bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Family History and the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death as a Manifestation of an Acute Coronary Event
Authors: Kaikkonen Kari S. , Kortelainen Marja-Leena , Linna Eeva , Huikuri Heikki V.
Published: September 2006

Background—

Observational studies have suggested that a parental history of sudden death increases one’s risk of dying suddenly. This study tested the hypothesis that a family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a risk factor for SCD caused by an acute coronary event.

Methods and Results—

A retrospective case-control study included (1) consecutive victims of SCD (n=138) whose deaths were verified to be due to an acute coronary event without a history of prior myocardial infarction at medicolegal autopsy, (2) consecutive patients surviving an acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n=254), and (3) healthy control subjects (n=470). Family history of AMI and SCD among the first-degree relatives was ascertained in each study group. The incidence of SCD in the 1223 first-degree relatives of SCD victims was higher (5.2%) than that in the 2326 relatives of AMI survivors (3.3%; odds ration [OR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 2.2,
P
<0.01) or the 3748 relatives of controls (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.6 to 3.0,
P
<0.001). The history of SCD in 2 or more first-degree relatives was also higher (10.9%) among SCD victims than among AMI survivors (3.5%; OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4 to 7.8,
P
<0.01) or controls (1.1%; OR 11.3, 95% CI 4.0 to 31.8,
P
<0.001). The family history of AMI did not differ between the SCD and AMI groups. Male gender and current smoking were the only coronary risk factors that were more prevalent among SCD victims than among AMI survivors (
P
<0.001 for both).

Conclusions—

Subjects with a family history of SCD have an increased risk of dying suddenly during an acute coronary event.
Noninvasive Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 Imaging Identifies Inflammatory Activation of Cells in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Nahrendorf Matthias , Jaffer Farouc A. , Kelly Kimberly A. , Sosnovik David E. , Aikawa Elena , Libby Peter , Weissleder Ralph
Published: September 2006

Background—

Noninvasive imaging of adhesion molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) may identify early stages of inflammation in atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that a novel, second-generation VCAM-1–targeted agent with enhanced affinity had sufficient sensitivity to enable real-time detection of VCAM-1 expression in experimental atherosclerosis in vivo, to quantify pharmacotherapy-induced reductions in VCAM-1 expression, and to identify activated cells in human plaques.

Methods and Results—

In vivo phage display in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice identified a linear peptide affinity ligand, VHPKQHR, homologous to very late antigen-4, a known ligand for VCAM-1. This peptide was developed into a multivalent agent detectable by MRI and optical imaging (denoted VINP-28 for VCAM-1 internalizing nanoparticle 28, with 20 times higher affinity than previously reported for VNP). In vitro, VINP-28 targeted all cell types expressing VCAM-1. In vivo, MRI and optical imaging in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice (n=28) after injection with VINP-28 or saline revealed signal enhancement in the aortic root of mice receiving VINP-28 (
P
<0.05). VINP-28 colocalized with endothelial cells and other VCAM-1–expressing cells, eg, macrophages, and was spatially distinct compared with untargeted control nanoparticles. Atheromata of atorvastatin-treated mice showed reduced VINP-28 deposition and VCAM-1 expression. VINP-28 enhanced early lesions in juvenile mice and resected human carotid artery plaques.

Conclusions—

VINP-28 allows noninvasive imaging of VCAM-1–expressing endothelial cells and macrophages in atherosclerosis and spatial monitoring of anti–VCAM-1 pharmacotherapy in vivo and identifies inflammatory cells in human atheromata. This clinically translatable agent could noninvasively detect inflammation in early, subclinical atherosclerosis.
Ekman Layer Rectification
Authors: McWilliams James C. , Huckle Edward
Published: September 2006

The phenomenon of oceanic Ekman layer rectification refers to how the time-mean, Ekman layer velocity profile with depth differs as a consequence of variability in the surface wind in addition to the time-mean wind. This study investigates rectification using the K-Profile Parameterization (KPP) model for the turbulent surface boundary layer under simple conditions of uniform density and no surface buoyancy flux or surface wave influences. The rectification magnitude is found to be significant under typical conditions. Its primary effects are to extend the depth profile deeper into the interior, reduce the mean shear, increase the effective eddy viscosity due to turbulent momentum mixing, and rotate slightly the surface velocity farther away from the mean wind direction. These effects are partly due to the increase in mean stress because of its quadratic dependence on wind speed but also are due to the nonlinearity of the turbulent mixing efficiency. The strongest influence on the rectification magnitude is the ratio of transient wind amplitude to mean wind speed. It is found that an accurate estimate of the mean current usually can be obtained by using a quasi-stationary approximation that is a weighted integral of the steady Ekman layer response over the probability density function for the wind, independent of the detailed wind history. Rectification occurs even for very high frequency wind fluctuations, though the accuracy of the quasi-steady approximation degrades in this limit (as does the validity of the KPP model). This theory is extended to include the effects of the horizontal component of the Coriolis frequency, f y. Based on published computational turbulence solutions, a simple parameterization is proposed that amplifies the turbulent eddy diffusivity in KPP by a factor that decreases with latitude and depends on the wind orientation. The effect of f y ≠ 0 is to increase both the shear and the surface speed in the time-mean Ekman current for winds directed to the northeast and decrease both quantities for winds to the southwest, with weaker influences on these properties for the orthogonal directions of southeast and northwest. Furthermore, with transient winds there is significant coupling between f y ≠ 0 and the rectification effect; for example, the mean surface current direction, relative to the mean wind, is significantly changed for these orthogonal directions.
Oceanic Restratification Forced by Surface Frontogenesis
Authors: Lapeyre Guillaume , Klein Patrice , Hua Bach Lien
Published: September 2006

