bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reports of evidence planting by police among a community-based sample of injection drug users in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Fairbairn Nadia , Kaplan Karyn , Hayashi Kanna , Suwannawong Paisan , Lai Calvin , Wood Evan , Kerr Thomas 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
Drug policy in Thailand has relied heavily on law enforcement-based approaches. Qualitative reports indicate that police in Thailand have resorted to planting drugs on suspected drug users to extort money or provide grounds for arrest. The present study sought to describe the prevalence and factors associated with this form of evidence planting by police among injection drug users (IDU) in Bangkok.

Methods
Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with evidence planting of drugs by police among a community-based sample of IDU in Bangkok. We also examined the prevalence and average amount of money paid by IDU to police in order to avoid arrest.

Results
252 IDU were recruited between July and August, 2008, among whom 66 (26.2%) were female and the median age was 36.5 years. In total, 122 (48.4%) participants reported having drugs planted on them by police. In multivariate analyses, this form of evidence planting was positively associated with midazolam use (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.84; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.58 - 5.11), recent non-fatal overdose (AOR = 2.56; 95%CI: 1.40 - 4.66), syringe lending (AOR = 2.08; 95%CI: 1.19 - 3.66), and forced drug treatment (AOR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.05 - 3.36). Among those who reported having drugs planted on them, 59 (48.3%) paid police a bribe in order to avoid arrest.

Conclusion
A high proportion of community-recruited IDU participating in this study reported having drugs planted on them by police. Drug planting was found to be associated with numerous risk factors including syringe sharing and participation in government-run drug treatment programs. Immediate action should be taken to address this form of abuse of power reportedly used by police.
Detection of HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in feces and urine from chronic HIV-1 infected subjects with and without anti-retroviral therapy
Authors: Chakrabarti Ayan K , Caruso Lori , Ding Ming , Shen Chengli , Buchanan William , Gupta Phalguni , Rinaldo Charles R , Chen Yue 
Published: October 2009

