bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FEIBA prophylaxis in haemophilia patients: a clinical update and treatment recommendations
Authors: PERRY D. , BERNTORP E. , TAIT C. , DOLAN G. , HOLME P. A. , LAFFAN M. , LASSILA R. , MUMFORD A. , PASI J. , WILDE J. , WILL A. , YEE T. T.
Published: September 2009

Summary.  In patients with severe haemophilia and inhibitors, regular factor VIII inhibitor bypassing activity (FEIBA) prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the frequency of bleeding by up to 85% and to improve patient quality of life. FEIBA is well tolerated; the incidence of thrombotic events and of allergic reactions is extremely low. The concept of prophylaxis in haemophilia patients with inhibitors is relatively new and some clinicians may be unsure of how to use FEIBA in this context. These treatment recommendations, based on published evidence plus the collective experience of a group of haematologists (with practical knowledge of managing inhibitor patients with FEIBA prophylaxis), are intended to provide guidance to clinicians considering initiating and maintaining patients on FEIBA prophylaxis with specific focus on practical aspects of patient selection, dosing, monitoring and stop criteria.
Hybrid Ptr2‐like activators of archaeal transcription
Authors: Pritchett Matthew A. , Wilkinson Steven P. , Geiduschek E. Peter , Ouhammouch Mohamed
Published: September 2009

Methanocaldococcus jannaschii Ptr2, a member of the Lrp/AsnC family of bacterial DNA‐binding proteins, is an activator of its eukaryal‐type core transcription apparatus. In Lrp‐family proteins, an N‐terminal helix–turn–helix DNA‐binding and dimerizing domain is joined to a C‐terminal effector and multimerizing domain. A cysteine‐scanning surface mutagenesis shows that the C‐terminal domain of Ptr2 is responsible for transcriptional activation; two types of DNA binding‐positive but activation‐defective mutants are found: those unable to recruit the TBP and TFB initiation factors to the promoter, and those failing at a post‐recruitment step. Transcriptional activation through the C‐terminal Ptr2 effector domain is exploited in a screen of other Lrp effector domains for activation capability by constructing hybrid proteins with the N‐terminal DNA‐binding domain of Ptr2. Two hybrid proteins are effective activators: Ptr–H10, fusing the effector domain of Pyrococcus furiosus LrpA, and Ptr–H16, fusing the P. furiosus ORF1231 effector domain. Both new activators exhibit distinguishing characteristics: unlike octameric Ptr2, Ptr–H10 is a dimer; unlike Ptr2, the octameric Ptr–H16 poorly recruits TBP to the promoter, but more effectively co‐recruits TFB with TBP. In contrast, the effector domain of Ptr1, the M. jannaschii Ptr2 paralogue, yields only very weak activation.
Post‐transcriptional gene regulation of salinity and drought responses by plant microRNAs
Authors: COVARRUBIAS ALEJANDRA A. , REYES JOSÉ L.
Published: September 2009

In the past few years, factors involved in abscisic acid signalling have been isolated and recognized as elements related to RNA metabolism, suggesting that post‐transcriptional regulation of gene expression is required for abiotic stress responses. Some of these factors can be linked to the biogenesis of microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNA molecules that are important regulators of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by repressing mRNA expression. Here, we review the role of miRNAs in stress responses, highlighting recent advances in elucidating the role of individual miRNAs and efforts to identify stress‐responsive miRNAs at a genome‐wide level in different model plants. Complete understanding of miRNA action depends on the identification of its target transcripts, and recent developments in miRNA research indicate that they will be uncovered in the near future.
Metabolic‐dependent changes in plant cell redox power after ozone exposure
Authors: Dizengremel P. , Le Thiec D. , Hasenfratz‐Sauder M.‐P. , Vaultier M.‐N. , Bagard M. , Jolivet Y.
Published: September 2009

The tropospheric level of the phytotoxic air pollutant ozone has increased considerably during the last century, and is expected to continue to rise. Long‐term exposure of higher plants to low ozone concentrations affects biochemical processes prior to any visible symptoms of injury. The current critical level of ozone used to determine the threshold for damaging plants (biomass loss) is still based on the seasonal sum of the external concentration above 40 nl·l−1 (AOT40). Taking into account stomatal conductance and the internal capacity of leaf defences, a more relevant concept should be based upon the ‘effective ozone flux’, the balance between the stomatal flux and the intensity of cellular detoxification. The large decrease in the Rubisco/PEPc ratio reflects photosynthetic damage from ozone, and a large increase in activity of cytosolic PEPc, which allows increased malate production. Although the direct detoxification of ozone (and ROS produced from its decomposition) is carried out primarily by cell wall ascorbate, the existing level of this antioxidant is not sufficient to indicate the degree of cell sensitivity. In order to regenerate ascorbate, NAD(P)H is needed as the primary supplier of reducing power. It is hypothesised that increased activity of the catabolic pathways and associated shunts (glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase, NADP‐dependent glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme) can provide sufficient NAD(P)H to maintain intracellular detoxification. Thus, measurement of the level of redox power would contribute to determination of the ‘effective ozone dose’, serving ultimately to improve the ozone risk index for higher plants.
Adefovir plus lamivudine are more effective than adefovir alone in lamivudine‐resistant HBeAg‐ chronic hepatitis B patients: A 4‐year study
Authors: Vassiliadis Themistoklis G , Giouleme Olga , Koumerkeridis Georgios , Koumaras Haralabos , Tziomalos Konstantinos , Patsiaoura Kalliopi , Grammatikos Nikolaos , Mpoumponaris Alexandros , Gkisakis Dimitrios , Theodoropoulos Konstantinos , Panderi Athanasia , Katsinelos Panagiotis , Eugenidis Nikolaos
Published: September 2009

