bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rationale for Intervention to Reduce Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A General Internist's Perspective
Authors: Greenstone Leo
Published: June 2007

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the most deadly disease in the United States and the one whose risks are most modifiable by lifestyle measures. The rationale for CHD risk reduction is clear, well studied and outlined in this article. From aggressive assessment with a history and physical, basic laboratory studies, nutritional assessment and a physical activity assessment, CHD risks can be adequately quantified. The challenge now is in defining how to fully implement the effective strategies; both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic (lifestyle) that have been proven to reduce the risks.
The Rationale for Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: The Pharmacists' Perspective
Authors: Prevost Rebecca R.
Published: June 2007

The community pharmacist is uniquely situated to provide sustained continuity for patients with or at risk for heart disease. Pharmacists must continue their own education regarding coronary heart disease, so that they can educate and support patients between physician appointments, identify patients needing medical attention, and serve as a community resource for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Liturgical Uniformity
Authors: Buchanan Colin
Published: June 2007

The uniformity of worship which we accept as part of the Anglican tradition was an entirely new idea when it was introduced in the sixteenth century. Few had asked for a single book of worship, but it was enforced by top-down, often draconian measures. This article traces the changing circumstances which have led to the loss of such uniformity not only in England, but in the worldwide Anglican Communion. In this process the equation of Anglican identity with a particular liturgical ethos may have disappeared. That process can be illustrated from the experience of the last Lambeth Conference.
Social capital and risk for chronic illnesses
Authors: Ahern Melissa M. , Hendryx Michael S.
Published: June 2007

Objectives: This study used an ecological model of social capital to examine the relationship between social capital and chronic illness. The model hypothesizes that personal social support and collective social capital are related to risk for chronic illnesses.

Methods: Data were taken from the American Changing Lives public use database. Seven hundred and sixty-nine persons meeting inclusion criteria were included. Dependent variables were the reported presence of hypertension and diabetes. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify correlates of these chronic illnesses, including demographic variables, and social capital and social support variables measured at both the personal and collective levels.

Results: Significant results were usually consistent with model hypotheses; that is, measures of social capital and social support were related to the presence of diabetes and hypertension in expected ways. However, in other cases, the hypothesized relationships were not statistically significant, due to limitations in the model or data.

Discussion: Social support and social capital both serve as protective factors against chronic illness. Development of social capital may proceed from the personal family and social environment to collective measures of trust and engagement, and this suggests that family relationships are the foundation on which to base efforts to build social capital.
Initial validation of an instrument to identify barriers to self-management for persons with co-morbidities
Authors: Bayliss Elizabeth A. , Ellis J.L. , Steiner J.F. , Main D.S.
Published: June 2007

Objective: To develop and initially validate a questionnaire designed to assess barriers to self-management perceived by persons with multiple chronic medical conditions. We hypothesized that persons who reported increased barriers to self-management would also report lower general health status and a greater disease burden.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done of Health Maintenance Organization members aged 65 years or older with varying numbers of chronic medical conditions. On the basis of a previous qualitative investigation, we have identified 13 domains representing potential barriers to self-management. We developed questions to assess each of these domains and, for each, calculated coefficients alpha and assessed correlation of that domain with self-reported general health status and disease burden.

Results: Respondents reported an average of 5.9 chronic conditions. Eight domains demonstrated acceptable internal consistency in this population. Nine of 13 domains correlated significantly in the expected direction with health status and/or disease burden.

Discussion: These results provide an encouraging first step in developing a tool that will be clinically useful in assessing and addressing barriers to medical self-management for persons with co-morbidities. Use of assessments such as this in clinical settings may facilitate appropriate and efficient care management and improved health outcomes for this growing and vulnerable patient population.
Experiences of Australian parents caring for children with asthma: it gets easier
Authors: Barton Christopher , Sulaiman Nabil , Clarke David , Abramson Michael
Published: June 2007

Objective: To describe the experiences of Australian parents caring for children with asthma.

Methods: A combination of random sampling, purposeful sampling and quota sampling was used to select care-givers from general practices in Melbourne's north and north-western suburbs. Data collection involved a single semi-structured in-depth interview with 21 parents caring for a child with asthma. Thematic analysis was aided by QSR NVivo.

Results: Children experienced predominantly mild-to-moderate, episodic asthma. Six themes emerged from the interviews: emotions and behaviours, coping strategies, disruption to activities, health and treatment beliefs, problems with asthma management, and relationships with doctors. Parents' experiences and health beliefs impacted on their management of asthma. These may act as barriers to optimal asthma care in some families. The overriding theme to emerge was `it gets easier'. It got easier with time because the children could communicate more effectively, and were better able to take care of themselves, and their asthma became less severe or less of a problem.