AbstractHIV-1 infects gut associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) very early after transmission by multiple routes. The infected GALT consequently serves as the major reservoir for HIV-1 infection and could constantly shed HIV-1 and CD4+T cells into the intestinal lumen. To examine this hypothesis, we monitored HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in fecal samples of chronically infected subjects with and without antiretroviral therapy (ART). We compared this to levels of HIV-1 RNA/DNA in urine and blood from the same subjects. Our results show that HIV-1 DNA, RNA and CD4 mRNA were detected in 8%, 19% and 31% respectively, of feces samples from infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load, and were not detected in any of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. In urine samples, HIV-1 DNA was detected in 24% of infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load and 23% of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope sequences of HIV-1 revealed distinct virus populations in concurrently collected serum, feces and urine samples from one subject. In addition, our study demonstrated for the first time the presence of CD4 mRNA in fecal specimens of HIV-1 infected subjects, which could be used to assess GALT pathogenesis in HIV-1 infection.
Gait quality is improved by locomotor training in individuals with SCI regardless of training approach
Authors: Nooijen Carla FJ , ter Hoeve Nienke , Field-Fote Edelle C 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBackgroundWhile various body weight supported locomotor training (BWSLT) approaches are reported in the literature for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), none have evaluated outcomes in terms of gait quality. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in measures of gait quality associated with four different BWSLT approaches in individuals with chronic motor-incomplete SCI, and to identify how gait parameters differed from those of non-disabled (ND) individuals.MethodsData were analyzed from 51 subjects with SCI who had been randomized into one of four BWSLT groups: treadmill with manual assistance (TM), treadmill with electrical stimulation (TS), overground with electrical stimulation (OG), treadmill with locomotor robot (LR). Subjects with SCI performed a 10-meter kinematic walk test before and after 12 weeks of training. Ten ND subjects performed the test under three conditions: walking at preferred speed, at speed comparable to subjects with SCI, and with a walker at comparable speed. Six kinematic gait quality parameters were calculated including: cadence, step length, stride length, symmetry index, intralimb coordination, and timing of knee extension.ResultsIn subjects with SCI, all training approaches were associated with improvements in gait quality. After training, subjects with SCI walked at higher cadence and had longer step and stride lengths. No significant differences were found among training groups, however there was an interaction effect indicating that step and stride length improved least in the LR group. Compared to when walking at preferred speed, gait quality of ND subjects was significantly different when walking at speeds comparable to those of the subjects with SCI (both with and without a walker). Post training, gait quality measures of subjects with SCI were more similar to those of ND subjects.ConclusionBWSLT leads to improvements in gait quality (values closer to ND subjects) regardless of training approach. We hypothesize that the smaller changes in the LR group were due to the passive settings used for the robotic device. Compared to walking at preferred speed, gait quality values of ND individuals walking at a slower speed and while using a walker were more similar to those of individuals with SCI.
Management of a massive thoracoabdominal impalement: a case report
Authors: Sawhney Chhavi , D'souza Nita , Mishra Biplab , Gupta Babita , Das Subir 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
A 26 year old male was impaled through his chest and upper abdomen with an iron angle, one and half meter long and five centimeters thick. The iron angle entered the chest, through the epigastrium and exited posteriorly just inferior to the angle of left scapula. The patient was transported to hospital with the iron angle in situ. Positioning the patient for intubation proved a major challenge. An unconventional position for intubation allowed a successful airway management. Paucity of time prevented us from gauging the nature and extent of injury. The challenges posed by massive impalement could be successfully managed due to rapid pre-hospital transfer and co-ordinated team effort.
HIV/AIDS‐Related Knowledge Among Malaysian Young Adults: Findings From a Nationwide Survey
Authors: Wong Li‐Ping , Chin Caroline‐Kwong Leng , Low Wah‐Yun , Jaafar Nasruddin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeHIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to young people, both in Malaysia and throughout the world. A nationwide cross‐sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS among the Malaysian public. This article reports the findings of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among young adults.MethodsA total of 1075 young adult respondents aged 15–24 years participated in this survey. The response rate was 82.2%.ResultsThe data indicated that HIV/AIDS knowledge among the respondents was moderate, with a mean knowledge score of 20.1 out of 32 points. The great majority had adequate knowledge of the major routes of HIV transmission, but fewer were aware of other modes of transmission, such as tattooing and piercing, sharing personal items, and breast‐feeding from an infected mother. The great majority knew that HIV is not transmitted by mosquito bites, sharing meals, casual contact, and using public swimming pools and toilets.ConclusionMisconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist although generally knowledge on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention was accurate. Education and intervention programs are needed to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS. The findings have important implications for the development of primary HIV/AIDS prevention programs for young adults in Malaysia.
Phase I dose escalation pharmacokinetic assessment of intravenous humanized anti-MUC1 antibody AS1402 in patients with advanced breast cancer
Authors: Pegram Mark D , Borges Virginia F , Ibrahim Nuhad , Fuloria Jyotsna , Shapiro Charles , Perez Susan , Wang Karen , Schaedli Stark Franziska , Courtenay Luck Nigel 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Introduction
MUC1 is a cell-surface glycoprotein that establishes a molecular barrier at the epithelial surface and engages in morphogenetic signal transduction. Alterations in MUC1 glycosylation accompany the development of cancer and influence cellular growth, differentiation, transformation, adhesion, invasion, and immune surveillance. A 20-amino-acid tandem repeat that forms the core protein of MUC1 is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in the majority of epithelial tumors. AS1402 (formerly R1550) is a humanized IgG1k monoclonal antibody that binds to PDTR sequences within this tandem repeat that are not exposed in normal cells. AS1402 is a potent inducer of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), specifically against MUC1-expressing tumor cells. The objective of this study was to determine the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of AS1402 monotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic MUC1-positive breast cancer that had progressed after anthracyclines- and taxane-based therapy.

