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Multiple Aspects (multiple + aspect)
Selected AbstractsHepatic dysfunction and insulin insensitivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a critical target for insulin-sensitizing agentsDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 9 2008P. D. Home The liver plays an essential role in maintaining glucose homeostasis, which includes insulin-mediated processes such as hepatic glucose output (HGO) and uptake, as well as in clearance of insulin itself. In type 2 diabetes, the onset of hyperglycaemia [itself a potent inhibitor of hepatic glucose output (HGO)], alongside hyperinsulinaemia, indicates the presence of hepatic insulin insensitivity. Increased HGO is central to the onset of hyperglycaemia and highlights the need to target hepatic insulin insensitivity as a central component of glucose-lowering therapy. The mechanisms underlying the development of hepatic insulin insensitivity are not well understood, but may be influenced by factors such as fatty acid oversupply and altered adipocytokine release from dysfunctional adipose tissue and increased liver fat content. Furthermore, although the impact of insulin insensitivity as a marker of cardiovascular disease is well known, the specific role of hepatic insulin insensitivity is less clear. The pharmacological tools available to improve insulin sensitivity include the biguanides (metformin) and thiazolidinediones (rosiglitazone and pioglitazone). Data from a number of sources indicate that thiazolidinediones, in particular, can improve multiple aspects of hepatic dysfunction, including reducing HGO, insulin insensitivity and liver fat content, as well as improving other markers of liver function and the levels of mediators with potential involvement in hepatic function, including fatty acids and adipocytokines. The current review addresses this topic from the perspective of the role of the liver in maintaining glucose homeostasis, its key involvement in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and the tools currently available to reduce hepatic insulin insensitivity. [source] Filial Piety, Modernization, and the Challenges of Raising Children for Chinese Immigrants: Quantitative and Qualitative EvidenceETHOS, Issue 3 2004ELI LIEBER This study examines Chinese immigrant parents' perceptions of filial piety. The concept of filial piety is introduced and we discuss the impacts of modernization and immigration experience on the challenges faced by contemporary Chinese immigrants as they reconcile traditional values with the demands of sociohistorical change and child rearing in the United States. Factor analysis of a commonly applied scale demonstrates multiple aspects of filial piety and reflects modifications from traditional views. Interview results point to aspects of filial piety not fully represented in the quantitative scale and expose specific challenges in child rearing related to filial values. These findings suggest the evolution of expectations and strategies related to a cultural adaptation of filial piety. One key demand is for strategies consistent with parental values while maintaining respect for children's unique point of view. The conclusions focus on the development of approaches to understanding the evolving conceptualization and meaning of filial piety for contemporary immigrant Chinese. [source] Multiple effects of amprenavir against Candida albicansFEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 2 2010Lys A. Braga-Silva Abstract Secreted aspartyl peptidases (Saps) are virulence attributes produced by Candida albicans that participate in multiple aspects of the fungal biology and pathogenesis. In the present paper, we have shown that amprenavir, a peptidase inhibitor used in HIV chemotherapy, inhibited Sap2 and growth of C. albicans and also promoted ultrastructural alterations. Esterase activity, sterol content, biofilm formation and the expression of surface mannose- and sialic acid-rich glycoconjugates were also reduced by amprenavir. [source] A variant of the myosin light chain kinase gene is associated with severe asthma in African AmericansGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007Carlos Flores Abstract Asthma is a complex phenotype influenced by environmental and genetic factors for which severe irreversible structural airway alterations are more frequently observed in African Americans. In addition to a multitude of factors contributing to its pathobiology, increased amounts of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), the central regulator of cellular contraction, have been found in airway smooth muscle from asthmatics. The gene encoding MLCK (MYLK) is located in 3q21.1, a region noted by a number of genome-wide studies to show linkage with asthma and asthma-related phenotypes. We studied 17 MYLK genetic variants in European and African Americans with asthma and severe asthma and identified a single non-synonymous polymorphism (Pro147Ser) that was almost entirely restricted to African populations and which was associated with severe asthma in African Americans. These results remained highly significant after adjusting for proportions of ancestry estimated using 30 unlinked microsatellites (adjusted odds ratio: 1.76 [95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17,2.65], p = 0.005). Since all common HapMap polymorphisms in ,500,kb contiguous regions have low-to-moderate linkage disequilibrium with Pro147Ser, we speculate that this polymorphism is causally related to the severe asthma phenotype in African Americans. The association of this polymorphism, located in the N-terminal region of the non-muscle MLCK isoform, emphasizes