bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Candida invasion and influences in smoking patients with multiple oral leucoplakias – a retrospective study
Authors: Chiu Chang‐Ta , Li Chien‐Feng , Li Jau‐Rong , Wang Johnny , Chuang Ching‐Ya , Chiang Wei‐Fan , Huang Shan‐Chen , Chang Sung‐Wen
Published: June 2010

Treating patients with multiple oral leucoplakias (MOLs) who smoke is more difficult and complicated than treating those with single oral leucoplakia (SOL). Removing the aetiological factors causing MOL can effectively prevent its recurrence. The aim was to study the infection by and influences of Candida in smoking patients with MOLs. A retrospective study was conducted on 136 smoking patients who had clinicopathological OLs. Among these patients, 73 lesions in 31 patients were MOLs, while 105 patients had SOLs. All patients were treated by complete resection. All specimens were tested for epithelial dysplasia, and stained with periodic acid–Schiff reagent. The rate of MOL concurrence with candidal infection was higher than that of SOLs. The incidence of Candida associated with MOLs was higher for recurrent than for non‐recurrent lesions. The disease‐free time was shorter in MOL patients with candidal infection. Moreover, MOLs with candidal infection were more likely to have an increasing ratio to combine with epithelial dysplasia. Candida is an important risk factor in smoking patients with MOLs. Microscopic and fungal examinations of those lesions should permit a detailed diagnosis in such patients and for long‐term predictive assessments.
Neuromodulative treatment with percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for intractable detrusor instability: outcomes following a shortened 6‐week protocol
Authors: Yoong Wai , Ridout Alexandra E. , Damodaram Mellisa , Dadswell Rosemary
Published: June 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE To describe our initial outcome data following a shortened 6‐week treatment protocol with percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in women with overactive bladder syndrome (OABS) unresponsive to bladder retraining and anticholinergic therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a prospective observational study over a 6‐month period. In all, 43 women with OABS refractory to medical therapy were treated with a shortened PTNS protocol that consisted of 6 weekly 30 min sessions. Bladder symptom diaries and health‐related quality of life (HRQL) assessed using the short‐form seven‐item self‐report. Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ‐7) were completed before and after treatment. A positive response was defined as: (i) OAB symptoms no longer being bothersome; (ii) reduction by half in frequency episodes and (iii) reduction by 25% in IIQ‐7 outcomes.

RESULTS All 43 women (median age 55.3 years) completed six treatments with a positive response rate of 69.7%. In the positive responders, the median daytime and nocturnal frequency was reduced by half after 6 weeks of treatment (11.8 vs 6.9 and 3.5 vs 1.8, respectively, P < 0.05) and the patients reported fewer urge leak episodes per 24 h (median 3.5 vs 2.4, P < 0.05). The median IIQ‐7 scores improved by 25% (30.4 vs 24.3, P < 0.05) in responders, while the median number of pads changed in 24 h also decreased by 34% (3.8 vs 2.5, P < 0.05). The median acceptability of the technique when scored by Visual Analogue Score was 9.6/10 and no side‐effects were reported.

CONCLUSION A shortened 6‐week treatment with PTNS appears to be successful, with a significant reduction in symptoms and improvement in HRQL. This early data suggest that the duration of treatment for peripheral neuromodulation can be halved compared with the conventional 12 weeks, which would make it more acceptable and cost effective for patients. A randomised controlled trial of 6 weeks vs 12 weeks of PTNS therapy would be useful in determining the optimal duration of treatment.
Documenting the location of prostate biopsies with image fusion
Authors: Turkbey Baris , Xu Sheng , Kruecker Jochen , Locklin Julia , Pang Yuxi , Bernardo Marcelino , Merino Maria J. , Wood Bradford J. , Choyke Peter L. , Pinto Peter A.
Published: June 2010

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Currently, systematic prostate biopsies are obtained with minimal information about their actual location.

This study demonstrates that a electromagnetically tracked ultrasound probe can be used to guide biopsies into specific areas of the prostate. By registering the ultrasound to an MRI scan of the prostate, obtained prior to biopsy, it is possible to accurately map the location of biopsies. Thus, if a patient requires a repeat biopsy, or there is a question about whether a specific area of the prostate was sampled, this system can be used to more accurately guide biopsies in the future.

OBJECTIVE To develop a system that documents the location of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)‐guided prostate biopsies by fusing them to MRI scans obtained prior to biopsy, as the actual location of prostate biopsies is rarely known.

PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty patients (median age 61) with a median prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) of 5.8 ng/ml underwent 3T endorectal coil MRI prior to biopsy. 3D TRUS images were obtained just prior to standard TRUS‐guided 12‐core sextant biopsies wherein an electromagnetic positioning device was attached to the needle guide and TRUS probe in order to track the position of each needle pass. The 3D‐TRUS image documenting the location of each biopsy was fused electronically to the T2‐weighted MRI. Each biopsy needle track was marked on the TRUS images and these were then transposed onto the MRI. Each biopsy site was classified pathologically as positive or negative for cancer and the Gleason score was determined.

