bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lack of replication of KIF1B gene in an Italian primary progressive multiple sclerosis cohort
Authors: Martinelli‐Boneschi F. , Esposito F. , Scalabrini D. , Fenoglio C. , Rodegher M. E. , Brambilla P. , Colombo B. , Ghezzi A. , Capra R. , Collimedaglia L. , Coniglio G. , De Riz M. , Serpente M. , Cantoni C. , Scarpini E. , Martinelli V. , Galimberti D. , Comi G. 
Published: January 2010

Background:  KIF1B gene represents the first non‐inflammatory gene with a putative role on axonal loss and neurodegeneration found to be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study is to test the association of the rs10492972 C allelic variant of KIF1B gene in a large Italian cohort of patients with primary progressive and progressive relapsing MS (PPMS and PRMS), which represents a subtype of MS mainly driven by neurodegenerative phenomena.Methods:  rs10492972 has been genotyped in an outbred sample of 222 primary PPMS and PRMS and 221 healthy controls of unique northern Italian origin using the TaqMan assay.Results:  A non‐significant age‐ and sex‐adjusted odds ratio of 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71–1.31] has been found in C carriers, and a non‐significant risk of 0.99 [95% CI 0.77–1.63] in C carriers according to a dominant model. Stratification by sex, age at onset younger than 35 years and symptoms at the onset of the disease did not reveal any significant findings. No influence on disability progression, measured with the multiple sclerosis severity score, was found in C carriers.Conclusions:  These results suggest that there is no effect in carrying the rs10492972 C variant on the risk of disease as well as on the rate of disability progression in a cohort of Italian patients with PPMS and patients with PRMS. These data need to be confirmed in an independent sample of patients with progressive MS.
What is Theological Interpretation? An Ecclesiological Reduction
Authors: TREIER DANIEL J. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article addresses ‘theological interpretation’, first, by constructing a coherent narrative framework to account for its recent popularity via key players, common practices and a genealogy. Second, by addressing disagreements that remain within this movement via a kind of ‘ecclesiological reduction’, the article's descriptive starting point brings theological implications. In particular, strong parallels surface between the fortunes of theological interpretation and another essentially contested concept –‘postliberal’ theology. Both ‘postliberalism’ and ‘theological interpretation’ have fuzzy boundaries precisely due to their character as trans‐denominational forms of scholarly ecumenism through which God may help renew the church's engagement with Scripture in the post‐Christian West.
CASK phosphorylation by PKA regulates the protein–protein interactions of CASK and expression of the NMDAR2b gene
Authors: Huang Tzyy‐Nan , Chang Hui‐Ping , Hsueh Yi‐Ping 
Published: January 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 1562–1573.AbstractCalcium/calmodulin‐dependent serine kinase (CASK), a causative gene in X‐linked mental retardation, acts as a multi‐domain scaffold protein and interacts with more than 20 cellular proteins in different subcellular regions of neurons. It is of interest, therefore, to explore whether post‐translational modification regulates CASK’s protein–protein interactions. Here, we provide evidence that CASK is phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA), identifying residue S562 in the PSD‐95‐Dlg‐ZO‐1 domain and residue T724 in the guanylate kinase domain as PKA sites by an in vitro PKA kinase reaction and site‐directed mutagenesis. Although the role of S562 phosphorylation is not clear, T724 phosphorylation up‐regulates the interaction between CASK and T‐box transcription factor T‐brain‐1 (Tbr‐1). NMDAR2b, a downstream target of the CASK‐Tbr‐1 complex, was then used to explore the significance of CASK phosphorylation by PKA. In cultured cortical neurons, the PKA pathway stimulates both the protein expression and the promoter activity of NMDAR2b. Deletion of the Tbr‐1‐binding sites greatly reduces the 3′‐5′‐cyclic AMP responsiveness of the NMDAR2b promoter, and the CASK T724A mutation does not promote the 3′‐5′‐cyclic AMP responsiveness of NMDAR2b. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that PKA phosphorylates CASK, regulates the nuclear function of CASK, and consequently modulates NMDAR2b expression.
A new experimental model of focal seizures in the entorhinal cortex
Authors: Losi Gabriele , Cammarota Mario , Chiavegato Angela , Gomez‐Gonzalo Marta , Carmignoto Giorgio 
Published: January 2010

