bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Republished review: Systematic review and meta-analysis of psychomotor effects of mobile phone electromagnetic fields
Authors: Valentini Elia , Ferrara Michele , Presaghi Fabio , De Gennaro Luigi , Curcio Giuseppe
Published: August 2011

Objectives

Over the past 10 years there has been increasing concern about the possible behavioural effects of mobile phone use. This systematic review and meta-analysis focuses on studies published since 1999 on the human cognitive and performance effects of mobile phone-related electromagnetic fields (EMF).

Methods

PubMed, Biomed, Medline, Biological Sciences, PsychInfo, PsycARTICLES, Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management, Neurosciences Abstracts and Web of Science professional databases were searched and 24 studies selected for meta-analysis. Each study had to have at least one psychomotor measurement result as a main outcome. Data were analysed using standardised mean difference (SMD) as the effect size measure.

Results

Only three tasks (2-back, 3-back and simple reaction time (SRT)) displayed significant heterogeneity, but after studies with extreme SMD were excluded using sensitivity analysis, the statistical significance disappeared (χ2(7)=1.63, p=0.20; χ2(6)=1.00, p=0.32; χ2(10)=14.04, p=0.17, respectively). Following sensitivity analysis, the effect of sponsorship and publication bias were assessed. Meta-regression indicated a significant effect (b1/40.12, p<0.05) only for the 2-back task with mixed funding (industry and public/charity). Funnel plot inspection revealed a significant publication bias only for two cognitive tasks: SRT (Begg’s rank correlation r=0.443; Egger’s test b=−0.652) and the subtraction task (Egger’s test b=−0.687).

Conclusions

Mobile phone-like EMF do not seem to induce cognitive and psychomotor effects. Nonetheless, the existence of sponsorship and publication biases should encourage WHO intervention to develop official research standards and guidelines. In addition, future research should address critical and neglected issues such as investigation of repeated, intensive and chronic exposures, especially in highly sensitive populations such as children.
EIGENVALUE ESTIMATES ON DOMAIN OF THE POLYDISK
Authors: ZHENG TAO , CHEN DAGUANG , CAI MIN
Published: August 2011

In this paper, we investigate universal inequalities for eigenvalues of the Dirichlet Laplacian and the clamped plate problem on a bounded domain in an n-dimensional polydisk 𝔻n. Moreover, from the domain monotonicity of the eigenvalue, we can prove that if the first eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian tends to [Formula: see text] when the domain tends to the polydisk 𝔻n, then all of the eigenvalues tend to [Formula: see text].
GRAVITATION INTERACTION WITH EXTRA DIMENSION AND PERIODIC STRUCTURE OF THE HADRON SCATTERING AMPLITUDE
Authors: SELYUGIN O. V.
Published: August 2011

The behavior of the hadron scattering amplitude determined by the gravitation interaction of hadron at high energies with impact of the KK-modes in d-brane models of gravity is examined. The possible periodic structure of the scattering amplitude and its dependence from number of the additional dimensions are analyzed. The effects of the gravitational hadron form factors obtained from the hadron generalized parton distributions (GPDs) on the behavior of the interaction potential and the scattering amplitude are also analyzed. It is shown that in most part the periodic structure comes from the approximation of our calculations.
STUDY OF TRANSMISSION LOSS VARIATION AFFECTED BY INTERNAL TIDES IN THE SEA AREA NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
Authors: CHANG YUAN-YING , HUANG CHENG-KEN , CHEN CHI-FANG , JAN SEN
Published: August 2011

Internal tides can cause density and sound speed fluctuations in the ocean, and the thickness of the mixing layer can fluctuate in short periods of time. This phenomenon affects underwater sound propagation and induces transmission loss variations. In the sea area northeast of Taiwan, regular internal tide activity is observed. The topography and sediment there are also complex, which makes the effect on transmission loss by internal tides even more complicated. This paper studies how transmission loss variation is affected by internal tides in the sea area northeast of Taiwan. The hydrographic fields with influence from the internal tides are provided by an experiment survey on the 4th of September, 2008 and a 3-D tide model. The transmission loss comparison between different thicknesses of the mixing layer in the internal tide fields is shown. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient is calculated and shows that layer depth and transmission loss have a medium to high negative correlation in the upper water column during the summer spring-tide period, and a low to medium negative correlation during the summer neap-tide period.
A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH FOR DETECTING TOXICITY-RELATED HOTSPOTS INSIDE PROTEIN INTERACTION NETWORKS
Authors: DESAI KAUSHAL , BROTT DAVID , HU XIAOHUA , CHRISTIANSON ANASTASIA
Published: August 2011

Drug-induced neutropenia can be fatal when severe and therefore requires an improved understanding of its mechanism(s) of toxicity. Systems biology provides an opportunity to understand adverse events after drug administration using analysis of biomolecular networks. In this study, a human protein interaction network was analyzed to identify proteins that are most central to topological paths connecting a drug's target proteins to hematopoiesis-related proteins. For a set of non-immune neutropenia inducing drugs, 9 proteins were found to be common to putative signaling paths across all drugs evaluated. All 9 proteins showed relevance to neutrophil biology. Geneset enrichment analysis showed that proteins associated with cancer-related processes such as apoptosis provide topological linkages between drug targets and proteins involved in neutrophil production. The algorithm can be applied towards analysis of any toxicity where the drugs and the physiological processes involved in the toxic mechanism are known.
RECENT PROGRESS ON D SEMILEPTONIC DECAYS FROM LATTICE QCD
Authors: NA HEECHANG
Published: August 2011

