MedWorm: History of Medicine

Pigeon deterrents: a question of chemistry

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:30:01 +0100

If you want your statues clean (and your pigeons healthy), you just need to make them of bronze laced with arsenicAs the heavens inevitably cover every mountain peak with snow, so do pigeons unstoppably deposit a protective white layer atop every outdoor statue – or so people believed. Yukio Hirose shocked and delighted the world by disproving one of these two supposedly eternal truths. He used arsenic to do it.Chemistry provides a way to communicate certain messages to birds. Yukio Hirose figured this out after he noticed that something, some mysterious who-knows-what, had consistently attracted the attention of one particular group of pigeons.In the Kenroku garden in the city of Kanazawa, Japan, stands a statue of the legendary hero Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. There are many things to adm...

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Science Weekly podcast: Transplants and the future of intensive care

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:05:00 +0100

This week, we're focusing on some pivotal stories from the history of science and medicine. First up are human-to-human transplants and intensive care medicine. These are among the greatest successes of post-war medicine, but they also raise some of the most profound ethical questions. Ahead of a discussion at the Royal Institution in London, Kevin Fong, an anaesthetist and physiology lecturer at University College London, and medical historian Richard Barnett came into the studio to discuss how these important medical interventions started and, crucially, where they are heading. The debates will be held at the Royal Institution on 28 February. "From iron lungs to intensive care", "Hearts to hearts" will be on 15 February.The Observer's science editor, Robin McKie, was on hand to delve int...

Evaluation of a transplantation specialty pharmacy program.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy : AJHP — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:06:24 +0100

Conclusion A TSP program provided a high level of satisfaction to patients and health care providers, may have influenced some clinical outcomes, and served as a source of positive margin for its institution. PMID: 22302259 [PubMed - in process] (Source: American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy : AJHP)

Perceived Historical Drinking Norms and Current Drinking Behavior: Using the Theory of Normative Social Behavior as a Framework for Assessment. - Carcioppolo N, Jensen JD.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Social norms are sustained and disseminated, both implicitly and explicitly, through the act of communication. As a result, communication researchers have sought to classify and target normative perceptions to enact social change. In line with this researc... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Doctors 2.0 & You - May 23-24 2012 - The HealthCare Social Media And Web 2.0 Conference!

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Over a full two day programme, including a Cocktail SoirÃ©e in a private, historical venue, Doctors 2.0 & You will highlight: how doctors and other healthcare professionals, patients, hospitals, government, pharma, and payers use Social Media, mobile apps, and Web 2.0 tools to connect and the best practices that emerge for each. Ask our prestigious Advisory Board! Below are 4 reasons why you should not miss Doctors 2.0 & You in 2012. Doctors 2.0 & You attracts top thought-leaders and best examples from around the world, sharing their success stories and knowledge on health 2... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Integrating multiple data sources to assess the distribution and abundance of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Scottish waters

Mammal Review — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ABSTRACT1The distribution, movements and abundance of highly mobile marine species such as bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus are best studied at large spatial scales, but previous research effort has generally been focused on relatively small areas, occupied by populations with high site fidelity.2We aimed to characterize the distribution, movements and abundance of bottlenose dolphins around the coasts of Scotland, exploring how data from multiple sources could be integrated to build a broader‐scale picture of their ecology.3We reviewed existing historical data, integrated data from ongoing studies and developed new collaborative studies to describe distribution patterns. We adopted a Bayesian multi‐site mark‐recapture model to estimate abundance of bottlenose dolphins througho...

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The French Paradox and Other Ecological FallaciesThe French Paradox and Other Ecological Fallacies

Medscape Today Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0100

A historical perspective of ecological fallacies in medicine, which arise when disease differences identified between countries are assumed to be caused by factors that are found to also differ. International Journal of Epidemiology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Whatever Happened to Speculative Thought? Some Historical Evidence Against Evidence-Based Medicine

Psychiatric Times — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:30:01 +0100

Any physician can predict death as the outcome of a fatal illness, but the physician who can predict death from among seeming randomness has certainly acquired a superior level of insight. (Source: Psychiatric Times)

Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis

NeLM - News — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Lancet Area: News An analysis published in the Lancet suggests that that the malaria mortality burden globally is larger than previously estimated, especially in adults. The analysis used computer modelling to build a historical database for malaria between 1980 and 2010. Global malaria deaths increased from 995,000 in 1980 to a peak of 1,817,000 in 2004, decreasing to 1,238 000 in 2010. The data show that there were 1.24 million deaths from malaria worldwide in 2010 - around twice the figure of 655 000 estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the same year. However, both the study and the WHO indicate global death rates due to malaria are now falling. A related editorial calls for urgent action to review these data and re-align priorities in malaria control. ...

Countering health threats by chemicals with a potential terrorist background - creating a rapid alert system for Europe.

European Journal of Internal Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:24:52 +0100

CONCLUSION: The RAS-CHEM database works and will be integrated into the Health Emergency Operations Facility (HEOF) with other European Rapid Alert Systems. Poisons centres receive a large number of enquiries and could be important sentinels in this field of toxicovigilance. PMID: 22284259 [PubMed - in process] (Source: European Journal of Internal Medicine)

Nature Launches Global Scientific Calendar

What's New on JEFFLINE — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:46 +0100

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has launched an online calendar of global scientific events. The calendar provides users with a new way to search for science events, which can also be personalized and synced to a personal online or mobile calendar. The calendar is hosted on nature.com; it is free both to view and to contribute to. The calendar provides users with an innovative way to find important dates in science, as well as events that have been specifically selected by Nature editors. Content includes: Conferences Training courses Careers events Journal publication dates International observances Congress Historical anniversaries Astronomical events Webinars/virtual events Users can synchronize their personal calendar automatically with the events calendar using the iCal feed. Feeds...

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Effects of Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix on Repair Integrity of At-Risk Rotator Cuff Tears

The American Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The augmentation of at-risk rotator cuff tears with PRFM did not result in improved retear rates or functional outcome scores compared with controls. (Source: The American Journal of Sports Medicine)

The quest for equity in Latin America: a comparative analysis of the health care reforms in Brazil and Colombia

BioMed Central — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Neither reform seems to have had a decisive positive impact on the health outcomes analyzed for the defined time period of this research. This, in turn, may be a consequence of both internal characteristics of the respective reforms and external factors beyond the direct control of health reformers. Among the internal characteristics: underfunding, unbridled decentralization and inequitable access to care seem to have been the main constraints. Conversely, international economic adversities, high levels of rural and urban violence, along with entrenched income inequalities seem to have accounted for the highest burden among external factors. (Source: BioMed Central)

Predictors of successful outcomes after external cephalic version in singleton term breech pregnancies: a nine-year historical cohort study.

Hong Kong Med J — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION. External cephalic version was effective in reducing breech presentations at term and corresponding caesarean section rates, but the uptake rate was low. Further work should address the barriers to the low acceptance of external cephalic version. The results of this study could encourage women to opt for external cephalic version. PMID: 22302905 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Hong Kong Med J)

Rationale and design of the TAXUS Libertē Post-Approval Study: Examination of patients receiving the TAXUS Liberté stent with concomitant prasugrel therapy in routine interventional cardiology practice

American Heart Journal — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Background: Observational studies of new coronary stents are necessary to assess performance in a variety of complex patient and lesion types. Furthermore, the optimal dose and duration of thienopyridine treatment is unclear, particularly in patients with complex clinical conditions. The TAXUS Libertē Post-Approval Study is designed to provide 5-year data on the TAXUS Liberté paclitaxel-eluting stent with concomitant prasugrel therapy in routine clinical practice and to contribute data to the DAPT study.Study Design: The TAXUS Libertē Post-Approval Study is a prospective, multicenter, observational study. Enrollment of approximately 4,200 patients receiving ≥1 TAXUS Liberté stents is planned. All patients without a contraindication will be prescribed prasugrel plus aspirin for 1 year...

Functional and Biomechanical Outcomes After Using Biofeedback for Retraining Symmetrical Movement Patterns After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report

The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

DISCUSSION: This case report describes the use of a novel rehabilitation protocol intended to improve walking biomechanics and functional outcomes after TKA. Restoration of symmetrical movement patterns could improve long-term outcomes of TKA. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of similar rehabilitation strategies in a wide range of patients after TKA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy, level 4. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2012;42(2):135-144. doi:10.2519/jospt.2012.3773KEY WORDS: motion analysis, osteoarthritis, physical therapy, rehabilitation, total knee replacement (Source: The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy)

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Cover caption.

Conservation Biology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abstract Cover: A poster of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) decorates the wall of a restaurant in Brinkley, Arkansas (U.S.A.). The town is located near where the bird was reportedly sighted in 2004, 60 years after its presumed extinction. Th ree papers in this issue present new methods to estimate whether species are extinct. On pages 47-56, Gotelli et al. introduce a statistical method for estimating the probability of species persistence from the temporal sequence of collection dates of museum specimens. Application of the method to a case study of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker suggests there is virtually no chance the species is currently extant within its historical range in the southeastern United States. On pages 180-184, Solow et al. describe a ...

Alcohol reduces airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and allergic airway inflammation in mice

AJP: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

There is very limited knowledge about the effects of alcohol on airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in asthma. Historical accounts of alcohol administration to patients with breathing problems suggest that alcohol may have bronchodilating properties. We hypothesized that alcohol exposure will alter airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and pulmonary inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma. To test this hypothesis, BALB/c mice were fed either 18% alcohol or water and then sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA). AHR was assessed by means of ventilation or barometric plethysmography and reported as either total lung resistance or enhanced pause, respectively. Airway inflammation was assessed by total and differential cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), cyto...

Studies on the cell biology of interendothelial cell gaps

AJP: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Pain, redness, heat, and swelling are hallmarks of inflammation that were recognized as early as the first century AD. Despite these early observations, the mechanisms responsible for swelling, in particular, remained an enigma for nearly two millennia. Only in the past century have scientists and physicians gained an appreciation for the role that vascular endothelium plays in controlling the exudation that is responsible for swelling. One of these mechanisms is the formation of transient gaps between adjacent endothelial cell borders. Inflammatory mediators act on endothelium to reorganize the cytoskeleton, decrease the strength of proteins that connect cells together, and induce transient gaps between endothelial cells. These gaps form a paracellular route responsible for exudation. The...

Intersexuality in Crustacea: An environmental issue?

