bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diabetic Nephropathy: Mechanisms of Renal Disease Progression
Authors: Kanwar Yashpal S. , Wada Jun , Sun Lin , Xie Ping , Wallner Elisabeth I. , Chen Sheldon , Chugh Sumant , Danesh Farhad R.
Published: May 2008

Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by excessive amassing of extracellular matrix (ECM) with thickening of glomerular and tubular basement membranes and increased amount of mesangial matrix, which ultimately progress to glomerulosclerosis and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. In view of this outcome, it would mean that all the kidney cellular elements, i.e., glomerular endothelia, mesangial cells, podocytes, and tubular epithelia, are targets of hyperglycemic injury. Conceivably, high glucose activates various pathways via similar mechanisms in different cell types of the kidney except for minor exceptions that are related to the selective expression of a given molecule in a particular renal compartment. To begin with, there is an obligatory excessive channeling of glucose intermediaries into various metabolic pathways with generation of advanced glycation products (AGEs), activation of protein kinase C (PKC), increased expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), GTP-binding proteins, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS seem to be the common denominator in various pathways and are central to the pathogenesis of hyperglycemic injury. In addition, there are marked alterations in intraglomerular hemodynamics, i.e., hyperfiltration, and this along with metabolic derangements adversely compounds the hyperglycemia-induced injury. Here, the information compiled under various subtitles of this article is derived from an enormous amount of data summarized in several excellent literature reviews, and thus their further reading is suggested to gain in-depth knowledge of each of the subject matter.
Nonviral Vector-Based Gene Transfection of Primary Human Skeletal Myoblasts
Authors: Ye Lei , Haider Husnain Kh , Esa Wahidah Bte , Law Peter K. , Zhang Wei , Su LiPing , Zhang Yong , Sim Eugene K. W.
Published: May 2008

Low-level transgene efficiency is one of the main obstacles in ex vivo nonviral vector–mediated gene transfer into primary human skeletal myoblasts (hSkMs). We optimized the cholesterol:N-[1-(2, 3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N, N, N-trimethylammonium methylsulfate liposome (CD liposome) and 22-kDa polyethylenimine (PEI22)– and 25-kDa polyethylenimine (PEI25)–mediated transfection of primary hSkMs for angiogenic gene delivery. We found that transfection efficiency and cell viability of three nonviral vectors were cell passage dependent: early cell passages of hSkMs had higher transfection efficiencies with poor cell viabilities, whereas later cell passages of hSkMs had lower transfection efficiencies with better cell viabilities. Trypsinization improved the transfection efficiency by 20% to 60% compared with adherent hSkMs. Optimum gene transfection efficiency was found with passage 6 trypsinized hSkMs: transfection efficiency with CD lipoplexes was 6.99 ± 0.13%, PEI22 polyplexes was 18.58 ± 1.57%, and PEI25 polyplexes was 13.32 ± 0.88%. When pEGFP (a plasmid encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein) was replaced with a vector containing human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (phVEGF165), the optimized gene transfection conditions resulted in hVEGF165 expression up to Day 18 with a peak level at Day 2 after transfection. This study demonstrated that therapeutic angiogenic gene transfer through CD or PEI is feasible and safe after optimization. It could be a potential strategy for treatment of
Evidence-Based Efficacy of Kampo Formulas in a Model of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver
Authors: Fujimoto Makoto , Tsuneyama Koichi , Kainuma Mosaburo , Sekiya Nobuyasu , Goto Hirozo , Takano Yasuo , Terasawa Katsutoshi , Selmi Carlo , Gershwin M. Eric , Shimada Yutaka
Published: May 2008

Data on the efficacy of herbal compounds are often burdened by the lack of appropriate controls or a limited statistical power. Treatments to prevent the progression of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to steatohepatitis (NASH) remain unsatisfactory. A total of 56 rabbits were arrayed into 7 groups fed with standard rabbit chow (SRC), SRC with 1% cholesterol, or each of the five experimental treatments (Kampo formulas 1% keishibukuryogan [KBG], 1% orengedokuto [OGT], and 1% shosaikoto [SST]; vitamin E [VE]; or pioglitazone [PG]) in a 1% cholesterol SRC. We analyzed changes after 12 weeks in plasma and liver lipid profiles, glucose metabolism, adipocytokines, oxidative stress, and liver fibrosis. Data demonstrated that all five treatments were associated with significant amelioration of lipid profiles, oxidative stress, and liver fibrosis compared to no supplementation. KBG was superior to VE and PG in the reduction of liver total cholesterol ( P < 0.01) and lipid peroxidase levels ( P < 0.05), urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine ( P < 0.05), hepatic α-smooth muscle actin positive areas ( P < 0.01) and activated stellate cells ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, there was a statistically significant benefit of Kampo formulas (KBG in particular) on a dietary model of NAFLD/NASH. Future studies need to be directed at the mechanisms in the treatment of NASH.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Is Expressed in Mouse Developing Testis and Regulates Somatic Cell Proliferation
Authors: Villalpando Irma , Lira Esmeralda , Medina Georgina , Garcia-Garcia Erick , Echeverria Olga
Published: May 2008

