bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rsr1 Focuses Cdc42 Activity at Hyphal Tips and Promotes Maintenance of Hyphal Development in Candida albicans
Authors: Pulver Rebecca , Heisel Timothy , Gonia Sara , Robins Robert , Norton Jennifer , Haynes Paula , Gale Cheryl A.
Published: December 2012

The extremely elongated morphology of fungal hyphae is dependent on the cell's ability to assemble and maintain polarized growth machinery over multiple cell cycles. The different morphologies of the fungus
Candida albicans
make it an excellent model organism in which to study the spatiotemporal requirements for constitutive polarized growth and the generation of different cell shapes. In
C. albicans
, deletion of the landmark protein Rsr1 causes defects in morphogenesis that are not predicted from study of the orthologous protein in the related yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
, thus suggesting that Rsr1 has expanded functions during polarized growth in
C. albicans
. Here, we show that Rsr1 activity localizes to hyphal tips by the differential localization of the Rsr1 GTPase-activating protein (GAP), Bud2, and guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), Bud5. In addition, we find that Rsr1 is needed to maintain the focused localization of hyphal polarity structures and proteins, including Bem1, a marker of the active GTP-bound form of the Rho GTPase, Cdc42. Further, our results indicate that tip-localized Cdc42 clusters are associated with the cell's ability to express a hyphal transcriptional program and that the ability to generate a focused Cdc42 cluster in early hyphae (germ tubes) is needed to maintain hyphal morphogenesis over time. We propose that in
C. albicans
, Rsr1 “fine-tunes” the distribution of Cdc42 activity and that self-organizing (Rsr1-independent) mechanisms of polarized growth are not sufficient to generate narrow cell shapes or to provide feedback to the transcriptional program during hyphal morphogenesis.
Integrated oncogeriatric approach: a systematic review of the literature using concept analysis
Authors: Tremblay Dominique , Charlebois Kathleen , Terret Catherine , Joannette Sonia , Latreille Jean
Published: December 2012

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to provide a more precise definition of an integrated oncogeriatric approach (IOGA) through concept analysis.

Data sources

The literature was reviewed from January 2005 to April 2011 integrating three broad terms: geriatric oncology, multidisciplinarity and integrated care delivery models.

Study eligibility criteria

Citation selection was based on: (1) elderly cancer patients as the study population; (2) disease management and (3) case studies, intervention studies, assessments, evaluations and studies. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were refined in the course of the literature search.

Interventions

Initiatives in geriatric oncology that relate to oncology services, social support services and primary care services for elderly cancer patients.

Participants

Elderly cancer patients aged 70 years old or more.

Study appraisal and synthesis methods

Rodgers’ concept analysis method was used for this study. The analysis was carried out according to thematic analysis based on the elements of the Chronic Care Model.

Results

The search identified 618 citations. After in-depth appraisal of 327 potential citations, 62 articles that met our inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Three IOGA main attributes were identified, which constitute IOGA's core aspects: geriatric assessment (GA), comorbidity burden and treatment outcomes. The IOGA concept comprises two broad antecedents: coordinated healthcare delivery and primary supportive care services. Regarding the consequents of an integrated approach in geriatric oncology, the studies reviewed remain inconclusive.

Conclusions

Our study highlights the pioneering character of the multidimensional IOGA concept, for which the relationship between clinical and organisational attributes, on the one hand, and contextual antecedents, on the other, is not well understood. We have yet to ascertain IOGA's consequents.

Implications of key findings

There is clearly a need for a whole-system approach to change that will provide direction for multilevel (clinical, organisational, strategic) interventions to support interdisciplinary practice, education and research.
Comparison of emergency hospital admissions for drug poisoning and major diseases: a retrospective observational study using a nationwide administrative discharge database
Authors: Okumura Yasuyuki , Shimizu Sayuri , Ishikawa Koichi B , Matsuda Shinya , Fushimi Kiyohide , Ito Hiroto
Published: December 2012

Objective

To compare the clinical and procedural characteristics of emergency hospital admissions for drug poisoning and major diseases.

Design

Retrospective observational study.

Setting

Discharged patients from 855 acute care hospitals from 1 July to 31 December in 2008 in Japan.

Results

There were a total of 1 157 893 emergency hospital admissions. Among the top 100 causes, drug poisoning was ranked higher in terms of the percentage of patients using ambulance services (74.1%; second) and tertiary emergency medical services (37.8%; first). Despite higher utilisation of emergency care resources, drug poisoning ranked lower in terms of the median length of stay (2 days; 100th), percentage of requirement for surgical procedures (1.7%; 91st) and inhospital mortality ratio (0.3%; 74th).