Aquatic Toxicology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ford AT Abstract This paper aims to give a historical overview of current understanding about intersexuality in crustaceans, assesses gaps in our knowledge and asks whether it should be an environmental concern. The oldest known cases of intersexuality come from 70 million year old fossil crabs whilst the oldest published case of intersex crustacean stems from a 1730 Royal Society report of a gynandromorph lobster. Many crustacean species are sequential hermaphroditic or simultaneous hermaphrodites. Consequently, there has been confusion as to whether accounts of intersex in the literature are correct. Intersexuality is fairly common throughout the Crustacea and it has been suggested that intersex may arise through different mechanisms. For example, sexual gynandromorphism...

Dreams and Politics: How Dreams May Influence Political Decisions

Psychotherapy and Politics International — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article highlights the relevance of dreams to politics; briefly reviews historical examples of dreams from several cultures; summarises some recent research on political attitudes in the USA; and draws attention to environmental dreams as a rising political concern. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Psychotherapy and Politics International)

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Out of the Closet and Into the Trenches: Gay Male Baby Boomers, Aging, and HIV/AIDS.

The Gerontologist — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article argues for the application of this latter approach to research into the lasting impacts of HIV/AIDS on this cohort of gay men. We examine HIV/AIDS mortality within this cohort at the epidemic's height, these deaths' concentration in urban gay communities, and the growing and increasingly diverse population of HIV-positive gay men born in the Baby Boom Years. Our conclusion suggests that a fuller examination of the role of HIV/AIDS in the lives of gay male Baby Boomers, using a life course perspective, is critical to appreciating this generation's heterogeneity and to expanding knowledge of how later life is shaped by the intersection between historical events, personal biography, and social and community ties. PMID: 22298746 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The...

The Florida Republican primary: a basket case of sick puppies | Carl Hiaasen

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:07:10 +0100

This article was first published by the Miami Herald, and is reproduced by permissionFloridaRepublican presidential nomination 2012RepublicansBarack ObamaNewt GingrichMitt RomneyUS politicsUnited StatesCubaFidel CastroNasaUS economyCarl Hiaasenguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Traffic of drugs: na option among limitted choices

Psicologia e Sociedade — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:36:33 +0100

Este trabalho procura compreender os aspectos psicossociais que permeiam a adesão de pessoas ao tráfico de drogas em seu contexto histórico e econômico-social, por meio de pesquisa realizada no ambiente carcerário, onde foram recolhidas histórias de vida de pessoas envolvidas com o tráfico. Em um ambiente socioeconômico caracterizado pela precarização das relações de trabalho, pelo desemprego e pelo apelo consumista afinados com as premissas econômicas neoliberais tem-se uma situação de exclusão social e de cidadania. Assim, o tráfico se mostra como uma atividade econômica possibilitadora de inclusão, mesmo que marginal, na ordem capitalista. Uma opção a ser feita entre escolhas limitadas.The present work has as its purpose to comprehend the historical, social and econ...

The human being in the singular man: the historical-cultural approach

Psicologia e Sociedade — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:36:33 +0100

The objective of this theorical article is to present the historical-cultural approach and the theory of the activity to the understanding the constitution of the human being in the singular man. The starting point, to explain the humanization process, is the historical-cultural theory, whose epistemological origin is the dialectical materialism, from the works of Marx. The article, first, presents the central theoretical categories to the explanation of the development and constitution of the human being, such as activity, conscience, necessity, motive, appropriation. Afterwards, it presents the contributions of the theoretical perspective to education, especially to school education. The education is understood as the process of appropriation of the human culture resulted from the human ...

An archeological analysys of the social psychology

Psicologia e Sociedade — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:36:33 +0100

This article aims to set an archaeological history of Social Psychology in Brazil based on Michel Foucault's methodological perspective. Shifting from an epistemological analysis that asks itself about the scientificity and the truth or validity of presumptions, concepts and techniques applied in field, the argument presented here questions its movements and historical trends, the confrontments and ruptures observable among the many approaches orbiting there, as well as the emergency of multiple objects which form and succeed in this domain of knowledge and procedures throughout the 20th century and in the first years of 21st century. (Source: Psicologia e Sociedade)

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Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability of Rizatriptan in Pediatric Migraineurs in a Randomized Study.

Headache — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions.- In pediatric migraineurs, a weight-based dosing scheme generated plasma rizatriptan AUC((0-∞)) and C(max) values that were generally similar to those historically observed in adults administered a 10-mg dose of rizatriptan ODT (a proven effective dose). The data support further evaluation of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of this rizatriptan dosing scheme in larger scale clinical trials in the pediatric migraineur population. PMID: 22289113 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Headache)

The Effect of Shame and Shame Memories on Paranoid Ideation and Social Anxiety

Clinical Psychology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionOur study supports the evolutionary model suggesting there are two different types of ‘conspecific’ anxiety, with different evolutionary histories, functions and psychological processes. Paranoia, but less so social anxiety, is associated with traumatic impact and the centrality of shame memories. Researchers and clinicians should distinguish between types of shame memory, particularly those where the self might have felt vulnerable and subordinate and perceived others as threatening and hostile, holding malevolent intentions towards the self.Key Practitioner Message:Shame and shame memories are distinctively related to paranoia and social anxiety.External shame is especially associated with paranoid ideation, whereas internal shame is specifically linked to social anxiety.Th...

Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability of Rizatriptan in Pediatric Migraineurs in a Randomized Study

Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions.— In pediatric migraineurs, a weight‐based dosing scheme generated plasma rizatriptan AUC(0‐∞) and Cmax values that were generally similar to those historically observed in adults administered a 10‐mg dose of rizatriptan ODT (a proven effective dose). The data support further evaluation of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of this rizatriptan dosing scheme in larger scale clinical trials in the pediatric migraineur population. (Source: Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain)

Building Tobacco Control Research in Thailand: Meeting the Need for Innovative Change in Asia

BioMed Central — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The evolution of tobacco control research in Thailand provides examples of steppingstones that LMICs may be able to use to construct their own tobacco control research pathways.Key words: tobacco control, smoking, policy, research, capacity building, secondhand smoke, Thailand, Asia (Source: BioMed Central)

A physiological marker for false memories | Mo Costandi | Neurophilosophy blog

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +0100

False memories can be distinguished from real ones with a simple physiological test, report researchers from GermanyOur memories are not as accurate as we like to think they are. Every recollection is a reconstructive process, involving stitching together memory fragments rather than reproducing a ready-made whole. Inevitably, errors creep in, but in most cases our memories are accurate enough to be reliable. In some cases, however, they are not, the most striking example being false memories, or completely fabricated accounts of events that did not happen.False memories are easily created. Our memories of historical events can be manipulated with doctored photographs; psychiatrists have been known to implant false memories of childhood sexual abuse and Satanic rituals in patients; and fal...

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[Book Review] The Pursuit of Love

Science: Current Issue — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:42:31 +0100

Combining historical and ethnographic perspectives, Silverman explores the various ways in which researchers, practitioners, and activists have interpreted and responded to autism.Author: Beth Ann Malow (Source: Science: Current Issue)

Patient Safety

Surgical Clinics of North America — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:25:18 +0100

Perhaps ironically, the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic, most likely as a result of human error, occurred at about same the time that Harvard physician, biochemist, and historian, Lawrence J. Henderson, famously proclaimed that the pace of progress in medicine had reached a point at which a random patient had a better than even chance of benefiting from consultation with a random physician. Since then, the availability of treatment options for virtually every ailment known to afflict humanity has exploded, resulting in an unprecedented growth in the quantity of health care services. These advances, punctuated occasionally by spectacular cures, have delivered a level of societal welfare and productivity that could not have been envisioned by those who first learned of that great nautical ...

Historical Perspectives on Autism: Its Past Record of Discovery and Its Present State of Solipsism, Skepticism, and Sorrowful Suspicion

Pediatric Clinics of North America — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:14:51 +0100

This article reviews historical links that have led to the current confusing and controversial situation that is encouraging some people to return to magic, mysticism, and mantics for health care, despite the amazing accumulation of progress in vaccinology over the past 2 centuries. (Source: Pediatric Clinics of North America)

Study Compares Three Antiretroviral Regimens to Prevent Nevirapine Resistance Mutations in HIV-Infected Pregnant Women Receiving a Single Intrapartum Dose of Nevirapine

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

“Intrapartum single-dose (SD) nevirapine (NVP) reduces perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection but selects for NVP-resistant virus, which compromises subsequent NVP-based therapy. A 1-week ‘tail’ of lamivudine and zidovudine after SD-NVP decreases the risk of resistance. We hypothesized that increasing the duration or potency of the tail would further reduce this risk to <10%, using a sensitive assay to measure resistance. … HIV-infected pregnant Thai women with a CD4 cell count >250 cells/μL, most receiving zidovudine, were randomized at 28-38 weeks gestation to receive 1 of 3 intrapartum and postpartum regimens: (A) zidovudine plus enteric-coated didanosine plus lopinavir and ritonavir for 7 days, (B) zidovudine plus enteri...

Psychopharmacology of the endocannabinoids: far beyond anandamide

Journal of Psychopharmacology — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The study of endocannabinoid pharmacology has proceeded from the discovery of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in Cannabis sativa, to the identification of an endogenous endocannabinoid system that is essential for physiological modulation of neuronal functions. We have not yet achieved a complete understanding of the various roles of the endocannabinoids, but this is one of the fastest-growing fields in psychopharmacology. This review starts with a brief historical description of the discovery of the endocannabinoids and then focuses on recent pharmacological advances and recently discovered endocannabinoid mechanisms of action (e.g. functional selectivity, allosterism, and receptor trafficking). Finally, we will discuss the contention that the existence of evidence-...

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The evolutionary history of protein fold families and proteomes confirms that the archaeal ancestor is more ancient than the ancestors of other superkingdoms

BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articles — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The evolution of functions that are associated with corresponding FFs along the timeline reveals that primordial metabolic domains evolved earlier than informational domains involved in translation and transcription, supporting the metabolism-first hypothesis rather than the RNA world scenario. In addition, phylogenomic trees of proteomes reconstructed from FFs appearing in each of the five phases of the protein world show that trees reconstructed from ancient domain structures were consistently rooted in archaeal lineages, supporting the proposal that the archaeal ancestor is more ancient than the ancestors of other superkingdoms. (Source: BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articles)

[Correspondence] Is Escherichia coli bacteraemia preventable?

