Other articles by Hilary C. Rees on PubMed

• White Matter Integrity Assessed by Diffusion Tensor Tractography in a Patient with a Large Tumor Mass but Minimal Clinical and Neuropsychological Deficits Functional Neurology. Oct-Dec, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 23597438 Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography and image registration were used to investigate a patient with a massive left-sided brain tumor, whose size was largely disproportionate to his subtle neurological deficits. MRI was obtained from the patient and his healthy identical twin, who acted as anatomical reference for DTI and as a control for quantitative measures. To compensate for the patient's altered anatomy, seed and way points for probabilistic tractography were drawn on the color-coded direction maps of the healthy twin. Registration, based on the combination of b0-images, T2-weighted and T1-weighted images, was used to identify the corresponding regions in the patient. The corticospinal tract (CST), the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and the cingulum bundle (CB) showed displaced anatomy. A significant difference was found between fractional anisotropy distribution along the left SLF and CB, but not along the CST. These findings fit well with the patient's substantial preservation of his motor abilities, while abnormalities of the SLF and CB could explain the subtle but detectable cognitive deficits.
• Asepsis in Implant Dentistry Primary Dental Journal. Oct, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 23720921
• Early Visual Learning Induces Long-lasting Connectivity Changes During Rest in the Human Brain NeuroImage. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23558105 Spontaneous fluctuations in resting state activity can change in response to experience-dependent plasticity and learning. Visual learning is fast and can be elicited in an MRI scanner. Here, we showed that a random dot motion coherence task can be learned within one training session. While the task activated primarily visual and parietal brain areas, learning related changes in neural activity were observed in the hippocampus. Crucially, even this rapid learning affected resting state dynamics both immediately after the learning and 24h later. Specifically, the hippocampus changed its coupling with the striatum, in a way that was best explained as a consolidation of early learning related changes. Our findings suggest that long-lasting changes in neuronal coupling are accompanied by changes in resting state activity.
• Reduction in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Congolese Refugees Practicing Transcendental Meditation Journal of Traumatic Stress. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23568415 This matched single-blind pilot study tested the effect of Transcendental Meditation® (TM) practice on symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in Congolese refugees. Urban refugees (N = 102) staying around Kampala, Uganda attended introductory meetings. After initial random assignment to the TM group, 30 refugees who revealed that they were unable to attend all meetings and were eliminated from the study. The remaining 21 TM group participants were then instructed in TM and matched with refugees in the control group on age, sex, and baseline scores on the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian (PCL-C). All participants completed the PCL-C measure of PTS symptoms at baseline, and 30-day and 135-day posttests. The PCL-C scores in the control group trended upward. In contrast, the PCL-C scores in the TM group went from 65 on average at baseline indicating severe PTS symptoms to below 30 on average after 30 days of TM practice, and remained low at 135 days. Effect size was high (d > 1.0). Compliance with TM practice was good; most reported regular practice throughout the study. There were no adverse events. All refugees who learned TM completed the study and were able to practice TM successfully, with subsequent substantial reduction in PTS symptoms.
• The Effect of Monoalkyl Phosphates and Fluoride on Dissolution of Hydroxyapatite, and Interactions with Saliva Caries Research. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23571769 The aims were to investigate the effect of monoalkyl phosphates (MAPs) and fluoride on dissolution rate of native and saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (HA). Fluoride at 300 mg/l (as NaF) inhibited dissolution of native HA by 12%, while potassium and sodium dodecyl phosphates (PDP, SDP), at 0.1% or higher, inhibited dissolution by 26-34%. MAPs, but not fluoride, also showed persistence of action. MAPs at 0.5% and fluoride at 300 mg/l were then tested separately against HA pre-treated with human saliva for 2 or 18 h. Agents were applied with brushing to half the specimens, and without brushing to the other half. In control (water-treated) specimens, pre-treatment of HA with human saliva reduced dissolution rate on average by 41% (2 h) and 63% (18 h). Brushing did not have a statistically significant effect on dissolution rate of saliva-coated specimens. In brushed specimens, fluoride significantly increased the inhibition due to 2- or 18-hour saliva pre-treatment. It is hypothesised that brushing partially removes the salivary film and allows KOH-soluble calcium fluoride formation at the surfaces of HA particles. Inhibition was reduced by PDP in 2-hour/non-brushed specimens and in 18-hour/brushed specimens. PDP did not affect dissolution rates in the remaining groups and SDP did not affect dissolution rate in any group. Possible reasons for these variable results are discussed. The experiments show that pre-treatment with saliva can significantly modify results of tests on potential anti-erosive agents and it is recommended that saliva pre-treatment should be a routine part of testing such agents.
• High Spatial Resolution Infrared Micro-spectroscopy Reveals the Mechanism of Leaf Lignin Decomposition by Aquatic Fungi PloS One. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23577169 Organic carbon is a critical component of aquatic systems, providing energy storage and transfer between organisms. Fungi are a major decomposer group in the aquatic carbon cycle, and are one of few groups thought to be capable of breaking down woody (lignified) tissue. In this work we have used high spatial resolution (synchrotron light source) infrared micro-spectroscopy to study the interaction between aquatic fungi and lignified leaf vein material (xylem) from River Redgum trees (E. camaldulensis) endemic to the lowland rivers of South-Eastern Australia. The work provides spatially explicit evidence that fungal colonisation of leaf litter involves the oxidative breakdown of lignin immediately adjacent to the fungal tissue and depletion of the lignin-bound cellulose. Cellulose depletion occurs over relatively short length scales (5-15 µm) and highlights the likely importance of mechanical breakdown in accessing the carbohydrate content of this resource. Low bioavailability compounds (oxidized lignin and polyphenols of plant origin) remain in colonised leaves, even after fungal activity diminishes, and suggests a possible pathway for the sequestration of carbon in wetlands. The work shows that fungi likely have a critical role in the partitioning of lignified material into a biodegradable fraction that can re-enter the aquatic carbon cycle, and a recalcitrant fraction that enters long-term storage in sediments or contribute to the formation of dissolved organic carbon in the water column.
• Success of a Multimodal Program to Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance Journal of Nursing Care Quality. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23579277 The purpose of this article was to describe the successful implementation of a quality improvement initiative focusing on a hand hygiene program that used the multimodal interventions of tailored education, monthly feedback, and reminders. Compliance rates improved from July 2011 to December 2012 by 57.4%. Efforts are continuing to ensure program sustainability.
• Sports and Exercise-related Tendinopathies: a Review of Selected Topical Issues by Participants of the Second International Scientific Tendinopathy Symposium (ISTS) Vancouver 2012 British Journal of Sports Medicine. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23584762 In September 2010, the first International Scientific Tendinopathy Symposium (ISTS) was held in UmeÃ¥, Sweden, to establish a forum for original scientific and clinical insights in this growing field of clinical research and practice. The second ISTS was organised by the same group and held in Vancouver, Canada, in September 2012. This symposium was preceded by a round-table meeting in which the participants engaged in focused discussions, resulting in the following overview of tendinopathy clinical and research issues. This paper is a narrative review and summary developed during and after the second ISTS. The document is designed to highlight some key issues raised at ISTS 2012, and to integrate them into a shared conceptual framework. It should be considered an update and a signposting document rather than a comprehensive review. The document is developed for use by physiotherapists, physicians, athletic trainers, massage therapists and other health professionals as well as team coaches and strength/conditioning managers involved in care of sportspeople or workers with tendinopathy.
• A Phthalate Family Oxygenase Reductase Supports Terpene Alcohol Oxidation by CYP238A1 from Pseudomonas Putida KT2440 Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry. Jan-Feb, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23586988 CYP238A1, one of the two P450 enzymes in the genome of Pseudomonas putida KT2440, has been produced heterologously in Escherichia coli, purified, and found to bind acyclic and cyclic terpene alcohols such as farnesol, nerolidol, linalool, and terpineol. The other P450 enzyme in this organism (gene locus: PP1950) was also produced in E. coli but no substrate has been identified from a limited screen. A phthalate family oxygenase reductase (PFOR) encoded by the PP1957 gene, just downstream of the PP1955 gene for CYP238A1, accepts electrons from the reduced form of both nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate and is able to support monooxygenase activity of CYP238A1, both in vitro and in E. coli, in which both enzymes are produced. CYP238A1 oxidizes cis- and trans-nerolidol to the 9-hydroxy product, with no evidence of attack at the olefinic double bonds. The NADH turnover rate of 170 nmol(nmol-P450)⁻¹ Min⁻¹ for CYP238A1 with cis-nerolidol as substrate at a PP1957:CYP238A1 concentration ratio of 8:1 suggests that this PFOR could function as the physiological redox partner for CYP238A1. The physiological role of CYP238A1 may be related to the PP1955 gene being part of an island/cluster of inducible genes associated with energy metabolism and response to xenobiotics.
• Smooth Muscle Hyperplasia Due to Loss of Smooth Muscle α-actin is Driven by Activation of Focal Adhesion Kinase, Altered P53 Localization and Increased Levels of Platelet-derived Growth Factor Receptor-β Human Molecular Genetics. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23591991 Mutations in ACTA2, encoding the smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific isoform of α-actin (α-SMA), cause thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections and occlusive vascular diseases, including early onset coronary artery disease and stroke. We have shown that occlusive arterial lesions in patients with heterozygous ACTA2 missense mutations show increased numbers of medial or neointimal SMCs. The contribution of SMC hyperplasia to these vascular diseases and the pathways responsible for linking disruption of α-SMA filaments to hyperplasia are unknown. Here, we show that the loss of Acta2 in mice recapitulates the SMC hyperplasia observed in ACTA2 mutant SMCs and determine the cellular pathways responsible for SMC hyperplasia. Acta2(-/-) mice showed increased neointimal formation following vascular injury in vivo, and SMCs explanted from these mice demonstrated increased proliferation and migration. Loss of α-SMA induced hyperplasia through focal adhesion (FA) rearrangement, FA kinase activation, re-localization of p53 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and increased expression and ligand-independent activation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (Pdgfr-β). Disruption of α-SMA in wild-type SMCs also induced similar cellular changes. Imatinib mesylate inhibited Pdgfr-β activation and Acta2(-/-) SMC proliferation in vitro and neointimal formation with vascular injury in vivo. Loss of α-SMA leads to SMC hyperplasia in vivo and in vitro through a mechanism involving FAK, p53 and Pdgfr-β, supporting the hypothesis that SMC hyperplasia contributes to occlusive lesions in patients with ACTA2 missense mutations.