the potential importance of the vascular endothelium, a tissue in which MLCK is centrally involved in multiple aspects of the inflammatory response, in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. This finding also offers a possible genetic explanation for some of the more severe asthma phenotype observed in African American asthmatics. Genet Epidemiol 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Development and Validation of the Headache Needs Assessment (HANA) SurveyHEADACHE, Issue 4 2001Joyce A. Cramer BS Objective.,To develop and validate a brief survey of migraine-related quality-of-life issues. The Headache Needs Assessment (HANA) questionnaire was designed to assess two dimensions of the chronic impact of migraine (frequency and bothersomeness). Methods.,Seven issues related to living with migraine were posed as ratings of frequency and bothersomeness. Validation studies were performed in a Web-based survey, a clinical trial responsiveness population, and a retest reliability population. Headache characteristics (eg, frequency, severity, and treatment), demographic information, and the Headache Disability Inventory were used for external validation. Results.,The HANA was completed in full by 994 adults in the Web survey, with a mean total score of 77.98 ± 40.49 (range, 7 to 175). There were no floor or ceiling effects. The HANA met the standards for validity with internal consistency reliability (Cronbach , = .92, eigenvalue for the single factor = 4.8, and test-retest reliability = 0.77). External validity showed a high correlation between HANA and Headache Disability Inventory total scores (0.73, P<.0001), and high correlations with disease and treatment characteristics. Conclusions.,These data demonstrate the psychometric properties of the HANA. The brief questionnaire may be a useful screening tool to evaluate the impact of migraine on individuals. The two-dimensional approach to patient-reported quality of life allows individuals to weight the impact of both frequency and bothersomeness of chronic migraines on multiple aspects of daily life. [source] Generation, persistence and plasticity of CD4 T-cell memoriesIMMUNOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Jason R. Lees Summary The development of immune memory mediated by T lymphocytes is central to durable, long-lasting protective immunity. A key issue in the field is how to direct the generation and persistence of memory T cells to elicit the appropriate secondary response to provide protection to a specific pathogen. Two prevailing views have emerged; that cellular and molecular regulators control the lineage fate and functional capacities of memory T cells early after priming, or alternatively, that populations of memory T cells are inherently plastic and subject to alterations in function and/or survival at many stages during their long-term maintenance. Here, we will review current findings in CD4 T-cell memory that suggest inherent plasticity in populations of memory CD4 T cells at all stages of their development , originating with their generation from multiple types of primed CD4 T cells, during their persistence and homeostatic turnover in response to T-cell receptor signals, and also following secondary challenge. These multiple aspects of memory CD4 T-cell flexibility contrast the more defined lineages and functions ascribed to memory CD8 T cells, suggesting a dynamic nature to memory CD4 T-cell populations and responses. The flexible attributes of CD4 T-cell memory suggest opportunities and mechanisms for therapeutic manipulation at all phases of immune memory development, maintenance and recall. [source] S100A6 (calcyclin) deficiency induces senescence-like changes in cell cycle, morphology and functional characteristics of mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblastsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2010omnicki, ukasz P. S Abstract S100A6 (calcyclin) is a calcium binding protein with two EF-hand structures expressed mostly in fibroblasts and epithelial cells. We have established a NIH 3T3 fibroblast cell line stably transfected with siRNA against S100A6 to examine the effect of S100A6 deficiency on non-transformed cell physiology. We found that NIH 3T3 fibroblasts with decreased level of S100A6 manifested altered cell morphology and proliferated at a much slower pace than the control cells. Cell cycle analysis showed that a large population of these cells lost the ability to respond to serum and persisted in the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, fibroblasts with diminished S100A6 level exhibited morphological changes and biochemical features of cellular senescence as revealed by ,-galactosidase and gelatinase assays. Also, S100A6 deficiency induced changes in the actin cytoskeleton and had a profound impact on cell adhesion and migration. Thus, we have shown that the S100A6 protein is involved in multiple aspects of fibroblast physiology and that its presence ensures normal fibroblast proliferation and function. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 576,584, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The dialogical self in psychotherapy for persons with schizophrenia: A case studyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Paul H. Lysaker Schizophrenia often involves a profound experience of one's identity as diminished, which complicates adaptation to the demands of daily life. Within a backdrop of dialogical self-theory, we provide a report of an individual psychotherapy over the course of 4 years that assisted a patient suffering from schizophrenia to move from a state in which few aspects of self were available for internal or external conversation to one in which there was greater accessibility of multiple aspects of self, leading to richer dialogues, improved function, and a better quality of life. It is suggested a primary intervention of the therapist was continuously to offer the client a view of himself that invited him to experience himself in a plausible manner shared with and listened to by another. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 63: 129,139, 2007. [source] Helping the soul: the relationship between connectivity and well-being within a church communityJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Patricia Obst Although previous research attests to the importance of psychological sense of community (PSOC) to individuals' well-being, little research has examined this relationship for the four proposed dimensions of PSOC: membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Further, little research has explored multiple aspects of community connectivity in the one study. The current research investigated the relationship between participants' (N=127) religiosity, PSOC, social support, and identification within a church community context and their well-being. Results indicated that the PSOC dimensions of shared emotional connection and influence were particularly important in the prediction of well-being in this context. Further, individuals' perception of social support mediated the relationship between PSOC and well-being and the strength of individuals' identification as a church member enhanced the relationships of both PSOC and religiosity with well-being. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A computer attitude scale for computer science freshmen and its educational implicationsJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 5 2005G.E. Palaigeorgiou Abstract The successful integration of computers in educational environments depends, to a great extent, on students' attitudes towards them. Widely used computer attitude scales (CASs) focus on the beliefs of typical computer users and do not reveal the more refined attitudes of groups that use computers extensively and develop unique relations with them. This study presents the development and validation of a CAS especially designed for computer science freshmen (CASF). The scale consists of five factors, namely, self-confidence in previous knowledge, hardware usage anxiety, computer engagement, fears of long-lasting negative consequences of computer use and evaluation of positive consequences of computers in personal and social life. Using an analytic computer experience construct, the scale's components were related to multiple aspects of students' computer experience. CASF responses can inform a variety of instructional decisions and classroom management strategies for the first phase of the students' studies. [source] Intrinsic reproductive isolation between Trinidadian populations of the guppy, Poecilia reticulataJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006S. T. RUSSELL Abstract Although Trinidadian populations of the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, show considerable adaptive genetic differentiation, they have been assumed to show little or no reproductive isolation. We tested this assumption by crossing Caroni (Tacarigua River) and Oropuche (Oropuche R.) drainage populations from Trinidad's Northern Range, and by examining multiple aspects of reproductive compatibility in the F1, F2 and BC1 generations. In open-aquarium experiments, F1 males performed fewer numbers of mating behaviours relative to parental population controls. This is the first documentation of hybrid behavioural sterility within a species, and it suggests that such sterility may feasibly be involved in causing speciation. The crosses also uncovered hybrid breakdown for embryo viability, brood size and sperm counts. In contrast, no reductions in female fertility were detected, indicating that guppies obey Haldane's rule for sterility. Intrinsic isolation currently presents a much stronger obstacle to gene flow than behavioural isolation, and our results indicate that Trinidadian populations constitute a useful model for investigating incipient speciation. [source] Expression and molecular diversity of Tcf7l2 in the developing murine cerebellum and brainJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2009Tommy A. Nazwar Abstract The Wingless family of secreted proteins impinges on multiple aspects of vertebrate nervous system development, from early global patterning and cell fate decision to synaptogenesis. Here, we mapped the developmental expression of the Tcf7l2, which is key to the canonical Wingless signaling cascade, in the developing cerebellum. The exclusive and transient expression of Tcf7l2 in ventricular and Olig2-defined precursor cells within the cerebellar anlage, and its predominant expression in postmitotic neurons in the midbrain/inferior colliculus allowed us to ask whether cell type,specific differences are also reflected in splice isoform variability. We also included in this analysis intestinal epithelia, where Tcf7l2 function has been intensively studied. Our data reveal extensive variability of Tcf7l2 splicing in the central nervous system. Additional variability in brain-expressed Tcf7l2 is generated by a length polymorphism of expressed mRNAs in a stretch of normally nine adenines found at the beginning of exon 18, reminiscent of variability observed at the same site in cancers with microsatellite instability. A consensus emerging from our data is that the expression of isoforms comprising or lacking the C-clamp motif, which has been linked by in vitro studies to the regulation of cell growth, is indeed tightly correlated with the proliferative status in vivo. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Developing a learning progression for scientific modeling: Making scientific modeling accessible and meaningful for learnersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 6 2009Christina V. Schwarz Abstract Modeling is a core practice in science and a central part of scientific literacy. We present theoretical and empirical motivation for a learning progression for scientific modeling that aims to make the practice accessible and meaningful for learners. We define scientific modeling as including the elements of the practice (constructing, using, evaluating, and revising scientific models) and the metaknowledge that guides and motivates the practice (e.g., understanding the nature and purpose of models). Our learning progression for scientific modeling includes two dimensions that combine metaknowledge and elements of practice,scientific models as tools for predicting and explaining, and models change as understanding improves. We describe levels of progress along these two dimensions of our progression and illustrate them with classroom examples from 5th and 6th graders engaged in modeling. Our illustrations indicate that both groups of learners productively engaged in constructing and revising increasingly accurate models that included powerful explanatory mechanisms, and applied these models to make predictions for closely related phenomena. Furthermore, we show how students engaged in modeling practices move along levels of this progression. In particular, students moved from illustrative to explanatory models, and developed increasingly sophisticated views of the explanatory nature of models, shifting from models as correct or incorrect to models as encompassing explanations for multiple aspects of a target phenomenon. They also developed more nuanced reasons to revise models. Finally, we present challenges for learners in modeling practices,such as understanding how constructing a model can aid their own sensemaking, and seeing model building as a way to generate new knowledge rather than represent what they have already learned. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 632,654, 2009 [source] Heritability of platelet function in families with premature coronary artery diseaseJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 8 2007P. F. BRAY Summary.,Background:,Variations in platelet function among individuals may be related to differences in platelet-related genes. The major goal of our study was to estimate the contribution of inheritance to the variability in platelet function in unaffected individuals from white and African American families with premature coronary artery disease.Methods:,Platelet reactivity, in the absence of antiplatelet agents, was assessed by in vitro aggregation and the platelet function analyzer closure time. Heritability was estimated using a variance components model.Results:,Both white (n = 687) and African American (n = 321) subjects exhibited moderate to strong heritability (h2) for epinephrine- and adenosine diphosphate-induced aggregation (0.36,0.42 for white and >0.71 for African American subjects), but heritability for collagen-induced platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma was prominent only in African American subjects. Platelet lag phase after collagen stimulation was heritable in both groups (0.47,0.50). A limited genotype analysis demonstrated that the C825T polymorphism of GNB3 was associated with the platelet aggregation response to 2 ,M epinephrine, but the effect differed by race.Conclusions:,Considering the few and modest genetic effects reported to affect platelet function, our findings suggest the likely existence of undiscovered important genes that modify platelet reactivity, some of which affect multiple aspects of platelet biology. [source] Testing an empirically derived mental health training model featuring small groups, distributed practice and patient discussionMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Rachael C Murrihy Objectives, Internationally, family doctors seeking to enhance their skills in evidence-based mental health treatment are attending brief training workshops, despite clear evidence in the literature that short-term, massed formats are not likely to improve skills in this complex area. Reviews of the educational literature suggest that an optimal model of training would incorporate distributed practice techniques; repeated practice over a lengthy time period, small-group interactive learning, mentoring relationships, skills-based training and an ongoing discussion of actual patients. This study investigates the potential role of group-based training incorporating multiple aspects of good pedagogy for training doctors in basic competencies in brief cognitive behaviour therapy (BCBT). Methods, Six groups of family doctors (n = 32) completed eight 2-hour sessions of BCBT group training over a 6-month period. A baseline control design was utilised with pre- and post-training measures of doctors' BCBT skills, knowledge and engagement in BCBT treatment. Results, Family doctors' knowledge, skills in and actual use of BCBT with patients improved significantly over the course of training compared with the control period. Conclusions, This research demonstrates preliminary support for the efficacy of an empirically derived group training model for family doctors. Brief CBT group-based training could prove to be an effective and viable model for future doctor training. [source] The RNA chaperone Hfq is essential for the virulence of Salmonella typhimuriumMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Alexandra