bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gene expression profile in rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells stimulated with aldosterone secretagogues
Authors: Romero Damian G. , Plonczynski Maria W. , Welsh Bronwyn L. , Gomez-Sanchez Celso E. , Zhou Ming Yi , Gomez-Sanchez Elise P.
Published: September 2007

The mineralocorticoid aldosterone, mainly produced by the adrenal gland, is essential for life, but an abnormally excessive secretion causes severe pathological effects including hypertension and target organ injury in the heart and kidney. The aim of this study was to determine the gene regulatory network triggered by aldosterone secretagogues in a nontransformed cell system. Freshly isolated rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells were stimulated with the two main aldosterone secretagogues, angiotensin II and potassium, for 2 h and subjected to whole genome expression studies using multiple biological and bioinformatics tools. Several genes were differentially expressed by ANG II ( n = 133) or potassium ( n = 216). Genes belonging to the nucleic acid binding and transcription factor activity categories were significantly enriched. A subset of the most regulated genes was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR, and then their expression was analyzed in time curve studies. Differentially expressed genes were grouped according to their time response expression pattern, and their promoter regions were analyzed for common regulatory transcription factor binding sites. Finally, data mining with gene promoters, transcription factors, and literature databases was performed to generate gene interaction networks for either ANG II or potassium. This paper provides for the first time a complete study of the genes that are regulated, and the interaction between them, by aldosterone secretagogues in rat adrenal cells. Increasing our knowledge of adrenal physiology and gene regulation in nontransformed cell systems could lead us to a better approach for the discovery of candidate genes involved in pathological conditions of the adrenal cortex.
Games of Lives in Surviving Childhood Brain Tumors
Authors: Chen Chin-Mi , Chen Yueh-Chih , Haase Joan E.
Published: September 2007

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the commonality of the lived experience of adolescent and young adult survivors (AYAS) of brain tumors in Taiwan from a sociocultural perspective. Seven AYAS aged 13 to 22 years, who had survived 5 to 10 years from the time of diagnosis, participated in this study. In consideration of their emotional duress, each participant was interviewed only once. The data revealed an essential structure: the game of life. The essential structure included six themes as follows: (a) no longer playing well, (b) wandering on the outer edges of social life, (c) helplessly struggling with role obligations, (d) rationally regulating the meaning of surviving, (e) winning a new social face, and (f) mastering the game of life. The findings suggest how nurses might help AYAS to succeed in psychosocial adjustment.
Ravana in London
Authors: Richman Paula
Published: September 2007

The Ramayana, one of Hinduism's two pre-eminent epics, portrays the heroic Rama as an exemplar of proper behavior, but demon king Ravana as deviant in culinary, sexual, and political deeds. Representations of Ravana have been theorized as functioning to (1) dehumanize (mostly Muslim) enemies as aliens or (2) condemn treatment by plantation owners in indentured labor colonies. This article analyzes representations of Ravana in three London plays (1970—2001) to see how South Asian diasporic performances depict the demonic. In a feminist Ramlila in Southall, Greater London, Ravana symbolizes racism in Britain. In a family entertainment at the National Theatre, Ravana is composed of ten `multicultural' heads. In a Tara Arts production where Rama meets Odysseus, the external enemy (Ravana), matters less than the internal one (the suspicions men harbor about their wives). These examples suggest that, in diaspora contexts, representations of Ravana can generate multiple, complex, and sometimes contradictory meanings.
South Asia Down Under
Authors: Teaiwa Katerina Martina
Published: September 2007

In this article I reflect on Indian and Pacific Islander relations in Fiji and New Zealand to ask what Pacific studies might offer South Asian diaspora studies and vice versa. For Pacific Islanders kinship orders relations between people, land and sea and remains the most powerful discourse of identity throughout Oceania. In Fiji and New Zealand White settler-colonial and indigenous Pacific rights and anxieties frame national identities and policies towards migrants. Within these contexts, the girmits in Fiji, and recent Asian and Pacific Islander migrants in both countries, must locate themselves with respect to dominant interests. I highlight popular culture, one of the most important tactics for national participation and visibility taken up by migrant groups. The concept of kinship, often limited to blood and social code, central to Pacific identities and anthropological studies in the region, is reclaimed to suggest popular, non-hegemonic, and multivalent relations between groups in contrast to the divisive ethnic discourses that have shaped Fijian and Indian relations for over a century.
Four Poems
Authors: Prasad Mohit
Published: September 2007

Four poems by an Indo-Fijian writer and scholar reflecting on postcolonial Fiji.
Bonded Bodies
Authors: Gupta Charu
Published: September 2007

