bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation of serum antibody titres with invasive methods for rapid detection of Helicobacter pylori infections in symptomatic children
Authors: Abdulqawi Khaled , El‐Mahalaway Abeer M. , Abdelhameed Amer , Abdelwahab Alsayed A.
Published: July 2012

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is causally associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. Typically, children get infected during the first decade of life, but diseases associated with H. pylori are seen mainly in adults. Multiple diagnostic methods are available for the detection of H. pylori infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation and diagnostic accuracy of three invasive methods [rapid urease test (RUT), histology and bacterial culture] and one non‐invasive method (IgG serology) for diagnosis of H. pylori infection in a prospective cohort study conducted on 50 symptomatic children between two and eighteen years of age. Endoscopies with gastric biopsies were performed for RUT, culture and histopathological examination, respectively. IgG antibodies were measured in patient sera using a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RUT and positive H. pylori IgG antibodies were concordant in 88% (44/50) of patients. Both tests were negative in 32% (16/50), and both were positive in 56% (28/50). Disagreement occurred in 12% (6/50) of the patients: three of them (6%) had positive RUT and negative H. pylori IgG, and another three (6%) had negative RUT and positive H. pylori IgG. A combination of RUT with non‐invasive serology constituted the optimum approach to the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in symptomatic children. The non‐invasive serological test (ELISA) could not be used alone as the gold standard because it cannot distinguish between active and recently treated infection; and bacterial culture could not be used alone because of its low sensitivity.
Overexpression of the rhodanese PspE, a single cysteine‐containing protein, restores disulphide bond formation to an Escherichia coli strain lacking DsbA
Authors: Chng Shu‐Sin , Dutton Rachel J. , Denoncin Katleen , Vertommen Didier , Collet Jean‐Francois , Kadokura Hiroshi , Beckwith Jonathan
Published: July 2012

Escherichia coli uses the DsbA/DsbB system for introducing disulphide bonds into proteins in the cell envelope. Deleting either dsbA or dsbB or both reduces disulphide bond formation but does not entirely eliminate it. Whether such background disulphide bond forming activity is enzyme‐catalysed is not known. To identify possible cellular factors that might contribute to the background activity, we studied the effects of overexpressing endogenous proteins on disulphide bond formation in the periplasm. We find that overexpressing PspE, a periplasmic rhodanese, partially restores substantial disulphide bond formation to a dsbA strain. This activity depends on DsbC, the bacterial disulphide bond isomerase, but not on DsbB. We show that overexpressed PspE is oxidized to the sulphenic acid form and reacts with substrate proteins to form mixed disulphide adducts. DsbC either prevents the formation of these mixed disulphides or resolves these adducts subsequently. In the process, DsbC itself gets oxidized and proceeds to catalyse disulphide bond formation. Although this PspE/DsbC system is not responsible for the background disulphide bond forming activity, we suggest that it might be utilized in other organisms lacking the DsbA/DsbB system.
Viscerofugal neurons recorded from guinea‐pig colonic nerves after organ culture
Authors: Hibberd T. J. , Zagorodnyuk V. P. , Spencer N. J. , Brookes S. J. H.
Published: July 2012

Background  Enteric viscerofugal neurons provide cholinergic synaptic inputs to prevertebral sympathetic neurons, forming reflex circuits that control motility and secretion. Extracellular recordings of identified viscerofugal neurons have not been reported.

Methods  Preparations of guinea pig distal colon were maintained in organotypic culture for 4–6 days (n = 12), before biotinamide tracing, immunohistochemistry, or extracellular electrophysiological recordings from colonic nerves.

Key Results  After 4–6 days in organ culture, calcitonin gene‐related peptide and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in enteric ganglia was depleted, and capsaicin‐induced firing (0.4 μmol L−1) was not detected, indicating that extrinsic sympathetic and sensory axons degenerate in organ culture. Neuroanatomical tracing of colonic nerves revealed that viscerofugal neurons persist and increase as a proportion of surviving axons. Extracellular recordings of colonic nerves revealed ongoing action potentials. Interestingly, synchronous bursts of action potentials were seen in 10 of 12 preparations; bursts were abolished by hexamethonium, which also reduced firing rate (400 μmol L−1, P < 0.01, n = 7). DMPP (1,1‐dimethyl‐4‐phenylpiperazinium; 10−4 mol L−1) evoked prolonged action potential discharge. Increased firing preceded both spontaneous and stretch‐evoked contractions (χ2 = 11.8, df = 1, P < 0.001). Firing was also modestly increased during distensions that did not evoke reflex contractions. All single units (11/11) responded to von Frey hairs (100–300 mg) in hexamethonium or Ca2+‐free solution.