• Ethical Considerations for Vaccination Programmes in Acute Humanitarian Emergencies Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23599553 Humanitarian emergencies result in a breakdown of critical health-care services and often make vulnerable communities dependent on external agencies for care. In resource-constrained settings, this may occur against a backdrop of extreme poverty, malnutrition, insecurity, low literacy and poor infrastructure. Under these circumstances, providing food, water and shelter and limiting communicable disease outbreaks become primary concerns. Where effective and safe vaccines are available to mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks, their potential deployment is a key consideration in meeting emergency health needs. Ethical considerations are crucial when deciding on vaccine deployment. Allocation of vaccines in short supply, target groups, delivery strategies, surveillance and research during acute humanitarian emergencies all involve ethical considerations that often arise from the tension between individual and common good. The authors lay out the ethical issues that policy-makers need to bear in mind when considering the deployment of mass vaccination during humanitarian emergencies, including beneficence (duty of care and the rule of rescue), non-maleficence, autonomy and consent, and distributive and procedural justice.
• Feedback of Personal Retinal Images Appears to Have a Motivational Impact in People with Non-proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Suboptimal HbA1c : Findings of a Pilot Study Diabetic Medicine : a Journal of the British Diabetic Association. Mar, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23601012 AIM: To conduct a pilot study to explore the potential impact of visual feedback of personal retinal images on diabetes outcomes. METHODS: Twenty-five participants with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and suboptimal HbA1c (> 53 mmol/mol; > 7%) were randomized to receive visual feedback of their own retinal images or to a control group. At baseline and 3-month follow-up, HbA1c , standard measures of beliefs, diabetes-related distress and self-care activities were assessed. RESULTS: In unadjusted models, relative to controls, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in HbA1c at 3-month follow-up (-0.6% vs. +0.3%, P 
• Determinants of Better Health: a Cross-sectional Assessment of Positive Deviants Among Women in West Bengal BMC Public Health. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23601509 Rural women in West Bengal have been found to have low rates of formal education, poor health knowledge, high rates of malnutrition and anemia, and low levels of empowerment. Despite these difficult circumstances, some women have positive health outcomes compared to women with similarly disadvantaged backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with positive health outcomes among women with primary education or less.
• Detection of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis in Bulk Tank Milk by Combined Phage-PCR Assay: Evidence That Plaque Number is a Good Predictor of MAP International Journal of Food Microbiology. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23603220 Conventional culture and a rapid phage-PCR method were used to detect Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in bulk tank milk (BTM) samples. Only two of 225 samples (0.9%) were found to contain MAP by culture whereas 50 (22%) MAP-positive samples were identified using the phage-PCR assay, including both samples that were MAP-culture positive. Results using the phage-based method for independently tested duplicate samples indicated that the assay is very reproducible (r(2)=0.897), especially when low levels of mycobacteria are present. A relationship was established between plaque number and the presence of MAP in a sample. A cut-off value was determined allowing identification of MAP-positive samples based on plaque number alone (90% sensitivity, 99% specificity; area under the curve=0.976). These results indicate that the assay is a robust method for screening BTM, providing results within 24 h.
• An Urban Metabolism and Ecological Footprint Assessment of Metro Vancouver Journal of Environmental Management. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23603775 As the world urbanizes, the role of cities in determining sustainability outcomes grows in importance. Cities are the dominant form of human habitat, and most of the world's resources are either directly or indirectly consumed in cities. Sustainable city analysis and management requires understanding the demands a city places on a wider geographical area and its ecological resource base. We present a detailed, integrated urban metabolism of residential consumption and ecological footprint analysis of the Vancouver metropolitan region for the year 2006. Our overall goal is to demonstrate the application of a bottom-up ecological footprint analysis using an urban metabolism framework at a metropolitan, regional scale. Our specific objectives are: a) to quantify energy and material consumption using locally generated data and b) to relate these data to global ecological carrying capacity. Although water is the largest material flow through Metro Vancouver (424,860,000 m(3)), it has the smallest ecological footprint (23,100 gha). Food (2,636,850 tonnes) contributes the largest component to the ecological footprint (4,514,400 gha) which includes crop and grazing land as well as carbon sinks required to sequester emissions from food production and distribution. Transportation fuels (3,339,000 m(3)) associated with motor vehicle operation and passenger air travel comprises the second largest material flow through the region and the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions (7,577,000 tonnes). Transportation also accounts for the second largest component of the EF (2,323,200 gha). Buildings account for the largest electricity flow (17,515,150 MWh) and constitute the third largest component of the EF (1,779,240 gha). Consumables (2,400,000 tonnes) comprise the fourth largest component of the EF (1,414,440 gha). Metro Vancouver's total Ecological Footprint in 2006 was 10,071,670 gha, an area approximately 36 times larger than the region itself. The EFA reveals that cropland and carbon sinks (forested land required to sequester carbon dioxide emissions) account for 90% of Metro Vancouver's overall demand for biocapacity. The per capita ecological footprint is 4.76 gha, nearly three times the per capita global supply of biocapacity. Note that this value excludes national government services that operate outside the region and could account for up to an additional 2 gha/ca.
• Best Practice Guidelines on Clinical Management of Acute Attacks of Porphyria and Their Complications Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23605132 The British and Irish Porphyria Network guidelines describe best practice in the clinical assessment, investigation and management of acute porphyria attacks and their complications, including severe attacks with neuropathy. Acute attacks of porphyria may occur in acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), variegate porphyria (VP) and hereditary coproporphyria (HCP). Aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase deficiency porphyria (ADP) is a very rare autosomal recessive porphyria; only six cases substantiated by mutation analysis have yet been described in the literature. Urinary porphobilinogen (PBG) is always raised in an acute attack due to AIP, VP or HCP and this analysis is essential to confirm the diagnosis. A positive result in a qualitative or semi-quantitative screening test must be followed by PBG quantitation at the earliest opportunity. However in a severely ill patient, treatment should not be delayed. Removal of precipitating factors, effective analgesia and control of symptoms with safe medication, attention to nutrition and fluid balance are essential. The indications for use of intravenous haem arginate are set out, together with advice on its administration. A small proportion of acute porphyria patients develop recurrent attacks and management options that may be considered include gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, 'prophylactic' regular haem arginate infusion or ultimately, liver transplantation.
• Nephrectomy for the Failed Renal Allograft in Children: Predictors and Outcomes Pediatric Nephrology (Berlin, Germany). Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23605376 There are no guidelines for the removal of a failed renal allograft, and its impact on subsequent dialysis and retransplantation has not yet been described.
• North-South Corridor Demonstration Project: Ethical and Logistical Challenges in the Design of a Demonstration Study of Early Antiretroviral Treatment for Long Distance Truck Drivers Along a Transport Corridor Through South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia Advances in Preventive Medicine. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23606977 Background. Long-distance truck drivers are at risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV and have suboptimal access to care. New HIV prevention strategies using antiretroviral drugs to reduce transmission risk (early antiretroviral therapy (ART) at CD4 count >350 cells/ μ L) have shown efficacy in clinical trials. Demonstration projects are needed to evaluate "real world" programme effectiveness. We present the protocol for a demonstration study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and cost of an early ART intervention for HIV-positive truck drivers along a transport corridor across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, as part of an enhanced strategy to improve treatment adherence and retention in care. Methods and Analysis. This demonstration study would follow an observational cohort of truck drivers receiving early treatment. Our mixed methods approach includes quantitative, qualitative, and economic analyses. Key ethical and logistical issues are discussed (i.e., choice of drug regimen, recruitment of participants, and monitoring of adherence, behavioural changes, and adverse events). Conclusion. Questions specific to the design of tailored early ART programmes are amenable to operational research approaches but present substantial ethical and logistical challenges. Addressing these in demonstration projects can inform policy decisions regarding strategies to reduce health inequalities in access to HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
• Detour of Prenostodione Synthesis Towards Pyrazolones for Antibacterial Activity Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23611730 Our attempts to prepare indolyl acid (3), enroute to prenostodione (2), from phenyl-hydrazine following a reported procedure of Fischer-Indole synthesis rather lead to ethyl 2-(5-oxo-1-phenyl-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)acetate as a major product, which underwent facile condensation with aldehydes to provide the pyrazolones. Intrigued by the opportunity for the diversity oriented synthesis of substituted pyrazolones, we have developed a facile one pot approach for pyrazolones and screened for antibacterial activity and, herein, results are reported.
• FDG PET in the Early Diagnosis of Large-vessel Vasculitis European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23613105
• Erectile Dysfunction and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: a Consensus on the Importance of Co-diagnosis International Journal of Clinical Practice. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23617950 Despite differences in design, many large epidemiological studies using well-powered multivariate analyses consistently provide overwhelming evidence of a link between erectile dysfunction (ED) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Preclinical evidence suggests that several common pathophysiological mechanisms are involved in the development of both ED and LUTS. We recommend that patients seeking consultation for one condition should always be screened for the other condition. We propose that co-diagnosis would ensure that patient management accounts for all possible co-morbid and associated conditions. Medical, socio-demographic and lifestyle risk factors can help to inform diagnoses and should be taken into consideration during the initial consultation. Awareness of risk factors may alert physicians to patients at risk of ED or LUTS and so allow them to manage patients accordingly; early diagnosis of ED in patients with LUTS, for example, could help reduce the risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease. Prescribing physicians should be aware of the sexual adverse effects of many treatments currently recommended for LUTS; sexual function should be evaluated prior to commencement of treatment, and monitored throughout treatment to ensure that the choice of drug is appropriate.
• EMAS Clinical Guide: Assessment of the Endometrium in Peri and Postmenopausal Women Maturitas. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23619009 Invasive as well as non-invasive methods are available for assessment of the endometrium.
• Caution Needed when Examining Certificate of Vision Impairment Rates: the New Public Health Indicator Eye (London, England). Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23619216
• Vitamin D Intake and Other Risk Factors for Vitamin D Insufficiency in Middle Eastern People Living in the UK: a Comparison of Cultural and Ethnic Groups Ecology of Food and Nutrition. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23621485 A questionnaire was designed to obtain information about factors affecting vitamin D status in Middle Eastern people living in the UK. A total of 242 questionnaires were returned out of 350 distributed. A total of 85% of the sample was estimated to have a low vitamin D intake (< 5 μg/d). Other risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency included covering skin from sunlight (62% men and 84% women); low use of vitamin D containing supplements (18.5%) and being overweight or obese (49% men and 44% women). Vitamin D intake was lowest in the Kurdish ethnic group (2.18 μg/d) and in those with primary (1.83 μg/d) and secondary school (2.14 μg/d) level education compared to higher education (3.0-3.59 μg/d). Vitamin D intake was highest in those aged 40-49 years (4.0 μg/d), those born in the Levant (4.29 μg/d), and in those who were obese (3.60 μg/d).
