bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Institutions and Representational Roles in American State Legislatures
Authors: Cooper Christopher A. , Richardson Lilliard E.
Published: January 2011

What is the impact of a legislature's institutions on the representational roles its members adopt? We address this question by examining the role orientation of state legislators in eight states, explaining why some legislators identify more with a trustee model of representation and others identify more with the delegate model. Using ordinal logistic regression analysis on data from a survey of 447 legislators, we test for the effects of multimember districts and term limits, along with several other factors. First, we find that representational roles and behavior are related; legislators who think of themselves as delegates are much more likely to hold frequent district office hours than their counterparts who think of themselves as trustees. Second, we find that, overall, legislators are more likely to consider themselves trustees than delegates. Third, we find that multimember districts and term limits increase the likelihood that legislators think of themselves as trustees. Thus, legislative institutions can influence the representational roles legislators adopt.
Influence over State Agency Activities: A Test of Two Survey-Based Measures
Authors: Baranowski Michael , Gross Donald A.
Published: January 2011

The valid and reliable measurement of perceived influence over executive agencies is vital to understanding bureaucratic behavior. Using a survey of 540 state agency heads in 15 states, we evaluate two such measures—a standard free-standing measure and a paired-comparison measure—in terms of conceptual clarity, theoretical utility, and susceptibility to systematic measurement error. Our results indicate that while a paired-comparison measure may be theoretically superior to a free-standing measure, missing responses, intransitivities, and respondent fatigue make the paired-comparison method less practical.
State Party Context and Norms among Delegates to the 2000 National Party Conventions
Authors: Carsey Thomas M. , Green John C. , Herrera Richard , Layman Geoffrey C.
Published: January 2011

Political scientists have increasingly viewed party activists as important catalysts for party behavior and change in American politics. Understanding the decisionmaking norms of these activists should help inform scholars' broader understanding of party performance. We examine the norms of party decisionmaking expressed by a select group of party activists: delegates to both parties' 2000 national conventions. We focus on how state contextual factors shape the norms these activists hold regarding the proper balance between ideological purity and the pragmatic pursuit of electoral success. The contextual factors we consider include the rules for delegate selection, the financial capacity of state parties, electoral competitiveness between the two parties, party polarization, and state political culture. We find evidence that norms respond as expected to some elements of state party context, but not to others.
The Effect of State Legislative Term Limits on Voter Turnout
Authors: Nalder Kimberly
Published: January 2011

Term limits advocates argued that the reform would revitalize the electorate and spur increased voter participation. They suggested two main mechanisms by which term limits would do this: (1) term limits would increase the number of open-seat races, which tend to be more competitive, and the increased competition would inspire more voting, and (2) the removal of entrenched incumbents would inspire more trust and confidence in government, thereby encouraging voter enthusiasm in a more diffuse way, increasing turnout for all races. I evaluate these hypotheses empirically using data from California state legislative races from 1976 to 2004; incorporating a variety of methods, including pooled cross-sectional time-series regression. I find evidence that state legislative term limits not only fail to achieve the reformers' goals, but they, in fact, decrease voter turnout.
Justice for Sale? Campaign Contributions and Judicial Decisionmaking
Authors: Cann Damon M.
Published: January 2011

As state judicial campaigns become progressively more expensive and political, judicial candidates have turned more frequently to lawyers and law firms for campaign contributions. Given that lawyers who contribute to judges' campaigns frequently appear before them in court, the potential for a conflict of interest arises. I ask whether judges are more likely to rule in favor of attorneys who provide financial support to their campaigns. Looking at cases decided in the Supreme Court of Georgia's 2003 term, I show that campaign contributions are indeed correlated with judges' decisions. Furthermore, I use a two-stage probit least squares estimator to show that these campaign contributions directly affect judicial decisionmaking.
The Influence of Appointment and Retention Constituencies: Testing Strategies of Judicial Decisionmaking
Authors: Savchak Elisha Carol , Barghothi A.J.
Published: January 2011

Recent studies (Brace and Hall 1990, 1995, 1997; Hall 1987, 1992; Hall and Brace 1989) have demonstrated that state supreme court judges' decisionmaking is influenced by the type of selection mechanism that put them into office. In particular, judges are found to respond to the interests of those who have placed them on the bench. We extend this line of inquiry further by testing the effect of rules governing the retention of these judges in merit systems. Do these judges respond to the subtle differences in constituency that these rules establish? We address this question with a larger dataset than that used in previous studies of decisionmaking (Brace and Hall 1995, 1997; Hall 1987, 1992), and we find overwhelming evidence of the effects of these retention rules. In fact, we also conclude that judicial decisions are more influenced by the actor charged with retaining them than the actor who placed them on the bench in the first place.
Democratic Responsiveness and Policy Shock: The Case of State Abortion Policy
Authors: Camobreco John F. , Barnello Michelle A.
Published: January 2011