SummaryPurpose:  Despite intensive studies, our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis remains largely unsatisfactory. Our defective knowledge derives in part from the lack of adequate experimental models of the distinct phases that characterize the epileptic event, that is, initiation, propagation, and cessation. The aim of our study is the development of a new brain slice model in which a focal seizure can be repetitively evoked at a precise and predictable site.Methods:  Epileptiform activities were studied by fast Ca2+ imaging coupled with simultaneous single and double patch‐clamp or extracellular recordings from neurons of entorhinal cortex (EC) slices from Wistar rats and C57BL6J mice at postnatal days 13–17.Results:  In the presence of 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP) and low Mg2+, activation of layer V–VI neurons by local N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) applications evolved into an ictal discharge (ID) that propagated to the entire EC. NMDA‐evoked IDs were similar to spontaneous events. IDs with similar pattern and duration could be repetitively triggered from the same site by successive NMDA stimulations. The high ID reproducibility is an important feature of the model that allowed testing of the effects of currently used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on initiation, propagation, and cessation of focal ictal events.Conclusions:  By offering the unique opportunity to repetitively evoke an ID from the same restricted site, this model represents a powerful approach to study the cellular and molecular events at the basis of initiation, propagation, and cessation of focal seizures.
Aggravation of seizure‐associated microvascular injuries by ibuprofen may involve multiple pathways
Authors: Régnier Angélique , Vicaut Eric , Mraovitch Sima 
Published: January 2010

SummaryPurpose: Recently we reported that intrathalamic microinjection of carbachol triggers generalized convulsive seizures (GCS) followed by severe inflammatory response including edema, microhemorrhages, and subsequent degeneration of amygdaloallocortical area. Our further observations of increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and interleukin (IL)‐1β immunoreactivity (IR) confirmed the inflammatory nature of the brain damage following GCS. In the presented experiments, we addressed possible effects of a nonspecific cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor (ibuprofen), in the development of inflammatory response following thalamic‐induced GCS.Methods: In male Wistar rats, intrathalamic microinjection of carbachol (55 nm, 100 nl) within 2 h induced three to four episodes of GCS of an average duration of 57 s, each which led to the development of edema associated with microhemorrhages at 72 h and changes in expression of TNF‐α/IL‐1β IR in the amygdaloallocortical area as revealed by immunohistochemistry at 24 h.Results: Ibuprofen when administered intraperitoneally 30 min after the episode of GCS dramatically increased edema and microhemorrhages. It also increased expression of TNF‐α/IL‐1β in microvessels and decreased IL‐1β IR in microglia/macrophages.Conclusions: Experiments suggest that in our model, inhibition of COX pathway early after GCS may increase rather than reduce the inflammatory consequences of GCS, suggesting that COX products may have a negative feedback effect on the development of edema by modifying the expression of “proinflammatory” cytokines. There is also a possibility that ibuprofen may exert its action through other than COX‐associated pathways.
Explaining agricultural productivity growth: an international perspective
Authors: Headey Derek , Alauddin Mohammad , Rao D.S. Prasada 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article presents multi‐output, multi‐input total factor productivity (TFP) growth rates in agriculture for 88 countries over the 1970–2001 period, estimated with both stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and the more commonly employed data envelopment analysis (DEA). We find results with SFA to be more plausible than with DEA, and use them to analyze trends across countries and the determinants of TFP growth in developing countries. The central finding is that policy and institutional variables, including public agricultural expenditure and proagricultural price policy reforms, are significant correlates of TFP growth. The most significant geographic correlate of TFP growth is distance to the nearest OECD country.
An error corrected almost ideal demand system for major cereals in Kenya
Authors: Nzuma Jonathan M. , Sarker Rakhal 
Published: January 2010