Background and Aim:  Adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) is effective in lamivudine (LAM)‐resistant hepatitis B e antigen‐negative (HBeAg‐) chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, it is unclear whether LAM treatment should be continued in these patients. We aimed to compare the long‐term efficacy of adding ADV to ongoing LAM treatment versus switching to ADV monotherapy in LAM‐resistant HBeAg‐ CHB.

Methods:  Sixty LAM‐resistant patients with HBeAg‐ CHB were randomly assigned (3:1) to combination therapy (10 mg ADV once daily plus ongoing LAM at 100 mg once daily [n = 45]) or 10 mg ADV monotherapy once daily (n = 15). Virological and biochemical responses were defined as hepatitis B virus (HBV)–DNA <400 copies/mL and as normalization of alanine aminotransferase levels, respectively.

Results:  The median follow‐up time was 53 months (range 20–60 months). A virological response was observed in 38/45 (84.4%) and 11/15 (73.3%) patients in the ADV/LAM and ADV monotherapy groups, respectively (P = 0.56). Biochemical response rates were higher in the ADV/LAM group than in the ADV monotherapy group (90.9% vs 57.1%, respectively; P = 0.01). In the ADV/LAM group, serum HBV–DNA remained undetectable in all patients who achieved a virological response (n = 38). In the ADV monotherapy group, virological breakthrough occurred in four of the 11 patients who achieved a virological response (36.4%; P < 0.001 vs the ADV/LAM group, log–rank test). In addition, two patients in each group who did not achieve a virological response eventually developed ADV resistance.

Conclusions:  Adding ADV to LAM is more effective than switching to ADV monotherapy in LAM‐resistant patients with HBeAg‐ CHB.
Clinical entity of frontotemporal dementia with motor neuron disease
Authors: Mitsuyama Yoshio , Inoue Teruhiko
Published: September 2009

Non‐Alzheimer‐type dementias occur in association with a variety of pathological conditions that include a group of diseases characterized by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinical entity that comprises at least two distinct diseases: Pick's disease with Pick bodies and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin‐positive inclusions (FTLD‐U). The vast majority of FTLD‐U is now referred to as FTLD‐TDP, following the recent discovery of TAR DNA‐binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP‐43) as the major constituent of the ubiquitin‐positive inclusions. FTLD‐TDP, but not Pick's disease with Pick bodies, is often associated with motor neuron disease (MND). MND is a group of diseases in which the central nervous system lesions were long believed to be confined to the motor neuron system. In other words, MND was not considered to be associated with other neurological symptoms such as dementia. Nevertheless, more than 200 FTD cases associated with clinical MND have been reported in Japan since 1964. Neuropathologically, MND in such FTD cases was essentially similar to MND in cases without dementia. The combination of FTD and MND was so characteristic that we considered these cases comprise a unique clinicopathological subgroup of FTD. FTD with MND and the classical MND without dementia share the occurrence of ubiquitinated TDP‐43‐positive inclusions, a finding that could be a key to unlock the pathological backgrounds of both diseases.
Neural correlates of memory in depression measured by brain perfusion SPECT at rest
Authors: Azuma Hideki , Segawa Kazuhisa , Nakaaki Shutaro , Murata Yoshie , Kawakami Kazunori , Tohyama Junko , Iidaka Tetsuya , Shinagawa Yoshihiro , Nakano Yumi , Yamada Atsurou , Watanabe Norio , Hongo Jin , Akechi Tatsuo , Furukawa Toshi A.
Published: September 2009

Aim:  Brain metabolism activated studies have indicated associations between memory and the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus in patients with depression. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate memory function, measured as performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised (WMS‐R), and its relationship to brain perfusion using single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) at rest in patients with depression.

Methods:  The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and WMS‐R were measured for 17 patients with depression by an independent clinical evaluation team. Voxel‐based correlation analyses were performed with statistical parametric mapping at an extent threshold of 200 voxels. Associations were controlled for state and trait factors.

Results:  WMS‐R measurements of verbal, visual, and general memory were inversely correlated with brain perfusion in the right anterior cingulate cortex, left premotor cortices, and both regions, respectively. The HAMD directly correlated with brain perfusion in the right anterior cingulate cortex.

