bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macitentan for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Hong Irene S. , Coe Holly V. , Catanzaro Linda M.
Published: January 2014

Objective: To review the pharmacology, safety, and efficacy of macitentan. Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched using the terms macitentan and ACT-064992. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Phase II and III trials were reviewed in our primary analysis; data from phase I trials and other studies were reported as applicable. Data Synthesis: Macitentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Current treatment options for PAH include 2 other ERAs, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, prostanoids, and calcium channel blockers. Recently published guidelines do not assert a preference for individual agents. Two trials evaluated the safety and efficacy of macitentan. The phase II study was a 12-month placebo-controlled trial involving patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; the primary end point was change in forced vital capacity. No significant treatment effect was observed. The phase III study was a placebo-controlled trial involving patients with PAH. The primary end point was time to first occurrence of a composite of outcomes, including all-cause death and PAH worsening. Over a median period of 115 weeks, macitentan 10 mg and 3 mg daily significantly reduced morbidity and mortality. Commonly reported adverse effects included worsening of PAH, peripheral edema, upper-respiratory-tract infection, and anemia. Conclusions: Macitentan represents the latest addition to the PAH armamentarium. Compared with other ERAs, clinical advantages may include fewer contraindications, use in hepatic impairment, and once-daily administration. However, further comparative studies are necessary to ascertain its place in therapy.
Comparison of Clinical Outcome of Pronation External Rotation versus Supination External Rotation Ankle Fractures
Authors: Schottel Patrick C. , Berkes Marschall B. , Little Milton T. M. , Garner Matthew R. , Fabricant Peter D. , Lazaro Lionel E. , Helfet David L. , Lorich Dean G.
Published: January 2014

Background:

A pronation external rotation (PER) ankle fracture is a relatively uncommon injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and short-term clinical outcomes of operatively treated PER IV ankle fractures and compare them with a similarly treated cohort of supination external rotation IV (SER IV) fractures.

Methods:

22 PER IV and 108 SER IV fractures were identified from a single surgeon’s prospectively collected database from 2004 to 2010. All patients were treated with fracture fragment and ligament specific fixation during the same time period by the same surgeon. Postoperative radiographs and bilateral ankle computed tomography (CT) scans were reviewed for articular incongruity, syndesmotic malreduction, and loss of reduction. Clinical outcome measures, including the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and ankle range of motion (ROM), were collected at latest follow-up visit.

Results:

There was no difference in the rate of wound complications, fracture nonunion, or loss of reduction between the PER IV and SER IV groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative articular incongruity (19% vs 8%, P = .23); however, the PER IV cohort was found to have a significantly higher rate of syndesmotic malreduction (40% vs 18%, P = .04). No clinically or statistically significant differences were detected between the 2 groups in regard to all FAOS domains.

Conclusion:

In a cohort of operatively treated PER IV fractures, fracture fragment and ligament specific fixation resulted in good short-term outcomes that were comparable to those seen in similarly treated patients with an SER IV fracture pattern. However, a notably greater number of syndesmotic malreductions were noted in the PER IV cohort, and therefore heightened scrutiny is recommended in treating this particular injury pattern.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative study.
“I’ll Take Commas for $200”
Authors: Bullard Sue Burzynski , Anderson Nancy
Published: January 2014

Effective writing requires mastering grammar. For journalists, this mastery is critical because research shows poor grammar erodes media credibility. College writing instructors say students do not understand basic grammar concepts, and greater numbers of students are enrolling in remedial writing classes. This quasi-experimental mixed methods study examines whether using games to teach basic grammar skills helps college students understand and retain grammar concepts. It also examines student perceptions of learning.
The Relational Motif in Participatory Qualitative Research
Authors: Kral Michael J.
Published: January 2014

The relationship between researchers and the researched is at the center of qualitative research, particularly participatory research. In this article, I describe the nature of this relationship in Indigenous communities, where there is a history of problematic research relationships. Indigenous and other research funding agencies are increasingly adding participation/collaboration as an ethical principal for research. Reasons for this are reviewed, and my work with Inuit in Arctic Canada is outlined with a focus on community participation in the research. Finally, it is recommended that enhancing research relationships and participation/collaboration should go beyond Indigenous communities to community-based research more generally. This is taking place across disciplines, including psychology, which is in need of continued progress in how research is carried out.
Postsecular Lessons
Authors: Brinkmann Svend
Published: January 2014

Psychology has been modernity’s most influential social science intervention, shaping the self-understanding of human beings in countless ways. The “everywhereness of psychology” is comparable with the role of religion in premodern times. Today, however, the world seems to go through a process of postsecularism, and the author uses this as an occasion to stage a confrontation between psychology and religion/spirituality, played out concretely and autobiographically as a meeting between the psychologist-researcher and his friend with whom he lost contact almost 10 years ago, when the friend joined a spiritual community. The text both recounts an attempt made by the secularist psychologist-researcher to understand religion and spirituality, but also experiments with performing psychology differently.
Ethnographic Fieldwork in Psychology
Authors: Tanggaard Lene
Published: January 2014

