bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
It is not what we have, but how we use it: Reexploring the relationship between task conflict and team innovation from the resource-based view
Authors: Xie Xiao-Yun , Wang Wei-Liang , Luan Kun
Published: October 2013

Over several decades, studies of the relationship between task conflict and team innovation have yielded mixed findings. In the present study, drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), we consider that task conflict can activate a dynamic pool of knowledge resources and argue that the impact of task conflict on team innovation is dependent upon the knowledge integration capacity of a team, which is defined as a team’s ability to effectively combine, capitalize, and utilize the resource pool. A study of 59 teams revealed that, in general, task conflict and team innovation exhibit an inverted U-shape relationship, which was moderated by knowledge integration capability. The implications of our findings with respect to conflict research and conflict management are discussed.
Radon measurements in the cave houses of Crevillente (Spain)
Authors: Piedecausa Beatriz , Chinchón Servando
Published: October 2013

This paper focuses on the cave houses of Crevillente (Spain) as a traditional housing experience which takes advantage of local environmental conditions through simple architectural proposals, paying particular attention to the presence of radon gas inside these underground constructions. Our aim is twofold: first, to analyse the architectural conditions of the different excavated typologies found in the municipality and second, to relate them to the existing radon gas levels after checking internal concentration by means of E-PERM® long-term devices placed inside the cave houses in 2011. The measurements corresponding to the main typologies in normal use conditions show that the highest values are 881.9 Bq/m3 in the cave typology, 484.1 Bq/m3 in the cave + attached constructions typology and 373.4 Bq/m3 in the cave + house typology, with geometric mean values of 572.1, 114.0 and 75.5 Bq/m3, respectively. It can be inferred from these results that cave house levels sometimes exceed those included in the 90/143/Euratom European Commission Recommendation on the protection of the public against indoor exposure to radon. The reason why cave houses are more susceptible to radon accumulation in their spaces lies in their direct and permanent contact with the ground where they are located.
Building Wave Response Rates in a Longitudinal Survey
Authors: Cohen Steven B. , Rohde Fred , Yu William
Published: October 2013

In national health care surveys, significant amounts of resources are allocated to obtaining the participation of households that constitute the last 5–10% of the overall survey response rate. This study examines the implications of a reduction in targeted first-round response rates in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a national health care survey designed to produce estimates of health care utilization, expenditures, and insurance coverage. The potential impact of this modification on annual and overall longitudinal survey response rates, survey estimates, and costs is determined and compared with an alternative approach that subsamples these difficult to field cases. Study findings revealed nonuniform results when evaluating the capacity of these alternative design strategies to achieve precision targets while simultaneously satisfying data collection budget constraints for a variety of medical care expenditure estimates. Based on these results, it was determined that additional experimentation was necessary prior to implementing design modifications.
Physiological Monitoring and Biofeedback-Assisted Relaxation Training for Panic Disorder in a Case of Complex Developmental Trauma
Authors: Magalhães Cristina L. , Montgomery Doil D. , Magalhães Ellen S. , Ngin Julie
Published: October 2013

This article describes the effective use of physiological monitoring and biofeedback-assisted relaxation training as primary interventions for the treatment of panic disorder in a 31-year-old woman with a history of complex developmental trauma. A biopsychosocial perspective of panic disorder grounded in learning theory and informed by trauma practice was used to examine the role of multiple causational factors in the development of panic disorder and to discuss intervention strategies addressing the interconnected nature of the biological and psychosocial realms of the human experience. The client participated in 2 pretreatment (intake interview and formal testing) and 14 outpatient therapy sessions at a biofeedback clinic over a period of 6 months. Treatment-outcome data indicated a marked decrease in acute symptoms as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Second Edition (MMPI-2).
Development of an experimental model for assessing the effects of cigarette smoke and virus infections on inflammatory responses to bacterial antigens
Authors: Moscovis Sophia , Hall Sharron , Burns Christine , Scott Rodney , Blackwell Caroline
Published: October 2013

Interactions among major risk factors associated with bacterial infections were assessed in a model system using surrogates for virus infection; IFN-g, and exposure to cigarette smoke; cigarette smoke extract (CSE), nicotine and cotinine. Cytokine responses elicited by LPS from THP-1 cells in the presence of these components, or combinations of components, were assessed by multiplex bead assay, i.e. IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ. IFN-γ-priming significantly increased pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS. CSE suppressed production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ, but enhanced production of IL-8. Nicotine and cotinine suppressed all cytokine responses. In combination, IFN-γ masked the inhibitory effects of CSE. In relation to the objectives of the study, we concluded that (a) IFN-γ at biologically relevant concentrations significantly enhanced pro-inflammatory responses; (b) CSE, nicotine and cotinine dysregulated the inflammatory response and that the effects of CSE were different from those of the individual components, nicotine and cotinine; (c) when both IFN-γ and CSE were present, IFN-γ masked the effect of CSE. There is a need for clinical investigations on the increase in IL-8 responses in relation to exposure to cigarette smoke and increased pro-inflammatory responses in relation to recent viral infection.
On the role of personality, cognitive ability, and emotional intelligence in predicting negotiation outcomes
Authors: Sharma Sudeep , Bottom William P. , Elfenbein Hillary Anger
Published: October 2013