Conclusions

Drug poisoning is unique among the top 100 causes of emergency admissions. Our findings suggest that drug poisoning imposes a greater burden on emergency care resources but has a less severe clinical course than other causes of admissions. Future research should focus on strategies to reduce the burden of drug poisoning on emergency medical systems.
Molecular epidemiology of gonorrhoea in Wales (UK)
Authors: Cole Michelle J , Thomas Daniel Rh , Chisholm Stephanie A , Abdullah Adel N , Birley Humphrey , Hosein Ian , Kubiak Elizabeth , White Diana , Martin Iona , Ison Catherine A
Published: December 2012

Objectives

After a trend of increasing incidence of gonorrhoea in the 1990s, by 2004 the incidence was declining in England, but continuing to increase in Wales. This prompted an investigation of the epidemiology of gonorrhoea in Wales to inform future prevention and control measures.

Methods

As an extension to Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme, between May 2005 and September 2006, 540 consecutive gonococcal isolates were collected from three microbiology laboratories in South Wales. Isolates were typed usingNeisseria gonorrhoeaeMulti Antigen Sequence Typing tested for susceptibility to therapeutic agents and demographic and behavioural data were collected retrospectively from patient notes.

Results

163 sequence types (STs) were identified in 475N gonorrhoeaeisolates from 502 patient episodes. The most frequently observed STs (>20 isolates) were: 2, 752, 471, 249 and 8, all of which were susceptible to the antimicrobial agents tested. A significant association between ST and sexual orientation was identified, the most frequently observed STs occurring in young (median age <25 years) heterosexuals. STs 147, 4, 1634 and 64 predominated in men who have sex with men.

Conclusions

We confirm the existence of common STs across the UK, as well as identify a number of types that were novel to Wales. Discrete sexual networks were identified, the most localised being in young heterosexuals. Molecular typing provides a method for identifying local clusters of gonorrhoea, and could assist in the implementation and evaluation of targeted interventions.
Observation of a cytopathogenic effect on cell lines used for routine viral cultures led to the diagnosis of lymphogranuloma venereum
Authors: Busson Laurent , Crucitti Tania , De Foor Marc , Van den Wijngaert Sigi , Vandenberg Olivier
Published: December 2012

Objectives

This article reports the fortuitous recovery of nineChlamydia trachomatisserovar L strains in cell cultures (Vero and LLC-MK2cell line) designed for viral culture.

Methods

Nine ano-genital swabs were inoculated on confluent Vero, MRC5 and LLC-MK2cell cultures. They were collected from HIV-positive patients who were primarily men who have sex with men (MSM) presenting ulcerations that mimicked herpes simplex infections.

Results

A cytopathogenic effect was observed on Vero and LLC-MK2cells on day 14. The presence ofC trachomatisserovar L in the cell lines was confirmed by Real Time–PCR.

Conclusions

C trachomatisserovar L can grow on Vero and LLC-MK2cell lines designed for viral cultures. Lymphogranuloma venereum must be considered as a differential diagnosis for herpes-like lesions, particularly in MSM with high-risk behaviours.
The ubiquitin proteasome system and myocardial ischemia
Authors: Calise Justine , Powell Saul R.
Published: December 2012

The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) has been the subject of intensive research over the past 20 years to define its role in normal physiology and in pathophysiology. Many of these studies have focused in on the cardiovascular system and have determined that the UPS becomes dysfunctional in several pathologies such as familial and idiopathic cardiomyopathies, atherosclerosis, and myocardial ischemia. This review presents a synopsis of the literature as it relates to the role of the UPS in myocardial ischemia. Studies have shown that the UPS is dysfunctional during myocardial ischemia, and recent studies have shed some light on possible mechanisms. Other studies have defined a role for the UPS in ischemic preconditioning which is best associated with myocardial ischemia and is thus presented here. Very recent studies have started to define roles for specific proteasome subunits and components of the ubiquitination machinery in various aspects of myocardial ischemia. Lastly, despite the evidence linking myocardial ischemia and proteasome dysfunction, there are continuing suggestions that proteasome inhibitors may be useful to mitigate ischemic injury. This review presents the rationale behind this and discusses both supportive and nonsupportive studies and presents possible future directions that may help in clarifying this controversy.
Chronic fluoxetine reduces autonomic control of cardiac rhythms in rats with congestive heart failure
Authors: Henze Marcus , Tiniakov Ruslan , Samarel Allen , Holmes Earle , Scrogin Karie
Published: December 2012

