bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative assessment of liver fibrosis by computerized morphometry in naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B and C
Authors: Sturm Nathalie , Marlu Alice , Arvers Philippe , Zarski Jean‐Pierre , Leroy Vincent
Published: December 2012

Background

Liver fibrosis, now assessed by liver biopsy or using non‐invasive methods, might be different in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Aim

To compare histological amount and pattern of fibrosis in CHB and CHC.

Methods

Sixty CHB and sixty CHC biopsies from naïve patients, standardized for the spectrum of Metavir fibrosis stages, were analysed for (1) semi‐quantitative Metavir activity, steatosis, perisinusoidal fibrosis, alpha‐smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity, (2) quantitative morphometry of total and perisinusoidal fibrosis ratio (FR and PFR).

Results

Biopsy quality, activity, steatosis, Fibrotest® values were not different between the two groups. Correlation between FR and fibrosis stage was stronger in CHB (r = 0.90) than CHC (r = 0.81). Mean FR was 1.5‐fold higher in CHC than CHB for early fibrosis stages (F ≤ 2, P = 0.001), with higher PFR in CHC for F0 (P = 0.001), F1 (P = 0.08) and F2 (P = 0.004). Hepatic stellate cell activation index was also higher in CHC than in CHB (P = 0.007). Diagnosis performance of FR for significant fibrosis was not statistically different in CHB than CHC (AUROC 0.92 and 0.87 respectively), but cut‐offs optimizing sensitivity and specificity were higher in CHC and their extrapolation to CHB led to 10% decrease in sensitivity. In F ≤ 2 patients, correlation between FR and Fibrotest® was only significant in CHC.

Conclusions

As compared to CHB, amount of fibrosis is greater in CHC for F ≤ 2 patients, mainly because of higher perisinusoidal fibrosis. These data illustrate difficulty to assess early fibrosis stages by non‐invasive methods, and support the need for specific cut‐offs in CHB.
BILATERAL COUNTERPARTY RISK UNDER FUNDING CONSTRAINTS—PART I: PRICING
Authors: Crépey Stéphane
Published: December 2012

This and the follow‐up paper deal with the valuation and hedging of bilateral counterparty risk on over‐the‐counter derivatives. Our study is done in a multiple‐curve setup reflecting the various funding constraints (or costs) involved, allowing one to investigate the question of interaction between bilateral counterparty risk and funding. The first task is to define a suitable notion of no arbitrage price in the presence of various funding costs. This is the object of this paper, where we develop an “additive, multiple curve” extension of the classical “multiplicative (discounted), one curve” risk‐neutral pricing approach. We derive the dynamic hedging interpretation of such an “additive risk‐neutral” price, starting by consistency with pricing by replication in the case of a complete market. This is illustrated by a completely solved example building over previous work by Burgard and Kjaer.
BILATERAL COUNTERPARTY RISK UNDER FUNDING CONSTRAINTS—PART II: CVA
Authors: Crépey Stéphane
Published: December 2012

The correction in value of an over‐the‐counter derivative contract due to counterparty risk under funding constraints is represented as the value of a dividend‐paying option on the value of the contract clean of counterparty risk and excess funding costs. This representation allows one to analyze the structure of this correction, the so‐called Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA for short), in terms of replacement cost/benefits, credit cost/benefits, and funding cost/benefits. We develop a reduced‐form backward stochastic differential equations (BSDE) approach to the problem of pricing and hedging the CVA. In the Markov setup, explicit CVA pricing and hedging schemes are formulated in terms of semilinear partial differential equations.
Ultrarapid chondrite formation by hot chondrule accretion? Evidence from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites
Authors: METZLER Knut
Published: December 2012

Abstract– Unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs) of all groups (H, L, LL) contain unique chondrite clasts, which are characterized by a close‐fit texture of deformed and indented chondrules. These clasts, termed “cluster chondrites,” occur in 41% of the investigated samples with modal abundances between 5 and 90 vol% and size variations between <1 mm and 10 cm. They show the highest chondrule abundances compared with all chondrite classes (82–92 vol%) and only low amounts of fine‐grained interchondrule matrix and rims (3–9 vol%). The mean degree of chondrule deformation varies between 11% and 17%, compared to 5% in the clastic portions of their host breccias and to values of 3–5% found in UOC literature, respectively. The maximum deformation of individual chondrules is about 50%, a value which seemingly cannot be exceeded due to geometric limitations. Both viscous and brittle chondrule deformation is observed. A model for cluster chondrite formation is proposed where hot and deformable chondrules together with only small amounts of co‐accreting matrix formed a planetesimal or reached the surface of an already existing body within hours to a few days after chondrule formation. They deformed in a hot stage, possibly due to collisional compression by accreting material. Later, the resulting rocks were brecciated by impact processes. Thus, cluster chondrite clasts are interpreted as relicts of primary accretionary rocks of unknown original dimensions. If correct, this places a severe constraint on chondrule‐forming conditions. Cluster chondrites would document local chondrule formation, where chondrule‐forming heating events and the accretion of chondritic bodies were closely linked in time and space.
Self‐Care at the Margins: Meals and Meters in Migrants’ Diabetes Tactics
Authors: Guell Cornelia
Published: December 2012

