bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Delayed Methadone Encephalopathy: Clinical and Neuroradiological Findings
Authors: Zanin Anna , Masiero Susanna , Severino Maria Savina , Calderone Milena , Da Dalt Liviana , Laverda Anna Maria
Published: October 2009

Several studies on opiates demonstrated that selected brain areas as cerebellum and limbic system have the greatest density of opioid receptors. Recently, few cases of severe cerebellitis following methadone poisoning have been reported in children. We present the case of a 30-month-old girl who developed a delayed encephalopathy after methadone intoxication. She was admitted to our emergency department in coma, and after naloxone infusion, she completely recovered. Five days after intoxication, she developed psychomotor agitation, slurred speech, abnormal movements, and ataxia despite a negative neuroimaging finding. A repeat magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed 19 days after the intoxication for persistent symptoms showed signal abnormalities in the temporomesial regions, basal ganglia, and substantia nigra. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these delayed MRI findings associated with synthetic opioid intoxication.
Long-Term Prognosis of Pediatric Patients With Relapsing Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Mar Soe , Lenox Jason , Benzinger Tammie , Brown Stephanie , Noetzel Michael
Published: October 2009

Although long-term follow-up data are available for cases with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, the findings range widely because of the lack of consistent definitions. Using the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group definitions strictly, we determined the long-term prognosis of children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, especially concerning relapsing cases. In our cohort of 86 children who presented with a first event of inflammatory demyelinating disease of central nervous system, 33 patients (38%) met the Study Group criteria for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis of which 9 patients had relapses. The mean follow-up duration was 12.8 years for relapsing cases and 9.2 years for all patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. The risk of developing relapses is 27% but the risk of developing multiple sclerosis from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is low at 6%. All relapsing cases had a benign course on prolonged follow-up, in spite of multiple relapses in the first 3 years.
A Case of Secondary Dystonia Responding to Levodopa
Authors: Bernard Geneviève , Vanasse Michel , Chouinard Sylvain
Published: October 2009

The authors report a patient with dystonia secondary to bilateral lesions of the basal ganglia, who improved dramatically with levodopa. The patient presented at the age of 4 years with progressive dystonia of the lower extremities and right upper extremity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed bilateral hyperintensities of the globus pallidus that remained stable over the years. Despite extensive investigations, the etiology of her basal ganglia lesions remained nebulous. The patient’s dystonia responded to Trihexyphenidyl and to tetrabenazine, but these medications needed to be stopped because of side effects. At the age of 12 years, small doses of levodopa-carbidopa were tried and resulted in dramatic improvement of her dystonia. The authors believe that in the pediatric population with secondary dystonias other than Segawa disease, even though this has been reported only rarely to be effective, a therapeutic trial with levodopa should be considered in some instances.
Exploring School-Employer Partnerships to Expand Career Development and Early Work Experiences for Youth With Disabilities
Authors: Carter Erik W. , Trainor Audrey A. , Cakiroglu Orhan , Cole Odessa , Swedeen Beth , Ditchman Nicole , Owens Laura
Published: October 2009

Although career development and early work experiences are associated with improved postschool employment outcomes for youth with disabilities, transition personnel report having few natural community partners to support and enhance these experiences. We surveyed 135 chambers of commerce and other employer networks to examine (a) whether and how these networks have partnered previously with local high schools on 18 youth-focused career development activities, (b) the extent to which they would consider such involvement to be feasible, and (c) the influence of disability status of youth on their responses. Although respondents considered a number of youth-focused support activities to be feasible, most chambers had limited previous involvement and their views and experiences were clearly influenced by the disability status of youth. Recommendations for expanding the involvement of employer networks in supporting the career development and early work experiences of youth are offered.
The Weak-form Efficiency of Chinese Stock Markets
Authors: Lim Kian-Ping , Habibullah Muzafar Shah , Hinich Melvin J.
Published: October 2009

Motivated by the shortcomings of earlier Chinese efficiency studies, the present paper re-examines the weak-form efficiency of Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. Specifically, our adopted methodologies mitigate the confounding effect of thin trading on return autocorrelation, detect both linear and nonlinear serial dependencies in the adjusted returns series, and capture the persistence of dependency structures over time. The result shows that the adjusted returns series from both markets follow a random walk for long periods of time, only to be interspersed with brief periods of strong linear and/or nonlinear dependency structures. This suggests that there are certain time periods when new information is not fully reflected into stock prices. Another interesting finding is that the existence of serial dependencies in both the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges follows one another closely after October 1997. It indicates that both markets respond in a similar way to influences from political, economic, social and institutional changes.
Applying Evidence-Based Practices to Community Corrections Supervision
Authors: Pérez Deanna M.
Published: October 2009