Conclusions & Inferences  Action potentials recorded from colonic nerves in organ cultured preparations originated from viscerofugal neurons. They receive nicotinic input, which coordinates ongoing burst firing. Large bursts preceded spontaneous and reflex‐evoked contractions, suggesting their synaptic inputs may arise from enteric circuitry that also drives motility. Viscerofugal neurons were directly mechanosensitive to focal compression by von Frey hairs.
Administration of Interferon (IFN)‐α Exacerbates Reovirus Type‐2‐Triggered Autoimmune Insulitis in DBA/1J Mice
Authors: Nakashima T. , Hayashi T. , Yamamoto Y. , Mizuno T.
Published: July 2012

The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of administrated interferon (IFN)‐α on Reovirus type‐2 (Reo‐2)‐triggered autoimmune insulitis. Newborn DBA/1J mice infected with Reo‐2 (on day 0) showed the highest titre in the pancreas on day 5 and thereafter the titre declined. Similar viral growth curve with lower titre was found in the spleen and thymus. Insulitis with impaired glucose tolerance developed in infected mice on day 10, but not on day 5. IFN‐α was produced in the blood on days 3 and 5, but not on days 7 and 10. During the virus growth phase, IFN‐α positive(+) cells were detected in some pancreatic islet cells and infiltrated dendritic cells (DCs) in interstitium. Virus antigen positive cells were detected in islet cells, but not in DCs. Administration with IFN‐α (102, 103 or 104 international unit) on day 7, which is the time of the disappearance of virus from the pancreas and IFN‐α from the blood, exacerbated insulitis with increased glucose values compared to only infected mice. IFN‐α administration at the same time of infection did not develop insulitis. In addition, IFN‐α administration in uninfected mice on day 7 did not cause any damage to islet cells. The present study suggests that IFN‐α may have a possibility to exacerbate Reo‐2‐tiggered mild insulitis.
A pleiotropic drug resistance transporter in Nicotiana tabacum is involved in defense against the herbivore Manduca sexta
Authors: Bienert Manuela D. , Siegmund Stephanie E. G. , Drozak Anna , Trombik Tomasz , Bultreys Alain , Baldwin Ian T. , Boutry Marc
Published: July 2012

Pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) transporters are a group of membrane proteins belonging to the ABCG sub‐family of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters. There is clear evidence for the involvement of plant ABC transporters in resistance to fungal and bacterial pathogens, but not in the biotic stress response to insect or herbivore attack. Here, we describe a PDR transporter, ABCG5/PDR5, from Nicotiana tabacum. GFP fusion and subcellular fractionation studies revealed that ABCG5/PDR5 is localized to the plasma membrane. Staining of transgenic plants expressing the GUS reporter gene under the control of the ABCG5/PDR5 transcription promoter and immunoblotting of wild‐type plants showed that, under standard growth conditions, ABCG5/PDR5 is highly expressed in roots, stems and flowers, but is only expressed at marginal levels in leaves. Interestingly, ABCG5/PDR5 expression is induced in leaves by methyl jasmonate, wounding, pathogen infiltration, or herbivory by Manduca sexta. To address the physiological role of ABCG5/PDR5, N. tabacum plants silenced for the expression of ABCG5/PDR5 were obtained. No phenotypic modification was observed under standard conditions. However, a small increase in susceptibility to the fungus Fusarium oxysporum was observed. A stronger effect was observed in relation to herbivory: silenced plants allowed better growth and faster development of M. sexta larvae than wild‐type plants, indicating an involvement of this PDR transporter in resistance to M. sexta herbivory.
Costs, effects and cost‐effectiveness of breast cancer control in Ghana
Authors: Zelle Sten G. , Nyarko Kofi M. , Bosu William K. , Aikins Moses , Niëns Laurens M. , Lauer Jeremy A. , Sepulveda Cecilia R. , Hontelez Jan A. C. , Baltussen Rob
Published: July 2012

Objective  Breast cancer control in Ghana is characterised by low awareness, late‐stage treatment and poor survival. In settings with severely constrained health resources, there is a need to spend money wisely. To achieve this and to guide policy makers in their selection of interventions, this study systematically compares costs and effects of breast cancer control interventions in Ghana.

Methods  We used a mathematical model to estimate costs and health effects of breast cancer interventions in Ghana from the healthcare perspective. Analyses were based on the WHO‐CHOICE method, with health effects expressed in disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs), costs in 2009 US dollars (US$) and cost‐effectiveness ratios (CERs) in US$ per DALY averted. Analyses were based on local demographic, epidemiological and economic data, to the extent these data were available.

Results  Biennial screening by clinical breast examination (CBE) of women aged 40–69 years, in combination with treatment of all stages, seems the most cost‐effective intervention (costing $1299 per DALY averted). The intervention is also economically attractive according to international standards on cost‐effectiveness. Mass media awareness raising (MAR) is the second best option (costing $1364 per DALY averted). Mammography screening of women of aged 40–69 years (costing $12 908 per DALY averted) cannot be considered cost‐effective.

Conclusions  Both CBE screening and MAR seem economically attractive interventions. Given the uncertainty about the effectiveness of these interventions, only their phased introduction, carefully monitored and evaluated, is warranted. Moreover, their implementation is only meaningful if the capacity of basic cancer diagnostic, referral and treatment and possibly palliative services is simultaneously improved.
Diversity of patient preparation activities before initiation of antiretroviral therapy in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Myer Landon , Zulliger Rose , Pienaar David
Published: July 2012

Objective  To investigate patient education and counseling activities prior to the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) at public sector services across Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods  Key informant interviews and programme reviews were conducted with government bodies and non‐governmental organisations involved in patient preparation activities.