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in 2006 and 2007, this article examines Turkish migrants’ everyday practices of diabetes self‐management in Berlin, Germany. To avoid diabetes complications, Turkish Berliners became self‐carers who altered food choices, cooking and eating practices, and made their self‐care practices visible with the help of blood sugar self‐testing. Rather than representing the common image of the disadvantaged migrant patient they assumed the role of “expert patients” and their self‐care was a deliberate practice to make their chronic illness experience manageable and tangible where formal support by the German healthcare system was inadequate. This article thus aims to interrogate both “self” and “care” in the context of “self‐care at the margins” and draw on de Certeau's tactics of the ordinary person that make everyday life habitable.
Culture and Carelessness: Constituting Disability in South India
Authors: Staples James
Published: December 2012

Professional and lay explanations of disability, collected via interviews and participant‐observation during fieldwork in Hyderabad, South India, identify “carelessness” and “superstition” as major impediments to good health among the general population, and education as the key solution. In that such findings suggest a valorization of personal responsibility for self‐care, the Foucauldian concept of biopower appeared a salient framework for analysis. Although illuminating, however, biopower was ultimately inadequate for explaining what emerged, on closer analysis, as significant discrepancies between assumptions about how disabled people engaged with healthcare services and their actual beliefs and practices; and between the moral interpretations different stakeholders made of “carelessness” in describing perceived causes of disability. My data also suggested that education was not in itself a key determinant in people's healthcare decisions. This article explores these differences between official and demotic discourses concerning the causes of disability and attempts to account for them ethnographically.
Lymphatic Filariasis: Perspectives on Lymphatic Remodeling and Contractile Dysfunction in Filarial Disease Pathogenesis
Authors: Chakraborty Sanjukta , Gurusamy Manokaran , Zawieja David C. , Muthuchamy Mariappan
Published: December 2012

Lymphatic filariasis, one of the most debilitating diseases associated with the lymphatic system, affects over a hundred million people worldwide and manifests itself in a variety of severe clinical pathologies. The filarial parasites specifically target the lymphatics and impair lymph flow, which is critical for the normal functions of the lymphatic system in maintenance of body fluid balance and physiological interstitial fluid transport. The resultant contractile dysfunction of the lymphatics causes fluid accumulation and lymphedema, one of the major pathologies associated with filarial infection. In this review, we take a closer look at the contractile mechanisms of the lymphatics, its altered functions, and remodeling during an inflammatory state and how it relates to the severe pathogenesis underlying a filarial infection. We further elaborate on the complex host–parasite interactions, and molecular mechanisms contributing to the disease pathogenesis. The overall emphasis is on elucidating some of the emerging concepts and new directions that aim to harness the process of lymphangiogenesis or enhance contractility in a dysfunctional lymphatics, thereby restoring the fluid imbalance and mitigating the pathological conditions of lymphatic filariasis.
New measures of upper esophageal sphincter distensibility and opening patterns during swallowing in healthy subjects using EndoFLIP®
Authors: Regan J. , Walshe M. , Rommel N. , Tack J. , McMahon B. P.
Published: December 2012

Background  This paper aims to measure upper esophageal sphincter (UES) distensibility and extent and duration of UES opening during swallowing in healthy subjects using EndoFLIP®.

Methods  Fourteen healthy subjects (20–50 years) were recruited. An EndoFLIP® probe was passed trans‐orally and the probe balloon was positioned across the UES. Two 20‐mL ramp distensions were completed and UES cross‐sectional area (CSA) and intra‐balloon pressure (IBP) were evaluated. At 12‐mL balloon volume, subjects completed dry, 5‐ and 10‐mL liquid swallows and extent (mm) and duration (s) of UES opening and minimum IBP (mmHg) were analyzed across swallows.

Key Results  Thirteen subjects completed the study protocol. A significant change in UES CSA (P < .001) and IBP (P < .000) was observed during 20‐mL distension. UES CSA increased up to 10‐mL distension (P < .001), from which point IBP raised significantly (P = 0.004). There were significant changes in UES diameter (mm) (P < .000) and minimum IBP (mmHg) (P < .000) during swallowing events. Resting UES diameter (4.9 mm; IQR 0.02) and minimum IBP (18.8 mmHg; IQR 2.64) changed significantly during dry (9.6 mm; IQR 1.3: P < .001) (3.6 mmHg; IQR 4.1: P = 0.002); 5 mL (8.61 mm; IQR 2.7: P < .001) (4.8 mmHg; IQR 5.7: P < .001) and 10‐mL swallows (8.3 mm; IQR 1.6: P < 0.001) (3 mmHg; 4.6: P < .001). Median duration of UES opening was 0.5 s across dry and liquid swallows (P = 0.91). Color contour plots of EndoFLIP® data capture novel information regarding pharyngo‐esophageal events during swallowing.

Conclusions & Inferences  Authors obtained three different types of quantitative data (CSA, IBP, and timing) regarding UES distensibility and UES opening patterns during swallowing in healthy adults using only one device (EndoFLIP®). This new measure of swallowing offers fresh information regarding UES dynamics which may ultimately improve patient care.
Gastrointestinal peptides, gastrointestinal motility, and anorexia of aging in frail elderly persons
Authors: Serra‐Prat M. , Mans E. , Palomera E. , Clavé P.
Published: December 2012

Background  The mechanisms involved in anorexia in frail elderly people remain unclear. The objective of this study was to establish whether fasting and postprandial levels of gastrointestinal peptides, gastrointestinal motility, and hunger are modified by age and frailty.

Methods  Three groups of subjects were studied: (a) frail elderly (>70 years) persons, (b) non‐frail elderly (>70 years) persons, and (c) healthy adults (aged 25–65 years). After an overnight fast, participants ingested a 400 Kcal liquid meal and appetite, hormonal, and gastrointestinal responses were monitored during early (0–60 min) and late (60–240 min) postprandial periods.

