bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The kiwi fruit peptide kissper displays anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects inin-vitroandex-vivohuman intestinal models
Authors: Ciacci C , Russo I , Bucci C , Iovino P , Pellegrini L , Giangrieco I , Tamburrini M , Ciardiello M A
Published: October 2013

Literature reports describe kiwi fruit as a food with significant effects on human health, including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Fresh fruit or raw kiwi fruit extracts have been used so far to investigate these effects, but the molecule(s) responsible for these health-promoting activities have not yet been identified. Kissper is a kiwi fruit peptide displaying pore-forming activity in synthetic lipid bilayers, the composition of which is similar to that found in intestinal cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the kissper influence on intestinal inflammation using cultured cells and ex-vivo tissues from healthy subjects and Crohn's disease (CD) patients. The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of kissper were tested on Caco-2 cells and on the colonic mucosa from 23 patients with CD, by challenging with the lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (EC-LPS) and monitoring the appropriate markers by Western blot and immunofluorescence. EC-LPS challenge determined an increase in the intracellular concentration of calcium and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The peptide kissper was highly effective in preventing the increase of LPS-induced ROS levels in both the Caco-2 cells and CD colonic mucosa. Moreover, it controls the calcium increase, p65-nuclear factor (NF)-kB induction and transglutaminase 2 (TG2) activation inflammatory response in Caco-2 cells and CD colonic mucosa. Kissper efficiently counteracts the oxidative stress and inflammatory response in valuable model systems consisting of intestinal cells and CD colonic mucosa. This study reports the first evidence supporting a possible correlation between some beneficial effects of kiwi fruit and a specific protein molecule rather than generic nutrients.
Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in surgically treated hyperthyroidism – a nation‐wide cohort study with a long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Ryödi Essi , Salmi Jorma , Jaatinen Pia , Huhtala Heini , Saaristo Rauni , Välimäki Matti , Auvinen Anssi , Metso Saara
Published: October 2013

Objective

Previous studies suggest that patients with hyperthyroidism remain at an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity even after restoring euthyroidism. The mechanisms of the increased risk and its dependency on the different treatment modalities of hyperthyroidism remain unclear. The aim of this long‐term follow‐up study was to compare the rate of hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes and the mortality in hyperthyroid patients treated surgically with an age‐ and gender‐matched reference population.

Patients and Measurements

A population‐based cohort study was conducted among 4334 hyperthyroid patients (median age 46 years) treated with thyroidectomy in 1986–2007 in Finland and among 12 991 reference subjects. Firstly, the hospitalizations due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were analysed until thyroidectomy. Secondly, the hazard ratios for any new hospitalization due to CVDs after the thyroidectomy were calculated in Cox regression analysis adjusted with the prevalent CVDs at the time of thyroidectomy.

Results

The risk of hospitalization due to all CVDs started to increase already 5 years before the thyroidectomy, and by the time of the operation, it was 50% higher in the hyperthyroid patients compared to the controls (P < 0·001). After the thyroidectomy, the hospitalizations due to all CVDs (HR 1·15), hypertension (HR 1·23), heart failure (HR 1·17) and valvular diseases or cardiomyopathies (HR 1·55) remained more frequent among the patients than among the controls for 20 years after thyroidectomy. The increased morbidity was not clearly related to the aetiology of hyperthyroidism. Despite the increased CVD morbidity among the patients, there was no difference in cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusions

The present study shows that hyperthyroidism increases the risk of hospitalization due to CVDs and the risk is sustained up to two decades after effective surgical treatment. However, there was no excess CVD mortality in the middle‐aged patient cohort studied.
Definitive surgical closure of enterocutaneous fistula: outcome and factors predictive of increased postoperative morbidity
Authors: Ravindran P. , Ansari N. , Young C. J. , Solomon M. J.
Published: October 2013

Aim

Enterocutaneous fistula (ECF) presents a complex management problem with significant mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of patients undergoing surgical cure for ECF and to predict factors that might relate to increased postoperative morbidity.

Method

Medical records of all patients who underwent definitive surgery for cure of an ECF within our colorectal surgery unit between 2000 and 2010 were reviewed.

Results

Forty‐one patients (18 male) were identified, in whom 44 definitive procedures were performed. The median age was 54 (17–81) years. The median postoperative length of stay in hospital was 14 (2–213) days. Half (50%) of the ECFs occurred as a postoperative complication followed by spontaneous fistulation in Crohn's disease (36%). The interval to definitive surgery was influenced by the aetiology of the fistula. The median time to surgery after formation of postoperative fistula was 240 days (7.9 months). There was no 30‐day postoperative mortality. There were two (4.5%) recurrences at 3 months. Thirty‐eight (86%) patients suffered postoperative morbidity as defined by the Clavien–Dindo classification. High‐grade morbidity occurred in 32% of patients. On univariate analysis, factors identified as being significantly associated with high‐grade morbidity included a fistula output of > 500 ml/day (P = 0.004) in patients with postoperative ECF, malnutrition at presentation (P = 0.04) and a serum albumin value of < 30 g/l (P = 0.02) in patients with spontaneous ECF due to Crohn's disease.

