bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Total Face Mask Is More Comfortable than the Oronasal Mask in Noninvasive Ventilation but Is Not Associated with Improved Outcome
Authors: Chacur Fernando Hauaji , Vilella Felipe Luis Marcelo , Fernandes Cintia Gonçalves , Lazzarini Luiz Claudio Oliveira
Published: August 2011

Background: Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) is commonly used to improve ventilation and oxygenation and avoid endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Although clinically indicated, most patients fail to use NPPV due to mask intolerance. A total face mask was designed to increase compliance, but whether this translates into better outcome (improvement in clinical and blood gas parameters and less intubation) is unknown. Objectives: We compared the evolution of the clinical parameters, blood gases, levels of ventilatory support and rate of endotracheal intubation using the total face mask or the traditional oronasal mask during NPPV. Methods: A total of 60 patients were randomized to use either mask during NPPV. The clinical and laboratory parameters, as well as the level of ventilatory support were recorded at different intervals in both groups for up to 6 h. In addition, the tolerance for each mask and the need for endotracheal intubation were compared. Results: Patients tolerated the total face mask significantly better (p = 0.0010) and used NPPV for a longer time (p = 0.0017) when compared with the oronasal mask. Just 1 patient switched to the total face mask because of intolerance. Although better tolerated, the rate of endotracheal intubation was similar in both groups (p = 0.4376), as was the clinical and laboratory evolution. Conclusions: The total face mask was more comfortable, allowing the patients to tolerate NPPV longer; however, these accomplishments did not translate into a better outcome. Due to its comfort, the total face mask should be available, at least as an option, in units where NPPVs are routinely applied.
Alexithymia and Personality Disorder Functioning Styles in Paranoid Schizophrenia
Authors: Yu Shaohua , Li Huichun , Liu Weibo , Zheng Leilei , Ma Ying , Chen Qiaozhen , Chen Yiping , Yu Hualiang , Lu Yunrong , Pan Bing , Wang Wei
Published: August 2011

Objectives: Personality disorder functioning styles might contribute to the inconclusive findings about alexithymic features in schizophrenia. We therefore studied the relationship between alexithymia and personality styles in paranoid schizophrenia. Methods: We administered the Chinese versions of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Parker Personality Measure (PERM), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale as well as the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scales to 60 paranoid schizophrenia patients and 60 healthy control subjects. Results: Patients scored significantly higher on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, TAS ‘difficulty identifying feelings’ and ‘difficulty describing feelings’, Hamilton Depression Scale and most PERM scales. In healthy subjects, difficulty identifying feelings predicted the PERM ‘dependent’ style, and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale predicted difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings. In patients, difficulty identifying feelings nonspecifically predicted all the PERM scales; by contrast, the PERM ‘antisocial’ style predicted difficulty identifying feelings, the ‘avoidant’ style predicted difficulty describing feelings, and the ‘histrionic’ and ‘paranoid (–)’ styles predicted ‘externally oriented thinking’. Conclusions: Personality disorder functioning styles – instead of anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms or disease duration – were specifically associated with alexithymia scales in our patients, which sheds light on a cognitive-personological substrate in paranoid schizophrenia on the one hand, and calls for a longitudinal design to discover how premorbid or postacute residual personality styles contribute to the sluggish disorder on the other.
Early Predictors of Separation Anxiety Disorder: Early Stranger Anxiety, Parental Pathology and Prenatal Factors
Authors: Lavallee Kristen , Herren Chantal , Blatter-Meunier Judith , Adornetto Carmen , In-Albon Tina , Schneider Silvia
Published: August 2011

Objective: The present study seeks to extend research on the etiology of separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in a German-speaking sample by examining differences between children with SAD and healthy comparisons, using a retrospective-reporting paradigm. Method: The sample included 106 children with SAD and 44 healthy children between the ages of 4 and 14 years. Parents completed questionnaires and structured clinical interviews to assess parental pathology, pregnancy variables and strong early stranger anxiety. Results: Children with SAD were more likely than healthy children to have had a phase of stronger stranger anxiety in infancy. Further, early stranger anxiety remained a significant predictor of SAD after controlling for maternal depression. Meaningful effects were not found for the influence of parental age at birth or other pregnancy factors. Conclusion: This study provides beginning evidence of the potential predictive value of strong stranger anxiety in distinguishing children with SAD from those with no disorder, above and beyond the influence of parental pathology.
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Regulates Breast Cancer Progression via β-Catenin Expression
Authors: Yokoyama Yuhki , Mori Seiji , Hamada Yoshinosuke , Hieda Miki , Kawaguchi Naomasa , Shaker Mohammed , Tao Yu , Yoshidome Katsuhide , Tsujimoto Masahiko , Matsuura Nariaki
Published: August 2011

