bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lifting the Burden of Women's Care Work: Should Robots Replace the “Human Touch”?
Authors: Parks Jennifer A.
Published: October 2010

This paper treats the political and ethical issues associated with the new caretaking technologies. Given the number of feminists who have raised serious concerns about the future of care work in the United States, and who have been critical of the degree to which society “free rides” on women's caretaking labor, I consider whether technology may provide a solution to this problem. Certainly, if we can create machines and robots to take on particular tasks, we may lighten the care burden that women currently face, much of which is heavy and repetitious, and which results in injury and care “burnout” for many female caretakers. Yet, in some contexts, I argue that high-tech robotic care may undermine social relationships, cutting individuals off from the possibility of social connectedness with others.
The Importance of Personal Relationships in Kantian Moral Theory: A Reply to Care Ethics
Authors: Bramer Marilea
Published: October 2010

Care ethicists have long insisted that Kantian moral theory fails to capture the partiality that ought to be present in our personal relationships. In her most recent book, Virginia Held claims that, unlike impartial moral theories, care ethics guides us in how we should act toward friends and family. Because these actions are performed out of care, they have moral value for a care ethicist. The same actions, Held claims, would not have moral worth for a Kantian because of the requirement of impartiality. Although Kantian moral theory is an impartial theory, I argue that the categorical imperative in the Formulation of Humanity as an End and the duty of respect require that we give special treatment to friends and family because of their relationships with us. Therefore, this treatment does have moral value for a Kantian.
Filial Responsibilities of Dependent Children
Authors: Mullin Amy
Published: October 2010

The existing literature on filial morality has an important gap. It explores responsibilities adult children have toward their elderly parents, and ignores questions about responsibilities of dependent children. Filling this gap involves specifying what competent and morally decent social parents can legitimately expect from children. I argue that it is appropriate to expect and encourage young dependent children to demonstrate cooperation, mutuality, and trust, along with gratitude and reciprocity of value.
Autonomy and Authorship: Storytelling in Children's Picture Books
Authors: Collins Louise
Published: October 2010

Diana Tietjens Meyers and Margaret Urban Walker argue that women's autonomy is impaired by mainstream representations that offer us impoverished resources to tell our own stories. Mainstream picture books apprentice young readers in norms of representation. Two popular picture books about child storytellers present competing views of a child's authority to tell his or her own story. Hence, they offer rival models of the development of autonomy: neo-liberal versus relational. Feminist critics should attend to such implicit models and the hidden assumptions they represent in children's books.
The Deferential Wife Revisited: Agency and Moral Responsibility
Authors: Superson Anita
Published: October 2010

This paper rejects two main arguments for absolving the deferential wife and victims of deprived circumstances from responsibility or blame for their servility: for Susan Wolf, circumstances can determine their reasons and acts, and for Sarah Buss, circumstances can give them excusing reasons for their acts. The paper argues that circumstances can give them justifying reasons to act in ways defending their intrinsic worth when their acts can be legitimately interpreted as a protest against an attempt to degrade their intrinsic value.
Love, Ethics, and Authenticity: Beauvoir's Lesson in What It Means to Read
Authors: Boulous Walker Michelle
Published: October 2010

Beauvoir's distinction between romantic and authentic love offers us an opportunity for thinking through the complex relations among philosophy, reading, and love. If we accept her account of romantic love as a flawed, dependent mode of being, and her suggestion that an authentic love—one that engages maturely with the other—is possible, then we might take the risk of thinking of reading in these terms.
The Will to Care: Performance, Expectation, and Imagination
Authors: Hamington Maurice
Published: October 2010

This article addresses the world's contemporary crisis of care, despite the abundance of information about distant others, by exploring motivations for caring and the role of imagination. The ethical significance of caring is found in performance. Applying Victor Vroom's expectancy theory, caring performances are viewed as extensions of rational expectations regarding the efficacy of actions. The imagination creates these positive or negative expectations regarding the ability to effectively care. William James's notion of the will to believe offers a unique twist on rational expectations in that he regards humans as having the capacity to work within uncertainty to take decisive action. Applying this idea to caring performance is, this article argues that people can have the will to care, beyond strict rational calculations or limits of social norms. Historically, caring has been associated with the imagination's ability to empathize, but the will to care offers another role for the imagination in envisioning effective action. Given the significance of the imagination for ethical behavior, this article explores the implications for cultivating care in terms of what educating for care might look like. The work of feminist care ethicists, particularly Nel Noddings, is discussed, and contemporary case examples of caring performances are investigated.
“Before You Formed in the Womb I Knew You”: Sex Selection and Spaces of Ambiguity
Authors: Mudde Anna
Published: October 2010

The spaces provided by biotechnologies of sex selection are rich with epistemological, ontological, and ethical considerations that speak to broadly held social values and epistemic frameworks. In much of the discourse about sex selection that is not medically indicated, the figure of the “naturally” conceived (future) child is treated as a problem for parents who want to select the sex of their child. As unknown, that child is ambiguous in terms of sex—“it” is both and neither, and might be the “wrong” sex. Drawing on Beauvoirean thinking about ambiguity and desire, I cast part of the desire to select the sex of a child as bound to an ethic and epistemology of disambiguation, and urge that the space of being-unknown is one to which each person is entitled.
Biopower, Styles of Reasoning, and What's Still Missing from the Stem Cell Debates
Authors: Tremain Shelley
Published: October 2010