RESULTS The location of all (n= 605) needle biopsy tracks was successfully documented on the T2‐weighted (T2W) MRI. Among 50 patients, 20 had 56 positive cores. At the sites of biopsy, T2W signal was considered ‘positive’ for cancer (i.e. low in signal intensity) in 34 of 56 sites.

CONCLUSION It is feasible to document the location of TRUS‐guided prostate biopsies on pre‐procedure MRI by fusing the pre‐procedure TRUS to an endorectal coil MRI using electromagnetic needle tracking. This procedure may be useful in documenting the location of prior biopsies, improving quality control and thereby avoiding under‐sampling of the prostate as well as directing subsequent biopsies to regions of the prostate not previously sampled.
Pharmacokinetic study to optimize the intravesical administration of gemcitabine
Authors: Gontero Paolo , Cattel Luigi , Paone Tonia C. , Milla Paola , Berta Giovanna , Fiorito Chiara , Carbone Francesco , Medana Claudio , Tizzani Alessandro
Published: June 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case control) Level of Evidence 3b

OBLECTIVES To assess in a phase II pharmacokinetic study whether different pH levels, dilution volumes and exposure times affect intracellular bioavailability and systemic absorption of gemcitabine.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS Six arms of three patients each with a non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) were planned to receive six combinations of two different dilution volumes (50 mL vs 100 mL), two pH levels (2.5–3.5 vs 5.5) and two exposure times (1 h vs 2 h) of the study drug. Blood samples were taken before, during and 1 h after drug instillation. Cold biopsy specimens from the exophytic tumor, its base of implant and a macroscopically healthy mucosa were taken during transurethral resection. High‐pressure liquid chromatography/high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC/HRMSn) analysis of plasma and tissue samples was used to determine concentrations of gemcitabine (dFdC) and its inactive metabolite (dFdU).

RESULTS The arm at pH 5.5 in 50 mL was withdrawn as 2000 mg dFdC are insoluble in these conditions. The different instillation conditions resulted in negligible plasma dFdC concentrations but significant differences in intracellular content and metabolism of dFdC. The lowest intratissue concentration of dFdC was detected in a 50 mL solution at a pH of 2.5–3.5 kept in the bladder for 1 h (standard arm). A pH 5.5 solution in 100 mL with a 2‐h exposure favored the maximal intratumoral dFdC absorption which was 90 times higher than that recorded in the standard arm.

CONCLUSIONS The most commonly reported administration scheme of gemcitabine produced the lowest tissue bioavailability of dFdC. Other combinations of pH, dilution volume and duration of instillation proved more advantageous and merit testing in clinical trials.
Effective delivery of a nematode‐repellent peptide using a root‐cap‐specific promoter
Authors: Lilley Catherine J. , Wang Dong , Atkinson Howard J. , Urwin Peter E.
Published: June 2010

The potential of the MDK4‐20 promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana to direct effective transgenic expression of a secreted nematode‐repellent peptide was investigated. Its expression pattern was studied in both transgenic Arabidopsis and Solanum tuberosum (potato) plants. It directed root‐specific β‐glucuronidase expression in both species that was chiefly localized to cells of the root cap. Use of the fluorescent timer protein dsRED‐E5 established that the MDK4‐20 promoter remains active for longer than the commonly used constitutive promoter CaMV35S in separated potato root border cells. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines that expressed the nematode‐repellent peptide under the control of either AtMDK4‐20 or CaMV35S reduced the establishment of the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii. The best line using the AtMDK4‐20 promoter displayed a level of resistance >80%, comparable to that of lines using the CaMV35S promoter. In transgenic potato plants, 94.9 ± 0.8% resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida was achieved using the AtMDK4‐20 promoter, compared with 34.4 ± 8.4% resistance displayed by a line expressing the repellent peptide from the CaMV35S promoter. These results establish the potential of the AtMDK4‐20 promoter to limit expression of a repellent peptide whilst maintaining or even improving the efficacy of the cyst‐nematode defence.
Knowledge and Law in Plato's Statesman and Laws: A Response to Klosko
Authors: Marquez Xavier
Published: June 2010

Ever since Morrow's seminal contribution to the study of Plato's Laws, the Nocturnal Council described in book XII of the Laws has been generally agreed to be consistent with the rest of the work. In a recent piece in Political Studies, however, George Klosko revives the older argument against Morrow's interpretation, arguing that the Nocturnal Council really is inconsistent with the overall project of the Laws, and that the best explanation for this inconsistency is that Plato changed his mind in the course of writing the Laws but was unable fully to ‘work out’ the ‘philosophical implications' of this change before he died. I argue in this article that Klosko's arguments do not succeed, and that Morrow's interpretation of the Nocturnal Council is still the best account of its role that we possess. But beyond the narrow point concerning the interpretation of the role of the Nocturnal Council in the Laws, I argue that Klosko misinterprets Plato's arguments for the rule of law. A proper interpretation of these arguments shows that Plato's defence of the rule of law never rules out the possibility of improving the law through the accumulation of new experience, and hence is nowhere incompatible with a commitment to institutions like the Nocturnal Council.
Facing Complexity: Democracy, Expertise and the Discovery Process
Authors: Greenwood Dan
Published: June 2010

