bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Right ventricular dysfunction is associated with chronic kidney disease and predicts survival in patients with chronic systolic heart failure
Authors: Dini Frank L. , Demmer Ryan T. , Simioniuc Anca , Morrone Doralisa , Donati Francesca , Guarini Giacinta , Orsini Enrico , Caravelli Paolo , Marzilli Mario , Colombo Paolo C.
Published: February 2012

Aims

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction are important predictors of prognosis in heart failure (HF). We investigated the relationship between RV dysfunction and CKD in outpatients with chronic systolic HF, an association which remains poorly defined.

Methods and results

Outpatients (n = 373) with chronic HF and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45% underwent clinical and echo‐Doppler evaluations and were followed up for 31 ± 24 months. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) assessed RV dysfunction. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured by the simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. Correlation analysis was used to characterize the association between TAPSE and estimated GFR. Odds ratios (ORs) for CKD and hazard ratios (HRs) for all‐cause mortality were assessed using multivariable logistic or proportional hazards regression models. TAPSE and estimated GFR were significantly correlated (r = 0.38, P < 0.0001). TAPSE ≤14 mm was associated with elevated estimated right atrial pressure and N‐terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels. TAPSE ≤14 mm increased the odds of estimated GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, OR [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 2.51(1.44–4.39), P < 0.0001 and predicted all‐cause mortality, HR (95% CI) = 1.80 (1.20–2.71) after multivariable adjustment.

Conclusions

Right ventricular dysfunction is cross‐sectionally associated with CKD and prospectively predicts survival in outpatients with chronic systolic HF. These data suggest RV dysfunction to be one of the possible mechanistic links between HF and CKD.
Outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry in Thailand: the relative role of poultry production types in sustaining transmission and the impact of active surveillance in control
Authors: Walker Patrick , Cauchemez Simon , Hartemink Nienke , Tiensin Thanawat , Ghani Azra C.
Published: February 2012

H5N1, highly pathogenic avian influenza, continues to pose a public health risk in the countries of southeast Asia where it has become endemic. However, in Thailand, which experienced two of the largest recorded epidemics in 2004–2005, the disease has been successfully reduced to very low levels. We fitted a spatio-temporal model of the spread of infection to outbreak data collected during the second wave of outbreaks to assess the extent to which different poultry types were responsible for propagating infection. Our estimates suggest that the wave of outbreaks would not have been possible without the contribution of backyard flocks to the susceptibility of a sub-district. However, we also estimated that outbreaks involving commercial poultry, a much larger sector in Thailand than in neighbouring countries, were disproportionately infectious, a factor which was also crucial in sustaining the wave. As a result, implemented measures that aim to reduce the role of commercial farms in the spread of infection, such as the drive to bring aspects of the supply chain ‘in house’, may help to explain the subsequent success in controlling H5N1 in Thailand. We also found that periods of active surveillance substantially improved the rate of outbreak detection.
Helical post-buckling of a rod in a cylinder: with applications to drill-strings
Authors: Thompson J. M. T. , Silveira M. , van der Heijden G. H. M. , Wiercigroch M.
Published: February 2012

The helical buckling and post-buckling of an elastic rod within a cylindrical casing arises in many disciplines, but is particularly important in the petroleum industry. Here, a drill-string, subjected to an end twisting moment combined with axial tension or compression, is particularly prone to buckling within its bore-hole—with potentially serious results. In this paper, we make a detailed theoretical study of this type of instability, deriving precise new results for the advanced post-buckling stage when the rod is in continuous contact with the cylinder. Results, including rigorous stability analyses and contact pressure assessments, are presented as equilibrium surfaces to facilitate comparisons with experimental results. Two approximate solutions give insight, universal graphs and parameters, for the practically relevant case of small angles, and highlight the existence of a critical cylinder diameter. Excellent agreement with experiments is achieved.
General high-order rogue waves and their dynamics in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation
Authors: Ohta Yasuhiro , Yang Jianke
Published: February 2012

General high-order rogue waves in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation are derived by the bilinear method. These rogue waves are given in terms of determinants whose matrix elements have simple algebraic expressions. It is shown that the general
N
-th order rogue waves contain
N
−1 free irreducible complex parameters. In addition, the specific rogue waves obtained by Akhmediev
et al.
(Akhmediev
et al.
2009
Phys. Rev. E
80
, 026601 (
doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.80.026601
)) correspond to special choices of these free parameters, and they have the highest peak amplitudes among all rogue waves of the same order. If other values of these free parameters are taken, however, these general rogue waves can exhibit other solution dynamics such as arrays of fundamental rogue waves arising at different times and spatial positions and forming interesting patterns.
Female cleaner fish cooperate more with unfamiliar males
Authors: Raihani N. J. , Grutter A. S. , Bshary R.
Published: February 2012

