bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION IN HOSPITAL WORK THROUGH ACTIVITY-AWARE COMPUTING
Authors: TENTORI MONICA , FAVELA JESUS
Published: November 2008

Collaborative applications enhanced with pervasive technology are gradually being introduced in hospitals to support the intense collaboration and coordination experienced by hospital workers. However, an environment filled with many different systems introduces an extra burden for hospital workers in selecting those services that are adequate to the task at hand. Activity-Based Computing has emerged as a new interaction and design paradigm to reorganize the way humans interact with computers by emphasizing the activity being executed rather than the technologies required to perform such activity. This is done by allowing users to handle activities as a basic computational unit instead of documents and applications. The problem of this paradigm is that humans must explicitly define computational activities and they often have trouble labeling and delimiting tasks. To cope with this, we propose to take this vision one step further by binding the physical, computing and user's context into the activity being executed by a user towards the design of activity-aware applications. Based on a workplace study conducted in a hospital, we propose an agent-based architecture and a set of design principles to let human activities be mirrored in computational activities associating resources and adapting the computational infrastructure based on the activity being executed. To exemplify the architecture and the principles proposed, we implemented an activity-aware map that personalizes the information shown to hospital workers, enforces availability, and sends collaboration and coordination warnings to the users.
TOWARDS AN ENHANCED ADAPTABILITY AND USABILITY OF WEB-BASED COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS
Authors: LUKOSCH STEPHAN , BOURIMI MOHAMED
Published: November 2008

Web-based collaborative systems support a variety of complex scenarios. Not only the interaction among one user and a computer has to be modeled but also the interaction among the collaborating users as well. As a result, the user interfaces of many web-based collaborative systems are quite complex, but hardly use approved user interface concepts for the design of interactive systems. Thereby, web-based collaborative systems aggravate the interaction of the users with the system and also with each other. In this article, we describe how the adaptability and usability of such systems can particularly be improved by supporting direct manipulation techniques for navigation as well as tailoring. The new functionality for tailoring and navigation is complemented by new forms of visualizing synchronous awareness information and supporting communication in web-based systems. We show this exemplarily by retrofitting the web-based collaborative system CURE while highlighting the concepts that can be easily transferred to other web-based collaborative systems.
THE 2-GENERALIZED KNOT GROUP DETERMINES THE KNOT
Authors: NELSON SAM , NEUMANN WALTER D.
Published: November 2008

Generalized knot groups Gn(K) were introduced independently by Kelly [5] and Wada [10]. We prove that G2(K) determines the unoriented knot type and sketch a proof of the same for Gn(K) for n > 2.
THE GRAM MATRIX OF A TEMPERLEY-LIEB ALGEBRA IS SIMILAR TO THE MATRIX OF CHROMATIC JOINS
Authors: CHEN QI , PRZYTYCKI JOZEF H.
Published: November 2008

We show that the matrix of chromatic joins and the Gram matrix of a Temperley-Lieb algebra are similar.
ON STANDARD FORMS OF 1-DOMINATIONS BETWEEN KNOTS WITH SAME GROMOV VOLUMES
Authors: BOILEAU MICHEL , NI YI , WANG SHICHENG
Published: November 2008

Let k and k′ be two knots in the 3-sphere. Say k 1-dominates k′, if there is a proper degree 1 map f: E(k) → E(k′).

Theorem: Suppose that any companion of k is prime. If k 1-dominates k′ with the same Gromov volume, then k′ can be obtained from k by finitely many de-satellizations.

The condition of "same Gromov volume" clearly cannot be removed. We also give a new construction of 1-domination between knots with the same Gromov volume to show that the condition "any companion of k is prime" cannot be removed.
ON THE COLORED HOMFLY-PT, MULTIVARIABLE AND KASHAEV LINK INVARIANTS
Authors: GEER NATHAN , PATUREAU-MIRAND BERTRAND
Published: November 2008

We study various specializations of the colored HOMFLY-PT polynomial. These specializations are used to show that the multivariable link invariants arising from a complex family of 𝔰𝔩(m|n) super-modules previously defined by the authors contain both the multivariable Alexander polynomial and Kashaev's invariants. We conjecture these multivariable link invariants also specialize to the generalized multivariable Alexander invariants defined by Y. Akutsu, T. Deguchi, and T. Ohtsuki.
VIRTUAL BRIDGE NUMBER ONE KNOTS
Authors: BYBERI EVARIST , CHERNOV (TCHERNOV) VLADIMIR
Published: November 2008

We define the virtual bridge number vb (K) and the virtual unknotting number vu (K) invariants for virtual knots. For ordinary knots K they are closely related to the bridge number b(K) and the unknotting number u(K) and we have vu (K) ≤ u(K), vb(K) ≤ b(K).

