bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depression, financial problems and other reasons for suspending medical studies, and requested support services: findings from a qualitative study
Authors: Soh Nerissa , Ma Colleen , Lampe Lisa , Hunt Glenn , Malhi Gin , Walter Garry
Published: September 2012

Objectives:

This study aimed to qualitatively explore medical students’ reasons for suspending, or thinking of suspending, their studies and the types of support services they request.

Method:

Data were collected through an anonymous online survey. Medical students’ responses to open-ended questions were analyzed thematically.

Results:

Responses were received from 475 students. Financial problems, doubts as to whether medicine was the right vocation, and depression were the most commonly reported themes. Students endorsed a wide range of other pressures and concerns, barriers to obtaining assistance, and also suggested solutions and services to address their concerns.

Conclusions:

Medical students’ financial concerns and potential depressive symptoms should be addressed by university and faculty support services. Government financial support mechanisms for students should also be reviewed. Students’ suggestions of the types of services and their location must be borne in mind when allocating resources.
Groups Meet . . . Teams Improve
Authors: Hillier Janet , Dunn-Jensen Linda M.
Published: September 2012

Although most business students participate in team-based projects during undergraduate or graduate course work, the team experience does notalways teach team skills or capture the team members’ potential: Students complete the task at hand but the explicit process of becoming a team is often not learned. Drawing from organizational learning and group/team theory, this article presents a “learning team model” that emphasizes feedback at the team—not individual—level of analysis by establishing a team feedback tool that can be easily and regularly used to improve performance. In addition to the feedback tool, a structured process is presented in which students learn to become a team.
Fusion Pores, SNAREs, and Exocytosis
Authors: Vardjan Nina , Jorgačevski Jernej , Zorec Robert
Published: September 2012

Exocytosis is a multistage process involving a merger between the vesicle and the plasma membranes, leading to the formation of a fusion pore, a channel, through which secretions are released from the vesicle to the cell exterior. A stimulus may influence the pore by either dilating it completely (full-fusion exocytosis) or mediating a reversible closure (transient exocytosis). In neurons, these transitions are short-lived and not accessible for experimentation. However, in some neuroendocrine cells, initial fusion pores may reopen several hundred times, indicating their stability. Moreover, these pores are too narrow to pass luminal molecules to the extracellular space, termed release-unproductive. However, on stimulation, their diameter dilates, initiating the release of cargo without de novo fusion pore formation. To explain the stability of the initial narrow fusion pores, anisotropic membrane constituents with non-axisymmetrical shape were proposed to accumulate in the fusion pore membrane. Although the nature of these is unclear, they may consist of lipids and proteins, including SNAREs, which may facilitate and regulate the pre- and post-fusional stages of exocytosis. In the future, a more detailed insight into the molecular control of fusion pore stabilization and regulation will generate a better understanding of fusion pore physiology in health and disease.
It Is Only New Because It Has Been Missing for so Long
Authors: Anderson Clara , Chase Malinda , Johnson James , Mekiana Debbie , McIntyre Drena , Ruerup Amelia , Kerr Sandy
Published: September 2012

Despite 11,000 years of honing evaluation skills in order to thrive in some of the harshest climatic conditions on the planet, there are few Alaska Native program evaluators and until a recent exchange with New Zealand Maori, there was no collective vision for building Alaska Native capacity in program evaluation. This article tells the story of a recent project that represents the first concerted attempt at building the evaluation capacity of Alaska Natives. It is written by Alaska Native and Maori people involved in that project. This evaluation capacity building story is shared with the international evaluation community in the belief that others can learn from our experiences in attempting evaluation training across cultures and across the globe. The authors also hope that it will encourage other indigenous evaluators to share their stories so that a wider audience can benefit from the considerable knowledge about evaluation held by indigenous peoples.
It’s not about the hoist: A narrative literature review of manual handling in healthcare
Authors: Kay Kate , Glass Nel , Evans Alicia
Published: September 2012

The manual handling of people and objects is integral to the provision of nursing care to patients globally. Despite over 30 years of research intended to guide improvements for nurses’ safety, substantial rates of manual handling injuries persist internationally within the nursing profession. This paper reviews the contemporary international literature regarding manual handling interventions noting the unique context for injury prevention strategies within healthcare. The review includes the recognition of underlying assumptions inherent in the conceptualisation of manual handling and its management, and the preponderance of the post-positivist paradigm in this field.