As politics continues to be intertwined with complex, rapidly advancing bodies of knowledge, the question arises of how we are to understand the relationship between democracy and expertise. Recent discussions have focused on the capacity for democratic political institutions to address complex technical and scientific issues. These discussions have a post-positivist starting point, emphasising the contested, varied and dispersed nature of technical-scientific knowledge and expertise. Yet, as this article explores with particular reference to the work of Hayek, the sources of tension between democracy, complexity and expertise involve complex economic as well as technical-scientific dimensions. Starting from a similarly ‘post-positivist’ view of economic knowledge, Hayek famously concludes that over-reliance upon political expertise carries the danger of authoritarianism. He looks to the market as the most suitable institutional process for addressing complex economic choices, reflecting the various goals of individuals across society. As more recent writers have shown, this radically pro-market conclusion overlooks the profound social and environmental implications of market failure. Yet it is argued here that we can draw from the Hayekian understanding of complexity and its implications to enrich our understanding of how non-market, democratic institutions might handle those dimensions of complexity that cannot be adequately addressed through markets alone. Hence Hayekian insights can serve as an aid to re-conceptualising the concept of expertise as performing a potentially enabling role on behalf of political democracy.
Usability Issues in Applying Participatory Mapping for Neighborhood Infrastructure Planning
Authors: Aditya Trias
Published: June 2010

Public participation is required in neighborhood infrastructure planning and problem‐solving. Although Participatory GIS methods are considered important to help urban community groups identify problems and express their needs and concerns, usable means to help groups produce their maps remain difficult to be realised. Further, an effective means to facilitate the integration of government spatial plans and participatory maps also remains unclear. This article addresses usability issues in participatory mapping activities by exploring group collaboration mechanics and accomplishing use assessments. The study aims at testing the usefulness and the impact of participatory mapping for community development. User studies including questionnaire surveys, interviews, group usability testing, scenario assessments, and the scaling‐up activity were executed. Transparent photomaps, Mobile GIS, and a Web map were implemented and assessed in the study area. A use scenario for community and official spatial data integration was also developed. The results of user studies show that the use of transparent photomaps is more effective to complete group tasks to discuss, draw, and annotate their infrastructure problems. For group participants, the transparent maps are more engaging, easy to learn, and more error tolerant than the use of Mobile GIS. A combination use of simple and advanced PGIS methods is necessary to be implemented to reach informed priority‐decision making.
A Conceptual Poverty Mapping Data Model
Authors: Akinyemi Felicia
Published: June 2010

GIS is increasingly used in poverty mapping but there is no generic data model for database development. Examples exist already of industry‐specific models. Having such a data model eases the complexity of incorporating spatial data in poverty assessments. This article raises awareness about the need for a generic poverty data model for use in poverty mapping. It seeks to stimulate a lively debate that will lead to the development and adoption of such a data model. The ultimate goal will be to get to some level of standardization for common data types that would facilitate spatial data use in poverty assessment and sharing among poverty projects. This article is a first step at developing a data model for poverty mapping at a conceptual level. Handling multidimensional social problems, such as poverty, using a spatial framework can be challenging because of the myriad of poverty indicators in use. Employing the entity‐relationship approach, a conceptual model is developed in the current article that identifies the key thematic layers, entities, and relationships. The conceptual model produced is useful for modeling the content of the database for use in assessing and monitoring poverty.
Cartoblography: Experiments in Using and Organising the Spatial Context of Micro‐blogging
Authors: Field Kenneth , O'Brien James
Published: June 2010

Blogs, micro‐blogs and online forums underpin a more interconnected world. People communicate ever more and are increasingly keen to explain and illustrate their lives; showing where they are and what they are doing. Desktop, online and mobile mapping landscapes have never been as rich or diverse yet this challenges cartography to adapt and remain relevant in the modern mapping world. We explore the spatial expression and potential value of micro‐blogging and Twitter as a social networking tool. Examples of “twitter maps” are reviewed that leverage the Twitter API and online map services to locate some component of the “tweet”. Scope, function and design are illustrated through development of two proof‐of‐concept map mashups that support collaborative real‐time mapping and the organisation and display of information for mass user events. Through the experiments in using and organising data in this way we demonstrate the value of “cartoblography”– a framework for mapping the spatial context of micro‐blogging.
A Multiple Realization Thesis for Natural Kinds
Authors: Lynch Kevin
Published: June 2010