This article is about the tragic journeys and livelihood insecurities of coastal fisherfolk of India and Sri Lanka, who are arrested and jailed by these countries for having entered each other's arenas. These fisherfolk are victims of defined and undefined boundaries in the seas, and increasing conflicts over renewable resources. The article questions the cartographic and border anxieties of these countries, which come into fundamental contradiction with the lives, livelihoods and desires of the majority of coastal fisherfolk, who are short-term migratory subjects on an everyday basis. They are constantly subjected to categories such as insider and outsider, safety and danger, domestic and foreign, self and other. At the same time, the article reveals how these fishing communities themselves mark an ambiguous space, located as they are on the margins of the two countries, thereby providing emancipatory possibilities that can emerge from the spatial freedoms which they have practised. However, there are also some contradictory voices. Some of these fisherfolk are articulating the very same language which is used to suppress them. In attempting to highlight these complexities, the article widens our definitions of migrations, diasporas, and transnational subjects.
Madness, Diasporic Difference, and State Violence
Authors: Rudrappa Sharmila
Published: September 2007

This article examines the state's mobilization of difference in meting out irrational violence through juxtaposing two filicidal cases, those of Andrea Yates and Sailaja Hathaway. Biological deviance in Andrea Yates's case and cultural difference in Sailaja Hathaway's case are used to administer retributive justice. However, in deciding on the cases of `mad' mothers, the state appears irrationally violent. First, ideas on what is culturally driven and psychotically driven behavior are arbitrary. And second, punishment is not proportional to crime. Yates killed her five children, but was declared innocent by reason of insanity, and is undergoing psychiatric treatment. Conversely, immigrant mother Hathaway's filicidal act did not have long-term physical effects on her two sons, yet she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. This article concludes that demarcating diasporic difference, through cultural testimony in Sailaja Hathaway's case in this instance, abets the state's classificatory and disciplinary functions while simultaneously concealing the state's maddening violence.
Intimate History
Authors: Hajratwala Minal
Published: September 2007

While conventional academic diaspora narratives privilege sociopolitical/ economic causes, migrants themselves rely on such factors as coincidence, impulse, and destiny (karma) to explain migratory choices and outcomes. The literary nonfiction approach (what I call `intimate history') juxtaposes these insider and outsider explanations, weaving together journalistic, historical, and ethnographic methods with literary techniques, without resorting to fictionalization. I lay out three writerly `tools'—research, vulnerability, and speculation—that, I argue, allow for a more complex model of diaspora to emerge. I describe how these tools, developed and used in the process of writing my forthcoming nonfiction book, provide insight into the emotional and historical complexities around each diasporan's `moment of migration'.
Conceptual metaphors for SARS: 'war' between whom?
Authors: Chiang Wen-Yu , Duann Ren-Feng
Published: September 2007

By analyzing naming strategies and conceptual metaphors for SARS in three major broadsheet newspapers, The Liberty Times and The United Daily News in Taiwan, and The People's Daily in China, this article demonstrates how the political agendas and underlying ideologies of newspapers permeate their use of metaphors. Taking critical metaphor analysis (Charteris-Black, 2004) as the theoretical framework, we analyze how the DISEASE IS WAR metaphor, in particular, constructs Self and Other, as well as several other metaphors (e.g. DISEASE IS A NATURAL DISASTER/ A DISASTER IN GENERAL). We argue that all the linguistic devices under consideration represent SARS as an issue in the domain of political rather than medical discourse.
The micropolitics of personal national and ethnicity identity
Authors: Norris Sigrid
Published: September 2007

This article uncovers explicit simultaneous identity construction by applying Scollon and Scollon's (2001) notion of Discourse System and Multimodal Interaction Analysis (Norris, 2004a, 2004b). As a contribution to the theoretical discussion, this article investigates the micropolitics of personal national and ethnicity identity construction of Hispanic/Latino Americans in the Greater Washington DC area as a way of explicating a multimodal framework. This framework allows for the incorporation of multiple modes of communication into a discourse study, explicating how personal national and ethnicity identity can be misunderstood with far-reaching consequences. Turning towards a practical use of the theoretical knowledge, this article is relevant to societal discourses in which members from different cultural backgrounds interact, i.e. to any kind of intercultural scenario in the broadest sense. As such, the article suggests that educating diverse communities about simultaneous identity construction would result in a positive change and a possible solution to the discrepancies that can be found in communities, small groups and families.
Reframing practices in moral conflict: interaction problems in the negotiation standoff at Waco
Authors: Agne Robert R.
Published: September 2007

This study is an analysis of several telephone conversations between FBI negotiators and David Koresh during the 51-day FBI—Branch Davidian standoff outside Waco, Texas, in 1993. The analysis shows how different reframing practices reveal interactional troubles the negotiators faced in dealing with the incompatibility of their legal frame for the situation and the Davidians' religious one. These practices shed new light on reframing in crisis negotiation steeped in moral conflict, describing it as a problematic conversational practice rather than a prescribed path to resolution.
HindIII Polymorphism in Carrier Detection of Hemophilia A in India: A New Primer Design
Authors: Syed Tasleem Raza  , Husain Nuzhat , Anant Narayan Bhatt  , Avneesh
Published: September 2007