This is a brief review of recent lattice calculations of D semileptonic decays. This presentation includes only calculations that do not use the quenched approximation. A new state-of-the-art calculation from the HPQCD collaboration is discussed and compared with other calculations and experimental measurements.
THE DECAY CONSTANTS fDs AND fD+ FROM LATTICE QCD
Authors: SIMONE JAMES N.
Published: August 2011

Recent calculations of the decay constants in lattice QCD are reviewed and compared to experiment.
LEPTONIC D AND DS DECAYS FROM CLEO-c AND PROSPECTS FOR BESIII
Authors: BRIERE ROY A.
Published: August 2011

We first review recent measurements of D → μν and Ds → μν, τν from CLEO-c. These decays are used to determine leptonic decay constants fD and fDs which may be compared to modern Lattice QCD (LQCD) calculations. Such cross-checks can provide confidence in Lattice results for B(s) meson decay constants which are needed to fully exploit data used to extract the CKM matrix elements Vub and Vcb. We also comment briefly on the outlook for further progress at BESIII.
ABSOLUTE MEASUREMENTS OF PURE LEPTONIC Ds DECAYS AND fDs DECAY CONSTANT FROM BABAR
Authors: RANDLE-CONDE AIDAN
Published: August 2011

I present the measurements and limits of the branching fractions of leptonic decays of the Ds meson, and the subsequent estimation of the decay constant fDs, using the complete BaBar dataset (530 fb-1). we measure [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and fDs = (258.6±6.4±7.5)MeV, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second uncertainties are systematic.
STANDARD MODEL PREDICTIONS FOR D0-OSCILLATIONS AND CP-VIOLATION
Authors: LENZ ALEXANDER , BOBROWSKI MARKUS
Published: August 2011

We review the status of the standard model predictions for D-mixing and CP-violation in mixing.
BARYON SPECTROSCOPY AND HEAVY QUARKS
Authors: RICHARD JEAN-MARC
Published: August 2011

Two topics are briefly reviewed in this talk: the decay of flavored hadrons or quarkonium states involving a baryon–antibaryon pair, and the spectroscopy of heavy baryons containing one, two or three heavy quarks. Some prospects for exotic heavy baryons are also discussed.
DOUBLY CHARMED MESONS
Authors: VALCARCE A. , VIJANDE J. , CARAMÉS T. F.
Published: August 2011

Doubly charmed mesons are studied within a quark model framework. We solve the four-quark Schordinger equation by means of a variational approach by using different interacting potentials. Our results point to the existence of a stable isoscalar doubly charmed four-quark meson with quantum numbers JP = 1+.
CHARMONIUM: X(3872) AND BEYOND
Authors: VIJANDE J. , FERNÁNDEZ-CARAMÉS T. , VALCARCE A.
Published: August 2011

We analyze the spectrum of charmonium above the threshold for the production of D mesons. Several recent intriguing experimental data have reopen the interest on charmonium spectroscopy and they deserve an special attention. We focus our study on the X(3872) and the possible existence of charged states contributing to the spectrum of charmonium
CHARMONIUM SPECTROSCOPY FROM LATTICE QCD
Authors: DeTAR CARLETON
Published: August 2011

I give a short review of the current status of lattice QCD calculations of the spectrum of charmonium.
HIDDEN CHARM SPECTROSCOPY FROM TEVATRON
Authors:   On behalf of the CDF Collaboration, WICK FELIX
Published: August 2011

The observation of a narrow structure near the J/ψ ϕ threshold in exclusive B+ → J/ψ ϕ K+ decays produced in [Formula: see text] collisions at [Formula: see text] is reported. A signal of 19 ± 6(stat) ± 3(syst) events, with statistical significance of 5.0 standard deviations, is seen in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.0 fb-1, collected by the CDF II detector. The mass and natural width of the structure are determined to be [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], consistent with the previous measurements reported as evidence of the Y(4140).
RANDOM MATRICES: UNIVERSAL PROPERTIES OF EIGENVECTORS
Authors: TAO TERENCE , VU VAN
Published: August 2011

The four moment theorem asserts, roughly speaking, that the joint distribution of a small number of eigenvalues of a Wigner random matrix (when measured at the scale of the mean eigenvalue spacing) depends only on the first four moments of the entries of the matrix. In this paper, we extend the four moment theorem to also cover the coefficients of the eigenvectors of a Wigner random matrix. A similar result (with different hypotheses) has been proved recently by Knowles and Yin, using a different method.