Testicular development occurs prenatally in mammals. The developmental underlying mechanism is only partially understood. The aim of the present investigation was to study the expression of the gene coding for insulin-like growth factor 1 ( Igf-1) and Igf-1 type 1 receptor ( Igf-1r) and their respective proteins in mouse Sertoli and Leydig cells at gestation day 12 (E12)–E18. Moreover, we sought to determine the effect of IGF-1 on the proliferation of both cell types and to establish the signal transduction mechanism involved in the IGF-1 pathway. Transcripts for the Igf-1 and Igf-1r genes were found in Sertoli and Leydig cells from E12–E18. Highest IGF-1 and IGF-Ir protein expression levels were found in both cell types at E18. Exogenous IGF-1 administration increased Sertoli and Leydig cell proliferation at E14–E18 in vitro. Inhibition of the pathway mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (MEK) 1/2 with UO126 diminished the proliferation of the Sertoli and Leydig cells in vitro. We propose that IGF-1 and IGF-1r regulate Sertoli and Leydig cell proliferation through the MEK/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 signal transduction pathway, leading to development and growth of the mouse embryonic testis.
Effects of Every-Other-Day Feeding on Prolactin Regulatory Mechanism in Transgenic Human Growth Hormone Mice
Authors: Jiménez-Ortega Vanesa , Masternak Michal M. , Panici Jacob A. , Wang Zhihui , Bartke Andrzej , Esquifino Ana I.
Published: May 2008

Transgenic mice overexpressing human growth hormone (hGH) exhibit accelerated aging with functional hyperprolactinemia and greatly depressed endogenous prolactin. Calorie restriction (CR) is widely recognized as the most effective experimental intervention to delay aging. The aim of the present work was to analyze the effects of lifelong overexpression of hGH on prolactin-gene expression as well as the dopamine production at the pituitary level and discern whether this mechanism changes as a function of feeding patterns. Ten-month-old mice fed every other day (EOD) were killed after one day of fasting. The results confirmed typical phenotypic features of these transgenic mice: an increase in body weight, very high hGH plasma concentrations, and hyperinsulinemia. There was a marked inhibition of the expression of the prolactin gene, together with an increased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and the long isoform of dopamine receptor type 2 (D2LR) gene expression at the pituitary level. These parameters were not affected by the EOD feeding pattern. These data may suggest an autocrine or paracrine effect of dopamine at the hypophyseal level on prolactin secretion that is independent of the feeding pattern.
Suppression of Gadd45 Alleviates the G2/M Blockage and the Enhanced Phosphorylation of p53 and p38 in Zinc Supplemented Normal Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells
Authors: Shih Rita S. M. , Wong Stephen H. K. , Schoene Norberta W. , Lei Kai Y.
Published: May 2008

An adequate zinc status is essential for optimal cellular functions and growth. Yet, excessive zinc supplementation can be cytotoxic and can impair cell growth. Gadd45 plays a vital role as cellular stress sensor in the modulation of cell signal transduction in response to stress. The present study was designed to determine the influence of zinc status on Gadd45 expression and cell cycle progression in zinc deficient and supplemented normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells, and to decipher the molecular mechanism(s) exerted by the suppression of Gadd45 expression on cell growth and cell cycle progression in this cell type. Cells were cultured for one passage in different concentration of zinc: <0.4 μM (ZD) as severe zinc deficient; 4 μM as normal zinc level in culture medium; 16 μM (ZA) as normal human plasma zinc level; and 32 μM (ZS) as the high end of plasma zinc attainable by oral supplementation. Inhibition of cell growth, upregulation of Gadd45 mRNA and protein expression, and blockage of G2/M cell cycle progression were observed in ZS cells. In contrast, little or no changes in these parameters were seen in ZD cells. The siRNA-mediated knocking down of Gadd45 was found to relieve G2/M blockage in ZS cells, which indicated that the blockage was Gadd45 dependent. Moreover, the enhanced phosphorylation of p38 and p53 (ser15) in ZS cells was normalized after suppression of Gadd45 by siRNA, implicating that the enhanced phosphorylation of these proteins was Gadd45 dependent. Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that an elevated zinc status modulated signal transduction to produce a delay at G2/M during cell cycle progression in NHBE cells.
Binding of Ochratoxin A to a Urinary Globulin: A New Concept to Account for Gender Difference in Rat Nephrocarcinogenic Responses
Authors: Mantle Peter G. , Nagy Judit
Published: May 2008

SDS-gradient mini-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting of urine of rats given ochratoxin A (OTA), showed OTA binding to an α2u-globulin. Perceived potential internalised delivery of OTA to proximal tubule epithelia by the carrier, specific only to adult male rats and augmenting other uptake mechanisms, suggests that some experimental nephrotoxicological data may not be appropriate for human risk assessment. Reexamination of female rat renal tumour histopathology of the NTP high dose OTA study showed all carcinomas were solitary, unilateral, microscopic and clinically insignificant at the 2-year end-stage. The novel concept, when consolidated further from our archived material, may moderate current perceptions of the human risk of traces of dietary OTA.
Procedure guidelines for MIBG-scintigraphy in children
Authors: Schmidt M. , Hero B. , Pfluger T. , Hahn K. , Franzius C.
Published: May 2008

