bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of a social work study abroad program in Australia on multicultural learning
Authors: Fairchild Sherry R. , Pillai Vijayan K. , Noble Carolyn
Published: June 2006

English

Internationalizing the US social work curriculum with programs of study abroad is an effective method to develop students’ awareness of the importance of global interdependence and increase multicultural knowledge. Results from the Multicultural Awareness/Knowledge/Skill Survey and pre-post focus groups indicate the merits of a US-Australian social work program of study abroad for master’s-level social work students.

French

Internationaliser le curriculum américain en travail social par le biais de programmes d'études à l'étranger est un moyen efficace pour prendre conscience de l'importance de l'interdépendance globale et pour hausser nos connaissances multiculturelles. Les résultats du sondage sur les degrés de conscience, de connaissances et d'habiletés multiculturelles ainsi que les résultats des entrevues en 'focus groups' pré et post expérience, révèlent les mérites d'un programme d'étude de maítrise à l'étranger en travail social dans un échange entre les Ütats-Unis et l'Australie.

Spanish

Una manera eficaz de desarrollar el sentido de interdependencia global y aumentar el conocimiento de asuntos multiculturales es a través de planes de estudio que incorporen temas internacionales y con programas en países fuera del propio. Los resultados de la encuesta Conciencia Multicultural/Conocimiento/Destrezas, y los grupos de pre y post focus señalan los méritos que tienen en este sentido los programas internacionales de master's de trabajo social entre EE.UU. y Australia.
Local Sociality in Young People’s Mobile Communications
Authors: Yoon Kyongwon
Published: June 2006

Drawing upon ethnographic data, this article explores how young Koreans appropriate mobile phones. By examining the role of local norms of sociality among young people, the study shows that this ‘individualizing’ technology is articulated through ‘traditionalizing’ forces. Despite dominant representations of young people’s individualization via the popular use of new technologies, young Koreans in the study internalize and negotiate local norms of sociality emphasizing collective harmony based upon self-regulation. This implies that young people’s use of ‘new’ technology is integrated with the ‘old’ contexts.
Children and Housing: ‘Only the Best is Good Enough’
Authors: Verhetsel Ann , Witlox Frank
Published: June 2006

The main objective of any housing policy is to provide everyone (adults and children) with a good-quality dwelling and housing environment. In Belgium, following the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and youngsters are now considered a separate target group in housing policy formation. However, little is known about the housing situation and desires of these young people. To fill this knowledge gap, the government launched a large-scale policy-oriented research project to study the housing situation, needs and desires of children and youngsters in urban living environments. The project, the results of which are discussed in this article, took a twofold approach. On the one hand, it tried to gain insight into the housing desires of youngsters on the basis of a survey; on the other hand, it explored existing housing situations, drawing on census data on households with children. A comparison of the present housing situation with respondents’ housing desires subsequently leads to the formulation of policy options. The results of the study can serve as a general frame of reference for towns and cities in the evaluation of urban development projects aimed at improving the housing situation of households with children
Learning Morality in Peer Conflict
Authors: Singer Elly , Doornenbal Jeannette
Published: June 2006

This article discusses the narratives of Dutch schoolchildren from varied cultural-ethnic backgrounds discussing experiences of being betrayed by a friend, and the lessons they learned from the experience. In line with earlier social constructivist research in western societies, the authors found that peers and friends acted as highly emotional forums for moral learning. Revealing intimate information led to awareness of two moral issues: the issue of norms of ‘true’ friendship and the issue of the dilemma between conforming to group norms and asserting personal opinions. To develop a personal morality in the context of Dutch schools, the children needed trustworthy friends with whom to share intimate information in order to protect them from the peer group pressure to conform. Although both girls and boys constructed shared norms of real friendship and conformed to group norms to avoid being teased, disclosing intimate information seemed to evoke more emotional chaos in girls than it did in boys
The Varying Vulnerability of African Orphans
Authors: Oleke Christopher , Blystad Astrid , Moland Karen Marie , Rekdal Ole BjØrn , Heggenhougen Kristian
Published: June 2006

This article is based on a qualitative study carried out in Lira District, northern Uganda, to assess the situation of orphans cared for in extended families. The objective of the article is to bring attention to the varying vulnerability of different categories of orphans. The methods employed in data collection included ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that the decision-making process that leads particular orphans to particular homes, the kin category an orphan resides with, the age and sex of the orphan and the economic situation of the household have particular influence on the orphans’ vulnerability. The authors conclude that categories of orphans who face the greatest risk of suffering, exploitation and abuse can be identified and targeted for support by drawing upon these factors as indicators
Relations Among Corporal Punishment, Perceived Parental Acceptance, and Psychological Adjustment in Jamaican Youths
Authors: Steely Angela C. , Rohner Ronald P.
Published: June 2006