The complexity of manual handling in healthcare has resulted in a theoretical shift from single factor interventions based on technique training towards an emerging multidimensional approach. However the key elements for sustainable solutions to reduce nurses’ manual handling injuries have not yet been identified and consensus is lacking regarding the implementation and appropriate evaluation of injury prevention programmes. Furthermore, whilst the literature is replete with data derived from surveys or insurance industry records of compensation claims, there is a dearth of literature exploring nurses’ manual handling experiences. The in-depth investigation of nurses’ perspectives on manual handling may uncover new knowledge critical to improvement of the manual handling issues.
Jordanian nurses’ perceptions of their roles toward the families of hospitalised critically ill patients
Authors: Omari Ferdous
Published: September 2012

The primary purpose of this study was to identify Jordanian nurses’ perceptions of their roles toward the families of hospitalised critically ill patients. Second, to examine the relationship between nurses’ role expectations and perceived role performance toward the families of hospitalised critically ill patients. A descriptive, correlational design was used. A convenience sample of 127 intensive care unit (ICU) nurses was recruited from ICUs located in four different hospitals in Jordan. Data were collected using a demographic data form, a Role Performance Subscale with 19 items and a Role Expectation Subscale with 14 items. Results indicated that Jordanian ICU nurses expected and performed interventions that required more time, emotion and communication skills less than interventions that required less time, emotion and communication skills.
“We Are Like Prey”
Authors: Adams Ericka Briana
Published: September 2012

Urban communities in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago have transformed into war zones; citizens report that crime and violence are the primary problems incapacitating their communities . Research has focused on the heightened levels of national homicide rates, gang violence, and juvenile delinquency. However, often ignored is how violence is negotiated and compromises the lives of citizens in Trinidad and Tobago. Using a grounded theory approach and 30 semistructured interviews with community members, this article investigates citizens’ responses to violence in an underprivileged predominantly Black community in Northwest Trinidad. Results suggest that the social and environmental context of the neighborhood fosters residents’ refusal to report witnessed violence, women’s implementation of self-imposed ecological imprisonment, and residents’ use of strategies (e.g., building walls) to create distance between them and other community members. Policy implications involve enhancing citizens’ sense of security and revitalizing bonds between community members.
White’s Residential Preferences
Authors: Warren Patricia Y. , Stewart Eric A. , Tomaskovic-Devey Donald , Gertz Mar
Published: September 2012

In the United States Black citizens are more residentially segregated from Whites than other racial and/or ethnic group. Prior studies have found that these patterns of segregation result in part from feelings of resentment and racial stereotypes that Whites hold toward Blacks. In this study, we further explore this idea by assessing the relevance of criminal and economic stereotypes, along with an extensive set of community and individual-level controls in understanding White citizens preferences for segregation. Utilizing a sample of 1,222 White citizens we explore factors that shape their residential preferences. Our results demonstrate that Whites who view Black citizens as criminal and economic liabilities are less willing to desire them as neighbors. The results also suggest that the growth of the Black population further erodes White’s willingness to reside in communities with Black residents.
Strangers, Neighbors, and Race
Authors: Drakulich Kevin M.
Published: September 2012

How are perceptions of the danger posed by crime colored by race? This work draws on the contact hypothesis to explore the link between a neighborhood’s racial composition, interracial interactions, racial crime stereotypes, and perceptions of criminal danger. Using a recent survey of Seattle residents, I find that interracial interactions are associated with decreased crime stereotypes about racial and ethnic minorities—though not crime stereotypes about Whites. Moreover, crime stereotypes about racial and ethnic minorities are associated with reduced perceptions of neighborhood safety and increased anxieties about victimization, at least among White respondents and especially in neighborhoods with greater numbers of the targets of these stereotypes. I discuss interesting interracial differences in these processes as well as the complicated relationship between racial proximity, stereotypes, and perceptions of the danger posed by crime.
How Afghanistan was broken: The disaster of the Soviet intervention
Authors: Baev Pavel K
Published: September 2012

The self-propelling dynamics of violence in Afghanistan, which appears set to outlast the as yet on-going peace-making, is rooted in the impact of the Soviet intervention, in which fighting was only an element of the complex political drama of destruction of the Afghan state. The intervention was launched in response to the escalation of domestic crisis in Afghanistan, about which the Soviet leadership knew much but understood little. The Soviet Army showed the capacity for learning but the improved tactical skills and upgraded operations brought only greater destruction, which was counter-productive in the absence of a coherent strategy and turned out to be politically unsustainable. No retrospective analysis can establish with any certainty whether the war had a ‘military solution’ or not, but it is quite clear that the USSR in its autumnal decade had neither Stalinist determination nor Leninist ingenuity to find one. The Soviet military machine was not over-burdened by the peripheral war and could have absorbed the defeat, but the consequences of the Mujahedin victory for Afghanistan were truly devastating. The USA helped to mobilize the most aggressively radical forces and remained in denial on their anti-modernization agenda, assuming that the ‘black hole’ that would emerge after the Soviet withdrawal was an isolated problem of no global significance.
Military offensives in Afghanistan: A double-edged sword
Authors: Hultman Lisa
Published: September 2012