Objective: The knowledge on the association between platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling and epithelial cancers is scarce, although overexpression of PDGF and PDGF receptors has been reported in some human mesenchymal tumors. Thus, we studied the effect of PDGF on breast cancer cells in vitro and the distribution of PDGF in breast cancer tissues. Methods: The effect of PDGF-BB on breast cancer cells was assessed by Western blotting, immunofluorescence, WST and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation experiments. PDGF-B and β-catenin expression was investigated in breast cancer tissues by immunohistochemistry. Results: PDGF-BB induces β-catenin expression in breast cancer cells, and immunohistochemically the distribution of PDGF-B was similar to β-catenin in breast cancer cells. PDGF-B-positive cancer cells were more frequent in cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (87.5%) than invasive carcinoma (61.2%). In addition, PDGF-B staining was stronger in intraductal than invasive cancer cells. PDGF-BB tended to induce nuclear translocation of β-catenin, cell proliferation and DNA incorporation in MDA-MB231 cells, while these results were not found in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that PDGF-BB regulates protein expression of β-catenin and is associated with cancer cell behavior.
Search for a Map and Threshold in Perfusion MRI to Accurately Predict Tissue Fate: A Protocol for Assessing Lesion Growth in Patients with Persistent Vessel Occlusion
Authors: Galinovic Ivana , Ostwaldt Ann-Christin , Soemmer Carina , Bros Helena , Hotter Benjamin , Brunecker Peter , Schmidt Wolf U. , Jungehülsing Jan , Fiebach Jochen B.
Published: August 2011

Background: The MRI-based mismatch concept has been used to estimate the risk of infarction in ischemic stroke. Based on multiple studies on magnetic resonance perfusion imaging, it seems unlikely that any perfusion parameter threshold will provide a reliable prediction of radiological or clinical outcome for all patients. The goal of our study was to find a minimally biased yet maximally useful perfusion postprocessing protocol which would offer the treating physician a useful estimate of tissue fate. Methods: One hundred and forty-five acute ischemic stroke patients, admitted within 24 h after stroke to the Charité – University Medicine Hospital in Berlin between March 2008 and November 2009, were included in this study. Using three different software packages (Perfscape/Neuroscape, PMA and Stroketool), maps of mean transit time, cerebral blood flow (CBF) and Tmax were created. Three different thresholds were applied on each parameter map and subsequent volumes of hypoperfused tissue were calculated. Results: Overall, the maps and thresholds giving the least amount of overestimation of the final infarct volume were Tmax 8 s in Perfscape/Neuroscape, CBF 20 ml/100 g/min in PMA and CBF 15% (of the highest value on the scale for a given patient) in Stroketool. In patients with persistent vessel occlusion, a CBF map with a restrictive threshold showed volumes of tissue at definite risk of infarction in up to 100% of patients. The additional use of a CBF map with a high threshold enabled identification of patients without penumbras. Conclusions: No combination of software, map and threshold was able to give a reliable estimate of tissue fate for either all patients or any subgroup of patients. However, in patients with vessel occlusion, combination of a CBF map with a low and a high threshold can enable calculation of the minimum volume of brain tissue that will inevitably be lost if the occlusion persists.
Partial Trisomy 3p and Partial Monosomy 11q Associated with Atrial Septal Defect, Cleft Palate, and Developmental Delay: A Case Report
Authors: Tan E.-C. , Lim E. , Cham B. , Knight L. , Ng I.
Published: August 2011

Unbalanced translocation involving both chromosome 3p duplication and 11q deletion in the same patient is extremely rare; only 1 live-born case was reported previously. This karyotype was also detected during prenatal diagnosis of 2 different pregnancies in a Taiwanese family which were both terminated. In all 3 cases, only standard karyotyping was done to detect the abnormal karyotypes. Here, we report a 4-year-old boy with cleft palate, atrial septal defect, and hypotonia with gross and fine motor delay. Oligonucleotide-based array comparative genomic hybridization showed copy number gain from 3pter to 3p24.2 (approximately 24.5 Mb) and copy number loss from 11q25 to 11qter (approximately 5.8 Mb). This de novo unbalanced translocation event involving a terminal 3p duplication and a terminal 11q deletion provides candidate genes for further investigation of dosage effect leading to the patient’s multiple phenotypic abnormalities. Genotype-phenotype correlation is difficult to make in this case due to the large number of genes involved. However, the description of such cases together with precise gene-level mapping of chromosomal breakpoints will add to further refinement of candidate genes to be investigated for terminal imbalances in 3p and 11q when more similar cases are reported.
Inactivation of COX-2, HMLH1 and CDKN2A Gene by Promoter Methylation in Gastric Cancer: Relationship with Histological Subtype, Tumor Location and Helicobacter pylori Genotype
Authors: Alves Markênia Kélia Santos , Ferrasi Adriana Camargo , Lima Valeska Portela , Ferreira Márcia Valéria Pitombeira , de Moura Campos Pardini Maria Inês , Rabenhorst Silvia Helena Barem
Published: August 2011

