bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Arbitrating Individual Labour Disputes in Jordan: Has the Policy of Promoting Arbitration Been Misplaced?
Authors: Bashayreh Mohammad Hussein 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe Jordanian Court of Cassation has recently ruled that arbitration clauses are enforceable against employees in relation to individual labour disputes. While the Court rested its rulings mainly on the policy favouring arbitration as enshrined in the Arbitration Law, concerns arising from the Labour Law perspective have not been dealt with sufficiently by the Court. This article presents the relevant decisions of the Court of Cassation and assesses them from the perspective of labour law and the public policy embedded in it. It is argued that, while the arbitrability of individual labour disputes may be accepted, the enforceability of a particular arbitration agreement against an employee warrants a more careful approach than actually followed by the Court.
A Lagrangian Climatology of Tropical Moisture Exports to the Northern Hemispheric Extratropics
Authors: Knippertz Peter , Wernli Heini 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Case studies have shown that heavy precipitation events and rapid cyclogenesis in the extratropics can be fueled by moist and warm tropical air masses. Often the tropical moisture export (TME) occurs through a longitudinally confined region in the subtropics. Here a comprehensive climatological analysis of TME is constructed on the basis of seven-day forward trajectories started daily from the tropical lower troposphere using 6-hourly 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data from the 23-year period 1979–2001. The objective TME identification procedure retains only those trajectories that reach a water vapor flux of at least 100 g kg−1 m s−1 somewhere north of 35°N. The results show four distinct activity maxima with different seasonal behavior: (i) The “pineapple express,” which connects tropical moisture sources near Hawaii with precipitation near the North American west coast, has a marked activity maximum in boreal winter. (ii) TME over the west Pacific is largest in summer, partly related to the East Asian monsoon and the mei-yu–baiu front. This region alone is responsible for a large portion of TME across 35°N. (iii) The narrow activity maximum over the Great Plains of North America is rooted over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and has a clear maximum in summer and spring. (iv) TME over the western North Atlantic shows the smallest annual cycle with a maximum in winter and autumn. The interannual variability of (i) and (iv) is significantly modulated by El Niño. Over the African–European–Asian region, high orographic barriers impede TME. A typical TME trajectory evolution is poleward and quasi-horizontal in the subtropics and then more eastward and upward in the southern midlatitudes, where TME contributes up to 60% to climatological precipitation. The TME dataset presented here can serve as a basis for future studies on extreme events.
Room for improvement? A quality-of-life assessment in patients with malignant bowel obstruction
Authors: Selby D. , Wright F. , Stilos K. , Daines P. , Moravan V. , Gill A. , Chakraborty A. 
Published: October 2009

This prospective study followed 35 patients admitted to hospital with malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) to evaluate quality of life (QOL). Subjects completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) at recruitment, and at one week, one month and three months. The highest ranked ESAS scores at recruitment (which was generally 18-36 hours post admission to hospital) included loss of appetite (median=7.5), fatigue (6.5) and overall well-being (6.0). The total ESAS score improved by 7.5, 11.5 and 11.0 points respectively at one week, one month and three months (p<0.05, p<0.01, NS). RSCL median scores for physical and psychological subscales were high at baseline (36.2, 42.9) and improved significantly at one week and one month (p<0.05). Psychological functioning appeared to be worsening by three months and at no time did activity level improve significantly. The overall QOL score was extremely poor at baseline (6.0 median) improving to 3.3 at one month (median fall=1.0, p<0.05) and 3.4 at three months. Further work should address the lack of improvement in activity and apparent deterioration in psychological functioning after one month.
Isometric Placement of Lateral Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstructions: A Biomechanical Study
Authors: Goren David , Budoff Jeffrey E. , Hipp John A. 
Published: October 2009

Background Lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL) reconstruction using a tendon graft is a well-accepted procedure used in the treatment of posterolateral rotatory instability. However, unlike most other ligament reconstructions, anatomical guidelines for the isometric points for tunnel placement of LUCL reconstruction have not been defined. Purpose To determine if isometric points exist for tunnel placement for LUCL reconstruction and, if so, to determine their anatomical guidelines. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods A series of 1.8-mm drill holes was placed in potential ligament reconstruction origin and insertion sites in 13 normal cadaveric elbows along the supinator crest of the ulna and in the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. The prepared specimens were mounted in a plastic test frame with electromagnetic sensors inserted into the drill holes. The distance between each potential pair of insertion sites was measured throughout the arc of elbow motion to determine the most isometric combinations of humeral and ulnar insertion sites. Results We could not locate truly isometric points for tunnel placement for LUCL reconstruction. For LUCL reconstruction, the position of most isometric tunnel placement was on the supinator crest 16 to 20 mm distal to the proximal margin of the radial head for the proximal wall of the ulnar tunnel, and between the 3:00 and 4:30 o'clock positions on the lateral epicondyle for the posterior/distal wall of the humeral tunnel. Conclusion Similar to the native LUCL, there is no truly isometric location for LUCL tendon graft reconstruction tunnels. Also similar to the native LUCL, the distance between the optimal tunnel position decreases in elbow extension and often increases in elbow flexion. Clinical Relevance The most isometric position for LUCL reconstruction tunnel placement was defined using anatomical references.
Functional Hip Characteristics of Baseball Pitchers and Position Players
Authors: Laudner Kevin G. , Moore Stephanie D. , Sipes Robert C. , Meister Keith 
Published: October 2009