The current counterinsurgency operation in Afghanistan has failed to defeat the insurgency and levels of violence have increased over time. Even though there are several potential factors explaining this development, it prompts the question of how effective the military offensives are at weakening the insurgents and their ability to carry out violent attacks. I propose that targeted killings of insurgents reduce their fighting capacity in the short term, which leads to fewer attacks against government targets as the insurgents shy away from costly combat. However, as a way of adapting to a temporary reduction in capacity, insurgents may instead increase their targeting of the civilian population with the purpose of undermining the legitimacy of the government and the international forces. This potential double effect of military offensives is examined using monthly data on violence in Afghanistan by each province, 2004–2009. The findings provide some support for the contention that killing insurgents can reduce their attacks against government targets, but at the same time risk leading to an increase in attacks against civilian targets. The use of force thus seems to be a double-edged sword in the struggle against the insurgents in the present war in Afghanistan.
The meaning of ‘state failure’: Public service, public servants, and the contemporary Afghan state
Authors: Arreguín-Toft Ivan
Published: September 2012

In this essay I advance two arguments. First, while Afghanistan was once a state built on a social contract that demanded a balance of both modernist and traditional goals, a combination of exogenous shocks shattered that equilibrium, resulting in a territory that is no longer governed by a state, and that continues to generate what economists might call ‘negative externalities.’ It is these negative externalities that have drawn in overlapping interventions (the most salient of which remains Operation Enduring Freedom, or OEF), all of which have failed or will fail. Second, the key feature of Afghanistan’s disintegration is the flight of its public servants – the people most directly necessary for any state to work. I argue that Afghanistan does possess sufficient human capital for effective government, but that its public servants are effectively bounded by tribe, clan and valley. I conclude by showing that state-building demands public servants and public service, and that as long as Afghanistan fails to devote resources towards acquiring and maintaining a minimal critical mass of such people, it can be expected to continue to generate negative externalities that harm its people, its neighbors and the international system more broadly.
The transnationalization of the Taliban
Authors: Harpviken Kristian Berg
Published: September 2012

This article introduces a framework for the analysis of transnationalization – understood as the process by which non-state groups integrate with transnational actors – that distinguishes between (1) organization, (2) resource mobilization, (3) tactical repertoire and (4) ideological framing. This framework is then applied to an examination of the Afghan Taliban’s relationships to Al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban (and other local militants) and the Pakistani state. Contrary to dominant analyses, the article finds that the transnationalization of the Taliban has been limited. The Afghan Taliban have been concerned both about losing local support and about coming under the influence of actors with objectives very different from their own, and have therefore consciously limited their own integration into transnational networks.
The BAF53a subunit of SWI/SNF-like BAF complexes is essential for hemopoietic stem cell function
Authors: Krasteva Veneta , Buscarlet Manuel , Diaz-Tellez Abigail , Bernard Marie-Anne , Crabtree Gerald R. , Lessard Julie A.
Published: September 2012

ATP-dependent SWI/SNF-like BAF chromatin remodeling complexes are emerging as key regulators of embryonic and adult stem cell function. Particularly intriguing are the findings that specialized assemblies of BAF complexes are required for establishing and maintaining pluripotent and multipotent states in cells. However, little is known on the importance of these complexes in normal and leukemic hemopoiesis. Here we provide the first evidence that the actin-related protein BAF53a, a subunit of BAF complexes preferentially expressed in long-term repopulating stem cells, is essential for adult hemopoiesis. Conditional deletion of BAF53a resulted in multilineage BM failure, aplastic anemia, and rapid lethality. These severe hemopoietic defects originate from a proliferative impairment of BM HSCs and progenitors and decreased progenitor survival. Using hemopoietic chimeras, we show that the impaired function of BAF53a-deficient HSCs is cell-autonomous and independent of the BM microenvironment. Altogether, our studies highlight an unsuspected role for BAF chromatin remodeling complexes in the maintenance of HSC and progenitor cell properties.
QUAliFiER: An automated pipeline for quality assessment of gated flow cytometry data
Authors: Finak Greg , Jiang Wenxin , Pardo Jorge , Asare Adam , Gottardo Raphael
Published: September 2012

Background

Effective quality assessment is an important part of any high-throughput flow cytometry data analysis pipeline, especially when considering the complex designs of the typical flow experiments applied in clinical trials. Technical issues like instrument variation, problematic antibody staining, or reagent lot changes can lead to biases in the extracted cell subpopulation statistics. These biases can manifest themselves in non–obvious ways that can be difficult to detect without leveraging information about the study design or other experimental metadata. Consequently, a systematic and integrated approach to quality assessment of flow cytometry data is necessary to effectively identify technical errors that impact multiple samples over time. Gated cell populations and their statistics must be monitored within the context of the experimental run, assay, and the overall study.

Results

We have developed two new packages,flowWorkspaceandQUAliFiERto construct a pipeline for quality assessment of gated flow cytometry data.flowWorkspacemakes manually gated data accessible to BioConductor’s computational flow tools by importing pre–processed and gated data from the widely used manual gating tool,FlowJo(Tree Star Inc, Ashland OR). TheQUAliFiERpackage takes advantage of the manual gates to perform an extensive series of statistical quality assessment checks on the gated cell sub–populations while taking into account the structure of the data and the study design to monitor the consistency of population statistics across staining panels, subject, aliquots, channels, or other experimental variables.QUAliFiERimplements SVG–based interactive visualization methods, allowing investigators to examine quality assessment results across different views of the data, and it has a flexible interface allowing users to tailor quality checks and outlier detection routines to suit their data analysis needs.

