Auditory function in the Tc1 mouse model of down syndrome suggests a limited region of human chromosome 21 involved in otitis media.

Down syndrome is one of the most common congenital disorders leading to a wide range of health problems in humans, including frequent otitis media. The Tc1 mouse carries a significant part of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) in addition to the full set of mouse chromosomes and shares many phenotypes observed in humans affected by Down syndrome with trisomy of chromosome 21. However, it is unknown whether Tc1 mice exhibit a hearing phenotype and might thus represent a good model for understanding the hearing loss that is common in Down syndrome.

Twice-daily proton pump inhibitor therapy does not decrease the frequency of reflux episodes during nocturnal recumbency in patients with refractory GERD: analysis of 200 patients using multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH testing.

Over half of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) report nocturnal symptoms. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the main medications used to treat GERD. Multichannel intraluminal impedance with pH (MII-pH) monitoring is the most sensitive method for detection and characterization of GERD.

Interpretation of genomic copy number variants using DECIPHER.

Many patients suffering from developmental disorders have submicroscopic deletions or duplications affecting the copy number of dosage-sensitive genes or disrupting normal gene expression. Many of these changes are novel or extremely rare, making clinical interpretation problematic and genotype/phenotype correlations difficult. Identification of patients sharing a genomic rearrangement and having phenotypes in common increases certainty in the diagnosis and allows characterization of new syndromes.

Expression of FOXO1 is associated with GATA3 and Annexin-1 and predicts disease-free survival in breast cancer.

Purpose: To determine the prognostic value of FOXO1, GATA3 and Annexin-1 expression in breast cancer.

Methods: Tissue microarray and individual paraffin tissue slides from 131 patients were used for the study. The association of FOXO1, GATA3 and Annexin-1 expression with clinicopathological features of breast cancer and disease outcome was examined in retrospective samples.

Does non-employment contribute to the health disadvantage among lone mothers in Britain, Italy and Sweden? Synergy effects and the meaning of family policy.

This study analyses self-rated health and non-employment and potential synergy effects among lone and couple mothers aged 25-59 in Britain, Sweden and Italy, representing different family policy categories using data from national surveys (2000-2005). Synergy effects on health were calculated by synergy index. Non-employment only marginally contributed to the excess risk of poor health among lone mothers but there were synergy effects between lone motherhood and non-employment in all three countries, producing a higher risk of poor health than would be expected from a simple addition of these exposures.

Increasing minority patient participation in cancer clinical trials using oncology nurse navigation.

Background: Residential distance from an academic or cancer center is a significant barrier to minority patient participation in cancer research. Most cancer clinical trials (CTs) are only accessible at academic and cancer centers, yet most cancer patients receive treatment in their home communities where access to CTs may be limited. Oncology nurse navigation is an innovative approach for increasing minority CT participation by facilitating access to cancer CTs in communities where minority patients live.

How do macro-level contexts and policies affect the employment chances of chronically ill and disabled people? Part II: The impact of active and passive labor market policies.

The authors investigate three hypotheses on the influence of labor market deregulation, decommodification, and investment in active labor market policies on the employment of chronically ill and disabled people. The study explores the interaction between employment, chronic illness, and educational level for men and women in Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, countries with advanced social welfare systems and universal health care but with varying types of active and passive labor market policies. People with chronic illness were found to fare better in employment terms in the Nordic countries than in Canada or the United Kingdom.

How do macro-level contexts and policies affect the employment chances of chronically ill and disabled people? Part I: The impact of recession and deindustrialization.

Low employment rates of chronically ill and disabled people are of serious concern. Being out of work increases the risk of poverty and social exclusion, which may further damage the health of these groups, exacerbating health inequalities. Macro-level policies have a potentially tremendous impact on their employment chances, and these influences urgently need to be understood as the current economic crisis intensifies.

Effectiveness of return-to-work interventions for disabled people: a systematic review of government initiatives focused on changing the behaviour of employers.