Conclusion:  Brain perfusion SPECT measurements of the anterior cingulate cortex at rest were associated with the severity of depression and immediate memory scores measured with the WMS‐R.
Desire to survive emotional pain related to self‐harm: A Norwegian hermeneutic study
Authors: Holm Anne Lise , Severinsson Elisabeth
Published: September 2009

The aim of this study was to explore and interpret women's desire to survive emotional pain related to self‐harm. Women who suffer from borderline personality disorder describe emotional pain as intense. Previous research indicates that self‐harm is a way of obtaining emotional relief and offers an escape from unwanted emotions, thoughts, and/or distressing situations. An explorative, interpretative design was employed. The data were collected by means of in‐depth interviews with a sample of women resident in Norway suffering from borderline personality disorder and were analyzed using a hermeneutic approach. The findings revealed one main theme, self‐sacrifice, and two other themes, self‐harm (a struggle to be relieved of responsibility) and a fear of intimacy versus intrusion. This study indicates that self‐sacrifice appears to imply a longing for reconnection with the self and others. To preserve their self‐image, the women require courage to survive the painful state of unworthiness.
Predatory senescence in ageing wolves
Authors: MacNulty Daniel R. , Smith Douglas W. , Vucetich John A. , Mech L. David , Stahler Daniel R. , Packer Craig
Published: September 2009

Ecology Letters (2009) 12: 1347–1356

It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long‐lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually‐known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have different impacts on prey populations. These findings suggest that predatory senescence is an important, though overlooked, factor affecting predator‐prey dynamics.
Modelling the Joint Impact of the CEO and the TMT on Organizational Ambidexterity
Authors: Cao Qing , Simsek Zeki , Zhang Hongping
Published: September 2009

abstract

While researchers continue to debate how firms might attain ambidexterity, recent research demonstrates that top management teams (TMTs) play a pivotal role. We enrich this line of inquiry by specifying a model that blends the effect of the CEO and the TMT on ambidexterity. Specifically, given the importance of networking and building social capital to the access of timely, valuable, and diverse information, we first envision that the CEO's network extensiveness will positively impact ambidexterity. Next, we argue that this impact will be bolstered when the CEO–TMT interactional interface, including communication richness, functional complementarity, and power decentralization, enable the entire TMT to process disparate information demands essential to attaining ambidexterity. We test and find general support for our model using multi‐source survey data from 122 small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).
A Framework for Interactive Hypertexture Modelling
Authors: Gilet G. , Dischler J.M.
Published: September 2009

Hypertexturing can be a powerful way of adding rich geometric details to surfaces at low memory cost by using a procedural three‐dimensional (3D) space distortion. However, this special kind of texturing technique still raises a major problem: the efficient control of the visual result. In this paper, we introduce a framework for interactive hypertexture modelling. This framework is based on two contributions. First, we propose a reformulation of the density modulation function. Our density modulation is based on the notion of shape transfer function. This function, which can be easily edited by users, allows us to control in an intuitive way the visual appearance of the geometric details resulting from the space distortion. Second, we propose to use a hybrid surface and volume‐point‐based representation in order to be able to dynamically hypertexture arbitrary objects at interactive frame rates. The rendering consists in a combined splat‐ and raycasting‐based direct volume rendering technique. The splats are used to model the volumetric object while raycasting allows us to add the details. An experimental study on users shows that our approach improves the design of hypertextures and yet preserves their procedural nature.
Robust and Optimized Algorithms for the Point‐in‐Polygon Inclusion Test without Pre‐processing
Authors: Jiménez J. J. , Feito F. R. , Segura R. J.
Published: September 2009

In this work we present new point inclusion algorithms for non‐convex polygons. These algorithms do not perform any pre‐processing or any type of decomposition nor features classification, which makes them especially suitable for deformable or moving polygons. The algorithms are more accurate and robust than others in the sense that they consider the inclusion of the point in the vertices and edges of the polygon, and deal with the special cases correctly. In order to perform this inclusion test efficiently, they use the sign of the barycentric coordinates of the test point with regard to the triangles formed by the edges and an origin that depends on the test point. This set of triangles, which is a special simplicial covering of the polygon, is constructed after a transformation of the polygon that simplifies the calculations involved in the inclusion test. Then, an appropriate ordering of the rejection tests allows us to optimize this method. Our algorithms have been tested for robustness and compared with ray‐crossing methods, showing a significant improvement.
Biosecurity, Expertise and the Institutional Void: The Case of Bovine Tuberculosis
Authors: Enticott Gareth , Franklin Alex
Published: September 2009

This article explores the links between biosecurity policy and rural differentiation. It attempts to show how biosecurity policy has been fundamentally affected by uncertainty over the rules of the game of policy‐making – what Hajer has called the ‘institutional void’. In particular, the article attempts to show how this void has created a new political space in which the traditional practices of dealing with animal disease have been challenged and reshaped. Crucial to this is a discourse of partnership that permits new actors and forms of expertise to construct different approaches to biosecurity at new spatial scales. These actions legitimate a new spatiality of disease control, thereby contributing to the differentiation of the countryside. The article uses a case‐study of policy attempts to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis in England and Wales.
Coeducation: Teaching Peace from a Gender Perspective
Authors: Mingol Irene Comins
Published: September 2009