HindIII polymorphism studies were done in 67 north Indian families with hemophilia A using a new primer sequence and comparing results with the standard protocol. Amplified segment was 608 bp in size. Genetically positive hemizygous males (+) and homozygous females (+/+) showed 427, 100, and 81 size fragments, whereas heterozygous females (+/−) had 427, 181, 100, and 81-bp segments. Genotypically negative hemizygous (−) males and homozygous females (−/−) show that 427-bp and 181-bp fragments dimer formation was minimal and results matched with standard protocol in 20 cases where both polymerase chain reactions were run. The frequency of positive allele for HindIII polymorphism in 67 families was 0.38 and heterozygosity in terms of informativity was 0.46.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Bemiparin in a Large Population of Orthopedic Patients in a Normal Clinical Practice
Authors: Otero-Fernández Rafael , Gómez-Outes Antonio , Martínez-González Javier , Rocha Eduardo , Fontcuberta Jordi
Published: September 2007

The authors conducted a prospective, open, multicenter, observational study to audit the utilization patterns of bemiparin in orthopedic patients in daily clinical practice. They analyzed rates of documented symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) confirmed by objective methods, major bleeding, death, thrombocytopenia, and other adverse events. It was also intended to analyze the influence of concomitant factors (bemiparin dose, concomitant medications, age, and obesity) on VTE and bleeding rates. A total of 7959 patients were included and received bemiparin for 28 days (median). Bemiparin 3500 IU/d was used in 84.9% of patients, whereas bemiparin 2500 IU/d was administered to 15.1% of patients. Reason for prophylaxis (number of cases [%]) included cast immobilization of the leg (2052 [25.8%]), knee replacement (1082 [13.6%]), hip replacement (876 [11.0%]), hip fracture surgery (437 [5.5%]), other lower limb surgery (1569 [19.7%]), knee arthroscopy (769 [9.7%]), and spine surgery (231 [2.9%]). A total of 943 patients with insufficient data on reason for prophylaxis and 560 patients with no outcome assessment were excluded from the analysis of clinical outcomes. Among 6456 assessable patients, the authors found a low rate of documented symptomatic VTE (0.91%), major bleeding (0.17%), deaths (0.37%), and mild to moderate thrombocytopenia (0.51%). None of the major bleedings was fatal or occurred in a critical organ. There were 3 deaths in which fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) could not be ruled out. There were no cases of severe type-II thrombocytopenia. VTE rates were not increased in obese patients, and major bleeding rates were not increased in elderly patients or in patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In conclusion, bemiparin prophylaxis, given for 3 to 4 weeks in cast immobilization of the leg and other orthopedic procedures, was associated with low rates of VTE, bleeding, and other adverse events in normal clinical practice.
Correlation Between Thrombomodulin and Severe Preeclampsia: A Summary
Authors: Wiwanitkit Viroj
Published: September 2007

Thrombomodulin is a critical cofactor in the initiation of the protein C anticoagulant pathway. Plasma levels of thrombomodulin are regulated on a genetic basis, but more important is the dependence on a series of other atherosclerotic risk factors, such as hypertriglyceridemia, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. There is considerable controversy regarding the clinical role of thrombomodulin level as a risk factor of severe preeclampsia. A retrospective analysis of recent reports on the thrombomodulin level and its correlation to preeclampsia was performed to assess the correlation between the pattern of thrombomodulin level and preeclampsia. From the available 4 case-control studies, 149 patients and 120 controls are evaluated. The overall average thrombomodulin level for the patients and controls is 66.7 ± 11.9 ng/mL and 45.7 ± 7.3 ng/mL, respectively, which is significantly higher in patients than in controls ( P < .05). In addition, the author reports a significant correlation between population ethnicity and thrombomodulin level ( r = .96; P < .05).
Outpatient-Based Primary and Secondary Thromboprophylaxis With Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin
Authors: Spyropoulos Alex C.
Published: September 2007

Although oral vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin have been the mainstay of thromboprophylaxis in the outpatient setting, warfarin has potential disadvantages, including food and drug interactions, the need for drug monitoring, intolerance, failure, and hypersensitivity syndromes. The use of low-molecular-weight heparin as a primary or secondary thromboprophylactic drug in the outpatient setting for extended prophylaxis or as outpatient bridging therapy has been addressed less extensively. Available evidence shows that low-molecular-weight heparin can be used as extended outpatient-based primary thromboprophylaxis for major orthopedic and cancer surgery and is a safe and effective alternative to warfarin in long-term secondary thromboprophylaxis, especially in cancer patients and in pregnant women. Low-molecular-weight heparin can also be used as an alternative to unfractionated heparin as outpatient-based bridging therapy. In addition to good clinical outcomes and financial benefits, mainly resulting from a reduction in the length of hospital stay, the use of extended-duration low-molecular-weight heparin in the outpatient setting appears to be feasible, with high patient compliance.
Estrogen Receptor Alpha and Beta Gene Polymorphisms Are Not Risk Factors for Recurrent Miscarriage in a Brazilian Population
Authors: Morandi Aléssio Aline , Siqueira Lúcia Helena , Couto de Carvalho Egle Cristina , Barini Ricardo , de Pádua Mansur Antônio , Fenalti Hoehr Nelci , Annichino-Bizzacchi Joyce Maria
Published: September 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of alpha (ESR1: c.454-397T>C and c.454-351A>G) and beta (ESR2: 1082G>A and 1730G>A) estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms in 2 Brazilian ethnic groups (Caucasian, African Brazilian) and to investigate their association with recurrent miscarriage (RM) in 75 women with a history of 3 or more consecutive pregnancy losses and 139 controls with at least 2 live births and no history of pregnancy loss. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism were used to identify gene polymorphisms. Coagulation methods were used to measure protein C, protein S, and fibrinogen, and a chromogenic method was used for antithrombin quantification. Significantly higher prevalences of 1082G>A and 1730G>A polymorphisms were seen in African Brazilian and Caucasian controls, respectively. There was no association between RM and ESR polymorphisms. There was a difference in the genotype prevalence in the c.454-39T>C polymorphism between RM and control Caucasians, but this finding was not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. There was no synergistic or additive effect between ESR polymorphisms and thrombophilia in RM patients. A difference in the prevalence of ESR polymorphisms was observed, according to ethnic origin. ESR polymorphisms could not be considered a risk factor for RM.
Multifactorial Thrombophilia in a Pregnancy: A Case Report
Authors: Gumus Ilknur Inegol , Uslu Hilal , Bavbek Nuket , Turhan Nilgun
Published: September 2007