Methods
Patients received AS1402 over a 1- to 3-hour intravenous (i.v.) infusion at doses between 1 and 16 mg/kg, with repeated dosing every 1 to 3 weeks (based on patient-individualized PK assessment) until disease progression. Serum AS1402 levels were measured at multiple times after i.v. administration. Human anti-human antibody (HAHA) responses were measured to determine the immunogenicity of AS1402. Noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were determined and were used to assess dose dependency across the dose range studied.

Results
Twenty-six patients were treated. AS1402 was generally well tolerated. Two grade 3/4 drug-related adverse events were reported, both at the 3-mg/kg dose. Neither was observed in expanded or subsequent dosing cohorts. No anti-human antibodies were detected. Plasma concentrations of AS1402 appeared to be proportional to dose within the 1- to 16-mg/kg dose range assessed, with a mean terminal half-life of 115.4 ± 37.1 hours.

Conclusions
Repeated iv administration of AS1402 was well tolerated, with a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) exceeding 16 mg/kg, the highest dose administered in this study. The half-life and exposure of AS1402 were such that weekly dosing could achieve plasma concentrations corresponding to the maximal ADCC activity observed in vitro. A phase II study is ongoing to evaluate the clinical activity of AS1402 in patients with advanced breast cancer.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00096057.
Molecular networks involved in mouse cerebral corticogenesis and spatio-temporal regulation of Sox4 and Sox11 novel antisense transcripts revealed by transcriptome profiling
Authors: Ling King-Hwa , Hewitt Chelsee A , Beissbarth Tim , Hyde Lavinia , Banerjee Kakoli , Cheah Pike-See , Cannon Ping Z , Hahn Christopher N , Thomas Paul Q , Smyth Gordon K , Tan Seong-Seng , Thomas Tim , Scott Hamish S 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Background
Development of the cerebral cortex requires highly specific spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression. It is proposed that transcriptome profiling of the cerebral cortex at various developmental time points or regions will reveal candidate genes and associated molecular pathways involved in cerebral corticogenesis.

Results
Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) libraries were constructed from C57BL/6 mouse cerebral cortices of age embryonic day (E) 15.5, E17.5, postnatal day (P) 1.5 and 4 to 6 months. Hierarchical clustering analysis of 561 differentially expressed transcripts showed regionalized, stage-specific and co-regulated expression profiles. SAGE expression profiles of 70 differentially expressed transcripts were validated using quantitative RT-PCR assays. Ingenuity pathway analyses of validated differentially expressed transcripts demonstrated that these transcripts possess distinctive functional properties related to various stages of cerebral corticogenesis and human neurological disorders. Genomic clustering analysis of the differentially expressed transcripts identified two highly transcribed genomic loci, Sox4 and Sox11, during embryonic cerebral corticogenesis. These loci feature unusual overlapping sense and antisense transcripts with alternative polyadenylation sites and differential expression. The Sox4 and Sox11 antisense transcripts were highly expressed in the brain compared to other mouse organs and are differentially expressed in both the proliferating and differentiating neural stem/progenitor cells and P19 (embryonal carcinoma) cells.