As an application, we prove some central limit theorems for these eigenvectors. In another application, we prove a universality result for the resolvent, up to the real axis. This implies universality of the inverse matrix.
Angiotensin II activates AMPK for execution of apoptosis through energy-dependent and -independent mechanisms
Authors: Day Regina M. , Lee Young H. , Han Li , Kim Yong-Chul , Feng Ying-Hong
Published: August 2011

At the cellular level, 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) serves as a critical link between energy homeostasis and the regulation of fundamental biological activities, including apoptosis. Angiotensin (Ang) II plays a key role in fibrotic lung remodeling. We recently demonstrated that Ang II induces apoptosis in pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) through the Ang type 2 receptor (AT2). AT2 activates Src-homology two-domain-containing phosphatase-2 (SHP-2) in a signaling cascade leading to Bcl-xL mRNA destabilization and initiation of intrinsic apoptosis. We investigated the requirement of AMPK and ATP generation for Ang II-induced apoptosis in PAEC. Ang II activated AMPK, which was required for ATP generation. Inhibition of ATP production by compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, or by oligomycin suppressed Ang II-induced apoptosis. Experiments in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells expressing ectopic AT2 (wild-type, mutant D90A, or carboxy terminal truncated mutant tC319) demonstrated that AT2 activation of AMPK required the active conformation of the receptor and the carboxy terminal 44 amino acids. AMPK associated with and activated SHP-2 and was required for Bcl-xL mRNA destabilization. These are the first findings demonstrating that AMPK is activated by Ang II to produce ATP required for apoptosis. Our data also indicate that AMPK plays an energy-independent role by mediating SHP-2 activation.
Sulfatide-activated type II NKT cells prevent allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting type I NKT cell function in a mouse model of asthma
Authors: Zhang Guqin , Nie Hanxiang , Yang Jiong , Ding Xuhong , Huang Yi , Yu Hongying , Li Ruyou , Yuan Zhuqing , Hu Suping
Published: August 2011

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types. Recently, type I natural killer T (NKT) cells have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the development of asthma. However, the roles of type II NKT cells in asthma have not been investigated before. Interestingly, type I and type II NKT cells have been shown to have opposing roles in antitumor immunity, antiparasite immunity, and autoimmunity. We hypothesized that sulfatide-activated type II NKT cells could prevent allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting type I NKT cell function in asthma. Strikingly, in our mouse model, activation of type II NKT cells by sulfatide administration and adoptive transfer of sulfatide-activated type II NKT cells result in reduced-inflammation cell infiltration in the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, decreased levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in the BALF; and decreased serum levels of ovalbumin-specific IgE and IgG1. Furthermore, it is found that the activation of sulfatide-reactive type II NKT cells leads to the functional inactivation of type I NKT cells, including the proliferation and cytokine secretion. Our data reveal that type II NKT cells activated by glycolipids, such as sulfatide, may serve as a novel approach to treat allergic diseases and other disorders characterized by inappropriate type I NKT cell activation.
Cinaciguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase activator, augments cGMP after oxidative stress and causes pulmonary vasodilation in neonatal pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Chester Marc , Seedorf Gregory , Tourneux Pierre , Gien Jason , Tseng Nancy , Grover Theresa , Wright Jason , Stasch Johannes-Peter , Abman Steven H.
Published: August 2011

Although inhaled NO (iNO) therapy is often effective in treating infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), up to 40% of patients fail to respond, which may be partly due to abnormal expression and function of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). To determine whether altered sGC expression or activity due to oxidized sGC contributes to high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and poor NO responsiveness, we studied the effects of cinaciguat (BAY 58-2667), an sGC activator, on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) from normal fetal sheep and sheep exposed to chronic intrauterine pulmonary hypertension (i.e., PPHN). We found increased sGC α1- and β1-subunit protein expression but lower basal cGMP levels in PPHN PASMC compared with normal PASMC. To determine the effects of cinaciguat and NO after sGC oxidation in vitro, we measured cGMP production by normal and PPHN PASMC treated with cinaciguat and the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), before and after exposure to 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, an sGC oxidizer), hyperoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen 0.50), or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). After treatment with ODQ, SNP-induced cGMP generation was markedly reduced but the effects of cinaciguat were increased by 14- and 64-fold in PPHN fetal PASMC, respectively ( P < 0.01 vs. controls). Hyperoxia or H2O2enhanced cGMP production by cinaciguat but not SNP in PASMC. To determine the hemodynamic effects of cinaciguat in vivo, we compared serial responses to cinaciguat and ACh in fetal lambs after ductus arteriosus ligation. In contrast with the impaired vasodilator response to ACh, cinaciguat-induced pulmonary vasodilation was significantly increased. After birth, cinaciguat caused a significantly greater fall in PVR than either 100% oxygen, iNO, or ACh. We conclude that cinaciguat causes more potent pulmonary vasodilation than iNO in experimental PPHN. We speculate that increased NO-insensitive sGC may contribute to the pathogenesis of PPHN, and cinaciguat may provide a novel treatment of severe pulmonary hypertension.
Positive end-expiratory pressure and surfactant decrease lung injury during initiation of ventilation in fetal sheep
Authors: Hillman Noah H. , Nitsos Ilias , Berry Clare , Jane Pillow J. , Kallapur Suhas G. , Jobe Alan H.
Published: August 2011

