bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prospects for surviving climate change in Antarctic aquatic species
Authors: Peck Lloyd S
Published: June 2005

Maritime Antarctic freshwater habitats are amongst the fastest changing environments on Earth. Temperatures have risen around 1°C and ice cover has dramatically decreased in 15 years. Few animal species inhabit these sites, but the fairy shrimp Branchinecta gaini typifies those that do. This species survives up to 25°C daily temperature fluctuations in summer and passes winter as eggs at temperatures down to -25°C. Its annual temperature envelope is, therefore around 50°C. This is typical of Antarctic terrestrial species, which exhibit great physiological flexibility in coping with temperature fluctuations. The rapidly changing conditions in the Maritime Antarctic are enhancing fitness in these species by increasing the time available for feeding, growth and reproduction, as well as increasing productivity in lakes. The future problem these animals face is via displacement by alien species from lower latitudes. Such invasions are now well documented from sub-Antarctic sites.

In contrast the marine Antarctic environment has very stable temperatures. However, seasonality is intense with very short summers and long winter periods of low to no algal productivity. Marine animals grow slowly, have long generation times, low metabolic rates and low levels of activity. They also die at temperatures between +5°C and +10°C. Failure of oxygen supply mechanisms and loss of aerobic scope defines upper temperature limits. As temperature rises, their ability to perform work declines rapidly before lethal limits are reached, such that 50% of populations of clams and limpets cannot perform essential activities at 2–3°C, and all scallops are incapable of swimming at 2°C. Currently there is little evidence of temperature change in Antarctic marine sites. Models predict average global sea temperatures will rise by around 2°C by 2100. Such a rise would take many Antarctic marine animals beyond their survival limits. Animals have 3 mechanisms for coping with change: they can 1) use physiological flexibility, 2) evolve new adaptations, 3) migrate to better sites. Antarctic marine species have poor physiological scopes, long generation times and live on a continent whose coastline covers fewer degrees of latitude than all others. On all 3 counts Antarctic marine species have poorer prospects than most large faunal groups elsewhere.
Impact of intercensal population projections and error of closure on breast cancer surveillance: examples from 10 California counties
Authors: Phipps Amanda I , Clarke Christina A , Ereman Rochelle R
Published: June 2005

Introduction

In 2001, data from the California Cancer Registry suggested that breast cancer incidence rates among non-Hispanic white (nHW) women in Marin County, California, had increased almost 60% between 1991 and 1999. This analysis examines the extent to which these and other breast cancer incidence trends could have been impacted by bias in intercensal population projections.

Method

We obtained population projections for the year 2000 projected from the 1990 census from the California Department of Finance (DOF) and population counts from the 2000 US Census for nHW women living in 10 California counties and quantified age-specific differences in counts. We also computed age-adjusted incidence rates of invasive breast cancer in order to examine and quantify the impact of differences between the population data sources.

Results

Differences between year 2000 DOF projections and year 2000 census counts varied by county and age and ranged from underestimates of 60% to overestimates of 64%. For Marin County, the DOF underestimated the number of nHW women aged 45 to 64 years by 32% compared to the 2000 US census. This difference produced a significant 22% discrepancy between breast cancer incidence rates calculated using the two population data sources. In Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties, DOF-based incidence rates were significantly lower than rates based on census data. Rates did not differ significantly by population data source in the remaining seven counties examined.

Conclusion

Although year 2000 population estimates from the DOF did not differ markedly from census counts at the state or county levels, greater discrepancies were observed for race-stratified, age-specific groups within counties. Because breast cancer incidence rates must be calculated with age-specific data, differences between population data sources at the age-race level may lead to mis-estimation of breast cancer incidence rates in county populations affected by these differences, as was observed in Marin County. Although intercensal rates based on population projections are important for timely breast cancer surveillance, these rates are prone to bias due to the error of closure between population projections and decennial census population counts. Intercensal rates should be interpreted with this potential bias in mind.
The Common European Framework and the European Language Portfolio: involving learners and their judgements in the assessment process
Authors: Little David
Published: June 2005

Learner-centred approaches to language teaching, especially those that seek to develop learner autonomy, require the learner to take decisions concerning the goals, content and methods of learning; they also assign a central role to self-assessment. Although the logic of learner-centredness demands that learner self-assessment should somehow be integrated with other forms of assessment, to date this has been only a minority concern, usually in relation to one or another form of portfolio learning. The recent publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the increasingly widespread adoption of its companion piece, the European Language Portfolio (ELP), renew the challenge to develop a culture of assessment that both facilitates and takes full account of learner self-assessment. This article begins by briefly considering the importance and limitations of self-assessment in second language (L2) learning. It goes on to address issues of principle raised in turn by the CEFR and the ELP, and then reports on a project that:• has drawn on the CEFR to define an ESL curriculum for non-English-speaking pupils attending Irish primary schools;• has developed a version of the ELP as the foundation of teaching and learning; and• is currently elaborating assessment and reporting procedures in which learner self-assessment plays a central role.
Assessing the language of young learners
Authors: Hasselgreen Angela
Published: June 2005

