bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compliance with pharmacological treatment in outpatients from a Brazilian cardiology referral center
Authors: Chizzola Paulo Roberto , Mansur Alfredo José , Luz Protásio Lemos da , Bellotti Giovanni
Published: November 2008

To evaluate the degree of compliance with pharmacological therapy, and to identify predictors of non-compliance in outpatients from a cardiology referral center in São Paulo, Brazil, we studied 485 outpatients, 230 (47.4 percent) males and 255 (52.6 percent) females, through an interview guided by a questionnaire during medical consultation. The ages ranged between 17 and 86 (mean 54, standard deviation 15) years. Heart disease and socioeconomic factors (residence, means of transport, educational level and professional status) were studied. In addition, we examined the drugs prescribed including: difficulties in taking them; the source of supply; and the patient's knowledge of the drugs. Assessment of compliance was based on the patients' response. The patients' answers were compared with the prescription and progress notes. Errors were recorded if the patient reported using one or more nonprescribed medicines. Compliance with therapy was recorded if the patient said the prescription was taken correctly without interruption and without error. The variables with significant differences in univariate analysis were further analyzed by multivariate log-linear regression analysis. Noncompliance occurred in 286 (59 percent) of the patients, and was predicted by the reported difficulty in taking medication (P<0.001), and by the lack of knowledge of medication names (P<0.001).Thus, noncompliance with medical therapy was common. The main predictors of non-compliance were the reported difficulty in taking medication and inability to identify medicines' names.
Smoking and its relation to the histological type, survival, and prognosis among patients with primary lung cancer
Authors: Xavier Flávio , Henn Lucélia de Azevedo , Marja Oliveira , Orlandine Luciane
Published: November 2008

The frequency of smoking among patients with primary lung cancer diagnoses admitted to the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) during the 1980's was investigated. The objective of this study was to analyze cigarette consumption patterns through the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the age at which smoking began, correlating this data to the overall survival rate and histological type of the lung cancer. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with primary lung cancer diagnosed at the HCPA between January 1980 and December 1989. All patients considered underwent follow-up for at least three years. Patient information was obtained either from the hospital's records or by contacting patients via letter or phone. Results: More than 90 percent of the patients were smokers or had smoked previously; most had started smoking before the age of 20.The overall 24-month survival rate after diagnosis varied depending on whether the patient had smoked less than 40 cigarettes per day or not. The percentage of smokers and non-smokers was established for each histological type, with the bronchoalveolar adenocarcinoma type showing the highest percentage of non-smokers (40 percent). Conclusion:The overall survival rates of patients with lung cancer was related to the number of cigarettes smoked, and not to the fact of the patient having smoked or not.The number of smokers among patients with lung cancer was not so high only for the bronchoalveolar adenocarcinoma histological type.
Extrahepatic bile ducts injury: a report on 14 cases
Authors: Zantut Luiz Fernando Correa , Machado Marcel Autran Cesar , Volpe Paula , Poggetti Renato Sérgio , Birolini Dario
Published: November 2008

Traumatic injuries of the extrahepatic biliary tract are infrequent, occurring in approximately 0.5 % of all patients with blunt and penetrating abdominal trauma. The incidence of this injury due to blunt abdominal trauma is rare. This study reviewed patients with injuries of the extrahepatic biliary tract due to abdominal trauma over a 6-year period to determine the incidence, trauma scores, associated injuries, surgical treatment performed, complications and mortality rate. We report our experience with 14 patients with extrahepatic biliary tract trauma. A review of the literature and the discussion about the management are presented.
Optimal search strategy for clinical trials in the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature Database (LILACS)
Authors: Castro Aldemar Araujo , Clark Otávio Augusto Câmara , Atallah Alvaro Nagib
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVE: To define and disseminate the optimal search strategy for clinical trials in the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature (LILACS). This strategy was elaborated based on the optimal search strategy for MEDLINE recommended by Cochrane Collaboration for the identification of clinical trials in electronic databases. DESIGN: Technical information. SETTING: Clinical Trials and Meta-Analysis Unit, Federal University of São Paulo, in conjunction with the Brazilian Cochrane Center, São Paulo, Brazil. (http://www.epm.br/cochrane). DATA: LILACS/CD-ROM (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database), 27th edition, January 1997, edited by BIREME (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Center). LILACS Indexes 670 journals in the region, with abstracts in English, Portuguese or Spanish; only 41 overlap in the MEDLINE-EMBASE. Of the 168.902 citations since 1982, 104,016 are in human trials, and 38,261 citations are potentiality clinical trials. Search strategy was elaborated combining headings with text word in three languages, adapting the interface of the LILACS. We will be working by locating clinical trials in LILACS for Cochrane Controlled Trials Database. This effort is being coordinated by the Brazilian Cochrane Center.
Ligation of the left renal vein in epm1-wistar rats: functional and morphologic alterations in the kidneys, testes and suprarenal glands
Authors: Baptista-Silva José Carlos Costa , Dolnikoff Miriam Sterman , Moura Luiz Antonio Ribeiro , Pestana José Osmar Medina , Vieira Jose Gilberto Henriques , Miranda Jr Fausto , Schor Nestor , Peres Clovis de Araujo , Burihan Emil
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVE: The ligation of the left renal vein (LLVR) in man is a contraversial procedure in view of the risks of lesion to the renal parenchyma. With the objective of studying the morphologic and functional alterations caused by these lesions, we conducted experimental research with rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 64 male adult EPM1-WISTAR rats were used, divided into 8 groups - 4 for LLRV and four for control. Each LLRV group and corresponding control group were sacrificed progressively on the 7th, 15th, 30th and 60th day after the initial surgery. RESULTS: We found morphofunctional alterations only in animals that underwent LLRV in the four periods of sacrifice.The proteinuria creatinine in serum, testosterone in serum and serum corticosterone in serum showed practically no alteration in relation to the normal values for rats. Statistically significant severe histological lesions were found in the kidneys and testes of the LLRV groups. Lesions in the suprarenal glands were also present in these groups, but no sufficient to demonstrate statistical significance CONCLUSION: Based on these results we can conclude that the ligation of the left renal vein is a procedure of high risk in these animals.
A importância da camada funcional em meia células catódicas para pilhas PaCOS
Authors: Belardi Rose-Marie , Domingues Rosana Zacarias , Matencio Túlio , Brant Márcia Caldeira
Published: November 2008