Thrombophilias are inherited or acquired conditions that predispose individuals to thromboembolism. Thrombophilic disorders increase obstetric complications, such as early pregnancy loss, fetal growth retardation, placental abruption, and preeclampsia. Recurrent pregnancy loss affects 1% to 3% of women of reproductive age, and a large proportion of these losses remain unexplained. Thrombophilic defects were found in 49% to 65% of women with pregnancy complications compared with 18% to 22% of women with normal pregnancies, suggesting a 3- to 8-fold increase in risk. We report a case of a pregnant woman who had a history of recurrent pregnancy losses that was complicated with protein S deficiency, factor V Leiden mutation, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase mutation, and antiphospholipid syndrome in her pregnancy.
Variant CYP2C9 Alleles and Warfarin Concentrations in Patients Receiving Low-Dose Versus Average-Dose Warfarin Therapy
Authors: Redman Andrea R. , Zheng Jack , Shamsi Shahab A. , Huo Jingguo , Kelly Edward J. , Ho Rodney J.Y. , Ritchie Denise M. , Yuen Yi Hon
Published: September 2007

This study compared the frequency of variant cytochrome P450 2C9 ( CYP2C9) alleles and warfarin S/R concentration ratio in patients who required low-dose (<2.5 mg/day) and average-dose (5 ± 0.5 mg/day) warfarin. Patients who achieved a therapeutic international normalized ratio were recruited from the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center anticoagulation clinic. CYP2C9*2 and *3 alleles were determined by validated Taqman allelic discrimination assays. Warfarin S and R concentrations were determined by chiral capillary electrochromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. At least 1 variant allele was found in 66.7% and 22.2% of patients in the low-dose and average-dose groups, respectively ( P = .001, χ2). The warfarin S/R concentration ratio was 0.665 (range, 0.162-3.58) and 0.452 (range, 0.159-2.36) for patients receiving low-dose and average-dose therapy, respectively ( P = .097). A warfarin requirement of <2.5 mg/day and an elevated warfarin S/R concentration ratio were each associated with a higher frequency of variant CYP2C9 alleles.
Hemostasis Activation in Thrombophilic Subjects With or Without a History of Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Cuderman Tjaša Vižintin , Božič Mojca , Peternel Polona , Stegnar Mojca
Published: September 2007

Thrombophilia is considered to increase the risk of venous thrombosis (VT) due to hemostasis activation. To determine the level of hemostasis activation in thrombophilic subjects with or without a history of VT, hemostasis activation markers prothrombin fragment 1 and 2 (F1+2), thrombin—antithrombin complex (TAT), and cross-linked fibrin degradation products (D-dimer) were measured in 94 subjects with (patients) and 101 subjects without a history of VT (controls). A total of 34.8% of patients and 14.8% of controls ( P = .002) had at least 1 thrombophilic defect (protein C deficiency, activated protein C [APC] resistance, presence of lupus anticoagulants, or prothrombin G20210A polymorphism). The subjects were divided into 4 subgroups: patients with (TF+ patients) and without (TF− patients) thrombophilia, and controls with (TF+ controls) and without (TF− controls) thrombophilia. Hemostasis activation was comparable between all patients and controls (TAT: 2.1 vs 2.6 µg/L; F1+2: 1.0 vs 0.9 nmol/L; D-dimer: 36 vs 37 µg/L, respectively) and between TF+ and TF− patients. However, TF+ controls had a significantly higher prevalence of increased hemostasis activation markers compared with TF− controls (TAT > 4.4 µg/L, 38.4 vs 7.3%; F1+2 > 1.1 nmol/L, 53.8 vs 22.0%; D-dimer > 78 µg/L, 30.7 vs 8.8% of subjects, respectively; all P < .05). After stratification for thrombophilic defects, hemostasis activation was associated with APC resistance in controls and with protein C deficiency in patients. To conclude, thrombophilia was associated with hemostasis activation in controls. We assumed that, in patients, the differences in hemostasis activation between subjects with or without thrombophilia were blurred due to undetermined and unidentified thrombophilic defects.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Acute Deep Vein Thromboses
Authors: Louw Susan , Jacobson Barry F. , Büller Harry
Published: September 2007

