bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adjunctive minocycline treatment for major depressive disorder: A proof of concept trial
Authors: Dean Olivia M , Kanchanatawan Buranee , Ashton Melanie , Mohebbi Mohammadreza , Ng Chee Hong , Maes Michael , Berk Lesley , Sughondhabirom Atapol , Tangwongchai Sookjaroen , Singh Ajeet B , McKenzie Helen , Smith Deidre J , Malhi Gin S , Dowling Nathan , Berk Michael
Published: June 2017

Objective:

Conventional antidepressant treatments result in symptom remission in 30% of those treated for major depressive disorder, raising the need for effective adjunctive therapies. Inflammation has an established role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder, and minocycline has been shown to modify the immune-inflammatory processes and also reduce oxidative stress and promote neuronal growth. This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial examined adjunctive minocycline (200 mg/day, in addition to treatment as usual) for major depressive disorder. This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial investigated 200 mg/day adjunctive minocycline (in addition to treatment as usual) for major depressive disorder.

Methods:

A total of 71 adults with major depressive disorder ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition) were randomised to this 12-week trial. Outcome measures included the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (primary outcome), Clinical Global Impression–Improvement and Clinical Global Impression–Severity, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, Social and Occupational Functioning Scale and the Range of Impaired Functioning Tool. The study was registered on the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register: www.anzctr.org.au , #ACTRN12612000283875.

Results:

Based on mixed-methods repeated measures analysis of variance at week 12, there was no significant difference in Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores between groups. However, there were significant differences, favouring the minocycline group at week 12 for Clinical Global Impression–Improvement score – effect size (95% confidence interval) = −0.62 [−1.8, −0.3], p = 0.02; Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire score – effect size (confidence interval) = −0.12 [0.0, 0.2], p < 0.001; and Social and Occupational Functioning Scale and the Range of Impaired Functioning Tool score – 0.79 [−4.5, −1.4], p < 0.001. These effects remained at follow-up (week 16), and Patient Global Impression also became significant, effect size (confidence interval) = 0.57 [−1.7, −0.4], p = 0.017.

Conclusion:

While the primary outcome was not significant, the improvements in other comprehensive clinical measures suggest that minocycline may be a useful adjunct to improve global experience, functioning and quality of life in people with major depressive disorder. Further studies are warranted to confirm the potential of this accessible agent to optimise treatment outcomes.
Narrating Dalit womanhood and the aesthetics of autobiography
Authors: Brueck Laura R.
Published: June 2017

This article will consider two Hindi-language autobiographies by Dalit women, to explain how we can emphasize the collective, relational, and specifically gendered character of Dalit women’s life writing without simplistically categorizing them as testimonio, “witnessing”. Nor should we over-privilege their gendered specificity, thereby effacing the very real narrative authority, purposefulness, and perspectival control of their authors. Instead, we must be especially attentive to the language of a text and understand how the relationality and collectivity of experience is not accidental or necessarily organic to a woman’s view on her world, but is actively, politically, and consciously constructed in the course of a narrative. Predicated on a reasonable concern over the appropriation of a revolutionary new literary voice, attention to narrative form has been slow in coming to the critical and scholarly analysis of Dalit literature, somewhat paradoxically resulting in the rendering of this literature too as “untouchable”. In exploring what is therefore only a nascent formal criticism of the Dalit autobiographical genre, I believe it is important to express a note of caution against replicating the same kinds of essentializing processes of differentiation (the kind we have seen before in the critical reception of life writing in other cultures and languages) between men’s and women’s Dalit life narratives as ego-driven and individualistic linear progressions to political awakening versus relational, community-based, politically and purposefully diffuse “witnessings”. In this exciting moment in which we have the opportunity to engage with a critically important and rapidly expanding rhetorical movement such as Dalit literature, it is, I believe, a diligent recourse to textual analysis that may yet save us from such facile stereotyping.
The Impact of Prior Activity History on the Influence of Restricted Repetitive Behaviors on Socialization for Children With High-Functioning Autism
Authors: Koegel Robert L. , Oliver Kelsey , Koegel Lynn K.
Published: June 2017

Research has demonstrated that incorporating restricted interests of an individual with autism into recess activities is effective at increasing socialization with typically developing peers. However, certain activity contexts may alter the reinforcing influence of the restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) depending on an individual’s history in that activity. Using an alternating treatment design, this study examined whether an individual’s history with an activity affected socialization. RRBs were embedded into activities with a reported positive history (i.e., prior history of positive experiences) and activities with a reported negative history (i.e., prior history of aversive experiences) for participants. Data indicated that socialization increased and remained above baseline levels when RRBs were introduced during activities with a positive history, whereas socialization was minimal when RRBs were introduced in activities with a negative history. Social significance and implications for designing activities that incorporate a child’s RRBs are discussed.
Modular minimal invasive extracorporeal circuits: another step toward universal applicability?
Authors: El-Essawi Aschraf , Morjan Mohammed , Breitenbach Ingo , Bechri Ahmed , Brouwer Rene , Harringer Wolfgang
Published: June 2017

Introduction:

Safety concerns have been one of the main reasons opposing a wider acceptance of minimal invasive extracorporeal circuits (MiECC). Following an extensive experience and a multitude of modifications, we have set out to employ a modular MiECC as a universal extracorporeal circuit.