Discussion: This research has highlighted the need for health professionals to emphasize the chronic nature of asthma, but negotiate strategies with care-givers to optimize the use of asthma medications, with consideration being given to care-givers' fears, frustrations and health beliefs.
Use of telephone care in a cardiovascular disease management programme for type 2 diabetes patients in Santiago, Chile
Authors: Piette John D. , Lange Ilta , Issel Michelle , Campos Solange , Bustamante Claudia , Sapag Jaime , Poblete Fernando , Tugwell Peter , O'Connor Annette M.
Published: June 2007

Objectives: In 2004, the Chilean National Ministry of Health instituted a cardiovascular disease (CVD) management programme aimed at improving diabetes care among patients treated in the public healthcare system. We sought to identify the characteristics of patients participating in the CVD programme and the feasibility of extending its reach through structured nurse telephone contacts between outpatient encounters.

Methods: We surveyed 569 low-income adults with type 2 diabetes treated in public clinics of Santiago, to assess patients' participation in the CVD programme and willingness to use telephone care services. Surveys were linked to information from medical records.

Results: One-third of patients met the target of two visits to the CVD programme in the previous 6 months, and an additional 32% made more than three visits. Use of the CVD programme was associated with greater patient satisfaction, even after controlling for potential confounders. However, 27% of patients had inadequate programme contact, and many of these patients were in poor health. Many CVD programme participants reported difficulties with lifestyle changes, and greater contact with the CVD programme was not associated with healthier behaviours. Most patients (95%) reported telephone access and 37% had used the telephone to contact their clinic. The majority of patients would be willing to use telephone care for additional behaviour change and emotional support. Patients with fewer CVD programme visits were particularly likely to report willingness to use telephone care.

Discussion: Clinic-based CVD disease management services reach a large number of socio-economically vulnerable Chileans with diabetes. However, barriers to access remain, and planned telephone care services may increase the reach of self-management support.
Qualitative study of an intervention for depression among patients with diabetes: how can we optimize patient—professional interaction?
Authors: Gask Linda , Ludman Evette , Schaefer Judith
Published: June 2007

Objectives: To describe the communication between the depression care specialist (DCS) nurses and patients with both depression and diabetes in an intervention study. Our aims were to inform both the quantitative findings of the present trial and the design of future primary care intervention studies.

Methods: Qualitative content analysis of consultations between DCS nurses and patients in nine primary care clinics.

Results: Patients experienced a wide range of physical, social and psychological problems. The DCS nurses employed a range of interventions in addition to the problem-solving and case-management skills that formed the basis of this intervention.

Conclusions: Patients sometimes posed difficulties in being unable to understand the treatment, unprepared to engage with a new treatment and unready (or even unable) to acquire new skills. To optimize the interaction between patient and professional in the case management of depression and diabetes, training should provide guidance in the use of different models of care (medical and psychological), help case managers to identify and negotiate problem scenarios and combine an active model of therapy such as problem-solving treatment for primary care (PST-PC) with elements from motivational interviewing, ensure effective engagement in treatment, and specifically explore how interaction between depression and diabetes might result in adverse outcomes.
Health Care, Jesus and the Church
Authors: Gill Robin
Published: June 2007

This article seeks to identify distinctively Christian values that the Church might bring to public discussions of health care today. It does this by looking carefully at the Synoptic healing stories, identifying in the process four dominant virtues: compassion, care, faith and humility. It argues that together these virtues form an ideal typology that can be used to complement, deepen and sometimes challenge, but not simply replace, the prevalent values current within much health-care ethics today.
The Coming of Lutheran Ministries to America
Authors: Erling Maria
Published: June 2007

This article examines the historical and theological foundations of Lutheran doctrines of the ministry of word and sacrament in the Reformation and the Confessional documents and how this inheritance was transposed to the American context. Against this background, it considers the debates on ministerial issues that surrounded the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the challenges with regard to ministry and mission that face Lutherans in America today as a result of fresh immigration and tensions between the local and the wider church.
Paradigms Lost and Pragmatism Regained
Authors: Morgan David L.
Published: June 2007

This article examines several methodological issues associated with combining qualitative and quantitative methods by comparing the increasing interest in this topic with the earlier renewal of interest in qualitative research during the 1980s. The first section argues for the value of Kuhn’s concept of paradigm shifts as a tool for examining changes in research fields such as social science research methodology. The next two sections consider the initial rise of the “metaphysical paradigm” that justified the renewed interest in qualitative research and the subsequent problems that have encouraged efforts to replace that paradigm. The final section of the paper advocates a “pragmatic approach” as a new guiding paradigm in social science research methods, both as a basis for supporting work that combines qualitative and quantitative methods and as a way to redirect our attention to methodological rather than metaphysical concerns.
Integrating 2D and 3D Multiplanar Sonography in the Prenatal Diagnosis of Arnold-Chiari Type 2 Malformation
Authors: Tonni Gabriele , Ventura Alessandro
Published: June 2007