Joint group membership is of major importance for cooperation in humans, and close ties or familiarity with a partner are also thought to promote cooperation in other animals. Here, we present the opposite pattern: female cleaner fish,Labroides dimidiatus,behave more cooperatively (by feeding more against their preference) when paired with an unfamiliar male rather than with their social partner. We propose that cooperation based on asymmetric punishment causes this reversed pattern. Males are larger than and dominant to female partners and are more aggressive to unfamiliar than to familiar female partners. In response, females behave more cooperatively with unfamiliar male partners. Our data suggest that in asymmetric interactions, weaker players might behave more cooperatively with out-group members than with in-group members to avoid harsher punishment.
Elbow joint adductor moment arm as an indicator of forelimb posture in extinct quadrupedal tetrapods
Authors: Fujiwara Shin-ichi , Hutchinson John R.
Published: February 2012

Forelimb posture has been a controversial aspect of reconstructing locomotor behaviour in extinct quadrupedal tetrapods. This is partly owing to the qualitative and subjective nature of typical methods, which focus on bony articulations that are often ambiguous and unvalidated postural indicators. Here we outline a new, quantitatively based forelimb posture index that is applicable to a majority of extant tetrapods. By determining the degree of elbow joint adduction/abduction mobility in several tetrapods, the carpal flexor muscles were determined to also play a role as elbow adductors. Such adduction may play a major role during the stance phase in sprawling postures. This role is different from those of upright/sagittal and sloth-like creeping postures, which, respectively, depend more on elbow extensors and flexors. Our measurements of elbow muscle moment arms in 318 extant tetrapod skeletons (Lissamphibia, Synapsida and Reptilia: 33 major clades and 263 genera) revealed that sprawling, sagittal and creeping tetrapods, respectively, emphasize elbow adductor, extensor and flexor muscles. Furthermore, scansorial and non-scansorial taxa, respectively, emphasize flexors and extensors. Thus, forelimb postures of extinct tetrapods can be qualitatively classified based on our quantitative index. Using this method, we find thatTriceratops(Ceratopsidae),Anhanguera(Pterosauria) and desmostylian mammals are categorized as upright/sagittally locomoting taxa.
Streptococcus tigurinus sp. nov., isolated from blood of patients with endocarditis, meningitis and spondylodiscitis
Authors: Zbinden Andrea , Mueller Nicolas J. , Tarr Philip E. , Spröer Cathrin , Keller Peter M. , Bloemberg Guido V.
Published: February 2012

Four Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative, coccus-shaped bacterial strains were isolated from multiple blood cultures of patients with endocarditis, meningitis and spondylodiscitis. The isolates were tentatively identified as viridans streptococci on the basis of phenotypic characteristics. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies showed that the organisms were members of theStreptococcus mitisgroup but did not correspond to any recognized species. The nearest phylogenetic relative wasS. mitisATCC 49456T, with 98.6 % sequence similarity. The representative strain AZ_3aTshowed less than 96.8, 97.6, 94.5 and 95.5 % similarity to the phylogenetically most closely related species byrecA,rpoB,sodAandgroELgene sequence analysis, respectively. DNA–DNA hybridization analyses showed a low reassociation value of 32.2 % between strain AZ_3aTandS. mitisDSM 12643T. Reassociation values with members of otherS. mitisgroup species ranged from 27.3 to 49.7 %. The G+C content of the DNA was 40.0 mol%. Based on our biochemical and molecular analyses, the isolates represent a novel species, for which the nameStreptococcustigurinussp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AZ_3aT( = CCOS 600T = DSM 24864T).
Observational learning in mice can be prevented by medial prefrontal cortex stimulation and enhanced by nucleus accumbens stimulation
Authors: Jurado-Parras M. Teresa , Gruart Agnès , Delgado-García José M.
Published: February 2012

The neural structures involved in ongoing appetitive and/or observational learning behaviors remain largely unknown. Operant conditioning and observational learning were evoked and recorded in a modified Skinner box provided with an on-line video recording system. Mice improved their acquisition of a simple operant conditioning task by observational learning. Electrical stimulation of the observer's medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) at a key moment of the demonstration (when the demonstrator presses a lever in order to obtain a reward) cancels out the benefits of observation. In contrast, electrical stimulation of the observer's nucleus accumbens (NAc) enhances observational learning. Ongoing cognitive processes in the demonstrator could also be driven by electrical stimulation of these two structures, preventing the proper execution of the ongoing instrumental task (mPFC) or stopping pellet intake (NAc). Long-term potentiation (LTP) evoked in these two cortical structures did not prevent the acquisition or retrieval process—namely, mPFC and/or NAc stimulation only prevented, or modified, the ongoing behavioral process. The dorsal hippocampus was not involved in either of these two behavioral processes. Thus, both ongoing observational learning and performance of an instrumental task require the active contribution of the mPFC and/or the NAc.
Prunasin Hydrolases during Fruit Development in Sweet and Bitter Almonds
Authors: Sánchez-Pérez Raquel , Belmonte Fara Sáez , Borch Jonas , Dicenta Federico , Møller Birger Lindberg , Jørgensen Kirsten
Published: February 2012