Key Results  Frail persons showed poor nutritional status, sarcopenia, and almost absence of hunger during fasting and postprandial periods. Older persons presented higher levels of glucose and insulin during fasting, enhanced postprandial CCK release in early postprandial period and postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, but similar ghrelin levels than younger adults. Ultrasound scan showed that the fasting antral area was higher and antral compliance lower in old persons. The paracetamol absorption test showed enhanced postprandial gastric emptying in the frail. Non‐gallbladder contractors showed no CCK peak in younger and non‐frail groups, but the same high CCK peak as contractors in the frail.

Conclusions & Inferences  Frailty was associated with anorexia, risk of malnutrition, and sarcopenia. Frail persons showed impaired gastric motility (larger antral area at rest, impaired antral compliance, and enhanced postprandial emptying), impaired gallbladder motility, and fasting and/or postprandial alterations in CCK, glucose, and insulin release. Further studies are needed to determine if these factors may contribute to anorexia of aging in frail persons.
Drought response strategies define the relative contributions of hydraulic dysfunction and carbohydrate depletion during tree mortality
Authors: Mitchell Patrick J. , O'Grady Anthony P. , Tissue David T. , White Donald A. , Ottenschlaeger Maria L. , Pinkard Elizabeth A.
Published: December 2012

Plant survival during drought requires adequate hydration in living tissues and carbohydrate reserves for maintenance and recovery. We hypothesized that tree growth and hydraulic strategy determines the intensity and duration of the ‘physiological drought’, thereby affecting the relative contributions of loss of hydraulic function and carbohydrate depletion during mortality.

We compared patterns in growth rate, water relations, gas exchange and carbohydrate dynamics in three tree species subjected to prolonged drought.

Two Eucalyptus species (E. globulus, E. smithii) exhibited high growth rates and water‐use resulting in rapid declines in water status and hydraulic conductance. In contrast, conservative growth and water relations in Pinus radiata resulted in longer periods of negative carbon balance and significant depletion of stored carbohydrates in all organs. The ongoing demand for carbohydrates from sustained respiration highlighted the role that duration of drought plays in facilitating carbohydrate consumption.

Two drought strategies were revealed, differentiated by plant regulation of water status: plants maximized gas exchange, but were exposed to low water potentials and rapid hydraulic dysfunction; and tight regulation of gas exchange at the cost of carbohydrate depletion. These findings provide evidence for a relationship between hydraulic regulation of water status and carbohydrate depletion during terminal drought.
Ventricular Fibrillation Conduction through an Isthmus of Preserved Myocardium between Radiofrequency Lesions
Authors: CHORRO FRANCISCO J. , IBAÑEZ‐CATALÁ XAVIER , TRAPERO ISABEL , SUCH‐MIQUEL LUIS , PELECHANO FRANCISCA , CÁNOVES JOAQUÍN , MAINAR LUIS , Tormos Álvaro , CERDÁ JOSE M. , ALBEROLA ANTONIO , SUCH LUIS
Published: December 2012

Background

Selective local acceleration of myocardial activation during ventricular fibrillation (VF) contributes information on the interactions between neighboring zones during the arrhythmia. This study analyzes these interactions, centering the observations on an isthmus of myocardium between two radiofrequency (RF) lesions.

Methods

In nine isolated rabbit hearts, a gap of preserved myocardium was established between two RF lesions in the anterolateral left ventricle (LV) wall. Before, during, and after increasing the spatial heterogeneity of VF by local myocardial stretching, VF epicardial recordings were obtained.

Results

Local stretch in the anterior LV wall decreased the excitable window (17 ± 7 ms vs 26 ± 7 ms; P < 0.05) and increased the dominant frequency (DFr; 18.9 ± 5.0 Hz vs 15.2 ± 3.6 Hz; P < 0.05) in this zone, without changes in the non‐stretched posterolateral zone (25 ± 4 ms vs 27 ± 6 ms, ns and 14.1 ± 2.7 Hz vs 14.3 ± 3.0 Hz, ns). The DFr ratio at both sides of the gap was inversely correlated to the excitable window ratio (R = −0.57; P = 0.002). Before (31% vs 26%), during (29% vs 22%), and after stretch suppression (35% vs 25%), the wavefronts passing through the gap from the posterolateral to the anterior LV wall were seen to predominate. The number of wavefronts that passed from the anterior to the posterolateral LV wall was related to the excitable window in this zone (R = 0.41; P = 0.03).

Conclusions

The VF acceleration induced in the stretched zone does not increase the flow of wavefronts toward the non‐stretched zone in the adjacent gap of preserved myocardium. The absence of significant changes in the electrophysiological parameters of the non‐stretched myocardium limits the arrival of wavefronts in this zone.
Fine mapping of a QTL for the number of spikelets per panicle by using near‐isogenic lines derived from an interspecific cross between Oryza sativa and Oryza minuta
Authors: Balkunde Sangshetty , Le Hung‐Linh , Lee Hyun‐Sook , Kim Dong‐Min , Kang Ju‐Won , Ahn Sang‐Nag
Published: December 2012