The initiation of ventilation in preterm, surfactant-deficient sheep without positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) causes airway injury and lung inflammation. We hypothesized that PEEP and surfactant treatment would decrease the lung injury from initiation of ventilation with high tidal volumes. Fetal sheep at 128-day gestational age were randomized to ventilation with: 1) no PEEP, no surfactant; 2) 8-cmH2O PEEP, no surfactant; 3) no PEEP + surfactant; 4) 8-cmH2O PEEP + surfactant; or 5) control (2-cmH2O continuous positive airway pressure) ( n = 6–7/group). After maternal anesthesia and hysterotomy, the head and chest were exteriorized, and the fetus was intubated. While maintaining placental circulation, the fetus was ventilated for 15 min with a tidal volume escalating to 15 ml/kg using heated, humidified, 100% nitrogen. The fetus then was returned to the uterus, and tissue was collected after 30 min for evaluation of early markers of lung injury. Lambs receiving both surfactant and PEEP had increased dynamic compliance, increased static lung volumes, and decreased total protein and heat shock proteins 70 and 60 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with other groups. Ventilation, independent of PEEP or surfactant, increased mRNA expression of acute phase response genes and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA in the lung tissue compared with controls. PEEP decreased mRNA for cytokines (2-fold) compared with groups receiving no PEEP. Surfactant administration further decreased some cytokine mRNAs and changed the distribution of early growth response protein-1 expression. The use of PEEP during initiation of ventilation at birth decreased early mediators of lung injury. Surfactant administration changed the distribution of injury and had a moderate additive protective effect.
Delayed stress fiber formation mediates pulmonary myofibroblast differentiation in response to TGF-β
Authors: Sandbo Nathan , Lau Andrew , Kach Jacob , Ngam Caitlyn , Yau Douglas , Dulin Nickolai O.
Published: August 2011

Myofibroblast differentiation induced by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and characterized by de novo expression of smooth muscle (SM)-specific proteins is a key process in wound healing and in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. We have previously shown that TGF-β-induced expression and activation of serum response factor (SRF) is required for this process. In this study, we examined the signaling mechanism for SRF activation by TGF-β as it relates to pulmonary myofibroblast differentiation. TGF-β stimulated a profound, but delayed (18–24 h), activation of Rho kinase and formation of actin stress fibers, which paralleled SM α-actin expression. The translational inhibitor cycloheximide blocked these processes without affecting Smad-dependent gene transcription. Inhibition of Rho kinase by Y-27632 or depolymerization of actin by latrunculin B resulted in inhibition TGF-β-induced SRF activation and SM α-actin expression, having no effect on Smad signaling. Conversely, stabilization of actin stress fibers by jasplakinolide was sufficient to drive these processes in the absence of TGF-β. TGF-β promoted a delayed nuclear accumulation of the SRF coactivator megakaryoblastic leukemia-1 (MKL1)/myocardin-related transcription factor-A, which was inhibited by latrunculin B. Furthermore, TGF-β also induced MKL1 expression, which was inhibited by latrunculin B, by SRF inhibitor CCG-1423, or by SRF knockdown. Together, these data suggest a triphasic model for myofibroblast differentiation in response to TGF-β that involves 1) initial Smad-dependent expression of intermediate signaling molecules driving Rho activation and stress fiber formation, 2) nuclear accumulation of MKL1 and activation of SRF as a result of actin polymerization, and 3) SRF-dependent expression of MKL1, driving further myofibroblast differentiation.
Prostaglandin E2protects murine lungs from bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and lung dysfunction
Authors: Dackor Ryan T. , Cheng Jennifer , Voltz James W. , Card Jeffrey W. , Ferguson Catherine D. , Garrett Ryan C. , Bradbury J. Alyce , DeGraff Laura M. , Lih Fred B. , Tomer Kenneth B. , Flake Gordon P. , Travlos Gregory S. , Ramsey Randle W. , Edin Matthew L. , Morgan Daniel L. , Zeldin Darryl C.
Published: August 2011

Prostaglandin E2(PGE2) is a lipid mediator that is produced via the metabolism of arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase enzymes. In the lung, PGE2acts as an anti-inflammatory factor and plays an important role in tissue repair processes. Although several studies have examined the role of PGE2in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis in rodents, results have generally been conflicting, and few studies have examined the therapeutic effects of PGE2on the accompanying lung dysfunction. In this study, an established model of pulmonary fibrosis was used in which 10–12-wk-old male C57BL/6 mice were administered a single dose (1.0 mg/kg) of bleomycin via oropharyngeal aspiration. To test the role of prostaglandins in this model, mice were dosed, via surgically implanted minipumps, with either vehicle, PGE2(1.32 μg/h), or the prostacyclin analog iloprost (0.33 μg/h) beginning 7 days before or 14 days after bleomycin administration. Endpoints assessed at 7 days after bleomycin administration included proinflammatory cytokine levels and measurement of cellular infiltration into the lung. Endpoints assessed at 21 days after bleomycin administration included lung function assessment via invasive (FlexiVent) analysis, cellular infiltration, lung collagen content, and semiquantitative histological analysis of the degree of lung fibrosis (Ashcroft method). Seven days after bleomycin administration, lymphocyte numbers and chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 expression were significantly lower in PGE2- and iloprost-treated animals compared with vehicle-treated controls ( P < 0.05). When administered 7 days before bleomycin challenge, PGE2also protected against the decline in lung static compliance, lung fibrosis, and collagen production that is associated with 3 wk of bleomycin exposure. However, PGE2had no therapeutic effect on these parameters when administered 14 days after bleomycin challenge. In summary, PGE2prevented the decline in lung static compliance and protected against lung fibrosis when it was administered before bleomycin challenge but had no therapeutic effect when administered after bleomycin challenge.
Experimental and Modeling Study of Collagen Scaffolds with the Effects of Crosslinking and Fiber Alignment
Authors: Xu Bin , Chow Ming-Jay , Zhang Yanhang
Published: August 2011