Abnormalities that predispose to a hypercoagulable state with an increased incidence of venous thrombosis have been described in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and are associated with an increased mortality. A recent systematic review by Klein et al concluded that further studies are essential to elucidate the link between HIV infection and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We prospectively evaluated 24 consecutive, active people presenting with an acute DVT; 13 consented to HIV testing, revealing an HIV prevalence of 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65-1.04). In a matched healthy control group, the HIV prevalence was 4% (95% CI, 0.039-0.041). The high HIV prevalence in the DVT group that consented to testing was also significantly higher compared to that in the South African population, estimated to be 10% in 2005. Although the study numbers were low, a statistically significant increased prevalence of HIV infection was found in patients with acute DVTs.
Serologic Results in >1000 Patients With Suspected Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Shelat Suresh G. , Tomaski Anne , Pollak Eleanor S.
Published: September 2007

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) can lead to life-threatening and limb-threatening thrombosis. HIT is thought to be initiated by the interaction of pathogenic antibodies toward a complex platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin (PF4:H), which can activate platelets and predispose to thrombosis. As such, the laboratory diagnosis of HIT includes antigenic and functional assays to detect antibodies directed at PF4:H complexes. We performed a retrospective analysis of 1017 consecutive samples tested by serotonin-release assay and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Most samples showed no serologic evidence of HIT, whereas 4% to 5% of samples demonstrated both antigenic and functional serological evidence for HIT. Approximately 12% to 18% of samples showed immunologic evidence of anti-PF4:H antibodies but without functional evidence of serotonin release in vitro. Interestingly, a small minority of samples (0.7%) caused serotonin release but were negative in the ELISA. The results are presented using cutoff values established at our hospital and for the ELISA manufacturer. This study provides a pretest probability of the serologic results from an antigenic assay (ELISA) and a functional assay (serotonin-release assay) in patients clinically suspected of having HIT.
Reducing Hospitalizations From Long-Term Care Settings
Authors: Konetzka R. Tamara , Spector William , Limcangco M. Rhona
Published: September 2007

Hospital spending represents approximately one third of total national health spending, and the majority of hospital spending is by public payers. Elderly individuals with long-term care needs are at particular risk for hospitalization. While some hospitalizations are unavoidable, many are not, and there may be benefits to reducing hospitalizations in terms of health and cost. This article reviews the evidence from 55 peer-reviewed articles on interventions that potentially reduce hospitalizations from formal long-term care settings. The interventions showing the strongest potential are those that increase skilled staffing, especially through physician assistants and nurse practitioners; improve the hospital-to-home transition; substitute home health care for selected hospital admissions; and align reimbursement policies such that providers do not have a financial incentive to hospitalize. Much of the evidence is weak and could benefit from improved research design and methodology.
The Effect of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations/ Investigations on the Mother/Child Relationship
Authors: Plummer Carol A. , Eastin Julie
Published: September 2007

In alleged sexual abuse cases, the mother's efforts to provide a protective environment, including detecting signs of abuse and providing support subsequent to abuse, are critical to the child's well-being. This qualitative study, using two focus groups with 10 participants, examines changes in the mother/child relationship after disclosures of sexual abuse of preschoolers. Mother/child relationships were affected by suspicions and discovery of child sexual abuse in the following categories: interference of investigators, behavior problems in the child, parental exhaustion from increased demands, and parenting insecurity. Suggestions for further research and intervention implications are discussed.
“Everybody Makes Choices”
Authors: Dunn Jennifer L. , Powell-Williams Melissa
Published: September 2007

Semistructured interviews with 32 domestic violence victim advocates illuminate how advocates explain “battered women who stay.” The interviews show that this behavior is a source of great frustration for advocates, who struggle to simultaneously conceive of battered women as victims trapped by social, psychological, and interactional forces and as agents whose choices must be respected. The authors argue that their organizational subculture and the culture of individualism in the contemporary United States do not provide the ideological and linguistic resources necessary for managing this dilemma. This results in a tendency to overemphasize battered women's choice and thereby diminish the constraints they face.
Domestic Violence Across Race and Ethnicity
Authors: Grossman Susan F. , Lundy Marta
Published: September 2007

Domestic violence occurs across all ethnic and racial groups, profoundly affecting women, who are most frequently the victims. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2050, 50% of the population will be minorities. To contribute to the growing literature on race and domestic violence, this article uses data derived from domestic violence programs in a large Midwestern state between 1990 and 1995 to focus on the experiences of victims who sought services and examine how they vary by race and ethnicity. The limitations as well as practice and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Cultural Beliefs and Service Utilization by Battered Arab Immigrant Women
Authors: Abu-Ras Wahiba
Published: September 2007