Amygdalin is a cyanogenic diglucoside and constitutes the bitter component in bitter almond (Prunus dulcis). Amygdalin concentration increases in the course of fruit formation. The monoglucoside prunasin is the precursor of amygdalin. Prunasin may be degraded to hydrogen cyanide, glucose, and benzaldehyde by the action of the β-glucosidase prunasin hydrolase (PH) and mandelonitirile lyase or be glucosylated to form amygdalin. The tissue and cellular localization of PHs was determined during fruit development in two sweet and two bitter almond cultivars using a specific antibody toward PHs. Confocal studies on sections of tegument, nucellus, endosperm, and embryo showed that the localization of the PH proteins is dependent on the stage of fruit development, shifting between apoplast and symplast in opposite patterns in sweet and bitter cultivars. Two different PH genes, Ph691 and Ph692, have been identified in a sweet and a bitter almond cultivar. Both cDNAs are 86% identical on the nucleotide level, and their encoded proteins are 79% identical to each other. In addition, Ph691 and Ph692 display 92% and 86% nucleotide identity to Ph1 from black cherry (Prunus serotina). Both proteins were predicted to contain an amino-terminal signal peptide, with the size of 26 amino acid residues for PH691 and 22 residues for PH692. The PH activity and the localization of the respective proteins in vivo differ between cultivars. This implies that there might be different concentrations of prunasin available in the seed for amygdalin synthesis and that these differences may determine whether the mature almond develops into bitter or sweet.
A novel dinuclear MoVIcomplex with tris(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane
Authors: Gago Sandra , Gomes Ana C. , Cunha-Silva Luís , Pillinger Martyn , Gonçalves Isabel S. , Almeida Paz Filipe A.
Published: February 2012

Recrystallization of [MoO2Cl{HC(3,5-Me2pz)3}]Cl [where HC(3,5-Me2pz)3is tris(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane] led to the isolation of large quantities of the dinuclear complex dichlorido-2κ2Cl-μ-oxido-κ2O:O-tetraoxido-1κ2O,2κ2O-[tris(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl-1κN2)methane]dimolybdenum(IV) acetonitrile monosolvate, [Mo2Cl2O4(C16H22N6)]·CH3CN or [{MoO2Cl2}(μ2-O){MoO2[HC(3,5-Me2pz)3]}]·CH3CN. At 150 K, this complex cocrystallizes in the orthorhombic space groupPbcmwith an acetonitrile molecule. The complex has mirror symmetry: only half of the complex constitutes the asymmetric unit and all the heavy elements (namely Mo and Cl) are located on the mirror plane. The acetonitrile molecule also lies on a mirror plane. The two crystallographically independent Mo6+centres have drastically different coordination environments: while one Mo atom is hexacoordinated and chelated to HC(3,5-Me2pz)3(which occupies one face of the octahedron), the other Mo atom is instead pentacoordinated, having two chloride anions in the apical positions of the distorted trigonal bipyramid. This latter coordination mode of MoVIwas found to be unprecedented. Individual complexes and solvent molecules are close-packed in the solid state, mediated by various supramolecular contacts.
[CoII4MoV12O28(OH)12(H2O)12]·12H2O: facilitating single-crystal growth by deuteration
Authors: Ellern Arkady , Kögerler Paul
Published: February 2012

The structure of the neutral heterometal oxide cluster dodecaaqua-di-μ3-hydroxido-deca-μ2-hydroxido-octacosaoxidotetracobalt(II)dodecamolybdenum(V) dodecahydrate, [Mo12O28(μ2-OH)10(μ3-OH)2{Co(H2O)3}4], is virtually identical to the previously reported NiIIanalogue [Mo12O28(μ2-OH)10(μ3-OH)2{NiII(H2O)3}4] [Müller, Beugholt, Kögerler, Bögge, Budko & Luban (2000).Inorg. Chem.39, 5176–5177], the first molecular magnet to exhibit signs of magnetostriction. The formation kinetics of the neutral cluster species, which is insoluble in water, can be significantly slowed by the use of deuterated reactants in order to grow single crystals of sufficient size for single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies using standard diffractometers. One half of the main cluster and six solvent water molecules constitute the asymmetric unit. The main cluster is located on a mirror plane.
Temperature stress affects the expression of immune response genes in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata
Authors: Xu J. , James R. R.
Published: February 2012

Environmental stresses are thought to be associated with increases in disease suceptibility, attributable to evolutionary trade‐offs between the energy demands required to deal with stress vs pathogens. We compared the effects of temperature stress and pathogen exposure on the immune response of a solitary bee, Megachile rotundata. Using an oligonucleotide microarray with 125 genes (375 probes), we determined that both high and low temperatures increased the expression of immune response genes in M. rotundata and reduced levels of a disease called chalkbrood. In the absence of the pathogen, trypsin‐like serine and pathogen recognition proteases were most highly expressed at the lowest rearing temperature (20°C), while immune response signalling pathways and melanization were highly expressed at the warmest temperature tested (35°C). In pathogen‐exposed bees, immune response genes tended to be most highly expressed at moderate temperatures, where we also saw the greatest infection levels. Temperature stress appears to have activated immunity before the pathogen elicited a response from the host, and this early activity prevented infection under stressful conditions. In this insect, the trade‐off in energetic costs associated with stress and infection may be partially avoided by the use of conserved responses that reduce the effects of both.
Analysis of volatile composition of toasted and non‐toasted commercial chips by GC‐MS after an accelerated solvent extraction method
Authors: Alañón María Elena , Díaz‐Maroto María Consuelo , Pérez‐Coello María Soledad
Published: February 2012