This ethnocultural research analyzed relationships among perceived parental justness and harshness of corporal punishment, perceived parental acceptance-rejection, and psychological adjustment of Jamaican youths. The research explored two related questions: Are perceived harshness and justness of corporal punishment by themselves associated with variations in youths’ psychological adjustment? Or, is the relationship between parental punishment and youths’ psychological adjustment mediated through youths’ perceptions of parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance or rejection? The research is based on a sample of 97 youths ages 7 through 18 years in Jamaica, West Indies. Results of analyses showed that harshness of parental punishment by itself had little effect on variations in youths’ psychological adjustment. However, the harsher the punishment was perceived to be the more rejected the youths felt. And the more rejected they felt the more impaired their psychological adjustment was reported to be. Perceived justness of punishment was unrelated to variations in youths’ adjustment.
Corporal Punishment and Personality Traits in the Children of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Authors: Mathurin Melba N. , Gielen Uwe P. , Lancaster Jennifer
Published: June 2006

This research examined different forms of corporal punishment as experienced by 155 11- to 17-year-old youths in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The study explored the frequency, severity, fairness, deservedness, and total number of different forms of punishment experienced in relation to six negative personality dispositions: aggression, negative self-esteem, negative self-adequacy, emotional instability, emotional unresponsiveness, and negative worldview. A very high proportion of the youths reported being physically punished. The greater the variety of forms of punishment that males experienced, the more emotionally unstable, hostile/aggressive, and overall psychologically maladjusted they were. But no significant relation emerged between corporal punishment and personality variables for females. A small subgroup of highly punished females as well as males, however, reported more feelings of emotional instability, hostility, and overall psychological maladjustment than did less severely punished youths. Results are discussed within a cultural framework emphasizing the widespread acceptance of corporal punishment in Caribbean cultures.
Corporal Punishment and the Mediating Effects of Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Gender On Empathy in a Southern Rural Population
Authors: Smith Martha S. , Lindsey Cynthia R. , Hansen Catherine E.
Published: June 2006

A total of 138 college students were administered the Parental Acceptance Rejection/Control Questionnaire, the Physical Punishment Questionnaire, and the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale to determine if harsh and unjust corporal punishment predicted empathy. The study also investigated whether parental acceptance-rejection and gender mediated the effect of corporal punishment on empathy. Findings showed gender differences: Women reported significantly greater empathy than did men, and justness of corporal punishment related significantly and positively to empathy for men but not for women. Harshness of corporal punishment and parental acceptance-rejection did not relate to empathy regardless of gender. However, both harsh and unjust punishment related significantly to feelings of rejection for both men and women.
Street Kids in Nikes: In Search of Humanization Through the Culture of Consumption
Authors: Diversi Marcelo
Published: June 2006

Brazilian street kids have been represented, with few exceptions, as victims of oppressed cultural forces that weaken the family and dilute social capital. To be sure, concentrated poverty, loss of extended family ties, low levels of education, and lack of governmental involvement have all given shape to a terribly strenuous childhood for many in the country. These kids, however, are more than victims. They are also active agents in the coconstruction of their social realities, and they struggle in brave ways to become fuller human beings. Using reconstructions from my ethnographic fieldwork on the streets of Campinas, Brazil, in which kids encounter Nike artifacts and the culture of consumption, the author attempts to show this struggle for humanization. In addition, a central purpose of this article is to present a slice of social science research written in a self-reflective manner about authorship, interpretation, and the interweaving of theory and fieldwork.
Racing the Matrix: Variations on White Supremacy in Responses to the Film Trilogy
Authors: King C. Richard , Leonard David J.
Published: June 2006

This article analyzes racialized readings of The Matrixtrilogy. Examining popular, academic, and vernacular sources, in print and online, it probes how commentators talk about race in the films and in turn how they use the films to talk about the racial politics of everyday life. It identifies two major interpretations: multiculturalist and White nationalist. It argues that despite obvious differences, together, these renderings of the trilogy must be understood as efforts to reconfigure racialized discourse in the wake of the civil rights movement, reworking white supremacy as they speak to, through, and against naturalized notions of difference at the start of the 21st century.
The Situation Complex: Revisiting Frederic Thrasher’s The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago
Authors: Dimitriadis Greg
Published: June 2006

Originally published in 1927, Frederic Thrasher’s The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago is a panoramic, multilayered, richly detailed account of youth gangs—a milestone text of the Chicago School of Sociology. The most widely available version of The Gang is a highly edited edition published in 1963, which contained an extensive new introduction by noted sociologist James Short. I argue here for a return to the original text, as well as the work of Thrasher more broadly. Rereading this classic text in full, original form, I maintain, gives us fresh perspective on contemporary research and commentary on gang life. So commonly (now) the purview of the postpositivist and highly delimited field of criminology, The Gang returns us to questions of radical context, the multiple webs of influence and association that so marked studies of the period—a move long overdue.
Planchette, My Love
Authors: Shelton Allen
Published: June 2006