Past research has shown that elected officials are generally responsive to the public's attitudes on policy, particularly in domains such as morality policy. But will this responsiveness survive an externally imposed, non-incremental policy “shock”? The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade represents such a shock regarding abortion policy. We examine the responsiveness of state lawmakers to mass abortion attitudes in the post-Roe period through a longitudinal analysis of state abortion policies. We find that the connection between mass abortion attitudes and abortion policies has grown stronger over time, and that mass preferences have become the primary determinant of such policies. Mass abortion attitudes are now a stronger predictor of abortion policies than elite abortion attitudes, and certain elite abortion attitudes that once moderated the link between mass abortion attitudes and policy no longer do so. These findings suggest that lawmakers will attempt to respond to public preferences about contentious morality policies despite the imposition of an external policy constraint.
Measuring the Professionalization of U.S. State Courts of Last Resort
Authors: Squire Peverill
Published: January 2011

Elsewhere I have argued that measures of U.S. state legislative professionalization assess individual and organizational capacity to generate and evaluate information in the policymaking process. In this article, I adapt my measure of state legislative professionalization to state courts of last resort, attempting to assess the informational capacity of those bodies in making legal decisions. Specifically, I examine judicial salaries, a court's level of control over its docket, and the number of law clerks employed by the justices. After presenting four variants of the court professionalization measure and investigating their validity, I examine explanations for their observed variance across the states. I conclude by comparing my indices with existing indices and speculating about the utility of such measures.
Leave the Rascals In? Explaining the Poor Prospects of Term Limit Extensions
Authors: Parry Janine , Donovan Todd
Published: January 2011

Voters in nearly half the states adopted term limits between 1990 and 2000, and recent efforts to repeal or extend these caps generally have suffered sound defeats. Past research demonstrates that while robust majorities approved of limiting the terms of elected officials, support was strongest among government cynics and minority-party identifiers. Here, we investigate the impact of trust and partisanship on attitudes toward a 2004 Arkansas proposal to extend term limits; we further test our findings using survey data on a related 2002 measure in California. Relying on statewide samples of likely voters, we find that Democrats and those with more trust in government demonstrate greater support for such measures than Republicans and cynics, controlling for other factors. Trust exerts the strongest substantive effect.
U.S. State Legislative Committee Assignments and Encouragement of Party Loyalty: An Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Kanthak Kristin
Published: January 2011

Although political parties in U.S. legislatures cannot compel discipline with the threat of expulsion from the legislature, they can encourage greater party loyalty by strategically bestowing benefits upon favored members. This article explores the use of plum committee assignments to encourage legislators' loyalty to their parties. I outline a theory of how party leaders can use committee assignments strategically to encourage more loyal legislative behavior. This occurs when legislative rules meet two criteria: (1) parties and their leaders can determine who serves on committees and (2) committees have real authority over policy outcomes. I test the theory using data from five state legislatures that differ on the relevant set of legislative rules, finding more party loyalty shown by legislators who receive plum committee assignments when rules meet both criteria and no effect when they do not.
Public Opinion, Organized Interests, and Policy Congruence in Initiative and Noninitiative U.S. States
Authors: Monogan James , Gray Virginia , Lowery David
Published: January 2011

We consider the impact of direct democracy on state public policy by examining whether initiatives alter the effects of predictors in models of general state policy liberalism. These analyses are couched in Erikson, Wright, and McIver's (1993) opinion liberalism model of state public policy, as augmented by Gray et al.'s (2004) inclusion of measures of organized interests. After presenting our theoretical expectations, we test the different ways that public opinion, organized interests, and initiatives can interact in the determination of public policy with a variety of models. We find little evidence that initiatives alter the congruence between opinion and policy.
Representation in U.S. Legislatures: The Acquisition and Analysis of U.S. State Legislative Roll-Call Data
Authors: Clark Jennifer Hayes , Osborn Tracy , Winburn Jonathan , Wright Gerald C.
Published: January 2011

Roll-call data have become a staple of contemporary scholarship on legislative behavior. Recent methodological innovations in the analysis of roll-call data have produced a number of important theoretical insights, such as understanding the structure of congressional decisionmaking and the role of parties and ideology in Congress. Many of the methodological innovations and theoretical questions sparked by congressional scholarship have been difficult to test at the state level because of the lack of comprehensive data on various forms of state legislative behavior, including roll-call voting. TheRepresentation in America's Legislaturesproject rectifies that problem through collection of comprehensive state legislative roll-call votes across all 99 state legislative chambers for the 1999–2000 and 2003–04 legislative sessions. In this article, we describe the data available through this project as well as our data acquisition procedures, including Stata and Perl programming and OCR of paper documents, with suggestions about how to use these methods to collect a wide range of state-level data.
The Pennsylvania Policy Database Project: A Model for Comparative Analysis
Authors: McLaughlin Joseph P. , Wolfgang Paul , Leckrone J. Wesley , Gollob Justin , Bossie Jason , Jennings Jay , Atherton Michelle J.
Published: January 2011

