bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SPECIFIC ADSORPTION OF METACHROMATIC COMPOUNDS OF CHONDROITIN SULFATE BY INSOLUBLE CALCIUM SALTS
Authors: PAL MEDINI KANTA , SCHUBERT MAXWELL
Published: April 2011

A method has been found for specifically adsorbing from solution the metachromatic compounds of chondroitin sulfate and two metachromatic dyes. The specific adsorbants are CaHPO4, CaCO3, and CaC2O4. These adsorb only metachromatic compound and do not adsorb either dye or chromotrope alone. With these adsorbants it is easy to show that the metachromatic compound adsorbed contains dye and chromotrope in equivalent amounts even when the solution from which it was adsorbed contained a tenfold excess of chromotrope. This supports by an independent method the conclusion of an earlier ultracentrifugal study. The evidence presented shows that under the conditions studied there exists in solution a single metachromatic compound of methylene blue and chondroitin sulfate which obeys Beer's law over the concentration range 0.37 x 10-4 to 7.2 x 10-4 M, and has a molar extinction coefficient at 570 mµ of 2.36 x 104.

Some less specific adsorbants are also mentioned; in addition to adsorbing the metachromatic compound, Ca3(PO4) also adsorbs chromotrope, and Al2O3, dye. The specific adsorbants provide a new tool for the study of metachromasia in solution and facilitate chemical analysis of adsorbable metachromatic compounds.
AN EVALUATION OF METHODS COMMONLY USED FOR THE FIXATION AND STAINING OF GLYCOGEN
Authors: TROTT J. R.
Published: April 2011

Blocks of liver from eight one-month-old Sprague Dawley rats were fixed in the following fixatives: 10% neutral formalin, 10% formalin, formol-saline, alcohol formalin, acetic alcohol formalin, Bouin's, Carnoy's and Rossman's for the following times: 24 hours,48 hours, seven days, two weeks, one month and three months. Sections were cut from these specimens and stained for glycogen by the periodic acid Schiff reaction and the Best carmine method.

It is concluded from these experiments that if the tissues are fixed in acetic alcohol formalin, then consistently good demonstration of glycogen will be obtained with the periodic acid Schiff stain, in livers stored in this fixative up to three months. Nearly as good results can also be obtained with the Best carmine stain, if the tissues are similarly fixed in Bouin's. Aqueous based fixatives cannot be relied upon after 24 hours to 48 hours to demonstrate the maximum amount of glycogen in tissues.

The phenomena of polarization is discussed and it was shown that acetic alcohol formalin fixed tissues gave the most marked polarization, whilst sections taken from specimens fixed in the aqueous based fixatives show considerably less polarization, and in some cases none at all.

Alcohol based fixatives give a coarser and larger granule of glycogen which stains with more vividness, and is easier to recognize following the periodic acid Schiff reaction than the Best carmine.

An unusual distribution of glycogen was observed with the two stains that were used. With the periodic acid Schiff reaction, some sections showed a very marked heavy peripheral accumulation of glycogen within the cells, whilst with the Best carmine method some sections showed a glycogen free peripheral zone. They were consistently reproduced but no suitable explanation can be offered for these observations.
Multifaceted effects of synthetic TLR2 ligand and Legionella pneumophilia on Treg-mediated suppression of T cell activation
Authors: van Maren Wendy WC , Nierkens Stefan , Toonen Liza W , Bolscher Judith M , Sutmuller Roger PM , Adema Gosse J
Published: April 2011

Background

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a crucial role in maintaining immune homeostasis and self-tolerance. The immune suppressive effects of Tregs should however be limited in case effective immunity is required against pathogens or cancer cells. We previously found that the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) agonist, Pam3CysSK4, directly stimulated Tregs to expand and temporarily abrogate their suppressive capabilities. In this study, we evaluate the effect of Pam3CysSK4 andLegionella pneumophila, a natural TLR2 containing infectious agent, on effector T (Teff) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) individually and in co-cultures with Tregs.

Results

TLR2 agonists can directly provide a co-stimulatory signal inducing enhanced proliferation and cytokine production of naive CD4+ Teff cells. With respect to cytokine production, DCs appear to be most sensitive to low amounts of TLR agonists. Using wild type and TLR2-deficient cells in Treg suppression assays, we accordingly show that all cells (e.g. Treg, Teff cells and DCs) contributed to overcome Treg-mediated suppression of Teff cell proliferation. Furthermore, while TLR2-stimulated Tregs readily lost their ability to suppress Teff cell proliferation, cytokine production by Teff cells was still suppressed. Similar results were obtained upon stimulation with TLR2 ligand containing bacteria,Legionella pneumophila.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that both synthetic and natural TLR2 agonists affect DCs, Teff cells and Treg directly, resulting in multi-modal modulation of Treg-mediated suppression of Teff cells. Moreover, Treg-mediated suppression of Teff cell proliferation is functionally distinct from suppression of cytokine secretion.
Association mapping of common bacterial blight resistance QTL in Ontario bean breeding populations
Authors: Shi Chun , Navabi Alireza , Yu Kangfu
Published: April 2011

Background

Common bacterial blight (CBB), incited byXanthomonas axonopodispv.phaseoli(Xap), is a major yield-limiting factor of common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) production around the world. Host resistance is practically the most effective and environmentally-sound approach to control CBB. Unlike conventional QTL discovery strategies, in which bi-parental populations (F2, RIL, or DH) need to be developed, association mapping-based strategies can use plant breeding populations to synchronize QTL discovery and cultivar development.