Abstract: Two important thought‐experiments are associated with the work of Hilary Putnam, one designed to establish multiple realizability for mental kinds, the other designed to establish essentialism for natural kinds. Comparing the thought‐experiments with each other reveals that the scenarios in both are structurally analogous to each other, though his intuitions in both are greatly at variance, intuitions that have been simultaneously well received. The intuition in the former implies a thesis that prioritizes pre‐scientific over scientific indicators for identifying mental kinds in certain circumstances, while his intuition in the latter implies a converse thesis, prioritizing scientific over pre‐scientific indicators for identifying natural kinds in analogous circumstances. In this paper I question whether we can consistently endorse both of these intuitions. A consideration is presented to attempt to justify the common intuition found in the multiple realization thought‐experiment. Then it is argued that this same consideration has application in the structurally analogous Twin‐Earth thought‐experiment. This recommends a kind of multiple realization thesis for natural kinds, in opposition to a scientific essentialist approach. The various respects in which mental kinds like pain and natural kinds like water are similar to each other, such that similar philosophical treatments are warranted for both, are enumerated.
Automobility and the Politics of Bicycling in New York City
Authors: BLICKSTEIN SUSAN G.
Published: June 2010

This article examines the regulatory frameworks and practices that deter bicycling as a mode of protest. Through an in‐depth case study of New York City's legal, policing and enforcement practices towards bicyclists in the wake of the 2004 Republican National Convention, I explore the assumptions underpinning the regulation of bicycling as a mode of protest. In addition to analyzing these regulatory and legal frameworks to highlight how they suppress bicycling as protest, this case study illustrates how police practices work in tandem with the law to erode the potential for alternative mobilities and citizenships to flourish. Through ‘command and control’ policing and regulatory tactics, the New York Police Department is deterring cyclists from participating in group bike rides and is carrying out low‐level harassment of ‘ordinary’ cyclists. The experience of New York City's cyclists shows that in addition to changes to infrastructure and transportation policies, changes to the rules, regulations and practices governing protest will be necessary for alternative mobilities to fully flourish.

Cet article examine les pratiques et cadres réglementaires qui dissuadent l’usage de la bicyclette comme mode de protestation. À partir d’une étude de cas approfondie des pratiques juridiques, de surveillance policière et de coercition à l’encontre des cyclistes à la suite de la Convention républicaine nationale de 2004, il examine les postulats qui sous‐tendent la réglementation du cyclisme comme mode de manifestation. Outre l’analyse de ces systèmes réglementaires et juridiques pour souligner la manière dont ils éliminent la bicyclette comme moyen de protestation, l’étude de cas illustre comment les pratiques policières se conjuguent à la loi pour miner le développement potentiel de citoyennetés et mobilités alternatives. Par des tactiques réglementaires et policières ‘de commandement et de contrôle’, la police new‐yorkaise dissuade les cyclistes de prendre part à des promenades en groupe et se livre à un harcèlement modéré des cyclistes ‘ordinaires’. L’expérience des cyclistes new‐yorkais montre qu’en plus des changements de politiques d’infrastructure et de transport, il faudra modifier les règles, réglementations et pratiques régissant les manifestations pour que se développent vraiment des mobilités alternatives.
Community Governance, Critical Cosmopolitanism and Urban Change: Observations from Taipei, Taiwan
Authors: RACO MIKE , IMRIE ROB , LIN WEN‐I
Published: June 2010

Urban policy agendas are increasingly focused on the mobilization of active citizens and the propagation of cosmopolitan identities. This reflects a growing convergence between countries in urban policy thinking and practice, and greater uniformity in the terms and concepts that are used in different countries. This article draws on empirical evidence from Taipei, Taiwan to explore the form and character of changing urban policy agendas and their impacts on urban environments and communities. Taipei has undergone radical social, economic and political change in recent decades, and in the 2000s policymakers readily adopted the discourses of cosmopolitanism and community empowerment to legitimate major redevelopment projects. We develop the argument that this turn to cosmopolitanism lies at the heart of a paradox. On the one hand it is presented by policymakers as a radical, emancipatory programme that reflects wider shifts in the aspirations and expectations of increasingly active and globally oriented citizens. On the other hand, the term is used to underpin reactionary or conservative agendas that seek to sustain and extend existing power relations. The article argues that greater academic and policy attention needs to be given to the socially situated nature of cosmopolitanism and its characterizations in diverse contexts.

Les programmes des politiques urbaines se consacrent de plus en plus à la mobilisation de citoyens actifs et à la dissémination d’identités cosmopolites. Ils traduisent le fait que la pratique et la réflexion en matière de politiques urbaines se rejoignent d’un pays à l’autre, et que les modalités et concepts utilisés dans différents pays s’uniformisent progressivement. Cet article s’appuie sur des faits empiriques concernant Taipei (Taïwan) pour examiner la forme et la nature des programmes de politiques publiques de la ville, dans leur évolution et leurs impacts sur les communautés et environnements urbains. Taipei a connu une transformation sociale, économique et politique radicale sur les dernières décennies, et dans les années 2000, les décideurs politiques ont volontiers adopté les discours du cosmopolitisme et de l’autonomie des communautés afin de justifier d’importants projets de réaménagement. Or, cette orientation vers le cosmopolitisme se trouve au centre d’un paradoxe. D’un côté, les concepteurs de ces politiques la présentent comme un programme radical d’émancipation reflétant les bouleversements globaux dans les aspirations et attentes d’habitants toujours plus actifs et mondialisés. De l’autre, la terminologie sous‐tend des programmes réactionnaires ou conservateurs qui visent à nourrir et développer les relations de pouvoir existantes. Il faut donc que la recherche et les politiques publiques s’intéressent davantage à la nature socialement située du cosmopolitisme et à ses caractérisations dans divers contextes.
Characterising the Correlations of Failure Events: A 2‐D Block‐and‐Springs Model
Authors: Ferer M. , Smith D. H.
Published: June 2010