According to a longstanding consensus among researchers, individual differences play a limited role in predicting negotiation outcomes. This consensus stemmed from an early narrative review based on limited data. Testing the validity of this consensus, a meta-analysis of negotiation studies revealed a significant role for a wide range of individual difference variables. Cognitive ability, emotional intelligence, and numerous personality traits demonstrated predictive validity over multiple outcome measures. Relevant criteria included individual economic value, joint economic value, and psychological subjective value for both the negotiator and counterpart. Each of the Big 5 personality traits predicted at least one outcome measure, with the exception of conscientiousness. Characteristics of research design moderated some associations. Field data showed stronger effects than did laboratory studies. The authors conclude that the irrelevance consensus was misguided, and consider implications for theory, education, and practice.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of intact human integrin αIIbβ3: new implications for activation-dependent ligand binding
Authors: Choi Won-Seok , Rice William J. , Stokes David L. , Coller Barry S.
Published: October 2013

Key Points

The αIIbβ3 headpiece points away from the lipid bilayer, and the lower legs are either bent (αIIb) or freely coiled (β3). The linking region between the ecto- and TM domains likely transmits the TM conformational changes associated with inside-out activation.
Extent of cortical involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – an analysis based on cortical thickness
Authors: Thorns Johannes , Jansma Henk , Peschel Thomas , Grosskreutz Julian , Mohammadi Bahram , Dengler Reinhard , Münte Thomas F
Published: October 2013

Background

Besides the defining involvement of upper and lower motor neurons, the involvement of extramotor structures has been increasingly acknowledged in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods

Here we investigated a group of 14 mildly to moderately affected ALS patients and 14 age-matched healthy control participants using cortical thickness analysis. Cortical thickness was determined from high resolution 3D T1 magnetic resonance images and involved semiautomatic segmentation in grey and white matter, cortical alignment and determination of thickness using the Laplace method. In addition to a whole-cortex analysis a region of interest approach was applied.

Results

ALS patients showed regions of significant cortical thinning in the pre- and postcentral gyri bilaterally. Further regions of cortical thinning included superior and inferior parietal lobule, angular and supramarginal gyrus, insula, superior frontal, temporal and occipital regions, thus further substantiating extramotor involvement in ALS. A relationship between cortical thickness of the right superior frontal cortex and clinical severity (assessed by the ALS functional rating scale) was also demonstrated.

Conclusions

Cortical thickness is reduced in ALS not only in motor areas but in widespread non-motor cortical areas. Cortical thickness is related to clinical severity.
Left atrial volumes and associated stroke subtypes
Authors: Shaikh Quratulain , Ahmed Bilal , Ahmed Maryam , Mahar Jamal Hussain , Ahmad Masood , Ahmed Ayesha , Majeed Farzin , Ali Fariha Sadiq , Khan Maria , Kamal Ayeesha Kamran
Published: October 2013

Background

Cardio embolism and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis are two major mechanisms of stroke. Studies investigating associations between advanced echocardiographic parameters and stroke mechanisms are limited.

Methods

This study is a standardized review of 633 patients admitted to the stroke service of a tertiary care hospital following a standardized stroke investigation and management pathway. Stroke subtypes were characterized using the Causative Classification System, using the hospitals online radiologic archival system with CCS certified stroke investigators. Patients with two mechanisms were excluded.

Results

Patients with cardioembolic stroke had a higher proportion of atrial fibrillation (p < 0.001), acute myocardial infarction (p < 0.001) and ischemic heart disease (p < 0.001). On electrocardiogram (ECG) and transthoracic Echo (TTE), patients with cardioembolic stroke had a greater atrial fibrillation (p < .00), left ventricular thrombus (p < .00), left ventricular ejection fraction <30% (p < .00) and global hypokinesia (p < .00) Patients with cardioembolic stroke had higher mean left atrial volume indices (LAVi) (p < 0.001), mean left ventricular mass indices (LVMi) (p < 0.05) and mean left atrial diameters (LAD) (p < 0.05). At LAVi of 29–33 ml/m2, the risk of atherothrombotic stroke increased. The risk of cardioembolic stroke increased with LAVi of 34 ml/m2 and above.

Conclusion

Left atrial volume indices may be linked to specific stroke phenotype. At mild increases in left atrial dimensions, the risks of atherosclerotic stroke are high, and probably reflect hypertension as the unifying mechanism. Further increases in left atrial dimensions shifts the risk towards cardioembolic stroke.
Criteria for symptom remission revisited: a study of patients affected by schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders
Authors: Pinna Federica , Tusconi Massimo , Bosia Marta , Cavallaro Roberto , Carpiniello Bernardo ,   the Cagliari Recovery Group Study
Published: October 2013

Background

This study aims to compare severity criteria defined by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWGcr) with other criteria in relation to functional and neurocognitive outcome.