This article focuses on the plight of children as young language learners (YLLs), in the context of today’s Europe. By reference to the Council of Europe’s recommendations and its material in the form of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and the European Language Portfolio (ELP), questions are posed here as to how far the special needs of YLLs are being catered for by assessment practices in European schools. Examples are given of how the CEFR and ELP are currently used in YLL assessment, with a focus on recent developments in this direction in Norway, and conclusions are drawn on the outlook for YLL assessment in present day Europe.
Progress and problems in reforming public language examinations in Europe: cameos from the Baltic States, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, France and Germany
Authors: Eckes Thomas , Ellis Melanie , Kalnberzina Vita , Pižorn Karmen , Springer Claude , Szollás Krisztina , Tsagari Constance
Published: June 2005

Contributions from seven European countries pinpoint major projects, problems, and prospects of reforming public language assessment procedures. Each country has faced unique problems in the reform process, yet there have also been several common themes emerging, such as a focus on multilingualism, communicative skills, standardization, reference to the CEFR and certification. Future work needs to develop these themes further and to study impact and support issues as well.
Oxygen in the Cultivation of Stem Cells
Authors: CSETE MARIE
Published: June 2005

Abstract:Cultivation of stem cells, like all cells in culture, is performed under conditions that cannot and do not replicate normal physiologic conditions. For example, direct exposure of cultured monolayer cells to serum contents is normally preventedin vivoby the vasculature. The heterogeneity of cells and signals between different cell types in an organ is certainly not captured when a single cell type is grown and studiedin vitro. Gases, in particular, are not accounted for in routine tissue culture. Oxygen is fundamental for life and its concentration is an important signal for virtually all cellular processes. Nonetheless, oxygen is rarely taken into account in culturing stem and other cells. This review will summarize work that highlights the importance of considering oxygen conditions for culturing and manipulating stem cells. Emphasis is placed on major phenotypic changes in response to oxygen, recognizing that oxygen‐mediated transcriptional and post‐translational effects are enormously complex, and beyond the scope of this review. The review emphasizes that oxygen is an important signal in all major aspects of stem cell biology including proliferation and tumorigenesis, cell death and differentiation, self‐renewal, and migration.
Umbilical Cord Blood‐Derived Stem Cells and Brain Repair
Authors: SANBERG PAUL R. , WILLING ALISON E. , GARBUZOVA‐DAVIS SVITLANA , SAPORTA SAMUEL , LIU GUOQING , SANBERG CYNDY DAVIS , BICKFORD PAULA C. , KLASKO STEPHEN K. , EL‐BADRI NAGWA S.
Published: June 2005

Abstract: Human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) is now considered a valuable source for stem cell‐based therapies. HUCB cells are enriched for stem cells that have the potential to initiate and maintain tissue repair. This potential is especially attractive in neural diseases for which no current cure is available. Furthermore, HUCB cells are easily available and less immunogenic compared to other sources for stem cell therapy such as bone marrow. Accordingly, the number of cord blood transplants has doubled in the last year alone, especially in the pediatric population. The therapeutic potential of HUCB cells may be attributed to inherent ability of stem cell populations to replace damaged tissues. Alternatively, various cell types within the graft may promote neural repair by delivering neural protection and secretion of neurotrophic factors. In this review, we evaluate the preclinical studies in which HUCB was applied for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and for traumatic and ischemic brain damage. We discuss how transplantation of HUCB cells affects these disorders and we present recent clinical studies with promising outcome.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress as Determinants of Cell Death/Survival in Stroke
Authors: CHAN PAK H.
Published: June 2005

Abstract: Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. Their primary physiological function is to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation via the electron transport chain. Reactive oxygen radicals generated from mitochondria have been implicated in acute brain injuries, like stroke and neurodegeneration. Recent studies have shown that mitochondrially formed oxidants are mediators of molecular signaling and have implicated mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis involving pro‐ and antiapoptotic protein binding, the release of cytochrome c and Smac, the activation of downstream caspase‐9 and ‐3, and the fragmentation of DNA. Oxidative stress and the redox state are also implicated in the survival signaling pathway that involves phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K)/Akt and downstream signaling molecular bindings like Bad/Bcl‐XL and phosphorylated Bad/14‐3‐3. Genetically modified mice (SOD1, SOD2) or rats that overexpress or are deficient in superoxide dismutase have provided strong evidence in support of the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as determinants of neuronal death/survival after stroke and neurodegeneration.
Phase III Study of Weekly High-Dose Infusional Fluorouracil Plus Folinic Acid With or Without Irinotecan in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Gastrointestinal Group Study 40986
Authors: Köhne C.-H. , van Cutsem E. , Wils J. , Bokemeyer C. , El-Serafi M. , Lutz M.P. , Lorenz M. , Reichardt P. , Rückle-Lanz H. , Frickhofen N. , Fuchs R. , Mergenthaler H.-G. , Langenbuch T. , Vanhoefer U. , Rougier P. , Voigtmann R. , Müller L. , Genicot B. , Anak Ö. , Nordlinger B.
Published: June 2005