Potential vorticity (PV) conservation implies a strong constraint on the time evolution of the mean density at a given depth. The authors show that, on an f plane and in the absence of sources and sinks of PV, it only depends on two terms, namely, the time evolution of the product between density anomaly and relative vorticity and the vertical PV flux. This primitive equation result, which applies at any depth, suggests that the ageostrophic dynamics induced by baroclinic eddies strongly affect the mean oceanic stratification profile. This result is illustrated for two simple initial-value simulations of a baroclinic, balanced jet. For initial situations propitious to surface frontogenesis, the simulations show a restratification over the whole water column characterized by the amplification in time of the Brunt–Väisälä frequency in the upper oceanic layers. In the absence of surface frontogenesis, such as when the jet is initialized at the middepth of the water column, the restratification is much weaker and slower. Because both simulations have similar kinetic energy and growth rate of baroclinic instability, the results clearly reveal that the restratification is driven by surface frontogenesis in the first case and by vertical PV flux in the interior in the second case. The authors also point out that the dynamics of the interior PV is tightly related to the surface dynamics because of total mass conservation.
Global Abyssal Mixing Inferred from Lowered ADCP Shear and CTD Strain Profiles
Authors: Kunze Eric , Firing Eric , Hummon Julia M. , Chereskin Teresa K. , Thurnherr Andreas M.
Published: September 2006

Internal wave–wave interaction theories and observations support a parameterization for the turbulent dissipation rate ɛ and eddy diffusivity K that depends on internal wave shear 〈Vz2〉 and strain 〈ξz2〉 variances. Its latest incarnation is applied to about 3500 lowered ADCP/CTD profiles from the Indian, Pacific, North Atlantic, and Southern Oceans. Inferred diffusivities K are functions of latitude and depth, ranging from 0.03 × 10−4 m2 s−1 within 2° of the equator to (0.4–0.5) × 10−4 m2 s−1 at 50°–70°. Diffusivities K also increase with depth in tropical and subtropical waters. Diffusivities below 4500-m depth exhibit a peak of 0.7 × 10−4 m2 s−1 between 20° and 30°, latitudes where semidiurnal parametric subharmonic instability is expected to be active. Turbulence is highly heterogeneous. Though the bulk of the vertically integrated dissipation ∫ɛ is contributed from the main pycnocline, hotspots in ∫ɛ show some correlation with small-scale bottom roughness and near-bottom flow at sites where strong surface tidal dissipation resulting from tide–topography interactions has been implicated. Average vertically integrated dissipation rates are 1.0 mW m−2, lying closer to the 0.8 mW m−2 expected for a canonical (Garrett and Munk) internal wave spectrum than the global-averaged deep-ocean surface tide loss of 3.3 mW m−2.
Response of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary to External Forcing in Winter
Authors: Smith G. C. , Saucier F. J. , Straub D.
Published: September 2006

Mostly because of a lack of observations, fundamental aspects of the St. Lawrence Estuary’s wintertime response to forcing remain poorly understood. The results of a field campaign over the winter of 2002/03 in the estuary are presented. The response of the system to tidal forcing is assessed through the use of harmonic analyses of temperature, salinity, sea level, and current observations. The analyses confirm previous evidence for the presence of semidiurnal internal tides, albeit at greater depths than previously observed for ice-free months. The low-frequency tidal streams were found to be mostly baroclinic in character and to produce an important neap tide intensification of the estuarine circulation. Despite stronger atmospheric momentum forcing in winter, the response is found to be less coherent with the winds than seen in previous studies of ice-free months. The tidal residuals show the cold intermediate layer in the estuary is renewed rapidly (14 days) in late March by the advection of a wedge of near-freezing waters from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In situ processes appeared to play a lesser role in the renewal of this layer. In particular, significant wintertime deepening of the estuarine surface mixed layer was prevented by surface stability, which remained high throughout the winter. The observations also suggest that the bottom circulation was intensified during winter, with the intrusion in the deep layer of relatively warm Atlantic waters, such that the 3°C isotherm rose from below 150 m to near 60 m.
On the Influence of Buoyancy Fluxes on Wind Drift Currents
Authors: Nerheim Signild , Stigebrandt Anders
Published: September 2006

