bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of insulin intensification in children and young persons with Type 1 diabetes differs in relation to ethnic group; a prospective observational study
Authors: Dias R. P. , Brown F. , Wyatt C. , Cheema S. , Allgrove J. , Amin R.
Published: September 2012

Aims

We prospectively evaluated the effect of insulin intensification on glycaemic control and lipid levels in children and young persons with Type 1 diabetes in relation to ethnicity.

Methods

In the first 2 years of a 3‐year observation period, as part of routine clinical care, 231 children and young persons (40% white, 28% South Asian, 32% black) from a single clinic were offered intensive insulin therapy. After 2 years, 222 were on intensive therapy and their data were compared between ethnic groups at the end of year 3.

Results

We observed ethnic differences in HbA1c levels during the study [study beginning and end: white children and young persons 77 and 70 mmol/mol (9.2 and 8.6%) vs. South Asian 72 and 68 mmol/mol (8.7 and 8.4%) vs. black 83 and 79 mmol/mol (9.7 and 9.4%), P‐value for ANCOVA = 0.007]. By study end, South Asians had the lowest HDL cholesterol (2.0 vs. 1.4 vs. 1.6 mmol/l, P‐value = 0.03) and highest triglyceride levels (0.9 vs. 1.8 vs. 1.0 mmol/l, P‐value = 0.001). In linear mixed modelling, after adjustment for socio‐economic deprivation and other covariates: (1) black ethnicity was associated with poorer glycaemic control (P < 0.001) and (2) South Asian ethnicity was associated with higher triglyceride levels (P < 0.001), independent of HbA1c.

Conclusions

The effect of insulin intensification on glycaemic control and lipid profile in children and young persons with Type 1 diabetes differs in relation to ethnic group.
Impaired natural killer cell-induced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity is associated with human immunodeficiency virus-1 disease progression
Authors: Jia M , Li D , He X , Zhao Y , Peng H , Ma P , Hong K , Liang H , Shao Y
Published: September 2012

This study evaluates the correlation between natural killer (NK) cell function and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 disease progression in 133 untreated HIV-1 positive Chinese subjects, including 41 former plasma donors (FPDs) and 92 men who have sex with men, and 35 HIV-negative controls. Flow cytometry was used to determine the abundance of NK cell subsets, the expression levels of receptor species, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping and the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses of NK cells. We observed a decreased expression of CD56dimCD16+ NK cell subsets and an increased expression of CD56−CD16+ with HIV-1 infection. As well, the expression of activating and inhibitory receptors increased significantly in NK cells, but CD16 receptor levels and the NKG2A/NKG2C ratio were down-regulated with HIV-1 infection. ADCC responses were higher in elite controllers than in all other groups, and were correlated inversely with HIV-1 viral load but correlated positively with CD4 count only in FPDs. Furthermore, individuals infected for < 1 year have lower ADCC responses than those infected for > 1 year. We also observed a negative association between ADCC responses and viral load in those who carry the HLA-A*30/B*13/Cw*06 haplotype. The positive correlation between CD16 expression and ADCC responses and a negative correlation trend between CD158a and ADCC responses were also observed (P = 0·058). Our results showed that the ADCC response is associated with patients' disease status, receptor expression levels, infection time and specific HLA alleles, which indicates that ADCC may offer protective effects against HIV-1 infection.
Causation and evidence‐based practice: an ontological review
Authors: Kerry Roger , Eriksen Thor Eirik , Lie Svein Anders Noer , Mumford Stephen D , Anjum Rani Lill
Published: September 2012

This paper explores the nature of causation within the framework of evidence‐based practice (EBP) for health care. The aims of the paper were first to define and evaluate how causation is presently accounted for in EBP; second, to present an alternative causal account by which health care can develop in both its clinical application and its scientific research activity. The paper was premised on the idea that causation underlies medical and health care practices and impacts on the way we understand health science research and daily clinical practice. The question of what causation is should therefore be of utmost relevance for all concerned with the science, philosophy and progress of EBP. We propose that the way causation is thought of in contemporaneous health care is exposed by evidential frameworks, which categorize research methods on their epistemological strengths. It is then suggested that the current account of causation is limited in respect of both the functionality of EBP, and its inherent scientific processes. An alternative ontology of causation is provided, which has its roots in dispositionalism. Here, causes are not seen as regular events necessitating an effect, but rather phenomena that are highly complex, context‐sensitive and that tend towards an effect. We see this as a better account of causation for evidence‐based health care.
On the spatial scale of dispersal in coral reef fishes
Authors: Puebla O. , Bermingham E. , McMillan W. O.
Published: September 2012

