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Selected AbstractsClassification of atopic hand eczema and the filaggrin mutationsCONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 5 2008Charlotte Giwercman Hand eczema is a common disease with various risk factors of which atopic dermatitis is known to be one of the most important. Recently, two mutations in the gene coding for filaggrin, a protein important for the skin barrier, have repeatedly been shown to be associated with atopic dermatitis. Moreover, one study point towards an association between the filaggrin null alleles and the subgroup of patients having both hand eczema and atopic dermatitis. For the remainder of hand eczema patients, still unknown genetic risk factors exist. We propose that in future, classification of atopic hand eczema should distinguish between patients with and without the filaggrin null alleles and to further differentiate between associations with type I allergy, type IV allergy and exposure to irritants, respectively. Furthermore, we suggest future studies of atopic hand eczema to analyse for the filaggrin mutations. We believe this will increase the possibility of subgrouping this otherwise heterogenic disease and thereby enable a better phenotype,genotype characterization of hand eczema. This could improve the preventive initiatives, secure better information of patients about the prognosis for their disease, and possibly enable targeted treatment. [source] Correlation of hypoxic signalling to histological grade and outcome in cartilage tumoursHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Stephane Boeuf Boeuf S, Bovée J V M G, Lehner B, Hogendoorn P C W & Richter W (2010) Histopathology56, 641,651 Correlation of hypoxic signalling to histological grade and outcome in cartilage tumours Aims:, The molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of central chondrosarcoma are so far poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify genes involved in the progression of these tumours by comparison of gene expression and correlation of expression profiles to histological grade and clinical outcome. Methods and results:, Array-based gene expression profiling of 19 chondrosarcoma samples was performed. Beside differences in the expression of cartilage matrix molecules, high-grade chondrosarcoma showed enhanced expression of the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and of the hypoxia-inducible molecule galectin 1. Immunohistochemical analysis of galectin 1 and of further hypoxia-associated proteins was performed on 68 central and peripheral tumour samples. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1, (HIF-1,) activation was significantly elevated in high-grade central chondrosarcoma. A negative correlation of carbonic anhydrase IX expression to metastasis-free survival was independent of histological grade. Conclusions:, The expression patterns identified in this study point towards a substantial role for angiogenic and hypoxic signalling in chondrosarcoma progression. The constitutive activation of the transcription factor HIF-1, in high-grade chondrosarcoma could play a central role in the regulation of cell metabolism and vascularization in these tumours and may, for this reason, represent a potential target for chondrosarcoma therapy. [source] Work narratives: Gender and race in professional personhoodRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 5 2003Mary-Therese Dombeck Abstract An ethnographic study was conducted to explore how nurses construe and understand their professional culture and their professional personhood. The sample was 36 nurses ranging in age from 26 to 63 (12 African American women, 11 White women, 13 men 12 White and 1 Caribbean Islander). Data were gathered through participant observation, audiotaped individual conversations, a process of seven consecutive group sessions, and short narratives written by the nurses in group sessions. The data were analyzed: (a) by a coding system that focused on the formal and informal roles, rules, and relationships in work and school settings; and (b) by examining the changes in participants' narratives about their professional identity during the process of the group meetings. All the nurses in the sample had been profoundly affected by the socially accepted "feminine" images of nursing. The findings also revealed racial issues in the nursing profession. The implications of this study point to the need for new models of nursing education and nursing leadership to overcome old images and to make nursing attractive to those from diverse backgrounds. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 26:351,365, 2003 [source] Using the implicit association test across cultures: A case of implicit self-esteem in Japan and CanadaASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Andrew C. H. Szeto Previous research has suggested that implicit self-esteem might be universally positive. In the present study implicit self-esteem, as measured by the implicit association test (IAT), was found to be positive in both Japanese and Canadian participants. However, contrary to prior research, Japanese participants were found to have significantly lower implicit self-esteem than Canadians. Japanese participants also had lower scores on an exploratory measure of collective implicit self-esteem. In general, the results of the present study point to the complexities in the study of implicit self-esteem across cultures. Inconsistencies between the present and previous research might reflect divergent methodologies used in the IAT. The applicability of the IAT in a cross-cultural setting is discussed. [source] Electric field induced desorption of bacteria from a conditioning film covered substratumBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 4 2001Albert T. Poortinga Abstract Desorption of three oral bacterial strains from a salivary conditioning film on an indium tin oxide electrode during application of a positive (bacterial adhesion to the anode) or a negative electric current was studied in a parallel plate flow chamber. Bacterial adhesion was from a flowing suspension of high ionic strength, after which the bacterial suspension was replaced by a low ionic strength solution without bacteria and currents ranging from ,800 to +800 ,A were applied. Streptococcus oralis J22 desorbed during application of a positive and negative electric current with a desorption probability that increased with increasing electric current. Two actinomyces strains, however, could not be stimulated to desorb by the electric currents applied. The desorption forces acting on adhering bacteria are electroosmotic in origin and working parallel to the electrode surface in case of a positive current, whereas they are electrophoretic and electrostatic in origin and working perpendicular to the surface in case of a negative current. By comparison of the effect of positive and negative electric currents, it can be concluded that parallel forces are more effective in stimulating bacterial desorption than perpendicular forces. The results of this study point to a new pathway of cleaning industrial and biomedical surfaces without the use of detergents or biocides. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 76: 395,399, 2001. [source] Catherine's legacy: social communication development for individuals with profound learning difficulties and fragile life expectanciesBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2005Mary Kellett In this article, Mary Kellett, of the Children's Research Centre at the Open University, draws on case study evidence to illustrate how an 11,year-old girl's quality of life was transformed in the last few months before she died when an Intensive Interaction intervention approach was adopted. The study raises issues about the way we respond to individuals with the most profound disabilities who are hardest to reach and have fragile life expectancies. It also examines the role of the researcher in situations where a participant dies; how this impacts on data processing - particularly where this involves video footage of a participant -and the complex ethics which need to be considered. Initially, the sadness of the situation and the incompleteness of the data overshadowed the findings. Due attention was not given to the contribution Catherine's data could make to our knowledge and understanding of the lived experiences of children like her and the implications this has for policy and practice. However, ,interrupted' findings from her case study point to the effectiveness of the Intensive Interaction approach in developing sociability, particularly with regard to eye contact and the ability to attend to a joint focus. This article affirms the principle that it is never too late to start an intervention; that severity of impairment should not be a barrier to this; and that the social interaction Intensive Interaction promotes can make a crucial difference to quality of life. [source] Dichotic listening and school performance in dyslexiaDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2008Turid Helland Abstract This study focused on the relationship between school performance and performance on a dichotic listening (DL) task in dyslexic children. Dyslexia is associated with impaired phonological processing, related to functions in the left temporal lobe. DL is a frequently used task to assess functions of the left temporal lobe. Due to the predominance of the contralateral neuronal pathways, a right ear advantage in the DL task reflects the superior processing capacity for the right ear stimulus in the left hemisphere (Kimura, 1963). Previous studies using DL in dyslexia are, however, inconclusive, and may reflect degree of severity of dyslexia. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate lateralized processing in two sub-groups of dyslexia, differing in symptom severity. Two groups of dyslexic 12-year-old children and an age-matched control group were tested with a consonant,vowel DL task. The two dyslexia groups differed in severity through how they responded to training efforts being made in their schools, while otherwise being matched for age, IQ and diagnosis. The D1 (respondent group) group showed a DL performance pattern similar to the control group, i.e. a right ear advantage, while the D2 (non-respondent) group failed to show a right ear advantage on the DL task. The performance on the DL task by the two dyslexia groups may provide better insight as to the degree of reading and writing impairment in dyslexia. ,Cracking the code' and