The analysis of the volatile profile of different oak chips carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after their isolation by accelerated solvent extraction permitted faster and thorough extractions, while the appearance of artefacts was avoided. Statistical analysis revealed that toasting treatment is the main factor for the volatile compounds with a great sensorial impact. Indeed, toasting process overrode the differences between species. Furthermore, it was evidenced that the toasting treatment is not a homogeneity process. Concentrations of furaneol, 2,3‐dihydro‐3,5‐dihydroxy‐6‐methyl‐4H‐pyran‐4‐one and 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural could be used to monitor the intensity of the toasting process. Differences in the volatile composition with respect to species were also found, being the most remarkable the high concentration of trans and cis‐β‐methyl‐γ‐octanolactone in oak chips from Quercus alba and Quercus petraea species. The differences found in the volatile composition of different commercial oak chips evidenced the necessity to know their chemical composition previously to predict their aromatic potential.
Genetic variation underlying the expression of a polyphenism
Authors: BUZATTO B. A. , SIMMONS L. W. , TOMKINS J. L.
Published: February 2012

Polyphenic traits are widespread and represent a conditional strategy sensitive to environmental cues. The environmentally cued threshold (ET) model considers the switchpoint between alternative phenotypes as a polygenic quantitative trait with normally distributed variation. However, the genetic variation for switchpoints has rarely been explored empirically. Here, we used inbred lines to investigate the genetic variation for the switchpoint in the mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus, in which males are either fighters or scramblers. The conditionality of male dimorphism varied among inbred lines, indicating that there was genetic variation for switchpoints in the base population, as predicted by the ET model. Our results also suggest a mixture between canalized and conditional strategists in R. echinopus. We propose that major genes that canalize morph expression and affect the extent to which a trait can be conditionally expressed could be a feature of the genetic architecture of threshold traits in other taxa.
Calpain inhibitor MDL 28170 protects against the Ca2+ paradox in rat hearts
Authors: Bi Sheng‐Hui , Jin Zhen‐Xiao , Zhang Jian‐Ying , Chen Tao , Zhang Sheng‐Li , Yang Yang , Duan Wei‐Xun , Yi Ding‐Hua , Zhou Jing‐Jun , Ren Jun
Published: February 2012

The calcium paradox represents an important model in which to study myocardial injuries due to intracellular Ca2+ overload. In a previous study, calpain was transiently activated in Ca2+‐paradoxic hearts. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of calpain in myocardial dysfunction in hearts subjected to the Ca2+ paradox and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Rat hearts were isolated, Langendorff perfused and subjected to the Ca2+ paradox, which was induced by 3 min Ca2+ depletion followed by 30 min Ca2+ repletion, in the presence or absence of the calpain inhibitor 10 umol/L MDL 28170. Cardiac function was evaluated. Furthermore, cell death and the degradation of troponin I (TnI) were assessed and calpain activity was determined by measurement of the α‐fodrin fragment and confocal image analysis.

Upon Ca2+ repletion, the hearts immediately deteriorated, exhibiting a marked depression in cardiac function and an enlarged myocardial injury area. This was accompanied by significant increases in lactate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, the apoptotic index and degraded TnI. These changes were significantly inhibited by MDL 28170, with the exception of TnI degradation. Compared with the control group, Ca2+‐paradoxic hearts showed a marked increase in cleaved 150 kDa fragments resulting from specific calpain‐mediated proteolysis of α‐fodrin. This effect was attenuated by MDL 28170. Confocal image analysis revealed the translocation of both μ‐ and m‐calpain to the sarcolemmal membrane in Ca2+‐paradoxic hearts, indicating increased activity of both isoforms.

The results suggest that the Ca2+ paradox promotes calpain activity, leading to necrosis, apoptosis and myocardial dysfunction.
Morbidity and risk factors for surgical site infection following cesarean section in Guangdong Province, China
Authors: Gong Shi‐Peng , Guo Hong‐Xia , Zhou Hong‐Zhen , Chen Li , Yu Yan‐Hong
Published: February 2012

Aim:  To estimate the incidence of and identify the risk factors for a surgical site infection after a cesarean section.

Method:  A survey of women who underwent a cesarean section was conducted in eight hospitals in Guangdong Province, China. The rate of surgical site infection was estimated and a nested case control study was then carried out to identify the risk factors.

Results:  Among 13 798 women surveyed, 96 (0.7%) developed a surgical site infection after a cesarean section. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified six factors independently associated with an increased risk of surgical site infection, which included obesity, premature rupture of membranes, lower preoperative hemoglobin, prolonged surgery, lack of prophylactic antibiotics and excessive anal examinations performed during hospitalization.