Marine biologists have gone through a paradigm shift, from the assumption that marine populations are largely ‘open’ owing to extensive larval dispersal to the realization that marine dispersal is ‘more restricted than previously thought’. Yet, population genetic studies often reveal low levels of genetic structure across large geographic areas. On the other side, more direct approaches such as mark‐recapture provide evidence of localized dispersal. To what extent can direct and indirect studies of marine dispersal be reconciled? One approach consists in applying genetic methods that have been validated with direct estimates of dispersal. Here, we use such an approach—genetic isolation by distance between individuals in continuous populations—to estimate the spatial scale of dispersal in five species of coral reef fish presenting low levels of genetic structure across the Caribbean. Individuals were sampled continuously along a 220‐km transect following the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, population densities were estimated from surveys covering 17 200 m2 of reef, and samples were genotyped at a total of 58 microsatellite loci. A small but positive isolation‐by‐distance slope was observed in the five species, providing mean parent‐offspring dispersal estimates ranging between 7 and 42 km (CI 1–113 km) and suggesting that there might be a correlation between minimum/maximum pelagic larval duration and dispersal in coral reef fishes. Coalescent‐based simulations indicate that these results are robust to a variety of dispersal distributions and sampling designs. We conclude that low levels of genetic structure across large geographic areas are not necessarily indicative of extensive dispersal at ecological timescales.
Physicians' attitudes toward the definition of “death from age‐related physical debility” in deceased elderly with aspiration pneumonia
Authors: Komiya Kosaku , Ishii Hiroshi , Kushima Hisako , Sato Shintaro , Kimura Hiroki , Yasuda Takaaki , Okabe Eiji , Tokimatsu Issei , Yamamoto Hidehiko , Kadota Jun‐ichi
Published: September 2012

Aim:  Deaths from aspiration pneumonia in elderly patients are occasionally considered to be “death from age‐related physical debility”, because most aspiration pneumonias are a result of aging and lead to death without any definitive therapy. The aim of the present study was to assess physicians' attitudes toward the diagnosis of and actual description of “death from age‐related physical debility” on death certificates for deceased patients with aspiration pneumonia.

Methods:  This study surveyed 62 Japanese physicians including 36 pulmonologists and 26 other physicians who treat patients with pneumonia. Their attitudes regarding consideration and actually recorded “death from age‐related physical debility” for deceased patients with aspiration pneumonia were assessed by using anonymous questionnaires, which included the decision‐making process and the necessity of detailed diagnostic criteria.

Results:  A total of 32 (52%) respondents had considered deceased patients with aspiration pneumonia to be “death from age‐related physical debility”, and 10 (16%) have actually stated this on the death certificate. Advanced age, bedridden status, inability of oral intake and disturbance of consciousness including dementia were major factors in their decision‐making. A total of 34 (55%) of the respondent physicians wanted detailed criteria to be established.

Conclusions:  Physicians' attitudes toward the definition of “death from age‐related physical debility” vary a great deal depending on the respondent. The description in death certificates therefore might inaccurately reflect the results of current mortality statistics in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 586–590.
The social location of heavy episodic alcohol consumption in the Victorian population
Authors: Matthews Sharon , Dietze Paul , Room Robin , Chikritzhs Tanya , Jolley Damien
Published: September 2012

Introduction and Aims

To examine heavy episodic drinking across demographic subgroups to identify where heavy episodic drinking is socially located in an Australian state.

Design and Methods

Cross‐sectional survey, 2483 adult Victorians using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. Two measures of heavy drinking were used: (i) heavy episodic drinking—more than five standard drinks at least weekly; and (ii) typically heavy drinking—50% or more of all drinking occasions involving consumption of 5+ standard drinks. Associations between heavy episodic drinking and eight potential sociodemographic correlates (gender, age, education, income, marital status, ethnic origin, religion and geographical remoteness) were examined.

Results

There were few significant correlates of heavy episodic drinking apart from gender and age, once gender and age were controlled. Men were more likely to report heavy episodic drinking than women, but this was attenuated in the measure of typically heavy drinking, suggesting that women reporting heavy episodic drinking were more likely to typically drink that much when they drank. Younger people were more likely to report weekly heavy episodic drinking and more likely to report engaging in this pattern on at least half of their drinking occasions, and this was also true for those unmarried or in de facto relationships. Those of Asian background were less likely to report heavy drinking. In multivariate analysis, the remaining sociodemographic variables were largely unrelated to the drinking measures.