This study examines the relationship between cultural beliefs and the utilization of services among Arab immigrant women. All participants ( N = 67) reported at least one act of partner abuse resulting in a consultation with various formal services. Significant correlations were found between the holding of traditional attitudes toward gender in general and wife battering in particular by the women and the utilization of formal mental ( r = .32, p = < .001), social ( r = .29, p < .05), and legal ( r = .38, p = < .001) services. The study's limitations, policy implications, and the impacts of 9/11 on the Arab immigrant community and on their use of services are discussed.
Cytogenetically defined myelodysplasia after melphalan-based autotransplantation for multiple myeloma linked to poor hematopoietic stem-cell mobilization: the Arkansas experience in more than 3000 patients treated since 1989
Authors: Barlogie Bart , Tricot Guido , Haessler Jeff , van Rhee Frits , Cottler-Fox Michele , Anaissie Elias , Waldron James , Pineda-Roman Mauricio , Thertulien Raymond , Zangari Maurizio , Hollmig Klaus , Mohiuddin Abid , Alsayed Yazan , Hoering Antje , Crowley John , Sawyer Jeffrey
Published: September 2007

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a well-recognized complication of chemotherapy for multiple myeloma (MM). Serial bone marrow metaphase examinations were performed for MM restaging in 3077 patients undergoing high-dose therapy (HDT). MDS-associated cytogenetic abnormalities (MDS-CAs) were observed in 105 of 2418 patients in whom cytogenetic data were available after HDT. MDS-CAs occurred transiently in 72 patients and on 3 successive occasions (persistent MDS-CAs) in 33 patients, for 10-year estimates of 4% and 2%, respectively; only 21 patients developed overt clinical MDS and 5, acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). MDS-CA development was linked to lower CD34 yield at collection, longer time interval from MM diagnosis to HDT, older age, and lower platelet recovery after HDT; persistent MDS-CAs were predicted by CD34 yield of less than 3 × 106/kg and need for more than 2 apheresis procedures. Applying a tertile frequency distribution over time to all 105 patients with MDS-CAs, its detection early after HDT was associated with longer time interval from diagnosis and low pre-HDT platelet count (likely resulting from pre-HDT damage), whereas late-onset MDS-CAs were noted among patients treated with Total Therapy 2 and Total Therapy 3 that applied post-HDT consolidation chemotherapy (suggesting possible post-HDT damage). While the risk of MDS-CAs was low and clinical MDS occurred infrequently, monitoring after post-HDT consolidation chemotherapy appears warranted.
Endothelial damage from cytomegalovirus-specific host immune response can be prevented by targeted disruption of fractalkine-CX3CR1 interaction
Authors: Bolovan-Fritts Cynthia A. , Spector Stephen A.
Published: September 2007

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been linked to inflammatory diseases, including vascular disease and chronic transplant rejection, that involve vascular endothelial damage. We have previously shown that the host CD4+ T-cell response to CMV antigen can produce IFNγ and TNFα at levels sufficient to drive induction of fractalkine, a key marker of inflammation in endothelial cells. We have also observed a major pathogenic effect in which endothelial cell damage and loss follow the induction of frac-talkine and up-regulation of cell adhesion markers in the presence of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from donors with a high CMV-specific T-cell frequency. In this report, we show that the fractalkine-CX3CR1 interaction resulting in recruitment of natural killer (NK) cells and monocyte-macrophages plays an important role in mediating this endothelial damage. Supportive evidence for frac-talkine's key role is shown by the ability of specific antibody to CX3CR1 to reduce significantly CX3CR1+-bearing cell chemoattraction and to protect against endothelial damage. These findings support CMV as a member of a class of persistent pathogens in which a high T-cell response and chemokine-mediated effects are a risk factor for development of chronic inflammation and endothelial cell injury.
Development of an epitope conservancy analysis tool to facilitate the design of epitope-based diagnostics and vaccines
Authors: Bui Huynh-Hoa , Sidney John , Li Wei , Fusseder Nicolas , Sette Alessandro
Published: September 2007

Background

In an epitope-based vaccine setting, the use of conserved epitopes would be expected to provide broader protection across multiple strains, or even species, than epitopes derived from highly variable genome regions. Conversely, in a diagnostic and disease monitoring setting, epitopes that are specific to a given pathogen strain, for example, can be used to monitor responses to that particular infectious strain. In both cases, concrete information pertaining to the degree of conservancy of the epitope(s) considered is crucial.

Results

To assist in the selection of epitopes with the desired degree of conservation, we have developed a new tool to determine the variability of epitopes within a given set of protein sequences. The tool was implemented as a component of the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resources (IEDB), and is directly accessible athttp://tools.immuneepitope.org/tools/conservancy.

Conclusion

An epitope conservancy analysis tool was developed to analyze the variability or conservation of epitopes. The tool is user friendly, and is expected to aid in the design of epitope-based vaccines and diagnostics.
A multi-marker test based on family data in genome-wide association study
Authors: Zhang Zhaogong , Zhang Shuanglin , Sha Qiuying
Published: September 2007

Background

Complex diseases are believed to be the results of many genes and environmental factors. Hence, multi-marker methods that can use the information of markers from different genes are appropriate for mapping complex disease genes. There already have been several multi-marker methods proposed for case-control studies. In this article, we propose a multi-marker test called a Multi-marker Pedigree Disequilibrium Test (MPDT) to analyze family data from genome-wide association studies. If the parental phenotypes are available, we also propose a two-stage test in which a genomic screening test is used to select SNPs, and then the MPDT is used to test the association of the selected SNPs.