The Lancet Infectious Diseases — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:05:13 +0100

In response to yearly increases in Escherichia coli bacteraemia, the UK Department of Health recently launched mandatory E coli bacteraemia surveillance. Before starting this programme, the Department of Health should have reviewed historical data and contacted units, such as the Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), that undertake bacteraemia surveillance. We have, therefore, pre-empted the surveillance findings and estimated the proportion of preventable E coli bacteraemias. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)

Pediatric Renal Transplantation in a Highly Sensitised Child—8 Years On

Advances in Pharmacological Sciences — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:56:20 +0100

Highly sensitised children have markedly reduced chances of receiving a successful deceased donor renal transplant, increased risk of rejection, and decreased graft survival. There is limited experience with the long-term followup of children who have undergone desensitization. Following 2 failed transplants, our patient was highly sensitised. She had some immunological response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) but this was not sustained. We developed a protocol involving sequential therapies with rituximab, IVIg, and plasma exchange. Immunosuppressant therapy at transplantation consisted of basiliximab, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids. At the time of transplantation, historical crossmatch was ignored. Current CDC crossmatch was negative, but T and B cell flow crossmatc...

Let's Play 'History As A List'

NPR Health and Science — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:14:00 +0100

History, they say, is "one damn thing after another," but when you look down any historical list, strange, curious patterns pop out.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Studying The Causes Of Obesity In Aboriginal Children

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

To fully understand the causes of the obesity epidemic in Aboriginal children requires an understanding of the unique social and historical factors that shape the Aboriginal community. A review article published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism emphasizes that early childhood obesity prevention efforts should begin focusing with the parents before and during pregnancy and on breastfeeding initiatives and nutrition in the early childhood development stages... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Ten-Year Outcome after Rapid Discontinuation of Prednisone in Adult Primary Kidney Transplantation.

Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsPrednisone-related side effects can be minimized in a protocol incorporating rapid discontinuation of prednisone for maintenance immunosuppression. Ten-year patient and graft outcomes remain acceptable. PMID: 22282482 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN)

Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone with or Without Radiotherapy in Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma: The Emerging Standard of Care.

The Oncologist — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Based on these results, most patients with PMLBCL appear to be cured by R-CHOP in 21-day cycles with or without RT, which could be the current standard of care. Therefore, the need for more aggressive treatment strategies is questionable unless high-risk patients are adequately defined. Further studies are required to establish the precise role of RT. PMID: 22282906 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Oncologist)

Clofarabine plus low‐dose cytarabine followed by clofarabine plus low‐dose cytarabine alternating with decitabine in acute myeloid leukemia frontline therapy for older patients

Cancer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:Clofarabine plus low‐dose cytarabine alternating with decitabine in consolidation is active in older patients with newly diagnosed AML. The benefits of a prolonged consolidation remain unproven. Cancer 2012;. © 2012 American Cancer Society. (Source: Cancer)

Historical change of mercury pollution in remote Yongle archipelago, South China Sea.

Chemosphere — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Liu X, Xu L, Chen Q, Sun L, Wang Y, Yan H, Liu Y, Luo Y, Huang J Abstract We collected three ornithogenic coral sand sedimentary profiles from Jinyin Island, Jinqing Island and Guangjin Island of Yongle archipelago, South China Sea and reconstructed the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg over the past 700years in the study area. On the whole, the anthropogenic Hg flux is relatively low; it remained at a low level before the Industrial Revolution with a small peak at about 1450-1550 AD, which may record the enhanced metallurgy activity in Ming Dynasty of China. During the 20th century, the deposition flux of anthropogenic Hg increased rapidly, but two troughs occurred during the periods around 1940s and 1970s, corresponding to the economic depression caused by World War II...

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“Colossal” Breakthrough: The Callosal Puncture as a Precursor to Third Ventriculostomy

min - Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Minim Invasive Neurosurg 2011; 54: 243-246DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1297249In 1908, Anton and von Bramann proposed the Balkenstich method, a corpus callosum puncture which created a communication between the ventricle and subarachnoid space. This method offered the benefit of providing continuous CSF diversion without the implantation of cannula or other shunting devices, yet it received only slight reference in the literature of the time. It remained a novel and perhaps underutilized approach at the time Cushing began expanding his neurosurgical practice at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.Following IRB approval, and through the courtesy of the Alan Mason Chesney Archives, the surgical records of the Johns Hopkins Hospital for the period 1896–1912 were reviewed. Patients operated upon by Harvey Cus...

Definitions of schizophrenia, 1908-1987: The failed essentialism

Theory — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This work examines the historical conceptualization of schizophrenia through definition from 1908–1987. Rather than reveal an essentialist definition of schizophrenia in North America, it reveals a history of varying and competing professional definitions. It demonstrates and historically contextualizes how widespread conceptual instability and disagreement over the nature of the concept gave rise to a new, but still contested, theoretical emphasis on operational definitions. As made manifest through definition, schizophrenia has not been a stable transhistorical object. Rather, the characteristic feature in schizophrenia definition appears to be instability and variance rather than stability or long historical periods of agreement. This analysis nevertheless cautions against oversta...

Roche offers to acquire all outstanding shares of Illumina, Inc. to further strengthen its leading role in diagnostics

Roche Investor Update — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:40:00 +0100

Roche announced today that it is proposing to acquire all outstanding shares of Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) for $44.50 per share in cash, or an aggregate of approximately $5.7 billion on a fully diluted basis. This offer represents a 64% premium over Illumina’s stock price on December 21, 2011 – the day before market rumors about a potential transaction between Roche and Illumina drove Illumina’s stock price significantly higher – a 61% premium over the one-month historical average and a 43% premium over the three-month historical average of Illumina’s share price, both as of December 21. It also represents a 30.1x multiple of Illumina’s projected forward earnings based upon analysts’ current consensus estimates for 2012. (Source: Roche Investor U...

Risk management of biosimilars in oncology: each medicine is a work in progress

Targeted Oncology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:15:17 +0100

Abstract Drug licensing and drug safety monitoring for standard chemical entities have been established and are routinely used. These have resulted in a solid foundation of knowledge from which confident therapeutic decisions can be made. For many chemical entities, this advanced level of experience is also present for the generic products. The expertise surrounding the development of biosimilar competitor versions is increasing and progress is encouraging. To address the re-engineering and comparability complexities of biosimilars, the European Union imposed a requirement that risk management plans be included in the medications’ marketing applications. This paper summarizes and discusses the circumstances complicating the public’s view of drug safety, historical inci...

Small Vessel Cerebrovascular Disease: The Past, Present, and Future

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:28:40 +0100

Brain infarction due to small vessel cerebrovascular disease (SVCD)—also known as small vessel infarct (SVI) or “lacunar” stroke—accounts for 20% to 25% of all ischemic strokes. Historically, SVIs have been associated with a favorable short-term prognosis. However, studies over the years have demonstrated that SVCD/SVI is perhaps a more complex and less benign phenomenon than generally presumed. The currently employed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are based upon historical and contemporary perceptions of SVCD/SVI. What is discovered in the future will unmask the true countenance of SVCD/SVI and help furnish more accurate prognostication schemes and effective treatments for this condition. This paper is an overview of SVCD/SVI with respect to the disc...

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Brian Cox, David Starkey and … Colin Firth; a new type of public intellectual?

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0100

The success of today's celebrity scientists may pave the way for a new generation of academics and, indeed, new public expectations of themAfter a year of science that has seen Brian Cox present a BBC primetime Night with the Stars, David Starkey being denounced as a historian for exchanging the library for the TV studio and celebrity academics launching the private New College of the Humanities, one may ask whether academics are becoming part of a new academic star system. Even the UK research councils are teaming up with the media to co-produce the "Next Generation Thinkers", who are destined for science media fame.What is driving this shift in mass mediated scholarship, and are we likely to see it flourish during this century? Did the noughties signal a return of the public intellectual...

Eli Whitney Died of Prostate Cancer

About.com Cancer — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

It's not very often that a historical figure makes it onto Google's Hot Trend list, so when I saw Eli Whitney trending, I was quite surprised. I knew an antique musket made by his armory had been featured on last night's Pawn Stars, but who knew it would cause such a stir?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Cancer)

Decoupling of deforestation and soy production in the southern Amazon during the late 2000s [Sustainability Science]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study combines satellite data with government deforestation and production statistics to assess land-use transitions and potential market and policy drivers associated with these trends. In the forested region of the state, increased soy production from 2001 to 2005 was entirely due to cropland expansion into previously cleared pasture areas (74%) or forests (26%). From 2006 to 2010, 78% of production increases were due to expansion (22% to yield increases), with 91% on previously cleared land. Cropland expansion fell from 10 to 2% of deforestation between the two periods, with pasture expansion accounting for most remaining deforestation. Declining deforestation coincided with a collapse of commodity markets and implementation of policy measures to reduce deforestation. Soybean profi...

Phylogeny and beyond: Scientific, historical, and conceptual significance of the first tree of life [Classic Perspective]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We describe the way in which this monumental discovery was made, its context within the historical development of evolutionary thought, and how it has impacted our understanding of the emergence of life and the characterization of the evolutionary process in its most general form. (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Explanatory models are needed to integrate RCT and observational data with the patient's unique biology

JRSM — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In this review, we make the case for evidence-based medicine (EBM) to include models of disease underscored by evidence in order to integrate evidence, as it is currently defined, with the patient's unique biology. This would allow clinicians to use a pathophysiologic rationale, but underscoring the pathophysiological model with evidence would create an objective evidence base for extrapolating randomized controlled trial evidence. EBM encourages practitioners not to be passive receivers of information, but to question the information. By the same token, practitioners should not be passive executors of the process by which information is generated, appraised and applied, but should question the process. We use the historical examples of the evolution of EBM to show that its subordination o...

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Policy measures and the survival of foster infants in Stockholm 1878-1925

The European Journal of Public Health — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Targeted policy measures to foster children may have potentiated the positive health effects of other universal policies, such as improved living conditions, clean water and sanitation for the whole population in the city, contributing to an equalization of mortality rates between different groups. (Source: The European Journal of Public Health)

Improved Outcome in Neonatal Short Bowel Syndrome Using Parenteral Fish Oil in Combination With ω-6/9 Lipid Emulsions.