We constructed a high‐resolution physical map for the qSPP7 QTL for spikelets per panicle (SPP) on rice chromosome 7 across a 28.6‐kb region containing four predicted genes. Using a series of BC7F4 near‐isogenic lines (NILs) derived from a cross between the Korean japonica cultivar ‘Hwaseongbyeo’ and Oryza minuta (IRGC Acc. No. 101144), three QTLs for the number of SPP, grains per panicle and primary branches were identified in the cluster (P ≤ 0.01). All three QTLs were additive, and alleles from the O. minuta parent were beneficial in the ‘Hwaseongbyeo’ background. qSPP7 was mapped to a 28.6‐kb region between the two simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers RM4952 and RM21605. The additive effect of the O. minuta allele at qSPP7 was 23 SPP, and 43.6% of the phenotypic variance was explained by the segregation of the SSR marker RM4952. Colocalization of the three QTLs suggested that this locus was associated with panicle structure and had pleiotropic effects. The NIL populations and molecular markers are useful for cloning qspp7.
A novel Arabidopsis–oomycete pathosystem: differential interactions with Phytophthora capsici reveal a role for camalexin, indole glucosinolates and salicylic acid in defence
Authors: WANG YAN , BOUWMEESTER KLAAS , van de MORTEL JUDITH E. , SHAN WEIXING , GOVERS FRANCINE
Published: December 2012

Here it is demonstrated that
Phytophthora capsici is capable to infect Arabidopsis. Inoculation assays and cytological analysis revealed variation among Arabidopsis accessions in response to different
P. capsici isolates. Moreover, Arabidopsis mutants with defects in salicylic acid signaling, camalexin or indole glucosinolates biosynthesis pathways displayed severely compromised resistance to
P. capsici. This novel pathosystem will facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits responsible for resistance against
P. capsici.
Commensalism in an agroecosystem: hydraulic redistribution by deep‐rooted legumes improves survival of a droughted shallow‐rooted legume companion
Authors: Pang Jiayin , Wang Yanmei , Lambers Hans , Tibbett Mark , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Ryan Megan H.
Published: December 2012

We investigated commensalism of water use among annual shallow‐rooted and perennial deep‐rooted pasture legumes by examining the effect of hydraulic lift by Cullen pallidum (N.T.Burb.) J.W.Grimes and Medicago sativa on growth, survival and nutrient uptake of Trifolium subterraneum L. A vertically split‐root design allowed separate control of soil water in top and bottom soil. Thirty‐five days after watering ceased in the top tube, but soil remained at field capacity in the bottom tube, an increase in shallow soil water content by hydraulic lift was 5.6 and 5.9 g kg−1 soil overnight for C. pallidum and M. sativa, respectively. Trifolium subterraneum in this treatment maintained higher leaf water potentials (with M. sativa) or exhibited a slower decline (with C. pallidum) than without companion perennial plants; and shoot biomass of T. subterraneum was 56% (with C. pallidum) and 67% (with M. sativa) of that when both top and bottom tubes were at field capacity. Uptake of rubidium (a potassium analog) and phosphorus by T. subterraneum was not facilitated by hydraulic lift. Interestingly, phosphorus content was threefold greater, and shoot biomass 1.5–3.3‐fold greater when T. subterraneum was interplanted with C. pallidum compared with M. sativa, although dry weight of C. pallidum was much greater than that of M. sativa. This study showed that interplanting with deep‐rooted perennial legumes has benefited the survival of T. subterraneum.
Interleukin‐17A is involved in bacteria‐related acute pleural inflammation
Authors: Kollintza Androniki , Magkouta Sofia , Psallidas Ioannis , Moschos Charalampos , Stratiki Magdalini , Esquerda Aureli , Porcel José M. , Kalomenidis Ioannis
Published: December 2012

Background and objective

The role of pro‐inflammatory interleukin‐17A (IL‐17A), in pleural diseases is unknown. We sought to investigate IL‐17A expression and its clinical implications in patients with pleural effusion (PE) and IL‐17A involvement in the pathobiology of pleural inflammation elicited by bacterial products.

Methods

Pleural and blood IL‐17A content was examined in 84 patients with PE of different aetiologies, and the diagnostic value of pleural IL‐17A was explored in 92 patients with neutrophil‐predominant PE. IL‐17A contribution in pleural inflammation was evaluated in mice injected intrapleurally with either IL‐17A or bacterial products with or without IL‐17A‐neutralizing antibodies.

Results

IL‐17A was upregulated in the pleural space of patients with parapneumonic PE. It was detected in a minority of patients with tuberculous PE and very uncommonly in patients with malignant or other pleural exudates. Pleural fluid (PF) IL‐17A levels were correlated with markers of acute pleural inflammation, as well as vascular endothelial growth factor and IL‐8 levels. Among patients with neutrophil‐predominant PE, PF IL‐17A was detected only in those with parapneumonic PE, although the sensitivity of the test was low (<50%). Intrapleural injection of IL‐17A elicited a neutrophil‐predominant inflammatory response in mice, and IL‐17A neutralization partially blocked pleural neutrophilia induced by intrapleural administration of bacterial products.