Conclusion

We present a pipeline constructed from two new R packages for importing manually gated flow cytometry data and performing flexible and robust quality assessment checks. The pipeline addresses the increasing demand for tools capable of performing quality checks on large flow data sets generated in typical clinical trials. TheQUAliFiERtool objectively, efficiently, and reproducibly identifies outlier samples in an automated manner by monitoring cell population statistics from gated or ungated flow data conditioned on experiment–level metadata.
A comparative analysis of the intestinal metagenomes present in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and humans (Homo sapiens)
Authors: Hildebrand Falk , Ebersbach Tine , Nielsen Henrik Bjørn , Li Xiaoping , Sonne Si Brask , Bertalan Marcelo , Dimitrov Peter , Madsen Lise , Qin Junjie , Wang Jun , Raes Jeroen , Kristiansen Karsten , Licht Tine Rask
Published: September 2012

Background

Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) is an important model for human intestinal research. We have characterized the faecal microbiota of 60 guinea pigs using Illumina shotgun metagenomics, and used this data to compile a gene catalogue of its prevalent microbiota. Subsequently, we compared the guinea pig microbiome to existing human gut metagenome data from the MetaHIT project.

Results

We found that the bacterial richness obtained for human samples was lower than for guinea pig samples. The intestinal microbiotas of both species were dominated by the two phylaBacteroidetesandFirmicutes, but at genus level, the majority of identified genera (320 of 376) were differently abundant in the two hosts. For example, the guinea pig contained considerably more of the mucin-degradingAkkermansia, as well as of the methanogenic archaeaMethanobrevibacterthan found in humans. Most microbiome functional categories were less abundant in guinea pigs than in humans. Exceptions included functional categories possibly reflecting dehydration/rehydration stress in the guinea pig intestine. Finally, we showed that microbiological databases have serious anthropocentric biases, which impacts model organism research.

Conclusions

The results lay the foundation for future gastrointestinal research applying guinea pigs as models for humans.
MiR-125b orchestrates cell proliferation, differentiation and migration in neural stem/progenitor cells by targeting Nestin
Authors: Cui Yi , Xiao Zhifeng , Han Jin , Sun Jie , Ding Wenyong , Zhao Yannan , Chen Bing , Li Xiaoran , Dai Jianwu
Published: September 2012

Background

The emerging concept is that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a central role in controlling stem cell self-renewal and fate determination by regulating the expression of stem cell regulators. miR-125b, one of neuronal miRNAs, recently was found to be necessary for neural differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs). However, the other specific biological role of miR-125b in NS/PCs is little known. We used rat NS/PCs as a model system to study the role of miR-125b in governing the behavior of NS/PCs.

Results

We report here the transfection of exogenous miR-125b inhibited proliferation of NS/PCs but promoted differentiation and migration. Whereas anti-miR-125b had the opposite effect. Similar results were observed when Nestin was knocked down by siRNA. Subsequently, we demonstrated that Nestin was a direct functional target of miR-125b. MiR-125b downregulates the expression of luciferase through Nestin 3’untranslated region (3’-UTR), and the regulation was abolished by mutations in the miR-125b binding site. MiR-125b targeted the 3'-UTR of Nestin and reduced the abundance of Nestin at both mRNA and protein levels.

Conclusion

The results provided new insight into the function by which miR-125b modulates NS/PCs proliferation, differentiation and migration. The data also indicated the regulatory role of miR-125b in NS/PCs might through the suppression of Nestin expression.
Transverse myelitis secondary to Melioidosis; A case report
Authors: Nandasiri Shanika , Wimalaratna Harith , Manjula Muditha , Corea Enoka
Published: September 2012

Background

Melioidosis has become an emerging infection in Sri Lanka; a country which is considered non endemic for it. Paraplegia due to Burkholderia pseudomallei is a very rare entity encountered even in countries where the disease is endemic. There are no reported cases of transverse myelitis due to melioidosis in Sri Lankan population thus we report the first case.

Case presentation

A 21 year old farmer presented with sudden onset bi lateral lower limb weakness, numbness and urine retention. Examination revealed flaccid areflexic lower limbs with a sensory loss of all modalities and a sensory level at T10 together with sphincter involvement. MRI of the thoracolumbar spine showed extensive myelitis of the thoracic spine complicating left psoas abscess without definite extension to the spinal cord or cord compression. Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated from the psoas abscess pus cultures and the diagnosis of melioidosis was confirmed with high titers of Burkholderia pseudomallei antibodies and positive PCR. He was treated with high doses of IV ceftazidime and oral cotrimoxazole for one month with a plan to continue cotrimoxazole and doxycycline till one year. Patient’s general condition improved but the residual neurological problems persisted.