Results

A population of 469 dry bean lines of different market classes representing plant materials routinely developed in a bean breeding program were used. Of them, 395 lines were evaluated for CBB resistance at 14 and 21 DAI (Days After Inoculation) in the summer of 2009 in an artificially inoculated CBB nursery in south-western Ontario. All lines were genotyped using 132 SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) evenly distributed across the genome. Of the 132 SNPs, 26 SNPs had more than 20% missing data, 12 SNPs were monomorphic, and 17 SNPs had a MAF (Minor Allelic Frequency) of less than 0.20, therefore only 75 SNPs were used for association study, based on one SNP per locus. The best possible population structure was to assign 36% and 64% of the lines into Andean and Mesoamerican subgroups, respectively. Kinship analysis also revealed complex familial relationships among all lines, which corresponds with the known pedigree history. MLM (Mixed Linear Model) analysis, including population structure and kinship, was used to discover marker-trait associations. Eighteen and 22 markers were significantly associated with CBB rating at 14 and 21 DAI, respectively. Fourteen markers were significant for both dates and the markers UBC420, SU91, g321, g471, and g796 were highly significant (p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, 12 significant SNP markers were co-localized with or close to the CBB-QTLs identified previously in bi-parental QTL mapping studies.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that association mapping using a reasonable number of markers, distributed across the genome and with application of plant materials that are routinely developed in a plant breeding program can detect significant QTLs for traits of interest.
Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care testing for acute coronary syndromes, heart failure and thromboembolic events in primary care: a cluster-randomised controlled trial
Authors: Tomonaga Yuki , Gutzwiller Felix , Lüscher Thomas F , Riesen Walter F , Hug Markus , Diemand Albert , Schwenkglenks Matthias , Szucs Thomas D
Published: April 2011

Background

Evidence of the clinical benefit of 3-in-1 point-of-care testing (POCT) for cardiac troponin T (cTnT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and D-dimer in cardiovascular risk stratification at primary care level for diagnosing acute coronary syndromes (ACS), heart failure (HF) and thromboembolic events (TE) is very limited. The aim of this study is to analyse the diagnostic accuracy of POCT in primary care.

Methods

Prospective multicentre controlled trial cluster-randomised to POCT-assisted diagnosis and conventional diagnosis (controls). Men and women presenting in 68 primary care practices in Zurich County (Switzerland) with chest pain or symptoms of dyspnoea or TE were consecutively included after baseline consultation and working diagnosis. A follow-up visit including confirmed diagnosis was performed to determine the accuracy of the working diagnosis, and comparison of working diagnosis accuracy between the two groups.

Results

The 218 POCT patients and 151 conventional diagnosis controls were mostly similar in characteristics, symptoms and pre-existing diagnoses, but differed in working diagnosis frequencies. However, the follow-up visit showed no statistical intergroup difference in confirmed diagnosis frequencies. Working diagnoses overall were significantly more correct in the POCT group (75.7% vs 59.6%, p = 0.002), as were the working diagnoses of ACS/HF/TE (69.8% vs 45.2%, p = 0.002). All three biomarker tests showed good sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion

POCT confers substantial benefit in primary care by correctly diagnosing significantly more patients.

Trial registration

DRKS: DRKS00000709
Study protocol for BeWEL: The impact of a BodyWEight and physicaL activity intervention on adults at risk of developing colorectal adenomas
Authors: Craigie Angela M , Caswell Stephen , Paterson Caron , Treweek Shaun , Belch Jill JF , Daly Fergus , Rodger Jackie , Thompson Joyce , Kirk Alison , Ludbrook Anne , Stead Martine , Wardle Jane , Steele Robert JC , Anderson Annie S
Published: April 2011

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second highest cause of cancer death in the UK. Most cases occur in people over 50 years and CRC often co-exists with other lifestyle related disorders including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These diseases share risk factors related to the metabolic syndrome including large body size, abnormal lipids and markers of insulin resistance indicating common aetiological pathways.

Methods/Design

This 3 year study will be a two-arm, multicentre, randomised controlled trial comparing the BeWEL lifestyle (diet, physical activity and behaviour change) programme against usual care. The pre-trial development will take 6 months and participants will be recruited over a 12 month period and undertake the intervention and follow up for 12 months (total 24 months recruitment and intervention implementation) with a further 6 months for data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Four hundred and fifty two participants who have had a colorectal adenoma detected and removed (through the national colorectal screening programme) will provide 80% power to detect a weight loss of 7% over 12 months.

Primary outcomes are changes in body weight and waist circumference. Secondary outcomes will include cardiovascular risk factors, psycho-social measures and intervention costs.

Discussion

The results from this study will enhance the evidence base for lifestyle change in patients at higher risk of chronic disease including obesity related cancers.

