bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
23. Pain in Patients with Cancer
Authors: Vissers Kris C. P. , Besse Kees , Wagemans Michel , Zuurmond Wouter , Giezeman Maurice J.M.M. , Lataster Arno , Mekhail Nagy , Burton Allen W. , van Kleef Maarten , Huygen Frank 
Published: June 2011

Abstract:  Pain in patients with cancer can be refractory to pharmacological treatment or intolerable side effects of pharmacological treatment may seriously disturb patients’ quality of life. Specific interventional pain management techniques can be an effective alternative for those patients. The appropriate application of these interventional techniques provides better pain control, allows the reduction of analgesics and hence improves quality of life. Until recently, the majority of these techniques are considered to be a fourth consecutive step following the World Health Organization’s pain treatment ladder. However, in cancer patients, earlier application of interventional pain management techniques can be recommended even before considering the use of strong opioids.Epidural and intrathecal medication administration allow the reduction of the daily oral or transdermal opioid dose, while maintaining or even improving the pain relief and reducing the side effects. Cervical cordotomy may be considered for patients suffering with unilateral pain at the level below the dermatome C5. This technique should only be applied in patients with a life expectancy of less than 1 year.Plexus coeliacus block or nervus splanchnicus block are recommended for the management of upper abdominal pain due to cancer. Pelvic pain due to cancer can be managed with plexus hypogastricus block and the saddle or lower end block may be a last resort for patients suffering with perineal pain. Back pain due to vertebral compression fractures with or without pathological tumor invasion may be managed with percutaneous vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. All these interventional techniques should be a part of multidisciplinary patient program.
Threads of Silence: Reflections on Long‐Term Fieldwork in Galicia
Authors: KELLEY HEIDI 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYThis short article is about the realization that the most important lessons of the author's long‐term fieldwork in Galicia (Spain) since 1985 are rendered in silence. The disruption engendered by the author's stroke in 1998 and the aphasia, the speechlessness, it created were helpful in her learning process. In this article, the author chronicles how she learned to see her physically induced silence as a source of insight into the disruptions experienced by her participants, including the communal disruption endured by the Galician people after the Prestige oil spill disaster.
Effect of alendronate on healing of extraction sockets and healing around implants
Authors: Kim J‐H , Park Y‐B , Li Z , Shim J‐S , Moon H‐S , Jung H‐S , Chung M‐K 
Published: June 2011

Oral Diseases (2011) 17, 705–711Objectives:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of alendronates on healing of extraction sockets and healing around implants in the maxilla of rats.Materials and Methods:  Twenty‐four Sprague–Dawley rats were used. The rats in bisphosphonate group were subcutaneously injected with alendronate (5.0 mg kg‐‐1) three times a week for 4 weeks. Both sides of the maxillary first molars were extracted, and customized titanium implants (Ø1.5 × 2.0 mm) were placed immediately into one side. Rats were killed at 3, 7, 14, or 28 days following surgery.Results:  New bone formation in extraction sockets, bone area around the implant site, and bone–implant contact were not delayed in the bisphosphonate group. The tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase positive cell count did not differ between bisphosphonate and control groups; however, empty lacunae were observed significantly more in bisphosphonate group. The differences in empty lacunae were shown at different time points between the implant sites and extraction sites: at 7 days after extraction, and at 14 and 28 days after implantation.Conclusions:  Alendronates seemed to decrease bone resorption but not to decrease bone formation. Empty lacunae were observed significantly more at later time points in implant sites compared to extraction sockets.
Comparison of a New Length Measurement Technique for Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation to Standard Techniques: Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Henry Gerard , Houghton Laura , Culkin Daniel , Otheguy Juan , Shabsigh Ridwan , Ohl Dana A. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Within a study evaluating the redesigned AMS 700MS inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, USA), one site used new length measurement technique (NLMT), a more aggressive dilation and measurement of the corpora cavernosa on a stretched penis, to address penile shortening.

Aim
To compare cylinder size and patient satisfaction, between a NLMT and traditional sizing for IPP implantation.