There are no ordinary knots K with b(K) = 1. We show there are infinitely many homotopy classes of virtual knots each of which contains infinitely many isotopy classes of K with vb (K) = 1. In fact for each i ∈ ℕ there exists K virtually homotopic (but not virtually isotopic) to the unknot with vb (K) = 1 and vu (K) = i.
A NOTE ON CLOSED 3-BRAIDS
Authors: BIRMAN JOAN S. , MENASCO WILLIAM W.
Published: November 2008

This is a review article about knots and links of braid index 3. Its goal is to gather together, in one place, some of the tools that are special to knots and links of braid index 3, in a form that could be useful for those who have a need to calculate, and need to know precisely all the exceptional cases.
ON EXOTIC MODULAR TENSOR CATEGORIES
Authors: HONG SEUNG-MOON , ROWELL ERIC , WANG ZHENGHAN
Published: November 2008

It has been conjectured that every (2 + 1)-TQFT is a Chern-Simons-Witten (CSW) theory labeled by a pair (G, λ), where G is a compact Lie group, and λ ∈ H4(BG; ℤ) a cohomology class. We study two TQFTs constructed from Jones' subfactor theory which are believed to be counterexamples to this conjecture: one is the quantum double of the even sectors of the E6subfactor, and the other is the quantum double of the even sectors of the Haagerup subfactor. We cannot prove mathematically that the two TQFTs are indeed counterexamples because CSW TQFTs, while physically defined, are not yet mathematically constructed for every pair (G, λ). The cases that are constructed mathematically include: (1) G is a finite group — the Dijkgraaf-Witten TQFTs; (2) G is torus Tn; (3) G is a connected semi-simple Lie group — the Reshetikhin-Turaev TQFTs.

We prove that the two TQFTs are not among those mathematically constructed TQFTs or their direct products. Both TQFTs are of the Turaev-Viro type: quantum doubles of spherical tensor categories. We further prove that neither TQFT is a quantum double of a braided fusion category, and give evidence that neither is an orbifold or coset of TQFTs above. Moreover, representation of the braid groups from the half E6TQFT can be used to build universal topological quantum computers, and the same is expected for the Haagerup case.
GENERALIZED LONG-MOODY REPRESENTATIONS OF BRAID GROUPS
Authors: BIGELOW STEPHEN , TIAN JIANJUN PAUL
Published: November 2008

Long and Moody give a method of constructing representations of the braid groups Bn. We discuss some ways to generalize their construction. One of these gives representations of subgroups of Bn, including the Gassner representation of the pure braid group as a special case. Another gives representations of the Hecke algebra.
FUZZY MODE SIMILARITY MEASURE BASED ON MEASURE OF ILLUMINATION INSTABILITY
Authors: WU XIAOMENG , ZHANG WENLI , KAMIJO SHUNSUKE , SAKAUCHI MASAO
Published: November 2008

Most color-based multimedia data indexing systems are sensitive to changes in the illumination environment. Some color-based systems coming into practical use are claimed to be limited to target videos with stable lighting. In this paper, a fuzzy mode similarity measure is proposed to adaptively calibrate the feature-matching criterion based on the measure of the illumination instability. The purpose of this approach is to retrieve the identical semantic object from the video and to alleviate the impact of lighting changes. An information-theoretic measure is first proposed to automatically measure the illumination instability of the video. A fuzzy model is then proposed to estimate and characterize the impact of illumination changes to the distribution shape of the semantic object in the low-level visual feature space. Experiments are shown to demonstrate how the proposed measure of the illumination instability, which takes the information distribution within an image into account, can reflect the instability more effectively than other simple and straightforward measures. Experiments also show how the retrieval performance can be improved by using the fuzzy mode similarity measure.
A GA-BASED APPROACH TO OPTIMIZING COMBINATIONAL QUERIES IN SCDL
Authors: YING WEIQIN , LI YUANXIANG , SHEU PHILLIP C.-Y.
Published: November 2008

The semantic capability description language (SCDL) allows users to describe combinatorial optimization problems declaratively. We employ genetic algorithms (GA) and penalty techniques to process unconstrained SCDL queries and singly constrained SCDL queries, and determine a "one-to-one" mapping between queries and algorithms. Based on such, we develop a GA-based "one-to-many" mapping to process and integrate multi-constrained SCDL queries.
HF diets increase hypothalamic PTP1B and induce leptin resistance through both leptin-dependent and -independent mechanisms
Authors: White Christy L. , Whittington Amy , Barnes Maria J. , Wang Zhong , Bray George A. , Morrison Christopher D.
Published: November 2008

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) contributes to leptin resistance by inhibiting intracellular leptin receptor signaling. Mice with whole body or neuron-specific deletion of PTP1B are hypersensitive to leptin and resistant to diet-induced obesity. Here we report a significant increase in PTP1B protein levels in the mediobasal hypothalamus ( P = 0.003) and a concomitant reduction in leptin sensitivity following 28 days of high-fat (HF) feeding in rats. A significant increase in PTP1B mRNA levels was also observed in rats chronically infused with leptin (3 μg/day icv) for 14 days ( P = 0.01) and in leptin-deficient ob/ ob mice infused with leptin (5 μg/day sc for 14 days; P = 0.003). When saline-infused ob/ ob mice were placed on a HF diet for 14 days, an increase in hypothalamic PTP1B mRNA expression was detected ( P = 0.001) despite the absence of circulating leptin. In addition, although ob/ ob mice were much more sensitive to leptin on a low-fat (LF) diet, a reduction in this sensitivity was still observed following exposure to a HF diet. Taken together, these data indicate that hypothalamic PTP1B is specifically increased during HF diet-induced leptin resistance. This increase in PTP1B is due in part to chronic hyperleptinemia, suggesting that hyperleptinemia is one mechanism contributing to the development of leptin resistance. However, these data also indicate that leptin is not required for the increase in hypothalamic PTP1B or the development of leptin resistance. Therefore, additional, leptin-independent mechanisms must exist that increase hypothalamic PTP1B and contribute to leptin resistance.
Central and peripheral effects of chronic food restriction and weight restoration in the rat
Authors: Kinzig Kimberly P. , Hargrave Sara L. , Tao Erin E.
Published: November 2008