Abstract:  To mimic observations from acoustic emission experiments for random systems, we used a block‐and‐springs model to investigate the effect that increasing strain has on the locations of microscopic failure events leading to macroscopic failure across the sample. Model results show that failure events, which are initially located randomly throughout the sample, begin to cluster as stress build‐up near earlier failure events. At failure, the system‐wide fracture network was found to have a fractal dimension, Df ≈ 1.29. To quantify the observed clustering, we applied a number of different measures of this space‐time behaviour: (i) the stress–strain curve; (ii) the total number of broken bonds and the average energy released by the broken bonds, (iii) the number distribution of cracks with s broken bonds, N(s), and the number distribution of cracks with s broken bonds or more, N(≥s), both of which follow power‐laws agreeing with earlier predictions; and (iv) the number–number and energy–energy correlations at time t between a failure event at position (x′, y ′) and a failure event at (x′ + x, y ′ + y). Our results quantify the short‐range clustering, exhibiting quantitatively and qualitatively different behaviour from the long‐range clustering at failure; our results also show that the energy released outpaces the number of broken bonds.
The Saving Gateway: Implications for Optimal Saving*
Authors: Rablen Matthew D.
Published: June 2010

The Saving Gateway is a government saving initiative aiming to ‘kick‐start a saving habit among people on lower incomes’. Funds saved in a Saving Gateway account up to a monthly limit are matched by the government after two years at a rate of £0.50 per £1 saved. In this paper, a Saving Gateway account is embedded alongside an ordinary interest‐bearing account in a simple life‐cycle model of saving to assess the implications of the scheme for optimal saving. Among the findings are that, for agents with access to credit, the Saving Gateway is associated with a fall in saving during the life of the account and a rise in consumption. However, the scheme increases saving by the credit‐constrained. On their own, empirically plausible levels of habit formation in consumption preferences have too small an effect on saving to justify the scheme.
Place of Residence Affects Routine Dental Care in the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Adult Population on Medicaid
Authors: Bershadsky Julie , Kane Robert L.
Published: June 2010

Objective. To compare the likelihood of intellectually and developmentally disabled (ID/DD) adults receiving a dental cleaning across places of residence.

Data Sources. Medicaid and Minnesota's Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) databases.

Study Design. All adults with DD assessments in MMIS in 2001–2002.

Data Extraction Methods. All completed DD assessments in 2001–2002 linked to Medicaid utilization data for same recipients for same years.

Conclusions. The most disabled individuals are generally least likely to receive a dental cleaning. Individuals living in their own or a family home are less likely to receive the procedure than those living in ICF/MRs or a group home, even after controlling for disability, with those living in a group home falling in between ICF/MR and own/family home residents. The level of preventive dental care that ID/DD adults receive in community settings may be inadequate, particularly for persons living in own homes or with family.
Examining the Relationship between Clinical Monitoring and Suicide Risk among Patients with Depression: Matched Case–Control Study and Instrumental Variable Approaches
Authors: Kim Hyungjin Myra , Eisenberg Daniel , Ganoczy Dara , Hoggatt Katherine , Austin Karen L. , Downing Karen , McCarthy John F. , Ilgen Mark , Valenstein Marcia
Published: June 2010

Objective. To assess the relationship between closer monitoring of depressed patients during high‐risk treatment periods and death from suicide, using two analytic approaches.

Data Source. VA patients receiving depression treatment between 1999 and 2004.

Study Design. First, a case–control design was used, adjusting for age, gender, and high‐risk days (1,032 cases and 2,058 controls). Second, an instrumental variable (IV) approach (N=714,106) was used, with IVs of (1) average monitoring rates in the VA facility of most use and (2) monitoring rates of VA facilities weighted inversely by distance from patients' residences.

Principal Findings. The case–control approach indicated a modest increase in suicide risk with each additional visit (odds ratio=1.02; 95 percent confidence interval=1.002, 1.04). The “facility used” IV estimate indicated near zero change in risk (0.0008 percent increase; p=.97) with each additional visit, while the distance‐weighted IV estimate indicated a 0.032 percent decrease in risk (p=.29). An alternative analysis assuming a threshold effect of ≥4 visits during high‐risk periods also showed a decrease (0.15 percent; p=.08) using the distance IV.