Discussion and Conclusion

The study clearly shows that the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking varies particularly across gender and age groups in Victoria. These variations appear to hold across key sociodemographic variables such as income and education.
TRADE, STRUCTURAL REFORM, AND INSTITUTIONS IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: ASSANE DJETO , CHIANG ERIC P.
Published: September 2012

Sub‐Saharan African countries have traditionally lagged the rest of the developing world in terms of overall trade relative to gross domestic product. But, there is growing interest among these countries to initiate trade policies and improve quality of institutions as a way to promote trade and boost foreign direct investment. This article extends the gravity model of trade to include proxies for trade reform policy and institutional quality among the 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for data spanning 1984–2006. Alternative methods of estimation based on ordinary least squares, Heckman two‐step procedure, and Poisson pseudo‐maximum likelihood produce predictions that are consistent with the standard gravity model. They further highlight the evidence of restrictive trade policies and weak institutions that contribute to the failure of ECOWAS countries to boost bilateral trade. (JELF13, F15, O19, O55)
Mothers' Socialization of Children's Emotion in India and the USA: A Cross‐ and Within‐culture Comparison
Authors: Raval Vaishali V. , Raval Pratiksha H. , Salvina Jennifer M. , Wilson Stephanie L. , Writer Sharon
Published: September 2012

Parent responses to children's emotions vary within and across cultures. The present study compared mothers' reports of their emotional and behavioral responses in hypothetical situations depicting their children experiencing anger, sadness, or physical pain in two communities in India (traditional old city, N = 60; suburban middle class, N = 60), with a suburban middle‐class group in the USA (N = 60). Results showed that mothers in both groups in India reported more explanation‐oriented problem‐focused responses to their children's emotions than US mothers. US mothers reported the most solution‐oriented problem‐focused responses, followed by suburban Indian mothers, followed by old‐city mothers. US mothers reported behaviorally‐oriented punitive responses (i.e., time out, removal of privileges) towards child anger more than the other groups. Suburban Indian mothers reported briefly not talking to the child in response to child anger more than the other groups whereas old‐city Indian mothers reported scolding/spanking more than the other groups.
Evangelicals and the Oxford Movement Centenary
Authors: Atherstone Andrew
Published: September 2012

The first centenary of the Oxford Movement was celebrated throughout the Anglican Communion in July 1933. Within the Church of England, the commemoration was officially sanctioned by the archbishops of Canterbury and York, a sign of growing rapprochement between the episcopate and the Anglo‐Catholic movement. The triumphant Anglo‐Catholic Congress organized exuberant demonstrations, but amongst the beleaguered Evangelical minority the birthday party caused widespread consternation and protest. The occasion became a battleground between rival interpretations of Anglican identity and competing visions for the future of the Church of England. This article examines Evangelical responses to the 1933 celebrations in England, focusing upon Evangelical contributions to Oxford Movement historiography. In particular, it explores Evangelical answers to two of the key questions concerning Tractarian origins: did the Oxford Movement rescue the Church of England, and did the Oxford Movement complement the Evangelical revival?
High on‐treatment platelet reactivity on commonly prescribed antiplatelet agents following transient ischaemic attack or ischaemic stroke: results from the Trinity Antiplatelet Responsiveness (TRAP) study
Authors: Tobin W. O. , Kinsella J. A. , Coughlan T. , Collins D. R. , O'Neill D. , Murphy R. P. , Egan B. , Tierney S. , Feeley T. M. , McCabe D. J. H.
Published: September 2012

Background and purpose

The prevalence of ex vivo ‘high on‐treatment platelet reactivity’ (HTPR) to antiplatelet regimens in patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is uncertain.

Methods

HTPR was assessed with PFA‐100 collagen‐epinephrine (C‐EPI) and collagen‐ADP (C‐ADP) cartridges. Platelet activation (CD62P, CD63 and leucocyte–platelet complex formation) was assessed with whole‐blood flow cytometry. Patients were assessed at baseline [≤4 weeks of transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or ischaemic stroke], and at 14 days and ≥90 days after changing treatment from (i) no medication to aspirin monotherapy (N = 26) or (ii) aspirin to clopidogrel monotherapy (N = 22). HTPR was defined in a novel, ‘longitudinal fashion’ as failure to prolong relevant closure times compared with the patient's ‘baseline value’ before he/she underwent an antiplatelet change by more than twice the coefficient of variation of the assay.

Results

(i) C‐EPI closure times increased at 14 days and 90 days after commencing aspirin (P = 0.002); 24% at 14 days and 18% at 90 days demonstrated HTPR on aspirin. (ii) C‐ADP closure times increased at 14 days (P = 0.001) but not 90 days (P = 0.09) after changing from aspirin to clopidogrel; 41% at 14 days, and 35% at 90 days demonstrated HTPR on clopidogrel. Platelet activation was unaffected by aspirin (P = 0.09). The percentage neutrophil–platelet complexes decreased at 14 days (P = 0.02), but this reduction was not maintained 90 days after changing to clopidogrel (P = 0.3). No patient had a recurrent vascular event during prospective follow‐up.