Sittka Summary The RNA chaperone, Hfq, plays a diverse role in bacterial physiology beyond its original role as a host factor required for replication of Q, RNA bacteriophage. In this study, we show that Hfq is involved in the expression and secretion of virulence factors in the facultative intracellular pathogen, Salmonella typhimurium. A Salmonella hfq deletion strain is highly attenuated in mice after both oral and intraperitoneal infection, and shows a severe defect in invasion of epithelial cells and a growth defect in both epithelial cells and macrophages in vitro. Surprisingly, we find that these phenotypes are largely independent of the previously reported requirement of Hfq for expression of the stationary phase sigma factor, RpoS. Our results implicate Hfq as a key regulator of multiple aspects of virulence including regulation of motility and outer membrane protein (OmpD) expression in addition to invasion and intracellular growth. These pleiotropic effects are suggested to involve a network of regulatory small non-coding RNAs, placing Hfq at the centre of post-transcriptional regulation of virulence gene expression in Salmonella. In addition, the hfq mutation appears to cause a chronic activation of the RpoE-mediated envelope stress response which is likely due to a misregulation of membrane protein expression. [source] The Campylobacter jejuni stringent response controls specific stress survival and virulence-associated phenotypesMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Erin C. Gaynor Summary Campylobacter jejuni is a highly prevalent food-borne pathogen that causes diarrhoeal disease in humans. A natural zoonotic, it must overcome significant stresses both in vivo and during transmission despite the absence of several traditional stress response genes. Although relatively little is understood about its mechanisms of pathogenesis, its ability to interact with and invade human intestinal epithelial cells closely correlates with virulence. A C. jejuni microarray-based screen revealed that several known virulence genes and several uncharacterized genes, including spoT, were rapidly upregulated during infection of human epithelial cells. spoT and its homologue relA have been shown in other bacteria to regulate the stringent response, an important stress response that to date had not been demonstrated for C. jejuni or any other epsilon-proteobacteria. We have found that C. jejuni mounts a stringent response that is regulated by spoT. Detailed analyses of a C. jejuni,spoT mutant revealed that the stringent response is required for several specific stress, transmission and antibiotic resistance-related phenotypes. These include stationary phase survival, growth and survival under low CO2/high O2 conditions, and rifampicin resistance. A secondary suppressor strain that specifically rescues the low CO2 growth defect of the ,spoT mutant was also isolated. The stringent response additionally proved to be required for the virulence-related phenotypes of adherence, invasion, and intracellular survival in two human epithelial cell culture models of infection; spoT is the first C. jejuni gene shown to participate in longer term survival in epithelial cells. Microarray analyses comparing wild-type to the ,spoT mutant also revealed a strong correlation between gene expression profiles and phenotype differences observed. Together, these data demonstrate a critical role for the C. jejuni stringent response in multiple aspects of C. jejuni biology and pathogenesis and, further, may lend novel insight into unexplored features of the stringent response in other prokaryotic organisms. [source] UVR8 in Arabidopsis thaliana regulates multiple aspects of cellular differentiation during leaf development in response to ultraviolet B radiationNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009Jason J. Wargent Summary ,,Responses specific to ultraviolet B (UV-B) wavelengths are still poorly understood, both in terms of initial signalling and effects on morphogenesis. Arabidopsis thaliana UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 (UVR8) is the only known UV-B specific signalling component, but the role of UVR8 in leaf morphogenesis is unknown. ,,The regulatory effects of UVR8 on leaf morphogenesis at a range of supplementary UV-B doses were characterized, revealing both UVR8-dependent and independent responses to UV irradiation. ,,Inhibition of epidermal cell division in response to UV-B is largely independent of UVR8. However, overall leaf growth under UV-B irradiation in wild-type plants is enhanced compared with a uvr8 mutant because of a UVR8-dependent compensatory increase of cell area in wild-type plants. UVR8 was also required for the regulation of endopolyploidy in response to UV-B, and the uvr8 mutant also has a lower density of stomata than the wild type in the presence of UV-B, indicating that UVR8 has a regulatory role in other developmental events. ,,Our findings show that, in addition to regulating UV-protective gene expression responses, UVR8 is involved in controlling aspects of leaf growth and morphogenesis. This work extends our understanding of how UV-B response is orchestrated at the whole-plant level. [source] Interpersonal communication apprehension, topic avoidance, and the experience of irritable bowel syndromePERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2009JENNIFER L. BEVAN Through the lens of the theory of inhibition and confrontation (Pennebaker, 1989), this study explored the relationships that interpersonal communication apprehension and topic avoidance in one's closest relationship share with the experience of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Specifically, an