bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Essentialist Beliefs About Homosexuality: Structure and Implications for Prejudice
Authors: Haslam Nick , Levy Sheri R.
Published: March 2006

The structure of beliefs about the nature of homosexuality, and their association with antigay attitudes, were examined in three studies (Ns = 309, 487, and 216). Contrary to previous research, three dimensions were obtained: the belief that homosexuality is biologically based, immutable, and fixed early in life; the belief that it is cross-culturally and historically universal; and the belief that it constitutes a discrete, entitative type with defining features. Study 1 supported a three-factor structure for essentialist beliefs about male homosexuality. Study 2 replicated this structure with confirmatory factor analysis, extended it to beliefs about lesbianism, showed that all three dimensions predicted antigay attitudes, and demonstrated that essentialist beliefs mediate associations between prejudice and gender, ethnicity, and religiosity. Study 3 replicated the belief structure and mediation effects in a community sample and showed that essentialist beliefs predict antigay prejudice independently of right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and political conservatism.
Sexual Submissiveness in Women: Costs for Sexual Autonomy and Arousal
Authors: Sanchez Diana T. , Kiefer Amy K. , Ybarra Oscar
Published: March 2006

Women are bombarded with images of women's sexual submission and subservience to male partners. The authors argue that women internalize this submissive role, namely, they associate sex implicitly with submission. The authors propose that this association leads to submissive sexual behavior, thereby reducing sexual autonomy and arousal. Study 1 found that women implicitly associated sex with submission. Study 2 showed that women's implicit association of sex with submission predicted greater personal adoption of a submissive sexual role. Study 3 found that men did not implicitly associate sex with submission. Study 4 demonstrated that women's adoption of a submissive sexual role predicted lower reported arousal and greater reported difficulty becoming sexually aroused; sexual autonomy mediated these effects.
Transference and Attachment: How Do Attachment Patterns Get Carried Forward From One Relationship to the Next?
Authors: Brumbaugh Claudia Chloe , Fraley R. Chris
Published: March 2006

This research investigated how working models of attachment are carried forward fromone relationship to the next. A two-part study was conducted in which participants learned about two potential dating partners: one that was constructed to resemble a romantic partner from their past and one that resembled a partner from another participant's past. Results showed that people applied their attachment representations of past partners to both targets but did so to a greater degree when the target resembled a past partner. People also tended to feel more anxious and less avoidant toward the target that resembled their past partner. Overall, the findings were consistent with the hypothesis that working models of attachment are transferred in both general and selective ways in new relationships.
Associations between Parental Agreement Regarding Child-Rearing and the Characteristics of Families and Children in Sweden
Authors: Lamb Michael E. , Hwang Carl-Philip , Broberg Anders
Published: March 2006

The parents of 128 Swedish preschoolers were independently interviewed concerning their child-rearing attitudes and values, and a parental agreement index was computed as suggested by Block, Block, and Morrison (1981). Mothers and fathers disagreed on a substantial number of items, with mothers showing more expressive and fathers more instrumental concerns. There were few differences between the parents of girls and boys. As in the Block et al.'s (1981) research, parental agreement was associated with marital quality. Parental agreement was also associated with contemporaneous and earlier maternal reports of ego-resiliency in both boys and girls, as well as with maternal reports of ego-control in girls only. There were no significant correlations between parental agreement and measures of intellectual development in either boys or girls. The results suggest that parental agreement may have a less general and a less gender-differentiated impact on psychological functioning in contemporary Sweden than was true in the United States when Block et al.'s (1981) data were gathered 20 years ago.
Planning Tours of Robotic Arms among Partitioned Goals
Authors: Saha Mitul , Roughgarden Tim , Latombe Jean-Claude , Sánchez-Ante Gildardo
Published: February 2006

In this paper we consider a motion planning problem that occurs in tasks such as spot welding, car painting, inspection, and measurement, where the end-effector of a robotic arm must reach successive goal placements given as inputs. The problem is to compute a nearoptimal path of the arm so that the end-effector visits each goal once. It combines two notoriously hard subproblems: the collisionfree shortest-path and the traveling-salesman problems. It is further complicated by the fact that each goal placement of the end-effector may be achieved by several configurations of the arm (distinct solutions of the arm's inverse kinematics). This leads to considering a set of goal configurations of the robot that are partitioned into groups. The planner must compute a robot path that visits one configuration in each group and is near optimal over all configurations in every goal group and over all group orderings. The algorithm described in this paper operates under the assumption that finding a good tour in a graph with edges of given costs takes much less time than computing good paths between all pairs of goal configurations from different groups. So, the algorithm balances the time spent in computing paths between goal configurations and the time spent in computing tours. Although the algorithm still computes a quadratic number of such paths in the worst case, experimental results show that it is much faster in practice.
Analysis of Dynamic Task Allocation in Multi-Robot Systems
Authors: Lerman Kristina , Jones Chris , Galstyan Aram , Matarić Maja J
Published: February 2006