Arnold-Chiari type 2 malformation is a congenital deformity characterized by displacement of cerebellar tonsils, parts of the corpus callosum, and the medulla oblongata through the foramen magnum into the spinal canal. Sonographic diagnostic criteria are based on the “lemon sign” of the cephalic pole, enlargement of the lateral ventricle, and abnormalities of the posterior fossa consisting of an anomalous profile of the cerebellar hemispheres (“banana sign”) associated with a reduced or absent cisterna magna. Identification of a large, open neural tube defect is the other hallmark of the prenatal sonographic diagnosis. Multiplanar 3D enhances the definition and the exact extension of the spine defect and has the potential of calculating the amount of cerebellar hemispheres undergoing herniation through the foramen of Magendie and Lutchka, which is one of the main factors in predicting or modifying the postnatal neurosurgery strategy and the subsequent postnatal neurodevelopmental outcome.
TGF-β combined with M-CSF and IL-4 induces generation of immune inhibitory cord blood dendritic cells capable of enhancing cytokine-induced ex vivo expansion of myeloid progenitors
Authors: Li Geling , Abediankenari Saeid , Kim Young-June , Campbell Timothy B. , Ito Shigeki , Graham-Evans Barbara , Cooper Scott , Broxmeyer Hal E.
Published: June 2007

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) may be valuable in transplantation for silencing immune reaction. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)/IL-4 induces differentiation of cord blood (CB) monocytes into DCs (M-DCs) with tolerogenic phenotype/function. We assessed whether factors produced by tolerogenic DCs could modulate hematopoiesis. TGF-β1 added to CB M-DC cultures induced bona fide DC morphology (TGF-M-DCs), similar to that of DCs generated with TGF-β and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)/IL-4 (TGF-GM-DCs). Of conditioned media (CM) produced from TGF-M-DCs, TGF-GM-DCs, M-DCs, and GM-DCs, TGF-M-DC CM was the only one that enhanced SCF, Flt3 ligand, and TPO expansion of myeloid progenitor cells ex vivo. This effect was blocked by neutralizing anti–M-CSF Ab, but protein analysis of CM suggested that M-CSF alone was not manifesting enhanced expansion of myeloid progenitors. LPS-stimulated TGF-M-DCs induced T-cell tolerance/anergy as effectively as M-DCs. TGF-M-DCs secreted significantly lower concentrations of progenitor cell inhibitory cytokines and were less potent in activating T cells than TGF-GM-DCs. Functional differences between TGF-M-DCs and TGF-GM-DCs included enhanced responses to LPS-induced ERK, JNK, and P38 activation in TGF-M-DCs and their immune suppressive–skewed cytokine release profiles. TGF-M-DCs appear unique among culture-generated DCs in their capability for silencing immunity while promoting expansion of myeloid progenitors, events that may be of therapeutic value.
Retroviral insertional activation of the Fli-3 locus in erythroleukemias encoding a cluster of microRNAs that convert Epo-induced differentiation to proliferation
Authors: Cui Jiu-Wei , Li You-Jun , Sarkar Aloke , Brown Jeremy , Tan Ye-Hui , Premyslova Marina , Michaud Crystal , Iscove Norman , Wang Guan-Jun , Ben-David Yaacov
Published: June 2007

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a newly discovered class of posttranscriptional regulatory noncoding small RNAs. Recent evidence has shown that miRNA misexpression correlates with progression of various human cancers. Friend erythroleukemia has been used as an excellent system for the identification and characterization of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes involved in neoplastic transformation. Using this model, we have isolated a novel integration site designated Fli-3, from a Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV)–induced erythroleukemia. The Fli-3 transcription unit is a murine homologue of the human gene C13orf25 that includes a region encoding the mir-17–92 miRNA cluster. C13orf25 is the target gene of 13q31 chromosomal amplification in human B-cell lymphomas and other malignancies. The erythroleukemias that have acquired either insertional activation or amplification of Fli-3 express higher levels of the primary or mature miRNAs derived from mir-17–92. The ectopic expression of Fli-3 in an erythroblastic cell line switches erythropoietin (Epo)–induced differentiation to Epo-induced proliferation through activation of the Ras and PI3K pathways. Such a response is associated with alteration in the expression of several regulatory factors, such as Spi-1 and p27 (Kip1). These findings highlight the potential of the Fli-3 encoding mir-17–92 in the development of erythroleukemia and its important role in hematopoiesis.
Notch1 co-opts lymphoid enhancer factor 1 for survival of murine T-cell lymphomas
Authors: Spaulding Christina , Reschly Erica J. , Zagort Derek E. , Yashiro-Ohtani Yumi , Beverly Levi J. , Capobianco Anthony , Pear Warren S. , Kee Barbara L.
Published: June 2007

Oncogenic Notch1 mutations are found in most T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemias in humans and T-cell lymphomas in mice. However, the mechanism by which Notch1 promotes transformation or maintains malignant cell survival has not been determined fully. Here, we report that expression of the transcription factor lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (Lef1) is Notch dependent in murine T-cell lymphomas in vitro and in vivo, and that the intracellular domain of Notch1 (ICN1) is present at the Lef1 promoter. Lef1 expression is not Notch dependent in primary T-cell progenitors, but Lef1 mRNA is increased by ectopic expression of ICN1 in these cells. We show that Lef1 is required for survival of T-cell lymphoma lines, and that ectopic expression of Lef1 delays lymphoma cell death in the absence of Notch signaling, indicating that Lef1 is an important Notch target in these cells. Therefore, Notch1 co-opts Lef1 during the process of transformation to maintain survival of T-cell lymphomas.
Release of Glutamate Decarboxylase-65 into the Circulation by Injured Pancreatic Islet β-Cells
Authors: Waldrop Megan A. , Suckow Arthur T. , Marcovina Santica M. , Chessler Steven D.
Published: June 2007