Previous studies have demonstrated that some endocrine consequences of long-term caloric restriction persist after weight restoration in human subjects. Here we evaluate effects of chronic food restriction in rats that were restricted to 70% of control kcal for 4 wk and subsequently weight restored. Measures were taken from rats at 80% (chronically restricted; CR), 90% (partially weight restored; PR), 100% (fully weight restored; FR), and after 4 wk at 100% body weight of controls (extended weight restored; ER). Plasma insulin and leptin were decreased, and ghrelin was increased in CR compared with controls. Leptin and ghrelin normalized with weight restoration at PR, FR, and ER; however, baseline insulin was not normalized until the ER state. Hypothalamic mRNA expression levels for proopiomelanocortin (POMC), agouti-related protein (AgRP), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) revealed significantly less POMC mRNA expression in CR and PR rats, and significantly less arcuate NPY mRNA in PR and FR. In the dorsomedial hypothalamus, CR, PR, and FR rats had significantly increased NPY expression that was not normalized until the ER state. In response to a test meal, insulin and ghrelin release patterns were altered through the FR stage, and ghrelin remained affected at ER. Collectively, these data demonstrate that mere weight restoration is not sufficient to normalize hypothalamic gene expression levels and endocrine responses to a meal, and that meal-related ghrelin responses persist despite weight restoration for up to 4 wk.
Cardiac damage after lesions of the nucleus tractus solitarii
Authors: Nayate Ameya , Moore Steven A. , Weiss Robert , Taktakishvili Otar M. , Lin Li-Hsien , Talman William T.
Published: November 2008

Humans with central lesions that augment sympathetic nerve activity are predisposed to cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial lesions, and sudden death. Previously, we showed that selectively killing neurons with neurokinin-1 receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of rats attenuated the baroreflex and, in some animals, led to sudden unexplained death within ∼2 wk. Interruption of arterial baroreflexes is known to increase sympathetic activity. Here we tested the hypothesis that lesions in the NTS lead to fatal cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial lesions. We studied electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, blood pressure, and heart rate in 14 adult male rats after bilateral microinjection into the NTS of stabilized substance P conjugated to the toxin saporin and compared the variables in five sham control rats and in five animals with toxin injected outside the NTS. Only injection of toxin into the NTS led to increased lability of arterial blood pressure, a sign of baroreflex interruption. Two animals treated with toxin died suddenly. All animals engaged in normal activity until, in two, rapid development of asystole and death over 6–8 min. Cardiac function when examined by echocardiography was normal, but pathologic examination of the heart revealed diffuse microscopic areas of acute coagulation necrosis in the myocardium in five animals, focal subacute necrosis in two animals, and both changes in one animal. This study supports the hypothesis that NTS lesions interrupting the baroreflex may induce cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial changes similar to those seen in humans with central lesions and may lead to sudden cardiac death.
The subfornical organ: a central nervous system site for actions of circulating leptin
Authors: Smith P. M. , Chambers A. P. , Price C. J. , Ho W. , Hopf C. , Sharkey K. A. , Ferguson A. V.
Published: November 2008

Adipose tissue plays a critical role in energy homeostasis, secreting adipokines that control feeding, thermogenesis, and neuroendocrine function. Leptin is the prototypic adipokine that acts centrally to signal long-term energy balance. While hypothalamic and brain stem nuclei are well-established sites of action of leptin, we tested the hypothesis that leptin signaling occurs in the subfornical organ (SFO). The SFO is a circumventricular organ (CVO) that lacks the normal blood-brain barrier, is an important site in central autonomic regulation, and has been suggested to have a role in modulating peripheral signals indicating energy status. We report here the presence of mRNA for the signaling form of the leptin receptor in SFO and leptin receptor localization by immunohistochemistry within this CVO. Central administration of leptin resulted in phosphorylation of STAT3 in neurons of SFO. Whole cell current-clamp recordings from dissociated SFO neurons demonstrated that leptin (10 nM) influenced the excitability of 64% (46/72) of SFO neurons. Leptin was found to depolarize the majority of responsive neurons with a mean change in membrane potential of 7.3 ± 0.6 mV (39% of all SFO neurons), while the remaining cells that responded to leptin hyperpolarized (−6.9 ± 0.7 mV, 25% of all SFO neurons). Similar depolarizing and hyperpolarizing effects of leptin were observed in recordings from acutely prepared SFO slice preparations. Leptin was found to influence the same population of SFO neurons influenced by amylin as three of four cells tested for the effects of bath application of both amylin and leptin depolarized to both peptides. These observations identify the SFO as a possible central nervous system location, with direct access to the peripheral circulation, at which leptin may act to influence hypothalamic control of energy homeostasis.
Circuits Generating Corticomuscular Coherence Investigated Using a Biophysically Based Computational Model. I. Descending Systems
Authors: Williams Elizabeth R. , Baker Stuart N.
Published: November 2008