Dynamic task allocation is an essential requirement for multi-robot systems operating in unknown dynamic environments. It allows robots to change their behavior in response to environmental changes or actions of other robots in order to improve overall system performance. Emergent coordination algorithms for task allocation that use only local sensing and no direct communication between robots are attractive because they are robust and scalable. However, a lack of formal analysis tools makes emergent coordination algorithms difficult to design. In this paper we present a mathematical model of a general dynamic task allocation mechanism. Robots using this mechanism have to choose between two types of tasks, and the goal is to achieve a desired task division in the absence of explicit communication and global knowledge. Robots estimate the state of the environment from repeated local observations and decide which task to choose based on these observations. We model the robots and observations as stochastic processes and study the dynamics of the collective behavior. Specifically, we analyze the effect that the number of observations and the choice of the decision function have on the performance of the system. The mathematical models are validated in a multi-robot multi-foraging scenario. The model's predictions agree very closely with results of embodied simulations.
Fast Biped Walking with a Sensor-driven Neuronal Controller and Real-time Online Learning
Authors: Geng Tao , Porr Bernd , Wörgötter Florentin
Published: February 2006

In this paper, we present our design and experiments on a planar biped robot under the control of a pure sensor-driven controller. This design has some special mechanical features, for example small curved feet allowing rolling action and a properly positioned center of mass, that facilitate fast walking through exploitation of the robot's natural dynamics. Our sensor-driven controller is built with biologically inspired sensor- and motor-neuron models, and does not employ any kind of position or trajectory tracking control algorithm. Instead, it allows our biped robot to exploit its own natural dynamics during critical stages of its walking gait cycle. Due to the interaction between the sensor-driven neuronal controller and the properly designed mechanics of the robot, the biped robot can realize stable dynamic walking gaits in a large domain of the neuronal parameters. In addition, this structure allows the use of a policy gradient reinforcement learning algorithm to tune the parameters of the sensor-driven controller in real-time, during walking. This way RunBot can reach a relative speed of 3.5 leg lengths per second after only a few minutes of online learning, which is faster than that of any other biped robot, and is also comparable to the fastest relative speed of human walking.
A Series Elastic- and Bowden-Cable-Based Actuation System for Use as Torque Actuator in Exoskeleton-Type Robots
Authors: Veneman J. F. , Ekkelenkamp R. , Kruidhof R. , van der Helm F. C.T. , van der Kooij H.
Published: February 2006

Within the context of impedance controlled exoskeletons, common actuators have important drawbacks. Either the actuators are heavy, have a complex structure or are poor torque sources, due to gearing or heavy nonlinearity. Considering our application, an impedance controlled gait rehabilitation robot for treadmill-training, we designed an actuation system that might avoid these drawbacks. It combines a lightweight joint and a simple structure with adequate torque source quality. It consists of a servomotor, a flexible Bowden cable transmission, and a force feedback loop based on a series elastic element. A basic model was developed that is shown to describe the basic dynamics of the actuator well enough for design purpose.

Further measurements show that performance is sufficient for use in a gait rehabilitation robot. The demanded force tracking bandwidths were met: 11 Hz bandwidth for the full force range (demanded 4 Hz) and 20 Hz bandwidth for smaller force range (demanded 12 Hz). The mechanical output impedance of the actuator could be reduced to hardly perceptible level. Maxima of about 0.7 Nm peaks for 4 Hz imposed motions appeared, corresponding to less than 2.5% of the maximal force output. These peaks were caused by the stick friction in the Bowden cables.

Spring stiffness variation showed that both a too stiff and a too compliant spring can worsen performance. A stiff spring reduces the maximum allowable controller gain. The relatively low control gain then causes a larger effect of stick in the force output, resulting in a less smooth output in general. Low spring stiffness, on the other side, decreases the performance of the system, because saturation will occur sooner.
Reflections on a Young Offenders Institution
Authors: Forrester-Jones Rachel
Published: March 2006

In this article, it is demonstrated that a dichotomy exists between wider societal movements to develop communication between individuals and among institutions and management practices within a young offenders institution. The principle aimof the article is to illustrate how young offenders are being systematically denied the opportunity to socially interact with others at an appropriate level. The significance of social exchange for these prisoners and howthey achieve this is highlighted. The article concludes by suggesting some recommendations in relation to communication within young offenders institutions.
Affective Determinants of Treatment Engagement in Violent Offenders
Authors: Howells Kevin , Day Andrew
Published: March 2006