Conclusion:  Surgical site infection occurs in approximately 0.7% of cesarean section cases in the general obstetric population in China. Obesity, premature rupture of membranes, lower preoperative hemoglobin, prolonged surgery, lack of prophylactic antibiotics and excessive anal examinations during hospitalization are considered to be independent risk factors.
Gender and international crisis response: do we have the data, and does it matter?
Authors: Eklund Lisa , Tellier Siri
Published: February 2012

For more than a decade the humanitarian community has been mandated to mainstream gender in its response to crises. One element of this mandate is a repeated call for sex‐disaggregated data to help guide the response. This study examines available analyses, assessments and academic literature to gain insights into whether sex‐disaggregated data are generated, accessible and utilised, and appraised what can be learned from existing data. It finds that there is a gap between policy and practice. Evaluations of humanitarian responses rarely refer to data by sex, and there seems to be little accountability to do so. Yet existing data yield important information, pointing at practical, locally‐specific measures to reduce the vulnerability of both males and females. This complements population‐level studies noting the tendency for higher female mortality. The study discusses some possible obstacles for the generation of data and hopes to spur debate on how to overcome them.
Flood vulnerability and commercial activities: the case of the city of Girona, Spain
Authors: Masgrau Lluís Ribera , Palom Anna Ribas
Published: February 2012

This paper is based on a case study of the city of Girona in Catalonia, Spain, and analyses the vulnerability of commercial establishments to floods caused by the Onyar River. A mapping and statistical approach (cluster analysis) was applied to the information obtained from 568 questionnaires answered by the shops and the workshops located in the flood risk area. The results obtained allowed the authors to determine five different flood vulnerability profiles of the commercial establishments analysed. These profiles paint a picture of little individual adaptation to the risk and the possibility of suffering, sooner or later, large economic losses due to overflowing of the Onyar River. The authors established a methodology for carrying out a detailed multidimensional analysis of the flood vulnerability of the city's commercial establishments in order to provide the foundations for local government policies and for strategies for shop owners to reduce flood vulnerability.
Narratives from the neighbourhood: The discursive construction of integration problems in talkback radio1
Authors: Hanson‐Easey Scott Alen , Augoustinos Martha
Published: February 2012

This paper examines how speakers deploy narrative devices in talking about Sudanese refugees. Particularly, we show how narrative constructions form an important basis for the advancement of accounts about integration problems into the local polity. We analyse talkback ‘phone‐in’ calls to a local Adelaide radio station that provide callers an opportunity to give accounts of events and social phenomena that concern them in their local settings. Analysis shows that speakers regularly deployed narrative constructions, first‐hand ‘witnessing’ devices that functioned to legitimate accounts as veridical versions of events, and contrast devices to explicate the moral and behavioural aberrance of Sudanese refugees. The analysis illustrates how these discursive devices function rhetorically in interaction, in ways that differentiate Sudanese refugees as problematic. Through this analysis, we contend that narrative devices precipitate and bolster socio‐political policies that have serious, negative consequences for Sudanese refugees.
Women of the corporation: A sociolinguistic perspective of senior women's leadership language in the U.K.
Authors: Baxter Judith
Published: February 2012

This paper reconceptualises a classic theory (Kanter 1993[1977]) on gender and leadership in order to provide fresh insights for both sociolinguistic and management thinking. Kanter claimed that there are four approved ‘role traps’ for women leaders in male‐dominated organisations: Mother, Pet, Seductress and Iron Maiden, based on familiar historical archetypes of women in power. This paper reinterprets Kanter's construct of role traps in sociolinguistic terms as gendered, discursive resources that senior women utilise proactively to interact with their predominantly male colleagues. Based on a Research Council funded1 study of 14 senior leaders (seven female and seven male) each conducting at least one senior management meeting in the U.K., the paper finds that individual speakers can transform stereotyped subject positions into powerful discursive resources to accomplish the goals of leadership, albeit marked by gender.
‘And what comes out may be a kind of screeching’: The stylisation of chavspeak in contemporary Britain
Authors: Bennett Joe
Published: February 2012

This paper discusses stylisations of chavspeak, the supposed language of the chav, a recently emergent and explicitly stereotyped figure that has been implicated in ‘the demonization of the working class’ (Jones 2011). It argues that stylisations of chavspeak draw on a number of well‐established stereotypes of non‐standard Englishes in the British Isles, such that, rather than working as a representation of actual sociolinguistic innovation, chavspeak stylisations can primarily be seen as combinations of well‐recognised stereotypes. The suggestion is made that, in terms of providing a representation of variation at the first order of indexicality, the enregisterment of chavspeak is highly fragmented – a form from here and a form from there – but in terms of ideological force – intensifying sociolinguistic class stereotypes in accordance with the more general stereotype of the chav– there is a coherence. The intended humour of the stylisations is discussed as a feature that reinforces this ideological force, and the inclusion of stereotyped features of black Englishes is discussed as a possible emergent tendency in language ideologies in the British Isles.
HISTORY‐DEPENDENT PATHS AND TRADE GAINS IN A SMALL OPEN ECONOMY WITH A PUBLIC INTERMEDIATE GOOD*
Authors: Yanase Akihiko , Tawada Makoto
Published: February 2012

