bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lumican is required for neutrophil extravasation following corneal injury and wound healing
Authors: Hayashi Yasuhito , Call Mindy K. , Chikama Tai-ichiro , Liu Hongshan , Carlson Eric C. , Sun Yan , Pearlman Eric , Funderburgh James L. , Babcock George , Liu Chia-Yang , Ohashi Yuichi , Kao Winston W.-Y.
Published: August 2010

An important aspect of wound healing is the recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection or tissue injury. Lumican, an extracellular matrix component belonging to the small leucine rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family, is one of the major keratan sulfate proteoglycans (KSPGs) within the corneal stroma. Increasing evidence indicates that lumican can serve as a regulatory molecule for several cellular processes, including cell proliferation and migration. In the present study, we addressed the role of lumican in the process of extravasation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) during the early inflammatory phase present in the healing of the corneal epithelium following debridement. We used Lum−/− mice and a novel transgenic mouse, Lum−/−,Kera-Lum, which expresses lumican only in the corneal stroma, to assess the role of lumican in PMN extravasation into injured corneas. Our results showed that PMNs did not readily invade injured corneas of Lum−/− mice and this defect was rescued by the expression of lumican in the corneas of Lum−/−,Kera-Lum mice. The presence of lumican in situ facilitates PMN infiltration into the peritoneal cavity in casein-induced inflammation. Our findings are consistent with the notion that in addition to regulating the collagen fibril architecture, lumican acts to aid neutrophil recruitment and invasion following corneal damage and inflammation.
The impact of self and peer perceptual differences on student social behaviour
Authors: Armstrong Cole
Published: August 2010

Background. The development of socially appropriate behaviour is increasingly seen as an important part of a student's education.

Aim. To examine whether changes in a student's behaviour, as part of an ongoing social empathy intervention, can in part be explained by the difference between the student's self‐perception of their behaviour and their peers‐perception of their behaviour.

Method. A school population (383 students from year levels 4 to 6) was assessed for a range of prosocial and antisocial behaviours. Assessments were made by the students themselves, and by peer nominations of their classmates. A perceptual difference index was calculated to determine the difference between the student's self‐assessment and their peers' assessment of their behaviour.

Results. Hierarchical regression found that students' prosocial behaviour increased more over the course of the school year when self‐perception of their prosocial behaviour more closely matched the perceptions of their class‐peers. Similarly, students' antisocial behaviour decreased more over the school year when their self and peer perceptions of their antisocial behaviour were more closely aligned. Very few personal demographics were associated with either type of behaviour, and overall there was found to be a great deal of stability in behaviour.

Conclusion. This study highlights the importance of taking into account students' personal characteristics when developing interventions to encourage socially appropriate behaviour. Furthermore, it suggests that in order to achieve positive change, any intervention must engage student's self‐beliefs regarding their behaviour.
Post‐traumatic growth as outcome of a cognitive‐behavioural therapy trial for motor vehicle accident survivors with PTSD
Authors: Zoellner Tanja , Rabe Sirko , Karl Anke , Maercker Andreas
Published: August 2010

Objectives. Treatment effects on post‐traumatic growth (PTG) and its subdomains were investigated together with predictors of the Janus‐face model of PTG.

Design. Effects were investigated within a randomized controlled trial of cognitive‐behavioural theropy (CBT) for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Method. Forty motor vehicle accident survivors were randomly assigned to a treatment or waiting condition. PTG was measured by the Post‐traumatic Growth Inventory and complemented by its possible predictors (optimism, openness).

Results. The CBT treatment proved to be highly effective in terms of PTSD symptom reduction. In contrast to previous findings, however, there was no treatment effect on PTG in general. The CBT group showed, however, increases in PTG subdomains ‘new possiblities’ and ‘personal strength’.

Conclusions. The results of this study caution researchers to naively expect PTG as a uniformly positive outcome to evaluate treatment effectiveness.
Rumination as a predictor of relapse in mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression
Authors: Michalak Johannes , Hölz Anne , Teismann Tobias
Published: August 2010

Objectives. In mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT), it is proposed that training in mindfulness should reduce the tendency of formerly depressed patients to enter into ruminative thinking, thus reducing their risk of depressive relapse. However, data showing that rumination is associated with depressive relapse are lacking.

Method. In an uncontrolled study with 24 formerly depressed patients, rumination was assessed with the Ruminative Response Scale. To assess the occurrence of relapse or recurrence, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV was administered 12 months after the end of the MBCT.

Results. Rumination significantly decreased during the MBCT course. Post‐treatment levels of rumination predicted the risk of relapse of major depressive disorder in the 12‐month follow‐up period even after controlling for numbers of previous episodes and residual depressive symptoms.