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of residential substance abuse treatment in reducing recidivism among high-risk offenders. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to match 82 probationers who participated in residential drug treatment program to 82 probationers with similar demographics and criminal history who did not attend treatment. The findings revealed that residential substance abuse treatment had no statistically significant effect on several dichotomous measures of recidivism but that treatment participation substantially reduced the amount of criminal activity in which offenders engaged in during the 18-month follow-up period. Furthermore, among those arrested, the treatment group was more likely to be charged with a probation violation, whereas controls were substantially more likely to be arrested for a new criminal offense. The results serve as the foundation for future examinations into the efficacy of residential drug treatment for high-risk offenders under community supervision.
Being young and feeling blue in Taiwan: examining adolescent depressive mood and online and offline activities
Authors: Hwang Jennie M. , Cheong Pauline Hope , Feeley Thomas Hugh
Published: October 2009

This study investigates the relationship between Taiwanese adolescents’ depressive mood and their self-reported online and offline activities. The results indicate that adolescents who reported higher depressive mood were more likely to use the internet to make friends and express feelings compared to those who were lower in depressive mood. Teens higher in depressive mood reported to have fewer individuals in their immediate social network to speak with, either online or offline, when feeling blue. Hierarchical linear regression analysis shows that adolescents higher in depressive mood reported to engage in more online activities in the areas of communication, entertainment and information seeking. Further, a positive relationship between depressive mood and participation in risk behaviors is identified. These findings shed light on earlier studies that focus predominantly on US internet users, suggesting that the role that the internet plays for youths with depressive mood may vary by cultural context.
Mediated health: sociotechnical practices of providing and using online health information
Authors: Mager Astrid
Published: October 2009

While most of the existing research about online health information focuses exclusively on either the provider or the user side of communication circuits, this article aims to integrate and discuss both sides and their mediated relation to one another. Drawing on actor-network theory, it conceptualizes the provision and use of online health information as sociotechnical. It questions concretely how website providers position their websites and information, how users browse through the web and assemble information, and interrogates the various concepts of online health information these different practices imply. Further, it asks how search engines, and Google in particular, come to play such a dominant role in the way health-related web information is provided and used. The article concludes by evaluating the implications of the findings in regard to debates about the quality of online health information and the way in which web information is distributed and acquired on a broader scale.
Effects of Getting Married on Offending
Authors: Theobald Delphine , Farrington David P.
Published: October 2009

In the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, 411 males were followed up from age 8 to age 48. This analysis of the effects of marriage on offending is based on 162 convicted males. The age of marriage was stratified into early (18—21 years), mid-range (22—24 years), and late (25 years or later). Risk factors at age 8—10 were used to calculate propensity scores that predicted the likelihood of getting married. Convictions before and after the age of first marriage were investigated for married males and for unmarried males who were matched on the number of convictions before marriage and on the propensity score. The results showed that getting married was followed by a reduction in offending but only for early (age 18—21) and mid-range (age 22—24) marriages. The analysis was replicated using risk factors at age 18, with the same results.
Communicating Contentious Health Policy
Authors: Fahy Declan , Trench Brian , Clancy Luke
Published: October 2009

The Irish workplace smoking ban has been described as possibly a tipping point for public health worldwide. This article presents the first analysis of the newspaper coverage of the ban over the duration of the policy formation process. It adds to previous studies by analyzing how health communication strategists engaged, over time, with a newsworthy topic, viewed as being culturally controversial. It analyzes a sample of media content ( n = 1,154) and firsthand accounts from pro-ban campaigners and journalists ( n = 10). The analysis shows that the ban was covered not primarily as a health issue: Economic, political, social, democratic, and technical aspects also received significant attention. It shows how coverage followed controversy and examines how pro-ban campaigners countered effectively the anti-ban communication efforts of influential social actors in the economic and political spheres. The analysis demonstrates that medical–political sources successfully defined the ban’s issues as centrally concerned with public health.
Bus Talk: A Preliminary Analysis of Children’s Decontextualized Talk
Authors: Marvin Christine A. , Cline Keely D.
Published: October 2009

Decontextualized conversational talk has been recognized as an important foundation for young children’s early literacy and academic success. In this study, the authors explore the tape-recorded conversations of 15 typically developing preschool-age children. The children’s talk was recorded as they traveled home from preschool on a school bus with classmates who had developmental delays. Two days of travel conversations were analyzed for evidence of initiations, responses, and the time referents used. References to decontextualized topics were heard infrequently but heard in initiations and responses with adults and classmates, as well as in the children’s self-talk. References to the here and now (present tense) were common during the children’s 5 to 20 minutes of bus travel. The need for an attentive, competent partner in supporting young children’s use of decontextualized talk is discussed along with suggestions for adults who travel on buses with young children who are still developing language and conversational skills.
Marginal Lands and Suburban Nature: Open Space Planning and the Case of the 1893 Boston Metropolitan Parks Plan
Authors: Moga Steven T.
Published: October 2009