Methods:

A total of 129 cardiac surgical procedures were performed by a single surgeon in 2013. Excluding procedures done under circulatory arrest or with the potential need of such, the MiECC was utilized in almost 90% of surgeries. Of sixty-two (simple procedures) patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR) or CABG + AVR, 82% were non-elective, 10% had a left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) <30% and most had an impaired renal function. Thirty-eight patients had more complex surgeries (complex procedures), 37% of which were urgent, 15% had an EF <30% and the majority had renal dysfunction.

Results:

The 30-day mortality was 5% in simple procedures and 2.5% in complex procedures. The incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation was 13% and 16%, respectively. Optimum outcome was defined as a freedom from all complications and blood transfusions and was achieved in 52% and 42%, respectively.

Conclusions:

This report shows that modular MiECC can be employed with a high safety margin in cardiac surgery. Furthermore, it emphasizes the impact that minimal invasive philosophy could have in improving patient care.
Early pulmonary compliance increase during cardiac surgery predicted post-operative lung dysfunction
Authors: Sacuto Yann , Sacuto Thierry
Published: June 2017

Introduction:

Lung dysfunction following cardiac surgery is currently viewed as the consequence of atelectasis and lung injury. While the mechanism of atelectasis has been largely detailed, the pathogenesis of lung injury after cardiopulmonary bypass is still unclear. Based upon clinical and experimental studies, we hypothesized that lungs could be injured through a mechanical phenomenon.

Methods:

We recorded pulmonary compliance at six key moments of a heart operation in 62 adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. We focused on the period lasting from anesthetic induction to aorta unclamping. We calculated the variation of static and dynamic pulmonary compliance caused by thorax opening; ΔCstat1 and ΔCdyn1 and that caused by cardiopulmonary bypass, ΔCstat2 and ΔCdyn2. Blood gases were performed under standardized ventilation after anesthetic induction and after surgical closure. The PaO2/FiO2 ratio was calculated. ∆PaO2/FiO2 was the criterion for lung dysfunction. We compared ΔCstat1 and ΔCdyn1 with both ∆PaO2/FiO2 and, respectively, ΔCstat2 and ΔCdyn2.

Results:

Static and dynamic compliance increased with the opening of the thorax and decreased with the start of cardiopulmonary bypass. The PaO2/FiO2 ratio diminished after surgery. ΔCstat1 and ΔCdyn1 were negatively correlated with both ∆PaO2/FiO2 (r=-0.42; p<0.001 and r=-0.44; p<0.001) and, respectively, with ΔCstat2 and ΔCdyn2 (r=-0.59; p<0.001 and r=-0.53; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

Increased pulmonary compliance induced by the opening of the thorax is correlated with worsened intrapulmonary shunt after cardiopulmonary bypass. A mechanical phenomenon could be partly responsible for post-operative hypoxemia.
Hsinchu Technopolis: A Sociotechnical Imaginary of Modernity in Taiwan?
Authors: Hsu Jinn-Yuh
Published: June 2017

The Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (HSIP) – a special zone established by the Taiwanese government to attract overseas talented engineers back to Taiwan – has been referred to as ‘a Silicon Valley of the East’. As a dreamscape of Taiwan’s modernity, the HSIP aimed to exhibit futuristic ways of organizing employment and living a modern lifestyle. However, the success of the HSIP has created and deepened social and urban contradictions with its neighboring, mostly rural, areas. The government subsequently proposed the Hsinchu Science City (HSC) plan and the Unpolished Jade Project (UJP) to ‘harmonize’ the contradictions between these areas. Consequently, it led the HSIP to turn from an industrial enclave to an urban megaproject, or zone-city. The zone-city has shaped fantasies of modernity in the local people and inspired in them a will to improve. At the same time, it has raised suspicions of land grabbing and dispossession. This article argues that the production of space through zone-cities, an urban form that has been phenomenal in the East Asian context, revolves around a dialectic between the desire for regional improvement and the greed of land speculation. The inherent tension between both sides of this dialectic thus poses an ethical and practical challenge for critical approaches in urban studies.
Self-Managing Team Performance: A Systematic Review of Multilevel Input Factors
Authors: Magpili Nina Cristina , Pazos Pilar
Published: June 2017

Organizations need flexible and adaptable structures to thrive in an increasingly turbulent business environment. Self-managing team (SMT) structures have evolved as an optimal approach to increase flexibility and performance as evidenced by their documented proliferation in organizations. However, even with their broad organizational adoption, research shows inconsistencies concerning SMT’s potential to enhance performance. This review integrates prior empirical research on input factors that influence the successful implementation of high-performing SMTs. Using a prior team effectiveness framework as a lens, we conducted a systematic analysis of the literature to shed light into the variables at the individual, team, and organizational level that affect performance and successful implementation of SMT. The sample of studies resulted from an exhaustive search that included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. Last, we present gaps in the literature and propose future directions for research on SMTs.
Use of Intervention Mapping to Enhance Health Care Professional Practice: A Systematic Review
Authors: Durks Desire , Fernandez-Llimos Fernando , Hossain Lutfun N. , Franco-Trigo Lucia , Benrimoj Shalom I. , Sabater-Hernández Daniel
Published: June 2017