Results

We use simulation studies to evaluate the performance of the MPDT and the two-stage approach. The results show that the MPDT constantly outperforms the single marker transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) [1]. Comparing the power of the two-stage approach with that of the one-stage approach, which approach is more powerful depends on the value of the prevalence; when the prevalence is no less than 10%, the two-stage approach may be more powerful than the one-stage approach. Otherwise, the one-stage approach is more powerful.

Conclusion

The proposed MPDT, is more powerful than the single marker TDT. When the parental phenotypes are available and the prevalence is no less than 10%, the proposed two-stage approach is more powerful than the one-stage approach.
Dynamic remodelling of synapses can occur in the absence of the parent cell body
Authors: Bettini Natalia L , Moores Thomas S , Baxter Becki , Deuchars Jim , Parson Simon H
Published: September 2007

Background

Retraction of nerve terminals is a characteristic feature of development, injury and insult and may herald many neurodegenerative diseases. Although morphological events have been well characterized, we know relatively little about the nature of the underlying cellular machinery. Evidence suggests a strong local component in determining which neuronal branches and synapses are lost, but a greater understanding of this basic neurological process is required. Here we test the hypothesis that nerve terminals are semi-autonomous and able to rapidly respond to local stimuli in the absence of communication with their parent cell body.

Results

We used an isolated preparation consisting of distal peripheral nerve stumps, associated nerve terminals and post-synaptic muscle fibres, maintained in-vitro for up to 3 hrs. In this system synapses are intact but the presynaptic nerve terminal is disconnected from its cell soma. In control preparations synapses were stable for extended periods and did not undergo Wallerian degneration. In contrast, addition of purines triggers rapid changes at synapses. Using fluorescence and electron microscopy we observe ultrastructural and gross morphological events consistent with nerve terminal retraction. We find no evidence of Wallerian or Wallerian-like degeneration in these preparations. Pharmacological experiments implicate pre-synaptic P2X7 receptor subunits as key mediators of these events.

Conclusion

The data presented suggest; first that isolated nerve terminals are able to regulate connectivity independent of signals from the cell body, second that synapses exist in a dynamic state, poised to shift from stability to loss by activating intrinsic mechanisms and molecules, and third that local purines acting at purinergic receptors can trigger these events. A role for ATP receptors in this is not surprising since they are frequently activated during cellular injury, when adenosine tri-phosphate is released from damaged cells. Local control demands that the elements necessary to drive retraction are constitutively present. We hypothesize that pre-existing scaffolds of molecular motors and cytoskeletal proteins could provide the dynamism required to drive such structural changes in nerve terminals in the absence of the cell body.
Predictors of incident herpes simplex virus type 2 infections in young women at risk for unintended pregnancy in San Francisco
Authors: Moss Nicholas J , Harper Cynthia C , Ahrens Katherine , Scott Katherine , Kao Susan , Padian Nancy , Raine Tina , Klausner Jeffrey D
Published: September 2007

Background

Young women receiving family planning services are at risk for both unintended pregnancy and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection.

Methods

We performed a secondary analysis using data from a previously published randomized controlled trial evaluating access to emergency contraception on reproductive health outcomes. Women aged 15 to 24 years were recruited from two Planned Parenthood clinics and two community health clinics in San Francisco. Demographic information and sexual history were obtained by interview. HSV-2 seropositivity was determined by fingerstick blood test. New pregnancies were measured by self-report, urine testing and medical chart review. Subjects were evaluated for incident HSV-2 infection and pregnancy at a 6-month follow-up appointment. Women who were pregnant or intending to become pregnant at enrolment were excluded.

Results

At enrolment 2,104 women were screened for HSV-2 and 170 (8.1%) were seropositive. Eighty-seven percent of initially seronegative women completed the study (n = 1,672) and 73 (4.4%) became HSV-2 seropositive. HSV-2 seroincidence was 7.8 cases per 100 person-years. One hundred and seventeen women (7%) became pregnant and 7 (6%) of these had a seroincident HSV-2 infection during the study. After adjustment for confounders, predictors of incident HSV-2 infection were African American race and having multiple partners in the last six months. Condom use at last sexual encounter was protective.

Conclusion

HSV-2 seroincidence and the unintended pregnancy rate in young women were high. Providers who counsel women on contraceptive services and sexually transmitted infection prevention could play an expanded role in counselling women about HSV-2 prevention given the potential sequelae in pregnancy. The potential benefit of targeted screening and future vaccination against HSV-2 needs to be assessed in this population.
Prognosis and serum creatinine levels in acute renal failure at the time of nephrology consultation: an observational cohort study
Authors: Perez-Valdivieso Jose Ramon , Bes-Rastrollo Maira , Monedero Pablo , de Irala Jokin , Lavilla Francisco Javier
Published: September 2007

Background

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between acute serum creatinine changes in acute renal failure (ARF), before specialized treatment begins, and in-hospital mortality, recovery of renal function, and overall mortality at 6 months, on an equal degree of ARF severity, using the RIFLE criteria, and comorbid illnesses.