Data from a moored buoy in the Baltic proper have been analyzed to study the ageostrophic wind-driven (Ekman) transport accounting for buoyancy fluxes in a stratified ocean. A model considering different dynamical regimes governed by wind stress τ, buoyancy fluxes, stratification, and rotation is used to determine the thickness of the mixed layer. For shallow layers in the regime of positive buoyancy fluxes (35% of the time) a transport of about 0.77τ/ρf directed about 30° to the right of the wind is observed. This is far from 1.0τ/ρf and 90°, given by the classical Ekman solution for homogeneous water. The result can be understood qualitatively as caused by drag between the well-mixed surface layer and the underlying layer if the time scale of decay is about 2 h−1. For negative buoyancy fluxes through the sea surface (53% of the time) the mean observed transport was 1.69τ/ρf directed about 60° to the right of the wind. Finite-depth equations for homogeneous water cannot explain this result. No simple explanation of this observational result is offered, but it should be connected to the simultaneously occurring thermohaline convection, which efficiently transmits momentum vertically to the whole mixed layer. The computed mean energy transfer to the wind current is about 12 mW m−2.
A Kuroshio Extension System Model Study: Decadal Chaotic Self-Sustained Oscillations
Authors: Pierini Stefano
Published: September 2006

A model study of the Kuroshio Extension system, in which forcing is provided by a time-independent climatological wind, yields a mean meandering path and a decadal variability of the jet in significant agreement with in situ and altimetric measurements. A reduced-gravity primitive equation ocean model is implemented in a box spanning the whole North Pacific, including a schematic coastline at the western side, and an analytical wind forcing is determined according to the ECMWF and Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) climatologies. The modeled time-averaged Kuroshio Extension shows meanders, northern and southern recirculation regions, and a jet penetration that are in good agreement with the corresponding observed climatological features. This result suggests that intrinsic nonlinear mechanisms are likely to play a major role in determining the meander pattern of the mean flow. The internal low-frequency variability is found to be a chaotic bimodal self-sustained oscillation between an energetic meandering state and a much weaker state with a reduced zonal penetration of the jet. These high and low energy states are found to be very similar to the “elongated” and “contracted” modes of the Kuroshio Extension detected through altimetric measurements; moreover, the characteristic period (of around 10 yr), flow patterns, and transition details of a typical bimodal cycle are found to be in significant agreement with altimeter observations for the period 1992–2004. A complex dynamical mechanism supporting this internal oscillation, and involving the bimodal behavior of the Kuroshio south of Japan, is proposed and discussed. On the basis of these modeling results and of their validation with altimeter data, it is hypothesized that the observed bimodal decadal variability of the Kuroshio Extension is basically due to a self-sustained internal oscillation related to the instability of the Kuroshio south of Japan without any crucial intervention of wind-driven Sverdrup transport fluctuations and of topographic interactions, although such effects certainly play an important role in shaping the finer structure of Kuroshio Extension changes. Finally, in a preliminary analysis of the variability in the framework of nonlinear dynamical systems theory it is suggested that the strange attractor corresponding to the modeled low-frequency variability is associated with a homoclinic orbit produced by a global bifurcation; moreover, transitions between oscillations of different character found for slightly different values of the lateral eddy viscosity and forcing amplitude are conjectured to be due to heteroclinic connections.
The politics of Britain’s Asian Youth Movements
Authors: Ramamurthy Anandi
Published: September 2006

The Asian Youth Movements (AYMs) of the 1970s and 1980s were powerful examples of political movements influenced by black politics and a version of secularism that became a unifying force between different religious communities. Drawing on interviews with participants in the youth movements and material collected together for the ‘Tandana-Glowworm’ digitised archive of AYM ephemera, the author contextualises the AYMs in the political history of Asians in Britain, analyses their distinctive political stance and describes the leaflets, magazines and posters which they produced. The legacy of the AYMs, it is argued, lies in their example of organising politically at the grass roots across religious divides.
Shouting fire: art, religion and the right to be offended
Authors: Edgar David
Published: September 2006

In recent years, fears about the influence of sexual and violent images, a growing concern for the victims of crime and emerging movements against the insulting of religions have widened the range of acceptable restrictions on freedom of expression in the arts. These new non-legal pressures rely on a blurring of the boundaries between representation and enactment or promotion, so that to dramatise is often seen as to condone. The right of consumers not to be offended is now prioritised over the artist’s ability to foster imagination and empathy. At the same time, many advocates of free speech single out Muslims and Sikhs as threats, ignoring the greater power of Christian groups to assert their influence. The author calls for a more complex approach, combining recognition of the value of artistic freedom with an understanding of why disadvantaged communities use the language of religion to protest.
Greece: policing racist violence in the ‘fenceless vineyard’
Authors: Antonopoulos Georgios A.
Published: September 2006