The enzyme glutamate decarboxylase-65 (GAD65) is a major autoantigen in autoimmune diabetes. The mechanism whereby autoreactivity to GAD65, an intracellular protein, is triggered is unknown, and it is possible that immunoreactive GAD65 is released by injured pancreatic islet β-cells. There is a great need for methods by which to detect and monitor ongoing islet injury. If GAD65 were released and, furthermore, were able to reach the circulation, it could function as a marker of β-cell injury. Here, a novel GAD65 plasma immunoassay is used to test the hypotheses that β-cell injury induces GAD65 discharge in vivo and that discharged GAD65 reaches the bloodstream. Plasma GAD65 levels were determined in rats treated with alloxan, and with diabetogenic and low, subdiabetogenic doses of streptozotocin. β-Cell injury resulted in GAD65 release into the circulation in a dose-dependent manner, and low-dose streptozotocin resulted in a more gradual increase in plasma GAD65 levels than did diabetogenic doses. Plasma GAD65 levels were reduced in rats that had undergone partial pancreatectomy and remained undetectable in mice. Together, these data demonstrate that GAD65 can be released into the circulation by injured β-cells. Autoantigen shedding may contribute to the pathogenesis of islet autoimmunity in the multiple low-dose streptozocin model and perhaps, more generally, in other forms of autoimmune diabetes. These results demonstrate that, as is true with other tissues, islet injury, at least in some circumstances, can be monitored by use of discharged, circulating proteins. GAD65 is the first such confirmed protein marker of islet injury.
Chronic Blockade of Nitric Oxide Synthesis Reduces Adiposity and Improves Insulin Resistance in High Fat-Induced Obese Mice
Authors: Tsuchiya Kyoichiro , Sakai Haruna , Suzuki Noriko , Iwashima Fumiko , Yoshimoto Takanobu , Shichiri Masayoshi , Hirata Yukio
Published: June 2007

Genetic deletion of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in mice has been shown to improve high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance. However, a pathophysiological role of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) in obesity-related insulin resistance remains controversial. To address this issue, we examined the metabolic phenotypes in HFD-induced obese mice with chronic blockade of NO synthesis by a NOS inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Six-week-old male C57BL/6j mice were provided free access to either a standard diet (SD) or a HFD and tap water with or without L-NAME (100 mg/kg·d) for 12 wk. L-NAME treatment significantly attenuated body weight gain of mice fed either SD or HFD without affecting calorie intake. L-NAME treatment in HFD-fed mice improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. HFD feeding induced inducible NOS mRNA expression, but not the other two NOS isoforms, in white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle. L-NAME treatment up-regulated uncoupling protein-1 in brown adipose tissue of HFD-fed mice but down-regulated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and CD68 mRNAs levels in WAT. HFD feeding up-regulated leptin mRNA levels but conversely down-regulated adiponectin mRNA levels in WAT, but these effects were unaffected by L-NAME treatment. Moreover, L-NAME treatment also increased peroxisome proliferator-uncoupling protein-3 mRNA levels in skeletal muscles of HFD-fed mice. Increased urinary excretion of norepinephrine after HFD feeding was augmented in L-NAME-treated mice. Insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and serine phosphorylation of Akt/Akt2 in soleus muscle was markedly impaired in HFD-fed mice but reversed by L-NAME treatment. In conclusion, chronic NOS blockade by L-NAME in mice ameliorates HFD-induced adiposity and glucose intolerance, accompanied by reduced adipose inflammation and improved insulin signaling in skeletal muscle, suggesting that endogenous NO plays a modulatory role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance.
Activation of Estrogen Receptor-Mediated Gene Transcription by the Equine Estrogen Metabolite, 4-Methoxyequilenin, in Human Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Chang Minsun , Peng Kuan-wei , Kastrati Irida , Overk Cassia R. , Qin Zhi-Hui , Yao Ping , Bolton Judy L. , Thatcher Gregory R. J.
Published: June 2007