Purpose

To demonstrate that adding irinotecan to a standard weekly schedule of high-dose, infusional fluorouracil (FU) and leucovorin (folinic acid [FA]) can prolong progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients and Methods

Four hundred thirty patients with measurable or assessable metastatic colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to receive either FA 500 mg/m2 as a 2-hour infusion and FU 2.6 g/m2 by intravenous 24-hour infusion, both administered weekly for 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Internistische Onkologie [AIO] arm, n = 216), or a similar schedule but with FU 2.3 or 2.0 g/m2 preceded by irinotecan 80 mg/m2 administered over 30 minutes (experimental group, n = 214).

Results

The median PFS time in the experimental group was 8.5 months (95% CI, 7.6 to 9.9 months) compared with 6.4 months (95% CI, 5.3 to 7.2 months) in the AIO arm (P < .0001). The median overall survival time was increased from 16.9 to 20.1 months (P = .2779). The objective response rate was 62.2% (95% CI, 55.0% to 69.5%) in the experimental group and 34.4% (95% CI, 27.5% to 41.3%) in the AIO arm (P < .0001).

Conclusion

The addition of irinotecan to the standard AIO FU/FA regimen was associated with a highly significant improvement in PFS and response rate and was well tolerated. The results of this study confirm that irinotecan in combination with high-dose infusional FU/FA is a reference first-line treatment.
Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 Mutants Causing Familial Tumoral Calcinosis Are Differentially Processed
Authors: Larsson Tobias , Davis Siobhan I. , Garringer Holly J. , Mooney Sean D. , Draman Mohamad S. , Cullen Michael J. , White Kenneth E.
Published: June 2005

Familial tumoral calcinosis (TC, OMIM 211900) is a heritable disorder characterized by hyperphosphatemia, normal or elevated serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and often severe ectopic calcifications. Two recessive mutations in fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), serine 71/glycine (S71G) and serine 129/phenylalanine (S129F), were identified as causing TC. Herein, we undertook comprehensive biochemical analyses of an extended TC family carrying the S71G FGF23 mutation, which revealed that heterozygous (serine/glycine, S/G) individuals had elevated serum FGF23 C-terminal fragments compared with wild-type (serine/serine, S/S) family members (P < 0.025). To understand the differential processing of FGF23 in TC patients, we transiently expressed S71G as well as S129F FGF23. FGF23 ELISA in tandem with Western analyses revealed increased proteolytic cleavage of mutant FGF23 and a limited secretion of intact protein. Furthermore, S71G and S129F FGF23 carrying mutations that disrupt the furin-like protease RXXR motif in FGF23 rescued the secretion of the intact protein, and both TC mutant proteins harboring the R176Q mutation revealed no altered sensitivity to trypsin compared with the native (R176Q)FGF23. Finally, S71G, but not S129F mutant FGF23, is rescued by temperature. In summary, FGF23 mutations causing TC lead to increased intracellular proteolysis of FGF23, most likely by furin-like proteases, due to conformational changes of the mutant protein. The destabilizing nature of these mutations provides new insight into the pathophysiology of TC and exemplifies the physiological importance of FGF23 in phosphate and vitamin D metabolism.
Performance of air-cooled absorption air-conditioning systems working with water-(LiBr + Lil + LiNO3 + LiCl)
Authors: Bourouis M , Vallès M , Medrano M , Coronas A
Published: June 2005

The potential of the fluid mixture water-(LiBr + Lil+ LiNO3 +LiCl) (5:1:1:2 molar) is studied for air-cooled absorption air-conditioning systems. This multicomponent system shows a considerably higher solubility than that of water-LiBr and is also less corrosive. It is, therefore, one of the potential alternatives to replace water-LiBr in future air-cooled absorption chillers. A comparative study based on thermodynamic simulation of the single-and double-effect cycles with water-LiBr and the new fluid mixture is first reported. Once the operating conditions were established in terms of temperature and concentration in the generator and the absorber, the absorption process of a falling film flowing on the inner surface of a vertical tube at typical air cooling thermal operating conditions of the absorber was modelled in order to compare the absorption rates of the multicomponent salt mixture with those of water-LiBr. This study was completed by an experimental characterization of the absorption process in a vertical falling film tube. The results show that the multicomponent salt solution is more suitable than water-LiBr if the temperatures in the generator and absorber/condenser are low and high, respectively. Therefore this new working fluid can be recommended for air-cooled absorption air-conditioning systems driven by low temperature heat sources.
"Oh, I See.. . . ": The Birds and the Culmination of Hitchcock's Hyper-Romantic Vision
Authors: McCombe John P
Published: June 2005

