain areas may be implicated in the pathogenesis of OCD.
Ordering the Tsar's Household: Winter Palace Servants in Nineteenth‐Century St. Petersburg
Authors: McCAFFRAY SUSAN P.
Published: January 2014

During the “apogee of autocracy” Russian monarchs successfully deployed their baroque masterpiece, the Winter Palace, as a stage within which and from which they could convey messages about monarchy to the people who lived in their capital city. The importance of retaining the deference of urban crowds had been made manifest in the wake of the French Revolution. Chief among the intermediaries of the tsars' household were the middle and lower ranks of the people who worked and served in the Palace. This article describes the ways that city people entered and exited Palace service, rendering porous the border between the city and the Palace. The article also explores the living and working experience of Palace servants as well as the impressions of the imperial household that they may have carried into the city.
Barriers and promoters of participation in facilitated peer support groups for carers of children with special needs
Authors: Hammarberg Karin , Sartore Gina , Cann Warren , Fisher Jane R.W.
Published: January 2014

Background

Social support is essential for physical and mental health and well‐being. Evidence indicates that social and peer support is particularly important and beneficial for the well‐being of those who care for children with chronic illness or disability in improving personal well‐being and influencing parent–child play opportunities and child behaviour and development positively. MyTime is a government‐funded Australia‐wide facilitated peer support group program for carers of children with special needs.

Aim

The aim was to investigate the barriers and promoters of participation in this peer support group program.

Method

A qualitative approach was adopted where semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted with 20 group members, four group facilitators and three play helpers. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted.

Results

Most group members described gaining significant social support from group participation. Good group facilitation, the availability of play helpers, access to disability‐related information and expertise, and the mutual exchange of support between members emerged as the most important promoters of group participation. Barriers included insufficient funding to run the program throughout the year, too much diversity in group members’ socio‐economic position and severity of their children's disability.

Conclusion

The facilitated peer support group program described in this paper appears to confer significant benefits to carers of children with disabilities and may be a model for other nations to consider in their strategies to improve services for carers of children with special needs.
Identification of the KIR3DL1*0050105 allele by sequence‐based techniques
Authors: Wang L. , Yindom L.‐M. , Rowland‐Jones S. L. , Dong T.
Published: January 2014

KIR3DL1*0050105 differs from KIR3DL1*0050101 with two nucleotide substitutions at 6709(C > T) and 13398 (G > A) in introns 5 and 7, respectively.
Does a 3-Minute All-Out Test Provide Suitable Measures of Exercise Intensity at the Maximal Lactate Steady State or Peak Oxygen Uptake for Well-Trained Runners?
Authors: Sperlich Billy , Zinner Christoph , Trenk David , Holmberg Hans-Christer
Published: January 2014

Purpose:

To examine whether a 3-min all-out test can be used to obtain accurate values for the maximal lactate steady state (vMLSS) and/or peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) of well-trained runners.

Methods:

The 15 male volunteers (25 ± 5 y, 181 ± 6 cm, 76 ± 7 kg, VO2peak 69.3 ± 9.5 mL · kg−1 · min−1) performed a ramp test, a 3-min all-out test, and several submaximal 30-min runs at constant paces of vEND (mean velocity during the last 30 s of the 3-min all-out test) itself and vEND +0.2, +0.1, –0.1, –0.2, –0.3, or –0.4 m/s.

Results:

vMLSS and vEND were correlated (r = .69, P = .004), although vMLSS was lower (mean difference: 0.26 ± 0.32 m/s, 95% CI –.44 to –.08 m/s, P = .007, effect size = 0.65). The VO2peak values derived from the ramp and 3-min all-out tests were not correlated (r = .41, P = .12), with a mean difference of 523 ± 1002 mL (95% CI –31 to 1077 mL).

Conclusion:

A 3-min all-out test does not provide a suitable measure of vMLSS or VO2peak for well-trained runners.
Evaluation of the Match Performances of Substitution Players in Elite Soccer
Authors: Bradley Paul S. , Lago-Peñas Carlos , Rey Ezequiel
Published: January 2014

Purpose:

To evaluate match performances of substitute players using different research designs.