In the mid-19th century Marx recognized the growing occult significance of the commodity in everyday life extending from the dancing table in the kitchen to the enormous edifice of capital surrounded by a cloud of charged, interlocked commodities. But what Marx could not fully grasp is how deeply implicated this new addition to the human ecosystem would become when commodity fetishization matured as a process. The person-hood of things and the thingness of persons have become inexorably tied up. This article traces the formation of the psychic world of a single commodity, a planchette within the history of a relationship and space; culminating in an exorcism and an individual set off like a broken toy.
Initiation of plasminogen activation on the surface of monocytes expressing the type II transmembrane serine protease matriptase
Authors: Kilpatrick Lynette M. , Harris Roger L. , Owen Kate A. , Bass Rosemary , Ghorayeb Christine , Bar-Or Amit , Ellis Vincent
Published: June 2006

uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator) activates plasminogen with high efficiency when bound to its cellular receptor uPAR, but only after a prolonged lag phase during which generated plasmin activates pro-uPA. How the activity of this proteolytic system might be rapidly initiated is unknown. We have now found that 2 monocytic cell lines display distinct patterns of plasminogen activation. U937 cells, but not THP-1 cells, displayed the expected lag phase, suggesting a constitutive initiation mechanism on the latter. This was shown to be due to the plasmin-independent activation of uPAR-bound pro-uPA by a cell surface-associated protease and to correlate with the expression of matriptase, a type II transmembrane serine protease that was highly expressed in THP-1 cells but undetectable in U937 cells. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that matriptase is a relatively poor activator of pro-uPA in solution, approximately 100-fold less efficient than plasmin (kcat/Km 1.16 × 105 M-1s-1 cf 1.21 × 107 M-1s-1). However, down-regulation of matriptase expression in THP-1 cells by siRNA reduced the activation of cell-associated pro-uPA and the subsequent rapid initiation of plasminogen activation by 76% to 93%. Matriptase was also found to be expressed by peripheral blood monocytes and may therefore be a specific mechanism for the rapid initiation and regulation of plasminogen activation by these cells.
Gene expression of tumor angiogenesis dissected: specific targeting of colon cancer angiogenic vasculature
Authors: van Beijnum Judy R. , Dings Ruud P. , van der Linden Edith , Zwaans Bernadette M. M. , Ramaekers Frans C. S. , Mayo Kevin H. , Griffioen Arjan W.
Published: June 2006

Crucial to designing angiostatic and vascular targeting agents is the identification of target molecules. Because angiogenesis is not limited to pathologic conditions, careful evaluation of putative therapeutic targets is warranted to prevent adverse effects associated with impaired physiologic angiogenesis. To identify tumor-specific angiogenesis markers, we compared transcriptional profiles of angiogenic endothelial cells isolated from malignant and nonmalignant tissues with those of resting endothelial cells. We identified 17 genes that showed specific overexpression in tumor endothelium but not in angiogenic endothelium of normal tissues, creating a therapeutic window for tumor vasculature-specific targeting. Antibody targeting of 4 cell-surface–expressed or secreted products (vimentin, CD59, HMGB1, IGFBP7) inhibited angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Finally, targeting endothelial vimentin in a mouse tumor model significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced microvessel density. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the identification and subsequent targeting of specific tumor endothelial markers for anticancer therapy.
Dangerous small B-cell clones
Authors: Merlini Giampaolo , Stone Marvin J.
Published: June 2006

The detection of a monoclonal immunoglobulin in serum or urine usually raises concerns about the size of the underlying B-cell-derived clone and possible systemic effects caused by its expansion. However, a small clone can synthesize a very toxic protein, producing devastating systemic damage and protean clinical presentations. The resulting “monoclonal component-related diseases,” although difficult to diagnose, may be progressive and even fatal. The monoclonal protein can aggregate and deposit systemically as occurs in light-chain amyloidosis, monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, crystal-storing histiocytosis, and monoclonal cryoglobulinemia. Alternatively, some monoclonal proteins possess antibody activity toward autogenous antigens and cause chronic cold agglutinin disease, mixed cryoglobulinemia, and peripheral neuropathies. Other humoral mediators may contribute to neuropathy in variant disorders such as the POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes) syndrome. The clone synthesizing the noxious monoclonal proteins is often small, and sensitive techniques may be required to detect these immunoglobulins. A delay in diagnosis can allow irreversible organ damage and dramatically shorten survival. Prompt recognition of suggestive signs and symptoms should trigger a thorough diagnostic approach to reach the correct diagnosis quickly, because this is the key to effective therapy. Although the treatment of these conditions is not optimal, significant advances have been made, improving the duration and quality of life.
Granzyme B, a novel mediator of allergic inflammation: its induction and release in blood basophils and human asthma
Authors: Tschopp Cornelia M. , Spiegl Nicole , Didichenko Svetlana , Lutmann Werner , Julius Peter , Virchow J. Christian , Hack C. Erik , Dahinden Clemens A.
Published: June 2006