Conclusions

IL‐17A is involved in pleural inflammation related to bacterial infection. Moreover, pleural IL‐17A levels may be helpful in uncovering an infectious aetiology among patients with neutrophil‐predominant PE.
The Impact of a Marginal Subsidy on Gini Indices
Authors: Corvalan Alejandro
Published: December 2012

This paper addresses the impact of a subsidy—an increase in someone's income—on generalized Gini inequality indices. We show that for any distribution of income there exists a “pivotal individual” such that an increment given to an individual poorer (resp. richer) than himself, decreases (resp. increases) inequality. We characterize the pivotal individual for relative and absolute Gini indices. We show that normative prescriptions about the preferred level of inequality aversion can also be formulated in terms of the pivotal, namely the richest individual that we find just to compensate.
Combined influence of healthy diet and active lifestyle on cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents
Authors: Cuenca‐García M. , Ortega F. B. , Ruiz J. R. , González‐Gross M. , Labayen I. , Jago R. , Martínez‐Gómez D. , Dallongeville J. , Bel‐Serrat S. , Marcos A. , Manios Y. , Breidenassel C. , Widhalm K. , Gottrand F. , Ferrari M. , Kafatos A. , Molnár D. , Moreno L. A. , De Henauw S. , Castillo M. J. , Sjöström M. ,   HELENA study group
Published: December 2012

To investigate the combined influence of diet quality and physical activity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adolescents, adolescents (n = 1513; 12.5–17.5 years) participating in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study were studied. Dietary intake was registered using a 24‐h recall and a diet quality index was calculated. Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry. Lifestyle groups were computed as: healthy diet and active, unhealthy diet but active, healthy diet but inactive, and unhealthy diet and inactive. CVD risk factor measurements included cardiorespiratory fitness, adiposity indicators, blood lipid profile, blood pressure, and insulin resistance. A CVD risk score was computed. The healthy diet and active group had a healthier cardiorespiratory profile, fat mass index (FMI), triglycerides, and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) levels and total cholesterol (TC)/HDL‐C ratio (all P ≤ 0.05). Overall, active adolescents showed higher cardiorespiratory fitness, lower FMI, TC/HDL‐C ratio, and homeostasis model assessment index and healthier blood pressure than their inactive peers with either healthy or unhealthy diet (all P ≤ 0.05). Healthy diet and active group had healthier CVD risk score compared with the inactive groups (all P ≤ 0.02). Thus, a combination of healthy diet and active lifestyle is associated with decreased CVD risk in adolescents. Moreover, an active lifestyle may reduce the adverse consequences of an unhealthy diet.
Spectacular Youth Cultures and Ageing: Beyond Refusing to Grow Up
Authors: Hodkinson Paul
Published: December 2012

For decades, research on the subject of music and style subcultures has presented participation in such groups as a temporary manifestation of adolescence. More recently, sociologists have begun to examine the lives and identities of those who remain involved in so‐called ‘youth’ subcultures beyond their teens and early twenties. This article examines the ways such work has begun to illuminate the role of enduring subcultural identities as part of the developing lives of older participants. Such work, I suggest, rejects simplistic understandings of older participation as a refusal to grow up in favour of a detailed focus on the relationships between continuing participation and other aspects of developing adult life, including career, family and the ageing body. Identifying core themes and debates while identifying areas for further work, I argue that this developing field of research addresses one of the primary criticisms of youth cultural research in the past, which is that such research has tended to examine leisure related affiliations in a fixed period of time and in isolation from the rest of participants’ lives.
Cytomegalovirus disease in lung transplantation: impact of recipient seropositivity and duration of antiviral prophylaxis
Authors: Hammond S.P. , Martin S.T. , Roberts K. , Gabardi S. , Fuhlbrigge A.L. , Camp P.C. , Goldberg H.J. , Marty F.M. , Baden L.R.
Published: December 2012

Background

A recent randomized trial demonstrated that 1 year of antiviral prophylaxis for cytomegalovirus (CMV) after lung transplantation is superior to 3 months of treatment for prevention of CMV disease. However, it is uncertain if a shorter duration of prophylaxis might result in a similar rate of CMV disease among select lung transplant (LT) recipients who are at lower risk for CMV disease, based on baseline donor (D) and recipient (R) CMV serologies.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed incidence, cumulative probability, and predictors of CMV disease and viremia in LT recipients transplanted between July 2004 and December 2009 at our center, where antiviral CMV prophylaxis for 6–12 months is standard.

Results

Of 129 LT recipients, 94 were at risk for CMV infection based on donor CMV seropositivity (D+) or recipient seropositivity (R+); 14 developed CMV disease (14.9%): 11 with CMV syndrome, 2 with pneumonitis, and 1 with gastrointestinal disease by the end of follow‐up (October 2010); 17 developed asymptomatic CMV viremia (18.1%). The cumulative probability of CMV disease was 17.4% 18 months after transplantation. CMV D+/R− recipients who routinely received 1 year of prophylaxis were more likely to develop CMV disease compared with D+/R+ or D−/R+ recipients, who routinely received 6 months of prophylaxis (12/45 vs. 2/25 vs. 0/24, P = 0.005). Recipients who stopped CMV prophylaxis before 12 months (in D+/R− recipients) and 6 months (in R+ recipients) tended to develop CMV disease more than those who did not (9/39 vs. 3/41, P = 0.06).

Conclusions

On a 6‐month CMV prophylaxis protocol, few R+ recipients developed CMV disease in this cohort. In contrast, despite a 12‐month prophylaxis protocol, D+/R− LT recipients remained at highest risk for CMV disease.
Apple SEPALLATA1/2‐like genes control fruit flesh development and ripening
Authors: Ireland Hilary S. , Yao Jia‐Long , Tomes Sumathi , Sutherland Paul W. , Nieuwenhuizen Niels , Gunaseelan Kularajathevan , Winz Robert A. , David Karine M. , Schaffer Robert J.
Published: December 2012