Up to 40% of patients with heart failure develop depression, and depression is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in this patient population. Consequently, increasing numbers of patients with heart failure are treated with antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are typically the antidepressant of choice since this drug class has limited cardiovascular toxicity. However, little is known about the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on autonomic cardiac regulation in congestive heart failure (CHF). Here, indexes of cardiac autonomic control were evaluated before and during chronic fluoxetine (FLX) treatment (20 mg·kg−1·day−1, 5 wk) in rats that developed CHF after coronary artery ligation. FLX reduced the low-frequency (LF) component of heart rate variability (HRV; P < 0.01) as well as the sympathetic contribution to LF HRV ( P < 0.01) in both CHF and sham-operated rats. Both FLX and CHF reduced high-frequency HRV ( P < 0.01). Spontaneous baroreflex gain was decreased in CHF rats 8 wk after ligation ( P < 0.01). Cross-spectral coherence between the interbeat interval and mean arterial pressure was reduced in the LF domain 3 wk after ligation in CHF rats ( P < 0.01) and was further reduced after chronic FLX treatment ( P < 0.01). Plasma catecholamines and LF blood pressure variability were not affected by FLX. Chronotropic responses to both efferent vagal nerve stimulation and isoproterenol administration were reduced in CHF rats and by FLX ( P < 0.01), whereas inotropic responses to isoproterenol were reduced only in CHF rats ( P < 0.01). These data indicate that chronic FLX reduces the responsiveness to autonomic output controlling cardiac rhythm and may further compromise autonomic regulation of cardiac function in CHF.
Titanium oxide nanoparticle instillation induces inflammation and inhibits lung development in mice
Authors: Ambalavanan Namasivayam , Stanishevsky Andrei , Bulger Arlene , Halloran Brian , Steele Chad , Vohra Yogesh , Matalon Sadis
Published: December 2012

Nanoparticles are used in an increasing number of biomedical, industrial, and food applications, but their safety profiles in developing organisms, including the human fetus and infant, have not been evaluated. Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, which are commonly used in cosmetics, sunscreens, paints, and food, have been shown to induce emphysema and lung inflammation in adult mice. We hypothesized that exposure of newborn mice to TiO2 would induce lung inflammation and inhibit lung development. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to TiO2 (anatase; 8–10 nm) nanoparticles by intranasal instillation as a single dose on postnatal day 4 (P4) or as three doses on postnatal days 4, 7, and 10 (each dose = 1 μg/g body wt). Measurements of lung function (compliance and resistance), development (morphometry), inflammation (histology; multiplex analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for cytokines; PCR array and multiplex analysis of lung homogenates for cytokines) was performed on postnatal day 14. It was observed that a single dose of TiO2 nanoparticles led to inflammatory cell influx, and multiple doses led to increased inflammation and inhibition of lung development without significant effects on lung function. Macrophages were noted to take up the TiO2 nanoparticles, followed by polymorphonuclear infiltrate. Multiple cytokines and matrix metalloproteinase-9 were increased in lung homogenates, and VEGF was reduced. These results suggest that exposure of the developing lung to nanoparticles may lead to ineffective clearance by macrophages and persistent inflammation with resulting effects on lung development and may possibly impact the risk of respiratory disorders in later life.
Neuropilin-1 Identifies a Subset of Bone Marrow Gr1− Monocytes That Can Induce Tumor Vessel Normalization and Inhibit Tumor Growth
Authors: Carrer Alessandro , Moimas Silvia , Zacchigna Serena , Pattarini Lucia , Zentilin Lorena , Ruozi Giulia , Mano Miguel , Sinigaglia Milena , Maione Federica , Serini Guido , Giraudo Enrico , Bussolino Federico , Giacca Mauro
Published: December 2012

Improving tumor perfusion, thus tempering tumor-associated hypoxia, is known to impair cancer progression. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that VEGF-A165 and semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) promote vessel maturation through the recruitment of a population of circulating monocytes expressing the neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) receptor (Nrp1-expressing monocytes; NEM). Here, we define the characteristics of bone marrow NEMs and assess whether these cells might represent an exploitable tool to induce tumor vessel maturation. Gene expression signature and surface marker analysis have indicated that NEMs represent a specific subset of CD11b+ Nrp1+ Gr1− resident monocytes, distinctively recruited by Sema3A. NEMs were found to produce several factors involved in vessel maturation, including PDGFb, TGF-β, thrombospondin-1, and CXCL10; consistently, they were chemoattractive for vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. When directly injected into growing tumors, NEMs, isolated either from the bone marrow or from Sema3A-expressing muscles, exerted antitumor activity despite having no direct effects on the proliferation of tumor cells. NEM inoculation specifically promoted mural cell coverage of tumor vessels and decreased vascular leakiness. Tumors treated with NEMs were smaller, better perfused and less hypoxic, and had a reduced level of activation of HIF-1α. We conclude that NEMs represent a novel, unique population of myeloid cells that, once inoculated into a tumor, induce tumor vessel normalization and inhibit tumor growth. Cancer Res; 72(24); 6371–81. ©2012 AACR.
Obesity and Overfeeding Affecting Both Tumor and Systemic Metabolism Activates the Progesterone Receptor to Contribute to Postmenopausal Breast Cancer
Authors: Giles Erin D. , Wellberg Elizabeth A. , Astling David P. , Anderson Steven M. , Thor Ann D. , Jindal Sonali , Tan Aik-Choon , Schedin Pepper S. , MacLean Paul S.
Published: December 2012