Soon after publication, the 1893 Boston Metropolitan Parks Report came to be regarded as a model plan for American cities. Little known to the public today, it is frequently cited by landscape and planning historians as a testament to the vision of “pioneer” landscape architect Charles Eliot and metropolitan planning advocate Sylvester Baxter. However, planning historians have overlooked key aspects of the plan and omitted significant details about the authors’ redevelopment and planning goals. I argue that Eliot and Baxter viewed open space planning as a means of combating slums and establishing a regionwide land use template for future growth.
An Outcome Evaluation of the YouthBuild USA Offender Project
Authors: Cohen Mark A. , Piquero Alex R.
Published: October 2009

A number of intervention and prevention programs exist with respect to juvenile delinquency but most are never evaluated, and of those that do, few are successful in their ability to reduce criminal activity. This article reports on an initial, preliminary outcome evaluation of a targeted intervention program aimed at low-income, 16 to 24-year-old offenders, the YouthBuild (YB) Offender Program. Results indicate reduced recidivism and improved educational outcomes for the YB participants. Theoretical, empirical, and policy-related issues and future directions are outlined.
Sensorimotor Cortical Activation in Patients With Cervical Spinal Cord Injury With Persisting Paralysis
Authors: Jurkiewicz Michael T. , Mikulis David J. , Fehlings Michael G. , Verrier Mary C.
Published: October 2009

Background. It is well documented that cortical sensorimotor representations are altered following nervous system pathology. However, little is known about these representations over time and, more specifically, in paralyzed individuals. Objective . To investigate the temporal changes in sensorimotor cortical activation in paralyzed individuals following spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to study 4 tetraplegic individuals repeatedly over the first year following traumatic SCI as well as 7 healthy individuals, 3 repeatedly. During fMRI, controls performed ankle movements, and patients attempted them. Standard clinical measures of SCI were used to assess movement ability. Results. Shortly after SCI, activation within the primary motor cortex (M1) was present at levels similar to those in controls. Extensive associated cortical sensorimotor activation, not seen in controls, was present. Over time, as paralysis persisted, activation in M1 was significantly reduced and progressively decreased in associated cortical sensorimotor areas. No session-specific dependence in M1 or associated sensorimotor cortical activation was found in healthy individuals. Conclusions. These findings provide the first report of the temporal evolution of cortical sensorimotor fMRI activation following traumatic SCI in humans who do not recover movement. Coupled with findings in patients who recover post-SCI, our results suggest an association between motor task—related fMRI activation and degree of motor function postinjury. Understanding the time course of plasticity and the relationship between cortical sensorimotor activation and motor ability following SCI could allow assessment of rehabilitation potential, monitoring of therapeutic efficacy, and improvement in therapeutic intervention along the course of recovery.
Prader-Willi Syndrome A Review for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals
Authors: Pereira Rosanna , Schalk Angela , Geraghty Maureen E.
Published: October 2009

Prader-Willi syndrome is a complex, multidimensional disease affecting approximately 1 in 8000 to 1 in 50 000 individuals. Although there is an abundance of data available regarding Prader-Willi syndrome, there are few sources of compiled, nutritionally pertinent information. Nutrition intervention is currently the only treatment for Prader-Willi syndrome, and therefore it is critical that nutrition professionals have an understanding of the disease. This review provides background information regarding Prader-Willi syndrome and the causes of obesity and hyperphagia, as well as outlines current nutritional recommendations and strategies for working with individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome. It is recommended that the diet of these children be strictly controlled and structure provided, yet it is important to allow for some flexibility to enhance quality of life. Behavioral issues also need to be considered as they render it a challenge for parents to impose restrictions on their children’s eating patterns.
FLT3-ITD up-regulates MCL-1 to promote survival of stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia via FLT3-ITD–specific STAT5 activation
Authors: Yoshimoto Goichi , Miyamoto Toshihiro , Jabbarzadeh-Tabrizi Siamak , Iino Tadafumi , Rocnik Jennifer L. , Kikushige Yoshikane , Mori Yasuo , Shima Takahiro , Iwasaki Hiromi , Takenaka Katsuto , Nagafuji Koji , Mizuno Shin-ichi , Niiro Hiroaki , Gilliland Gary D. , Akashi Koichi
Published: October 2009