• Stressors, Social Support, and Tests of the Buffering Hypothesis: Effects on Psychological Responses of Injured Athletes British Journal of Health Psychology. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23621677 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to examine the main and stress-buffering effect relationships between social support and psychological responses to injury. DESIGN: The article presents two studies, both of which matched social support types with injury stressors. Study 1 used measures of stressors, perception of social support availability, and psychological responses of injured athletes. Study 2 utilized measures of stressors, received social support, and psychological responses of injured athletes. METHODS: During physiotherapy clinic visits, injured athletes (Study 1, N = 319; Study 2, N = 302) completed measures of stressors, social support, and psychological responses to injury. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and moderated hierarchical regression were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: In both studies, CFA suggested adequate model fit for measures of social support and psychological responses to injury. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses in Study 1 revealed significant (p 
• Understanding Sources of Sea Lice for Salmon Farms in Chile Preventive Veterinary Medicine. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23628338 The decline of fisheries over recent decades and a growing human population has coincided with an increase in aquaculture production. As farmed fish densities increase, so have their rates of infectious diseases, as predicted by the theory of density-dependent disease transmission. One of the pathogen that has increased with the growth of salmon farming is sea lice. Effective management of this pathogen requires an understanding of the spatial scale of transmission. We used a two-part multi-scale model to account for the zero-inflated data observed in weekly sea lice abundance levels on rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon farms in Chile, and to assess internal (farm) and external (regional) sources of sea lice infection. We observed that the level of juvenile sea lice was higher on farms that were closer to processing plants with fish holding facilities. Further, evidence for sea lice exposure from the surrounding area was supported by a strong positive correlation between the level of juvenile sea lice on a farm and the number of gravid females on neighboring farms within 30km two weeks prior. The relationship between external sources of sea lice from neighboring farms and juvenile sea lice on a farm was one of the strongest detected in our multivariable model. Our findings suggest that the management of sea lice should be coordinated between farms and should include all farms and processing plants with holding facilities within a relatively large geographic area. Understanding the contribution of pathogens on a farm from different sources is an important step in developing effective control strategies.
• A Legal and Ecological Perspective of 'site Integrity' to Inform Policy Development and Management of Special Areas of Conservation in Europe Marine Pollution Bulletin. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23628546 The European Union Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) provides for the designation and management of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and requires that impacting activities are subject to 'an appropriate assessment' of their implications for the 'integrity' of the site. We define the term 'site integrity' from a legal and an ecological perspective. We demonstrate that 'site integrity' is the maintenance of ecological processes and functions that support the wider delivery of ecosystem services. 'Site integrity' can be influenced by SAC management. Management that seeks to support 'site integrity' may include the use of buffer zones or connecting areas that extend beyond the SAC site's designated features. We conclude that 'site integrity' and 'favourable conservation status' are powerful legal terms that if fully transposed into the law and policy of Member States can enable the achievement of broader European and International goals for marine conservation.
• Validating a Global Rating Scale to Monitor Individual Resident Learning Curves During Arthroscopic Knee Meniscal Repair Arthroscopy : the Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery : Official Publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23628663 To determine whether a global rating scale (GRS) with construct validity can also be used to assess the learning curve of individual orthopaedic trainees during simulated arthroscopic knee meniscal repair.
• New Research in HIV Immunity Points Way for Vaccine Immunotherapy. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23638739
• Dry Stacking of Wastewater Treatment Sludges Water Research. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23642401 Drying pans are used during wastewater treatment (WWT) to store, stabilise and dry residual solids. The pans are filled with sludge that dries via exposure to sunshine and wind. We propose that drying pans be operated based on dry stacking principles, a technique with proven success in the mineral processing industry. The implementation of the dry stacking technique requires very little in the way of additional engineering beyond a conventional drying pan. By applying the sludge in thin layers, the sludge naturally forms its own stack with an angle that is dependent on the consistency of the material. The benefits of dry stacking are that the slope allows instantaneous run-off of rainfall and supernatant, allowing operation throughout the year rather than seasonally. The layering approach also maximises the evaporation achieved in the available deposition area compared to filling the pans sequentially. A series of laboratory tests were carried out on samples from Melbourne Water's Western Treatment Plant in Werribee, Australia, to provide validation of the dry stacking concept for WWT sludges. Rheological tests showed that samples had appropriate flow properties to form stacks. Drying and re-wetting tests on the samples indicated that a sloped, partially dry sludge sheds rainfall, depending on the slope, cake dryness and amount of rainfall. Local rainfall data was used to estimate a potential increase in pan throughput of 65%-140% due to dry stacking. The greatest improvements were predicted to occur during wetter years. In combination, the results indicated that dry stacking has the potential to dramatically improve the performance of WWT sludge drying pans.
• The Impact of Distractor Congruency on Stimulus Processing in Retinotopic Visual Cortex NeuroImage. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23648965 The brain is frequently confronted with sensory information that elicits conflicting response choices. While much research has addressed the top down control mechanisms associated with detection and resolution of response competition, the effects of response competition on sensory processing in the primary visual cortex remain unclear. To address this question we modified a typical 'flanker task' (Eriksen and Eriksen, 1974) so that the effects of response competition on human early retinotopic visual cortex could be assessed. Healthy human participants were scanned using fMRI while making a speeded choice response that classified a target object image into one of two categories (e.g. fruits, animals). An irrelevant distractor image that was either congruent (same image as target), incongruent (image from opposite category as target), or neutral (image from task-irrelevant category, e.g. household items) was also present on each trial, but in a different quadrant of the visual field relative to the target. Retinotopic V1 areas responding to the target stimuli showed increased response to targets in the presence of response-incongruent (compared to response-neutral) distractors. A negative correlation with behavioral response competition effects indicated that an increased primary visual cortical response to targets in the incongruent (vs. neutral) trials is associated with a reduced response competition effect on behavior. These results suggest a novel conflict resolution mechanism in the primary visual cortex.
• Should We Be Gritting Pavements to Prevent Pedestrian Injuries? Perspectives in Public Health. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23657235 Unintentional injuries are an important public health issue, and are a significant burden on health and social services, especially during the winter months. Dr Rob Atenstaedt, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Public Health Wales & Honorary Senior Lecturer, Bangor University and Professor Michael Rees, University Director of Medical Development & Professor of Cardiovascular Studies, Bangor University look at the importance of pavement gritting in preventing injuries and falls in pedestrians.
• Outcome of 12 Month Surveillance Colonoscopy in High Risk Patients in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Colorectal Disease : the Official Journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23663559 AIM: Current British guidelines recommend surveillance colonoscopy at 12 months for individuals found to have ≥5 adenomas or ≥3 adenomas of which at least one is ≥1cm in size. This study describes the yield of surveillance colonoscopy in this group and explores patient and clinical factors which may be associated with the presence of advanced adenomas or cancer at surveillance. METHOD: Data were retrieved from the national database of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. The detection of advanced colonic neoplasia (ACN) was used as the main outcome variable. Multivariable analysis was used to analyse relationships between patient factors (age, gender, body mass index, smoking and alcohol use) and clinical findings (number, size and nature of adenomas detected during index colonoscopy) with the outcome variable. RESULTS: 1760 individuals were included in the study. The yield of ACN at 12 month surveillance was 6.6% (116/1760) of which 14/1760 (0.8%) had colorectal cancer. 9/14 (64.3%) of these cancers were Dukes stage A at diagnosis. The presence of a villous adenoma or a right sided adenoma at screening colonoscopy was associated with odds ratios of 1.98 (95% CI 1.11-3.53, p=0.012) and 1.76 (1.13-2.74, p=0.020) respectively for detection of ACN at surveillance. CONCLUSION: 12 month surveillance colonoscopy is necessary in this group of patients. The presence of villous or proximal lesions at baseline is associated with increased risk of ACN at surveillance. Site and histological type of baseline lesions may be relevant to determining the surveillance interval. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
• Controlling the HIV Epidemic with Antiretrovirals: IAPAC Consensus Statement on Treatment As Prevention and Preexposure Prophylaxis Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care. May-Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23666450 In the context of emerging evidence related to preexposure prophylaxis and HIV treatment as prevention, an evidence summit was held in mid-2012 to discuss the current state of the science and to provide a platform for consensus building around whether and how these prevention strategies might be implemented globally. Health care providers, researchers, policy makers, people living with HIV/AIDS, and representatives of government authorities, donor agencies, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy organizations, and professional associations attended from 52 countries. An international advisory committee was convened to identify key messages and recommendations based upon the data presented and discussed at the summit. The advisory committee further worked to develop this consensus statement meant to assist relevant stakeholders in taking stock and mapping out a route forward to enhance the HIV prevention armamentarium.
• Lateral Meniscal Cyst Causing Irreversible Peroneal Nerve Palsy The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery : Official Publication of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Jul-Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23669006 We report an unusual case of irreversible foot drop occurring secondary to a large lateral meniscal cyst. We discuss the presentation and management of this rare case and highlight some of the less common causes of foot drop.
• Heterogeneity of Atmospheric Ammonia at the Landscape Scale and Consequences for Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987). Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23669461 We examined the consequences of the spatial heterogeneity of atmospheric ammonia (NH₃) by measuring and modelling NH₃ concentrations and deposition at 25 m grid resolution for a rural landscape containing intensive poultry farming, agricultural grassland, woodland and moorland. The emission pattern gave rise to a high spatial variability of modelled mean annual NH₃ concentrations and dry deposition. Largest impacts were predicted for woodland patches located within the agricultural area, while larger moorland areas were at low risk, due to atmospheric dispersion, prevailing wind direction and low NH3 background. These high resolution spatial details are lost in national scale estimates at 1 km resolution due to less detailed emission input maps. The results demonstrate how the spatial arrangement of sources and sinks is critical to defining the NH₃ risk to semi-natural ecosystems. These spatial relationships provide the foundation for local spatial planning approaches to reduce environmental impacts of atmospheric NH₃.