Until now, philosophical debate about human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research has largely been limited to its ethical dimensions and implications. Although the importance and urgency of these ethical debates should not be underestimated, the almost undivided attention that mainstream and feminist philosophers have paid to the ethical dimensions of hESC research suggests that the only philosophically interesting questions and concerns about it are by and large ethical in nature. My argument goes some distance to challenge the assumption that ethical considerations alone must be foregrounded in philosophical discussions about hESC research by introducing a critical stance on the epistemological and ontological assumptions that underlie and condition it. A central aim of the paper is to show how Foucault's insights into knowledge-power, taken in combination with Hacking's claims about styles of reasoning, can make these assumptions evident, as well as cast light on their potentially deleterious implications for disabled people. Arguing in this way also enables me to draw out constitutive effects of research on stem cells, that is, to indicate how the discursive practices surrounding research on stem cells, as well as the technology itself, contribute to the constitution of impairment.
Toward a Decolonial Feminism
Authors: Lugones Marìa
Published: October 2010

In “Heterosexualism and the Colonial/Modern Gender System” (Lugones 2007), I proposed to read the relation between the colonizer and the colonized in terms of gender, race, and sexuality. By this I did not mean to add a gendered reading and a racial reading to the already understood colonial relations. Rather I proposed a rereading of modern capitalist colonial modernity itself. This is because the colonial imposition of gender cuts across questions of ecology, economics, government, relations with the spirit world, and knowledge, as well as across everyday practices that either habituate us to take care of the world or to destroy it. I propose this framework not as an abstraction from lived experience, but as a lens that enables us to see what is hidden from our understandings of both race and gender and the relation of each to normative heterosexuality.
25 Years of Feminist Empiricism and Standpoint Theory: Where Are We Now?
Authors: Intemann Kristen
Published: October 2010

Over the past twenty-five years, numerous articles in Hypatia have clarified, revised, and defended increasingly more nuanced views of both feminist empiricism and standpoint feminism. Feminist empiricists have argued that scientific knowledge is contextual and socially situated (Longino 1990; Nelson 1990; Anderson 1995), and standpoint feminists have begun to endorse virtues of theory choice that have been traditionally empiricist (Wylie 2003). In fact, it is unclear whether substantive differences remain. I demonstrate that current versions of feminist empiricism and standpoint feminism now have much in common but that key differences remain. Specifically, they make competing claims about what is required for increasing scientific objectivity. They disagree about 1) the kind of diversity within scientific communities that is epistemically beneficial and 2) the role that ethical and political values can play. In these two respects, feminist empiricists have much to gain from the resources provided by standpoint theory. As a result, the views would be best merged into “feminist standpoint empiricism.”
Delayed Afterdepolarization in Intact Canine Sinoatrial Node as a Novel Mechanism for Atrial Arrhythmia
Authors: JOUNG BOYOUNG , ZHANG HONG , SHINOHARA TETSUJI , MARUYAMA MITSUNORI , HAN SEONGWOOK , KIM DAEHYEOK , CHOI EUE‐KEUN , ON YOUNG‐KEUN , LIN SHIEN‐FONG , CHEN PENG‐SHENG
Published: October 2010

Delayed Afterdepolarization in Sinoatrial Node. Introduction: Recent evidence indicates that spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca release and Na‐Ca exchanger current activation contribute to the sinoatrial node (SAN) automaticity. These findings suggest that SAN activity may share mechanisms that underlie both automaticity and triggered activity. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that spontaneous, nonvoltage gated, intracellular Ca (Cai) elevation may induce delayed afterdepolarization (DAD) in intact SAN during isoproterenol infusion.

Methods and Results:
We simultaneously mapped Cai and membrane potential in 31 isolated Langendorff‐perfused canine right atriums (RA). Isoproterenol increased heart rate and late diastolic Cai elevation (LDCAE) of the superior SAN, leading to consistent SAN automaticity in all 31 RAs. However, DAD‐like diastolic depolarizations (DD) were transiently observed in 4 RAs during isoproterenol infusion. These DAD‐like DDs were preceded by LDCAE, but did not trigger a full action potential. The LDCAE preceding DAD‐like DDs had smaller amplitude (0.41 ± 0.08 AU vs 0.48 ± 0.07 AU, P = 0.001) and less steep slopes (3.7 ± 1.3 AU/s vs 4.8 ± 1.4 AU/s, P = 0.001) than that of sinus beats. The coupling interval of DAD‐like DDs was longer than that of the preceding normal beats (407 ± 48 ms vs 371 ± 44 ms, P = 0.002).