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) is an essential survival factor for hematopoiesis. In humans, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) express MCL-1 at the highest level in response to FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) signaling. We here show that this FLT3-dependent stem cell maintenance system also plays a critical role in survival of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The CD34+CD38− LSC fraction expresses high levels of FLT3 as well as MCL-1, even compared with normal HSCs. Treatment with FLT3 ligand induced further MCL-1 up-regulation in LSCs in all AML cases tested. Interestingly, the group of samples expressing the highest levels of MCL-1 constituted AML with FLT3–internal tandem duplications (ITD). In FLT3-ITD AML cell lines, cells expressed a high level of MCL-1, and an inhibition of MCL-1 induced their apoptotic cell death. A tyrosine kinase inhibitor suppressed MCL-1 expression, and induced apoptosis that was reversed by the enforced MCL-1 expression. Finally, transduction of FLT3-ITD into HSCs strongly activated MCL-1 expression through its signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5)–docking domains. This effect was completely abrogated when STAT5 activation was blocked. Thus, the acquisition of FLT3-ITD ensures LSC survival by up-regulating MCL-1 via constitutive STAT5 activation that is independent of wild-type FLT3 signaling.
AML1/RUNX1 mutations in 470 adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia: prognostic implication and interaction with other gene alterations
Authors: Tang Jih-Luh , Hou Hsin-An , Chen Chien-Yuan , Liu Chieh-Yu , Chou Wen-Chien , Tseng Mei-Hsuan , Huang Chi-Fei , Lee Fen-Yu , Liu Ming-Chih , Yao Ming , Huang Shang-Yi , Ko Bor-Sheng , Hsu Szu-Chun , Wu Shang-Ju , Tsay Woei , Chen Yao-Chang , Lin Liang-In , Tien Hwei-Fang
Published: October 2009

Somatic mutation of the AML1/RUNX1(RUNX1) gene is seen in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) M0 subtype and in AML transformed from myelodysplastic syndrome, but the impact of this gene mutation on survival in AML patients remains unclear. In this study, we sought to determine the clinical implications of RUNX1 mutations in 470 adult patients with de novo non-M3 AML. Sixty-three distinct RUNX1 mutations were identified in 62 persons (13.2%); 32 were in N-terminal and 31, C-terminal. The RUNX1 mutation was closely associated with male sex, older age, lower lactic dehydrogenase value, French-American-British M0/M1 subtypes, and expression of HLA-DR and CD34, but inversely correlated with CD33, CD15, CD19, and CD56 expression. Furthermore, the mutation was positively associated with MLL/PTD but negatively associated with CEBPA and NPM1 mutations. AML patients with RUNX1 mutations had a significantly lower complete remission rate and shorter disease-free and overall survival than those without the mutation. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that RUNX1 mutation was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival. Sequential analysis in 133 patients revealed that none acquired novel RUNX1 mutations during clinical courses. Our findings provide evidence that RUNX1 mutations are associated with distinct biologic and clinical characteristics and poor prognosis in patients with de novo AML.
Identification of genes coding for B cell antigens of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Small Colony (Mmm SC) by using phage display
Authors: Miltiadou Dubravka R , Mather Arshad , Vilei Edy M , Du Plessis Dion H
Published: October 2009

Background

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a mycoplasmal disease caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC (Mmm SC). Since the disease is a serious problem that can affect cattle production in parts of Africa, there is a need for an effective and economical vaccine. Identifying which of the causative agent's proteins trigger potentially protective immune responses is an important step towards developing a subunit vaccine. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine whether phage display combined with bioinformatics could be used to narrow the search for genes that code for potentially immunogenic proteins of Mmm SC. Since the production of IgG2 and IgA are associated with a Th1 cellular immune response which is implicated in protection against CBPP, antigens which elicit these immunoglobulin subclasses may be useful in developing a subunit vaccine.

Results

A filamentous phage library displaying a repertoire of peptides expressed by fragments of the genome of MmmSC was constructed. It was subjected to selection using antibodies from naturally- and experimentally-infected cattle. Mycoplasmal genes were identified by matching the nucleotide sequences of DNA from immunoselected phage particles with the mycoplasmal genome. This allowed a catalogue of genes coding for the proteins that elicited an immune response to be compiled. Using this method together with computer algorithms designed to score parameters that influence surface accessibility and hence potential antigenicity, five genes (abc, gapN, glpO, lppB and ptsG) were chosen to be expressed in Escherichia coli. After appropriate site-directed mutagenesis, polypeptides representing portions of each of these proteins were tested for immunoreactivity. Of these five, polypeptides representing expression products of abc and lppB were recognised on immunoblots by sera obtained from cattle during a natural outbreak of the disease.

Conclusion

Since phage display physically couples phenotype with genotype, it was used to compile a list of sequences that code for Mmm SC proteins bearing epitopes which were recognised by antibodies in the serum of infected animals. Together with the appropriate bioinformatic analyses, this approach provided several potentially useful vaccine or diagnostic leads. The phage display step empirically identified sequences by their interaction with antibodies which accordingly reduced the number of ORFs that had to be expressed for testing. This is a particular advantage when working with Mmm SC since the mycoplasmal codon for tryptophan needs to be mutated to prevent it from being translated as a stop in E. coli.
Reports of evidence planting by police among a community-based sample of injection drug users in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Fairbairn Nadia , Kaplan Karyn , Hayashi Kanna , Suwannawong Paisan , Lai Calvin , Wood Evan , Kerr Thomas
Published: October 2009

Background

Drug policy in Thailand has relied heavily on law enforcement-based approaches. Qualitative reports indicate that police in Thailand have resorted to planting drugs on suspected drug users to extort money or provide grounds for arrest. The present study sought to describe the prevalence and factors associated with this form of evidence planting by police among injection drug users (IDU) in Bangkok.