AbstractDespite significant progress in theory and empirical methods, the analysis of food consumption patterns in developing countries, particularly those in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), has received very limited attention. An attempt is made in this article to estimate an Error Corrected Almost Ideal Demand System for four major cereals consumed in Kenya employing annual data from 1963 to 2005. This demand system performs well on both theoretical and empirical grounds. The symmetry and homogeneity conditions are supported by the data and the Le Chatelier principle holds. Empirically, all own‐price elasticities are negative and significant at 5% level and irrespective of the time horizon, maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum may be considered as necessities in Kenya. While the expenditure elasticities of all four cereals are positive, they are inelastic both in the short run and in the long run. Finally, wheat and rice complement maize consumption in Kenya while sorghum acts as a substitute. Since cereal consumers have price and income inelastic responses, a combination of income and price‐oriented policies could improve cereal consumption in Kenya.
Linkages between the farm and nonfarm sectors at the household level in rural Ghana: a consistent stochastic distance function approach
Authors: Anríquez Gustavo , Daidone Silvio 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article explores the effects within households of an expanding rural nonfarm (RNF) sector in Ghana. We ask whether the growing RNF sector allows for economies of diversification within farms, how it affects household input demands, and whether it has measurable effects in overall household production efficiency. We explore the intrahousehold linkages between agricultural and RNF activities, first assuming perfectly competitive input and output markets and then with market failures, in particular missing labor and credit markets. We then measure these linkages using a household level input distance function, finding high levels of inefficiency in Ghanaian farms. Also, there are cost‐complementarities between the RNF sector and the agricultural sector, particularly with food crops in which the poorest tend to specialize. The expansion of the RNF sector increases demand for most inputs including agricultural land. Finally, we show that smaller farms tend to be more efficient, and that RNF output is helping the farm household to become more efficient, but the latter result is not robust.
Neural correlates of movement generation in the ‘at‐risk mental state’
Authors: Broome M. R. , Matthiasson P. , Fusar‐Poli P. , Woolley J. B. , Johns L. C. , Tabraham P. , Bramon E. , Valmaggia L. , Williams S. C. R. , Brammer M. J. , Chitnis X. , McGuire P. K. 
Published: January 2010

Broome MR, Matthiasson P, Fusar‐Poli P, Woolley JB, Johns LC, Tabraham P, Bramon E, Valmaggia L, Williams SCR, Brammer MJ, Chitnis X, McGuire PK. Neural correlates of movement generation in the ‘at‐risk mental state’.Objective:  People with ‘prodromal’ symptoms have a very high risk of developing psychosis. We examined the neurocognitive basis of this vulnerability by using functional MRI to study subjects with an at‐risk mental state (ARMS) while they performed a random movement generation task.Method:  Cross‐sectional comparison of individuals with an ARMS (n = 17), patients with first episode schizophreniform psychosis (n = 10) and healthy volunteers (n = 15). Subjects were studied using functional MRI while they performed a random movement generation paradigm.Results:  During random movement generation, the ARMS group showed less activation in the left inferior parietal cortex than controls, but greater activation than in the first episode group.Conclusion:  The ARMS is associated with abnormalities of regional brain function that are qualitatively similar to those in patients who have recently presented with psychosis but less severe.
Students’ clinical experience on outreach placements
Authors: Smith M. , Lennon M. A. , Robinson P. G. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractPrimary care outreach placements increasingly feature in UK undergraduate dental curricula. The profile of clinical work undertaken on placement may differ from traditional hospital‐based programmes and between outreach settings. An appreciation of any differences could inform curriculum development.Objective:  To compare the profiles of clinical work experienced on a traditional hospital‐based programme and outreach placements in different settings.Setting:  One dental hospital and eight existing primary care block placements in England.Subjects and methods:  Subjects were four cohorts of senior dental students in one UK dental school. Departmental records provided data on students’ clinical experience in different settings and their achievement of placement learning objectives. Descriptive statistics for groups were compared.Main outcome measures:  (1) Counts of patients encountered and of clinical procedures completed in the following categories: simple plastic restorations, endodontics, cast restorations, dentures, extractions and children’s dentistry. (2) Student perceptions of placement learning reported via Likert scales.Results:  Outreach students encountered twice as many patients and typically completed about three times as much clinical work as students in the hospital, e.g. 44 cf 16 simple plastic restorations, seven cf two endodontic procedures. There were variations in profiles by setting. For example, amalgam being more likely to be used on outreach especially in the General Dental Service; more children’s dentistry in community services and more extractions in Dental Access Centres. Students reported learning outcomes generally being achieved (average 94%) although with some variation by setting.Conclusion:  Dental outreach training greatly increases the quantity of students’ clinical experience in everyday dentistry compared to a hospital‐based programme. Placements also increase awareness of service delivery and develop clinical skills. There are appreciable variations between outreach settings possibly reflecting their purposes. Multiple contrasting outreach placements for each student might increase the uniformity of learning experiences.
The role of ultraviolet radiation in melanomagenesis
Authors: Von Thaler Anna‐Katharina , Kamenisch York , Berneburg Mark 
Published: January 2010