Collagen type I scaffolds are commonly used due to its abundance, biocompatibility, and ubiquity. Most applications require the scaffolds to operate under mechanical stresses. Therefore understanding and being able to control the structural-functional integrity of collagen scaffolds becomes crucial. Using a combined experimental and modeling approach, we studied the structure and function of Type I collagen gel with the effects of spatial fiber alignment and crosslinking. Aligned collagen scaffolds were created through the flow of magnetic particles enmeshed in collagen fibrils to mimic the anisotropy seen in native tissue. Inter- and intra- molecular crosslinking was modified chemically with Genipin to further improve the stiffness of collagen scaffolds. The anisotropic mechanical properties of collagen scaffolds were characterized using a planar biaxial tensile tester and parallel plate rheometer. The tangent stiffness from biaxial tensile test is two to three orders of magnitude higher than the storage moduli from rheological measurements. The biphasic nature of collagen gel was discussed and used to explain the mechanical behavior of collagen scaffolds under different types of mechanical tests. An anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model was used to capture the characteristics of the stress-strain behavior exhibited by collagen scaffolds.
Distributed Synchronization Control to Trajectory Tracking of Multiple Robot Manipulators
Authors: Bouteraa Yassine , Ghommam Jawhar , Poisson Gérard , Derbel Nabil
Published: August 2011

This paper investigates the issue of designing decentralized control laws to cooperatively command a team of general fully actuated manipulators. The purpose is to synchronize their movements while tracking a common desired trajectory. Based on the well-known consensus algorithm, the control strategy consists in synchronizing the joint position and the velocity of each robot in the network with respect to neighboring robots' joints and velocities. Modeled by an undirected graph, the cooperative robot network requires just local neighbor-to-neighbor information exchange between manipulators. So, it does not assume the existence of an explicit leader in the team. Based above all on combination of Lyapunov direct method and cross-coupling strategy, the proposed decentralized control law is extended to an adaptive synchronization control taking into account parameter uncertainties. To address the time delay problems in the network communication channels, the suggested synchronization control law robustly synchronizes robots to track a given trajectory. To this end, Krasovskii functional method has been used to deal with the delay-dependent stability problem. A real-time software simulator is developed to visualize the robot manipulators coordination.
Premature Menarche Associated with Primary Hypothyroidism in a 5.5-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Sharma Dhrubajyoti , Dayal Devi , Gupta Anju , Saxena Akshay
Published: August 2011

Children with hypothyroidism generally have delayed pubertal development. Rare association with precocious puberty may occur especially in long standing untreated patients. The cardinal features of hypothyroidism induced pseudo precocious pubertal development include thelarche, galactorrhea and menarche. Other characteristics features are an absence of sexual hair and retardation of linear growth. Its manifestation as isolated menarche has been rarely reported. Recently, a five and half year old girl presented to us with history of one episode of vaginal bleeding. A pelvic ultrasonogram revealed multiple cysts in both ovaries and subsequent investigations led to a diagnosis of autoimmune hypothyroidism.
Nanoparticles Escaping RES and Endosome: Challenges for siRNA Delivery for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Guo Shutao , Huang Leaf
Published: August 2011

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) technology has emerged as a promising potential treatment for viral, genetic diseases and cancers. Despite the powerful therapeutic potential of siRNA, there are challenges for developing efficient and specific delivery systems for systemic administration. There are extracellular and intracellular barriers for nanoparticle-mediated delivery. First, nanoparticles are rapidly cleared from the circulation by the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Second, following their cellular uptake, nanoparticles are trapped in endosomes/lysosomes, where siRNA would be degraded by enzymes. In this review, we describe strategies for grafting a polyethylene glycol (PEG) brush to the nanoparticles for evading RES, such that they may effectively accumulate in the tumor by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. PEG has to shed from the nanoparticles to allow close interaction with the tumor cells. Current strategies for facilitating endosome escape, such as ion pair formation, “proton sponge effect”, destabilizing endosome membrane, and hydrophobic modification of the vector, are discussed.
A Character Condition for Quadruple Transitivity
Authors: Aldhafeeri S. , Curtis R. T.
Published: August 2011

Let G be a permutation group of degree n viewed as a subgroup of the symmetric
group S≅Sn. We show that if the irreducible character of S corresponding to the partition of n into subsets of sizes n − 2 and 2, that is, to say the character often
denoted by χ(n−2,2), remains irreducible when restricted to G, then n = 4, 5 or 9 and G≅S3, A5, or PΣL2(8), respectively, or G is 4‐transitive.
High-Resolution Monsoon Records Since Last Glacial Maximum: A Comparison of Marine and Terrestrial Paleoarchives from South Asia
Authors: Tiwari Manish , Singh Ashutosh K. , Ramesh Rengaswamy
Published: August 2011

