No association between the deficit syndrome in psychosis and summer birth in the Southern Hemisphere

Recent studies have shown that individuals with schizophrenia who are born in summer have an increased odds of have deficit syndrome versus nondeficit syndrome. This study extends this work to examiningthis issue in patients from the Southern Hemisphere. Data which included OPCRITrSCAN items and demographic information was obtained for Australian-born cases from the Australian National Mental Health Survey. Followingpreviously published methods, cases were assigned to the deficit group Žns153.or non-deficit groupŽns228.. A logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain whether beingborn in summer ŽDecember, January, February.in the Southern Hemisphere altered the odds of havingdeficit syndrome. There was no association between summer birth and odds of havingdeficit versus non-deficit schizophrenia ŽOdds Ratios0.75, 95% CI 0.49–1.16.. Based on our previous work showingthat the size of the winterrspringbirth excess in schizophrenia is reduced in the Southern Hemisphere, we speculate that factors that influence the association between summer birth and non-deficit syndrome may also vary across geography andror latitude. The Stanley Foundation supported this project.

Expression of RANTES and CCR1 in oral lichen planus and association with mast cell migration

Background: T lymphocytes and mast cells infiltrate the lamina propria in oral lichen planus (OLP). Chemokines and their receptors are involved in T cell and mast cell migration and accumulation during the inflammatory process. Methods: In the present study, we investigated the role of RANTES and its receptors in OLP using immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and an in vitro chemotaxis assay. Results: RANTES and CCR1 were expressed on T cells and mast cells in OLP, while OLP lesional T cell supernatants stimulated CCR1 mRNA expression in a human leukemia mast cell line (HMC-1). TNF-alpha stimulated CCR1, CCR4 and CCR5 mRNA expression in the same cell line. OLP lesional T cell supernatants stimulated HMC-1 migration, which was partly inhibited by anti-RANTES antibody. Conclusions: The present study shows, for the first time, the distribution of RANTES and CCR1 in OLR It is hypothesized that RANTES and CCR1 may play important roles in mast cell trafficking and related events in OLP.

Association between HIV-1 infection, the etiology of genital ulcer disease, and response to syndromic management

Background: Reports on the effect of HIV-1 infection on healing rates of ulcers are conflicting. Goal: The goal was to determine the etiology and response to treatment of genital ulcer disease (GUD) in relation to HIV-1 infection. Study Design: This was a cohort study of patients with GUD treated with local syndromic management protocols. Results: Among the 587 recruited, the prevalences of infections due to HSV, Treponema pallidum, Chlamydia trachomatis (lymphogranuloma venereum [LGV]), Haemophilus ducreyi, Calymmatobacterium granulomatis, and HIV-1 were 48%, 14%, 11%, 10%, 1%, and 75%, respectively. The prevalence of T pallidum was higher among men (P = 0.03), and an association was seen among HIV-1-seronegatives on univariate and multivariate analyses (P < 0.001; P = 0.01). The prevalence of C trachomatis (LGV) was higher among females (P = 0.004), and an association was seen among HIV-1-seropositives on univariate analysis (P = 0.04). At follow-up, 40/407 (10%) showed a decreased healing tendency, not associated with ulcer etiology or HIV-1 seropositivity. Conclusion: Response to syndromic management of GUD was acceptable and not associated with HIV-1 coinfection.

Association of increased levels of heavy-chain ferritin with increased CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T-Cell levels in patients with melanoma

We have shown previously that melanoma cells in culture release heavy-chain ferritin (H-Ferritin) into supernatants and that this is responsible for the suppression of responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by anti-CD3. These effects were mediated by activation of regulatory T cells to produce interleukin (IL)-10. In the present study, we examined whether a similar relation might exist between levels of H-Ferritin and activation of regulatory T cells in patients with melanoma. Ferritin levels were evaluated by ELISA and regulatory T-cell numbers were assessed by three-color flow cytometry to identify CD4(+) CD25(+) CD69(-) T cells. CD69 positive cells were excluded to avoid inclusion of normal activated CD4, CD25 expressing T cells. Measurements of H- and light-chain (L)-Ferritin by ELISA revealed that H- but not L-Ferritin was elevated in the circulation of melanoma patients. In addition, these studies revealed a marked increase in the number of CD4+ CD25+ CD69- T cells in such patients, compared with age-matched controls. The ratio of H-Ferritin:L-Ferritin correlated with the levels of regulatory T cells consistent with a causal relation between unbound H-Ferritin levels and the activation of regulatory T cells. H-Ferritin or regulatory T cells did not, however, correlate with the stage of the melanoma. These results provide evidence for the importance of H-Ferritin in the induction of regulatory T cells in patients with melanoma and provide additional insight into the suppression of immune responses in such patients.

