bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Framing of Social Class Distinctions through Family Food and Eating Practices
Authors: Wills Wendy , Backett-Milburn Kathryn , Roberts Mei-Li , Lawton Julia
Published: November 2011

Drawing on two qualitative studies which looked at diet, weight and health from a social class perspective, we use Bourdieu's theory of habitus to help explain the different food and eating practices undertaken by families with young teenagers. Whilst the families displayed considerable reflexivity when making decisions about what to eat on a daily basis, the analysis highlighted that everyday behaviours are still bounded by distinctions of taste, according to social position. The paper includes an examination of the relationships between different forms of capital and whether form or functionality is prioritised within families. We show the importance of temporal frameworks when interpreting classed food and eating practices.
Supremacy or Primacy of EU Law—(Why) Does it Matter?
Authors: Avbelj Matej
Published: November 2011

Even 50 years on the principle of supremacy or primacy is still surrounded with ambiguity, which is apparent already on the level of semantics. The principle has not carried a single name, but three. This paper argues that a disparity in the denomination of the principle amounts to much more than semantics. It exhibits conceptual differences. Different conceptualisations of the principle of primacy or supremacy entail different models of structural principles of EU law: the hierarchical, the conditionally hierarchical and the heterarchical model. These are no mere theoretical constructions; rather they have influenced concrete practices of EU law, including the most recent Kücükdeveci case as well as the Lisbon decision of the German Constitutional Court. While none of the three models has yet found an unequivocal and conclusive endorsement in the EU practice, there are compelling theoretical and practical reasons for which one of them should be preferred over the others. Whether EU law has supremacy or primacy therefore matters.
Glucose metabolism in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease: a statistical parametric mapping analysis of 18F‐FDG PET
Authors: Kim E.‐J. , Cho S.‐S. , Jeong B.‐H. , Kim Y.‐S. , Seo S. W. , Na D. L. , Geschwind M. D. , Jeong Y.
Published: November 2011

Background and purpose:  Reports describing functional neuroimaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) have consistently suggested that these tools are sensitive for the identification of areas of hypoperfusion or hypometabolism, even in the early stages of sCJD. However, there are few reports on the use of [18F]fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose (FDG) PET in sCJD, and most of them are single case reports. Only two small cohort studies based on visual inspection or a region of interest method have been published to date. Using a statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis of 18F‐FDG PET, we investigated whether there are brain regions preferentially affected in sCJD.

Methods:  After controlling for age and gender, using SPM 2, we compared the glucose metabolism between (i) 11 patients with sCJD and 35 controls and (ii) the subset of five patients with the Heidenhain variant of sCJD and 35 controls.

Results:  The patients with sCJD showed decreased glucose metabolism in bilateral parietal, frontal and occipital cortices. The Heidenhain variant of sCJD showed glucose hypometabolism mainly in bilateral occipital areas.

Conclusions:  Glucose hypometabolism in sCJD was detected in extensive cortical regions; however, it was not found in the basal ganglia or thalamus, which are frequently reported to be affected on diffusion‐weighted images. The medial temporal area, which is possibly resistant to the prion deposits, was also less involved in sCJD.
Public Attitudes towards People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Qualitative Comparison of White British & South Asian People
Authors: Coles Sarah , Scior Katrina
Published: November 2011

Background  National and international polices promote the acceptance, integration and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities into mainstream society. However, there is little systematic research into general population attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities, and even less research, which considers the impact of culture on attitudes. The aim of this study was to explore how young people from White British and South Asian backgrounds differ in their attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities and above all, how they arrive at their beliefs.

Materials and Method  A qualitative design utilizing focus groups and individual interviews with White British and South Asian adolescents aged 16–19 years (N = 61) was employed. Questionnaire data were collected to compare this sample to findings from a larger study run concurrently (Attitudes to people with intellectual disabilities: a cross cultural study. Thesis, University College London). Interview and focus group data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results  Thematic analysis yielded five themes and pointed to widespread confusion about the concept of ‘intellectual disability’, not helped by the continuing invisibility of people with intellectual disabilities in the media. Participants expressed many positive beliefs, yet closer analysis revealed that underlying these may be more ambivalent or even hostile attitudes. Key differences between the two cultural groups are discussed.

Conclusions  The findings highlight the need for raising public awareness and the importance of culturally sensitive support.
Can low Behavioral Activation System predict depressive mood?: An application of non‐normal structural equation modeling
Authors: TAKAHASHI YUSUKE , OZAKI KOKEN , ROBERTS BRENT W. , ANDO JUKO
Published: November 2011