This study reexamines McMillan's (International Economic Review 19 (1978), 665–78) analysis of a dynamic small open economy with a public intermediate good. Concerning the trade patterns of the open economy, we find results that were overlooked in McMillan's analysis. Among others, if labor endowment is of intermediate size, there are two saddle‐point steady states, and the initial stock of the public good determines the long‐run trade pattern. We also add a gains‐from‐trade analysis to McMillan's model and demonstrate that if the economy has a comparative advantage in a good with productivity less sensitive to the public intermediate good, the economy may lose from trade at the steady state.
The concept of psoriasis as a systemic inflammation: implications for disease management
Authors: Reich K.
Published: February 2012

Psoriasis is a systemic, immune‐mediated disorder, characterized by inflammatory skin and joint manifestations. A range of co‐morbidities is associated with psoriasis, including metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, and psychological disorders. Although the systemic nature of psoriasis often remains unrecognized, the inflammatory processes involved may be associated with the development of co‐morbidities, which, themselves, have a significant impact on the patient's health and quality of life. The relative risks of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke are increased in patients with psoriasis compared with the general population. These are especially seen in younger patients with more severe disease, and are believed to contribute to the 3‐ to 4‐year reduction in life expectancy among patients with severe psoriasis. The recent results of large studies indicate that the increased cardiovascular (CV) risk is at least partially attributable to psoriasis and independent of the presence of metabolic co‐morbidities. The possible interplay between psoriasis and CV disease is complex. Metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes have overlapping genetic predispositions with psoriasis. Both conditions are likely to also interact at a functional level because obesity and the up‐regulation of pro‐inflammatory mediators in psoriasis appear to influence adipocyte homoeostasis, inducing non‐professional immune functions. This may perpetuate psoriatic inflammation, displaying similarities to the immunopathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Finally, the disturbed adipokine profile and inflammation associated with psoriasis enhances insulin resistance, causing subsequent endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and eventual coronary events. The differential contribution of psoriasis and uncontrolled classical CV risk factors to the increased CV risk seen in psoriasis patients is not clear. Successful treatment with methotrexate appears to lower the rates of MI in patients with psoriasis. Tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) inhibitors are known to counteract insulin resistance and emerging studies demonstrate an even higher protective effect of TNF‐α antagonist therapy against the development of diabetes or CV co‐morbidities in patients. The recent data reviewed here indicate a role for earlier and more appropriate treatment of psoriasis with drugs such as TNF‐α antagonists. Such an approach has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes through the treatment of psoriasis itself and possibly also in protection against co‐morbidities.
Mineralogy and fluid inclusion gas chemistry of production well mineral scale deposits at the Dixie Valley geothermal field, USA
Authors: McLIN K. S. , MOORE J. N. , BOWMAN J. R. , McCULLOCH J. E.
Published: February 2012

At the Dixie Valley geothermal field, Nevada, USA, fluid boiling triggered the precipitation of carbonate scale minerals in concentric bands around tubing inserted into production well 28–33. When the tubing was removed, this mineral scale was sampled at 44 depth intervals between the wellhead and 1227 m depth. These samples provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of fluid boiling on the scale mineralogy and geochemistry of the vapor and liquid phase. In this study, the mineralogy of the scale deposits and the composition of the fluid inclusion gases trapped in the mineral scales were analyzed. The scale consists mainly of calcite from 670–1112 m depth and aragonite from 1125 to 1227 m depth, with traces of quartz and Mg‐smectite. Mineral textures, including hopper growth, twinning, and fibrous growth in the aragonite and banded deposits of fine grained calcite crystals, are the result of progressive boiling. The fluid inclusion noncondensable gas was dominated by CO2. However, significant variations in He relative to N2 and Ar provide evidence that the geothermal reservoir consists of mixed source deeply circulating reservoir water and shallow, air saturated meteoric water. Gas analyses for many inclusions also showed higher CH4 and H2 relative to CO2 than measured in gas sampled from this well, other production wells, and fumaroles. These inclusions are interpreted to have trapped CH4‐ and H2‐enriched gas resulting from early stages of boiling.
Recovery of consciousness following acute symptomatic seizures due to central nervous system infections in children
Authors: KING ELEANOR J , FERRIE COLIN D , LIVINGSTON JOHN H , TAYLOR JOHN C
Published: February 2012

Aim  The aim of this study was to assess whether acute symptomatic epileptic seizures associated with central nervous system infections (ASinf) have a different ictal and postictal course to seizures of other aetiologies.

Method  A case note analysis of 81 children (47 males; 34 females; age range 1mo–15y 6mo; median age 12mo) with central nervous system infections was undertaken. Seizure type, duration, aetiology, and timing were recorded. Recovery time to full consciousness in those not intubated was determined. Intubation rates and recovery times were compared with those from previous studies.

Results  Of the 81 children, 40 (49.4%) had one or more ASinf. The different aetiologies were bacterial meningitis, aseptic meningitis, abscess/empyema, encephalitis, and postoperative infection. Twenty‐two had status epilepticus. The intubation rate in children with ASinf was higher than that in children with seizures of other aetiologies (21/40 [52.5%] vs 4/124 [3.23%]; p < 0.0001). Median postictal recovery time was 4.33 hours (0–207h). Children with ASinf took 4.3 (p<0.01), 3.0 (p=0.004), and 8.8 (p<0.001) times longer to recover than children who had seizures from all causes, remote symptomatic seizures, and febrile seizures respectively.