Drawing on interviews with Greek detectives carried out by the author in 2002, the Greek police’s attitudes towards migrant communities and racist violence are surveyed. Not only are migrant communities, particularly the Albanian, viewed as hotbeds of crime but racist violence against these communities is not viewed as a signi-ficant problem by the Greek police, who are usually indifferent to racially motivated crimes and often view racist incidents as acts of self-defence by Greeks against the criminal ‘other’. A transformation of such attitudes would require a public recognition of the widespread racism that exists in Greek society.
The Cancer Chemotherapy Drug Etoposide (VP-16) Induces Proinflammatory Cytokine Production and Sickness Behavior–like Symptoms in a Mouse Model of Cancer Chemotherapy–Related Symptoms
Authors: Wood Lisa J. , Nail Lillian M. , Perrin Nancy A. , Elsea Collin R. , Fischer April , Druker Brian J.
Published: September 2006

Cancer chemotherapy–related symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, loss of interest in social activities, difficulty concentrating, and changes in sleep patterns can lead to treatment delays, dose reductions, or termination and have a profound effect on the physical, psychosocial, and economic aspects of quality of life. Clinicians have long suspected that these symptoms are similar to those associated with “sickness behavior,” which is triggered by the production of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 by macrophages and other cells of the innate immune system in response to immune challenge. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) plays a central role in the production of these cytokines and consequently the induction of sickness behavior. Several cancer chemotherapy drugs have been shown to activate p38 MAPK, but whether these drugs can also induce the production of inflammatory cytokines to cause sickness behavior is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether the cancer chemotherapy drug etoposide (VP-16), which is known to activate p38 MAPK, could induce inflammatory cytokine production by murine macrophages and sickness-like behaviors when injected into mice. VP-16 activated p38 MAPK and induced IL-6 production in murine macrophages in a p38 MAPK– dependent manner. VP-16 administration rapidly increased serum levels of IL-6 in healthy mice and induced sickness-like behaviors as evidenced by a decrease in food intake, body weight, hemoglobin level, and voluntary wheel-running activity. These findings support the idea that the induction of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 by cancer chemotherapy drugs underlies the fatigue and associated symptoms experienced by people undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
Sexology, the Homo/Hetero Binary, and the Complexities of Male Sexual History
Authors: Brickell Chris
Published: September 2006

This article re-evaluates the emphasis on the ‘homo/hetero binary’, which appears in many discussions of sexuality since the late 19th century, by exploring several key European sexological texts and their classifications of sexual desire between men. It suggests that these writers offered not so much a nascent binary between ‘homosexual’ and ‘heterosexual’ individuals, but a complex and contradictory set of sexual ontologies that encoded liminality as well as notions of innate sexual perversion. A strand of sexual fluidity lived on through the 20th century, forming a counternarrative to the notion that individuals could be assigned to either a heterosexual or a homosexual subject position. Such a rereading of important sexological writings offers us one way to complicate current assumptions about the birth and subsequent influence of ‘the homosexual’ and the prevalence of the ‘homo/hetero binary’. This impels us to more closely investigate the spaces lying between and around the poles of this binary.
Audience knowledge, perceptions and factors affecting the adoption intent of terrestrial digital television
Authors: Chan-Olmsted Sylvia M. , Chang Byeng-Hee
Published: September 2006

This article investigates the levels of consumer awareness and knowledge of digital television (DTV) in the USA. It also explores the consumer perceptions of DTV characteristics, benefits and importance. Various consumer characteristics and DTV perceptions were examined to assess their influence in the adoption of DTV. It was found that the consumers had many misconceptions of DTV and their DTV knowledge level was most related to personality traits and internet usage or tenure. While the desire for bigger screen size, digital video recorder ownership, income and broadband access were the best predictors of intention to adopt DTV sets, desire for better video quality and knowledge of DTV environment were the best predictors of intention to adopt DTV converters.
The mp3 as cultural artifact
Authors: Sterne Jonathan
Published: September 2006

The mp3 lies at the center of important debates around intellectual property and file-sharing, but it is also a cultural artifact in its own right. This article examines the design of the mp3 from both industrial and psychoacoustic perspectives to explain better why mp3s are so easy to exchange and the auditory dimensions of that process of exchange. As a container technology for recorded sound, the mp3 shows that the quality of ‘portability’ is central to the history of auditory representation. As a psychoacoustic technology that literally plays its listeners, the mp3 shows that digital audio culture works according to logics somewhat distinct from digital visual culture.
Results of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium Protocol 95-01 for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Moghrabi Albert , Levy Donna E. , Asselin Barbara , Barr Ronald , Clavell Luis , Hurwitz Craig , Samson Yvan , Schorin Marshall , Dalton Virginia K. , Lipshultz Steven E. , Neuberg Donna S. , Gelber Richard D. , Cohen Harvey J. , Sallan Stephen E. , Silverman Lewis B.
Published: September 2006