Obese postmenopausal women have increased risk of breast cancers with poorer clinical outcomes than their lean counterparts. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are poorly understood. Rodent model studies have recently identified a period of vulnerability for mammary cancer promotion, which emerges during weight gain after the loss of ovarian function (surgical ovariectomy; OVX). Thus, a period of transient weight gain may provide a life cycle–specific opportunity to prevent or treat postmenopausal breast cancer. We hypothesized that a combination of impaired metabolic regulation in obese animals prior to OVX plus an OVX-induced positive energy imbalance might cooperate to drive tumor growth and progression. To determine if lean and obese rodents differ in their metabolic response to OVX-induced weight gain, and whether this difference affects later mammary tumor metabolism, we performed a nutrient tracer study during the menopausal window of vulnerability. Lean animals preferentially deposited excess nutrients to mammary and peripheral tissues rather than to the adjacent tumors. Conversely, obese animals deposited excess nutrients into the tumors themselves. Notably, tumors from obese animals also displayed increased expression of the progesterone receptor (PR). Elevated PR expression positively correlated with tumor expression of glycolytic and lipogenic enzymes, glucose uptake, and proliferation markers. Treatment with the antidiabetic drug metformin during ovariectomy-induced weight gain caused tumor regression and downregulation of PR expression in tumors. Clinically, expression array analysis of breast tumors from postmenopausal women revealed that PR expression correlated with a similar pattern of metabolic upregulation, supporting the notion that PR+ tumors have enhanced metabolic capacity after menopause. Our findings have potential explanative power in understanding why obese, postmenopausal women display an increased risk of breast cancer. Cancer Res; 72(24); 6490–501. ©2012 AACR.
Role of Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors in Shaping the Effector Phase of the Antitumor Immune Response
Authors: Franciszkiewicz Katarzyna , Boissonnas Alexandre , Boutet Marie , Combadière Christophe , Mami-Chouaib Fathia
Published: December 2012

Immune system–mediated eradication of neoplastic cells requires induction of a strong long-lasting antitumor T-cell response. However, generation of tumor-specific effector T cells does not necessarily result in tumor clearance. CTL must first be able to migrate to the tumor site, infiltrate the tumor tissue, and interact with the target to finally trigger effector functions indispensable for tumor destruction. Chemokines are involved in circulation, homing, retention, and activation of immunocompetent cells. Although some of them are known to contribute to tumor growth and metastasis, others are responsible for changes in the tumor microenvironment that lead to extensive infiltration of lymphocytes, resulting in tumor eradication. Given their chemoattractive and activating properties, a role for chemokines in the development of the effector phase of the antitumor immune response has been suggested. Here, we emphasize the role of the chemokine–chemokine receptor network at multiple levels of the T-cell–mediated antitumor immune response. The identification of chemokine-dependent molecular mechanisms implicated in tumor-specific CTL trafficking, retention, and regulation of their in situ effector functions may offer new perspectives for development of innovative immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. Cancer Res; 72(24); 6325–32. ©2012 AACR.
TLRs as miRNA Receptors
Authors: Fabbri Muller
Published: December 2012

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs with gene regulatory functions. Their expression is frequently dysregulated in almost all human tumors and they can be found circulating within exosomes secreted by cancer cells. In addition to being promising cancer biomarkers with diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic implications, circulating miRNAs have also important biologic functions: they can be engulfed by immune cells surrounding cancer cells within the tumor microenvironment and bind to toll-like receptors (TLR7 in mice and TLR8 in human) expressed by the immune cells. As a result, the binding miRNAs function as agonists of these single-stranded RNA-binding TLRs, leading to NF-κB signaling activation and secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and TNF-α, which promote cancer cell growth and metastasization. This novel miRNA mechanism of action suggests that these small noncoding RNAs can act as hormones (we call these miRNAs hormone miRNAs or H-miRNAs). The discovery that miRNAs released by cancer cells can bind to a receptor in a surrounding immune cell is completely novel. Other receptors (in addition to TLR7 and TLR8) are likely to be found, but this is the first identified miRNA receptor and it is relevant to cancer. This review discusses the meaning of this discovery and comments on the exciting future implications of these findings in the context of tumor microenvironment biology as well as of other human diseases. Cancer Res; 72(24); 6333–7. ©2012 AACR.
Dual Functions of the Homeoprotein DLX4 in Modulating Responsiveness of Tumor Cells to Topoisomerase II-Targeting Drugs
Authors: Trinh Bon Q. , Ko Song Yi , Barengo Nicolas , Lin Shiaw-Yih , Naora Honami
Published: December 2012