Methods

Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with evidence planting of drugs by police among a community-based sample of IDU in Bangkok. We also examined the prevalence and average amount of money paid by IDU to police in order to avoid arrest.

Results

252 IDU were recruited between July and August, 2008, among whom 66 (26.2%) were female and the median age was 36.5 years. In total, 122 (48.4%) participants reported having drugs planted on them by police. In multivariate analyses, this form of evidence planting was positively associated with midazolam use (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.84; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.58 - 5.11), recent non-fatal overdose (AOR = 2.56; 95%CI: 1.40 - 4.66), syringe lending (AOR = 2.08; 95%CI: 1.19 - 3.66), and forced drug treatment (AOR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.05 - 3.36). Among those who reported having drugs planted on them, 59 (48.3%) paid police a bribe in order to avoid arrest.

Conclusion

A high proportion of community-recruited IDU participating in this study reported having drugs planted on them by police. Drug planting was found to be associated with numerous risk factors including syringe sharing and participation in government-run drug treatment programs. Immediate action should be taken to address this form of abuse of power reportedly used by police.
Detection of HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in feces and urine from chronic HIV-1 infected subjects with and without anti-retroviral therapy
Authors: Chakrabarti Ayan K , Caruso Lori , Ding Ming , Shen Chengli , Buchanan William , Gupta Phalguni , Rinaldo Charles R , Chen Yue
Published: October 2009

HIV-1 infects gut associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) very early after transmission by multiple routes. The infected GALT consequently serves as the major reservoir for HIV-1 infection and could constantly shed HIV-1 and CD4+T cells into the intestinal lumen. To examine this hypothesis, we monitored HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in fecal samples of chronically infected subjects with and without antiretroviral therapy (ART). We compared this to levels of HIV-1 RNA/DNA in urine and blood from the same subjects. Our results show that HIV-1 DNA, RNA and CD4 mRNA were detected in 8%, 19% and 31% respectively, of feces samples from infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load, and were not detected in any of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. In urine samples, HIV-1 DNA was detected in 24% of infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load and 23% of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope sequences of HIV-1 revealed distinct virus populations in concurrently collected serum, feces and urine samples from one subject. In addition, our study demonstrated for the first time the presence of CD4 mRNA in fecal specimens of HIV-1 infected subjects, which could be used to assess GALT pathogenesis in HIV-1 infection.
Gait quality is improved by locomotor training in individuals with SCI regardless of training approach
Authors: Nooijen Carla FJ , ter Hoeve Nienke , Field-Fote Edelle C
Published: October 2009

Background

While various body weight supported locomotor training (BWSLT) approaches are reported in the literature for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), none have evaluated outcomes in terms of gait quality. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in measures of gait quality associated with four different BWSLT approaches in individuals with chronic motor-incomplete SCI, and to identify how gait parameters differed from those of non-disabled (ND) individuals.

Methods

Data were analyzed from 51 subjects with SCI who had been randomized into one of four BWSLT groups: treadmill with manual assistance (TM), treadmill with electrical stimulation (TS), overground with electrical stimulation (OG), treadmill with locomotor robot (LR). Subjects with SCI performed a 10-meter kinematic walk test before and after 12 weeks of training. Ten ND subjects performed the test under three conditions: walking at preferred speed, at speed comparable to subjects with SCI, and with a walker at comparable speed. Six kinematic gait quality parameters were calculated including: cadence, step length, stride length, symmetry index, intralimb coordination, and timing of knee extension.

Results

In subjects with SCI, all training approaches were associated with improvements in gait quality. After training, subjects with SCI walked at higher cadence and had longer step and stride lengths. No significant differences were found among training groups, however there was an interaction effect indicating that step and stride length improved least in the LR group. Compared to when walking at preferred speed, gait quality of ND subjects was significantly different when walking at speeds comparable to those of the subjects with SCI (both with and without a walker). Post training, gait quality measures of subjects with SCI were more similar to those of ND subjects.

Conclusion

BWSLT leads to improvements in gait quality (values closer to ND subjects) regardless of training approach. We hypothesize that the smaller changes in the LR group were due to the passive settings used for the robotic device. Compared to walking at preferred speed, gait quality values of ND individuals walking at a slower speed and while using a walker were more similar to those of individuals with SCI.
Management of a massive thoracoabdominal impalement: a case report
Authors: Sawhney Chhavi , D'souza Nita , Mishra Biplab , Gupta Babita , Das Subir
Published: October 2009

A 26 year old male was impaled through his chest and upper abdomen with an iron angle, one and half meter long and five centimeters thick. The iron angle entered the chest, through the epigastrium and exited posteriorly just inferior to the angle of left scapula. The patient was transported to hospital with the iron angle in situ. Positioning the patient for intubation proved a major challenge. An unconventional position for intubation allowed a successful airway management. Paucity of time prevented us from gauging the nature and extent of injury. The challenges posed by massive impalement could be successfully managed due to rapid pre-hospital transfer and co-ordinated team effort.
HIV/AIDS‐Related Knowledge Among Malaysian Young Adults: Findings From a Nationwide Survey
Authors: Wong Li‐Ping , Chin Caroline‐Kwong Leng , Low Wah‐Yun , Jaafar Nasruddin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

HIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to young people, both in Malaysia and throughout the world. A nationwide cross‐sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS among the Malaysian public. This article reports the findings of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among young adults.