acquiring automatized literacy skills may seem harder for the D2 group children compared to the D1 children. Also, the present study points to the use of DL as a valid assessment tool in clinical work to improve differential diagnoses, particularly in relation to measures of school performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Atlantic climatic factors control decadal dynamics of a Baltic Sea copepod Temora longicornisECOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2003Jari Hänninen We discovered, using transfer functions, that climatic changes in the Atlantic control the abundance of Temora longicornis, a dominant pelagic copepod of the Baltic Sea. The seawater salinity was increasing and copepod numbers were high from 1960s up to 1970s. Then the freshwater runoff started to increase, which resulted in decreasing salinities and abundance of the copepod. At the end of 1990s, runoffs remained at a high level, and the decrease of surface salinities and Temora leveled off. Due to time lags between variables studied, we also make predictions of changes expectable in early 2000s. The total freshwater runoff to the Baltic Sea followed the North Atlantic Oscillation with an immediate lag. Salinity followed the runoff non-linearly with a lag of 4,9 months. Temora longicornis followed the salinity with a lag of 1,3 months. Predicted abundance of T. longicornis will remain low implicating poor feeding conditions for planktivores. Our study points out the importance of physical factors in control of pelagic environments compared to ecological interactions, such as top-down and bottom-up. [source] Allosteric activation of pyruvate kinase via NAD+ in rat liver cellsFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 14 2001Anne Devin In isolated rat hepatocytes, it has previously been reported that a rise in the ATP content induces a proportional increase in cytosolic NAD+ concentration [Devin, A., Guérin, B. & Rigoulet, M. (1997) FEBS Lett.410, 329,332]. This occurs under physiological conditions such as various substrates or different energetic states. To investigate the effect of a physiological rise in cytosolic [NAD+] per se on glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, an increase in [NAD+] induced by exogenous nicotinamide addition was obtained without a change in redox potential, ATP/ADP ratio and ATP concentration. Using dihydroxyacetone as substrate, we found that an increase in cytosolic [NAD+] decreases gluconeogenesis and enhances glycolysis without significant alteration of dihydroxyacetone consumption rate. These modifications are the consequence of an allosteric activation of pyruvate kinase via cytosolic NAD+ content. Thus, in addition to the well-known thermodynamic control of glycolysis by pyridine-nucleotide redox status, our study points to a new mechanism of glycolytic flux regulation by NAD+ concentration at the level of pyruvate kinase activity. [source] Cover Picture: Assembly of Wiseana Iridovirus: Viruses for Colloidal Photonic Crystals (Adv. Funct.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 8 2006Mater. Abstract Assembly of colloids is a versatile tool for micro- and nanofabrication. Natural and artificially engineered viruses offer the opportunity to expand the functionality and versatility of such assemblies. The cover shows optically iridescent, thin polycrystalline arrays (background) as well as bulk pellets (inset right) that exhibit reversible hydration-dependent reflection spectra, as reported by Vaia and co-workers on p.,1086. The films and pellets were created in vitro with classical colloid-assembly techniques from Wiseana iridescent virus (inset, center) harvested from infected Wiseana spp larvae (inset, left). In,vitro assembly of Wiseana iridescent virus (WIV) yields iridescent pellets and films with structural color more vivid than in the native insect. WIV is icosahedral in shape, 140,nm in diameter, with 30,nm long fibrils attached to the outer surface, and exhibits a surface charge ca.,1/6th that of a comparable polymer colloid. The low surface charge and tethered chains on the virus surface allow the facile modification of the interparticle distance. Directed sedimentation yields predominantly an amorphous liquid-like packing of the virus. Such samples exhibit a broad reflection band that is angle independent and for which the broad maximum can be reversibly shifted from blue towards red with increased hydration. Slow sedimentation and flow-assisted assembly methods produce thin films with a polycrystalline morphology that exhibit narrower, more intense reflectivity peaks, which are hydration and angle dependent. This study points toward the potential of viral particles for photonic crystals where their unique structural features (icosahedral symmetry, extreme monodispersity, precise surface functionalization, and tethered surface chains of low surface-charge density) may lead to superior control of optical properties of their assembled arrays. [source] On the capillary stress tensor in wet granular materialsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 10 2009L. Scholtès Abstract This paper presents a micromechanical study of unsaturated granular media in the pendular regime, based on numerical experiments using the discrete element method, compared