• Correcting Chromatic Offset in Multicolor Super-resolution Localization Microscopy Optics Express. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23669954 Localization based super-resolution microscopy techniques require precise drift correction methods because the achieved spatial resolution is close to both the mechanical and optical performance limits of modern light microscopes. Multi-color imaging methods require corrections in addition to those dealing with drift due to the static, but spatially-dependent, chromatic offset between images. We present computer simulations to quantify this effect, which is primarily caused by the high-NA objectives used in super-resolution microscopy. Although the chromatic offset in well corrected systems is only a fraction of an optical wavelength in magnitude (
• In-home Monitoring of Older Adults with Vision Impairment: Exploring Patients', Caregivers' and Professionals' Views Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23676244 OBJECTIVE: To develop a conceptual framework for the design of an in-home monitoring system (IMS) based on the requirements of older adults with vision impairment (VI), informal caregivers and eye-care rehabilitation professionals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Concept mapping, a mixed-methods statistical research tool, was used in the construction of the framework. Overall, 40 participants brainstormed or sorted and rated 83 statements concerning an IMS for older adults with VI. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were employed to construct the framework. A questionnaire yielded further insights into the views of a wider sample of older adults with VI (n=78) and caregivers (n=25) regarding IMS. RESULTS: Concept mapping revealed a nine-cluster model of IMS-related aspects including affordability, awareness of system capabilities, simplicity of installation, operation and maintenance, system integrity and reliability, fall detection and safe movement, user customization, user preferences regarding information delivery, and safety alerts for patients and caregivers. From the questionnaire, independence, safety and fall detection were the most commonly reported reasons for older adults and caregivers to accept an IMS. Concerns included cost, privacy, security of the information obtained through monitoring, system accuracy, and ease of use. DISCUSSION: Older adults with VI, caregivers and professionals are receptive to in-home monitoring, mainly for fall detection and safety monitoring, but have concerns that must be addressed when developing an IMS. CONCLUSION: Our study provides a novel conceptual framework for the design of an IMS that will be maximally acceptable and beneficial to our ageing and vision-impaired population.
• Does Seed Mass Drive the Differences in Relative Growth Rate Between Growth Forms? Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23677351 The idea that herbaceous plants have higher relative growth rates (RGRs) compared with woody plants is fundamental to many of the most influential theories in plant ecology. This difference in growth rate is thought to reflect systematic variation in physiology, allocation and leaf construction. Previous studies documenting this effect have, however, ignored differences in seed mass. As woody species often have larger seeds and RGR is negatively correlated with seed mass, it is entirely possible the lower RGRs observed in woody species is a consequence of having larger seeds rather than different growth strategies. Using a synthesis of the published literature, we explored the relationship between RGR and growth form, accounting for the effects of seed mass and study-specific effects (e.g. duration of study and pot volume), using a mixed-effects model. The model showed that herbaceous species do indeed have higher RGRs than woody species, and that the difference was independent of seed mass, thus at all seed masses, herbaceous species on average grow faster than woody ones.
• The Role of Prestimulus Activity in Visual Extinction Neuropsychologia. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23680398 Patients with visual extinction following right-hemisphere damage sometimes see and sometimes miss stimuli in the left visual field, particularly when stimuli are presented simultaneously to both visual fields. Awareness of left visual field stimuli is associated with increased activity in bilateral parietal and frontal cortex. However, it is unknown why patients see or miss these stimuli. Previous neuroimaging studies in healthy adults show that prestimulus activity biases perceptual decisions, and biases in visual perception can be attributed to fluctuations in prestimulus activity in task relevant brain regions. Here, we used functional MRI to investigate whether prestimulus activity affected perception in the context of visual extinction following stroke. We measured prestimulus activity in stimulus-responsive cortical areas during an extinction paradigm in a patient with unilateral right parietal damage and visual extinction. This allowed us to compare prestimulus activity on physically identical bilateral trials that either did or did not lead to visual extinction. We found significantly increased activity prior to stimulus presentation in two areas that were also activated by visual stimulation: the left calcarine sulcus and right occipital inferior cortex. Using dynamic causal modelling (DCM) we found that both these differences in prestimulus activity and stimulus evoked responses could be explained by enhanced effective connectivity within and between visual areas, prior to stimulus presentation. Thus, we provide evidence for the idea that differences in ongoing neural activity in visually responsive areas prior to stimulus onset affect awareness in visual extinction, and that these differences are mediated by fluctuations in extrinsic and intrinsic connectivity.
• Respirable Quartz Exposure on Two Medium-sized Farms in Southern Mozambique International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. Apr-Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23684269 Little is known about the potential for overexposure to respirable quartz in farming, in most parts of the world.
• Parental Food Involvement Predicts Parent and Child Intakes of Fruits and Vegetables Appetite. Oct, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23684902 In order to develop successful interventions to improve children's diets, the factors influencing food choice need to be understood. Parental food involvement - the level of importance of food in a person's life - may be one of many important factors. The aim of this study was to determine whether parental food involvement is associated with parents' and children's diet quality. As part of an intervention study, 394 parents with children aged between 18months and 5years were recruited from children's centres in Cornwall and Islington, UK. Questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, parents' diets, and attitudes towards food including food involvement. Children's diets were assessed using the multiple pass 24h recall method. Parents reported low intakes of fruits and vegetables and high intakes of sugary items for themselves and their young children. Parental food involvement was strongly correlated with consumption of fruits and vegetables (amount and diversity) for both parents and children. Correlations with consumption of sugary drinks and snacks/foods were not significant. These findings indicate that parental food involvement may influence consumption of fruits and vegetables, more so than sugary items. Further research is needed to investigate how parental food involvement could mediate dietary changes.
• The Differential Effects of PNF Versus Passive Stretch Conditioning on Neuromuscular Performance European Journal of Sport Science. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23688197 Abstract The effects of flexibility conditioning on neuromuscular and sensorimotor performance were assessed near to full knee extension (25°). Eighteen males who were randomly assigned into two groups underwent eight weeks (three-times per week) of flexibility conditioning (hip region/knee flexor musculature; dominant limb) involving either proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) (n=9) or passive stretching (PASS) (n=9). Both modes of flexibility conditioning are popular within contemporary exercise and clinical settings and have demonstrated efficacy in improving range of motion. The contralateral limb and a prior 'no exercise' condition were used as controls. The PNF and PASS modes of conditioning improved passive hip flexibility to a similar extent (mean 19.3% vs. baseline, intervention limb, p
• Using HPV Vaccination for Promotion of an Adolescent Package of Care: Opportunity and Perspectives BMC Public Health. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23692596 Adolescents are a difficult population to access for preventive health care, particularly in less resourced countries. Evidence from developed countries indicates that the HPV vaccine schedule may be a useful platform from which to deliver other adolescent health care services. We conducted a qualitative cross sectional study to assess the potential for using the HPV vaccine in the South African public health care system as an opportunity for integrated health care services for adolescents.
• The Importance of a Full Clinical Examination: Assessment of Index Lesions Referred to a Skin Cancer Clinic Without a Total Body Skin Examination Would Miss One in Three Melanomas Acta Dermato-venereologica. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23695107 Traditional clinical teaching emphasises the importance of a full clinical examination. In the clinical assessment of lesions that may be skin cancer, full examination allows detection of incidental lesions, as well as helping in the characterisation of the index lesion. Despite this, a total body skin examination is not always performed. Based on two prospective studies of over 1,800 sequential patients in two UK centres we show that over one third of melanomas detected in secondary care are found as incidental lesions, in patients referred for assessment of other potential skin cancers. The majority of these melanomas occurred in patients whose index lesion turned out to be benign. Alternative models of care - for instance some models of teledermatology in which a total body skin examination is not performed by a competent practitioner - cannot be considered equivalent to a traditional consultation and, if adopted uncritically, without system change, will likely lead to melanomas being missed.
• Creating a Culture of Safety for Safe Patient Handling Orthopaedic Nursing / National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. May-Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23695761 Healthcare workers who handle patients have little guidance to help them identify when to use the existing equipment for moving patients. Manual lifting of patients and healthcare worker injuries continue despite equipment installation and training. The purpose of this project was to decrease the number and severity of healthcare worker injuries by implementing a culture of safety for safe patient handling. A multicomponent safe patient handling program was deployed on one inpatient unit at a Midwest academic acute care hospital. There was a 36% decrease in the number of patient handling injuries, a 71% reduction in the number of lost work days, and a 60% reduction in costs in 1 year related to patient handling injuries. The RN Satisfaction Survey question regarding having enough help to lift/move on last shift improved from 41% presurvey to 69% postsurvey.
• Differences Between Men and Women in the Regulation of Adipose 11β-HSD1 and in Its Association with Adiposity and Insulin Resistance Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23701286 This study explored sex differences in 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity and gene expression in isolated adipocytes and adipose tissue (AT), obtained via subcutaneous biopsies from non-diabetic subjects [58 M, 64 F; age 48.3 ± 15.3 years, body mass index (BMI) 27.2 ± 3.9 kg/m(2) ]. Relationships with adiposity and insulin resistance (IR) were addressed. Males exhibited higher 11β-HSD1 activity in adipocytes than females, but there was no such difference for AT. In both men and women, adipocyte 11β-HSD1 activity correlated positively with BMI, waist circumference, % body fat, adipocyte size and with serum glucose, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein:high-density lipoprotein (LDL:HDL) ratio. Positive correlations with insulin, HOMA-IR and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and a negative correlation with HDL-cholesterol were significant only in males. Conversely, 11β-HSD1 activity in AT correlated with several markers of IR and adiposity in females but not in males, but the opposite pattern was found with respect to 11β-HSD1 mRNA expression. This study suggests that there are sex differences in 11β-HSD1 regulation and in its associations with markers of obesity and IR.
• Rapid Changes in Brain Structure Predict Improvements Induced by Perceptual Learning NeuroImage. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23702411 Practice-dependent changes in brain structure can occur in task relevant brain regions as a result of extensive training in complex motor tasks and long-term cognitive training but little is known about the impact of visual perceptual learning on brain structure. Here we studied the effect of five days of visual perceptual learning in a motion-color conjunction search task using anatomical MRI. We found rapid changes in gray matter volume in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus, an area sensitive to coherently moving stimuli, that predicted the degree to which an individual's performance improved with training. Furthermore, behavioral improvements were also predicted by volumetric changes in an extended white matter region underlying the visual cortex. These findings point towards quick and efficient plastic neural mechanisms that enable the visual brain to deal effectively with changing environmental demands.
• Suitability for Subcutaneous Defibrillator Implantation: Results Based on Data from Routine Clinical Practice Heart (British Cardiac Society). Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23704324 To assess the proportion of current implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients who would be suitable for a subcutaneous lead ICD (S-ICD).
• The Ability of CpG Oligonucleotides to Protect Mice Against Francisella Tularensis Live Vaccine Strain but Not Fully Virulent F. tularensis Subspecies Holarctica is Reflected in Cell-based Assays Microbial Pathogenesis. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23707360 CpG DNA is a potent activator of the innate immune system. Here the protective effects of CpG DNA are assessed against the facultative intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis. Dosing of mice with CpG DNA provided protection against disease caused by F. tularensis subsp. holarctica live vaccine strain (LVS) but did not protect against the fully virulent F. tularensis subsp holarctica strain HN63. Similarly, in vitro studies in J774A murine macrophage-like cells demonstrated that stimulation with CpG DNA enables control of intracellular replication of LVS but not HN63. These data confirm findings that CpG DNA may have limited efficacy in providing protection against fully virulent strains of F. tularensis and also suggest that in vitro assays may be useful for the evaluation of novel treatments for virulent F. tularensis.