Conclusion:
The isoproterenol‐induced LDCAE of superior SAN induced a full action potential in most cases. However, if the LDCAE was too small to trigger an action potential, then it induces only DAD‐like DD. The failure of DAD‐like DD to consistently trigger a sinus beat is a novel mechanism of atrial arrhythmogenesis. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 22, pp. 448‐454)
Utility of citrate dialysate in management of acute kidney injury in children
Authors: HANEVOLD Coral , LU Sharon , YONEKAWA Karyn
Published: October 2010

Dialysis concentrate acidified with citrate as opposed to acetate has been reported to prevent clotting in hemodialysis circuits, and improve dialysis efficiency in adults. There is no information on its use in children. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the utility of citrate dialysate for renal replacement therapy in a pediatric population with acute kidney injury. We performed a retrospective review of our experience using Citrasate® concentrate from December 2007 to August 2009. All treatments were provided using the Fresenius 2008 dialysis machine. Citrasate® was utilized in 7 children aged 60.3±51.0 months (mean±SD), range 13 months to 12 years. The number of treatments varied from 4 to 31 (mean 12±8 treatments) for a total of 89 treatments. Rare sporadic mild hypocalcemia was noted but could not be definitively linked with the use of Citrasate®. Four children also required low‐dose heparin (3.6–15 U/kg/h) due to clotting. Activated clotting times (when checked) were not affected by this low‐dose heparin therapy. Some degree of clotting occurred in 21 of 89 (23.5%) treatments. Early termination of treatment due to thrombosis was required in 7 of 89 (7.8%) treatments. In summary, use of Citrasate® dialysis concentrate was well tolerated in critically ill children with acute kidney injury. Citrasate® reduced but did not completely eliminate the need for heparin in our population. Further study in a more diverse population would be helpful.
Maximum conservative management for patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5
Authors: BURNS Aine , DAVENPORT Andrew
Published: October 2010

Following the expansion of dialysis services for patients with chronic kidney disease, an increasing number of elderly patients with varying degrees of frailty and additional comorbidities have been offered treatment. Life expectancy is somewhat limited in this group of patients, and initiation of dialysis may not necessarily improve quality of life. As such, an increasing number of centers are offering conservative care for patients who have made an informed decision not to have dialysis. As conservative care includes active treatment of anemia, volume overload, blood pressure control, and management of uremic symptoms, including pruritus, we term this approach as maximal conservative management of chronic kidney disease. We describe our experience of maximum conservative management, which although may not prolong life, can maintain the quality of life and functional ability until the final illness in the majority of patients. Although these patients do not go to the hospital on a regular basis, coordinated support from the hospital, the community, and the care giver/relative is required for successful care of the patient. Appropriate end of life planning can then be made according to the wishes of the patient.
Acquired factor VIII inhibitor in a nonhemophilia patient on hemodialysis: challenges in management
Authors: PHADKE Gautam , GUPTA Diptesh , BOTDORF Joshua , MISRA Madhukar
Published: October 2010

It is well known that the uremic milieu predisposes patients to an increased risk of bleeding. We report a case of a patient on hemodialysis who developed recurrent unexplained bleeding episodes. His renal failure was secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus. Further investigations revealed that his bleeding was secondary to the development of acquired inhibitors to factor VIII: C following a flare up of his systemic lupus erythematosus. Management issues related to recurrent bleeding in this situation are discussed and reviewed.
Variation in sexual size dimorphism among populations: testing the differential‐plasticity hypothesis
Authors: Hu Yuwei , Xie Yongjian , Zhu Fen , Wang Chengbin , Lei Chaoliang
Published: October 2010

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a common phenomenon in animals and varies widely among species and among populations within species. Much of this variation is likely due to variance in selection on females vs. males. However, environmental variables could have different effects on females vs. males, causing variation in dimorphism. In this study, we test the differential‐plasticity hypothesis, stating that sex‐differential plasticity to environmental variables generates among‐population variation in the degree of sexual dimorphism. We examined the effect of temperature (22, 25, 28, and 31 °C) on sexual dimorphism in four populations of the cockroach Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker (Blattaria: Polyphagidae), collected at various latitudes. We found that females were larger than males at all temperatures and the degree of this dimorphism was largest at the highest temperature (31 °C) and smallest at the lowest temperature (22 °C). There is variation in the degree of SSD among populations (sex*population interaction), but differences between the sexes in their plastic responses (sex*temperature interaction) were not observed for body size. Our results indicated that sex‐differential plasticity to temperature was not the cause of differences among populations in the degree of sexual dimorphism in body size.
Building a New Framework for the Common Agricultural Policy: A Responsibility Towards the Overall Community  Der Aufbau einer neuen Struktur für die Gemeinsame Agrarpolitik: Eine Verantwortung gegenüber der gesamten Gemeinschaft  Développer un nouveau cadre pour la Politique Agricole Commune : une responsabilité envers l’ensemble de la communauté
Authors: De Castro Paolo , Adinolfi Felice , Capitanio Fabian , Di Falco Salvatore
Published: October 2010

Building a New Framework for the Common Agricultural Policy: A Responsibility Towards the Overall Community