Agricultural production and the availability of fresh water in Indian subcontinent critically depend on the monsoon rains. Therefore it is vital to understand the causal mechanisms underlying the observed changes in the Indian monsoon in the past. Paleomonsoon reconstructions show that the water discharge from the Ganges-Brahmaputra River system to the Bay of Bengal was maximum in the early to mid-Holocene; data from the Western Arabian Sea and Omanian speleothems indicate declining monsoon winds during the Holocene, whereas records from the South West Monsoon (SWM) precipitation dominated eastern Arabian Sea show higher runoff from the Western Ghats indicating gradually increasing monsoon precipitation during the Holocene. Thus there exists considerable spatial variability in the monsoon in addition to the temporal variability that needs to be assessed systematically. Here we discuss the available high resolution marine and terrestrial paleomonsoon records such as speleothems and pollen records of the SWM from important climatic regimes such as Western Arabian Sea, Eastern Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal to assess what we have learnt from the past and what can be said about the future of water resources of the subcontinent in the context of the observed changes.
On Spatial Evolution of the Solution of a Nonstandard Problem in Linear Thermo‐Microstretch Elasticity
Authors: Bulgariu Emilian
Published: August 2011

An anisotropic and nonhomogeneous compressible linear thermo‐microstretch elastic cylinder is subject to zero body loads and heat supply and zero lateral specific boundary conditions. The motion is induced by a time‐dependent displacement, microrotation, microstretch, and temperature variation specified pointwise over the base. Further, the motion is constrained such that the displacement, microrotation, microstretch and temperature variation and their derivatives with respect to time at points in the cylinder and at a prescribed time are given in proportion to, but not identical with, their respective initial values. Two different cases for these proportional constants are treated. It is shown that certain integrals of the solution spatially evolve with respect to the axial variable. Conditions are derived that show that the integrals exhibit alternative behavior and in particular for the semi‐infinite cylinder that there is either at least exponential growth or at most exponential decay.
The Increased Activity of Liver Lysosomal Lipase in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Contributes to the Development of Hepatic Insulin Resistance
Authors: Cahova Monika , Dankova Helena , Palenickova Eliska , Papackova Zuzana , Komers Radko , Zdychova Jana , Sticova Eva , Kazdova Ludmila
Published: August 2011

We tested the hypothesis that TAG accumulation in the liver induced by short-term high-fat diet (HFD) in rats leads to the dysregulation of endogenous TAG degradation by lysosomal lipase (LIPA) via lysosomal pathway and is causally linked with the onset of hepatic insulin resistance. We found that LIPA could be translocated between qualitatively different depots (light and dense lysosomes). In contrast to dense lysosomal fraction, LIPA associated with light lysosomes exhibits high activity on both intracellular TAG and exogenous substrate and prandial- or diet-dependent regulation. On standard diet, LIPA activity was upregulated in fasted and downregulated in fed animals. In the HFD group, we demonstrated an increased TAG content, elevated LIPA activity, enhanced production of diacylglycerol, and the abolishment of prandial-dependent LIPA regulation in light lysosomal fraction. The impairment of insulin signalling and increased activation of PKCεwas found in liver of HFD-fed animals. Lipolysis of intracellular TAG, mediated by LIPA, is increased in steatosis probably due to the enhanced formation of phagolysosomes. Consequent overproduction of diacylglycerol may represent the causal link between HFD-induced hepatic TAG accumulation and hepatic insulin resistance via PKCεactivation.
Review of Diagnostic Imaging Modalities for the Surveillance of Melanoma Patients
Authors: Xing Yan , Cromwell Kate D. , Cormier Janice N.
Published: August 2011

As melanoma survival rates continue to increase, optimal surveillance strategies for recurrences are needed, as are effective imaging modalities. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the current state of imaging modalities for surveillance of melanoma in the published medical literature to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and CT-PET combined. Ultrasonography was found to be the most sensitive and specific for detecting lymph node metastases, and PET-CT was the most sensitive and specific for detecting distant metastases. In addition to identifying appropriate surveillance methods, future studies should focus on the most effective and cost-effective intervals for performing these tests. In addition, the results from the meta-analysis related to sensitivity and specificity of the tests should be made available to doctors in community practice.
Therapeutic Effect of Lenalidomide in a Novel Xenograft Mouse Model of Human Blastic NK Cell Lymphoma/Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm
Authors: Agliano Alice , Martin-Padura Ines , Marighetti Paola , Gregato Giuliana , Calleri Angelica , Prior Celia , Redrado Miriam , Calvo Alfonso , Bertolini Francesco
Published: August 2011

Purpose: Blastic natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma/blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BNKL) is a rare and aggressive neoplasia characterized by infiltration of blast CD4+/CD56+ cells in the skin, the bone marrow, and peripheral blood. Currently, more efforts are required to better define molecular and biological mechanisms associated with this pathology. To the best of our knowledge, no mouse model recapitulated human BNKL so far.