Results  All 11 organisations in Cape Town involved in training and managing personnel to prepare patients for ART during 2010 participated. Each organisation reported a different approach to patient preparation within public sector clinics and in each aspect of patient preparation activities. The number of patient education sessions ranged from 3 to 7, and the delays to ART initiation introduced by patient preparation ranged from 3 to 6 weeks. Different patient education materials (pamphlets, posters and flipcharts) were used by various programmes, and all programmes reported that shortages in materials meant that patient preparation often took place without any educational materials. Each programme also reported attention to mental illness and alcohol/substance use disorders, but none employed formal screening tools consistently, and the handling of patients with potential mental health‐ or substance‐related problems varied.

Conclusion  Approaches to prepare patients before ART initiation are wide ranging in one part of South Africa. Their relative value requires investigation, as there is little evidence for the impact of varying approaches. Moreover, the risks associated with delayed ART initiation may outweigh any benefits of patient education before the start of treatment.
Effect of intervention on decision making of treatment for disease progression, prostate‐specific antigen biochemical failure and prostate cancer death
Authors: Huang Rex C.‐C. , Auvinen Anssi , Hakama Matti , Tammela Teuvo L. J. , Ala‐Opas Martti , Leppilahti Mikael , Vornanen Timo , Chen Hsiu‐Hsi
Published: July 2012

Background

Patient preference for the choice of treatment modality for prostate cancer has increasingly gained attention.

Objective

To assess the impact of client‐oriented decision on long‐term mortality, disease progression and biochemical failure compared with standard treatment protocol (TP).

Methods

With data from a Finnish multicentre, randomized controlled trial with two arms [104 in the enhanced patient participation (EPP) arm and 106 in the TP arm], disease‐specific and disease‐free survival, biochemical failure with elevated prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level and disease progression were compared between the two arms using Wilcoxon test and also Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Results

Patients in the EPP arm had a higher risk of death by 37% [HR, 1.37 (0.87–2.17)] compared with those in the TP arm. Patients in the EPP arm were at increased risk of having biochemical failure by 14% [HR, 1.14 (0.72–1.79)] and for having disease progression by 2% [HR, 1.02 (0.61–1.70)] compared with those in the TP arm. All the differences were non‐significant.

Conclusions

Patients actively involved in the choice of treatment had higher risk of prostate cancer death but only slightly increased risk of biochemical failure and clinical disease progression. These findings would provide a good reference when patient autonomy for the choice of treatment modality is addressed.
Devastating outflow obstruction after pediatric split liver transplantation
Authors: Sakamoto Seisuke , Nakazawa Atsuko , Shigeta Takanobu , Uchida Hajime , Kanazawa Hiroyuki , Fukuda Akinari , Karaki Ciaki , Nosaka Shunsuke , Kasahara Mureo
Published: July 2012

Sakamoto S, Nakazawa A, Shigeta T, Uchida H, Kanazawa H, Fukuda A, Karaki C, Nosaka S, Kasahara M. Devastating outflow obstruction after pediatric split liver transplantation.

Abstract:  HVOO is a rare complication after pediatric LT, which may lead to graft failure. There are various causes of HVOO, such as mechanical anastomotic obstruction and SOS. A 10‐month‐old female underwent split LT from a deceased donor for ALF. Her postoperative course was uneventful. However, her liver function suddenly deteriorated a month later. A liver biopsy revealed centrilobular injury, and D‐US suggested outflow obstruction. Venography was performed to reveal hepatic venous narrowing inside the graft. She received another graft from a living donor because of progressive graft failure in spite of successful venoplasty with stent insertion. The macroscopic findings of the explanted graft did not show an anastomotic stricture of the hepatic vein, although the pathological findings revealed necrosis of the first graft due to SOS. SOS might cause severe consequences with concomitant mechanical outflow obstruction after pediatric LT.
Successful bone marrow transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning in a patient with delayed‐onset adenosine deaminase deficiency
Authors: Kanegane Hirokazu , Taneichi Hiromichi , Nomura Keiko , Wada Taizo , Yachie Akihiro , Imai Kohsuke , Ariga Tadashi , Santisteban Ines , Hershfield Michael S. , Miyawaki Toshio
Published: July 2012

Kanegane H, Taneichi H, Nomura K, Wada T, Yachie A, Imai K, Ariga T, Santisteban I, Hershfield MS, Miyawaki T. Successful bone marrow transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning in a patient with delayed‐onset adenosine deaminase deficiency.