JPEN Journal Of Parenteral And Enteral Nutrition — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Parenteral fish oil in combination with ω-6/9 lipid emulsions was associated with improved outcome in premature neonates with SBS. When used instead of traditional soybean-based emulsions, this mixed lipid emulsion may facilitate intestinal adaptation by increasing the IFALD-free period. PMID: 22275330 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: JPEN Journal Of Parenteral And Enteral Nutrition)

Toxicity burden score: a novel approach to summarize multiple toxic effects

Annals of Oncology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: TBS is a feasible approach to summarize toxicity. It includes information from the grades and types of multiple toxic effects and can be applied in all phases of drug development. Further efforts should focus on validating the method in a large prospective study before applying it in practice. (Source: Annals of Oncology)

Hormesis: why it is important to biogerontologists.

Biogerontology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Calabrese EJ, Iavicoli I, Calabrese V Abstract This paper offers a broad assessment of the hormetic dose response and its relevance to biogerontology. The paper provides detailed background information on the historical foundations of hormesis, its quantitative features, mechanistic foundations, as well as how the hormesis concept could be further applied in the development of new therapeutic advances in the treatment of age-related diseases. The concept of hormesis has direct application to biogerontology not only affecting the quality of the aging process but also experimental attempts to extend longevity. PMID: 22270337 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biogerontology)

Understanding causes of obesity in Aboriginal children

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)) To fully understand the causes of the obesity epidemic in Aboriginal children requires an understanding of the unique social and historical factors that shape the Aboriginal community. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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The Secret of Credit

Psychology Today Work Center — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:03:07 +0100

Trust Is the Glue . . . Most of us view trust as valuable and desirable, something that improves the quality of our personal lives. We seldom take the next step and view it as indispensable, a vital ingredient in society — and in the economy. read more (Source: Psychology Today Work Center)

Morality and Cake Pans: The Rural Library

News stories via the Rural Assistance Center — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Daily Yonder article publishes a review of a new historical study of rural libraries in the Midwest, that were begun to cultivate 'respectability' and have endured by satisfying local tastes. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)

Chest Radiography Validity in Screening Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Immigrants From a High-Burden Country.

Respiratory Care — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: CXR is a valid and cost-saving tool for screening active-PTB in immigrants originating in high burden countries, and is beneficial in detecting OHTB in immigrants who are at a higher risk for developing active-PTB. PMID: 22273260 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Respiratory Care)

Ancient‐to‐modern secular changes in Korean stature

American Journal of Physical Anthropology — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractStatural growth in human populations is a sensitive indicator of socio‐economic well‐being, and improvements in socio‐economic status are reflected in secular increases in adult height. In the present study, we investigated the statures of historical Korean societies to show how stature changed over time. Applying Fujii's equation, derived from modern Japanese, to the measurement of femora removed from 15th‐ to 19th‐century Joseon tombs, the average heights of Korean adults during the Joseon dynasty were estimated to be 161.1 ± 5.6 cm and 148.9 ± 4.6 cm for males and females, respectively. Plotting statures for successive historical societies against time revealed that Korean heights remained relatively unchanged through to the end of the 19th century, a pattern that di...

Tecnalia is working in Ecuador to improve the recovery of the country's historical heritage

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) Tecnalia is leading a project in the south of Ecuador on the conservation and enhancement of its cultural heritage as the backbone in the improvement in the living conditions of the local population, and in economic development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Green chemistry and the evolution of flow analysis. A review.

Analytica Chimica Acta — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:16:18 +0100

Authors: Melchert WR, Reis BF, Rocha FR Abstract Flow analysis has achieved its majority as a well-established tool to solve analytical problems. Evolution of flow-based approaches has been analyzed by diverse points of view, including historical aspects, the commutation concept and the impact on analytical methodologies. In this overview, the evolution of flow analysis towards green analytical chemistry is demonstrated by comparing classical procedures implemented with different flow approaches. The potential to minimize reagent consumption and waste generation and the ability to implement processes unreliable in batch to replace toxic chemicals are also emphasized. Successful applications of greener approaches in flow analysis are also discussed, focusing on the last 10 years. ...

Long-term persistence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in air, soil and sediment around an abandoned pentachlorophenol factory in China.

Environmental Pollution — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:19:18 +0100

Authors: Li C, Zheng M, Zhang B, Gao L, Liu L, Zhou X, Ma X, Xiao K Abstract Air, soils and sediments surrounding an abandoned pentachlorophenol (PCP) factory were sampled to determine the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), unintentionally formed during PCP production. The mean concentration of PCDD/Fs in ambient air was one order of magnitude higher than that of the reference site. A trend of decreasing concentrations with increasing distance from the factory was observed, suggesting this site has a significant influence on the regional ambient air. As for soil samples collected within 3 km from the factory and sediment samples from the adjacent rivers, high levels of contamination were found with WHO-TEQ concentrations of 193 ± 211 pg/g ...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and decabromodiphenylethane in sediments from twelve lakes in China.

Environmental Pollution — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:16:22 +0100

Authors: Wu F, Guo J, Chang H, Liao H, Zhao X, Mai B, Xing B Abstract Sediment cores from 12 Chinese lakes were analyzed to investigate the historical inputs of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) during the past few decades. Concentrations of ΣPBDE(1) (sum of tri- to hepta-BDEs), ΣPBDE(2) (sum of nona- to deca-BDEs) and DBDPE in the surface sediments were 0.02-0.29 ng g(-1), 0.46-46.6 ng g(-1) and 1.02-3.64 ng g(-1), respectively. The temporal trends of PBDEs and DBDPE followed a general increase from the bottom to the surface. The calculated fluxes for ΣPBDE(1), ΣPBDE(2) and DBDPE were 0.001-0.09, 0.03-4.24, and 0.05-0.31 ng cm(-2) yr(-1), and the inventories were 0.09-7.86, 0.91-461, and 3.83-24.6 ng cm(-2), respectively. The...

[News Focus] Archaeologist of Sound

Science: Current Issue — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:26:17 +0100

With near-obsessive determination, audio historian Patrick Feaster has been tracking down remnants of long-vanished voices and noises—and in some cases resurrecting them against the odds.Author: Ron Cowen (Source: Science: Current Issue)

Environmental manipulation for edible insect procurement: a historical perspective

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Throughout history humans have manipulated their natural environment for an increased predictability and availability of plant and animal resources. Research on prehistoric diets increasingly includes small game, but edible insects receive minimal attention. Using the anthropological and archaeological literature we show and hypothesize about the existence of such environmental manipulations related to the procurement of edible insects. As examples we use eggs of aquatic Hemiptera in Mexico which are semi-cultivated by water management and by providing egg laying sites; palm weevil larvae in the Amazon Basin, tropical Africa, and New Guinea of which the collection is facilitated by manipulating host tree distribution and abundance and which are semi-cultivated by deliberately cutting palm ...

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Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Moon'

NPR Health and Science — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Science historian Howard Markel discusses the origins of the word moon and some of the lore surrounding it, including a 1638 book by the English bishop Francis Godwin entitled The Man in the Moone, which recounts a science fiction-style voyage to the moon.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Survival in Patients With Poorly Compressible Leg Arteries

Journal of the American College of Cardiology — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:57:13 +0100

Conclusions: Patients identified by noninvasive vascular testing to have poorly compressible leg arteries have poor survival, worse than those with a normal ABI or those with PAD. (Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

Pharmacogenetics and anaesthesia: the value of genetic profiling

Anaesthesia — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:16:56 +0100

SummaryApproximately 50 years ago, pharmacogenetics was described as a new field of medicine that may explain human drug action. Anaesthesia played a key role in the early investigations. An understanding of how a person’s DNA influences drug metabolism and effectiveness may allow individually tailored prescriptions, improving outcomes and safety. The ultimate goal of pharmacogenetic research is to offer tailored personalised medicine to improve both the efficacy of medication and patient safety by helping to predict risk of adverse outcomes. In this review, we present a selection of historical landmarks where anaesthesia has been a catalyst for pharmacogenetic development. We examine the level of evidence and cite examples of candidate genes and common polymorphisms known to alter the...

Identification of older patients at risk of unplanned readmission after discharge from the emergency department - Comparison of two screening tools.

Swiss Medical Weekly — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:24:09 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Both ISAR and TRST tools predicted modestly unplanned readmission after an ED-visit among patients over 75 years. Nevertheless, due to their low specificity and high NPV these screening tools are useful to select elderly ED-patients who can safely return home without any further CGA. PMID: 22252274 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Swiss Medical Weekly)

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Awake Patients as Bridge to Lung Transplantation.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: ECMO support in awake, non-intubated patients represents a promising bridging strategy, which should be further evaluated to determine its role in patients with end-stage lung disease awaiting lung transplantation. PMID: 22268135 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine)

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Haptoglobin polymorphism among the tribal groups of southern Gujarat

Indian Journal of Human Genetics — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Pattern of allele frequency distribution showed preponderance of Hp 2 allele in all the eight tribal groups, which is in accordance with its frequency in different populations of Indian subcontinent. Total average heterozygosity (H T ) was found to be low (0.160) but the level of genetic differentiation (G ST ) was found to be moderately high (5.6%). AMOVA analysis indicated least among group variance between west and south Indian populations (-0.04%) indicating the affinities of the tribes of Gujarat with that of Dravidian speaking groups. Analysis of Hp phenotypes among sickle cell anemia/ trait individuals revealed a high frequency of Hp 0-0 phenotype (92.7%) among SS individuals as opposed to only 9.7% among AS individuals, reaffirming the selec...

Return to work: a historical perspective

Rheumatology — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Rheumatology)

Clinical Implications of the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Adults

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:25:10 +0100

The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a relatively new regional anesthesia technique that provides analgesia to the parietal peritoneum as well as the skin and muscles of the anterior abdominal wall. It has a high margin of safety and is technically simple to perform, especially under ultrasound guidance. A growing body of evidence supports the use of TAP blocks for a variety of abdominal procedures, yet, widespread adoption of this therapeutic adjunct has been slow. In part, this may be related to the limited sources for anesthesiologists to develop an appreciation for its sound anatomical basis and the versatility of its clinical application. As such, we provide a brief historical perspective on the TAP block, describe relevant anatomy, review current techniques, discuss pharmac...