The German translation of the EANM guideline for MIBG scintigraphy in children (Olivier P et al. EJNM MI 2003; 30: B45–B50; Hahn K. Der Nuklearmediziner 2002; 25: 101–105) was reviewed and actualized according to current publications, legal requirements and conditions in Germany. For the first time this guideline was generated in consensus with the neuroblastoma study group of the Association of Paediatric Haematologie and Oncology (GPOH) with the result of an interdisciplinary recommendation. Further main alterations are related to the recommended 123I activities with respect to the new EANM Paediatric Dosage Card and the explicit recommendation of SPECT.
Effect of phosphorus‐nitrogen additives on fire retardancy of rigid polyurethane foams
Authors: Singh Harpal , Jain A. K. , Sharma T. P.
Published: May 2008

A flame retardant composition was prepared from phosphorus‐melamine‐urea‐formaldehyde (PMUF) reaction. The flame retardancy of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) was studied by impregnating it with various concentrations of PMUF. Optimum impregnation time, retention and density of RPUF samples with PMUF were also studied. The morphology, elemental analysis, and thermal stability of RPUF and RPUF‐PMUF samples were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), CHNS analyzer, and energy dispersive X‐rays (EDX) and, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), derivative thermogravimetric (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), respectively. The deposition of PMUF on the cell walls and surfaces was exhibited by decreased cell size from 357 to 285 (±5) μm. CHNS and EDX studies show the introduction of phosphorus and nitrogen into the RPUF‐PMUF samples. The degradation of RPUF and RPUF‐PMUF samples was occurred through two and three stages in nitrogen and air, respectively. RPUF‐PMUF samples are decomposed comparatively at lower temperature than RPUF which is resulted into large amount of high temperature stable char residue. This char residue acts as insulating blanket and protects RPUF‐PMUF from fire. Fire performance and smoke density of RPUF and RPUF‐PMUF samples were investigated with BS: 4735, ASTM D2863 and ASTM E662, respectively. RPUF‐PMUF samples demonstrate reduced extent burnt from 125 to 27 mm, burning rate 2.23–0.44 mm/s and percent mass loss (PML) from 100 to 8.82%. Oxygen index was also increased from 17.8 to 23.8. Dm results obtained during smoke density tests show that RPUF‐PMUF generates less and delayed smoke than RPUF under flaming and nonflaming mode. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Fundamental properties of rhythm sequences
Authors: Egghe Leo , Liang Liming , Rousseau Ronald
Published: May 2008

Fundamental mathematical properties of rhythm sequences are studied. In particular, a set of three axioms for valid rhythm indicators is proposed, and it is shown that the R‐indicator satisfies only two out of three but that the R′‐indicator satisfies all three. This fills a critical, logical gap in the study of these indicator sequences. Matrices leading to a constant R′‐sequence are called baseline matrices. They are characterized as matrices with constant w‐year diachronous impact factors. The relation with classical impact factors is clarified. Using regression analysis matrices with a rhythm sequence that is on average equal to 1 (smaller than 1, larger than 1) are characterized.
The DCI index: Discounted cumulated impact‐based research evaluation
Authors: Järvelin Kalervo , Persson Olle
Published: May 2008

Research evaluation is increasingly popular and important among research funding bodies and science policy makers. Various indicators have been proposed to evaluate the standing of individual scientists, institutions, journals, or countries. A simple and popular one among the indicators is the h‐index, the Hirsch index (Hirsch 2005), which is an indicator for lifetime achievement of a scholar. Several other indicators have been proposed to complement or balance the h‐index. However, these indicators have no conception of aging. The AR‐index (Jin et al. 2007) incorporates aging but divides the received citation counts by the raw age of the publication. Consequently, the decay of a publication is very steep and insensitive to disciplinary differences. In addition, we believe that a publication becomes outdated only when it is no longer cited, not because of its age. Finally, all indicators treat citations as equally material when one might reasonably think that a citation from a heavily cited publication should weigh more than a citation froma non‐cited or little‐cited publication.We propose a new indicator, the Discounted Cumulated Impact (DCI) index, which devalues old citations in a smooth way. It rewards an author for receiving new citations even if the publication is old. Further, it allows weighting of the citations by the citation weight of the citing publication. DCI can be used to calculate research performance on the basis of the h‐core of a scholar or any other publication data set. Finally, it supports comparing research performance to the average performance in the domain and across domains as well.
Using field cocitation analysis to assess reciprocal and shared impact of LIS/MIS fields
Authors: Sugimoto Cassidy R. , Pratt Jean A. , Hauser Karina
Published: May 2008

