bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Confirmation of an Association Between the TNF(−308) Promoter Polymorphism and Stroke Risk in Children With Sickle Cell Anemia
Authors: Hoppe Carolyn , Klitz William , D’Harlingue Katherine , Cheng Suzanne , Grow Michael , Steiner Lori , Noble Janelle , Adams Robert , Styles Lori
Published: June 2007

Background and Purpose—

The etiology of stroke in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) is complex and poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that genetic factors beyond the sickle cell mutation influence stroke risk in SCA. We previously reported risk associations with polymorphisms in several proinflammatory genes in SCA children with ischemic stroke. The aim of this replication study was to confirm our previous findings of associations between the TNF(−308) G/A, IL4R 503 S/P, and ADRB2 27 Q/E polymorphisms and large vessel stroke risk.

Methods—

Using previously collected MRA data, we assessed an independent population of SCA children from the multicenter Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) for the presence or absence of large vessel stenosis. Samples were genotyped for 104 polymorphisms among 65 candidate vascular disease genes. Genotypic associations with risk of large vessel stroke were screened using univariable analysis and compared with results from our original study. Joint analysis of the 2 study populations combined was performed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results—

A total of 96 children (49 MRA-positive, 47 MRA-negative) were included in this study. Of the SNP associations previously identified in the original study, the TNF(−308) G/A association with large vessel stroke remained significant and the IL4R 503 S/P variant approached significance in the joint analysis of the combined study populations. Consistent with our original findings, the TNF(−308) GG genotype was associated with a >3-fold increased risk of large vessel disease (OR=3.27; 95% CI=1.6, 6.9;
P
=0.006). Unadjusted analyses also revealed a previously unidentified association between the LTC4S(−444) A/C variant and large vessel stroke risk.

Conclusions—

Similar findings in 2 independent study populations strongly suggest that the TNF(−308) G/A promoter polymorphism is a clinically important risk factor for large vessel stroke in children with SCA. The previously observed association with the IL4R 503 S/P variant and the novel association with the LTC4S(−444) A/C variant suggest that these loci may also contribute to large vessel stroke risk in children with SCA.
An Observing System Simulation Experiment for an Optimal Moored Instrument Array in the Tropical Indian Ocean
Authors: Ballabrera-Poy Joaquim , Hackert Eric , Murtugudde Raghu , Busalacchi Antonio J.
Published: June 2007

In this paper, a series of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) are used to study the design of a proposed array of instrumented moorings in the Indian Ocean (IO) outlined by the IO panel of the Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Project. Fields of the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason sea surface height (SSH) and sea surface temperature (SST) are subsampled to simulate dynamic height and SST data from the proposed array. Two different reduced-order versions of the Kalman filter are used to reconstruct the original fields from the simulated observations with the objective of determining the optimal deployment of moored platforms and to address the issue of redundancy and array simplification. The experiments indicate that, in terms of the reconstruction of SSH and SST, the location of the subjectively proposed array compareS favorably with the optimally defined one. The only significant difference between the proposed IO array and the optimal array is the lack of justification for increasing the latitudinal resolution near the equator (i.e., moorings 1.5°S and 1.5°N). An analysis of the redundancy also identifies the equatorial region as the one with the largest amount of redundant information. Thus, in the context of these fields, these results may help define the prioritization of its deployment or redefine the array to extend its latitudinal extent while maintaining the same amount of stations.
Indian Ocean Variability in the GFDL Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Song Qian , Vecchi Gabriel A. , Rosati Anthony J.
Published: June 2007

The interannual variability of the Indian Ocean, with particular focus on the Indian Ocean dipole/zonal mode (IODZM), is investigated in a 250-yr simulation of the GFDL coupled global general circulation model (CGCM). The CGCM successfully reproduces many fundamental characteristics of the climate system of the Indian Ocean. The character of the IODZM is explored, as are relationships between positive IODZM and El Niño events, through a composite analysis. The IODZM events in the CGCM grow through feedbacks between heat-content anomalies and SST-related atmospheric anomalies, particularly in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean. The composite IODZM events that co-occur with El Niño have stronger anomalies and a sharper east–west SSTA contrast than those that occur without El Niño. IODZM events, whether or not they occur with El Niño, are preceded by distinctive Indo-Pacific warm pool anomaly patterns in boreal spring: in the central Indian Ocean easterly surface winds, and in the western equatorial Pacific an eastward shift of deep convection, westerly surface winds, and warm sea surface temperature. However, delayed onsets of the anomaly patterns (e.g., boreal summer) are often not followed by IODZM events. The same anomaly patterns often precede El Niño, suggesting that the warm pool conditions favorable for both IODZM and El Niño are similar. Given that IODZM events can occur without El Niño, it is proposed that the observed IODZM–El Niño relation arises because the IODZM and El Niño are both large-scale phenomena in which variations of the Indo-Pacific warm pool deep convection plays a central role. Yet each phenomenon has its own dynamics and life cycle, allowing each to develop without the other.