When analyzing peace education through a historical lens we should be sensitive to the gender dimension. Not only should we include critical analysis of the subordination of women and the denial of their rights throughout history, but we should also be sensitive to the way in which the educational system has recognized or denied women’s historical legacy as caregivers and peace workers. In this article, the author analyzes care ethics as a key issue to explain the relationship between women and peace. Caring becomes a source of peace by enhancing such values as patience, responsibility, commitment, and tenderness. The historical evolution of the educational system in Spain from segregated schools to mixed schools and coeducative schools is analyzed to propose the inclusion of caring as part of a peace education curriculum. The aim is to generalize caring as a peaceful human value, not just a part of women’s roles.
Connecting Our Villages: The Afghan Sister Schools Project at the Carolina Friends School
Authors: Marion Melissa , Rousseau Jennifer , Gollin Karin
Published: September 2009

The Carolina Friends School has sustained a peace education effort grounded in a sister‐school relationship with a school in rural Afghanistan since 2002. Activities at this Quaker school involve students from preschool through high school in pen pal friendships, ten‐day diary exchanges, peace‐quilt exchanges, fund‐raisers, and a variety of in‐class programs about Islam and Afghan culture. Funds have been used in Afghanistan to furnish classrooms, equip playgrounds, and support teacher training. The project aims to educate students about cultural differences underlying conflict in the world and to seek a more peaceful world through building relationships among the sister‐school students.
The Politics of Patronage in the United Kingdom: Shrinking Reach and Diluted Permeation
Authors: FLINDERS MATTHEW
Published: September 2009

Delegation is a central concept in the study of governance and public policy. The modern state could not function without delegation because it provides a structural and esoteric capacity beyond the cognitive and physical limits of politicians. This article focuses on the role of ministers in making appointments to quasi‐autonomous agencies, boards, and commissions in the United Kingdom. Research undertaken within the Cabinet Office reveals a pattern of shrinking reach and diluted permeation in relation to ministerial appointment powers. This finding is significant because the existing body of research in this field is generally associated with exposing clientelistic relationships between political parties and quangos, and patronage is frequently regarded as a resource through which political parties can “politicize” or “colonize” the state. This article therefore contributes a case study that exhibits countervailing tendencies and a quite different pattern of statecraft that raises broader questions about the evolution of state projects.
Policy Entrepreneurship and Institutional Change: Multilevel Governance of Central Banking Reform
Authors: BAKIR CANER
Published: September 2009

Recent studies on institutional theory and the public policy field called for efforts to pry open the black box of institutional and policy change. This article offers a response to this call. It demonstrates that historical and discursive institutionalist approaches are complementary to explain how and why institutional change occurs. In addition, it shows how these approaches can add value to and benefit from the public policy and administration fields that seek to explain policy change and success. In particular, it emphasizes the interactions between structure and agency that contribute to the change. The empirical finding is based on qualitative analysis of central banking reform in Turkey. It suggests that institutional and policy change is more likely to occur when policy entrepreneurs, with joint membership in domestic and transnational policy communities, mediate various ideas and discourse within and among these communities in a punctuated institutional equilibrium.
New Governance, the Internet, and Country Code Top‐Level Domains in Europe
Authors: CHRISTOU GEORGE , SIMPSON SEAMUS
Published: September 2009

Much academic work on governance in recent years has explored responses that states have made to sectors of the economy, usually historically well rooted nationally, that have been subject to globalizing pressures. Less work exists on responses that are being made to new parts of the economy emerging outside the nation state with inherently global characteristics. The Internet—and specifically its naming and addressing system—provides an example of how the state has aimed to assert public interest governance authority in a system initially absent of its influence. This article explores the nature and consequences of this activity in the process contributing to the study of the Internet and governance. Working within the limitations but also the opportunities created by policy norms developed at the global level, the article finds that the state has been instrumental in the development of novel public–private governance systems for Internet country code Top‐Level Domains.
From Government to Governance? A Comparison of Environmental Governing in Swedish Forestry and Transport
Authors: HYSING ERIK
Published: September 2009

From government to governance is a grand story line about the changing role of the state, which has had a great impact upon researchers and practitioners. This article is an empirical assessment of this story line. Three critical dimensions are elaborated into indicators of government and governance: governing styles and instruments, public–private relationships, and policy levels. These indicators are used to assess the role of the state in environmental governing using Swedish forestry and transport as examples. The results show that the story line is too simple; the role of the state is not changing in a unidirectional way. Instead, the comparison shows that environmental governing within the two policy areas is characterized by both government and governance modes of governing, thus questioning the usefulness of the story line as a guideline when framing empirical studies or political decisions.
Trajectory of Civil Service Development in Kazakhstan: Nexus of Politics and Administration
Authors: EMRICH‐BAKENOVA SAULE
Published: September 2009