International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials No: ISRCTN53033856
Evolution combined with genomic study elucidates genetic bases of isobutanol tolerance in Escherichia coli
Authors: Minty Jeremy J , Lesnefsky Ann A , Lin Fengming , Chen Yu , Zaroff Ted A , Veloso Artur B , Xie Bin , McConnell Catie A , Ward Rebecca J , Schwartz Donald R , Rouillard Jean-Marie , Gao Yuan , Gulari Erdogan , Lin Xiaoxia Nina
Published: April 2011

Background

Isobutanol is a promising next-generation biofuel with demonstrated high yield microbial production, but the toxicity of this molecule reduces fermentation volumetric productivity and final titer. Organic solvent tolerance is a complex, multigenic phenotype that has been recalcitrant to rational engineering approaches. We apply experimental evolution followed by genome resequencing and a gene expression study to elucidate genetic bases of adaptation to exogenous isobutanol stress.

Results

The adaptations acquired in our evolved lineages exhibit antagonistic pleiotropy between minimal and rich medium, and appear to be specific to the effects of longer chain alcohols. By examining genotypic adaptation in multiple independent lineages, we find evidence of parallel evolution in marC, hfq, mdh, acrAB, gatYZABCD, and rph genes. Many isobutanol tolerant lineages show reduced RpoS activity, perhaps related to mutations in hfq or acrAB. Consistent with the complex, multigenic nature of solvent tolerance, we observe adaptations in a diversity of cellular processes. Many adaptations appear to involve epistasis between different mutations, implying a rugged fitness landscape for isobutanol tolerance. We observe a trend of evolution targeting post-transcriptional regulation and high centrality nodes of biochemical networks. Collectively, the genotypic adaptations we observe suggest mechanisms of adaptation to isobutanol stress based on remodeling the cell envelope and surprisingly, stress response attenuation.

Conclusions

We have discovered a set of genotypic adaptations that confer increased tolerance to exogenous isobutanol stress. Our results are immediately useful to further efforts to engineer more isobutanol tolerant host strains of E. coli for isobutanol production. We suggest that rpoS and post-transcriptional regulators, such as hfq, RNA helicases, and sRNAs may be interesting mutagenesis targets for future global phenotype engineering.
Electrorheology of nanofiber suspensions
Authors: Yin Jianbo , Zhao Xiaopeng
Published: April 2011

Electrorheological (ER) fluid, which can be transformed rapidly from a fluid-like state to a solid-like state under an external electric field, is considered to be one of the most important smart fluids. However, conventional ER fluids based on microparticles are subjected to challenges in practical applications due to the lack of versatile performances. Recent researches of using nanoparticles as the dispersal phase have led to new interest in the development of non-conventional ER fluids with improved performances. In this review, we especially focus on the recent researches on electrorheology of various nanofiber-based suspensions, including inorganic, organic, and inorganic/organic composite nanofibers. Our goal is to highlight the advantages of using anisotropic nanostructured materials as dispersal phases to improve ER performances.
Characteristics of CD8+ T cell subsets in Chinese patients with chronic HIV infection during initial ART
Authors: Jiao Yanmei , Hua Wei , Zhang Tong , Zhang Yonghong , Ji Yunxia , Zhang Hongwei , Wu Hao
Published: April 2011

Background

CD8+ T cells may play an important role in protecting against HIV. However, the changes of CD8+ T cell subsets during early period of ART have not been fully studied.

Methods

Twenty-one asymptomatic treatment-naive HIV-infected patients with CD4 T+ cells less than 350 cells/μl were enrolled in the study. Naïve, central memory(CM), effective memory(EM) and terminally differentiated effector (EMRA) CD8+ cell subsets and their activation and proliferation subsets were evaluated in blood samples collected at base line, and week 2, 4, 8 and 12 of ART.

Results

The total CD8+ T cells declined and the Naïve and CM subsets had a tendency of increase. Activation levels of all CD8+ T cell subsets except EMRA subset decreased after ART. However, proliferation levels of total CD8+ T cells, EMRA, EM and CM subsets increased at the first 4 weeks of ART, then decreased. Proliferation level of the naïve cells decreased after ART.

Conclusion

The changes of CD8+ T cell subsets during initial ART are complex. Our results display a complete phenotypical picture of CD8+ cell subsets during initial ART and provide insights for understanding of immune status during ART.
Cardiac Reoperation in a patient who previously underwent omentoplasty for postoperative mediastinitis: a case report
Authors: Bilal Mehmet S , Gürer Onur , Kırbaş Ahmet , Yıldız Yahya , Çelebi Ahmet
Published: April 2011

Sternal infection has become a rare but challenging problem with significant mortality and morbidity rates since the introduction of sternotomy. Reported rates of mediastinal and sternal infection range from 0.4% to 5%. The ideal reconstruction after sternal debridement is still controversial. Different methods, such as debridement and open packing with continuous antibiotic irrigation, or sternectomy with omental or muscle transposition have been proposed. In this study, we present the cardiac reoperation of a 52 year old man with corrected transposition of great arteries (c-TGA) who had undergone a previous omentoplasty for postoperative mediastinitis.
Estrogen receptor beta inhibits transcriptional activity of hypoxia inducible factor-1 through the downregulation of arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator
Authors: Lim Wonchung , Park Yeomyung , Cho Jungyoon , Park Choa , Park Joonwoo , Park Young-Kwon , Park Hyunsung , Lee YoungJoo
Published: April 2011

Introduction

Estrogen receptor (ER) β is predicted to play an important role in prevention of breast cancer development and metastasis. We have shown previously that ERβ inhibits hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α mediated transcription, but the mechanism by which ERβ works to exert this effect is not understood.