Previous studies have reported a negative correlation between the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and the depressive mood. However, which is the cause and which is the effect cannot be determined simply by evaluating the correlation coefficients. In a series of this study, we used non‐normal structural equation modeling, which could provide a statistically plausible answer to the question on the path direction. We tested for the path direction between the variables of interest by statistically comparing all possible models. The models assuming a unidirectional path from the BAS to the depressive mood were consistently supported. This suggested that low BAS could be a predisposition to developing the depressive mood. These findings could enhance our understanding of the mechanism underlying the development of the depressive mood.
What is The Red Book for analytical psychology?
Authors: Stein Murray
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  The Red Book enters the field of analytical psychology belatedly, yet presents itself as a foundational text. In this paper, I try to estimate how it will affect the field and to reflect on how it can be used by contemporary readers and clinicians. Jung's own works remain the baseline for theorizing and teaching the fundamental perspectives of analytical psychology, and yet the field has grown far beyond his own contributions. Is this late inheritance of central value or only of peripheral interest for the field? It can be used in various ways and certainly shows many interesting features that link it to Jung's later works, but does it detract or does it add? And if it adds, what does it add? In The Red Book, Jung is speaking to us from the grave. What is he saying? In this paper, I explore how it can be used as an inspirational text for keeping alive the spirit of the ancestors in the field and for linking the present to the deep past.
Healing the wounds of our fathers: intergenerational trauma, memory, symbolization and narrative
Authors: Connolly Angela
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  This paper explores the history of psychoanalytical approaches to intergenerational trauma, both from the Freudian and from the Jungian schools, and addresses the need when we speak of intergenerational or transmitted trauma to better define the nature and the different categories of trauma with particular reference to extreme and cumulative traumas such as those experienced by the survivors of the Nazi death camps and the Russian gulags.

Therapy with survivors and with their children requires a particular adaptation of analytical technique as what is at stake is not so much the analysis of the here and now of the transference and countertransference dynamics which indeed can in the early stages be counterproductive, but the capacity of the analyst to accept the reality of the trauma with all its devastating and mind‐shattering emotions without losing the capacity to imagine and to play metaphorically with images, essential if the patient is to be able to create a space for representation.
The Grandfather
Authors: Jung Andreas
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  The author, grandson of C.G. Jung, architect and historian, resident in the Küsnacht house, offers perspectives on the role of the grandfather. C.G. had a difficult relationship with his father but felt a strong rapport with his grandfather Karl Gustav Jung, even though he died before C.G.'s birth. Andreas notes that there were many parallels in the lives of the two men; C.G.'s memories and the touching personal diary left behind by Karl Gustav will be discussed. Many of Jung's other ancestors will be described from his own personal angle. The paper also encompasses C.G.'s spiritual forerunners and finally the dead, our common nameless ancestors.
Faint voices from Greenwich Village: Jung's impact on the first American avant‐garde1
Authors: Sherry Jay
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  In 1913 Jung made a trip to New York which was to have an important impact on the creation of modern American culture. At the invitation of Beatrice Hinkle, the first Jungian analyst in the country, he spoke to the Liberal Club, a forum for discussing progressive topics. Jung was the leading spokesman for psychoanalysis and his ideas about creative fantasy resonated with popular interest in the ideas of William James and Henri Bergson. This paper will document that visit and the influence that Hinkle had on the young people who had gravitated to Greenwich Village. She promoted Jungian psychology through her analytical practice and her translation of Jung's Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido as Psychology of the Unconscious. Her influence is evident in four key neighbourhood institutions: The Masses, a socialist magazine, The Seven Arts, an avant‐garde literary magazine, the Provincetown Players theatre ensemble, and the Heterodoxy Club, America's first feminist group. Her influence is also evident at The New School where several pioneering anthropologists employed the theory of psychological types as a tool for understanding social behaviour. This paper will demonstrate that a cultural moment usually seen through a Freudian lens had, in fact, a remarkably Jungian character.
Photosynthetic pathway and ecological adaptation explain stomatal trait diversity amongst grasses
Authors: Taylor S. H. , Franks P. J. , Hulme S. P. , Spriggs E. , Christin P. A. , Edwards E. J. , Woodward F. I. , Osborne C. P.
Published: November 2011

The evolution of C4 photosynthesis in plants has allowed the maintenance of high CO2 assimilation rates despite lower stomatal conductances. This underpins the greater water‐use efficiency in C4 species and their tendency to occupy drier, more seasonal environments than their C3 relatives.

The basis of interspecific variation in maximum stomatal conductance to water (gmax), as defined by stomatal density and size, was investigated in a common‐environment screening experiment. Stomatal traits were measured in 28 species from seven grass lineages, and comparative methods were used to test for predicted effects of C3 and C4 photosynthesis, annual precipitation and habitat wetness on gmax.

Novel results were as follows: significant phylogenetic patterns exist in gmax and its determinants, stomatal size and stomatal density; C4 species consistently have lower gmax than their C3 relatives, associated with a shift towards smaller stomata at a given density. A direct relationship between gmax and precipitation was not supported. However, we confirmed associations between C4 photosynthesis and lower precipitation, and showed steeper stomatal size–density relationships and higher gmax in wetter habitats.