Conclusion

The exact pathogenesis of spinal cord melioidosis is not quite certain except in the cases where there is direct microbial invasion, which does not appear to be the case in our patient. We postulate our patient’s presentation could be due to ischemia of the spinal cord following septic embolisation or thrombosis of spinal artery due to the abscess nearby. A neurotrophic exotoxin causing myelitis or post infectious immunological demyelination is yet another possibility. This emphasizes the necessity of further studies to elucidate the exact pathogenesis in this type of presentations.

Health care professionals in Sri Lanka, where this is an emerging infection, need to improve their knowledge regarding this disease and should have high degree of suspicion to make a correct and a timely diagnosis to reduce the morbidity and mortality due to Burkholderia pseudomallei infection. It is highly likely that this infection is under diagnosed in developing countries where diagnostic facilities are minimal. Therefore strategies to improve the awareness and upgrade the diagnostic facilities need to be implemented in near future.
Platelets of patients with chronic kidney disease demonstrate deficient platelet reactivity in vitro
Authors: van Bladel Esther R , de Jager Rosa L , Walter Daisy , Cornelissen Loes , Gaillard Carlo A , Boven Leonie A , Roest Mark , Fijnheer Rob
Published: September 2012

Background

In patients with chronic kidney disease studies focusing on platelet function and properties often are non-conclusive whereas only few studies use functional platelet tests. In this study we evaluated a recently developed functional flow cytometry based assay for the analysis of platelet function in chronic kidney disease.

Methods

Platelet reactivity was measured using flow cytometric analysis. Platelets in whole blood were triggered with different concentrations of agonists (TRAP, ADP, CRP). Platelet activation was quantified with staining for P-selectin, measuring the mean fluorescence intensity. Area under the curve and the concentration of half-maximal response were determined.

Results

We studied 23 patients with chronic kidney disease (9 patients with cardiorenal failure and 14 patients with end stage renal disease) and 19 healthy controls. Expression of P-selectin on the platelet surface measured as mean fluorescence intensity was significantly less in chronic kidney disease patients compared to controls after maximal stimulation with TRAP (9.7 (7.9-10.8) vs. 11.4 (9.2-12.2), P = 0.032), ADP (1.6 (1.2-2.1) vs. 2.6 (1.9-3.5), P = 0.002) and CRP (9.2 (8.5-10.8) vs. 11.5 (9.5-12.9), P = 0.004). Also the area under the curve was significantly different. There was no significant difference in half-maximal response between both groups.

Conclusion

In this study we found that patients with chronic kidney disease show reduced platelet reactivity in response of ADP, TRAP and CRP compared to controls. These results contribute to our understanding of the aberrant platelet function observed in patients with chronic kidney disease and emphasize the significance of using functional whole blood platelet activation assays.
Interactive effect of genetic susceptibility with height, body mass index, and hormone replacement therapy on the risk of breast cancer
Authors: Harlid Sophia , Butt Salma , Ivarsson Malin IL , Eyfjörd Jorunn Erla , Lenner Per , Manjer Jonas , Dillner Joakim , Carlson Joyce
Published: September 2012

Background

Breast cancer today has many established risk factors, both genetic and environmental, but these risk factors by themselves explain only part of the total cancer incidence. We have investigated potential interactions between certain known genetic and phenotypic risk factors, specifically nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and height, body mass index (BMI) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Methods

We analyzed samples from three different study populations: two prospectively followed Swedish cohorts and one Icelandic case–control study. Totally 2884 invasive breast cancer cases and 4508 controls were analysed in the study. Genotypes were determined using Mass spectrometry-Maldi-TOF and phenotypic variables were derived from measurements and/or questionnaires. Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using unconditional logistic regression with the inclusion of an interaction term in the logistic regression model.

Results

One SNP (rs851987 in ESR1) tended to interact with height, with an increasingly protective effect of the major allele in taller women (p = 0.007) and rs13281615 (on 8q24) tended to confer risk only in non users of HRT (p-for interaction = 0.03). There were no significant interactions after correction for multiple testing.

Conclusions

We conclude that much larger sample sets would be necessary to demonstrate interactions between low-risk genetic polymorphisms and the phenotypic variables height, BMI and HRT on the risk for breast cancer. However the present hypothesis-generating study has identified tendencies that would be of interest to evaluate for gene-environment interactions in independent materials.
Prevalence and patterns of prenatal use of traditional medicine among women at selected harare clinics: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mureyi Dudzai D , Monera Tsitsi G , Maponga Charles C
Published: September 2012

Background

Prenatal use of traditional medicine or complementary and alternative medicine is widespread globally despite the lack of evidence of the effectiveness of these therapeutic options. Documentation on the prevalence and patterns of this maternal practice in the Zimbabwean setting was also lacking.

Methods

A cross sectional survey of 248 women at selected health centres in Harare was carried out to address the need for such data using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.