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the inactivation of COX-2, HMLH1 and CDKN2A by promoter methylation and its relationship with the infection by different Helicobacter pylori strains in gastric cancer. Methods: DNA extracted from 76 H. pylori-positive gastric tumor samples was available for promoter methylation identification by methylation-specific PCR and H. pylori subtyping by PCR. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine COX-2, p16INK4A and HMLH1 expression. Results: A strong negative correlation was found between the expression of these markers and the presence of promoter methylation in their genes. Among cardia tumors, negativity of p16INK4A was a significant finding. On the other hand, in noncardia tumors, the histological subtypes had different gene expression patterns. In the intestinal subtype, a significant finding was HMLH1 inactivation by methylation, while in the diffuse subtype, CDKN2A inactivation by methylation was the significant finding. Tumors with methylated COX-2 and HMLH1 genes were associated with H. pylori vacA s1 (p = 0.025 and 0.047, respectively), and the nonmethylated tumors were associated with the presence of the gene flaA. Conclusions: These data suggest that the inactivation of these genes by methylation occurs by distinct pathways according to the histological subtype and tumor location and depends on the H. pylori genotype.
New Recurrent Chromosome Alterations in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Leukemia
Authors: Stella F. , Pedrazzini E. , Rodríguez A. , Baialardo E. , Kusminsky G. , Arbelbide J. , Fantl D.B. , Slavutsky I.
Published: August 2011

Chromosome abnormalities detected in metaphases from multiple myeloma (MM) cells have a clear impact on prognosis and response to therapy. Thirteen out of 50 (26%) patients with plasma cell disorders and abnormal karyotypes (11 with MM and 2 with plasma cell leukemia (PCL)) were selected for inclusion in the present report based on the presence of karyotypes with new and/or infrequent structural aberrations. Thirty-three new rearrangements, including a novel recurrent aberration: psu dic(5;1)(q35;q10), were detected. Chromosome 1 was the most frequently involved. Gains of genetic material (57%) were noted more frequently than losses (43%). Three rearrangements that were observed only once in the literature appear to be recurrent from our data: del(16)(q13), del(5)(p13) and i(3)(q10), the latter being a single structural aberration in the karyotype. Clinical parameters from our series were compared with 2 control groups: 20 MM cases with recurrent aberrations in MM/PCL with a similar distribution of abnormalities associated with poor prognosis (group 1), and 40 with normal karyotypes and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis (group 2). Significantly increased serum calcium levels (p = 0.022) in patients with new and/or infrequent chromosome changes with respect to both control groups, and a higher percentage of bone marrow plasma cell infiltration (p = 0.005), β2 microglobulin, and lactate dehydrogenase levels (p < 0.0001) compared to group 2 were observed. Our results suggest that some of these novel rearrangements may be capable to deregulate genetic mechanisms related to the development and/or progression of the disease. The finding of new recurrent aberrations supports this hypothesis.
Overexpression of Lis1 in Different Stages of Spermatogenesis Does Not Result in an Aberrant Phenotype
Authors: Drusenheimer N. , Nayernia K. , Meinhardt A. , Jung B. , Arnold H.-H. , Engel W.
Published: August 2011

Previous studies showed that in the mouse mutant Lis1GT/GT gene trap integration in intron 2 of Lis1 gene leads to male infertility in homozygous Lis1GT/GT mice. We further analyzed this line and could confirm the suggested downregulation of a testis-specific Lis1 transcript in mutant animals in a quantitative manner. Moreover, we analyzed the gene trap mutation on different genetic backgrounds in incipient congenic animals and could exclude a genetic background effect. To gain further insights into the role and requirement of LIS1 in spermatogenesis, 3 transgenic lines were generated, that overexpress Lis1 under control of the testis-specific promoters hEF-1α, which is exclusively active in spermatogonial cells, PGK2, which is active in pachytene spermatocytes and following stages of spermatogenesis, and Tnp2 which is active in round spermatids and following stages of spermatogenesis, respectively. All 3 transgenic lines remained fertile and testis sections displayed no abnormalities. To overcome the infertility of Lis1GT/GT males, these transgenic Lis1-overexpressing animals were mated with Lis1GT/GT mice to generate ‘rescued’ Lis1GT/GT/Lis1Tpos males. ‘Rescued’ animals from all transgenic lines remained infertile, thus overexpression of Lis1 in different stages of spermatogenesis could not rescue the infertility phenotype of homozygous gene trap males.
Elevated Tumor Necrosis Factor in Serum Is Associated with Increased Retinal Ischemia in Proliferative Eales’ Disease
Authors: Saxena Sandeep , Khanna Vinay K. , Pant Aditya B. , Meyer Carsten H. , Singh Vijay K.
Published: August 2011