Background. Intervention Mapping is a planning protocol for developing behavior change interventions, the first three steps of which are intended to establish the foundations and rationales of such interventions. Aim. This systematic review aimed to identify programs that used Intervention Mapping to plan changes in health care professional practice. Specifically, it provides an analysis of the information provided by the programs in the first three steps of the protocol to determine their foundations and rationales of change. Method. A literature search was undertaken in PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and DOAJ using “Intervention Mapping” as keyword. Key information was gathered, including theories used, determinants of practice, research methodologies, theory-based methods, and practical applications. Results. Seventeen programs aimed at changing a range of health care practices were included. The social cognitive theory and the theory of planned behavior were the most frequently used frameworks in driving change within health care practices. Programs used a large variety of research methodologies to identify determinants of practice. Specific theory-based methods (e.g., modelling and active learning) and practical applications (e.g., health care professional training and facilitation) were reported to inform the development of practice change interventions and programs. Discussion. In practice, Intervention Mapping delineates a three-step systematic, theory- and evidence-driven process for establishing the theoretical foundations and rationales underpinning change in health care professional practice. Conclusion. The use of Intervention Mapping can provide health care planners with useful guidelines for the theoretical development of practice change interventions and programs.
The nested systems of local school development: Understanding improved interaction and capacities in the different sub-systems of schools
Authors: Adolfsson Carl-Henrik , Alvunger Daniel
Published: June 2017

In school systems around the world, there is an increasing focus on students’ academic achievement. The challenge of how to improve schools is an important issue for all levels in the school system. However, a central question of both practical and theoretical relevance is how it is possible to understand why (or why not) school-development efforts are successful. The purpose of this article is to explore the ecology of local school development through the case of a medium-sized municipality in Sweden, based on empirical data from two follow-up research projects. The analytical framework draws from organisational theory and new institutional theory, where focus is directed towards how different sub-systems of the school organisation interact with and respond to aspects of development work and the implications for outcomes of school-development initiatives. Findings show that great investment of resources from the central level in the local school organisation necessarily does not lead to changes in teaching practice. School-development initiatives are unlikely to be successful unless they engage and re-couple the involved sub-systems. Finally, we discuss how the introduction of Expert Teachers as a new sub-system has the ability to work as a link between other sub-systems and to promote school development.
Complications after hand surgery in patients with a raised International Normalized Ratio
Authors: Zimmerman R. M. , Paryavi E. , Zimmerman N. B. , Means K. R.
Published: June 2017

A multicentre database was used to compare complications in 231 patients with an elevated International Normalized Ratio with 1626 control patients with a normal International Normalized Ratio. Patients with International Normalized Ratios measured within 48 hours of hand surgery were identified. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between anticoagulation and reoperation rates, emergency department visits and hospital readmissions for the first 30 days after operation. The group with a raised International Normalized Ratio had a significantly higher Charlson Comorbidity Score. An elevated International Normalized Ratio was associated with an odds ratio for a post-operative emergency department visit of 3.3 and an odds ratio of 4.7 for readmission. There was no statistically significant difference in early reoperations between the two groups.

Level of evidence: III
Conflicts Between African Traditional Religion and Christianity in Eastern Nigeria: The Igbo Example
Authors: Okeke Chukwuma O. , Ibenwa Christopher N. , Okeke Gloria Tochukwu
Published: June 2017

Conflict is a universal phenomenon that is inevitable in human interaction. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two religions since the introduction of Christianity in Igbo land. It examines the nature, pattern, rationale for the conflicts. The method adopted by this study is qualitative and comparative. Both oral interviews and library materials were used. The study validates the following: There is occasional destruction of lives and property and demolition of the people’s artifacts and groves by Christians, and this has led to reduction in the sources of income of the people, and in the tourist sites available in most Igbo towns. It also led to syncretism in the people’s culture. Finally, it helped in refining some obnoxious beliefs and practices of the Igbo race.
Perfect Imperfections: Locus of Control, Perfectionism, and Postpartum Depression
Authors: Jackman Lauren C. , Thorsteinsson Einar B. , McNeil Dominic G.
Published: June 2017

We examined whether locus of control (LOC) moderates the apparent relationship between perfectionism and postpartum depression (PPD). It was predicted that external LOC would moderate the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and PPD, and socially prescribed perfectionism and PPD. A sample of 243 women completed an online self-report questionnaire assessing perfectionism, LOC, and PPD. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were significantly associated with PPD. Increased personal loci of control (i.e., low external LOC and high internal LOC) moderated (strengthened) the relationship between perfectionism and PPD. LOC may be an important concept and one of the underlying factors at work in the perfectionism–PPD relationship. This outcome may be attributed to the self-directed nature of self-oriented perfectionists.
Pediatric Germ Cell Tumor: Case Study
Authors: Szigeti Deborah L. , Sutton Douglas E.
Published: June 2017

Germ cell (yolk sac) tumors are rare tumors that often have a poor prognosis because they are not usually found until metastases have occurred. The diagnosis of yolk sac tumors is usually a multimodality diagnosis in conjunction with a biopsy of the lesion. This case study outlines the initial stages of diagnosing and treating a 22-month-old male patient who was found to have a widespread malignant yolk sac tumor in his abdominopelvic cavity. Sonography was used as the primary imaging modality due to the patient’s age, but it was soon determined that a follow-up with computed tomography was necessary. Because of the complicated nature and progression of the tumor, a surgical biopsy was then performed. During the procedure, it was also noted that the mass was hypervascular with extensive blood flow throughout the mass. Excision was not an option and chemotherapy treatment was recommended.
The disulfide isomerase ERp72 supports arterial thrombosis in mice
Authors: Zhou Junsong , Wu Yi , Chen Fengwu , Wang Lu , Rauova Lubica , Hayes Vincent M. , Poncz Mortimer , Li Hong , Liu Tong , Liu Junling , Essex David W.
Published: June 2017