It is argued in the present article that ethnographic fieldwork can serve useful methodological ends within psychology and open the discipline to the cultural landscape of psychological phenomena in everyday life in social practices. Furthermore, a positive case is made for the soundness of ethnographic fieldwork. That is, rather than disputing the claim that qualitative methods can serve scientific ends, it is argued that ethnographic fieldwork is suitable for studying the constitution of psychological phenomena in social practices across time.
Trickeries of Grant Work
Authors: Koro-Ljungberg Mirka
Published: January 2014

This paper blends various accounts, materials, sources, and discourses involved in what I call “trickeries” of grant work. By combining different texts—academic, published, imagined, creative, and personal—I portray particular practices that highlight unpredictable and unreal processes of grant work. I share my experiences as a co-principal investigator (PI) in federally funded projects and offer images of projected conversations that have shaped my approaches to grant work. Even though I address some elements of grant proposals that have helped me secure external funding (e.g., the focus, innovativeness, manageability, collaboration, degree of detail, and epistemological and theoretical groundings of proposals), I also resist closure, singularity, and overly simplistic ways to describe how one can become or stay involved in funded research.
No man can serve two masters
Authors: Katz Richard S
Published: January 2014

Both the classic mass party model of democracy and the more recent Downsian model initially appear consistent with the same, simple, principal–agent model of democratic party government. Once party is disaggregated into its ‘three faces’, however, the models are shown to be quite different. And once intra-party democracy is imposed on the Downsian model, or the idea that parties compete for unattached voters rather than each simply mobilizing its classe gardée is imposed on the mass party model, the simplicity of the original principal–agent model breaks down, with the party in public office forced to serve two masters with competing objectives and making incompatible demands. The result is to highlight both the complexity of democratic government and the limitations of principal–agent models in explaining it.
Older workers and extended workforce participation
Authors: MacDermott Therese
Published: January 2014

Many countries have responded to the prevailing fiscal and demographic challenges by introducing measures to extend the workforce participation of older workers. This paper assesses the type of measures commonly utilized to extend labour force participation, using examples of legislative reforms and social policy initiatives in Australia, the UK and other EU member states. It argues that these measures are principally aimed at mandating or incentivising extended labour force participation, and lack a focus on achieving substantive outcomes for older workers. This paper explores the type of measures necessary to move beyond a ‘barriers to work’ approach, with a particular emphasis on promoting and sustaining the inclusion of older workers through strategies that encourage employer engagement in ascertaining and addressing structural impediments facing older workers, that facilitate flexible work practices and that implement a reasonable adjustments approach.
‘Being a presence’
Authors: Carter Bernie , Edwards Maria , Hunt Anne
Published: January 2014

Children with life-limiting and disabling conditions are surviving longer than previously, and many require palliative and supportive care, usually at home. Home-based care can put family life under considerable strain, as parents care for their child’s complex, often unpredictable, continuing care needs. Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity aims to bridge gaps in services for children with life-threatening or terminal conditions by providing family support workers (FSWs). The study used a range of methods (surveys, interviews and ethnographic observation) approach to explore key aspects of the work of the FSWs. The target population for the surveys was families with a child having complex, life-threatening or terminal conditions receiving care from FSWs. The participants included 55 families (12 bereaved) and 39 children aged 2–18 years. Thematic analysis revealed how the FSWs became a presence in families’ lives in three main ways: (1) encompassing and embracing families through supporting needs and promoting resilience; (2) befriending and bonding through developing knowledge, trusting relationships and a sense of closeness; and (3) accompanying and enduring by ‘being with’ families in different settings, situations and crises and by enduring alongside the families. The study demonstrated the fundamental importance of workers who are able to provide aspects of support that is usually not provided by other services.
A shared dual identity promotes a cardiovascular challenge response during interethnic interactions
Authors: Scheepers Daan , Saguy Tamar , Dovidio John F. , Gaertner Samuel L.
Published: January 2014

We examined the influence of the social identity representation of an ethnic majority-group member on physiological responses during interactions with an ethnic minority-group member. Before engaging in a collaborative task with a Moroccan-Dutch confederate, native Dutch participants studied the advantages of a “one-group” representation that emphasizes their common Dutch nationality or a “dual identity” representation that simultaneously emphasizes their different ethnic subgroups and their overarching “Dutch” nationality. During the task, cardiovascular indices of challenge and threat motivational states were measured in accordance with the biopsychosocial model (Blascovich, 2008). We found that a salient dual identity representation led to more benign cardiovascular arousal (i.e., challenge instead of threat), but only when the minority-group interaction partner also expressed preference for a dual identity. Results are discussed in terms of the fruitfulness of a dual-identity approach for improving intergroup relations, and the importance of social identity factors for turning intergroup threat into challenge.
Fractured lives, digital selves: Writing the self in post-invasion Iraq
Authors: Campbell Perri , Howie Luke
Published: January 2014