Abstract:  In this case report, we describe successful BMT with RIC in a patient with delayed‐onset ADA deficiency. A three‐yr‐old Japanese boy was diagnosed with delayed‐onset ADA deficiency because of recurrent bronchitis, bronchiectasia, and lymphopenia. In addition, autoimmune thyroiditis and neutropenia were present. At four yr of age, he underwent BMT with a RIC regimen, including busulfan and fludarabine, from an HLA‐identical healthy sister. Engraftment after BMT was uneventful without GVHD. Decreased ADA levels in blood immediately increased following BMT, and the patient was disease‐free 13 months after BMT. These results suggest that BMT with RIC may sufficiently restore immune regulation in delayed‐onset ADA deficiency. A longer follow‐up period is needed to confirm these observations.
Lipopolysaccharide decreases aquaporin 5, but not aquaporin 3 or aquaporin 4, expression in human primary bronchial epithelial cells
Authors: SHEN YAO , WANG XUN , WANG YUEHONG , WANG XIANGDONG , CHEN ZHIHONG , JIN MEILING , BAI CHUNXUE
Published: July 2012

Background and objective:  The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in expression of aquaporins (AQP) during differentiation of human bronchial epithelial cells and the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in AQP expression.

Methods:  The levels of AQP3, AQP4 and AQP5 transcripts in human primary cultured bronchial epithelial cells were evaluated by real‐time polymerase chain reaction at different time points before and after treatment with LPS. Western blotting was performed to assess the effects of LPS on AQP3, AQP4 and AQP5 expressions in normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Using pharmacological tools, the pathways involved in the regulation of LPS‐induced changes in AQP5 were further explored.

Results:  The levels of AQP3, AQP4 and AQP5 transcripts were increased during differentiation of human bronchial epithelial cells. Expression of AQP5, but not AQP3 or AQP4, was downregulated by LPS. LPS‐induced downregulation of AQP5 was inhibited by p38 and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors.

Conclusions:  This study demonstrated that LPS decreases AQP5, but not AQP3 or AQP4, expression in human primary bronchial epithelial cells. The downregulation of AQP5 expression is mediated through a p38/JNK signalling pathway.
Career in mental health still an unlikely career choice for nursing graduates: A replicated longitudinal study
Authors: Stevens John , Browne Graeme , Graham Iain
Published: July 2012

The lack of qualified mental health nurses is at critical level with the problem likely to worsen as the aging mental health nursing workforce retires. This study investigates the career preferences of undergraduate nursing students by comparing preferences at the start, middle, and end of the Bachelor of Nursing program. The comparison of the cohorts gave an indication of the change in preferences over the intervening years. It replicates research completed in 1992, 1997, and 2001, and develops a profile of nursing career preferences and the rationale underpinning those preferences in a cohort of students (n = 150) who began their Bachelor of Nursing studies in 2007 and completed in 2009. The main findings included that, like the previous studies, mental health nursing is one of the least desirable career choices for most nurses at the start of their course and remains so as they approach graduation. The reasons change but the outcome remains the same. The current system of using the Bachelor of Nursing award to produce mental health nurses in Australia does not encourage nurses to consider a career in mental health nursing. Which begs the question: where will mental health nurses in the future come from?
The dynamic evolution of focal‐onset epilepsies – combining theoretical and clinical observations
Authors: Blenkinsop Alex , Valentin Antonio , Richardson Mark P. , Terry John R.
Published: July 2012

Focal‐onset seizures have traditionally been conceptualised as having a highly circumscribed onset in an ‘abnormal’ brain region, with evolution of the seizure requiring recruitment of adjacent or connected ‘normal’ brain regions. Complementing this concept of the spatial evolution of seizures, the purpose of our present paper is to explore the evidence for the dynamic evolution of focal epilepsy using bifurcation analysis of a neural mass model, and subsequently relating these bifurcations to specific features of clinical data recordings in the time domain. Our study was motivated by recent research in idiopathic generalised epilepsies which has suggested that the temporal evolution of seizures may arise out of gradual changes in underlying physiological mechanisms. We found that spikes in the considered model arose out of so‐called ‘false’ bifurcations, a finding consistent with other neural models with two timescales of inhibitory processes. We compared these results with previous studies of the model before extending them to characterise other more complex model behaviours. We then explored the relationship between model dynamics and clinical recordings from patients with focal epilepsies. Here we used an algorithm to subdivide each recording into time windows for which the data is approximately stationary. We then used our bifurcation findings to map out the evolution of seizures based on features of the clinical data from each of the epochs identified by our algorithm. We finally explored the similarity of the seizure evolution within patients, using random surrogates to test for statistical significance.
Basal ganglia activity patterns in parkinsonism and computational modeling of their downstream effects
Authors: Rubin Jonathan E. , McIntyre Cameron C. , Turner Robert S. , Wichmann Thomas
Published: July 2012