Affective factors are likely to play a major role in determining the extent to which offenders are able to engage with, and benefit from, treatment. In this article, it is argued that the relationship between affect and treatment engagement may be understood in three ways: the access the client has to emotional states, the ability to express such states, and the willingness of the client to do this in the therapeutic session. It is suggested that affective determinants of treatment readiness can be understood with reference tomodels of emotional regulation and that attention to these affective factors in the early stages of treatment is likely to promote engagement, reduce attrition, and consequently improve treatment outcomes for violent offenders.
Nursing Home Administrators’ Attribution of Antifacility Bias to Ombudsman Programs
Authors: Keith Pat M.
Published: March 2006

The federally mandated ombudsman program is a part of a deterrence approach to improving nursing home care. The author investigated whether nursing home administrators’(NHAs) views of volunteer resident advocates’ work would predict attributions of antifacility bias to ombudsman programs. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 199 NHAs. Perceptions of volunteers as aggressive and as hindrances, the belief that issues would be resolved without the program, and little contact with volunteers predicted an antifacility bias. There were four types of administrators who articulated needed improvements in ombudsman programs: positive activists, adversarials, collaborators, and educators. Strained relationships between NHAs and those who monitor them may increase facility and agency turnover and diminish the efforts of both. Research on person-environment fit for facility and ombudsman positions should be useful for those who train, license, certify, or hire these personnel.
An Exploratory Study of Member Attraction, Climate, and Behavioral Outcomes of Anger-Coping Group Therapy for Children with Emotional Disturbance
Authors: Nickerson Amanda B. , Coleman M. Nicole
Published: February 2006

This exploratory study examined member attraction, group climate, and behavioral outcomes of anger-coping group therapy with children in an urban school. Two facilitators co-led a 6-week cognitive-behavioral group intervention with five children who were identified with either emotional disturbance (ED) or exhibited difficulty with anger management. Pretest and posttest ratings on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) were gathered from children, parents, and teachers. Children also completed the Group Attitude Scale (GAS) after the first, middle, and last group session. All group sessions were videotaped, and three independent observers viewed the tapes and completed the Group Climate Questionnaire–Short Form (GCQ-S) following each session. Results indicated that the children formed a cohesive, healthy functioning group. Parents indicated significant improvement in children's behavior on the BASC, although teachers and children did not note these changes. Clinical implications for interventions for children with ED and directions for future research are discussed
A Comparison of Deception Behavior in Dyad and Triadic Group Decision Making in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication
Authors: Zhou Lina , Zhang Dongsong
Published: February 2006

Deception can be detrimental to individual and organizational decision making. Existing research on behavioral cues to deception has focused mainly on monologue and dyadic interaction. No studies have empirically examined the impact of group size on behavioral cues to deception. This study is the first attempt to investigate whether deceivers behave differently in dyads and triadic groups in synchronous computer-mediated communication. The empirical results revealed that cues to deception were contingent on the group size. Compared with truth tellers, deceivers showed a lower level of pleasantness and language complexity only in dyads, whereas a higher level of cognitive complexity and initiation only in triadic groups. Although participation behavior was a significant cue in both groups, its levels of significance was higher in triadic groups than in dyads. This study raises a broad yet critical issue of group effect on deception behavior. It has significant implications for deception detection in computer-mediated communication.
The Big Five Personality Traits and Individual Satisfaction With the Team
Authors: Peeters Miranda A. G. , Rutte Christel G. , van Tuijl Harrie F. J. M. , Reymen Isabelle M. M. J.
Published: February 2006

Relationships between team composition in terms of team members' Big Five personality traits and individual satisfaction with the team after project completion were researched. Questionnaires were filled out by 310 undergraduate students ( N= 68 teams) working on an engineering design assignment. Individual satisfaction with the team was regressed onto individual, dissimilarity, and interaction scores. A positive main effect was found for individual agreeableness and emotional stability and for dissimilarity in conscientiousness. A moderation of the main effect of dissimilarity was found for extraversion: Satisfaction with the team is negatively related to dissimilarity to the other team members only for members low in extraversion.
Deviance, Self-Typicality, and Group Cohesion
Authors: Wellen Jackie M. , Neale Matthew
Published: February 2006

This study investigated the effect of a single work group deviant on other group members' perceptions of the deviant, and their perceptions of the cohesiveness of the group as a whole. Group members, particularly those high in perceived self-typicality, were expected to downgrade the deviant, and view groups containing a deviant as less cohesive. Undergraduate management students were placed in a simulated organizational context in which deviance was manipulated so that the participant's work group contained either a single negative deviant or no deviant. Results showed that the deviant colleague was judged less favorably than the normative colleague, particularly by those high in perceived self-typicality. Groups that contained a deviant were perceived as having lower levels of task cohesion, but ratings of social cohesion varied depending on perceivers' self-typicality. The findings suggest that as well as attracting negative evaluations, deviant group members can adversely affect group cohesion.
Poetic Forms and Structures in Qualitative Health Research
Authors: Furman Rich
Published: March 2006