Temple University led a six-university effort that built a comprehensive public policy database for Pennsylvania, modeled on the national Policy Agendas Project created by Frank Baumgartner and Bryan Jones (1993). The Pennsylvania database (www.temple.edu/papolicy) enables users to integrate data from all three branches of government and the news media organized into 20 major and 249 minor policy topics since 1979. This article discusses the value of these data, their potential uses in state policy research, and the lessons learned over the four years invested in building the database. Our hope is that interested readers might undertake similar projects in their states to create a standardized national network of state policy databases.
Single-Access Transhiatal Esophagectomy for Cancer: Are We on the Right Way?
Authors: Germane Huscher Cristiano , Marzullo Ermenegilda , Albertucci Mario
Published: January 2011

Minimally invasive surgery has gained wide application since its introduction and has been applaied to all aspects of general surgery. The common denominator in minimally invasive surgery is to perform the same operation as in the open approach. Single access surgery has the same goal by reducing the number and the size of access incisions. We present the first case,to our knowledge,of single access transhiatal esophagectomy in a very compromised patient(chronic renal failure,diabetes on dyalisis). The patient was not amenable to chemo or radiation therapy. Surgical technique is described step by step.
A Review of Multiple Health Behavior Change Interventions for Primary Prevention
Authors: Prochaska Judith J. , Prochaska James O.
Published: January 2011

Most individuals engage in multiple unhealthy lifestyle behaviors with the potential for negative health consequences. Yet most health promotion research has addressed risk factors as categorically separate entities, and little is known about how to effectively promote multiple health behavior change (MHBC). This review summarizes the recent literature (January 2004 to December 2009) on randomized clinical trials evaluating MHBC interventions for primary prevention. Combining all the studies across all the reviews, fewer than 150 studies were identified. This is a fraction of the number of trials conducted on changing individual behavioral risks. Three primary behavioral clusters dominated: (1) the energy balance behaviors of physical activity and diet; (2) addictive behaviors like smoking and other drugs; and (3) disease-related behaviors, specifically cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer related. Findings were largely disappointing for studies of diet and physical activity, particularly with youth. Treating 2 addictions, including smoking, resulted in greater long-term sobriety from alcohol and illicit drugs. MHBC intervention effects were stronger and more consistent for cancer prevention than CVD prevention. MHBC interventions offer a new paradigm for broader, more comprehensive health promotion; however, the potential value in maximizing intervention impact is largely unmet.
Prompting Healthy Behavior via Text Messaging in Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Preston Karen E. , Walhart Tara A. , O'Sullivan Ann L.
Published: January 2011

Unhealthy and risky behaviors among adolescents and young adults, such as poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, smoking, and sexual practices, can lead to long-term negative health outcomes. Individuals with chronic diseases in these age groups are also more prone to nonadherence in the management of their diseases. Positively influencing the voluntary aspect of unhealthy behaviors in adolescents and young adults is an important public health topic. Recent research on cell phone text messaging has emerged as a potentially efficient, real-time intervention portal to prompt healthy behaviors in these populations. The purpose of this article is to review the current state of research evaluating the effectiveness of text messaging as a health intervention for adolescents and young adults.
Lifestyle Intervention Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension: A Review
Authors: Bond Brill Janet
Published: January 2011

Hypertension (HTN) is an extraordinarily common progressive cardiovascular syndrome in the United States, afflicting approximately one third of the adult population. HTN is a powerful and unequivocal independent risk factor for cardiovascular and renal diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and renal failure. Despite major advances in the understanding and treatment of HTN over the past several decades, the disease remains the most common primary diagnosis in the United States and is a major public health concern. Adoption of healthy lifestyle modifications has proven to be highly effective in both the prevention of new-onset HTN and in the treatment of those diagnosed with HTN. In view of the continuing epidemic of HTN and blood pressure (BP)—related diseases and the invaluable role of applying nonpharmacological therapy in the prevention and management of HTN, a review of current therapeutic lifestyle strategies appears warranted. This review will define 6 well-established nonpharmacological lifestyle modifications for preventing and managing HTN in addition to 3 novel lifestyle interventions that show promise as effective adjunct strategies for lowering BP. A healthy lifestyle prescription ideally comprising a number of these BP-lowering lifestyle intervention strategies should be dispensed by all primary care physicians for both the prevention and treatment of elevated BP, an action that would have major, positive public health ramifications.
Medical Treatment of Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures
Authors: Langdahl Bente Lomholt , Harsløf Torben
Published: January 2011

A vertebral fracture is a serious symptom of osteoporosis. Vertebral fractures cause moderate-to-severe back pain for a shorter or longer duration, increase the risk of a subsequent vertebral fracture approximately four-fold, reduce quality of life significantly and are associated with increased mortality. In order to choose the optimal treatment for the patient, the severity and type of osteoporosis should be investigated. Prevention of new osteoporotic fractures can be accomplished through treatment with both antiresorptive and anabolic treatments. The antiresorptive treatment modalities comprise calcium, vitamin D, bisphosphonates, hormone therapy, selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), strontium ranelate, receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) antibody and calcitonin. The anabolic treatments comprise teriparatide and parathyroid hormone [(PTH)-(1–84)]. Adherence with treatment of osteoporosis is generally poor and therefore once the choice of treatment has been made and the patient has been instructed properly, long-term adherence to the treatment should be secured through information and regular control visits.
Culture and the Health Benefits of Expressive Writing
Authors: Knowles Eric D. , Wearing Jessica R. , Campos Belinda
Published: January 2011