Methods

112 chronic psychotic outpatients were examined. Symptomatic remission according to RSWGcr was compared with the outcome achieved using criteria based on PANSS Positive and Negative Scales (PANSS-PNScr) and the entire PANSS (PANNS-TScr).

Results

Remission rates were 50%, 35% and 23% respectively at RSWGcr, PANSS-PNScr and PANNS-TScr; functional remission rates were 32%, 42% and 54%. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and ROC analysis demonstrated the superiority of PANSS-PNScr in identifying patients with higher functional and cognitive outcomes. Regression analysis showed a significant predictive effect of PANSS-TScr on functioning. General linear model analyses demonstrated significantly higher mean scores at PSP and BACS for patients remitted according to PANSS-TScr.

Conclusion

The use of more restrictive severity criteria of remission seems to be associated with improved identification of truly remitted patients.
Ameliorating effects of aged garlic extracts against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment
Authors: Jeong Ji Hee , Jeong Hee Rok , Jo Yu Na , Kim Hyeon Ju , Shin Jeong Hae , Heo Ho Jin
Published: October 2013

Background

In vitroantioxidant activities and neuron-like PC12 cell protective effects of solvent fractions from aged garlic extracts were investigated to evaluate their anti-amnesic functions. Ethyl acetate fractions of aged garlic had higher total phenolics than other fractions.

Methods

Antioxidant activities of ethyl acetate fractions from aged garlic were examined using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) inhibitory effect using mouse whole brain homogenates. Levels of cellular oxidative stress as reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation were measured using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA). PC12 cell viability was investigated by 3-[4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydtrogenase (LDH) assay. The learning and memory impairment in institute of cancer research (ICR) mice was induced by neurotoxic amyloid beta protein (Aβ) to investigatein vivoanti-amnesic effects of aged garlic extracts by using Y-maze and passive avoidance tests.

Results

We discovered that ethyl acetate fractions showed the highest ABTS radical scavenging activity and MDA inhibitory effect. Intracellular ROS accumulation resulting from Aβ treatment in PC12 cells was significantly reduced when ethyl acetate fractions were presented in the medium compare to PC12 cells which was only treated with Aβ only. Ethyl acetate fractions from aged garlic extracts showed protection against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. Pre-administration with aged garlic extracts attenuated Aβ-induced learning and memory deficits in bothin vivotests.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that aged garlic extracts with antioxidant activities may improve cognitive impairment against Aβ-induced neuronal deficit, and possess a wide range of beneficial activities for neurodegenerative disorders, notably Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The efficiency of the public dental services (PDS) in Cyprus and selected determinants
Authors: Charalambous Chrystalla , Maniadakis Nikolaos , Polyzos Nikolaos , Fragoulakis Vassilis , Theodorou Mamas
Published: October 2013

Background

Currently there is a dual system of oral healthcare delivery in Cyprus: the public dental system (PDS) run by the Government and the private system provided by private dental practitioners. Although 83% of the population is entitled to free treatment by the PDS only 10% of the population make use of them. As Cyprus faces now the challenges of the introduction of a new health care system and rising healthcare costs in general, surveys that examine, among other things, the efficiency of the PDS become very important as tools to make important cost savings. The aims of this study are to assess trends regarding the number of visits and the age distribution of patients using PDS from 2004 to 2007, to measure the technical efficiency of the PDS and to investigate various factors that may affect it.

Methods

Non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was employed to assess technical efficiency. Two separate cases were examined. Efficiency was calculated, firstly using as inputs the wages and the working hours of the personnel, and secondly the working hours of the personnel and the cost of the materials. As outputs, in both cases, the treatment offered (divided into primary, secondary and tertiary care) and the numbers of visits were used. In the second stage Tobit analysis was used to explore various predictors of efficiency (time per patient, location, age of dentists, age of patients and age of assistants).

Results

The study showed that whilst there was an increase in the number of patients using the PDS from 2004 to 2007, only a small proportion of the population (10%) make use of them. Women, middle and older aged patients, make more use of the PDS. Regarding efficiency, there were large differences between the units. The average Technical Efficiency score was 68% in the first model and 81% in the second. Urban areas and low time per patient are predictors of increased efficiency.

Conclusion

The results suggest that many of the rural PDS are underperforming. Given that the option of shutting them down is undesirable, measures should be taken to reduce inputs (e.g. by reducing the personnel’s working hours) and to increase outputs (remove barriers, make PDS more accessible and increase the number of patients).
The relationship between early atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction in type 1 diabetic patients as evidenced by measurement of carotid intima-media thickness and soluble CD146 levels: a cross sectional study
Authors: Dogansen Sema Ciftci , Helvaci Aysen , Adas Mine , Onal Suzan Deniz
Published: October 2013

Background

Detection of early vascular changes prior to clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis, such as increased arterial carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and impaired endothelial function is of paramount importance for early identification of subjects at increased risk of accelerated atherosclerosis. The present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between early atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction in type 1 diabetic patients based on measurements of CIMT and soluble CD146 (sCD146) levels.