4-Methoxyequilenin (4-MeOEN) is an O-methylated metabolite in equine estrogen metabolism. O-methylation of catechol estrogens is considered as a protective mechanism; however, comparison of the properties of 4-MeOEN with estradiol (E2) in human breast cancer cells showed that 4-MeOEN is a proliferative, estrogenic agent that may contribute to carcinogenesis. 4-MeOEN results from O-methylation of 4-hydroxyequilenin, a major catechol metabolite of the equine estrogens present in hormone replacement therapeutics, which causes DNA damage via quinone formation, raising the possibility of synergistic hormonal and chemical carcinogenesis. 4-MeOEN induced cell proliferation with nanomolar potency and induced estrogen response element (ERE)-mediated gene transcription of an ERE-luciferase reporter and the endogenous estrogen-responsive genes pS2 and TGF-α. These estrogenic actions were blocked by the antiestrogen ICI 182,780. In the standard radioligand estrogen receptor (ER) binding assay, 4-MeOEN showed very weak binding. To test for alternate ligand-ER-independent mechanisms, the possibility of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) binding and ER-AhR cross talk was examined using a xenobiotic response element-luciferase reporter and using AhR small interfering RNA silencing in the ERE-luciferase reporter assay. The results negated the possibility of AhR-mediated estrogenic activity. Comparison of gene transcription time course, ER degradation, and rapid activation of MAPK/ERK in MCF-7 cells demonstrated that the actions of 4-MeOEN mirrored those of E2 with potency for classical and nonclassical estrogenic pathways bracketing that of E2. Methylation of 4-OHEN may not represent a detoxification pathway because 4-MeOEN is a full, potent estrogen agonist.
Neuropeptidomics to Study Peptide Processing in Animal Models of Obesity
Authors: Fricker Lloyd D.
Published: June 2007

Neuropeptidomics is the analysis of the neuropeptides present in a tissue extract. Most neuropeptidomic studies use mass spectrometry to detect and identify the peptides, which provides information on the precise posttranslationally modified form of each peptide. Quantitative peptidomics uses isotopic labels to compare the levels of peptides in extracts from two different samples. This technique is ideal for examining neuropeptide levels in a variety of systems and is especially suited for studies of mice lacking peptide-processing enzymes. This review is focused on the neuropeptidomics technique and its application to the analysis of mice with a mutation that inactivates carboxypeptidase E, a critical enzyme in the biosynthesis of many neuroendocrine peptides. Mice without carboxypeptidase E activity are overweight, and a key question is the identification of the peptide or peptides responsible. The quantitative peptidomics approach has provided some insights toward the answer to this question.
Cyclic Adenosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate (cAMP)-Dependent Protein Kinases, But Not Exchange Proteins Directly Activated by cAMP (Epac), Mediate Thyrotropin/cAMP-Dependent Regulation of Thyroid Cells
Authors: Dremier Sarah , Milenkovic Milutin , Blancquaert Sara , Dumont Jacques E. , Døskeland Stein O. , Maenhaut Carine , Roger Pierre P.
Published: June 2007

TSH, mainly acting through cAMP, is the principal physiological regulator of thyroid gland function, differentiation expression, and cell proliferation. Both cAMP-dependent protein kinases [protein kinase A (PKA)] and the guanine-nucleotide-exchange factors for Rap proteins, exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac) 1 and Epac2, are known to mediate a broad range of effects of cAMP in various cell systems. In the present study, we found a high expression of Epac1 in dog thyrocytes, which was further increased in response to TSH stimulation. Epac1 was localized in the perinuclear region. Epac2 showed little or no expression. The TSH-induced activation of Rap1 was presumably mediated by Epac1 because it was mimicked by the Epac-selective cAMP analog (8-p-chloro-phenyl-thio-2′-O-methyl-cAMP) and not by PKA-selective cAMP analogs. Surprisingly, in view of the high Epac1 expression and its TSH responsiveness, all the cAMP-dependent functions of TSH in cultures or tissue incubations of dog thyroid, including acute stimulation of thyroid hormone secretion, H2O2 generation, actin cytoskeleton reorganization, p70S6K1 activity, delayed stimulation of differentiation expression, and mitogenesis, were induced only by PKA-selective cAMP analogs. The Epac activator 8-p-chloro-phenyl-thio-2′-O-methyl-cAMP, used alone or combined with PKA-selective cAMP analogs, had no measurable effect on any of these TSH targets. Therefore, PKA activation seems to mediate all the recognized cAMP-dependent effects of TSH and is thus presumably responsible for the pathological consequences of its deregulation. The role of Epac1 and TSH-stimulated Rap1 activation in thyrocytes is still elusive.
miR-200b mediates post-transcriptional repression of ZFHX1B
Authors: Christoffersen Nanna Rønbjerg , Silahtaroglu Asli , Ørom Ulf Andersson , Kauppinen Sakari , Lund Anders H.
Published: June 2007

MicroRNAs have important functions during animal development and homeostasis through post-transcriptional regulation of their cognate mRNA targets. ZFHX1B is a transcriptional repressor involved in the TGFβ signaling pathway and in processes of epithelial to mesenchymal transition via regulation of E-cadherin. We show that Zfhx1b and miR-200b are regionally coexpressed in the adult mouse brain and that miR-200b represses the expression of Zfhx1b via multiple sequence elements present in the 3′-untranslated region. Overexpression of miR-200b leads to repression of endogenous ZFHX1B, and inhibition of miR-200b relieves the repression of ZFHX1B. In accordance with these findings, miR-200b regulates the activity of the E-cadherin promoter.
Rehabilitation of Severely Atrophied Mandible Using Free Iliac Crest Bone Grafts and Dental Implants: Report of Two Cases
Authors: Güven Orhan
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to reveal the improvement in facial esthetics and maintenance of mastication in severely atrophied mandibles with inadequate alveolar ridges in 2 patients. Bone graft harvested from iliac crest was used for the reconstruction in the first case, followed by the application of 2 dental implants after 6 months. A free iliac bone graft and 2 dental implants were also used simultaneously with a 1-stage surgery in the second case; the patient had previously had a mandibular reconstruction with a rib graft. Both of the patients achieved remarkably functional and esthetic improvements after treatment. Free iliac bone graft is considered to be a favorable alternative for the maintenance of satisfactory functional and esthetic results in patients with severely atrophied alveolar ridges.
Rotary Suspension Culture Enhances the Efficiency, Yield, and Homogeneity of Embryoid Body Differentiation
Authors: Carpenedo Richard L. , Sargent Carolyn Y. , McDevitt Todd C.
Published: June 2007

Embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great promise as a robust cell source for cell-based therapies and as a model of early embryonic development. Current experimental methods for differentiation of ES cells via embryoid body (EB) formation are either inherently incapable of larger-scale production or exhibit limited control over cell aggregation during EB formation and subsequent EB agglomeration. This report describes and characterizes a novel method for formation of EBs using rotary orbital motion that simultaneously addresses both concerns. EBs formed under rotary suspension conditions were compared with hanging-drop and static EBs for efficiency of EB formation, cell and EB yield, homogeneity of EB size and shape, and gene expression. A 20-fold enhancement in the number of cells incorporated into primitive EBs in rotary versus static conditions was detected after the first 12 hours, and a fourfold increase in total cell yield was achieved by rotary culture after 7 days. Morphometric analysis of EBs demonstrated formation and maintenance of a more uniform EB population under rotary conditions compared with hanging-drop and static conditions. Quantitative gene expression analysis indicated that rotary EBs differentiated normally, on the basis of expression of ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm markers. Increased levels of endoderm gene expression, along with cystic EB formation, indicated by histological examination, suggested that differentiation was accelerated in rotary EBs. Thus, the rotary suspension culture method can produce a highly uniform population of efficiently differentiating EBs in large quantities in a manner that can be easily implemented by basic research laboratories conducting ES cell differentiation studies.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Reproductive Failure in Patients With Various Percentages of Macronuclear Spermatozoa: High Level of Aneuploid and Polyploid Spermatozoa
Authors: Achard Vincent , Paulmyer‐Lacroix Odile , Mercier Georges , Porcu Geraldine , Saias‐Magnan Jacqueline , Metzler‐Guillemain Catherine , Guichaoua Marie Roberte
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to describe the association between various percentages of macronuclear spermatozoa (MNSs), sperm chromosomal abnormalities, and reproductive failure in 4 patients. One patient had a familial history of perinatal deaths. Patients were selected according to the coexistence of normal‐sized spermatozoa and MNSs (19%, 22%, 29.5%, and 49.7%). Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on spermatozoa and semiautomated analysis of nuclear surface were assessed. All patients were characterized by an oligoasthenozoospermia. Three patients had a prevalence of irregular MNSs and prevalence of nondisjunction at the first meiotic division. One patient had a prevalence of regular MNSs and a prevalence of nondisjunction at the second meiotic division. FISH also showed a high rate of polyploidy and various rates of aneuploid sperm. The percentage of sperm with abnormal chromosome complements (25.6%, 43.6%, 51.4%, 71.7% with 3‐color FISH) was higher than the percentage of MNSs. A population of apparently normal‐sized spermatozoa that could be used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was aneuploid. Sperm nuclear surface analysis revealed either a shift toward elevated values or distinguished 2 sperm subpopulations: normal and macronuclear. Patients underwent 7 ICSI cycles. The fertilization rate was low for 3 patients (50%, 40%, 50%) and normal for 1 patient (83.3%). Pregnancy rate per transfer was low (14.3%). The present study shows that the macronuclear phenotype can manifest a variety of clinical aspects. It is also shown that mild rates of MNSs impair fertility and constitute a risk of chromosomal abnormality for the embryos and a risk of perinatal death. We suggest conducting FISH on spermatozoa and genetic counseling for a couple when the percentage of MNSs reaches 20% in at least 1 spermiogram.
A Retrospective Comparison of Pregnancy Outcome Following Conventional Oocyte Insemination vs Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection for Isolated Abnormalities in Sperm Morphology Using Strict Criteria
Authors: Check Jerome H. , Bollendorf Aniela , Wilson Carrie , Summers‐Chase Donna , Horwath Danya , Yuan Wei
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: Initial in vitro fertilization (IVF)–embryo transfer studies found poor fertilization and pregnancy rates following conventional fertilization of oocytes when using sperm with <4% normal morphology using strict criteria. Some consider today that sperm with only ≤5% normal morphology using strict criteria are associated with infertility. However, other studies have disputed the diagnostic potential of low strict morphology in identifying subnormal male fertility. Based on the original studies most IVF centers perform intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) when the sperm shows low morphology using strict criteria to allow selection of normal sperm. However, ICSI adds extra time for the embryologist and extra expense for the infertile couple. The present study retrospectively compared fertilization, pregnancy, and implantation rates according to the 2 methods of oocyte fertilization with sperm having normal morphology using strict criteria of ≤5% in women ≤39 years. All fresh embryo transfers were performed on day 3. There was a significantly higher fertilization rate with ICSI. However, there were significantly higher clinical and delivered pregnancy and implantation rates following conventional insemination. The rate of canceled transfers due to no available embryo was 1.9% with conventional insemination vs 1.5% for ICSI in women with adequate egg reserve. Hopefully, this retrospective study will generate interest in a prospective study.
Impact of Ca2+ Flux Inhibitors on Acrosome Reaction of Hamster Spermatozoa
Authors: Feng Huai L. , Han Yi B. , Hershlag Avner , Zheng Lei J.
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: Ca2+ plays a prominent role in the regulation of critical functions of spermatozoa, such as capacitation, acrosome reaction (AR), and fertilization. While there is consensus that Ca2+ is essential, researchers have reported conflicting results as to what happens to Ca2+ flux across the sperm membrane during capacitation and AR. The purpose of the present study was to further delineate the function of Ca2+ channels and their role in sperm capacitation and AR. Epididymides were obtained from healthy adult male hamsters. Spermatozoa were washed with modified Tyrode medium supplemented with 0.3% bovine serum albumin, adjusted to 4.5 × 107 motile sperm/mL and incubated in 200‐μL droplets for 4 hours at 37°C in the presence of trifluoperazine (TFP), a calmodulin inhibitor, at 25, 50, 100, or 150 nM; verapamil (VP), a Ca2+ channel inhibitor, at 25, 50, 100, or 150 nM; or nifedipine (NF), a voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channel inhibitor, at 50, 100, 200, or 400 nM. Spermatozoa were assessed for AR by using Coomassie brilliant blue staining techniques. Results indicated that incubation of sperm with Ca2+ channel inhibitors for 4 hours significantly reduced AR in the study groups (TFP: 88% ± 2.3%, 65% ± 2.0%, 60% ± 2.2%, 54 % ± 2.2%, respectively; VP: 45% ± 1.3%, 23 % ± 1.2%, 12% ± 1.0%, 8% ± 0.6%, respectively; and NF: 11% ± 0.8%, 9% ± 0.3%, 7.0% ± 0.1%, 6.0% ± 0.1%, respectively) compared with control group (95% ± 3.0%, P < .05). However, increasing the concentrations of TFP and NF did not result in further suppression of AR. In summary, the antagonists of calmodulin and Ca2+ channel inhibitors suppress sperm AR.
Science Knowledge, World Views, and Information Sources in Social and Cultural Contexts: Making Sense After a Natural Disaster
Authors: Lee Okhee
Published: June 2007