Results

Fifty-two (52%) (95% C.I. 44%-60%) of the participants reported to have used at least one traditional medicine intervention during the third trimester of their most recent pregnancy to induce labour, avoid perineal tearing and improve the safety of their delivery process. The study found prenatal use of traditional medicine to be significantly associated with nulliparity and nulligravidity. Such practice was also significant among participants residing in a particular high density suburb located in close proximity to informal traders of traditional medicines. Prenatal traditional medicine use was not significantly linked to experiencing an obstetrics-related adverse event. Instead, participants who reported not using any traditional medicine during pregnancy reported experiencing significantly more adverse events, mainly perineal tearing during delivery.

Conclusions

The practice of prenatal use of traditional medicine was significant in the study setting, with a prevalence of 52%. A variety of products were used in various dosage forms for differing indications. Nulliparity, nulligavidity and possible accessibility of these products were the factors significantly associated with prenatal use of traditional medicine. Prenatal use of traditional medicine was not significantly associated with any obstetric adverse event.
Focal overexpression of CEACAM6 contributes to enhanced tumourigenesis in head and neck cancer via suppression of apoptosis
Authors: Cameron Sarina , de Long Lilia Merida , Hazar-Rethinam Mehlika , Topkas Eleni , Endo-Munoz Liliana , Cumming Andrew , Gannon Orla , Guminski Alexander , Saunders Nicholas
Published: September 2012

Background

Overexpression of CEACAM6 has been reported for a number of malignancies. However, the mechanism of how CEACAM6 contributes to cancer formation and its role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the role of CEACAM6 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

CEACAM6 expression was examined in normal squamous epithelia as well as a number of patient HNSCC samples and tumours derived from HNSCC cell lines injected into NOD/SCID mice. CEACAM6 expression was manipulated in HNSCC cell lines by shRNA-mediated CEACAM6 knockdown or virally-delivered overexpression of CEACAM6. The role of CEACAM6 in tumour growth and chemotherapeutic sensitivity was then assessed in vivo and in vitro respectively.

Results

CEACAM6 expression was significantly increased in highly tumourigenic HNSCC cell lines when compared to poorly tumourigenic HNSCC cell lines. Moreover, HNSCC patient tumours demonstrated focal expression of CEACAM6. Functional investigation of CEACAM6, involving over-expression and knock down studies, demonstrated that CEACAM6 over-expression could enhance tumour initiating activity and tumour growth via activation of AKT and suppression of caspase-3 mediated cell death.

Conclusion

We report that CEACAM6 is focally overexpressed in a large fraction of human HNSCCs in situ. We also show that over-expression of CEACAM6 increases tumour growth and tumour initiating activity by suppressing PI3K/AKT-dependent apoptosis of HNSCC in a xenotransplant model of HNSCC. Finally, our studies indicate that foci of CEACAM6 expressing cells are selectively ablated by treatment of xenotransplant tumours with pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K/AKT in vivo.
QSAR study and the hydrolysis activity prediction of three alkaline lipases from different lipase-producing microorganisms
Authors: Wang Haikuan , Wang Xiaojie , Li Xiaolu , Zhang Yehong , Dai Yujie , Guo Changlu , Zheng Heng
Published: September 2012

The hydrolysis activities of three alkaline lipases, L-A1, L-A2 and L-A3 secreted by different lipase-producing microorganisms isolated from the Bay of Bohai, P. R. China were characterized with 16 kinds of esters. It was found that all the lipases have the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of the glycerides, methyl esters, ethyl esters, especially for triglycerides, which shows that they have broad substrate spectra, and this property is very important for them to be used in detergent industry. Three QSAR models were built for L-A1, L-A2 and L-A3 respectively with GFA using Discovery studio 2.1. The models equations 1, 2 and 3 can explain 95.80%, 97.45% and 97.09% of the variances (R

2

adj
) respectively while they could predict 95.44%, 89.61% and 93.41% of the variances (R

2

cv
) respectively. With these models the hydrolysis activities of these lipases to mixed esters were predicted and the result showed that the predicted values are in good agreement with the measured values, which indicates that this method can be used as a simple tool to predict the lipase activities for single or mixed esters.
Inelastic light scattering by 2D electron system with SO interaction
Authors: Chaplik Alexander V , Magarill Lev I , Vitlina Ritta Z
Published: September 2012

Inelastic light scattering by electrons of a two-dimensional system taking into account the Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in the conduction band is theoretically investigated. The case of resonance scattering (frequencies of incident and scattered light are close to the effective distance between conduction and spin-split-off bands of the AIIIBV-type semiconductor) is considered. As opposed to the case of SOI absence, the plasmon peak in the scattering occurs even at strictly perpendicular polarizations of the incident and scattered waves. Under definite geometry, one can observe the spectrum features conditioned by only single-particle transitions. In the general case of elliptically polarized incident and scattered light, the amplitude of the plasmon peak turns out to be sensitive to the sign of the SOI coupling.
From promoting to inhibiting: diverse roles of helicases in HIV-1 Replication
Authors: Lorgeoux Rene-Pierre , Guo Fei , Liang Chen
Published: September 2012