In this article, the author explores the uses of poetic forms in qualitative health research, analyzing the matically a poem written from a patient's perspective of being treated in an emergency room. From the themes identified, he created two “research poems” using two formal poetic structures: the French-Malaysian pantoum, and the Japanese-inspired American tanka. The author contextualizes this research through an exploration of the arts and poetry as qualitative research.
Testing Behling and McFillen’s Syncretical Model of Charismatic Transformational Leadership
Authors: Mccann John A. J. , Langford Peter H. , Rawlings Robert M.
Published: February 2006

This study examines charismatic transformational leadership behaviors, follower beliefs, and organizational commitment. It tests the mediational relationships hypothesized by Behling and McFillen’s Syncretical Model of Charismatic Transformational Leadership. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 178 followers, relating to 29 leaders in 17 organizations. Mediational analyses found that the follower beliefs of awe and inspiration mediated the effect of charismatic transformational leader behaviors on commitment, although not in the pattern predicted by Behling and McFillen. A structural equation model suggested that awe and inspiration, but not empowerment, mediated the effect of leader behaviors on commitment, with leader behaviors being most strongly related to the follower belief of awe, and commitment being most strongly related to the follower belief of inspiration.
Disentangling the Meanings of Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Authors: Roberson Quinetta M.
Published: February 2006

Given the emergence of a new rhetoric in the field of diversity, which replaces the term diversity with the term inclusion, this study comparatively investigates the meanings of diversity and inclusion in organizations. The findings of Study 1, which used a qualitative methodology to explore the construct definitions and to derive a measure of attributes to support diversity and inclusion, revealed conceptually distinct definitions. The reliability and factor structure of the scale was evaluated in Study 2 and cross-validated in Study 3. The results supported a five-factor model of diversity and inclusion and suggest a distinction between the concepts, although the terms may not describe separate types of work environments but different approaches to diversity management.
A New Look at the Role of Insiders in the Newcomer Socialization Process
Authors: Slaughter Jerel E. , Zickar Michael J.
Published: February 2006

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of socialization-related attitudes and behaviors exhibited by insiders on the development of organizational newcomers. New graduate students, advanced graduate students, and faculty members responded to surveys at two different time periods. Insiders’ attitudes toward socialization were predictive of their involvement in socialization activities. New student involvement in activities that were initiated by faculty members and advanced students was related to role conflict, role ambiguity, and service to the department. Faculty and advanced student attitudes and behaviors, aggregated to the department level, predicted new student departmental service. The authors conclude that the recent call for renewed interest in the role of insiders in the socialization process is warranted.
New Strategies Ramping Up Quality in Wisconsin Medicaid Managed Care: Wisconsin’s Medicaid HMO program Is One of the Oldest in the Country, but Its Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Strategy Is Rapidly Evolving to Meet New Needs
Authors: Ilminen Gary R.
Published: March 2006

A comprehensive quality assessment and performance improvement strategy is common sense and is required by new federal laws for states’ Medicaid managed care programs. However, not all states have Medicaid managed care programs, and of those that do, no two use identical types of managed care models, contract requirements, or specified performance measures. This article presents Wisconsin’s Medicaid managed care program quality strategy that has been in operation and under constant refinement since 1984.
Excellence in Primary Care Physician (PCP) and Geriatrics Community-Based Practice: Meeting the Institute of Medicine’s Care Management Standards
Authors: Dailey Maureen , Lanman Geraldine
Published: March 2006

The community-based internist and geriatric primary care physicians (PCPs) or medical doctors (MDs) have long been the most prevalent providers of primary care to populations who have chronic illness and/or are elderly in the United States. This article addresses the strategies for disease management (DM) that physicians in nonmature health care markets are utilizing to address unmet needs and suggestions for improved collaboration to provide improved evidence-based care. Other primary care providers are involved in the care of populations who have chronic illness and/or are elderly (e.g., advanced practice nurses and physician assistants). This article focuses on physician practice and current market realities affecting physicians to provide DM in populations that have chronic illness and/or are elderly (need complex care management).
Searle and his critics
Authors: Lukes Steven
Published: February 2006