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Childhood ALL Consortium Protocol 95-01 was designed to minimize therapy-related morbidity for children with newly diagnosed ALL without compromising efficacy. Patients participated in randomized comparisons of (1) doxorubicin given with or without dexrazoxane, a cardioprotectant (high-risk patients), (2) intensive intrathecal chemotherapy and cranial radiation (standard-risk patients), and (3) Erwinia and Escherichia coli asparaginase (all patients). Between 1996 and 2000, 491 patients (aged 0-18 years) were enrolled (272 standard risk and 219 high risk). With a median of 5.7 years of follow-up, the estimated 5-year event-free survival (EFS) for all patients was 82% ± 2%. Dexrazoxane did not have a significant impact on the 5-year EFS of high-risk patients (P = .99), and there was no significant difference in outcome of standard-risk patients based on type of central nervous system (CNS) treatment (P = .26). Compared with E coli asparaginase, Erwinia asparaginase was associated with a lower incidence of toxicity (10% versus 24%), but also an inferior 5-year EFS (78% ± 4% versus 89% ± 3%, P = .01). We conclude that (1) dexrazoxane does not interfere with the antileukemic effect of doxorubicin, (2) intensive intrathecal chemotherapy is as effective as cranial radiation in preventing CNS relapse in standard-risk patients, and (3) once-weekly Erwinia is less toxic than E coli asparaginase, but also less efficacious.
A machine learning strategy to identify candidate binding sites in human protein-coding sequence
Authors: Down Thomas , Leong Bernard , Hubbard Tim JP
Published: September 2006

Background

The splicing of RNA transcripts is thought to be partly promoted and regulated by sequences embedded within exons. Known sequences include binding sites for SR proteins, which are thought to mediate interactions between splicing factors bound to the 5' and 3' splice sites. It would be useful to identify further candidate sequences, however identifying them computationally is hard since exon sequences are also constrained by their functional role in coding for proteins.

Results

This strategy identified a collection of motifs including several previously reported splice enhancer elements. Although only trained on coding exons, the model discriminates both coding and non-coding exons from intragenic sequence.

Conclusion

We have trained a computational model able to detect signals in coding exons which seem to be orthogonal to the sequences' primary function of coding for proteins. We believe that many of the motifs detected here represent binding sites for both previously unrecognized proteins which influence RNA splicing as well as other regulatory elements.
Role of the unique N-terminal domain of CtBP2 in determining the subcellular localisation of CtBP family proteins
Authors: Bergman Lee M , Morris Laila , Darley Matthew , Mirnezami Alexander H , Gunatilake Samal C , Blaydes Jeremy P
Published: September 2006

Background

CtBP1 and CtBP2 are transcriptional co-repressors that modulate the activity of a large number of transcriptional repressors via the recruitment of chromatin modifiers. Many CtBP-regulated proteins are involved in pathways associated with tumorigenesis, including TGF-β and Wnt signalling pathways and cell cycle regulators such as RB/p130 and HDM2, as well as adenovirus E1A. CtBP1 and CtBP2 are highly similar proteins, although evidence is emerging that their activity can be differentially regulated, particularly through the control of their subcellular localisation. CtBP2s from diverse species contain a unique N-terminus, absent in CtBP1 that plays a key role in controlling the nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution of the protein.

Results

Here we show that amino acids (a.a.) 4–14 of CtBP2 direct CtBP2 into an almost exclusively nuclear distribution in cell lines of diverse origins. Whilst this sequence contains similarity to known nuclear localisation motifs, it cannot drive nuclear localisation of a heterologous protein, but rather has been shown to function as a p300 acetyltransferase-dependent nuclear retention sequence. Here we define the region of CtBP2 required to co-operate with a.a. 4–14 to promote CtBP2 nuclear accumulation as being within a.a. 1–119. In addition, we show that a.a. 120–445 of CtBP2 can also promote CtBP2 nuclear accumulation, independently of a.a. 4–14. Finally, CtBP1 and CtBP2 can form heterodimers, and we show that the interaction with CtBP2 is one mechanism whereby CtBP1 can be recruited to the nucleus.

Conclusion

Together, these findings represent key distinctions in the regulation of the functions of CtBP family members that may have important implications as to their roles in development, and cell differentiation and survival.
Deep penetrating nevus: a case report and brief literature review
Authors: Flauta Victor S , Lingamfelter Daniel C , Dang Linh M , Lankachandra Kamani M
Published: September 2006

Background -

Deep penetrating nevus (DPN) is a distinct variant of melanocytic nevus and remains a histopathologic challenge to pathologists because of its resemblance to blue nevus, malignant melanoma, pigmented Spitz nevus, and congenital melanocytic nevus. It often goes unrecognized due to its relative rarity.

Case presentation -

Here we report a case of DPN of the left anterior leg in a 51-year old female. A brief review of the literature shows that these lesions have a distinct growth pattern and cellular morphology that can differentiate these lesions from other entities including malignant melanoma.

Conclusion -

It is important to recognize these features because DPN carries a better prognosis than malignant melanoma.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of breastfeeding in the north of Jordan: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Khassawneh Mohammad , Khader Yousef , Amarin Zouhair , Alkafajei Ahmad
Published: September 2006

Background

In Jordan, as in neighboring countries in the Middle East, higher education and higher employment rates in recent years among women have had an impact on traditionally based infant feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate practice, knowledge and attitude to breastfeeding and to assess factors associated with breastfeeding among women in the north of Jordan.