Helicases hydrolyze nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs) and use the energy to modify the structures of nucleic acids. They are key players in every cellular process involving RNA or DNA. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) does not encode a helicase, thus it has to exploit cellular helicases in order to efficiently replicate its RNA genome. Indeed, several helicases have been found to specifically associate with HIV-1 and promote viral replication. However, studies have also revealed a couple of helicases that inhibit HIV-1 replication; these findings suggest that HIV-1 can either benefit from the function of cellular helicases or become curtailed by these enzymes. In this review, we focus on what is known about how a specific helicase associates with HIV-1 and how a distinct step of HIV-1 replication is affected. Despite many helicases having demonstrated roles in HIV-1 replication and dozens of other helicase candidates awaiting to be tested, a deeper appreciation of their involvement in the HIV-1 life cycle is hindered by our limited knowledge at the enzymatic and molecular levels regarding how helicases shape the conformation and structure of viral RNA-protein complexes and how these conformational changes are translated into functional outcomes in the context of viral replication.
IL-2 immunotherapy in chronically SIV-infected Rhesus Macaques
Authors: Garibal Julie , Laforge Mireille , Silvestre Ricardo , Mouhamad Shahul , Campillo-Gimenez Laure , Lévy Yves , Estaquier Jérôme
Published: September 2012

Background

Despite inducing a sustained increase in CD4+ T cell counts, intermittent recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) therapy did not confer a better clinical outcome in HIV-infected patients enrolled in large phase III clinical trials ESPRIT and SILCAAT. Several hypotheses were evoked to explain these discrepancies. Here, we investigated the impact of low and high doses of IL-2 in Rhesus macaques of Chinese origin infected with SIVmac251 in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Results

We demonstrated that rIL-2 induced a dose dependent expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells without affecting viral load. rIL-2 increased CD4 and CD8 Treg cells as defined by the expression of CD25highFoxP3+CD127low. We also showed that rIL-2 modulated spontaneous and Fas-mediated CD4+and CD8+T cell apoptosis. The higher dose exhibited a dramatic pro-apoptotic effect on both CD4+and CD8+T cell populations. Finally, all the animals treated with rIL-2 developed a wasting syndrome in the month following treatment simultaneously to a dramatic decrease of circulating effector T cells.

Conclusion

These data contribute to the understanding of the homeostatic and dosage effects of IL-2 in the context of SIV/HIV infection.
Cell therapy using tolerogenic dendritic cells in transplantation
Authors: Moreau Aurélie , Varey Emilie , Bouchet-Delbos Laurence , Cuturi Maria-Cristina
Published: September 2012

Organ transplantation is the main alternative to the loss of vital organ function from various diseases. However, to avoid graft rejection, transplant patients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs that have adverse side effects. A new emerging approach to reduce the administration of immunosuppressive drugs is to co-treat patients with cell therapy using regulatory cells. In our laboratory, as part of a European project, we plan to test the safety of tolerogenic dendritic cell (TolDC) therapy in kidney transplant patients. In this mini-review, we provide a brief summary of the major protocols used to derive human TolDC, and then focus on the granulocyte macrophage-TolDC generated by our own team. Proof of safety of TolDC therapy in the clinic has already been demonstrated in patients with diabetes. However, in transplantation, DC therapy will be associated with the administration of immunosuppressive drugs, and interactions between drugs and DC are possible. Finally, we will discuss the issue of DC origin, as we believe that administration of autologous TolDC is more appropriate, as demonstrated by our experiments in animal models.
Diagnostic and therapeutic impact of SPECT/CT in patients with unspecific pain of the hand and wrist
Authors: Schleich Florian S , Schürch Maja , Huellner Martin W , Hug Urs , von Wartburg Urs , Strobel Klaus , Veit-Haibach Patrick
Published: September 2012

Background

Unspecific pain of the hand/wrist is a diagnostic challenge. Radiographs and planar bone scan are useful diagnostic tools in patients with unspecific wrist pain. Both modalities are deficient, either by not presenting metabolic disorders or due to inadequate anatomical resolution. Single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) claims to fuse both features.

Methods

Fifty-one patients with persisting wrist pain were referred for evaluation by SPECT/CT. All patients received X-ray and early-phase/late-phase SPECT/CT imaging. SPECT/CT results were compared with X-ray alone and X-ray combined with planar bone scan. The therapeutic impact was evaluated in consensus with the referring hand surgeon.

Results

A total of 48 lesions were detected on plain radiographs, 117 on planar bone scan, and 142 on SPECT/CT. SPECT/CT detected significantly more lesions than the other imaging modalities. In 30 out of 51 patients (61%), a positive concordance between the clinical diagnosis and SPECT/CT findings was found. In 19 out of 51 patients (37%), SPECT/CT findings had significant impact on consecutive therapy.