Flowering plants utilize different floral structures to develop flesh tissue in fruits. Here we show that suppression of the homeologous SEPALLATA1/2‐like genes MADS8 and MADS9 in the fleshy fruit apple (Malus x domestica) leads to sepaloid petals and greatly reduced fruit flesh. Immunolabelling of cell‐wall epitopes and differential staining showed that the developing hypanthium (from which the apple flesh develops) of MADS8/9‐suppressed apple flowers lacks a tissue layer, and the remaining flesh tissue of fully developed apples has considerably smaller cells. From these observations, it is proposed that MADS8 and MADS9 control the development of discrete zones within the hypanthium tissue, and therefore fruit flesh, and also act as foundations for development of different floral organs. At fruit maturity, the MADS8/9‐suppressed apples do not ripen in terms of both developmentally controlled ripening characters, such as starch degradation, and ethylene‐modulated ripening traits. Transient assays suggest that, like the RIN gene in tomato, the MADS9 gene acts as a transcriptional activator of the ethylene biosynthesis enzyme, 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate (ACC) synthase 1. The existence of a single class of genes that regulate both flesh formation and ripening provides an evolutionary tool for controlling two critical aspects of fleshy fruit development.
Moving to the Core: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Forkhead Box O (FOXO) and Nuclear Factor‐κB (NF‐κB) Nuclear Translocation
Authors: Zanella Fabian , dos Santos Nuno R. , Link Wolfgang
Published: December 2012

Nuclear translocation of proteins is an essential aspect of normal cell function, and defects in this process have been detected in many disease‐associated conditions. The detection and quantification of nuclear translocation was significantly boosted by the association of robotized microscopy with automated image analysis, a technology designated as high‐content screening. Image‐based high‐content screening and analysis provides the means to systematically observe cellular translocation events in time and space in response to chemical or genetic perturbation at large scale. This approach yields powerful insights into the regulation of complex signaling networks independently of preconceived notions of mechanistic relationships. In this review, we briefly overview the different mechanisms involved in nucleocytoplasmic protein trafficking. In addition, we discuss high‐content approaches used to interrogate the mechanistic and spatiotemporal dynamics of cellular signaling events using Forkhead box O (FOXO) proteins and the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) as important and clinically relevant examples.
The effect of a preoperative erythropoietin protocol as part of a multifaceted blood management program in daily clinical practice (CME)
Authors: Doodeman Hieronymus J. , van Haelst Ingrid M.M. , Egberts Toine C.G. , Bennis Martin , Traast Han S. , van Solinge Wouter W. , Kalkman Cor J. , van Klei Wilton A.
Published: December 2012

Background

The effectiveness of a preoperative erythropoietin (EPO) protocol to reduce allogeneic blood transfusions (ABTs) in daily clinical practice has been insufficiently studied. This study evaluated the effect of such a protocol, as part of a multifaceted blood management program, in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Study Design and Methods

This retrospective observational study was designed as an interrupted time series (1999‐2010). The intervention was the introduction of an EPO protocol in THA patients in 2003. Patients were classified according to preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level: 10 to 13 g/dL (eligible patients for EPO) and more than 13 g/dL. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients receiving an ABT. Segmented regression analysis was used to estimate changes in outcome after the intervention.

Results

A total of 4568 THA patients were included. The absolute reductions in ABTs after the intervention were 17% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6%‐29%) for the total study population and 25% (95% CI, 11%‐39%) and 8% (95% CI, −5% to 21%) for the Hb groups 10 to 13 and more than 13 g/dL, respectively. In the postintervention period, 46% of the eligible patients (Hb level, 10‐13 g/dL) actually received EPO. The transfusion rate in the EPO group was lower compared to the non‐EPO group: 14 and 50%, respectively (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Introduction of a preoperative EPO protocol reduced the transfusion rate in THA patients in daily clinical practice. The reduction must be seen as part of a multifaceted blood management program, in which increased awareness of blood transfusion contributes simultaneously and substantially to the reduction in transfusion rate.
Anti‐Ge3 causes late‐onset hemolytic disease of the newborn: the fourth case in three Hispanic families
Authors: Pate Lisa Lee , Myers Jessica C. , Palma Jonathan P. , Viele Maurene , Galel Susan A. , Ferrer Zenaida , Gonzalez Christopher L. , Benitz William E. , Garratty George , Fontaine Magali J.
Published: December 2012

Background

The Gerbich (Ge) blood group system consists of 11 antigens carried on red blood cell (RBC) membrane glycophorins C and D; of these, Ge:3 antigen is of high prevalence, and the anti‐Ge3 is found to be clinically significant.

Case Report

A 34‐week neonate born to a Hispanic mother with anti‐Ge3 developed late‐onset hemolysis with hyperbilirubinemia and was successfully treated with transfusions from her mother. Relevant clinical findings and laboratory results for this case are summarized and compared to three other previously reported cases; all babies were born from a mother of Hispanic ethnicity.

Conclusion

Hemolytic disease of the fetus and new born associated with anti‐Ge3 is rare but should be considered when working up a broadly reactive RBC antibody screen in women of Hispanic ethnicity. Early identification of pregnant women with anti‐Ge3 is recommended for prenatal transfusion planning and close monitoring of the newborn infant for evidence of late‐onset anemia.
The utility of staging in canine mast cell tumours
Authors: Warland J. , Amores‐Fuster I. , Newbury W. , Brearley M. , Dobson J.
Published: December 2012