Objective: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was evaluated in the serum of patients with proliferative stage of Eales’ disease to study its relation with the area of retinal capillary non-perfusion (ischemic retina). Methods: Quantification of the levels of TNF was done using sandwich ELISA in 52 cases with proliferative Eales’ disease and in 32 healthy controls. Seven 50° photographs of different fields of the fundus were taken on fluorescein angiography. The area of retinal capillary non-perfusion denoting retinal cell death was assessed in terms of optic disc areas. Results: TNF levels were found to be significantly increased in the proliferative stage of the disease (mean 23.64 ± 3.7 pg/ml) as compared to controls (mean 12.49 ± 2.9 pg/ml; p < 0.001). Higher levels of TNF were found to be associated with an increased area of retinal capillary non-perfusion on fluorescein angiography. TNF levels of 20–31 pg/ml were observed in cases with neovascularization at the disc (n = 33) as compared to 17–21 pg/ml in cases with neovascularization elsewhere (n = 19). Conclusions: An increasedlevel of TNF is associated with an increased area of the ischemic retina. It is hypothesized that retinal cell death signaling in proliferative Eales’ disease is related to an increased TNF level.
Identification of Copy Number Variants on Human Chromosome 22 in Patients with a Variety of Clinical Findings
Authors: Yu S. , Graf W.D. , Ramalingam A. , Brawner S.J. , Joyce J.M. , Fiedler S. , Zhou X.-G. , Liu H.-Y.
Published: August 2011

The aims of this study were to create a copy number variant (CNV) profile of human chromosome 22 and to establish a genotype-phenotype correlation for patients with genomic abnormalities on chromosome 22. Thus, 1,654 consecutive pediatric patients with a diversity of clinical findings were evaluated by high-resolution chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). We identified 25 individuals with abnormal CNVs on chromosome 22, representing 1.5% of the cases analyzed in this cohort. Meanwhile, we detected 1,298 benign CNVs on this chromosome in these individuals. Twenty-one of the 25 abnormal CNVs and the majority of the benign CNVs occurred through involvement of the 8 unstable genomic regions enriched with low copy repeats (LCR22A–H). The highly dynamic status of LCR22s within the 22q11 region facilitates the formation of diverse genomic abnormalities. This CNV profile provides a general perspective of the spectrum of chromosome 22 genomic imbalances and subsequently improves the CNV-phenotype correlations.
A New Approach to Account for the Correlations among Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Chen Zhongxue , Liu Qingzhong
Published: August 2011

In genetic association studies, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be as large as hundreds of thousands. Due to linkage disequilibrium, many SNPs are highly correlated; assuming they are independent is not valid. The commonly used multiple comparison methods, such as Bonferroni correction, are not appropriate and are too conservative when applied to GWAS. To overcome these limitations, many approaches have been proposed to estimate the so-called effective number of independent tests to account for the correlations among SNPs. However, many current effective number estimation methods are based on eigenvalues of the correlation matrix. When the dimension of the matrix is large, the numeric results may be unreliable or even unobtainable. To circumvent this obstacle and provide better estimates, we propose a new effective number estimation approach which is not based on the eigenvalues. We compare the new method with others through simulated and real data. The comparison results show that the proposed method has very good performance.
Use of 2‐Octylcyanoacrylate (Dermabond) Tissue Adhesive for Tip Graft Fixation in Open Rhinoplasty
Authors: Min Jin‐Young , Jang Yong Ju
Published: August 2011

Objectives

To describe the use of 2‐octylcyanoacrylate (2‐OCA; Dermabond) for fixation of cartilage grafts in nasal tip surgery via an external approach in Asian patients.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic tertiary care medical center.

Subjects and Methods

This retrospective study analyzed data from 33 Korean patients who underwent open rhinoplasty using 2‐OCA tissue adhesive for fixation of cartilage grafts in tip surgery. Autologous septal, conchal, costal, or homologous costal cartilage was used as graft materials. Layers of cartilages were bonded using 2‐OCA tissue adhesive, and care was taken to prevent the tissue adhesive from spilling and directly contacting surrounding soft tissues. Preoperative and postoperative photographs were reviewed for objective and subjective assessment of aesthetic outcomes.

Results

Postoperative aesthetic outcomes were graded as excellent in 51.5%, fair in 33.3%, and no change/worse in 15.2% of patients. Preoperative and postoperative anthropometric measurements showed that the nasal tip projection increased (0.53 ± 0.03 vs 0.57 ± 0.05; P <. 05) and the nasolabial angle improved (92.54 ± 6.95 vs 96.12 ± 5.20; P <. 05). The overall complication rate was 24.2%, and complications included erythema (9.1%), infection (12.1%), and aesthetic dissatisfaction (3.0%).

Conclusion

Although using 2‐OCA tissue adhesive for tip surgery simplifies the surgical procedures of fixating graft materials, the relatively high complication rate may preclude its use in nasal tip surgery via an external approach for Asian noses.
Demographics and Microbiology of Otorrhea through Patent Tubes Failing Ototopical and/or Oral Antibiotic Therapy
Authors: Fishman Inessa , Sykes Kevin J. , Horvat Rebecca , Selvarangan Rangaraj , Newland Jason , Wei Julie L.
Published: August 2011

Objectives

Posttympanostomy tube otorrhea (PTTO) results in significant health care cost and decreased satisfaction with care. The authors reviewed PTTO failing initial ototopical and/or oral antibiotic therapy and microbiology/susceptibility data from cultures.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

A community university satellite ambulatory clinic and the outpatient clinic of a children’s hospital.