Expressive writing, in which individuals put their thoughts and feelings about traumatic events into words, can benefit physical health by fostering insight into the personal meaning of stressful experiences. The authors predicted that expressive writing would neither increase insight nor reduce symptoms of illness among Asian Americans, whose culture deemphasizes the act of verbalization in meaning making. In the present study, European and Asian American participants were randomly assigned to write about either their worst traumas or trivial topics on each of 4 consecutive days. Illness symptoms were assessed immediately before and 1 month after the writing sessions. European Americans who wrote about trauma increased their use of insight words over the four sessions and reported fewer illness symptoms a month later. However, neither effect obtained for Asian Americans. The cultural difference in health outcomes was mediated by European Americans' greater tendency to glean insight from the task.
Biomarkers of splenic function in infants with sickle cell anemia: baseline data from the BABY HUG Trial
Authors: Rogers Zora R. , Wang Winfred C. , Luo Zhaoyu , Iyer Rathi V. , Shalaby-Rana Eglal , Dertinger Stephen D. , Shulkin Barry L. , Miller John H. , Files Bea , Lane Peter A. , Thompson Bruce W. , Miller Scott T. , Ware Russell E. ,   for the BABY HUG Investigators
Published: January 2011

We evaluated spleen function in 193 children with sickle cell anemia 8 to 18 months of age by 99mTc sulfur-colloid liver-spleen scan and correlated results with clinical and laboratory parameters, including 2 splenic biomarkers: pitted cell counts (PIT) and quantitative Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB) enumerated by flow cytometry. Loss of splenic function began before 12 months of age in 86% of infants in association with lower total or fetal hemoglobin and higher white blood cell or reticulocyte counts, reinforcing the need for early diagnosis and diligent preventive care. PIT and HJB correlated well with each other and liver-spleen scan results. Previously described biomarker threshold values did define patients with abnormal splenic function, but our data suggest that normal spleen function is better predicted by PIT of ≤ 1.2% or HJB ≤ 55/106 red blood cells and absent function by PIT ≥ 4.5% or HJB ≥ 665/106. HJB is methodologically advantageous compared with PIT, but both are valid biomarkers of splenic function. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00006400.
The nerve growth factor reduces APOBEC3G synthesis and enhances HIV-1 transcription and replication in human primary macrophages
Authors: Souza Thiago Moreno L. , Rodrigues Diego Q. , Passaes Caroline P. B. , Barreto-de-Souza Victor , Aguiar Renato S. , Temerozo Jairo R. , Morgado Mariza G. , Fontes Carlos Frederico L. , Araujo Elizabeth G. , Bou-Habib Dumith Chequer
Published: January 2011

Macrophages infected with HIV-1 sustain viral replication for long periods of time, functioning as viral reservoirs. Therefore, recognition of factors that maintain macrophage survival and influence HIV-1 replication is critical to understanding the mechanisms that regulate the HIV-1–replicative cycle. Because HIV-1–infected macrophages release the nerve growth factor (NGF), and NGF neutralization reduces viral production, we further analyzed how this molecule affects HIV-1 replication. In the present study, we show that NGF stimulates HIV-1 replication in primary macrophages by signaling through its high-affinity receptor Tropomyosin-related Kinase A (TrKA), and with the involvement of reticular calcium, protein kinase C, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38 kinase, and nuclear factor-κB. NGF-induced enhancement of HIV-1 replication occurred during the late events of the HIV-1–replicative cycle, with a concomitant increase in viral transcription and production. In addition, NGF reduced the synthesis of the cellular HIV-1 restriction factor APOBEC3G and also overrode its interferon-γ–induced up-regulation, allowing the production of a well-fitted virus. Because NGF-TrKA signaling is a crucial event for macrophage survival, it is possible that NGF-induced HIV-1 replication plays a role in the maintenance of HIV-1 reservoirs. Our study may contribute to the understanding of the immunopathogenesis of HIV-1 infection and provide insights about approaches aimed at limiting viral replication in HIV-1 reservoirs.
Factor VIII A3 domain substitution N1922S results in hemophilia A due to domain-specific misfolding and hyposecretion of functional protein
Authors: Summers Ryan J. , Meeks Shannon L. , Healey John F. , Brown Harrison C. , Parker Ernest T. , Kempton Christine L. , Doering Christopher B. , Lollar Pete
Published: January 2011