Histamine, leukotriene C4, IL-4, and IL-13 are major mediators of allergy and asthma. They are all formed by basophils and are released in particularly large quantities after stimulation with IL-3. Here we show that supernatants of activated mast cells or IL-3 qualitatively change the makeup of granules of human basophils by inducing de novo synthesis of granzyme B (GzmB), without induction of other granule proteins expressed by cytotoxic lymphocytes (granzyme A, perforin). This bioactivity of IL-3 is not shared by other cytokines known to regulate the function of basophils or lymphocytes. The IL-3 effect is restricted to basophil granulocytes as no constitutive or inducible expression of GzmB is detected in eosinophils or neutrophils. GzmB is induced within 6 to 24 hours, sorted into the granule compartment, and released by exocytosis upon IgE-dependent and -independent activation. In vitro, there is a close parallelism between GzmB, IL-13, and leukotriene C4 production. In vivo, granzyme B, but not the lymphoid granule marker granzyme A, is released 18 hours after allergen challenge of asthmatic patients in strong correlation with interleukin-13. Our study demonstrates an unexpected plasticity of the granule composition of mature basophils and suggests a role of granzyme B as a novel mediator of allergic diseases.
Impaired dendritic-cell function in ectodermal dysplasia with immune deficiency is linked to defective NEMO ubiquitination
Authors: Temmerman Stephane T. , Ma Chi A. , Borges Louis , Kubin Marek , Liu Shuying , Derry Jonathan M. J. , Jain Ashish
Published: June 2006

Ectodermal dysplasia with immune deficiency (EDI) is caused by alterations in NEMO (nuclear factor [NF]–κB essential modulator). Most genetic mutations are located in exon 10 and affect the C-terminal zinc finger domain. However, the biochemical mechanism by which they cause immune dysfunction remains undetermined. In this report, we investigated the effect of a cysteine-to-arginine mutation (C417R) found in the NEMO zinc finger domain on dendritic cell (DC) function. Following CD40 stimulation of DCs prepared from 2 unrelated patients with the NEMO C417R mutation, we found NEMO ubiquitination was absent, and this was associated with preserved RelA but absent c-Rel activity. As a consequence, CD40 stimulated EDI DCs failed to synthesize the c-Rel–dependent cytokine interleukin-12, had impaired up-regulation of costimulatory molecules, and failed to support allogeneic lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. In contrast, EDI DCs stimulated with the TLR4 ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showed normal downstream NF-κB activity, DC maturation, and NEMO ubiquitination. These findings show for the first time how mutations in the zinc finger domain of NEMO can lead to pathway specific defects in NEMO ubiquitination and thus immune deficiency.
BASH-novel PKC-Raf-1 pathway of pre-BCR signaling induces κ gene rearrangement
Authors: Yamamoto Mutsumi , Hayashi Katsuhiko , Nojima Takuya , Matsuzaki Yumi , Kawano Yohei , Karasuyama Hajime , Goitsuka Ryo , Kitamura Daisuke
Published: June 2006

The pre-B-cell receptor (pre-BCR) is thought to signal transcriptional activation of the immunoglobulin light (L) chain gene locus, proceeding to its V-J rearrangement. The pre-BCR signaling pathway for this process is largely unknown but may involve the adaptor protein BASH (BLNK/SLP-65). Here we report that the pre-B leukemia cell lines established from affected BASH-deficient mice rearrange κL-chain gene locus and down-regulate pre-BCR upon PMA treatment or BASH reconstitution. Analyses with specific inhibitors revealed that activation of novel PKC (nPKC) and MEK, but not Ras, is necessary for the rearrangement. Accordingly, retroviral transduction of active PKCη, PKCϵ, or Raf-1, but not Ras, induced the κ gene rearrangement and expression in the pre-B-cell line. Tamoxifen-mediated BASH reconstitution resulted in the translocation of PKCη to the plasma membrane and κ chain expression. These data make evident that the Ras-independent BASH-nPKC-Raf-1 pathway of pre-BCR signaling induces the L-chain gene rearrangement and expression.
Protein disorder prediction by condensed PSSM considering propensity for order or disorder
Authors: Su Chung-Tsai , Chen Chien-Yu , Ou Yu-Yen
Published: June 2006

Background

More and more disordered regions have been discovered in protein sequences, and many of them are found to be functionally significant. Previous studies reveal that disordered regions of a protein can be predicted by its primary structure, the amino acid sequence. One observation that has been widely accepted is that ordered regions usually have compositional bias toward hydrophobic amino acids, and disordered regions are toward charged amino acids. Recent studies further show that employing evolutionary information such as position specific scoring matrices (PSSMs) improves the prediction accuracy of protein disorder. As more and more machine learning techniques have been introduced to protein disorder detection, extracting more useful features with biological insights attracts more attention.