Background: OECD countries over the past two decades have implemented a range of labour market integration initiatives to improve the employment chances of disabled and chronically ill individuals. This article presents a systematic review and evidence synthesis on effectiveness of government interventions to influence employers' employment practices concerning disabled and chronically ill individuals in five OECD countries. A separate paper reports on interventions to influence the behaviour of employees.

21-(4-Methyl-phenyl-sulfon-yl)-4,7,13,16-tetra-oxa-1,10,21-triaza-bicyclo-[8.8.5]tricosane-19,23-dione: an N-tosyl-ated macrobicyclic dilactam.

The macrobicyclic title compound, C(23)H(35)N(3)O(8)S, contains two tertiary amide bridgehead N atoms and a toluene-sulfonamide N atom in the center of the five-atom bridging strand. The mol-ecule has a central cavity that is defined by the 18-membered ring identified by the N(2)O(4) donor atom set and two 15-membered rings with N(3)O(2) donor atom sets. The toluene-sulfonamide N atom adopts an exo orientation with respect to the central cavity, and the tosyl group is oriented on one side of the aza-bridging strand that connects the bridgehead N atoms.

Spin relaxation and linear-in-electric-field frequency shift in an arbitrary, time-independent magnetic field.

A method is presented to calculate the spin relaxation times T(1), T(2) due to a non-uniform magnetic field, and the linear-in-electric-field precession frequency shift δω(E) when an electric field is present, in the diffusion approximation for spins confined to a rectangular cell. It is found that the rectangular cell geometry admits of a general result for T(1), T(2), and δω(E) in terms of the spatial cosine-transform components of the magnetic field. The result is applied to the case of a permanently-magnetized dipole impurity near the cell.

The psychological impacts of global climate change.

An appreciation of the psychological impacts of global climate change entails recognizing the complexity and multiple meanings associated with climate change; situating impacts within other social, technological, and ecological transitions; and recognizing mediators and moderators of impacts. This article describes three classes of psychological impacts: direct (e.g.

Human behavioral contributions to climate change: psychological and contextual drivers.

We are facing rapid changes in the global climate, and these changes are attributable to human behavior. Humans produce this global impact through our use of natural resources, multiplied by the vast increase in population seen in the past 50 to 100 years. Our goal in this article is to examine the underlying psychosocial causes of human impact, primarily through patterns of reproduction and consumption.

Psychology's contributions to understanding and addressing global climate change.

Global climate change poses one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in this century. This article, which introduces the American Psychologist special issue on global climate change, follows from the report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change. In this article, we place psychological dimensions of climate change within the broader context of human dimensions of climate change by addressing (a) human causes of, consequences of, and responses (adaptation and mitigation) to climate change and (b) the links between these aspects of climate change and cognitive, affective, motivational, interpersonal, and organizational responses and processes.

Therapeutics formulated to target cancer stem cells: Is it in our future?

With the political, social and financial drives for cancer research, many advances have been made in the treatment of many different cancer types. For example, given the increase in awareness, early detection, and treatment of breast and prostate cancers, we have seen substantial increases in survival rates. Unfortunately there are some realms of cancer that have not seen these substantial advancements, largely due to their rapid progression and the inability to specifically target therapy.

Assembling the evidence jigsaw: insights from a systematic review of UK studies of individual-focused return to work initiatives for disabled and long-term ill people.

Background: Employment rates of long-term ill and disabled people in the UK are low and 2.63 million are on disability-related state benefits. Since the mid-1990s, UK governments have experimented with a range of active labour market policies aimed to move disabled people off benefits and into work to reduce the risk of poverty and social exclusion.

aCGH.Spline--an R package for aCGH dye bias normalization.

Motivation: The careful normalization of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) data is of critical importance for the accurate detection of copy number changes. The difference in labelling affinity between the two fluorophores used in aCGH-usually Cy5 and Cy3-can be observed as a bias within the intensity distributions. If left unchecked, this bias is likely to skew data interpretation during downstream analysis and lead to an increased number of false discoveries.