The availability of suitable animal models and the opportunity to record electrophysiologic data in movement disorder patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures has allowed researchers to investigate parkinsonism‐related changes in neuronal firing patterns in the basal ganglia and associated areas of the thalamus and cortex. These studies have shown that parkinsonism is associated with increased activity in the basal ganglia output nuclei, along with increases in burst discharges, oscillatory firing and synchronous firing patterns throughout the basal ganglia. Computational approaches have the potential to play an important role in the interpretation of these data. Such efforts can provide a formalized view of neuronal interactions in the network of connections between the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cortex, allow for the exploration of possible contributions of particular network components to parkinsonism, and potentially result in new conceptual frameworks and hypotheses that can be subjected to biological testing. It has proven very difficult, however, to integrate the wealth of the experimental findings into coherent models of the disease. In this review, we provide an overview of the abnormalities in neuronal activity that have been associated with parkinsonism. Subsequently, we discuss some particular efforts to model the pathophysiologic mechanisms that may link abnormal basal ganglia activity to the cardinal parkinsonian motor signs and may help to explain the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. We emphasize the logical structure of these computational studies, making clear the assumptions from which they proceed and the consequences and predictions that follow from these assumptions.
Synapsin‐dependent reserveo pool of synaptic vesicles supports replenishment of the readily releasable pool under intense synaptic transmission
Authors: Vasileva Mariya , Horstmann Heinz , Geumann Constanze , Gitler Daniel , Kuner Thomas
Published: July 2012

Synapsins are abundant synaptic vesicle (SV)‐associated proteins thought to mediate synaptic vesicle mobility and clustering at most synapses. We used synapsin triple knock‐out (TKO) mice to examine the morphological and functional consequences of deleting all synapsin isoforms at the calyx of Held, a giant glutamatergic synapse located in the auditory brain stem. Quantitative three‐dimensional (3D) immunohistochemistry of entire calyces showed lower amounts of the synaptic vesicle protein vGluT1 while the level of the active zone marker bassoon was unchanged in TKO terminals. Examination of brain lysates by ELISA revealed a strong reduction in abundance of several synaptic vesicle proteins, while proteins of the active zone cytomatrix or postsynaptic density were unaffected. Serial section scanning electron microscopy of large 3D‐reconstructed segments confirmed a decrease in the number of SVs to approximately 50% in TKO calyces. Short‐term depression tested at stimulus frequencies ranging from 10 to 300 Hz was accelerated only at frequencies above 100 Hz and the time course of recovery from depression was slowed in calyces lacking synapsins. These results reveal that in wild‐type synapses, the synapsin‐dependent reserve pool contributes to the replenishment of the readily releasable pool (RRP), although accounting only for a small fraction of the SVs that enter the RRP. In conclusion, our results suggest that synapsins may be required for normal synaptic vesicle biogenesis, trafficking and immobilization of synaptic vesicles, yet they are not essential for sustained high‐frequency synaptic transmission at the calyx terminal.
How does physical activity and fitness influence glycaemic control in young people with Type 1 diabetes?
Authors: Cuenca‐García M. , Jago R. , Shield J. P. H. , Burren C. P.
Published: July 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, e369–e376 (2012)

Aims  To assess physical activity and fitness levels of young people with Type 1 diabetes compared with siblings without diabetes, and to investigate the association between physical activity, physical fitness and glycaemic control (HbA1c) in those young people with diabetes.

Methods  The study consisted of 97 young people aged 8 to 16 years (62% male) from a Paediatric Diabetes Service in South West England. Sixty participants (67% male) had Type 1 diabetes and 37 participants (54% male) were siblings without diabetes (control group). We measured weight, height and waist circumference, calculated BMI and waist–height ratio and recorded pubertal status, blood pressure and current insulin regimen information. We assessed physical activity by accelerometry, from which we calculated light and moderate‐to‐vigorous intensity activity. We measured physical fitness by multistage sub‐maximal bicycle ergometer test. We obtained HbA1c by venipuncture.

Results  There were no differences between the young people with diabetes and siblings without diabetes in body composition, blood pressure, physical activity and fitness. Moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity was associated with better glycaemic control, accounting for 30–37% (R2 = 0.295–0.374) of the variance for HbA1c. Physical fitness was not associated with HbA1c.

Conclusions  Moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity was associated with better glycaemic control while fitness was not. Findings suggest that developing strategies to increased moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity may prove an effective method of improving glycaemic control in young people with diabetes.
Climate Leviathan
Authors: Wainwright Joel , Mann Geoff
Published: July 2012

Abstract:  While there is much justifiable attention to the ecological implications of global climate change, the political implications are just as important for human well‐being and social justice. We posit a basic framework by which to understand the range of political possibilities, in light of the response of global elites to climate warming and the challenges it poses to hegemonic institutional and conceptual modes of governance and accumulation. The framework also suggests some possible means through which these responses might be thwarted, and political stakes in that construction of a new hegemony—which, to avoid suggesting we know or can yet determine the form it will take, we call “climate X”.
History of theBritish Industrial Relations Field Reconsidered: Getting from theWebbs to the New Employment Relations Paradigm
Authors: Kaufman Bruce E.
Published: July 2012

Sidney andBeatriceWebb are commonly cited as the founders of theBritish field of industrial relations. Are they, however, if the field is centred not on study of unions and collective bargaining but rather on the entire employment relationship? A ‘qualified yes’ answer is given; however, getting there involves major revision to the conventional historiography of the field. To illustrate, the article presents a traditional and revised family tree of British industrial relations. Numerous insights and implications follow.
Air Transport Association of America v. Energy Secretary: Clarifying Direct Effect and Providing Guidance for Future Instrument Design for a Green Economy in the European Union
Authors: Gehring Markus W.
Published: July 2012