Results

This paper first studies the effect of a condensed position specific scoring matrix with respect to physicochemical properties (PSSMP) on the prediction accuracy, where the PSSMP is derived by merging several amino acid columns of a PSSM belonging to a certain property into a single column. Next, we decompose each conventional physicochemical property of amino acids into two disjoint groups which have a propensity for order and disorder respectively, and show by experiments that some of the new properties perform better than their parent properties in predicting protein disorder. In order to get an effective and compact feature set on this problem, we propose a hybrid feature selection method that inherits the efficiency of uni-variant analysis and the effectiveness of the stepwise feature selection that explores combinations of multiple features. The experimental results show that the selected feature set improves the performance of a classifier built with Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFN) in comparison with the feature set constructed with PSSMs or PSSMPs that adopt simply the conventional physicochemical properties.

Conclusion

Distinguishing disordered regions from ordered regions in protein sequences facilitates the exploration of protein structures and functions. Results based on independent testing data reveal that the proposed predicting model DisPSSMP performs the best among several of the existing packages doing similar tasks, without either under-predicting or over-predicting the disordered regions. Furthermore, the selected properties are demonstrated to be useful in finding discriminating patterns for order/disorder classification.
Differential prioritization between relevance and redundancy in correlation-based feature selection techniques for multiclass gene expression data
Authors: Ooi Chia Huey , Chetty Madhu , Teng Shyh Wei
Published: June 2006

Background

Due to the large number of genes in a typical microarray dataset, feature selection looks set to play an important role in reducing noise and computational cost in gene expression-based tissue classification while improving accuracy at the same time. Surprisingly, this does not appear to be the case for all multiclass microarray datasets. The reason is that many feature selection techniques applied on microarray datasets are either rank-based and hence do not take into account correlations between genes, or are wrapper-based, which require high computational cost, and often yield difficult-to-reproduce results. In studies where correlations between genes are considered, attempts to establish the merit of the proposed techniques are hampered by evaluation procedures which are less than meticulous, resulting in overly optimistic estimates of accuracy.

Results

We present two realistically evaluated correlation-based feature selection techniques which incorporate, in addition to the two existing criteria involved in forming a predictor set (relevance and redundancy), a third criterion called the degree of differential prioritization (DDP). DDP functions as a parameter to strike the balance between relevance and redundancy, providing our techniques with the novel ability to differentially prioritize the optimization of relevance against redundancy (and vice versa). This ability proves useful in producing optimal classification accuracy while using reasonably small predictor set sizes for nine well-known multiclass microarray datasets.

Conclusion

For multiclass microarray datasets, especially the GCM and NCI60 datasets, DDP enables our filter-based techniques to produce accuracies better than those reported in previous studies which employed similarly realistic evaluation procedures.
Deciphering protein function during mitosis in PtK cells using RNAi
Authors: Stout Jane R , Rizk Rania S , Kline Susan L , Walczak Claire E
Published: June 2006

Background

Studying mitosis requires a system in which the dramatic movements of chromosomes and spindle microtubules can be visualized. PtK cells, due to their flat morphology and their small number of large chromosomes, allow microscopic visualizations to be readily performed.

Results

By performing RNAi in PtK cells, we can explore the function of many proteins important for spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. Although it is difficult to transfect DNA into PtK cells (efficiency ~ 10%), we have transfected a fluorescent siRNA at nearly 100% efficiency. Using a cDNA expression library, we then isolated a complete PtK MCAK (P-MCAK) cDNA. P-MCAK shares 81% identity to Human-MCAK (H-MCAK) protein and 66% identity to H-MCAK DNA. Knockdown of P-MCAK by RNAi caused defects in chromosome congression and defective spindle organization. Live imaging revealed that chromosomes had defects in congression and segregation, similar to what we found after microinjection of inhibitory anti-MCAK antibodies. Because it is laborious to isolate full-length clones, we explored using RT-PCR with degenerate primers to yield cDNA fragments from PtK cells from which to design siRNAs. We isolated a cDNA fragment of the mitotic kinesin Eg5 from PtK cells. This fragment is 93% identical to H-Eg5 protein and 87% identical to H-Eg5 DNA. A conserved 21 bp siRNA was used for RNAi in both HeLa and PtK cells in which Eg5 knockdown resulted in an increased mitotic index and cells with monopolar spindles. In addition, we used RT-PCR to isolate fragments of 5 additional genes, whose sequence identity ranged from 76 to 90% with human, mouse, or rat genes, suggesting that this strategy is feasible to apply to any gene of interest.

Conclusion

This approach will allow us to effectively probe mitotic defects from protein knockdowns by combining genomic information from other organisms with the tractable morphology of PtK cells.
Evidence for the association of the SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 genes with Type 1 Diabetes: a case control study
Authors: Santiago Jose Luis , Martínez Alfonso , de la Calle Hermenegildo , Fernández-Arquero Miguel , Figueredo M Ángeles , de la Concha Emilio G , Urcelay Elena
Published: June 2006

Background

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic, autoimmune and multifactorial disease characterized by abnormal metabolism of carbohydrate and fat. Diminished carnitine plasma levels have been previously reported in T1D patients and carnitine increases the sensitivity of the cells to insulin. Polymorphisms in the carnitine transporters, encoded by the SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 genes, have been involved in susceptibility to two other autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. For these reasons, we investigated for the first time the association with T1D of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapping to these candidate genes: slc2F2, slc2F11, T306I, L503F, OCTN2-promoter and OCTN2-intron.