FoSTeS, MMBIR and NAHR at the human proximal Xp region and the mechanisms of human Xq isochromosome formation.

The recently described DNA replication-based mechanisms of fork stalling and template switching (FoSTeS) and microhomology-mediated break-induced replication (MMBIR) were previously shown to catalyze complex exonic, genic and genomic rearrangements. By analyzing a large number of isochromosomes of the long arm of chromosome X (i(Xq)), using whole-genome tiling path array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), ultra-high resolution targeted aCGH and sequencing, we provide evidence that the FoSTeS and MMBIR mechanisms can generate large-scale gross chromosomal rearrangements leading to the deletion and duplication of entire chromosome arms, thus suggesting an important role for DNA replication-based mechanisms in both the development of genomic disorders and cancer. Furthermore, we elucidate the mechanisms of dicentric i(Xq) (idic(Xq)) formation and show that most idic(Xq) chromosomes result from non-allelic homologous recombination between palindromic low copy repeats and highly homologous palindromic LINE elements.

Feasibility of telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy targeting major depression among urban dwelling African-American people with co-occurring HIV.

Given the burden of depression among those with HIV, and the impact of HIV on urban minority communities there is an urgent need to assess innovative treatment interventions that not only treat depression but do so in a way that allows for increased access to mental health care. This single site, uncontrolled, pilot study sought to determine the feasibility and depression outcomes of an 11-session telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention delivered over 14 weeks targeting low-income, urban-dwelling, HIV-infected African-American people with major depression. The diagnosis of major depression was made using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.

Creating an environment to implement and sustain evidence based practice: a developmental process.

Background: Elements of evidence based practice (EBP) are well described in the literature and achievement of EBP is frequently being cited as an organisational goal. Despite this, the practical processes and resources for achieving EBP are often not readily apparent, available or successful.

Purpose: To describe a multi-dimensional EBP program designed to incorporate evidence into practice to lead to sustainable improvement in patient care and ultimately patient outcome.

Determination of the axial-vector weak coupling constant with ultracold neutrons.

A precise measurement of the neutron decay β asymmetry A₀ has been carried out using polarized ultracold neutrons from the pulsed spallation ultracold neutron source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Combining data obtained in 2008 and 2009, we report A₀ = -0.119 66±0.

The impact of Nursing Rounds on the practice environment and nurse satisfaction in intensive care: pre-test post-test comparative study.

Background: Factors previously shown to influence patient care include effective decision making, team work, evidence based practice, staffing and job satisfaction. Clinical rounds have the potential to optimise these factors and impact on patient outcomes, but use of this strategy by intensive care nurses has not been reported.

Objectives: To determine the effect of implementing Nursing Rounds in the intensive care environment on patient care planning and nurses' perceptions of the practice environment and work satisfaction.

Renal denervation modulates angiotensin receptor expression in the renal cortex of rabbits with chronic heart failure.

Excessive sympathetic drive is a hallmark of chronic heart failure (HF). Disease progression can be correlated with plasma norepinephrine concentration. Renal function is also correlated with disease progression and prognosis.

Bronchoalveolar lavage in children with cystic fibrosis: how many lobes should be sampled?

Background: The European Respiratory Society guidance on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children was published in 2000. It recommended taking one BAL specimen from the most affected lobe or from the right middle lobe in diffuse disease. In 2007, the European Respiratory Society modified the recommendations for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), suggesting two BAL specimens (right middle lobe and the lingula or the most affected lobe).

To what extent have relaxed eligibility requirements and increased generosity of disability benefits acted as disincentives for employment? A systematic review of evidence from countries with well-developed welfare systems.

Background: Reductions in the eligibility requirements and generosity of disability benefits have been introduced in several Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in recent years, on the assumption that this will increase work incentives for people with chronic illness and disabilities. This paper systematically reviews the evidence for this assumption in the context of well-developed welfare systems.

Method: Systematic review of all empirical studies from five OECD countries from 1970 to December 2009 investigating the effect of changes in eligibility requirements or level of disability benefits on employment of disabled people.