Methods
Fourteen men received IPPs using NLMT, and 55 with traditional sizing. Nationwide sales data from 2005 to 2008 for AMS 700 IPPs was obtained from AMS for comparison; additional surveys captured patient satisfaction.

Main Outcome Measure
Demographic data, cylinder sizes, and patient satisfaction were compared between the NLMT and standard techniques.

Results
The Fisher's exact test (P &lt; 0.001) showed a significant difference between the cylinder sizes with NLMT as compared with standard techniques. Of the 14 NLMT patients, 71.4% (10) received cylinders &gt;21 cm long and 28.6% (4) received cylinders &lt;21 cm long, as compared with 12.7% (7) and 87.3% (48), respectively, for patients implanted by traditional techniques. There were ethnic differences between the samples: 42.9% (6) NLMT patients were of African-American descent, as compared with 10.9% (6) in the standard technique group. However, longer cylinders were utilized more often, with 83.3% (5) of African-Americans treated using the NLMT; as compared with 33.3% (2) of the standard technique group. Nationwide data reveal 12.3% of patients routinely receive 21 cm cylinders. At 6 months postimplantation, patient satisfaction with NLMT was no different than standard techniques. There were no distal erosions, complications, infections, or pain concerns reported through 24 months among the NLMT patients.

Conclusions
The NLMT resulted in a larger number of subjects implanted with larger cylinders. Satisfaction with performance and complication rates for NLMT patients was comparable to those implanted using standard techniques
Rituals of Solidarity in the New South Africa
Authors: LiPuma Edward , Koelble Thomas A. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThere is a deep connectivity between the construction of peoplehood and the fabrication of rituals, especially national secular rites of commemoration. The article examines this connection through an analysis of the process of ritualisation in post‐apartheid South Africa focusing on Nelson Mandela's incarceration on Robben Island and subsequent efforts to create a memorial to both person and place.
Toxin-Antitoxin Systems Influence Biofilm and Persister Cell Formation and the General Stress Response
Authors: Wang Xiaoxue , Wood Thomas K. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT
In many genomes, toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems have been identified; however, their role in cell physiology has been unclear. Here we examine the evidence that TA systems are involved in biofilm formation and persister cell formation and that these systems may be important regulators of the switch from the planktonic to the biofilm lifestyle as a stress response by their control of secondary messenger 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid. Specifically, upon stress, the sequence-specific mRNA interferases MqsR and MazF mediate cell survival. In addition, we propose that TA systems are not redundant, as they may have developed to respond to specific stresses.
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Causes Cell Cycle Arrest at the Level of Initiation of Mitosis
Authors: Kannan Rathi P. , Hensley Lucinda L. , Evers Lauren E. , Lemon Stanley M. , McGivern David R. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chronic immune-mediated inflammation is likely to be an important factor in the development of HCV-associated HCC, but direct effects of HCV infection on the host cell cycle may also play a role. Although overexpression studies have revealed multiple interactions between HCV-encoded proteins and host cell cycle regulators and tumor suppressor proteins, the relevance of these observations to HCV-associated liver disease is not clear. We determined the net effect of these interactions on regulation of the cell cycle in the context of virus infection. Flow cytometry of HCV-infected carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester-labeled hepatoma cells indicated a slowdown in proliferation that correlated with abundance of viral antigen. A decrease in the proportions of infected cells in G
1
and S phases with an accumulation of cells in G
2
/M phase was observed, compared to mock-infected controls. Dramatic decreases in markers of mitosis, such as phospho-histone H3, in infected cells suggested a block to mitotic entry. In common with findings described in the published literature, we observed caspase 3 activation, suggesting that cell cycle arrest is associated with apoptosis. Differences were observed in patterns of cell cycle disturbance and levels of apoptosis with different strains of HCV. However, the data suggest that cell cycle arrest at the interface of G
2
and mitosis is a common feature of HCV infection.
Expression and Functional Characterization of the RIG-I-Like Receptors MDA5 and LGP2 in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Chang Mingxian , Collet Bertrand , Nie Pin , Lester Katherine , Campbell Scott , Secombes Christopher J. , Zou Jun 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

The retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors (RLR) comprise three homologues: RIG-I, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5), and laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2). They activate the host interferon (IFN) system upon recognition of viral RNA pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in the cytoplasm. Bioinformatic analysis of the sequenced vertebrate genomes suggests that the cytosolic surveillance system is conserved in lower vertebrates, and recent functional studies have confirmed that RIG-I is important to fish antiviral immunity. In this study, we have identified MDA5 and LGP2 homologues from rainbow trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
and an additional LGP2 variant with an incomplete C-terminal domain of RIG-I. Trout MDA5 and LGP2 were constitutively produced in fibroblast and macrophage cell lines and upregulated by poly(I:C), recombinant IFN, or infection by RNA viruses (viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus and salmon alphavirus) with a single-stranded positive or negative genome. Overexpression of MDA5 and LGP2 but not of the LGP2 variant resulted in significant accumulation of Mx transcripts in cultured cells, which correlated with a marked enhancement of protection against viral infection. These results demonstrate that both MDA5 and LGP2 are important RLRs in host surveillance against infection of both negative and positive viruses and that the LGP2 variant with a deletion of 54 amino acids at the C terminus acts as a negative regulator for LGP2-elicited antiviral signaling by competing for the viral RNA PAMPs. Interestingly, MDA5 expression was not affected by overexpressed LGP2 in transfected cells and vice versa, suggesting that they likely act in parallel as positive regulators for IFN production.
Inhibition of p53 by Adenovirus Type 12 E1B-55K Deregulates Cell Cycle Control and Sensitizes Tumor Cells to Genotoxic Agents
Authors: Li Qiang , Zhao Lisa Y. , Zheng Zhi , Yang Heng , Santiago Aleixo , Liao Daiqing 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Adenovirus E1B-55K represses p53-mediated transcription. However, the phenotypic consequence of p53 inhibition by E1B-55K for cell cycle regulation and drug sensitivity in tumor cells has not been examined. In HCT116 cells with constitutive E1B-55K expression, the activation of p53 target genes such as the p21, Mdm2, and Puma genes was attenuated, despite markedly elevated p53 protein levels. HCT116 cells with E1B-55K expression displayed a cell cycle profile similar to that of the isogenic HCT116p53
−/−
cells, including unhindered S-phase entry despite DNA damage. Surprisingly, E1B-55K-expressing cells were more sensitive to drug treatment than parental cells. Compared to HCT116 cells, HCT116p53
−/−
cells were more susceptible to both doxorubicin and etoposide, and E1B-55K expression had no effects on drug treatment. E1B-55K expression increased the rate of cell proliferation in HCT116 but not in HCT116p53
−/−
cells. Thus, deregulation of p53-mediated cell cycle control by E1B-55K probably underlies sensitization of HCT116 cells to anticancer drugs. Consistently, E1B-55K expression in A549, A172, and HepG2 cells, all containing wild-type (wt) p53, also enhanced etoposide-induced cytotoxicity, whereas in p53-null H1299 cells, E1B-55K had no effects. We generated several E1B-55K mutants with mutations at positions occupied by the conserved Phe/Trp/His residues. Most of these mutants showed no or reduced binding to p53, although some of them could still stabilize p53, suggesting that binding might not be essential for E1B-55K-induced p53 stabilization. Despite heightened p53 protein levels in cells expressing certain E1B-55K mutants, p53 activity was largely suppressed. Furthermore, most of these E1B-55K mutants could sensitize HCT116 cells to etoposide and doxorubicin. These results indicate that E1B-55K might have utility for enhancing chemotherapy.
The Viral Nucleoprotein Determines Mx Sensitivity of Influenza A Viruses
Authors: Zimmermann Petra , Mänz Benjamin , Haller Otto , Schwemmle Martin , Kochs Georg 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT
Host restriction factors play a crucial role in preventing trans-species transmission of viral pathogens. In mammals, the interferon-induced Mx GTPases are powerful antiviral proteins restricting orthomyxoviruses. Hence, the human MxA GTPase may function as an efficient barrier against zoonotic introduction of influenza A viruses into the human population. Successful viruses are likely to acquire adaptive mutations allowing them to evade MxA restriction. We compared the 2009 pandemic influenza A virus [strain A/Hamburg/4/09 (pH1N1)] with a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 isolate [strain A/Thailand/1(KAN-1)/04] for their relative sensitivities to human MxA and murine Mx1. The H5N1 virus was highly sensitive to both Mx GTPases, whereas the pandemic H1N1 virus was almost insensitive. Substitutions of the viral polymerase subunits or the nucleoprotein (NP) in a polymerase reconstitution assay demonstrated that NP was the main determinant of Mx sensitivity. The NP of H5N1 conferred Mx sensitivity to the pandemic H1N1 polymerase, whereas the NP of pandemic H1N1 rendered the H5N1 polymerase insensitive. Reassortant viruses which expressed the NP of H5N1 in a pH1N1 genetic background and vice versa were generated. Congenic Mx1-positive mice survived intranasal infection with these reassortants if the challenge virus contained the avian NP. In contrast, they succumbed to infection if the NP of pH1N1 origin was present. These findings clearly indicate that the origin of NP determines Mx sensitivity and that human influenza viruses acquired adaptive mutations to evade MxA restriction. This also explains our previous observations that human and avian influenza A viruses differ in their sensitivities to Mx.
Charged Residues in Hepatitis C Virus NS4B Are Critical for Multiple NS4B Functions in RNA Replication
Authors: Blight Keril J. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT
The nonstructural 4B (NS4B) protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) plays a central role in the formation of the HCV replication complex. To gain insight into the role of charged residues for NS4B function in HCV RNA replication, alanine substitutions were engineered in place of 28 charged residues residing in the N- and C-terminal cytoplasmic domains of the NS4B protein of the HCV genotype 1b strain Con1. Eleven single charged-to-alanine mutants were not viable, while the remaining mutants were replication competent, albeit to differing degrees. By selecting revertants, second-site mutations were identified for one of the lethal NS4B mutations. Second-site mutations mapped to NS4B and partially suppressed the lethal replication phenotype. Further analyses showed that three NS4B mutations disrupted the formation of putative replication complexes, one mutation altered the stability of the NS4B protein, and cleavage at the NS4B/5A junction was significantly delayed by another mutation. Individual charged-to-alanine mutations did not affect interactions between the NS4B and NS3-4A proteins. A triple charged-to-alanine mutation produced a temperature-sensitive replication phenotype with no detectable RNA replication at 39°C, demonstrating that conditional mutations can be obtained by altering the charge characteristics of NS4B. Finally, NS4B mutations dispensable for efficient Con1 RNA replication were tested in the context of the chimeric genotype 2a virus, but significant defects in infectious-virus production were not detected. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of charged residues for multiple NS4B functions in HCV RNA replication, including the formation of a functional replication complex.
Funnel plots for comparing provider performance based on patient-reported outcome measures
Authors: Neuburger Jenny , Cromwell David A , Hutchings Andrew , Black Nick , van der Meulen Jan H 
Published: June 2011