In a preliminary ruling on Air Transport Association of America v. Energy Secretary, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a groundbreaking decision. The case is concerned with the legality of the inclusion of the aviation sector in the EU emission trading scheme (ETS). As such, it poses many interesting legal questions from the points of view of EU external relations and EU environmental law, but ultimately what the case represents is a resounding victory for the EU and its Member States in confirming the legality of the inclusion of aviation in the EU ETS.
Outward Migration and Inward FDI: Factor Mobility between Eastern and Western Europe
Authors: De Simone Gianfranco , Manchin Miriam
Published: July 2012

A growing strand of literature highlights that migration may favor growth‐enhancing technology transfer, trade, and foreign direct investments between the source and the host economies of migrants (network effects). A specific channel is explored through which the possible “diaspora externality” associated with the emigration of workers may occur: the removal of informational, cultural, and reputational barriers that could prevent firms of high‐income countries from investing in the low‐income immigrants' economies of origin. By means of a straightforward gravity specification, a fragmentation and multinational production model is taken to the data. The focus is on the mobility of capital and workers between the advanced European Union countries (EU15) and New Member States (NMS) in the 1995–2007 period. The evidence points to a significant correlation between the volume of EU15's activities in NMS and the total stock of NMS's own‐migrants in the EU15 economies.
Criminal dons and extralegal security privatization in downtown Kingston, Jamaica
Authors: Jaffe Rivke
Published: July 2012

In cities across the world, neoliberal retrenchment, shrinking public expenditure and an emphasis on private‐public partnerships have resulted in the privatization of many services formerly provided by the state. The privatization of security has been one of the most significant shifts in this regard, with citizens becoming responsibilized for safeguarding their own physical integrity and material belongings. This transfer of state responsibility has had an important effect on the spatial organization of cities, as formerly public spaces become both privatized and militarized. Drawing on research in Kingston, Jamaica, this paper describes how new actors from criminal organizations to security companies move to fill these physical and social spaces. Arguing for an increased focus on spatial retreat from below, it highlights the extent to which an extralegal transformation of urban security and services takes place in marginalized areas, parallel to the better studied privatization of security services in affluent areas.
Exports From a Remote Developed Region: Analysed by an Inverse Hyperbolic Sine Transformation of the Gravity Model
Authors: Kristjánsdóttir Helga
Published: July 2012

Picture a small open economy, alone in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and highly dependent on trade with NAFTA and the EU. How important are these trading blocs to the country’s exports? How significant is the country’s isolation and small size, and how do these affect the export sectors? Typically, the export volume is significantly impacted by the economic size of the exporting country, but in this case it is not. This suggests that the exports from small remote economies are driven by different factors than exports from large economies. The data are analysed using a unique transformation of the gravity model by an inverse hyperbolic sine function, allowing for accountancy of scattered exports.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN A HARRODIAN ECONOMY: WITH EVIDENCE FROM CHINA
Authors: Gang Gong
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we construct a macrodynamic model that expresses the growth and development process in a less developed economy. The model introduces price, wage and government policy into an otherwise Harrodian economy. We find that these components can be regarded as stabilization mechanisms to overcome the destabilization mechanism in the original Harrod model and therefore the instability puzzles can be resolved. Using the evidence from China, we will show that the model can explore some important phenomenon with regard to growth and development in a less developed economy.
Bank Acquisitions and Decentralization Choices
Authors: Beretta Enrico , Prete Silvia Del
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we investigate whether the banks’ involvement in acquisitions is correlated with the distribution of decision‐making powers across hierarchical levels and loan officers’ turnover. To this end, we use survey data on the organization of small business lending, collected at the end of 2006 on a sample of about 300 Italian banks, combined with balance sheet data drawn from the Bank of Italy's Supervisory Reports. Focusing on acquisition effects and controlling for size, performance and organizational characteristics, we find evidence of higher decision‐making powers in granting credit to SMEs for the main hierarchical layers of acquired banks. In particular, the powers of both the branch loan officer and the Chief Executive Officer are larger for target banks recently involved in a deal. Entering a group moves power delegated to both ends of the hierarchy within the target bank towards the higher levels shown by the bidder, to merge different cultures and credit policies. This effect appears immediately after the deal; it is persistent after a three‐year period and it is stronger if the geographical reach of the target bank is well known by the bidder. However, higher decisional lending power within the target bank is balanced by increasing branch managers’ turnover consistently with the rising monitoring costs due to growing organizations’ higher risk of losing control over decisions.
Contingent Capital: An In‐Depth Discussion*
Authors: Maes Stan , Schoutens Wim
Published: July 2012