The intensity of world economic growth and population pressures have progressively depleted natural resources and increased the level of polluting emissions and greenhouse gases; this has called into question the development models of modern society. Against this background we contribute to the ongoing debate that will shape the future framework of European policy for agriculture and rural areas. European agriculture is held tight in the double bond of having to ‘produce more food, and provide more services’ to wider society. We need, therefore, to find answers to these pressing societal demands so that, as both consumers and taxpayers, society accepts the legitimacy of the financial support granted under the CAP, provided it is delivered in an effective and sustainable way. We identify key areas of a new framework for the future CAP: promoting the production of public goods by increasing the targeting of direct payments; promoting development of rural areas in their various components; ensuring an adequate food security and producer safety net policy; enabling the activation of defensive measures caused by shocks to production and prices; supporting access of farmers to modern tools of risk and resilience management; promoting improvements in organisational efficiency to complement objectives of greater sustainability of farming.
A Quantitative Comparison of 5‐Aminolaevulinic Acid‐ and Methyl Aminolevulinate‐Induced Fluorescence, Photobleaching and Pain During Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Valentine Ronan M. , Ibbotson Sally H. , Brown C. Tom A. , Wood Kenny , Moseley Harry
Published: October 2010

The characteristics of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) fluorescence in superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC) and carcinoma in situ (Bowen’s Disease, BD) following application of 5‐aminolaevulinic acid (5‐ALA) and its methyl ester (methyl aminolevulinate [MAL]) before, during and after photodynamic therapy (PDT) were investigated in 40 patients. Photosensitizer prodrug penetration can limit PDT efficacy and understanding the characteristics of PPIX fluorescence through fluorescence spectroscopy, may improve knowledge of photosensitizer delivery. Fluorescence intensity was assessed quantitatively, and the rate of photobleaching was determined by fitting an exponential decay. As a secondary end‐point, PDT‐induced pain was also measured continuously during treatment using a novel hand‐held device, known as a pain logger. In vivo PPIX fluorescence was shown to decrease during irradiation, allowing the in vivo photobleaching of PPIX to be monitored. No significant difference was found between ALA‐ or MAL‐induced PPIX fluorescence in lesions of sBCC and BD (P > 0.05), indicating no detectable difference in PPIX kinetics for the two prodrugs as assessed by these measures. Pain, as assessed by the logger device, showed high interindividual variability and pain levels tended to be higher initially, decreasing during treatment. No difference was seen in pain experienced during ALA‐or MAL‐PDT (P > 0.05).
Isolation and Characteristics of the PSI‐LHCI‐LHCII Supercomplex Under High Light
Authors: Qin Xiaochun , Wang Wenda , Wang Kebing , Xin Yueyong , Kuang Tingyun
Published: October 2010

We developed a novel method for the isolation of the PSI‐LHCI‐LHCII complex from spinach leaves. The supercomplex was resolved into a core complex (CPI), LHCII trimers, LHCI dimers and LHCII monomers using green gel electrophoresis. We then investigate changes in the fluorescence and absorption spectra of PSI‐LHCI‐LHCII under high light. In addition, we compared light‐induced denaturation of the core protein subunits in both PSI‐LHCI and PSI‐LHCI‐LHCII. Differences in denaturation and photochemical activity indicated that binding of LHCII increased the photosensitivity of the PSI core. Increased energy delivered to the PSI core during illumination accelerated damage to the core complex.
Inferring Hydrograph Components from Rainfall and Streamflow Records Using a Kriging Method‐Based Linear Cascade Reservoir Model1
Authors: Cheng Shin‐jen
Published: October 2010

Cheng, Shin‐jen, 2010. Inferring Hydrograph Components From Rainfall and Streamflow Records Using a Kriging Method‐Based Linear Cascade Reservoir Model. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1171–1191. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00484.x

Abstract:  This study investigates the characteristics of hydrograph components in a Taiwan watershed to determine their shapes based on observations. Hydrographs were modeled by a conceptual model of three linear cascade reservoirs. Mean rainfall was calculated using the block Kriging method. The optimal parameters for 42 events from 1966‐2008 were calibrated using an optimal algorithm. Rationality of generated runoffs was well compared with a trusty model. Model efficacy was verified using seven averaged parameters with 25 other events. Hydrograph components were characterized based on 42 calibration results. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) except for multipeak storms, a correlation between base time of the surface runoff and soil antecedent moisture is a decreasing power relationship; (2) a correlation between time lag of the surface flow and soil antecedent moisture for single‐peak storms is an increasing power relationship; (3) for single‐peak events, times to peak of hydrograph components are an increasing power correlation corresponding to the peak time of rainfall; (4) the peak flows of hydrograph components are linearly proportional to that of total runoff, and the peak ratio for the surface runoff to total runoff is approximately 78 and 13% for subsurface runoff to total runoff; and (5) the relationships of total discharges have direct ratios between hydrograph components and observations of total runoffs, and a surface runoff is 60 and 32% for a subsurface runoff.
Implementing Landscape Water Conservation in Public School Institutional Settings: A Case for Situational Problem Solving1
Authors: Kilgren Douglas C. , Endter‐Wada Joanna , Kjelgren Roger K. , Johnson Paul G.
Published: October 2010