Methods

Review of 202 patients with 228 discrete episodes of culture‐positive otorrhea from January 2004 to January 2009.

Results

PTTO occurred an average of 13 months after tube placement. Median otorrhea duration was 21 days (mean, 42 days). A mean of 1.6 visits (range, 1‐6) to the pediatric otolaryngology office was required for PTTO resolution. Ototopical therapy was reported used in 198 of 228 (87%) episodes of otorrhea prior to pediatric otolaryngology visit. Nearly 50% of patients were prescribed at least 1 or more courses of systemic antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 52% of the organisms cultured, with 57% methicillin‐resistant S aureus (MRSA). S aureus resistance to clindamycin was high (49%) and resistance to levofloxacin was low (1.8%). MRSA was 68% clindamycin resistant, much higher than both ours and the children’s hospital’s clindamycin resistance rate of MRSA cultured from all other body sites.

Conclusions

PTTO that presents as having failed ototopical and/or oral antibiotics most commonly consists of S aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. MRSA is highly prevalent in this population. It is not necessary to culture PTTO that presents to an otolaryngology office, as resistance to levofloxacin was only 1.8%. It is unclear why the same fluoroquinolone ototopical therapy that failed initially is often successful in treating PTTO after otolaryngologist visit.
Design of a bumper system for pedestrian lower-leg protection using the Taguchi method
Authors: Huang T-J , Wu J-T , Hsiao C-Y , Wang M-S , Lee K-C
Published: August 2011

The main aim of this study is to design a bumper system which is capable of lessening the possibility of pedestrian lower-extremity injuries in car–pedestrian collisions. The current pedestrian safety regulation recognized by most countries worldwide is to apply a lower-legform impactor to assess the lower-extremity injuries during impact. Therefore, a numerical pedestrian lower-legform impactor is developed based on the finite element method to evaluate the bumper safety in the study. Five design parameters for the bumper system, according to the stiffness and geometry of the energy absorber and the bumper beam, are selected to demonstrate this design strategy. The sensitivities of these design parameters are analysed by means of the Taguchi method to reduce the leg injuries of a pedestrian based on impact tests defined by the European Enhanced Vehicle-Safety Committee (EEVC). Consequently, the optimal combination is attained, and the result satisfies the EEVC criteria on the protection of a pedestrian from leg injury.
Surface flow and wake characteristics of automotive external rear-view mirror
Authors: Kim J-H , Park B H , Han Y O
Published: August 2011

To observe surface flow and wake structure around an automotive external rear-view mirror, the pressure distribution over the mirror skin and the velocity vector fields in the cross-sectional planes were measured using a pressure scanning system and hot-wire anemometry in a blow-down wind tunnel. Surface flow visualization was also used to investigate boundary layer flow over the mirror surface. It was found that the pressure coefficient became negative over the whole of the surface area, with the exception of the proximity of the stagnation point of the mirror housing, implying the surface flow acceleration along the curved mirror contour. The minimum pressure on the surface of the mirror glass appeared near the outside edge region, which seemed to be the origin of the vortex envelope. Velocity vector fields showed that a conical envelope of the vortex sheet developed with its centre trailing toward the body frame. It was also demonstrated that visualizations over the mirror housing surface and the driver side vehicle skin show good agreement with the pressure distribution of the mirror housing surface and the trail of the vortex sheet in the mirror wake.
Is aorto-arteritis a manifestation of primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome?
Authors: Dhaon P , Das SK , Saran RK , Parihar A
Published: August 2011

A 23 year old female presented with dyspnea on exertion and absent pulses in the left upper limb. She had prior history of two first trimester abortions and pre-eclampsia with premature delivery. A Doppler examination had revealed left subclavian and axillary artery thrombosis for which she had been given warfarin six months previously. She was admitted and investigated. Patient had low positive aCL IgG antibody, positive antibeta2gp1 antibody, negative lupus anticoagulant and negative ANA. Patient had cardiomegaly and her echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation, moderate mitral regurgitation and moderate pulmonary artery hypertension with poor ejection fraction with normal aortic root. A diagnosis of primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with valvular involvement with dilated cardiomyopathy was entertained. A CT angiogram of the aorta revealed narrowing and irregularity of the aorta and its multiple branches suggestive of type III Takayasu’s arteritis. Temporal relationship suggests development of aorto-arteritis secondary to APS but simultaneous presence of both these disorders in this patient cannot be ruled out.
The effects of rivastigmine on processing speed and brain activation in patients with multiple sclerosis and subjective cognitive fatigue
Authors: Huolman S , Hämäläinen P , Vorobyev V , Ruutiainen J , Parkkola R , Laine T , Hämäläinen H
Published: August 2011

Background: Cognitive decline and fatigue are typical in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, there is no official medication for either of these symptoms.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of a single dose of rivastigmine on processing speed and associated brain activity in patients with MS and subjective cognitive fatigue.