Methods

A total of 1075 young adult respondents aged 15–24 years participated in this survey. The response rate was 82.2%.

Results

The data indicated that HIV/AIDS knowledge among the respondents was moderate, with a mean knowledge score of 20.1 out of 32 points. The great majority had adequate knowledge of the major routes of HIV transmission, but fewer were aware of other modes of transmission, such as tattooing and piercing, sharing personal items, and breast‐feeding from an infected mother. The great majority knew that HIV is not transmitted by mosquito bites, sharing meals, casual contact, and using public swimming pools and toilets.

Conclusion

Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist although generally knowledge on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention was accurate. Education and intervention programs are needed to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS. The findings have important implications for the development of primary HIV/AIDS prevention programs for young adults in Malaysia.
Phase I dose escalation pharmacokinetic assessment of intravenous humanized anti-MUC1 antibody AS1402 in patients with advanced breast cancer
Authors: Pegram Mark D , Borges Virginia F , Ibrahim Nuhad , Fuloria Jyotsna , Shapiro Charles , Perez Susan , Wang Karen , Schaedli Stark Franziska , Courtenay Luck Nigel
Published: October 2009

Introduction

MUC1 is a cell-surface glycoprotein that establishes a molecular barrier at the epithelial surface and engages in morphogenetic signal transduction. Alterations in MUC1 glycosylation accompany the development of cancer and influence cellular growth, differentiation, transformation, adhesion, invasion, and immune surveillance. A 20-amino-acid tandem repeat that forms the core protein of MUC1 is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in the majority of epithelial tumors. AS1402 (formerly R1550) is a humanized IgG1k monoclonal antibody that binds to PDTR sequences within this tandem repeat that are not exposed in normal cells. AS1402 is a potent inducer of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), specifically against MUC1-expressing tumor cells. The objective of this study was to determine the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of AS1402 monotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic MUC1-positive breast cancer that had progressed after anthracyclines- and taxane-based therapy.

Methods

Patients received AS1402 over a 1- to 3-hour intravenous (i.v.) infusion at doses between 1 and 16 mg/kg, with repeated dosing every 1 to 3 weeks (based on patient-individualized PK assessment) until disease progression. Serum AS1402 levels were measured at multiple times after i.v. administration. Human anti-human antibody (HAHA) responses were measured to determine the immunogenicity of AS1402. Noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were determined and were used to assess dose dependency across the dose range studied.

Results

Twenty-six patients were treated. AS1402 was generally well tolerated. Two grade 3/4 drug-related adverse events were reported, both at the 3-mg/kg dose. Neither was observed in expanded or subsequent dosing cohorts. No anti-human antibodies were detected. Plasma concentrations of AS1402 appeared to be proportional to dose within the 1- to 16-mg/kg dose range assessed, with a mean terminal half-life of 115.4 ± 37.1 hours.

Conclusions

Repeated iv administration of AS1402 was well tolerated, with a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) exceeding 16 mg/kg, the highest dose administered in this study. The half-life and exposure of AS1402 were such that weekly dosing could achieve plasma concentrations corresponding to the maximal ADCC activity observed in vitro. A phase II study is ongoing to evaluate the clinical activity of AS1402 in patients with advanced breast cancer.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00096057.
Molecular networks involved in mouse cerebral corticogenesis and spatio-temporal regulation of Sox4 and Sox11 novel antisense transcripts revealed by transcriptome profiling
Authors: Ling King-Hwa , Hewitt Chelsee A , Beissbarth Tim , Hyde Lavinia , Banerjee Kakoli , Cheah Pike-See , Cannon Ping Z , Hahn Christopher N , Thomas Paul Q , Smyth Gordon K , Tan Seong-Seng , Thomas Tim , Scott Hamish S
Published: October 2009

Background

Development of the cerebral cortex requires highly specific spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression. It is proposed that transcriptome profiling of the cerebral cortex at various developmental time points or regions will reveal candidate genes and associated molecular pathways involved in cerebral corticogenesis.