Methods

Prospective cohort study of 1008 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed as having ARF, and had been admitted in an university-affiliated hospital over 10 years. Demographic, clinical information and outcomes were measured. After that, 646 patients who had presented enough increment in serum creatinine to qualify for the RIFLE criteria were included for subsequent analysis. The population was divided into two groups using the median serum creatinine change (101%) as the cut-off value. Multivariate non-conditional logistic and linear regression models were used.

Results

A ≥ 101% increment of creatinine respect to its baseline before nephrology consultation was associated with significant increase of in-hospital mortality (35.6% vs. 22.6%, p < 0.001), with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.81 (95% CI: 1.08–3.03). Patients who required continuous renal replacement therapy in the ≥ 101% increment group presented a higher increase of in-hospital mortality (62.7% vs 46.4%, p = 0.048), with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.66 (95% CI: 1.00–7.21). Patients in the ≥ 101% increment group had a higher mean serum creatinine level with respect to their baseline level (114.72% vs. 37.96%) at hospital discharge. This was an adjusted 48.92% (95% CI: 13.05–84.79) more serum creatinine than in the < 101% increment group.

Conclusion

In this cohort, patients who had presented an increment in serum level of creatinine of ≥ 101% with respect to basal values, at the time of nephrology consultation, had increased mortality rates and were discharged from hospital with a more deteriorated renal function than those with similar Liano scoring and the same RIFLE classes, but with a < 101% increment. This finding may provide more information about the factors involved in the prognosis of ARF. Furthermore, the calculation of relative serum creatinine increase could be used as a practical tool to identify those patients at risk, and that would benefit from an intensive therapy.
pHUSH: a single vector system for conditional gene expression
Authors: Gray Daniel C , Hoeflich Klaus P , Peng Li , Gu Zhenyu , Gogineni Alvin , Murray Lesley J , Eby Mike , Kljavin Noelyn , Seshagiri Somasekar , Cole Mary J , Davis David P
Published: September 2007

Background

Conditional expression vectors have become a valuable research tool to avoid artefacts that may result from traditional gene expression studies. However, most systems require multiple plasmids that must be independently engineered into the target system, resulting in experimental delay and an increased potential for selection of a cell subpopulation that differs significantly from the parental line. We have therefore developed pHUSH, an inducible expression system that allows regulated expression of shRNA, miRNA or cDNA cassettes on a single viral vector.

Results

Both Pol II and Pol III promoters have been successfully combined with a second expression cassette containing a codon-optimized tetracycline repressor and selectable marker. We provide examples of how pHUSH has been successfully employed to study the function of target genes in a number of cell types within in vitro and in vivo assays, including conditional gene knockdown in a murine model of brain cancer.

Conclusion

We have successfully developed and employed a single vector system that enables Doxycycline regulated RNAi or transgene expression in a variety of in vitro and in vivo model systems. These studies demonstrate the broad application potential of pHUSH for conditional genetic engineering in mammalian cells.
Biofortification in China: policy and practice
Authors: Campos-Bowers Monica H , Wittenmyer Brian F
Published: September 2007

Micronutrient deficiency undernutrition, due to insufficient levels of vitamins and minerals in the diet, remains one of the most prevalent and preventable nutritional problems in the world today. Micronutrient undernutrition is the most common form of malnutrition. Compared to the 180 million children with protein-energy malnutrition, 3.5–5 billion persons are iron-deficient, and 140–250 million persons are vitamin A-deficient. Micronutrient deficiencies diminish physical, cognitive, and reproductive development. Undernutrition is both a cause and a result of poor human health and achievement.

Middle-income nations, such as China, also suffer from micronutrient undernutrition's effects. In China's poor western provinces, despite supplementation and fortification efforts, stunting and underweight (symptoms of micronutrient undernutrition) remain common. In recent decades, nutritional adequacy, in terms of available food energy, improved immensely, as the government made food security a top priority. A potential next step for China could be to address specifically micronutrient undernutrition. The paper aims to provide a discussion of policy issues relevant to biofortification, if China were to consider the implementation of this intervention in its rural provinces.

Traditional nutritional interventions currently employ four main strategies: dietary modification, supplementation, commercial fortification, and biofortification. Biofortification, a relatively new technique, involves selectively breeding staple plant varieties to increase specific nutrient levels in plant tissues. Biofortification has the potential to provide benefits to humans, plants, and livestock; nourish nutrient-depleted soils; and help increase crop yields per acre. Biofortification methods include selective breeding, reducing levels of anti-nutrients, and increasing levels of substances that promote nutrient absorption.

If China were to implement biofortification programs, with help from government agencies and international organizations, several policy questions would need to be addressed. The paper discusses several policy questions that pertain to the relationship between biofortified and genetically modified crops, human health and safety concerns, labeling of biofortified crops for consumers, consumer rights, potential environmental impacts, intellectual property rights, seed disbursement, government investment, private-sector research, and additional agricultural and commercial regulations. Biofortification has the potential to help alleviate the suffering, death, disability, and failure to achieve full human potential that results from micronutrient undernutrition-related diseases.