Conclusion

The majority of persistent complex ECFs can be cured surgically with low mortality and recurrence in a multidisciplinary setting. Postoperative morbidity, however, remains a significant burden.
Tolerability of sirolimus: a decade of experience at a single cardiac transplant center
Authors: Thibodeau Jennifer T. , Mishkin Joseph D. , Patel Parag C. , Kaiser Patricia A. , Ayers Colby R. , Mammen Pradeep P. A. , Markham David W. , Ring William Steves , Peltz Matthias , Drazner Mark H.
Published: October 2013

Sirolimus is used in cardiac transplant recipients to prevent rejection, progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and renal dysfunction. However, sirolimus has many potential side effects and its tolerability when used outside of clinical trials is not well established. We describe a decade of experience with sirolimus in cardiac transplant recipients at our institution. We retrospectively reviewed records of all adult cardiac transplant recipients living between September 1999 and February 2010 (n = 329) and identified 67 patients (20%) who received sirolimus. The indications for sirolimus were cardiac allograft vasculopathy (67%), renal dysfunction (25%), rejection (4%), and intolerability of tacrolimus (3%). One‐third of patients discontinued sirolimus at a median (25th, 75th percentiles) of 0.9 (0.2, 1.6) yr of duration. Over 70% of subjects experienced an adverse event attributed to sirolimus. Adverse events were associated with higher average sirolimus levels (9.1 ng/mL vs. 7.1 ng/mL, p = 0.004). We conclude that sirolimus is frequently used in cardiac transplant recipients (20%) and commonly causes side effects, often necessitating discontinuation. Higher average sirolimus levels were associated with adverse events, suggesting that tolerability may improve if levels are maintained within the lower end of the current therapeutic range; however, the improvement in tolerability would need to be balanced with the potential for decreased efficacy.
Angry Birds Need Not Apply: A Perspective on the Flexible form and Multifunctionality of Avian Vocal Duets
Authors: Dahlin Christine R. , Benedict Lauryn
Published: October 2013

Research into avian vocal duets has revealed much about the social interactions of mated pairs, including how communication signals mediate important components of fitness such as reproductive success and resource‐holding ability. Excellent reviews have been written on avian duets, but none have quantified the prevalence of different duet features and functions, or tested for potential links between structure and function. Here we have compiled a thorough list of studies at the species level and investigated whether there are trends in duet form, trends in duet function and matches between form and function. We have also provided recommendations for reporting of duet structure to help standardize future data collection and facilitate comparative analyses. We found that duet vocalizations are typically tightly coordinated (69% of 33 species), initiated by both partners (80% of 35 species), and have sex‐specific contributions (73% of 48 species). Duets vary substantially in structure both across and within species, and this flexibility in duet form may contribute to their use in multiple contexts. Among the well‐studied species (functions well supported by experimental evidence and studied post‐1983), duets are usually multifunctional, with functions including joint resource defence, signalling commitment, maintaining contact, ensuring reproductive synchrony and mate‐guarding. Levels of support for different hypotheses have changed over time as theory within the field developed, but overall, the best‐supported function of duets across avian species (81% of 26 species) has been joint resource defence. In all but one of these 26 species, duets are sometimes cooperative (meaning that duet participation benefits both duetting partners), and they often produce multiple benefits. We found associations between form and function, in that duets directed to non‐pair individuals have higher amplitude and are more likely to have sex‐specific notes than duets directed within the pair. We see the field moving away from labelling duets as representing ‘cooperation’ or ‘conflict’ and moving towards a general multifunctionality framework within which researchers test multiple hypotheses for duet function under the assumption that both duet form and function can vary moment to moment and that such flexibility can provide multiple benefits.
Surgical treatment of synovial osteochondromatosis in the middle carpal joint of a pony
Authors: Newman J. C. , Lustgarten M. , Berman K. G. , Vivrette S. , Redding W. R.
Published: October 2013

A 9‐year‐old Paint pony gelding presented for signs of left carpal swelling of 1–2 weeks' duration. Radiographic, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic evaluation of the left carpus was consistent with synovial osteochondromatosis. This presumptive clinical diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically. Arthroscopic removal of the osteochondral bodies resulted in resolution of the carpal effusion and return to previous athletic activity by 4.5 months post operatively. Arthroscopic removal of osteochondral bodies is the treatment of choice in cases of suspected synovial osteochondromatosis.
Nucleic acid delivery by cell penetrating peptides derived from dengue virus capsid protein: design and mechanism of action
Authors: Freire João M. , Veiga Ana Salomé , Rego de Figueiredo Inês , de la Torre Beatriz G. , Santos Nuno C. , Andreu David , Da Poian Andrea T. , Castanho Miguel A. R. B.
Published: October 2013