The observed relationships between stomatal patterning, photosynthetic pathway and habitat provide a clear example of the interplay between anatomical traits, physiological innovation and ecological adaptation in plants.
Responding to students' needs in special schools in Ireland and England: findings from two schools
Authors: Day Therese , Prunty Anita , Dupont Maeve
Published: November 2011

As more students with special educational needs attend mainstream schools, it is critical that the role and operation of special schools be examined. This article reports on two case studies, one special school in England and one in Ireland, which formed part of a national review of the role of special schools and special classes in Ireland. Two students, in each case study school, were shadowed and observed during two‐day visits by the research team. These students, and everyone belonging to them, were interviewed and relevant documents were analysed. Findings are discussed in terms of responding to students' needs through: organization of teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, specialist staff, collaboration and links outside the special school. The implications are considered with reference to research, policy and practice and the authors conclude that the evidence provides support for maintaining the special school as an integral part of the continuum of educational provision for students with special educational needs.
Pre‐B‐cell colony‐enhancing factor exerts a neuronal protection through its enzymatic activity and the reduction of mitochondrial dysfunction in in vitro ischemic models
Authors: Bi Jing , Li Hailong , Ye Shui Qing , Ding Shinghua
Published: November 2011

J. Neurochem. (2012) 120, 334–346.

Pre‐B‐cell colony‐enhancing factor (PBEF) is known as a rate‐limiting enzyme that converts nicotinamide (NAM) to NMN in the salvage pathway of mammalian NAD+ biosynthesis. Previously we found PBEF is exclusively expressed in neurons in the mouse brain; heterozygous PBEF knockout (Pbef+/−) mice have larger ischemic lesion than wild type mice in photothrombosis‐induced ischemia. For the mechanistic study of neuronal protective role of PBEF, we used in vitro oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD) and glutamate excitotoxicity models of primary cultured neurons in current study. Our results showed that the treatments of neurons with NAM and NAD+, the substrate and downstream product of PBEF, respectively, significantly reduced neuronal death after OGD and glutamate excitotoxicity, while treatment of neurons treated with FK866, a PBEF inhibitor, increased neuronal death after OGD. Furthermore, over‐expression of human PBEF reduced glutamate excitotoxicity, while over‐expression of human PBEF mutants (i.e. H247A and H247E) without enzymatic activity had no effect on neuronal death. We further tested the effect of PBEF on mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Our results show that addition of NAD+ and NAM increased mitochondrial biogenesis in neurons after OGD. Over‐expression of PBEF in neurons reduced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization following glutamate stimulation, while over‐expression of H247A and H247E did not affect mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization. We conclude that PBEF has a neuroprotective effect in ischemia through its enzymatic activity for NAD+ production that can ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunction.
A research process for integrating Indigenous and scientific knowledge in cultural landscapes: principles and determinants of success in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Australia
Authors: Cullen‐Unsworth Leanne Claire , Hill Rosemary , Butler James R A , Wallace Marilyn
Published: November 2011

It is widely accepted that Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) is potentially valuable for maintaining biodiversity within linked social‐ecological systems, and cultural landscapes in particular. However, IEK is declining globally, along with biodiversity. Adaptive co‐management frameworks incorporating both Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems have the capacity for greater success than frameworks embedded within a singular world view. A major challenge exists, however, in identifying pathways for the integration of these knowledge systems. The need to integrate both IEK and science into management is widely recognised; various approaches have been trialled but there are few successful examples. Cooperative research using joint learning is emerging as one potentially useful approach. Here we present an example of applying co‐research in a cultural landscape in Australia, the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, where we aimed to develop linked cultural and biophysical indicators of ecosystem condition. Our approach was founded on five stakeholder‐defined core principles for research. The study revealed seven determinants of successful implementation within these principles: strong Indigenous governance; problem‐framing and conceptualisation; relationship building; data collection and management; considerations of scale; agreed dissemination of results; and evaluation. We identify cooperative problem‐framing as one of the most important determinants, and argue that by starting the co‐research process with this task, co‐research can assist the equitable convergence of IEK and contemporary natural resource management, thereby potentially enhancing social‐ecological system resilience and sustainability.
Not just ‘friends and neighbours’: Canvassing, geographic proximity and voter choice
Authors: GÓRECKI MACIEJ A. , MARSH MICHAEL
Published: November 2011

The impact of local campaigning on voter choice has been studied within the theme of mobilisation. Grassroots effort can attract votes efficiently, but campaign contact is (potentially) endogenous, so results showing positive effects could be flawed. Experimental solutions to this problem are possible, but could also have low external validity. Drawing on the electoral geography literature, this article suggests that endogeneity concerns can be addressed through so‐called ‘friends and neighbours voting’. One source of endogeneity is that that candidates may tend to canvass those living close to their own homes, and those canvassed would be expected in any case to be prone to support local candidates. The problem of endogeneity is reframed and treated as an omitted variable bias. Using unique Irish data on the geographic location of the homes of candidates, as well as data on the location of the voters, the analysis confirms that canvassing has a positive impact on candidate choice independent of the effect of geographic distance. More importantly, these two variables interact. The results point to the relevance of the geographic dimension of electoral politics in driving the endogeneity bias in local campaigning studies.
Biochemical and pharmacological characterization of nuclear urotensin‐II binding sites in rat heart
Authors: Doan ND , Nguyen TTM , Létourneau M , Turcotte K , Fournier A , Chatenet D
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE During the past decade, a few GPCRs have been characterized at the nuclear membrane where they exert complementary physiological functions. In this study, we investigated (1) the presence of a functional urotensin‐II (U‐II) receptor (UT) in rat heart nuclear extracts and (2) the propensity of U‐II and U‐II‐related peptide (URP) to cross the plasma membrane in a receptor‐independent manner.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Biochemical and pharmacological methods including competitive binding assays, photoaffinity labelling, immunoblotting as well as de novo RNA synthesis were used to characterize the presence of functional UT receptors in rat heart nuclei. In addition, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis were used to investigate the cellular uptake of fluorescent U‐II and URP derivatives.