The ensuing articles pose various challenges to Searle's thesis concerning social reality. Some exhibit misunderstandings; others identify inadequacies in the formulation of his thesis and failures to address issues within the limits of his project, notably his inattention to unintended consequences. Searle's project is to distinguish social from biological and physical reality, but that, it is argued, offers a restrictive account of what social scientists study, which extends well beyond linguistically-constituted institutions to include the ‘brute realities’ of social life and, most significantly, the interactions between the ‘institutional’ and the ‘brute’, for example between ‘institutional’ and ‘brute’ power. Searle's critique of Durkheim's social ontology is, in part, endorsed but also criticized for focusing on the latter's methodological pronouncements rather than on the ontology implicit in his substantive work. What bearing, in general, does getting social ontology right have on substantive social scientific work? Some suggestions are offered concerning the substantive implications of Searle's theory.
Social ontology
Authors: Searle John R.
Published: February 2006

This article extends and develops a theory I began in my book, The Construction of Social Reality. Its aim is to explore social ontology in a way that will make it clear that social ontology is both created by human actions and attitudes but at the same time has an epistemically objective existence and is part of the natural world. The fundamental concepts necessary to explain its creation and continued existence are: the distinction between observer-relative and observer-independent phenomena, the distinction between the epistemic and the ontological senses of the objective–subjective distinction, the notions of collective intentionality, the assignment of function, and constitutive rules. The upshot of the discussion is that the basic notion in institutional ontology is that of a status function. Status functions are the glue that holds society together because they create deontic powers, powers that work by creating desire-independent reasons for action. Thus, social ontology locks into human rationality. I discuss some of the implications of this work for sociology and anthropology.
Commentary on Searle's ‘Social ontology: Some basic principles’
Authors: D'Andrade Roy
Published: February 2006

In response to Searle's article on social ontology, this commentary focuses on the relation between the concept of culture and Searle's work on institutions. Issues concerning the super-organic property of culture and collectivities, the fusion between ideas and social agreement found in institutions, and the relation of values to institutions are discussed. The constructs culture, society, and personality are deconstructed, revealing the high degree of overlap in the referents of these terms. Finally, a definitional reformulation of these three constructs is presented, treating each as a different kind of process.
Comment on Searle
Authors: Gross Neil
Published: February 2006

While appreciative of Searle's contributions, this commentary questions whether the core insights of The Construction of Social Reality advance all that much beyond the position staked out more than a century ago by Emile Durkheim. Durkheim, to be sure, was no analytic philosopher, but both Durkheim and Searle recognize the existence of something like collective representations, view a key feature of such representations as being that of imposing new statuses, powers, and meanings on objects, and accept that social institutions are composed of individual actors who act on the basis of this collective imposition of status functions. For this reason, some of the criticisms that may be levelled against Durkheim's approach to social ontology – for example, that it ignores situations where collective representations are intrinsically coercive in nature – may also apply to Searle.
Comment on Searle's ‘Social ontology’
Authors: Friedman Jonathan
Published: February 2006

This discussion of Searle's article attempts to come to grips with a number of issues that the latter has made so important for the social sciences. First, regarding the issue of objectivity/subjectivity, it is argued that there are natural properties of reality that are unaltered by observation, but that what is constructed as a phenomenon is always partly the result of human interpretation. The same is argued to be true of social phenomena, which cannot be reduced to human constitution first because they become institutional realities and second because they contain properties that are external to acts of human construction. The characterization of the social as instituted via language, especially the language of linked propositions, is taken up in relation to other approaches to social reality, arguing that Castoriadis’ social imaginary, as well as a certain interpretation of Marx's fetishism, argues for the dominance of such constructions in the creation of social worlds. Within the intentional world such phenomena account for the way in which social life can be seen in part as the materialization of the imaginary, the latter being non-symbolic in the sense that it is not a representation of an already existing reality or referent but the immediate constitution of the real. On the other hand, a crucial aspect of such worlds that Searle does not address is the non-intentional systemic properties of the social, for example in the form of business cycles, politico-economic declines and expansions, and other properties of social reality that are not deducible from intentional organization. They are not a mere spin-off but crucial elements of social systems.
John Searle on a witch hunt
Authors: Shweder Richard A.
Published: February 2006

In this commentary I respond to John Searle's conceptual framework for the interpretation of ‘social facts’ as a provocation to spell out some of the philosophical foundations of the romantic pluralist tradition in cultural anthropology. Romantic pluralists in anthropology seek to affirm (to the extent such affirmation is reasonably possible) what the philosopher John Gray describes as ‘the reality, validity and human intelligibility of values and forms of life very different from our own’. With special attention to two examples of contemporary social facts (a witchcraft tribunal in Africa and death pollution practices in a Hindu temple town), the commentary raises questions about John Searle's approach to the mind-body problem and his account of epistemic objectivity and ontological subjectivity with regard to social facts. An alternative philosophy of the real is proposed that makes it possible for anthropologists to give an intelligible account of forms of life different from one's own without interpreting those forms of life (and related pictures of the world) as either reified illusions or fetishized figments of a collective imagination.
Practice Patterns of Underrepresented Minority Nurse Practitioners in New York State, 2000
Authors: McGinnis Sandra , Moore Jean , Continelli Tracey
Published: February 2006