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) can be used as drug delivery systems for different therapeutic molecules. In this work two novel CPPs, pepR and pepM, designed from two domains of the dengue virus (DENV) capsid protein, were studied for their ability to deliver nucleic acids into cells as non‐covalently bound cargo. Translocation studies were performed by confocal microscopy in HepG2, BHK and HEK cell lineages, astrocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Combined studies in HepG2 cells, astrocytes and BHK cells, at 4 and 37 °C or using specific endocytosis inhibitors, revealed that pepR and pepM use distinct internalization routes: pepM translocates lipid membranes directly, while pepR uses an endocytic pathway. To confirm these results, a methodology was developed to monitor the translocation kinetics of both peptides by real‐time flow cytometry. Kinetic constants were determined, and the amount of nucleic acids delivered was estimated. Additional studies were performed in order to understand the molecular bases of the peptide‐mediated translocation. Peptide–nucleic acid and peptide–lipid membrane interactions were studied quantitatively based on the intrinsic fluorescence of the peptides. pepR and pepM bound ssDNA to the same extent. Partition studies revealed that both peptides bind preferentially to anionic lipid membranes, adopting an α‐helical conformation. However, fluorescence quenching studies suggest that pepM is deeply inserted into the lipid bilayer, in contrast with pepR. Moreover, only pepM is able to promote the fusion and aggregation of vesicles composed of zwitterionic lipids. Altogether, the results show that DENV capsid protein derived peptides serve as good templates for novel CPP‐based nucleic acid delivery strategies, defining different routes for cell entry.
Earnings Management and Analyst Following: A Simultaneous Equations Analysis
Authors: Hong Yongtao , Huseynov Fariz , Zhang Wei
Published: October 2013

We use a simultaneous equations system to examine the relationship between earnings management and analyst following. We find that analysts’ decisions to follow firms and managerial decisions to manage earnings are jointly determined. Firms with lower levels of accrual‐based earnings management offer a better information environment to attract analyst following. Analyst following, in turn, has important monitoring effects on managerial behavior and results in lower levels of both accrual‐based and real earnings management. The information intermediary effect on analyst following is much weaker for expected “suspect firms” that manage their earnings continuously.
Pathological upgrading and upstaging of patients eligible for active surveillance according to currently used protocols
Authors: Kim Tae Heon , Jeon Hwang Gyun , Choo Seol Ho , Jeong Byong Chang , Seo Seong Il , Jeon Seong Soo , Choi Han Yong , Lee Hyun Moo
Published: October 2013

Objectives

To investigate the ability of six contemporary active surveillance protocols to appropriately select active surveillance candidates among Korean men who underwent radical prostatectomy.

Methods

Between January 2001 and December 2011, 1968 patients underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patients met the criteria for active surveillance according to six currently used criteria, including those from the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Toronto, the University of California at San Francisco, the Prospective Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance, the University of Miami and the Memorial Sloan‐Kettering Cancer Center. The rates of Gleason score upgrading, upstaging and misclassification at final pathology were assessed.

Results

Among 1006 assessable patients, the percentage of men eligible for active surveillance varied from 13.5% to 38.5%, depending on the criteria used. The rates of upgrading ranged from 41.6% to 50.6%. Extracapsular extension was reported in 4.1% to 8.5% of patients, whereas seminal vesicle invasion was reported in 0.5% to 1.6% of patients. The upstaging rates according to the six active surveillance criteria varied from 4.5% to 9.3%, and the rates of misclassification varied from 44.5% to 54.8%.

Conclusions

Currently available active surveillance criteria might not be suitable in Korean patients with prostate cancer, as they have a high likelihood of underestimating cancer.
Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness: Boundaries of care provision
Authors: Ehrlich Carolyn , Kendall Elizabeth , Frey Nicolette , Kisely Steve , Crowe Elizabeth , Crompton David
Published: October 2013

There is compelling evidence that the physical health of people with severe mental illness is poor. Health‐promotion guidelines have been recommended as a mechanism for improving the physical health of this population. However, there are significant barriers to the adoption of evidence‐based guidelines in practice. The purpose of this research was to apply existing implementation theories to examine the capability of the health system to integrate physical health promotion into mental health service delivery. Data were collected within a regional city in Queensland, Australia. Fifty participants were interviewed. The core theme that emerged from the data was that of ‘care boundaries’ that influenced the likelihood of guidelines being implemented. Boundaries existed around the illness, care provision processes, sectors, the health‐care system, and society. These multilevel boundaries, combined with participants' ways of responding to them, impacted on capability (i.e. the ability to integrate physical health promotion into existing practices). Participants who were able to identify strategies to mediate these boundaries were better positioned to engage with physical health‐promotion practice. Thus, the implementation of evidence‐based guidelines depended heavily on the capability of the workforce to develop and adopt boundary‐mediating strategies.
A study on glabellar wrinkle patterns in Koreans
Authors: Kim H.S. , Kim C. , Cho H. , Hwang J.Y. , Kim Y.S.
Published: October 2013

Background

Botulinum toxin is a well‐established treatment for dynamic glabellar lines. The glabella is in fact, the most common site for botulinum toxin injection in Asians. Previous studies have identified five glabellar contraction patterns according to the predominance of eyebrow approximation, depression or elevation. Unfortunately, the authors found the former classification somewhat confusing.