Results

Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) libraries were constructed from C57BL/6 mouse cerebral cortices of age embryonic day (E) 15.5, E17.5, postnatal day (P) 1.5 and 4 to 6 months. Hierarchical clustering analysis of 561 differentially expressed transcripts showed regionalized, stage-specific and co-regulated expression profiles. SAGE expression profiles of 70 differentially expressed transcripts were validated using quantitative RT-PCR assays. Ingenuity pathway analyses of validated differentially expressed transcripts demonstrated that these transcripts possess distinctive functional properties related to various stages of cerebral corticogenesis and human neurological disorders. Genomic clustering analysis of the differentially expressed transcripts identified two highly transcribed genomic loci, Sox4 and Sox11, during embryonic cerebral corticogenesis. These loci feature unusual overlapping sense and antisense transcripts with alternative polyadenylation sites and differential expression. The Sox4 and Sox11 antisense transcripts were highly expressed in the brain compared to other mouse organs and are differentially expressed in both the proliferating and differentiating neural stem/progenitor cells and P19 (embryonal carcinoma) cells.

Conclusions

We report validated gene expression profiles that have implications for understanding the associations between differentially expressed transcripts, novel targets and related disorders pertaining to cerebral corticogenesis. The study reports, for the first time, spatio-temporally regulated Sox4 and Sox11 antisense transcripts in the brain, neural stem/progenitor cells and P19 cells, suggesting they have an important role in cerebral corticogenesis and neuronal/glial cell differentiation.
Human defensins and LL-37 in mucosal immunity
Authors: Doss Mona , White Mitchell R , Tecle Tesfaldet , Hartshorn Kevan L
Published: October 2009

Defensins and LL-37 play key roles in maintaining mucosal barriers against invasive infection and initiating immune responses after infection or injury to mucosal surfaces.

Defensins are widespread in nature and have activity against a broad range of pathogens. Defensins have direct antimicrobial effects and also modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. We consider the role of human defensins and the cathelicidin LL-37 in defense of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts and the oral cavity, skin, and eye. Human β-defensins (hBDs) and human defensins 5 and 6 (HD5 and −6) are involved most obviously in mucosal responses, as they are produced principally by epithelial cells. Human α-defensins 1–4 (or HNPs 1–4) are produced principally by neutrophils recruited to the mucosa. Understanding the biology of defensins and LL-37 is the beginning to clarify the pathophysiology of mucosal inflammatory and infectious diseases (e.g., Crohn’s disease, atopic dermatitis, lung or urinary infections). Challenges for these studies are the redundancy of innate defense mechanisms and the presence and interactions of many innate defense proteins in mucosal secretions.
Curcumin Inhibits srebp-2 Expression in Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells in Vitro by Reducing the Activity of Specificity Protein-1
Authors: Kang Qiaohua , Chen Anping
Published: October 2009

Elevated levels of cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are a risk factor for the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and its associated hepatic fibrosis. However, underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We previously reported that curcumin induced gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and stimulated its activity, leading to the inhibition of the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the major effector cells during hepatic fibrogenesis. We recently showed that curcumin suppressed gene expression of LDL receptor in activated HSCs in vitro by repressing gene expression of the transcription factor sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), leading to the reduction in the level of intracellular cholesterol in HSCs and to the attenuation of the stimulatory effects of LDL on HSCs activation. The current study aimed at exploring molecular mechanisms by which curcumin inhibits srebp-2 expression in HSCs. Promoter deletion assays, mutagenesis assays, and EMSAs localize a specificity protein-1 (SP-1) binding GC-box in the srebp-2 promoter, which is responsible for enhancing the promoter activity and responding to curcumin in HSCs. Curcumin suppresses gene expression of SP-1 and reduces its trans-activation activity, which are mediated by the activation of PPARγ. The inhibitory effect of curcumin on SP-1 binding to the GC-box is confirmed by chromatin immuno-precipitation. In summary, our results demonstrate that curcumin inhibits srebp-2 expression in cultured HSCs by activating PPARγ and reducing the SP-1 activity, leading to the repression of ldlr expression. These results provide novel insights into molecular mechanisms by which curcumin inhibits LDL-induced HSC activation.
Other Americas: Transnationalism, Scholarship, and the Culture of Poverty in Mexico and the United States
Authors: Rosemblatt Karin Alejandra
Published: October 2009

The anthropologist Oscar Lewis first used the term “culture of poverty” in a 1959 article on Mexico. Within months, the idea that the poor had a distinct culture became part of a passionate, decade-long, worldwide debate about poverty. Scholars, policy makers, and broader publics discussed what caused poverty and how to remedy it. How entrenched were the class and racial differences that led to poverty? How did those differences affect a country’s standing in the community of nations? This article tracks the concept of a culture of poverty as a way of probing the reciprocal, if unequal, connections between Mexico and the United States and their relation to national narratives and policy debates. It tracks how Lewis’s formulation of a culture of poverty drew on his training as an anthropologist in the United States, his extensive dialogue with Mexican intellectuals, and his fieldwork in Mexico. It also shows how Lewis and others reformulated the notion in response to intense public controversies in Mexico and Puerto Rico; the vehement U.S. discussions surrounding the War on Poverty and Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report on the Negro family, and larger events such as the Cuban Revolution, the U.S. civil rights movement, decolonization, the Vietnam War, and second-wave feminism.
History and the Contours of Meaning: The Abjection of Luisa Nevárez, First Woman Condemned to the Gallows in Puerto Rico, 1905
Authors: del Carmen Baerga-Santini María
Published: October 2009