Background During the throwing motion, the lower extremity is responsible for creating power that is transmitted through the core to the upper extremity. Research has shown that good hip range of motion and strength in throwing athletes results in greater performance and decreased stress placed on the upper extremity. Although research has investigated bilateral differences in hip characteristics among baseball pitchers, little is known about differences between pitchers and position players. Hypothesis Pitchers will have decreased passive hip rotation range of motion and gluteus medius strength compared with position players. Study Design Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Forty professional baseball pitchers and 40 position players with no recent history of lower extremity injury participated. Bilateral hip external and internal rotation range of motion, total arc of motion, and gluteus medius strength were measured with a digital inclinometer and handheld dynamometer. Results A Hotelling T2 multivariate analysis of variance showed position players to have significantly more hip internal rotation range of motion (3.1°, P = .01, effect size = .53) and abduction strength (3.5 kg, P =.04, effect size = .53) in the trail leg compared with the pitchers. There were no significant differences for any other hip characteristics between groups (P > .07). Conclusion The results of this study indicate that baseball pitchers have significantly smaller amounts of hip internal rotation range of motion and abduction strength of the trail leg compared with position players. However, these differences may not be clinically significant. Clinical Relevance Position players may be able to develop more energy in the lower extremity, while pitchers may rely more on energy created in the core and upper extremity, potentially placing pitchers at an increased risk for upper extremity injury. These descriptive hip characteristics may help clinicians detect inadequacies and provide appropriate prevention, diagnostic, and treatment interventions for such athletes.
Sickle cell disease and stroke
Authors: Verduzco Luis A. , Nathan David G. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractTwenty-four percent of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have a stroke by the age of 45 years. Blood transfusions decrease stroke risk in patients deemed high risk by transcranial Doppler. However, transcranial Doppler has poor specificity, and transfusions are limited by alloimmunization and iron overload. Transfusion withdrawal may be associated with an increased rebound stroke risk. Extended blood typing decreases alloimmunization in SCD but is not universally adopted. Transfusions for thalassemia begun in early childhood are associated with lower rates of alloimmunization than are seen in SCD, suggesting immune tolerance. Optimal oxygen transport efficiency occurs at a relatively low hematocrit for SCD patients because of hyperviscosity. Consequently, exchange rather than simple transfusions are more effective in improving oxygen transport efficiency, but the former are technically more demanding and require more blood units. Although viscosity is of importance in the noncerebral manifestations of SCD, inflammation may play a larger role than viscosity in the development of large-vessel stroke. The future of SCD stroke management lies in the avoidance of transfusion. Hydroxyurea and anti-inflammatory measures may reduce the need for transfusion. Recent genome-wide association studies may provide methods for modulating fetal hemoglobin production enough to attenuate stroke risk and other complications of SCD.
In vivo cellular imaging pinpoints the role of reactive oxygen species in the early steps of adult hematopoietic reconstitution
Authors: Lewandowski Daniel , Barroca Vilma , Ducongé Frédéric , Bayer Jan , Van Nhieu Jeanne Tran , Pestourie Carine , Fouchet Pierre , Tavitian Bertrand , Roméo Paul-Henri 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Few techniques are available to characterize in vivo the early cellular dynamics of long-term reconstitution of hematopoiesis after transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) after lethal irradiation. Using a fiber-optic imaging system, we track the early steps of in vivo recruitment and proliferation of Lin−Sca-1+c-Kit+CD34− (LSKCD34−) HSCs highly enriched in HSCs and transplanted into lethally irradiated mice. Recruitment of the transplanted LSKCD34− hematopoietic cells first occurs in the femoral head and is continuous during 24 hours. Quantification of the fluorescence emitted by the transplanted hematopoietic cells shows that proliferation of LSKCD34− hematopoietic cells in the femoral head was potent 3 days after transplantation. Using a development of this fiber-optic imaging system, we show that the transplanted LSKCD34− hematopoietic cells are associated with vascularized structures as early as 5 hours after transplantation. This early association is dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) partly through the regulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression on endothelial cells and is followed by a ROS-dependent proliferation of LSKCD34− hematopoietic cells. This new in vivo imaging technique permits the observation of the early steps of hematopoietic reconstitution by HSCs in long bones and shows a new role of ROS in the recruitment of HSCs by bone marrow endothelial cells.