The first decade of the 21st century will be remembered as a time of terror and war. As the toxic dust clouds settled over the people of New York City and strategies were developed for the wars to come, it may have been difficult to imagine the terrible violence that would be exacted against the civilian population in Iraq. Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iraqi women took up a place in the blogosphere to write about their experiences of the war. In this article we tell stories about young women in Iraq and how they blogged their experiences in post-invasion Iraq and the ways in which digital spaces enabled them to write a self during a time of war. We argue that digital fields of possibility offer bloggers possibilities for reflexive thinking, for engaging with and critiquing social limits, and for shaping a digital self.
‘Elsewhere’: An essay on borderland ethnography in the informal African city
Authors: Matlon Jordanna
Published: January 2014

In this article I reflect upon my experience as an ethnographer within the informal African city, which I describe as a borderland. In the contemporary African city informality prohibits peripheral men from achieving manhood, predicated on marriage, which requires steady work. As perpetual social juniors they fantasize about an elsewhere to which an ever-porous world exposes them but which stands in stark contrast to their lived experiences. Black urbanism ( Simone, 2010 ) situates this mediated experience of elsewhere, an imagined global conceived simultaneously as a space of creativity, possibility and disillusionment through its linkages with members of the black diaspora glorified through not productive but consumption-oriented identities. Positing that we are both borderland figures, I discuss my interactions/intersections with peripheral men in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. I consider how my identity as a woman from the African diaspora entailed a direct encounter with this elsewhere, and how this influenced their lives.
The sensitivity of winter tourism to exchange rate changes: Evidence for the Swiss Alps
Authors: Falk Martin
Published: January 2014

This paper investigates the impact of the appreciation of the Swiss franc on international tourism in Swiss Alpine resorts, city and lake destinations using annual data for winter seasons 2007/2008 to 2010/2011. Using median regression models, we find that the nominal and real appreciation of the Swiss franc has a large and significantly negative impact on international tourism demand in Alpine destinations during winter months. The elasticities of the relative price (to those of competing countries) range between −3.0 for foreign hotel nights and −2.1 for foreign hotel arrivals. In contrast, the real exchange rate effect is much lower in absolute terms for city and lake destinations. The results are not sensitive with respect to different measures of international tourism demand (arrivals, hotel nights and the length of stay). Income elasticities are also significant and large with values of two and higher. In general, these findings are robust to alternative estimation methods (i.e., median regression, robust regression method and ordinary least squares in first differences).
Renal artery pseudoaneurysm successfully treated with the outer coating of the tip of the J wire
Authors: Tannouri Fadi , Maalouly Rina , Salem Jean F , Haddad Fadi
Published: January 2014

Kidney injury and renal pseudoaneurysm after blunt abdominal trauma can lead to renal loss and potentially life-threatening bleed. Recent advances in endovascular interventions (embolization) can prevent potentially challenging surgical situations. We are presenting herein a case of life-threatening renal injury with renal artery pseudoaneurysm and bleeding treated with makeshift embolization using the outer coating of a J tip guide wire.
Prevalence of and risk factors for peripheral arterial disease in older adults in an Australian emergency department
Authors: Ng E L , Weiland T J , Jelinek G A , Hadgkiss E , Wilson A
Published: January 2014

The aim of the paper is to estimate the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in emergency department (ED) patients aged 50 years or more and to identify associated clinical and demographic factors. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a single ED. The main outcome was estimated prevalence of PAD (ankle brachial index <0.9 in either leg). Demographic and clinical history data were collected. The San Diego Claudication Questionnaire (SDCQ), the Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire (ICQ) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) were also administered. Participants with a positive diagnosis of PAD were referred for further management and followed up by telephone. A total of 329 ED patients aged ≥50 years were screened. PAD prevalence was 10.3% (95% CI 7.5–14.1%). The prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic PAD was 6.4% (95% CI 4.2–9.6%) and 3.9% (95% CI 2.3–6.7%), respectively. PAD prevalence increased significantly with age rising to 25.7% (95% CI 17.0–36.7) among those ≥80 years. Multivariate analyses revealed that being aged ≥80 years (odds ratio [OR] 5.97, 95% CI 2.74–13.02), having a history of angina (OR 3.034, 95% CI 1.35–6.80) and being a former smoker (2.77, 95% CI 1.23–6.22) were the strongest predictors of PAD. In conclusion, targeted screening for PAD among the older ED population identifies ED patients with PAD.
Cryopreserved superficial femoral artery homografts for aortoiliac segment replacement in infection
Authors: Veal Andrew , Oshin Olufemi , Schober Marianne , Rowbern Sarah , Torella Francesco
Published: January 2014