• Myocardial, Smooth Muscle, Nephron and Collecting Duct Gene Targeting Reveals the Organ Sites of Endothelin A Receptor Antagonist Fluid Retention The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23709116 Endothelin-1 binding to endothelin A receptors (ETA) elicits pro-fibrogenic, pro-inflammatory and proliferative effects that can promote a wide variety of diseases. While ETA antagonists are approved for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, their clinical utility in several other diseases has been limited by fluid retention. ETA blocker-induced fluid retention could be due to inhibition of ETA activation in the heart, vasculature and/or kidney, consequently the current study was designed to define which of these sites are involved. Mice were generated with absence of ETA specifically in cardiomyocytes (heart), smooth muscle (vascular), the nephron, the collecting duct or no deletion (control). Administration of the ETA antagonists ambrisentan or atrasentan for two weeks caused fluid retention in control mice on a high salt diet as assessed by increases in body weight, total body water and extracellular fluid volume (using impedance plethysmography), as well as decreases in hematocrit (hemodilution). Mice with heart ETA knockout retained fluid in a similar manner as controls when treated with ambrisentan or atrasentan. Mice with vascular ETA knockout had substantially reduced fluid retention in response to either ETA antagonist. Mice with nephron or collecting duct ETA disruption were completely prevented from ETA blocker-induced fluid retention. Taken together, these findings suggest that ETA antagonist-induced fluid retention is due to a direct effect of this class of drug on the collecting duct, is partially related to their vascular action, and is not due to alterations in cardiac function.
• Morphological and Molecular Data for Australian Hebeloma Species Do Not Support the Generic Status of Anamika Mycologia. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23709478 The first collection of a macrofungal agaric species, with morphological features similar to already described Anamika species, has been found in association with animal bones in north Queensland, Australia. This species also shares features with several, commonly occurring and previously described Australian Hebeloma species. An integrated morphological and molecular study has resulted in the conclusion that all Anamika species belong in Hebeloma. As a result, already described species of Anamika are recombined as H. indicum (K.A Thomas, Peintner, M.M. Moser and Manim.) B.J.Rees & Orlovich, H. angustilamellatum (Zhu L.Yang and Z.W.Ge) B.J.Rees & Orlovich and H. lactariolens (Clémençon and Hongo) B.J.Rees & Orlovich. A phylogenetic tree based on ribosomal ITS sequences examines the relationship of these species with other Hebeloma species from both hemispheres. Four new species, Hebeloma youngii B.J.Rees, H. nothofagetorum B.J.Rees, H. subvictoriense B.J.Rees, H. lacteocoffeatum B.J.Rees, and one form, H. aminophilum f. hygrosarx B.J.Rees, are described as new from Australia.
• A Prospective Study of Patient Reported Outcomes in Pancreatic and Peri-ampullary Malignancy World Journal of Surgery. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23716026 BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to describe the impact of treatment of pancreatic and peri-ampullary malignancy on patient reported outcomes (PRO). However, limited data are available describing the impact of curative or palliative therapy on pancreatic/peri-ampullary malignancy and quality of life. METHODS: Patients selected for pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire pre-surgery and 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postoperatively. Patients selected for palliative treatments completed the same questionnaire before treatment and monthly thereafter. Mean scores and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for functional scales. Symptom scales and single items were categorized as either minimal or severe, and they were reported as proportions of patients experiencing severe symptoms with 95 % CI. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (53 planned PD, 47 palliative) were enrolled. Of the 53 patients planned for surgery, 12 had tumors that were unresectable and 41 underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Seven patients were excluded because of benign histology or concurrent malignancy. Baseline questionnaire compliance was 70 %. For those undergoing PD, there were 53 complications, 7 deaths at 1 year, and 14 deaths at 2 years. Post-surgery most functions and symptoms deteriorated. Recovery in global health and most symptoms occurred by 3 months, and functional scales recovered by 6 months. Recovery of PRO was maintained in the survivors at 2 years. Palliative patients had poorer function and more symptoms at baseline; however, poor follow-up questionnaire compliance prevented further analysis of this group. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreaticoduodenectomy has a short-term negative impact on PRO that recovers within 6 months and is maintained at 2 years in survivors. Further work evaluating palliative and curative treatment in larger patient groups with disease-specific questionnaires is necessary.
• Treatment of Muckle-Wells Syndrome: Analysis of Two IL-1-blocking Regimens Arthritis Research & Therapy. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23718630 INTRODUCTION: Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS) is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by excessive Interleukin-1 (IL-1) release, resulting in recurrent fevers, sensorineural hearing loss, and amyloidosis. IL-1-inhibition with anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, improves clinical symptoms and inflammatory markers. Subclinical disease activity is commonly observed. Canakinumab, a fully human IgG1 anti-IL-1beta monoclonal antibody, can abolish excess IL-1beta. The study aim was to analyze the efficacy and safety of these two anti-IL-1 therapies. METHODS: Two cohorts of patients with severe MWS and confirmed NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3) mutation were treated with anakinra and/or canakinumab. Clinical and laboratory features including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), c-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and the neutrophil marker S100A12 were determined serially. Disease activity was captured by MWS disease activity scores (MWS-DAS). Remission was defined as MWS-DAS [less than or equal to] 5 plus normal CRP and SAA. Treatment efficacy and safety were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 12 anakinra- and 14 canakinumab-treated patients; the median age was 33.5 years (3.0 - 72.0); 57% were females. Both treatment regimens led to a significant reduction of clinical disease activity and inflammatory markers. At last follow-up, 75% of anakinra-treated and 93% of canakinumab-treated patients achieved remission. During follow-up, S100A12 levels mirrored recurrence of disease activity. Both treatment regimens had favorable safety profiles. CONCLUSIONS: IL-1 blockade is an effective and safe treatment in MWS patients. MWS-DAS in combination with MWS inflammatory markers provides an excellent monitoring tool set. Canakinumab led to a sustained control of disease activity even after secondary failure of anakinra therapy. S100A12 may be a sensitive marker to detect subclinical disease activity.
• The Safety and Efficacy, and Recommendations for the Use of Biologic Drugs in the UK Military Rheumatology Population Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Mar, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23720553 Inflammatory arthritis is a significant cause of morbidity in the military. In particular the sero-negative spondyloarthritides, which include ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease related arthritis and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, are especially prevalent in the young male phenotype, which is common in the Armed Forces. It is estimated that there are more than 1500 patients in the Armed Forces with spondyloarthritis alone, based on the prevalence in the general population of approximately 1%. Inflammatory arthritides are eminently treatable, especially with the development and widespread use of biologic drugs such as anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) therapy. The use of these drugs can deliver patients an exceptionally good outcome leading to symptom control and normal function in many cases. Initial concerns regarding safety and side effects of anti-TNF drugs have been allayed by the evidence provided from comprehensive national databases developed over the last 10 years. With early diagnosis and prompt treatment military patients can complete a full career including deployment with only minor limitations. This paper reviews the burden of inflammatory arthritis in the armed services, its management and outcome in this population, the evidence for the safety of anti-TNF treatments and the recommendations for employability and deployability for service personnel.
• Coronary Microvascular Pericytes Are the Cellular Target of Sunitinib Malate-induced Cardiotoxicity Science Translational Medicine. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23720580 Sunitinib malate is a multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of human malignancies. A substantial number of sunitinib-treated patients develop cardiac dysfunction, but the mechanism of sunitinib-induced cardiotoxicity is poorly understood. We show that mice treated with sunitinib develop cardiac and coronary microvascular dysfunction and exhibit an impaired cardiac response to stress. The physiological changes caused by treatment with sunitinib are accompanied by a substantial depletion of coronary microvascular pericytes. Pericytes are a cell type that is dependent on intact platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) signaling but whose role in the heart is poorly defined. Sunitinib-induced pericyte depletion and coronary microvascular dysfunction are recapitulated by CP-673451, a structurally distinct PDGFR inhibitor, confirming the role of PDGFR in pericyte survival. Thalidomide, an anticancer agent that is known to exert beneficial effects on pericyte survival and function, prevents sunitinib-induced pericyte cell death in vitro and prevents sunitinib-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo in a mouse model. Our findings suggest that pericytes are the primary cellular target of sunitinib-induced cardiotoxicity and reveal the pericyte as a cell type of concern in the regulation of coronary microvascular function. Furthermore, our data provide preliminary evidence that thalidomide may prevent cardiotoxicity in sunitinib-treated cancer patients.
• Gender-specific Differences in Clinical Outcome of Primary Prevention Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Recipients Heart (British Cardiac Society). May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23723448 OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in clinical outcome of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) treatment in men and women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: University Medical Center. PATIENTS: 1946 primary prevention ICD recipients (1528 (79%) men and 418 (21%) women). Patients with congenital heart disease were excluded for this analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause mortality, ICD therapy (antitachycardia pacing and shock) and ICD shock. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 3.3 years (25th-75th percentile 1.4-5.4), 387 (25%) men and 76 (18%) women died. The estimated 5-year cumulative incidence for all-cause mortality was 20% (95% CI 18% to 23%) for men and 14% (95% CI 9% to 19%) for women (log rank p
• Medicolegal Implications of Dental Implant Therapy Primary Dental Journal. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23726490 Despite the recent economic downturn, the dental implant market continues to grow year on year. Many more dentists are involved in the placement restoration of dental implants and dental implants are being placed in an extended range of clinical scenarios. Dental implant therapy remains a high risk area for the inexperienced interns of civil negligence claims and General Dental Council hearings. Risk can be mitigated by:• Ensuring appropriate indemnity • Complying with the published requirements for training • Maintaining detailed and extensive clinical records • Completing the initial phases of history, examination and investigations robustly • Recording a diagnosis • Providing a bespoke written treatment plan that includes details of the need for treatment, the treatment options (the risks and benefits), the phases of treatment, the costs of treatment,the expected normal sequelae of surgery, the risks and complications of implant therapy and the requirement for future maintenance. The provision of treatment that is different in nature or extent to that agreed can result in a breach of contract as well as a claim for negligence • Engaging sufficiently with the patient to obtain consent • Providing written postoperative instructions detailing emergency arrangements, patients who are anxious or in pain may not retain oral information • Making a frank disclosure of complication or collateral damage • Considering referral at an early stage particularly if reparative surgery is required. The stress of complications or failure may impair a dentist's normally sound judgement; there may be financial pressure, or concerns regarding reputation. In some cases, dentists avoid making a frank disclosure, feel obliged to undertake complicated reparative surgery, fail to make a timely referral, fail to respond appropriately to patient's concerns and in some cases attempt to alter the clinical records.However, in the best of hands and without negligence complications can and do occur. Complications that occur in the presence of good planning and communication and are managed appropriately do not amount to negligence, and are unlikely to lead to a successful claim.