A point mutation leading to amino acid substitution N1922S in the A3 domain of factor VIII (fVIII) results in moderate to severe hemophilia A. A heterologous expression system comparing N1922S-fVIII and wild-type fVIII (wt-fVIII) demonstrated similar specific coagulant activities but poor secretion of N1922S-fVIII. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that intracellular levels of N1922S-fVIII were similar to those of wt-fVIII. The specific activity of intracellular N1922S-fVIII was 10% of that of wt-fVIII, indicating the presence of large amounts of a nonfunctional N1922S-fVIII–folding intermediate. wt-fVIII colocalized with both endoplasmic reticulum (ER)– and Golgi-resident proteins. In contrast, N1922S-fVIII colocalized only with ER-resident proteins, indicating a block in transit from the ER to the Golgi. A panel of conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies was used to determine native or nonnative folding of N1922S-fVIII. Intracellular N1922S-fVIII but not secreted N1922S-fVIII displayed abnormal folding in the A3 and C1 domains, indicating that the A1, A2, and C2 domains fold independently into antigenically intact tertiary structures, but that folding is stalled in the mutant A3 and its contiguous C1 domain. In summary, the N1922S substitution results in poor secretion of a functional protein, and the domain-specific defect in folding and intracellular trafficking of N1922S-fVIII is a novel mechanism for secretion defects leading to hemophilia A.
Strand-specific PCR of UV radiation-damaged genomic DNA revealed an essential role of DNA-PKcs in the transcription-coupled repair
Authors: An Jing , Yang Tianyi , Huang Yuecheng , Liu Feng , Sun Jingfen , Wang Yu , Xu Qingzhi , Wu Dechang , Zhou Pingkun
Published: January 2011

Background

In eukaryotic cells, there are two sub-pathways of nucleotide excision repair (NER), the global genome (gg) NER and the transcription-coupled repair (TCR). TCR can preferentially remove the bulky DNA lesions located at the transcribed strand of a transcriptional active gene more rapidly than those at the untranscribed strand or overall genomic DNA. This strand-specific repair in a suitable restriction fragment is usually determined by alkaline gel electrophoresis followed by Southern blotting transfer and hybridization with an indirect end-labeled single-stranded probe. Here we describe a new method of TCR assay based on strand-specific-PCR (SS-PCR). Using this method, we have investigated the role of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKK) family, in the TCR pathway of UV-induced DNA damage.

Results

Although depletion of DNA-PKcs sensitized HeLa cells to UV radiation, it did not affect the ggNER efficiency of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) damage. We postulated that DNA-PKcs may involve in the TCR process. To test this hypothesis, we have firstly developed a novel method of TCR assay based on the strand-specific PCR technology with a set of smart primers, which allows the strand-specific amplification of a restricted gene fragment of UV radiation-damaged genomic DNA in mammalian cells. Using this new method, we confirmed that siRNA-mediated downregulation of Cockayne syndrome B resulted in a deficiency of TCR of the UV-damaged dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene. In addition, DMSO-induced silencing of the c-myc gene led to a decreased TCR efficiency of UV radiation-damaged c-myc gene in HL60 cells. On the basis of the above methodology verification, we found that the depletion of DNA-PKcs mediated by siRNA significantly decreased the TCR capacity of repairing the UV-induced CPDs damage in DHFR gene in HeLa cells, indicating that DNA-PKcs may also be involved in the TCR pathway of DNA damage repair. By means of immunoprecipitation and MALDI-TOF-Mass spectrometric analysis, we have revealed the interaction of DNA-PKcs and cyclin T2, which is a subunit of the human transcription elongation factor (P-TEFb). While the P-TEFb complex can phosphorylate the serine 2 of the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II and promote transcription elongation.

Conclusion

A new method of TCR assay was developed based the strand-specific-PCR (SS-PCR). Our data suggest that DNA-PKcs plays a role in the TCR pathway of UV-damaged DNA. One possible mechanistic hypothesis is that DNA-PKcs may function through associating with CyclinT2/CDK9 (P-TEFb) to modulate the activity of RNA Pol II, which has already been identified as a key molecule recognizing and initializing TCR.
Mesenteric lymph node transcriptome profiles in BALB/c mice sensitized to three common food allergens
Authors: Husain Mainul , Boermans Herman J , Karrow Niel A
Published: January 2011

Background

Food allergy is a serious health concern among infants and young children. Although immunological mechanism of food allergy is well documented, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in food allergen sensitization have not been well characterized. Therefore, the present study analyzed the mesenteric lymph node (MLN) transcriptome profiles of BALB/c mice in response to three common food allergens.

Results

Microarray analysis identified a total of 1361, 533 and 488 differentially expressed genes in response to β-lactoglobulin (BLG) from cow's milk, ovalbumin (OVA) from hen's egg white and peanut agglutinin (PNA) sensitizations, respectively (p < 0.05). A total of 150 genes were commonly expressed in all antigen sensitized groups. The expression of seven representative genes from microarray experiment was validated by real-time RT-PCR. All allergens induced significant ear swelling and serum IgG1 concentrations, whereas IgE concentrations were increased in BLG- and PNA-treated mice (p < 0.05). Treatment with OVA and PNA significantly induced plasma histamine concentrations (p < 0.05). The PCA demonstrated the presence of allergen-specific IgE in the serum of previously sensitized and challenged mice.