Abnormal serum free light chain ratio in patients with multiple myeloma in complete remission has strong association with the presence of oligoclonal bands: implications for stringent complete remission definition
Authors: de Larrea Carlos Fernández , Cibeira María Teresa , Elena Montserrat , Arostegui Juan Ignacio , Rosiñol Laura , Rovira Montserrat , Filella Xavier , Yagüe Jordi , Bladé Joan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe prevalence of an abnormal serum free light chain (FLC) ratio in 34 patients with multiple myeloma in complete response (CR) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was studied. Fourteen of 34 patients (41.2%) showed an abnormal FLC ratio. The frequency of abnormal FLC ratio in patients with or without oligoclonal bands was 72.7% versus 26%, respectively (P = .023). The median value of FLC ratio was 2.55 (95% confidence interval, 1.89-3.20) in patients with oligoclonal bands versus 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-1.04) for those with no oligoclonal bands (P = .011). This is the first report showing that the presence of oligoclonal bands in patients with multiple myeloma in CR frequently results in an abnormal FLC ratio. Because an oligoclonal immune response is associated with a good outcome, our results question the current definition of stringent CR and support that the prognostic impact of oligoclonal bands should be also assessed on multivariate analysis.
Classification of amyloidosis by laser microdissection and mass spectrometry–based proteomic analysis in clinical biopsy specimens
Authors: Vrana Julie A. , Gamez Jeffrey D. , Madden Benjamin J. , Theis Jason D. , Bergen H. Robert , Dogan Ahmet 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe clinical management of amyloidosis is based on the treatment of the underlying etiology, and accurate identification of the protein causing the amyloidosis is of paramount importance. Current methods used for typing of amyloidosis such as immunohistochemistry have low specificity and sensitivity. In this study, we report the development of a highly specific and sensitive novel test for the typing of amyloidosis in routine clinical biopsy specimens. Our approach combines specific sampling by laser microdissection (LMD) and analytical power of tandem mass spectrometry (MS)–based proteomic analysis. We studied 50 cases of amyloidosis that were well-characterized by gold standard clinicopathologic criteria (training set) and an independent validation set comprising 41 cases of cardiac amyloidosis. By use of LMD/MS, we identified the amyloid type with 100% specificity and sensitivity in the training set and with 98% in validation set. Use of the LMD/MS method will enhance our ability to type amyloidosis accurately in clinical biopsy specimens.
Semantic web data warehousing for caGrid
Authors: McCusker Jamie P , Phillips Joshua A , Beltrán Alejandra González , Finkelstein Anthony , Krauthammer Michael 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe National Cancer Institute (NCI) is developing caGrid as a means for sharing cancer-related data and services. As more data sets become available on caGrid, we need effective ways of accessing and integrating this information. Although the data models exposed on caGrid are semantically well annotated, it is currently up to the caGrid client to infer relationships between the different models and their classes. In this paper, we present a Semantic Web-based data warehouse (Corvus) for creating relationships among caGrid models. This is accomplished through the transformation of semantically-annotated caBIG® Unified Modeling Language (UML) information models into Web Ontology Language (OWL) ontologies that preserve those semantics. We demonstrate the validity of the approach by Semantic Extraction, Transformation and Loading (SETL) of data from two caGrid data sources, caTissue and caArray, as well as alignment and query of those sources in Corvus. We argue that semantic integration is necessary for integration of data from distributed web services and that Corvus is a useful way of accomplishing this. Our approach is generalizable and of broad utility to researchers facing similar integration challenges.
Stable replication of the EBNA1/OriP-mediated baculovirus vector and its application to anti-HCV gene therapy
Authors: Suzuki Hitoshi , Matsumoto Norihiko , Suzuki Tomoyuki , Chang Myint OO , Takaku Hiroshi 
Published: October 2009