Topoisomerase II (TOP2)-targeting poisons such as anthracyclines and etoposide are commonly used for cancer chemotherapy and kill tumor cells by causing accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). Several lines of evidence indicate that overexpression of TOP2A, the gene encoding topoisomerase IIα, increases sensitivity of tumor cells to TOP2 poisons, but it is not clear why some TOP2A-overexpressing (TOP2A-High) tumors respond poorly to these drugs. In this study, we identified that TOP2A expression is induced by DLX4, a homeoprotein that is overexpressed in breast and ovarian cancers. Analysis of breast cancer datasets revealed that TOP2A-high cases that also highly expressed DLX4 responded more poorly to anthracycline-based chemotherapy than TOP2A-high cases that expressed DLX4 at low levels. Overexpression of TOP2A alone in tumor cells increased the level of DSBs induced by TOP2 poisons. In contrast, DLX4 reduced the level of TOP2 poison-induced DSBs irrespective of its induction of TOP2A. DLX4 did not stimulate homologous recombination–mediated repair of DSBs. However, DLX4 interacted with Ku proteins, stimulated DNA-dependent protein kinase activity, and increased erroneous end-joining repair of DSBs. Whereas DLX4 did not reduce levels of TOP2 poison-induced DSBs in Ku-deficient cells, DLX4 stimulated DSB repair and reduced the level of TOP2 poison–induced DSBs when Ku was reconstituted in these cells. Our findings indicate that DLX4 induces TOP2A expression but reduces sensitivity of tumor cells to TOP2 poisons by stimulating Ku-dependent repair of DSBs. These opposing activities of DLX4 could explain why some TOP2A-overexpressing tumors are not highly sensitive to TOP2 poisons. Cancer Res; 73(2); 1000–10. ©2012 AACR.
Number of Target Lesions for EASL and Modified RECIST to Predict Survivals in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Chemoembolization
Authors: Kim Beom Kyung , Kim Seung Up , Kim Myeong-Jin , Kim Kyung Ah , Kim Do Young , Park Jun Yong , Ahn Sang Hoon , Han Kwang-Hyub , Chon Chae Yoon
Published: December 2012

Purposes: To date, most studies about the optimal number of target lesions for enhancement criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have focused on cross-sectional analyses of concordance. We investigated the optimal number of target lesions for European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) guidelines in predicting overall survival (OS).

Experimental Design: We analyzed 254 consecutive treatment-naïve patients with HCC having at least 2 measurable target lesions undergoing transarterial chemoembolization. Kappa values for intermethod agreement of treatment responses were calculated for comparisons between use of maximum of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 targets versus use of all target lesions. Prognostic values of radiologic assessments according to number of target lesions for predicting OS were expressed as C-index.

Results: By EASL and mRECIST guidelines, κ values between responses assessing the longest 2, 3, 4, or 5 targets and assessing all targets were 0.924, 0.977, 1.000, or 1.000 and 0.907, 0.959, 1.000, or 1.000, respectively, whereas those between responses assessing only one target and assessing all target lesions were 0.723 and 0.666, respectively. C-index when measuring the longest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and all targets was similar, ranging from 0.739 to 0.749 for EASL criteria and from 0.750 to 0.759 for mRECIST. From Cox regression analyses, radiologic response from each calculation method showed independently significant effects on OS for both guidelines, regardless of number of target lesions.

Conclusions: Prognostic values for predicting OS were similar regardless of number of target lesions. Assessing the 2 largest targets rather than only 1 index lesion could be recommended considering high concordances from cross-sectional analyses. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1503–11. ©2012 AACR.
Precarious Work in Japan
Authors: Osawa Machiko , Kim Myoung Jung , Kingston Jeff
Published: December 2012

This article examines the causes and consequences of the dramatic growth of precarious employment in Japan since the 1990s. In response to heightened competition associated with globalization, Japanese firms adopted cost-cutting policies to remain competitive, especially in terms of reducing wage outlays. As a result, companies hired fewer regular workers and increased the proportion of temporary workers. Based upon the breadwinner model, Japan mandated social insurance benefits only for regular workers, creating a significant incentive to hire more temporary workers. The lack of economic security among a significant portion of the labor force has repercussions for many young people, who are now marginalized as nonregular workers and are delaying or avoiding marriage and family formation. This trend is exacerbating the low fertility rate and also means that government social policies relying on a supportive family are at odds with emerging social realities. With low wages and limited social support, the working poor are becoming entrenched in poverty. Furthermore, a gender bias in social spending and taxation is pronounced in Japan, and that adversely affects women workers, especially single mothers.
School Access and Participation
Authors: Lowenhaupt Rebecca
Published: December 2012

This article describes how schools shape family engagement practices in the context of the New Latino Diaspora. Building on critical scholarship that has called for more culturally appropriate definitions of family engagement, this study seeks to develop a theoretical understanding of how school practices influence immigrant families’ access to and participation in schools with little tradition of serving immigrant communities. Drawing on a statewide survey of practice in schools serving the New Latino Diaspora in Wisconsin, analysis includes descriptive statistics and textual analysis of survey comments from school principals and teachers working with immigrant students. Findings illustrate how considerable efforts to ensure access to Spanish-speaking families through interpretation and translation fall short of increasing family participation in key aspects of schooling. Given the influx of immigrants to new destinations across the United States, this work offers important insight into how schools receive newcomers in these contexts and identifies implications for research and practice.
Parental Efficacy and Role Responsibility for Assisting in Child’s Healthful Behaviors
Authors: Ice Christa L. , Neal William A. , Cottrell Lesley
Published: December 2012