Methods:

English Premier League matches were analyzed using a multiple-camera system. Two research designs were adopted: an independent-measures analysis comparing the match-performance characteristics of players completing the entire match (n = 810) vs substitutes (n = 286) and the players they replaced (n = 286) and a repeated-measures analysis comparing the same players completing full matches vs those in which they were introduced as a substitute (n = 94).

Results:

Most substitutions (P < .05) occurred at halftime and between the 60- to 85-min vs all first-half periods and the remaining second-half periods (effect size [ES]: 0.85–1.21). These substitutions become more (P < .01) offensive (eg, more attacking positions were introduced) in relation to the positions introduced as the half progressed (ES: 0.93–1.37). Independent-measures analysis indicated that high-intensity running was greater (P < .01) in substitutes compared with players who either completed the entire match or were replaced (ES: 0.28–0.67), but no differences were evident for pass-completion rates (ES: 0.01–0.02). Repeated-measures analysis highlighted that players covered more (P < .01) high-intensity running when they were introduced as substitutes compared with the equivalent period of the second- but not the first-half period (ES: 0.21–0.47). Both research designs indicated that attackers covered more (P < .05) high-intensity running than peers or their own performances when completing the entire match (ES: 0.45– 0.71).

Conclusions:

Substitutes cover greater high-intensity-running distance; this was particularly evident in attackers, but pass-completion rates did not differ for any position. This information could be beneficial to coaches regarding optimizing the match running performances of their players, but much more work needs to be undertaken to investigate the overall impact of substitutes (physical, technical indicators, and contribution to key moments of matches).
Critical Evaluation of Oxygen-Uptake Assessment in Swimming
Authors: Sousa Ana , Figueiredo Pedro , Pendergast David , Kjendlie Per-Ludvik , Vilas-Boas João P. , Fernandes Ricardo J.
Published: January 2014

Swimming has become an important area of sport science research since the 1970s, with the bioenergetic factors assuming a fundamental performance-influencing role. The purpose of this study was to conduct a critical evaluation of the literature concerning oxygen-uptake (VO2) assessment in swimming, by describing the equipment and methods used and emphasizing the recent works conducted in ecological conditions. Particularly in swimming, due to the inherent technical constraints imposed by swimming in a water environment, assessment of VO2max was not accomplished until the 1960s. Later, the development of automated portable measurement devices allowed VO2max to be assessed more easily, even in ecological swimming conditions, but few studies have been conducted in swimming-pool conditions with portable breath-by-breath telemetric systems. An inverse relationship exists between the velocity corresponding to VO2max and the time a swimmer can sustain it at this velocity. The energy cost of swimming varies according to its association with velocity variability. As, in the end, the supply of oxygen (whose limitation may be due to central—O2 delivery and transportation to the working muscles—or peripheral factors—O2 diffusion and utilization in the muscles) is one of the critical factors that determine swimming performance, VO2 kinetics and its maximal values are critical in understanding swimmers’ behavior in competition and to develop efficient training programs.
Phase Angle and Bioelectrical Impedance Vectors in Adolescent and Adult Male Athletes
Authors: Koury Josely C. , Trugo Nádia M.F. , Torres Alexandre G.
Published: January 2014

The aim of the current study was to assess phase angle (PA) and bioelectrical impedance vectors (BIVA) in adolescent (n = 105, 12–19 y) and adult (n = 90, 20–50 y) male athletes practicing varied sports modalities. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was performed with a single-frequency tetrapolar impedance analyzer after the athletes had fasted overnight for 8 h. PA and BIVA were determined from BIA data. PA presented correlations (P < .01) with body-mass index (r = .58) in all athletes and also with age in adolescent (r = .63) and adult (r = –.27) athletes. Compared with adults, adolescent athletes presented lower PA and higher frequency of PA below the 5th percentile of a reference population (P < .001). The adolescents with low PA were mostly football and basketball players. The BIVA confidence ellipses of adult and adolescent athletes were different (P < .001) between them and from their respective reference populations and were closer than those of adult and adolescent nonathletes. About 80% of the athletes were in the 95th percentile of BIVA tolerance ellipses and in quadrants consistent with adequate body cell mass and total body water. The adolescent athletes outside the 95th percentile ellipse were all football and basketball players who showed indications of decreased water retention and body cell mass and of increased water retention, respectively. PA and BIVA ellipses showed that the intense training routine of the athletes changed functional and hydration parameters and that the magnitude of these changes in adolescents may depend on the sport modality practiced.