Kilgren, Douglas C., Joanna Endter‐Wada, Roger K. Kjelgren, and Paul G. Johnson, 2010. Implementing Landscape Water Conservation in Public School Institutional Settings: A Case for Situational Problem Solving. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1205–1220. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00486.x

Abstract:  Urban water conservation programs and research generally focus on residential and commercial use while paying less attention to institutional settings. We studied irrigated landscape water conservation at public schools, controlling for type of irrigation system (manual vs. automated control) and water conservation interventions (control, directive, prescriptive, and educational). We monitored landscape water use to compare changes among interventions and irrigation systems to measured plant water needs and historical use. Interviews and diaries allowed the study of behavior among custodians managing landscape irrigation. Large irrigation system effects overshadowed impact of the interventions. Schools using automated systems had high landscape water use and substantial capacity for water conservation but actual savings varied among schools. Schools using manual systems were the opposite yet many still managed further reductions in response to interventions. Effectiveness of water conservation interventions depended upon the contexts in which they were applied. Interventions were more effective when they led to situational problem solving that integrated generalized scientific and technical knowledge with experiential knowledge. Our findings suggest ways for school districts to decide where, when, and how to intervene in promoting water conservation but caution school districts investing in automated‐irrigation systems, particularly if they will be operated remotely.
Condylar injuries in growing patients
Authors: Dimitroulis George
Published: October 2010

Although the mandibular condyle is one of the most common sites of injury of the facial skeleton, it is also the most overlooked and least diagnosed site of trauma in the head and neck region. The condyle forms the very cornerstone of mandibular form and function and therefore injuries to the mandibular condyle in growing children may adversely affect growth and development of the jaws and the occlusion. The aim of this article is to present an overview of condylar injuries in growing patients for the purpose of increasing the awareness of all dental practitioners involved in the treatment of children with acute oro‐facial injuries.
Mandibular odontogenic fibrosarcoma. Case report
Authors: Chan Wing K. , Li Chung P. , Liu Jacqueline M. , Yin Nien T. , Huang Min H. , Wu Hsiao P. , Lee Herng S. , Chen Kuang Y.
Published: October 2010

A rare case of mandibular odontogenic fibroma is presented which transformed to a stage 1A odontogenic fibrosarcoma with a local recurrence after surgical resection and unusually delayed pulmonary metastases eight years later. Prolonged follow‐up of these patients after complete surgical resection, including regular chest X‐rays, is recommended.
Predictors of unintentional poisoning among children under 5 years of age in Karachi: a matched case–control study
Authors: Ahmed Bilal , Fatmi Zafar , Siddiqui Amna R , Sheikh Abdul L
Published: October 2010

Objective

Poisoning is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury and a common paediatric emergency in children under 5 years of age. The objective of this study was to determine the factors associated with unintentional poisoning among children under 5 years of age presenting to emergency rooms at tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

Setting

Children were recruited from the emergency rooms of the three biggest tertiary care hospitals in Karachi.

Design

A matched case–control study was conducted on 120 cases and 360 controls, with matching done on gender and age. Parents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire containing information on sociodemographic factors, the child's behaviour, and the storage practices of hazardous substances of caregivers in the homes. Conditional logistic regression was performed to analyse the data.

Results

Accessibility to hazardous chemicals and medicines due to unsafe storage (adj mOR=5.6, 95% CI 1.9 to 16.7), child's behaviour reported as usually aggressive (adj mOR=8.2, 95% CI 4.6 to 16.1), storage of kerosene oil and petrol in soft drink bottles (adj mOR=3.8, 95% CI 2.0 to 7.3), low socioeconomic status (adj mOR=9.2, 95% CI 2.8 to 30.1), low level of mother's education (adj mOR=4.2, 95% CI 1.8 to 9.6), and history of previous poisoning (adj mOR=8.6, 95% CI 1.7 to 43.5) were independently related to unintentional poisoning.

Conclusion

The practice of storing kerosene and petroleum in soft drink bottles and the easy accessibility of chemicals and medicines are potentially modifiable. Health messages focusing on the safe storage of chemicals and medicines and the use of child resistant containers may play a key role in decreasing the burden of childhood poisoning in Karachi, Pakistan.
Selective testing of β-galactosidase activity in the laboratory identification ofSalmonellaandShigellaspecies
Authors: Boadi Samuel , Wren Mike W D , Morris-Jones Stephen
Published: October 2010

Background

SalmonellaandShigellaspecies are pathogens of great medical and public health importance. However, laboratory identification of these organisms is time consuming. Using current standard laboratory algorithms, the vast majority of organisms submitted for serological typing withSalmonella-specific andShigella-specific antisera are not clinically significant.

Aims

To assess the addition of theO-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (ONPG) test to the standard screening protocol for identification ofSalmonellaandShigellaspecies, and to describe a revised algorithm for the identification of these pathogens.