The CGCM integration also shows substantial decadal modulation of the occurrence of IODZM events, which is found to be not in phase with that of El Niño events. There is a weak, though significant, negative correlation between the two. Moreover, the statistical relationship between the IODZM and El Niño displays strong decadal variability.
The Influence of Tropical Indian Ocean SST on the Indian Summer Monsoon
Authors: Cherchi Annalisa , Gualdi Silvio , Behera Swadhin , Luo Jing Jia , Masson Sebastien , Yamagata Toshio , Navarra Antonio
Published: June 2007

The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is one of the main components of the Asian summer monsoon. It is well known that one of the starting mechanisms of a summer monsoon is the thermal contrast between land and ocean and that sea surface temperature (SST) and moisture are crucial factors for its evolution and intensity. The Indian Ocean, therefore, may play a very important role in the generation and evolution of the ISM itself. A coupled general circulation model, implemented with a high-resolution atmospheric component, appears to be able to simulate the Indian summer monsoon in a realistic way. In particular, the features of the simulated ISM variability are similar to the observations.

In this study, the relationships between the ISM and tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) SST anomalies are investigated, as well as the ability of the coupled model to capture those connections. The recent discovery of the Indian Ocean dipole mode (IODM) may suggest new perspectives in the relationship between ISM and TIO SST. A new statistical technique, the coupled manifold, is used to investigate the TIO SST variability and its relation with the tropical Pacific Ocean (TPO). The analysis shows that the SST variability in the TIO contains a significant portion that is independent from the TPO variability. The same technique is used to estimate the amount of Indian rainfall variability that can be explained by the tropical Indian Ocean SST. Indian Ocean SST anomalies are separated in a part remotely forced from the tropical Pacific Ocean variability and a part independent from that. The relationships between the two SSTA components and the Indian monsoon variability are then investigated in detail.
Intraseasonal Variability of Equatorial Indian Ocean Zonal Currents
Authors: Sengupta Debasis , Senan Retish , Goswami B. N. , Vialard Jérôme
Published: June 2007

New satellite and in situ observations show large intraseasonal (10–60 day) variability of surface winds and upper-ocean current in the equatorial Indian Ocean, particularly in the east. An ocean model forced by the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) wind stress is used to study the dynamics of the intraseasonal zonal current. The model has realistic upper-ocean currents and thermocline depth variabilities on intraseasonal to interannual scales. The quality of the simulation is directly attributed to the accuracy of the wind forcing. At the equator, moderate westerly winds are punctuated by strong 10–40-day westerly wind bursts. The wind bursts force swift, intraseasonal (20–50 day) eastward equatorial jets in spring, summer, and fall. The zonal momentum balance is between local acceleration, stress, and pressure, while nonlinearity deepens and strengthens the eastward current. The westward pressure force associated with the thermocline deepening toward the east rapidly arrests eastward jets and, subsequently, generates (weak) westward flow. Thus, in accord with direct observations in the east, the spring jet is a single intraseasonal event, there are intraseasonal jets in summer, and the fall jet is long lived but strongly modulated on an intraseasonal scale. The zonal pressure force is almost always westward in the upper 120 m, and changes sign twice a year in the 120–200-m layer. Transient eastward equatorial undercurrents in early spring and late summer are associated with semiannual Rossby waves generated at the eastern boundary following thermocline deepening by the spring and fall jets. An easterly wind stress is not necessary to generate the undercurrents. Experiments with a single westerly wind burst forcing show that apart from the intraseasonal response, the zonal pressure force and current in the east have an intrinsic 90-day time scale that arises purely from equatorial adjustment.
Pathways and Effects of the Indonesian Throughflow Water in the Indian Ocean Using Particle Trajectory and Tracers in an OGCM
Authors: Valsala Vinu K. , Ikeda Motoyoshi
Published: June 2007

The 3D pathways of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) in the Indian Ocean are identified using an OGCM, with a combined set of tools: 1) Lagrangian particle trajectories, 2) passive tracers, and 3) active tracers (temperature and salinity). Each of these tools has its own advantages and limitations to represent the watermass pathways. The Lagrangian particles, without horizontal and vertical mixing, suggest that at the entrance region the surface ITF subducts along the northwestern coast of Australia and then travels across the Indian Ocean along the thermocline depths. The subsurface ITF more directly departs westward and crosses the Indian Ocean. Using the passive tracers, which are mixed vertically under convection as well as horizontally due to diffusion, the ITF is shown to undergo vigorous mixing as soon as it enters the Indian Ocean and modifies its upper temperature–salinity (T–S) characteristics. Thus, the surface and subsurface ITF watermasses lose their identities.