Recordings of motor cortical activity typically show oscillations around 10 and 20 Hz; only those at 20 Hz are coherent with electromyograms (EMGs) of contralateral muscles. Experimental measurements of the phase difference between approximately 20-Hz oscillations in cortex and muscle are often difficult to reconcile with the known corticomuscular conduction delays. We investigated the generation of corticomuscular coherence further using a biophysically based computational model, which included a pool of motoneurons connected to motor units that generated EMGs. Delays estimated from the coherence phase–frequency relationship were sensitive to the width of the motor unit action potentials. In addition, the nonlinear properties of the motoneurons could produce complex, oscillatory phase–frequency relationships. This was due to the interaction of cortical inputs to the motoneuron pool with the intrinsic rhythmicity of the motoneurons; the response appeared more linear if the firing rate of motoneurons varied widely across the pool, such as during a strong contraction. The model was able to reproduce the smaller than expected delays between cortex and muscles seen in experiments. However, the model could not reproduce the constant phase over a frequency band sometimes seen in experiments, nor the lack of around 10-Hz coherence. Simple propagation of oscillations from cortex to muscle thus cannot completely explain the observed corticomuscular coherence.
Inhibition of Voluntary Saccadic Eye Movement Commands by Abrupt Visual Onsets
Authors: Edelman Jay A. , Xu Kitty Z.
Published: November 2008

Saccadic eye movements are made both to explore the visual world and to react to sudden sensory events. We studied the ability for humans to execute a voluntary (i.e., nonstimulus-driven) saccade command in the face of a suddenly appearing visual stimulus. Subjects were required to make a saccade to a memorized location when a central fixation point disappeared. At varying times relative to fixation point disappearance a visual distractor appeared at a random location. When the distractor appeared at locations distant from the target virtually no saccades were initiated in a 30- to 40-ms interval beginning 70–80 ms after appearance of the distractor. If the distractor was presented slightly earlier relative to saccade initiation then saccades tended to have smaller amplitudes, with velocity profiles suggesting that the distractor terminated them prematurely. In contrast, distractors appearing close to the saccade target elicited express saccade-like movements 70–100 ms after their appearance, although the saccade endpoint was generally scarcely affected by the distractor. An additional experiment showed that these effects were weaker when the saccade was made to a visible target in a delayed task and still weaker when the saccade itself was made in response to the abrupt appearance of a visual stimulus. A final experiment revealed that the effect is smaller, but quite evident, for very small stimuli. These results suggest that the transient component of a visual response can briefly but almost completely suppress a voluntary saccade command, but only when the stimulus evoking that response is distant from the saccade goal.
Activation of the Cholinergic System Endows Compositional Properties to Striatal Cell Assemblies
Authors: Carrillo-Reid Luis , Tecuapetla Fatuel , Ibáñez-Sandoval Osvaldo , Hernández-Cruz Arturo , Galarraga Elvira , Bargas José
Published: November 2008

Striatal cell assemblies are thought to encode network states related to associative learning, procedural memory, and the sequential organization of behavior. Cholinergic neurotransmission modulates memory processes in the striatum and other brain structures. This work asks if the activity of striatal microcircuits observed in living nervous tissue, with attributes similar to cell assemblies, exhibit some of the properties proposed to be necessary to compose memory traces. Accordingly, we used whole cell and calcium-imaging techniques to investigate the cholinergic modulation of striatal neuron pools that have been reported to exhibit several properties expected from cell assemblies such as synchronous states of activity and the alternation of this activity among different neuron pools. We analyzed the cholinergic modulation of the activity of neuron pools with multidimensional reduction techniques and vectorization of network dynamics. It was found that the activation of the cholinergic system enables striatal cell assemblies with properties that have been posited for recurrent neural artificial networks with memory storage capabilities. Graph theory techniques applied to striatal network states revealed sequences of vectors with a recursive dynamics similar to closed reverberating cycles. The cycles exhibited a modular architecture and a hierarchical organization. It is then concluded that, under certain conditions, the cholinergic system enables the striatal microcircuit with the ability to compose complex sequences of activity. Neuronal recurrent networks with the characteristics encountered in the present experiments are proposed to allow repeated sequences of activity to become memories and repeated memories to compose learned motor procedures.
Gene expression in the human mammary epithelium during lactation: the milk fat globule transcriptome
Authors: Maningat Patricia D. , Sen Partha , Rijnkels Monique , Sunehag Agneta L. , Hadsell Darryl L. , Bray Molly , Haymond Morey W.
Published: November 2008