The epidemic of childhood obesity, and its subsequent impact on negative health outcomes, continues to plague the United States. Better health outcomes have been linked to increased child achievement in school. Due to the strong influence parents have on children’s healthful behaviors particularly in younger years, it’s imperative to examine the social cognitive impact parents have on this aspect of children’s development. The objective of this study was to determine the impact parental self-efficacy and parental role responsibility have on child’s nutritional, physical activity, and weight categories.

Parents ( N = 820) responded to a questionnaire after participating in a child health screening project. Parental self-efficacy for assisting in their child’s healthful behaviors has a strong association with the child’s weight status, nutrition and physical activity. In order to make an effective change on child health behaviors, which lead to increased child academic test scores, these results suggest that school health interventionists and clinicians need to target basic psychological motivators of parental involvement.
The Urban School Reform Opera
Authors: Militello Matthew , Janson Christopher
Published: December 2012

Over the past 20 years, there have been numerous calls to reform the practices of school counselors. Some have situated these calls for school counseling reform within the context of urban schooling. This study examined the practices of school counselors in one urban school district, and how those practices aligned with the school district’s vision of ideal school counselor practices. Using Q methodology, 79 school counselors and 1 director of guidance sorted the 43 American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) standards for school counselor performance. Results indicate dissonance between the ideal practice as construed by the district and director of guidance and the practices of current school counselors. Finally, the factors that foster or inhibit congruence between ideal and reality are explored.
The `Cultural Turn' in Social Theory: Towards a Theory of Cultural Politics
Authors: Nash Kate
Published: December 2012

There has been a well-documented `cultural turn' in social theory. This takes two forms: the `epistemological' case in which culture is seen as universally constitutive of social relations and identities; and the `historical' case in which culture is seen as playing an unprecedented role in constituting social relations and identities in contemporary society. In this paper I take it that both cases overlap in studies of contemporary society and that the stronger case is justified. I argue that a model of cultural politics is necessary to fully develop the impetus of the `cultural turn' away from structural determinism, and that relations between the state and society should no longer be taken as the central focus of political sociology. I propose that the understanding of politics developed by Foucault in his later work on power and domination can provide the basis of a `cultural turn' in political sociology. Finally, I offer some suggestions about how those working in the field of political sociology are already beginning to develop the theme of cultural politics - albeit without naming it as such - and how this might be extended.
Linking the Social and Natural Sciences: Is Capital Modifying Human Biology in its Own Image?
Authors: Dickens Peter
Published: December 2012

Social science has long fought shy of the natural sciences. Meanwhile, concerns with the environment, health and the new genetics are creating a need for systematic links to be made between these disciplines. This paper suggests a new way in which social theory can be linked to biology. Recent developments in biology point to the importance of considering organisms in relation to their environment. And work in epidemiology stresses the links between the infant-development, health in later life and the well-being of future generations. Complex combinations of genetically-determined predispositions and capitalist social relations are responsible for important features of contemporary social stratification and well-being. The paper is informed by critical realist epistemology and Marx's theory of the subsumption. Such a fusion leads to a key assertion. Capital tends to modify the powers of human biology in its own image.
Ecologising Sociology: Actor-Network Theory, Co-Construction and the Problem of Human Exemptionalism
Authors: Murdoch Jonathan
Published: December 2012

While various attempts have been made to link nature and society more closely together within environmental sociology, it now appears as though there is a general acceptance of rather traditional divisions between these two domains. Yet ecology specifies that natural and social entities are bound together in complex interrelations. Why then does sociology insist on sifting out the social from the natural? The paper takes this question as its starting point and seeks to identify what environmental sociology might gain and lose from a shift towards ecological thinking. It does so by examining the case of actor-network theory, an approach that, in significant respects, closely approximates a kind of `ecological sociology'. Actor-network theory is `co-constructionist': it seeks to identify how relations and entities come into being together. Critics have focused on the problems of co-constructionism: they have argued that human actors generally possess powers of reflection (through language) and that these powers of reflection provide motive forces for action. Thus some form of social analysis is still necessary. Any ecological sociology will thus need to bring these two perspectives together so that humans and non-humans can be considered within the same frame of reference but so the distinctions that generally hold between the two can also be assessed.
Habermas, History and Social Evolution: Moral Learning and the Trial of Louis XVI
Authors: How Alan R.
Published: December 2012