Methods

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was measured in conditioned medium by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, luciferase assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to ascertain the implication of ERβ on HIF-1 function.

Results

In this study, we found that the inhibition of HIF-1 activity by ERβ expression was correlated with ERβ's ability to degrade aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) via ubiquitination processes leading to the reduction of active HIF-1α/ARNT complexes. HIF-1 repression by ERβ was rescued by overexpression of ARNT as examined by hypoxia-responsive element (HRE)-driven luciferase assays. We show further that ERβ attenuated the hypoxic induction of VEGF mRNA by directly decreasing HIF-1α binding to the VEGF gene promoter.

Conclusions

These results show that ERβ suppresses HIF-1α-mediated transcription via ARNT down-regulation, which may account for the tumour suppressive function of ERβ.
Sharks and Pigs: Animating Hawaiian Sovereignty against the Anthropological Machine
Authors: Goldberg-Hiller Jonathan , Silva Noenoe K.
Published: April 2011

The scientific, philosophical, and political efforts to police the distinction between human and animal—amalgamated processes that Giorgio Agamben has called “the anthropological machine”—have been significant components of neocolonial governance in Hawai`i. In this essay, we trace the changing sovereign and exceptional strategies used by the state of Hawai`i to subordinate Kanaka Maoli, the indigenous peoples of the islands, through violence against and scientific regulation of animals. These disparate strategies converge in their consequences for making Kanaka Maoli useful to the state's legitimacy and authority to the detriment of indigenous cultural, economic, and political autonomy. In the interests of this autonomy and against the anthropological machine, we break from Western political theory to suggest that an investment in the Kanaka ontological concept of kino lau, which we translate as “having many bodies, human and nonhuman,” provides an exciting alternative perspective on the relationships of human and nonhuman animals. We show how the study of kino lau can offer practical resistance to the subordinating imperatives of neocolonial legality.
The Struggle for Public Education in California: Introduction
Authors: Newfield Christopher , Lye Colleen
Published: April 2011

When then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut the California higher education budget by 20 percent in 2009, the largest protests erupted on University of California campuses than had been seen in the United States since the 1960s. The struggle for public education was the culmination of a state Republican Party that had for years maintained effective minority rule by grafting the tax wedge onto the racial wedge and a Democratic opposition that came to accept the description of public infrastructure as a “safety net” for society's alleged losers. University administrators themselves suppressed public support for public funding by touting privatization measures as significant solutions, though these represented only marginal revenue increases. The media was largely indifferent to faculty and staff protests about loss of pay and cuts to education but showed surprising sympathy to students' fears that the fee hikes would deny them access to a bachelor's degree. While UC administrators systematically denied that public funding cuts would seriously damage educational access for low-income students or students of color, student movements reconnected these issues, constantly noting the links between reduced funding, reduced access, and racial discrimination. Along with democratic consensus making and the place of nonviolence in protest tactics, race was also a key issue around which activist coalitions broke down. Despite movement infighting, the student struggle for public education forced a quietly antieducation governor to stop cutting the higher education sector, brought international attention to the decline of public higher education in the United States, and produced public sympathy for the beneficiaries of the public sector for one of the few times in recent decades.
States of Indebtedness: Care Work in the Struggle against Educational Privatization
Authors: Armstrong Amanda
Published: April 2011

Composed in the aftermath of the 2009–10 protests at California universities, “States of Indebtedness” provides a critical appraisal and recounting of these events, stressing their disruptive effects in relation to the increasingly damaging social and spatial relations that structure university life. Focusing in particular on the reclamation of Wheeler Hall on November 20, 2009, the essay draws out the relatively mundane acts of care that both enabled the occupation of Wheeler Hall and that extended, in various ways, the duration and oppositional force of this event. The essay invites us to consider how movements against educational privatization might be remolded to the extent that we adequately value—rather than disavow—the work of care that sustains our opposition to the spaces and times of neoliberalism.
Purchasing Power Parity Exchange Rates for the Global Poor
Authors: Deaton Angus , Dupriez Olivier
Published: April 2011

The global poverty count uses a common global poverty line, often referred to as the dollar-a-day line, currently $1.25 at 2005 international prices, whose construction and application depends on purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates for consumption. The price indexes that underlie the PPPs used for this purpose are constructed for purposes of national income accounting, using weights that represent patterns of aggregate consumption, not the consumption patterns of the global poor. We use household surveys from 62 developing countries to calculate global poverty-weighted PPPs and to calculate global poverty lines and new global poverty counts. (JEL C43, E21, F31, I32, O15)
Improving the Design of Conditional Transfer Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Education Experiment in Colombia
Authors: Barrera-Osorio Felipe , Bertrand Marianne , Linden Leigh L , Perez-Calle Francisco
Published: April 2011

Using a student level randomization, we compare three education-based conditional cash transfers designs: a standard design, a design where part of the monthly transfers are postponed until children have to re-enroll in school, and a design that lowers the reward for attendance but incentivizes graduation and tertiary enrollment. The two nonstandard designs significantly increase enrollment rates at both the secondary and tertiary levels while delivering the same attendance gains as the standard design. Postponing some of the attendance transfers to the time of re-enrollment appears particularly effective for the most at-risk children. (JEL H23, I21, I22, J13, O15)
The Wrong Side(s) of the Tracks: The Causal Effects of Racial Segregation on Urban Poverty and Inequality
Authors: Ananat Elizabeth Oltmans
Published: April 2011