Leprosy decline in Amazonas State, BrazilCommunication brève: Recul de la lèpre dans l’Etat d’Amazonas, au BrésilComunicación corta: El declive de la lepra en el estado del Amazonas, Brasil

Tropical Medicine and International Health — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:54:28 +0100

Conclusion Our findings show a reduction in the infection risk in the last 30 years and a birth cohort effect: cohorts born in more recent years faced smaller risks of leprosy infection than older cohorts.Objectif: Analyser les taux de détection des cas de lèpre dans l’Etat d’Amazonas, au Brésil, par groupe d’âge, de 1980 à 2009.Méthode: Les séries de données historiques de cas de lèpre par groupe d’âge de 1980 à 2009 ont été déterminées en fonction du temps en utilisant des modèles de régression de Poisson. La réduction relative annuelle du taux de détection (RAR) par groupe d’âge a été estimée comme étant 1 moins l’exponentielle du coefficient de régression estimé pour le temps. Pour comparer les coefficients de régression, nous avons uti...

Mortality from infectious diseases among refugees and immigrants compared to native Danes: a historical prospective cohort studyMortalité par maladies infectieuses chez les réfugiés et immigrants comparés aux Danois de souche: une étude prospective de cohorte historiqueMortalidad por enfermedades infecciosas entre refugiados e inmigrantes comparados con Daneses nativos: estudio histórico‐prospectivo de cohortes

Tropical Medicine and International Health — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:54:22 +0100

Conclusions Higher mortality among refugees and immigrants than among the native population should lead to reflections on medical reception systems in recipient countries and subsequent possibilities of access to specialised diagnostic and curative healthcare.Objectifs: Les réfugiés et les immigrants sont susceptibles d’être vulnérables à la mortalité due aux maladies infectieuses en raison de la prévalence élevée dans leur pays d’origine et des obstacles à l’accès aux soins de santé dans les pays hôtes. Par conséquent, nous avons cherchéà comparer et à enquêter sur les différences de mortalité par maladies infectieuses chez les réfugiés/immigrés et les Danois de souche.Méthodes: Une étude prospective de cohorte historique basée sur les registres. T...

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Historical perspectives of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: Alfred Blalock (1899–1964)

The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:10:16 +0100

Alfred Blalock, the 30th president of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), was born on April 5, 1899, in the small town of Culloden, Georgia. Located in Monroe County in central Georgia, Culloden is approximately 0.8 square miles in size and, according to the United States Census of 1900, had a population of 334. Blalock was the eldest of 5 children born to George Z. Blalock and Martha (Davis) Blalock. The elder Blalock was a merchant and the owner of a cotton plantation. Often referenced as a firm disciplinarian, Blalock’s father placed a significant value on education. According to his sister, Alfred would “…rather [his] mother use the hairbrush on him than [his] father look at him hard.” When Alfred was a youth, the family moved to nearby Jonesboro owing to his ...

Extensive Mediastinal Lymphadenectomy During Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: Optimal Results from a Single Center

Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:48:20 +0100

Conclusions Extensive mediastinal lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive esophagectomy is a feasible procedure for EC patients. It is technically safe and oncologically adequate in experienced hands, and improves the accuracy of tumor staging. Further study is required to discuss its long-term prognostic value for esophagus cancer patients. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s11605-012-1824-7Authors Yaxing Shen, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, ChinaYi Zhang, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, ChinaLijie Tan, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai,...

Fungal Cell Wall Vaccines: An Update.

Journal of Medical Microbiology — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Edwards JE Abstract This discussion is intended to be an overview of current advances in the development fungal cell wall vaccines with an emphasis on Candida; it is not a comprehensive historical review of all fungal, cell wall vaccines. Selected, more recent, highly innovative strategies for developing fungal vaccines will be highlighted. Both scientific and logistical obstacles related to the development of, and clinical use of, fungal vaccines will be discussed. PMID: 22267544 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology)

The C825T GNB3 Polymorphism, Independent of Blood Pressure, Predicts Cerebrovascular Risk at a Population Level.

American Journal of Hypertension — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsThe TT genotype of GNB3 gene predicts incident CE independent of blood pressure and other established risk factors at a population level. Further studies are needed to clarify the nature and pathways of this association.American Journal of Hypertension (2012). doi:10.1038/ajh.2011.257. PMID: 22258330 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal of Hypertension)

HITlights: A career perspective on heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia

American Journal of Hematology — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractTwo decades of research into heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) permit a personal historical perspective on this fascinating syndrome. Previously, the frequency of HIT was unknown, although complicating thrombosis was believed to be rare and primarily arterial. The opportunity to apply a remarkable test for “HIT antibodies”—the 14C‐serotonin‐release assay (SRA)—to serial plasma samples obtained during a clinical trial of heparin thromboprophylaxis, provided insights into the peculiar nature of HIT, such as: its prothrombotic nature—including its strong association with venous thrombosis (RR=11.6 [95%CI, 6.4‐20.8; p<0.0001); its more frequent occurrence with unfractionated versus low‐molecular‐weight heparin; the “iceberg” model, which states that am...

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Historical perspectives on tumor necrosis factor and its superfamily: 25 years later, a golden journey

Blood — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Although activity that induced tumor regression was observed and termed tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as early as the 1960s, the true identity of TNF was not clear until 1984, when Aggarwal and coworkers reported, for the first time, the isolation of 2 cytotoxic factors: one, derived from macrophages (molecular mass 17 kDa), was named TNF, and the second, derived from lymphocytes (20 kDa), was named lymphotoxin. Because the 2 cytotoxic factors exhibited 50% amino acid sequence homology and bound to the same receptor, they came to be called TNF-α and TNF-β. Identification of the protein sequences led to cloning of their cDNA. Based on sequence homology to TNF-α, now a total of 19 members of the TNF superfamily have been identified, along with 29 interacting receptors, and sev...

Time trends in cervical cancer epidemiology in the Slovak Republic: reflection on the non-implementation of screening with international comparisons.

Neoplasma — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:30:02 +0100

Time trends in cervical cancer epidemiology in the Slovak Republic: reflection on the non-implementation of screening with international comparisons. Neoplasma. 2012;59(2):121-8 Authors: Ondrusova M, Zubor P, Ondrus D Abstract Cervical cancer is a serious public health problem with high geographical variations in incidence, mainly due to historical patterns of risk factors and the influence of screening activities. To reduce both cervical cancer incidence and mortality is the primary objective of organized screening and annual reports of high quality utilising accepted interventional measures. Currently, the time-trends in overall incidence and mortality from cervical cancer in the Slovak Republic are implacable. The high incidence values of this condition that have stabi...

Practitioners' Offices: Lessons from the Past

Psychology Today Work Center — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:28:09 +0100

When we look back to the state of medical practice at the beginning of the 20th century, there's a lot of good advice for psychologists today, especially about where offices should be located and how they should look.read more (Source: Psychology Today Work Center)

Taking another look at the roots of social psychology

ScienceDaily Headlines — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:31:31 +0100

Psychology textbooks have made the same historical mistake over and over. Now the inaccuracy is pointed out in a new article. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Medical diagnosis of legal culpability: The impact of early psychiatric testimony in the 19th century English criminal trial.

International Journal of Law and Psychiatry — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Toole CJ Abstract Fast-paced developments in psychiatry, neuroscience and emerging neuroimaging technologies place continual pressure on the legal recognition of mental illness and disease across jurisdictional boundaries. Nevertheless, the Canadian legal definition of exculpatory mental disease in the context of criminal liability has remained largely static, sheltered from the immediate influence of medical theory and advancements. In order to effectively reflect on the intersection of mental health and criminal justice systems in this area, it is important to understand its historical development and the English common law origins of the current approach. Specifically turning to the early 19th century, documented history and accounts of early medical witness testimony o...

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Exanthematous drug eruption due to valsartan.

Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Discussion and conclusion: Most common antihypertensive agents including diuretics, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have many cutaneous side effects. However, there are a few reports about the cutaneous side effects of ARBs. Physicians should be aware of the cutaneous side effects of this commonly used agent and valsartan should be considered as a triggering factor of an exanthematous drug reactions. PMID: 22257082 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology)

Unrecognized risks of nickel-related respiratory cancer among Canadian electrolysis workers.

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: While acknowledging important contributions to the recognition of nickel carcinogenicity from highly exposed Canadian refiners, we conclude that the claimed absence of nickel-related respiratory cancer among electrolysis workers has resulted from an arbitrary overemphasis of biased and inconclusive findings. PMID: 22258056 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health)

Psychoactive substances and the political ecology of mental distress

Harm Reduction Journal — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The goal of this paper is to both understand and depathologize clinically significant mental distress related to criminalized contact with psychoactive biotic substances by employing a framework known as critical political ecology of health and disease from the subdiscipline of medical geography. The political ecology of disease framework joins disease ecology with the power-calculus of political economy and calls for situating health-related phenomena in their broad social and economic context, demonstrating how large-scale global processes are at work at the local level, and giving due attention to historical analysis in understanding the relevant human-environment relations. Critical approaches to the political ecology of health and disease have the potential to incorporate ever-broaden...

Influence of the drug exposure definition on the assessment of the antipsychotic metabolic impact in patients initially treated with mood‐stabilizers

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The definition of exposure to antipsychotics in epidemiological studies exploring their metabolic impact is of paramount importance in understanding this association. Different definitions can lead to opposite and seemingly nonsensical results.Not taking into account past exposure, in order to minimize the depletion of susceptibles effect, may lead to absurd results.© 2012 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2012 The British Pharmacological Society (Source: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)

Taking another look at the roots of social psychology

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Association for Psychological Science) Psychology textbooks have made the same historical mistake over and over. Now the inaccuracy is pointed out in a new article published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Teaching health services administration: Profile of nurses engaged in education

Acta Paulista de Enfermagem — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:24:10 +0100

CONCLUSION: We found that these nurses held positions of esteem and status in their careers and that this prestige, possibly, has added value to the courses discussedOBJETIVO: Describir el perfil de enfermeras que ejercieron la docencia en un Curso de Administración Hospitalaria en los años 1970. MÉTODOS: Estudio histórico documental constituído de fuentes primarias y secundarias producidas entre 1975 y 2009. El contenido constante en esas fuentes fue analizado frente al proceso de trabajo en Enfermería, y estudiado a la luz de la teoría de la Burocracia. RESULTADOS: Fue descrito el perfil profesional de cuatro enfermeras docentes. La primera era Directora de la Escuela de Enfermería de la Universidad de Sao Paulo; la segunda era americana, profesora del Incarnate Word Collegge, Te...