Although Kazakhstan's civil service reforms have the explicit objective of depoliticizing administrative personnel, they have had limited success in achieving that end. Contrary to the formal objective, they make the worlds of political and administrative executives all but indistinguishable. A considerable gap between formal rules and their informal understanding creates loose boundaries of permitted behavior and allows discretionary enforcement and influence. The failure to reach the stated policy objective underscores the paradoxical coexistence of two political environments: one marked by its de jure centralized political structure and another by its de facto decentralization at various levels of civil service.
Promoting the concept of prevention in social security: issues and challenges for the International Social Security Association1
Authors: McKinnon Roddy
Published: September 2009

McKinnon R. Promoting the concept of prevention in social security: issues and challenges for the International Social Security Association

Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 455–462 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.

The history of the relationship between institutional social security and the concept of prevention is a chequered one. Across much of the 20th century, the imputed importance in social policy agendas accorded to prevention, alongside protection and rehabilitation, was only rarely, and somewhat inconsistently, matched in practice. Currently, efforts are underway internationally to promote the importance of the concept in social security more systematically. A key actor in this regard is the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Focusing on the role of the ISSA, the article argues against any possible endeavours, no matter how tentative, that might seek to mainstream the concept of prevention in social security, and concludes as preferable a narrower, but more vigorous, selective approach based on institutional practice to date.
Phototherapy with ultraviolet radiation: a study of hormone parameters and psychological effects
Authors: Edström DW , Linder J , Wennersten G , Brismar K , Ros A‐M
Published: September 2009

Background and objectives  Patients report well‐being as they are treated with phototherapy. We investigated hormone parameters and psychological well‐being after phototherapy in a placebo‐controlled study.

Methods  A total of 77 patients with dermatological conditions and 22 healthy volunteers were divided into four groups. The patients received phototherapy either on the whole body or only on hands and/or feet. The volunteers were given either whole‐body phototherapy or placebo light. Serum or plasma samples were analysed for cortisol, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, TSH, T4, T3 and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, and urine samples for cortisol. Patients and volunteers answered a questionnaire before and 6 weeks after phototherapy/placebo light. Psychiatric ratings were performed according to the Comprehensive Psychopathological Self‐rating Scale for Affective Syndromes, a self‐report version of which has been transformed to correspond to the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).

Results  In the patients who received whole‐body irradiation, we observed a significant improvement in both MADRS score and cognitive‐symptom score after the completion of phototherapy. We also observed a significantly higher level of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D after phototherapy, but no difference in the other hormone parameters.

Conclusion  Whole‐body phototherapy of patients with dermatological conditions results in improved well‐being and significantly higher levels of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D in serum.
PTH‐independent hypercalcaemia and non‐melanoma skin cancer
Authors: Nicolae I , Schipor S
Published: September 2009

Background  Recently, it became more evident that skin is a target for neuroendocrine signals.

Aims  (1) To evaluate the relationship between tumour aggressiveness and hypercalcaemia in patients with non‐melanoma skin cancer; (2) to identify clinical, functional, biological alterations caused by this setting; (3) calcium redistribution from extracellular fluids to intracellular compartments; (4) to describe several molecular aspects of hypercalcaemia development.

Materials and methods  This study was conducted between January 2000 and May 2009 in Dermatoveneorological Center, Bucharest. From the 1232 cases that were investigated, there were 32 patients with keratoachantoma, 468 patients with basal cell carcinoma, 412 patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 320 healthy volunteers. All the patients were screened by clinical and paraclinical examinations (haematology, biochemistry, immunology). After biochemical confirmation of hypercalcaemia, patients had endocrine tests, electrocardiography and imagistic approaches. Total serum calcium was measured in extracellular fluids (serum, urine) by spectrophotometric methods. Ionized calcium was calculated depending on total serum calcium and total proteins. Corrected serum total calcium (cTCa) levels were calculated using albumin and total serum calcium levels. In tumour tissues and intact skin, calcium was assayed by physical methods of analysis: Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), Proton‐Induced X‐ray Emission (PIXE). Intact PTH was measured by ELISA.

Results  PTH‐independent hypercalcaemia prevalence is low in SCC patients (1.21%). Hypercalcaemia manifestations are multiple including: digestive, renal, neuromuscular, and cardiovascular abnormalities. In these patients, intact PTH (iPTH) is normal, urinary calcium is decreased, serum albumin is reduced, and calcium concentration in tumour tissue is significantly increased compared to healthy tissue.

Conclusions  PTH‐independent hypercalcaemia has a low prevalence in SCC patients. Hypercalcaemia is correlated with susceptibility to develop metastases in SCC. A possible mechanism is PTHrp hypersecretion by malignant keratinocytes.
Complications during pregnancy in women with epilepsy: population‐based cohort study
Authors: Borthen I , Eide MG , Veiby G , Daltveit AK , Gilhus NE
Published: September 2009

Objective  To investigate whether women with epilepsy have an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and to explore the impact of antiepileptic drug (AED) use.