Methods

A cross sectional study was carried out between 15 July 2003 and 15 August 2003. A total of 344 women with children aged between 6 months and 3 years from five different villages in the north of Jordan were randomly selected and interviewed. Information regarding participants' demographics, infant feeding in first six months of life, knowledge and attitude towards breastfeeding was collected.

Results

Full breastfeeding was reported by 58.3%, mixed feeding was reported by 30.3% and infant formula feeding was reported by 11.4%. Almost one third of the full breastfeeding group did so for 6–12 months, and almost two thirds did continue breastfeeding for more than one year. Employed women were more likely not to practice full breastfeeding compared to unemployed women (odds ratio 3.34, 95% CI 1.60, 6.98), and women who had caesarian delivery were more likely not to practice full breastfeeding compared to those who had vaginal delivery (odds ratio 2.36, 95% CI 1.17, 4.78). Jordanian women had a positive attitude but work place and short maternity leaves had a negative impact on breastfeeding.

Conclusion

This study showed that a high proportion of Jordanian women did breastfeed for more than one year. However, working women and those who deliver by caesarean section were less likely to breastfeed. It is speculated that adopting facilitatory measures at hospitals and work place could increase the rate of full breastfeeding.
The role of body mass index and diabetes in the development of acute organ failure and subsequent mortality in an observational cohort
Authors: Slynkova Katarina , Mannino David M , Martin Greg S , Morehead Richard S , Doherty Dennis E
Published: September 2006

Introduction

Several studies have shown a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and both the development of critical illness and adverse outcomes in critically ill patients. The goal of our study was to examine this relationship prospectively with particular attention to the influence of concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods

We analyzed data from 15,408 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study for this analysis. BMI and the presence of DM were defined at baseline. We defined 'acute organ failure' as those subjects who met a standard definition with diagnostic codes abstracted from hospitalization records. Outcomes assessed included the following: risk of the development of acute organ failure within three years of the baseline examination; in-hospital death while ill with acute organ failure; and death at three years among all subjects and among those with acute organ failure.

Results

At baseline, participants with a BMI of at least 30 were more likely than those in lower BMI categories to have DM (22.4% versus 7.9%, p < 0.01). Overall, BMI was not a significant predictor of developing acute organ failure. The risk for developing acute organ failure was increased among subjects with DM in comparison with those without DM (2.4% versus 0.7%, p < 0.01). Among subjects with organ failure, both in-hospital mortality (46.5% versus 12.2%, p < 0.01) and 3-year mortality (51.2% versus 21.1%, p < 0.01) was higher in subjects with DM.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that obesity by itself is not a significant predictor of either acute organ failure or death during or after acute organ failure in this cohort. However, the presence of DM, which is related to obesity, is a strong predictor of both acute organ failure and death after acute organ failure.
Alternative protocol to initiate high-frequency oscillatory ventilation: an experimental study
Authors: Karmrodt Jens , David Matthias , Yuan Shying , Markstaller Klaus
Published: September 2006

Introduction

The objective was to study the effects of a novel lung volume optimization procedure (LVOP) using high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) upon gas exchange, the transpulmonary pressure (TPP), and hemodynamics in a porcine model of surfactant depletion.

Methods

With institutional review board approval, the hemodynamics, blood gas analysis, TPP, and pulmonary shunt fraction were obtained in six anesthetized pigs before and after saline lung lavage. Measurements were acquired during pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) prior to and after lung damage, and during a LVOP with HFOV. The LVOP comprised a recruitment maneuver with a continuous distending pressure (CDP) of 45 mbar for 2.5 minutes, and a stepwise decrease of the CDP (5 mbar every 5 minute) from 45 to 20 mbar. The TPP level was identified during the decrease in CDP, which assured a change of the PaO2/FIO2 ratio < 25% compared with maximum lung recruitment at CDP of 45 mbar (CDP45). Data are presented as the median (25th–75th percentile); differences between measurements are determined by Friedman repeated-measures analysis on ranks and multiple comparisons (Tukey's test). The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results

The PaO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 99.1 (56.2–128) Torr at PCV post-lavage to 621 (619.4–660.3) Torr at CDP45 (CDP45) (P < 0.031). The pulmonary shunt fraction decreased from 51.8% (49–55%) at PCV post-lavage to 1.03% (0.4–3%) at CDP45 (P < 0.05). The cardiac output and stroke volume decreased at CDP45 (P < 0.05) compared with PCV, whereas the heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and intrathoracic blood volume remained unchanged. A TPP of 25.5 (17–32) mbar was required to preserve a difference in PaO2/FIO2 ratio < 25% related to CDP45; this TPP was achieved at a CDP of 35 (25–40) mbar.