KEY RESULTS The presence of specific U‐II binding sites was demonstrated in rat heart nuclear extracts. Moreover, such subcellular localization was also observed in monkey heart extracts. In vitro transcription initiation assays on rat, freshly isolated, heart nuclei suggested that nuclear UT receptors are functional, and that U‐II, but not URP, participates in nuclear UT‐associated gene expression. Surprisingly, hU‐II and URP efficiently crossed the plasma membrane in a receptor‐independent mechanism involving endocytosis through caveolin‐coated pits; this uptake of hU‐II, but not that of URP, was dependent on extracellular pH.

CONCLUSION Our results suggest that (1) U‐II and URP can differentially modulate nuclear UT functions such as gene expression, and (2) both ligands can reach the internal cellular space through a receptor‐independent mechanism.
Tau‐targeted treatment strategies in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Götz Jürgen , Ittner Arne , Ittner Lars M
Published: November 2011

With populations ageing worldwide, the need for treating and preventing diseases associated with high age is pertinent. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is reaching epidemic proportions, yet the currently available therapies are limited to a symptomatic relief, without halting the degenerative process that characterizes the AD brain. As in AD cholinergic neurons are lost at high numbers, the initial strategies were limited to the development of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and more recently the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine, in counteracting excitotoxicity. With the identification of the protein tau in intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and of the peptide amyloid‐β (Aβ) in extracellular amyloid plaques in the AD brain, and a better understanding of their role in disease, newer strategies are emerging, which aim at either preventing their formation and deposition or at accelerating their clearance. Interestingly, what is well established to combat viral diseases in peripheral organs – vaccination – seems to work for the brain as well. Accordingly, immunization strategies targeting Aβ show efficacy in mice and to some degree also in humans. Even more surprising is the finding in mice that immunization strategies targeting tau, a protein that forms aggregates in nerve cells, ameliorates the tau‐associated pathology. We are reviewing the literature and discuss what can be expected regarding the translation into clinical practice and how the findings can be extended to other neurodegenerative diseases with protein aggregation in brain.
Accuracy of b‐GGT fraction for the diagnosis of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Franzini Maria , Fornaciari Irene , Fierabracci Vanna , Elawadi Hassan Aziz , Bolognesi Valeria , Maltinti Simona , Ricchiuti Angelo , De Bortoli Nicola , Marchi Santino , Pompella Alfonso , Passino Claudio , Emdin Michele , Paolicchi Aldo
Published: November 2011

Background

Serum gamma‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity is a sensitive but non‐specific marker of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recently, four GGT fractions (big‐, medium‐, small‐, free‐GGT) were described in humans.

Aim

We aimed to investigate whether a specific GGT fraction pattern is associated with NAFLD.

Methods

Gamma‐glutamyltransferase fractions were determined in patients with NAFLD (n = 90), and compared with those in control subjects (n = 70), and chronic hepatitis C (CHC, n = 45) age and gender matched.

Results

Total GGT was elevated in NAFLD as compared to controls (median, 25°–75°percentile: 39.4, 20.0–82.0 U/L vs. 18.4, 13.2–24.9 U/L respectively, P < 0.001). All fractions were higher in NAFLD than in controls (P < 0.001). The b‐GGT showed the highest diagnostic accuracy for NAFLD diagnosis [area under ROC curve (ROC‐AUC): 0.85; cut‐off 2.6 U/L, sensitivity 74%, specificity 81%].

Also subjects with CHC showed increased GGT (41.5, 21.9–84.5 U/L, P < 0.001 vs. controls, P = n.s. vs. NAFLD), as well as m‐, s‐, and f‐GGT, while b‐GGT did not show any significant increase (P = n.s. vs. HS, P < 0.001 vs. NAFLD). In subjects with CHC, s‐GGT showed the best diagnostic value (ROC‐AUC: 0.853; cut‐off 14.1 U/L, sensitivity 73%, specificity 90%). Serum GGT did not show any value in the differential diagnosis between NAFLD and CHC (ROC‐AUC 0.507, P = n.s.), while b‐GGT/s‐GGT ratio showed the highest diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing NAFLD and CHC (ROC‐AUC: 0.93; cut‐off value 0.16, sensitivity 82%, specificity 90%).