Conclusions

Longitudinal definitions of HTPR in patients with ischaemic CVD who are undergoing a change in antiplatelet therapy have the potential to provide more clinically meaningful information than traditional ‘cross‐sectional definitions’ of HTPR which are usually based on the comparison of patients’ values with those in healthy controls. Using our novel, longitudinal definition of HTPR, the PFA‐100 could be used to monitor ex vivo responsiveness to aspirin, and larger, prospective studies are warranted to assess the clinical predictive value of this and other platelet function tests in patients with ischaemic CVD.
Where Do We Go from Here? The Future of English Higher Education
Authors: Huisman Jeroen , de Boer Harry , Bótas Paulo Charles Pimentel
Published: September 2012

A Delphi study has been carried out, soliciting views from higher education experts on likely and desirable developments in English higher education until 2025. The paper reports the most salient findings of the Delphi questionnaire and presents two scenarios that focus largely on the institutional fabric of the system. The first scenario follows the general agreement emerging from the two rounds of the Delphi study and suggests a smaller higher education system and the return of a binary divide between about 25 research‐intensive universities and about 70 other higher education institutions. The second scenario is a counter‐scenario that intends to present an alternative picture of English higher education in 2025. That scenario suggests a compact system of six research‐intensive universities, about 40 comprehensive institutions and five private providers. With respect to the steering of the system, a key difference between the two scenarios is that the former assumes a continuing role of market forces, whereas the latter is based on a much stronger role of the government.
Shifting models of equality? Union Equality Reps in the public services
Authors: Moore Sian , Wright Tessa
Published: September 2012

This article explores how far the emergence of public sector Equality Representatives represents a departure from a distinct radical model of union self‐organisation generated by the collective mobilisation of politically conscious identities, towards a more inclusive liberal model of equality based on abstract notions of ‘fairness’.
Shrinking the state or the Big Society? Public service employment relations in an era of austerity
Authors: Bach Stephen
Published: September 2012

The Big Society is an integral part of the coalition's plans for public service retrenchment, but it is premature to dismiss it as exclusively concerned with expenditure cuts and privatisation. The Big Society signals the government's ambition to transform public services and it is the rubric that is being used to shrink the state and undermine long‐standing systems of public service employment relations. This article considers the origins and meaning of the Big Society and then assesses its consequences for public service provision and the workforce. The Big Society is integrally connected to deficit reduction with the voluntary sector and an increased emphasis on volunteering promoted as a more user‐centred and cost‐effective way of delivering public services in tough times. For the workforce, more competition between diverse providers in conjunction with budget cuts is placing downward pressure on terms and conditions and encouraging employers to question the continuation of national pay determination in many parts of the public sector.
Public service restructuring in the UK: the case of the English National Health Service
Authors: Tailby Stephanie
Published: September 2012

This article overviews welfare state retrenchment in the UK under the Conservative‐led coalition government that formed in May 2010 and has centred its response to economic crisis on rapid public deficit reduction through public expenditure austerity targeted increasingly on the welfare benefits budget. It locates the coalition's reforms of public services and public sector employment relations in the long trajectory of public sector restructuring in the UK: the policies of New Right governments in the 1980s and New Labour from 1997 to 2010 that installed marketisation and privatisation in a permutation of forms, intensifying challenges for trade union organising. Focusing on the English NHS, the article identifies the respects in which the coalition's reforms continue and depart from New Labour's.
The effects of ratio of cow's milk to soymilk, probiotic strain and fruit concentrate on qualitative aspects of probiotic flavoured fermented drinks
Authors: Shahabbaspour Zahra , Mortazavian Amir Mohammad , Pourahmad Rezvan , Moghimi Ali , Sohrabvandi Sara
Published: September 2012

The effects of proportion of cow's milk to soymilk (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100), probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA‐5 or Lactobacillus casei L‐01) and natural fruit concentrates (strawberry, apricot, peach and pear) on quality characteristics of soy‐based probiotic drink were investigated. The parameters were analysed at the end of fermentation and during 21 days of storage at 5 °C. The highest viability was observed when the equal proportion of cow's milk and soymilk and L. casei was used (50:50‐CY). During chilled storage, the flavouring apricot had the highest stimulatory effect on the survival of L. casei in 50:50 treatment. In general, the treatment 50:50‐CY was realised as the best one overall.
College Drinking among Latinos(as) in the United States and Mexico
Authors: Ceballos Natalie A. , Czyzewska Maria , Croyle Kristin
Published: September 2012

Background and Objectives: Existing studies of Latino(a) college students in the United States suggest that self‐reported alcohol consumption tends to be higher among males, and that drinking among Latinas is often influenced by social and contextual factors. The current study extended this work by examining both self‐reported drinking levels and predictors of drinking among Latino(a) college students in the United States and Mexico (MX).

Methods: Latino(a) college students (N = 376) from three universities in the South Central United States and Northern Mexico completed pencil‐and‐paper surveys about alcohol.

Results: US Latino students (vs. MX males), reported drinking more frequently and had more positive expectancies about alcohol. Latinas in the United States (vs. MX females) were more likely to report regular drinking. Across countries, both female gender and the Mexican orientation component of acculturation predicted lower reported alcohol consumption. Positive expectancies about drinking predicted increased drinking.