Methods

Thirty-seven patients with type 1 diabetes, 14 males (37.8%) and 23 females (62.2%), of mean (SD) age 26.2 (4.1) years admitted to the outpatient diabetes clinic at Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, between January 2008 and December 2012, and 37 healthy controls, 16 males (43.2%) and 21 females (56.8%), of mean (SD) age 25.8 (3.1) years, selected from relatives of patients, were included. Anthropometric measures; fasting plasma glucose; and serum HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and creatinine concentrations were compared, as were CIMT and serum sCD146.

Results

Mean (SD) sCD146 levels were significantly higher in patients than in controls (314.6 (141.9) ng/ml vs. 207.8 (34.5) ng/ml, p = 0.001), but mean (SD) CIMT did not differ (0.5 (0.1) mm vs. 0.4 (0.1) mm). ROC curves for sCD146 significantly differed in differentiating type 1 diabetics from healthy controls (p = 0.0047) with a significantly higher percentage of patients than controls having sCD146 levels >260 ng/ml (21/37 (56.8%) vs. 2/37 (5.4%), p = 0.00011).

Conclusion

Our findings emphasize that sCD146 levels may be a more sensitive marker than CIMT for earlier identification of type 1 diabetic patients at high risk for atherosclerosis.
A novel autoantibody against ephrin type B receptor 2 in acute necrotizing encephalopathy
Authors: Shirai Tsuyoshi , Fujii Hiroshi , Ono Masao , Watanabe Ryu , Shirota Yuko , Saito Shinichiro , Ishii Tomonori , Nose Masato , Harigae Hideo
Published: October 2013

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is characterized by symmetrical brain necrosis, suggested to be due to breakdown of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). We experienced a rare case of ANE complicated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and found that the patient’s serum (V10-5) had binding activity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). By SARF (Serological identification system for Autoantigens using a Retroviral vector and Flow cytometry) method using V10-5 IgG, a clone bound to V10-5 IgG was isolated. This cell clone was integrated with cDNA identical to EphB2, which plays critical roles in neuronal cells and endothelial cells. HUVECs and human brain microvascular endothelial cells expressed EphB2 and the V10-5 IgG bound specifically to EphB2-transfected cells. Anti-EphB2 antibody was not detected in other SLE patients without ANE. In this report, we identified EphB2 as a novel autoantigen, and anti-EphB2 antibody may define a novel group of brain disorders. Anti-EphB2 antibody can interfere not only with endothelial cells including those of the BBB (acting as an anti-endothelial cell antibody), but also neuronal cells (acting as an anti-neuronal antibody) if the BBB has been breached. Future studies should determine the clinical prevalence and specificity of anti-EphB2 antibody, and the molecular mechanisms by which anti-EphB2 antibody mediates neuronal and vascular pathological lesions.
Investigation on subcellular localization of Rice stripe virus in its vector small brown planthopper by electron microscopy
Authors: Deng Jinhua , Li Shuo , Hong Jian , Ji Yinghua , Zhou Yijun
Published: October 2013

Background

Rice stripe virus (RSV), which is transmitted by small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus Fallén, SBPH), has been reported to be epidemic and cause severe rice stripe disease in rice fields in many East Asian countries, including China. Investigation on viral localization in the vector is very important for elucidating transmission mechanisms of RSV by SBPH. In this study, transmission electron microscopy and immuno-gold labeling technique were used to investigate the subcellular localization of the ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) of RSV in the digestive tract, muscles, ovary and testes of SBPH.

Results

A lot of amorphous RSV inclusion bodies with high electron density were observed in the cytoplasmic matrix and vacuoles of follicular cells of ovarioles in viruliferous SBPH, which were very similar to viral inclusions formed in rice cells. After magnified, it was found that sand-like or parallel filamentary structures were constructed inside the electron-dense inclusions. A large numbers of RSV RNPs distributed diffusely throughout the eggshell surface and interior of ovum, midgut lumen and epithelial cells, while the amount of the virus in muscles was far less than that in the ovary and midgut tissues. Besides RSV, numerous endogenous microorganisms were also observed in SBPH body, including yeast-like endosymbiotes (YLES), endosymbiotic bacteria and insect virus.

Conclusions

According to the results of the virus localization, a potential mechanism of RSV transovarial transmission was proposed that RSV might replicate and accumulate initially in the inclusions of follicular cells, then exploit the pathway of the nutrition transportation to pass through the eggshell and spread into the oocytes along with the nutrition. Moreover, RSV might exploit muscles for its spread in vector body with a lower efficiency.
Transcriptional down-regulation of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Springer Jochen , Scholz Frank R , Peiser Christian , Dinh Q Thai , Fischer Axel , Quarcoo David , Groneberg David A
Published: October 2013

Background

Tobacco is a leading environmental factor in the initiation of respiratory diseases and causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family members are involved in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases and SOCS-3 has been shown to play an important role in the regulation, onset and maintenance of airway allergic inflammation indicating that SOCS-3 displays a potential therapeutic target for anti-inflammatory respiratory drugs development. Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also characterized by inflammatory changes and airflow limitation, the present study assessed the transcriptional expression of SOCS-3 in COPD.

