Absence of cross-reactivity to myeloperoxidase of anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases

Background: Thyroperoxidase is the major antigen of the thyroid microsomal antibodies (TMA) detected in autoimmune thyroid diseases. Its amino acid sequence has 44% homology with myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme present in the primary granules of neutrophils and one of the major antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) antigens. The objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of cross-reactivity to MPO of TMA. Methods: We studied sera from 51 patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, all of them TMA-positive. The presence of ANCA was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence and by capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: ANCA were positive in 3.9% of the TMA-positive sera and none of them reacted with MPO. In contrast, the ANCA-positive sera revealed antielastase activity. None of the ANCA-positive cases presented clinical signs of vasculitis. However, these 2 patients had been on prolonged treatment with propylthiouracil. Conclusions: We conclude that there is no cross-reactivity to MPO of TMA in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, possibly because of difference in the spatial configuration of the immunodominant region. The presence of ANCA in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases without evidence of vasculitis might result from propylthiouracil-induced polyclonal activation.

Does discourse matter in the politics of building social pacts on social protection?: international experiences

Includes bibliography

ProGriD: The transformation package for the adoption of SIRGAS2000 in Brazil

Brazil adopted SIRGAS2000 in 2005. This adoption called for the provision of the relationships between SIRGAS2000 and the previous reference frames used for positioning, mapping and GIS, namely, the Córrego Alegre (CA) and the South American Datum of 1969 (SAD 69). Two programs were designed for this purpose. The first one, TCGeo, provided the relationships based on three-translation Similarity Transformation parameters. TCGeo was replaced in December 2008, by ProGriD. ProGriD offers, besides the same similarity transformation as TCGeo, a set of transformations based on modelling the distortions of the networks used in the various realizations of CA and SAD 69. The distortion models are represented by a grid in which each node contains a transformation value in terms of difference in latitude and in longitude. The grid follows the same specifications of the NTv2 grid, which has been used in other countries, such as Canada, USA and Australia. This paper presents ProGriD and its main functionalities and capabilities. ©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.

P-215-Quantitative variation of some gut bacteria in Crohn's disease can be related to the patient's gender

Background: Imbalance in bacterial species composition of the gut microbiota is one of the factors associated with the cause or complication of the symptoms of Crohn's disease (CD). This disequilibrium consists in the reduction of biodiversity, decrease of genus such as Bifidobacterium and elevation of species such as Escherichia coli. Human microbiota varies among subjects of a same population irrespective of their health condition and among individuals living in distinct geographic locations. In animal models, sex related differences could also be observed in gut bacterial species composition under some pathological conditions. Experiments conducted with mice have demonstrated that the manifestation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) could be under the influence of the animal sex and its serum level of testosterone, which in turn could be modulated by a particular gut microbiota. Considering the existence of similar features between T1D and CD, such as strong genetic component and malfunctioning of the immune system, we investigated whether differences could be observed in the gut microbiota dysbiosis of male and female CD patients. Methods: Fifty and 5 gut mucosal biopsies from 25 adult CD patients (11 males and 14 females) and 43 specimens of an equivalent clinical material from 22 control subjects (11 males and 11 females) were screened for bacterial biodiversity by analyzing sequences of 16SrDNA V6 region. A number of 2-3 samples each from distinct gut segments (from ileum to rectum) were taken from each subject. The 16SrDNA sequences were obtained by sequencing PCR amplicons of the corresponding gene in the Ion torrent PGM sequencer. Identification and classification of the bacterial groups followed the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) website pipeline. The relationships of the bacterial taxa with each of the study parameters was performed by compiling the data in a MS Excel and the level of statistical significance determined by the Chi-square test. Results: A total of 3203 16SrDNA sequences were detected in the 98 biopsies samples, the majority of which matching Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacterioidetes, and Actinobacteria. The percentage of DNA sequences for each of these phyla found in Male control subjects/Male CD patients was 40.5/33, 32.7/32.4, 20.8/24.5, and 4.4/4,4 for Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacterioidetes, and Actinobacteria, respectively. In Female comparisons, these values were 35.6/42, 39.2/26.3, 19.8/23.3, 5.2/7. Both Male and Female CD patients presented higher numbers of sequences of Actinobacteria and Bacterioidetes than those of control subjects of the same gender. Case-control differences for Firmicutes could be observed only in female comparisons and, for Proteobacteria, although case-control differences were observed in both genders, the nature of difference was distinct, since while in CD female patients a higher number of sequences matching this phylum was detected, in males a reduced number was observed, in comparison with controls. The species responsible for the Proteobacteria variation in both gender was Escherichia coli. Conclusions: The data presented above suggest that any analysis of dysbiosis in CD must take in account the patient's gender, an observation particularly relevant for Escherichia coli, whose association with CD has been most intensively investigated and for which the present study shows a reverse quantitative variation regarding the patients' gender.