Conclusions and Scientific Significance: Self‐reported college drinking and expectancies about alcohol may differ subtly among individuals in the United States and Mexico based on gender and endorsement of traditional Mexican values. These findings could ultimately be applied to the development of more tailored programs for the treatment and prevention of alcohol abuse on college campuses. (Am J Addict 2012;21:544–549)
What Do We Know About Market Discipline in Insurance?
Authors: Eling Martin
Published: September 2012

Abstract

The aim of this article is to summarize the knowledge on market discipline in insurance and other financial service sectors. Market discipline can be defined as the ability of customers, investors, intermediaries (agents, brokers), and evaluators (analysts, auditors, rating agencies) to monitor and influence a company's management. Looking at banking is especially interesting, since market discipline in this field has been studied extensively. Based on existing knowledge, we develop a framework for researching market discipline in insurance that includes its most important drivers and impediments. The results highlight a significant need for continuing research. The findings are of relevance not only for European insurers and regulators, but for institutions outside Europe.
What do we mean by population health?
Authors: Batchelor Paul
Published: September 2012

The term ‘population health’ is part of the natural evolution of the science of epidemiology. With the recognition of the importance of a life‐course approach to help understand health along with the recognition of the importance of the wider determinants of health, epidemiology requires new techniques and thinking. ‘Population health’ recognizes that to improve oral health, then the determinants have to be tackled. These include both those that may be described as belonging to the environment and those influenced by the care system. The key issue for policy development is the need to recognize that with globalization and the extended time frame to undertake research, partnerships will be a key necessity to help ensure success in addressing inequalities and overall levels of health.
Social determinants of oral health inequalities: implications for action
Authors: Watt Richard G.
Published: September 2012

For over 30 years, the WHO has been advocating an integrated approach in chronic disease prevention. The concept of the common risk factor approach (CRFA) highlighted shared risk factors for chronic conditions including oral diseases has provided the basis for closer integration of oral and general health promotion activities. Although considerable progress has been undoubtedly made in combating the isolation and compartmentalization of oral health, this paper will argue that future action on tackling oral health inequalities requires a reorientation of oral health policy away from a fixation on changing oral health behaviours to instead action on the common social determinants of oral health inequalities. The narrow and restricted interpretation of the CRFA is a serious threat to developing effective action to address oral health inequalities. Based upon the WHO conceptual framework on the social determinants of health inequalities, an overview will be presented of a range of actions that could be implemented to tackle the social gradients in oral health outcomes.
Reforming the mission of public dental services
Authors: Wright F. A. C. , List P. F.
Published: September 2012

Australia has a complex history of providing public dental services to its communities. From the early days of Colonial settlement, the provision of dental care to the Australian public has largely been driven and influenced by organized groups and associations of dentists. The Constitution of Australia, under Section 51 xxiii A, allows for the Commonwealth to provide for medical and dental services. Unlike the United Kingdom, however, dental services have not been embedded into a universal national health service agenda. In 1974, that the Australian Government through the Australian School Dental Program provided the first funding and national direction for public dental services – and that, limited to children. The Commonwealth Dental Health Program 1993–1997 was the second national endeavor to provide public dental services, this time to financially disadvantaged adults. Since that time, public dental service responsibility has been shuttled between States/Territories and the Commonwealth. A new paradigm for public dental services in Australia requires strong Commonwealth leadership, as well as the commitment of State and Territories and the organized dental profession. The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission provided the most recent scenario for a radical change in mission. This paper canvases the competing roles of strategic, functional, and structural issues in relationship to social network and policy issues, which must be recognized if Australians truly seek to reform public dental services.
Lymphangioma of the hepatoduodenal ligament
Authors: Li Xiaowu , Shang Peizhong , Jia Guohong , Miao Jianjun
Published: September 2012

Abdominal lymphangiomas are extremely rare in the adult population. We report an unusual case of a cystic lymphangiomas arising from the hepatoduodenal ligament. A 45‐year‐old man was admitted to our hospital with discontinuous upper abdominal pain. The preoperative CT diagnosis was neurinoma. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a cystic mass originating from the hepatoduodenal ligament and then it was resected successfully. The pathological sections proved it to be lymphangioma. The patient remains well with no evidence of recurrence two years post resection.
Aspergillosis of thyroid gland managed by thyroidectomy
Authors: Dag Ahmet , Akca Tamer , Ersoz Gulden , Cinel Leyla
Published: September 2012

We experienced a very rare case of thyroidal Aspergillus in a 65‐year‐old man who came to our hospital complaining of fever and persistent pain in the articulations. The patient had a history of chronic renal failure. After physical examination and imaging tests, fine‐needle biopsy of the thyroid showed fungus hyphae angling at a45‐degree compatibility with Aspergillus and thyrocites, with Hurthle cell differentiation. We performed left thyroidectomy without any complications. Because most of thyroidal Aspergillus diagnoses are made after autopsy and insufficient data about its management, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of thyroidal Aspergillus in the literature that was treated by left thyroidectomy successfully.
Constitutionalism and experimentalist governance
Authors: Kumm Mattias
Published: September 2012