Conclusions. The results provide preliminary evidence that rumination is important in the process of depressive relapse.
Family and neighborhood sources of socioeconomic inequality in children’s achievement
Authors: Sastry Narayan , Pebley Anne R.
Published: August 2010

We examined family and neighborhood sources of socioeconomic inequality in children’s reading and mathematics achievement using data from the 2000–2001 Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey. To describe inequality in achievement scores, we used Gini coefficients and concentration indices and multilevel regression models. We found no inequality in children’s achievement by family income when other variables in the model were held constant. Mother’s reading scores and average neighborhood levels of income accounted for the largest proportion of inequality in children’s achievement. Neighborhood economic status appears to be strongly associated with children’s skills acquisition.
Nonresponse in repeat population-based voluntary counseling and testing for HIV in rural Malawi
Authors: Obare Francis
Published: August 2010

Despite the increasing number of population-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa that provide testing and counseling for HIV over the past decade, understanding the nature of nonresponse in these surveys, especially panel HIV surveys, is still limited. This article uses longitudinal HIV data collected from rural Malawi in 2004 and 2006 to examine nonresponse in repeat population-based testing. It shows that nonresponse in repeat testing led to significant bias in the estimates of HIV prevalence and to inconsistent conclusions about the predictors of HIV status. In contrast, previous cross-sectional analyses found that nonresponse does not significantly bias the estimates of HIV prevalence. The difference in conclusions from cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of nonresponse can be attributed to two factors: the different definitions of what constitutes nonresponse in both contexts, and the risk profiles of the missed populations. In particular, although refusal and temporary absence are the major sources ofnonresponse in the cross-sectional contexts, attrition attributable to mortality and out-migration are additional sources of nonresponse in repeat testing. Evidence shows that out-migrants have higher HIV prevalence than nonmigrants, which could account for significant bias in the estimates of prevalence among participants in both tests observed in this study.
The Protection and Development of the Human Spirit: An Expanded Focus for Human Rights Discourse
Authors: Penn Michael L. , Malik Aditi
Published: August 2010

Human rights discourse would be enriched by a greater focus on the conditions that are necessary for the protection, development, and refinement of the human spirit. This essay outlines a rational account of the notion of the human spirit and endeavors to show that the human spirit provides an appropriate focus for human rights concerns because it embodies the intrinsic value of the human person, provides an ontological basis for the oneness and interdependence of humankind, and defines those capacities of consciousness upon which the future of civilization depends.
Vulnerable Children in Varying Classroom Contexts: Bystanders' Behaviors Moderate the Effects of Risk Factors on Victimization
Authors: Kärnä Antti , Voeten Marinus , Poskiparta Elisa , Salmivalli Christina
Published: August 2010

We examined whether the bystanders' behaviors in bullying situations influence vulnerable students' risk for victimization. The sample consisted of 6,980 primary school children from Grades 3–5, who were nested within 378 classrooms in 77 schools. These students filled out Internet-based questionnaires in their schools' computer labs. The results from multilevel models indicated that the associations between victimization and its two risk factors—social anxiety and peer rejection—were strongest in classrooms that were high in reinforcing bullying and low in defending the victims. This suggests that bystanders' behaviors in bullying situations moderate the effects of individual and interpersonal risk factors for victimization. Influencing these behaviors might be an effective way to protect vulnerable children from victimization.
Context-Dependent Victimization and Aggression: Differences Between All-Girl and Mixed-Sex Schools
Authors: Velásquez Ana María , Santo Jonathan Bruce , Saldarriaga Lina María , López Luz Stella , Bukowski William M.
Published: August 2010

Contextual differences in the association between different forms of aggressive behavior and victimization were studied with a sample of 197 boys and 149 girls from mixed-sex schools and in 336 girls from all-girl schools ( M = 10.21 years of age) in two cities in Colombia. Results showed that boys generally engage in more physical than relational aggression, whereas girls engage in more relational than physical aggression. Among boys, the association between aggression and victimization was significant only for the measure of relational aggression, whereas, for girls, victimization was significantly correlated only with physical aggression. This latter association was found to be significantly stronger for girls from the all-girl schools than for the girls from the mixed-sex schools. These findings are discussed in terms of how mixed-sex and same-sex groups, as different forms of peer context, affect the social dynamics related to the association between aggression and victimization.
The Greater North Borneo Hypothesis
Authors: Blust Robert
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Blust (1969) recognized a North Sarawak subgroup of Austronesian languages based on a single highly distinctive sound change, namely the split of Proto-Austronesian *b, *d/j, *z, and *g into a "plain" series of voiced obstruents, and another characterized as "phonetically complex." This second series includes implosives, the first true voiced aspirates ever reported, and unexpected developments such as *b > (*bh) > s . A claim that the North Sarawak languages form part of a larger North Borneo group that includes the indigenous languages of Sabah has been in circulation since Blust (1974b), and was further elaborated in Blust (1998). Despite this claim, both the North Sarawak and North Borneo hypotheses have received scant attention in broader discussions of Austronesian subgrouping, which sometimes stress the absence of well-established large subgroups in western Indonesia (Ross 1995:72). A number of proposed lexical innovations suggest that North Borneo is part of a still larger group that incorporates Malayo-Chamic, Moken, Rejang, Sundanese, and all other languages of Borneo except the Barito family. This wider group, which notably excludes Madurese, Balinese, and Sasak, is called "Greater North Borneo." Although it is not the primary focus of this paper, there is additional evidence that Greater North Borneo forms part of a more encompassing "Western Indonesian" subgroup that includes all Austronesian languages of mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and the Greater Sunda Islands, but not the languages of Sulawesi.
A Note on the Higher Phylogeny of Austronesian
Authors: Winter Bodo
Published: August 2010