This study utilized bibliometric tools to analyze the relationship between two separate, but related, fields: Library and Information Science (LIS) and Management Information Systems (MIS). The top‐ranked 48 journals in each field were used as the unit of analysis. Using these journals, field cocitation was introduced as a method for evaluating the relationships between the two fields. The three‐phased study evaluated (a) the knowledge imported/exported between LIS and MIS, (b) the body of knowledge influenced by both fields, and (c) the overlap in fields as demonstrated by multidimensional scaling. Data collection and analysis were performed using DIALOG and SPSS programs. The primary findings from this study indicate that (a) the MIS impact on LIS is greater than the reverse, (b) there is a growing trend for shared impact between the two disciplines, and (c) the area of overlap between the two fields is predominately those journals focusing on technology systems and digital information. Additionally, this study validated field cocitation as a method by which to evaluate relationships between fields.
Tryptophan catabolites in mesenteric lymph may contribute to pancreatitis-associated organ failure
Authors: Mole D J , McFerran N V , Collett G , O'Neill C , Diamond T , Garden O J , Kylanpaa L , Repo H , Deitch E A
Published: May 2008

Background

Multiple organ failure (MOF) is the key determinant of mortality in acute pancreatitis (AP). Mesenteric lymph cytotoxicity contributes to organ failure in experimental models of systemic inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mesenteric lymph pathway and the lymph injury proteome in experimental AP-associated MOF, and to test the hypothesis that immunoregulatory tryptophan catabolites contribute to mesenteric lymph cytotoxicity.

Methods

Using an experimental model of AP in rats, the humoral component of mesenteric lymph in AP was compared with that from sham-operated control animals, using in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity assays, high-throughput proteomics and high-performance liquid chromatography. The experimental findings were corroborated in a cohort of 34 patients with AP.

Results

Compared with biologically inactive lymph from sham-operated rats, mesenteric lymph in AP became cytotoxic 3 h after induction. Hierarchical clustering of lymph proteomic mass spectra predicted the biological behaviour of lymph. Levels of the immunoregulatory tryptophan catabolite, 3-hydroxykynurenine, were increased in cytotoxic lymph and re-created cytotoxicity in vitro. In humans with AP, plasma kynurenine concentrations correlated in real time with MOF scores and preceded a requirement for mechanical ventilation and haemodialysis.

Conclusion

These results support the concept that mesenteric lymph-borne kynurenines may contribute to pancreatitis-associated MOF.
Relationship Between Lipoprotein(a) and Spontaneous Recanalization of Infarct‐related Arteries in the Early Phase of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Kim Jin Won , Seo Hong Seog , Suh Soon Yong , Choi Cheol Ung , Kim Eung Ju , Rha Seung‐Woon , Park Chang Gyu , Oh Dong Joo
Published: May 2008

Background

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) is known to inhibit the fibrinolysis system and promote thrombus formation.

Hypothesis

We retrospectively investigated the influences of Lp(a) on infarct‐related artery patency in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

In 144 patients with ST‐segment elevation, myocardial, coronary angiography (CAG) was performed within 12 h of the onset of symptoms. Subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the thrombolysis in myocardial infaction (TIMI) grade, Group I (TIMI 0–1, n = 94) versus Group II (TIMI 2–3, n = 50). The Gensini score and 0‐ to 3‐vessel disease score estimated the severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD), respectively. Lp(a), lipid profile and c‐reactive protein (CRP) were measured before any medications including thrombolytics were given.

Results

The Lp(a) level was higher in Group I than in Group II. There was a weak correlation between Lp(a) level and Gensini score. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, a Lp(a) level was a predictor of infarct‐related artery patency in the early phase of AMI. There were no significant differences in the location of the infarct‐related arteries, extent of CAD, time from pain to CAG, number of risk factors, and hs‐CRP values between the 2 groups.

Conclusion

The Lp(a) level was significantly higher in patients with persistent occlusion compared with those with spontaneous recanalization of infarct‐related arteries in the early phase of AMI. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High mobility group AT‐hook 1 (HMGA1) is an independent prognostic factor and novel therapeutic target in pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Liau Siong‐Seng , Rocha Flavio , Matros Evan , Redston Mark , Whang Edward
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND.

High mobility group AT‐hook 1 (HMGA1) proteins are architectural transcription factors that are overexpressed by pancreatic adenocarcinomas. The authors hypothesized that tumor HMGA1 status represents a novel prognostic marker in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. They also tested the hypothesis that HMGA1 promotes anchorage‐independent cellular proliferation and in vivo tumorigenicity.

METHODS.

Tumor HMGA1 expression was examined by immunohistochemical analysis of tissues from 89 consecutive patients who underwent resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Short‐hairpin RNA (shRNA)‐mediated RNA interference was used to silence HMGA1 expression in MiaPaCa2 and PANC1 pancreatic cancer cells. Anchorage‐independent proliferation was assessed by using soft agar assays. The roles of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K)/Akt and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) signaling were investigated by using specific inhibitors and adenoviral dominant‐negative/active Akt constructs. In vivo tumorigenicity was assessed by using a nude mouse xenograft model.

RESULTS.