Experimental Design: Primary bone marrow cells from a BNKL patient were injected in nonobese diabetes/severe combined immunodeficient interleukin (IL) 2rγ−/− mice with the intent to generate the first BNKL orthotopic mouse model. Moreover, because of the lack of efficient treatments for BNKL, we treated mice with lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory and antiangiogenic drug.

Results: We generated in mice a fatal disease resembling human BNKL. After lenalidomide treatment, we observed a significant reduction in the number of peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen BNKL cells. Tumor reduction parallels with a significant decrease in the number of circulating endothelial and progenitor cells and CD31+ murine endothelial cells. In mice treated with lenalidomide, BNKL levels of active caspase-3 were significantly augmented, thus showing proapoptotic and cytotoxic effects of this drug in vivo. An opposite result was found for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a proliferation marker.

Conclusions: Our BNKL model might better define the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this disease, and lenalidomide might be considered for the future therapy of BNKL patients. Clin Cancer Res; 17(19); 6163–73. ©2011 AACR.
Significant Biological Role of Sp1 Transactivation in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Fulciniti Mariateresa , Amin Samir , Nanjappa Puru , Rodig Scott , Prabhala Rao , Li Cheng , Minvielle Stephane , Tai Yu-tzu , Tassone Pierfrancesco , Avet-Loiseau Herve , Hideshima Teru , Anderson Kenneth C. , Munshi Nikhil C.
Published: August 2011

Purpose: The transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1) controls number of cellular processes by regulating the expression of critical cell cycle, differentiation, and apoptosis-related genes containing proximal GC/GT-rich promoter elements. We here provide experimental and clinical evidence that Sp1 plays an important regulatory role in multiple myeloma (MM) cell growth and survival.

Experimental Design: We have investigated the functional Sp1 activity in MM cells using a plasmid with Firefly luciferase reporter gene driven by Sp1-responsive promoter. We have also used both siRNA- and short hairpin RNA–mediated Sp1 knockdown to investigate the growth and survival effects of Sp1 on MM cells and further investigated the anti-MM activity of terameprocol (TMP), a small molecule that specifically competes with Sp1-DNA binding in vitro and in vivo.

Results: We have confirmed high Sp1 activity in MM cells that is further induced by adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Sp1 knockdown decreases MM cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Sp1-DNA binding inhibition by TMP inhibits MM cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, inducing caspase-9–dependent apoptosis and overcoming the protective effects of BMSCs.

Conclusions: Our results show Sp1 as an important transcription factor in myeloma that can be therapeutically targeted for clinical application by TMP. Clin Cancer Res; 17(20); 6500–9. ©2011 AACR.
Cholesterol Levels and Risk of Hemorrhagic Transformation after Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: D’Amelio Marco , Terruso Valeria , Famoso Giorgia , Ragonese Paolo , Aridon Paolo , Savettieri Giovanni
Published: August 2011

Background: The association between cholesterol levels and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is still controversial. Studies investigating this issue are influenced by treatments as some are characterized by a higher risk of HT. The aim of our study was to evaluate, in a hospital-based series of patients not treated with thrombolysis, the relationship between cholesterol levels and HT. Methods: We retrospectively collected information about total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) levels at admission in a consecutive series of 240 patients with anterior ischemic stroke (IS). The TC and LDLC levels were arranged in 3 groups according to their percentile distribution. Results: TC levels were available for 215 patients (89.6%), while LDLC levels were available for 184 patients (76.7%). The risk of HT significantly increased with decreasing levels of TC (p for trend = 0.03) and LDLC (p for trend = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, the risk of HT was significantly higher in the groups of patients with the lowest TC (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.0–8.9, p = 0.05) and LDLC (OR 5.0, 95% CI 1.2–20.1, p = 0.002) values compared to those with the highest ones. Conclusion: We confirm that lower TC and lower LDLC levels are associated with an increased risk of HT. As none of our patients received thrombolytic therapy, the results of our study provide baseline information about the natural history of HT.
Positive Experience of a Mobile Radiography Service in Nursing Homes
Authors: Eklund Karin , Klefsgård Rosemarie , Ivarsson Bodil , Geijer Mats
Published: August 2011

Background: For elderly people living in nursing homes, a transport to hospital for a radiological examination can lead to increased anxiety, disorientation and other problems related to the new environment. Objective: To investigate the usefulness of a mobile radiography service for radiological assessment of patients in nursing homes from the patient and staff perspectives. Methods: Lightweight equipment with a digital flat-panel detector was used for mobile radiography on nursing home patients in their own rooms. Data on patient and staff experiences from the service were collected using a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Image quality was evaluated by the radiographer and a radiologist. Results: The majority of 241 radiography examinations were of the musculoskeletal system (94%). Twelve of 123 patients had pathology that required hospital treatment, while 22 patients with radiographic pathology could be treated locally. The main beneficial factors were security and comfort, acceptance from the patients, no need for transportation, no need for staff to be absent from the nursing homes. Conclusion: Mobile radiography in nursing homes is technically feasible, with good image quality. The most beneficial results were that patients avoided unnecessary transport back and forth to the hospital, and that the majority of patients could be treated locally.
Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Outcome and Prognostic Factors
Authors: Simon-Blancal Virginie , Freynet Olivia , Nunes Hilario , Bouvry Diane , Naggara Nicolas , Brillet Pierre-Yves , Denis Damien , Cohen Yves , Vincent François , Valeyre Dominique , Naccache Jean-Marc
Published: August 2011