• Cardiology for Gynecologists-A Minireview Maturitas. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23727147 Despite cardiovascular disease (CVD) being by far the most common cause of death in women worldwide, awareness is low. Myocardial infarction occurs 10 years later in women than in men. Symptoms may be atypical: dyspnea rather than chest pain. Also more women than men have myocardial infarction with normal coronary angiography, probably due to microvascular disease or coronary spasm. The prognosis of non-obstructive disease is now recognized to be the same than for obstructive disease. The conventional risk factors for CVD are the same for both genders but have a different impact for women. One example is psychosocial stress and angina pectoris can more often be induced by mental stress in women than in men. Also there are risk factors specific to women such as a history of pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension or diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Furthermore atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke more in women than in men. However, 6 out of 10 deaths from CVD can be prevented by a healthy life style and dealing with preexisting risk factors. Hence it is important that gynecologists who start seeing women at an earlier age than cardiologists should be aware of cardiovascular disease.
• Immunogenicity of Dendritic Cells Pulsed with MAGE3, Survivin and B-cell Maturation Antigen MRNA for Vaccination of Multiple Myeloma Patients Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy : CII. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23728352 The introduction of autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) and novel drugs has improved overall survival in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. However, minimal residual disease (MRD) remains and most patients eventually relapse. Myeloma plasma cells express tumor-associated antigens (TAA), which are interesting targets for immunotherapy. In this phase 1 study, we investigated the safety and immunological effects of TAA-mRNA-loaded dendritic cell (DC) vaccination for treatment for MRD in MM after SCT. Mature monocyte-derived DCs were pulsed with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and electroporated with MAGE3, Survivin or B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) mRNA. Twelve patients were vaccinated three times with intravenous (5-22 × 10(6) DCs) and intradermal vaccines (4-11 × 10(6) DCs), at biweekly intervals. Immunological responses were monitored in blood and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) biopsies. All patients developed strong anti-KLH T-cell responses, but not KLH antibodies. In 2 patients, vaccine-specific T cells were detected in DTH biopsies. In one patient, we found MAGE3-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, and CD3(+) T cells reactive against BCMA and Survivin. In the other patient, we detected low numbers of MAGE3 and BCMA-reactive CD8(+) T cells. Vaccination was well tolerated with limited toxicity. These findings illustrate that TAA-mRNA-electroporated mature DCs are capable of inducing TAA-T-cell responses in MM patients after SCT.
• Mitogenomic Sequences and Evidence from Unique Gene Rearrangements Corroborate Evolutionary Relationships of Myctophiformes (Neoteleostei) BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23731841 A skewed assemblage of two epi-, meso- and bathypelagic fish families makes up the order Myctophiformes - the blackchins Neoscopelidae and the lanternfishes Myctophidae. The six rare neoscopelids show few morphological specializations whereas the divergent myctophids have evolved into about 250 species, of which many show massive abundances and wide distributions. In fact, Myctophidae is by far the most abundant fish family in the world, with plausible estimates of more than half of the oceans combined fish biomass. Myctophids possess a unique communication system of species-specific photophore patterns and traditional intrafamilial classification has been established to reflect arrangements of photophores. Myctophids present the most diverse array of larval body forms found in fishes although this attribute has both corroborated and confounded phylogenetic hypotheses based on adult morphology. No molecular phylogeny is available for Myctophiformes, despite their importance within all ocean trophic cycles, open-ocean speciation and as an important part of neoteleost divergence. This study attempts to resolve major myctophiform phylogenies from both mitogenomic sequences and corroborating evidence in the form of unique mitochondrial gene order rearrangements.
• Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Rickettsia Felis Exposure in Dogs from Southeast Queensland and the Northern Territory, Australia Parasites & Vectors. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23731951 The recent detection of Rickettsia felis DNA in dogs in Australia suggests that dogs are potential mammalian reservoir hosts for this emerging rickettsia. To date, there is no published report addressing the seroprevalence of R. felis in dogs in Australia.
• One-Millimeter Cancer-Free Margin Is Curative for Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Propensity Score Case-Match Approach Annals of Surgery. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23732261 To investigate the influence of clear surgical resection margin width on disease recurrence rate after intentionally curative resection of colorectal liver metastases.
• Treatment with R-CHOP is Beneficial but Toxic in the Very Elderly Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: a Population-Based Cohort Study On Treatment, Toxicity and Outcome Leukemia & Lymphoma. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23734653 Abstract To assess treatment strategies, toxicity and outcome in very elderly patients (aged ≥ 75 years) diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the rituximab-era, an observational population-based, cohort study was performed. From 103 patients, with a median age of 81 years, data of clinical characteristics, treatment, toxicity and outcome were evaluated. Advanced stage DLBCL was documented in 74 patients. In 80 patients chemotherapy was initiated; 70 patients received rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP). In this group, 39 patients completed all cycles and 30 patients reached complete remission. Severe chemotherapy-related toxicity occurred in 66%. Two-year overall survival was 70% for elderly who completed chemotherapy, 28% for those treated with incomplete or suboptimal chemotherapy and 21% for those receiving radiation therapy as supportive care. In conclusion, the ability to complete R-CHOP was associated with better overall survival compared to other treatment strategies at the expense of severe treatment-related toxicity.
• Increased Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23736950 There is increasing evidence that high consumption of fruit and vegetables is beneficial for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
• An Alarming Symptom Journal of Primary Health Care. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23748407
• Managing Urinary Incontinence in Adults with Bronchiectasis British Journal of Nursing (Mark Allen Publishing). May 9-22, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23752570 Urinary incontinence has a negative impact on quality of life and often remains untreated due to low levels of self-reporting. Urinary incontinence is seen in cystic fibrosis associated bronchiectasis but little data are available for non-cystic fibrosis associated bronchiectasis.
• Classification of Frequency Response Areas in the IC Reveals Continua Not Discrete Classes The Journal of Physiology. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23753527 The differential response to sound frequency is a fundamental property of auditory neurons. Frequency analysis in the cochlea gives rise to V-shaped tuning functions in auditory nerve fibres, but by the level of the inferior colliculus (IC), the midbrain nucleus of the auditory pathway, neuronal receptive fields display diverse shapes that reflect the interplay of excitation and inhibition. The origin and nature of these frequency receptive field types is still open to question. One proposed hypothesis is that the frequency response class of any given neuron in the IC is predominantly inherited from one of three major afferent pathways projecting to the IC, giving rise to three distinct receptive field classes. Here, we applied subjective classification, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and other objective statistical measures, to a large population (2826) of frequency response areas from single neurons recorded in the IC of the anaesthetised guinea pig. Subjectively, we recognised seven frequency response classes (V-shaped, non-monotonic Vs, narrow, closed, tilt down, tilt up and double-peaked), that were represented at all frequencies. We could identify similar classes using our objective classification tools. Importantly, however, many neurons exhibited properties intermediate between these classes, and none of the objective methods used here showed evidence of discrete response classes. Thus receptive field shapes in the IC form continua rather than discrete classes, a finding consistent with the integration of afferent inputs in the generation of frequency response areas. The frequency disposition of inhibition in the response areas of some neurons suggests that across-frequency inputs originating at or below the level of the IC are involved in their generation.
• Inflammatory Markers Associated with Osteoarthritis After Destabilization Surgery in Young Mice with and Without Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) Frontiers in Physiology. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23755017 HtrA1, Ddr-2, and Mmp-13 are reliable biomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA), yet the exact mechanism for the upregulation of HtrA-1 is unknown. Some have shown that chondrocyte hypertrophy is associated with early indicators of inflammation including TGF-β and the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE). To examine the correlation of inflammation with the expression of biomarkers in OA, we performed right knee destabilization surgery on 4-week-old-wild type and RAGE knock-out (KO) mice. We assayed for HtrA-1, TGF-β1, Mmp-13, and Ddr-2 in articular cartilage at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days post-surgery by immunohistochemistry on left and right knee joints. RAGE KO and wild type mice both showed staining for key OA biomarkers. However, RAGE KO mice were significantly protected against OA compared to controls. We observed a difference in the total number of chondrocytes and percentage of chondrocytes staining positive for OA biomarkers between RAGE KO and control mice. The percentage of cells staining for OA biomarkers correlated with severity of cartilage degradation. Our results indicate that the absence of RAGE did protect against the development of advanced OA. We conclude that HtrA-1 plays a role in lowering TGF-β1 expression in the process of making articular cartilage vulnerable to damage associated with OA progression.
• Monitoring Field Susceptibility to Imidacloprid in the Cat Flea: a World-first Initiative Twelve Years On Parasitology Research. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23756960
• Long-Term Efficacy of an Imidacloprid 10 % / Flumethrin 4.5 % Polymer Matrix Collar (Seresto(®), Bayer) Against the Australian Paralysis Tick (Ixodes Holocyclus) in Dogs Parasitology Research. Aug, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23760870
• Development of a Rapid Assay for the Analysis of Serum Cortisol and Its Implementation into a Routine Service Laboratory Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23761380 LC-MS/MS is rapidly becoming the technology of choice for measuring steroid hormones. We have developed a rapid LC-MS/MS assay for the routine analysis of serum cortisol. We have used this assay to investigate the effects of gender and exogenous steroid interference on the immunoassay measurement of serum cortisol.
• Internet Access for Inpatients Archives of Disease in Childhood. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23765943
• New Research in HIV Immunity Points Way for Vaccine Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. May, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23772447
• Quantification of Nanoparticle Dose and Vesicular Inheritance in Proliferating Cells ACS Nano. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23773085 Assessing dose in nanoparticle-cell interactions is inherently difficult due to a complex multiplicity of possible mechanisms and metrics controlling particle uptake. The fundamental unit of nanoparticle dose is the number of particles internalized per cell; we show that this can be obtained for large cell populations that internalize fluorescent nanoparticles by endocytosis, through calibration of cytometry measurements to transmission electron microscopy data. Low-throughput, high-resolution electron imaging of quantum dots in U-2 OS cells is quantified and correlated with high-throughput, low-resolution optical imaging of the nanoparticle-loaded cells. From the correlated data, we obtain probability distribution functions of vesicles per cell and nanoparticles per vesicle. Sampling of these distributions and comparison to fluorescence intensity histograms from flow cytometry provide the calibration factor required to transform the cytometry metric to total particle dose per cell, the mean value of which is 2.4 million. Use of the probability distribution functions to analyze particle partitioning during cell division indicates that, while vesicle inheritance is near symmetric, highly variable vesicle loading leads to a highly asymmetric particle dose within the daughter cells.