Objective

To identify and classify glabellar wrinkle patterns in Koreans for a better treatment approach. We also aimed to provide an Asian consensus recommendation for the individual wrinkle pattern.

Methods

A retrospective photographic analysis of 139 Korean patients who received botulinum toxin for the first time to treat glabellar wrinkles was conducted. The wrinkle patterns were identified and classified by a panel of experienced Korean dermatologists, based on the prevalence of perpendicular and transverse glabellar lines, the nasal wrinkles and the forehead wrinkles. The panel also convened to develop a clinical consensus on the individual wrinkle pattern in Asians.

Results

Five patterns were identified: (1) ‘U’, (2) ‘11′, (3) ‘X’, (4) ‘π (Phi)’ and (5) ‘I’. The classification method allowed indentifying the most important muscles in each wrinkle pattern. The consensus recommendation addressed the most heavily used muscles to receive higher doses and to be injected into a larger number of sites. Those less solicited muscles were left untreated or received lower doses, allowing for more effective and natural results.

Conclusion

Interpersonal differences in facial animation exist among Koreans. We hope our simple glabellar wrinkles classification enables a more accurate, individualized treatment with botulinum toxin in Asians.
Anti‐MDA5 positive clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis presenting with severe cardiomyopathy
Authors: Pau‐Charles I. , Moreno P.J. , Ortiz‐Ibáñez K. , Lucero M.C. , Garcia‐Herrera A. , Espinosa G. , Nicolás J.M. , Castro P. , Grau J.M. , Casciola‐Rosen L. , Mascaró J.M.
Published: October 2013

Background

Anti‐MDA5 (Melanoma differentiation‐associated gene 5) positive dermatomyositis is a new variant of clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis that presents with characteristic mucocutaneous findings and is associated with a higher risk of developing rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease. Because its presentation differs from that of classical dermatomyositis, this entity can be a diagnostic challenge for the clinician.

Methods & Results

We present the case of a 55‐year‐old male with a 7‐month history of chill sensation, constitutional symptoms and polyarthralgia. Within 3 months, the patient developed progressive heart failure with dyspnoea and orthopnoea, together with characteristic cutaneous lesions. Skin biopsies demonstrated thrombosis of small and medium‐sized arteries in the reticular dermis, together with an evolved lobular panniculitis and prominent mucin deposits.

Conclusions

Clinicians should be aware of the characteristic clinical and histopathologic presentation of this variant of dermatomyositis to establish an early diagnosis. Further evidence is needed to clarify the risk of cardiac involvement in this subset of patients.
Marketing Genius: The Impact of Educational Claims and Cues on Parents' Reactions to Infant/Toddler DVDs
Authors: VAALA SARAH E. , LAPIERRE MATTHEW A.
Published: October 2013

Infant/toddler‐directed DVDs have become commonplace in American homes. Most of these DVDs carry direct claims or implied cues of educational benefit, despite complaints from the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and others regarding a lack of confirmatory research. Using a DVD package created for this study, this experiment tested the impact of DVD brand name, educational claim specificity, and a personality dimension (i.e., regulatory focus orientation) on parents' perceptions of educational value and purchase intentions. Parents reacted similarly to specific and ambiguous educational statements, but gave higher educational value estimations when the brand name had an educational cue. An interaction suggested that the effect of the claim outcome specificity depended on the claim verb specificity. Parents with a strong focus on pursuing possible rewards (promotion focus) had higher perceptions of educational value and stronger desires to purchase the DVD. Implications for policy and further research are discussed.
Variability in Maximal Suggested Door‐in‐Door‐out Time for Hospitals Transferring Patients for Primary Angioplasty in STEMI
Authors: HARJAI KISHORE J. , ORSHAW PAMELA , YAEGER LYNNE , ELLIS GEORGE , KIRTANE AJAY
Published: October 2013

Objectives

We derived a formula for maximal suggested door‐in‐door‐out time (DIDO) for hospitals that do not perform primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Background

Efforts to minimize DIDO at non‐PCI hospitals can improve door‐to‐balloon time (D2B). Targeting a maximal suggested DIDO for a transferring hospital can influence reperfusion strategy.

Methods

We examined time to treatment intervals for 193 STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI at our hospital. D2B in transferred patients (D2BT) was divided into 3 intervals: transferring hospital DIDO, inter‐hospital transport time, and interventional time. We defined maximal suggested DIDO as the maximum DIDO that would allow PCI with D2BT ≤120 minutes.