Upon reaching the western boundary, the ITF reroutes into three distinct depth ranges, owing to the seasonal reversal of the Somali region: route 1—across the Indian Ocean just to the south of the equator (200–300 m); route 2—across the Indian Ocean to the north of the equator (100–200 m); and route 3—upwells in the Somali region and spreads all over the surface of the northern Indian Ocean. The seasonality of the Somali Current is crucial to spread the ITF along route 3 during the summer monsoon (April–October) and route 2 during the winter monsoon (November–March). The basinwide spreading is responsible for a long residence time of the ITF in the Indian Ocean to be at least 20 yr.

The effects of the ITF on the temperature and salinity are mainly accompanied with the major pathways. However, indirect effects are visible in a few spots; that is, the warm and saline feature is produced in the subsurface off the southwestern coast of Australia around 30°S caused by the eastward surface current, which is under the thermal wind relationship owing to the warm and fresh ITF component. This component also enhances vertical convection and warms the surface around 40°S. The Arabian Sea high salinity water is produced extensively with the effects of the Somali upwelling, which is originally strengthened by the fresh and warm ITF.
Decadal Modulations of the Indian Ocean Dipole in the SINTEX-F1 Coupled GCM
Authors: Tozuka Tomoki , Luo Jing-Jia , Masson Sebastien , Yamagata Toshio
Published: June 2007

The decadal variation in the tropical Indian Ocean is investigated using outputs from a 200-yr integration of the Scale Interaction Experiment-Frontier Research Center for Global Change (SINTEX-F1) ocean–atmosphere coupled model. The first EOF mode of the decadal bandpass- (9–35 yr) filtered sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) represents a basinwide mode and is closely related with the Pacific ENSO-like decadal variability. The second EOF mode shows a clear east–west SSTA dipole pattern similar to that of the interannual Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) and may be termed the decadal IOD. However, it is demonstrated that the decadal air–sea interaction in the Tropics can be a statistical artifact; it should be interpreted more correctly as decadal modulation of interannual IOD events (i.e., asymmetric or skewed occurrence of positive and negative events). Heat budget analysis has revealed that the occurrence of IOD events is governed by variations in the southward Ekman heat transport across 15°S and variations in the Indonesian Throughflow associated with the ENSO. The variations in the southward Ekman heat transport are related to the Mascarene high activities.
Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, Uplift, and Elementary Students
Authors: Powell Frankie Denise , Fields Larry D. , Bell Edwin D. , Johnson Gwendolyn S.
Published: June 2007

Dr. Larry D. Fields, the former principal of Rowland H. Latham Elementary, led the development of a complementary learning model that became known as the Latham Way. The Latham Way produced remarkable academic success among poor minority students. The chi-square of the expected and the actual scores in reading and mathematics were significant at p < .001. There are important lessons in that success for those who understand the significance of educating all our children to the future well-being of the nation.
Creating Environments of Success and Resilience
Authors: Bondy Elizabeth , Ross Dorene D. , Gallingane Caitlin , Hambacher Elyse
Published: June 2007

Creating safe and productive environments with a diverse student population requires more than the strategies recommended in the original classroom-management literature. Drawing from the literature on culturally responsive classroom management, psychologically supportive classroom environments, and building resilience, the authors describe the practices used by three effective novice teachers in urban elementary classrooms during the first 2 hours of the first day of school. The study was based on videotape and interview data that were qualitatively analyzed using an inductive approach. The novice teachers focused on developing relationships and establishing expectations through the use of “insistence” and a culturally responsive communication style. The study provides clear pictures of the ways in which teachers teach and insist on respectful behavior and establish a caring, task-focused community. As such, it demonstrates how teachers create environments of success and resilience for students who have historically floundered in school.
Does Homework Matter? An Investigation of Teacher Perceptions About Homework Practices for Children From Nondominant Backgrounds
Authors: Brock Cynthia H. , Lapp Diane , Flood James , Fisher Douglas , Keonghee Tao Han
Published: June 2007

It is common for teachers in all districts across the United States to give homework to their students. Given the rising numbers of children from nondominant backgrounds1 in American schools, a question that merits consideration is how children from nondominant backgrounds—particularly in large urban centers—are impacted by teachers' homework practices. In this study we explored why teachers in one large U.S. urban center assign homework, the kinds of homework teachers assign, and teachers' beliefs about the impact of this homework on their students' success at school. We collected surveys from 133 elementary school teachers (grades K through middle school) and interviewed a subgroup of 27 teachers from the larger group. Results revealed that although most teachers engaged in homework practices that were similar to those identified in current research (e.g., giving students skills based practice in math and spelling, in particular), most of the teachers in our study did make provisions for the fact that many of their children came from homes where English was not spoken at home and parents may not have the additional financial resources necessary to purchase materials for children to complete their homework.
Religious Participation, Religious Affiliation, and Engagement With Children Among Fathers Experiencing the Birth of a New Child
Authors: Petts Richard J.
Published: June 2007