Comparison of EUS-guided rendezvous and precut papillotomy techniques for biliary access (with videos)

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:04:55 +0100

Conclusions: In this study, the EUS-guided rendezvous technique was found to be superior to precut papillotomy for single-session biliary access. Prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm these preliminary but promising findings. (Source: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)

Cojedes: a leprosy hyperendemic state

International Journal of Dermatology — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:43:33 +0100

Conclusion This study confirms that several communities in Cojedes State have extremely high leprosy rates. (Source: International Journal of Dermatology)

Changing pattern of femoral fractures in osteogenesis imperfecta with prolonged use of bisphosphonates

Journal of Children's Orthopaedics — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:09:54 +0100

Conclusions It appears that concerns over the treatment of the adult osteoporotic population with bisphosphonates are amplified and mirrored in OI. It is possible that the high bending moments in the proximal femur together with altered mechanical properties of cortical bone secondary to the use of this group of drugs increase the risk of this type of injury, which warrants further modification of surgical management of the femur. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original Clinical ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s11832-011-0380-0Authors N. Nicolaou, Department of Orthopaedics, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UKY. Agrawal, Department of Orthopaedics, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire,...

Climate trends in indices for temperature and precipitation across New York State, 1948–2008

Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:08:44 +0100

Abstract New York State (NYS) is a geographically diverse area susceptible to climate change, but trends in climate extreme indicators have not been extensively studied. Our objectives are to describe temporal and spatial trends in various extreme indicators and their sensitivity to climate change and to demonstrate geographic differences in indicator trends in NYS. We analyzed data from the US Historical Climatology Network for NYS from 1948 to 2008. We assessed trends in 15 temperature and 11 precipitation indicators using linear regression with bootstrapping in SAS and RClimDex software. The indicators showing the most substantial change per decade were frost days (−0.97 days per decade) and diurnal temperature (−0.11°C). For precipitation indicators, the numbe...

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Prospective Trial of Synchronous Bevacizumab, Erlotinib, and Concurrent Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.

Clinical Cancer Research — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionDual VEGF/EGFR inhibition can be integrated with CRT in locally advanced HNC, with efficacy that compares favorably to historical controls albeit with an increased risk of osteoradionecrosis. Pretreatment and early DCE-MRI may prospectively identify patients at high risk of failure. PMID: 22253412 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Cancer Research)

Histone H3 phosphorylation, immediate-early gene expression, and the nucleosomal response: a historical perspective (1) (1) This article is part of Special Issue entitled Asilomar Chromatin and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process.

Biochemistry and Cell Biology — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article is part of Special Issue entitled Asilomar Chromatin and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process. Biochem Cell Biol. 2012 Jan 17; Authors: Healy S, Khan P, He S, Davie JR Abstract Histone H3 is modified at serines 10 and 28 in interphase cells following activation of the RAS-MAPK or p38-MAPK pathways by growth factors or stress. These modifications are involved in the regulation of immediate-early genes, including Jun and Fos, whose increased expression is a trademark of various cancers. This review outlines the series of discoveries that led to the characterization of these modifications, the kinase, MSK1/2, which is activated by both MAPK pathways and directs phosphorylation of H3, and the mechanistic function of these modifications in transcrip...

C. M. Boger – An Introduction to His Method of Generalizing

Homoeopathic Links — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Homoeopathic Links 2011; 24: 222-225DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1280276SummaryAfter a short historical survey of the term “generals”, Boger's view of the 'generals', esp. the tissue changes, is analyzed and compared to the views of Boenninghausen, Dunham and Kent. A case presentation exemplifies Boger's way of finding the simile.[...]© Sonntag Verlag in MVS Medizinverlage Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KGArticle in Thieme eJournals:Table of contents | Abstract | Full text (Source: Homoeopathic Links)

Plague in the genomic area

Clinical Microbiology and Infection — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractWith plague being not only a subject of interest for historians, but still a disease of public health concern in several countries mainly in Africa, hopes were put that the analyses of the Yersinia pestis genomes would put this deadly epidemic pathogen down. Genomics revealed that Y. pestis isolates evolved from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in Central Asia some millennia ago after the acquisition of two Y. pestis‐specific plasmids balanced genomic reduction parallel to the expansion of insertion sequences illustrating the modern concept that, except for the acquisition of plasmid‐borne toxin‐encoding genes, increased virulence of Y. pestis resulted from gene loss rather that gene acquisition. Telluric persistence of Y. pestis reminds of this close relationship and matters in t...

Player preferences among new and old violins [Psychological and Cognitive Sciences]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Most violinists believe that instruments by Stradivari and Guarneri “del Gesu” are tonally superior to other violins—and to new violins in particular. Many mechanical and acoustical factors have been proposed to account for this superiority; however, the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has not yet been properly investigated. Player's judgments about a Stradivari's sound may be biased by the violin's extraordinary monetary value and historical importance, but no studies designed to preclude such biasing factors have yet been published. We asked 21 experienced violinists to compare violins by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu with high-quality new instruments. The resulting preferences were based on the violinists’ individual experiences of playing the instruments under doubl...

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Historical contingency affects signaling strategies and competitive abilities in evolving populations of simulated robots [Evolution]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

One of the key innovations during the evolution of life on earth has been the emergence of efficient communication systems, yet little is known about the causes and consequences of the great diversity within and between species. By conducting experimental evolution in 20 independently evolving populations of cooperatively foraging simulated robots, we found that historical contingency in the occurrence order of novel phenotypic traits resulted in the emergence of two distinct communication strategies. The more complex foraging strategy was less efficient than the simpler strategy. However, when the 20 populations were placed in competition with each other, the populations with the more complex strategy outperformed the populations with the less complex strategy. These results demonstrate a...

Evolution of human-driven fire regimes in Africa [Ecology]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Human ability to manipulate fire and the landscape has increased over evolutionary time, but the impact of this on fire regimes and consequences for biodiversity and biogeochemistry are hotly debated. Reconstructing historical changes in human-derived fire regimes empirically is challenging, but information is available on the timing of key human innovations and on current human impacts on fire; here we incorporate this knowledge into a spatially explicit fire propagation model. We explore how changes in population density, the ability to create fire, and the expansion of agropastoralism altered the extent and seasonal distribution of fire as modern humans arose and spread through Africa. Much emphasis has been placed on the positive effect of population density on ignition frequency, but ...

Global risk of big earthquakes has not recently increased [Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The recent elevated rate of large earthquakes has fueled concern that the underlying global rate of earthquake activity has increased, which would have important implications for assessments of seismic hazard and our understanding of how faults interact. We examine the timing of large (magnitude M≥7) earthquakes from 1900 to the present, after removing local clustering related to aftershocks. The global rate of M≥8 earthquakes has been at a record high roughly since 2004, but rates have been almost as high before, and the rate of smaller earthquakes is close to its historical average. Some features of the global catalog are improbable in retrospect, but so are some features of most random sequences—if the features are selected after looking at the data. For a variety of magnitude cut...

Asbestos Exposure During Uncontrolled Removal of Sprayed-on Asbestos

Annals of Occupational Hygiene — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, exposures to historical airborne fiber levels prevailing half a century ago may still occur today when the work regulations are not applied. In these conditions, even very short exposures may result in considerable lung fiber retention in case of amphibole exposure with the subsequent risk for developing asbestos-related diseases. Fiber analysis in BALF is useful to clarify such exposures. (Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene)

Genetic indications of translocated and stocked grey partridges (Perdix perdix): does the indigenous Danish grey partridge still exist?

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Non‐local population stocking can have adverse genetic effects on wild populations through loss of genetic diversity and introgressive hybridization. The grey partridge (Perdix perdix) has been an important European game species for centuries, widely subject to translocation and stocking. After c. 80 years of releasing reared grey partridges in Denmark, this study investigated whether an indigenous Danish grey partridge still existed. If so, they would (1) belong to the western European clade (W1) and (2) be more closely related to the historical, indigenous grey partridges than to farm‐bred partridges. These predictions were tested by analysing the variation in both the mitochondrial control region (CR1) and microsatellite markers in museum samples representing the ancestral indigenou...

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Review of The neuropsychology of Asian Americans.

Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Reviews the book, The Neuropsychology of Asian Americans edited by Daryl E. M. Fujii (see record 2010-22283-000 ). The Neuropsychology of Asian Americans fills in an important gap in the existing literature on neuropsychology as it specifically relates to Asian American cultural groups. Each chapter covers one particular Asian or Asian American subgroup and provides useful information for neuropsychologists on pertinent issues related to this group. Each chapter is clearly written and comprehensively yet succinctly describes relevant historical and contextual information, such as each group’s immigration history, as well as recommendations for neuropsychological testing. Although this book does a far better job than most resources at highlighting differences among Asian American sub...

Maturation of an Idea: A Historical Perspective on the Association of Psoriasis With the Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Disease [Notable Notes]

Archives of Dermatology — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Archives of Dermatology)

Discernible but limited introgression has occurred where Trichinella nativa and the T6 genotype occur in sympatry.

Infection, Genetics and Evolution — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Dunams-Morel DB, Reichard MV, Torretti L, Zarlenga DS, Rosenthal BM Abstract The genetic diversity within and among parasite populations provides clues to their evolutionary history. Here, we sought to determine whether mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation could be used to evaluate the extent of differentiation, gene flow and historical reproductive isolation among the freeze resistant parasites Trichinella nativa and the Trichinella T6 genotype infecting wolverines (Gulo gulo) in Nunavut, Canada. To this end, we genotyped Trichinella isolates derived from the diaphragms of 39 wolverines from this locale to reference strains of T. nativa and the Trichinella T6 genotype. Results showed that among a subset of 13 isolates examined, individuals resembled T. nativa in...

How story lines can aid memory

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:27:01 +0100

A compelling story line, however off the wall, can help us remember the facts we're trying to learn• Click here to download your daily memory taskStories are probably as old as language, and we seem to be deeply attached to them. Most of our ways of understanding the world are narratives of one form or another, whether serious scientific stories ("the apple obeyed gravity"), conceptual metaphors ("the PM deliberately undermined the euro"), or the kind of tales we use to justify our choices in life ("I set out wanting to be a human rights lawyer, but corporate oil law actually does a lot of good too").Stories, then, are at the root of our ability to communicate and understand what's going on around us. Because understanding and memory are intertwined we shouldn't be surprised that they ar...