Methods

A case-control study was performed in the Spanish population with 295 T1D patients and 508 healthy control subjects. Maximum-likelihood haplotype frequencies were estimated by applying the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm implemented by the Arlequin software.

Results

When independently analyzed, one of the tested polymorphisms in the SLC22A4 gene at 1672 showed significant association with T1D in our Spanish cohort. The overall comparison of the inferred haplotypes was significantly different between patients and controls (χ2 = 10.43; p = 0.034) with one of the haplotypes showing a protective effect for T1D (rs3792876/rs1050152/rs2631367/rs274559, CCGA: OR = 0.62 (0.41–0.93); p = 0.02).

Conclusion

The haplotype distribution in the carnitine transporter locus seems to be significantly different between T1D patients and controls; however, additional studies in independent populations would allow to confirm the role of these genes in T1D risk.
Ep-CAM expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker
Authors: Stoecklein Nikolas H , Siegmund Annika , Scheunemann Peter , Luebke Andreas M , Erbersdobler Andreas , Verde Pablo E , Eisenberger Claus F , Peiper Matthias , Rehders Alexander , Esch Jan Schulte am , Knoefel Wolfram Trudo , Hosch Stefan B
Published: June 2006

Background

To evaluate the expression and test the clinical significance of the epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to check the suitability of esophageal SCC patients for Ep-CAM directed targeted therapies.

Methods

The Ep-CAM expression was immunohistochemically investigated in 70 primary esophageal SCCs using the monoclonal antibody Ber-EP4. For the interpretation of the staining results, we used a standardized scoring system ranging from 0 to 3+. The survival analysis was calculated from 53 patients without distant metastasis, with R0 resection and at least 2 months of clinical follow-up.

Results

Ep-CAM neo-expression was observed in 79% of the tumors with three expression levels, 1+ (26%), 2+ (11%) and 3+ (41%). Heterogeneous expression was observed at all expression levels. Interestingly, tumors with 3+ Ep-CAM expression conferred a significantly decreased median relapse-free survival period (log rank, p = 0.0001) and median overall survival (log rank, p = 0.0003). Multivariate survival analysis disclosed Ep-CAM 3+ expression as independent prognostic factor.

Conclusion

Our results suggest Ep-CAM as an attractive molecule for targeted therapy in esophageal SCC. Considering the discontenting results of the current adjuvant concepts for esophageal SCC patients, Ep-CAM might provide a promising target for an adjuvant immunotherapeutic intervention.
Changes in Scottish suicide rates during the Second World War
Authors: Henderson Rob , Stark Cameron , Humphry Roger W , Selvaraj Sivasubramaniam
Published: June 2006

Background

It is believed that total reported suicide rates tend to decrease during wartime. However, analysis of suicide rates during recent conflicts suggests a more complex picture, with increases in some age groups and changes in method choice. As few age and gender specific analyses of more distant conflicts have been conducted, it is not clear if these findings reflect a change in the epidemiology of suicide in wartime. Therefore, we examined suicide rates in Scotland before, during and after the Second World War to see if similar features were present.

Methods

Data on deaths in Scotland recorded as suicide during the period 1931 – 1952, and population estimates for each of these years, were obtained from the General Register Office for Scotland. Using computer spreadsheets, suicide rates by gender, age and method were calculated. Forward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess the effect of gender, war and year on suicide rates using SAS V8.2.

Results

The all-age suicide rate among both men and women declined during the period studied. However, when this long-term decline is taken into account, the likelihood of suicide during the Second World War was higher than during both the pre-War and post-War periods. Suicide rates among men aged 15–24 years rose during the Second World War, peaking at 148 per million (41 deaths) during 1942 before declining to 39 per million (10 deaths) by 1945, while the rate among men aged 25–34 years reached 199 per million (43 deaths) during 1943 before falling to 66 per million (23 deaths) by 1946. This was accompanied by an increase in male suicides attributable to firearms and explosives during the War years which decreased following its conclusion.

Conclusion

All age male and female suicide rates decreased in Scotland during World War II. However, once the general background decrease in suicide rates over the whole period is accounted for, the likelihood of suicide among the entire Scottish population during the Second World War was elevated. The overall decrease in suicide rates concealed large increases in younger male age groups during the War years, and an increase in male suicides recorded as due to the use of firearms. We conclude that the effects of war on younger people, reported in recent conflicts in Central Europe, were also seen in Scotland during the Second World War. The results support the findings of studies of recent conflicts which have found a heterogeneous picture with respect to age specific suicide rates during wartime.
Development of a taxonomy to describe massage treatments for musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Sherman Karen J , Dixon Marian W , Thompson Diana , Cherkin Daniel C
Published: June 2006

Background

One of the challenges in conducting research in the field of massage and bodywork is the lack of consistent terminology for describing the treatments given by massage therapists. The objective of this study was to develop a taxonomy to describe what massage therapists actually do when giving a massage to patients with musculoskeletal pain.