Conclusion

This HFOV protocol is easy to perform, and allows a fast determination of an adequate TPP level that preserves oxygenation. Systemic hemodynamics, as a measure of safety, showed no relevant deterioration throughout the procedure.
Septic shock is correlated with asymmetrical dimethyl arginine levels, which may be influenced by a polymorphism in the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase II gene: a prospective observational study
Authors: O'Dwyer Michael J , Dempsey Felicity , Crowley Vivion , Kelleher Dermot P , McManus Ross , Ryan Thomas
Published: September 2006

Introduction

Asymmetrical dimethyl arginine (ADMA) is an endogenous non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase that may influence the severity of organ failure and the occurrence of shock secondary to an infectious insult. Levels may be genetically determined by a promoter polymorphism in a regulatory gene encoding dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase II (DDAH II), which functions by metabolising ADMA to citrulline. The aim of this study was to examine the association between ADMA levels and the severity of organ failure and shock in severe sepsis and also to assess the influence of a promoter polymorphism in DDAH II on ADMA levels.

Methods

A prospective observational study was designed, and 47 intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe sepsis and 10 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum ADMA and IL-6 were assayed on admission to the ICU and seven days later. Allelic variation for a polymorphism at position -449 in the DDAH II gene was assessed in each patient. Clinical and demographic details were also collected.

Results

On day 1 more ADMA was detectable in the ICU group than in the control group (p = 0.005). Levels subsequently increased during the first week in ICU (p = 0.001). ADMA levels were associated with vasopressor requirements on day one (p = 0.001). ADMA levels and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were directly associated on day one (p = 0.0001) and day seven (p = 0.002). The degree of acidaemia and lactaemia was directly correlated with ADMA levels at both time points (p < 0.01). On day seven, IL-6 was directly correlated with ADMA levels (p = 0.006). The variant allele with G at position -449 in the DDAH II gene was associated with increased ADMA concentrations at both time points (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Severity of organ failure, inflammation and presence of early shock in severe sepsis are associated with increased ADMA levels. ADMA concentrations may be influenced by a polymorphism in the DDAH II gene.
Comparative sequence analysis reveals an intricate network among REST, CREBand miRNA in mediating neuronal gene expression
Authors: Wu Jie , Xie Xiaohui
Published: September 2006

Background

Two distinct classes of regulators have been implicated in regulating neuronal gene expression and mediating neuronal identity: transcription factors such as REST/NRSF (RE1 silencing transcription factor) and CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein), and microRNAs (miRNAs). How these two classes of regulators act together to mediate neuronal gene expression is unclear.

Results

Using comparative sequence analysis, here we report the identification of 895 sites (NRSE) as the putative targets of REST. A set of the identified NRSE sites is present in the vicinity of the miRNA genes that are specifically expressed in brain-related tissues, suggesting the transcriptional regulation of these miRNAs by REST. We have further identified target genes of these miRNAs, and discovered that REST and its cofactor complex are targets of multiple brain-related miRNAs including miR-124a, miR-9 and miR-132. Given the role of both REST and miRNA as repressors, these findings point to a double-negative feedback loop between REST and the miRNAs in stabilizing and maintaining neuronal gene expression. Additionally, we find that the brain-related miRNA genes are highly enriched with evolutionarily conserved cAMP response elements (CRE) in their regulatory regions, implicating the role of CREB in the positive regulation of these miRNAs.

Conclusion

The expression of neuronal genes and neuronal identity are controlled by multiple factors, including transcriptional regulation through REST and post-transcriptional modification by several brain-related miRNAs. We demonstrate that these different levels of regulation are coordinated through extensive feedbacks, and propose a network among REST, CREB proteins and the brain-related miRNAs as a robust program for mediating neuronal gene expression.
Multicenter Phase II Study of Bortezomib in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Fisher Richard I. , Bernstein Steven H. , Kahl Brad S. , Djulbegovic Benjamin , Robertson Michael J. , de Vos Sven , Epner Elliot , Krishnan Amrita , Leonard John P. , Lonial Sagar , Stadtmauer Edward A. , O'Connor Owen A. , Shi Hongliang , Boral Anthony L. , Goy André
Published: September 2006

Purpose

Evaluate response rate, duration of response (DOR), time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and safety of bortezomib treatment in patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Patients and Methods

Bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 was administered on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of a 21-day cycle, for up to 17 cycles. Response and progression were determined using International Workshop Response Criteria, both using data from independent radiology review and by the investigators. Primary efficacy analyses were based on data from independent radiology review.

Results

In total, 155 patients were treated. Median number of prior therapies was one (range, one to three). Response rate in 141 assessable patients was 33% including 8% complete response (CR)/unconfirmed CR. Median DOR was 9.2 months. Median TTP was 6.2 months. Results by investigator assessments were similar. Median OS has not been reached after a median follow-up of 13.4 months. The safety profile of bortezomib was similar to previous experience in relapsed multiple myeloma. The most common adverse events grade 3 or higher were peripheral neuropathy (13%), fatigue (12%), and thrombocytopenia (11%). Death from causes that were considered to be treatment related was reported for 3% of patients.