Richard Dawkins celebrates a victory over creationists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:06:18 +0100

Free schools that teach 'intelligent design' as science will lose fundingLeading scientists and naturalists, including Professor Richard Dawkins and Sir David Attenborough, are claiming a victory over the creationist movement after the government ratified measures that will bar anti-evolution groups from teaching creationism in science classes.The Department for Education has revised its model funding agreement, allowing the education secretary to withdraw cash from schools that fail to meet strict criteria relating to what they teach. Under the new agreement, funding will be withdrawn for any free school that teaches what it claims are "evidence-based views or theories" that run "contrary to established scientific and/or historical evidence and explanations".The British Humanist Associati...

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Maximising medicine through aphorisms

Medical Education — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:54:40 +0100

Conclusions We propose a novel framework for aphorisms, emphasising strategies to enhance or maximise clinical judgement and professional behaviour, affirm identities, and educate the public via the media. (Source: Medical Education)

Tackling the taxonomic impediment: a global assessment for ant‐nest beetle diversity (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussini)

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:29:56 +0100

We evaluated the completeness and historical trends of the taxonomic knowledge of the myrmecophilous ground beetle tribe Paussini (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussinae). Species accumulation curves were modelled using a logistic function. Similar analyses were conducted for genera and subgenera. Although not all biogeographical regions have been equally explored, accumulation curves reached a plateau in all cases. Our models predict that about 96% of the world fauna has been already described. However, the asymptotes calculated for the Australian and Oriental species should be interpreted as false plateaus because of the lack of recent research. Similarly, patterns of genera accumulation indicate that a plateau has been reached. As a result of continued debate on the use and validity of Paussi...

Testing historical explanations for gradients in species richness in heliconiine butterflies of tropical America

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:29:32 +0100

We compiled a large database of 58 059 point locality records for 70 species and 434 subspecies of heliconiine butterflies and used these data to test evolutionary hypotheses for their diversification. To study geographical patterns of diversity and contact zones, we mapped: (1) species richness; (2) mean molecular phylogenetic terminal branch length; (3) subspecies richness and the proportion of specimens that were subspecific hybrids, and (4) museum sampling effort. Heliconiine species richness is high throughout the Amazon region and peaks near the equator in the foothills and middle elevations of the eastern Andes. Mean phylogenetic terminal branch length is lowest in the eastern Andes and tends to be low in species‐rich areas. By contrast, areas of high subspecies richness, where ...

Postradiotherapy Neck Dissection: An Obsolete Treatment Paradigm?

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:43:01 +0100

The historical practice of a planned neck dissection either before or after a definitive course of radiotherapy has been of considerable controversy in the management of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas, and reflects the strong prognostic influence of nodal metastases. Of these planned neck dissections, a prophylactic or elective neck dissection (i.e., one after a complete clinical response to radiotherapy) evolved because of increasing concerns of unsalvageable nodal relapses, especially in the treatment of bulky nodal metastases. The premise was that despite a complete clinical response in the nodal metastases, residual radioresistant microscopic carcinoma could eventually lead to nodal relapse that was often not detected early enough before becoming unresectable and unsalvageable....

Immunohistochemistry in bone marrow biopsy: an important complementary tool for morphology

Jornal Brasileiro de Patologia e Medicina Laboratorial — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:50:49 +0100

Por razões técnicas e históricas, a utilização da imuno-histoquímica (IHQ) em biópsias de medula óssea (BMO) levou algum tempo a ocupar espaço na avaliação diagnóstica desse tipo de material. Entretanto, esse cenário vem se modificando graças ao crescimento exponencial do número de anticorpos disponíveis para a utilização em material incluído em parafina, além do aperfeiçoamento das técnicas de recuperação antigênica e descalcificação do material. Este texto tem a finalidade de auxiliar o patologista na seleção/ interpretação de painéis de anticorpos utilizados nos laboratórios de rotina, de acordo com a experiência do autor, assim como de enumerar referências da literatura de grande utilidade para a prática diagnóstica.Due to historical and technical r...

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An exploratory randomised controlled trial comparing telephone and hospital follow‐up after treatment for colorectal cancer

Colorectal Disease — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:19:34 +0100

Conclusion: Historical approaches to follow‐up unsupported by evidence of effectiveness and efficiency are not sustainable. Telephone follow‐up by specialist nurses may be a feasible option. A main trial comparing hospital and telephone follow‐up is justified although consideration needs to be given to trial design and practical issues related to the availability of specialist nurses at study locations. (Source: Colorectal Disease)

Transarterial chemoembolization plus or minus intravenous bevacizumab in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer: A pilot study

BioMed Central — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: IV bevacizumab was well tolerated in selected HCC subjects undergoing TACE, and appeared to diminish neovessel formation at week 14.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00049322. (Source: BioMed Central)

Statistics and Truth in Phylogenomics

Molecular Biology and Evolution — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Phylogenomics refers to the inference of historical relationships among species using genome-scale sequence data and to the use of phylogenetic analysis to infer protein function in multigene families. With rapidly decreasing sequencing costs, phylogenomics is becoming synonymous with evolutionary analysis of genome-scale and taxonomically densely sampled data sets. In phylogenetic inference applications, this translates into very large data sets that yield evolutionary and functional inferences with extremely small variances and high statistical confidence (P value). However, reports of highly significant P values are increasing even for contrasting phylogenetic hypotheses depending on the evolutionary model and inference method used, making it difficult to establish true relationships. W...

No increase in cancer incidence detected after cyclophosphamide in a French cohort of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: We found no evidence of an increased risk of cancer associated with cyclophosphamide treatment in MS patients. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis)

The emerging relationship between neuromyelitis optica and systemic rheumatologic autoimmune disease

Multiple Sclerosis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We describe the historical background of this controversy, summarize the current evidence that addresses NMO–systemic autoimmunity relationships, and discuss the practical implications for clinical management. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis)

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Web-Based Teaching Module Improves Success Rates of Postpyloric Positioning of Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes.

JPEN Journal Of Parenteral And Enteral Nutrition — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: This WBTM is simple to implement, inexpensive, and resource efficient. The improvement in postpyloric NET placement, especially among novice practitioners, demonstrates the benefit and applicability of this method of standardized education. (JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. XXXX;XX:xx-xx). PMID: 22245760 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: JPEN Journal Of Parenteral And Enteral Nutrition)

Implications of changing the minimal survival benefit in liver transplantation

Liver Transplantation — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We examined the impact of balancing the number of registrations on the list with the available number of donor livers while allowing for a 10% mortality rate and showed this would require a survival threshold of at least 74% at five years. Based on historical data, application of this more stringent criterion would significantly reduce the eligibility of older and of non‐white patients and those with hepatocellular carcinoma and HCV infection. Thus, if such undesirable restrictions on access to liver transplantation are to be avoided, alternative strategies, such as accepting higher transplant list mortality must be considered. © 2012 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (Source: Liver Transplantation)

Genomic Ancestry of North Africans Supports Back-to-Africa Migrations

PLoS Genetics — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We present dense, genome-wide SNP genotyping array data (730,000 sites) from seven North African populations, spanning from Egypt to Morocco, and one Spanish population. We identify a gradient of likely autochthonous Maghrebi ancestry that increases from east to west across northern Africa; this ancestry is likely derived from “back-to-Africa” gene flow more than 12,000 years ago (ya), prior to the Holocene. The indigenous North African ancestry is more frequent in populations with historical Berber ethnicity. In most North African populations we also see substantial shared ancestry with the Near East, and to a lesser extent sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. To estimate the time of migration from sub-Saharan populations into North Africa, we implement a maximum likelihood dating method ba...

Indicators of distress in families of children with cerebral palsy.

Disability and Rehabilitation — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Parents of school-aged children with CP are likely to experience high stress, increased time constraints and financial and psychological burden. Findings illustrate the need to monitor family functioning intermittently as the child develops and direct appropriate resources to optimize child and family well-being. [Box: see text]. PMID: 22235883 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Disability and Rehabilitation)

Neuroradiology Back to the Future: Brain Imaging [50TH ANNIVERSARY PERSPECTIVES]

American Journal of Neuroradiology — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SUMMARY: The beginning of neuroradiology can be traced to the early 1900s with the use of skull radiographs. Ventriculography and pneumoencephalography were introduced in 1918 and 1919, respectively, and carotid angiography, in 1927. Technical advances were made in these procedures during the next 40 years that lead to improved diagnosis of intracranial pathology. Yet, they remained invasive procedures that were often uncomfortable and associated with significant morbidity. The introduction of CT in 1971 revolutionized neuroradiology. Ventriculography and pneumoencephalography were rendered obsolete. The imaging revolution continued with the advent of MR imaging in the early 1980s. Noninvasive angiographic techniques have curtailed the use of conventional angiography, and physiologic imagi...

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Positive and Negative Effects of Monitoring Popular Films for Historical Inaccuracies

Applied Cognitive Psychology — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractHistory educators often use popular films in the classroom to teach critical thinking through an exercise that involves identifying historical inaccuracies in the films. We investigated how this exercise affects the acquisition of true and false historical knowledge. In two experiments, subjects studied texts about historical topics and watched clips from corresponding films. Each film contained one piece of information that contradicted the text (i.e. misinformation). Some subjects received instructions to monitor for inaccuracies in the films. After a delay, they were tested on the texts. Monitoring instructions did not reduce subjects' acquisition of misinformation, and even when subjects successfully detected the inaccuracies, they sometimes still reproduced the misinformation....

Absence of the spleen(s) in conjoined twins: a diagnostic clue of laterality defects? Radiological study of historical specimens

Pediatric Radiology — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:51:40 +0100

Conclusion Asplenia and polysplenia are considered reliable indicators of right and left isomerism, respectively. However, three of our four specimens had laterality patterns that did not correspond with those previously reported. Since no other parameters of laterality defects could be verified in these specimens, we concluded that asplenia was unlikely to be caused by laterality defects. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00247-011-2316-8Authors R. J. Oostra, Department of Anatomy, Embryology and Physiology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsN. Keulen, Department of Anatomy, Embryology and Physiology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsT. Jan...