O grande desafio para se melhorar o desenvolvimento de pilhas a combustível de óxido sólido (PACOS) é diminuir as resistências de polarização ôhmica e de polarização de concentração, sobretudo no catodo. Uma alternativa efetiva é a introdução de uma camada catódica funcional entre o eletrólito e o catodo convencional. Esta camada funcional é um compósito constituído pelos materiais de eletrólito e catodo que neste caso são a zircônia estabilizada com ítria (ZEI) e a manganita de lantânio e estrôncio (MSL). Esta camada melhora o contato entre o catodo e o eletrólito diminuindo a resistência ôhmica de polarização de concentração devido ao aumento do número de pontos de contato triplo (PCT) no volume do material. Neste trabalho, duas meias células foram preparadas: a primeira é constituída por um filme catódico funcional (50% p/p) e a camada coletora de corrente depositados sobre uma pastilha de ZEI. A segunda meia célula é composta apenas pela camada catódica de MSL também depositada sobre a pastilha de ZEI. O estudo elétrico foi realizado por espectroscopia de impedância na faixa de temperatura entre 700 e 900 °C. As resistências das amostras diminuíram com o aumento da temperatura e, foi observado que a meia célula que possuía o catodo funcional apresentou menores resistências elétricas. Após tratamento térmico a 750°C por 3 dias foi verificado que a amostra sem a camada funcional apresentou um semicírculo adicional no diagrama de impedância caracterizado como uma resistência devida a baixa aderência eletrólito/catodo. Este fenômeno foi confirmado por imagens de microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV).
A influência da macrosegregação e da variação dos espaçamentos dendríticos na resistência à corrosão da liga Al-4,5%Cu
Authors: Osório Wislei Riuper , Garcia Leonardo Richeli , Peixoto Leandro César , Garcia Amauri
Published: November 2008

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento eletroquímico da liga Al-4,5%Cu solidificada em condições de fluxo de calor transitório. Esta evolução foi realizada através de análises de curvas de polarização e testes de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIE), em solução de 0,5M de NaCl à 25°C. O perfil de segregação obtido no experimento de solidificação foi caracterizado por segregação positiva e negativa de cobre, respectivamente, na base e no topo da amostra. Igualmente, na prática de fundição convencional, em um mesmo lingote podem ocorrer regiões de segregação de cobre positiva e negativa. O lingote pode apresentar diferentes respostas à corrosão em diferentes partes, como função do arranjo microestrutural. As influências na resistência à corrosão da redistribuição do soluto durante a solidificação, a magnitude dos espaçamentos dendríticos e a distribuição das partículas da fase rica em Al e Al2Cu ao longo do lingote, foram examinadas com coleta de amostras ao longo do lingote. A taxa de corrosão e parâmetros de impedância (obtidos de uma análise de circuito equivalente) são também discutidos.
Asma e função pulmonar aos 6-7 anos de idade em uma coorte de nascimentos no Sul do Brasil
Authors: Chatkin Moema Nudilemon , Menezes Ana Maria Baptista , Macedo Silvia Elaine Cardozo , Fiss Edgar
Published: November 2008