online survey that studied U.S. IBS-diagnosed and non-IBS subsamples examined person,partner communication apprehension, amount of overall topic avoidance, and reasons for topic avoidance in relation to four IBS experience variables. Communication apprehension displayed a particularly strong relationship with multiple aspects of the IBS experience, and a number of the communication avoidance variables varied according to IBS diagnosis. Implications for the theoretical understanding of interpersonal communication processes in the specific context of IBS and general chronic health conditions are discussed. [source] Multivariate analysis of toxicological and environmental properties of soil nematicidesPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 1 2009Sara Sánchez-Moreno Abstract BACKGROUND: In intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides and soil fumigants is necessary to produce economically viable crops worldwide. However, this practice may involve undesirable effects on human health and the environment. In 1995, methyl bromide was restricted by the Montreal Protocol because of possible ozone depletion. The objective of this study was to compare intrinsic environmental and toxicological properties of 11 active substances with nematicidal properties, some of them recognized as methyl bromide alternatives. RESULTS: Four groups of active substances were discriminated by a series of principal component analyses (PCAs): (a) high toxicity to non-target fauna, humans and animals and medium persistence in the environment (cadusafos, ethoprophos and fenamiphos); (b) high toxicity to humans, animals and non-target fauna and high persistence (carbofuran and fosthiazate); (c) low toxicity to non-target fauna, humans and animals and low persistence (carbosulfan, benfuracarb and oxamyl); (d) low toxicity to humans, animals and non-target fauna and medium persistence in the environment (1,3-dichloropropene, chloropicrin and methyl bromide). CONCLUSION: Evaluating the multiple aspects of toxicological and environmental properties of active substances through PCA is proposed as a helpful tool for initially comparing the complex toxicological behaviour of active substances as plant protection products. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] The effect of a REM sleep deprivation procedure on different aspects of memory function in humansPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Ingvild West Saxvig Abstract Previous studies have suggested that memory is dependent on the occurrence of REM sleep. Research has mainly focused on two distinct types of memory function, declarative and procedural, and it seems that the latter may more directly depend on REM sleep. Memory consolidation has been more investigated than acquisition, maintenance, and recall, despite the fact that sleep may affect flow of information into/from storage. Moreover, tests have often been limited to stimuli within only one modality (usually visual or verbal). This study aimed to clarify the role of REM sleep in memory by investigating aspects of memory function, processing, and modality in the same experimental setting. Tests of acquisition and consolidation of multiple aspects of memory function within the visual and verbal modalities were administrated to subjects before and after REM sleep deprivation. Results show that test performance was not affected by REM sleep deprivation. [source] Configurations of gender inequality: the consequences of ideology and public policy1THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Hadas Mandel Abstract This paper gathers a wide range of indicators into distinctive profiles to show how configurations of gender economic inequality are shaped by both welfare state strategies and gender role ideologies. When multiple aspects of gender inequality are assembled together, it becomes evident that all societies exhibit both gender-egalitarian and inegalitarian features. These tradeoffs can best be understood through the ideological and institutional contexts in which they are embedded. Empirical illustrations are provided for fourteen advanced societies by analysing the major expressions of gender inequality; from women's economic wellbeing and financial autonomy, through labour force participation and continuity of employment, to occupational attainments and economic rewards. The analysis confirms the existence of distinctive profiles of gender inequality and their affinity to normative conceptions of the gender order and ideal types of welfare state institutions. [source] Non-invasive quantification of endogenous root auxin transport using an integrated flux microsensor techniqueTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2010Eric S. McLamore Summary Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a primary phytohormone that regulates multiple aspects of plant development. Because polar transport of IAA is an essential determinant of organogenesis and dynamic tropic growth, methods to monitor IAA movement in vivo are in demand. A self-referencing electrochemical microsensor was optimized to non-invasively measure endogenous IAA flux near the surface of Zea mays roots without the addition of exogenous IAA. Enhanced sensor surface modification, decoupling of acquired signals, and integrated flux analyses were combined to provide direct, real time quantification of endogenous IAA movement in B73 maize inbred and brachytic2 (br2) auxin transport mutant roots. BR2 is localized in epidermal and hypodermal tissues at the root apex. br2 roots exhibit reduced shootward IAA transport at the root apex in radiotracer experiments and reduced gravitropic