In recent times, under the influence of postmodernist thought sociology has largely rejected the idea of social evolution. An exception to this trend is to be found in the work of Jürgen Habermas. Habermas's account of social evolution has received some critical attention, but in sociology wider detail of the picture is not well known. Habermas wishes to hold to the possibility that evolutionary progress can be discerned not only in the sphere of technical control, but also in the sphere of social and moral development. The paper presents Habermas's views on social evoluton within the wider context of his development of critical theory as a `reconstructive science'. It suggests that his account has been able to resist many of the standard criticisms of evolutionary theory and that a renewal of interest in this area could provide a rich vein of new sociological knowledge.
Outcomes of Cartilage Tympanoplasty in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Friedman Adva B. , Gluth Michael B. , Moore Page C. , Dornhoffer John L.
Published: December 2012

Objective

To justify the successful use of a patient selection algorithm based on age for primary cartilage tympanoplasty.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Subjects and Methods

We performed a retrospective chart review of patients between ages 4 and 13 years who underwent cartilage tympanoplasty for tympanic membrane perforations from August 2005 to November 2011. Demographics, complication data, and auditory outcomes were collected.

Results

Patients were subdivided into 3 age groups. Group 1 consisted of patients younger than 7 years (n = 43); group 2, ages 7 to 10 years (n = 40); and group 3, ages 10 to 13 years (n = 36). Mean follow‐up was 595 days (range, 48‐1742). Complication rates respective to the 3 groups were as follows: remnant perforation (6.97%, 5.00%, 2.78%), revision tympanoplasty (2.33%, 2.50%, 0%), and need for tympanostomy tubes (4.65%, 2.50%, 0%). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate complication rates between groups. No significant differences were found (remnant perforation, P =. 710; repeat tympanoplasty, P =. 998; tympanostomy tubes, P =. 875). No significance was found among audiological outcomes between the 3 groups.

Conclusion

These data suggest cartilage tympanoplasty can be performed effectively in young children when appropriate conditions exist.
Effects of L1 definitions and cognate status of test items on the Vocabulary Size Test
Authors: Elgort Irina
Published: December 2012

This study examines the development and evaluation of a bilingual Vocabulary Size Test (VST, Nation, 2006). A bilingual (English–Russian) test was developed and administered to 121 intermediate proficiency EFL learners (native speakers of Russian), alongside the original monolingual (English-only) version of the test. A comparison of the bilingual and monolingual test scores showed that participants achieved significantly higher scores on the bilingual version of the test. Accuracy of responses to individual test items was reliably higher when the meanings of test items were presented in the L1 (Russian) and when these items were cognates. The findings also revealed that the bilingual version is likely to be a more sensitive measure of written receptive vocabulary knowledge. Finally, analyses showed that the effect of using L1 for multiple-choice options is likely to be larger for low-proficiency learners and that the difference in response accuracy to cognates and non-cognates decreases as item frequency increases. The paper concludes with recommendations on developing and using bilingual vocabulary size tests.
Information flows and centrality among elite European newspapers
Authors: Veltri Giuseppe Alessandro
Published: December 2012

Combining citations and network analysis, this study examines information flows between 10 European elite newspapers from 2000 to 2009 and identifies this network’s most central actors, sub-groups and structural features. At the same time, the article contributes to the literature with an alternative and network approach to the study of the European public sphere. Results indicate that The Times and The Guardian are the most quoted by other foreign newspapers, while the top monitors of information are The Guardian and El País. A longitudinal analysis of structural network metrics indicates a less dense but more inclusive information exchange that can be interpreted as sign of a qualitative transformation of the European communication space in the direction of a horizontal integration.
The failure of the antidepressant drug discovery process is systemic
Authors: Hendrie Colin , Pickles Alasdair
Published: December 2012

Current antidepressants are crude compared with the ideal and patents on most have expired. There are therefore strong clinical and commercial pressures for new drugs to replace them. The prospects for this are, however, now markedly reduced as several major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned work in this area whilst many others have sharply decreased their research investment. These changes and the lack of progress over such a long period are indicative of a catastrophic systems failure which, it is argued, has been caused in large part by a logical flaw at the animal modelling stage. This tautology has served to lock the current antidepressant drug discovery process into an iterative loop capable only of producing further variations of that which has gone before. Drugs produced by this approach have proved to be only poorly effective in the context of the clinically depressed population as a whole. Hence, the inevitable failure of the current antidepressant drug discovery process has left little behind that can be salvaged. Therefore, it is suggested that this be urgently reformulated on more rational grounds using more appropriate species in new animal models based upon a thorough understanding of the behavioural expressions of depression in the clinic.
Commercial-scale evaluation of two agricultural waste products, cotton burr/stem and module wraps, in thermoplastic composites and its comparison with laboratory-scale results
Authors: Bajwa Sreekala G , Bajwa Dilpreet S , Holt Greg A , Wedegaertner Thomas C
Published: December 2012