This study examined children's views of the world after they personally experienced a natural disaster—specifically, Hurricane Andrew in South Florida during the summer of 1992. The study addressed three issues: (a) children's knowledge of the hurricane; (b) children's views of the world, especially the causality of the hurricane; and (c) children's sources of information in social and cultural contexts. The study was conducted in the early spring of 1994. It involved 127 fourth and fifth grade students in two elementary schools located in areas that were particularly hard hit by the hurricane. The student sample was representative of various ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender backgrounds. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used for data collection and analysis. Results indicate significant differences as well as similarities in children's knowledge, world views, and information sources by ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. Implications for promoting scientific literacy for all students, including socially and culturally diverse students, are discussed.
Adolescents' Perspectives on Racial Diversity in U.S. History: Case Studies From an Urban Classroom
Authors: Epstein Terrie
Published: June 2007

Scholars interested in reforming the K-12 history curriculum have presented competing perspectives on incorporating the historical experiences of racial groups into traditional narratives of U.S. history. None of the perspectives, however, have been informed by research on young people's interpretations of race relations in national history. Framed by three academic perspectives on teaching U.S. history in public schools, I analyzed the historical narratives of 10 adolescents who completed the same 11th-grade history class. The analysis demonstrated that the adolescents' racialized identities significantly influenced their concepts of the historical experiences of racial groups, the role of government in shaping these experiences, and the existence or lack of a common national history or identity. Some of the adolescents also had difficulties explaining how themes associated with expanding democracy and racial inequality simultaneously structured their narratives of the nation's past. Using the adolescents' historical perspectives as a lens to evaluate the efficacy of the academic perspectives, I suggest ways to negotiate the differences among and difficulties within the adolescents' perspectives on racial diversity in U.S. history.
The Anatomy of Memory in the Classroom: Understanding How Students Acquire Memory Processes From Classroom Activities in Science and Social Studies Units
Authors: Nuthall Graham
Published: June 2007

This article is concerned with understanding how the recall required of students during typical science and social study units might shape the development of their memory. The recall required of students of a visiting speaker's talk in an integrated science and social studies unit on Antarctica is analyzed and related to the context of activities in which it was embedded. It was found that the students' recall exhibited genre-like patterning that could be related to the ways the teacher structured and guided the students' involvement in recall activities and to the interactions between the students themselves. However, the genre analysis failed to account for the continuities and discontinuities in what students recalled in successive classroom activities. An alternative schema-based model of the way students processed their experiences in working memory and created new knowledge in long-term memory was used to explain how students recalled the visiting speaker's talk. In the final section, it is argued that the processes by which students acquire and remember new knowledge are the product of internalizing the genre-like structures they use and experience during classroom recall activities. The implications of this analysis for revising and expanding our views of what students learn from classroom experiences are identified.
Redshirting and Early Retention: Who Gets the "Gift of Time" and What Are Its Outcomes?
Authors: Graue M. Elizabeth , DiPerna James
Published: June 2007