Interpretation  ASinf in children are often longer, more likely to be associated with status epilepticus, more likely to necessitate intubation, and take longer to recover from than seizures of other aetiologies. This may help in the early diagnosis of central nervous system infection in children presenting with seizures.
Oxytocin hyperpolarizes cultured duodenum myenteric intrinsic primary afferent neurons by opening BKCa channels through IP3 pathway
Authors: Che Tongtong , Sun Hui , Li Jingxin , Yu Xiao , Zhu Dexiao , Xue Bing , Liu Kejing , Zhang Min , Kunze Wolfgang , Liu Chuanyong
Published: February 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 516–525.

Oxytocin (OT) is clinically important in gut motility and constitutively reduces duodenum contractility. Intrinsic primary afferent neurons (IPANs), whose physiological classification is as AH cells, are the 1st neurons of the peristaltic reflex pathway. We set out to investigate if this inhibitory effect is mediated by IPANs and to identify the ion channel(s) and intracellular signal transduction pathway that are involved in this effect. Myenteric neurons were isolated from the longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus (LMMP) preparation of rat duodenum and cultured for 16–24 h before electrophysiological recording in whole cell mode and AH cells identified by their electrophysiological characteristics. The cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) of isolated neurons was measured using calcium imaging. The concentration of IP3 in the LMMP and the OT secreted from the LMMP were measured using ELISA. The oxytocin receptor (OTR) and large‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium (BKCa) channels, as well as the expression of OT and the IPAN marker calbindin 28 K, on the myenteric plexus neurons were localized using double‐immunostaining techniques. We found that administration of OT (10−7 to 10−5 M) dose dependently hyperpolarized the resting membrane potential and increased the total outward current. The OTR antagonist atosiban or the BKCa channel blocker iberiotoxin (IbTX) blocked the effects of OT suggesting that the increased outward current resulted from BKCa channel opening. OTR and the BKCaα subunit were co‐expressed on a subset of myenteric neurons at the LMMP. NS1619 (10−5 M, a BKCa channel activator) increased the outward current similar to the effect of OT. OT administration also increased [Ca2+]i and the OT‐evoked outward current was significantly attenuated by thapsigargin (10−6 M) or CdCl2. The effect of OT on the BKCa current was also blocked by pre‐treatment with the IP3 receptor antagonist 2‐APB (10−4 M) or the PLC inhibitor U73122 (10−5 M). OT (10−6 M) also increased the IP3 concentration within the LMMP. Both of the spontaneous and KCl‐induced secretion of OT was enhanced by atosiban. Most of OT‐immunoreactive cells are also immunoreactive for calbindin 28 K. In summary, we concluded that OT hyperpolarized myenteric IPANs by activating BKCa channels via the OTR‐PLC‐IP3‐Ca2+ signal pathway. OT might modulate IPANs mediated ENS reflex by an autocrine and negative feedback manner.
Inhibitory effects of sevoflurane on pacemaking activity of sinoatrial node cells in guinea‐pig heart
Authors: Kojima Akiko , Kitagawa Hirotoshi , Omatsu‐Kanbe Mariko , Matsuura Hiroshi , Nosaka Shuichi
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The volatile anaesthetic sevoflurane affects heart rate in clinical settings. The present study investigated the effect of sevoflurane on sinoatrial (SA) node automaticity and its underlying ionic mechanisms.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Spontaneous action potentials and four ionic currents fundamental for pacemaking, namely, the hyperpolarization‐activated cation current (If), T‐type and L‐type Ca2+ currents (ICa,T and ICa,L, respectively), and slowly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKs), were recorded in isolated guinea‐pig SA node cells using perforated and conventional whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques. Heart rate in guinea‐pigs was recorded ex vivo in Langendorff mode and in vivo during sevoflurane inhalation.

KEY RESULTS

In isolated SA node cells, sevoflurane (0.12–0.71 mM) reduced the firing rate of spontaneous action potentials and its electrical basis, diastolic depolarization rate, in a qualitatively similar concentration‐dependent manner. Sevoflurane (0.44 mM) reduced spontaneous firing rate by approximately 25% and decreased If, ICa,T, ICa,L and IKs by 14.4, 31.3, 30.3 and 37.1%, respectively, without significantly affecting voltage dependence of current activation. The negative chronotropic effect of sevoflurane was partly reproduced by a computer simulation of SA node cell electrophysiology. Sevoflurane reduced heart rate in Langendorff‐perfused hearts, but not in vivo during sevoflurane inhalation in guinea‐pigs.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Sevoflurane at clinically relevant concentrations slowed diastolic depolarization and thereby reduced pacemaking activity in SA node cells, at least partly due to its inhibitory effect on If, ICa,T and ICa,L. These findings provide an important electrophysiological basis of alterations in heart rate during sevoflurane anaesthesia in clinical settings.
Computational Flow Dynamics and Preclinical Assessment of a Novel Hemodialysis Catheter
Authors: Clark Timothy W.I. , Van Canneyt Koen , Verdonck Pascal
Published: February 2012