Methods

71 non-lactose-fermenting isolates that were urease negative, indole negative, and produced acid and gas intriple sugar iron agar, with no H2S production in the agar, were tested for β-galactosidase activity using the ONPG test. The test results were read at half-hourly intervals over a 4 h incubation period in O2at 37°C.

Results

42 isolates (59.2%) were found to beHafnia alvei, of which 36 strains (85.7%) were ONPG positive. All 18 of theEnterobacterspecies (25.4%) were ONPG positive. Overall, about 79% of the ONPG-positive isolates were positive at the end of the first half-hour of incubation. The two pathogenic isolates obtained during this study were both identified asSalmonella entericaserovar Paratyphi A, and they were ONPG negative.

Conclusions

Incorporation of a 30 min ONPG test for non-lactose-fermenting organisms that are indole negative, urease negative, producers of acid and gas from glucose, oxidase negative and non-H2S gas producers eliminates the need for further serological testing of 79% of isolates, substantially improving the efficiency of the identification protocol.
When is the practice of pathology malpractice?: Figure 1
Authors: Giard Raimond W M
Published: October 2010

Because of its complex nature, surgical pathology diagnosis has an appreciable degree of fallibility and is increasingly subject to legal scrutiny. In litigation, the first practical step is to explain why and how this adversity could happen, and the second is the question of apportionment of responsibility and its legal consequences. As pathologists, we have to provide a methodology of investigation allowing a clear distinction between reasonable and unacceptable pathology practice without the twist of hindsight. For that we need to examine the different steps from test ordering to the final report. The most critical aspect of the enquiry is the act of diagnosis itself. What can reasonably be expected and what precautions have normally to be taken? Experts are often requested to re-examine the slides. For that we need a well-devised protocol enabling blinded review. Tort law has two important interconnected goals: compensation for damages and prevention of the same slip ever being made again. We can only properly learn from our mistakes if we carry out an unbiased investigation. Poor normative judgement of diagnostic failures will backfire on the profession.
Expression of class I histone deacetylases (HDAC1 and HDAC2) in oesophageal adenocarcinomas: an immunohistochemical study
Authors: Langer Rupert , Mutze Kathrin , Becker Karen , Feith Marcus , Ott Katja , Höfler Heinz , Keller Gisela
Published: October 2010

Background

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes which play a central role in post-translational histone and non-histone protein modification. Deregulation of HDACs has been detected in various human malignancies and may also influence response to chemotherapy.

Aims

To investigate the expression of class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) isoforms 1 and 2 in oesophageal adenocarcinomas.

Methods

132 primary resected tumours and 48 tumours treated by chemotherapy were analysed. Expression of HDAC1 and HDAC2 was determined by immunohistochemistry, applied on a tissue microarray and on pretherapeutic biopsies, and correlated with pathological features and prognosis.

Results

There was negative or low expression of HDAC1 in 54% of tumours, moderate expression in 41% and high expression in 5%. HDAC2 expression was negative or low in 30% of tumours, moderate in 47% and high in 21%. In primary resected tumours, high HDAC2 levels were associated with lymphatic tumour spread and lower tumour differentiation grade. HDAC1 levels were not associated with pT, pN category or tumour differentiation grade. For neoadjuvant treated tumours, there was only a trend for an association with high pretherapeutic HDAC2 expression and tumour regression after chemotherapy. Pretherapeutic HDAC1 levels were not associated with regression after chemotherapy. Survival analysis failed to show any prognostic impact of HDAC1 or HDAC2 expression.

Conclusions

High HDAC2 expression is associated with aggressive tumour behaviour in oesophageal adenocarcinomas. No significant prognostic value could be found with respect to overall survival or an association with response to conventional chemotherapy for HDAC expression. Immunohistochemical determination of HDACs may be useful for prediction of response to specific HDAC inhibitors.
Microsurgical retrieval of an endovascular microcatheter trapped during Onyx embolization of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Walcott Brian P , Gerrard Jason L , Nogueira Raul G , Nahed Brian V , Terry Anna R , Ogilvy Christopher S
Published: October 2010

Objective

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are vascular lesions that are amenable to various treatment modalities including stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated radiotherapy, endovascular embolization, microsurgical obliteration or combined modality treatment. A potential complication of endovascular therapy with embolization material is microcatheter entrapment. We report on a patient for whom surgery was combined with endovascular embolization to obliterate an AVM and retrieve an entrapped endovascular microcatheter.

Participant

A 52-year-old woman suffered a left parietal hemorrhage from an AVM. She underwent staged endovascular embolization of the lesion using Onyx material. During the second stage of the embolization, the microcatheter (Marathon Flow Directed Microcatheter; eV3 Neurovascular, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) was retained in the Onyx plug. It was decided to section the microcatheter at the groin and proceed with microsurgical obliteration of the AVM, with removal of the entrapped microcatheter remnant.

Intervention

The AVM was dissected circumferentially allowing the meticulous obliteration of the feeding vessels. A single remaining feeding vessel originating from the distal anterior cerebral artery was identified and suspected to contain the entrapped microcatheter. The location was confirmed using stereotactic guidance (BrainLab, Munich, Germany) and the vessel was then sectioned allowing complete removal of the AVM. The microcatheter (102 cm) was then extracted cranially using gentle traction.