Tumor HMGA1 expression was detected in 93% of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Patients with HMGA1‐negative tumors had a significantly longer median survival than patients with HMGA1‐expressing cancers in univariate analysis (P = .0028) and in multivariate analysis (P<.05). shRNA‐mediated HMGA1 silencing resulted in significant reductions in anchorage‐independent proliferation in soft agar. Forced HMGA1 overexpression promoted proliferation in soft agar through a process that was dependent on PI3‐K/Akt‐activited signaling, but not on mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MEK)/ERK signaling. Targeted silencing of HMGA1 reduced tumor growth in vivo through reduced proliferation (Ki‐67 index) and increased apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick‐end labeling).

CONCLUSIONS.

The current findings suggested that HMGA1 is an independent predictor of poor postoperative survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, HMGA1 promotes tumorigenicity through a PI3‐K/Akt‐dependent mechanism. HMGA1 warrants further evaluation as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Cancer screening practices of adult survivors of retinoblastoma at risk of second cancers
Authors: Sheen Victoria , Tucker Margaret A. , Abramson David H. , Seddon Johanna M. , Kleinerman Ruth A.
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the pattern of cancer screening behavior in adult retinoblastoma survivors, who are at high risk of developing second cancers.

METHODS.

Self‐reported cancer screening practices were investigated in a cohort of retinoblastoma survivors to evaluate whether they were receiving adequate screening for specific cancers and compare these rates with those of other adult survivors of childhood cancer and the general population. The prevalence of breast self‐examination, clinical breast examination, mammography, Papanicolaou (Pap) test, testicular self‐examination, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scanning was determined from computer‐aided telephone interviews with 836 retinoblastoma survivors aged >18 years.

RESULTS.

Among female survivors, 87% had a Pap test within the past 2 years, and 76% of females age >40 years reported having a mammogram within the past 2 years; 17.4% of male survivors had performed monthly testicular self‐examinations. A significantly higher proportion of hereditary compared with nonhereditary survivors reported having undergone an MRI or CT scan in the past 5 years. Higher education, greater contact with the medical care system, and having a second cancer were found to be associated positively with most screening practices. Cancer screening practices reported by retinoblastoma survivors were similar to national screening rates for breast, cervical, and testicular cancer.

CONCLUSIONS.

To the authors' knowledge, the current study provides the first report of cancer screening practices of retinoblastoma survivors. Survivors of hereditary retinoblastoma should be encouraged to maintain, if not increase, their current screening practices to ensure early detection of second cancers in this high‐risk population. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Long‐term course of binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa: Relevance for nosology and diagnostic criteria
Authors: Fichter Manfred M. , Quadflieg Norbert , Hedlund Susanne
Published: May 2008

Objective:

To present the twelve‐year outcome of binge eating disorder (BED) in 68 female inpatients compared to bulimia nervosa, purging type (BN‐P; N = 196).

Method:

Self and expert ratings focused on the beginning of therapy and the 12‐year follow‐up.

Results:

36% of BED and 28.2% of BN‐P patients still received an eating disorder diagnosis at follow‐up. Differences between groups were small (Eating Disorder Inventory, Structured Inventory for Anorexic and Bulimic Syndromes, Hopkins Symptom Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory). Similar predictors for BED and BN‐P were identified. Psychiatric comorbidity was the predominant predictor of poor outcome in both diagnoses. Predictors for BED outcome were body dissatisfaction, sexual abuse, and impulsivity; self‐injury predicted BN‐P outcome.

Conclusion:

Course, outcome, and mortality were similar for BED and BN‐P. Both disorders had psychiatric comorbidity as the main predictor of outcome, and there was a diagnostic shift between BED and BN‐P over time, pointing to their nosological proximity. Data are relevant for the formulation of DSM‐V and ICD‐11 diagnostic criteria. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008
Analysis of polygonal terrain landforms on Earth and Mars through spatial point patterns
Authors: Dutilleul Pierre , Haltigin Timothy W. , Pollard Wayne H.
Published: May 2008

In this paper, we explain the successive steps by which spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) can be used to describe the variety of polygonal terrain morphologies observed both on Earth and on Mars. In this context, a point is defined as a polygon trough intersection with identifiable spatial coordinates. This definition corresponds to a key step in our approach: obtaining observed 2‐D spatial point patterns from digitized images. The distribution of nearest‐neighbor (NN) distances provides the quantitative basis sought to characterize objectively the overall polygonal network geometry as completely random, regular, or intermediate. In the cases of regular geometry, the distribution of NN distances can be advantageously modeled, which completes the effectiveness of the statistical approach and method based on SPPA. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tests for gene‐environment interaction from case‐control data: a novel study of type I error, power and designs
Authors: Mukherjee Bhramar , Ahn Jaeil , Gruber Stephen B. , Rennert Gad , Moreno Victor , Chatterjee Nilanjan
Published: May 2008