OBJETIVO: Asma e sintomas respiratórios são comuns na infância, e vários estudos têm demonstrado sua associação com redução da função pulmonar na vida adulta. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a associação de diversos sintomas respiratórios com padrões de sibilância (persistente, precoce e de início tardio) e função pulmonar aos 6-7 anos de idade em uma coorte de nascimentos, além de determinar se a função pulmonar estava associada à atopia ou a fatores demográficos, socioeconômicos, ambientais e gestacionais. MÉTODOS: A populaçãoalvo compreendeu crianças de 6 a 7 anos de idade pertencentes à coorte de 5.304 nascimentos ocorridos em 1993 em Pelotas, no Sul do Brasil. Para esse acompanhamento selecionaram-se aleatoriamente 532 dessas crianças, e uma subamostra foi submetida a espirometria e testes cutâneos de puntura. Aplicou-se um questionário aos pais das crianças ou seus responsáveis. RESULTADOS: Observamos valores espirométricos mais baixos nas crianças com sintomas respiratórios e asma. A média da relação volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo/capacidade vital forçada (relação VEF1/CVF) foi menor nas crianças com sibilância atual e asma, asma alguma vez na vida, quatro ou mais episódios de sibilância nos últimos 12 meses, sono perturbado pela sibilância e sibilância após exercícios. Sibilância persistente foi associada a redução da relação VEF1/CVF. Após regressão linear múltipla, sibilância após exercícios também foi associada a redução da relação VEF1/CVF. Cor da pele não-branca e fala prejudicada pela sibilância foram associadas a VEF1 reduzido. CONCLUSÕES: Crianças com sibilância persistente e sintomas de asma grave apresentaram função pulmonar prejudicada aos 6-7 anos de idade.
Dislipidemia relacionada à fibrose cística
Authors: Alves Crésio de Aragão Dantas , Lima Daniela Seabra
Published: November 2008

Esse artigo tem por objetivo rever o conhecimento atual sobre a fisiopatologia, o diagnóstico e a abordagem da dislipidemia relacionada à fibrose cística (DFC). A pesquisa bibliográfica utilizou os bancos de dados Medline e Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (1987-2007), selecionando os artigos mais relevantes sobre o tema. A DFC é caracterizada por hipertrigliceridemia e/ou hipocolesterolemia e deficiência de ácidos graxos essenciais. Seus principais fatores de risco são: insuficiência pancreática, dieta rica em carboidratos, hepatopatias, estado inflamatório e corticoterapia. Não existem recomendações específicas sobre a triagem, que habitualmente é realizada a partir do diagnóstico e, em intervalos regulares, com maior freqüência, nos indivíduos pertencentes aos grupos de risco. O tratamento inclui: dieta balanceada, reposição de micronutrientes, vitaminas e fibras, além de exercício físico regular de acordo com a tolerância individual. Na grande maioria dos casos, a hipertrigliceridemia da DFC não atinge valores que indiquem o uso de hipolipemiantes. Conclui-se que existem poucos trabalhos na literatura sobre a freqüência, etiologia e manejo da DFC. A recomendações preventivas e terapêuticas para a hipertrigliceridemia são extrapoladas de diretrizes para indivíduos sem fibrose cística. Mais pesquisas são necessárias para investigar a associação da deficiência de ácidos graxos essenciais com a fisiopatologia da fibrose cística. Como a hipertrigliceridemia é um importante fator de risco para doença arterial coronariana, estudos prospectivos irão contribuir para o melhor entendimento da história natural dessa complicação bem como definir maneiras de preveni-la e tratá-la.
Bevacizumab and Erlotinib: A Promising New Approach to the Treatment of Advanced NSCLC
Authors: Herbst Roy S. , Sandler Alan
Published: November 2008

Biologic agents that target molecules involved in tumor growth, progression, and pathological angiogenesis—such as the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)—have demonstrated efficacy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Erlotinib (Tarceva®; OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Melville, NY, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland), a highly selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits EGFR, and bevacizumab (Avastin®; Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland), a VEGF-targeted recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, have displayed very encouraging activity in a randomized phase II trial in patients with previously treated NSCLC. Because erlotinib and bevacizumab act on two different pathways critical to tumor growth and dissemination, administering these drugs concomitantly may confer additional clinical benefits to cancer patients with advanced disease, by virtue of their complementary (or additive) antitumor activity. The combination of bevacizumab plus erlotinib may prove to be a viable second-line alternative to chemotherapy or erlotinib monotherapy in patients with NSCLC. The benefits of the combination may be further enhanced by selecting for patients who are likely to respond to this therapy. While a number of potential predictive markers have been identified for erlotinib, their value remains to be confirmed in prospective trials. In addition, the application of such personalized therapy will also depend on the availability of validated screening methods.
The Failure of Dissertation Advice Books: Toward Alternative Pedagogies for Doctoral Writing
Authors: Kamler Barbara , Thomson Pat
Published: November 2008

Anxious doctoral researchers can now call on a proliferation of advice books telling them how to produce their dissertations. This article analyzes some characteristics of this self-help genre, including the ways it produces an expert–novice relationship with readers, reduces dissertation writing to a series of linear steps, reveals hidden rules, and asserts a mix of certainty and fear to position readers “correctly.” The authors argue for a more complex view of doctoral writing both as text work/identity work and as a discursive social practice. They reject transmission pedagogies that normalize the power-saturated relations of protégé and master and point to alternate pedagogical approaches that position doctoral researchers as colleagues engaged in a shared, unequal, and changing practice.
Organische Strandwälle und Nehrungen in korsischen Rias
Authors: Schülke Horst
Published: November 2008