with a microstructural elastoplastic model. Water effects are taken into account by adding capillary menisci at contacts and their consequences in terms of force and water volume are studied. Simulations of triaxial compression tests are used to investigate both macro and micro-effects of a partial saturation. The results provided by the two methods appear to be in good agreement, reproducing the major trends of a partially saturated granular assembly, such as the increase in the shear strength and the hardening with suction. Moreover, a capillary stress tensor is exhibited from capillary forces by using homogenization techniques. Both macroscopic and microscopic considerations emphasize an induced anisotropy of the capillary stress tensor in relation with the pore fluid distribution inside the material. Insofar as the tensorial nature of this fluid fabric implies shear effects on the solid phase associated with suction, a comparison has been made with the standard equivalent pore pressure assumption. It is shown that water effects induce microstructural phenomena that cannot be considered at the macro level, particularly when dealing with material history. Thus, the study points out that unsaturated soil stress definitions should include, besides the macroscopic stresses such as the total stress, the microscopic interparticle stresses such as the ones resulting from capillary forces, in order to interpret more precisely the implications of the pore fluid on the mechanical behaviour of granular materials. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Developing a measure of patient access to primary care: the access response index (AROS)JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2003Glyn Elwyn BA MSc PhD FRCGP Abstract Access to appointments in primary care is not routinely measured, and there is no one standardized method for doing so. Any measurement tool has to take account of the dynamic status of appointment availability and the definitional problems of appointment types. The aim of this study was to develop and trial a method for measuring access that is valid, reliable, quick and provides a daily longitudinal record of access on an organizational basis (not for individual clinicians). Using the results of a literature review and following discussions with clinicians and managers a tool was designed following agreed specifications. After initial adjustments of the tool a feasibility study tested the acceptability of a data collection exercise on 11 practices of varying types, over a 4- to 8-week period. The development phase led to the design of a tool named the access response index (AROS). The method was well received in the practices, with a low incidence of missed days and only one practice failing to return data. The index measures the number of days' wait to the next available appointment with any general practitioner. The inclusion in the score of urgent appointments was abandoned due to definitional problems. A 5-day moving average was chosen to represent the data in graph form to demonstrate overall trends. AROS is a useful tool usable in any practice, and our feasibility study points to it being widely acceptable in the field. Data are represented in clear graphical daily format, either just for one practice or as an anonymous composite graph with other practices in the locality. [source] X-ray emission spectroscopy with a laser-heated diamond anvil cell: a new experimental probe of the spin state of iron in the Earth's interiorJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2005Jung-Fu Lin Synchrotron-based X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) is well suited to probing the local electronic structure of 3d transition metals such as Fe and Mn in their host phases. The laser-heated diamond anvil cell technique is uniquely capable of generating ultra-high static pressures and temperatures in excess of 100,GPa and 3000,K. Here X-ray emission spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction have been interfaced with the laser-heated diamond cell for studying the electronic spin states of iron in magnesiowüstite-(Mg0.75,Fe0.25)O and its crystal structure under lower-mantle conditions. X-ray emission spectra of the ferrous iron in a single crystal of magnesiowüstite-(Mg0.75,Fe0.25)O indicate that a high-spin to low-spin transition of ferrous iron occurs at 54 to 67,GPa and 300,K and the ferrous iron remains in the high-spin state up to 47,GPa and 1300,K. This pilot study points to the unique capability of the synchrotron-based XES and X-ray diffraction techniques for addressing the issue of electronic spin transition or crossover in 3d transition metals and compounds under extreme high- P,T conditions. [source] Performance characteristics according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC in the fluorimetric determination of tetracycline in the absence and in the presence of magnesiumLUMINESCENCE: THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL LUMINESCENCE, Issue 6 2007Noelia Rodríguez Abstract The fluorimetric determination of tetracycline is usually carried out in the presence of some metals that, through the formation of a complex with this antibiotic, enhance its fluorescence emission, giving more sensitive determination methods. It is well