Using data on 3,124 fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examines whether the birth of a child leads men to increase their religious participation and whether this increase in participation is associated with father engagement. Results indicate that religious participation is positively related to paternal engagement and that first-time fathers with high levels of religious participation report the highest engagement with children. In addition, many fathers report an increase in religious participation in the year following their child's birth, but this increase is not associated with paternal engagement. However, a decrease in religious participation is negatively related to father engagement. Finally, religious affiliation is not related to paternal engagement. Overall, this study suggests that religiously active fathers are more likely to be engaged with their children at early ages and that religious participation may be especially important for new fathers who are transitioning into parenthood.
Nonresident Fathers and Children
Authors: Juby Heather , Billette Jean-Michel , Laplante Benoît , Le Bourdais Céline
Published: June 2007

Children often lose contact with their biological fathers after their parents separate and form new families. Using detailed longitudinal data on family transitions made by mothers and fathers after separation, the authors examine whether and how changes in the family trajectories of both biological parents affect frequency of contact that nonresident fathers maintain with their children. Approximately half of fathers experienced a change in contact frequency. The analysis shows that fathers' new union formation reduces visits to nonresident children, but only when it closely follows separation, before fathers and children have established the structure of their postseparation relationship. Unlike other studies, however, the authors do not find that the birth of a child in the father's new union significantly reduces his level of contact with nonresident children. Findings suggest that nonresident fathers reduce frequency of visits when their children acquire a stepfather.
Time for a Change
Authors: Whitehead Paul R. , Ward Tony , Collie Rachael M.
Published: June 2007

In this article we operationalise the theoretical concepts of the Good Lives Model (GLM) of offender rehabilitation by providing a step-by-step framework for assessment, formulation, treatment planning, and monitoring with a high-risk violent offender residing in the community. The case study illustrates how the GLM can be applied to complement and enhance traditional Risk-Management interventions and shows how the GLM's clinical relevance extends from sex offending to broader offending typologies.
Affordances and Text-Making Practices in Online Instant Messaging
Authors: Lee Carmen K.-M.
Published: June 2007

This study examines the factors influencing language and script choice in instant messaging (IM), a form of real-time computer-mediated communication, in a multilingual setting. Grounded in the New Literacy Studies, the study understands IM as a social practice involving texts, encompassing a range of literacy practices, within which a subset called “text-making practices” is highlighted in this article. Drawing on results from an analysis of chat texts, interviews, and logbooks collected from 19 young people, the author suggests that the text-making practices related to language and writing system choice are guided by the perceived affordances of the IM technology and the available linguistic resources. Seven ecological factors influencing these perceptions have been identified: perceived expressiveness of the language, perceived functions of IM , user familiarity with the language, user identification with the language, technical constraints of inputting methods, speed , and perceived practicality of the writing system. The author argues that these factors often co-occur in real use.
The Pitfalls of a Systematic MEDLINE Review in Palliative Medicine: Symptom Assessment Instruments
Authors: O'Leary Norma , Tiernan Eoin , Walsh Declan , Lucey Niamh , Kirkova Jordanka , Davis Mellar P.
Published: June 2007

The Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) database provides many references for reviews, but many relevant articles are missed, especially when the topic is complex. Reported here is the detailed methodology of a PubMed search of MEDLINE augmented by a related articles link search. Of 1181 citations identified, through a PubMed search, 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-one were identified through the related articles link; of which 43 were not detected by standard searches using medical subject heading terms. More than 50% were identified using the related articles link. Only 14% of relevant articles were identified using the standard PubMed MEDLINE search. The related articles link is not included in methodologic recommendations for systematic literature reviews but this experience suggests that it is a useful tool in PubMed for reviewing complex evidence. Related links searches are proposed in any systematic PubMed MEDLINE literature review in palliative medicine.
Protecting Hospice Patients: A New Look at Falls Prevention
Authors: Gray Jullie
Published: June 2007

Falls prevention is a critical priority in hospice and palliative care settings. To keep patients safe and comply with national standards, hospice professionals must have available appropriate assessment, prevention, and intervention tools. Existing procedures engaging patients in strengthening exercises and reducing or eliminating medications that cause dizziness, imbalance and confusion are fitting and useful in environments where first-line fall reduction efforts are possible. These current tools are based on research in facilities for nonhospice patients and run counter to the goals of palliative care. By definition, hospice patients have a terminal illness and are, or will become, too weak to manage strengthening exercises. Without their medications, many would experience intolerable pain and unmanageable anxiety and depression. This article proposes assessment guidelines and pragmatic interventions to reduce the risk of falling that are consistent with the hospice philosophy of comfort.
Psychosocial Assessment of Patients Who Have Undergone Inpatient Cancer Rehabilitation
Authors: Ying Guo  , LeDay-Jacobs Connie , Palmer J. Lynn , Bruera Eduardo
Published: June 2007