Background: Acute exacerbation is a substantial cause of death in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with poorly described prognostic factors. Objectives: To review the features associated with acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and assess its prognostic factors. Methods: Thirty-seven occurrences of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were retrospectively reviewed in the medical records of 27 patients. Clinical presentation, radiographic studies, pulmonary function tests, laboratory data, treatment, and outcome were analyzed. Results: Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis occurred more frequently between December and May (75.7%) than between June and November (24.3%) (p = 0.01). In-hospital mortality was 27% and median survival was 4.2 months (range 0.2–36.6). Significant differences between nonsurvivors and survivors included the time elapsed between their admission and the initiation of treatment for acute exacerbation (6 vs. 3.1 days, p = 0.04), lactate dehydrogenase levels at admission (801 vs. 544.6 IU/l, p = 0.002), impairment of the prior forced vital capacity (51.2 vs. 65%, p = 0.01) and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (21.7 vs. 34%, p = 0.01). Furthermore, the evolution of gas exchange in the first 10 days after the initiation of treatment was associated with in-hospital and long-term mortality. Conclusions: Acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are more frequent during winter and spring. The time between admission and initiation of treatment is a new reported prognostic factor that should be investigated further. This finding highlights the need for a fast diagnostic approach that should probably be standardized. Early gas exchange modifications reflect the response to treatment and predict the prognosis.
Introducing Nutritional Genomics Teaching in Undergraduate Dietetic Curricula
Authors: Prasad Chandan , Imrhan Victorine , Rew Martha
Published: August 2011

Nutritional genomics offers great promise to personal health management based on the understanding of the relationship between diet, gene expression and health outcomes. Our readiness to deliver nutrigenetic-based nutrition education has been slow due to the complexity of gene-nutrient interaction and interplays between many disciplines such as genetics, nutrition, biostatistics, sociology, law and philosophy in the process. To make a public impact, we must prepare future allied health professionals with knowledge necessary to provide nutrigenetic and nutrigenomic education. We have described here a plan to introduce nutrigenetic and nutrigenomic education in dietetic curricula that may serve as an example for other allied health programs.
Septic Acute Kidney Injury: The Culprit Is Inflammatory Apoptosis rather than Ischemic Necrosis
Authors: Jacobs R. , Honore P.M. , Joannes-Boyau O. , Boer W. , De Regt J. , De Waele E. , Collin V. , Spapen H.D.
Published: August 2011

For a long time, acute kidney injury (AKI) was considered to be a primarily hemodynamic condition characterized by a reduction of renal blood flow, induced by either cardiogenic or distributive (septic) shock. Consequently, all efforts to treat AKI were essentially concentrated on increasing renal flow by enhancing cardiac flow output and perfusion pressure. At the beginning of this decade, Bellomo and co-workers produced new and intriguing data in an animal model of septic AKI that undermined existing concepts. They observed that medullar and cortical renal blood flow were both maintained and even increased in septic shock, underscoring that septic AKI was a totally different physiological phenomenon than nonseptic AKI. Also, apoptosis was found to play a more important role in sepsis and septic shock than pure necrosis. Despite these findings, the role of apoptosis as a main mechanism of organ dysfunction remains topic of debate.
Pharmacologic Suppression of Hepatic ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter 1 Activity in Mice Reduces High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels but Promotes Reverse Cholesterol Transport
Authors: Yamamoto Shigenori , Tanigawa Hiroyuki , Li Xiaoyu , Komaru Yohei , Billheimer Jeffrey T. , Rader Daniel J.
Published: August 2011

Background—

The role of hepatic ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) in maintaining plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels is well established, but its role in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is unclear. Probucol is a compound that reduces HDL-C levels but also reduces atherosclerosis in animal models and xanthomas in humans. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that probucol inhibits hepatic ABCA1 activity, thereby reducing HDL-C levels but promoting RCT from macrophages.

Methods and Results—

Wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) knockout mice were fed a chow diet containing 0.5% probucol or normal chow for 2 weeks. In WT mice, probucol, despite decreasing HDL-C by >80%, effectively maintained macrophage RCT. In SR-BI knockout mice, probucol also substantially reduced HDL-C but significantly increased macrophage RCT. Furthermore, probucol significantly enhanced the excretion of HDL-derived cholesterol into feces in both WT and SR-BI knockout mice. Probucol inhibited ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux from mouse primary hepatocytes, and this effect was shown to be responsible for the effect of probucol on increasing the fecal excretion of HDL-derived cholesterol in vivo.

Conclusions—

We demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of hepatic ABCA1 activity with probucol reduced HDL-C levels but promoted RCT through diversion of HDL-derived cholesterol from efflux back into plasma instead to excretion in the bile. These results explain the beneficial effects of probucol on atherosclerosis and xanthomas despite its HDL-lowering effects and suggest that inactivation of hepatic ABCA1 leads to increased RCT despite reducing plasma HDL-C levels.