established that magnesium is one of these metals. However, it is possible that higher signals do not mean a real improvement in the quality of the analytical method. In this work, the univariate and multivariate fluorescence determination of tetracycline is performed in the presence and absence of Mg2+, comparing the quality of the analyses through some performance characteristics that, according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC define the functional qualities of analytical methods. The methods with the best performance characteristics were multivariate determinations carried out in the absence of Mg2+, both when emission or excitation spectra were taken, the decision limits (CC,) being 13.1 and 20.1 µg/L and the detection capabilities (CC,) 25.3 and 38.5 µg/L, respectively. This study points out through a case study that higher analytical signals do not necessarily mean better performance characteristics of a method of analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rapid Control of Wound Infections by Targeted Photodynamic Therapy Monitored by In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Michael R. Hamblin ABSTRACT The worldwide rise in antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of novel antimicrobial strategies. In this study we report on the first use of a photochemical approach to destroy bacteria infecting a wound in an animal model. Following topical application, a targeted polycationic photosensitizer conjugate between poly- l -lysine and chlorine6 penetrated the Gram (,) outer bacterial membrane, and subsequent activation with 660 nm laser light rapidly killed Escherichia coli infecting excisional wounds in mice. To facilitate real-time monitoring of infection, we used bacteria that expressed the lux operon from Photorhabdus luminescens; these cells emitted a bioluminescent signal that allowed the infection to be rapidly quantified, using a low-light imaging system. There was a light-dose dependent loss of luminescence in the wound treated with conjugate and light, not seen in untreated wounds. Treated wounds healed as well as control wounds, showing that the photodynamic treatment did not damage the host tissue. Our study points to the possible use of this methodology in the rapid control of wounds and other localized infections. [source] Linguistic Markers of Psychological State through Media Interviews: John Kerry and John Edwards in 2004, Al Gore in 2000ANALYSES OF SOCIAL ISSUES & PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2005James W. Pennebaker What can we learn about presidential candidates by examining their speech in natural conversation? In the present study, the television interviews from the 2004 Democratic presidential primary campaign of John Kerry (N= 29) and John Edwards (N= 34) were examined using linguistic analyses. Results indicate that Kerry and Edwards were similar in their use of positive emotion words, but that Kerry used significantly higher rates of negative emotion words than did Edwards. Comparisons with televised interviews of Al Gore from the 2000 presidential campaign (N= 17) revealed striking similarities in the linguistic styles of Gore and Kerry. Gore's linguistic style overlapped considerably with that of Kerry on pronoun usage and many cognitive domains. This study points to how linguistic analyses can give us a clearer picture of how political candidates think, act, and feel. [source] Peroxidase activity of bacterial cytochrome P450 enzymes: Modulation by fatty acids and organic solventsBIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 8 2010Kersten S. Rabe Abstract The modulation of peroxidase activity by fatty acid additives and organic cosolvents was determined and compared for four bacterial cytochrome P450 enzymes, thermostable P450 CYP119A1, the P450 domain of CYP102A1 (BMP), CYP152A1 (P450bs,), and CYP101A1 (P450cam). Utilizing a high-throughput microplate assay, we were able to readily screen more than 100 combinations of enzymes, additives and cosolvents in a convenient and highly reproducible assay format. We found that, in general, CYP119A1 and BMP showed an increase in peroxidative activity in the presence of fatty acids, whereas CYP152A1 revealed a decrease in activity and CYP101A1 was only slightly affected. In particular, we observed that the conversion of the fluorogenic peroxidase substrate Amplex Red by CYP119A1 and BMP was increased by a factor of 38 or 11, respectively, when isopropanol and lauric acid were present in the reaction mixture. The activity of CYP119A1 could thus be modulated to reach more than 90% of the activity of CYP152A1 without effectors, which is the system with the highest peroxidative activity. For all P450s investigated we found distinctive reactivity patterns, which suggest similarities in the binding site of CYP119A1 and BMP in contrast with the other two proteins studied. Therefore, this study points towards a role of fatty acids as activators for CYP enzymes in addition to being mere substrates. In general, our detailed description of fatty acid- and organic solvent-effects is of practical interest because it illustrates that optimization of modulators and cosolvents can lead to significantly increased yields in biocatalysis. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||