Comparison of zooplankton community structure between impacted and non-impacted areas of Paranagua Bay Estuarine Complex, south Brazil

We analysed the seasonal distribution of the zooplankton community in an anthropogenically impacted area (Paranagua Bay) and a non-impacted area (Laranjeiras Bay) of the Paranagua Bay Estuarine Complex. Large phytoplankton (>50 mu m) and zooplankton were collected every two months, between August 2003 and June 2004. The phytoplankton community was numerically dominated by diatoms (78%) and dinoflagellates (19%). Zooplankton abundance varied between 670 and 100,716 individuals m(-3), with a dominance of copepods, mainly the calanoids Acartia lilljeborgii, Acartia tonsa and Pseudodiaptomus acutus. A clear seasonal pattern was observed: copepods were significantly more abundant during the rainy than in the dry season. Significant differences in abundance between the two bays were detected only for cirripede larvae, which were more abundant in Paranagua Bay. This lack of difference between the two areas was probably a consequence of the water circulation along the estuary, which may have diluted and dispersed the pollutants from Paranagua Bay to other areas of the estuary.

High Viscosity of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids with the Hydrogen Sulfate Anion: A Raman Spectroscopy Study

Ionic liquids based on 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations and the hydrogen sulfate (or bisulfate) anion, HSO4-, are much more viscous than ionic liquids with alkyl sulfates, RSO4-. The structural origin of the high viscosity of HSO4- ionic liquids is unraveled from detailed comparison of the anion Raman bands in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate with available data for simple HSO(4)(-) salts in crystalline phase, molten phase, and aqueous solution. Two Raman bands at 1046 and 1010 cm(-1) have been assigned as symmetric stretching modes nu(s)(S = O) of HSO4-, the latter being characteristic of chains of hydrogen-bonded anions. The intensity of this component increases in the supercooled liquid phase. For comparison purposes, Raman spectra of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate have been also obtained. There is no indication of difference in the strength of hydrogen bond interactions of imidazolium cations with HSO4- or RSO4- anions. Raman spectra at high pressures, up to 2.6 GPa, are also discussed. Raman spectroscopy provides evidence that hydrogen-bonded anions resulting in anion-anion interaction is the reason for the high viscosity of imidazolium ionic liquids with HSO4-. If the ionic liquid is exposed to moisture, these structures are disrupted upon absorption of water from the atmosphere.

Self-similarities of periodic structures for a discrete model of a two-gene system

We report self-similar properties of periodic structures remarkably organized in the two-parameter space for a two-gene system, described by two-dimensional symmetric map. The map consists of difference equations derived from the chemical reactions for gene expression and regulation. We characterize the system by using Lyapunov exponents and isoperiodic diagrams identifying periodic windows, denominated Arnold tongues and shrimp-shaped structures. Period-adding sequences are observed for both periodic windows. We also identify Fibonacci-type series and Golden ratio for Arnold tongues, and period multiple-of-three windows for shrimps. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Negotiating conservation: the construction of meaningful spaces in a world heritage debate