This paper describes the results of a study that examined the prevalence of the delay of kindergarten entry, also known as academic redshirting. Utilizing a representative sample of Wisconsin school district, the authors examined the school records of more than 8,000 students to depict patterns of school entry, promotion, subsequent special services, and student achievement. Results indicate that approximately 7% of the sample bad delayed school entry and that those children were primarily boys with birthdates immediately before the entrance cutoff. Redshirts and retainees are more likely to receive special education services than their peers who enter and are promoted on time. The achievement of redshirts is comparable to their normally entered peers; whereas retainees perform at lower levels. Although the interpretations of these results depend on the perspective taken on extra-year interventions, they can be read in the context of other literature on extra-year interventions. We suggest next steps for the development of empirical knowledge on redshirting and for evaluating the efficacy of this practice. Given its lack of empirical efficacy, we do not support widespread use of this strategy for increasing readiness.
Primary Strategies for Promoting Homework Performance
Authors: Eilam Billie
Published: June 2007

The study aimed at facilitating the homework performance of seventh graders with learning difficulties entering an integrated junior high school, by first identifying areas of difficulty and then designing and implementing an intervention. In Study 1, data concerning students' (N = 19) difficulties were obtained via nonparticipant classroom observations, open-ended student interviews, and teacher reports. Three major domains of difficulty were identified: recording homework assignments, subsequent access to and initial organization of tasks, and making sense of assignments. In Study 2, a curriculum unit targeting these domains was developed, comprising technical/management procedures and low order cognitive skills. Pre-seventh graders with learning problems (N = 56) were administered the unit during summer school. Pre- and post-unit performance was evaluated via a questionnaire comprising a technical and a cognitive scale and by a set of brief academic achievement tests. Performance was found to improve significantly, with no decline in students' scores at a 3-month follow-up. The students' pretest scores and, secondarily, their scores on several subscales of the academic achievement test were shown to predict their posttest success, suggesting the usefulness of this measure in detecting students of greater need. The novelty of the study lies in revealing the difficulties experienced by students even in technical skill areas, before an application of complex cognitive skills is needed, and in demonstrating the effectiveness of a summer school intervention targeting technical/management homework strategies in particular.
Academic Performance of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Mexican Heritage Students: Effects of Schooling in Mexico and Bilingual/English Language Instruction
Authors: Padilla Amado M. , Gonzalez Rosemary
Published: June 2007

This study examined generation differences in achievement among 2,167 high school students who identified themselves as Mexican or Mexican American, reported whether they were born in the U.S. or outside of the U.S., and reported being in the general or academic track. Based on student self-reported grade point average (GPA), immigrant students in general-track courses and college preparatory courses reported higher grades than third-generation students. However, regardless of place of birth, general-track and college-track students who received some schooling in Mexico reported higher grades than students with no schooling in Mexico. Finally, regardless of immigrant status, college-track students who received some ESL/bilingual education reported higher grades than students who had not received any second language instruction. These findings support the paradoxical findings on generation differences that show that immigrants perform better academically than U.S.-born Mexican heritage students. However, our findings demonstrate that immigrant status alone does not lead to higher grades; rather, prior school history in Mexico, academic track, and bilingual/ESL assistance are all important in understanding the generation difference effect.
There Is No “Race” in the Schoolyard: Color-Blind Ideology in an (Almost) All-White School
Authors: Lewis Amanda E
Published: June 2007

This article examines the racial messages and lessons students get from parents and teachers in one suburban school community. I examine the explicit and “hidden” curriculum of race offered in the school as well as exploring community members’ racial discourse, understandings, and behaviors. During a yearlong ethnographic study, all community members consistently denied the local salience of race. Yet, this explicit color-blind “race talk” masked an underlying reality of racialized practices and color-conscious understandings—practices and understandings that not only had direct impact on students of color at the school, but also have implications for race relations more broadly. I argue that this apparent paradox is related to the operation of new racial ideologies becoming dominant in the United States today, and conclude with suggestions for how this racial logic might be challenged.
On the Power of Separate Spaces: Teachers and Students Writing (Righting) Selves and Future
Authors: Weis Lois , Centrie Craig
Published: June 2007

The debate on segregated and desegregated schools generally has been framed as an either-or matter, and in fact, legally, this has been the case. What we have not investigated to any great extent are programs within already desegregated schools that serve an identifiable population of students for the express purpose of cultural affirmation and advancement of the targeted group. In this article we provide data that attest to the potential power of such spaces, investigating a girls’ group in an urban magnet school and a homeroom set aside for Vietnamese students in a neighborhood-based urban comprehensive school. Using ethnographic data, we articulate both the power of such spaces and the contradictory impulses within such arrangements.