In the 'classic monofluvial rias’ of the granite upland regions of Corsica, mid-bay bars (Nehrungen), from 20 to 350 metres long and up to 90 metres wide, have been formed, especially where a westerly attitude and exposed funnel-shaped sites allow an extended Posidonietum oceanicae. Through gradual accumulation they develop a seaweed cover up to 3,5 metres thick on and around a very low inorganic core. These Nehrungen are thrown up and moulded by frontally swelling waves of translation on the inner boundary of the extended, recently abraded 'estuarine aureoles' (Mündungshöfe). Probably only the winter storm tides repeatedly break open the outer part of this accumulation of marine plants, elastic, tightly packed and anchored in the sand, and deposit fresh seaweed. While the material is largely replaced, the location and form of the Nehrung complexes remain largely unchanged for decades. If Nehrungen normally accelerate the silting-up of constricted bays, the seaweed Nehrungen delay the fossilisation of the rias which, through the lack of effective tides and fresh-water inflow as well as the massive influx of marine plants are usually quickly filled up right to the edge of the Mündungshöf. Where the width is sufficient, a zonally divided and recurrent plant-society complex develops on the seaweed Nehrungen which reflects the striplike ecologic changes derived from the frontally-swelling origin of the Nehrungen. Seaweed Nehrungen, as a special Biotope and carrier of a special ‘Phytozönose’ growing out of dead associations, form a Holocene (in the sense of J. Schmithusen 1961 p. 80) which varies in its development, is rare in occurrence but is nevertheless typical and can be regarded as an Ecotope of the Corsican coastal landscape.
The crazy curse and crude domination
Authors: Reyna Stephen , Behrends Andrea
Published: November 2008

Oil has turned out to be something of a curse. Most developing petrostates have found that their economies have worsened, their political regimes have become more authoritarian, and their conflicts have intensified. Further, this curse is a bit crazy because oil brings wealth, which would seem to bring peace and prosperity, not the trouble that so often accompanies it. The goal of this introduction is to propose a research strategy for the anthropological analysis of oil. It does so by examining existing oil literatures, discussing the implications for research arising from the articles contained here, and, finally, formulating an anthropology of oil in a turbulent world. This formulation proposes a 'crude domination' approach to explain oil's crazy curse.
Blood oil
Authors: Watts Michael
Published: November 2008

This article traces the emergence of an “oil insurgency” in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. A key concept deployed in the analysis is the oil complex, understood as a sort of corporate enclave economy and also a center of political and economic calculation expressed through the operations of a set of local, national, and transnational forces that can only be dubbed as imperial oil. The operations of the oil complex under conditions of U.S. military neoliberalism create the violent and unstable spaces that David Harvey identifies as “accumulation by dispossession”. The insurgency is understood in terms of a deep history of political and economic marginalization and deepening political mobilization and militancy within the Niger Delta. What the oil complex has thereby produced is a fragmented polity with parcellized sovereignty rather than a robust, modern oil nation.
Fighting for oil when there is no oil yet
Authors: Behrends Andrea
Published: November 2008

The area around the border of Sudan and Chad, where Darfur lies, has been an unimportant and unknown backwater throughout history. Today, however, Darfur is all over the international press. Everybody knows about the grim war there. There is no oil currently in production in Darfur. However, there is oil in the south of neighboring Chad and in Southern Sudan, and there might be oil in Darfur. This article considers a case of fighting for oil when there is no oil yet. It takes into account the role of local actors doing the fighting, that is, the army, rebels, and militias; national actors such as the Sudanese and Chadian governments; and international actors, such as multinational oil companies, the United States, China, and the United Nations. It explains how oil can have disintegrative consequences even when it is still only a rumor about a future possibility.
“The people's oil”
Authors: Gledhill John
Published: November 2008

This article examines similarities and differences in the development of the oil industries of Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela through an analysis of the struggles and alliances between their elites, political classes, and diverse popular forces. The analysis demonstrates that although history has produced popular skepticism over the meaning of the state's claim that “our oil belongs to the people,” a popular imaginary of the potential link between national resource sovereignty and social justice has had powerful historical effects. Despite the structural differences between these cases, it remains today at the center of emergent alternatives that cannot be dismissed simply as a return to the populism of the past. While its main significance in Mexico to date has been to impede persistent efforts to privatize the industry, in the cases of Venezuela and Brazil we may now talk of significant possibilities for building a more multipolar world economic order.
Disappearing peasants?
Authors: Voiculescu Cerasela
Published: November 2008

This article explores the recent transformations of the Romanian peasantry and critically discusses interpretations of these changes as either indicating the persistence or the disappearance of peasants in Romania. It shows that beyond the labels of depeasantization and repeasantization, which are extensively used to describe rural scenarios under socialism and postsocialism, it is important to take analytic account of the more complex social relations between different actors that are developing under the impact of interacting local and global processes. Given the sharp differences between peasants and the new class of agricultural rentiers, as well as the variations within the latter group, the different rent regimes in which peasants negotiate their control over land and subsistence involve complex relationships and statuses. The article concludes by hypothesizing possible ways in which all of these relationships could be transformed in the long run in the new context of the EU agricultural policy and by discussing two possible scenarios for the Romanian rural landscape, namely, those of peripheral and nonperipheral capitalism.
Development, trans/modernities, and the politics of theory
Authors: Escobar Arturo
Published: November 2008