Methods: Fifteen patients with MS and subjective cognitive fatigue and 13 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, gender and education performed a neuropsychological assessment and functional (f)MRI. A modified version of the Paced Visual Serial Addition Test (mPVSAT) was used as the behavioural task during fMRIs. After the first scanning session, both groups were randomly divided into two subgroups receiving either rivastigmine or placebo. A single dose of rivastigmine or placebo was administrated double-blindly and 2.5 hours later the scanning was repeated.

Results: At baseline, the patients with MS showed slower processing speed in mPVSAT compared with the HCs. They also demonstrated stronger bilateral frontal activation after sustained cognitive effort than the HCs. Performance improvement and a further activation increase in the left anterior frontal cortex and additional activation in the right cerebellum were observed in patients who received rivastigmine but not in patients on placebo, or in HCs with placebo or rivastigmine.

Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that rivastigmine may improve cognitive processing speed by enhancing compensatory brain activation in patients with MS.
Prevalence and correlates of autism in a state psychiatric hospital
Authors: Mandell David S , Lawer Lindsay J , Branch Kira , Brodkin Edward S , Healey Kristin , Witalec Robert , Johnson Donielle N , Gur Raquel E
Published: August 2011

This study estimated the ASD prevalence in a psychiatric hospital and evaluated the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) combined with other information for differential diagnosis. Chart review, SRS and clinical interviews were collected for 141 patients at one hospital. Diagnosis was determined at case conference. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the SRS as a screening instrument. Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis estimated the role of other variables, in combination with the SRS, in separating cases and non-cases. Ten percent of the sample had ASD. More than other patients, their onset was prior to 12 years of age, they had gait problems and intellectual disability, and were less likely to have a history of criminal involvement or substance abuse. Sensitivity (0.86) and specificity (0.60) of the SRS were maximized at a score of 84. Adding age of onset < 12 years and cigarette use among those with SRS <80 increased sensitivity to 1.00 without lowering specificity. Adding a history substance abuse among those with SRS >80 increased specificity to 0.90 but dropped sensitivity to 0.79. Undiagnosed ASD may be common in psychiatric hospitals. The SRS, combined with other information, may discriminate well between ASD and other disorders.
Increasing verbal responsiveness in parents of children with autism:a pilot study
Authors: Venker Courtney E. , McDuffie Andrea , Ellis Weismer Susan , Abbeduto Leonard
Published: August 2011

Correlational studies have revealed a positive relationship between parent verbal responsiveness and language outcomes in children with autism. We investigated whether parents of young children on the autism spectrum could learn and implement the specific categories of verbal responsiveness that have been suggested to facilitate language development. Parents were taught to increase their verbal responsiveness in the context of a short-term language intervention that included group parent education sessions, as well as individual and small-group coaching sessions of parent–child play interactions. Parents in the treatment group increased their use of comments that: described their child’s focus of attention; interpreted or expanded child communication acts; and prompted child communication. Preliminary treatment effects were also noted in children’s prompted and spontaneous communication. These results support the use of parent-mediated interventions targeting verbal responsiveness to facilitate language development and communication in young children with autism.
Counterveillance: How Foucault and the Groupe d’Information sur les Prisons reversed the optics
Authors: Welch Michael
Published: August 2011

The analysis herein considers the dynamics of panopticism by developing further the concept of counter-surveillance—or counterveillance—whereby prison officials rather than the prisoners become the target of unwanted attention. While maintaining an interest in panoptic as well as synoptic theory, the article describes two counterveillant tactics deployed by Foucault and the Groupe d’Information sur les Prisons (GIP) in France during the 1970s. First, the GIP turned the prison inside out, in a manner of speaking, so as to publicly expose the harsh conditions of confinement. Second, the group set out to watch the watchers in an effort to hold certain prison administrators accountable for their unjust policies and practices. Implications of optical activism aimed at improving transparency in penal operations also are discussed alongside the limits of such protest.
Border skirmishes and the question of belonging: An authoethnographic account of everyday exclusion in multicultural society
Authors: Davis Kathy , Nencel Lorraine
Published: August 2011

Transnational migration has transformed most European countries, making the problem of how to ‘integrate’ an increasingly popular topic in public debates and social policy. It is assumed that as long as the newcomer learns the language, adapts to the local customs and finds work, s/he will be integrated and welcomed with open arms as a full-fledged member of society. Based on an autoethnography of our experiences as US-born, long-term and fully ‘integrated’ residents of the Netherlands, one of Europe’s most multicultural societies, we have explored some of the subtle, well-intentioned practices of distancing and exclusion that are part of the fabric of everyday life. We will show how, contrary to the official discourse of integration, ‘Dutch-ness’ as a white/ethnic national identity is continuously constructed as a ‘we’, which excludes all ‘others’. And, indeed, we have discovered that, paradoxically, the closer the ‘other’ comes to being completely assimilated into Dutch society, the more the symbolic borders of national belonging may need to be policed and tightened.
A qualitative study of families of a child with a nut allergy
Authors: Pitchforth Emma , Weaver Simon , Willars Janet , Wawrzkowicz Emilia , Luyt David , Dixon-Woods Mary
Published: August 2011

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore, using qualitative methods, the experiences of children and their parents living with nut allergy.