BackgroundPatient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) often produce skewed distributions of individual scores after a healthcare intervention. For health performance indicators derived from skewed distributions, funnel plots designed with symmetric control limits may increase the risk of false alarms about poor performance.AimTo investigate the accuracy of funnel plots with symmetric control limits when comparing provider performance based on PROMs.MethodsThe authors used a database containing condition-specific PROMs for 17 453 hip replacements and 7656 varicose vein procedures performed by providers in the English NHS. The mean postoperative PROM score, adjusted for patient characteristics, was used as the measure of performance. To compare performance, symmetric 99.8% control limits were calculated on funnel plots, 3 SDs away from the overall mean on either side. These were compared to control limits derived directly from percentiles of simulated (bootstrap) distributions of mean scores.ResultsThe simulated control limits on funnel plots for both procedures were asymmetric. The empirical probability of falling outside the symmetric 99.8% ‘poor performance’ control limit was inflated from the stipulated rate of 0.1% to 0.2–0.3% for provider sample sizes of up to 150 procedures. The authors observed that, out of 237 providers of hip replacement, eight had adjusted mean scores that exceeded the symmetric ‘poor performance’ limit compared with only five that exceeded the corresponding simulated limit. In other words, three (1.3%) were differently classified. For varicose vein surgery, five out of 160 providers exceeded the symmetric limit and four exceeded the simulated limit, that is, 1 (0.6%) was differently classified.ConclusionsWhen designing funnel plots for comparisons of provider performance based on highly skewed data, the use of simulated control limits should be considered.
Protective Effects of Prepubertal Genistein Exposure on Mammary Tumorigenesis Are Dependent on BRCA1 Expression
Authors: de Assis Sonia , Warri Anni , Benitez Carlos , Helferich William , Hilakivi-Clarke Leena 
Published: June 2011