A striking negative correlation exists between an area's residential racial segregation and its population characteristics, but it is recognized that this relationship may not be causal. I present a novel test of causality from segregation to population characteristics by exploiting the arrangements of railroad tracks in the nineteenth century to isolate plausibly exogenous variation in areas' susceptibility to segregation. I show that this variation satisfies the requirements for a valid instrument. Instrumental variables estimates demonstrate that segregation increases metropolitan rates of black poverty and overall black-white income disparities, while decreasing rates of white poverty and inequality within the white population. (JEL I32, J15, N31, N32, N91, N92, R23)
A longitudinal study of health service utilization for diabetes patients in a care coordination home-telehealth programme
Authors: Jia Huanguang , Feng Hua , Wang Xinping , Wu Samuel S , Chumbler Neale
Published: April 2011

We assessed the effects of a care coordination home-telehealth (CCHT) programme on health service utilization. The subjects ( n = 387 for each group) were US veterans diagnosed with diabetes and followed for 48 months. The service utilization measures were numbers of all-cause inpatient stays and outpatient visits during the follow-up period. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate the adjusted effects of the CCHT programme on service use over time. Compared with the controls, the CCHT clients were less likely to be admitted for inpatient care during the first ( P < 0.001) and second ( P < 0.01) six-month follow-up period, and were consistently more likely to visit outpatient clinics ( P < 0.001) during the whole 48-month follow-up period. The likelihood of increase in outpatient utilization tended to decline over time. The findings suggest that the CCHT programme helped to reduce overall inpatient and outpatient use by the clients over the 48-month follow-up period.
Therapeutic videoconferencing interventions for the treatment of long-term conditions
Authors: Steel Katie , Cox Diane , Garry Heather
Published: April 2011

We conducted a systematic review of literature relating to videoconferencing in therapeutic interventions for chronic conditions. Two hundred articles were reviewed in detail, 35 of which were relevant to the study. Of these, eight were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the remainder were service evaluations, pilot studies and case studies. Two major themes emerged, relating specifically to videoconferencing: clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. There were 14 studies which measured clinical outcomes of interventions for chronic conditions delivered by videoconferencing. A range of evidence, including four RCTs of high quality, indicates that interventions for a variety of conditions, including psychological and physical, delivered by videoconferencing produce similar outcomes to treatment delivered in-person. Evidence suggests that levels of patient satisfaction with telerehabilitation are high and that the formation of a good therapeutic alliance is possible. Several papers reported that clinical staff showed lower levels of satisfaction in using telerehabilitation than patients. It is feasible to use videoconferencing as a means of delivering therapeutic interventions for people with chronic conditions in rural communities.
Use of telemedicine for haemodialysis in very remote areas: the Canadian First Nations
Authors: Sicotte Claude , Moqadem Khalil , Vasilevsky Murray , Desrochers Johanne , St-Gelais Madeleine
Published: April 2011

We used a pre-post design to compare the health and care utilization of patients receiving telehaemodialysis services in two James Bay Cree communities. The Cree are an Amerindian First Nation living in the remote James Bay region. The same group of dialysed patients ( n = 19) was followed longitudinally over a two-year period: 12 months pre and 12 months post. Analysis of variables measuring the patients' health conditions showed that the quality of care provided was well within recognized good practice guidelines. Repeated measures ANOVA on the variables measuring care utilization showed a significant decrease in the monthly number of medication changes over time ( P < 0.01). Different telehaemodialysis models were used in the two communities (virtual patient rounds and telecase reviews with multidisciplinary teams), but they did not lead to differences in health condition or care utilization. This suggests that there is no single prescriptive model for the delivery of tele-expertise.
Pharmacogenomics and drug interactions. A specific journal
Authors: Siest Gérard
Published: April 2011

No abstract available
Nevi in the Newborn
Authors: Swetman Glenda L. , Lee Diana H. , Benjamin Latanya T.
Published: April 2011

Newborns can present with a host of varying birthmarks. Such nevi can represent a benign condition or a harbinger of a more concerning underlying condition or genetic syndrome. It is important for caretakers to be able to distinguish between the many seemingly similar or unusual entities. This article highlights distinguishing features of the most commonly encountered nevi seen at birth or in early childhood. Furthermore, updated information from the literature about controversies and current understanding of the genetic basis surrounding various nevi is presented.
Spectroelectrochemical Study of the Formation of Radical cations
of 4,4’-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino]-biphenyl as a Hole Transport
Semiconductor Material
Authors: Baasanjav Sharavsambuu , Bolormaa Gendensvren , Naranbileg Batjargal , Battulga Munkhbat , Ganzorig Chimed
Published: April 2011

Spectroelectrochemical study on a new absorption band of radical cations of
4,4’-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino]-biphenyl (α-NPD) as an
electron-donor hole-transporting material used in organic electronics is
reported in this work. UV-visible spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric
properties for α-NPD in solution are also examined. We find that the results
are attributed to quenching process for blue fluorescence from α-NPD by
excess α-NPD+ radical cations accumulated in the emission region
in the organic light-emitting devices related to a relatively large overlap
between the fluorescence spectrum of α-NPD and the absorption spectrum of
α-NPD+ radical cations. The band gap energy for α-NPD is
calculated from the UV-visible spectroscopic data.
Pelvic and hind limb musculature of Staurikosaurus pricei (Dinosauria: Saurischia)
Authors: Grillo Orlando N. , Azevedo Sergio A.K.
Published: April 2011