Current staging of canine mast cell tumours (MCTs) practiced by many veterinarians involves a minimum of lymph node (LN) assessment, abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiography. Historically, some have advocated buffy coat and bone marrow evaluation. Two hundred and twenty dogs withMCTseen at a referral clinic were staged usingLNpalpation/cytology, thoracic radiography and abdominal ultrasound. The utility of each method was evaluated by considering prevalence of spread and future behaviour. At presentation, 30.9% of dogs had metastases to the localLN; 6.8% of all the dogs also had distant metastases. No dog had or developed distant metastasis in the absence ofLNmetastasis. No dog had convincing evidence of pulmonary metastasis. In this series, the localLNwas sentinel to metastasis and in the absence of localLNmetastasis, the utility of further staging was low. Thoracic radiography was not useful in the staging of canineMCT.
ETHNOGRAPHY, ETHNOLOGY AND THE ETHNOGRAPHY OF ETHNOLOGIES
Authors: MacRae Graeme
Published: December 2012

Ethnology seems to be dead, but its project of comparison lives on between
the lines of anthropological discourse as well as in the categories of popular
culture and especially in discourses of ethnic identity. One of the problems
inherent in any comparison is finding like entities to compare. Comparison of
material culture has the potential to circumvent this problem by virtue of its
simultaneous embeddedness in cultural context and its independent existence as concrete objects. This paper reflects on these matters in the context of Bali, where village spatial organisation reveals its ethnological location in both Indic and Austronesian culture-worlds, and its contemporary politics of identity are founded on an implicit folk-ethnology. It argues for a working dialogue between such scholarly and indigenous ethnologies.
DOMESTICATION AND HISTORICITY:IN MEMORY OF PETER J. WILSON
Authors: Sissons Jeffrey
Published: December 2012

In this paper, dedicated to the memory of Peter Wilson, I take as my starting point his last book on cultural evolution – The Domestication of the Human Species – and propose a way in which its thesis might be elaborated and extended. Briefly, I argue that if, as I think Wilson has shown, domestication coincided with the appearance of society as explicit, objectified structure, then this had significant implications for the nature of domesticated historicity. Domestication was not only an epochal break in human history, but it also made possible new modes of social transformation.
FINDING METACULTURE IN NARRATIVE: THE CASE OF DIASPORIC JAPANESE IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Yamaguchi Masataka
Published: December 2012

I am concerned with finding a widely circulating ideology in life story narratives told to me by three diasporic Japanese in the United States. By drawing on discourse analytic perspectives, I analyse audio-recorded interview data as ‘cultural objects’ and extract participants’ ‘ideology’ from the ‘objects’. In so doing, I attempt to find widely circulating and relatively enduring values in the discourses of these narratives. By analytically focusing on contextually contingent aspects of language use, I make explicit the pattern of the ‘success story line’. These findings are then compared with another study on autobiographical narrative. While qualifying the generalisability of the findings, I argue that my own study proposes a hypothesis that deserves further investigation in providing a concrete piece of evidence against the idea of ‘postmodern fragmented subjects’ (Jameson 1984).
‘ETHNOGRAPHY PLUS’ IN TUBERCULOSIS RESEARCH
Authors: Park Julie , Littleton Judith
Published: December 2012

We argue that in some contexts we anthropologists need to go beyond ethnography through being involved in multidisciplinary approaches to research problems and through engaging in a more public anthropology in our ethnographic and other writing. This argument is based on our experiences in coming to an understanding of ‘immigrant TB’ in the context of a social sciences research project about tuberculosis in New Zealand. This paper unpacks some of the complexities around relatively high rates of tuberculosis in overseasborn persons in New Zealand, and suggests that the conditions of settlement, including poverty and discrimination, combine with life history to produce the observed epidemiological patterns. A corollary is that while control of tuberculosis at the border is important, support for migrants, ensuring their social participation, access to health care and their rights to freedom from discrimination are also key.
CREATING KINSHIP:AN EXPLORATION OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG ADULT NEW ZEALANDERS, THEIR PARENTS, AND THEIR INTIMATE PARTNERS
Authors: McKenzie Donna
Published: December 2012

It has been argued (Carsten 2004) that kinship involves not just rights, rules, and obligations but is also a realm of new possibilities, and what has been lacking in anthropology is an examination of the experience of kinship. Kinshipor relatedness is a significant part of human experience, although it will take culturally and historically specific forms. Dominant themes that shape Western or Euro-American ideas of kin in parent-child relationships are to do with degrees of independence from parental control and authority coupled with a never-ending familial responsibility (Allan 1996). Young adults are in a transitional phase, one in which many are attempting to secure an independent adult identity and become fully adult social beings. This has the potential for conflict between parents and adult children and to create emotional and/or physical distance from each other. However, the support of young people by parents and other close kin is also a significant factor for the individual resilience needed in times of distress. If a young person does not have kin to depend upon, an alternative may be friendship with the parent/s of one’s intimate partner. The danger with this is that if the intimate relationship ends, so too may the friendship. This paper examines these relationship experiences for a group of young adult New Zealanders.
External beam pulsed low dose radiotherapy using volumetric modulated arc therapy: Planning and delivery
Authors: Tyagi Neelam , Yang Kai , Sandhu Raminder , Yan Di , Park Sean S. , Chen Peter Y. , Marples Brian
Published: December 2012

Purpose:

To evaluate the feasibility of planning and delivering pulsed low dose radiotherapy (PLRT) using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) on Elektalinacs.

Methods:

Ten patients previously treated for glioblastomamultiforme (GBM) were replanned using PLRT VMAT to deliver ten 0.2 Gy pulses separated by 3 min intervals with an effective dose rate of 0.067 Gy/min. VMAT parameters such as leaf speed and arc length were investigated to deliver 2 Gy/fraction to a total of 60 Gy to the target volume in ten subfractions or pulses. Plan quality was assessed using conformity and homogeneity indices. Absolute dose distribution for individual pulses was measured using ArcCHECK diode array. Individual pulses were analyzed for reproducibility and stability using machine log files. Machine characteristics at low monitor units and low dose rate were also investigated.