This comment explores how experimentalist governance is connected to wider constitutional questions and makes two claims. First, there are good reasons to believe that experimentalist governance can only flourish in a world where the precepts of liberal democratic constitutionalism have been widely accepted and institutionalized. Experimentalist governance is part and parcel of the world of liberal democratic constitutionalism. Second, it is not only governance in Europe that can be described in experimentalist terms. The concept is also useful to describe the dynamics of European constitutionalism.
Experimentalist governance in the European Union: A commentary
Authors: Verdun Amy
Published: September 2012

Sabel and Zeitlin's Experimentalist Governance offers an insight into European governance in those cases where the EU institutions do not have clear competence and where member states are not prepared to accept a unified policy on a problem at hand. Experimentalist Governance identifies four steps of action: agree on common goals, have lower levels propose ways to meet goals, then report on their meeting of goals, and, finally, periodically reevaluate the review procedures. By looking at the developments in EU policymaking through the lens of experimentalist governance (EG), one obtains an appreciation of how goals might be achieved that would otherwise not likely have been achieved through the community method. Sabel and Zeitlin highlight how EG can be effective in obtaining results, integrating peers, and incorporating deliberation, and offer a different way to deal with accountability and legitimacy. This article closes by taking the next step, namely, asking what challenges EG poses to democratic processes.
Treatment of acute ischemic stroke: systemic or local?
Authors: von Kummer Rüdiger , Gerber Johannes
Published: September 2012

Systemic treatment of acute ischemic stroke currently means intravenous infusion of plasminogen activator in patients with the stroke syndrome after exclusion of brain hemorrhage irrespective of whether thrombotic arterial obstruction is present or not. In contrast, local intra‐arterial treatment requires digital subtraction angiography and means direct treatment of the arterial pathology with the aim of recanalization and brain tissue reperfusion. Randomized controlled trials that test these two treatment approaches are missing. This paper discusses whether the time‐saving systemic treatment approach is more promising for acute ischemic stroke patients than is the time‐consuming endovascular local approach.
The future of stroke thrombolysis
Authors: Hakim Antoine M.
Published: September 2012

Studies with tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) published in 1995 showed significant improvement in stroke outcome if the drug was administered within 3 hours from stroke onset. Several recent reports, however, show that less than 5% of stroke patients may be receiving t‐PA in many parts of North America. This paper explores how this may be improved by examining some of the steps taken in Canada, where a recent audit showed that 8.2% of ischemic stroke patients received t‐PA, and in those arriving within 2.5 hours to regional stroke centers in Ontario, 42.2% received t‐PA. The paper also reviews the potential for t‐PA to be given by more physicians, in remote regions using Telestroke, the possibility for using imaging characteristics rather than the onset of stroke as a determinant of eligibility for t‐PA, the status of contraindications for thrombolysis, and the possibility of combining t‐PA with immune modulation for improved stroke outcomes.
Selection of possible responders to thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Hametner Christian , Ringleb Peter Arthur , Hacke Werner , Kellert Lars
Published: September 2012

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and systemic thrombolytic treatment is still the first‐line therapy within 4.5 h from symptom onset. Selecting patients for treatment response is mandatory in any time window but challenging as well. The authors aim to support stroke physicians in their individual decision making. Besides evidence from clinical trials, some suggestions included here exclusively reflect the authors' opinions. This article presents clinical and imaging criteria of selecting patients reasonably, offering causal therapy to a growing number of patients.
MALDI imaging of post‐mortem human spinal cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Hanrieder Jörg , Ekegren Titti , Andersson Malin , Bergquist Jonas
Published: September 2012

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, rapidly progressing disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by motor neuron degeneration in the brainstem and the spinal cord. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry is an emerging powerful technique that allows for spatially resolved, comprehensive, and specific characterization of molecular species in situ. In this study, we report for the first time the MALDI imaging‐based spatial protein profiling and relative quantification of post‐mortem human spinal cord samples obtained from ALS patients and controls. In normal spinal cord, protein distribution patterns were well in line with histological features. For example, thymosin beta 4, ubiquitin, histone proteins, acyl‐CoA‐binding protein, and macrophage inhibitory factor were predominantly localized to the gray matter. Furthermore, unsupervised statistics revealed a significant reduction of two protein species in ALS gray matter. One of these proteins (m/z 8451) corresponds to an endogenous truncated form of ubiquitin (Ubc 1–76), with both C‐terminal glycine residues removed (Ubc‐T/Ubc 1–74). This region‐specific ubiquitin processing suggests a disease‐related change in protease activity. These results highlight the importance of MALDI mass spectrometry as a versatile approach to elucidate molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.
Modernist Geographies: The Provinces and the World
Authors: Trumpener Katie
Published: September 2012