Is there an association between chronic lung disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm expansion?

Background: Although there is evidence demonstrating an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), it is not clear whether COPD predicts greater rates of expansion of established aneurysms. We sought such an association in a cohort of men with aneurysms detected in a population-based study of screening for aneurysms. Methods: In addition to regular aortic ultrasound scans, 179 men with AAA underwent full lung function testing in order to identify the presence of COPD and its subgroups, emphysema and other obstructive ventilatory defects (OVD). The rate of expansion of each aneurysm was calculated and the men were divided into 'rapid expanders' (3 mm or more per year) and 'slow expanders' (less than 3 mm per year). Any association with the presence of COPD or smoking was tested using a multivariate model. Results: Over a median follow-up period of 36 months the mean rate of aortic expansion for the cohort of 179 men was 2.1 mm/year. There was no significant difference in prevalence of COPD (68% overall) or having ever been a smoker (87% overall) between the rapid expanders and the slow expanders. Conclusions: Although there was a high prevalence of COPD among men with an AAA, there was no association between the rate of expansion of AAA and the presence of any form of this disease.

A comparison of the self-association behavior of the plant cyclotides kalata B1 and kalata B2 via analytical ultracentrifugation

The recently discovered cyclotides kalata B1 and kalata B2 are miniproteins containing a head-to-tail cyclized backbone and a cystine knot motif, in which disulfide bonds and the connecting backbone segments form a ring that is penetrated by the third disulfide bond. This arrangement renders the cyclotides extremely stable against thermal and enzymatic decay, making them a possible template onto which functionalities can be grafted.We have compared the hydrodynamic properties of two prototypic cyclotides, kalata B1 and kalata B2, using analytical ultracentrifugation techniques. Direct evidence for oligomerization of kalata B2 was shown by sedimentation velocity experiments in which a method for determining size distribution of polydisperse molecules in solution was employed. The shape of the oligomers appears to be spherical. Both sedimentation velocity and equilibrium experiments indicate that in phosphate buffer kalata B1 exists mainly as a monomer, even at millimolar concentrations. In contrast, at 1.6 mM, kalata B2 exists as an equilibrium mixture of monomer (30%), tetramer (42%), octamer (25%), and possibly a small proportion of higher oligomers. The results from the sedimentation equilibrium experiments show that this self-association is concentration dependent and reversible. We link our findings to the three-dimensional structures of both cyclotides, and propose two putative interaction interfaces on opposite sides of the kalata B2 molecule, one involving a hydrophobic interaction with the Phe(6), and the second involving a charge-charge interaction with the Asp(25) residue. An understanding of the factors affecting solution aggregation is of vital importance for future pharmaceutical application of these molecules.

Development Resource Planning: Complexity of Product Development and the Capacity to Launch New Products

Overcommitment of development capacity or development resource deficiencies are important problems in new product development (NPD). Existing approaches to development resource planning have largely neglected the issue of resource magnitude required for NPD. This research aims to fill the void by developing a simple higher-level aggregate model based on an intuitive idea: The number of new product families that a firm can effectively undertake is bound by the complexity of its products or systems and the total amount of resources allocated to NPD. This study examines three manufacturing companies to verify the proposed model. The empirical results confirm the study`s initial hypothesis: The more complex the product family, the smaller the number of product families that are launched per unit of revenue. Several suggestions and implications for managing NPD resources are discussed, such as how this study`s model can establish an upper limit for the capacity to develop and launch new product families.

Multicollinearity and financial constraint in investment decisions: a Bayesian generalized ridge regression

This paper addresses the investment decisions considering the presence of financial constraints of 373 large Brazilian firms from 1997 to 2004, using panel data. A Bayesian econometric model was used considering ridge regression for multicollinearity problems among the variables in the model. Prior distributions are assumed for the parameters, classifying the model into random or fixed effects. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate the parameters, considering normal and Student t distributions for the error and assumed that the initial values for the lagged dependent variable are not fixed, but generated by a random process. The recursive predictive density criterion was used for model comparisons. Twenty models were tested and the results indicated that multicollinearity does influence the value of the estimated parameters. Controlling for capital intensity, financial constraints are found to be more important for capital-intensive firms, probably due to their lower profitability indexes, higher fixed costs and higher degree of property diversification.