This paper presents a critique of Sagart's (2004) classification of the Formosan languages. Sagart proposes a subgrouping based on a set of innovations in the numeral systems of the Formosan languages. These innovations entail that the higher phylogeny of Austronesian is much more hierarchical than in other subgrouping accounts (e.g., Blust 1999, Ross 2009). According to Sagart, the innovated numeral forms can be derived from the complex numerals of the Formosan language Pazeh. A number of arguments are presented that call this subgrouping account into question. There are reasons to assume that the proposed numeral derivations are highly unlikely, and that similarities between the complex numerals of Pazeh and the innovated forms in other Formosan languages are due to chance. Furthermore, language contact might account for the pattern of numeral innovation. Finally, the migration pattern that is entailed by Sagart's numeral innovations does not take into account possible back and forth migrations of the Formosan tribes.
Chronic Electrical Stimulation of the Intact Corticospinal System after Unilateral Injury Restores Skilled Locomotor Control and Promotes Spinal Axon Outgrowth
Authors: Carmel Jason B. , Berrol Lauren J. , Brus-Ramer Marcel , Martin John H.
Published: August 2010

Injury to the brain or spinal cord usually preserves some corticospinal (CS) connections. These residual circuits sprout spontaneously and in response to activity-based treatments. We hypothesized that augmenting activity in spared CS circuits would restore the skilled motor control lost after injury and augment outgrowth of CS terminations in the spinal cord. After selective injury of one half of the CS tract (CST) in the rat, we applied 10 d of electrical stimulation to the forelimb area of motor cortex of the spared half and tested motor performance for 30 d. Rats with injury and CST stimulation showed substantial improvements in skilled paw placement while walking over a horizontal ladder. By the end of the testing period, the walking errors of the previously impaired forelimb in rats with injury and stimulation returned to baseline, while the errors remained elevated in rats with injury only. Whereas the time to perform the task returned to normal in all animals, the pattern of errors returned to normal only in the stimulated group. Electrical stimulation also caused robust outgrowth of CST axon terminations in the ipsilateral spinal cord, the side of impairment, compared with rats with injury only. The outgrowth was directed to the normal gray matter territory of ipsilateral CST axon terminations. Thus, stimulation of spared CS circuits induced substantial axon outgrowth to the largely denervated side of the spinal cord and restored normal motor control in the previously impaired limbs.
Small RNAs Control Sodium Channel Expression, Nociceptor Excitability, and Pain Thresholds
Authors: Zhao Jing , Lee Man-Cheung , Momin Ali , Cendan Cruz-Miguel , Shepherd Samuel T. , Baker Mark D. , Asante Curtis , Bee Lucy , Bethry Audrey , Perkins James R. , Nassar Mohammed A. , Abrahamsen Bjarke , Dickenson Anthony , Cobb Bradly S. , Merkenschlager Matthias , Wood John N.
Published: August 2010

To examine the role of small RNAs in peripheral pain pathways, we deleted the enzyme Dicer in mouse postmitotic damage-sensing neurons. We used a Nav1.8-Cre mouse to target those nociceptors important for inflammatory pain. The conditional null mice were healthy with a normal number of sensory neurons and normal acute pain thresholds. Behavioral studies showed that inflammatory pain was attenuated or abolished. Inflammatory mediators failed to enhance excitability of Nav1.8+sensory neurons from null mutant mice. Acute noxious input into the dorsal horn of the spinal cord was apparently normal, but the increased input associated with inflammatory pain measured using c-Fos staining was diminished. Microarray and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that Dicer deletion lead to the upregulation of many broadly expressed mRNA transcripts in dorsal root ganglia. By contrast, nociceptor-associated mRNA transcripts (e.g., Nav1.8, P2xr3, and Runx-1) were downregulated, resulting in lower levels of protein and functional expression. qRT-PCR analysis also showed lowered levels of expression of nociceptor-specific pre-mRNA transcripts. MicroRNA microarray and deep sequencing identified known and novel nociceptor microRNAs in mouse Nav1.8+sensory neurons that may regulate nociceptor gene expression.
Autophagy-Dependent Rhodopsin Degradation Prevents Retinal Degeneration inDrosophila
Authors: Midorikawa Ryosuke , Yamamoto-Hino Miki , Awano Wakae , Hinohara Yoshimi , Suzuki Emiko , Ueda Ryu , Goto Satoshi
Published: August 2010

Recent studies have demonstrated protective roles for autophagy in various neurodegenerative disorders, including the polyglutamine diseases; however, the role of autophagy in retinal degeneration has remained unclear. Accumulation of activated rhodopsin in someDrosophilamutants leads to retinal degeneration, and although it is known that activated rhodopsin is degraded in endosomal pathways in normal photoreceptor cells, the contribution of autophagy to rhodopsin regulation has remained elusive. This study reveals that activated rhodopsin is degraded by autophagy in collaboration with endosomal pathways to prevent retinal degeneration. Light-dependent retinal degeneration in theDrosophilavisual system is caused by the knockdown or mutation of autophagy-essential components, such as autophagy-related protein 7 and 8 (atg-7/atg-8), or genes essential for PE (phosphatidylethanolamine) biogenesis and autophagosome formation, including Phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (Psd) and CDP-ethanolamine:diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase (Ept). The knockdown ofatg-7/8orPsd/Eptproduced an increase in the amount of rhodopsin localized to Rab7-positive late endosomes. This rhodopsin accumulation, followed by retinal degeneration, was suppressed by overexpression of Rab7, which accelerated the endosomal degradation pathway. These results indicate a degree of cross talk between the autophagic and endosomal/lysosomal pathways. Importantly, a reduction in rhodopsin levels rescuedPsdknockdown-induced retinal degeneration. Additionally, thePsdknockdown-induced retinal degeneration phenotype was enhanced byPpt1inactivation, which causes infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, implying that autophagy plays a significant role in its pathogenesis. Collectively, the current data reveal that autophagy suppresses light-dependent retinal degeneration in collaboration with the endosomal degradation pathway and that rhodopsin is a key substrate for autophagic degradation in this context.
Combined Genetic Attenuation of Myelin and Semaphorin-Mediated Growth Inhibition Is Insufficient to Promote Serotonergic Axon Regeneration
Authors: Lee Jae K. , Chow Renee , Xie Fang , Chow Sharon Y. , Tolentino Kristine E. , Zheng Binhai
Published: August 2010