Conclusions. The IV approach appeared to address the selection bias more appropriately than the case–control analysis. Neither analysis clearly indicated that closer monitoring during high‐risk periods was significantly associated with reduced suicide risks, but the distance‐weighted IV estimate suggested a potentially protective effect.
How Does Medicaid‐Managed Care Impact Reporting of Medicaid Status?
Authors: Plotzke Michael R. , Klerman Jacob Alex , Davern Michael
Published: June 2010

Objective. To resolve a conflict in the literature on whether Medicaid‐Managed Care (MMC) impacts the Medicaid Undercount.

Data Sources/Study Setting. California county‐level data (1995–1997) on MMC penetration, public use data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) (1995–1997), and restricted CPS data matched to administrative records on Medicaid enrollment (2001–2002).

Study Design. We explore the robustness of previous results from the literature first using aggregate data and alternative models. We then examine CPS data linked to Medicaid enrollment data to estimate models of Medicaid reporting errors related to MMC.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The Census Bureau linked administrative data on Medicaid enrollment to the CPS. Other data used were public use.

Principal Findings. We find similar results to a previous study using aggregate data that suggest that MMC worsens reporting of Medicaid enrollment. However, using alternative methods we find those results are not statistically significant and can have opposite signs. Our linked CPS microdata analysis suggests that MMC improves reporting. The article concludes with implications of these results for policy makers.

Conclusion. It is unlikely that increased MMC penetration explains the increased Medicaid Undercount.
Biological actions of green tea catechins on cardiac troponin C
Authors: Tadano Naoto , Du Cheng‐Kun , Yumoto Fumiaki , Morimoto Sachio , Ohta Mika , Xie Ming‐Fang , Nagata Koji , Zhan Dong‐Yun , Lu Qun‐Wei , Miwa Yoshikazu , Takahashi‐Yanaga Fumi , Tanokura Masaru , Ohtsuki Iwao , Sasaguri Toshiyuki
Published: June 2010

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSECatechins, biologically active polyphenols in green tea, are known to have a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated direct actions of green tea catechins on cardiac muscle function to explore their uses as potential drugs for cardiac muscle disease.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHThe effects of catechins were systematically investigated on the force‐pCa relationship in skinned cardiac muscle fibres to determine their direct effects on cardiac myofilament contractility. The mechanisms of action of effective catechins were investigated using troponin exchange techniques, quartz crystal microbalance, nuclear magnetic resonance and a transgenic mouse model.

KEY RESULTS(‐)‐Epicatechin‐3‐gallate (ECg) and (‐)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCg), but not their stereoismers (‐)‐catechin‐3‐gallate and (‐)‐gallocatechin‐3‐gallate, decreased cardiac myofilament Ca2+sensitivity probably through its interaction with cardiac troponin C. EGCg restored cardiac output in isolated working hearts by improving diastolic dysfunction caused by increased myofilament Ca2+sensitivity in a mouse model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSThe green tea catechins, ECg and EGCg, are Ca2+desensitizers acting through binding to cardiac troponin C. These compounds might be useful compounds for the development of therapeutic agents to treat the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by increased Ca2+sensitivity of cardiac myofilaments.
Special problems: Adults and elderly
Authors: Stephen Linda J. , Brodie Martin J.
Published: June 2010

Summary

A first seizure out of a clear blue sky can be a major life‐changing event. Careful history‐taking and appropriate investigation together with a clear explanation provided to patient and family are an essential requirement. Although for most patients, pharmacotherapy can be withheld and events awaited, there are circumstances where introduction of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy should be considered. Medical causes of seizures should also be sought and treated. In addition, a first seizure in HIV‐positive patients and in those with underlying neurocysticercosis should usually provoke the introduction of AED therapy. Particular problems can occur in patients with a single episode of provoked status epilepticus, a first tonic–clonic seizure during pregnancy and, particularly, an unprovoked event in older and learning disabled people. Treatment following a first seizure should balance risk factors for recurrence with the informed opinion of the patients and their family.
Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor is expressed by inflammatory cells in the sciatic nerves of Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune neuritis
Authors: Ahn Meejung , Jin Jae‐Kwang , Moon Changjong , Matsumoto Yoh , Koh Chang‐Sung , Shin Taekyun
Published: June 2010

Neurotrophic factors, including glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), have been known to play a role in neuroprotection in the injured peripheral nervous system (PNS). To evaluate the involvement of GDNF in experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) pathogenesis, the expression of GDNF in rat sciatic nerves with EAN was studied. Western blot analysis showed that the level of GDNF protein significantly increased 1.8‐fold at the paralytic stage of EAN at day 12 post‐immunization (PI) (p < 0.01), and its level further increased approximately 2.5‐fold at day 21 PI (p < 0.001) in the sciatic nerves of EAN‐affected rats compared with those of control rats, and then declined thereafter at day 28 PI. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that axons and Schwann cells constitutively contained GDNF in normal controls. In sciatic nerves with EAN at day 12 PI, GDNF was immunostained in infiltrating inflammatory cells including macrophages and T cells. Collectively, we postulate that GDNF plays a regulatory role in EAN paralysis. A paradoxical role of inflammatory cells to ameliorate PNS inflammation remains to be further studied in EAN, an animal model of human demyelinating disease.
Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries: epidemiological findings, neuropathic pain and quality of life in 158 patients
Authors: Ciaramitaro Palma , Mondelli Mauro , Logullo Francesco , Grimaldi Serena , Battiston Bruno , Sard Arman , Scarinzi Cecilia , Migliaretti Giuseppe , Faccani Giuliano , Cocito Dario ,   on behalf of the Italian Network for Traumatic Neuropathies
Published: June 2010