Laboratory-scale research had shown the potential of using cotton burr/stem (CBS) as fiber filler in thermoplastic composites. This study evaluates the potential of using waste materials from cotton harvesting/ginning operations, CBS and cotton module wraps (CMWs), as a filler and substrate in thermoplastic composites at commercial scale. The study also compares the effect of scale-up from laboratory to commercial scale on the properties of the thermoplastic composite materials. Two separate commercial trials were conducted to manufacture thermoplastic composite boards with (a) 0, 12.5, 25 and 37.5% by weight of CBS and (b) up to 30% by weight of CMW. Testing of these samples showed that commercial-scale samples with 12.5% CBS had all properties comparable to those made with wood filler. At higher substitution rates, CBS tended to increase water absorption and coefficient of thermal expansion, and increase nail-holding capacity (NHC) and hardness in commercial-scale samples. This study also showed that CMW can be substituted by up to 30% by weight without deterioration of properties in comparison with a commercially available product. Scaling of the process had significant influence on all properties tested, expect NHC. In general, all commercial-scale samples exhibited physicomechanical properties within the range of properties reported for commercially available wood–plastic composite decking materials.
Weight change associated with corticosteroid therapy in adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Manaboriboon B , Silverman ED , Homsanit M , Chui H , Kaufman M
Published: December 2012

Physical appearance is very important to adolescents and weight gain secondary to corticosteroid (CS) treatment may have a direct impact on adolescent development. Understanding weight gain in adolescents with SLE who are being treated with CS will help clinicians develop strategies for prevention of nonadherence, obesity and eating disorders in this population.

Methods:

Patients aged 11–18 years old with newly diagnosed SLE between January,1995 and December, 2006 were identified through the Rheumatology database at the Sickkids hospital, Canada. All charts were reviewed. Patients were categorized based on final BMI status as normal, overweight and obese. Risk factors for being obese were examined by logistic regression model analysis.

Results:

Of 236 patients, 78% fulfilled the criteria. 85% were female with mean age at onset of diagnosis was 14 ± 1.7 years. Mean duration of CS treatment was 50 ± 31 months and mean cumulative CS dosage was 34.11 ± 32.7 g of prednisone. At baseline, 10% had BMI >25 kg/m2 while at the end of the study, 20% were overweight and 10.4% were obese. In addition, 61% gained <10 kg while 15% gained ≥20 kg. Initial BMI was a significant predictors for final BMI (OR = 27.59, 95%CI = 6.04–126.09, p < .001) while male (OR = 8.50, 95%CI = 2.95–24.5, p < 0.000) and cumulative CS dosage (OR = 1.53, 95%CI = 1.05–2.23, p < .05) were the significant predictors for weight gain >10 kg. Duration of CS treatment did not correlate with obesity.

Conclusion:

Although a significant number of patients became overweight or obese after being treated with CS, most gained <10 kg. Obesity secondary to CS treatment in SLE patients was significantly correlated with baseline BMI, gender and cumulative CS dosage.
Intimate (Dis)connections
Authors: Wyatt Jonathan , Tamas Sophie
Published: December 2012

One nuanced argument threaded through the articles in this special issue is that in both therapy and qualitative inquiry there is the possibility—and risk—that testimony will bring “connection.” Such connection might be with others, with oneself, and/or with meaning. Connection often appears as the good that we pursue in research that cannot produce objective truth and therapies that cannot promise healing. But what is connection, and what does it do? Our article responds to this collection by reflecting on questions about connection: How do we understand and experience it? Is connection love? And what does the prospect of connection imply for our practice as socially engaged, somewhat ethical scholars, therapists, and human beings?
Research and Therapy
Authors: Bondi Liz
Published: December 2012

The author argues that qualitative research and psychotherapy are both projects of making meaning. Qualitative research may provide therapeutic opportunities for participants that sometimes generate confusion about appropriate boundaries, but psychotherapy does not have a monopoly on the therapeutic. The meanings (or stories) that qualitative research and psychotherapy generate circulate differently, qualitative research entering the public domain more overtly, while psychotherapeutic meanings circulate primarily through the way lives are lived. Qualitative research does not generally purport to produce faithful representations, but sometimes the gap between personal experience and its narration can be troubling, especially in the case of traumatic experience. Drawing on the psychoanalytic distinction between two-person and three-person relating and its link to symbolization, the author elaborates the concept of the third position, which she uses to illuminate this gap between the flow of experience and our narrations of experience. The author shows how the third position is rooted in loss and how loss is therefore intrinsic to our capacity for curiosity and reflection on our lives.
Healing Plots
Authors: Lieblich Amia
Published: December 2012

This article is about a writing group of mostly mature women, which meets in my house for 3 hours every fortnight to write and share pieces of our life stories. Deep relationships develop in the group, where the participants bring up mostly painful episodes from their past. Seven highly different stories about the suggested title— What people throw out to the street—are reported. The healing potential of writing and sharing such stories in a group is demonstrated and discussed.