After CNS injuries, axon growth inhibitors from the myelin and the scar tissue at the injury site are considered major impediments to axon regeneration. The presence of several classes of inhibitors with multiple members in each class suggests functional redundancy in growth inhibition. To test redundancy within the myelin inhibitory pathway, we analyzed raphe spinal serotonergic (5-HT) axon regeneration in mice deficient in two major myelin inhibitors, Nogo and MAG, and their common receptor NgR1 (or NgR). After a complete transection spinal cord injury, there was no significant enhancement of 5-HT axon regeneration beyond the injury site in either Nogo/MAG/NgR1 triple mutants or NgR1 single mutants. Occasional, genotype-independent traversal of 5-HT axons through GFAP-positive tissue bridges at the injury site implicates GFAP-negative lesion areas as especially inhibitory to 5-HT axons. To assess the contribution of class 3 Semaphorins that are expressed by GFAP-negative meningeal fibroblasts at the injury site, we analyzed mice deficient in PlexinA3 and PlexinA4, two key receptors for class 3 Semaphorins, with or without additional NgR1 deletion. No enhanced regeneration of 5-HT or corticospinal axons was detected in PlexinA3/PlexinA4 double mutants or PlexinA3/PlexinA4/NgR1 triple mutants through a complete transection injury. In contrast with previous reports, these data demonstrate that attenuating myelin or Semaphorin-mediated inhibition of axon growth is insufficient to promote 5-HT axon regeneration and further indicate that even attenuating both classes of inhibitory influences is insufficient to promote regeneration of injured axons through a complete transection spinal cord injury.
The Role of the BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism for the Synchronization of Error-Specific Neural Networks
Authors: Beste Christian , Kolev Vasil , Yordanova Juliana , Domschke Katharina , Falkenstein Michael , Baune Bernhard T. , Konrad Carsten
Published: August 2010

Behavioral adaptation depends on the recognition of response errors and processing of this error-information. Error processing is a specific cognitive function crucial for behavioral adaptation. Neurophysiologically, these processes are reflected by an event-related potential (ERP), the error negativity (Ne/ERN). Even though synchronization processes are important in information processing, its role and neurobiological foundation in behavioral adaptation are not understood. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) strongly modulates the establishment of neural connectivity that determines neural network dynamics and synchronization properties. Therefore altered synchronization processes may constitute a mechanism via which BDNF affects processes of error-induced behavioral adaptation. We investigate how variants of the BDNF gene regulate EEG-synchronization processes underlying error processing. Subjects (n= 65) were genotyped for the functional BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265). We show that Val/Val genotype is associated with stronger error-specific phase-locking, compared with Met allele carriers. Posterror behavioral adaptation seems to be strongly dependent on these phase-locking processes and efficacy of EEG-phase-locking-behavioral coupling was genotype dependent. After correct responses, neurophysiological processes were not modulated by the polymorphism, underlining that BDNF becomes especially necessary in situations requiring behavioral adaptation. The results suggest that alterations in neural synchronization processes modulated by the genetic variants of BDNF Val66Met may be the mechanism by which cognitive functions are affected.
Mkp1Is a c-Jun Target Gene That Antagonizes JNK-Dependent Apoptosis in Sympathetic Neurons
Authors: Kristiansen Mark , Hughes Rosie , Patel Pritika , Jacques Thomas S. , Clark Andrew R. , Ham Jonathan
Published: August 2010

Developing sympathetic neurons depend on NGF for survival. When sympathetic neurons are deprived of NGFin vitro, a well documented series of events, including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway activation, release of cytochromecfrom the mitochondria, and caspase activation, culminates in the death of the neuron by apoptosis within 24–48 h. This process requiresde novogene expression, suggesting that increased expression of specific genes activates the cell death program. Using rat gene microarrays, we found that NGF withdrawal induces the expression of many genes, includingmkp1, which encodes a MAPK phosphatase that can dephosphorylate JNKs. The increase inmkp1mRNA level requires the MLK-JNK-c-Jun pathway, and we show that Mkp1 is an important regulator of JNK-dependent apoptosis in sympathetic neurons. In microinjection experiments, Mkp1 overexpression can inhibit JNK-mediated phosphorylation of c-Jun and protect sympathetic neurons from apoptosis, while Mkp1 knockdown accelerates NGF withdrawal-induced death. Accordingly, the number of superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons is reduced inmkp1−/−mice at P1 during the period of developmental sympathetic neuron death. We also show that c-Jun and ATF2 bind to two conserved ATF binding sites in themkp1promoterin vitroand in chromatin. Both of these ATF sites contribute to basal promoter activity and are required formkp1promoter induction after NGF withdrawal. These results demonstrate that Mkp1 is part of a negative feedback loop induced by the MLK-JNK-c-Jun signaling pathway that modulates JNK activity and the rate of neuronal death in rat sympathetic neurons following NGF withdrawal.
Temporally Extended Dopamine Responses to Perceptually Demanding Reward-Predictive Stimuli
Authors: Nomoto Kensaku , Schultz Wolfram , Watanabe Takeo , Sakagami Masamichi
Published: August 2010