Five or ten years from now, the performance of the allegedly leftist regimes in Latin America (particularly those of Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia and, to varying degrees, those of Argentina, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil) will be assessed in terms of the extent to which they were able to bring about a reduction of poverty, sustained rates of growth, and a measure of democratization in their countries, including less inequality and more inclusive policies, particularly toward ethnic minorities.
Structure of Supramolecular Assemblies Formed by α,δ-Tetramethylcucurbit[6]uril and 4-Nitrophenol
Authors: Zheng Li-Mei , Zhang Yun-Qian , Zeng Jin-Ping , Qiu Yan , Yu Da-Hai , Xue Sai-Feng , Zhu Qian-Jiang , Tao Zhu
Published: November 2008

A host-guest assembly, [(C40H44N24O12)·(C6H5NO3)8·13(H2O)] (1), based on a partial substituted cucurbituril, α,δ-tetramethylcucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]), and 4-nitrophenol was synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A combination of hydrogen-bonding between the latticed water molecule and the hydroxyl group of 4-nitrophenol, the hydroxyl group of 4-nitrophenol and the carbonyl groups lining the portals in additon, the C-H···π interactions between the 4-nitrophenol molecules could be the driving forces of formation such an exclusion host-guest assembly.
Putative Role of Functional Interferon Regulatory Factor 5 (IRF5) Polymorphism in Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Korean Population
Authors: KIM YUN JUNG , PARK JEONG HA , KIM IL , KIM JI ON , BAE JOON SEOL , SHIN HYOUNG DOO , BAE SANG-CHEOL
Published: November 2008

Objective

Recent studies suggest that polymorphisms of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) are significantly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in several populations. The effect of IRF5 polymorphism on susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been investigated, and the results were inconsistent. We analyzed the genetic effects of IRF5 polymorphisms on RA in a Korean population.

Methods

Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and 2 insertion-deletion polymorphisms in IRF5 were genotyped in 2183 subjects (1204 RA cases and 979 controls) using the TaqMan® method. The genetic effects of SNP on the risk of RA were evaluated using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression, controlling for age, sex, and shared epitope (SE), and we then performed conditional analysis by SE status and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody (Ab) status. Data from a Mantel-Haenszel metaanalysis of odds ratios (OR) were subsequently combined in a separate analysis with the results of the association of rs2004640 with RA from a previous study.

Results

Two of the IRF5 polymorphisms, CGGGGindel (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.09–1.76, pcorr = 0.04) and rs2004640 (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.09–1.68, pcorr = 0.03), and one haplotype, including the rs2004640 and the CGGGGindel, ht3 (A-Del-T-C-del-A-T) (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.09–1.79, pcorr = 0.04) were significantly associated with an increased risk of RA. After stratification according to anti-CCPAb and SE status, rs2004640 SNP was associated with the anti-CCPAb-positive (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.15–1.88, pcorr = 0.01) or SE-positive group (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.14–2.09, pcorr = 0.03). A combined analysis including all 3 independent cohorts from the previous study revealed an association of the rs2004640 with RA (pooled OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07–1.38, pooled p = 0.0031 in dominant model).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the IRF5 polymorphism is associated with genetic susceptibility to RA at least in a Korean population, and that it may contribute to disease susceptibility in SE-positive or anti-CCP Ab-positive patients with RA.
MAGE-B2 Autoantibody: A New Biomarker for Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: HOFTMAN ALICE D.C. , TAI LEI-QIAN , TZE SHEILA , SELIGSON DAVID , GATTI RICHARD A. , McCURDY DEBORAH K.
Published: November 2008

Objective

Melanoma-associated antigen gene B2 (MAGE-B2) encodes an embryonic antigen normally silenced after birth except in testis and placenta. We identified the MAGE-B2 gene and autoantibodies in pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) glomerulonephritis. We investigated the prevalence of MAGE-B2 autoantibodies in association with active SLE, to determine a pathogenetic role of MAGE-B2 protein through its distribution in cells and tissues.

Methods

Across-sectional study analyzed the frequency of MAGE-B2 autoantibodies in 40 patients with pediatric SLE, 23 adult controls, and 16 patients with pediatric juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) using Western blots containing recombinant MAGE-B2. SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) index measured SLE disease activity. Tissue distribution of MAGE-B2 protein was assessed by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blots.

Results

Seventeen (43%) of 40 pediatric SLE patients had MAGE-B2 autoantibodies as compared to 0 of 16 JRA patients and 2 of 23 adult controls. SLE disease activity was significantly higher in MAGE-B2 autoantibody-positive versus autoantibody-negative patients (SLEDAI-2K, mean 10.9 vs 5.2, p = 0.013; BILAG, mean 15.3 vs 6.3, p = 0.023). Active nephritis was more prevalent (60% vs 24%) inMAGE-B2 autoantibody-positive than autoantibody-negative SLE patients. MAGE-B2 protein was visualized in SLE kidney proximal convoluted tubules and in tumor epithelial cells, but not in lymphoblastoid cells.

Conclusion

MAGE-B2 autoantibody appears to be a clinically relevant biomarker for pediatric SLE disease activity and nephritis.
Audiences, Intertextuality and new media literacy
Authors: Tyner Kathleen
Published: November 2008

This article explores intertextuality as a technique that can be used to bridge old and new media literacies for teachers and students who hope to move beyond the textbook model of instruction into a world of online resources, flexible pedagogies and innovative designs for learning. These include the uses of online archives, media studies techniques, participatory knowledge creation, and multimedia analysis and production.