Treatment of aortic field infections is challenging and usually involves removal of the infected segment with re-vascularization of the distal arterial tree with infection-resistant graft material or via an extra-anatomical route. We present three cases of arterial infection treated successfully using cryopreserved superficial femoral artery homografts as aortoiliac substitutes. This new approach is a potential alternative to other in situ re-vascularization techniques.
Decreased expression of fibulin-4 in aortic wall of aortic dissection
Authors: Huawei P , Qian C , Chuan T , Lei L , Liang W , Wenlong X , Wenzhi L
Published: January 2014

In this research, we will examine the expression of Fibulin-4 in aortic wall to find out its role in aortic dissection development. The samples of aortic wall were obtained from 10 patients operated for acute ascending aortic dissection and five patients for chronic ascending aortic dissection. Another 15 pieces of samples from patients who had coronary artery bypass were as controls. The aortic samples were stained with aldehyde magenta dyeing to evaluate the arrangement of elastic fibers. The Fibulin-4 protein and mRNA expression were both determined by Western blot and realtime quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Compared with the control group, both in acute and chronic ascending aortic dissection, elastic fiber fragments increased and the expression of fibulin-4 protein significantly decreased ( P = 0.045 < 0.05). The level of fibulin-4 mRNA decreased in acute ascending aortic dissection ( P = 0.034 < 0.05), while it increased in chronic ascending aortic dissection ( P = 0.004 < 0.05). The increased amounts of elastic fiber fragments were negatively correlated with the expression of fibulin-4 mRNA in acute ascending aortic dissection. In conclusion, in aortic wall of ascending aortic dissection, the expression of fibulin-4 protein decreased and the expression of fibulin-4 mRNA was abnormal. Fibulin-4 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of aortic dissection.
Is the temperature of tumescent anesthesia applied in the endovenous laser ablation important? Comparison of different temperatures for tumescent anesthesia applied during endovenous ablation of incompetent great saphenous vein with a 1470 nm diode laser
Authors: Abud Burcin , Karaarslan Kemal , Turhan Soysal , Karaman Yücel
Published: January 2014

Introduction

We aimed to investigate whether the temperature of tumescent anesthesia is important, if so, to establish an opinion about the ideal temperature.

Materials and methods

Endovenous laser ablations were performed in 72 patients; 35 patients (Group A) received tumescent anesthesia at +4℃, while other 37 patients (Group B) received tumescent anesthesia at room temperature. The groups were compared in terms of intraoperative pain, postoperative regional pain, ecchymosis, paresthesia, skin burns and necrosis. At month 1, great saphenous vein was evaluated for recanalization and patient satisfaction.

Results

The survey on intraoperative pain showed that patients receiving tumescent anesthesia at +4℃ experienced much less pain. Interestingly, statistical analysis showed that this difference was not significant ( p = 0.072). No skin burns or necrosis occurred in either group, whereas ecchymosis and paresthesia were the most frequently observed side effects in both groups, but no significant difference was found between the groups. There was no significant difference between pain levels on postoperative days and no significant difference between the groups in terms of satisfaction with endovenous laser ablation procedure and postoperative satisfaction. All venous segments treated with endovenous laser ablation in both groups were occluded. At month 1 no recanalization was observed.

Conclusion

We conclude that the temperature of tumescent anesthesia solution is not important, while the proper administration of tumescent solution in adequate amounts ensuring delivery of the fluid to all segments appears to be a more significant determinant for the success of the procedure.
Borders as information flows and transnational networks
Authors: Shields Peter
Published: January 2014

The international communication subfield has assumed that cross-border information flows and the national borders they traverse are two different kinds of phenomena: information flows are viewed as fluid and mobile, while national borders are understood to be the rigid and immobile edges of the nation-state ‘container’. This paper unsettles this assumption by showing that state actors in the US and the EU are stretching border controls into neighbouring and distant territories. These borders, which are dependent on transnational ICT networks, are permitting state actors to re-scale border controls in a way that transcends the territorial framework of the nation-state system. These network-like borders are discussed in terms of their contribution to mobility inequality; their implications for those who have turned to concepts such as ‘diaspora’ as a way of escaping ‘the iron grip of the nation-state on the social imagination’; and their implications for state power.
Ten year follow-up of pyrocarbon implants for proximal interphalangeal joint replacement
Authors: Reissner L. , Schindele S. , Hensler S. , Marks M. , Herren D. B.
Published: January 2014