The molecular physiology underlying human milk production is largely unknown because of limitations in obtaining tissue samples. Determining gene expression in normal lactating women would be a potential step toward understanding why some women struggle with or fail at breastfeeding their infants. Recently, we demonstrated the utility of RNA obtained from breast milk fat globule (MFG) to detect mammary epithelial cell (MEC)-specific gene expression. We used MFG RNA to determine the gene expression profile of human MEC during lactation. Microarray studies were performed using Human Ref-8 BeadChip arrays (Illumina). MFG RNA was collected every 3 h for 24 h from five healthy, exclusively breastfeeding women. We determined that 14,070 transcripts were expressed and represented the MFG transcriptome. According to GeneSpring GX 9, 156 ontology terms were enriched (corrected P < 0.05), which include cellular ( n = 3,379 genes) and metabolic ( n = 2,656) processes as the most significantly enriched biological process terms. The top networks and pathways were associated primarily with cellular activities most likely involved with milk synthesis. Multiple sampling over 24 h enabled us to demonstrate core circadian clock gene expression and the periodicity of 1,029 genes (7%) enriched for molecular functions involved in cell development, growth, proliferation, and cell morphology. In addition, we found that the MFG transcriptome was comparable to the metabolic gene expression profile described for the lactating mouse mammary gland. This paper is the first to describe the MFG transcriptome in sequential human samples over a 24 h period, providing valuable insights into gene expression in the human MEC.
Salty dog, an SLC5 symporter, modulatesDrosophilaresponse to salt stress
Authors: Stergiopoulos Konstantinos , Cabrero Pablo , Davies Shireen-Anne , Dow Julian A. T.
Published: November 2008

To regulate their internal environments, organisms must adapt to varying ion levels in their diet. Adult Drosophila were exposed to dietary salt stress, and their physiological, survival, and gene expression responses monitored. Insects continued to feed on NaCl-elevated diet, although levels >4% wt/vol ultimately proved fatal. Affymetrix microarray analysis of flies fed on diet containing elevated NaCl showed a phased response: the earliest response was widespread upregulation of immune genes, followed by upregulation of carbohydrate metabolism as the immune response was downregulated, then finally a switch to amino acid catabolism and inhibition of genes associated with the reproductive axis. Significantly, the online transcriptomic resource FlyAtlas reports that most of the modulated genes are predominantly expressed in hindgut or Malpighian (renal) tubule, implicating these excretory tissues as the major responders to salt stress. Three genes were selected for further study: the SLC5 symporter CG2196, the GLUT transporter CG6484, and the transcription factor sugarbabe (previously implicated in starvation and stress responses). Expression profiles predicted by microarray were validated by quantitative PCR (qPCR); expression was mapped to the alimentary canal by in situ hybridization. CG2196::eYFP overexpression constructs were localized to the basolateral membrane of the Malpighian (renal) tubules, and RNAi against CG2196 improved survival on high-salt diet, even when driven specifically to just principal cells of the Malpighian tubule, confirming both this tissue and this transporter as major determinants of survival upon salt stress. Accordingly, CG2196 was renamed salty dog ( salt).
Idiopathic Myenteric Ganglionitis Underlying Acute ‘Dramatic’ Intestinal Pseudoobstruction: Report of an Exceptional Case
Authors: Racalbuto A. , Magro G. , Lanteri R. , Aliotta I. , Santangelo M. , Di Cataldo A.
Published: November 2008

Inflammation of the myenteric plexus of the gastrointestinal tract is a very rare pathological condition, with few reports in the medical literature. This pathological condition causes atonic gut motor dysfunction and is principally secondary to other diseases, being reported nearly solely as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in neuroendocrine lung tumors, including small cell carcinomas or neuroblastomas. In addition it can also be associated with disorders of the central nervous system, although it has rarely been described in Chagas disease. It has been named ‘idiopathic myenteric ganglionitis’ because no apparent causes can be demonstrated. We report the clinicopathologic findings of an exceptional case of a young woman affected by severe chronic constipation suddenly changing into acute intestinal pseudoobstruction with dramatic evolution. Relationships between ganglionitis, idiopathic constipation and acute intestinal pseudoobstruction as well as therapeutic implications are discussed.
Specific Cellular Immune Response in Hepatitis E Patients
Authors: Wu Ting , Zhang Jun , Su Zhi-Jun , Liu Jia-Jun , Wu Xiao-Lu , Wu Xiao-Lu , Lin Chun-Xin , Ou Shan-Hai , Yan Qiang , Shih J. Wai-Kuo , Xia Ning-Shao
Published: November 2008

Aims: To evaluate the specific T cell response together with IgM anti-hepatitis-E-virus (HEV) antibodies in acute hepatitis E (HE) patients. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 11 HE patients every week and assayed for routine blood investigation after onset of disease until their convalescence. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated from some of the blood samples (1–3 samples per patient) and tested for specific T cell response by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay and IgM anti-hepatitis E virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A particulate HEV capsid protein, HEV 239, effectively stimulated the response of T cells from HE patients infected by type 1 or type 4 HEV. In acute HE, a burst of HEV-specific cellular immune response occurred, which decreased along with the decreasing IgM anti-HEV antibody titre and normalization of liver function. Conclusions: HEV open reading frame 2 amino acids 368–606 can effectively stimulate the HEV-specific T cell response in vitro; the specific T cell response decreases along with convalescence and may play a role in the pathogenesis of acute HE and recovery.
The Influence of Postnatal Psychiatric Disorder on Child Development
Authors: Stein Alan , Lehtonen Annukka , Harvey Allison G. , Nicol-Harper Rosie , Craske Michelle
Published: November 2008