This study summarized the social work services provided in an acute inpatient cancer rehabilitation program. Reviewed were 49 consecutive social worker assessments from February 2003 to March 2003. The social worker was consulted mostly for discharge planning (40/49, 82%) and helping patients cope (23/49, 47%). Sixty-seven percent of the patients (33/49) were coping well. Sixty-five percent of patients (32/49) had an identified caregiver. Most patients planned to go home (33/49, 67%) after their discharge. Interventions provided by the social worker included counseling (100% of patients/ families), referral to financial resources (24/49, 49%) and transportation services (21/49, 43%), and other resources (37/49, 76%). Age, gender, and identified caregiver did not show significant association with the coping status or referrals. The social worker is important in assessing cancer patients' coping and providing support.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Patients With Cancer
Authors: Varon Joseph , Marik Paul E.
Published: June 2007

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with most of these deaths taking place in the hospital setting. Discussions on end-of-life care and on cardiopulmonary resuscitation in particular are an important component in the management of patients with cancer. Clinical decision making and respect for patient autonomy dictate that health care providers provide their patients with accurate information on the expected outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This article reviews those factors that affect the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients with cancer and provides recommendations on obtaining do-not-resuscitate orders in these patients.
Quality-of-life Assessment in Palliative Care
Authors: Brasel Karen J.
Published: June 2007

Quality-of-life assessment can be a helpful tool in ensuring optimal palliative care. To adequately assess quality of life, it must be first defined and subsequently measured. This article outlines several of the instruments available to measure quality of life, including the Karnofsky Score, Edmonton Symptom Assessment, Memorial Symptoms Assessment Scale, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Questionnaire, Quality and Quantity of Life Short Questionnaire, and Cambridge Palliative Assessment Schedule. Use of these instruments in the context of goal-setting and family meetings as well as common pitfalls in quality-of-life assessment are outlined.
Light Exposure, Melatonin Secretion, and Menstrual Cycle Parameters: An Integrative Review
Authors: Lee Barron Mary
Published: June 2007

Dysfunction in menstrual physiology has pronounced effects on quality of life, involving mood changes, body image, infertility, and pregnancy complications. Light exposure may affect menstrual cycles and symptoms through the influence of melatonin secretion. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the current state of knowledge about the effects of light and melatonin secretion on menstrual phase and cycle alterations. A brief overview of the influence of melatonin on human physiology is included. There is evidence of a relationship between light exposure and melatonin secretion and irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cycle symptoms, and disordered ovarian function. In women with a psychopathology such as bipolar disorder or an endocrinopathy such as polycystic ovary syndrome, there seems to be greater vulnerability to the influence of light—dark exposure. Research on the complex role of light—dark exposure in menstrual physiology has implications for treatment of menstrual-associated disorders.
Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Patterns in Urban Greek Couples
Authors: Lee Kathryn A. , Beyene Yewoubdar , Paparrigopoulos Thomas J. , Dikeos Dimitris G. , Soldatos Constantin R.
Published: June 2007

A convenience sample of 14 adults (seven couples) who intentionally nap regularly was recruited to describe circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in a culture in which afternoon naps are routine. Participants wore a wrist actigraph for 48 hr during May to obtain two peaks and troughs of activity data. Peak activity, estimated by cosinor analysis (acrophase), occurred at 1542 hours for men and at 1600 hours for women. Compared to their male partners, women had a later acrophase and a significantly stronger 24-hr rhythm, despite similar nap and nighttime sleep schedules. Men had more awakenings during the night and slightly shorter naps than did women. For the 24-hr period, men averaged 6.8 ± 1.0 hr of sleep and women averaged 7.4 ± 1.1 hr. Results indicate that Greek adults delay sleep onset at night and awaken early in the morning. Among this small group, naps are an accepted cultural behavior.
People's Choice: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Modalities
Authors: Robinson Anske , Chesters Janice , Cooper Simon
Published: June 2007