growth. IAA flux data indicates that maximal transport occurs in the distal elongation zone of maize roots, and net transport in/out of br2 roots was decreased compared to B73. Integration of short term real time flux data in this zone revealed oscillatory patterns, with B73 exhibiting shorter oscillatory periods and greater amplitude than br2. IAA efflux and influx were inhibited using 1- N -naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), and 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (NOA), respectively. A simple harmonic oscillation model of these data produced a correlation between modeled and measured values of 0.70 for B73 and 0.69 for br2. These results indicate that this technique is useful for real-time IAA transport monitoring in surface tissues and that this approach can be performed simultaneously with current live imaging techniques. [source] Front and Back Covers, Volume 26, Number 5.ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 5 2010October 2010 Front and back cover caption, volume 26 issue 5 Front cover RETHINKING SUICIDE BOMBING The body is a key focus for anthropological research and analysis. The cover photographs highlight the way multiple aspects of life, including political life, are mapped onto the body, and the emergence of a collective, as well as individual, identity through these experiences. The front cover shows a young Palestinian boy staring at an Israeli guard's gun, inches from his face, while waiting at the Abu Dis checkpoint in East Jerusalem. Although the scene is calm, the photograph captures an implicit violence (any step out of line can and will be punished) and reveals the daily reality of political and structural violence in the lives of Palestinians. In this image, the child can be seen as an individual who may experience personal trauma as a result of these daily encounters with violence. But he can also be seen as representing a collective Palestinian body which, under the occupation, is humiliated and forced into a childlike position, with daily decisions, including over movement, entirely in the control of Israeli forces. In her article in this issue, Natalia Linos calls on anthropology to offer a critical analysis of suicide bombing and examine the central role of the body in this act. She posits that in a context of political and structural violence that encroaches on both individual and group identity, suicide attacks may be considered an extreme form of reclaiming the violated body through self-directed violence. Through suicide attacks in public spaces, the body may be used to contest physical barriers imposed by an oppressor, resist power imbalances, and reclaim authority over one's body as well as geographical space. Back cover ASSEMBLING BODIES The back cover shows a South African ,body map', on display at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) until 6 November 2010 as part of the exhibition ,Assembling bodies: Art, science and imagination', reviewed in this issue. This self-portrait by Babalwa depicts her life as an activist and epitomizes the ethical and political negotiations that surround definition and treatment of particular bodies in contemporary South Africa. Babalwa was a member of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which successfully campaigned for the widespread availability of antiretroviral treatment therapies. Her self-portrait is one of a series of life-sized body maps made by members of the Bambanani Womens Group in 2003, as part of a project documenting the lives of women with HIV/AIDS. The body maps and associated narratives trace the co-existence of multiple ways of understanding and experiencing bodies and disease in these women's lives. The imagery , referring to family and friends, political life, biomedical science, anatomical details, moral pollution and religious beliefs , suggests many bodies existing within a single corporeal form. In addition to revealing individual subjectivities, the body maps also highlight the shifting dynamics of sociality. Behind each self-portrait is the outline of another shadowy form, a reminder of the help received and the potential for future support. [source] Interleukin-12 induces salivary gland dysfunction in transgenic mice, providing a new model of Sjögren's syndromeARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 12 2009Jelle L. Vosters Objective Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is elevated in the affected organs of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We have previously reported that overexpression of IL-12 in CBA mice leads to mononuclear infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands, as well as to expansion of bronchial lymphoid tissue and decreased mucociliary clearance. Because xerostomia is one of the most important clinical features in SS patients, our main objective in the current study was to evaluate salivary gland function in IL-12,transgenic mice. Our secondary objective was to further characterize this animal model and to determine if the changes observed in these mice are representative of those observed in patients with SS overall. Methods Pilocarpine-stimulated salivary flow was used to address salivary gland function in a large group of IL-12,transgenic mice bred onto the autoimmune-prone SJL background. Furthermore, salivary glands were removed to assess the formation of infiltrates in the glands and gland morphology. Serum was also collected from these animals to investigate the formation of autoantibodies. Results Pilocarpine-stimulated salivary flow was significantly lower in IL-12,transgenic mice than in wild-type controls. Salivary glands from transgenic mice exhibited an