Results

D2B was higher in transfer compared to on‐site patients (147 ± 52 vs. 75 ± 44 minutes, P < 0.0001). In transfer patients, treatment time intervals were: DIDO 80 ± 42 minutes, transport time 37 ± 18 minutes, interventional time 35 ± 16 minutes. The greatest variability in D2BT was related to DIDO. We estimated that maximal suggested DIDO = [120 − (transport time plus interventional time)]. Using a fixed interventional time of 40 minutes, we simplified this as: maximal DIDO = 80 − transport time. Maximal suggested DIDO for 4 transferring hospitals in our network ranged from 1 to 65 minutes. DIDO under the hospital‐specific threshold was the strongest predictor of achieving D2BT <120 minutes.

Conclusions

Transferring hospitals' maximal suggested DIDO is variable, and can be calculated from inter‐hospital transport time. Instead of a universal target DIDO (e.g., <30 minutes), maximal suggested DIDO can be calculated individually for each non‐PCI hospital within a STEMI network.
Working with young people: Evaluation of an education resource for medical trainees
Authors: Sawyer Susan M , Conn Jennifer J , Reid Katharine J , Dodds Agnes E , Hudson Lee , Yeo Michele , Proimos Jenny
Published: October 2013

Aim

Many health professionals report interest in consulting more effectively with young people but have unmet training needs. We set out to evaluate a teaching resource in adolescent health and medicine that was designed for Australian trainees in specialist medicine.

Methods

Thirty‐two paediatric and adult trainees of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians completed a pre‐evaluation questionnaire to assess attitudes and confidence in working with young people. They were then provided with a training resource and, 6 weeks later, completed a post‐evaluation questionnaire. Repeated‐measures anovas were used to assess changes in attitudes, self‐reported knowledge and confidence by trainee type. χ2‐tests were used to compare variation in the use of and opinions about the resource.

Results

Trainees' awareness of the health issues that affect young people, confidence in working with young people and confidence in their knowledge greatly improved after using the resource. Beforehand, adult medicine trainees scored lower than paediatric trainees. A relatively higher rate of improvement resulted in similar scores between trainee types after using the resource, which was rated equally highly by the different groups of trainees.

Conclusions

As a result of significant gains in the confidence of specialist medicine trainees after access to the resource, it will now be made available for Australian trainees in specialist medicine.
Do Hormones Influence Women's Sex? Sexual Activity over the Menstrual Cycle
Authors: Caruso Salvatore , Agnello Carmela , Malandrino Chiara , Lo Presti Lucia , Cicero Carla , Cianci Stefano
Published: October 2013

Introduction

In mammals, the effects of ovarian steroids influence sexual behavior. In humans, there are a few studies that take into account if ovulation occurs.

Aim

The study aims to investigate if a woman's sexuality changes during the week and over the menstrual cycle, and if so, in what way.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study; 1,957 heterosexual women were involved over the period January 2004–December 2011. Two subgroups were taken into consideration, women having a partner and singles.

Main Outcome Measure

Sexual interview and the Female Sexual Function Index and Female Sexual Distress Scale questionnaires were used to exclude women with sexual dysfunction. Women with ovulation confirmed by sonography were enrolled. Women were given diary cards on which to report their daily sexual activity. Serum concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, and free androgen index were measured during the follicular, periovular, and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Results

One thousand one hundred eighty women (age range 18–40 years) were included in the analyses. Of them, 925 had a heterosexual relationship and 255 were single. Women with a partner had more sexual activity during the weekend, while the singles had a constant sexual activity over the week. The sexual activity of singles was higher during the ovulatory phase and lower during menses than that of the women with a partner. A linear correlation between sexual activity and androgenic hormonal profile during the menstrual cycle in women with and without a partner was observed.

Conclusions

Ovarian steroids modulate a woman's sexual activity. This aspect was more evident in singles than in women having a partner, in which a variety of nonhormonal factors can have a role.
Stability of the sponge assemblage ofMediterranean coralligenous concretions along a millennial time span
Authors: Bertolino Marco , Calcinai Barbara , Cattaneo‐Vietti Riccardo , Cerrano Carlo , Lafratta Anna , Pansini Maurizio , Pica Daniela , Bavestrello Giorgio
Published: October 2013

TheMediterranean coralligenous substratum is a hard bottom of biogenic origin, mainly composed of calcareous algae, growing in dim light conditions. Sponges are among of the most representative taxa of the coralligenous assemblages, with more than 300 recorded species of different habits: massive, erect, boring and insinuating. When sponges die, their siliceous spicules remain trapped in the biogenic concretion, offering the opportunity to describe the coralligenous spongofauna over a very long span of time, virtually dating back to a large part of theHolocene period. The data reported here were obtained from core samples collected from four coralligenous concretions. Each block was collected in a different locality of theLigurianSea:SantoStefanoShoals,Bogliasco,Punta delFaro (PortofinoPromontory) andPuntaManara.Radiocarbon age determinations indicate for these conglomerates a maximal age between 1600 and 3100 years. The spicules trapped in the cores show deep dissolution marks in the form of circular holes on their surface or present an enlargement of the axial canal. However, their original shape, generally intact, suggests the absence of mechanical injuries and allows a tentative identification at the species level. The analysis of these old spicules reveals an ancient sponge assemblage composed of 30 recognisable species. This indicates that almost one half of the sponge community today settled on coralligenous substrata has been present in the conglomerates for their entire existence.
Unravelling bacteriophage ϕ11 requirements for packaging and transfer of mobile genetic elements in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Quiles‐Puchalt Nuria , Martínez‐Rubio Roser , Ram Geeta , Lasa Íñigo , Penadés José R.
Published: October 2013