Using data collected from a sample of 1,319 nurse practitioners (NPs) in New York state in 2000, differences in practice patterns by race and ethnicity were identified. NPs from underrepresented minority (URM) groups were more likely than non-URM NPs to work in hospitals, community health centers, and schools but less likely to work in physician offices and NP practices. URM NPs were also more likely to report a specialty certification in women’s health. Several different measures of primary care provision were examined, with URM NPs substantially more likely to meet all four measures of primary care practice than non-URM NPs. Finally, URM NPs were more likely than non-URM NPs to practice in federally designated health profession shortage areas.
Staffing Ratios in New York: A Decade of Debate
Authors: Gerardi Tina
Published: February 2006

The effectiveness and desirability of mandated nurse staffing ratios have been discussed for more than 10 years. The author summarizes this debate as it unfolded in New York State. Although staffing ratios were always supported within the context of labor contracts negotiated by the New York State Nurses Association, there was a more gradual acceptance of legislation mandating staffing radios statewide. Current legislative proposals have focused on the need to base ratios in current research and include provisions that would allow adjustment of ratios with input from nurses in direct care.
Genomic polymorphisms provide prognostic information in intermediate-risk acute myeloblastic leukemia
Authors: Monzo Mariano , Brunet Salut , Urbano-Ispizua Alvaro , Navarro Alfons , Perea Granada , Esteve Jordi , Artells Rosa , Granell Miquel , Berlanga Juan , Ribera Josep M. , Bueno Javier , Llorente Andreu , Guardia Ramon , Tormo Mar , Torres Pio , Nomdedéu Josep F. , Montserrat Emili , Sierra Jordi ,   for CETLAM
Published: February 2006

Current prognostic factors for acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) are not sufficient to accurately predict the group of patients in the intermediate-risk category who will successfully respond to treatment. Distinct patterns of inherited functional genomic polymorphisms might explain part of these heterogeneous prognoses. We used the allelic discrimination method to identify polymorphisms in GSTT1, SULT1C2, CDA, SXR (drug metabolic pathways), XPD, XPA, XPG, ERCC1, TOP2A (DNA repair), VEGF (angiogenesis), and MDR1 (multidrug resistance) genes in 110 adult patients with intermediate-risk AML, enrolled in the CETLAM-99 prospective trial. A multivariate prognostic model adjusted for age, white blood cell (WBC) count, French-American-British group, cytogenetics, MLL rearrangement, internal tandem duplication of FLT3 (FLT3-ITD), induction courses to achieve complete remission, and germline polymorphisms, was used to detect independent risk factors associated with clinical outcome. This analysis showed an increased risk of refractoriness to chemotherapy in the group of patients with XPA variant alleles (RR = 14; P = .02). In the same model, increased relapse risk was associated with SULT1C2 heterozygosity (RR = 4.1; P = .004), FLT3-ITD (RR 3.3; P = .003), and MDR1 variant alleles (RR = 2.4; P = .02). Adverse prognostic variables for overall survival were XPA (RR = 3.4; P = .02) and MDR1 (RR = 2.1; P = .02) variant alleles, and WBC count (RR = 2.1; P = .02). These findings might be useful in selecting risk-adapted treatment strategies in intermediate-risk AML.
Mouse plasmacytoid dendritic cells derive exclusively from estrogen-resistant myeloid progenitors
Authors: Harman Benjamin C. , Miller Juli P. , Nikbakht Neda , Gerstein Rachel , Allman David
Published: February 2006

Current models predict that mouse plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) derive from lymphoid progenitors. However, we show PDCs arise exclusively from common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) characterized by low-level expression of several lymphoid-associated genes, including a RAG2/GFP reporter transgene. This conclusion is supported by both adoptive transfer experiments and an estrogen treatment strategy that led to marked depletion of very early lymphoid progenitors without affecting RAG2/GFP+ CMPs or the developmental kinetics, RAG-mediated recombinase activity, and cytokine production of PDCs. These data suggest that PDCs arise exclusively from early myeloid progenitors and that promiscuous low-level expression of lymphoid-associated genes is a general feature of PDC progenitors among CMPs.
Wood smoke exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Orozco-Levi M. , Garcia-Aymerich J. , Villar J. , Ramírez-Sarmiento A. , Antó J. M. , Gea J.
Published: February 2006

It was hypothesised that wood smoke exposure could be a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Spain. The present study was designed as a case–control study of 120 females requiring hospitalisation during 2001–2003 at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain).