Results:

An optimal arc length of 140°–160° and a leaf speed of 0.18–0.25 cm/° were sufficient to provide equivalent plan coverage and stable delivery. The average time and dose rate required to deliver a single 0.2 Gy pulse was 39.5 ± 2.3 s and 49 ± 32.3 cGy/min. Average reductions in MUs for the VMAT PLRT plan compared to IMRT for PTV was 16% (Range: −5.5%–36.1%) and 10.9% (Range: −18.4%–32.3%) for the initial and boost plan. A significant improvement was seen in maximum doses to all sensitive structures when planned with VMAT PLRT. The average absolute dose gamma passing rate for the 10 pulses combined and 2 Gy plan were 91.6 ± 2.5% and 97.3 ± 1.2%, respectively. Cumulative monitor units, dose rate, gantry angles, and leaf positions evaluated using machine log files were within 2% for all pulses.

Conclusions:

Elekta linacs are capable of delivering reproducible and stable PLRT plans. A prospective clinical study employing PLRT is currently in development.
Dosimetry in differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Mínguez Pablo , Genolla José , Celeiro José Javier , Fombellida José Cruz
Published: December 2012

Purpose:

The aim of this study has been to perform a dosimetric study in the treatments of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) performed in our center in order to find a dose–effect correlation.

Methods:

Thirty patients treated for DTC with 3700 MBq of131I have been included in this study. For reasons of radiological protection all of them spent two nights as inpatients. Dose rate at 1 m from all patients was measured approximately 20 and 44 h after the administration of the radioiodine and a whole body scan in the gamma camera was performed approximately 1 week later. With those measurements and by using a model of two compartments the activities in thyroid bed remnants and in the whole body were calculated as a function of time. The integration of both activities yields the corresponding cumulated activities. Absorbed doses to thyroid bed remnants and to the whole body can be calculated following the MIRDOSE method—that is, by multiplying the corresponding cumulated activities by the corresponding S factors.

Results:

The absorbed doses to thyroid bed remnants calculated in this study fall into a very wide range (13–1161 Gy) and showed the highest correlation factors with the following parameters: the absorbed dose rate to thyroid bed remnants, the cumulated activity in thyroid bed remnants, and the maximum radioiodine uptake in thyroid bed remnants. The absorbed doses to the whole body range from 0.12 to 0.23 Gy. The ablation was successful in all patients, and in spite of the wide range of absorbed doses to thyroid bed remnants obtained, no dose–effect correlation could be obtained.

Conclusions:

Facing DTC treatments from a dosimetric viewpoint in which a predosimetry to calculate the activity of131I to be administered is performed is a subject difficult to handle. This statement is based on the fact that although a very wide range of absorbed doses to thyroid bed remnants was obtained (including several absorbed doses well below some dose thresholds previously published to achieve ablation of thyroid bed remnants), ablation of thyroid bed remnants was successful for all patients and therefore no dose–effect correlation could be determined.
Small Gold Clusters Formed in Solution Give Reaction Turnover Numbers of 10
7
at Room Temperature
Authors: Oliver-Meseguer Judit , Cabrero-Antonino Jose R. , Domínguez Irene , Leyva-Pérez Antonio , Corma Avelino
Published: December 2012

Gold Cluster Catalysis

A variety of gold salts and complexes have been used to catalyze different organic reactions. Often, the catalytic rates for these reactions are similar.

Oliver-Meseguer
et al.

(p.
1452
; see the Perspective by

Hashmi

) observed an induction period for the onset of catalysis of organic reactions, such as the ester-assisted hydration of alkynes, for different gold salts and complexes. Mass spectrometry and absorption spectroscopy revealed that small gold clusters (three to ten atoms) formed during these induction periods and are likely to represent the active catalysts. The catalytic reaction rates could be extremely high—up to 10
5
turnovers of the catalyst per hour.
Airn
Transcriptional Overlap, But Not Its lncRNA Products, Induces Imprinted
Igf2r
Silencing
Authors: Latos Paulina A. , Pauler Florian M. , Koerner Martha V. , Şenergin H. Başak , Hudson Quanah J. , Stocsits Roman R. , Allhoff Wolfgang , Stricker Stefan H. , Klement Ruth M. , Warczok Katarzyna E. , Aumayr Karin , Pasierbek Pawel , Barlow Denise P.
Published: December 2012

Long Noncoding RNAs

The past 5 years have uncovered thousands of long (>100 nucleotides) noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) outpacing our understanding of their functions and mechanisms in regulating the genome.
Lee
(p.
1435
) reviews the known and suspected means by which these intriguing molecules control gene expression locally and at great distances, considers potential universal roles for lncRNAs, and warns that classifying these intriguing molecules may be quite challenging given their diversity. The very long noncoding RNA,
Airn
, silences the
Igf2r
(insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor) imprinted gene cluster in mammals.

Latos
et al.

(p.
1469
) show in mouse cells that, rather than recruiting enzymes that modify histones to repress the locus, it is the act of transcription of
Airn
(and not the
Airn
gene product) that results in the silencing.
The Revolution in the Life Sciences
Authors: Brenner Sydney
Published: December 2012

Recognition of DNA as the carrier of information created a new fundamental dimension for viewing the natural world.