Methods

After conducting a review of the massage treatment literature for musculoskeletal pain, a list of candidate techniques was generated for possible inclusion in the taxonomy. This list was modified after discussions with a senior massage therapist educator and seven experienced massage therapists participating in a study of massage for neck pain.

Results

The taxonomy was conceptualized as a three level classification system, principal goals of treatment, styles, and techniques. Four categories described the principal goal of treatment (i.e., relaxation massage, clinical massage, movement re-education and energy work). Each principal goal of treatment could be met using a number of different styles, with each style consisting of a number of specific techniques. A total of 36 distinct techniques were identified and described, many of which could be included in multiple styles.

Conclusion

A new classification system is presented whereby practitioners using different styles of massage can describe the techniques they employ using consistent terminology. This system could help facilitate standardized reporting of massage interventions.
Histopathological evaluation of ocular microsporidiosis by different stains
Authors: Joseph Joveeta , Vemuganti Geeta K , Garg Prashant , Sharma Savitri
Published: June 2006

Background

There is limited data on comparing stains in the detection of microsporidia in corneal biopsies. Hence we wanted to evaluate various stains for their ability to detect microsporidia in corneal tissue sections.

Methods

Four cases diagnosed with microsporidiosis on Hematoxylin and Eosin and Periodic Acid Schiff's stained sections of the corneal button between January 2002 and December 2004, were included. Further sections were prospectively stained with calcofluor white, Gram, Giemsa, Masson's trichrome, acridine orange, Gomori's methenamine silver, Gram's chromotrope and modified acid fast stain. The stained sections were analyzed for the spore characteristics in terms of size, shape, color contrast, cell wall morphology, waist band in cytoplasm and ease of detection.

Results

All sections showed microsporidial spores as 3 – 5 μm, oval bodies. 1% acid fast, Gram's chromotrope and GMS stains provided a reliable diagnosis of microsporidia as diagnostic waist band could be identified and good contrast helped distinguish the spores from inflammatory debris.

Conclusion

Considering the ease of performance, cost effectiveness and rapidity of the technique, 1% acid fast stain and Gram's chromotrope stain are ideal for the detection of microsporidia.
Cost-effectiveness of primary offer of IVF vs. primary offer of IUI followed by IVF (for IUI failures) in couples with unexplained or mild male factor subfertility
Authors: Pashayan Nora , Lyratzopoulos Georgios , Mathur Raj
Published: June 2006

Background

In unexplained and mild male factor subfertility, both intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are indicated as first line treatments. Because the success rate of IUI is low, many couples failing IUI subsequently require IVF treatment. In practice, it is therefore important to examine the comparative outcomes (live birth-producing pregnancy), costs, and cost-effectiveness of primary offer of IVF, compared with primary offer of IUI followed by IVF for couples failing IUI.

Methods

Mathematical modelling was used to estimate comparative clinical and cost effectiveness of either primary offer of one full IVF cycle (including frozen cycles when applicable) or "IUI + IVF" (defined as primary IUI followed by IVF for IUI failures) to a hypothetical cohort of subfertile couples who are eligible for both treatment strategies. Data used in calculations were derived from the published peer-reviewed literature as well as activity data of local infertility units.

Results

Cost-effectiveness ratios for IVF, "unstimulated-IUI (U-IUI) + IVF", and "stimulated IUI (S-IUI) + IVF" were £12,600, £13,100 and £15,100 per live birth-producing pregnancy respectively. For a hypothetical cohort of 100 couples with unexplained or mild male factor subfertility, compared with primary offer of IVF, 6 cycles of "U-IUI + IVF" or of "S-IUI + IVF" would cost an additional £174,200 and £438,000, representing an opportunity cost of 54 and 136 additional IVF cycles and 14 to 35 live birth-producing pregnancies respectively.

Conclusion

For couples with unexplained and mild male factor subfertility, primary offer of a full IVF cycle is less costly and more cost-effective than providing IUI (of any modality) followed by IVF.
Superior efficacy of St John's wort extract WS®5570 compared to placebo in patients with major depression: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial [ISRCTN77277298]
Authors: Kasper Siegfried , Anghelescu Ion-George , Szegedi Armin , Dienel Angelika , Kieser Meinhard
Published: June 2006

Background

The aim of the current study was to assess the antidepressant efficacy and safety of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) extract WS® 5570 at doses of 600 mg/day in a single dose and 1200 mg/day in two doses.