Conclusions

b‐GGT increases in NAFLD, but not in CHC. GGT fraction analysis might help in improving the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of NAFLD and other liver dysfunctions.
Meta‐Analysis of Susceptibility of Woody Plants to Loss of Genetic Diversity through Habitat Fragmentation
Authors: VRANCKX GUY , JACQUEMYN HANS , MUYS BART , HONNAY OLIVIER
Published: November 2011

Abstract: Shrubs and trees are assumed less likely to lose genetic variation in response to habitat fragmentation because they have certain life‐history characteristics such as long lifespans and extensive pollen flow. To test this assumption, we conducted a meta‐analysis with data on 97 woody plant species derived from 98 studies of habitat fragmentation. We measured the weighted response of four different measures of population‐level genetic diversity to habitat fragmentation with Hedge'sdand Spearman rank correlation. We tested whether the genetic response to habitat fragmentation was mediated by life‐history traits (longevity, pollination mode, and seed dispersal vector) and study characteristics (genetic marker and plant material used). For both tests of effect size habitat fragmentation was associated with a substantial decrease in expected heterozygosity, number of alleles, and percentage of polymorphic loci, whereas the population inbreeding coefficient was not associated with these measures. The largest proportion of variation among effect sizes was explained by pollination mechanism and by the age of the tissue (progeny or adult) that was genotyped. Our primary finding was that wind‐pollinated trees and shrubs appeared to be as likely to lose genetic variation as insect‐pollinated species, indicating that severe habitat fragmentation may lead to pollen limitation and limited gene flow. In comparison with results of previous meta‐analyses on mainly herbaceous species, we found trees and shrubs were as likely to have negative genetic responses to habitat fragmentation as herbaceous species. We also found that the genetic variation in offspring was generally less than that of adult trees, which is evidence of a genetic extinction debt and probably reflects the genetic diversity of the historical, less‐fragmented landscape.
CEACAM1 deficiency delays important wound healing processes
Authors: LeBlanc Sarah , Arabzadeh Azadeh , Benlolo Samantha , Breton Valérie , Turbide Claire , Beauchemin Nicole , Nouvion Anne‐Laure
Published: November 2011

Cutaneous wound healing is a complex process that requires the coordination of many cell types to achieve proper tissue repair. Four major overlapping processes have been identified in wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, reepithelialization and granulation tissue formation, and tissue remodeling. Carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a glycoprotein expressed in epithelial, endothelial, lymphoid, and myeloid cells. Given its known roles in angiogenesis, cell migration, and immune functions, we hypothesized that CEACAM1 might also be involved in cutaneous wound healing and that a number of relevant CEACAM1‐positive cell types might contribute to wound healing. To evaluate the role of CEACAM1 in these processes, 6‐mm‐diameter skin wounds were inflicted on Ceacam1–/– and wild‐type mice. Herein, we demonstrate that CEACAM1 deletion indeed affects wound healing in three key ways. Infiltration of F4/80+ macrophages was decreased in Ceacam1–/– wounds, altering inflammatory processes. Reepithelialization in Ceacam1–/– wounds was delayed. Furthermore, the vascular density of the granulation tissue in Ceacam1–/– wounds was significantly diminished. These results confirm CEACAM1's role as an important regulator of key processes in cutaneous wound healing, although whether this works via a specific cell type or alterations in the functioning of multiple processes remains to be determined.
Assessment of a Tissue‐Engineered Gastric Wall Patch in a Rat Model
Authors: Maemura Tomoyuki , Kinoshita Manabu , Shin Michael , Miyazaki Hiromi , Tsujimoto Hironori , Ono Satoshi , Hase Kazuo , Saitoh Daizoh
Published: November 2011

Stenosis or deformity of the remaining stomach can occur after gastrectomy and result in stomach malfunction. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of transplanting a tissue‐engineered gastric wall patch in a rat model to alleviate the complications after resection of a large area of the gastric wall. Tissue‐engineered gastric wall patches were created from gastric epithelial organoid units and biodegradable polymer scaffolds. In the first treatment group, gastric wall defects were created in recipient rats and covered with fresh tissue‐engineered gastric wall patches (simultaneous transplantation). In the second treatment group, the tissue‐engineered gastric wall patches were frozen for 12 weeks, and then transplanted in recipient rats (metachronous transplantation). Tissue‐engineered gastric wall patches were successfully used as a substitute of the resected native gastric wall in both simultaneous and metachronous transplantation groups. The defrosted wall patches showed almost the same cell viability as the fresh ones. Twenty‐four weeks after transplantation, the defect in the gastric wall was well‐covered with tissue‐engineered gastric wall patch, and the repaired stomach showed no deformity macroscopically in both groups. Histology showed continuous mucosa and smooth muscle layers at the tissue‐engineered stomach wall margin. The feasibility of transplanting a tissue‐engineered patch to repair a defect in the native gastric wall has been successfully shown in a rat model, thereby taking one step closer toward the transplantation of an entire tissue‐engineered stomach in the future.
Percutaneous Balloon Atrioseptostomy for Left Heart Discharge in Extracorporeal Life Support Patients with Persistent Pulmonary Edema
Authors: BIGNON MATHIEU , ROULE VINCENT , DAHDOUH ZIAD , SABATIER RÉMI , LOGNONÉ THÉRÈSE , MALCOR GUILLAUME , IDALI MOUSSA , IVASCAU CALIN , MASSETTI MASSIMO , GROLLIER GILLES
Published: November 2011

Aims:
In severe myocardial dysfunction, extracorporeal life support (ECLS) can preserve organ perfusion. Occasionally, the high resulting afterload can lead to refractory pulmonary edema. We report our experience with percutaneous balloon atrioseptostomy used in this circumstance to discharge the left heart and prevent worsening pulmonary congestion.