According to one’s personal biography, social background and the resultant degree of affectedness, a person has certain ideas about the meaning of, in our example, a World Heritage Site (WHS), what he or she can expect from it and what his or her relation to it can and should be. The handling of potentially different meaningful spaces is decisive, when it comes to the negotiation of pathways towards the sustainable development of a WHS region. Due to the fact that – in a pluralistic world – multiple realities exist, they have to be taken seriously and adequately addressed. In this article we identified the ways the Jungfrau-Aletsch- WHS was constructed by exploring the visual and verbal representations of the WHS during the decision-making process (1998-2001). The results demonstrate that in the visual representations (images), the WHS was to a large extent presented as an unspoiled natural environment similar to a touristy promotion brochure. Such a ‘picture-book’-like portrait has no direct link to the population’s daily needs, their questions and anxieties about the consequences of a WHS label. By contrast, the verbal representations (articles, letters-to-the-editor, comments) were dominated by issues concerning the economic development of the region, fears of disappropriation, and different views on nature. Whereas visual and verbal representations to a large extent differ significantly, their combination might have contributed to the final decision of the majority of people concerned to support the application for inscription of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn region into the World Heritage list. The prominence of economic arguments and narratives about intergenerational responsibility in the verbal representations and their combination with the aesthetic appeal of the natural environment in the visual representations might have built a common meaningful space for one part of the population.

Animal model for percutaneous creation of traumatic thoracic aortic transection

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to create an animal model for thoracic aortic transection that is suitable for thoracic endograft research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Percutaneous aortic transection creation was attempted in 12 sheep. A custom collapsible circumferential cutting device was inserted into the proximal descending thoracic aorta via a femoral approach with an 11-F delivery catheter. The device was deployed 2 cm distal to the left subclavian artery origin and rotated 20 times to create aortic transection. Aortic diameters, mean aortic pressures, and heart rates were tested for degrees of difference between measurements before and after the creation of transection. On necropsy, the extent of aortic damage was classified as none, nontransmural, or transmural, and aortic transection was classified as none, partial, or circumferential. RESULTS: On angiography, creation of transmural thoracic aortic transection was successful in 91.7% (11/12) of animals. Aortic transection was circumferential in 54.4% (6/11) of animals and partial in 45.6% (5/11) of animals. Mean aortic diameter was 19.6 +/- 3.4 mm (range 12-24 mm) pre-transection and 25.8 +/- 4.5 mm (range 17.8-33 mm) post-transection (P = .0003). Pre-transection, mean aortic pressure was 79 +/- 13.8 mmHg, and 64.6 +/- 15.8 mmHg 15 min post-transection (P = .041). Pre-transection, mean heart rate was 94.5 +/- 17.2 beats per minute (bpm), and 105.8 +/- 17.2 bpm 15 min post-transection (P = .0057). CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic aortic transection was successfully created percutaneously in most animals. The animals remained in hemodynamically stable condition for as long as 240 minutes after the creation of aortic injury. This percutaneous animal model is straightforward and may be of potential value for future thoracic endograft research.

Some considerations on the potential contributions of intercultural social work...

Social work at global levels, and across international and intercultural divides, is probably more important now than ever before in our history. It may be that the very form our ideas about intercultural work take need to be re-examined in the light of recent global changes and uncertainties. In this short position paper I wish to offer some considerations about how we might approach the field of intercultural social work in order to gain new insights about how we practise at both local and global levels. For me, much of the promise of an intercultural social work (and for the purposes of this paper I see aspects of international social work in much the same light) lies in its focus on the way we categorise ourselves, our ideas and experiences in relation to others. The very notion of intercultural or international social work is based on assumptions about boundaries, differences, ways of differentiating and defining sets of experiences. Whether these are deemed "cultural" or "national" is of less importance. Once we are forced to examine these assumptions, about how and why we categorise ourselves in relation to other people in particular ways, the way is opened up for us to be much more critical about the bases of our own, often very deep-seated, thinking. This understanding, about how and why notions of "difference" operate in the way they do, can potentially open our understanding to all the other ways, besides cultural or national labelling, in which we categorise and create differences between ourselves and others. Intercultural social work, taken as a potential site for understanding the creation of difference then, has the potential to help us critically examine the bases of much of our practice in any setting, since most practice involves some kind of categorisation of phenomena.