Midbrain dopamine neurons respond to reward-predictive stimuli. In the natural environment reward-predictive stimuli are often perceptually complicated. Thus, to discriminate one stimulus from another, elaborate sensory processing is necessary. Given that previous studies have used simpler types of reward-predictive stimuli, it has yet to be clear whether and, if so, how dopamine neurons obtain reward information from perceptually complicated stimuli. To investigate this, we recorded the activities of monkey dopamine neurons while they were performing discrimination between two coherent motion directions in random-dot motion stimuli. These coherent directions were paired with different magnitudes of reward. We found that dopamine neurons showed reward-predictive responses to random-dot motion stimuli. Moreover, dopamine neurons showed temporally extended activity correlated with changes in reward prediction (i.e., reward prediction error) from coarse to fine scales between initial motion detection and subsequent motion discrimination phases. Noticeably, dopamine reward-predictive responses became differential in a later phase than previously reported. This response pattern was consistent with the time course of processing required for the estimation of expected reward value that parallels the motion direction discrimination processing. The results demonstrate that dopamine neurons are able to reflect the reward value of perceptually complicated stimuli, and suggest that dopamine neurons use the moment-to-moment reward prediction associated with environmental stimuli to compute a reward prediction error.
The Association of Dynamin with Synaptophysin Regulates Quantal Size and Duration of Exocytotic Events in Chromaffin Cells
Authors: González-Jamett Arlek M. , Báez-Matus Ximena , Hevia Montserrat A. , Guerra María José , Olivares María José , Martínez Agustín D. , Neely Alan , Cárdenas Ana M.
Published: August 2010

Although synaptophysin is one of the most abundant integral proteins of synaptic vesicle membranes, its contribution to neurotransmitter release remains unclear. One possibility is that through its association with dynamin it controls the fine tuning of transmitter release. To test this hypothesis, we took advantage of amperometric measurements of quantal catecholamine release from chromaffin cells. First, we showed that synaptophysin and dynamin interact in chromaffin granule-rich fractions and that this interaction relies on the C terminal of synaptophysin. Experimental maneuvers that are predicted to disrupt the association between these two proteins, such as injection of antibodies against dynamin or synaptophysin, or peptides homologous to the C terminal of synaptophysin, increased the quantal size and duration of amperometric spikes. In contrast, the amperometric current that precedes the spike remained unchanged, indicating that synaptophysin/dynamin association does not regulate the initial fusion pore, but it appears to target a later step of exocytosis to control the amount of catecholamines released during a single vesicle fusion event.
Heller's Self-Defense
Authors: Sangero Boaz
Published: August 2010

This article reflects on District of Columbia v. Heller and proposes a new footing and limit to the right to bear arms: a person's inalienable right to selfdefense. Self-defense is a natural right embedded in personhood and is antecedent to the social contract that sets up a state. This right consequently remains with the person following the establishment of the state and allows her to use proportional force necessary for resisting aggression. The right to bear arms derives from the constitutional right to self-defense, which merits protection under both the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments. This instrumental nexus calls for a dynamic determination of the scope of the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, along Heller's lines. The scope of the right to bear arms should be defined by an ordinary citizen's necessity to use arms in defending herself proportionally against criminals. This criterion will allow courts to deliver both predictable and balanced decisions that align with originalism.
The Rule Against Admitting Exculpatory Statements of Accused Persons: A Shiny Coin That has Lost its Currency
Authors: Nowlin Christopher J.
Published: August 2010

As a general rule, accused persons on trial in Anglo–North American criminal legal systems are not allowed to introduce into evidence exculpatory statements they have made out of court. There is no coherent rationale for this rule, which is difficult to defend as a matter of principle and pragmatism. Yet this "anomalous" rule1 remains alive and well, at least in the U.S.A. and Canada, and invariably becomes the focus of pretrial or midtrial argument in those cases where such statements have been made. When an accused person fails to convince a trial judge to hear or receive evidence that he or she made exculpatory statements out of court, trial fairness is typically jeopardized. This article contends that at least three overarching principles of criminal justice—the inclusionary principle of evidence, trial fairness, and the presumption of innocence—require the rule itself to be abandoned. It should also be rejected as a matter of practicality.
Anemia in pregnancy: characteristics in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Hungary
Authors: Szerafin László , Jakó János
Published: August 2010