Cases were recruited from hospital records as females who had been admitted for an exacerbation of COPD. Controls were obtained from pulmonary function test laboratory consultations prior to a surgical intervention. All patients answered a standardised questionnaire.

Exposure to wood or charcoal smoke was strongly associated with COPD after adjusting for age and smoking. The association between length of exposure and COPD suggested a dose–response pattern. Intensity of exposure in both summer and winter was also related to COPD. Wood or charcoal alone independently increased risk of COPD (odds ratio (OR) 1.8 and 1.5, respectively), but only the combination of both was statistically significant (OR 4.5).

In conclusion, the present study shows a strong association between wood or charcoal smoke exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, supporting its existence not only in developing countries, but also in European countries, such as Spain. Further studies assessing whether this association also exists in other European societies are warranted.
Percutaneous computed tomography-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of small unresectable lung tumours
Authors: Rossi S. , Dore R. , Cascina A. , Vespro V. , Garbagnati F. , Rosa L. , Ravetta V. , Azzaretti A. , Di Tolla P. , Orlandoni G. , Pozzi E.
Published: February 2006

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFTA) for the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and isolated pulmonary metastases (METs) from colorectal cancer (CRC).

A total of 31 patients (15 with NSCLCs and 16 with CRC lung METs), with 36 lung tumour nodules (mean±sddiameter: 22±8 mm, range: 10–35 mm) underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided RFTA using expandable electrodes. Contrast-enhanced CT was performed before and after (immediately and 30±5 days) each RFTA session to assess immediate results and complications and repeated 3 and 6 months post-RFTA, as well as every 6 months thereafter, to evaluate long-term results. Complete radiological necrosis was defined as a nonenhancing area at the tumour site that was equal to or larger than the treated tumour; persistence of enhancement at the tumour site indicated incomplete treatment. Local recurrence was defined as an increase in tumour size and/or enhancing tissue at the tumour site.

Complete radiological necrosis of the 36 tumours was achieved with 39 RFTA sessions and 42 electrode insertions. No major complications or deaths were observed. Six patients experienced mild-to-moderate pain during the procedure. There were five cases of pneumothorax, none requiring drainage and four cases of pneumonia, which were successfully treated with antibiotics. After a mean follow-up of 11.4±7.7 months (range of 3–36 months), the overall local recurrence rate was 13.9% (20 and 9.5% for NSCLC and CRC-METs patients, repectively). Nineteen of the 31 (61.3%) patients were alive (15 apparently disease free) and 12 (38.7%) had died (three from causes unrelated to their cancer).

Radiofrequency thermal ablation seems to be a safe, effective method for producing complete ablation of small nonsmall cell lung cancers and pulmonary colorectal cancer metastases.
Aerosol granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis
Authors: Wylam M. E. , Ten R. , Prakash U. B. S. , Nadrous H. F. , Clawson M. L. , Anderson P. M.
Published: February 2006

Recently, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) auto-antibodies have been found in many patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). The present study reports a retrospective case series of patients who used aerosolised GM-CSF in the treatment of idiopathic PAP. Between 1999 and 2003, 12 patients elected to receive aerosolised GM-CSF (250 µgb.i.d.every other week) in lieu of whole-lung lavage or observation.

Patient characteristics, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas analysis, laboratory values and chest radiographs were extracted from the patient's medical records. Of the six patients tested, all had GM-CSF neutralising antibodies. Additionally, abnormalities in GM-CSF gene expression (one patient), receptor expression (two patients) and ability to upregulate adhesion molecules (one patient) were found.

All patients except one had a positive response (mean improvements in arterial oxygen tension, alveolar–arterial oxygen gradient, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity of the lung and forced vital capacity were 17.1 mmHg, 18.4 mmHg, 16.6% pred and 13.5% pred, respectively). Two patients made a complete recovery and were disease free 1 and 2 yrs after discontinuing treatment. Four patients showed complete response to both the initial course or when treated again for recurrence after discontinuation of treatment. One patient required dose escalation (500 µgb.i.d.) with complete response. GM-CSF was well tolerated without late toxicity after median (range) follow-up of 30.5 (3–68) months.

In conclusion, aerosolised granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor is safe and effective in treating pulmonary alveolar proteinosis providing an alternative to whole-lung lavage or subcutaneous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.
Differences in the glucocorticoid to progesterone receptor selectivity of inhaled glucocorticoids
Authors: Issar M. , Sahasranaman S. , Buchwald P. , Hochhaus G.
Published: February 2006

Due to the high affinity of new inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) towards the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and because of the similarities between the binding domains of the GR and the progesterone receptor (PR), the present study focused on assessing the relative binding affinities (RBA) of glucocorticoids (systemic and ICS) to PR (RBAPR). By comparison with the affinities towards the GR (RBAGR) the binding selectivities were also assessed.