Bacteriophages play a major role in spreading mobile genetic elements (MGEs)‐encoded genes among bacterial populations. In spite of this, the molecular requirements for building phage transducing particles have not been completely deciphered. Here, we systematically inactivated each ORF from the packaging and lysis modules of the staphylococcal phage ϕ11, used as a model for the Siphoviridae phages infecting Gram‐positive bacteria, and determined their functional role in transferring different MGEs including plasmids, staphylococcal pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) and the phage itself. In a previous report, we identified seven of these ORFs as being required for the production of functional phage or SaPI particles. In this report, we have completed the mutational analysis and have identified and characterized 15 additional phage‐encoded proteins required for the production of mature phage, SaPI, or transducing particles. Apart from these, we have not yet ascertained any specific function for the six remaining ϕ11 genes, though they are highly conserved among the staphylococcal bacteriophages. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first systematic deletion analysis of all the ORFs comprising the morphogenetic and lysis modules of a phage, clearly defining the molecular requirements involved in phage‐mediated MGEs transfer.
One‐week temporal stability of hyperactivity in preschoolers with ADHD during psychometric assessment
Authors: Miyahara Motohide , Healey Dione M. , Halperin Jeffrey M.
Published: October 2013

Aim

To examine the usefulness of temporal measures of motor activity during psychometric assessment on two different assessment days, 1 week apart with a scope to help the early identification of hyperactivity.

Methods

Actigraph measures at the ankle and the waist were compared on the first and the second days of psychometric assessment in a total of 169 children (93 children in ADHD group; 76 children in Non‐ADHD group) aged 3 years and 4 years.

Results

There was a significant interaction effect between group and time on the activity level at the waist. Although the activity level of the waist in the children with ADHD did not significantly differ between Day 1 and Day 2, the activity level of the children without ADHD declined significantly from Day 1 to 2. A total of 70% of children were correctly classified into ADHD or Non‐ADHD groups based only on Day 2 waist activity data.

Conclusion

The temporal consistency of hyperactivity in young children with ADHD during psychometric assessment is confirmed, indicating that objective measures of motor activity at the waist over different days of psychometric assessment can provide additional information for the stability of hyperactivity.
Primary visual cortical metabolism and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Chiba Yuhei , Iseki Eizo , Fujishiro Hiroshige , Ota Kazumi , Kasanuki Koji , Arai Heii , Hirayasu Yoshio , Sato Kiyoshi
Published: October 2013

Aim

Significant glucose hypometabolism in the primary visual cortex (PVC) is considered to support a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), but its relationship to the clinical features remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between the metabolic pattern and clinical variables in DLB.

Methods

A total of 27 DLB patients who underwent [18F]fluoro‐d‐glucose (18F‐FDG) positron emission tomography scans were examined. Demographics and clinical variables were compared between patients with and without glucose hypometabolism in the PVC. The correlations between the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in the PVC and clinical variables were also investigated.

Results

Only the onset age of probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was significantly different between patients with and withoutglucose hypometabolism in the PVC, being younger in patients with the metabolic pattern; there were no other differences in clinical variables. The onset age of probable RBD was significantly correlated with the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in the PVC.

Conclusions

Glucose hypometabolism in the PVC provides a potential mechanism for the link between antecedent RBD and the subsequent development of dementia in DLB patients. Glucose hypometabolism in the PVC may represent the effect of the pathophysiological process of DLB on RBD rather than a distinct condition in the disease progression. The physiological aspects of the link between this metabolic pattern and the onset of RBD remain unclear.
Sex‐specific effects of subjective memory complaints with respect to cognitive impairment or depressive symptoms
Authors: Tomita Tetsu , Sugawara Norio , Kaneda Ayako , Okubo Noriyuki , Iwane Kaori , Takahashi Ippei , Kaneko Sunao , Yasui‐Furukori Norio
Published: October 2013

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between subjective memory complaints (SMC) and sex.