Key Points

Intravascular ERp72 supports platelet accumulation and fibrin generation through the a and a′ active sites. ERp72 functions separately from protein disulfide isomerase and ERp57 in supporting platelet aggregation.
Cell-Cycle Therapeutics Come of Age
Authors: Ingham Matthew , Schwartz Gary K.
Published: June 2017

The ability to sustain unscheduled proliferation is a hallmark of cancer. The normal process of cell division occurs via the cell cycle, a series of highly regulated steps that are orchestrated at the molecular level by specific cyclins that act in association with cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Cyclin D and CDK4/6 play a key role in cell-cycle progression by phosphorylating and inactivating the retinoblastoma protein, a tumor suppressor that restrains G1- to S-phase progression. The first-generation CDK inhibitors demonstrated broad activity upon several CDKs, which likely explains their considerable toxicities and limited efficacy. Palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib represent a new class of highly specific ATP-competitive CDK4/6 inhibitors that induce reversible G1-phase cell-cycle arrest in retinoblastoma-positive tumor models. Both palbociclib and ribociclib have been approved in combination with hormone-based therapy for the treatment of naïve hormone receptor–positive advanced breast cancer on the basis of an improvement in progression-free survival. In general, CDK4/6 inhibitors are cytostatic as monotherapy but demonstrate favorable tolerability, which has prompted interest in combination approaches. Combinations with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors in breast cancer, and inhibitors of the RAS/RAF/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in RAS-mutant cancers are particularly promising approaches that are currently being evaluated. Although the subject of intense preclinical study, predictive biomarkers for response and resistance to these drugs remain largely undefined. CDK4/6 inhibitors have emerged as the most promising of the cell-cycle therapeutics and intense efforts are now underway to expand the reach of this paradigm.
Blocking the Cycle: Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors in Metastatic, Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Wander Seth A. , Mayer Erica L. , Burstein Harold J.
Published: June 2017

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors’ suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.

A 68-year-old postmenopausal woman was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago when she presented with a stage II (T2N1), right-sided, invasive ductal carcinoma considered grade 2 of 3 on core biopsy, with a positive fine-needle aspiration of a palpable, ipsilateral axillary lymph node. Immunohistochemical analysis was positive for estrogen and progesterone receptor expression and negative for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. She received neoadjuvant dose-dense doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel chemotherapy, followed by breast-conserving surgery and axillary lymph node dissection, which revealed residual disease in three of 11 nodes. She received adjuvant radiation therapy and initiated letrozole, with excellent compliance during the interval 6-year period. While receiving adjuvant letrozole therapy, she reported 3 months of worsening back pain. Skeletal scintigraphy and cross-sectional imaging confirmed widespread osseous metastatic disease and right supraclavicular lymph node enlargement ( Fig 1 ). Core biopsy of the involved lymph node confirmed estrogen receptor (ER)–positive (90%), progesterone receptor–negative, HER2-negative recurrent metastatic breast cancer. The patient reported mild pain that was adequately controlled with over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. She has remained active with an excellent performance status.
Placental labyrinth formation in mice requires endothelial FLRT2–UNC5B signaling
Authors: Tai-Nagara Ikue , Yoshikawa Yusuke , Numata Naoko , Ando Tomofumi , Okabe Keisuke , Sugiura Yuki , Ieda Masaki , Takakura Nobuyuki , Nakagawa Osamu , Zhou Bin , Okabayashi Koji , Suematsu Makoto , Kitagawa Yuko , Bastmeyer Martin , Sato Kohji , Klein Rüdiger , Navankasattusas Sutip , Li Dean Y. , Yamagishi Satoru , Kubota Yoshiaki
Published: June 2017

The placental labyrinth is the interface for gas and nutrient exchange between the embryo and the mother; hence its proper development is essential for embryogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying development of the placental labyrinth, particularly in terms of its endothelial organization, is not well understood. Here, we determined that fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane protein 2 (FLRT2), a repulsive ligand of the UNC5 receptor family for neurons, is unexpectedly expressed in endothelial cells specifically in the placental labyrinth. Mice lacking FLRT2 in endothelial cells exhibited embryonic lethality at mid-gestation, with systemic congestion and hypoxia. Although they lacked apparent deformities in the embryonic vasculature and heart, the placental labyrinths of these embryos exhibited aberrant alignment of endothelial cells, which disturbed the feto-maternal circulation. Interestingly, this vascular deformity was related to endothelial repulsion through binding to the UNC5B receptor. Our results suggest that the proper organization of the placental labyrinth depends on coordinated inter-endothelial repulsion, which prevents uncontrolled layering of the endothelium.
AFF-1 fusogen can rejuvenate the regenerative potential of adult dendritic trees via self-fusion
Authors: Kravtsov Veronika , Oren-Suissa Meital , Podbilewicz Benjamin
Published: June 2017