Regulators have embraced the idea of pre‐arranging bank recapitalizations through (funded or unfunded) contingent capital issuance. Contingent capital is intended to be triggered when a bank is headed toward failure to provide an automatic equity injection that keeps the bank out of distress. This note discusses counterparty risk, effectiveness, moral hazard, contagion and systemic risk, as well as death‐spiral issues arising from the hedging strategies of the investors. We pay attention to important design issues with respect to the trigger and conversion ratio and comment on their pricing from an equity and credit derivative perspective.
The ‘Farmerian’ Approach to Ending a Finance‐Induced Recession: Notes on Stability and Dynamics
Authors: GUERRAZZI MARCO
Published: July 2012

In this paper, I explore the out‐of‐equilibrium dynamics of Farmer's ME‐NA model. Maintaining the assumption that all the variables continuously have the same time reference, I build a model that describes the adjustments of the value of output and the interest rate under the hypothesis that public debt and the stock market value are given. Within this framework, I show that the economy has a unique stationary solution whose dynamics are stable. Moreover, simulating the model under its baseline calibration, I show that adjustments towards the steady‐state occur through convergent oscillations while the most promising way out from a finance‐induced recession is a policy mix that combines a mild fiscal expansion with interventions aimed at altering the trade‐off between holding risky and safe assets.
Clinical predictors for the aetiology of peripheral lymphadenopathy in HIV‐infected adults
Authors: Bogoch II , Andrews JR , Nagami EH , Rivera AM , Gandhi RT , Stone D
Published: July 2012

Objectives

The aim of the study was to determine the aetiology and clinical predictors of peripheral lymphadenopathy in HIV‐infected individuals during the antiretroviral (ARV) era in a nontuberculosis endemic setting.

Methods

A multicentred, retrospective cohort study of peripheral lymph node biopsies in HIV‐positive adults was carried out. A total of 107 charts were identified and reviewed for clinical features, lymphadenopathy size, and ARV use and duration. Biopsy results were categorized, and multivariate logistic regression determined independent predictors of lymphadenopathy aetiology.

Results

Evaluation of 107 peripheral lymph node biopsies revealed that 42.9% of peripheral lymphadenopathy was attributable to malignancy, 49.5% to reactive changes, and 7.5% to infections, with only 2.8% of all cases secondary to tuberculosis. Fevers, weight loss, ARV use, and lower viral loads are significantly associated with nonreactive lymphadenopathy.

Conclusions

Lymphadenopathy is likely to be reactive or malignant in nontuberculosis endemic regions. Readily available clinical features can aid clinicians in predicting the underlying aetiology, those at risk for malignancy, and who to biopsy.
Assessing wolves and cougars as conservation surrogates
Authors: Kunkel K. E. , Atwood T. C. , Ruth T. K. , Pletscher D. H. , Hornocker M. G.
Published: July 2012

Large carnivores have been posited as potential conservation surrogates to inform the design and prioritization of conservation planning. We show that wolves Canis lupus and cougars Puma concolor may have potential to serve as a surrogate suite for conserving landscape heterogeneity, hypothesized to be a determinant of biodiversity in some landscapes. We examined habitat and landscape features associated with the spatial distribution of wolf‐ and cougar‐killed prey in the basin of the North Fork of the Flathead River in Montana. The spatial distribution of wolf‐killed prey was driven largely by cover type, whereas physiographic characteristics were the primary driver of the distribution of cougar‐killed prey. Spatial templates, generated using >0.66 probability quantiles from spatially explicit models of kill site distribution, estimated over three times as much high‐quality habitat for wolves (1005 km2) than for cougars (381 km2). While there were only minor differences in the proportional representation of land cover types between the wolf and cougar templates, 40% of the cougar template fell outside the wolf template, and the former contained over three times more rugged terrain than the latter. The use of a combined wolf–cougar spatial template resulted in a 15% increase in total area and 91% increase in the amount of rugged terrain identified. Based on our models, the advantage of using both wolves and cougars as a focal suite in north‐west Montana is the ability to identify a greater area of high‐quality habitat, and capture landscape heterogeneity that may be important to conserving biodiversity.
The distribution of HCN2‐positive cells in the gastrointestinal tract of mice
Authors: Yang Shu , Xiong Cheng‐jie , Sun Hai‐mei , Li Xiao‐shuang , Zhang Guo‐quan , Wu Bo , Zhou De‐shan
Published: July 2012