Apoptosis of ligamentous cells of the cranial cruciate ligament from stable stifle joints of dogs with partial cranial cruciate ligament rupture

OBJECTIVE To describe the presence and amount of apoptotic ligamentous cells in different areas of partially ruptured canine cranial cruciate ligaments (prCCLs) and to compare these findings with apoptosis of ligamentous cells in totally ruptured cranial cruciate ligaments (trCCLs). ANIMALS 20 dogs with prCCLs and 14 dogs with trCCLs. PROCEDURES Dogs with prCCLs or trCCLs were admitted to the veterinary hospital for stifle joint treatment. Biopsy specimens of the intact area of prCCLs (group A) and the ruptured area of prCCLs (group B) as well as specimens from trCCLs (group C) were harvested during arthroscopy. Caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) detection were used to detect apoptotic ligamentous cells by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS No difference was found in the degree of synovitis or osteophytosis between prCCLs and trCCLs. No difference was found in degenerative changes in ligaments between groups A and B. A substantial amount of apoptotic cells could be found in > 90% of all stained slides. A correlation (r(s) = 0.71) was found between the number of caspase-3-and PARP-positive cells. No significant difference was found in the amount of apoptotic cells among the 3 groups. No significant correlation could be detected between the degree of synovitis and apoptotic cells or osteophyte production and apoptotic cells. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The lack of difference between the 3 groups indicates that apoptosis could be a factor in the internal disease process leading to CCL rupture and is not primarily a consequence of the acute rupture of the ligament.

Shakespeare, the Middle Ages and the Luck of the British: Medievalism and National Identity in The Hollow Crown (2012)

Images of the medieval past have long been fertile soil for the identity politics of subsequent periods. Rather than “authentically” reproducing the Middle Ages, medievalism therefore usually tells us more about the concerns and ideological climate of its own time and place of origin. To dramatise the nascent nation, Shakespeare resorts to medievalism in his history plays. Centuries later, the BBC-produced television mini-serial The Hollow Crown – adapting Shakespeare’s second histories tetralogy – revamps this negotiation of national identity for the “Cultural Olympiad” in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics. In this context of celebratory introspection, The Hollow Crown weaves a genealogical narrative consisting of the increasingly “glorious” medieval history depicted and “national” Shakespearean heritage in order to valorise 21st-century “Britishness”. Encouraging a reading of the histories as medieval history, the films construct an ostensibly inclusive, liberal-minded national identity grounded in this history. Moreover, medieval kingship is represented in distinctly sentimentalising and humanising terms, fostering emotional identification especially with the no longer ambivalent Hal/Henry V and making him an apt model for present-day British grandeur. However, the fact that the films in return marginalise female, Scottish, Irish and Welsh characters gives rise to doubts as to whether this vision of Shakespeare’s Middle Ages really is, as the producers claimed, “for everybody”.

Enduring effects of evidence-based psychotherapies in acute depression and anxiety disorders versus treatment as usual at follow-up — A longitudinal meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined the enduring efficacy of evidence-based psychotherapies (EBP) in comparison to treatment as usual (TAU) by examining effects from termination to follow-up for acute anxiety and depression in an adult outpatient population. It was hypothesized that EBPs might extend their efficacy at follow-up assessment (Tolin, 2010). METHOD: Longitudinal multilevel meta-analyses were conducted that examined the magnitude of difference between EBP and TAU. Targeted (disorder-specific) outcomes were examined, along with dropout rates at follow-up assessments. RESULTS: A total of 15 comparisons (including 30 repeated effect sizes [ES]) were included in this meta-analysis (average of 8.9 month follow-up). Small to moderate ES differences were found to be in favor of EBPs at 0-4 month assessments (Hedges' g=0.40) and up to 12-18 month assessments (g=0.20), indicating no extended efficacy at follow-up. However, the TAU-conditions were heterogeneous, ranging from absence of minimal mental health treatment to legitimate psychotherapeutic interventions provided by trained professionals, the latter of which resulted in smaller ES differences. Furthermore, samples where substance use comorbidities were not actively excluded indicated smaller ES differences. TAU-conditions produced slightly higher dropout rates than EBP-conditions. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate small and no extended superiority of EBP for acute depression and anxiety disorders in comparison to TAU at follow-up assessment. There are a limited number of studies investigating the transportability and lasting efficacy of EBP compared to TAU, especially to TAU with equivalent conditions between treatment groups.