There is considerable evidence that maternal postnatal psychiatric disorder has an adverse influence on infant development. In attempting to examine the pathways of intergenerational transmission, most research has concentrated on genetic factors or on maternal behaviours during mother-child interaction and attachment. However, researchers have largely ignored the possible role of maternal cognition underlying behaviour, especially the thought and attentional processes involved in psychiatric disorders. This paper argues that a particular form of maternal cognition, namely ‘preoccupation’, is one key, but under-recognised, mechanism in the transmission of psychiatric disturbance. We propose that preoccupation interferes with specific aspects of mental functioning, especially attention and responsivity to the environment. This impairs the mother’s parenting capacities and adversely affects mother-child interaction and child development.
Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Contact versus Peribulbar Anaesthesia in Combined Eye Surgery
Authors: Pablo Luís E. , Ferreras Antonio , Pérez-Oliván Susana , Polo Vicente , Honrubia Francisco M.
Published: November 2008

Purpose: To compare the combined levels of comfort, the presence of complications and the results of phacotrabeculectomy surgery obtained with 2 different forms of anaesthesia: topical contact anaesthesia and peribulbar injected anaesthesia. Procedures: In total, 120 consecutive patients undergoing phacotrabeculectomy were randomly assigned to each anaesthesia group. The patients were asked to rate their pain level on a 5-point scale at 3 time points during the procedure. Early and late surgical complications and clinical parameters of success were evaluated. Results: Administration of contact anaesthesia was clearly associated with less pain than injection of peribulbar anaesthesia. The amount of pain or discomfort experienced during or following surgery did not differ between the patient groups. No long-term differences in the tensional results were observed between the groups of the study. Conclusion: The application of contact anaesthesia in the phacotrabeculectomy procedure provides a level of comfort and safety that is comparable to that achieved with peribulbar anaesthesia. Likewise, patients that received contact anaesthesia were as comfortable as patients that received the peribulbar injection of anaesthesia, not only during the immediate postoperative period, but also in terms of their tensional results and their visual acuity in the mid and long term.
Arginine Vasotocin (AVT) Immunoreactivity Relates to Testosterone but Not Territorial Aggression in the Tree Lizard, Urosaurus ornatus
Authors: Kabelik David , Weiss Stacey L. , Moore Michael C.
Published: November 2008

The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue arginine vasopressin (AVP) are neuromodulators known to be steroid sensitive and associated with social behaviors in a number of vertebrate taxa. However, the role of AVT/P in the regulation of aggression remains unclear and contrasting effects of this peptide on aggression are seen in differing species and contexts. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the effects of testosterone on the AVT system in male and female tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus, and to determine whether AVT is related to territorial aggression in this species. Tree lizards are a free-living species that exhibit natural hormonal fluctuations across breeding seasons. We detected a male-biased sexual dimorphism in centrally projecting AVT fibers within the limbic system. Furthermore, changes with season, reproductive state, and hormonal treatment suggest that testosterone regulates AVT immunoreactivity in limbic brain regions, especially in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Testosterone also affects AVT immunoreactivity in peripherally projecting cell clusters, as well as the size of AVT cell bodies in the paraventricular nucleus. Although higher testosterone levels alter AVT immunoreactivity, and are known to increase the frequency and intensity of male-male aggression in this species, no individual correlations between AVT immunoreactivity and aggression were detected.
Warfarin-Induced Skin Necrosis in a Patient with Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: Two Diseases or One?
Authors: Abdel-Wahab Omar I. , Rosovsky Rachel P. , Warth James A.
Published: November 2008

A 64-year-old woman with colon carcinoma presented with subsegmental pulmonary emboli. Platelet count on presentation was 598 ×109/l. The patient was anticoagulated with intravenous heparin. By hospital day 3, heparin was replaced with enoxaparin and warfarin. On hospital day 6, the patient developed a 20 × 15 cm area of necrotic skin on her left hip and a 1 × 3 cm area of necrosis on her right hip. By that time, her platelet count had fallen to 433 ×109/l. Three days later (hospital day 9), anticoagulation was switched from the combination of enoxaparin and warfarin to argatroban. Her platelet count reached a nadir of 82 ×109/l by the 12th hospital day. The areas of skin necrosis had never been sites of heparin injection. Heparin/platelet factor 4 antibody, sent on hospital day 9, returned positive and 14C-serotonin release assay was also positive. This case illustrates that processes underlying heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) may also underlie warfarin-induced skin necrosis. Skin necrosis may be the earliest manifestation of HIT and need not be accompanied by thrombocytopenia. This patient’s course illustrates that HIT should be considered in all patients presenting with skin necrosis while receiving anticoagulation with heparin or a combination of heparin and warfarin.
Prevalence of Pressure Ulcers in Hospitalized Patients in Germany in 2005: Data from the Federal Statistical Office
Authors: Kröger Knut , Niebel Wolfgang , Maier Irene , Stausberg Jürgen , Gerber Veronika , Schwarzkopf Andreas
Published: November 2008