This essay reads Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds (1963) in the context of literary romanticism. The film reveals a debt to the romantic interest in a natural world that overpowers rational calculation and causality. Additionally, the film critiques educational practices that limit vision by imposing a false order on the sublime chaos of nature.
Cinema and the Civilizing Process: Rethinking Violence in the World War II Combat Film
Authors: Slocum J. David (John David)
Published: June 2005

This essay proposes an alternative critical approach to the "violence" of the World War II combat film. Guiding this approach is the idea of a "civilizing process" that attends both to specific representations in war films and to the institutional role of cinema in socializing and regulating individual behavior. The theoretical grounding here is the sociological work of Norbert Elias, whose major study, The Civilizing Process, was first published in 1939.
Imagining and Promoting the Small-Town Theater
Authors: Waller Gregory A. (Gregory Albert)
Published: June 2005

This essay examines the small-town theater as business strategy, local institution, and culturally resonant myth in the early 1930s, focusing on trade press discourse and a series of stories published in the Saturday Evening Post that concern the operation of a movie theater in a small Indiana town.
"Right and Wrong; That's [Not] All There Is to It!": Young Mr. Lincoln and American Law
Authors: Wexman Virginia Wright
Published: June 2005

This essay draws on historiographic and anthropological models to explore the ways in which assumptions about the law may be deployed in works of mainstream cinema. Using Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) as an example, it argues that potentially conflicting legal paradigms can be reconciled through filmic narrative.
Maryland's Special Populations Cancer Network: Cancer Health Disparities Reduction Model
Authors: Baquet Claudia R , Mack Kelly M , Bramble Joy , DeShields Mary , Datcher Delores , Savoy Mervin A , Hummel Kery , Mishra Shiraz I , Brooks Sandra E , Boykin-Brown Stephanie
Published: June 2005

Cancer in Maryland is a serious health concern for minority and underserved populations in rural and urban areas. This report describes the National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported Maryland Special Populations Cancer Network (MSPN), a community–academic partnership. The MSPN's priority populations include African Americans, Native Americans, and other medically underserved residents of rural and urban areas. The MSPN has established a community infrastructure through formal collaborations with several community partners located in Baltimore City, the rural Eastern Shore, and Southern and Western Maryland, and among the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the other 27 Native American Tribes in Maryland. Key partners also include the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland Statewide Health Network. The MSPN has implemented innovative and successful programs in cancer health disparities research, outreach, and training; clinical trials education, health disparities policy, and resource leveraging. The MSPN addresses the goal of the NCI and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to reduce and eventually eliminate cancer health disparities. Community–academic partnerships are the foundation of this successful network.
Severity of Illness, Race, and Choice of Local Versus Distant Hospitals Among the Elderly
Authors: Basu Jayasree
Published: June 2005

This study examines travel patterns for hospitalization among elderly patients to address whether there are differences by age and race/ethnicity, and whether the differences persist even when a severe illness occurs. Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient database (SID) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the study focuses on New York residents in the 65-and-over age group who are hospitalized in New York or neighboring states. Two types of hospital admissions are used: referral-sensitive admissions (fairly discretionary, high-technology procedures) and ambulatory care–sensitive admissions (avoidable with appropriate primary care). The study found that, after adjusting for other covariates, travel progressively declines with age among the elderly. Travel patterns across elderly age cohorts were not significantly different when patients were more severely ill. Members of racial/ethnic minority groups were less likely to travel than whites, and this gap persisted even when a severe illness occurred.
Breast Cancer Screening Among African American Women: Adherence to Current Recommendations
Authors: Davis Cindy , Emerson Janice S , Husaini Baqar A
Published: June 2005

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death among African American women, and rates of mammography screening for African American women remain lower than rates for their Caucasian counterparts. The purpose of the current study was to explore the reasons for nonadherence to American Cancer Society breast screening guidelines among African American women who had not received a mammogram within the past year. Participants included 91 African American women between 40 and 84 years of age recruited from churches, housing projects, and a health fair at a historically African American university who had not received a mammogram within the past 12 months. Findings revealed that 36% of participants had never received a mammogram, 43% did not have their breasts examined by their doctor once a year, 55% did not perform monthly self-examination, and 23% did not know how to examine their breasts for breast cancer. The most frequently reported reason for not getting a mammogram was because the participant's doctor had not suggested it.
Treatment of Self-Reported Depression Among Hispanics and African Americans
Authors: Bazargan Mohsen , Bazargan-Hejazi Shahrzad , Baker Richard S
Published: June 2005