Design  Population‐based cohort study.

Setting  Data from Medical Birth Registry of Norway based on all births in Norway 1999–2005.

Population  All births (n = 372 128) delivered in Norway, ensured through linkage with the National Population Registry run by Statistics Norway. All singleton births and the first child in multiple pregnancies were included, leaving 365 107 pregnancies for analyses.

Main outcome measures  Pre‐eclampsia (mild and severe), gestational hypertension, eclampsia, vaginal bleeding (early and late) and preterm birth.

Results  We compared 2805 pregnancies in women with a current or past history of epilepsy (0.8%) and 362 302 pregnancies in women without a history of epilepsy. Women with epilepsy had an increased risk of mild pre‐eclampsia, [odds ratio 1.3: 95% confidence interval (1.1–1.5)] and delivery before week 34 [1.2: (1.0–1.5)].

Antiepileptic drugs were used in 33.6% (n = 942) of the pregnant women with epilepsy. Compared to women without epilepsy, women with epilepsy and AED use had an increased risk of mild pre‐eclampsia [1.8: (1.3–2.4)], gestational hypertension [1.5: (1.0–2.2)], vaginal bleeding late in pregnancy [1.9: (1.1–3.2)], and delivery before 34 weeks of gestation [1.5: (1.1–2.0)]. No significant increase in the risk of these complications was observed in women with epilepsy not using AED. These results remained unchanged after exclusion of multiple pregnancies.

Conclusion  Women with epilepsy have a low complication rate, but special attention should be paid to those using AED during pregnancy.
A simple tool to measure patient perceptions of operative birth
Authors: Siassakos D , Clark J , Sibanda T , Attilakos G , Jefferys A , Cullen L , Bisson D , Draycott T
Published: September 2009

Objective  To assess the feasibility and validity of a maternal satisfaction measurement tool, the SaFE study Patient Perception Score (PPS), after operative delivery.

Design  Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting  A large maternity unit in England.

Sample  150 women who had had an operative birth.

Methods  We recruited women within 24 hours of birth and quantified their satisfaction with two questionnaires: PPS, and the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale (CSRS; modified).

Main Outcome Measures  Participation rate to determine feasibility; Cronbach’s alpha as measure of internal consistency; PPS satisfaction scores for groups of accoucheurs of different seniority to assess construct validity; correlation coefficient of PPS scores with total scores from the CSRS questionnaire to establish criterion validity.

Results  Participation rate approached 85%. We observed high scores for most births except a few outliers. Internal consistency of the PPS was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.83). Total PPS scores correlated strongly with total CSRS scores (Spearman’s r = 0.64, P < 0.001).

Conclusions  The PPS is a simple and valid tool for patient‐centred assessments. High scores were observed for most births but there were a small minority of accoucheurs who consistently scored poorly and these data could be used during appraisal and training.
Characterization of CLP36/Elfin/PDLIM1 in the nervous system
Authors: Ohno Koji , Kato Hiroshi , Funahashi Shinji , Hasegawa Tomohiko , Sato Kohji
Published: September 2009

CLP36, one of the α‐Actinin Associated LIM Protein (ALP)/Enigma family proteins, has a wide tissue distribution, but little is known about its expression and role in the nervous system. We show here that CLP36 is expressed in sensory ganglia but not in the CNS of adult rats. In primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, CLP36 is distributed in the soma and neurites with enrichment in the growth cones. CLP36 forms a complex with α‐actinin and is localized to actin cytoskeleton. To examine the role of CLP36 in neuronal cells, we transfected PC12 cells with a series of CLP36 deletion mutants and found that over‐expression of CLP36 PDZ domain affects neurite outgrowth. Reduction of CLP36 function in PC12 cells by RNA interference (RNAi) induced lamellipodial protrusions around cell periphery and activated growth‐cone movements, resulting in an increase in the length and number of neurites. Similarly, inhibition of CLP36 in primary DRG neurons increased the rate of neurite‐bearing cells. We also found that CLP36 is up‐regulated in DRG neurons and facial motoneurons after nerve injury. These findings suggest that CLP36 serves as a scaffold to form a multiprotein complex that regulates actin cytoskeleton dynamics and plays a role in controlling neurite outgrowth.
Application of geophysical monitoring techniques as aids to probabilistic risk‐based management of landfill sites
Authors: FERRIER G , FROSTICK L E , SPLAJT T
Published: September 2009