The aging brain undergoes structural changes, affecting brain homeostasis, neuronal function and consequently cognition. The complex architecture of dendritic arbors poses a challenge to understanding age-dependent morphological alterations, behavioral plasticity and remodeling following brain injury. Here, we use the PVD polymodal neurons of C. elegans as a model to study how aging affects neuronal plasticity. Using confocal live imaging of C. elegans PVD neurons, we demonstrate age-related progressive morphological alterations of intricate dendritic arbors. We show that insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutations (daf-2) fail to inhibit the progressive morphological aging of dendrites and do not prevent the minor decline in response to harsh touch during aging. We uncovered that PVD aging is characterized by a major decline in regenerative potential of dendrites following experimental laser dendrotomy. Furthermore, the remodeling of transected dendritic trees via AFF-1-mediated self-fusion can be restored in old animals by DAF-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutations, and can be differentially reestablished by ectopic expression of AFF-1 fusion protein (fusogen). Thus, AFF-1 fusogen ectopically expressed in the PVD and mutations in DAF-2/IGF-1R, differentially rejuvenate some aspects of dendritic regeneration following injury.
BMP signaling orchestrates a transcriptional network to control the fate of mesenchymal stem cells in mice
Authors: Feng Jifan , Jing Junjun , Li Jingyuan , Zhao Hu , Punj Vasu , Zhang Tingwei , Xu Jian , Chai Yang
Published: June 2017

Signaling pathways are used reiteratively in different developmental processes yet produce distinct cell fates through specific downstream transcription factors. In this study, we used tooth root development as a model with which to investigate how the BMP signaling pathway regulates transcriptional complexes to direct the fate determination of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We first identified the MSC population supporting mouse molar root growth as Gli1+ cells. Using a Gli1-driven Cre-mediated recombination system, our results provide the first in vivo evidence that BMP signaling activity is required for the odontogenic differentiation of MSCs. Specifically, we identified the transcription factors Pax9, Klf4, Satb2 and Lhx8 as being downstream of BMP signaling and expressed in a spatially restricted pattern that is potentially involved in determining distinct cellular identities within the dental mesenchyme. Finally, we found that overactivation of one key transcription factor, Klf4, which is associated with the odontogenic region, promotes odontogenic differentiation of MSCs. Collectively, our results demonstrate the functional significance of BMP signaling in regulating MSC fate during root development and shed light on how BMP signaling can achieve functional specificity in regulating diverse organ development.
Caspase-9 has a nonapoptotic function in Xenopus embryonic primitive blood formation
Authors: Tran Hong Thi , Fransen Mathias , Dimitrakopoulou Dionysia , Van Imschoot Griet , Willemarck Nicolas , Vleminckx Kris
Published: June 2017

Caspases constitute a family of cysteine proteases centrally involved in programmed cell death, which is an integral part of normal embryonic and fetal development. However, it has become clear that specific caspases also have functions independent of cell death. In order to identify novel apoptotic and nonapoptotic developmental caspase functions, we designed and transgenically integrated novel fluorescent caspase reporter constructs in developing Xenopus embryos and tadpoles. This model organism has an external development, allowing direct and continuous monitoring. These studies uncovered a nonapoptotic role for the initiator caspase-9 in primitive blood formation. Functional experiments further corroborated that caspase-9, but possibly not the executioners caspase-3 and caspase-7, are required for primitive erythropoiesis in the early embryo. These data reveal a novel nonapoptotic function for the initiator caspase-9 and, for the first time, implicate nonapoptotic caspase activity in primitive blood formation.
Localisation of Nup153 and SENP1 to nuclear pore complexes is required for 53BP1-mediated DNA double-strand break repair
Authors: Duheron Vincent , Nilles Nadine , Pecenko Sylvia , Martinelli Valérie , Fahrenkrog Birthe
Published: June 2017

The nuclear basket of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) is composed of three nucleoporins: Nup153, Nup50 and Tpr. Nup153 has a role in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair by promoting nuclear import of 53BP1 (also known as TP53BP1), a mediator of the DNA damage response. Here, we provide evidence that loss of Nup153 compromises 53BP1 sumoylation, a prerequisite for efficient accumulation of 53BP1 at DSBs. Depletion of Nup153 resulted in reduced SUMO1 modification of 53BP1 and the displacement of the SUMO protease SENP1 from NPCs. Artificial tethering of SENP1 to NPCs restored non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) in the absence of Nup153 and re-established 53BP1 sumoylation. Furthermore, Nup50 and Tpr, the two other nuclear basket nucleoporins, also contribute to proper DSB repair, in a manner distinct from Nup153. Similar to the role of Nup153, Tpr is implicated in NHEJ and homologous recombination (HR), whereas loss of Nup50 only affects NHEJ. Despite the requirement of all three nucleoporins for accurate NHEJ, only Nup153 is needed for proper nuclear import of 53BP1 and SENP1-dependent sumoylation of 53BP1. Our data support the role of Nup153 as an important regulator of 53BP1 activity and efficient NHEJ.
Ammonia exposure affects the mRNA and protein expression levels of certain Rhesus glycoproteins in the gills of climbing perch
Authors: Chen Xiu L. , Zhang Biyan , Chng You R. , Ong Jasmine L. Y. , Chew Shit F. , Wong Wai P. , Lam Siew H. , Nakada Tsutomu , Ip Yuen K.
Published: June 2017