Methods

Real-time PCR was performed to assess quantitative changes in bronchial biopsies of COPD patients in comparison to unaffected controls.

Results

SOCS-3 was significantly down-regulated in COPD at the transcriptional level while SOCS-4 and SOCS-5 displayed no change.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that the presently observed inhibition of SOCS-3 mRNA expression may be related to the dysbalance of cytokine signaling observed in COPD.
The relationship between lymphatic vascular density and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) expression with clinical-pathological features and survival in pancreatic adenocarcinomas
Authors: Zorgetto Verônica A , Silveira Giórgia G , Oliveira-Costa João Paulo , Soave Danilo F , Soares Fernando A , Ribeiro-Silva Alfredo
Published: October 2013

Background

Pancreatic cancer is a rare tumor with an extremely low survival rate. Its known risk factors include the chronic use of tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption and the presence of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as pancreatitis and type 2 diabetes. Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, which have been the focus of recent research, are considered prognostic factors for cancer development. Knowing the angiogenic and lymphangiogenic profiles of a tumor may provide new insights for designing treatments according to the different properties of the tumor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the density of blood and lymphatic vessels, and the expression of VEGF-A, in pancreatic adenocarcinomas, as well as the relationship between blood and lymphatic vascular density and the prognostically important clinical-pathological features of pancreatic tumors.

Methods

Paraffin blocks containing tumor samples from 100 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 1990 and 2010 were used to construct a tissue microarray. VEGF expression was assessed in these samples by immunohistochemistry. To assess the lymphatic and vascular properties of the tumors, 63 cases that contained sufficient material were sectioned routinely. The sections were then stained with the D2-40 antibody to identify the lymphatic vessels and with a CD34 antibody to identify the blood vessels. The vessels were counted individually with the Leica Application Suite v4 program. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 18.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) software, and p values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

In the Cox regression analysis, advanced age (p=0.03) and a history of type 2 diabetes (p=0.014) or chronic pancreatitis (p=0.02) were shown to be prognostic factors for pancreatic cancer. Blood vessel density (BVD) had no relationship with clinical-pathological features or death. Lymphatic vessel density (LVD) was inversely correlated with death (p=0.002), and by Kaplan-Meyer survival analysis, we found a significant association between low LVD (p=0.021), VEGF expression (p=0.023) and low patient survival.

Conclusions

Pancreatic carcinogenesis is related to a history of chronic inflammatory processes, such as type 2 diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. In pancreatic cancer development, lymphangiogenesis can be considered an early event that enables the dissemination of metastases. VEGF expression and low LVD can be considered as poor prognostic factors as tumors with this profile are fast growing and highly aggressive.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5113892881028514
Lower leg muscle strengthening does not redistribute plantar load in diabetic polyneuropathy: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Melai Tom , Schaper Nicolaas C , IJzerman T Herman , de Lange Ton LH , Willems Paul JB , Lima Passos Valéria , Lieverse Aloysius G , Meijer Kenneth , Savelberg Hans HCM
Published: October 2013

Background

Higher plantar pressures play an important role in the development of plantar foot ulceration in diabetic polyneuropathy and earlier studies suggest that higher pressures under the forefoot may be related to a decrease in lower leg muscle strength. Therefore, in this randomised controlled trial we evaluated whether lower‐extremity strength training can reduce plantar pressures in diabetic polyneuropathy.

Methods

This study was embedded in an unblinded randomised controlled trial. Participants had diabetes and polyneuropathy and were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 48) receiving strength training during 24 weeks, or the control group (n = 46) receiving no intervention. Plantar pressures were measured in both groups at 0, 12, 24 and 52 weeks. A random intercept model was applied to evaluate the effects of the intervention on peak pressures and pressure–time‐integrals, displacement of center‐of‐pressure and the forefoot to rearfoot pressure–time‐integral‐ratio.

Results

Plantar pressure patterns were not affected by the strength training. In both the intervention and control groups the peak pressure and the pressure–time‐integral under the forefoot increased by 55.7 kPa (95% CI: 14.7, 96.8) and 2.0 kPa.s (95% CI: 0.9, 3.2) over 52 weeks, respectively. Both groups experienced a high number of drop‐outs, mainly due to deterioration of health status and lower‐extremity disabilities.

Conclusions

Plantar pressures under the forefoot increase progressively over time in people with diabetic polyneuropathy, but in this study were not affected by strength training. Future intervention studies should take this increase of plantar pressure into account and alternative interventions should be developed to reduce the progressive lower extremity problems in these patients.