The Adequacy of the Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) Systems for the Creation of intangible Managerial Accounting Information: an exploratory study

The general objective of this work was to study the contribution of the ERP for the quality of the managerial accounting information, through the perception of managers of large sized Brazilian companies. The initial principle was that, presently, we live in an enterprise reality characterized by global and competitive worldwide scenery where the information about the enterprise performance and the evaluation of the intangible assets are necessary conditions for the survival, of the companies. The research of the exploratory type is based on a sample of 37 managers of large sized-Brazilian companies. The analysis of the data treated by means of the qualitative method showed that the great majority of the companies of the sample (86%) possess an ERP implanted. It also showed that this system is used in combination with other applicative software. The managers, in its majority, were also satisfied with the information generated in relation to the dimensions Time and Content. However, with regard to the qualitative nature of the information, the ERP made some analysis possible when the Balanced Scorecard was adopted, but information able to provide an estimate of the investments carried through in the intangible assets was not obtained. These results Suggest that in these companies ERP systems are not adequate to support strategic decisions.

The Controllership Relevance or Risk Management in non-Financial Companies: a study of risk managers` and controllers` perceptions

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Controllership relevance as support risk management in non-financial companies. Risk management is a widely discussed and disseminated subject amongst financial institutions. It is obvious that economic uncertainties and, consequently, prevention and. control must also exist in non-financial companies. To enable managers to take safe-decisions, it is essential for them to be able to count on instrumental support that provides timely and adequate information, to ensure lower levels of mistakes and risk exposure. However, discussion concerning risk management in non-financial companies is still in its early stages in Brazil. Considering this gap, this study aims at assessing how Controllership has been acting in? companies under the insight of risk and how it can contribute to risk management in non-financial companies. To achieve the proposed goal, a field research was. carried-out with non-financial companies that are located in the city Sao Paulo and listed in the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa). The research was carried out using questionnaires, which were sent do Risk Officers and Controllers of those companies with the purpose of evaluating their perception on the subject. The results,of the research allow us to conclude that Controllership offers support to risk management, through information that contributes to the mitigation of the risks in non-financial companies.

Financial leverage and tangibility of assets of Brazilian companies of agribusiness in the post-real plan period

This paper aims to study the relationship between the debt level and the asset structure of Brazilian companies of the agribusiness sector, since it is considered a current and relevant discussion: to evaluate the mechanisms for fund-raising and guarantees. The methodology of Granger`s Causality test and Autoregressive Vectors was used to conduct a comparative analysis, applied to a financial database of companies with open capital of Brazilian agribusiness, in particular the agricultural sector and Fisheries and Food and Beverages in a period of 10 years (1997-2007) from quarterly series available in the database of Economatica(R). The results demonstrated that changes in leverage generate variations in the tangibility of the companies, a fact that can be explained by the large search of funding secured by fiduciary transfer of fixed assets, which facilitates access to credit by business of the Agribusiness sector, increasing the payment time and lowering interest rates.

Biological features of a puzzling symbiotic association between the hermit crab Dardanus insignis and the porcellanid crab Porcellana Sayana (Crustacea)

The symbiotic lifestyle is widespread among porcellanid crabs, which maintain ecological and co-evolutionary associations with annelid polychaetes, poriferans, cnidarians, echinoderms, gastropod. mollusks, and other crustaceans such as shrimps and hermit crabs, among others. We investigated the ecological association between the hermit crab Dardanus insignis and the porcellanid Porcellana sayana, in southeastern Brazil. Porcellanid crabs, hermit crabs, and available shells were collected monthly from July 2001 to June 2003, with a shrimp boat equipped with two double-rig trawl nets. The majority of P. sayana specimens were collected in shells occupied by D. insignis (96.6%); a few were found in empty shells (3.4%). The catch of both symbionts and hosts increased with increasing depth, with the highest occurrence at 35 m. The F. sayana crabs of various sizes could be found solitary or forming aggregations of up to 14 individuals per host, showing no sex or size segregation. In spite of the high diversity of shell species occupied by the hermit crabs and also available in the field, only a few of them were also utilized by P. sayana. The majority (93%) of shells utilized by P. sayana also hosted other symbiont species, constituting the basis of extensive symbiotic complexes. Thus, the ecological relationship between D. insignis and P. sayana may be classified as a non-obligate and non-specific symbiosis that may also involve other facultative organisms such as sea anemones. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.