The freshwater climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, is an obligate air-breathing and euryhaline teleost capable of active ammonia excretion and tolerance of high concentrations of environmental ammonia. As Rhesus glycoproteins (RhGP/Rhgp) are known to transport ammonia, this study aimed to obtain the complete cDNA coding sequences of various rhgp isoforms from the gills of A. testudineus, and to determine their mRNA and protein expression levels during 6 days of exposure to 100 mmol l−1 NH4Cl. The subcellular localization of Rhgp isoforms in the branchial epithelium was also examined in order to elucidate the type of ionocyte involved in active ammonia excretion. Four rhgp (rhag, rhbg, rhcg1 and rhcg2) had been identified from the gills of A. testudineus. They had conserved amino acid residues for NH4+ binding, NH4+ deprotonation, channel gating and lining of the vestibules. Despite inwardly-directed NH3 and NH4+ gradients, there were significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the four branchial rhgp in A. testudineus at certain time points during 6 days of ammonia exposure, with significant increases in the protein abundances of Rhag and Rhcg2 on day 6. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a type of ammonia-inducible Na+/K+-ATPase α1c-immunoreactive ionocyte with apical Rhag and basolateral Rhcg2 in the gills of fish exposed to ammonia for 6 days. Hence, active ammonia excretion may involve NH4+ entering the ionocyte through the basolateral Rhcg2 and being excreted through the apical Rhag, driven by a transapical membrane electrical potential generated by the apical cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl− channel as suggested previously.
Στερεότυπα φύλου και επιλογή σπουδών ανάλογα με το φύλο στη δευτεροβάθμια εκπαίδευση
Authors: Κιούση Ελένη , Φλωράκος Γεώργιος , Παπακίτσος Ευάγγελος Χ.
Published: June 2017

Τα στερεότυπα φύλου και οι συμπεριφορές που τα διαμορφώνουν επιδρούν αναμφίβολα, σε συνδυασμό και με άλλους παράγοντες, στη λήψη απόφασης για επιλογή σπουδών. Η απόφαση αυτή επηρεάζεται όχι τόσο από τη βιολογική διάσταση του φύλου, αλλά κυρίως από την κοινωνική του πτυχή. Πολλοί εξωγενείς παράγοντες, συμβάλλουν στη διατήρηση του φαινομένου των στερεοτύπων φύλου στις σύγχρονες κοινωνίες. Η παρούσα εργασία έχει σκοπό να διερευνήσει το βαθμό επίδρασης των στερεοτύπων φύλου στη λήψη απόφασης για σπουδές στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση και τη διαχρονική εξέλιξη του φαινομένου κατά τα έτη 2008 – 2014. Για τον σκοπό αυτό αντλήθηκαν στοιχεία από τρεις σχετικές έρευνες σε γυμνάσια και λύκεια της Αττικής. Τα αποτελέσματα από τη σύγκριση των δεδομένων των τριών ερευνών επιβεβαιώνουν μερικώς την αρχική υπόθεση, δηλαδή ότι τα στερεότυπα φύλου επιδρούν στη λήψη απόφασης για σπουδές. Η αρμονική συνύπαρξη των δύο φύλων προϋποθέτει την ανάπτυξη της αυτογνωσίας και της κριτικής ικανότητας του ανθρώπου. Αυτό επιτυγχάνεται μόνο μέσω της ευαισθητοποίησης των εκπαιδευτικών, οι οποίοι καλούνται να προάγουν την κριτική αυτογνωσία - κοινωνιογνωσία του ατόμου, μέσα από προγράμματα - δράσεις που αφορούν την σχολική αλλά και την τοπική κοινωνία.
The controversial Linnaean name Statice minuta (Plumbaginaceae)
Authors: Iamonico Duilio , Guacchio Emanuele Del
Published: June 2017

The original circumscription and nomenclatural history of Statice minuta are discussed. The taxon nowadays indicated by this name is endemic to the Baleares (Spain, western Mediterranean), but neither the lectotype nor the Linnaean protologue support this usage. The paper clarifies the origin of this mistake and preludes to a formal proposal to conserve the name with a conserved type.
Report of the General Committee: 18
Authors: Wilson Karen L.
Published: June 2017

Decisions are reported on proposals and requests in Reports 15 and 17 of the Nomenclature Committee for Algae, Report 69 from the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants, Reports 20 and 21 from the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi, plus an old proposal (1193) from the then Committee for Spermatophyta. The first six lists of fungal names authorized under Art. 14.13 from fungal working groups are approved, as are two additions to the list of institutional votes for the Nomenclature Section of the XIX IBC.
Fernão Mendes Pinto, cronista de viagem ou prosador de ficção?
Authors: Seixas Cid
Published: June 2017

As leituras da obra de Mendes Pinto giram em torno de duas vertentes: uma que vê ironia e crítica à hipocrisia do mundo cristão e outra que descarta a natureza satírica do texto, entendido como expressão do pensamento cristão no Renascimento português.
(Re)Construção Mítica de Eva Perón no Romance Santa Evita (1996) – Tomás Eloy Martínez
Authors: Valcarenghi Ribeiro Nantes Josiane
Published: June 2017

Eva Perón é um nome significativo na história política da Argentina, sua influência surtiu, e continua surtindo efeito, no povo desse país até os dias atuais. “Evita” foi odiada/amada em níveis extremos, tanto que foi considerada uma santa, um mito para muitas pessoas. Tomás Eloy Martínez escreveu o romance – Santa Evita (1995) – em que narra como viveu a esposa de Juan Domingo Perón. Nesta obra encontra-se muitos elementos que dão indícios da (re)mitificação de Eva, por isso tenta-se aqui, explorar como se deu a (re)construção mitológica de Eva Perón, personagem histórica no romance Santa Evita (1996) de Tomás Eloy Martínez, e ainda, expor quais foram os procedimentos adotados pelo autor que (re)construíram esse mito. Utiliza-se, como base teórica, Linda Hutcheon (1991) e Fleck (2007) no conceito de metaficção historiográfica, Mircea Eliade (1991) e Martín Cezar Feijó (1984) no que cabe à análise do Mito. Esta breve pesquisa se dará a partir da análise bibliográfica e de forma comparativa entre a história e a escrita ficcional do romance Santa Evita (1996) de Tomás Eloy Martínez, discute-se os elementos utilizados e o caminho percorrido para a (re)construção do mito Eva Perón na obra citada.
O que é feito da sombra? As manifestações do fantástico no conto “Luzeiro”, de James Frederico Rocha Coelho
Authors: Perna Filho; Heleno Godói de Sousa Francisco
Published: June 2017