This study applied the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations framework to examine the correlates of depression and the receipt of medical treatment among low-income Hispanics and African Americans residing in public housing. We compared three groups: those who reported (1) self-diagnosed but without physician-diagnosed depression, (2) depression diagnosed by a physician but who did not receive pharmaceutical treatment, and (3) depression diagnosed by a physician and antidepressant pharmacotherapy consumed by patient. Random samples of 287 adults from three public housing communities were surveyed. Over 48% of this sample reported that they were suffering from depression. One out of three people who reported being depressed also said that a physician had never diagnosed his or her condition. Only 40% of those who said that a physician had diagnosed depression also reported taking antidepressant medication. Untreated depression among underserved racial and ethnic minorities is alarming and points to an urgent need for intervention.
The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project: Transdisciplinary Health Professional Education
Authors: Beck Ellen
Published: June 2005

In the face of the serious problem of lack of access to health care in the United States, with over 45 million uninsured,1 there exist many models of collaborative local programs serving the uninsured. One such approach is the student-run free clinic, small projects managed by health professional students, supervised by licensed health professionals, offering free health services to those without health access. The purpose of this article is to describe the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, its history, mission, partners, clinical services, curriculum, funding, replicability, outcomes, elements of success, transdisciplinary nature, and hopes for the future.
Group Visits for Hmong Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pre-Post Analysis
Authors: Culhane-Pera Kathie , Peterson Kevin A , Crain A. Lauren , Center Bruce A. (Bruce Arthur) , Lee Mayseng , Her Bee , Xiong Tely
Published: June 2005

Hmong refugees with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) have poor glycemic control. For Hmong adults with DM2, group visits were instituted at a community health center and evaluated for their influence on diabetes management. Pre- and postintervention measures of physical health, mental health, and behavior were collected on 39 participants (64% participation rate). Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of 39 group visit participants were compared with 22 Hmong DM2 adults who refused to participate and 216 nonparticipating Hmong DM2 adults from a local diabetes registry. Baseline characteristics were similar among the three groups. Although participants received good medical services and their mental health improved (p < 0.05), clinical outcomes did not significantly improve. Although group visits are feasible for providing medical services for Hmong adults with DM2, clinical outcomes remain outside of recommended targets. Addressing mental health in this population may be necessary before people can institute behavioral changes that improve diabetes management.
It Takes a Village: A Multidisciplinary Model for the Acute Illness Aftercare of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Authors: Gundlapalli Adi , Hanks Monte , Stevens Scott M , Geroso Amy M , Viavant Christopher R , McCall Yvonne , Lang Patrick , Bovos Michael , Branscomb Nicholas T , Ainsworth Allan D
Published: June 2005

Homeless individuals are often uninsured and are more likely than the housed to utilize acute health care services and experience longer hospitalizations. Currently in the United States, there are fragmented services available for the aftercare of these patients to ensure continuum of care, promote healing, and avoid re-entry into the acute care system. The Fourth Street Clinic Respite Program was created to address these issues. Patients are referred to the program from local hospitals and other service providers. Based on the acuity of illness and need for nursing care, patients are admitted to one of four programs: (1) Shelter-based Day Bed Program, (2) Temporary Emergency Housing (Motel) Program, (3) Tuberculosis Housing Program, or (4) Nursing Home Program. Aftercare patients receive medical, social, and behavioral health services and are discharged to local shelters when stable. The aftercare program provides a safe refuge for recovery from acute illnesses for those experiencing homelessness.
Digital Divide and Stability of Access in African American Women Visiting Urban Public Health Centers
Authors: Haughton Lorna Tanya , Kreuter Matthew , Hall Jasmine , Holt Cheryl L , Wheetley Eric
Published: June 2005

This exploratory study examines access to communication technologies, its association with health-related variables and study attrition, and its stability over time in a study of lower income African American women visiting urban public health centers. Participants (n = 1,227) provided information about cancer-related behaviors in a baseline questionnaire that also assessed their e-mail and cell phone/pager access. Interviews conducted at 1-, 6-, and 18-month follow up determined attrition, and an e-mail message sent to participants at 6-month follow up determined stability of access. Fewer than 10% of women reported e-mail access; 26% reported cell/phone pager access. At 6-month follow up, 45% of e-mail accounts were inactive; accounts from pay access providers were more likely to be inactive than work- or school-based accounts (58% versus 25%). Cell phone/pager access was positively associated with mammography knowledge. Attrition rates were lower among women with access than among those without access. Priorities for future research based on these preliminary findings are discussed.
The Health Status of HOPE VI Public Housing Residents
Authors: Howell Embry , Harris Laura E , Popkin Susan J
Published: June 2005