Methods: Children with a confirmed diagnosis of peanut allergy were identified from a database of patients maintained at an allergy clinic at a large teaching hospital. Interviews with 26 families were conducted involving 11 children, 25 mothers and 12 fathers.

Results: The diagnosis of nut allergy signalled a critical transition—or biographical disruption—in the life of the family. Parents took on the role of ‘alert assistant’ and sought to create ‘safe places’ where nuts were not permitted, but often struggled when outside the home environment. The option of ‘passing as normal’, often used by people with a chronic illness to avoid stigma, was not available to them. Consequently, parents often reported being treated as faddy, demanding, and neurotic, and children suffered from teasing and exclusion. The social consequences of nut allergy were worsened by poor labelling and control of foods and products containing nuts.

Discussion: In many ways, nut allergy may be considered a form of disability, because it imposes social barriers on participating fully in society.
No longer ‘the other’: A reflection on diversity in Canadian fiction television
Authors: Roth Lorna , d'Haenens Leen , Le Brun Thierry
Published: August 2011

Canada has played a leadership role in the development of multiculturalism and its use in ethnic and minority television broadcasting as an integrative tool for cultural and racial constituency groups. Canada has mainly opted to emphasize private ethnic broadcasting as the means by which to integrate minorities, along with the support of the public broadcasters’ progressive initiatives. After historically differentiating and framing ethnic/multicultural research and programming initiatives in Canada, this article identifies some lessons and best practices that have emerged from this experience. Using policy analysis from a historical perspective, the authors analyse the enabling mechanisms and strengths, as well as the obstacles and failures that have been experienced in an effort to build an integrated, cohesive and transformative television system in which all members of society are recognized as having a right to both fair portrayal practices and employment opportunities.
Complaining about humanitarian refugees: The role of sympathy talk in the design of complaints on talkback radio
Authors: Hanson-Easey Scott , Augoustinos Martha
Published: August 2011

Complaining about humanitarian refugees is rarely an unequivocal activity for society members. Their talk appears dilemmatic: ‘sympathy talk’, comprising rhetorical displays of ‘care’, tolerance and aesthetic evaluations, is woven together with more pejorative messages. In this article we investigate how ‘sympathy talk’ functions as a discursive resource in talk-in-interaction when people give accounts of minority group individuals. A ‘synthetic’ discursive psychological approach was employed to analyse a corpus of 12 talkback radio calls to an evening ‘shock jock’ radio personality in Adelaide, Australia, after the stabbing death of a Sudanese-Australian refugee. Analysis shows how host and callers dialogically negotiate and orientate to various sympathetic and humanitarian descriptions/evaluations. We contend that sympathetic talk advances the activity of conversation, softening complaints that could be made accountable as prejudiced. Sympathy talk also functions as a counter-argument to perceived punitive or ‘racist’ complaints. Moreover, this article proposes that such rhetoric shares an ideological thread that potentially undermines Sudanese refugees’ social positioning. Dialogue that deploys sympathetic formulations may be an element in the increasingly varied and subtle activity of ‘new racism’. We discuss how sympathetic accounts contain, within their semantic structure, their own antithesis for their deployment in anti-racist practice; for the development of counter discourses fundamental to the disruption of pervasive ideological representations and the construction of alternative refugee identities.
‘So what problems bother you and you are not speeding up your work?’ Problem solving talk at work
Authors: Angouri Jo , Bargiela-Chiappini Francesca
Published: August 2011

Problem solving (PbS) can be readily described as one of the key activities regularly performed by professionals in any workplace setting. Despite its importance, however, there is relatively little (socio)linguistic research which looks at the complex ways in which problems are constructed in discourse. This article sees the enactment of a ‘problem’ as a discursive phenomenon with fluid boundaries. It draws on business meeting data recorded in multinational companies in Europe and focuses on excerpts identified by the participants as having a PbS function. The data show that problem solving processes and practice are anchored to the structure of the organizations, the local history and employees’ shared perceptions of professional practices and hierarchies in their workplace. The analysis also shows two focal points in the PbS talk of the participants in this study, namely identification of a problem (what the problem is) and its ownership (whose problem it is). These, however, are not predetermined starting points but rather locally constructed in relation to the status, expertise and shared/past history of the interactants.
A Comprehensive Histological Assessment of Osteoarthritis Lesions in Mice
Authors: McNulty Margaret A. , Loeser Richard F. , Davey Cynthia , Callahan Michael F. , Ferguson Cristin M. , Carlson Cathy S.
Published: August 2011

Objective:

Accurate histological assessment of osteoarthritis (OA) is critical in studies evaluating the effects of interventions on disease severity. The purpose of the present study was to develop a histological grading scheme that comprehensively and quantitatively assesses changes in multiple tissues that are associated with OA of the stifle joint in mice.