Este artículo explora la intertextualidad como una técnica que puede ser usada para tender un puente entre viejos y nuevos programas de alfabetización con los medios dirigidos a profesores y estudiantes que esperan pasar de un modelo de enseñanza basado en los libros de texto a un mundo de recursos on-line, pedagogías flexibles, técnicas de estudio de los medios, construcción interactiva del conocimiento y análisis y producción de multimedia.
Towards a democratic education of the look
Authors: Bustamante-Bohórquez Borys , Aranguren-Díaz Fernando , Chacón Maryori
Published: November 2008

This article is based on the research project titled «Pedagogical uses of a quality television for child and youth audiences», by an inter-institutional agreement between the National Commission of Television and the District University «Francisco José de Caldas» of Bogota, Colombia. Its goal is to study the look in our socio-cultural life to promote a critical education of the audiovisual area, starting from pedagogical proposals which entail citizenship.

Este trabajo, basado en el proyecto de investigación «Usos pedagógicos de una televisión de calidad para audiencias infantiles y juveniles», de la Comisión Nacional de Televisión y la Universidad Distrital «Francisco José de Caldas» de Bogotá, Colombia, pretende estudiar la mirada en el espacio sociocultural que nos ha tocado vivir con el objeto de fomentar una educación crítica del ámbito audiovisual, partiendo de propuestas pedagógicas que impliquen a toda la ciudadanía.
Backstage of TV for children: criteria underlying programming construction
Authors: Pereira Sara
Published: November 2008

What is usually known about television for children are the programmes broadcast. In contrast, the underlying criteria as well as their conditioning factors are largely unknown. This paper aims to unveil the television backstage, presenting and analysing the logics and strategic options that shape the conception, production and broadcasting of programming for children. In this way, this paper also intends to contribute to a well-grounded knowledge about a reality quite present in children’s daily life.

Lo que popularmente se conoce de la televisión para niños es la parrilla de programación que se emite en las pantallas, pero existe una fase de creación previa (los llamados criterios de producción y el conjunto de factores que la condicionan) que es especialmente significativa para entender finalmente estos contenidos infantiles. Este trabajo pretende adentrarse en los «bastidores» de la televisión, presentando y analizando la lógica y opciones estratégicas en la concepción, producción y emisión de la programación dirigida al público más joven. Se pretende, de esta forma, contribuir a un mayor conocimiento de una realidad muy significativa presente en la vida cotidiana de los niños.
Television and young people in Spain
Authors: García-Matilla Agustín , Molina-Cañabate Juan Pedro
Published: November 2008

The television is still the media with the biggest approach in Spanish homes. Despite this fact, it is no longer the main leisure and fun media for young people in the last years. This article tackles a historical context and aims for explaining some of the reasons why television has lost relevance within young audience. At the same time, the text provides a general perspective about some other screens consumption by young people, as well as it describes some alternative models and highlights new trends.

La televisión sigue siendo el medio con mayor grado de implantación en los hogares españoles; sin embargo, desde hace años se detecta una caída del «monopolio televisivo» en las preferencias de los jóvenes como único y exclusivo medio de ocio y diversión. En este trabajo se tratan de hallar algunas de las razones que expliquen que el medio televisivo haya perdido parte de su protagonismo entre la audiencia juvenil. Al mismo tiempo, se ofrece una perspectiva general acerca de los consumos de otras pantallas por parte de los jóvenes y se describen algunos modelos alternativos, así como tendencias y líneas prospectivas.
Materials Science in the Developing World: Challenges and Perspectives for Africa
Authors: Rosei Federico , Vayssieres Lionel , Mensah Patrick
Published: November 2008

“Africans believe in something that is difficult to render in English. We call it ubuntu or botho. It means the essence of being human. You know when it is there and when it is absent. It speaks about humanness, gentleness, hospitality, putting yourself out on behalf of others, being vulnerable. It embraces compassion and roughness. It recognizes that my humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together” (Desmond Tutu)
Molecular Factors of Catalytic Selectivity
Authors: Somorjai Gabor A. , Park Jeong Y.
Published: November 2008

Selectivity—the production of one molecule out of many other thermodynamically feasible product molecules—is the key concept in developing clean processes that do not produce by‐products (green chemistry). Small differences in the potential‐energy barriers of single reaction steps control which reaction channel is more likely to yield the desired product molecule (selectivity), while the overall activation energy of the reaction controls the turnover rates (activity). Recent studies have demonstrated that tailoring parameters at the atomic or molecular level—such as the surface structures of active sites—gives turnover rates and reaction selectivities that depend on the nanoparticle size and shape. Here, we highlight seven molecular components that influence the selectivity of heterogeneous catalyst reactions on single‐crystal model surfaces and colloid nanoparticles: surface structure, adsorbate‐induced restructuring, adsorbate mobility, reaction intermediates, surface composition, charge transport, and oxidation states. We show the importance of the single factors by means of examples and describe in situ analyses that permit their roles in surface reactions to be investigated.
Cruciform‐Silica Hybrid Materials
Authors: Zucchero Anthony J. , Shiels Rebecca A. , McGrier Psaras L. , To M. Alicia , Jones Christopher W. , Bunz Uwe H. F.
Published: November 2008

Silica scaffolding: By employing functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 silica, novel fluorescent cruciform‐silica hybrid materials are generated which preserve the desirable solution properties of cruciforms in the solid state for potential use in sensory schemes.