Results of anatomical resurfacing of the proximal interphalangeal joint using pyrocarbon implants showed reasonable clinical results with a high radiographic migration rate. The aim was to investigate the subjective, clinical, and radiographic results 10 years following surgery, and to compare them with our 2-year follow-up data. We re-evaluated 12 patients with 15 proximal interphalangeal implants on average 9.7 years after surgery. Pain significantly improved from 7.6 on a visual analogue scale pre-operatively to 1.4 at 2 years, and to 0.7 at the final follow-up. The mean total range of motion in all replaced joints was 36° pre-operatively and 39° at the 2-year follow-up, but had decreased significantly to 29° at 10 years. We saw one implant migration in addition to the eight migrated implants we already found 2 years after surgery. The moderate clinical results, combined with the high migration rate, mean that we no longer use this kind of implant.
The association between organic school food policy and school food environment: results from an observational study in Danish schools
Authors: He Chen , Mikkelsen Bent E
Published: January 2014

Aims:

School food in many countries has become the object of change and innovation processes, not only in relation to policies for healthier eating but also in relation to policies for more sustainable food consumption and procurement. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible influence that organic food sourcing policies in Danish school meal systems may have on the development of healthier school food environments.

Methods:

The study was a cross-sectional analysis undertaken among 179 school food coordinators (SFCs) through a web-based questionnaire (WBQ) in a sample of Danish public primary schools. The ‘organic’ schools were compared to ‘non-organic’ schools. The questionnaire explored the attitudes, intentions/policies and actions in relation to organic and healthy foods served in the schools.

Results:

Data indicates that 20 ‘organic’ schools were associated with the indicators of healthier school environments, including adopting a Food and Nutrition Policy (FNP) in the school ( p = .032), recommending children to eat healthily ( p = .004).

Conclusions:

The study suggests that organic food policies in schools may have potential to support a healthier school food environment.
Promoting health in Georgia
Authors: Raminashvili David , Bakhturidze George , Zarnadze Irine , Peikrishvili Nana , Bull Torill
Published: January 2014

This paper discusses the public health situation in Georgia. In 1991 Georgia became an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The armed conflict with Russia in 2008 and political unrest in recent years has presented the Georgian population and politicians with a demanding situation. As part of the WHO European Region, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) including Georgia is on the unfortunate side of a European health divide, with low male life expectancy and high under-five mortality. There is also a high degree of economic inequality in the population. We first look at the main players and the current strategies in public health work. Next we discuss this on the background of health promotion principles and recent international developments in knowledge and policy recommendations in the field of health promotion. Finally we point to some of the major public health challenges that Georgia faces. We conclude that the Georgian focus on reducing risk behaviours and improving access to quality health care is worthy of praise, but that this is not sufficient to solve the current public health challenges. Strategies for working across sectors with social determinants of health should be built into Georgian health thinking and policies. A health promotion work force should be developed. International developments such as the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) report, the ‘Health 2020’ framework and the HP Core Competencies project all provide useful input to future development of healthy public policies in Georgia.
Pneumonia occurring after injection of Lipiodol to localize pulmonary nodules before fluoroscopy-aided thoracoscopic resection
Authors: Yamagami Takuji , Yoshimatsu Rika , Miura Hiroshi , Tanaka Osamu , Shimada Junichi , Kato Daishiro , Nakamura Terukazu , Yamada Kei , Awai Kazuo
Published: January 2014

We report the case of a 33-year-old man with a testicular tumor and multiple lung metastases. After high orchiectomy, chemotherapy was administered. Subsequently, fluoroscopy-assisted thoracoscopic resection was performed for pulmonary lesions that had decreased in size after the chemotherapy but had persisted. Because four pulmonary lesions were too small to detect by fluoroscopy during the operation, Lipiodol marking was done before thoracoscopic resection. Sixteen days after the surgery, pneumonia after Lipiodol injection occurred on the lung contralateral to that injected with Lipiodol. Pneumonia improved rapidly after intravenous infusion of antibiotics.
Left-sided thoracoscopy in the prone position for surgery of distal esophageal benign pathologies
Authors: Issaka Adamu , Kara Hasan Volkan , Eldem Barkin , Batirel Hasan F
Published: January 2014

Exposure of the distal esophagus can be achieved by a wide variety of surgical approaches. The standard procedure is mostly by laparoscopy. In cases where laparoscopy is relatively contraindicated, thoracoscopy is preferred. In this case, exposure of the distal esophagus from the aorta, heart and lung is technically challenging using thoracoscopy in the right lateral decubitus position. Surgery in the prone position for esophageal cancer has been successfully described in previous literature. We present our experience with left-sided thoracoscopy in the prone position in three patients with benign distal esophageal pathologies. This approach provided a much better exposure of the distal esophagus and enabled a successful surgery to be done in all patients with less manipulation of the lung.
Extracellular HMGB1 promotes differentiation of nurse-like cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Jia Li , Clear Andrew , Liu Feng-Ting , Matthews Janet , Uddin Nadiha , McCarthy Aine , Hoxha Elena , Durance Catherine , Iqbal Sameena , Gribben John G.
Published: January 2014