In general, the selectivity of the investigated glucocorticoids showed a decreasing trend with increasing lipophilicity. When orally administered, less lipophilic glucocorticoids showed the highest selectivity, with RBAGR/RBAPRratios of 1,375, 760 and 476 for betamethasone, beclomethasone and dexamethasone, respectively.

For ICS, mometasone furoate, the most lipophilic steroid, was the least selective (1.1), followed by beclomethasone monopropionate (9), fluticasone propionate (12), triamcinolone acetonide (18), mometasone (25) and budesonide (44), which shows the highest selectivity among inhaled glucocorticoids.

In conclusion, the present study revealed that there are differences in selectivity among commercially available glucocorticoids. Future clinical studies are needed to investigate whether the high affinity of some of the investigated glucocorticoids to the progesterone receptor is of clinical relevance.
An ATS/ERS report: 100 key questions and needs in occupational asthma
Authors: Tarlo S. M. , Malo J-L.
Published: February 2006

The second Jack Pepys Workshop on Occupational Asthma was held in Toronto, Canada, in May 2004. The present report summarises key questions and research needs as identified by the international participants.

The audiotapes from the workshop discussions were summarised by the organising chairs of the Symposium and the resulting document was circulated for input from all invited workshop participants. In total, 100 key questions and research needs were identified.

Identified needs included: provision of different definitions depending on the use of data; explanations for differences in frequency studies; and better characterisation of genetic and environmental determinants of occupational asthma. The role of irritants and the pathogenesis of various forms of work-related asthma need further research, and there are also questions and research needs for diagnosis, prevention and understanding of persistence and airway remodelling.

In conclusion, although advances have been made in the understanding of occupational asthma and other work-related asthma, further key issues remain that need addressing.
The effect of tiotropium on exacerbations and airflow in patients with COPD
Authors: Dusser D. , Bravo M-L. , Iacono P.
Published: February 2006

This randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, 1-yr study compared the effect of tiotropium 18 µg once daily (n = 500) and placebo (n = 510) on exacerbations, associated health resource use (HRU) and airflow limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

The mean±sdnumber of exacerbations during the past year was 2.14±1.40, the mean weekly morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) was 259.6±96.1 L·min−1and the mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was 1.37±0.45 L. Tiotropium significantly delayed the time to first exacerbation by ∼100 days, reduced the proportion of patients experiencing more than one exacerbation by 17%, and decreased the number of exacerbations by 35% and exacerbation days by 37%versusplacebo. Tiotropium also decreased HRUversusplacebo, as indicated by the significant reductions in the use of concomitant respiratory medications, antibiotics and oral steroids, and the number of unscheduled physician contacts. Mean weekly morning PEF improved significantly with tiotropiumversusplacebo from week 1 until the end of the study. At the end of the study, tiotropium significantly improved trough (pre-dose) FEV1, forced vital capacity, slow vital capacity and inspiratory capacityversusplacebo.

In conclusion, tiotropium reduced exacerbations and associated health resource use, and improved airflow over 1 yr in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Reduced Th1 response in the lungs of HLA-DRB1*0301 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis
Authors: Idali F. , Wikén M. , Wahlström J. , Mellstedt H. , Eklund A. , Rabbani H. , Grunewald J.
Published: February 2006

To investigate why human leukocyte-associated antigen-DRB1*0301 (HLA-DRB1*0301) positive Scandinavian patients have a better prognosis than HLA-DRB1*0301 negative patients, the present authors examined patterns of cytokine expression in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and BAL fluid (BALF) from patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and controls.

Using real-time PCR, the mRNA expression of selected cytokines in BAL cells from newly diagnosed, untreated nonsmoking patients (n = 25) and controls (n = 11) was quantified. Cytokine protein levels in BALF from patients (n = 34) and controls (n = 11) were assessed using cytometric bead array. The patients were evaluated and stratified into two subgroups: HLA-DRB1*0301 positive (all with an acute onset) and HLA-DRB1*0301 negative (all with an insidious onset).

When comparing patients and controls, BAL cells of the patients expressed significantly higher levels of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-10 mRNA. There were significantly decreased IFN-γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α mRNA levels, and a tendency toward higher levels of transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA in HLA-DRB1*0301 positive compared with HLA-DRB1*0301 negative patients. Protein levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-12p70 and TNF-α in BALF were significantly higher in patients. HLA-DRB1*0301 positive patients exhibited tendencies to lower levels of most cytokines in BALF.

In conclusion, the present data show a reduced expression of T-helper cell type-1 cytokines in human leukocyte-associated antigen-DRB1*0301 positive patients, which may relate to their good prognosis.