Methods

The participants in this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial were male and female adult out-patients with an episode of mild or moderate major depressive episode (single or recurrent episode, DSM-IV criteria). As specified by the relevant guideline, the study was preceded by a medication-free run-in phase. For the 6-week treatment, 332 patients were randomized: 123 to WS® 5570 600 mg/day, 127 to WS® 5570 1200 mg/day, and 82 to placebo. The primary outcome measure was the change in total score on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D, 17-item version) between baseline and endpoint. Additional measures included the number of responders, the number of patients in remission, and several other standard rating scales. Efficacy and safety were assessed after 2 and 6 weeks. The design included an interim analysis performed after randomization with the option of early termination.

Results

After 6 weeks of treatment, mean ± standard deviation decreases in HAM-D total scores of 11.6 ± 6.4, 10.8 ± 7.3, and 6.0 ± 8.1 points were observed for the WS® 5570 600 mg/day, 1200 mg/day and placebo groups, respectively (endpoint analysis). Secondary measures of treatment efficacy also showed that both WS® 5570 groups were statistically superior to placebo. Significantly more patients in the WS® 5570 treatment groups than in the placebo group showed treatment response and remission. WS® 5570 was consistently more effective than placebo in patients with either less severe or more severe baseline impairment. The number of patients who experienced remission was higher in the WS® 5570 1200 mg/day group than the WS® 5570 600 mg/day group. The incidence of adverse events was low in all groups. The adverse event profile was consistent with the known profile for Hypericum extract preparations.

Conclusion

Hypericum perforatum extract WS® 5570 at doses of 600 mg/day (once daily) and 1200 mg/day (600 mg twice daily) were found to be safe and more effective than placebo, with comparable efficacy of the WS® 5570 groups for the treatment of mild to moderate major depression.
Prevalence and outcomes of delirium in community and non-acute care settings in people without dementia: a report from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging
Authors: Andrew Melissa K , Freter Susan H , Rockwood Kenneth
Published: June 2006

Background

While delirium is common among older adults in acute care hospitals, its prevalence in other settings has been less well studied. We examined delirium prevalence and outcomes in a large cohort of older Canadians living outside of acute care.

Methods

In this secondary analysis of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, the prevalence of clinically diagnosed delirium was estimated and five-year survival was compared with that of individuals with dementia of graded severity.

Results

Delirium was very uncommon (prevalence <0.5%) and was associated with reduced survival, similar to that of moderate-to-severe dementia.

Conclusion

In this cohort of older Canadians, delirium in non-demented people was associated with very low 5-year survival, at levels comparable with advanced dementia. Although it is common in hospital, delirium is uncommon among older adults in their usual place of residence, suggesting that it is a potent stimulus to seek medical care.
Protection of rabbits against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC) using an intimin null mutant
Authors: Stakenborg Tim , Vandekerchove Dominique , Mariën Jonas , Laevens Hans , Imberechts Hein , Peeters Johan
Published: June 2006

Background

Diarrhea and mortality resulting from infections with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are of major economic importance in the rabbit meat industry. There is a growing need for an effective vaccine to cope with these problems and to reduce the use of antibiotics. EPEC are characterized by an attaching and effacing virulence mechanism. This is partly mediated by the intimate binding between an adhesin, called intimin, and a translocated receptor (Tir) of prokaryote origin. We constructed an intimin deletion mutant of the rabbit EPEC (REPEC) wild-type strain 97/241.6 (bio-/serogroup 3-/O15) and examined its protective capacity.

Results

After verifying its complete loss of virulence, we used the attenuated strain in vaccination-challenge experiments in which complete protection against a homologous, but virulent, strain was observed. The attenuated strain was able to persist in the intestinal lumen, where it elicited an immune response against EPEC-related virulence proteins, as was shown using an EspB-specific ELISA. Despite the priming of an immune response and the generation of specific antibodies, the intimin mutant was not able to fully protect rabbits against challenges with REPEC strains of other bio-/serogroups.

Conclusion

These data indicate that protection against REPEC infections is at least partly bio-/serogroup dependent and a multivalent vaccine may be needed for protection against the full range of REPEC types. Such a combination vaccine may be developed using intimin null mutants, as the latter were clearly shown to be safe and effective against homologous infections.
Healing of bronchopleural fistula using a modified Dumon stent: a case report
Authors: Ferraroli Giorgio Maria , Testori Alberto , Cioffi Ugo , De Simone Matilde , Alloisio Marco , Galliera Maurizio , Ciulla Michele M , Ravasi Gianni
Published: June 2006

Background

Brochopleural fistula following lung resection is a therapeuric challenge for thoracic surgeons.

Case presentation

We describe a case of late bronchopleural fistula after right extrapleural pneumonectomy for malignant mesothelioma. Bronchoscopic attempts to repair it were unsuccessful.

Conclusion

The use of a modified Y Dumon stent associated with glue apposition on the bronchial stump allowed us to close the fistula without the need of any surgical repair.