Objective: Using the National Statistics (‘DRG-Statistik’) published by the Federal Statistical Office, we analyzed prevalences of pressure ulcers coded as principal or as additional diagnosis separately and describe differences in ulcer characteristics. Patients and Methods: Age-adjusted prevalence and tables for gender and age distribution of pressure ulcers separately for the principal diagnosis and for additional diagnoses were provided by the Federal Statistical Office. Results: In 2005, about 16 million patients were treated as full-time patients in German hospitals. 9,941 (0.06%) were referred with pressure ulcer as principal diagnosis and 191,040 (1.19%) had at least one additional diagnosis pressure ulcer. People >65 years of age had the highest risk for pressure ulcers (per 100,000 population principal diagnosis: females 52 and males 37; additional diagnosis: females 1,076 and males 947). Up to 80% of those who had the principal diagnosis pressure ulcer had ulcers grade 3 and 4, whereas 60% of the pressure ulcers documented as additional diagnosis were grade 1 and 2 (p < 0.001). The most frequent localizations of pressure ulcers were the ischium, the sacrum and the heel. In patients <65 years of age with the principal diagnosis pressure ulcer, the mortality rate is <0.1%. In the older age groups it increases gradually up to 10% in the 8th decade of life. Conclusion: Pressure ulcers are still a relevant problem in Germany. Although patients 65 years and older are at the highest risk, all age groups are affected. Younger people seem to struggle with different problems compared to older people.
Diurnal Patterns of Blood Sugar, Plasma Insulin, Free Fatty Acid and Triglyceride Levels in Normal Subjects and in Patients with Type IV Hyperlipoproteinemia and the Effect of Meal Frequency
Authors: Schlierf G. , Raetzer H.
Published: November 2008

Diurnal patterns of plasma triglycerides, free fatty acids, blood sugar and insulin were studied in 6 normal subjects and in 6 patients with the type IV hyperlipoproteinemia in order to assess the effect of a formula diet of balanced composition(19% protein, 37% fat, 44% carbohydrate) and of frequency of meal intake (3 versus 6 meals). In addition, the endogenous component of alimentary lipemia was estimated for the 24-hour period. The results demonstrate, that all-day levels of nutrients and insulin are similar with both meal patterns and that, regardless of feeding frequency, a considerable portion of ‘alimentary lipemia’ is contributed by pre-beta lipoprotein triglycerides.
Primary and Secondary Disturbances in Trace Element Metabolism Connected with Genetic Metabolic Disorders
Authors: Lombeck Ingrid , Bremer H.J.
Published: November 2008

Several primarily inherited disturbances of minerals and trace elements have been discovered within the last 20 years. Secondary disturbances of selenium and zinc induced by dietetic treatment of inborn errors of metabolism and by parenteral nutrition also came to our knowledge recently. Two main types of chronic or primary hypomagnesaemia are known which are caused either by impaired intestinal absorption or by false magnesium handling by the kidneys. In acrodermatitis enteropathica, an autosomal-recessive inherited disease leading to characteristic skin lesions, alopecia and dystrophy, low zinc concentrations of serum, urine and hair are measured. The intestinal absorption of zinc is reduced. In copper metabolism two inherited diseases are known with low serum and usually caerulosplasmin concentrations. In Menkes’ steely hair syndrome (trichopoliodystrophy) an intestinal net malabsorption of copper exists, whereas in Wilson’s disease the copper contents of several organs are increased.
Alcohol and the Pancreas
Authors: Sarles Henri
Published: November 2008

Chronic pancreatitis is frequently observed in men drinking approximately 2 g·kg-1day-1 during a mean of 17 years. The diet of these patients is abnormally rich in fat and protein. Giving alcohol and a similar diet to dogs and rats, it has been possible to reproduce chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. In men, dogs and rats, the first lesion seems to be the precipitation of the normal proteins of pancreatic juice into the ducts. Experimentally, chronic alcohol consumption is responsible for the secretion of a pancreatic juice which has an abnormally high concentration of proteins. This functional modification is partly hormonal but mostly due to cholinergic nerves.
The Effect of Glypondin on Glycogen and Protein Accumulation in Rat Organs
Authors: Szabó P. , Ferenczy T. , Körmöczy Gy. Sz. , Szejtli J.
Published: November 2008

Rats were treated for 21 days with 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg Glypondin dissolved in the drinking water. The weight-increasing effect of Glypondin was studied in rat organs. In the liver a significant rise in the concentration of TCA-soluble glycogen was demonstrated. In the myocardium and m. gastrocnemius the concentration of both the labile and glycogen was unchanged. In the m. gastrocnemius of rats treated with Glypondin a significant rise in the concentration of noncollagenous protein was demonstrated.
Fat Emulsions with Added Free Cholesterol or Fatty Acid Cholesteryl Esters
Authors: Rössner Stephan , Vessby Bengt
Published: November 2008

The fractional elimination rate of fat emulsions of soybean oil, emulsified with egg yolk phosphatides with 1% addition of cholesterol or various cholesteryl fatty acid esters, was studied in rabbits. The fractional removal rate k2%/min was the same after addition of free cholesterol or esters with fatty acids up to eight carbon esters. The k2 values were twice as high for emulsions with cholesteryl-stearate, three times higher with added cholesteryl-palmitate and four times higher when cholesteryl-linoleate was added. The tri-glyceride (TG) lipase activity was determined with human or rabbit post-heparin plasma and with purified bovine lipoprotein lipase. All these enzyme sources gave similar results. Addition of saturated cholesteryl esters did not affect the lipase activity, but addition of 1% cholesterol markedly decreased the lipase activity. Furthermore, addition of cholesteryl-linoleate and linolenate reduced post-heparin TG lipase activity.
The Influence of Food Supplementation and/or Psychological Stimulation on Mental Development
Authors: Cremer H.-D. , Flórez A. , de Navarro L. , Vuori L. , Wagner M.
Published: November 2008