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Preserving the solution properties of functional fluorophores upon incorporation into solid state sensory schemes remains a significant challenge. To address this concern, a silica scaffold was employed to support functional fluorophores in the solid state. Herein, we report an effort to support 1,4‐distyryl‐2,5‐bisarylethynylbenzene cruciforms (XFs) using functionalized mesoporous silica particles. By employing surface‐functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 silica, novel fluorescent cruciform‐silica hybrid materials are generated which retain the desirable solution properties of cruciforms in the solid state. Organic surface functionalities, such as acidic, basic, and hydrophobic groups employed on the silica scaffold, modulate the observed emissions of the resulting solid state materials. The potential of these XF‐silica hybrid materials to display sensory responses to representative vapor‐phase analytes is demonstrated.
CV‐ANOVA for significance testing of PLS and OPLS® models
Authors: Eriksson Lennart , Trygg Johan , Wold Svante
Published: November 2008

This report describes significance testing for PLS and OPLS® (orthogonal PLS) models. The testing is applicable to single‐Y cases and is based on ANOVA of the cross‐validated residuals (CV‐ANOVA). Two variants of the CV‐ANOVA are introduced. The first is based on the cross‐validated predictive residuals of the PLS or OPLS model while the second works with the cross‐validated predictive score values of the OPLS model. The two CV‐ANOVA diagnostics are shown to work well in those cases where PLS and OPLS work well, that is, for data with many and correlated variables, missing data, etc. The utility of the CV‐ANOVA diagnostic is demonstrated using three datasets related to (i) the monitoring of an industrial de‐inking process; (ii) a pharmaceutical QSAR problem and (iii) a multivariate calibration application from a sugar refinery. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improvement of a Stereoselective Biocatalytic Synthesis by Substrate and Enzyme Engineering: 2‐Hydroxy‐(4′‐oxocyclohexyl)acetonitrile as the Model
Authors: Avi Manuela , Wiedner Romana M. , Griengl Herfried , Schwab Helmut
Published: November 2008

Even if biocatalysis is finding increasing application, it still has to gain widespread use in synthetic chemistry. Reasons for this are limitations that enzymes have with regard to substrate range, reaction scope, and insufficient selectivity with unnatural compounds. These shortcomings can be challenged by enzyme and/or substrate engineering, which are employed to alter substrate specificity and enhance the enzyme selectivity toward unnatural substrates. Herein, these two approaches are coupled to improve the hydroxynitrile lyase catalyzed synthesis of 2‐hydroxy‐(4′‐oxocyclohexyl)acetonitrile (4). The ketone functionality is masked as an enol ether, and the oxynitrilase of Hevea brasiliensis is engineered towards this masked substrate to give the product with a high optical purity and to drastically lower the amount of enzyme needed.
9,10‐Diarylanthracenes as Molecular Switches: Syntheses, Properties, Isomerisations and Their Reactions with Singlet Oxygen
Authors: Zehm Daniel , Fudickar Werner , Hans Melanie , Schilde Uwe , Kelling Alexandra , Linker Torsten
Published: November 2008

A series of 9,10‐diarylanthracenes with various substituents at the ortho positions have been synthesised by palladium‐catalysed cross‐coupling reactions. Such compounds exhibit interesting physical properties and can be applied as molecular switches. Despite the high steric demand of the substituents, products were formed in moderate‐to‐good yields. In some cases, microwave conditions further improved yields. Bis‐coupling afforded two isomers (syn and anti) that do not interconvert at room temperature. These products were easily separated and their relative stereochemistries were unequivocally assigned by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray analysis. The syn and anti isomers exhibit different physical properties (e.g., melting points and solubilities) and interconversion by rotation around the aryl–aryl axis commences at <100 °C for fluoro‐substituted diarylanthracenes and at >300 °C for alkyl‐ or alkoxy‐substituted diarylanthracenes. The reactions with singlet oxygen were studied separately and revealed different reactivities and reaction pathways. The yields and reactivities depend on the size and electronic nature of the substituents. The anti isomers form the same 9,10‐endoperoxides as the syn species, occasionally accompanied by unexpected 1,4‐endoperoxides as byproducts. Thermolysis of the endoperoxides exclusively yielded the syn isomers. The interesting rotation around the aryl–aryl axis allows the application of 9,10‐diarylanthracenes as molecular switches, which are triggered by light and air under mild conditions. Finally, the oxygenation and thermolysis sequence provides a simple, synthetic access to a single stereoisomer (syn) from an unselective coupling step.
Synthesis, Characterisation and Optical Properties of Silica Nanoparticles Coated with Anthracene Fluorophore and Thiourea Hydrogen‐Bonding Subunits
Authors: Calero Pilar , Martínez‐Máñez Ramón , Sancenón Félix , Soto Juan
Published: November 2008