Este ensaio analisa o conto “Luzeiro”, de James Frederico Rocha Coelho, autor brasileiro contemporâneo, sob a perspectiva do fantástico. Para tanto, discute os conceitos de estranho, maravilho e fantástico, ao mesmo tempo em que enfatiza o papel do narrador-personagem como condutor e mantenedor da ambiguidade desse tipo de narrativa.
Eros e Thanatos em “Tempos Sombrios”: aspectos da teoria pulsional em diálogo com Stefan Zweig e Hannah Arendt
Authors: Wels Érica Schlude
Published: June 2017

O presente artigo reflete sobre aspectos ligados à propensão do homem pela destruição e domínio do outro por meio da violência.  Nesse sentido, elencamos reflexões sobre os conceitos psicanalíticos de Eros e Thanatos, além de contribuições do pensamento de Hannah Arendt  (1987; 1995; 1997), sobretudo o conceito de “Banalidade do Mal”;  O mal concretizado pelo nazismo é monstruosamente banal e burocrático, ao mesmo tempo que eficiente e sistemático, levado a cabo por agentes superficiais (LECHTE, 2002).  Buscar-se-á estabelecer um diálogo entre esse arcabouço teórico e três novelas do escritor austríaco Stefan Zweig, ele próprio uma vítima declaradamente pacifista do exílio imposto aos escritores judeus no período da Segunda Guerra:  “A coleção invisível” (2015, [1924]), “O Livreiro Mendel” (1999, [1929])  e “Xadrez, uma novela” (2015, [1944]) têm a guerra como pano-de-fundo; O presente trabalho objetiva explorar aspectos da chamada “mitologia psicanalítica”, campo definido por Freud como obscuro.  Além do caráter destruidor intrínseco à natureza humana, como postulado nos textos freudianos que abordam a guerra (1916; 1933, [1932]), destacamos o protótipo da pulsão de morte: compulsão à repetição e ao retorno do inorgânico, movimento regressivo de retorno a um estado anterior (ROUDINESCO; PLON, 1998).  Ao explorar a teoria das pulsões em seu dualismo Eros/Thanatos, lançamos luzes sobre o que Arendt define como “Tempos sombrios”.
In Shadows and Darkness: being authentic in Céline and Hillman (“intimité des choses” and “pathologizing” )
Authors: Novaes Cláudio Cledson , Vrbata Aleš
Published: June 2017

Aim of this paper is to demonstrate a proximity or even complementarity between James Hillman’s and Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s vision of  human soul and human condition. Even though their cultural and intellectual context differed significantly and they both used very different forms of expression, they repeatedly invoked intimate dimension of human existence as permeated by somehow pathological, peripherial or dark aspects of being. Nevertheless, both of them shared deep interest in bottom-line dimension of being which they called “soul” and which they linked with death, darkness, weakness and which they associated with  socially disapproved ways of being. Even though Hillman could be labeled as reformist and Céline as nihilist, for both of them modern society and its programming cut modern man off his deeper sense of meaningfulness or as Céline puts it in from “intimité des choses”. Questioning intellectual legacy of Enlightenment, both Céline and Hillman find soul of modern man as pathologized and threatened but at the same time as the very source of meaningfulness. Like that Hillman and Céline can be viewed not just as cultural critics but as actively deconstructing, questioning modern project and modern subjectivity
A parrhesia como ética/estética da existência em Caim de José Saramago
Authors: Marques Marcos Fellipe Costa , El Fahl Alana De Oliveira Freitas
Published: June 2017

No último romance do escritor português José Saramago (1922-2010), Caim (2009), o discurso religioso é retomado como tema através de uma releitura paródica de textos bíblicos fundantes da tradição judaico-cristã. No romance, narrador e herói passeiam por cenas bíblicas questionando interpretações sedimentadas na cultura pelas teologias oficiais e dogmas da tradição. As críticas construídas no romance têm como alvo privilegiado os discursos religiosos, sobretudo a moral criada a partir de tais discursos. Este artigo tem como objetivo demonstrar como, no romance Caim a parrhesia, o franco falar, funciona como possibilidade ética diante de construções discursivas monológicas dogmáticas e retóricas. Para isso, discutiremos a relação entre o discurso literário de Saramago e o discurso religioso dogmático, destacaremos a função da paródia para apresentar novas versões de discursos já sedimentados na cultura para enfim discutir o conceito de parrhesia em Michel Foucalt (1926-1984) e possibilidades interpretativas do romance supracitado a partir desse conceito.
„Revolution“. Zur Karriere eines Begriffs in Großbritannien, 1688–1714
Authors: Niggemann Ulrich
Published: June 2017