Methods

We researched the prevalence of SMC in a sample of 394 participants who were at least 60 years of age (138 male and 256 female). We also administered the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression (CES‐D) scale. A multiple logistic regression analysis, which included SMC in association with the MMSE or CES‐D scores and other confounding factors, was performed to determine the influence of sex on SMC. A P‐value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The durations of education of male participants were significantly higher than those of female participants. MMSE scores for female participants were significantly higher than those for male participants. There was no significant difference in CES‐D scores between male and female participants. Twenty‐four male participants and 72 female participants showed evidence of SMC. The incidence of SMC was more frequent in female participants than in male participants. In all participants, sex difference and CES‐D score were significantly associated with SMC. In male participants, MMSE score was independently and significantly associated with SMC. Both in female participants and all participants, CES‐D score was independently and significantly associated with SMC.

Conclusion

SMC varied by sex and were associated with the degree of cognitive impairment in male participants, while they were associated with depressive symptoms in female participants.
Differences in psychiatric symptoms among Asian patients with depression: A multi‐country cross‐sectional study
Authors: Sulaiman Ahmad H. , Bautista Dianne , Liu Chia‐Yih , Udomratn Pichet , Bae Jae Nam , Fang Yiru , Chua Hong C. , Liu Shen‐Ing , George Tom , Chan Edwin , Tian‐mei Si , Hong Jin Pyo , Srisurapanont Manit , Rush A. John ,   the Mood Disorders Research: Asian & Australian Network
Published: October 2013

Aim

The aim of this study was to compare the symptomatic and clinical features of depression among five groups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) living in China, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Methods

Consecutive consenting adults (aged 18–65) who met DSM‐IV criteria for non‐psychotic MDD – based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview – and who were free of psychotropic medication were evaluated in a cross‐sectional study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the 10‐item Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the 13‐item depression subscale of the Symptoms Checklist 90‐Revised (SCL‐90‐R). In addition, the 10‐item SCL‐90‐R Anxiety Subscale was completed. ancova were conducted, adjusting for confounders: age, completion of secondary education, marital status, work status, religion, index episode duration, and depressive severity. For the magnitude of differences, a threshold of 0.10 was taken as theminimum effect size representing clinical significance, and an effect size of 0.25 was considered moderate.

Results

Four MADRS symptoms differentiated these five groups, the most prominent being ‘lassitude’ and ‘inner tension’. Nine SCL‐90‐R depression items also differentiated the groups, as did eight SCL‐90‐R Anxiety Subscale items. The MADRS lassitude item had the largest effect size (0.131). The rest of those statistically significant differences did not exceed 0.10.

Conclusion

MDD is more similar than different among outpatients in these diverse Asian countries. The between‐country differences, while present and not due to chance, are small enough to enable the use of common clinician and self‐report rating scales in studies involving Asians with MDD from various ethnic backgrounds.
Oxidation of Plasmalogen, Low‐Density Lipoprotein and RAW 264.7 Cells by Photoactivatable Atomic Oxygen Precursors
Authors: Bourdillon Max T. , Ford Benjamin A. , Knulty Ashley T. , Gray Colleen N. , Zhang Miao , Ford David A. , McCulla Ryan D.
Published: October 2013

The oxidation of lipids by endogenous or environmental reactive oxygen species (ROS) generates a myriad of different lipid oxidation products that have important roles in disease pathology. The lipid oxidation products obtained in these reactions are dependent upon the identity of the reacting ROS. The photoinduced deoxygenation of various aromatic heterocyclic oxides has been suggested to generate ground state atomic oxygen (O[3P]) as an oxidant; however, very little is known about reactions between lipids and O(3P). To identify lipid oxidation products arising from the reaction of lipids with O(3P), photoactivatable precursors of O(3P) were irradiated in the presence of lysoplasmenylcholine, low‐density lipoprotein and RAW 264.7 cells under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Four different aldehyde products consistent with the oxidation of plasmalogens were observed. The four aldehydes were: tetradecanal, pentadecanal, 2‐hexadecenal and hexadecanal. Depending upon the conditions, either pentadecanal or 2‐hexadecenal was the major product. Increased amounts of the aldehyde products were observed in aerobic conditions.
A Dynamic Bivariate Poisson Model for Analysing and Forecasting Match Results in the English Premier League
Authors: Koopman Siem Jan , Lit Rutger
Published: October 2013

We develop a statistical model for the analysis and forecasting of football match results which assumes a bivariate Poisson distribution with intensity coefficients that change stochastically over time. The dynamic model is a novelty in the statistical time series analysis of match results in team sports. Our treatment is based on state space and importance sampling methods which are computationally efficient. The out-of-sample performance of our methodology is verified in a betting strategy that is applied to the match outcomes from the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 seasons of the English football Premier League. We show that our statistical modelling framework can produce a significant positive return over the bookmaker's odds.
Development of a High‐fidelity Experimental Substructure Test Rig for Grid‐scored Sandwich Panels in Wind Turbine Blades
Authors: Laustsen S. , Lund E. , Kühlmeier L. , Thomsen O. T.
Published: October 2013