To evaluate the risk of a disease associated with the joint effects of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposures, epidemiologic researchers often test for non‐multiplicative gene‐environment effects from case‐control studies. In this article, we present a comparative study of four alternative tests for interactions: (i) the standard case‐control method; (ii) the case‐only method, which requires an assumption of gene‐environment independence for the underlying population; (iii) a two‐step method that decides between the case‐only and case‐control estimators depending on a statistical test for the gene‐environment independence assumption and (iv) a novel empirical‐Bayes (EB) method that combines the case‐control and case‐only estimators depending on the sample size and strength of the gene‐environment association in the data. We evaluate the methods in terms of integrated Type I error and power, averaged with respect to varying scenarios for gene‐environment association that are likely to appear in practice. These unique studies suggest that the novel EB procedure overall is a promising approach for detection of gene‐environment interactions from case‐control studies. In particular, the EB procedure, unlike the case‐only or two‐step methods, can closely maintain a desired Type I error under realistic scenarios of gene‐environment dependence and yet can be substantially more powerful than the traditional case‐control analysis when the gene‐environment independence assumption is satisfied, exactly or approximately. Our studies also reveal potential utility of some non‐traditional case‐control designs that samples controls at a smaller rate than the cases. Apart from the simulation studies, we also illustrate the different methods by analyzing interactions of two commonly studied genes, N‐acetyl transferase type 2 and glutathione s‐transferase M1, with smoking and dietary exposures, in a large case‐control study of colorectal cancer. Genet. Epidemiol. 2008. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ordered‐subset analysis (OSA) for family‐based association mapping of complex traits
Authors: Chung Ren‐Hua , Schmidt Silke , Martin Eden R. , Hauser Elizabeth R.
Published: May 2008

Association analysis provides a powerful tool for complex disease gene mapping. However, in the presence of genetic heterogeneity, the power for association analysis can be low since only a fraction of the collected families may carry a specific disease susceptibility allele. Ordered‐subset analysis (OSA) is a linkage test that can be powerful in the presence of genetic heterogeneity. OSA uses trait‐related covariates to identify a subset of families that provide the most evidence for linkage. A similar strategy applied to genetic association analysis would likely result in increased power to detect association. Association in the presence of linkage (APL) is a family‐based association test (FBAT) for nuclear families with multiple affected siblings that properly infers missing parental genotypes when linkage is present. We propose here APL‐OSA, which applies the OSA method to the APL statistic to identify a subset of families that provide the most evidence for association. A permutation procedure is used to approximate the distribution of the APL‐OSA statistic under the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between the family‐specific covariate and the family‐specific evidence for allelic association. We performed a comprehensive simulation study to verify that APL‐OSA has the correct type I error rate under the null hypothesis. This simulation study also showed that APL‐OSA can increase power relative to other commonly used association tests (APL, FBAT and FBAT with covariate adjustment) in the presence of genetic heterogeneity. Finally, we applied APL‐OSA to a family study of age‐related macular degeneration, where cigarette smoking was used as a covariate. Genet. Epidemiol. 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does advanced medical technology encourage hospitalist use and their direct employment by hospitals?
Authors: David Guy , Helmchen Lorens A. , Henderson Robert A.
Published: May 2008

In the United States, inpatient medical care increasingly encompasses the use of expensive medical technology and, at the same time, is coordinated and supervised more and more by a rapidly growing number of inpatient‐dedicated physicians (hospitalists). In the production of inpatient care services, Hospitalist services can be viewed as complementary to sophisticated and expensive medical equipment in the provision of inpatient medical care. We investigate the causal relationship between a hospital's access to three types of sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment – intensity‐modulated radiation therapy, gamma knife, and multi‐slice computed tomography – and its likelihood of using hospitalists. To rule out omitted variables bias and reverse causality, we use technology‐specific Certificate of Need regulation to predict technology use. We find a strong positive association, yet no causal link between access to medical technology and hospitalist use. We also study the choice of employment modality among hospitals that use hospitalists, and find that access to expensive medical technology reduces the hospital's propensity to employ hospitalists directly. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Theoretical characterizations of HAsXH (X = N, P, As, Sb, and Bi) isomers in the singlet and triplet states
Authors: Lai Chin‐Hung , Su Ming‐Der
Published: May 2008

The lowest singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces for all group 15 HAsXH (X = N, P, As, Sb, and Bi) systems have been explored through ab initio calculations. The geometries of the various isomers were determined at the QCISD/LANL2DZdp level and confirmed to be minima by vibrational analysis. In the case of nitrogen, the global minimum is found to be a triplet H2NAs structure. For the phosphorus case, singlet trans‐HAsPH is found to be global minima surrounded by large activation barriers, so that it should be observable. For arsenic, theoretical investigations demonstrate that the stability of HAsAsH isomers decreases in the order singlet trans‐HAsAsH > triplet H2AsAs > singlet cis‐HAsAsH > triplet HAsAsH > singlet H2AsAs. For antimony and bismuth, the theoretical findings suggest that the stability of HAsXH (X = Sb and Bi) systems decreases in the order triplet H2AsX ≈ singlet trans‐HAsXH > singlet cis‐HAsXH > triplet HAsXH > triplet H2XAs > singlet H2AsX > singlet H2XAs. Our model calculations indicate that the relativistic effect on heavier group 15 elements should play an important role in determining the geometries as well as the stability of HAsXH molecules. The results obtained are in good agreement with the available experimental data and allow a number of predictions to be made. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008
QM/MM vibrational mode tracking
Authors: Herrmann Carmen , Neugebauer Johannes , Reiher Markus
Published: May 2008