• Identification of the Ca(2+) Entry Pathway Involved in Deoxygenation-induced Phosphatidylserine Exposure in Red Blood Cells from Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Pflugers Archiv : European Journal of Physiology. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23775402 Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in red blood cells (RBCs) from sickle cell disease (SCD) patients is increased compared to levels in normal individuals and may participate in the anaemic and ischaemic complications of SCD. Exposure is increased by deoxygenation and occurs with elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) to low micromolar levels. The Ca(2+) entry step has not been defined but a role for the deoxygenation-induced pathway, Psickle, is postulated. Partial Psickle inhibitors 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (SITS), 4,4'-dithiocyano-2,2'-stilbene-disulphonic acid (DIDS) and dipyridamole inhibited deoxygenation-induced PS exposure (DIDS IC50, 118 nM). Inhibitors and activators of other pathways (including these stimulated by depolarisation, benzodiazepines, glutamate and stretch) were without effect. Zn(2+) and Gd(3+) stimulated PS exposure to high levels. In the case of Zn(2+), this effect was independent of oxygen (and hence HbS polymerisation and RBC sickling) but required extracellular Ca(2+). The effect was completely abolished when Zn(2+) (100 μM) was added to RBCs suspended in autologous plasma, implying a requirement of high levels of free Zn(2+).
• Green and Black Tea for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23780706 There is increasing evidence that both green and black tea are beneficial for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
• Combination of HIF-1α Gene Transfection and HIF-1-activated Bone Marrow-derived Angiogenic Cell Infusion Improves Burn Wound Healing in Aged Mice Gene Therapy. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23784441 Impaired burn wound healing in the elderly represents a major clinical problem. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional activator that orchestrates the cellular response to hypoxia. Its actions in dermal wounds promote angiogenesis and improve healing. In a murine burn wound model, aged mice had impaired wound healing associated with reduced levels of HIF-1. When gene therapy with HIF-1 alone did not correct these deficits, we explored the potential benefit of HIF-1 gene therapy combined with the intravenous infusion of bone marrow-derived angiogenic cells (BMDACs) cultured with dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG). DMOG is known to reduce oxidative degradation of HIF-1. The mice treated with a plasmid DNA construct expressing a stabilized mutant form of HIF-1α (CA5-HIF-1α)+BMDACs had more rapid wound closure. By day 17, there were more mice with completely closed wounds in the treated group (χ(2), P=0.05). The dermal blood flow measured by laser Doppler showed significantly increased wound perfusion on day 11. Homing of BMDACs to the burn wound was dramatically enhanced by CA5-HIF-1α gene therapy. HIF-1α mRNA expression in the burn wound was increased after transfection with CA5-HIF-1α plasmid. Our findings offer insight into the pathophysiology of burns in the elderly and point to potential targets for developing new therapeutic strategies.Gene Therapy advance online publication, 20 June 2013; doi:10.1038/gt.2013.32.
• Fewer Invited Talks by Women in Evolutionary Biology Symposia Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23786459 Lower visibility of female scientists, compared to male scientists, is a potential reason for the under-representation of women among senior academic ranks. Visibility in the scientific community stems partly from presenting research as an invited speaker at organized meetings. We analysed the sex ratio of presenters at the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) Congress 2011, where all abstract submissions were accepted for presentation. Women were under-represented among invited speakers at symposia (15% women) compared to all presenters (46%), regular oral presenters (41%) and plenary speakers (25%). At the ESEB congresses in 2001-2011, 9-23% of invited speakers were women. This under-representation of women is partly attributable to a larger proportion of women, than men, declining invitations: in 2011, 50% of women declined an invitation to speak compared to 26% of men. We expect invited speakers to be scientists from top ranked institutions or authors of recent papers in high-impact journals. Considering all invited speakers (including declined invitations), 23% were women. This was lower than the baseline sex ratios of early-mid career stage scientists, but was similar to senior scientists and authors that have published in high-impact journals. High-quality science by women therefore has low exposure at international meetings, which will constrain Evolutionary Biology from reaching its full potential. We wish to highlight the wider implications of turning down invitations to speak, and encourage conference organizers to implement steps to increase acceptance rates of invited talks.
• Close Collaboration Between Local and Specialist MDTs Allow "fast-tracking" of Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases Colorectal Disease : the Official Journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23790093 The ongoing evolution of treatment strategies for colorectal liver metastases necessarily requires all patients to be reviewed at some point by the specialist hepatobiliary unit. This process can be streamlined through close collaboration with the local colorectal MDT. The study was performed to see if a local colorectal MDT was able to make a correct decision regarding potential operability of liver metastases, by comparing its decision with that of two hepatobiliary surgeons in our referral centre.
• Current Approaches in National Kidney Paired Donation Programs Annals of Transplantation : Quarterly of the Polish Transplantation Society. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23792511 Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease. While living donors provide anywhere from a small to a large fraction of kidneys for transplantation in different countries, at least one-third of these donors are incompatible with their potential recipients. To overcome these challenges, kidney paired donation (KPD) programs have been established that organize donor exchanges to find matches among the pool of incompatible pairs. Each program has developed its own features to accommodate local needs. Reasons for participating in KPD include blood group incompatibility, sensitization of the recipient against the donor, and the potential for improvement in transplant quality (e.g., age difference or graft size), and tissue compatibility. KPD programs use sophisticated algorithms to find matches among the pool of donor-recipient pairs to create simultaneous 2-way, 3-way, or 4-way exchanges or more complex non-simultaneous chains of transplants. These KPD allocation systems should be medically sound and ethically acceptable according to the principles of equity, utility, and justice. The variety of possible exchanges provided by these algorithms allows for maximizing the number of transplants, increasing the quality of transplants, and accommodating patients who are difficult to match. In this review, we describe several examples of successful KPD programs with diverse organizational approaches. By highlighting the strategies used by these programs to meet the needs of their patient populations, we aim to inspire improvements in existing programs and to provide a framework for expanding KPD to better serve international transplant communities.
• Response to 'Determining the Utility of the 60-min Cortisol Measurement in the Short Synacthen Test' Clinical Endocrinology. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23795676
• Methodological Development of an Exploratory Randomised Controlled Trial of an Early Years' Nutrition Intervention: the CHERRY Programme (Choosing Healthy Eating when Really Young) Maternal & Child Nutrition. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23795857 Good nutrition in the early years of life is vitally important for a child's development, growth and health. Children's diets in the United Kingdom are known to be poor, particularly among socially disadvantaged groups, and there is a need for timely and appropriate interventions that support parents to improve the diets of young children. The Medical Research Council has highlighted the importance of conducting developmental and exploratory research prior to undertaking full-scale trials to evaluate complex interventions, but have provided very limited detailed guidance on the conduct of these initial phases of research. This paper describes the initial developmental stage and the conduct of an exploratory randomised controlled trial undertaken to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a family-centred early years' nutrition intervention. Choosing Healthy Eating when Really Young (CHERRY) is a programme for families with children aged 18 months to 5 years, delivered in children's centres in one urban (Islington) and one rural (Cornwall) location in the United Kingdom. In the development stage, a mixed-methods approach was used to investigate the nature of the problem and options for support. A detailed review of the evidence informed the theoretical basis of the study and the creation of a logic model. In the feasibility and pilot testing stage of the exploratory trial, 16 children's centres, with a sample of 394 families were recruited onto the study. We hope that the methodology, which we present in this paper, will inform and assist other researchers in conducting community-based, exploratory nutrition research in early years settings.
• The Primary Prevention of PTSD: A Systematic Review Journal of Trauma & Dissociation : the Official Journal of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD). 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23796172 There has been abundant research targeting the secondary and tertiary prevention and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including different forms of debriefing, treatments for acute stress disorder, and targeted intervention strategies (M. T. Feldner, C. M. Monson, & M. J. Friedman, 2007). However, there remains a scarcity of research pertaining to the primary, pretrauma prevention of PTSD. A systematic review was conducted in order to identify and synthesize all programs aimed at the primary prevention of PTSD to date. A broad search strategy was used, yielding 15,014 studies in 4 languages published between 1915 and 2012. Studies in which a resilience-building intervention was delivered prior to a potentially traumatic event, with data collected regarding psychological well-being, were eligible. A total of 7 studies were identified as meeting these criteria. Currently, there is no solid body of research on the primary prevention of PTSD to justify or guide interventions. The limitations and future directions of research in this domain are discussed.
• Hemodialysis-Induced Acute Myocardial Dyssynchronous Impairment in Children Nephron. Clinical Practice. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23796960 In adults, recurrent hemodialysis (HD)-induced cardiac injury results in ischemic myocardial dysfunction. Uremic children, like adults, share the full complement of uremia-related cardiovascular abnormalities but without significant atheromatous coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was, to assess the impact of HD on left ventricular (LV) myocardial function in children. Method: We assessed all single-center chronic HD patients (n = 15, range 1-17 years) excluding those with overt cardiac disease. Regional LV function and mechanical synchronicity was measured echographically by two-dimensional segmental longitudinal, circumferential and radial myocardial strain. All patients were assessed pre-dialysis and at the end of dialysis. In addition, we scanned age-matched controls at rest. Results: The peak longitudinal strain was lower in uremic patients compared with controls with a significant fall during HD (mean peak strain -19.9 controls, -17.9 pre-HD, -15.3 end of HD, p < 0.05). Radial strain was lower in uremic patients and increased during HD. Circumferential strain was preserved in uremic patients and fell during HD. Intrasegmental deformation synchronicity was progressively worse pre-dialysis and end of dialysis compared with controls. Intradialytic peak longitudinal strain reduction was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure and ultrafiltrate volume (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Uremic children have impaired regional LV function, with a predisposition to longitudinal axis dysfunction and LV mechanical dyssynchrony, both of which are established markers of ischemic injury. This is further evidence for a characteristic cardiovascular phenotype in uremic patients that predisposes them to subclinical demand ischemia during dialysis.
• Patients' Causal Beliefs About Diabetic Retinopathy Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23797359 This study explored patients' understanding of the risk factors for diabetic retinopathy (DR) and their personal beliefs about the cause and controllability of their own DR, as well as health professionals' perceptions of patients' understanding of DR and its cause.