This review essay of The Oxford Handbook of Global Modernisms discusses questions of coverage and of timing (the relative belatedness with which Anglo‐American modernist studies has embraced global perspectives; the question of whether other traditions are coeval or belated; the relationship between post‐colonial and late modernist texts).
Glutamate decarboxylase‐dependent acid resistance in orally acquired bacteria: function, distribution and biomedical implications of the gadBC operon
Authors: De Biase Daniela , Pennacchietti Eugenia
Published: September 2012

For successful colonization of the mammalian host, orally acquired bacteria must overcome the extreme acidic stress (pH < 2.5) encountered during transit through the host stomach. The glutamate‐dependent acid resistance (GDAR) system is by far the most potent acid resistance system in commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Listeria monocytogenes and Lactococcus lactis. GDAR requires the activity of glutamate decarboxylase (GadB), an intracellular PLP‐dependent enzyme which performs a proton‐consuming decarboxylation reaction, and of the cognate antiporter (GadC), which performs the glutamatein/γ‐aminobutyrateout (GABA) electrogenic antiport. Herein we review recent findings on the structural determinants responsible for pH‐dependent intracellular activation of E. coli GadB and GadC. A survey of genomes of bacteria (pathogenic and non‐pathogenic), having in common the ability to colonize or to transit through the host gut, shows that the gadB and gadC genes frequently lie next or near each other. This gene arrangement is likely to be important to ensure timely co‐regulation of the decarboxylase and the antiporter. Besides the involvement in acid resistance, GABA production and release were found to occur at very high levels in lactic acid bacteria originally isolated from traditionally fermented foods, supporting the evidence that GABA‐enriched foods possess health‐promoting properties.
Estimation of the two‐dimensional presampled modulation transfer function of digital radiography devices using one‐dimensional test objects
Authors: Wells Jered R. , Dobbins James T.
Published: September 2012

Purpose:

The modulation transfer function (MTF) of medical imaging devices is commonly reported in the form of orthogonal one‐dimensional (1D) measurements made near the vertical and horizontal axes with a slit or edge test device. A more complete description is found by measuring the two‐dimensional (2D) MTF. Some 2D test devices have been proposed, but there are some issues associated with their use: (1) they are not generally available; (2) they may require many images; (3) the results may have diminished accuracy; and (4) their implementation may be particularly cumbersome. This current work proposes the application of commonly available 1D test devices for practical and accurate estimation of the 2D presampled MTF of digital imaging systems.

Methods:

Theory was developed and applied to ensure adequate fine sampling of the system line spread function for 1D test devices at orientations other than approximately vertical and horizontal. Methods were also derived and tested for slit nonuniformity correction at arbitrary angle. Techniques were validated with experimental measurements at ten angles using an edge test object and three angles using a slit test device on an indirect‐detection flat‐panel system [GE Revolution XQ/i (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI)]. The 2D MTF was estimated through a simple surface fit with interpolation based on Delaunay triangulation of the 1D edge‐based MTF measurements. Validation by synthesis was also performed with simulated images from a hypothetical direct‐detection flat‐panel device.

Results:

The 2D MTF derived from physical measurements yielded an average relative precision error of 0.26% for frequencies below the cutoff (2.5 mm−1) and approximate circular symmetry at frequencies below 4 mm−1. While slit analysis generally agreed with the results of edge analysis, the two showed subtle differences at frequencies above 4 mm−1. Slit measurement near 45° revealed radial asymmetry in the MTF resulting from the square pixel aperture (0.2 mm × 0.2 mm), a characteristic which was not necessarily appreciated with the orthogonal 1D MTF measurements. In simulation experiments, both slit‐ and edge‐based measurements resolved the radial asymmetries in the 2D MTF. The average absolute relative accuracy error in the 2D MTF between the DC and cutoff (2.5 mm−1) frequencies was 0.13% with average relative precision error of 0.11%. Other simulation results were similar to those derived from physical data.

Conclusions:

Overall, the general availability, acceptance, accuracy, and ease of implementation of 1D test devices for MTF assessment make this a valuable technique for 2D MTF estimation.
Subtractive Patterning via Chemical Lift-Off Lithography
Authors: Liao Wei-Ssu , Cheunkar Sarawut , Cao Huan H. , Bednar Heidi R. , Weiss Paul S. , Andrews Anne M.
Published: September 2012

Patterning by Subtraction

Soft lithographic patterning is usually a “positive” inking process. A polymer stamp is cured on a hard master substrate and then inked with molecules such as alkane thiols, which can then be transferred to a second substrate (such as gold). However, the resolution of the transferred pattern is often degraded by surface diffusion.

Liao
et al.