The purpose of this study is to provide new data on the relationship between housing quality and health status for people in five HOPE VI public housing developments around the country. HOPE VI is a federal program to replace or redevelop some of the poorest quality public housing in the country. A special survey of residents of these developments was conducted while they lived in HOPE VI housing before its redevelopment. Data for these individuals provides a profile of the quality of housing and the health status of people in HOPE VI housing before its renovation, of residents of publicly assisted housing across the nation, of other people living below the federal poverty level, and of non-poor people. Previously, the lack of data sets that included both housing quality and health status measures has prevented such an analysis. We examined two indicators of health status—perceived overall health status and medically diagnosed asthma. The health status of HOPE VI residents is decidedly worse than that of others in assisted housing and other poor people, despite their similarity in terms of economic deprivation. The difference in the level of asthma prevalence, a condition that has been tied to various measures of housing quality, is especially pronounced. Our analysis indicates that one major benefit of improving housing quality may be improved health status.
Health-Related Quality-of-Life in Low-Income, Uninsured Men with Prostate Cancer
Authors: Krupski Tracey L , Fink Arlene , Kwan Lorna , Maliski Sally , Connor Sarah E , Clerkin Barbara , Litwin Mark S
Published: June 2005

The objective was to describe health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in low-income men with prostate cancer. Subjects were drawn from a statewide public assistance prostate cancer program. Telephone and mail surveys included the RAND 12-item Health Survey and UCLA Prostate Cancer Index Short Form and were compared with normative age-matched men without cancer from the general population reported on in the literature. Of 286 eligible men, 233 (81%) agreed to participate and completed the necessary items. The sample consisted of 51% Hispanics, 23% non-Hispanic whites, and 17% African Americans. The low-income men had worse scores in every domain of prostate-specific and general HRQOL than had the age-matched general population controls. The degree of disparity indicated substantial clinical differences in almost every domain of physical and emotional functioning between the sample group and the control group. Linear regression modeling determined that among the low-income men, Hispanic race, and income level were predictive of worse physical functioning, whereas only comorbidities predicted mental health. Low-income patients with prostate cancer appear to have quality-of-life profiles that are meaningfully worse than age-matched men from the general population without cancer reported on in the literature.
Barriers to Health and Social Services for Street-Based Sex Workers
Authors: Kurtz Steven P , Surratt Hilary L , Kiley Marion C , Inciardi James A
Published: June 2005

Homelessness, poverty, drug abuse and violent victimization faced by street-based women sex workers create needs for a variety of health and social services, yet simultaneously serve as barriers to accessing these very services. The present study utilized interview (n = 586) and focus group (n = 25) data to examine the service needs and associated barriers to access among women sex workers in Miami, Florida. Women most often reported acute service needs for shelter, fresh water, transportation, crisis intervention, and drug detoxification, as well as long-term needs for mental and physical health care, drug treatment, and legal and employment services. Barriers included both structural (e.g., program target population, travel costs, office hours, and social stigma) and individual (e.g., drug use, mental stability, and fear) factors. Bridging these gaps is tremendously important from a public health perspective given the disease burden among this population. Recommendations include service staff training, outreach, and promising research directions.
Adapting the Chronic Care Model to Treat Chronic Illness at a Free Medical Clinic
Authors: Stroebel Robert J , Gloor Bonnie , Freytag Sue , Riegert-Johnson Douglas , Smith Steven A , Huschka Todd , Naessens Jim , Kottke Thomas E
Published: June 2005

This pilot project was designed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of an adaptation of the chronic care model applied to uninsured patients in a free medical clinic staffed by volunteer physicians. Of the 149 enrolled patients, 117 had hypertension, 91 had diabetes, and 51 had hyperlipidemia. Patients were enrolled in a chronic disease registry from March 1, 2001 through September 30, 2002 at the Salvation Army Free Clinic (SAFC). Two part-time registered nurses served as care managers providing disease-specific management using evidence-based guidelines. Consistent specialty consultation was available via phone, e-mail, or physician visit. Patient self-management was encouraged through collaborative goal setting. There were 40 patients lost to follow-up; 109 completed the study. A clinically significant improvement was obtained in at least one chronic disease for 79 patients. The chronic care model was a useful template for the delivery of effective chronic disease care to a group of uninsured patients at a free medical clinic.
Identifying Homelessness at an Urban Public Hospital: A Moving Target?
Authors: Tsai Miranda , Weintraub Rebecca , Gee Lauren , Kushel Margot
Published: June 2005

Hospitals do not routinely collect data about homelessness. The objectives of the present study were to (1) describe rate of patient reports of homelessness among inpatients at a public hospital, (2) assess the agreement between patient report of housing status on a study questionnaire with clinical and administrative data about homelessness, and (3) assess changes in housing status during hospitalization. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of inpatients at an urban public hospital to assess housing status; we then examined subjects' medical charts to assess agreement with the questionnaire on housing status. Of inpatients, 25.6% were homeless at discharge. An additional 19.4% were marginally housed. One third of homeless persons had their housing status change during their hospitalization. Administrative data identified 25.6% and physicians' notes identified 22.5% as homeless. Clinical, administrative, and survey data did not agree. Homelessness and changes in housing status are common among inpatients at an urban public hospital. Poor agreement on who is homeless limits the usefulness of data.
A Conversation with Sir Frank Kermode
Authors: Browning Logan Delano , Kermode Frank
Published: June 2005