Increasingly stringent regulatory regimes, in conjunction with landfill development in environmentally sensitive locations and the large number of abandoned landfill sites, are significantly increasing the responsibilities of local authorities and environmental agencies. These responsibilities include the identification and/or monitoring of: locations of contaminated land; boundaries of waste sites; nature of the landfill content; location, extent, content and depth of closed landfill sites; leachate plumes escaping from both operational and closed sites and the performance of landfill liners. Probabilistic risk based modelling is a standard methodology for monitoring and managing the environmental impact of landfill sites. A critical problem in the implementation of probabilistic risk based modelling is the large uncertainty in the shallow geology, internal structure and leachate distribution of landfills caused by the severe lack of both surface and subsurface information from within and outside the landfill site. The utility of two non‐invasive ground based geophysical monitoring techniques, ground penetrating radar and reflectance spectroscopy, as aids to characterising the three‐dimensional structure and distribution of leachate within a landfill has been investigated. Strong correlations between red edge inflection position and chlorophyll and metal concentration have been demonstrated from grassland species affected by leachate contamination of the soil adjacent to the landfill study site. The results of this study have demonstrated how recent advances in equipment, techniques and software mean that field‐based reflectance spectroscopy and Ground Penetrating Radar can now provide environmental scientists with cost‐effective, rapid techniques to characterise landfill sites in three dimensions, aid landfill managers in positioning additional boreholes and field sampling surveys, and provide data as inputs to leachate migration modelling.
Organizational Characteristics and Cancer Care for Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Clement Jan P. , Bradley Cathy J. , Lin Chunchieh
Published: September 2009

Objective. We evaluate whether organization, market, policy, and resident characteristics are related to cancer care processes and outcomes for dually eligible residents of Michigan nursing homes who entered facilities without a cancer diagnosis but subsequently developed the disease.

Data Sources/Study Design/Data Collection. Using data from the Michigan Tumor Registry (1997–2000), Medicare claims, Medicaid cost reports, and the Area Resource File, we estimate logistic regression models of diagnosis at or during the month of death and receipt of pain medication during the month of or month after diagnosis.

Principal Findings. Approximately 25 percent of the residents were diagnosed at or near death. Only 61 percent of residents diagnosed with late or unstaged cancer received pain medication during the diagnosis month or the following month. Residents in nursing homes with lower staffing and in counties with fewer hospital beds were more likely to be diagnosed at death. After the Balanced Budget Act (BBA), residents were more likely to be diagnosed at death.

Conclusions. Nursing home characteristics and community resources are significantly related to the cancer care residents receive. The BBA was associated with an increased likelihood of later diagnosis of cancer.
Tanshinone I enhances learning and memory, and ameliorates memory impairment in mice via the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase signalling pathway
Authors: Kim Dong Hyun , Kim Sunho , Jeon Su Jin , Son Kun Ho , Lee Seungjoo , Yoon Byung Hoon , Cheong Jae Hoon , Ko Kwang Ho , Ryu Jong Hoon
Published: September 2009

Background and purpose:  The intracellular signalling kinase, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is required for new memory formation, suggesting that control of ERK signalling might be a target for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction. Previously, we reported that tanshinone congeners have ameliorating effects on drug‐induced memory impairment in mice. Here, we have investigated possible modes of action of tanshinone I on learning and memory, associated with ERK phosphorylation.

Experimental approach:  Using immunohistochemical, Western blot techniques, and behavioural testing, we studied the effect of tanshinone I on memory impairment induced by diazepam or dizocilpine (MK‐801) in mice.

Key results:  Tanshinone I (2 or 4 mg·kg−1, p.o.) increased latency times versus vehicle‐treated control group in the passive avoidance task. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical data showed that tanshinone I (4 mg·kg−1) increased levels of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) and phosphorylated ERK (pERK) in the hippocampus. These increases in pCREB and pERK were blocked by U0126 (inhibitor of ERK1/2), which also prevented the increase in passive avoidance task latency time after tanshinone I. In models of learning and memory impairment induced by diazepam and MK‐801, tanshinone I (4 mg·kg−1) reversed learning and memory impairments detected by the passive avoidance test. Western blot analysis showed that tanshinone I reversed the diazepam‐ and MK‐801‐induced inhibitions of ERK and CREB activation in hippocampal tissues. These effects were also blocked by U0126.

Conclusions and implications:  Tanshinone I ameliorates the learning and memory impairments induced by diazepam and MK‐801 through activation of ERK signalling.
Cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor drugs as potential novel anti‐inflammatory and pro‐resolution agents
Authors: Leitch AE , Haslett C , Rossi AG
Published: September 2009

The cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKi) drugs such as R‐roscovitine have emerged as potential anti‐inflammatory, pharmacological agents that can influence the resolution of inflammation. Usually, once an inciting inflammatory stimulus has been eliminated, resolution proceeds by prompt, safe removal of dominant inflammatory cells. This is accomplished by programmed cell death (apoptosis) of prominent effector, inflammatory cells typified by the neutrophil. Apoptosis of neutrophils ensures that toxic neutrophil granule contents are securely packaged in apoptotic bodies and expedites phagocytosis by professional phagocytes such as macrophages. A panel of CDKi drugs have been shown to promote neutrophil apoptosis in a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manner and the archetypal CDKi drug, R‐roscovitine, overrides the anti‐apoptotic effects of powerful survival factors [including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF)]. Inflammatory cell longevity and survival signalling is integral to the inflammatory process and any putative anti‐inflammatory agent must unravel a complex web of redundancy in order to be effective. CDKi drugs have also been demonstrated to have significant effects on other cell types including lymphocytes and fibroblasts indicating that they may have pleiotropic anti‐inflammatory, pro‐resolution activity. In keeping with this, CDKi drugs like R‐roscovitine have been reported to be efficacious in resolving established animal models of neutrophil‐dominant and lymphocyte‐driven inflammation. However, the mechanism of action behind these powerful effects has not yet been fully elucidated. CDKs play an integral role in the regulation of the cell cycle but are also recognized as participants in processes such as apoptosis and transcriptional regulation. Neutrophils have functional CDKs, are transcriptionally active and demonstrate augmented apoptosis in response to CDKi drugs, while lymphocyte proliferation and secretory function are inhibited. This review will discuss current understanding of the processes of inflammation and resolution but will focus on CDKis and their potential mechanisms of action.