Methods and results:
Between October 2002 and December 2009, 5 patients, with a mean age of 39 years, who were under peripheral ECLS underwent percutaneous balloon atrioseptostomy for refractory worsening pulmonary edema as determined by clinical, radiological, and echocardiographic criteria. Myocardial dysfunction was related to drug poisoning in 2 cases and to myocarditis in the 3 others. Atrioseptostomy successfully improved pulmonary edema and echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function in all cases. Four patients were eventually discharged. The fifth patient died in hospital due to multiorgan failure.

Conclusions:
In our experience, percutaneous balloon atrioseptostomy appeared to be a rapid, effective, and minimally invasive technique for offloading the left heart of patients with a reversible cardiac dysfunction under ECLS and suffering from refractory pulmonary edema. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:62–67)
Thickness‐Dependent Dielectric, Ferroelectric, and Magnetodielectric Properties of BiFeO3 Thin Films Derived by Chemical Solution Deposition
Authors: Tang Xianwu , Dai Jianming , Zhu Xuebin , Lin Jianchao , Chang Qing , Wu Dajun , Song Wenhai , Sun Yuping
Published: November 2011

Thickness is a very important parameter to control the microstructures, as well as physical properties in the multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films. In this article, BiFeO3 thin films with different thickness (from 210 to 830 nm) are fabricated by chemical solution deposition on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates to investigate the thickness effects systematically. The results show that the crystallization is improved, the dielectric constant is enhanced, and the leakage current is reduced with increasing thickness. On the other hand, the magnetization and magnetodielectric are decreased with thickness. The results show that the optimized thickness should be within the range of 400–600 nm to obtain optimized properties using chemical solution deposition processing, which will provide a useful guidance to prepare the multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films.
Activation of neurokinin‐1 receptors up‐regulates substance P and neurokinin‐1 receptor expression in murine pancreatic acinar cells
Authors: Koh Yung‐Hua , Moochhala Shabbir , Bhatia Madhav
Published: November 2011

Acute pancreatitis (AP) has been associated with an up‐regulation of substance P (SP) and neurokinin‐1 receptor (NK1R) in the pancreas. Increased SP‐NK1R interaction was suggested to be pro‐inflammatory during AP. Previously, we showed that caerulein treatment increased SP/NK1R expression in mouse pancreatic acinar cells, but the effect of SP treatment was not evaluated. Pancreatic acinar cells were obtained from pancreas of male swiss mice (25–30 g). We measured mRNA expression of preprotachykinin‐A (PPTA) and NK1R following treatment of SP (10−6M). SP treatment increased PPTA and NK1R expression in isolated pancreatic acinar cells, which was abolished by pretreatment of a selective NK1R antagonist, CP96,345. SP also time dependently increased protein expression of NK1R. Treatment of cells with a specific NK1R agonist, GR73,632, up‐regulated SP protein levels in the cells. Using previously established concentrations, pre‐treatment of pancreatic acinar cells with Gö6976 (10 nM), rottlerin (5 μM), PD98059 (30 μM), SP600125 (30 μM) or Bay11‐7082 (30 μM) significantly inhibited up‐regulation of SP and NK1R. These observations suggested that the PKC‐ERK/JNK‐NF‐κB pathway is necessary for the modulation of expression levels. In comparison, pre‐treatment of CP96,345 reversed gene expression in SP‐induced cells, but not in caerulein‐treated cells. Overall, the findings in this study suggested a possible auto‐regulatory mechanism of SP/NK1R expression in mouse pancreatic acinar cells, via activation of NK1R. Elevated SP levels during AP might increase the occurrence of a positive feedback loop that contributes to abnormally high expression of SP and NK1R.
Osseointegration in periodontitis susceptible individuals
Authors: Cecchinato Denis , Bressan Eriberto A. , Toia Marco , Araújo Mauricio G. , Liljenberg Birgitta , Lindhe Jan
Published: November 2011

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to examine tissue integration of implants placed (i) in subjects who had lost teeth because of advanced periodontal disease or for other reasons, (ii) in the posterior maxilla exhibiting varying amounts of mineralized bone.

Material and methods

Thirty‐six subjects were enrolled; 19 had lost teeth because of advanced periodontitis (group P) while the remaining 17 subjects had suffered tooth loss from other reasons (group NP). As part of site preparation for implant placement, a 3 mm trephine drill was used to remove one or more 2 mm wide and 5–6 mm long block of hard tissue [biopsy site; Lindhe et al. (2011). Clinical of Oral Implants Research, DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2011.02205.x]. Lateral to the biopsy site a twist drill (diameter 2 mm) was used to prepare the hard tissue in the posterior maxilla for the placement of a screw‐shaped, self‐tapping micro‐implant (implant site). The implants used were 5 mm long, had a diameter of 2.2 mm. After 3 months of healing, the micro‐implants with surrounding hard tissue cores were retrieved using a trephine drill. The tissue was processed for ground sectioning. The blocks were cut parallel to the long axis of the implant and reduced to a thickness of about 20 μm and stained in toluidine blue. The percentage of (i) implant surface that was in contact with mineralized bone as well as (ii) the amount of bone present within the threads of the micro‐implants (percentage bone area) was determined.