Conclusion

This demonstrates the first incidence of microcatheter removal after procedural entrapment in Onyx embolization material.
Prenatal and concurrent exposure to halogenated organic compounds and gene expression ofCYP17A1,CYP19A1, and oestrogen receptor α and β genes
Authors: Karmaus Wilfried , Osuch Janet Rose , Landgraf Jeff , Taffe Bonita , Mikucki Dorota , Haan Pam
Published: October 2010

Objective

To determine whether prenatal exposure to dichlorodiphenyl ethylene (DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and concurrent exposure to DDE, PCBs and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) affect gene expression of aromatase (CYP19A1), 17-α-hydroxylase (CYP17A1), and oestrogen receptors α and β (ESR1 andESR2).

Methods

Based on maternal PCB and DDE levels in the parent generation of the Michigan Fisheater Cohort determined between 1973 and 1991, individual prenatal exposures were estimated and have been published. In 2007, female adult offspring of this cohort were examined. Gene expression and concurrent lipid-adjusted exposures to DDE, PCBs and PBDEs were measured in blood and serum, respectively. Using mixed models and path analyses, gene-expression data were regressed on prenatal and concurrent exposures controlling for confounders.

Results

139 daughters of Michigan fisheaters (65.3%) participated in the investigation. While prenatal PCB levels were statistically significantly associated with decreased expression of the aromatase and 17-α-hydroxylase genes, prenatal DDE levels were significantly related to increased gene expression of aromatase but not of 17-α-hydroxylase. The DDE association seems to be mediated by concurrent lipid-adjusted p,p′-DDE serum levels. Prenatal and concurrent exposure of both PCBs and DDE had comparable effects. No association was found for PBDEs or for the gene expression ofESR 1andESR2.

Conclusions

A 40-year antecedent prenatal exposure and concurrent levels of PCBs and DDE are associated with the expression of aromatase and 17-α-hydroxylase genes. Prenatal exposures to organochlorines may instigate long-term alterations of gene expression. Mechanisms of prenatal induction of persistent gene-expression alterations are speculated to be epigenetic in nature.
Exposure to occupational noise and cardiovascular disease in the United States: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004
Authors: Gan Wen Qi , Davies Hugh W , Demers Paul A
Published: October 2010

Background

Chronic exposure to occupational noise may be associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension. However, findings are inconsistent and many previous studies are limited by small sample size and inappropriate control for potential confounders. We used a nationally representative US sample to examine associations of self-reported exposure to occupational noise with CHD and hypertension.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 6307 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004, aged ≥20 years and employed at the time of interview. Noise exposure assessment was based on self-reported exposure to loud noise in the workplace.

Results

Compared with never exposed participants, subjects chronically exposed to occupational noise had a 2–3-fold increased prevalence of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, CHD and isolated diastolic hypertension. After adjustment for various covariates, the odds ratios (95% CIs) for angina pectoris, CHD and isolated diastolic hypertension were 2.91 (1.35 to 6.26), 2.04 (1.16 to 3.58) and 2.23 (1.21 to 4.12), respectively. There were clear exposure–response relationships for the observed associations. Associations of noise exposure with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and CHD were particularly strong for participants aged <50 years, men and current smokers. There was no significant increase in levels of cardiovascular biomarkers including blood lipids and circulating inflammatory mediators associated with noise exposure.

Conclusions

Chronic exposure to occupational noise is strongly associated with prevalence of CHD, especially for young male current smokers. This study suggests that excess noise exposure in the workplace is an important occupational health issue and deserves special attention.
Prevention of long-term sickness absence and major depression in high-risk employees: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Lexis Monique A S , Jansen Nicole W H , Huibers Marcus J H , van Amelsvoort Ludovic G P M , Berkouwer Ate , Tjin A Ton Gladys , van den Brandt Piet A , Kant IJmert
Published: October 2010

Objectives

To examine the efficacy of early intervention on the prevention of long-term sickness absence and major depression among employees at high risk of future sickness absence and with mild to severe depressive complaints.

Methods

Randomised controlled trial conducted among employees working in an office environment. 139 employees were identified both at high risk of future sickness absence and with mild to severe depressive complaints through screening. Subsequently, they were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=69) or the control group (n=70). Objective sickness absence was analysed at 12 and 18 months of follow-up. Depressive complaints were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months of follow-up.

Results

Intention-to-treat analyses showed a significant difference in total sickness absence duration between the intervention (27.5 calendar days (SD 44.7)) and control group (50.8 days (SD 75.8)) over 12 months of follow-up, a reduction of 46% (p=0.017). The intervention group showed a non-significantly lower proportion of long-term sickness absence spells compared with the control group (p=0.127). Statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in depressive complaints were found after both 6 months (p=0.001) and 12 months (p=0.005) of follow-up, in favour of the intervention group. Relative risk reductions (RRR) were 19.2% and 19.8% respectively. Sickness absence data were available for all participants over 18 months of follow-up. Questionnaire data were available for 99 (at 6 months) and 90 participants (at 12 months). No adverse events or side effects occurred.