The objectives of this study were (1) epidemiological analysis of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries; (2) assessment of neuropathic pain and quality of life in patients affected by traumatic neuropathies. All consecutive patients with a diagnosis of traumatic neuropathies from four Italian centres were enrolled. Electromyography confirmed clinical level and site diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury. All patients were evaluated by disability scales, pain screening tools, and quality of life tests. 158 consecutive patients for a total of 211 traumatic neuropathies were analysed. The brachial plexus was a frequent site of traumatic injury (36%) and the radial, ulnar, and peroneal were the most commonly involved nerves with 15% of iatrogenic injuries. Seventy‐two percent of the traumatic neuropathies were painful. Pain was present in 66% and neuropathic pain in 50% of all patients. Patients had worse quality of life scores than did the healthy Italian population. Moreover, there was a strong correlation between the quality of life and the severity of the pain, particularly neuropathic pain (Short Form‐36 [SF‐36] p < 0.005; Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] p < 0.0001). Traumatic neuropathies were more frequent in young males after road accidents, mainly in the upper limbs. Severe neuropathic pain and not only disability contributed to worsening the quality of life in patients with traumatic neuropathies.
The ventral caudal nerve: a physiologic‐morphometric study in three different rat strains
Authors: Canta Annalisa , Meregalli Cristina , Chiorazzi Alessia , Carozzi Valentina A. , Crippa Luca , Marmiroli Paola , Cavaletti Guido
Published: June 2010

The caudal nerve is often used for investigating alterations in nerve conduction velocity (NCV) to determine the presence of peripheral neuropathy in animal models. In the present study, the rat caudal nerve of two outbred strains (Wistar Hannover and Sprague‐Dawley) and one inbred strain (Fischer‐344) was analyzed with regard to morphologic, morphometric, and physiologic features. In all three strains, we calculated the myelinated fiber diameter, myelinated axon diameter, and g‐ratio in the proximal caudal nerve and correlated these results with NCV in the distal caudal nerve. Although the caudal nerves were morphologically similar in the three rat strains, a significant difference was present morphometrically: there was a statistically significant increase in the g‐ratio associated with a reduction in myelinated fiber diameter in Fischer‐344 rats vs. Wistar Hannover and Sprague‐Dawley animals (p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in NCV results in the distal caudal nerve. The present study adds morphologic and morphometric information on the rat caudal nerve that might be useful for a better interpretation of studies involving this nerve and its pathological changes in experimental models of peripheral neuropathies.
The rat caudal nerves: a model for experimental neuropathies
Authors: Schaumburg Herbert H. , Zotova Elena , Raine Cedric S. , Tar Moses , Arezzo Joseph
Published: June 2010

This study provides a detailed investigation of the anatomy of the rat caudal nerve along its entire length, as well as correlated nerve conduction measures in both large and small diameter axons. It determines that rodent caudal nerves provide a simple, sensitive experimental model for evaluation of the pathophysiology of degeneration, recovery, and prevention of length‐dependent distal axonopathy. After first defining the normal anatomy and electrophysiology of the rat caudal nerves, acrylamide monomer, a reliable axonal toxin, was administered at different doses for escalating time periods. Serial electrophysiological recordings were obtained, during intoxication, from multiple sites along caudal and distal sciatic nerves. Multiple sections of the caudal and sciatic nerves were examined with light and electron microscopy. The normal distribution of conduction velocities was determined and acrylamide‐induced time‐ and dose‐related slowing of velocities at the vulnerable ultraterminal region was documented. Degenerative morphological changes in the distal regions of the caudal nerves appeared well before changes in the distal sciatic nerves. Our study has shown that (1) rat caudal nerves have a complex neural structure that varies along a distal‐to‐proximal gradient and (2) correlative assessment of both morphology and electrophysiology of rat caudal nerves is easily achieved and provides a highly sensitive index of the onset and progression of the length‐dependent distal axonopathy.
Formal genesis of the outflow tracts of the heart revisited: Previous works in the light of recent observations
Authors: Okamoto Naomasa , Akimoto Naotaka , Hidaka Nobuto , Shoji Shuneki , Sumida Hiroshi
Published: June 2010