The study of pelvic and hind limb bones and muscles in basal dinosaurs is important for understanding the early evolution of bipedal locomotion in the group. The use of data from both extant and extinct taxa placed into a phylogenetic context allowed to make well-supported inferences concerning most of the hind limb musculature of the basal saurischian Staurikosaurus pricei Colbert, 1970 (Santa Maria Formation, Late Triassic of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Two large concavities in the lateral surface of the ilium represent the origin of the muscles iliotrochantericus caudalis plus iliofemoralis externus (in the anterior concavity) and iliofibularis (in the posterior concavity). Muscle ambiens has only one head and originates from the pubic tubercle. The origin of puboischiofemoralis internus 1 possibly corresponds to a fossa in the ventral margin of the pré-acetabular iliac process. This could represent an intermediate stage prior to the origin of a true pré-acetabular fossa. Muscles caudofemorales longus et brevis were likely well developed, and Staurikosaurus is unique in bearing a posteriorly projected surface for the origin of caudofemoralis brevis.
Unenlagiid theropods: are they members of the Dromaeosauridae (Theropoda, Maniraptora)?
Authors: Agnolin Federico L. , Novas Fernando E.
Published: April 2011

In the present paper we analyze the phylogenetic position of the derived Gondwanan theropod clade Unenlagiidae. Although this group has been frequently considered as deeply nested within Deinonychosauria and Dromaeosauridae, most of the features supporting this interpretation are conflictive, at least. Modification of integrative databases, such as that recently published by Hu et al. (2009), produces significant changes in the topological distribution of taxa within Deinonychosauria, depicting unenlagiids outside this clade. Our analysis retrieves, in contrast, a monophyletic Avialae formed by Unenlagiidae plus Aves.
Angolatitan adamastor, a new sauropod dinosaur and the first record from Angola
Authors: Mateus Octávio , Jacobs Louis L. , Schulp Anne S. , Polcyn Michael J. , Tavares Tatiana S. , Buta Neto André , Morais Maria Luísa , Antunes Miguel T.
Published: April 2011

A forelimb of a new sauropod dinosaur (Angolatitan adamastor n. gen. et sp.) from the Late Turonian of Iembe (Bengo Province) represents the first dinosaur discovery in Angola, and is one of the few occurrences of sauropod dinosaurs in sub-Saharan Africa collected with good chronological controls. The marginal marine sediments yielding the specimen are reported to be late Turonian in age and, thus it represents a non-titanosaurian sauropod in sub-Saharan Africa at a time taken to be dominated by titanosaurian forms. Moreover, Angolatitan adamastor is the only basal Somphospondyli known in the Late Cretaceous which implies in the existence of relict forms in Africa.
Short note on a Pteranodontoid pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from western Queensland, Australia
Authors: Kellner Alexander W.A. , Rodrigues Taissa , Costa Fabiana R.
Published: April 2011

Flying reptiles from Australia are very rare, represented mostly by isolated bones coming from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation, which crops out in western Queensland. Among the first pterosaur specimens discovered from this deposit is a mandibular symphysis that some authors thought to have a particular affinity to species found in the Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian) of England. It was further referred as a member of or closely related to one of the genera Ornithocheirus, Lonchodectes or Anhanguera. Here we redescribe this specimen, showing that it cannot be referred to the aforementioned genera, but represents a new species of Pteranodontoid (sensu Kellner 2003), here named Aussiedraco molnari gen. et sp. nov. It is the second named pterosaur from Australia and confirms that the Toolebuc deposits are so far the most important for our understanding of the flying reptile fauna of this country.
Notes on the axial skeleton of the titanosaur Bonitasaura salgadoi (Dinosauria-Sauropoda)
Authors: Gallina Pablo A.
Published: April 2011

Sauropod axial anatomy is particularly important in understanding morphological features and phylogenetic analyses. Spatial arrangement of zygapophyses and rib articulations, as well as their complex laminar development, help to recognize the relative position of isolated vertebral elements. The presence of anterior, mid and posterior elements along the cervical, dorsal and caudal series in Bonitasaura salgadoi allows the analysis of several anatomical characteristics. These include the pattern of neurocentral closure with unfused, partially fused and completely fused elements in a peculiar temporal sequence, as well as several neural spine modifications and the laminar arrangement. The variations in neural spine morphology include a lateral expansion of the distal tip in cervico-dorsal region, different lateral constituents of these lateral expansions, and a marked deviation in spine angulation. The spinal inclination allows the division into three easily recognizable vertebral regions separated by two landmarks, which adds support in the determination of an accurate vertebral position for isolated elements. Finally, an analysis of the vertebral laminae reveals the importance of examining vertebral series in order to recognize laminar homologies and developmental series. Two vertebral laminae are analyzed here.
Avaliação de fatores clínicos, laboratoriais e ultrassonográficos preditores de malignidade em nódulos tiroidianos
Authors: Rio Ana Luiza Silva , Biscolla Rosa Paula Mello , Andreoni Danielle Macellaro , Camacho Cléber Pinto , Nakabashi Cláudia Cristina Doimo , Mamone Maria da Conceição de Oliveira Carneiro , Ikejiri Elza Setsuku , Matsumura Luiza K. , Hidal Jairo Tabacow , Maciel Rui Monteiro de Barros , Furlanetto Reinaldo Perrone
Published: April 2011