Sir Frank Kermode, who in 1961 authored for SEL's first volume a review of "Some Recent Studies in Shakespeare and Jacobean Drama," looks back over close to six decades as literary critic, editor, teacher, and journalist, and offers an assessment of current renaissance drama studies and performances.
Authorship, Indebtedness, and the Children of the King's Revels
Authors: Cathcart Charles
Published: June 2005

The playwriting practices of the Children of the King's Revels at Whitefriars were highly interactive and frequently collaborative. Yet the prologues of three of their plays show an uncontextualized use of the authorial "he." This usage has no contemporary match elsewhere. What might account for this paradox? The ethos of the children's companies may offer a partial explanation, as may the examples of Ben Jonson and of John MarstonÑbut not a full one. This odd and thrice-offered designation of the writer suggests that an authorial sense of self-importance was more prominent among Renaissance dramatists than is often thought.
Recent Studies in Tudor and Stuart Drama
Authors: Dutton Richard
Published: June 2005

An assessment of recent scholarly work treating Tudor and Stuart drama and some general observations on the state of the profession. A full bibliography and price list of the works received by SEL for consideration follow.
Civic Humanism and Gender Politics in Jonson's Catiline
Authors: Gaggero Christopher
Published: June 2005

Women characters in Ben Jonson's Catiline and women authors in late-sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century England deploy civic humanist principles in order to claim authoritative public roles. Jonson altered his sources to give women larger, structurally crucial roles and to make Cicero depend upon the intelligence of a woman spy. The play's ambivalence about Cicero suggests Jonson's and, more broadly, his culture's concern that civic humanist principles encouraged (or at least, failed to discourage) the public ambitions of rhetorically skillful women. This concern helps to explain why English culture turned away from the civic humanist tradition during this period.
Shakespeare's Carved Saints
Authors: Harmon A. G.
Published: June 2005

The popular account of Thomas Becket's murder as a likely influence on Shakespeare's Richard II, as well as on the entire second Henriad, is compelling in view of the substantial changes the playwright makes in Richard's death and the events subsequent to it so that they reflect similar events surrounding the martyr's death. The history of Shakespeare's hometown parish, its reverence for the martyr, and the life of its founder, John of Stratford, himself an Archbishop of Canterbury, both inform the ennobling that Richard's character undergoes in the play and illuminate the political tension the story provoked regarding the Tudor throne.
Space, Violence, and Bodies in Middleton and Cary
Authors: Heller Jennifer Louise
Published: June 2005

This article analyzes staging space in Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women and Elizabeth Cary's The Tragedy of Mariam. In both plays, violence against women takes place hidden from the audience; Middleton obscures what may well be a rape, and Cary describes the execution of the title character. This hidden violence mirrors a psychological space in which sinister intent and sexual desire are unknowable to audience and characters alike. Neither drama answers this aporia, suggesting that the larger genre of revenge tragedy cannot express the vexed connections between desire and violence.
Staging Passion in Ford's The Lover's Melancholy
Authors: Hopkins Lisa
Published: June 2005

The Lover's Melancholy seems an exception among Ford's plays. Most are structured around violent and sensational events; The Lover's Melancholy is quiet. This is because the play posits as an essential quality of the human psyche a slowness in the changing of emotional gears. Emotion is not only "staged" in the sense of being acted out, but also always accompanied by a time-delay mechanism. Hence this play is not peripheral to Ford's oeuvre, but a slow-motion investigation of the processes that lie at the heart of it, and a crucial part of his ongoing inquiry into the nature of drama.
Time and Talk in Richard III I.iv
Authors: Lopez Jeremy
Published: June 2005

This essay examines the convoluted language and action of Clarence's death scene in Shakespeare's Richard III. I attempt to describe the experience these convolutions provide for an audience, and I make an argument about the way in which this experience is different from that provided by other, similar scenes in Renaissance drama.
The Alchemist and the Emerging Adult Private Playhouse
Authors: Ouellette Anthony J
Published: June 2005

Ben Jonson wrote The Alchemist to be performed by the King's Men at the Blackfriars private playhouse. In the context of the physical situation of London's public and private theaters in 1610, Jonson expected the audience to correlate the rivalry between the inner-City trickster, Face, and the outer-City rogues, Subtle and Dol Common, with the proficiency of the King's Men's performances and the company's ascendancy in their new private playhouse over all of the other adult playing companies associated solely with the public theaters located outside the City walls of London.
Playing at Maturity in John Redford's Wit and Science
Authors: Scherb Victor I.
Published: June 2005

John Redford's early-sixteenth-century interlude Wit and Science incorporates elements of popular entertainments to explore the obstacles facing early-sixteenth-century educators and their pupils. In particular, Redford probes the difficulties involved in distinguishing between harmful idleness and healthful recreation, a distinction that could only be made by an individual who had acquired the complex combination of self-examination and worldly experience the interlude implicitly identifies with true maturity. Students could reach this destination only by discovering their own capabilities and limitations, learning about the world, engaging in the kind of vicarious experience offered by healthful playing, and acknowledging their own mortality.
Performing Cross-Class Clandestine Marriage in The Shoemaker's Holiday
Authors: Smith Amy L
Published: June 2005