The diversity within CAM use in the community, and the beliefs, concerns, and characteristics of the users of individual CAM modalities was explored via a survey mailed to a randomly selected sample of 1,308 people in different metropolitan and rural localities in Victoria, Australia. The response rate was 40% ( n = 459). The respondents' overall current CAM use was 52% and lifetime use was 85%. Chiropractic (50%), massage therapy, (50%), and vitamin or herbal supplements (39%) were the most frequently used modalities. A set of beliefs labeled holistic health care beliefs strongly predicted the use of Natural Remedy and Wellness modalities. Users of these modalities were more likely to be female, under the age of 60, and tertiary educated. Rurality characteristics did not predict rural CAM usage and were equally present in metropolitan and rural respondents. The respondents' decisions concerning CAM involved choosing a modality that fit their self-assessed health care needs.
The Drive for Legitimation in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Australia: Successes and Dilemmas
Authors: Baer Hans A.
Published: June 2007

This article examines the drive for legitimation on the part of Chinese medicine and more specifically acupuncture in Australia. It examines the development of Chinese medicine in Australia, the road to statutory registration of Chinese medicine in Victoria, and the niche of Chinese medicine within the context of the Australian plural medical system. Despite the opposition of organized medicine, the Victorian Parliament passed the Chinese Medicine Registration Act in May 2000, making Victoria the only Australian political jurisdiction to formally regulate Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists. The legal status of Chinese medicine and acupuncture outside of Victoria resembles that of naturopathy and other natural therapies, such as Western herbalism and homeopathy, none of which has achieved statutory registration in any Australian jurisdiction. Chinese medicine has a distinct identity within the context of the Australian plural medical system. Conversely, acupuncture, as one of the modalities of Chinese medicine—and in Western societies its principal modality—has been incorporated into various other heterodox medical subsystems, particularly chiropractic, osteopathy, and naturopathy, as well as conventional systems, such as biomedicine and physiotherapy.
Relationship between insertion/deletion (indel) frequency of proteins and essentiality
Authors: Chan Simon K , Hsing Michael , Hormozdiari Fereydoun , Cherkasov Artem
Published: June 2007

Background

In a previous study, we demonstrated that some essential proteins from pathogenic organisms contained sizable insertions/deletions (indels) when aligned to human proteins of high sequence similarity. Such indels may provide sufficient spatial differences between the pathogenic protein and human proteins to allow for selective targeting. In one example, an indel difference was targeted via large scale in-silico screening. This resulted in selective antibodies and small compounds which were capable of binding to the deletion-bearing essential pathogen protein without any cross-reactivity to the highly similar human protein. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether indels were found more frequently in essential than non-essential proteins.

Results

We have investigated three species, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for which high-quality protein essentiality data is available. Using these data, we demonstrated with t-test calculations that the mean indel frequencies in essential proteins were greater than that of non-essential proteins in the three proteomes. The abundance of indels in both types of proteins was also shown to be accurately modeled by the Weibull distribution. However, Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves showed that indel frequencies alone could not be used as a marker to accurately discriminate between essential and non-essential proteins in the three proteomes. Finally, we analyzed the protein interaction data available for S. cerevisiae and observed that indel-bearing proteins were involved in more interactions and had greater betweenness values within Protein Interaction Networks (PINs).

Conclusion

Overall, our findings demonstrated that indels were not randomly distributed across the studied proteomes and were likely to occur more often in essential proteins and those that were highly connected, indicating a possible role of sequence insertions and deletions in the regulation and modification of protein-protein interactions. Such observations will provide new insights into indel-based drug design using bioinformatics and cheminformatics tools.
A curious coincidence: mosquito biodiversity and the limits of the Japanese encephalitis virus in Australasia
Authors: Hemmerter Stéphane , Šlapeta Jan , van den Hurk Andrew F , Cooper Robert D , Whelan Peter I , Russell Richard C , Johansen Cheryl A , Beebe Nigel W
Published: June 2007

Background

The mosquito Culex annulirostris Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) is the major vector of endemic arboviruses in Australia and is also responsible for the establishment of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in southern Papua New Guinea (PNG) as well as its incursions into northern Australia. Papua New Guinea and mainland Australia are separated by a small stretch of water, the Torres Strait, and its islands. While there has been regular JEV activity on these islands, JEV has not established on mainland Australia despite an abundance of Cx. annulirostris and porcine amplifying hosts. Despite the public health significance of this mosquito and the fact that its adults show overlapping morphology with close relative Cx. palpalis Taylor, its evolution and genetic structure remain undetermined. We address a hypothesis that there is significant genetic diversity in Cx. annulirostris and that the identification of this diversity will shed light on the paradox that JEV can cycle on an island 70 km from mainland Australia while not establishing in Australia itself.

Results

We sequenced 538 bp of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene from 273 individuals collected from 43 localities in Australia and the southwest Pacific region to describe the phylogeography of Cx. annulirostris and its sister species Cx. palpalis. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses reveal supporting evidence for multiple divergent lineages that display geographic restriction. Culex palpalis contained three divergent lineages geographically restricted to southern Australia, northern Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Culex annulirostris contained five geographically restricted divergent lineages, with one lineage restricted to the Solomon Islands and two identified mainly within Australia while two other lineages showed distributions in PNG and the Torres Strait Islands with a southern limit at the top of Australia's Cape York Peninsula.