Results

Healing including hard tissue formation around implants placed in the posterior maxilla was similar in periodontitis susceptible and non‐susceptible subjects. Thus, the degree of bone‐to‐implant contact (about 59%) as well as the amount of mineralized bone within threads of the micro‐implant (about 45–50%) was similar in the two groups of subjects. Pearson's coefficient disclosed that there was a weak negative correlation (−0.49; P < 0.05) between volume of fibrous tissue (biopsy sites) and the length of bone to implant contact (BIC) while there was a weak positive correlation (0.51; P < 0.05) between the volume of bone marrow and BIC.
The effect of hydrophilic titanium surface modification on macrophage inflammatory cytokine gene expression
Authors: Hamlet Stephen , Alfarsi Mohammed , George Roy , Ivanovski Saso
Published: November 2011

Objectives

Chemical modification of microrough titanium dental implants to produce a hydrophilic surface with increased wettability and improved surface energy has been demonstrated clinically to achieve superior bone wound healing and osseointegration compared to that achieved with a microrough titanium surface alone. As the recruitment of the necessary osseoinductive precursors involved in bone wound healing and osseointegration to the wound site is facilitated by the action of cytokines, this study sought to determine the in vitro effect of hydrophilic surface modification on the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines from adherent macrophages.

Material and methods

The surface topography and composition of the titanium surfaces was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Macrophage attachment and proliferation was assessed using an MTT assay. The expression of 84 pro‐inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by adherent RAW 264.7 cells, a murine leukaemic monocyte cell line, was assessed by PCR array after 24 h culture on either smooth polished, sand‐blasted acid‐etched (SLA®) or hydrophilic‐modified SLA (SLActive®) titanium surfaces.

Results

Following 24 h culture on titanium, surface microroughness activated pro‐inflammatory cytokine gene transcription in RAW 264.7 cells. Although there was no significant difference in the degree of cellular attachment or proliferation of RAW 264.7 cells to the different titanium surfaces, by 24 h the hydrophilic surface elicited a gene expression profile with significant down‐regulation of the key pro‐inflammatory cytokines Tnfα, IL‐1α, IL‐1β and the chemokine Ccl‐2.

Conclusions

Down‐regulation of the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokine genes may thus modulate the inflammatory response and may facilitate the enhanced bone wound healing and osseointegration observed clinically using implants with a microrough hydrophilic surface.
Bio‐Oss® blocks combined with BMP‐2 and VEGF for the regeneration of bony defects and vertical augmentation
Authors: Schmitt Christian , Lutz Rainer , Doering Hendrik , Lell Michael , Ratky Jozsef , Schlegel Karl Andreas
Published: November 2011

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone formation rate and osseointegration of Bio‐Oss® blocks combined with rhBMP‐2 and rhVEGF in bony defects and after vertical augmentation.

Material and methods

Bio‐Oss® blocks plus rhBMP‐2 (BMP), Bio‐Oss® blocks plus rhVEGF (VEGF), or Bio‐Oss® blocks plus rhBMP‐2 and rhVEGF (BMPVEGF) were inserted in “critical size defects” (CSD) in the calvariae of adult pigs. Control defects were filled with collagen carrier (Lyostypt®) plus growth factors and untreated Bio‐Oss® blocks (CO). In a second group, Bio‐Oss® blocks plus growth factors and untreated Bio‐Oss® blocks were used for vertical augmentation of the calvariae. In the first group, the investigation time was 30 days, in the second group it was 30 and 60 days. The bone samples were investigated histomorphometrically, and the newly formed bone (BV/TV) was judged by microradiographic investigation.

Results

In the CSD model, the newly formed bone in the region of interest was not significantly different within the groups. In the second setting, the inserted bone blocks exhibited sufficient volume stability with increasing bone formation up to 9.33% ± 3.92% for BMP, 10.42% ± 1.81% for BMP/VEGF, 11.01% ± 4.78% for VEGF, and 10.02% ± 5.43% for the control group after 60 days.

Conclusion

In the chosen setting and time frame, de novo bone formation did not increase with the additional use of growth factors.
Inflammatory skin responses induced by icatibant injection are mast cell mediated and attenuated by H1‐antihistamines
Authors: Maurer Marcus , Church Martin K.
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  Icatibant, a bradykinin‐2 receptor antagonist, is administered by subcutaneous injection for the treatment of attacks of type I and type II hereditary angioedema. Following injection, patients feel transient pain followed by a short‐lived wheal and flare response at the injection site. We hypothesized that the icatibant‐induced wheal and flare response follows histamine release from activated skin mast cells and would therefore be reduced by an H1‐antihistamine. Intradermal injection of 100 μl of 100 μg/ml histamine and 10 mg/ml icatibant into the forearms of health volunteers caused wheal and flare responses of a similar magnitude which were reduced by cetirizine pretreatment by 49% and 41% (histamine) and 35% and 41% (icatibant). Studies in vitro showed that icatibant at 1 × 10−4 and 1 × 10−5 m caused significant (P < 0.05) histamine release from isolated human cutaneous mast cells. In conclusion, icatibant induces histamine‐mediated wheal and flare responses that may be reduced in severity by prophylactic administration of an H1‐antihistamine.
Auto‐Align – Multi‐Modality Fluorescence Microscopy Image Co‐registration
Authors: Pitkeathly William T. E. , Poulter Natalie S. , Claridge Ela , Rappoport Joshua Z.
Published: November 2011