Conclusions

Early intervention in employees with mild to severe depressive complaints and high risk of future long-term sickness absence proved to be effective in preventing/reducing both sickness absence and depressive complaints.
Applying toxicological risk assessment principles to constituents of smokeless tobacco products: implications for product regulation
Authors: Ayo-Yusuf Olalekan A , Connolly Greg N
Published: October 2010

Objective

To determine how information on chemical constituents of different smokeless tobacco products (STPs) may be used in cancer risk assessment for regulatory purposes.

Methods

This study investigated select STP constituents potentially associated with significant cancer risk by applying a known toxicological risk assessment framework. Cancer risk estimates were obtained for selected constituents of STPs and a medicinal nicotine gum formulation with comparable toxicity information and also median concentration data on the GothiaTek analytes. The calculated cancer risk was considered ‘unacceptable’ if it exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) benchmark of an ‘acceptable’ cancer risk of 10E−6.

Results

The cancer risk estimates derived from daily use of 10 g of STPs meeting the industry-set GothiaTek limits exceed the levels generally considered ‘acceptable’ by the USEPA at least 8000 times. Except for the medicinal nicotine tested, all the STP types, including the relatively lower tobacco specific nitrosamine (TSNA)-containing snus, were found to carry an ‘unacceptable’ cancer risk. The calculated cancer risks associated with the snus and the US moist snuff products were, respectively, at least 1000 times and 6000 times greater than the minimum acceptable. TSNA and cadmium are associated with the largest estimated cancer risks for all the STPs evaluated.

Conclusions

This study's findings provide an empirical risk assessment that could guide STP regulation using an existing toxicological assessment framework. The study findings question the scientific rationale of the industry-set standards and highlight the need for regulatory actions to reduce specific toxicants in all STPs.
A large crested theropod from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
Authors: Zhao Xi-Jin , Currie Philip J.
Published: October 2010

A skull and partial skeleton of a new genus and species, Monolophosaurus jiangi n.gen., n.sp., of large theropod has been recovered from the Middle Jurassic beds in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, China. The most striking characteristic is a crest, formed primarily by the nasal and lacrimal bones, on the midline of the skull. Several foramina connect the hollow interior of the crest with the antorbital fossa. The function of the crest is unknown, although it most likely was used for visual recognition by other members of the same species. It is difficult to make a precise taxonomic assignment in the absence of information on the appendicular skeleton, but it appears to be more closely related to Allosaurus than to other megalosaur grade theropods.
A new carnosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
Authors: Currie Philip J. , Zhao Xi-Jin
Published: October 2010

In 1987, a Sino-Canadian expedition known as the Dinosaur Project (China – Canada – Alberta – Ex Terra) discovered a large theropod skeleton in the Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin in northwestern China. The well-preserved skeleton lacks much of the tail and most of the arms, but is otherwise nearly complete. The new genus and species, Sinraptor dongi, represents a poorly understood stage of theropod evolution, even though a related form, Megalosaurus, was the first dinosaur described and named (by W. Buckland in 1824). Sinraptor has a large pneumatopore in the jugal, a pronounced postorbital rugosity, a relatively long intertemporal bar in which the postorbital appears very short in lateral aspect, and a pneumatic palatine. It is more advanced than Piatnitzkysaurus from Argentina, less derived than Allosaurus, and shows its strongest similarities to Yangchuanosaurus. The preorbital skull length of Sinraptor is relatively longer than in Yangchuanosaurus, but the skull is relatively lower. A specimen from Sichuan recently described as "Yangchuanosaurus" hepingensis represents a second species of Sinraptor. Sinraptor and Yangchuanosaurus are united in a new family of theropods, the Sinraptoridae.
New material of Ikechosaurus sunailinae (Reptilia: Choristodira) from the Early Cretaceous Laohongdong Formation, Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, and the interrelationships of the genus
Authors: Brinkman Donald B. , Dong Zhi-Ming
Published: October 2010

New material of Ikechosaurus sunailinae from the Early Cretaceous Laohongdong Formation of the Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China, is described. This material, which includes well-preserved articulated skeletons and a series of isolated elements, demonstrates that Ikechosaurus is more closely related to Champsosaurus than to Simoedosaurus, sharing with Champsosaurus the presence of an elongate snout, anteriorly constricted parasphenoid with the foramen canalis caroticus internus located in or near the suture between the parasphenoid and the pterygoid, an anterior extension of the anterior end of the jugal, and an elongate symphysis including the splenial. Ikechosaurus is primitive relative to Champsosaurus in the anterior position of the internal narial openings, in the less strongly flared temporal region with the temporal openings placed largely above one another, in the absence of fenestra in the occiput between the parietal and squamosal, and in the interpterygoid vacuity bordered posteriorly by the basisphenoid. Ikechosaurus and Tchoiria are at a similar grade of evolution, but can be separated by details in the arrangement of bone forming the skull roof.