Terhesség során az anaemia napjainkban is a leggyakoribb belgyógyászati elváltozások közé tartozik. Az anya és az utód számára egyaránt számos káros következménnyel járhat.
Célkitűzés:
A szerzők vizsgálták a Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg megyében 2008-ban szült nők vérképadatai (hemoglobin, átlagos vörösvértest-térfogat), szérum ferritinszintje és a terhességi kor, a várandósok életkora, az iskolázottság, az előző terhességek száma, a vetélések és koraszülések gyakorisága közötti összefüggéseket.
Módszer:
A szerzők a megyei, 2008-as védőnői nyilvántartások adatait elemezték.
Eredmények:
A vérszegénység előfordulásának aránya az I. trimeszterben 2,54%, a másodikban 0,71%, a harmadikban 1,87% volt, és szignifikánsan gyakoribbnak bizonyult a fiatalkorúak (10,30%), az alacsony iskolai végzettségűek (5,55%), a második vagy többedik terhességüket viselők (2,56%) között. A vetélések arányában nem volt különbség, de a koraszülés gyakoribb volt az anaemiás terhesek között (7,14%, vs. 5,46%). Minden vizsgált csoportban az anaemiások számánál jelentősen magasabb volt a normálisnál alacsonyabb átlagos vörösvértest-térfogattal jellemezhető vérképek aránya (6,06–22,88%), ami az esetek döntő többségében kórosan csökkent vasraktárra utal. (Ferritinszint-meghatározás csak az esetek 2,42%-ában történt, ezek között viszont 93,1%-ban kórosan alacsony értéket mértek!)
Következtetések:
A szerzők a többségükben (latens) vashiányos, jóval ritkábban vashiányos anaemiás várandós esetek kapcsán felhívják a figyelmet a fiatalkorú, alacsony iskolázottságú, illetve többedszer szülő terhesek gondozásának kiemelt fontosságára, valamint már a várandósság korai szakaszában a vérkép helyes értelmezésére, a megfelelő vaspótlás időben történő elkezdésére, sőt, a vasraktárak még fogamzás előtti feltöltésének szükségességére. Ehhez az irodalmi adatok alapján ajánlásokat fogalmaznak meg.
Analysis of the videolaparoscopy potentiality in the surgical treatment of the bowel obstruction
Authors: Ghezzi Tiago Leal , Moschetti Laura , Corleta Oly Campos , Abreu Gabriela Pilau de , Abreu Laís Pilau de
Published: August 2010

CONTEXT: Laparotomy is the gold standard treatment of patients with intestinal obstruction without response to clinical management. Nowadays, literature has been demonstrating the feasibility of videolaparoscopy in the treatment of intestinal obstruction. OBJECTIVES: To report the clinical-epidemiological profile of patients with intestinal obstruction submitted to surgery and verify the presence of contraindications for laparoscopy. METHODS: It was done a observational, descriptive and retrospective study including adults patients with intestinal obstruction submitted to surgery at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, between January of 2004 and October of 2008. RESULTS: It was included 135 patients in the study, with a total of 126 patients submitted to open surgery and 9 to laparoscopy. There was similar distribution between gender and the mean age was 59 years (SD ± 16.9). The most frequent site of obstruction was the small bowel and the most frequent etiology was adhesions. Among the patients submitted to laparotomy, 75.4% presented with abdominal distention, 68.3% previous abdominal surgery, 11.9% body mass index >30 kg/m², 4.8% coagulopathy and 3.2% hemodynamic instability. Among the 135 patients, only 5 of them presented with none contraindications for videolaparoscopy. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological findings of this study are similar to the ones of the worldwide literature. Indications of videolaparoscopy in retrospective analyses have the limitation of subjective evaluation of intestinal obstruction, which was included in this study as a relative contraindication to laparoscopy.
Cost-effectiveness analysis on spinal anesthesia versus local anesthesia plus sedation for loop colostomy closure
Authors: Vaz Filinto Aníbal Alagia , Abreu Rone Antônio Alves , Soárez Patrícia Coelho de , Speranzini Manlio Basílio , Fernandes Luís Cesar , Matos Delcio
Published: August 2010

CONTEXT: Studies in the area of health economics are still poorly explored and it is known that the cost savings in this area is becoming more necessary, provided that strict criteria. OBJECTIVE: To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of spinal anesthesia versus local anesthesia plus sedation for loop colostomy closure. METHODS: This was a randomized clinical trial with 50 patients undergoing loop colostomy closure either under spinal anesthesia (n = 25) or under local anesthesia plus sedation (n = 25). The duration of the operation, time spent in the post-anesthesia recovery room, pain, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, laboratory and imaging examinations and need for rehospitalization and reoperation were analyzed. The direct medical costs were analyzed. A decision tree model was constructed. The outcome measures were mean cost and cost per local and systemic postoperative complications avoided. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were presented. RESULTS: Duration of operation: 146 ± 111.5 min. vs 105 ± 23.6 min. (P = 0.012); mean time spent in post-anesthesia recovery room: 145 ± 110.8 min. vs 36.8 ± 34.6 min. (P<0.001). Immediate postoperative pain was lower with local anesthesia plus sedation (P<0.05). Local and systemic complications were fewer with local anesthesia plus sedation (P = 0.209). Hospitalization + rehospitalization: 4.5 ± 4.1 days vs 2.9 ± 2.2 days (P<0.0001); mean spending per patient: R$ 5,038.05 vs 2,665.57 (P<0.001). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: R$ -474.78, indicating that the strategy with local anesthesia plus sedation is cost saving. CONCLUSION: In the present investigation, loop colostomy closure under local anesthesia plus sedation was effective and appeared to be a dominant strategy, compared with the same surgical procedure under spinal anesthesia.
Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in the differentiation of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and healthy individuals
Authors: Salgado Ana Lúcia Farias de Azevedo , Carvalho Luciana de , Oliveira Ana Claudia , Santos Virgínia Nascimento dos , Vieira Jose Gilberto , Parise Edison Roberto
Published: August 2010