Key Points

HMGB1 and DNA released from CLL cells induce nurse-like cell differentiation. This differentiation appears TLR9/RAGE dependent.
Adherence of pregnant women to Nordic dietary guidelines in relation to postpartum weight retention: results from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study
Authors: von Ruesten Anne , Brantsæter Anne Lise , Haugen Margaretha , Meltzer Helle Margrete , Mehlig Kirsten , Winkvist Anna , Lissner Lauren
Published: January 2014

Background

Pregnancy is a major life event for women and often connected with changes in diet and lifestyle and natural gestational weight gain. However, excessive weight gain during pregnancy may lead to postpartum weight retention and add to the burden of increasing obesity prevalence. Therefore, it is of interest to examine whether adherence to nutrient recommendations or food-based guidelines is associated with postpartum weight retention 6 months after birth.

Methods

This analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Diet during the first 4-5 months of pregnancy was assessed by a food-frequency questionnaire and maternal weight before pregnancy as well as in the postpartum period was assessed by questionnaires. Two Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores were applied to measure compliance with either the official Norwegian food-based guidelines (HEI-NFG) or the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (HEI-NNR) during pregnancy. The considered outcome, i.e. weight retention 6 months after birth, was modelled in two ways: continuously (in kg) and categorically (risk of substantial postpartum weight retention, i.e. ≥ 5% gain to pre-pregnancy weight). Associations between the HEI-NFG and HEI-NNR score with postpartum weight retention on the continuous scale were estimated by linear regression models. Relationships of both HEI scores with the categorical outcome variable were evaluated using logistic regression.

Results

In the continuous model without adjustment for gestational weight gain (GWG), the HEI-NFG score but not the HEI-NNR score was inversely related to postpartum weight retention. However, after additional adjustment for GWG as potential intermediate the HEI-NFG score was marginally inversely and the HEI-NNR score was inversely associated with postpartum weight retention. In the categorical model, both HEI scores were inversely related with risk of substantial postpartum weight retention, independent of adjustment for GWG.

Conclusions

Higher adherence to either the official Norwegian food guidelines or possibly also to Nordic Nutrition Recommendations during pregnancy appears to be associated with lower postpartum weight retention.
The quinoxaline di-N-oxide DCQ blocks breast cancer metastasis in vitro and in vivo by targeting the hypoxia inducible factor-1 pathway
Authors: Ghattass Khaled , El-Sitt Sally , Zibara Kazem , Rayes Saide , Haddadin Makhluf J , El-Sabban Marwan , Gali-Muhtasib Hala
Published: January 2014

Background

Although tumor hypoxia poses challenges against conventional cancer treatments, it provides a therapeutic target for hypoxia-activated drugs. Here, we studied the effect of the hypoxia-activated synthetic quinoxaline di-N-oxide DCQ against breast cancer metastasis and identified the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

The human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (p53 wildtype) and MDA-MB-231 (p53 mutant) were treated with DCQ under normoxia or hypoxia. Drug toxicity on non-cancerous MCF-10A breast cells was also determined. In vitro cellular responses were investigated by flow cytometry, transfection, western blotting, ELISA and migration assays. The anti-metastatic effect of DCQ was validated in the MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model.

Results

DCQ selectively induced apoptosis in both human breast cancer cells preferentially under hypoxia without affecting the viability of non-cancerous MCF-10A. Cancer cell death was associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) independently of p53 and was inhibited by antioxidants. DCQ-induced ROS was associated with DNA damage, the downregulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), and inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion. In MCF-7, HIF-1α inhibition was partially via p53-activation and was accompanied by a decrease in p-mTOR protein, suggesting interference with HIF-1α translation. In MDA-MB-231, DCQ reduced HIF-1α through proteasomal-dependent degradation mechanisms. HIF-1α inhibition by DCQ blocked VEGF secretion and invasion in MCF-7 and led to the inhibition of TWIST in MDA-MB-231. Consistently, DCQ exhibited robust antitumor activity in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer mouse xenografts, enhanced animal survival, and reduced metastatic dissemination to lungs and liver.