History of the ‘geste antagoniste’ sign in cervical dystonia

Journal of Neurology — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:56:53 +0100

Abstract The geste antagoniste is a voluntary maneuver that temporarily reduces the severity of dystonic posture or movements. It is a classical feature of focal and particularly cervical dystonia. However, the precise historical aspects of geste antagoniste still remain obscure. The goals of this review were (1) to clarify the origin of the geste antagoniste sign; (2) to identify the factors that led to its diffusion in the international literature; (3) to follow the evolution of that term across the twentieth century. We used medical and neurological French, German and English literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the PubMed database by entering the terms geste antagoniste, antagonistic gesture and sensory trick. The geste antagoniste sign is ...

Baby Boomers and the Shifting Political Construction of Old Age.

The Gerontologist — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hudson RB, Gonyea JG Abstract Employing the political construct of "target" populations, we suggest that the Boomers in old age will constitute a conceptually distinct population from that represented by either their parents or grandparents. A fourfold typology organized along the dimensions posited by Schneider and Ingram (1993) yields categorizations of target populations as Dependent, Deviant, Advantaged, or Contender. Although these authors labeled the aged as Advantaged, categorizations of target populations can and do change over time. Using historical analysis, we explore, first, the transformation of the aged from Dependent to Advantaged and the more recent transformation to Contender status. This latest shift is reinforced by the perceived characteristics of the B...

Biosimilars: Impact of Biologic Product Life Cycle and European Experience on the Regulatory Trajectory in the United States.

Clinical Therapeutics — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: This commentary provides evidence that current EU guidelines have resulted in the approval of biosimilar therapeutics with comparable efficacy and safety profiles for the recommended indications of their respective reference originator biologics. It is anticipated that these precedents will serve as a starting point in the development of a process for approving biosimilars in the United States and worldwide to provide efficacious and tolerable biotherapeutics with a significant cost advantage for national health care programs and consumers. PMID: 22244050 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Therapeutics)

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The evolutionary history of the Mediterranean centipede Scolopendra cingulata (Latreille, 1829) (Chilopoda: Scolopendridae) across the Aegean archipelago

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In this study we investigate the evolutionary relationships of Scolopendra cingulata (Latreille, 1829) within insular Greece. Our main goal is to infer the time frame of the differentiation of the species in the study area. In this regard, sequence data originating from three mitochondrial genes are used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of 47 insular populations of S. cingulata from the Aegean archipelago. Within the phylogenetic framework and by implementing a relaxed molecular clock methodology, we infer the time estimates of separations of the S. cingulata lineages. The results of the phylogenetic analysis support the presence of three distinct S. cingulata groups in the region. The first group accommodates populations from the eastern Aegean islands, and is closely related...

Current state of US breastfeeding laws

Maternal and Child Nutrition — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study systematically examined state‐level laws protecting breastfeeding, including their current status and historical development, as well as identified gaps across US states and regions. The National Conference of State Legislatures summarised breastfeeding laws for 50 states and DC as of September 2010, which we updated through May 2011. We then searched LexisNexis and Westlaw to find the full text of laws, recording enactment dates and definitions. Laws were coded into five categories: (1) employers are encouraged or required to provide break time and private space for breastfeeding employees; (2) employers are prohibited from discriminating against breastfeeding employees; (3) breastfeeding is permitted in any public or private location; (4) breastfeeding is exempt from public ...

Distinctive Neurons of the Anterior Cingulate and Frontoinsular Cortex: A Historical Perspective

Cerebral Cortex — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Human anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortices participate in healthy social-emotional processing. These regions feature 2 related layer 5 neuronal morphotypes, the von Economo neurons and fork cells. In this paper, we review the historical accounts of these neurons and provide a German-to-English translation of von Economo's seminal paper describing the neurons which have come to bear his name. We close with a brief discussion regarding the functional and clinical relevance of these neurons and their home regions. (Source: Cerebral Cortex)

Adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in Denmark. A national population‐based retrospective study on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in Denmark 1998–2008

British Journal of Haematology — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummarySince July 2008, children and adults 1–45 years, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in Denmark have been treated according to the common Nordic Society for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology ALL2008 protocol. To explore whether this strategy will improve survival compared with historical controls, we performed a retrospective national population‐based study of adult ALL between 1998 and 2008. Patients were identified through the Danish Patobank and the Danish Cancer Registry; data was collected from patient files, and included 277 patients (median age, 47 years, range 15–91 years). The 5‐year projected event‐free survival (pEFS5y) and overall survival (pOS5y) for the whole cohort was 27·5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 22·4–33·6] and 34·1% (95%...

Mild hypothermia treatment in patients resuscitated from non-shockable cardiac arrest

Emergency Medicine Journal — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions In this cohort patients undergoing hypothermia treatment after non-shockable cardiac arrest do not benefit significantly concerning neurological outcome. Hypothermia treatment needs to be evaluated in a large multicentre trial of cardiac arrest patients found initially to be in non-shockable rhythms to clarify whether cooling may also be beneficial for other rhythms than VF. (Source: Emergency Medicine Journal)

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Evolutionarily labile species interactions and spatial spread of invasive species.

The American Naturalist — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:18:29 +0100

Authors: Perkins TA Abstract Abstract Both exotic and native species have been shown to evolve in response to invasions, yet the impacts of rapidly evolving interactions between novel species pairs have been largely ignored in studies of invasive species spread. Here, I use a mathematical model of an interacting invasive predator and its native prey to determine when and how evolutionary lability in one or both species might impact the dynamics of the invader's spatial advance. The model shows that evolutionarily labile invaders continually evolve better adapted phenotypes along the moving invasion front, offering an explanation for accelerating spread and spatial phenotype clines following invasion. I then analytically derive a formula to estimate the relative change in spread rat...

Alloreactivity: an old puzzle revisited

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractAlloreactivity, defined as a strong primary T cell response against allelic variants of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules in the species, has been a long‐standing puzzle in immunology with some of its details remaining unclear up to now. Here I shall provide a historical overview of how our understanding of alloreactivity has evolved, and propose an interpretation that considers alloreactivity to be a mixture of four mechanistically distinct prototypes of T cell response, namely, self‐restricted peptide‐specific, allorestricted peptide‐specific, alloreactive peptide‐dependent, and alloreactive peptide‐independent. The relative contribution of each prototype to a given alloresponse is dependent on the extent of disparity (i.e., the number and nature of ami...

Does long-term swimming participation have a deleterious effect on the adult female skeleton?

European Journal of Applied Physiology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:35:16 +0100

Abstract Swimming is a popular activity for Australian women with proven cardiovascular benefits yet lacks the features thought necessary to stimulate positive adaptive changes in bone. Given that peak bone mass is attained close to the end of the second decade, we asked whether swimming was negatively associated with bone mineral density in premenopausal women beyond this age. Bone mass and retrospective physical activity data were gathered from 43 female swimmers and 44 controls (mean ages 40.4 and 43.8 years, respectively). Swimmers were recruited from the Australian Union of Senior Swimmers International while controls were healthy community dwellers with similar lean mass, fat mass, height, weight and body mass index. None of the participants had a history of med...

Retrospective exposure assessment in a chemical research and development facility.

Environment International — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:14:53 +0100

The objective of this exposure assessment was to reconstruct cumulative historical exposures for workers who have been exposed to multiple chemicals and chemical groups to better understand a cluster of brain cancers within a research and development lab. Chemicals of interest, including acrylates, bis-chloromethyl ether (BCME), chloromethyl methyl ether (CMME), isothiazolones and nitrosoamines, were selected on the basis of the plausibility of penetrating the blood-brain barrier and the uniqueness of the chemical's biological activity. In a complicated exposure setting such as a chemical R&D facility, multiple exposure estimation methods were needed. First, similarly exposure groups (SEGs) were created for these materials based on department group, time period of the department's exis...

Hysteria: early theoretical formulations of Freud

Psicologia USP — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:20:42 +0100

Na intenção de abordar o escorregadio tema da histeria, decidi enfrentá-lo recorrendo às teses e obras de Freud compreendendo o período entre 1886 e 1898. A histeria, desde sempre objeto heteróclito e de múltiplo pertencimento, reclamado pelo natural e pelo sobrenatural, pela razão e pela superstição, demandou uma interrogação se, algumas vezes encerrada tanto no corpo e outras no espírito, seria ou não uma doença. Interessa-me abordar a histeria a partir do tratamento dado por Freud. Quanto às chaves de leitura que orientaram essa pesquisa antecipo algumas para orientação do leitor: a própria apresentação histórica e cronológica do tema e das obras de Freud a respeito da histeria. Em termos conceituais, a articulação entre corpo e mente; a tese da ideogenia na eti...

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Limits of representation in freudian metapsychology

Psicologia USP — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:20:42 +0100

This article aims to analyze the limits of representation theory in Freudian metapsychology. It is a theoretical research on psychoanalysis, through a methodology of historical and epistemological analysis of Freud's texts. The Freudian metapsychology is based on a theory of drives that is tributary to the principles of a theory of the mental representation. However, the changes required by the introduction of the concepts of narcissism and identification, along with recognition of the repetition compulsion as something beyond the pleasure principle led to a redesign of the drive theory, a new topical description and a reformulation of the theory of anxiety. The hypothesis is that the representational theory finds limits in two different directions: the identification and the impossibility...

Evolution of increased complexity in a molecular machine

Nature — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gregory C. Finnigan, Victor Hanson-Smith, Tom H. Stevens & Joseph W. Thornton Many cellular processes are carried out by molecular ‘machines’—assemblies of multiple differentiated proteins that physically interact to execute biological functions. Despite much speculation, strong evidence of the mechanisms by which these assemblies evolved is lacking. Here we use ancestral gene resurrection and manipulative genetic experiments to determine how the complexity of an essential molecular machine—the hexameric transmembrane ring of the eukaryotic V-ATPase proton pump—increased hundreds of millions of years ago. We show that the ring of Fungi, which is composed of three paralogous proteins, evolved from a more ancient two-paralogue complex because o...

Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Meaning in the Evaluation of Events in World History?: Perceptions of Historical Calamities and Progress in Cross-Cultural Data From Thirty Societies

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The universality versus culture specificity of quantitative evaluations (negative-positive) of 40 events in world history was addressed using World History Survey data collected from 5,800 university students in 30 countries/societies. Multidimensional scaling using generalized procrustean analysis indicated poor fit of data from the 30 countries to an overall mean configuration, indicating lack of universal agreement as to the associational meaning of events in world history. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified one Western and two non-Western country clusters for which adequate multidimensional fit was obtained after item deletions. A two-dimensional solution for the three country clusters was identified, where the primary dimension was historical calamities versus progress and a wea...