Conclusions

Immunological profiles indicate that the allergen dosages used are sufficient to sensitize the BALB/c mice and to conduct transcriptome profiling. Microarray studies identified several differentially expressed genes in the sensitization phase of the food allergy. These findings will help to better understand the underlying molecular mechanism(s) of food allergen sensitizations and may be useful in identifying the potential biomarkers of food allergy.
ZNF280BY and ZNF280AY: autosome derived Y-chromosome gene families in Bovidae
Authors: Yang Yang , Chang Ti-Cheng , Yasue Hiroshi , Bharti Arvind K , Retzel Ernest F , Liu Wan-Sheng
Published: January 2011

Background

Recent progress in exploring the Y-chromosome gene content in humans, mice and cats have suggested that "autosome-to-Y" transposition of the male fertility genes is a recurrent theme during the mammalian Y-chromosome evolution. These transpositions are lineage-dependent. The purpose of this study is to investigate the lineage-specific Y-chromosome genes in bovid.

Results

We took a direct testis cDNA selection strategy and discovered two novel gene families, ZNF280BY and ZNF280AY, on the bovine (Bos taurus) Y-chromosome (BTAY), which originated from the transposition of a gene block on the bovine chromosome 17 (BTA17) and subsequently amplified. Approximately 130 active ZNF280BY loci (and ~240 pseudogenes) and ~130 pseudogenized ZNF280AY copies are present over the majority of the male-specific region (MSY). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that both gene families fit with the "birth-and-death" model of evolution. The active ZNF280BY loci share high sequence similarity and comprise three major genomic structures, resulted from insertions/deletions (indels). Assembly of a 1.2 Mb BTAY sequence in the MSY ampliconic region demonstrated that ZNF280BY and ZNF280AY, together with HSFY and TSPY families, constitute the major elements within the repeat units. The ZNF280BY gene family was found to express in different developmental stages of testis with sense RNA detected in all cell types of the seminiferous tubules while the antisense RNA detected only in the spermatids. Deep sequencing of the selected cDNAs revealed that different loci of ZNF280BY were differentially expressed up to 60-fold. Interestingly, different copies of the ZNF280AY pseudogenes were also found to differentially express up to 10-fold. However, expression level of the ZNF280AY pseudogenes was almost 6-fold lower than that of the ZNF280BY genes. ZNF280BY and ZNF280AY gene families are present in bovid, but absent in other mammalian lineages.

Conclusions

ZNF280BY and ZNF280AY are lineage-specific, multi-copy Y-gene families specific to Bovidae, and are derived from the transposition of an autosomal gene block. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of ZNF280BY s in testis suggest a role in spermatogenesis. This study offers insights into the genomic organization of the bovine MSY and gene regulation in spermatogenesis, and provides a model for studying evolution of multi-copy gene families in mammals.
Expression of G protein-coupled receptors and related proteins in HEK293, AtT20, BV2, and N18 cell lines as revealed by microarray analysis
Authors: Atwood Brady K , Lopez Jacqueline , Wager-Miller James , Mackie Ken , Straiker Alex
Published: January 2011

Background

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the most widely studied gene superfamilies. Thousands of GPCR research studies have utilized heterologous expression systems such as human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). Though often treated as 'blank slates', these cell lines nevertheless endogenously express GPCRs and related signaling proteins. The outcome of a given GPCR study can be profoundly influenced by this largely unknown complement of receptors and/or signaling proteins. Little easily accessible information exists that describes the expression profiles of the GPCRs in cell lines. What is accessible is often limited in scope - of the hundreds of GPCRs and related proteins, one is unlikely to find information on expression of more than a dozen proteins in a given cell line. Microarray technology has allowed rapid analysis of mRNA levels of thousands of candidate genes, but though often publicly available, the results can be difficult to efficiently access or even to interpret.

Results

To bridge this gap, we have used microarrays to measure the mRNA levels of a comprehensive profile of non-chemosensory GPCRs and over a hundred GPCR signaling related gene products in four cell lines frequently used for GPCR research: HEK293, AtT20, BV2, and N18.

Conclusions

This study provides researchers an easily accessible mRNA profile of the endogenous signaling repertoire that these four cell lines possess. This will assist in choosing the most appropriate cell line for studying GPCRs and related signaling proteins. It also provides a better understanding of the potential interactions between GPCRs and those signaling proteins.
Lack of association between genetic polymorphisms within DUSP12 - ATF6locus and glucose metabolism related traits in a Chinese population
Authors: Hu Cheng , Zhang Rong , Wang Congrong , Ma Xiaojing , Wang Jie , Bao Yuqian , Xiang Kunsan , Jia Weiping
Published: January 2011

Background

Genome-wide linkage studies in multiple ethnic populations found chromosome 1q21-q25 was the strongest and most replicable linkage signal in the human chromosome. Studies in Pima Indian, Caucasians and African Americans identified several SNPs in DUSP12 and ATF6, located in chromosome 1q21-q23, were associated with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We selected 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could tag 98% of the SNPs with minor allele frequencies over 0.1 within DUSP12-ATF6 region. These SNPs were genotyped in a total of 3,700 Chinese Han subjects comprising 1,892 type 2 diabetes patients and 1,808 controls with normal glucose regulation.

Results

None of the SNPs and haplotypes showed significant association to type 2 diabetes in our samples. No association between the SNPs and quantitative traits was observed either.