(p.
1517
; see the Perspective by

Rogers

) obtained higher resolution in a subtractive approach, in which oxygen-plasma–activated silicone stamps removed hydroxyl-terminated alkane thiols from gold surfaces. This lift-off process also removed the terminal gold atom bound to the alkane thiol. The bare regions could be backfilled with protein molecules, and multiple lift-off steps could create patterns with features as small as 40 nanometers.
Can Noncommunicable Diseases Be Prevented? Lessons from Studies of Populations and Individuals
Authors: Ezzati Majid , Riboli Elio
Published: September 2012

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—mainly cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases—are responsible for about two-thirds of deaths worldwide, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need for policies and strategies that prevent NCDs by reducing their major risk factors. Effective approaches for large-scale NCD prevention include comprehensive tobacco and alcohol control through taxes and regulation of sales and advertising; reducing dietary salt, unhealthy fats, and sugars through regulation and well-designed public education; increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains by lowering prices and improving availability; and implementing a universal, effective, and equitable primary-care system that reduces NCD risk factors, including cardiometabolic risk factors and infections that are precursors to NCDs, through clinical interventions.
New XMRV Studies Bring Closure—and Fresh Dispute
Authors: Enserink Martin
Published: September 2012

Results published on Tuesday conclude that the theory that a newly discovered gammaretrovirus, dubbed XMRV, was linked to chronic fatigue syndrome is really, really dead.
An Enterprising Time for HIV Vaccine Research
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: September 2012

Several presentations at the AIDS Vaccine 2012 conference last week offered new details about how HIV and the immune system interact, and others proposed novel vaccine design ideas.
Task Force's Prevention Advice Proves Hard to Swallow
Authors: Marshall Eliot
Published: September 2012

In an interview with
Science
, the current chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force defends the panel's controversial decisions on issues such as cancer screening.
Wondering How the Wonder Drug Works
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn
Published: September 2012

The latest clinical studies linking low-dose aspirin use with less cancer suggest there's no need to improve upon this 113-year-old workhorse drug.
Complete Genome Sequence of IME13, a Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Bacteriophage with Large Burst Size and Unique Plaque Polymorphism
Authors: Fan Huahao , Huang Yong , Mi Zhiqiang , Yin Xiuyun , Wang Lin , Fan Hang , Zhang Zhiyi , An Xiaoping , Chen Jiankui , Tong Yigang
Published: September 2012

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
bacteriophage IME13 is a virulent phage with a large burst size, exceeding 3,000, much larger than that of any other stenotrophomonas phage reported before. It showed effective lysis of
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
. Additionally, the phage IME13 developed at least three obviously different sizes of plaques when a single plaque was picked out and inoculated on a double-layer Luria broth agar plate with its host. Here we announce its complete genome and describe major findings from its annotation.
Genome Sequence of a Novel HIV-1 Circulating Recombinant Form 54_01B from Malaysia
Authors: Ng Kim Tien , Ong Lai Yee , Takebe Yutaka , Kamarulzaman Adeeba , Tee Kok Keng
Published: September 2012

We report here the first novel HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF) 54_01B (CRF54_01B) isolated from three epidemiologically unlinked subjects of different risk groups in Malaysia. These recently sampled recombinants showed a complex genome organization composed of parental subtype B′ and CRF01_AE, with identical recombination breakpoints observed in the
gag
,
pol
, and
vif
genes. Such a discovery highlights the ongoing active generation and spread of intersubtype recombinants involving the subtype B′ and CRF01_AE lineages and indicates the potential of the new CRF in bridging HIV-1 transmission among different risk groups in Southeast Asia.
Functional Redundancy in HIV-1 Viral Particle Assembly
Authors: O'Carroll Ina P. , Crist Rachael M. , Mirro Jane , Harvin Demetria , Soheilian Ferri , Kamata Anne , Nagashima Kunio , Rein Alan
Published: September 2012

Expression of a retroviral Gag protein in mammalian cells leads to the assembly of virus particles.
In vitro
, recombinant Gag proteins are soluble but assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) upon addition of nucleic acid. We have proposed that Gag undergoes a conformational change when it is at a high local concentration and that this change is an essential prerequisite for particle assembly; perhaps one way that this condition can be fulfilled is by the cooperative binding of Gag molecules to nucleic acid. We have now characterized the assembly in human cells of HIV-1 Gag molecules with a variety of defects, including (i) inability to bind to the plasma membrane, (ii) near-total inability of their capsid domains to engage in dimeric interaction, and (iii) drastically compromised ability to bind RNA. We find that Gag molecules with any one of these defects still retain some ability to assemble into roughly spherical objects with roughly correct radius of curvature. However, combination of any two of the defects completely destroys this capability. The results suggest that these three functions are somewhat redundant with respect to their contribution to particle assembly. We suggest that they are alternative mechanisms for the initial concentration of Gag molecules; under our experimental conditions, any two of the three is sufficient to lead to some semblance of correct assembly.