Conclusion

DCQ is the first hypoxia-activated drug showing anti-metastatic effects against breast cancer, suggesting its potential use for breast cancer therapy.
Salmonella isolated from individual reptiles and environmental samples from terraria in private households in Sweden
Authors: Wikström Veronica O , Fernström Lise-Lotte , Melin Lennart , Boqvist Sofia
Published: January 2014

Background

This study investigatesSalmonellaspp. isolated from privately kept reptiles and from environmental samples such as bedding materials or water from the floor of the enclosures (terraria). It also compares isolation ofSalmonellausing Modified Semisolid Rappaport-Vassiliadis (MSRV) medium or selective enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis-Soya (RVS) pepton broth. Cloacal swabs or swabs from the cloacal area were collected from 63 individual reptiles belonging to 14 households. All reptiles were from different terraria and from 62 of these, environmental samples were also collected. Sampling were done by the reptile owners according to written instructions and sent by mail immediately after sampling. All but three samples were analyzed within 24 h after collection. Colonies suspected forSalmonellawere tested for agglutination and serotyped using the White-Kauffmann-Le Minor scheme. The relative sensitivity (se) and specificity (sp) for MSRV compared with RVS, and the agreement coefficient kappa (κ) were calculated.

Results

Salmonellawas isolated from 50/63 (80%) terraria, either from the reptiles (31/63; 49%) or from bedding material (39/62; 63%). The most common subspecies wasSalmonella entericasubspeciesentericafollowed byS. entericasubspeciesdiarizonae. In reptiles, the most commonS. entericasubspeciesentericaserovars were Java (n = 4) and Fluntern (n = 4), compared with the serovars Tennessee (n = 10) and Fluntern (n = 10) in the environmental samples. The exact same set ofSalmonellasubspecies and serovars were not isolated from the individual reptiles and the environmental samples from any of the households. Isolation using MSRV yielded moreSalmonellaisolates 61/113 (54%) than enrichment in RVS 57/125 (46%). Thesewas 97.9% (95% Confidence Interval 93.9-100), thesp78.5% (95% CI 68.5-88.5) and theκ0.74, indicating substantial agreement between the tests.

Conclusions

Salmonellacan be expected to be present in environments where reptiles are kept. This constitutes public health risks and should be considered during handling of the reptiles and during cleaning and disposal of bedding. A combination of different culturing techniques may be used to increase the isolation rate.
Prenatal ultrasonography and Doppler sonography for the clinical investigation of isolated ventricular septal defects in a late second-trimester population
Authors: Chiu Wei-Hsiu , Hsiung Ming-Chon , Chen Ran-Chou , Xiao Xiao-Min , Wu Cai-Lin , Tung Tao-Hsin
Published: January 2014

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of prenatal ultrasonography and Doppler sonography in detecting isolated ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in a late-second-trimester population.

Methods

Fetal echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound, and biometry were used to evaluate 2,661 singleton fetuses (1,381 male fetuses and 1,280 female fetuses) between 1 August 2006 and 31 May 2010. The efficacy of each fetal biometry, Doppler ultrasound, and nasal bone length (NBL) measurement was evaluated in all of the fetuses. A standard fetal echocardiographic evaluation, including two-dimensional gray-scale imaging and color and Doppler color flow mapping, was performed on all fetuses.

Results

We detected isolated VSDs in 124 of the 2,661 singleton fetuses between 19 and 24 weeks of gestation. The prevalence of isolated VSDs in the study population was 4.66%. A multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that short fetal NBL (odds ratio = 0.691, 95% confidence interval: 0.551 to 0.868) and the pulsatility index (PI) of the umbilical artery (odds ratio = 8.095, 95% confidence interval: 4.309 to 15.207) and of the middle cerebral artery (odds ratio = 0.254, 95% confidence interval: 0.120 to 0.538) are significantly associated with isolated VSDs.

Conclusion

Late-second-trimester fetal NBL, umbilical artery PI, and middle cerebral artery PI are useful parameters for detecting isolated VSDs, and can be used to estimate thea prioririsk of VSDs in women at high risk and at low risk of isolated VSDs.
Patient relevant endpoints in oncology: current issues in the context of early benefit assessment in Germany
Authors: Dabisch Inna , Dethling Jürgen , Dintsios Charalabos-Markos , Drechsler Melanie , Kalanovic Daniel , Kaskel Peter , Langer Frank , Ruof Jörg , Ruppert Thorsten , Wirth Daniel
Published: January 2014

The German AMNOG healthcare reform includes a mandatory early-benefit-assessment (EBA) at launch. As per German social code, EBA is based on registration trials and includes evaluation of the patient-relevant effect of the new medicines compared to an appropriate comparator as defined by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA). Current EBA decisions released have unveiled issues regarding the acceptance of some patient-relevant endpoints as G-BA and IQWiG are grading the endpoints, focusing on overall survival as the preferred endpoint in oncology.

A taskforce of experienced German outcomes research, medical, health-technology assessment and biostatistics researchers in industry was appointed. After agreement on core assumptions, a draft position was prepared. Input on iterative versions was solicited from a panel of reviewers from industry and external stakeholders.