CONTEXT: Due to its good correlation to glycemic clamp, HOMA-IR has been widely utilized as insulin resistance index in clinical and epidemiological studies involving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease carriers. However, values used for this parameter have shown large variability. OBJECTIVE: To identify the HOMA-IR cut value that best distinguishes non-diabetic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients from a control group. METHODS: One hundred sixteen non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients were studied, diagnosed by clinical, biochemical, and liver image or biopsy criteria, and 88 healthy individuals, without any liver disease and testing for oral glucose tolerance within normality. These groups did not differ in age and gender. All were submitted to oral glucose tolerance test and blood samples were collected for glucose and insulin measurements by immunofluorometric method. HOMA-IR was calculated according to the formula: fasting insulin (µU/L) x fasting glucose (nmol/L)/22.5. RESULTS: NAFLD patients showed higher insulin, glycemia, and HOMA-IR values than control group, even when excluding glucose intolerant and diabetes mellitus patients by their glycemic curves. HOMA-IR 75th percentile for control group was 1.78 and the best area under the curve index was obtained for HOMA-IR values of 2.0 [AUC= 0.840 (0.781-0.899 CI 95%), sensitivity (Se): 85%, specificity (Sp): 83%] while value 2.5 showed best specificity without important loss in sensitivity [AUC=0,831 (0.773-0.888) Se = 72%, Sp = 94%]. CONCLUSION: HOMA-IR values above or equal to 2.0 or 2.5 show enhanced diagnostic value in distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease carriers from control group individuals.
Variceal bleeding: consensus meeting report from the Brazilian Society of Hepatology
Authors: Bittencourt Paulo Lisboa , Farias Alberto Queiroz , Strauss Edna , Mattos Angelo Alves de
Published: August 2010

In the last decades, several improvements in the management of variceal bleeding have resulted in a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality of patients with cirrhosis and bleeding varices. Progress in the multidisciplinary approach to these patients has led to a better management of this disease by critical care physicians, hepatologists, gastroenterologists, endoscopists, radiologists and surgeons. In this respect, the Brazilian Society of Hepatology has, recently, sponsored a consensus meeting in order to draw evidence-based recommendations on the management of these difficult-to-treat subjects. An organizing committee comprised of four people was elected by the Governing Board and was responsible to invite 27 researchers from distinct regions of the country to make a systematic review of the subject and to present topics related to variceal bleeding, including prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment, according to evidence-based medicine. After the meeting, all participants met together for discussion of the topics and the elaboration of the aforementioned recommendations. The organizing committee was responsible for writing the final document. The meeting was held at Salvador, May 6th, 2009 and the present manuscript is the summary of the systematic review that was presented during the meeting, organized in topics, followed by the recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Hepatology.
Efeitos clínicos e microbiológicos do óleo de copaíba (Copaifera officinalis) sobre bactérias formadoras de placa dental em cães
Authors: Pieri F.A. , Mussi M.C. , Fiorini J.E. , Schneedorf J.M.
Published: August 2010

O potencial de uso do óleo de copaíba (Copaifera officinalis) na prevenção da doença periodontal, eliminando seu agente etiológico, foi avaliado em 18 cães sem raça definida, distribuídos homogeneamente em três grupos: teste, (contendo óleo de copaíba) controle positivo e controle negativo. Os tratamentos ocorreram três vezes ao dia, durante oito dias. Ao nono dia, os animais receberam aplicação tópica de fucsina básica 0,5% para evidenciação do biofilme. Mudanças na halitose e gengivite foram avaliadas diariamente por inspeção visual. Adicionalmente, foram realizados testes laboratoriais de inibição de aderência de Streptococcus mutans e ensaio antimicrobiano de difusão em ágar, sobre bactérias formadoras de placa dental. Os resultados da placa evidenciada apontaram áreas de cobertura microbiana nos dentes de 53,4±8,8%, 28,5±5,4%, e 22,3±5,3% para os grupos negativo, positivo e teste, respectivamente, indicando diferença entre o controle negativo e os demais grupos (P<0,05). Quanto à melhora nos aspectos clínicos, halitose e gengivite, o grupo teste respondeu melhor quando comparado ao grupo controle negativo (P<0,05). A análise dos ensaios de difusão e inibição de aderência mostrou superioridade do grupo da copaíba (teste) em relação aos outros grupos (P<0,05). Os resultados sugerem o uso do óleo de copaíba na prevenção da doença periodontal e como um possível substituto da clorexidina na terapia antimicrobiana oral.
Effect of probiotic supplemented diet on marine shrimp survival after challenge with Vibrio harveyi
Authors: Vieira F.N. , Buglione C.C. , Mouriño J.P.L. , Jatobá A. , Martins M.L. , Schleder D.D. , Andreatta E.R. , Barraco M.A. , Vinatea L.A.
Published: August 2010

The effect of a Lactobacillus plantarum-supplemented diet on shrimp growth, digestive tract bacterial microbiota, survival, and some hemato-immunological parameters after an experimental challenge with Vibrio harveyi was studied. No difference (P>0.05) was observed in shrimp survival (80±6%) and final weight (6.63±0.56g) after 60 days feeding trial. Total bacteria count and Vibrio spp. count in the digestive tract were not diferent (P>0.05) until day 40, but they were lower (P<0.05) in the probiotic-supplemented group on day 60. Total lactic bacteria in the shrimp digestive tract was higher after day 20 in the probiotic-supplemented group. Ten hours after V. harveyi challenge, survival of the probiotic-supplemented group (65.7±2.9%) was higher (P>0.05) than the control group (39.9±4.4%). Bacterial counts in hemolymph and hepatopancreas was lower (P<0.05) in the probiotic-supplemented group than in the control group after V. harveyi challenge. Total hemocyte count and serum agglutination activity were higher (P>0.05) in the probiotic-supplemented group after challenge with V. harveyi. Probiotic-supplemented diet modifies shrimp digestive tract bacterial microbiota, increasing resistance to V. harveyi infection.
Aspectos histológicos de fragmentos esplênicos autotransplantados em ratos
Authors: Freitas S.H. , Dória R.G.S. , Mendonça F.S. , Evêncio Neto J. , Simões M.J. , Camargo L.M.
Published: August 2010