This essay adapts Judith Butler's theories on the performance of gender to investigate the performative nature of marriage in Thomas Dekker's city comedy, The Shoemaker's Holiday. The cross-class clandestine wedding of the main plot allows Rose to work against her father's demands, against class endogamy, and toward a choice that provides her with economic and emotional benefits. This wedding, read in the context of the play's multiple weddings and remarriages, suggests a critique of the class, paternal, and gender hierarchies such ceremonies are often assumed to support.
The proatherogenic cytokine interleukin-18 is secreted by human adipocytes
Authors: Skurk Thomas , Kolb Hubert , Müller-Scholze Sylvia , Röhrig Karin , Hauner Hans , Herder Christian
Published: June 2005

Objective: Interleukin (IL)-18, an important mediator of innate immunity and strong risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, was shown recently to be elevated in obesity. The aim of our study was to investigate whether human adipocytes produce IL-18.

Methods: Human adipose tissue was obtained from lean women undergoing elective plastic surgery and from obese individuals undergoing laparoscopic surgery (gastric banding). Preadipocytes from mammary adipose tissue were isolated and differentiated under defined adipogenic conditions. IL-18 expression was analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR, ELISA and immunocytochemistry.

Results: Human preadipocytes of all differentiation stages spontaneously secreted IL-18. In parallel significant amounts of IL-18 mRNA were detected. Freshly isolated mature adipocytes from subcutaneous and omental depots also released IL-18. IL-18 release from adipocytes from obese donors was about 3-fold higher compared to adipocytes from non-obese donors.

Conclusions: We conclude that human adipose tissue produces IL-18 and thereby contributes to systemic IL-18 concentrations. This finding supports the concepts that adipocytes behave as primitive immune cells and that IL-18 may mediate some of the detrimental complications of obesity such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
The impact of chronic in vivo glucocorticoid excess on the functional characteristics of human skin fibroblasts obtained from patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome
Authors: Zervolea Irene , Pratsinis Harris , Tsagarakis Stylianos , Karavitaki Niki , Stathakos Dimitri , Thalassinos Nikos , Kletsas Dimitris
Published: June 2005

Objective: Chronic exposure to elevated glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations induces detrimental effects in several tissues. In the skin, GCs provoke intense alterations on various parameters of the physiology of fibroblasts, cumulatively leading to skin atrophy and impaired wound healing. As there are concerns that GCs may generate permanent adverse functional changes, we have investigated whether chronicin vivoexposure to GC excess results in persisting defects in skin fibroblasts.

Design and methods: We have studiedin vitroprimary skin fibroblast cultures obtained from patients suffering from endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CF), as well as from sex- and age-matched normal donors (NF). The following functional parameters were investigated: cell proliferation, secretion of collagen, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases; TIMPs) and contractile capacity.

Results: CFs, grown under standard culture conditions in the absence of a hypercortisolemic milieu, exhibited an increased proliferative capacity and a higher final cell culture density compared with NFs. Collagen synthesis, in the absence or presence of transforming growth factor-β, was equal to that of NFs. However, CFs secreted comparatively lower levels of MMP-1, MMP-2 and TIMP-1, and nearly equal levels of TIMP-2. CFs also exhibited an increased ability to contract gels of polymerized collagen.

Conclusions: Collectively, these functional characteristics of CFs are in contrast to the known catabolic effects of GCs, and suggest that prior exposure to GC excess is not associated with a persisting adverse outcome in the functional phenotype of the fibroblasts.
Coexistence of Kallmann syndrome and complete androgen insensitivity in the same patient
Authors: Gannagé-Yared Marie-Hélène , Dodé Catherine , Ghanem Ismat , Chouery Eliane , Jalkh Nadine , Hardelin Jean-Pierre , Mégarbané André
Published: June 2005

Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a developmental disease that combines hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia/hyposmia. Other congenital abnormalities may also coexist. This present report describes two sisters, aged 13 and 12 years, born from Lebanese consanguineous parents. The two sisters have complete androgen insensitivity (normal female appearance and an XY karyotype) due to a novel mutation, a C-to-G transversion in intron 2 of the androgen receptor gene, resulting in an aberrant splicing leading to an insertion of 66 nucleotides in the mRNA. In addition, the older sister has KS, together with synkinesia and multiple skeletal abnormalities, mainly kyphosis, vertebral abnormalities, and short right hand and feet. Her testosterone, FSH and LH levels were very low compared with her younger sister. No mutation in the KAL1 and FGFR1/KAL2 genes were found. This unique report raises the possibility of an autosomal recessive or X-linked form of KS with new phenotypic expression.