We examined flow characteristics and recirculation of a novel dialysis catheter with helically contoured lumens, which optimize the vectors of blood entering and leaving the device. Computational flow dynamics were used to measure shear stress, residence time (RT), Platelet Lysis Index (PLI), and recirculation of the study catheter, termed the VectorFlow catheter, compared with the Palindrome catheter. Bench and animal models were used to measure recirculation compared with other dialysis catheter designs. The VectorFlow catheter was associated with an 18% reduction in mean shear stress compared with the Palindrome catheter, at 13.6 and 16.6 Pa, respectively. Low PLI was seen with the VectorFlow (PLI = 0.019) and Palindrome (PLI = 0.015) catheters. The VectorFlow catheter was associated with a % RT >0.030  seconds of 1.2%, compared to 0.9% for the Palindrome. Calculated recirculation of the VectorFlow, Palindrome, and step‐tip catheter designs in reversed position were 1.2 × 10−4%, 0.039%, and 13.6%, respectively. In vitro, the VectorFlow catheter had no detectable recirculation (0%) compared to 7.3–9.5% with the Palindrome at flow rates of 400–600  ml/minute. In vivo, the VectorFlow catheter had no detectable recirculation, compared to 6.7–12% for the Palindrome. The VectorFlow catheter was associated with an absence of detectable recirculation with favorable flow dynamics.
Are there Neurological Consequences of Recurrent Intradialytic Hypotension?
Authors: Eldehni Mohamed Tarek , McIntyre Christopher W
Published: February 2012

Structural abnormalities of the brain are common in hemodialysis (HD) patients, as are a wide range of severe functional deficiencies of cerebral function. Both depression and increasing dependency are highly prevalent in HD patients and worsen severely within the first 12 months of dialysis initiation. HD, as it is commonly practiced, is associated with significant recurrent episodes of circulatory stress. This results in acute injury to the heart, skin, kidney and gut, and drives longer term end‐organ chronic injury. This article aims to explore the hypothesis that the cerebral microcirculation is also sensitive to dialysis‐based circulatory stress (and other multiorgan consequences of recurrent dialysis‐induced ischemia), and that this may drive specific patterns of brain injury with resultant psychiatric and functional consequences.
A Comparison of Therapeutic Efficacy of a Melamine Foam Sponge and Conventional Cotton Wool Bud in the Cryotherapy of Viral Warts: A Paired Comparison Study
Authors: Na Chan Ho , Park Hong Pyo , Song In Guk , Choi Hoon , Kim Min Sung , Shin Bong Seok
Published: February 2012

Abstract:  Many therapies have been studied for the treatment of viral warts, but none are uniformly effective. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of conventional cotton wool bud with that of melamine foam sponge as applicators in the treatment of warts with liquid nitrogen. A paired comparison study was conducted in 27 patients with at least two similar clinical types of warts. Similar clinical lesions were allocated to have liquid nitrogen applied with cotton wool bud or melamine foam sponge. Mean size reduction rate after the first treatment was 30.5% in the cotton wool bud group and 59.1% in the melamine foam sponge group. Mean number of total treatments was 3.05 in the cotton wool bud group and 2.29 in the melamine foam sponge group. Melamine foam sponge was found to be more effective in comparison to conventional cryotherapy with cotton wool bud.
Vascular Leiomyoma of the Scalp with a Small Deformity on the Skull Mimicking a Dermoid Cyst
Authors: Arishima Hidetaka , Takeuchi Hiroaki , Kitai Ryuhei , Yamauchi Takahiro , Kikuta Ken‐Ichirou
Published: February 2012

Abstract: We report a vascular leiomyoma of the extracranial scalp with a small deformity on the skull in a child mimicking a dermoid cyst. The tumor was removed surgically, and histologic examination revealed a vascular leiomyoma. A small deformity‐like dimple on the skull improved without evidence of recurrence. The early surgical excision yielded good results.
Allergy influences the inflammatory status of the brain and enhances tau‐phosphorylation
Authors: Sarlus Heela , Höglund Caroline Olgart , Karshikoff Bianka , Wang Xiuzhe , Lekander Mats , Schultzberg Marianne , Oprica Mircea
Published: February 2012

Despite the existing knowledge regarding the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the cause of sporadic forms of the disease is unknown. It has been suggested that systemic inflammation may have a role, but the exact mechanisms through which inflammatory processes influence the pathogenesis and progress of AD are not obvious. Allergy is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting more than 20% of the Western population, but the effects of allergic conditions on brain functions are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not chronic peripheral inflammation associated with allergy affects the expression of AD‐related proteins and inflammatory markers in the brain. On the basis of previously described models for allergy in mice we developed a model of chronic airway allergy in mouse, with ovalbumin as allergen. The validity of the chronic allergy model was confirmed by a consistent and reproducible eosinophilia in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of allergic animals. Allergic mice were shown to have increased brain levels of both immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgE with a widespread distribution. Allergy was also found to increase phosphorylation of tau protein in the brain. The present data support the notion that allergy‐dependent chronic peripheral inflammation modifies the brain inflammatory status, and influences phosphorylation of an AD‐related protein, indicating that allergy may be yet another factor to be considered for the development and/or progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.