Please cite this paper as: The role of ultraviolet radiation in melanomagenesis. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: 81–88.Abstract:  The role of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in the pathogenesis has been discussed controversially for many decades. Studies in mice (SCID, HGF/SF, SV40T) which develop malignant melanoma, show a role of UVB in melanomagenesis. In contrast to this, the role of UVA is less clear. We will review the recent in vitro and in vivo data in support of the hypothesis that UVA is also involved in the development of malignant melanoma. The role of UVA in p53 activation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and photoproduct formation is discussed.
In vitro comparison of the flexibility of different splint systems used in dental traumatology
Authors: Mazzoleni Sergio , Meschia Guglielmo , Cortesi Raffaello , Bressan Eriberto , Tomasi Cristiano , Ferro Roberto , Stellini Edoardo 
Published: January 2010

Abstract –  Aim:  The aim of the study was to evaluate the flexibility of five different splint systems [polyethylene fibre‐reinforced splint (Ribbond® THM, Ribbond Inc., Seattle, WA, USA), resin splint (RS), wire‐composite splint (WCS), button‐bracket splint (BS) and titanium trauma splint (TTS)] commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of dental traumatic injuries involving the periodontal supporting tissues.Materials and methods:  For the experimental study, a resin cast of the upper arch was manufactured, where teeth 11, 12 and 21 (used for the stress analysis) were inserted in a non‐rigid fashion so as to allow for replacement, whereas the other teeth were permanently fixed to the corresponding sockets.Two different test sessions were performed for each splint: (i) stress analysis with increasing intensity ranging between 0 and 50 N directed along the tooth’s longitudinal axis; (ii) stress analysis with 45° of oblique force of increasing intensity ranging between 0 and 30 N.For each loading direction, five recordings were conducted without a splint, followed by five with the splint applied. The energy required to modify the position of the teeth was calculated for both the splinted and un‐splinted teeth and the difference between the two values was determined.Energy variation was assessed for the testing of both axial (ΔEa) and oblique force (ΔEo).ΔE represents the rigidity index of the analysed contention devices: high ΔE values correspond to high rigidity materials.Results:  The RS showed the highest ΔE value for the axial stress analysis, whereas the highest ΔE value at a 45° was recorded for the WCS and RS.For both tests, the lowest ΔE values were recorded for the TTS and Ribbond THM splints.Conclusions:  The data show that the contention devices with the highest flexibility are the TTS and the Ribbond THM as they exhibit a lower energy variation needed for splint deformation compared with the other materials that were examined.
Social judgements made by children in relation to visible incisor trauma
Authors: Rodd Helen D. , Barker Chris , Baker Sarah R. , Marshman Zoe , Robinson Peter G. 
Published: January 2010