Conclusions

SPECT/CT showed higher lesion detection rates compared to standard X-rays and planar bone scan. Significant impact on patient management could be demonstrated. SPECT/CT might be added to the workup of such a specific patient population when standard imaging fails to detect the patient's main pathology.
Correlation of proteome-wide changes with social immunity behaviors provides insight into resistance to the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Authors: Parker Robert , Guarna M Marta , Melathopoulos Andony P , Moon Kyung-Mee , White Rick , Huxter Elizabeth , Pernal Stephen F , Foster Leonard J
Published: September 2012

Background

Disease is a major factor driving the evolution of many organisms. In honey bees, selection for social behavioral responses is the primary adaptive process facilitating disease resistance. One such process, hygienic behavior, enables bees to resist multiple diseases, including the damaging parasitic mite Varroa destructor. The genetic elements and biochemical factors that drive the expression of these adaptations are currently unknown. Proteomics provides a tool to identify proteins that control behavioral processes, and these proteins can be used as biomarkers to aid identification of disease tolerant colonies.

Results

We sampled a large cohort of commercial queen lineages, recording overall mite infestation, hygiene, and the specific hygienic response to V. destructor. We performed proteome-wide correlation analyses in larval integument and adult antennae, identifying several proteins highly predictive of behavior and reduced hive infestation. In the larva, response to wounding was identified as a key adaptive process leading to reduced infestation, and chitin biosynthesis and immune responses appear to represent important disease resistant adaptations. The speed of hygienic behavior may be underpinned by changes in the antenna proteome, and chemosensory and neurological processes could also provide specificity for detection of V. destructor in antennae.

Conclusions

Our results provide, for the first time, some insight into how complex behavioural adaptations manifest in the proteome of honey bees. The most important biochemical correlations provide clues as to the underlying molecular mechanisms of social and innate immunity of honey bees. Such changes are indicative of potential divergence in processes controlling the hive-worker maturation.
Update in TSH Receptor Agonists and Antagonists
Authors: Gershengorn Marvin C. , Neumann Susanne
Published: September 2012

The physiological role of the TSH receptor (TSHR) as a major regulator of thyroid function is well understood, but TSHRs are also expressed in multiple normal extrathyroidal tissues, and the physiological roles of TSHRs in these tissues are unclear. Moreover, TSHRs play a major role in several pathological conditions including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and thyroid tumors. Small molecule, “drug-like” TSHR agonists, neutral antagonists, and inverse agonists may be useful as probes of TSHR function in extrathyroidal tissues and as leads to develop drugs for several diseases of the thyroid. In this Update, we review the most recent findings regarding the development and use of these small molecule TSHR ligands.
Luteinizing Hormone/Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Mediated Activation of mTORC1 Signaling Is Required for Androgen Synthesis by Theca-Interstitial Cells
Authors: Palaniappan Murugesan , Menon K. M. J.
Published: September 2012

LH triggers the biosynthesis of androgens in the theca-interstitial (T-I) cells of ovary through the activation of a cAMP-dependent pathway. We have previously shown that LH/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) activates mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling network, leading to cell proliferation. In the present study, we provide evidence that the LH/hCG-mediated activation of the mTORC1 signaling cascade is involved in the regulation of steroidogenic enzymes in androgen biosynthesis. Treatment with LH/hCG increased the expression of downstream targets of mTORC1, ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1, and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E as well as steroidogenic enzymes. LH/hCG-mediated stimulation of the steroidogenic enzyme mRNA was blocked by the mTORC1 inhibitor, rapamycin. This inhibitory effect was selective because rapamycin failed to block hCG-mediated increase in the expression of Star mRNA levels. Furthermore, pharmacological targeting of mTORC1 with rapamycin also blocked LH/hCG- or forskolin-induced expression of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and steroidogenic enzymes (P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, and 17α-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase) but produced no effect on steroidogenic acute regulatory protein levels. These results were further confirmed by demonstrating that the knockdown of mTOR using small interfering RNA selectively abrogated the LH/hCG-induced increase in steroidogenic enzyme expression, without affecting steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression. LH/hCG-stimulated androgen production was also blocked by rapamycin. Furthermore, the pharmacological inhibition of mTORC1 or ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling prevented the LH/hCG-induced phosphorylation of CREB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed the association of CREB with the proximal promoter of the Cyp17a1 gene in response to hCG, and this association was reduced by rapamycin treatment. Taken together, our findings show for the first time that LH/hCG-mediated activation of androgen biosynthesis is regulated by the mTORC1 signaling pathway in T-I cells.
Learning from Occupy: A DC Roundtable
Authors: Adler Paul , Ploeser James , Desikan Vasudha , Booth Heather , Warren Dorian
Published: September 2012

This issue's Contemporary Affairs section is a roundtable discussion of the Occupy Wall Street movement, held in Washington, DC, in December 2011. Moderated by historian-activist Paul Adler, the discussion combines reflections by full-time Occupiers James Ploeser and Vasudha Desikan with veteran grassroots organizer Heather Booth and engaged political scientist Dorian Warren. Together, they explore the sources, popular appeal, and likely future direction of a movement that challenged the complacency of the American Left but as yet has an uncertain legacy.