This paper outlines high‐fidelity experimental substructure testing of sandwich panels which constitute the aerodynamic outer shell of modern wind turbine blades. A full‐scale structural experimental and numerical characterisation of a composite wind turbine blade has been conducted. The development of a full‐scale numerical model is detailed, and the necessary experimental set‐up is described. Further, the numerical and experimental results obtained are compared, and an idealised set of boundary conditions for a chosen blade substructure is presented. From this, the development of a test rig suitable for representing the established loading and boundary conditions is presented, and some preliminary experimental results are discussed. The work provides a road map for developing high‐fidelity experimental substructure tests, which in more generic terms are applicable to similar developments of substructure tests for composite wind turbine blades. Furthermore, recommendations on the use of grid‐scored sandwich structures in wind turbine blades are presented, which outline the sensitivity in terms of quasi‐static strength to the established loading conditions.
Nihilism and modernity: Louis‐Ferdinand Céline's Journey to the end of the night
Authors: Romanillos José Luis
Published: October 2013

This paper explores Louis‐Ferdinand Céline's 1932 Journey to the end of the night within the context of growing work on the literary geographies of modernity. The paper argues that Céline's novel can be productively aligned with other texts such as Ulysses or Heart of darkness as a way of thinking about the experiences of modernity in terms of a spatial disorientation that provokes new kinds of writing. At the same time, Céline's novel is distinctive because it presents the experience of modernity as one of nihilism. In particular, the novel diagnoses the ‘creative‐destructive’ project of modernity through a narrative of abjection and disenchantment, asking readers to question the dialectical promise, and idealist pretensions, of the term. This paper explores how this nihilistic writing is expressed spatially through the parodic ‘journey’ that structures the narrative, and the different nihilistic landscapes dramatised across the novel. The paper proceeds by examining understandings of modernity within literary geographies, and interpretations of nihilism, before exploring some of the central spatial moments of the novel: the deathscapes of World War I, French Colonial Africa and New York. The paper concludes by reflecting on the ways in which Céline's writing could be said to make manifest the spatial experiences of modernity.
Three uncommon KEL alleles in one family with unusual Kell phenotypes explain a 35‐year old conundrum
Authors: Karamatic Crew V. , Poole J. , Burton N. , Daniels G.
Published: October 2013

Background

Kell is a complex blood group system comprising 35 antigens. Kell antigens are absent from rare red cells of the Ko (null) phenotype and expressed only weakly in the Kmod phenotype. Molecular analysis of three uncommon KEL alleles elucidated the obscure pattern of inheritance of Kell antigens in one family.

Materials and Methods

Standard serological methods were employed. All exons, flanking intronic sequence and introns 15 and 16 of KEL were sequenced from genomic DNA. cDNA was obtained from erythroid cells cultured from progenitor cells isolated from peripheral blood.

Results

The Kmod propositus was heterozygous for two KEL mutations: c.2107G>A, p.Gly703Arg and a synonymous mutation, c.1719C>T, in the codon for p.573Gly. Sequencing of cDNA revealed that c.1719C>T caused skipping of exon 16, resulting in a silent allele. Her KEL:3,−4 brother was heterozygous for KEL*03/04 and c.1719C/T.

Conclusion

A synonymous mutation caused complete exon skipping, despite being located 16 bases downstream of the 3′ splice site, resulting in a null KEL allele. The combined effects of two mod alleles, one responsible for KEL3 expression and the other for p.Gly703Arg, were probably responsible for an unexpected KEL:3,−4 phenotype.
CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING CHARACTERISTICS OF LATERAL DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDINITIS WITHIN THE TARSAL SHEATH IN FOUR HORSES
Authors: Davis Weston , Caniglia Christopher J , Lustgarten Meghann , Blackwelder Travis , Robertson Ian , Redding W Rich
Published: October 2013

Lateral digital flexor tendonitis is a rarely reported cause of hind limb lameness in performance horses. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe clinical and diagnostic imaging findings for a group of horses with lateral digital flexor tendinitis within the tarsal sheath. Equine cases with a diagnosis of lateral digital flexor tendonitis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the affected region were retrieved from North Carolina University's medical record database. Recorded data for included horses were signalment; findings from history, physical examination, lameness examination, and all diagnostic imaging studies; treatment administered; and outcome. Four horses met inclusion criteria. Lameness was mild/moderate in severity and insidious in onset in all patients. Responses to flexion tests were variable. All horses showed positive improvement (70–90%) in lameness after tarsal sheath analgesia. Radiographic, scintigraphic, and ultrasonographic findings were inconclusive. For all horses, MRI characteristics included increased T2, PD, and STIR signal intensity within the lateral digital flexor tendon in the area of the tarsal sheath. Tarsal sheath effusion was slight in three horses, and mild/moderate in one horse. With medical treatment, two horses were sound at 6‐month followup, one horse was sound at 1‐year followup, and one horse had a slight persistent lameness (grade 1/5) at 9‐month followup. Findings supported the use of MRI for diagnosing lateral digital flexor tendonitis within the tarsal sheath in horses. Affected horses may have a good prognosis for return to athletic performance following appropriate medical treatment.