OBJETIVO: Avaliar risco de malignidade de nódulos tiroidianos por meio de aspectos clínicos, laboratoriais, ultrassonográficos e citológicos. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: 741 nódulos de 407 pacientes. RESULTADOS: A citologia foi benigna (60,5%), indeterminada (23,3%), maligna (8,6%) ou não diagnóstica (7,6%). A prevalência de câncer nas citologias indeterminadas foi 18,5% (16% nas lesões foliculares, 44% nas suspeitas). O diagnóstico de malignidade foi 17,2% (n = 70). A frequência de câncer em mulheres (15,2%) foi menor do que em homens (27,9%). Houve uma relação inversa entre idade e risco de câncer. Não houve significância estatística na prevalência de câncer de acordo com número, tamanho dos nódulos ou níveis de TSH. Hipoecogenicidade e microcalcificações ao ultrassom foram fatores de risco. CONCLUSÃO: O risco de malignidade foi maior em homens, nódulos hipoecogênicos, com microcalcificações e inversamente relacionado à idade. O nível de TSH não foi um preditor independente de malignidade.
Clinical and molecular aspects of a pediatric metachronous adrenocortical tumor
Authors: Lima Lorena de Oliveira , Lerario Antonio Marcondes , Alencar Guilherme Asmar , Brito Luciana Pinto , Almeida Madson Queiroz , Domenice Sorahia , Latronico Ana Claudia , Mendonca Berenice Bilharinho , Fragoso Maria Candida Barrison Villares
Published: April 2011

The occurrence of metachronous adrenocortical carcinoma has rarely been described. We report a case of a child with virilizing adrenocortical metachronous tumors that, despite several metastases, presented long-term survival (15 years). We analyzed in this tumor IGF2, IGF1R and FGFR4 gene expression, and evaluated the presence of p.R337H germline p53 mutation and somatic CTNNB1 mutation. IGF2 gene was over-expressed in both left (Weiss score 5) and right (Weiss 7) adrenocortical tumors. IGF1R expression levels were higher in the right adrenocortical tumor. FGFR4 over-expression was also detected in the right adrenocortical tumor. In addition, this patient harbors the germline p.R337H p53 mutation and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was detected in the tumors. No somatic CTNNB1 mutations were found in both tumors. In conclusion, we demonstrated in this unusual case the over-expression of growth signaling pathways, which are molecular mechanisms previously related to adrenocortical tumorigenesis. Furthermore, the absence of somatic CTNNB1 mutations, which is a molecular marker of poor prognosis in adults, might be related to the long-term survival of this patient.
Estudo da conectividade entre o nervo occipital maior e estruturas adjacentes considerações anátomo-clínicas
Authors: Tanaka Clarice , Biazotto Walter , Chopard Renato P. , Miranda Neto Marcílio Hubner de , Lucas Guilherme de Araújo
Published: April 2011

A fim de oferecer substrato anatômico que contribua para a interpretação clínica da cefaléia de origem cervical, estudo macro-mesoscópico do nervo occipital maior e da sua região de emergência subcutânea foi realizado. Observamos que, ao longo de sua estratigrafia, esse nervo descreve ângulos e mudanças de direção, que podem representar pontos críticos na etiologia da dor occipital; na região de sua emergência subcutânea forma, com a artéria e a veia occipital, feixe vásculo-nervoso envolvido por bainha de tecido conjuntivo fibroso, a qual mantém relações de continuidade e contigüidade com epimísio e perimísio adjacentes. A partir dos resultados encontrados, fazemos considerações anátomo-clínicas.
Torcicolo espasmódico e meningeoma frontal
Authors: Tonholo-Silva Edward R. , Quagliato Elizabeth M. A. Barasnevícius
Published: April 2011

Foi estudada o caso de um paciente de 57 anos com meningeoma frontal esquerdo, cuja única manifestação clínica foi torcicolo espasmódico contralateral. Há poucos casos relatados na literatura de lesões frontais levando a movimentos involuntários, sendo analisada a possibilidade de uma desconexão funcional entrei o córtex frontal e o complexo estriato-lentículo-talâmico.
Primary intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage an approach to diagnosis and therapy
Authors: Fisher Marc
Published: April 2011

The diagnosis of primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has become easier with the advent of modern imaging techniques. The incidence of ICH has declined, while SAH has remained relatively constant. The prognosis for both disorders remains dismal and the mortality rate is substantially higher than that observed with ischemic stroke. Early imaging with CT or MRI is important for rapid and accurate diagnosis. General medical management in a skilled nursing facility should be available for patients who are not moribund. Therapy for ICH is predominantly supportive and effective medical and surgical intervention remains elusive. For SAH, calcium channel blockers may reduce cerebral ischemic complications related to vasospasm, but effective medical therapy to prevent rebleeding has not been established. Early surgery after SAH should be considered in clinically stable patients. Many challenges remain regarding the prevention and treatment of both these cerebral hemorrhage subtypes.
Knowledge about epilepsy among teachers and epileptic patients
Authors: Tosetti Maria F. Valls , Campos Miriam A. , Bauer Claudia R. , Araujo Márcia M. , Pedrazolli Sibelle , Silva Yara B. , Montovani Cristina , Haddad Monica S. , Poetcher A. , Cukiert A. , Marino Jr. R.
Published: April 2011