Conclusions

Our data suggests common SNPs within DUSP12-ATF6 locus may not play a major role in glucose metabolism in the Chinese.
One-year risk of psychiatric hospitalization and associated treatment costs in bipolar disorder treated with atypical antipsychotics: a retrospective claims database analysis
Authors: Kim Edward , You Min , Pikalov Andrei , Van-Tran Quynh , Jing Yonghua
Published: January 2011

Background

This study compared 1-year risk of psychiatric hospitalization and treatment costs in commercially insured patients with bipolar disorder, treated with aripiprazole, ziprasidone, olanzapine, quetiapine or risperidone.

Methods

This was a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study using the Ingenix Lab/Rx integrated insurance claims dataset. Patients with bipolar disorder and 180 days of pre-index enrollment without antipsychotic exposure who received atypical antipsychotic agents were followed for up to 12 months following the initial antipsychotic prescription. The primary analysis used Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate time-dependent risk of hospitalization, adjusting for age, sex and pre-index hospitalization. Generalized gamma regression compared post-index costs between treatment groups.

Results

Compared to aripiprazole, ziprasidone, olanzapine and quetiapine had higher risks for hospitalization (hazard ratio 1.96, 1.55 and 1.56, respectively; p < 0.05); risperidone had a numerically higher but not statistically different risk (hazard ratio 1.37; p = 0.10). Mental health treatment costs were significantly lower for aripiprazole compared with ziprasidone (p = 0.004) and quetiapine (p = 0.007), but not compared to olanzapine (p = 0.29) or risperidone (p = 0.80). Total healthcare costs were significantly lower for aripiprazole compared to quetiapine (p = 0.040) but not other comparators.

Conclusions

In commercially insured adults with bipolar disorder followed for 1 year after initiation of atypical antipsychotics, treatment with aripiprazole was associated with a lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization than ziprasidone, quetiapine, olanzapine and risperidone, although this did not reach significance with the latter. Aripiprazole was also associated with significantly lower total healthcare costs than quetiapine, but not the other comparators.
Correlational analysis and predictive validity of psychological constructs related with pain in fibromyalgia
Authors: Maurel Sara , Rodero Baltasar , Lopez-del-Hoyo Yolanda , Luciano Juan V , Andrés Eva , Roca Miquel , Bergos Raquel del Moral , Ruiz-Lancina Yolanda , García-Campayo Javier
Published: January 2011

Background

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a prevalent and disabling disorder characterized by a history of widespread pain for at least three months. Pain is considered a complex experience in which affective and cognitive aspects are crucial for prognosis. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of pain-related psychological constructs on function and pain in patients with FM.

Methods

Design

Multicentric, naturalistic, one-year follow-up study.

Setting and study sample. Patients will be recruited from primary care health centres in the region of Aragon, Spain. Patients considered for inclusion are those aged 18-65 years, able to understand Spanish, who fulfil criteria for primary FM according to the American College of Rheumatology, with no previous psychological treatment.

Measurements

The variables measured will be the following: main variables (pain assessed with a visual analogue scale and with sphygmomanometer and general function assessed with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and), psychological constructs (pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance, mental defeat, psychological inflexibility, perceived injustice, mindfulness, and positive and negative affect), and secondary variables (sociodemographic variables, anxiety and depression assessed with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and psychiatric interview assessed with MINI). Assessments will be carried at baseline and at one-year follow-up.

Main outcome

Pain Visual Analogue Scale.

Analysis

The existence of differences in socio-demographic, main outcome and other variables regarding pain-related psychological constructs will be analysed using Chi Square test for qualitative variables, or Student t test or variance analysis, respectively, for variables fulfilling the normality hypothesis. To assess the predictive value of pain-related psychological construct on main outcome variables at one-year follow-up, use will be made of a logistic regression analysis adjusted for socio-demographic and clinical variables. A Spearman Rho non-parametric correlation matrix will be developed to determine possible overlapping between pain-related psychological constructs.

Discussion

In recent years, the relevance of cognitive and affective aspects for the treatment of chronic pain, not only in FM but also in other chronic pain diseases, has been widely acknowledged. However, the relative importance of these psychological constructs, the relationship and possible overlapping between them, or the exact meaning of them in pain are not enough known.
A trial of intermittent preventive treatment and home-based management of malaria in a rural area of The Gambia
Authors: Sesay Sanie , Milligan Paul , Touray Ensa , Sowe Maimuna , Webb Emily L , Greenwood Brian M , Bojang Kalifa A
Published: January 2011

Background

Individual malaria interventions provide only partial protection in most epidemiological situations. Thus, there is a need to investigate whether combining interventions provides added benefit in reducing mortality and morbidity from malaria. The potential benefits of combining IPT in children (IPTc) with home management of malaria (HMM) was investigated.

Methods

During the 2008 malaria transmission season, 1,277 children under five years of age resident in villages within the rural Farafenni demographic surveillance system (DSS) in North Bank Region, The Gambia were randomized to receive monthly IPTc with a single dose of sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) plus three doses of amodiaquine (AQ) or SP and AQ placebos given by village health workers (VHWs) on three occasions during the months of September, October and November, in a double-blind trial. Children in all study villages who developed an acute febrile illness suggestive of malaria were treated by VHWs who had been taught how to manage malaria with artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem™). The primary aims of the project were to determine whether IPTc added significant benefit to HMM and whether VHWs could effectively combine the delivery of both interventions.