Trial registration

This study was embedded in a clinical trial with trial number NCT00759265.
Label-free proteomics identifies Calreticulin and GRP75/Mortalin as peripherally accessible protein biomarkers for spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Mutsaers Chantal A , Lamont Douglas J , Hunter Gillian , Wishart Thomas M , Gillingwater Thomas H
Published: October 2013

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease resulting from mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Recent breakthroughs in preclinical research have highlighted several potential novel therapies for SMA, increasing the need for robust and sensitive clinical trial platforms for evaluating their effectiveness in human patient cohorts. Given that most clinical trials for SMA are likely to involve young children, there is a need for validated molecular biomarkers to assist with monitoring disease progression and establishing the effectiveness of therapies being tested. Proteomics technologies have recently been highlighted as a potentially powerful tool for such biomarker discovery.

Methods

We utilized label-free proteomics to identify individual proteins in pathologically-affected skeletal muscle from SMA mice that report directly on disease status. Quantitative fluorescent western blotting was then used to assess whether protein biomarkers were robustly changed in muscle, skin and blood from another mouse model of SMA, as well as in a small cohort of human SMA patient muscle biopsies.

Results

By comparing the protein composition of skeletal muscle in SMA mice at a pre-symptomatic time-point with the muscle proteome at a late-symptomatic time-point we identified increased expression of both Calreticulin and GRP75/Mortalin as robust indicators of disease progression in SMA mice. We report that these protein biomarkers were consistently modified in different mouse models of SMA, as well as across multiple skeletal muscles, and were also measurable in skin biopsies. Furthermore, Calreticulin and GRP75/Mortalin were measurable in muscle biopsy samples from human SMA patients.

Conclusions

We conclude that label-free proteomics technology provides a powerful platform for biomarker identification in SMA, revealing Calreticulin and GRP75/Mortalin as peripherally accessible protein biomarkers capable of reporting on disease progression in samples of muscle and skin.
“Our Lands Are Our Life and Breath”: Coweta, Cusseta, and the Struggle for Creek Territory and Sovereignty During the American Revolution
Authors: Rindfleisch Bryan
Published: October 2013

Given the relatively sparse historical literature on the Creek Indians immediately before and during the American Revolutionary War, this essay is an effort to remedy such scarcity of scholarly attentions. It examines the competing political and economic interests of two Creek towns, Coweta and Cusseta, and their headmen prior to and during the Revolution. Due to the unprecedented economic and political dislocation engendered by the Revolution among indigenous communities, these two towns' leaders found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. For the headmen and warriors of Coweta, their agitations for the protection of Creek lands and authority over their territories contrasted sharply with the interests of Coweta's sister town, Cusseta, whose headmen exhibited more pressing concern for the Euro-American trade along the “eastern path,” a diplomatic and economic path/relationship that sustained Creek livelihoods throughout the early to late eighteenth century. As a consequence, these two Creek towns and their populaces, who had historically enjoyed a unity of interests, witnessed the breakdown of their historical consensus as Coweta sided with the British in hopes of guaranteeing the integrity of their lands and territorial authority while Cusseta leaders joined the American war effort to ensure the continued viability of the eastern path. Coweta seems to evince the beginnings of a larger, maybe even national, Creek interest in lands and boundaries that Alexander McGillivray and later Creek leaders would espouse in efforts to create a Creek “Confederacy” to stem the tide of American expansion. Conversely, the Cussetas pursued a continued town-centric concern for trade and diplomacy rooted in the historical and political past that trumpeted town interests before any sense of a national interest.
From Prison to Home: Labor Relations and Social Control in Nineteenth-Century Mexico
Authors: Newman Elizabeth Terese
Published: October 2013

In 1821, Spain formally recognized Mexico's status as an independent nation. The establishment of Mexican sovereignty resulted in a tumultuous period of national definition. While seeking to create a new, modern, and profitable nation, Mexico needed to find a way to address the chronic labor problems that had plagued the former colony since its formation. Interdisciplinary research at the Hacienda San Miguel Acocotla and in its associated descendant communities offers a case study of some of the tactics that may have been used to control agrarian workers during the century that followed. Ethnohistoric, archaeological, and ethnographic data speak to the ongoing and ever-tense labor negotiations of the nascent state. Documentary records from the municipal archives in Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico show early attempts by hacienda owners to violently coerce labor services from neighboring indigenous villages. Archaeological and ethnographic data speak to a later shift into a subtler coercive method of labor management, with attacks on the structures of home life, family, and community.
Determination of Host Phase of Lanthanum in Deep-sea REY-rich Mud by XAFS and µ-XRF Using High-energy Synchrotron Radiation
Authors: Kashiwabara Teruhiko , Toda Ryuichi , Fujinaga Koichiro , Honma Tetsuo , Takahashi Yoshio , Kato Yasuhiro
Published: October 2013

Host phase of lanthanum (La) in deep-sea rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY)-rich mud was directly determined by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and micro-focused X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF) analyses. Excitation of K edge of La by high-energy X-ray allowed us to avoid severe interferences of coexisting elements such as vanadium and titanium in XAFS and XRF. It was revealed for the first time that La is accumulated in apatite in this type of sediments.
Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Intravenously Injected Gold Nanorods in Mice
Authors: Fujii Masanori , Nakashima Naotoshi , Niidome Takuro , Niidome Yasuro
Published: October 2013