Abstract

Background
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the main causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Although combined interferon-α-ribavirin therapy is effective for about 50% of the patients with HCV, better therapies are needed and preventative vaccines have yet to be developed. Short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) inhibit gene expression by RNA interference. The application of transient shRNA expression is limited, however, due to the inability of the shRNA to replicate in mammalian cells and its inefficient transduction. The duration of transgene (shRNA) expression in mammalian cells can be significantly extended using baculovirus-based shRNA-expressing vectors that contain the latent viral protein Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) and the origin of latent viral DNA replication (OriP) sequences. These recombinant vectors contain compatible promoters and are highly effective for infecting primary hepatocyte and hepatoma cell lines, making them very useful tools for studies of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses. Here, we report the use of these baculovirus-based vector-derived shRNAs to inhibit core-protein expression in full-length hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon cells.

Results
We constructed a long-term transgene shRNA expression vector that contains the EBV EBNA1 and OriP sequences. We also designed baculovirus vector-mediated shRNAs against the highly conserved core-protein region of HCV. HCV core protein expression was inhibited by the EBNA1/OriP baculovirus vector for at least 14 days, which was considerably longer than the 3 days of inhibition produced by the wild-type baculovirus vector.

Conclusion
These findings indicate that we successfully constructed a long-term transgene (shRNA) expression vector (Ac-EP-shRNA452) using the EBNA1/OriP system, which was propagated in Escherichia coli and converted into mammalian cells. The potential anti-HCV activity of the long-term transgene (shRNA) expression vector was evaluated with the view of establishing highly effective therapeutic agents that can be further developed for HCV gene therapy applications.
Dynamic alterations in chemokine gradients induce transendothelial shuttling of human T cells under physiologic shear conditions
Authors: Lee Jack Y , Buzney Catherine D , Poznansky Mark C , Sackstein Robert 
Published: October 2009

Abstract
Findings support a novel paradigm by which temporospatial modulations in subendothelial chemokine display drive cell migration from interstitial compartments into the bloodstream.
The active movement of cells from subendothelial compartments into the bloodstream (intravasation) has been recognized for several decades by histologic and physiologic studies, yet the molecular effectors of this process are relatively uncharacterized. For extravasation, studies based predominantly on static transwell assays support a general model, whereby transendothelial migration (TEM) occurs via chemoattraction toward increasing chemokine concentrations. However, this model of chemotaxis cannot readily reconcile how chemokines influence intravasation, as shear forces of blood flow would likely abrogate luminal chemokine gradient(s). Thus, to analyze how T cells integrate perivascular chemokine signals under physiologic flow, we developed a novel transwell-based flow chamber allowing for real-time modulation of chemokine levels above (luminal/apical compartment) and below (abluminal/subendothelial compartment) HUVEC monolayers. We routinely observed human T cell TEM across HUVEC monolayers with the combination of luminal CXCL12 and abluminal CCL5. With increasing concentrations of CXCL12 in the luminal compartment, transmigrated T cells did not undergo retrograde transendothelial migration (retro-TEM). However, when exposed to abluminal CXCL12, transmigrated T cells underwent striking retro-TEM and re-entered the flow stream. This CXCL12 fugetactic (chemorepellant) effect was concentration-dependent, augmented by apical flow, blocked by antibodies to integrins, and reduced by AMD3100 in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, CXCL12-induced retro-TEM was inhibited by PI3K antagonism and cAMP agonism. These findings broaden our understanding of chemokine biology and support a novel paradigm by which temporospatial modulations in subendothelial chemokine display drive cell migration from interstitial compartments into the bloodstream.
Pivotal Advance: Heme oxygenase 1 expression by human CD4+ T cells is not sufficient for their development of immunoregulatory capacity
Authors: Biburger Markus , Theiner Gabi , Schädle Mirjam , Schuler Gerold , Tiegs Gisa 
Published: October 2009

AbstractHO-1 induction in human T cells inhibits their proliferation, HO-1 suppression in Tregs increases their proliferation, but neither treatment fundamentally changes their respective suppressive capacity.HO-1 is the only inducible one of three isoenzymes that catalyzes the oxidative degradation of heme. HO-1 is inducible by various cellular stress factors and exerts cytoprotective and immunomodulatory effects. Recent publications demonstrated that HO-1 is constitutively expressed by CD4+CD25+ Tregs and induced in CD4+CD25− T cells upon FoxP3 transfection. Here, we investigated whether HO-1 was essential and sufficient for human Tregs to exert immunosuppression in vitro. PGJ2 induced pronounced expression of HO-1 in CD4+CD25− T cells without accompanying FoxP3 induction. Treatment of CD4+CD25− T cells with PGJ2 decreased their proliferation, whereas the HO-1 inhibitor SnPP enhanced the proliferation of HO-1-expressing Tregs, suggesting that HO-1 may modulate the proliferative capacity of T lymphocytes. HO-1 modulation by SnPP treatment of Tregs or PGJ2 treatment of CD4+CD25− T cells neither suppressed nor induced immune-modulatory function in these cells, respectively, as measured by responder-cell proliferation and/or IL-2 production. In summary, these data suggest that HO-1 expression by Tregs might contribute to their typical reluctance to proliferate but does not account independently for their suppressive functions.