Distinctive features of registration trials in oncology need to be considered when these studies form basis for EBA, especially in cancer-indications with long post-progression survival; and with several consecutive therapeutic options available post-progression. Ethical committees, caregivers and patients often demand cross-over-designs diluting the treatment-effect on overall survival. Regulatory authorities require evaluation of morbidity-related study endpoints including survival of patients without their disease getting worse (i.e., progression-free survival). Also, progression requires treatment-changes, another strong indicator for its relevance to patients.

Based on specific guidelines and clinical trial programs that were developed to be consistent with regulatory guidance, endpoints in oncology are thoroughly evaluated in terms of their patient-relevance. This extensive knowledge and experience should be fully acknowledged during EBA when assessing the patient-relevant benefit of innovative medicines in oncology.

JEL codes

D61; H51; I18.
Extracellular matrix remodeling following myocardial infarction influences the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Sullivan Kelly Elizabeth , Quinn Kyle Patrick , Tang Katherine Michele , Georgakoudi Irene , Black Lauren Deems
Published: January 2014

Introduction

Although stem cell therapy is a promising treatment for myocardial infarction, the minimal functional improvements observed clinically limit its widespread application. A need exists to maximize the therapeutic potential of these stem cells by first understanding what factors within the infarct microenvironment affect their ability to regenerate the necrotic tissue. In this study, we assessed both differentiation capacity and paracrine signaling as a function of extracellular matrix remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Methods

Mechanical and compositional changes to the decellularized infarcted myocardium were characterized to understand how the extracellular environment, specifically, was altered as a function of time after coronary artery ligation in Sprague–Dawley rats. These alterations were first modeled in a polyacrylamide gel system to understand how the variables of composition and stiffness drive mesenchymal stem cell differentiation towards a cardiac lineage. Finally, the paracrine secretome was characterized as a function of matrix remodeling through gene and protein expression and conditioned media studies.

Results

The decellularized infarct tissue revealed significant alterations in both the mechanical and compositional properties of the ECM with remodeling following infarction. This altered microenvironment dynamically regulates the potential for early cardiac differentiation. Whereas Nkx2.5 expression is limited in the presence of chronic remodeled matrix of increased stiffness, GATA4 expression is enhanced. In addition, the remodeled matrix promotes the expression of several proangiogenic, prosurvival, antifibrotic, and immunomodulatory growth factors. In particular, an increase in HGF and SDF1 expression and secretion by mesenchymal stem cells can rescue oxidatively stressed cardiomyocytes in vitro.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that decellularization of diseased tissue allows for the exclusive analysis of the remodeled matrix and its ability to influence significantly the cellular phenotype. Characterization of cell fate as a function of myocardial remodeling following infarction is critical in developing the ideal strategy for cell implantation to maximize tissue regeneration and to ultimately reduce the prevalence and severity of heart failure.
A Rapid and Quantitative Detection of Cellular Protein Kinase Activity Based on MALDI-TOF-MS
Authors: Otsubo Yuki , Ikeda Hiromu , Kamimoto Junpei , Niidome Takuro , Mori Takeshi , Katayama Yoshiki
Published: January 2014

A rapid and quantitative measurement of protein kinase activity based on MALDI-TOF-MS was developed. Here, biotinylated substrate peptides with stable isotope labeling were used to enable the rapid and specific enrichment of the peptides. Protein kinase activities in two samples can be directly compared utlizing the mass-unit difference of the subsrate peptides with different isotope labels. We successfully evaluated the effect of an inhibitory drug on the cellular protein kinase acitivity.
On the efficiency of the formation process of the key competencies of students — future teachers in technology of modular training
Authors: Александрова  , Aleksandrova Anna
Published: January 2014

The article focuses on the development of key competencies as a key

imperative update of the education system. Considerable attention is paid to

the process of formation of the key competencies of students-future teachers in

technology of modular training. The author of the offered criteria of formation of key

competencies and indicators of their effectiveness.
Problems in training of masters in foreign language
Authors: Полушина  , Polushina Lyubov , Давыдова  , Davydova Lyudmila
Published: January 2014

This article is about some problems in training of masters in foreign language. Efficiency of their training depends on their informative activity and selfsufficiency. One of the most effective way of activation of their educational activity is the professional training. The study of foreign languages must be connected with future profession. The students read original literature to get necessary information for their future work. The main type of work is reading. It is also necessary to pay attention to other types of speech activity: referencing, annotation and also develop oral speech in foreign language.
«Space» and «time» categories in philosophy teaching
Authors: Романенко  , Romanenko Yulia
Published: January 2014

The analysis of «space» and «time» categories and the problems of students’

introduction in their understanding are considered. In the article are given stages

of space and time interpretation in philosophy and science history. Idealization is

presented as basic method of students’ introduction in space and time understanding.