Conclusions
We report validated gene expression profiles that have implications for understanding the associations between differentially expressed transcripts, novel targets and related disorders pertaining to cerebral corticogenesis. The study reports, for the first time, spatio-temporally regulated Sox4 and Sox11 antisense transcripts in the brain, neural stem/progenitor cells and P19 cells, suggesting they have an important role in cerebral corticogenesis and neuronal/glial cell differentiation.
Human defensins and LL-37 in mucosal immunity
Authors: Doss Mona , White Mitchell R , Tecle Tesfaldet , Hartshorn Kevan L 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Defensins and LL-37 play key roles in maintaining mucosal barriers against invasive infection and initiating immune responses after infection or injury to mucosal surfaces.
Defensins are widespread in nature and have activity against a broad range of pathogens. Defensins have direct antimicrobial effects and also modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. We consider the role of human defensins and the cathelicidin LL-37 in defense of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts and the oral cavity, skin, and eye. Human β-defensins (hBDs) and human defensins 5 and 6 (HD5 and −6) are involved most obviously in mucosal responses, as they are produced principally by epithelial cells. Human α-defensins 1–4 (or HNPs 1–4) are produced principally by neutrophils recruited to the mucosa. Understanding the biology of defensins and LL-37 is the beginning to clarify the pathophysiology of mucosal inflammatory and infectious diseases (e.g., Crohn’s disease, atopic dermatitis, lung or urinary infections). Challenges for these studies are the redundancy of innate defense mechanisms and the presence and interactions of many innate defense proteins in mucosal secretions.
Curcumin Inhibits srebp-2 Expression in Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells in Vitro by Reducing the Activity of Specificity Protein-1
Authors: Kang Qiaohua , Chen Anping 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Elevated levels of cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are a risk factor for the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and its associated hepatic fibrosis. However, underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We previously reported that curcumin induced gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and stimulated its activity, leading to the inhibition of the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the major effector cells during hepatic fibrogenesis. We recently showed that curcumin suppressed gene expression of LDL receptor in activated HSCs in vitro by repressing gene expression of the transcription factor sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), leading to the reduction in the level of intracellular cholesterol in HSCs and to the attenuation of the stimulatory effects of LDL on HSCs activation. The current study aimed at exploring molecular mechanisms by which curcumin inhibits srebp-2 expression in HSCs. Promoter deletion assays, mutagenesis assays, and EMSAs localize a specificity protein-1 (SP-1) binding GC-box in the srebp-2 promoter, which is responsible for enhancing the promoter activity and responding to curcumin in HSCs. Curcumin suppresses gene expression of SP-1 and reduces its trans-activation activity, which are mediated by the activation of PPARγ. The inhibitory effect of curcumin on SP-1 binding to the GC-box is confirmed by chromatin immuno-precipitation. In summary, our results demonstrate that curcumin inhibits srebp-2 expression in cultured HSCs by activating PPARγ and reducing the SP-1 activity, leading to the repression of ldlr expression. These results provide novel insights into molecular mechanisms by which curcumin inhibits LDL-induced HSC activation.
Other Americas: Transnationalism, Scholarship, and the Culture of Poverty in Mexico and the United States
Authors: Rosemblatt Karin Alejandra 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
The anthropologist Oscar Lewis first used the term “culture of poverty” in a 1959 article on Mexico. Within months, the idea that the poor had a distinct culture became part of a passionate, decade-long, worldwide debate about poverty. Scholars, policy makers, and broader publics discussed what caused poverty and how to remedy it. How entrenched were the class and racial differences that led to poverty? How did those differences affect a country’s standing in the community of nations? This article tracks the concept of a culture of poverty as a way of probing the reciprocal, if unequal, connections between Mexico and the United States and their relation to national narratives and policy debates. It tracks how Lewis’s formulation of a culture of poverty drew on his training as an anthropologist in the United States, his extensive dialogue with Mexican intellectuals, and his fieldwork in Mexico. It also shows how Lewis and others reformulated the notion in response to intense public controversies in Mexico and Puerto Rico; the vehement U.S. discussions surrounding the War on Poverty and Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report on the Negro family, and larger events such as the Cuban Revolution, the U.S. civil rights movement, decolonization, the Vietnam War, and second-wave feminism.