increase in both the number and the size of lymphocytic foci, versus glands from age-matched controls. Furthermore, the acini in transgenic mice were fewer in number and larger in size compared with acini in controls. An age-dependent increase in anti-SSB/La antibodies was observed in IL-12,transgenic mice and was accompanied by an increase in antinuclear antibodies. Conclusion Our findings indicate that a number of conditions associated with SS are exhibited by IL-12,transgenic SJL mice and that this model might be useful in researching multiple aspects of the disease. [source] Linking family dysfunction to suicidal ideation: Mediating roles of self-views and world-viewsASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Sylvia Xiaohua Chen Research on suicide has documented various factors predicting suicidal ideation. The present study focused on the pathways emanating from one of the external, environmental forces (i.e. family dysfunction) through internal responses (beliefs about oneself and about the world), to suicidal ideation among Hong Kong Chinese. Using structural equation modelling, we tested the mediating roles of depressive self-views (including stress perception, depressive cognition and negative self-esteem) as well as two dimensions of social axioms (social cynicism and negative reward for application). Multi-group analysis showed that the mediation model was invariant across both males and females. Being socialized into a problematic family of origin affected multiple aspects of one's assessments of both oneself and one's world which, in turn, lead to greater suicidal ideation. Our findings provide important implications for assessing suicidal risk and guiding interventions in clinical treatment. [source] Preparing undergraduates to participate in the post-genome era: A capstone laboratory experience in proteomics,BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION, Issue 6 2003Eric S. Eberhardt Abstract Proteomics is one of the important new disciplines to emerge from the genome sequencing projects of the last decade. In order to introduce our students to the techniques and promise of this emerging field, a capstone laboratory experience has been developed. The exercise involves multiple aspects of proteomics research including microbial culturing methods, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis techniques, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and database mining. Over a 12-week semester, students design their own experiments and apply a proteomic approach to investigate the heat shock response in Escherichia coli. In the trial presented in this article, students successfully identified several major heat shock proteins. The laboratory outlined here can be readily adapted to explore a wide variety of responses in metabolic pathways or responses resulting from other environmental insults or stresses. Additionally, the laboratory can be modified to explore the proteomes of organelles, tissues, and other model organisms. [source] Assessment of quality of life in adults receiving long-term growth hormone replacement compared to control subjectsCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2003I. A. Malik Summary objective There are few studies of quality of life (QOL) in adults with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) compared to matched control populations without GHD. These have shown impairments in a variety of QOL measures, which improve but do not normalize after short-term replacement with GH. There is little information on QOL in long-term treated GHD patients compared with controls without GHD. patients and methods A total of 120 adults with GHD who had received GH replacement for at least 1 year were identified from the neuroendocrine clinic. Patients were asked to complete eight QOL questionnaires and an Energy Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results were compared with 83 control subjects without GHD from the local population who agreed to complete seven of the QOL questionnaires (excluding Disease Impact scale) and the energy VAS. The eight questionnaires were a combination of generic and disease-specific questionnaires used to assess health related QOL, namely: Short Form-36 (SF-36), Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Disease Impact, Life Fulfilment and Satisfaction scales, Mental Fatigue Questionnaire (MFQ) and Self Esteem scale, Hospital Anxiety Depression (HAD) scale and QOL-AGHDA (assessment of GHD in adults). results Eighty-nine patients returned questionnaires and 85 (71%) had complete data for analysis. The mean (SD) duration of GH replacement was 36·0 ± 26·4 (range 13,159) months. Mean age was 43·9 ± 15·8 years (37 males) in treated GHD patients compared to a mean age 41·7 ± 10·5 years (32 males) in the controls. Mean IGF-1 levels were 22·5 ± 13·6 nmol/l in the GHD patients and the mean dose of GH replacement was 1·2 ± 0·4 IU daily. Analysis of the QOL questionnaires from the GH treated patients revealed highly significant impairments in all measures (most P , 0·0001, except life fulfilment-material, P = 0·33) compared to the control population. conclusions This large population with treated GH deficiency have significant impairments in multiple aspects of QOL despite replacement with GH and other pituitary hormones for at least 1 year (mean 3 years). It is likely therefore that other factors in addition to GH deficiency must influence QOL in these patients. Further strategies to improve QOL in these individuals should therefore be considered, e.g. psychological support and treatments and physical treatments (such as exercise programmes). [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||