Results

The incidence of clinical attacks of malaria was very low in both study groups. The incidence rate of malaria in children who received IPTc was 0.44 clinical attacks per 1,000 child months at risk while that for control children was 1.32 per 1,000 child months at risk, a protective efficacy of 66% (95% CI -23% to 96%; p = 0.35). The mean (standard deviation) haemoglobin concentration at the end of the malaria transmission season was similar in the two treatment groups: 10.2 (1.6) g/dL in the IPTc group compared to 10.3 (1.5) g/dL in the placebo group. Coverage with IPTc was high, with 94% of children receiving all three treatments during the study period.

Conclusion

Due to the very low incidence of malaria, no firm conclusion can be drawn on the added benefit of IPTc in preventing clinical episodes of malaria among children who had access to HMM in The Gambia. However, the study showed that VHWs can successfully combine provision of HMM with provision of IPTc.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00944840
Surgical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with biliary tumor thrombi
Authors: Shao Wenyu , Sui Chengjun , Liu Zhenyu , Yang Jiamei , Zhou Yanming
Published: January 2011

Background

To investigate the surgical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with biliary tumor thrombi (BTT).

Methods

Surgical outcome of 27 HCC patients with BTT (group I) were compared with randomly selected HCC patients without BTT (group II; n = 270).

Results

One patient in group I died of hepatic failure within 30 days after resection. The 1-, 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates of group I were 70.3%, 25.9%, and 7.4%, respectively; these were significantly lower than those of group II (90.6%, 54.0%, and 37.7%) (P < 0.001). The rates of early recurrence (≤ 1 year) after resection were significantly higher in group I than group II (70.3% vs. 34.8%) (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

HCC patients with BTT had a worse prognosis after resection than those without BTT. Resection should be considered for these tumors given the lack of effective alternative therapies.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are increased in cerebrospinal fluid of untreated patients during multiple sclerosis relapse
Authors: Longhini Ana Leda F , von Glehn Felipe , Brandão Carlos Otávio , de Paula Rosemeire FO , Pradella Fernando , Moraes Adriel S , Farias Alessandro S , Oliveira Elaine C , Quispe-Cabanillas Juan G , Abreu Cassiana Horta , Damasceno Alfredo , Damasceno Benito P , Balashov Konstantin E , Santos Leonilda MB
Published: January 2011

The plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) express a high level of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9), which recognizes viral DNA. Activated via TLR-9, pDCs also secrete large amounts of type I interferon which are involved either in stimulation or down regulation of immune response in multiple sclerosis (MS). In the present study, we determinate pDCs levels by flow cytometry in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and Peripheral Blood from MS patients in relapsing and in remitting phases of the disease, comparing with other non-inflammatory diseases (OND). We provide evidence that MS patients in relapse without any treatment have a significantly (p < 0.01) higher percentage of pDCs in CSF than do patients in remission or those with OND. No change in the percentage of pDCs was observed in the peripheral blood of any of these patients. The increase of pDCs in central nervous system during relapse may be explained either by a virus infection or a down regulatory process.
The increased expression of IL-23 in inflammatory bowel disease promotes intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocyte inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity
Authors: Liu Zhanju , Yadav Praveen K , Xu Xiaorong , Su Jingling , Chen Chi , Tang Maochun , Lin Hui , Yu Jifeng , Qian Jiaming , Yang Ping-Chang , Wang Xingpeng
Published: January 2011

This study analyzed IL-23p19 expression in inflamed mucosa of IBD and the role in the induction of IEL and NK cell activation as well as Th17 cell differentiation. Expression of IL-23p19 was performed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of IL-23R was assessed by flow cytometry. Cytolytic activities of IEL and NK cells by IL-23 were determined by a standard 51Cr-release assay. Cytokine levels were analyzed by ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of IL-23p19 was increased significantly in inflamed mucosa of CD compared with that in UC and healthy controls. Double-staining confirmed that IL-23p19+ cells were mainly CD68+ macrophages/DCs. IL-23R+ cells were increased significantly in PB- and LP-CD4+ and -CD8+ T and NK cells. IL-23 markedly promoted IBD IEL and NK cell activation and cytotoxicity and triggered IBD PB- and LP-T cells to secrete significantly higher levels of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-2, and IL-17A compared with controls. Importantly, IL-23 promoted IBD PB- or LP-CD4+ T cells to differentiate into Th17 cells, characterized by increased expression of IL-17A and RORC. Anti-TNF treatment could markedly reduce IL-23 expression and Th17 cell infiltration in inflamed mucosa of CD patients. These data indicate that IL-23 is highly expressed in inflamed mucosa of IBD and plays an important role in the induction of IEL, NK, and T cell activation, proinflammatory cytokine secretion, and Th17 cell differentiation. Targeted therapy directed against IL-23p19 may have a therapeutic role in treatment of IBD.