Im England der Jahre nach der Glorious Revolution war der Revolutionsbegriff nicht nur enorm präsent. Die Behauptung, der Begriff sei dort marginal gewesen und sei erst durch die Rezeption französischer Texte in die Diskussion eingebracht worden, dürfte kaum haltbar sein. Ganz offenkundig war der Begriff unmittelbar nach 1688 ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der innerenglischen politischen Debatten. Genauso wenig haltbar sind aber auch Versuche, den Revolutionsbegriff nach 1688 auf eine bestimmte Bedeutung festzulegen. Vielmehr zeichnet sich die Semantik des Begriffs in den Jahren nach der Revolution durch ein hohes Maß an Uneindeutigkeit und Heterogenität aus, durch ein Nebeneinander verschiedener Semantiken, ja durch einen regelrechten Kampf um die Füllung eines von unterschiedlichen Parteien anerkannten und in positiver Weise genutzten Begriffs. Weder gingen damit zyklische oder restaurative Konnotationen einfach verloren, noch lässt sich „Revolution“ im England des ausgehenden 17. und beginnenden 18. Jahrhunderts eindeutig auf die Konnotation von Widerstand oder Umsturz von unten festlegen. Dementsprechend wäre es zu einfach, eine geradlinige Entwicklung zum modernen Revolutionsbegriff anzunehmen. Vielmehr weist der Begriff eine Vielzahl paralleler und gleichzeitiger Konnotationen auf, die eng mit den konkurrierenden Interpretationen der Ereignisse von 1688/89 verbunden waren. Was aber deutlich wird, ist die positive Abgrenzung gegenüber Rebellion. Während „Rebellion“ stets einen illegitimen Akt des Widerstands meinte und zumeist auf die Ereignisse der Bürgerkrieg und des Regizids der Jahrhundertmitte verwies, war „Revolution“ ein positiv konnotierter Begriff, der fast immer einen legitimen Umbruch meinte, ganz gleich ob dieser als legitimer Widerstand oder als Eingriff Gottes in den Lauf der Geschichte interpretiert wurde. Für die Funktionsbestimmung des Revolutionsbegriffs in den englischen Debatten nach 1688 bedeutet dies: Der Begriff „Revolution“ diente vor allem dazu, die Ereignisse, die zur Flucht Jakobs II. und zur Krönung Wilhelms III. und Marias II. führten, in positiver Weise von den Geschehnissen zwischen 1642 und 1660 abzugrenzen. Der Revolutionsbegriff war also ganz eindeutig ein positiver Gegenbegriff zur „Rebellion“ gegen Karl I. Genau darin lag seine Attraktivität für Whigs und Tories gleichermaßen.
Überlegungen zu einer historiografischen Bildanalyse
Authors: Jäger Jens
Published: June 2017

Unübersehbar und vielfältig sind die historiografischen Zugänge zu Bildern als Quelle. Methodisch war und ist Rainer Wohlfeils Überlegung einer Historischen Bildkunde, die er in den 1980er Jahren vorstellte, noch immer ein wichtiger Referenzpunkt. In enger Anlehnung an das kunsthistorische Verfahren der Ikonografie-Ikonologie nach Erwin Panofsky stellte Wohlfeil ein dreistufiges Verfahren vor, welches Bildinhalt und -bedeutung mit dem historischen Kontext eng verband. Kritiker bemängelten an dem Verfahren, dass es zu sehr auf die Frühe Neuzeit ausgerichtet sei, Mehrdeutigkeiten und Eigendynamik von Bildaussagen verneine. Es schenke der Medialität und der Ästhetik zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit und vereinnahme Bilder zu sehr „nur“ als Symptom für historische Prozesse. Diese Einwände finden sich auch generell gegen historiografische Bildanalysen. Die Debatte innerhalb der Geschichtswissenschaft um adäquate analytische Zugänge trägt den kritischen Hinweisen vielfach Rechnung und hat mit der Perspektive der „Visual History“ und Übernahmen von methodischen Zugängen benachbarter Disziplinen das Instrumentarium stets erweitert. Die Überlegung, bei der Analyse von Bildquellen zunächst einen „konventionellen Sinn“ zu ermitteln, versteht sich als Beitrag zu dieser Debatte. Auf Grundlage eines aus Sicht der Geschichtswissenschaft operationalisierbaren Bildbegriffs soll als konventioneller Sinn eines Bildes die je zeitgenössische, innerhalb eines konkreten Kontextes übliche Deutung von Bildaussagen gelten. Nebenbedeutungen werden hierbei nicht ausgeschlossen. Sie erschließen sich aus besonderen Kontexten des Bildgebrauchs. Ausgangspunkt ist der Bildinhalt und seine je konkrete mediale Form, wie sie als Quellenbefund vorliegt. Ein solches Vorgehen empfiehlt sich zwar generell, hilft aber vor allem bei kontextarmen Massenbildern, die gleichwohl die überwiegende Mehrzahl verfügbarer Bildquellen ausmachen.
Worship, Mission and Glocal Context in Brazil and Latin America
Authors: Adam Júlio Cézar
Published: June 2017

This paper is about worship and mission in a global and local—
Konstruierte Entzauberung
Authors: Nierop Jantine
Published: June 2017

Jürgen Ebach, Hans Martin Dober, and Albrecht Grözinger have argued for the appropriation of Walter Benjamin’s philosophy into homiletics. In this article, I first look at their proposal in all its diversity. I then turn to a striking shift in Benjamin’s philosophical development. Subsequently, I contend that the argument for such an appropriation of Benjamin can be sharpened even more by considering precisely this shift. The article concludes with my own proposal for appropriating Benjamin’s philosophy. It shows that Benjamin’s approach helps answer a central pastoral question in homiletics.