Design:

Two representative midcoronal sections from 158 stifle joints, including naturally occurring and surgically induced OA, were stained with H&E and Safranin-O stains. All slides were evaluated to characterize the changes present. A grading scheme that includes both measurements and semiquantitative scores was developed, and principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to the resulting data from the medial tibial plateaus. A subset of 30 tibial plateaus representing a wide range of severity was then evaluated by 4 observers. Reliability of the results was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results:

Five factors were retained by PCA, accounting for 74% of the total variance. Interobserver and intraobserver reproducibilities for evaluations of articular cartilage and subchondral bone were acceptable. The articular cartilage integrity and chondrocyte viability factor scores were able to distinguish severe OA from normal, minimal, mild, and moderate disease.

Conclusion:

This newly developed grading scheme and resulting factors characterize a range of joint changes in mouse stifle joints that are associated with OA. Overall, the newly developed scheme is reliable and reproducible, characterizes changes in multiple tissues, and provides comprehensive information regarding a specific site in the stifle joint.
A Way to More Effective Marketing Strategies
Authors: Grebitus Carola , Bruhn Maike
Published: August 2011

To create successful marketing strategies, it is essential to be familiar with consumers’ cognitive structures. In this article, the qualitative method of concept mapping is applied in a consumer survey ( N = 132) to elicit cognitive structures and dimensionality of cognitive structures. The authors present methods to analyze dimensionality of cognitive structures descriptively and microeconometrically. An indicator for measuring cognitive structure dimensionality including weighted links is applied. To test the methodology, effects of sociodemographics on dimensionality are analyzed regarding a chosen food product. Results show that consumers’ age and education determine whether cognitive structures are more or less complex, whereas gender has no effect on the dimensionality of cognitive structures. To offer tailored marketing strategies based on dimensionality, emotional marketing strategies should be applied to reach customers with less complex cognitive structures. For consumers with more complex cognitive structures, marketers might focus on providing more detailed, information-based promotion.
Alternative activation of macrophages by IL-4 enhances the proteolytic capacity of their phagosomes through synergistic mechanisms
Authors: Balce Dale R. , Li Baoquan , Allan Euan R. O. , Rybicka Joanna M. , Krohn Regina M. , Yates Robin M.
Published: August 2011

Alternatively activated macrophages, generated in a T-helper 2 environment, have demonstrated roles in wound repair and tissue remodeling in addition to being charged with immune tasks. Because the hydrolytic chemistries of the phagosomal lumen are central to many of these functions, we investigated their modification after alternative activation with IL-4 and IL-13. Most significantly, we found striking up-regulation of the proteolytic levels within the phagosome of IL-4–activated macrophages. Two synergistic mechanisms were determined to underlie this up-regulation. First, IL-4–activated macrophages displayed increased expression of cathepsin S and L, providing greater proteolytic machinery to the phagosome despite unchanged rates of lysosomal contribution. Secondly, decreased phagosomal NADPH oxidase (NOX2) activity, at least partially resulting from decreased expression of the NOX2 subunit gp91phox, resulted in a more reductive lumenal microenvironment, which in turn, enhanced activities of local cysteine cathepsins. Decreased NOX2 activity additionally increased the phagosome's ability to reduce disulfides, further enhancing the efficiency of the macrophage to degrade proteins containing disulfide bonds. Together, these changes initiated by IL-4 act synergistically to rapidly and dramatically enhance the macrophage's ability to degrade phagocytosed protein, which, we reason, better equips this cell for its roles in wound repair and tissue remodeling.
ProbPS: A new model for peak selection based on quantifying the dependence of the existence of derivative peaks on primary ion intensity
Authors: Zhang Shenghui , Wang Yaojun , Bu Dongbo , Zhang Hong , Sun Shiwei
Published: August 2011

Background

The analysis of mass spectra suggests that the existence of derivative peaks is strongly dependent on the intensity of the primary peaks. Peak selection from tandem mass spectrum is used to filter out noise and contaminant peaks. It is widely accepted that a valid primary peak tends to have high intensity and is accompanied by derivative peaks, including isotopic peaks, neutral loss peaks, and complementary peaks. Existing models for peak selection ignore the dependence between the existence of the derivative peaks and the intensity of the primary peaks. Simple models for peak selection assume that these two attributes are independent; however, this assumption is contrary to real data and prone to error.

Results

In this paper, we present a statistical model to quantitatively measure the dependence of the derivative peak's existence on the primary peak's intensity. Here, we propose a statistical model, named ProbPS, to capture the dependence in a quantitative manner and describe a statistical model for peak selection. Our results show that the quantitative understanding can successfully guide the peak selection process. By comparing ProbPS with AuDeNS we demonstrate the advantages of our method in both filtering out noise peaks and in improving de novo identification. In addition, we present a tag identification approach based on our peak selection method. Our results, using a test data set, suggest that our tag identification method (876 correct tags in 1000 spectra) outperforms PepNovoTag (790 correct tags in 1000 spectra).

Conclusions

We have shown that ProbPS improves the accuracy of peak selection which further enhances the performance of de novo sequencing and tag identification. Thus, our model saves valuable computation time and improving the accuracy of the results.