Vibrational spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate the structure and dynamics of biomolecules. When small subsystems of large molecules such as active centers of enzymes are studied, quantum chemical calculations based on quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) coupling schemes are a valuable means to interpret the spectra. The goal of this work is a methodological pilot study on how to selectively and thus efficiently extract certain vibrational information for extended molecular systems described by QM/MM methods. This is achieved by an extension of the mode tracking algorithm and a comparison with the partial Hessian diagonalization approach. After validating the methodology for the CO stretching vibration of 2‐butanone and a delocalized CO stretch in acetylacetone, the stretching and bending modes of the CO ligand in CO myoglobin are tracked. Such systems represent an ideal application for mode tracking, because only a few strongly localized vibrations are sought for, while the large remainder of the molecule is of interest only as far as it affects these local vibrations. This influence is treated exactly by mode tracking. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008
Rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and medication in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial, posttreatment outcomes, and six‐month follow‐up
Authors: David Daniel , Szentagotai Aurora , Lupu Viorel , Cosman Doina
Published: May 2008

A randomized clinical trial was undertaken to investigate the relative efficacy of rational‐emotive behavior therapy (REBT), cognitive therapy (CT), and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of 170 outpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive disorder. The patients were randomly assigned to one of the following: 14 weeks of REBT, 14 weeks of CT, or 14 weeks of pharmacotherapy (fluoxetine). The outcome measures used were the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Beck Depression Inventory. No differences among treatment conditions at posttest were observed. A larger effect of REBT (significant) and CT (nonsignificant) over pharmacotherapy at 6 months follow‐up was noted on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression only. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:728‐746, 2008.
The differential effects of the radioprotectant drugs amifostine and sodium selenite treatment in combination with radiation therapy on constituent bone cells, ewing's sarcoma of bone tumor cells, and rhabdomyosarcoma tumor cells in vitro
Authors: Margulies Bryan S. , Damron Timothy A. , Allen Matthew J.
Published: May 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine the differential effects of therapeutic X‐radiation on constituent bone cells relative to the pediatric tumor cells: Ewing's sarcoma of bone and rhabdomyosarcoma. In addition, the radioprotectant drugs amifostine and sodium selenite were administered to constituent bone cells and the two tumor cells to determine if the radioprotectants differentially protect bone cells while not benefiting the tumor cells. These studies are a necessary first step in determining the potential clinical benefit of radioprotective therapy. An established in vitro cell culture model employing both constituent bone cells (osteoblasts, primary bone marrow monocytes, osteoclasts chondrocytes, and endothelial cells) and the tumor cells lines (Ewing's sarcoma of bone and rhabdomyosarcoma) were exposed to irradiation, amifostine, and sodium selenite. Cells were then assayed for changes in cell number, cytotoxicity, mineralization, bone resorption, cell attachment, osteocalcin, caspase‐3 expression, clonogenic survival, and alkaline phosphatase expression. Radiation therapy differentially decreased cell number; with osteoblasts being shown to be the least sensitive to irradiation, the tumor cells had an intermediate sensitivity and monocytes were the most sensitive. Both amifostine and sodium selenite protected chondrocytes and osteoblasts from the negative effects of irradiation, while not protecting the tumor cells. The pediatric tumor cell lines were generally more radiosensitive than the bone cells examined. The radioprotectant drugs amifostine and sodium selenite provided significant radioprotection to constituent bone cells while not protecting the tumor cells. Finally, amifostine and sodium selenite therapy provided an additional benefit beyond radioprotection by increasing cytotoxicity in nonirradiated and irradiated tumor cells. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:1512–1519, 2008
Force sense deficits in functionally unstable ankles
Authors: Docherty Carrie L. , Arnold Brent L.
Published: May 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine whether participants with functional ankle instability have deficits in force sense reproduction compared to uninjured participants. Twenty participants with no history of injury and 20 with functional ankle instability volunteered for this investigation. Participants in the instability group had a history of at least one ankle sprain and frequent episodes of giving way. Ankle force sense testing was performed at 10, 20, and 30% of eversion maximal voluntary isometric contraction. Ten trials were performed at each force. Absolute and variable errors were then calculated. We observed significant (p < 0.05) main effects for group for absolute and variable errors. Force sense absolute error was significantly greater in the functionally unstable ankles (3.7 ± 2.2 N) compared to uninjured ankles (2.8 ± 1.1 N). Variable error was also significantly greater in the functionally unstable ankles (3.2 ± 1.8 N) than the uninjured ankles (2.4 ± 0.8 N). Functional ankle instability is associated with deficits in an individual's ability to accurately reproduce a given force. This deficit may impair an individual's ability to set appropriate muscle force levels to provide stability to the joint. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:1489–1493, 2008
Effects of extrusion processing on nutrients in dry pet food
Authors: Tran Quang D , Hendriks Wouter H , van der Poel Antonius FB
Published: May 2008