HCN2 channels are involved in the spontaneous rhythmic activities of some CNS neurons and act by generating If current. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is known to be capable of spontaneous rhythmic activity; however, the possible role of HCN2 channels in this organ has not yet been elucidated. This study investigated the distribution of HCN2‐positive cells in the mouse GI tract using immunohistochemistry. To identify the nature of these HCN2 cells, anti‐ChAT and anti‐Kit antibodies were used to co‐label neurons and the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), respectively. Additionally, differences in the distribution of HCN2‐positive cells within the GI tract were also analyzed. Our results showed that HCN2 channels were mainly located within the myenteric neurons of the enteric nervous system in the GI tract. Double‐staining revealed that HCN2‐positive neurons were labeled by ChAT, indicating that these HCN2‐positive cells are also cholinergic neurons. Although the HCN2‐positive cells were not stained by the anti‐Kit antibody, their processes were in close proximity to ICCs around the myenteric plexus region. Moreover, several differences in the distribution of HCN2 in the stomach, small intestine and colon were partly consistent with the regional differences in the spontaneous rhythmic activities of these organs. Basing on the role HCN2, we suggested that HCN2 channels facilitate the release of Ach from cholinergic neurons to affect the GI peristalsis by acting on M receptors on the ICCs. However, the HCN2 channels are not directly involved in spontaneous slow‐wave initiation by ICCs.
Tumour‐free distance from serosa is a better prognostic indicator than depth of invasion and percentage myometrial invasion in endometrioid endometrial cancer
Authors: Chattopadhyay S , Galaal KA , Patel A , Fisher A , Nayar A , Cross P , Naik R
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: Chattopadhyay S, Galaal K, Patel A, Fisher A, Nayar A, Cross P, Naik R. Tumour‐free distance from serosa is a better prognostic indicator than depth of invasion and percentage myometrial invasion in endometrioid endometrial cancer. BJOG 2012;119:1162–1170.

Objective  To evaluate the prognostic performance of tumour‐free distance (TFD) compared with depth of invasion (DOI) and percentage of myometrial invasion (MI).

Design  Retrospective cohort study.

Setting  Regional gynaecological oncology centre.

Population  All women identified with stage I–III endometrioid endometrial carcinoma from January 2000 to December 2007, who had surgery at the Northern Gynaecological Oncology Centre (NGOC).

Methods  Surgicopathological, follow‐up and survival data were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed comparing TFD, DOI and MI with known prognostic factors. The prognostic accuracy of TFD was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, and an optimum cut‐off was proposed.

Main outcome measures  Death from disease, recurrence and pelvic lymph node involvement.

Results  A total of 288 women were identified. The median follow‐up time was 67 months, with 40 recurrences and 32 disease‐related deaths. When TFD, DOI and MI were separately examined in multivariate analyses with other covariates, TFD was an independent predictor of death from disease (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.00–1.48; P = 0.05). In multivariate analyses including all three measures together (TFD, DOI and MI), TFD was an independent predictor of death from disease (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.03–2.16; P = 0.04) and recurrence (HR 1.39; 95% CI 1.01–1.91; P = 0.05). TFD was also an independent predictor of lymph node involvement when examined separately (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.56–0.96; P = 0.03), and together with DOI and MI (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.49–0.92; P = 0.01), in women who had pelvic lymphadenectomy (n = 86). A TFD cut‐off of 1.75 mm showed good prognostic performance.

Conclusions  The TFD measure may be a more accurate method of representing myometrial invasion in the staging for endometrial cancer.
Adverse obstetrical outcomes after treatment of precancerous cervical lesions: a Belgian multicentre study
Authors: Simoens C , Goffin F , Simon P , Barlow P , Antoine J , Foidart J‐M , Arbyn M
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: Simoens C, Goffin F, Simon P, Barlow P, Antoine J, Foidart J, Arbyn M. Adverse obstetrical outcomes after treatment of precancerous cervical lesions: a Belgian multicentre study. BJOG 2012;119:1247–1255.

Objective  To assess the impact of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treatment on the risk of (spontaneous) preterm delivery (PD) and small for gestational age (SGA) at birth.

Design  A multicentre cohort study.

Setting  Maternity wards of four academic hospitals in Belgium.

Population  Ninety‐seven exposed pregnant women (with a CIN treatment history) and 194 nonexposed pregnant women (without a history of CIN treatment).

Methods  A questionnaire and check of obstetrical files included socio‐demographic characteristics, risk factors for PD, obstetrical history for all women and characteristics of the CIN treatment for exposed women. Pregnancy outcomes were recorded after delivery. The influence of previous treatment of CIN on pregnancy outcomes, adjusted for confounding variables, was assessed by Cox regression and lifetables (for the outcome gestational age at birth) and by logistic regression (for the outcomes PD and SGA at birth).

Main outcome measures  Occurrence of PD and SGA at birth.

Results  Seventy‐nine per cent of the women in the database were multiparous; 16.3% of women with a previous excisional treatment spontaneously delivered preterm, compared with 8.1% of unexposed women [odds ratio (OR), 2.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97–4.99]. When adjusting for confounding factors (ethnicity, HIV status, education, age, smoking and parity), the OR for PD was 2.33 (95% CI, 0.99–5.49). Excisional treatment did not have an impact on SGA at birth (OR, 0.94; 95% CI,0.41–2.15). The depth of the cone was >10 mm in 63.5% of the documented cases. Large cones, more than 10 mm deep, were associated with a significantly increased risk of PD (adjusted OR, 4.55; 95% CI, 1.32–15.65) compared with untreated women, whereas smaller cones (≤10 mm) were not significantly associated with PD (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 0.28–27.59). The associations seen for PD with respect to the cone size did not hold for SGA at birth.

Conclusions  There was an increased risk of (spontaneous) PD after excision of CIN, in particular when the cone depth exceeded 10 mm.