History and the Contours of Meaning: The Abjection of Luisa Nevárez, First Woman Condemned to the Gallows in Puerto Rico, 1905
Authors: del Carmen Baerga-Santini María 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
The article analyzes the case of Luisa Nevárez, the first woman condemned to the gallows in Puerto Rico at the beginning of the twentieth century. Convicted for the killing of her almost year-old daughter, she never admitted the crime nor showed any remorse. Yet, Luisa did not make an easy transition into the sphere of the criminal. The nascent identity that was being forged in early twentieth-century Puerto Rico configured the delinquent as a masculine subject who was acknowledged as possessing intellectual malice and the capacity for social action. Luisa’s condition as a woman, mother, and mulatta, her ignorance, and other factors deprived her of any possibility of entering the space of the criminal subject. Instead, the figure of Luisa oscillated between monster and madwoman in the discourses of the time. Around the mid-twentieth century her discursive figure emerges again, this time in the authorized voices of those concerned with criminal activities on the island. In this context, we find her embodying the prototype of the criminal woman: degenerate, ugly, black, and sexually insatiable. It is Luisa’s abject condition that places her on the threshold of history and on the borders of the intelligible. However, the impossibility of explaining her actions in a rational way constitutes a formidable challenge for the historian. In this respect, the article is also a reflection on the limits and possibilities of the representative faculties of the historical narrative.
In Situ Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Observation of Metal–Cluster Redox Interconversion and CO Dissociation Reactions at a Solution/Au(111) Interface
Authors: Noda Hiroyuki , Uehara Hiromitsu , Abe Masaaki , Michi Takayuki , Osawa Masatoshi , Uosaki Kohei , Sasaki Yoichi 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
We present here an in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of potential-induced reactions of oxo-centered acetato-bridged triruthenium clusters on Au(111) under electrochemical conditions, in which (i) reversible interconversion between two different redox states of the cluster and (ii) spontaneous dissociation of CO from the cluster were probed and visualized. It is known that the triruthenium complex [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(CO)(4-methylpyridine){(NC5H4)CH2NHC(O)(CH2)10S}] (1), which is in the mixed-valent {(RuII–CO)RuIIIRuIII} state, on Au(111) is one-electron oxidized to cationic complex 1+ which corresponds to a {(RuIII–CO)RuIIIRuIII} oxidation state. The redox reaction is reversible on a cyclic voltammetry timescale. Complex 1+ undergoes irreversible dissociation of CO in an aqueous phase on a longer timescale (ca. minutes) to form an aqua ligand-coordinated complex, 2+, which is expressed as {(RuIII–OH2)RuIIIRuIII}. The reversible redox reaction (11+) and the irreversible ligand substitution reaction (1+ → 2+) were independently examined with in situ STM in a monolayer level by visualizing molecular-sized spots showing a different extent of brightness in STM images. We show here that the molecular-sized spots corresponding to 1, 1+, and 2+ are resolved by their brightness, which strongly depends on both the oxidation states and the ligand nature of the clusters. By employing multiple fast scans at an applied potential of +0.80 V vs. Ag/AgCl, we obtained STM images that follow the irreversible 1+ → 2+ reaction on the surface, from which a rate constant of the CO release was calculated to be 1.9 (±0.2) × 10−2 s−1 (25 °C; in contact with 0.1 mol dm−3 aqueous HClO4 solution). The difference in brightness of the molecular spots is rationalized in terms of orbital-mediated tunneling by considering the difference in electronic states of the dπ–pπ system in the μ3-O triruthenium cluster.
Pore Structure of Hard Carbon Made from Phenolic Resin Studied by 129Xe NMR
Authors: Gotoh Kazuma , Ueda Takahiro , Eguchi Taro , Kawabata Koji , Yamamoto Kenji , Murakami Yuki , Hayakawa Satoshi , Ishida Hiroyuki 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
The pore structure of hard carbon samples made from two kinds of phenolic resins by heating between 1073 and 1473 K was investigated by 129Xe NMR. The difference of porous structure of hard carbon samples by heat treatment temperature, which was difficult to analyze precisely by general gas adsorption methods, could be evaluated by Xe NMR at an equilibrium state of xenon gas adsorption. Carbon samples produced by heating precursors under a 0.1 MPa xenon atmosphere showed stronger NMR signals than carbon heated at reduced pressure, despite their almost identical powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Applying this method, the dependence of NMR spectra on heating temperature between 1073 and 1473 K was examined. A carbon sample consisting of smaller particles showed almost constant shift values at about 102 ppm, while the peak of another sample with larger particles shifted between 118 and 82 ppm depending on the heating temperature. Then, almost all entrances of each sample closed above 1273 K. Using NMR with the improved heat-treatment by xenon gas, we evaluated pores in hard carbon that were hard to access from the outer surface of the hard carbon.