Conclusion

The existence of divergent mitochondrial lineages within Cx. annulirostris and Cx. palpalis helps explain the difficulty of using adult morphology to identify Cx. annulirostris and its ecological diversity. Notably, the southern limit of the PNG lineages of Cx. annulirostris coincides exactly with the current southern limit of JEV activity in Australasia suggesting that variation in these COI lineages may be the key to why JEV has not yet established yet on mainland Australia.
High-throughput genotyping of a common deletion polymorphism disrupting the TRY6 gene and its association with breast cancer risk
Authors: Wagner Kerstin , Grzybowska Ewa , Butkiewicz Dorota , Pamula-Pilat Jolanta , Pekala Wioletta , Tecza Karolina , Hemminki Kari , Försti Asta
Published: June 2007

Background

Copy number polymorphisms caused by genomic rearrangements like deletions, make a significant contribution to the genomic differences between two individuals and may add to disease predisposition. Therefore, genotyping of such deletion polymorphisms in case-control studies could give important insights into risk associations.

Results

We mapped the breakpoints and developed a fluorescent fragment analysis for a deletion disrupting the TRY6 gene to exemplify a quick and cheap genotyping approach for such structural variants. We showed that the deletion is larger than predicted and encompasses also the pseudogene TRY5. We performed a case-control study to test an association of the TRY6 deletion polymorphism with breast cancer using a single nucleotide polymorphism which is in 100% linkage disequilibrium with the deletion. We did not observe an effect of the deletion on breast cancer risk (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.71–1.56).

Conclusion

Although we did not observe an association between the TRY6 deletion polymorphism and breast cancer risk, the identification and investigation of further deletions using the present approach may help to elucidate their effect on disease susceptibility.
Neurite outgrowth on a fibronectin isoform expressed during peripheral nerve regeneration is mediated by the interaction of paxillin with α4β1 integrins
Authors: Vogelezang Mariette , Forster Ulrike B , Han Jaewon , Ginsberg Mark H , ffrench-Constant Charles
Published: June 2007

Background

The regeneration of peripheral nerve is associated with a change in the alternative splicing of the fibronectin primary gene transcript to re-express embryonic isoforms containing a binding site for α4β1 integrins that promote neurite outgrowth. Here we use PC12 cells to examine the role of the interaction between paxillin and the α4 integrin cytoplasmic domain in neurite outgrowth.

Results

Expression of α4 with mutations in the paxillin-binding domain reduced neurite outgrowth on recombinant embryonic fibronectin fragments relative to wild type α4. Over-expression of paxillin promoted neurite outgrowth while a mutant isoform lacking the LD4 domain implicated in the regulation of ARF and Rac GTPases was less effective. Optimal α4-mediated migration in leucocytes requires spatial regulation of α4 phosphorylation at Ser988, a post-translational modification that blocks paxillin binding to the integrin cytoplasmic domain. In keeping with this α4(S988D), which mimics phosphorylated α4, did not promote neurite outgrowth. However, α4 was not phosphorylated in the PC12 cells, and a non-phosphorylatable α4(S988A) mutant promoted neurite outgrowth indistinguishably from the wild type integrin.

Conclusion

We establish the importance of the α4 integrin-paxillin interaction in a model of axonal regeneration and highlight differing dependence on phosphorylation of α4 for extension of neuronal growth cones and migration of non-neural cells.
Schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms in families of two American Indian tribes
Authors: Robin Robert W , Gottesman Irving I , Albaugh Bernard , Goldman David
Published: June 2007

Background

The risk of schizophrenia is thought to be higher in population isolates that have recently been exposed to major and accelerated cultural change, accompanied by ensuing socio-environmental stressors/triggers, than in dominant, mainstream societies. We investigated the prevalence and phenomenology of schizophrenia in 329 females and 253 males of a Southwestern American Indian tribe, and in 194 females and 137 males of a Plains American Indian tribe. These tribal groups were evaluated as part of a broader program of gene-environment investigations of alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders.

Methods

Semi-structured psychiatric interviews were conducted to allow diagnoses utilizing standardized psychiatric diagnostic criteria, and to limit cultural biases. Study participants were recruited from the community on the basis of membership in pedigrees, and not by convenience. After independent raters evaluated the interviews blindly, DSM-III-R diagnoses were assigned by a consensus of experts well-versed in the local cultures.