Estudou-se a viabilidade do autotransplante de tecido esplênico, um terço do baço, associado à esplenectomia parcial, e verificou-se a cinética evolutiva de sua regeneração, sob o aspecto macroscópico e histológico. Foram utilizados 28 ratos Wistar, adultos, machos, com média de peso de 300g, distribuídos em quatro grupos experimentais. Cada animal foi submetido à esplenectomia parcial, e um fragmento de baço foi transplantado para o omento maior, por períodos de 30, 60, 90 e 120 dias. Após cada período pré-estipulado, os tecidos esplênicos autotransplantados foram coletados e analisados histologicamente. Os resultados mostraram regeneração da cápsula esplênica, dos vasos sanguíneos e das polpas branca e vermelha. Aos 90 dias, a arquitetura microscópica apresentava-se semelhante à do baço normal.
Características produtivas, agronômicas e nutricionais do capim-tanzânia em cinco diferentes idades ao corte
Authors: Castro G.H.F. , Rodriguez N.M. , Gonçalves L.C. , Maurício R.M.
Published: August 2010

Avaliou-se o capim-tanzânia (Panicum maximum cv Tanzânia) cortado aos 42, 63, 84, 107 e 126 dias quanto à produtividade, às características agronômicas, à composição bromatológica e à digestibilidade in vitro. Observou-se aumento na altura da planta do capim-tanzânia até os 84 dias, com aumento da produção de massa verde de forragem e aumento na produção de matéria seca com o avançar da idade ao corte. O aumento da idade ao corte resultou em diminuição do percentual de folhas e em aumento no percentual de hastes. Na composição bromatológica, observaram-se diminuição do teor de proteína bruta e aumento das frações fibrosas, com aumento do nitrogênio retido nessa última com o avançar da idade. Os resultados obtidos refletiram-se na cinética de fermentação ruminal, descrita pela técnica in vitro semiautomática de produção de gases, demonstrando menor potencial de produção de gases, menor taxa fraccional de fermentação e, consequentemente, menor degradabilidade efetiva da matéria seca. Recomenda-se o corte do capim-tanzânia no intervalo de 42 a 63 dias de crescimento.
Produtividade e eficiência econômica de sistemas de produção de cria, recria e engorda de bovinos de corte na região sul do estado da Bahia
Authors: Barbosa F.A. , Graça D.S. , Andrade V.J. , Cezar I.M. , Santos G.G. , Souza R.C.
Published: August 2010

Estudaram-se a produtividade e a eficiência econômica de quatro sistemas de bovinos de corte, por meio de simulação, que diferiram quanto à taxa de natalidade (TN). A pesquisa foi realizada em uma fazenda de ciclo completo (SCC) com TN de 87%, e mais três sistemas simulados: -4TN com TN de 83%; -2TN com TN de 85%; e +2TN com TN de 89%. O SCC foi baseado em dados de um sistema de cria, recria e engorda com média de 3.453 cabeças, localizado no sul da Bahia, no período de janeiro de 2000 a dezembro de 2002. As TN foram ajustadas à demanda energética dos animais em cada sistema e à evolução do rebanho durante três anos. A quantidade de carne vendida foi de 149, 146, 144, 141 kg/ha/ano para -4TN, -2TN, SCC e +2TN, respectivamente. O lucro total acumulado, na mesma ordem de citação, foi de R$780.695,42; R$737.526,16; R$727.031,52 e R$703.907,58. O retorno do capital investido acumulado foi de 7,8; 7,4; 7,3 e 7,0% para -4 TN, -2TN, SCC e +2TN, respectivamente. A variação da TN na atividade de cria, recria e engorda de bovinos alterou a produtividade e a eficiência econômica dos sistemas simulados. As respostas em produtividade e eficiência econômica diminuíram com o aumento da taxa de natalidade.
Efeito da endogamia sobre a sobrevivência e a longevidade no escargot da espécie Helix aspersa
Authors: Soares E.D.R. , Silva H.D. , Armada J.L.A. , Leitão G.R. , Pereira M.B.
Published: August 2010

Estudou-se o efeito da endogamia sobre as características sobrevivência (intervalos de 0-30; 30-60; 60-90 e 90-120 dias) e longevidade do escargot da espécie Helix aspersa em três gerações consecutivas de acasalamentos entre irmãos perfeitos. Os animais foram criados em laboratório com temperatura entre 20 e 25ºC e umidade relativa entre 70 a 90%. O menor percentual de sobrevivência ocorreu no primeiro intervalo, mas, com o aumento da endogamia, observou-se diminuição na sobrevivência nos quatro intervalos testados. A longevidade média foi de 314 e 306 dias para as gerações um e três, respectivamente, não tendo sido observados animais em hibernação. O estudo de simulação para o caráter sobrevivência, em função do coeficiente de endogamia, indicou que se deve iniciar uma criação com, pelo menos, 100 reprodutores não aparentados.