The article analyzes the case of Luisa Nevárez, the first woman condemned to the gallows in Puerto Rico at the beginning of the twentieth century. Convicted for the killing of her almost year-old daughter, she never admitted the crime nor showed any remorse. Yet, Luisa did not make an easy transition into the sphere of the criminal. The nascent identity that was being forged in early twentieth-century Puerto Rico configured the delinquent as a masculine subject who was acknowledged as possessing intellectual malice and the capacity for social action. Luisa’s condition as a woman, mother, and mulatta, her ignorance, and other factors deprived her of any possibility of entering the space of the criminal subject. Instead, the figure of Luisa oscillated between monster and madwoman in the discourses of the time. Around the mid-twentieth century her discursive figure emerges again, this time in the authorized voices of those concerned with criminal activities on the island. In this context, we find her embodying the prototype of the criminal woman: degenerate, ugly, black, and sexually insatiable. It is Luisa’s abject condition that places her on the threshold of history and on the borders of the intelligible. However, the impossibility of explaining her actions in a rational way constitutes a formidable challenge for the historian. In this respect, the article is also a reflection on the limits and possibilities of the representative faculties of the historical narrative.
Oscar Wilde's Fictions of Belief
Authors: Ablow Rachel
Published: October 2009

What exactly does it mean to believe in fiction? What can this form of belief achieve or do for us that other forms cannot? This essay argues that for Oscar Wilde, the experience of losing oneself in a work of fiction offers a privileged opportunity to “try on” a belief one simultaneously knows to be not quite true or not quite one's own. In addition, it argues that in promoting this experience, Wilde is explicitly critiquing a model of belief popularized by Cardinal Newman in his 1870 An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent. There, Newman claims that one knows when one's beliefs are true because “certitude [i.e., true belief] is accompanied … by a specific feeling, proper to it, and discriminating it from other states, intellectual and moral.” By contrast, In “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” (1889) and elsewhere, Wilde attempts to make all beliefs seem open to doubt and debate—even beliefs not ordinarily understood as beliefs, such as sensations and emotions. Rather than advocating the “feeling of satisfaction and self-congratulation” that Newman identifies with certitude, Wilde seeks to make paradigmatic the ambiguity and, even more important, the vicariousness that he identifies with the experience of reading fiction.
The Problem of Realism and African Fiction
Authors: Andrade Susan Z.
Published: October 2009

Until recently, studies of postcolonial African novels emphasized the genre's relation to anticolonial critique and its expression of collective resistance. In response to the overwhelming assumption that novels from Africa were primarily anthropological artifacts rather than works of the imagination, literary critics sought to emphasize the palimpsestic nature of text by pointing to the unsayable and the indeterminate, and they devalued that which appeared mimetic, no matter what the text itself looked like. I explore the question of genre or narrative mode with special attention to realism, which I read as complex. African novels' relation to realism is not simply naive, as Anthony Appiah or Pascale Cassanova would claim. With complexity in mind, I ask what happens when readers shift attention away from the question of resistance that has so defined the field, and ask instead: how does the novel produce its effects? An answer to this question requires close attention to form because that is where the novelty of the novel lies. I look primarily at two novels: Le Devoir de violence (Mali) and The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (Ghana), both published in 1968.
Quixotic Realism and the Romance of the Novel
Authors: Black Scott
Published: October 2009

This essay argues that modern, realist ways of reading fail to satisfy fully their own claims about the novel as a genre self-consciously located in history. Rather, novels cycle through the kinds of narrative named by Ian Watt and Northrop Frye and show how each is necessary to the other—indeed, how each can turn into the other. In recycling anachronistic forms like romance, novels do not simply supersede them but rather offer tools of a literacy adequate to a history much longer and more active than historicism tends to allow. The puzzles of reading staged by the scene of Master Petro's puppet show in Don Quixote demonstrate the inseparability of romance and realism; realism too depends on the pleasures of enchantment, a transformation of the real that depends on the same effects the novel critiques in its moments of demystification. If the Quixote is modern, it is not because Quixote's illusions are shattered but because they are realized and relayed to other readers who read them, and perhaps misread them, in turn. History is represented not when the ideals of romance are swept away but when the procedures of romance are self-consciously adapted and adopted, for play, for pleasure, perhaps even for real. The claim of the novel to be an index of historicity rests on the genre's ability to stage the irreducible interplay of divergent scales of history, the long time of romance, and the local time of realism.