Laser-induced desorption and ionization (LDI) of gold ions (Aun+: n = 1–3) were observed from gold nanorods in a liver tissue section (thickness: 10 µm). Larger amounts of gold nanorods produced stronger mass signals. Organic molecules in the tissue were not detected and did not inhibit the LDI processes of the gold nanorods in the tissue. Because of the selective LDI processes of the gold nanorods, the distribution of gold in the liver was successfully determined by imaging mass spectrometry.
The ageing and self-reliance of women from the three different environments: towns, villages and social welfare institutions
Authors: Rębacz-Maron Ewa
Published: October 2013

Introduction. The process of ageing is inevitable. It has an individual nature and may intensify in various stages of adult life. A significant factor affecting the rate of the changes due to old age is the living environment.
Aim. The purpose of study is an attempt to get hold of the process of ageing changes in women. Growing old has been related with the concept of self-reliance in daily activities.
Materials and methods. Two hundred and eight women have been included in the examinations. The arithmetical average of the calendar age of the examined women is equal to =72.5 years, with median equal to Me=73 years. The women have inhabited three environments: villages, towns and social welfare institutions. The average number of children born by the examined women has amounted to three, but the village women gave more births. The residents of the social welfare institutions have given birth to the least number of children (average 1.7 children). Although once they lived in a village or a town, then as the group from the social welfare institution the number of their children has been the smallest.
Results. The women from the three analysed environments have a similar ageing degree index (ADI), which may confirm the trans-environmental and individual occurrence of the somatoscopic features (grey hair, wrinkles, spots on hands, the condition of finger nails). Almost all the women from villages have declared that they had never smoked, less frequently visited physicians and have taken less medicines. The reason for this could have been previous cultural conditioning (smoking was not considered appropriate for the village women), failure to use the physician’s help, and worse financial status.
Conclusion. The results concerning self-reliance, in terms of being dependent from family/guardian are approximately the same in the three analysed environments. As long as there are no pain and mobility is preserved, the seniors wish to be self-reliant.
Behaviors of registered community nurses and midwives and their families in case of illness – a pilot study
Authors: Czabak-Garbacz Róża , Kościk Magdalena , Stasiuk Weronika , Charytanowicz Małgorzata , Borowicz Barbara , Bednarczyk Dorota
Published: October 2013

Introduction. Community nurses and midwives who perform their work mainly in patients’ houses are subjected to many occupational hazards that frequently may lead to a disease, which next can be spread to their relatives, coworkers or patients. Therefore, the proper behavior of nursing staff in case of their own disease can be important for health of their environment.
Aim. The present pilot study investigates the behavior
of registered community nurses and midwives and their families in situation of illness.
Material and methods. The investigation was performed with the use of anonymous questionnaires among the nursing staff in Bychawa region (Poland).
Results. Behavior of community nurses and midviwes and their relatives in case of their illnes was similar – it included visiting a doctor and the use of pharmacotherapy, however sometimes without following all doctor’s orders and doing necessary check-ups. Frequent behavior was the use of OTC, first of all painkillers, vitamins and antipyretics but at times antibiotics as well.
Discussion. Community nurses and midwives and their families sometimes do not behave properly in case of own disease – they sometimes do not follow the physician’s orders, for instance they do not undergo necessary check-ups and use drugs for self medication, among them antibiotics without necessary doctor’s prescription and supervision. This can make more difficult their correct diagnosis and treatment and may also have negative consequences on the public health, e.g. it can cause resistance to antibiotics
Conclusions. The introduction of measures to improve the behavior of medical personnel in the event of illness, especially in the use of the doctor’s recommendations is an important task for the organizers of health care in Poland.
Challenges and opportunities for dietary campaigns: Managerial perceptions of success factors
Authors: Bech-Larsen Tino , Aschemann-Witzel Jessica , Verbeke Wim , Niedzwiedzka Barbara
Published: October 2013

The objective of our research was to explore and discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent to the management of public healthy eating campaigns. The discussion is based on a study of campaign managers’ perceptions of nine successfully implemented European healthy eating campaigns. Based on these interviews, we suggest that social marketing compared to commercial food marketing is not necessarily at a disadvantage; rather, social marketers working to promote healthy eating can benefit from the formation of alliances with public and private partners, the empowerment of their targets and of those who influence the targets, the development of credible and emotive messages and relationships with media and public institutions.
Walter Ong and media ecology
Authors: Soukup Paul A.
Published: October 2013

The centennial of Walter Ong’s birth provides an occasion to revisit his work and weigh how he fits into the group of key figures for media ecology. His work provides a grounding of communication study apart from the media; it demonstrates a methodology helpful for further work; and it reminds media ecologists of the value of interdisciplinary work.
Refining secondary orality: Articulating what is felt, explaining what is implied
Authors: Lambke Abigail
Published: October 2013