Abstract
This study investigated whether prepubertal dietary exposure to genistein reduces mammary tumorigenesis by upregulating Brca1 expression in mice. Heterozygous Brca1+/− mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates were fed control AIN93G diet or 500 ppm genistein–supplemented AIN93G diet from postnatal day (PND) 15 to PND30 and then switched to AIN93G diet. Prepubertal dietary exposure to genistein reduced 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary incidence (P = 0.029) and aggressiveness of the tumors (P &lt; 0.001) in the WT mice and upregulated the expression of Brca1 in their mammary glands (P = 0.04). In contrast, prepubertal genistein diet neither significantly reduced mammary tumorigenesis or tumor aggressivity nor increased Brca1 mRNA expression in the Brca1+/− mice. These results may be related to the opposing effects of prepubertal genistein diet on the expression of Rankl and CK5/CK18 ratio (marker of luminal epithelial cell differentiation) in the mammary gland and estrogen receptor (ER-α) and progesterone receptor (PgR) protein levels in the mammary tumor: these all were reduced in the WT mice or increased in Brca1+/− mice. Both the WT and Brca1+/− mice exhibited reduced levels of amphiregulin, CK5, and CK18, delayed ductal elongation and a reduction in terminal end bud number in the normal mammary gland, and reduced HER-2 protein levels in the mammary tumors; however, these effects were not sufficient to significantly reduce mammary tumorigenesis in Brca1+/− mice. Our results show that upregulation of Brca1 may be required for prepubertal dietary genistein exposure to reduce later mammary tumorigenesis, perhaps because in the absence of this upregulation, mice do not exhibit genistein-induced downregulation of ER-α, PgR, and Rankl. Cancer Prev Res; 4(9); 1436–48. ©2011 AACR.
Plasma Leptin Levels and Risk of Breast Cancer in Premenopausal Women
Authors: Harris Holly R. , Tworoger Shelley S. , Hankinson Susan E. , Rosner Bernard A. , Michels Karin B. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBody mass index (BMI) is inversely related to the risk of premenopausal breast cancer, but the underlying biological mechanisms of this association are poorly understood. Leptin, a peptide hormone produced primarily by adipocytes, is a potential mediator of the BMI association because BMI and total body fat are positively associated with circulating leptin levels and leptin and its receptor are overexpressed in breast tumors. We conducted a prospective case–control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study II cohort examining the association between plasma leptin levels in premenopausal women and breast cancer risk. Leptin was measured in blood samples collected between 1996 and 1999. The analysis included 330 incident breast cancer cases diagnosed after blood collection and 636 matched controls. Logistic regression models, controlling for breast cancer risk factors, were used to calculate ORs and 95% CIs. After adjustment for BMI at age 18, weight change since age 18 to blood draw, and other breast cancer risk factors, plasma leptin levels were inversely associated with breast cancer risk (OR for top vs. bottom quartile = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.31–0.99; Ptrend = 0.04). Adjustment for BMI at blood draw attenuated the association (OR = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.38–1.23; Ptrend = 0.26). Our results suggest that leptin may be inversely associated with breast cancer risk, but it is unclear whether any part of this association is independent of BMI. Cancer Prev Res; 4(9); 1449–56. ©2011 AACR.