Conclusion

These results confirm the activity of bortezomib in relapsed or refractory MCL, with predictable and manageable toxicities. Bortezomib provides significant clinical activity in terms of durable and complete responses, and may therefore represent a new treatment option for this population with usually very poor outcome. Studies of bortezomib-based combinations in MCL are ongoing.
Supply Chain Coordination for False Failure Returns
Authors: Ferguson Mark , Guide V. Daniel R. , Souza Gilvan C.
Published: September 2006

False failure returns are products that are returned by consumers to retailers with no functional or cosmetic defect. The cost of a false failure return includes the processing actions of testing, refurbishing (if necessary), repackaging, the loss in value during the time the product spends in the reverse supply chain (a time that can exceed several months for many firms), and the loss in revenue because the product is sold at a discounted price. This cost is significant and is incurred primarily by the manufacturer. Reducing false failure returns, however, requires effort primarily from the retailer, for example informing consumers about the exact product that best fits their needs. We address the problem of reducing false failure returns via supply chain coordination methods. Specifically, we propose a target rebate contract that pays the retailer a specific dollar amount per each unit of false failure returns below a target. This target rebate provides an incentive to the retailer to increase her effort, thus decreasing the number of false failures and (potentially) increasing net sales. We show that this contract is Pareto improving in the majority of cases. Our results also indicate that the profit improvement to both parties, and the supply chain, is substantial.
OM Forum—The Best Things in Life Were Free: On the Technology of Transactions
Authors: Zipkin Paul
Published: September 2006

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology will reduce the costs of transactions to both customers and providers. This is a good thing, mostly. But it will be harder than people suppose, and it may have some adverse consequences. There are numerous technical and policy problems, including privacy and security issues. All these likely will be resolved, but only with time, experience, and money. Thus, it is unclear just how RFID will be used, just when various applications will become feasible. Also, as transaction costs decline, providers will be inclined to charge for things that are now free, such as public parks and congested roads. We may wait less at each transaction point, but such points may proliferate.

Rather than obsess about this one technology, we should aim to think creatively about transactions and ways to improve them. Transactions affect our lives in many ways. A transaction is a process, not just an event. When people are involved, the process becomes intertwined with other intricate processes—product choice, social interaction, and the expression of power relations. RFID certainly offers the potential for improvement, but there are some lower-tech methods worth considering.

This is not a systematic survey, but rather an essay, a sketch in broad strokes of an immense and varied landscape. Many topics are touched on lightly. The goal is to stimulate thought and discussion. More questions are raised than answered. In places the tone is personal, some might say eccentric.
A Closed-Form Approximation for Serial Inventory Systems and Its Application to System Design
Authors: Shang Kevin H. , Song Jing-Sheng
Published: September 2006

We analyze a serial base-stock inventory model with Poisson demand and a fill-rate constraint. Our objective is to gain insights into the linkage between the stages to facilitate optimal system design and decentralized system control. To this end, we develop a closed-form approximation for the optimal base-stock levels. The development consists of two key steps: (1) convert the service-constrained model into a backorder cost model by imputing an appropriate backorder cost rate, and then adapt the single-stage approximation developed for the latter, and (2) use a logistic distribution to approximate the lead-time demand distribution in the single-stage approximation obtained in (1) to yield closed-form expressions. We then use the closed-form expressions to conduct sensitivity analyses and establish qualitative properties on system design issues, such as optimal total system stock, stock positioning, and internal fill rates.

The closed-form approximation and most of the qualitative properties apply equally to the model with a backorder cost, although some differences do exist. Other results of this study include a bottom-up recursive procedure to evaluate any given echelon base-stock policy and lower bounds on the optimal echelon base-stock levels.
When and How Does Business Group Affiliation Promote Firm Innovation? A Tale of Two Emerging Economies
Authors: Chang Sea-Jin , Chung Chi-Nien , Mahmood Ishtiaq P.
Published: September 2006

Using a comparative institutional perspective, we explore whether business groups’ roles in facilitating affiliate firms’ innovation varies by country and time period. We compare the innovativeness of firms affiliated with business groups to that of independent firms in two emerging economies: South Korea and Taiwan. On average, business group affiliates outperform independent firms in South Korea, but not in Taiwan, and in the early 1990s, but not in the late 1990s. The existence of alternative institutional infrastructures for innovation might explain these differences. Groups’ abilities to share technological knowledge and financial resources among affiliates enables them to create value by promoting innovation in emerging economies, but groups’ diversification might inhibit individual affiliates’ innovativeness.
Acquisition Integration and Productivity Losses in the Technical Core: Disruption of Inventors in Acquired Companies
Authors: Paruchuri Srikanth , Nerkar Atul , Hambrick Donald C.
Published: September 2006

Acquisition integration is a pivotal factor in determining whether the objectives of an acquisition are achieved. In this paper, we hypothesize that the productivity of corporate scientists of acquired companies is generally impaired by integration, but that some scientists experience more disruption than others. In particular, acquisition integration will be most disruptive, leading to the most severe productivity drops, for those inventors who have lost the most social status and centrality in the combined entity. Drawing from prior literatures on the knowledge-based view of the firm, and on mergers and acquisitions, we develop hypotheses about a concise set of conditions that will lead to substantial performance drops for acquired technical personnel. We test our hypotheses, using patent application data, on a sample of 3,933 inventors in pharmaceutical firms whose companies were acquired. Results are strongly in line with our theorized expectations.