Evolution of colour patterns in East African cichlid fish

African cichlid fishes have undergone outbursts of explosive speciation in several lakes, accompanied by rapid radiations in coloration and ecology. Little is known about the evolutionary forces that triggered these events but a hypothesis, published by Wallace Dominey in 1984, has figured prominently. It states that the evolution of colour patterns is driven by sexual selection and that these colour patterns are important in interspecific mate choice, a combination which holds the potential for rapid speciation. Here we present phylogenetic analyses that describe major events in colour evolution and test predictions yielded by Dominey's hypothesis. We assembled information on stripe patterns and the presence or absence of nuptial coloration from more than 700 cichlid species representing more than 90 taxa for which molecular phylogenetic hypotheses were available. We show that sexual selection is most likely the selection force that made male nuptial coloration arise and evolve quickly. In contrast, stripe patterns, though phylogenetically not conserved either, are constrained ecologically. The evolution of vertical bar patterns is associated with structurally complex habitats, such as rocky substrates or vegetation. The evolution of a horizontal stripe is associated with a piscivorous feeding mode. Horizontal stripes are also associated with shoaling behaviour. Strength of sexual selection, measured in terms of the mating system (weak in monogamous, strong in promiscuous species), has no detectable effects on stripe pattern evolution. In promiscuous species the frequency of difference between sister species in nuptial hue is higher than in pair bonding and harem forming species, but the frequency of difference in stripe pattern is lower. We argue that differences between the two components of coloration in their exposure to natural selection explain their very different evolutionary behaviour. Finally, we suggest that habitat-mediated selection upon chromomotor flexibility, a special form of phenotypic plasticity found in the river-dwelling outgroups of the lake-dwelling cichlids, explains the rapid and recurrent ecology-associated radiation of stripe patterns in lake environments, a new hypothesis that yields experimentally testable predictions.

Of missing fathers and Big Fish: reconstructive tendencies after postmodernism

Many things have been said about literature after postmodernism, but one point there seems to be some agreement on is that it does not turn its back radically on its postmodernist forerunner, but rather generally continues to heed and value their insights. There seems to be something strikingly non-oedipal about the recent aesthetic shift. It is a project of reconstruction that remains deeply rooted in postmodernist tenets. Such an essentially non-oedipal attitude, I would argue, is central to the nature of the reconstructive shift. This, however, also raises questions about the wider cultural context from which such an aesthetic stance arises. If postmodernism was nurtured by the revolutionary spirits of the late 1960s, reconstruction faces a different world with different strategies. Instead of the postmodernist urge to subvert, expose and undermine, reconstruction yearns towards tentative and fragile intersubjective understanding, towards responsibility and community. Instead of revolt and rebellion it explores reconciliation and compromise. One instance in which this becomes visible in reconstructive narratives is the recurring figure of the lost father. Missing father figures abound in recent novels by authors like Mark Z. Danielewski, Dave Eggers, Yann Mantel, David Mitchell etc. It almost seems like a younger generation is yearning for the fathers which postmodernism has struggled hard to do away with. My paper will focus on one particularly striking example to explore the implications of this development: Daniel Wallace’s novel Big Fish and Tim Burton’s well-known film adaptation of the same. In their negotiation of fact and fiction, of doubt and belief, of freedom and responsibility, all of which converge in a father-son relationship, they serve well to illustrate central characteristics and concerns of recent attempts to leave postmodernism behind.