This article is part of a themed issue on Mediators and Receptors in the Resolution of Inflammation. To view this issue visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121548564/issueyear?year=2009
Relationship between Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life, Satisfaction, and Personality in Patients with Prosthetic Rehabilitations
Authors: AL‐Omiri Mahmoud K. , Karasneh Jumana
Published: September 2009

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between oral health‐related quality of life, satisfaction with dentition, and personality profiles among patients with fixed and/or removable prosthetic rehabilitations.

Materials and Methods: Thirty‐seven patients (13 males, 24 females; mean age 37.6 ± 13.3 years) with fitted prosthetic rehabilitations and 37 controls who matched the patients by age and gender were recruited into the study. The Dental Impact on Daily Living (DIDL) questionnaire was used to assess dental impacts on daily living and satisfaction with the dentition. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) was used to measure self‐reported discomfort, disability, and dysfunction caused by oral conditions. Oral health‐related quality of life was assessed by the United Kingdom Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life (OHQoL‐UK) measure. Moreover, the NEO five‐factor inventory was used to assess participants’ personality profiles.

Results: Prosthetic factors had no relationship to the DIDL, OHIP, and OHQoL‐UK scores. Patients with the least oral health impacts had better oral health‐related quality of life (p= 0.023, r =–0.37), higher levels of total satisfaction, and satisfaction with appearance, pain, oral comfort, general performance, and eating (p < 0.05, r =–0.79, –0.35, –0.59, –0.56, –0.58, and –0.50, respectively). Patients with better oral health‐related quality of life (QoL) had higher total satisfaction, satisfaction with oral comfort, general performance, and eating (p < 0.05, r = 0.34, 0.39, 0.33, and 0.37, respectively). Patients with lower neuroticism scores had less oral health impact (p= 0.006, r = 0.44), better oral health‐related QoL (p= 0.032, r =–0.35), higher total satisfaction, satisfaction with appearance, pain, oral comfort, and eating (p < 0.05, r =–0.58, –0.35, –0.33, –0.39, and –0.35, respectively).

Conclusion: Patients’ satisfaction with their dentition and prosthetic rehabilitations has positive effects on oral health‐related QoL and oral health impacts and improves patients’ daily living and dental perceptions. Neuroticism might influence and predict patients’ satisfaction with their dentition, oral health impacts, and oral health‐related QoL. Satisfaction with the dentition might predict a patient's level of neuroticism.
Proposals for Optimization of Laser Welding in Prosthetic Dentistry
Authors: Bertrand Caroline , Poulon‐Quintin Angeline
Published: September 2009

This paper points out each key parameter involved in laser welding and discusses the parameters’ effects on weld microstructure and defects detected inside the weld. Solutions are proposed to adjust the parameters to provide an optimal dental assembly. Metallurgical effects as well as defects are briefly discussed. A welding procedure adapted to different compositions of dental alloys is proposed.
Transnational Entrepreneurship: An Emergent Field of Study
Authors: Drori Israel , Honig Benson , Wright Mike
Published: September 2009

This article introduces the reader to the scope, boundaries, variation, and theoretical lenses of transnational entrepreneurship (TE) research. We discuss issues concerning why, how, and when individuals and/or organizations pursue new business ventures, often in far less attractive environments, while relying on abilities and opportunities stemming from the exploitation of resources, both social and economic, in more than one country. We compare TE with international entrepreneurs, ethnic entrepreneurs, and returnee entrepreneurs. TE is considered from several perspectives: agency, institutional, cultural, power relations, and social capital and networks. We summarize the articles presented in this special issue and outline an agenda for further research.
The Balancing Act: The Role of Transnational Habitus and Social Networks in Balancing Transnational Entrepreneurial Activities
Authors: Patel Pankaj C. , Conklin Betty
Published: September 2009

Transnational entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important global phenomenon with enormous impact on economic, social, and political structures worldwide. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of practice, we assess how transnational entrepreneurs (TEs) may balance their network scope and network size in dual environments to enhance their ability to operate in both environments. Using a sample of 452 U.S. Latin American TEs, we find that balanced network size and network scope in the respective institutional settings enhance the degree of transnational venture activities. More importantly, we find that the joint effects of balancing network size with network scope are significantly greater than their individual effects.