Multi‐modality microscopes incorporate multiple microscopy techniques into one module, imaging through a common objective lens. Simultaneous or consecutive image acquisition of a single specimen, using multiple techniques, increases the amount of measurable information available. In order to benefit from each modality, it is necessary to accurately co‐register data sets. Intrinsic differences in the image formation process employed by each modality result in images which possess different characteristics. In addition, as a result of using different measurement devices, images often differ in size and can suffer relative geometrical deformations including rotation, scale and translation, making registration a complex problem. Current methods generally rely on manual input and are therefore subject to human error. Here, we present an automated image registration tool for fluorescence microscopy. We show that it successfully registers images obtained via total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), or epi‐fluorescence, and confocal microscopy. Furthermore, we provide several other applications including channel merging following image acquisition through an emission beam splitter, and lateral stage drift correction. We also discuss areas of membrane trafficking which could benefit from application of Auto‐Align. Auto‐Align is an essential item in the advanced microscopist's toolbox which can create a synergy of single or multi‐modality image data.
MBL and MASP-2 concentrations in serum andMBL2promoter polymorphisms are associated to schizophrenia
Authors: Foldager Leslie , Steffensen Rudi , Thiel Steffen , Als Thomas Damm , Nielsen Hans Jørgen , Nordentoft Merete , Mortensen Preben Bo , Mors Ole , Jensenius Jens Christian
Published: November 2011

Objective:Causative relations between infections and psychosis, especially schizophrenia, have been speculated for more than a century, suggesting a hypothesis of association between schizophrenia and hereditary immune defects. Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a pattern-recognition molecule of the innate immune defence. MBL deficiency is the most common hereditary defect in the immune system and may predispose to infection and autoimmunity. Mannan-binding lectin serine protease-2 (MASP-2) is an MBL-associated serine protease mediating complement activation upon binding of MBL/MASP to microorganisms. The objective was to investigate if schizophrenia is associated with serum concentrations of MBL and MASP-2 or with genetic variants of the genesMBL2andMASP2encoding these proteins.

Methods:The sample consisted of 100 patients with schizophrenia and 350 controls. Concentrations of MBL and MASP-2 in serum were measured and seven single nucleotide polymorphisms known to influence these concentrations were genotyped.

Results:Significant association of disease with genetic markers was found inMBL2but not inMASP2. Significant difference in MBL serum concentration was found between patients and controls when adjusting forMBL2haplotypes. For concentrations of MASP-2, a significant interaction effect between aMASP2variant and disease was found. Interestingly, MASP-2 levels also depended significantly on variants inMBL2exon 1.

Conclusion:This study supports previous studies showing increased complement activity in patients with schizophrenia, indicates aetiological heterogeneity among patients and underlines that multilocus genotypes have to be considered when investigating effects on MBL level. It appears that inclusion of additional components from the system of complement activation is warranted.
Effect of chronic variable stress on corticosterone levels and hippocampal extracellular 5-HT in rats with persistent differences in positive affectivity
Authors: Raudkivi Karita , Mällo Tanel , Harro Jaanus
Published: November 2011

Objective:The trait of experiencing positive affect could make a unique contribution to the pathogenesis of affective disorders. Animal models of positive emotionality are scarce but 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats have been associated with rewarding experience. We have previously reported that persistent inter-individual differences in expression of 50-kHz USVs (chirps) exist, and that male rats producing fewer 50-kHz USVs are more sensitive to chronic variable stress (CVS). In this study we examined the effect of CVS on extracellular serotonin (5-HT) levels in hippocampus, comparing high-chirping (HC) and low-chirping (LC) rats.

Methods:Male rats were classified as HC- and LC-rats on the basis of stable levels of USV response using sessions of tickling-like stimulation. CVS procedure lasted 4 weeks. The administration of citalopram (1 μM) and measurements of levels of 5-HT were done by microdialysis. Corticosterone levels were also measured from trunk blood.

Results:Male LC-rats were more sensitive to CVS: the effect of stress on body weight gain was larger and corticosterone levels from full blood were higher in the stressed LC animals as compared to both the unstressed groups and the stressed HC animals. While no baseline differences in extracellular 5-HT levels in hippocampus were found between groups, the increase in extracellular 5-HT levels induced by citalopram was much higher in LC-rats.

Conclusion:Chronic stress appears to modify hippocampal 5-HT overflow in rats with low positive affectivity. This finding supports the notion of greater vulnerability to CVS in male rats with low positive affectivity.