Nutritional supplementation of mothers and psychological stimulation of the child both have a positive effect on physical and mental development during the first year of life. This has been shown in a few hundred mildly malnourished families in the suburbs of Bogota (Colombia).
Lipid Metabolism in the Vitamin-B12 -Deprived Rat
Authors: Fehling Clas , Jägerstad Margaretha , Arvidson Gösta
Published: November 2008

Rats were deprived of vitamin B12 in order to study the effect of this deprivation on the metabolism of lipids in the liver and the nervous system. Serum vitamin B12 concentrations of 102.7 and 78 pg/ml were found at sacrifice after 5 and 6 months, respectively. Neurological testing failed to reveal signs of neuropathy. The total liver lipids were decreased in the vitamin-B12-deprived animals, but no changes were detected in the lipid concentration or in the phospholipid composition of the nervous system. Some animals were given propionate, and in these, contrary to expectations, pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were found in smaller amounts in the liver triglycerides of the vitamin-B12-deprived rats than in the control rats. This could be due to the inhibitory effect of methylmalonyl CoA on fatty-acid synthesis, demonstrated by others in vitro.
Vitamin B12 Deprivation in the Rat: Effects on Folate Metabolism with Emphasis on the Nervous System
Authors: Fehling C. , Jägerstad M.
Published: November 2008

Rats were subjected to deprivation of vitamin B12 in order to induce neuropathy and to study effects on folate metabolism. Plasma vitamin B12concentrations were maintained at about 100 pg/ml for 5 months. Neurological testing failed to reveal signs of neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deprivation induced high plasma folate levels but had no effects on the levels of total folate in the liver or the nervous system, probably because of an adequate methionine supply. If the rats were starved, a smaller proportion of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was found both in liver and brain of the vitamin-B12-deprived animals. The folate concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid was lower than in the plasma but the values were correlated. There was a striking similarity between the liver and the brain in the way of handling 3H-folic acid and 14C-methyltetrahydrofolic acid. However, both substances showed a higher specific activity in the brain than in the liver, indicating a more dynamic state of brain folate.
Alkaline Ribonuclease Activity in Plasma and Leucocytes of Malnourished Women
Authors: Reddy Vinodini , Mohanram M. , Prabhavathi P.
Published: November 2008

Alkaline RNase activity was measured in plasma and leucocytes of pregnant and non-pregnant women belonging to low and high socio-economic groups. It was observed that the enzyme activities were significantly higher in pregnant as well as non-pregnant women of the low socio-economic group as compared to women of the high socio-economic group. There was no correlation between the enzyme activities in maternal or cord blood on the one hand and birth weight of the infants on the other. These results suggest that RNase activities in maternal blood reflect the nutritional status of the mother but not that of the fetus.
An Improved Method for the Determination of Endogenous Thiamine and Its Phosphate Esters in Biological Material
Authors: Waldenlind Lennart
Published: November 2008

Nonphosphorylated thiamine was extracted from tissue homogenates in saline or sucrose into ethylbutylketone-acetonitrile using counter-ion extraction and re-extracted into hydrochloric acid. The dried samples were then analyzed by the fluorimetric thiochrome method. Phosphorylated thiamine was treated with Takadiastase to split off the phosphate groups and was thereafter extracted and measured. No column chromatography was needed for the separation of thiamine before the thiochrome assay. A higher accuracy and sensitivity for the thiamine assay was thus achieved.
Uptake and Distribution of Orally Applied N-Acetyl-(14C)neuraminosyl-lactose and N-Acetyl-(14C)neuraminic Acid in the Organs of Newborn Rats
Authors: Witt W. , von Nicolai H. , Zilliken F.
Published: November 2008

N-acetyl-(14C)neuraminosyl-(α,2→3)lactose enzymatically prepared of CMP-NeuNAc and lactose by a particulate enzyme fraction from lactating rat mammary gland was applied orally to newborn rats and examined for uptake and distribution in relation to those of free N-acetyl-(14C)neuraminic acid. The neonates were allowed to stay with their mother before and during the incubation time up to 6 h. Within this time 70% of the given dose was excreted while 30% was retained in the body. (14C)NeuNAc-lactose activity appeared 1.5 h after application in blood, urine, and tissues and attained maximum values after 3 and 6 h, respectively. The highest uptake occurred in liver, spleen, and brain. The absorption of the trisaccharide was delayed by 30 min compared with free (14C)NeuNAc. The time courses of the curves show a slower but higher accumulation in the tissues suggesting a better utilization of the (14C)NeuNAc from (14C)NeuNAc-lactose or pecularities in the absorption of the trisaccharide by the organs.
Zur Aktivität der Proteasen, Leucinarylamidase und α-Amylase im Pankreasgewebe bei Nickelmangel
Authors: Kirchgessner M. , Schnegg A.
Published: November 2008

In studies on the essentiality of nickel, important differences of enzyme activities and also of substrates were established. The results of the present paper show that these changes cannot be explained by a lowered reduction of dietary proteins, since the activity of the proteases rather increased during Ni deficiency. However, the digestion of the starch by α-amylase, being 57% lower, could have been partially responsible for the large differences in the activities of the hepatic enzymes and in the concentrations of the hepatic metabolites and also in the weight gains.