The formal genesis of the great arteries continues to be controversial due to the lack of consensus of septation of the developing outflow tract. In order to make it clear how the great arteries are generated, we have re‐examined our previous papers which emphasized the formation of the aorta and pulmonary trunk, concept of the aorticopulmonary septum, formation of the leaflets of semilunar valves, morphogenesis of the crista supraventricularis, programmed cell death and rotation of the outflow tract. In the present paper, we compare outcomes gained from the re‐examination of our previous papers with prevalent interpretations of the arterial trunk. We obtained conclusions as follows: (i) The elongation of the fourth and sixth aortic arch arteries, which sprout from the wall of the aortic sac at the expense of the distal truncus, contributes to the formation of the aorta and pulmonary trunk; (ii) Smooth muscle cells of the tunica media of the arterial trunks do not arise from the transformation of the myocardial cells of the truncus wall (not ‘arterialization’); (iii) Truncus swellings are divided into two parts: distal and proximal. The former contributes to the separation of the orifices of arterial trunks (‘aorticopulmonary septum’). The latter contributes to the formation of the leaflets of the semilunar valves of the aorta and pulmonary trunk; (iv) The origin of the myocardial cells of the crista supraventricularis is a wall of the conus originated from secondary/anterior heart fields; and (v) There has been no acceptable proof that rotation and counterclockwise rotation are involved.
Factors and Conditions That Have an Impact in Relation to the Successful Implementation and Maintenance of Individual Care Plans
Authors: Jansson Inger , Pilhamar Ewa , Forsberg Anna
Published: June 2010

Background: The gap between what is stated in legislation about written individualized nursing care plans (ICP) and how they are used in practice is still too wide.

Aim: To explore attitudes and experiences among nurses and managers in order to capture which factors and conditions impact on the successful implementation of individual care plans within hospital care, as well as the strategies that were adopted to ensure continued use.

Method: The study was carried out through directed content analysis guided by the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework. Interviews were conducted with 15 informants on different operational and decision levels at a hospital that is well known in Sweden for its work in the ICP area.

Findings: Important factors for implementation on the wards were clear instructions from the hospital management at the start of implementation as well as clear roles and mandates for those involved. The work of internal facilitators was crucial for the continuation of the process. Clinical experience was important as the long‐term driving force.

Implications: On the basis of the findings of this study, we argue that it is important for hospital managers to recruit leaders that focus on individual nursing care and can highlight needs and instigate change. It seems also important that the organization takes advantage of the potential of skilled facilitators.
Evaluating soil rhizobacteria for their ability to enhance plant growth and tuber yield in potato
Authors: Oswald A. , Calvo Velez P. , Zúñiga Dávila D. , Arcos Pineda J.
Published: June 2010

The objectives of this study were to identify promising microorganisms to improve potato productivity in low‐input systems of tropical highlands and to compare results from in vitro, greenhouse and field experiments to advance the development of a screening method for rhizobacteria and develop an efficient assessment of their effect on plant growth in field conditions. A total of 150 bacterial strains were screened in vitro, in greenhouse and field trials. The series of experiments confirmed the plant growth‐promoting ability of a range of rhizobacteria. Although in vitro and greenhouse results were promising, the field experiment showed variability and the results require further verification. The in vitro tests might have limited value for screening as no correlation could be found between in vitro tests and pot trial results. However, trials in controlled conditions produced insights into the mechanisms causing better plant growth in potato, such as early tuberisation, fast development of leaf area and probably greater photosynthetic rates.
ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN RADISH TUBER INVESTIGATED BY MEANS OF MRI AND ICP OES
Authors: MARCONI SIMONA , BENI CLAUDIO , CIAMPA ALESSANDRA , DIANA GIAMPIETRO , NERI ULDERICO , AROMOLO RITA , SEQUI PAOLO , VALENTINI MASSIMILIANO
Published: June 2010

Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic element and its presence in food is a matter of concern for the well‐being of both animals and humans. Arsenic‐contaminated groundwater is used in agriculture to irrigate crops for food and animal consumption with a potential contamination of the food chain. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of arsenic effect on radish tuber (Raphanus sativus L.). Experimental plots with sandy and clay‐loamy soil were cultivated with radish and treated with three different concentrations of As water solution: 19, 44 and 104 µg/L. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to visualize the tuber structural changes, and the content of elements and the As amount were evaluated by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The data obtained demonstrate that As contamination in radish tuber is underlined with the dual approach.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The scope of this research is the evaluation of the effects on the toxicology and the morphology because of the arsenic (As) uptake by edible plants. The focus is on the contamination of the plant, which has implications for food safety and human health. The results obtained by magnetic resonance imaging and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy show that several changes of the internal structure occurred and that some parameters can be used as indicators of the As contamination in food.
Kuz-Cleaved Robo Repels
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: June 2010

Proteolytic cleavage of the receptor Robo is required for axonal repulsion in
Drosophila
.
Focus Issue: The Evolution of Complexity
Authors: Gough Nancy R. , Wong Wei
Published: June 2010

With the wealth of data in genomics and proteomics, scientists can begin to investigate how signaling systems evolved.