Abstract –  Aim:  There is evidence to suggest that negative social judgements are made on the basis of poor dental aesthetics. This study sought to determine how children view other children with visible incisor trauma.Material and methods:  Year 7 (aged 11–12 years) and year 10 (aged 14–15 years) school children (the participants) were invited to look at colour photographs of four different children’s faces and to make a social judgement about these children (the subjects). Participants were randomly allocated either: (i) pictures of children with visible incisor trauma or, (ii) pictures of the same children whose photographs had been digitally modified to restore incisor aesthetics. Using a previously validated child‐centred questionnaire, participants rated subjects using a four‐point Likert scale for three negative and six positive attributes. Total attribute scores were tested for significant differences, according to whether the subject had visible incisor trauma or not, using multivariate analysis of variance (P < 0.05, manova).Results:  291 children completed the questionnaires, giving a response rate of 73%. Year 7 children viewed children with visible incisor trauma more negatively than the same child with normal incisor appearance. However, the converse was true for year 10 participants.Conclusion:  Findings from this study concur with those from adult populations in that negative social judgements may be made on the basis of poor dental appearance. Interestingly, this would not appear to be the case in adolescence, which may relate to high levels of self‐monitoring in this age‐group. In view of the importance of appearance in adolescent social interaction, aesthetic dental treatment for children with incisor injury may yield important psychosocial benefits.
Epistemological Objections to Platonism
Authors: Liggins David 
Published: January 2010

AbstractMany philosophers posit abstract entities – where something is abstract if it is acausal and lacks spatio‐temporal location. Theories, types, characteristics, meanings, values and responsibilities are all good candidates for abstractness. Such things raise an epistemological puzzle: if they are abstract, then how can we have any epistemic access to how they are? If they are invisible, intangible and never make anything happen, then how can we ever discover anything about them? In this article, I critically examine epistemological objections to belief in abstract objects offered by Paul Benacerraf, Colin Cheyne and Hartry Field.
Scientific Representation
Authors: Suárez Mauricio 
Published: January 2010

AbstractScientific representation is a currently booming topic, both in analytical philosophy and in history and philosophy of science. The analytical inquiry attempts to come to terms with the relation between theory and world; while historians and philosophers of science aim to develop an account of the practice of model building in the sciences. This article provides a review of recent work within both traditions, and ultimately argues for a practice‐based account of the means employed by scientists to effectively achieve representation in the modelling sciences.
Use of the Normalized Absorbance Ratio as an Internal Standardization Approach To Minimize Measurement Error in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for Diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus Infection
Authors: Ramanakumar Agnihotram V. , Thomann Patricia , Candeias Joao M. , Ferreira Silvaneide , Villa Luisa L. , Franco Eduardo L. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT
The serological detection of antibodies against human papillomavirus (HPV) antigens is a useful tool to determine exposure to genital HPV infection and in predicting the risk of infection persistence and associated lesions. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are commonly used for seroepidemiological studies of HPV infection but are not standardized. Intra- and interassay performance variation is difficult to control, especially in cohort studies that require the testing of specimens over extended periods. We propose the use of normalized absorbance ratios (NARs) as a standardization procedure to control for such variations and minimize measurement error. We compared NAR and ELISA optical density (OD) values for the strength of the correlation between serological results for paired visits 4 months apart and HPV-16 DNA positivity in cervical specimens from a cohort investigation of 2,048 women tested with an ELISA using HPV-16 virus-like particles. NARs were calculated by dividing the mean blank-subtracted (net) ODs by the equivalent values of a control serum pool included in the same plate in triplicate, using different dilutions. Stronger correlations were observed with NAR values than with net ODs at every dilution, with an overall reduction in nonexplained regression variability of 39%. Using logistic regression, the ranges of odds ratios of HPV-16 DNA positivity contrasting upper and lower quintiles at different dilutions and their averages were 4.73 to 5.47 for NARs and 2.78 to 3.28 for net ODs, with corresponding significant improvements in seroreactivity-risk trends across quintiles when NARs were used. The NAR standardization is a simple procedure to reduce measurement error in seroepidemiological studies of HPV infection.