Walter J. Ong presented secondary orality as the stage of human communication following the age of print. But while Ong mentioned secondary orality in several significant publications, his scholarship on the concept was scattered, introductory and incomplete. This article synthesizes a definition of secondary orality from the entirety of Ong’s scholarship, in an effort to unify, develop and produce a comprehensive theory of secondary orality. Gathering references to secondary orality across decades of Ong’s scholarship reveals secondary orality to be defined by the merger of the dynamics of primary orality and typographic literacy, the re-emergence of the social and participatory nature of sound and a tension between planning and spontaneity. Such a cohesive definition enables scholars of sound to test the secondary orality thesis against emerging sound innovations, like Apple’s newly introduced voice-activated assistant, Siri.
Ong, Hopkins, and the evolution of consciousness
Authors: Harp Jerry
Published: October 2013

Although Father Walter J. Ong is most widely known for his orality–literacy scholarship, we do well to bear in mind that his most advanced formal training was in literary studies. From early on in these studies, the figure he wrote about and continued to write about throughout his life was the poet, and fellow Jesuit, Gerard Manley Hopkins. Ong was drawn to Hopkins in large part for the bearing of his writing on the evolution of human consciousness. Ong discovered in his Master’s thesis on Hopkins’ sprung rhythm – written under Marshall McLuhan – that Hopkins was in some sense hearing in advance the sounds of what would become twentieth-century modernism. Hopkins displayed a sensibility and awareness that were compelling for the modernist writers of the twentieth century, as they carried out their experiments with finding new voices, new ways of writing poetry for the changed world in which they found themselves. Hopkins’ feel for the distinctive self, seeking connection with other selves in the uncertainties of time, played no small role in this appeal. Ong’s work on Hopkins is a model for both literary criticism and studies in the evolution of consciousness.
Intersections of Walter Ong’s pedagogy and theoretical ideas
Authors: Mareci Eberly
Published: October 2013

A former student of Walter Ong reflects on his pedagogy and theories based on her experiences. The article focuses on classroom instructions – beginning with Ong’s famous index card assignment, favourite lines, or ‘Ongisms’ – such as ‘There is always an “us”’, and personal interactions that made the author aware of the limitations of her ‘text-bound mind’, taught her to explore her own biases calmly and indelibly shaped that way she read, studied and understood texts and media.
Book Reviews
Authors: Logan Robert K. , Forsberg Geraldine E.
Published: October 2013

Program Or Be Programmed: Ten Commands For A Digital Age, Douglas Rushkoff (2010) New York: O/R Books, 152 pp., ISBN: 978-1-935928-15-7, P/BK, $14.95

On The Binding Biases Of Time And Other Essays On General Semantics And Media Ecology, Lance Strate (2011) Fort Worth, TX: Institute Of General Semantics, 302 pp., ISBN: 978-0-9827559-2-1, H/Bk, $48, Isbn: 978-0-9827559-3-8, P/BK, $16
Multi-step degradation method for β-O-4 linkages in lignins: γ-TTSA method. Part 3. Degradation of milled wood lignin (MWL) from Eucalyptus globulus
Authors: Ando Daisuke , Nakatsubo Fumiaki , Takano Toshiyuki , Nishimura Hiroshi , Katahira Masato , Yano Hiroyuki
Published: October 2013

Milled wood lignin (MWL) of Eucalyptus globulus has been treated by a selective degradation method for β-O-4 linkages, which lets the lignin carbohydrate complexes (LCC) intact. The method consists of four reaction steps: (1) γ-tosylation, (2) thioetherification, (3) sulfonylation and (4) mild alkali treatment (γ-TTSA method). Each step was followed by spectroscopies for chemical structural analysis; especially, the HSQC-NMR analysis was in focus. It was demonstrated that β-O-4 linkages were selectively and quantitatively cleaved by the γ-TTSA method while the β-β linkages in the MWL remained intact. The method leads to an enrichment of LCCs.
Short-time ultrasonication treatment in enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass
Authors: Shi Zengqian , Cai Zhiyong , Wang Siqun , Zhong Qixin , Bozell Joseph J.
Published: October 2013

To improve the conversion of enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass in an energy-efficient manner, two short-time ultrasonication strategies were applied on six types of biomass with different structures and components. The strategies include pre-sonication before the hydrolysis and intermittent sonication during the ongoing hydrolysis. The microstructures of each type of biomass were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to investigate the potential correlation between biomass structure and ultrasonicaton. The concentration of resultant reducing sugar was measured to evaluate the efficiency of the hydrolysis. The results indicate that hydrolysis efficiency greatly depends on the initial structures of biomass and that short-time ultrasonication can yield up to 27.5% improvement in hydrolysis efficiency with only 120 s of sonication.
Affinity for political humor: An assessment of internal factor structure, reliability, and validity
Authors: Holbert R. Lance , Lee Jayeon , Esralew Sarah , Walther Whitney O. , Hmielowski Jay D. , Landreville Kristen D.
Published: October 2013

An 11-item