Bifunctionalised hybrid silica nanoparticles have been synthesised and characterised, and their optical emission properties in the presence of certain anions in acetonitrile solutions have been studied. The alkoxysilane derivatives N‐butyl‐N′‐[3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]thiourea (1), N‐phenyl‐N′‐[3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]thiourea (2) and 3‐[(anthracen‐10‐yl)methylthio]propyltriethoxysilane (3) were prepared and used to functionalise uncoated LUDOX silica nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 18 ± 2 nm. The functionalisation of the nanoparticle surfaces was carried out by two different approaches. The first approach relies on the consecutive grafting of the two subunits. In this protocol, the nanoparticles were first functionalised with anthracene derivative 3 (solid NA), and then treated with the corresponding binding sites 1 or 2 to result in the NA‐Pt3 and NA‐Bt3 solids. The second approach deals with the simultaneous grafting of 1 or 2 and the signalling subunit 3 in different ratios. This method was used for the preparation of the NA1Pt1, NA1Bt1, NA1Pt3 and NA1Bt3 nanoparticles. The bifunctionalised silica nanoparticles were characterised by using standard techniques. Acetonitrile suspensions of NA nanoparticles (5 mg in 20 mL) showed anthracene bands centred at ca. 350, 370 and 390 nm. Upon excitation at 365 nm, a typical emission band with fine structure in the 390–450 nm range was observed. Similar absorption and emission spectra were found for the bifunctionalised nanoparticles. The work is completed with a prospective study of the fluorescence of the prepared nanoparticles in the presence of organic (acetate, benzoate) and inorganic (F–, Cl–, Br–, CN–, HSO4– and H2PO4–) anions. The apparent binding constants (adsorption constants) for the interaction of NA‐Pt3 with anions in acetonitrile were determined by performing a Langmuir‐type analysis of fluorescence titration data.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
Inter‐ and Intrachain Spin‐Transition Processes in One‐Dimensional Polynuclear Iron(III) Complexes of N,N′‐Ethylenebis(acetylacetonylideneimine) Bridged by 1,3‐Bis(4‐pyridyl)propane and 1,4‐Bis(imidazolyl)butane
Authors: Imatomi Shinya , Hashimoto Shingo , Matsumoto Naohide
Published: November 2008

Two one‐dimensional (1D) polynuclear iron(III) complexes, [FeIII(acacen)(bpyp)]BPh4 (1) and [FeIII(acacen)(bimb)]BPh4 (2), were synthesized [acacen = N,N′‐ethylenebis(acetylacetonylideneiminato); bpyp = 1,3‐bis(4‐pyridyl)propane; bimb = 1,4‐bis(imidazolyl)butane]. Complexes 1 and 2 show gradual spin‐crossover (SCO) behavior over a wide temperature range from 100 to 300 K and from 220 to higher than 350 K, respectively. The single‐crystal X‐ray structures of two complexes in the high‐spin (HS), low‐spin (LS), and the midpoint between HS and LS states were determined. Crystal structures of both complexes consist of two molecular units (Fe1 and Fe2), where complex 1 consists of two crystallographically independent 1D chains and complex 2 consists of one 1D chain involving two molecular units. At the temperature midway between the HS and LS states, the Fe–N bond lengths in the two units are different from each other. At the midpoint, complex 1 consists of alternately arrayed independent HS and LS chains, whereas complex 2 consists of alternately arrayed HS and LS units within a chain. The results demonstrate two different SCO mechanisms of a 1D complex, that is, SCO occurs in chain‐by‐chain fashion for 1 and in adjacent Fe units within a chain for 2. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Bone inflammation and altered gene expression with type I diabetes early onset
Authors: Motyl Katherine J. , Botolin Sergiu , Irwin Regina , Appledorn Daniel M. , Kadakia Tejas , Amalfitano Andrea , Schwartz Richard C. , McCabe Laura R.
Published: November 2008

Type I diabetes is associated with bone loss and marrow adiposity. To identify early events involved in the etiology of diabetic bone loss, diabetes was induced in mice by multiple low dose streptozotocin injections. Serum markers of bone metabolism and inflammation as well as tibial gene expression were examined between 1 and 17 days post‐injection (dpi). At 3 dpi, when blood glucose levels were significantly elevated, body, fat pad and muscle mass were decreased. Serum markers of bone resorption and formation significantly decreased at 5 dpi in diabetic mice and remained suppressed throughout the time course. An osteoclast gene, TRAP5 mRNA, was suppressed at early and late time points. Suppression of osteogenic genes (runx2 and osteocalcin) and induction of adipogenic genes (PPARγ2 and aP2) were evident as early as 5 dpi. These changes were associated with an elevation of serum cytokines, but more importantly we observed an increase in the expression of cytokines in bone, supporting the idea that bone, itself, exhibits an inflammatory response during diabetes induction. This inflammation could in turn contribute to diabetic bone pathology. IFN‐γ (one of the key cytokines elevated in bone and known to be involved in bone regulation) deficiency did not prevent diabetic bone pathology. Taken together, our findings indicate that bone becomes inflamed with the onset of T1‐diabetes and during this time bone phenotype markers become altered. However, inhibition of one cytokine, IFN‐γ was not sufficient to prevent the rapid bone phenotype changes. J. Cell. Physiol. 218: 575–583, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.