Extrusion cooking is commonly used to produce dry pet foods. As a process involving heat treatment, extrusion cooking can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on the nutritional quality of the product. Desirable effects of extrusion comprise increase in palatability, destruction of undesirable nutritionally active factors and improvement in digestibility and utilisation of proteins and starch. Undesirable effects of extrusion include reduction of protein quality due to e.g. the Maillard reaction, decrease in palatability and loss of heat‐labile vitamins. Effects of extrusion processing on the nutritional values of feeds for livestock have been well documented. Literature results concerning effects of extrusion on dry pet foods, however, are scarce. The present review discusses the results of studies investigating the impact of extrusion cooking on the nutritional quality of dry pet foods. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
On a multilaminate model for soil incorporating small strain stiffness
Authors: Scharinger Florian , Schweiger Helmut F. , Pande Gyan N.
Published: May 2008

In this paper a constitutive model for soils incorporating small strain stiffness formulated in the multilaminate framework is presented. In the multilaminate framework, the stress–strain behaviour of a material is obtained by integrating the mechanical response of an infinite number of randomly oriented planes passing through a material point. Such a procedure leads to a number of advantages in describing soil behaviour, the most significant being capture of initial and induced anisotropy due to plastic flow in a physically meaningful manner. In the past, many soil models of varying degree of refinement in the multilaminate framework have been presented by various authors. However, the issue of high initial soil stiffness in the range of very small strains and its degradation with straining, commonly referred to as ‘small strain stiffness’, has not been addressed within the multilaminate framework. In this paper, we adopt a micromechanics‐based approach to derive small strain elastic stiffness of the soil mass. Comparison of laboratory test data with results obtained from numerical simulations based on the proposed constitutive model incorporating small strain stiffness is performed to demonstrate its predictive capabilities. The model is implemented in a finite element code and numerical simulations of a deep excavation are presented with and without incorporation of small strain stiffness to demonstrate its importance in predicting profiles of deformation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging in a rat brain glioma model
Authors: Lope‐Piedrafita Silvia , Garcia‐Martin Maria L. , Galons Jean‐Philippe , Gillies Robert J. , Trouard Theodore P.
Published: May 2008

In order to investigate the properties of water motion within and around brain tumors as a function of tumor growth, longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was carried out in a rat brain glioma (C6) model. As tumors grew in size, significant anisotropy of water diffusion was seen both within and around the tumor. The tissue water surrounding the tumor exhibited high planar anisotropy, as opposed to the linear anisotropy normally seen in white matter, indicating that cells were experiencing stress in a direction normal to the tumor border. When tumors were sufficiently large, significant anisotropy was also seen within the tumor because of longer‐range organization of cancer cells within the tumor borders. These findings have important implications for diffusion‐weighted MRI experiments examining tumor growth and response to therapy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A pH‐sensitive water‐soluble N‐carboxyethyl chitosan/poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel as a potential drug sustained release matrix prepared by photopolymerization technique
Authors: Zhou Yingshan , Yang Dongzhi , Ma Guiping , Tan Hailin , Jin Yu , Nie Jun
Published: May 2008

Biocompatible pH‐sensitive semi‐interpenetration polymeric network hydrogels (semi‐IPN) based on water‐soluble N‐carboxyethyl chitosan (CECS) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were synthesized by the photopolymerization technique. pH‐sensitivity, cytotoxicity, morphology, mechanical property, and water state of hydrogel were investigated by a swelling test, methylthiazolydiphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), universal testing machine, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The drug release studies were carried out using 5‐Flurouracil as the model drug. The results indicated that the hydrogels were sensitive to pH of the medium and its wet state had good mechanical properties. The results of cytotoxicity and prolonged drug release characteristics revealed the suitability of the hydrogels as drug delivery matrices. The release kinetics was evaluated by fitting the experimental data to standard release equations, and the best fit was obtained with the Higuchi model of the hydrogel. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of functional polyethylene graft copolymers by nitroxide‐mediated living radical polymerization
Authors: Mohajery Shabnam , Rahmani Sohrab , Entezami Ali Akbar
Published: May 2008

This paper describes a new method to prepare graft copolymers, such as polyethylene‐g‐polystyrene (PE‐g‐PS), with a relatively well‐controlled reaction mechanism. The chemistry involves a transformation process from the metallocene copolymerization of ethylene and m,p‐methylstyrene (m,p‐MS) to nitroxide‐mediated “living” free radical polymerization (LRFP) of styrene. The metallocene catalysis produces ethylene‐co‐m,p‐methylstyrene (EMS) random copolymers. Next, 1‐hydroxyl‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine (HO‐TEMPO) was synthesized by the reduction of TEMPO with sodium ascorbate. The macroinitiator (EMS‐TEMPO) was synthesized with the bromination reaction of EMS, and the following nucleofilic reaction with this functional nitroxyl compound. The resulting macroinitiator (EMS‐TEMPO) for LRFP was then heated in the presence of styrene to form graft copolymer. DSC, 1H‐NMR, FTIR spectroscopy were employed to investigate the structure of the polymers. The results of Molau test showed that PE‐g‐PS could be a potential good compatilizer. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.