• Development of a Rapid Phage-based Method for the Detection of Viable Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis in Blood Within 48 H Journal of Microbiological Methods. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23811207 The aim of this study was to develop a methodology to rapidly detect viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in clinical blood samples. MAP cells spiked into commercially available blood were recovered using optimised peptide-mediated magnetic separation (PMMS) and detected using a phage-based method, and the identity of the cells detected confirmed using nested-PCR amplification of MAP signature sequences (IS900). The limit of detection was determined to be 10 MAP cells per ml of blood and was used to detect MAP present in clinical bovine blood samples. Using the PMMS-phage method there was no difference when detecting MAP from whole blood or from isolated buffy coat. MAP was detected in animals that were milk-ELISA positive (15 animals) by PMMS-phage and no MAP was detected in blood samples from an accredited Johne's disease free herd (5 animals). In a set of samples from one herd (10 animals) that came from animals with variable milk ELISA status, the PMMS-phage results agreed with the positive milk-ELISA results in all but one case. These results show that the PMMS-phage method can detect MAP present in naturally infected blood. Total assay time is 48h and, unlike PCR-based detection tests, only viable cells are detected. A rapid method for detecting MAP in blood could further the understanding of disseminated infection in animals with Johne's disease.
• Captive-Housed Male Cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus Soemmeringii) Form Naturalistic Coalitions: Measuring Associations and Calculating Chance Encounters Zoo Biology. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23813720 Cheetahs are known to reproduce poorly in captivity and research suggests that the reasons for this are behavioral, rather than physiological. In the wild, male cheetahs remain in stable groups, or coalitions, throughout their lifetime. Appropriate social group housing is important in enhancing welfare and reproductive success in captivity and this study examined the effect of changes in social group composition on the behavior of four male cheetahs: two siblings and two half siblings. During the study, the cheetahs were housed both in pairs and as a group of four, before one male was relocated. The remaining cheetahs were then housed in a trio. Affiliative behaviors were frequently shown within pairs and overt aggression was seldom observed. Association indices were calculated for each cheetah pair and corrected for chance encounters based on data generated from a Monte Carlo simulation. The indices showed that two coalitions existed before the relocated male departed. Following the relocation of one of the half siblings, the remaining cheetahs appeared to form a coalition of three, as the indices of association between the unrelated male and the siblings increased and allogrooming between unrelated individuals was observed. The findings of this study indicate that natural social groupings of male cheetahs can be successfully replicated in captivity, which could potentially improve the chances of reproductive success when they are introduced to female cheetahs. Zoo Biol. XX:XX-XX, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• Blocking Porcine Sialoadhesin Improves Extracorporeal Porcine Liver Xenoperfusion with Human Blood Xenotransplantation. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23822217 Patients in fulminant hepatic failure currently do not have a temporary means of support while awaiting liver transplantation. A potential therapeutic approach for such patients is the use of extracorporeal perfusion with porcine livers as a form of "liver dialysis". During a 72-h extracorporeal perfusion of porcine livers with human blood, porcine Kupffer cells bind to and phagocytose human red blood cells (hRBC) causing the hematocrit to decrease to 2.5% of the original value. Our laboratory has identified porcine sialoadhesin expressed on Kupffer cells as the lectin responsible for binding N-acetylneuraminic acid on the surface of the hRBC. We evaluated whether blocking porcine sialoadhesin prevents the recognition and subsequent destruction of hRBCs seen during extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion.
• Annual Review of Biophysics Medical Physics. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23822465
• Radiologic Case Study Orthopedics. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23823029
• Induction, Maintenance, and Reversal of Therapeutic Hypothermia with an Esophageal Heat Transfer Device Resuscitation. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23827887 To evaluate a novel esophageal heat transfer device for use in inducing, maintaining, and reversing hypothermia. We hypothesized that this device could successfully induce, maintain (within a 1°C range of goal temperature), and reverse, mild therapeutic hypothermia in a large animal model over a 30-h treatment protocol.
• Towards Online, Continuous Monitoring for Rheometry of Complex Fluids Advances in Colloid and Interface Science. Jun, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23831130 This paper presents an overview of the developments that have been made towards the design of an inline rheometer that has the capabilities for monitoring in real time the viscous constitutive parameters of non-Newtonian fluids in a pipe flow. This has potential applications for a wide range of fluids, including hydrocolloid solutions and polymer solutions. This is of relevance to many industries, for example the pharmaceutical, lubrication, food and printing industries. The use of mathematical algorithms for inferring rheological parameters from properties of flow field statistics is explored. Particular focus is given to the development of a flow cell rheometer containing a T-junction geometry with the capacity to induce a range of shear rates in the vicinity of the bend, and a distribution of elongational viscosities along the back-wall. Such features create an information-rich flow field that is beneficial for the development of a rheometer with a fast response time that is suitable for commercial purposes.
• Modified MALDI MS Fatty Acid Profiling for Bacterial Identification Journal of Mass Spectrometry : JMS. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23832941 Bacterial fatty acid profiling is a well-established technique for bacterial identification. Ten bacteria were analyzed using both positive- and negative-ion modes with a modified matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) approach using CaO as a matrix replacement (metal oxide laser ionization MS (MOLI MS)). The results show that reproducible lipid cleavage similar to thermal in situ tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide saponification/derivatization had occurred. Principal component analysis showed that replicates from each organism grouped in a unique space. Cross validation (CV) of spectra from both ionization modes resulted in greater than 94% validation of the data. When CV results were compared for the two ionization modes, negative-ion data produced a superior outcome. MOLI MS provides clinicians a rapid, reproducible and cost-effective bacterial diagnostic tool. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
• Achieving Convergence Between a Community-based Measure of Explosive Anger and a Clinical Interview for Intermittent Explosive Disorder in Timor-Leste Journal of Affective Disorders. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23835102 There is growing research interest in understanding and analyzing explosive forms of anger. General epidemiological studies have focused on the DSM-IV category of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), while refugee and post-conflict research have used culturally-based indices of explosive anger. The aim of this study was to test the convergence of a culturally-sensitive community measure of explosive anger with a structured clinical interview diagnosis of IED in Timor-Leste, a country with a history of significant mass violence and displacement.
• Airways Obstruction and Pulmonary Capillary Blood Volume in Children with Sickle Cell Disease Pediatric Pulmonology. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23836699 Airways obstruction occurs in young children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our aim was to test the hypothesis that increased pulmonary capillary blood volume at least in part explained the increased airways obstruction as this would inform which therapy might be most appropriate to treat the airway obstruction.
• The 'rule of Three' for Fragment-based Drug Discovery: Where Are We Now? Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23845999
• Updates in the Management of High-grade Glioma Journal of Neurology. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23857040 The management of high-grade glioma (HGG) has evolved significantly over the last decade. Patients are managed in a multidisciplinary team setting in order to ensure their care is guided by the most current evidenced based treatments. The outcome in patients with HGG, while still poor, has improved in terms of both survival and quality of life during illness. This review discusses a number of developments seen in the management of HGG over the last 5 years.
• Catatonia After Deep Brain Stimulation Successfully Treated With Lorazepam and Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Report The Journal of ECT. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23859977 The presence of a deep brain stimulator (DBS) in a patient who develops neuropsychiatric symptoms poses unique diagnostic challenges and questions for the treating psychiatrist. Catatonia has been described only once, during DBS implantation, but has not been reported in a successfully implanted DBS patient.
• Cognition in Early Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Consequences May Be Relative to Working Memory Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23866100 The Relative Consequence Model proposes multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a fundamental deficit in processing speed that compromises other cognitive functions. The present study examined the mediating role of processing speed, as well as working memory, in the MS-related effects on other cognitive functions for early relapsing-remitting patients. Seventy relapsing-remitting MS patients with disease duration not greater than 10 years and 72 controls completed tasks assessing processing speed, working memory, learning, and executive functioning. The possible mediating roles of speed and working memory in the MS-related effects on other cognitive functions were evaluated using structural equation modeling. Processing speed was not significantly related to group membership and could not have a mediating role. Working memory was related to group membership and functioned as a mediating/intervening factor. The results do not support the Relative Consequence Model in this sample and they challenge the notion that working memory impairment only emerges at later disease stages. The results do support a mediating/intervening role of working memory. These results were obtained for early relapsing-remitting MS patients and should not be generalized to the broader MS population. Instead, future research should examine the relations that exist at other disease stages. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1-12).
• Virulence Loss and Amastigote Transformation Failure Determines Host Cell Responses to Leishmania Mexicana Parasite Immunology. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23869911 The effect of alterations in virulence and transformation by long term in vitro culture of L. mexicana promastigotes on infectivity and immune responses was investigated. Fresh parasite cultures harvested from Balb/c mice were passaged 20 times in vitro. Infectivity was decreased and was completely avirulent after 20 passages. The qPCR results showed a down regulation of GP63, LPG2, CPC, CPB2, CPB2.8, CHT1, LACK and LDCEN3 genes after passage 7 concomitant with a reduced and absence of infectivity by passages 7 and 20, respectively. Parasites at passages 1 and 20 are referred to as virulent and avirulent, respectively. The growth of avirulent and virulent parasite was affected by conditioned media derived from macrophages or monocytes infected with parasites for 2 hours. Giemsa staining showed the failure of avirulent but not virulent parasites to transform to the amastigote stage in infected host cells. with both virulent and avirulent modulating the expression of CCL-22, Tgad51, Cox2, IL-1, IL-10, TGF-β, TNF-α, Rab7, Rab9 and A2 genes; virulent but not avirulent L. mexicana significantly up regulated Th2 associated cytokines, but down regulated Rab7and Rab9 gene expression. In conclusion, a model for L. mexicana is reported, which is of potential value in studying host- parasite interaction. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
• Sea Lice Infestations on Juvenile Chum and Pink Salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, Canada, from 2003 to 2012 Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. Jul, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23872858 Juvenile pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha and chum salmon O. keta were sampled by beach or purse seine to assess levels of sea lice infestation in the Knight Inlet and Broughton Archipelago regions of coastal British Columbia, Canada, during the months of March to July from 2003 to 2012. Beach seine data were analyzed for sea lice infestation that was described in terms of prevalence, abundance, intensity, and intensity per unit length. The median annual prevalence for chum was 30%, ranging from 14% (in 2008 and 2009) to 73% (in 2004), while for pink salmon, the median was 27% and ranged from 10% (in 2011) to 68% (in 2004). Annual abundance varied from 0.2 to 5 sea lice per fish with a median of 0.47 for chum and from 0.1 to 3 lice (median 0.42) for pink salmon. Annual infestation followed broadly similar trends for both chum and pink salmon. However, the abundance and intensity of Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensi, the 2 main sea lice species of interest, were significantly greater on chum than on pink salmon in around half of the years studied. Logistic regression with random effect was used to model prevalence of sea lice infestation for the combined beach and purse seine data. The model suggested inter-annual variation as well as a spatial clustering effect on the prevalence of sea lice infestation in both chum and pink salmon. Fish length had an effect on prevalence, although the nature of this effect differed according to host species.