223 epileptics patients and their families and 136 teachers from public and private schools were submitted to similar questionnaires related to inheritance, transmission, cure, complilcation rates, care during seizures, need for information on the disease, habits, comparison with other diseases and to the educational and social performances of epileptics. Cure and complication nates accounted for the main differences between those populations. Epileptics could recognize a bigger number of complications but still expected to be cured from the disease. The majority of teachers and patients have never been informed about epilepsy and this finding was related to the big number of equivocal answers obtained from them. Put together, the data showed that social and educational performance of epileptic patients could be disturbed by medical and social parameters. Some, of them could be improved by an educational program towards these aspects of epilepsy.
Narcolepsy in childhood and adolescence
Authors: Reimão Rubens , Lemmi Hélio
Published: April 2011

The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical, polysomnography and the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) features in young narcoleptics. We evaluated 14 patients with mean age of 13.6 years old (ranging from 6 to 18 years) ; 11 were males and 3 females. Daytime sleepiness was the main complaint in all cases and started at the ages of 6 to 17 years. Cataplexy was described in 10 cases and it was considered mild to moderate in all but one case. Sleep paralysis was present in 6 cases and hypnagogic hallucinations in 7 cases. The main polysomnography characteristics were the short sleep latency in 9 cases and the sudden onset of REM periods in 7 cases. The MSLT showed short or borderline sleep latencies in 13 cases, with a mean of 4.9 min; 2 or more REM periods were present in 13 cases. Clinical, polysomnographic and MSLT characteristics in the age bracket focused were remarkably similar to those of adult narcoleptics suggesting the stability of these psysiopa-thological markers.
Aids e miopatia relato de um caso e revisão da literatura
Authors: Rodrigues Káris M. de Pinho , Puccioni-Sohler Marzia , Castineiras Terezinha M. P. P. , Pereira Marisa T. , Papi J. Angelo , Schechter Mauro , Ávila Cláudio , Duarte Francisco , Novis Sérgio A. P.
Published: April 2011

É relatado o caso de um paciente com miopatia de apresentação clínica incomum como manifestação inicial da infecção por HIV. O paciente apresentava aumento de volume dos membros acompanhado de sinais flogísticos e elevação dos níveis séricos de enzimas musculares. A alteração histopatológica predominante consistia em necrose segmentar de fibrocélulas musculares esqueléticas. Evoluiu com pneumonia por Pneumocystis carinii, tratada satisfatoriamente com sulfametoxazol e trimetropim. Apesar do uso sucessivo de indometacina, prednisona e dexametasona, a miopatia continuava a progredir. Após administração de methotrexate, houve regressão do quadro neurológico.
Perfuração vaginal como complicação de derivação ventrículo-peritoneal apresentação de um caso
Authors: Pianetti Filho Geraldo , Cabral Guilherme , Fonseca Luiz Fernando , Val Filho José Aloysio da Costa
Published: April 2011

É descrito um caso de saída, pela vagina, do catéter de derivação ventrículo-peritoneal. A possível causa e as consequências são discutidas.
Emprego da exsangüineotransfusão em acidente loxoscélico humano, grave
Authors: Silva Marcos Vinícius da , Crenitte Milton Roberto T. , Furst Vera Lúcia , Leitão Paulo Antonio
Published: April 2011

Foi utilizada a exsangüineotransfusão, associada à soroterapia heteróloga específica e alcalinização urinaria, em um caso de acidente loxoscélico humano na cidade de São Paulo. A indicação da exsangüineotransfusão foi a intensa hemólise associada à gravidade e o iminente risco de morte.
Preference of Biomphalaria tenagophila among macrophytes and their periphytons determined through the degree of attractiveness
Authors: Santos Mairy Barbosa Loureiro dos , Freitas José Rabelo de
Published: April 2011

In presence of extracts of six flowering plants the Biomphalaria tenagophila was more attracted to four them in the following sequence: Nasturtium pumilum > Polygonum acre > Commelina sp. = Echinochloa crusgalli. The periphyton of these flowering plants attracted in the same way the B. tenagophila but without no preference for either of them. Reporting the results that behavior may be evaluated as a co-evolution between snail and plants.
Afibrinogenemia following snake bite (Crotalus durissus terrificus)
Authors: Amaral C. F. S. , Rezende N. A. , Pedrosa T. M. G. , Silva O. A. da , Pedroso E. R. P.
Published: April 2011

This paper reports two cases of afibrinogenemia with normal platelet count following Crotalus durissus terrificus, snake bite Both patients presented high output acute renal failure and case two also had increased blood levels of CPK and LDH compatible with the diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis. Case one was given an unknown amount of antivenom and was treated with epsilonaminocaproic acid and a fresh whole blood transfusion and showed recovery of the coagulation disturbance 40 hours following these measures. Case two was given an adequate amount of crotalide antivenom and the coagulation tests performed 12 hours later showed a normal partial thromboplastin time and fibrinogen 86 mg/100ml. Case one presented no haemorrhagic disturbances. Case two presented persistent bleeding following venopuncture and after removal of impetigo crust in the legs. Acute renal failure was treated conservatively and both patients were discharged from the hospital with recovery of the renal function.