Results

Five of the 582 Southwestern American Indian respondents (prevalence = 8.6 per 1000), and one of the 331 interviewed Plains American Indians (prevalence = 3.02 per 1000) had a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia. The lifetime prevalence rates of schizophrenia within these two distinct American Indian tribal groups is consistent with lifetime expectancy rates reported for the general United States population and most isolate and homogeneous populations for which prevalence rates of schizophrenia are available. While we were unable to factor in the potential modifying effect that mortality rates of schizophrenia-suffering tribal members may have had on the overall tribal rates, the incidence of schizophrenia among the living was well within the normative range.

Conclusion

The occurrence of schizophrenia among members of these two tribal population groups is consistent with prevalence rates reported for population isolates and in the general population. Vulnerabilities to early onset alcohol and drug use disorders do not lend convincing support to a diathesis-stressor model with these stressors, commonly reported with these tribes. Nearly one-fifth of the respondents reported experiencing psychotic-like symptoms, reaffirming the need to examine sociocultural factors actively before making positive diagnoses of psychosis or schizophrenia.
Towards the high-resolution protein structure prediction. Fast refinement of reduced models with all-atom force field
Authors: Kmiecik Sebastian , Gront Dominik , Kolinski Andrzej
Published: June 2007

Background

Although experimental methods for determining protein structure are providing high resolution structures, they cannot keep the pace at which amino acid sequences are resolved on the scale of entire genomes. For a considerable fraction of proteins whose structures will not be determined experimentally, computational methods can provide valuable information. The value of structural models in biological research depends critically on their quality. Development of high-accuracy computational methods that reliably generate near-experimental quality structural models is an important, unsolved problem in the protein structure modeling.

Results

Large sets of structural decoys have been generated using reduced conformational space protein modeling tool CABS. Subsequently, the reduced models were subject to all-atom reconstruction. Then, the resulting detailed models were energy-minimized using state-of-the-art all-atom force field, assuming fixed positions of the alpha carbons. It has been shown that a very short minimization leads to the proper ranking of the quality of the models (distance from the native structure), when the all-atom energy is used as the ranking criterion. Additionally, we performed test on medium and low accuracy decoys built via classical methods of comparative modeling. The test placed our model evaluation procedure among the state-of-the-art protein model assessment methods.

Conclusion

These test computations show that a large scale high resolution protein structure prediction is possible, not only for small but also for large protein domains, and that it should be based on a hierarchical approach to the modeling protocol. We employed Molecular Mechanics with fixed alpha carbons to rank-order the all-atom models built on the scaffolds of the reduced models. Our tests show that a physic-based approach, usually considered computationally too demanding for large-scale applications, can be effectively used in such studies.
Partnership working: a policy with promise for mental healthcare
Authors: Tait Lynda , Shah Sonal
Published: June 2007

This article describes the literature specific to partnership working across the National Health Service, social services and voluntary and community sector in order to summarise the potential advantages and challenges of partnerships. We explore the meaning of partnership working and review the policy developments and investment initiatives underpinning the Government's emphasis on partnership working between statutory services and the voluntary and community sector. A number of barriers hinder effective partnership working and we examine some possible solutions to overcome these. We then address the key issues influencing the approach to increasing the voluntary sector's participation in partnership activities within mental health services and provide brief examples of good practice. Finally, we discuss practical issues relevant to planning partnerships and the role consultant psychiatrists can play in initiating and developing partnership working between the voluntary sector and statutory mental health services.
This year in a school of psychiatry near you: psychotherapy training within the new curriculum
Authors: Mizen Susan
Published: June 2007

This article outlines the changes to psychotherapy training for psychiatrists proposed in the Royal College of Psychiatrists' new specialist training curriculum. There is some debate about whether this curriculum should be taken up in its present form because of the limitation of resources to implement it. I describe the effect of taking the College at its word that psychotherapy training should be mandatory and the improvement this has already brought about in psychotherapy training on the Exeter and South Devon training rotations. I also discuss what will be required to implement the new requirements.
Preparing trainees for the MRCPsych examinations
Authors: Vassilas Christopher A. , Kuruvilla Tarun , Gupta Vinesh , El-Nadeef Maha
Published: June 2007

This article is aimed at organisers of courses for the Royal College of Psychiatrists' membership examinations (MRCPsych) and College tutors preparing trainees for the MRCPsych. Running revision courses requires planning and a good deal of work but should be possible for most MRCPsych preparation courses. The theoretical background of assessments is explained. An overview of the type of examination used in the MRCPsych is provided and advice as to how trainees can best prepare for them given. Advice is given on the recruitment and retention of examiners for mock clinical exams, how to deal with simulated patients and what equipment is useful to buy for the use of trainees. We also explain how trainees can practice for the written papers and how feedback is best given to them. The new MRCPsych formal examination and workplace-based assessment programme are also discussed.