bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with functioning style and coping strategies of families with a child with an autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Higgins Daryl J. , Bailey Susan R. , Pearce Julian C.
Published: April 2005

A survey of parents/caregivers of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted to examine the relationship between ASD characteristics, family functioning and coping strategies. Having a child with ASD places considerable stress on the family. Primary caregivers of a child with ASD from a regional and rural area in Victoria, Australia ( N = 53) were surveyed concerning their child with ASD, family functioning (adaptability and cohesion), marital satisfaction, self-esteem and coping strategies. Results suggest that these caregivers had healthy self-esteem, although they reported somewhat lower marital happiness, family cohesion and family adaptability than did norm groups. Coping strategies were not significant predictors of these outcome variables. Results highlight the need for support programmes to target family and relationship variables as well as ASD children and their behaviours, in order to sustain the family unit and improve quality of life for parents and caregivers as well as those children.
‘We’re not Living on Planet Lesbian’: Constructions of Male Role Models in Debates about Lesbian Families
Authors: Clarke Victoria , Kitzinger Celia
Published: April 2005

The notion that children (especially boys) need male role models has been used in the past to attack lesbian parents in custody cases, and more recently in debates about donor insemination, adoption and fostering. We are interested in how lesbian parents and their supporters respond to arguments about the necessity of male role models. We analyse data from popular television talk shows and television documentaries using a discursive approach and identify common strategies used by lesbian parents to deal with the argument that their children are ‘missing out’ because of a deficit in their family structure. We then consider the responses of opponents of lesbian parenting to these strategies. What these responses reveal is that lesbian parents and their opponents construct and work with very different definitions of male role models. We show that the contributions both of opponents of lesbian parenting and of lesbian parents themselves to media debates attend to and sustain traditional understandings of gender and sexual development.
What’s in a Name? The Significance of the Choice of Surnames Given to Children Born within Lesbian-parent Families
Authors: Almack Kathryn
Published: April 2005

This article draws upon data from research with 20 families in the UK, where lesbian couples have planned and had their first child together. I focus on the ‘family practice’ (Morgan, 1996) of choosing surnames for children as one example of decisions that are negotiated in the relative absence of any established norms to follow. I examine some of the dominant themes that underpin the ways in which respondents account for these choices, placed within the context of the wider theoretical debates about contemporary transformations of intimacy. I argue that a closer examination of family practices can reveal some of the tensions between respondents’ stories of new ways of doing motherhood and family and provide new insights into some of the wider issues facing families who are reinventing family boundaries and the nature of the changes taking place.
The political j-blogger
Authors: Singer Jane B.
Published: April 2005

This study explores how the increasingly popular blog format, as adopted by journalists affiliated with mainstream media outlets, affects long-standing journalistic norms and practice. It focuses on non-partisanship, transparency and the gatekeeping role, using a content analysis of 20 weblogs dealing with politics or civic affairs. Although expressions of opinion are common, most journalists are seeking to remain gatekeepers even in this highly interactive and participatory format. Political j-bloggers use links extensively - but mostly to other mainstream media sites. At least in their early use, journalists are ‘normalizing’ the blog as a component, and in some ways an enhancement, of traditional journalistic norms and practices.
News about the EU Constitution
Authors: Gleissner Martin , de Vreese Claes H.
Published: April 2005

This multi-method study investigates how news media in Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands covered the Convention’s preparation of the European Union Constitution. The study draws on interviews with Brussels correspondents and a content analysis of television news and national newspapers. Results show that the Constitution entered and vanished from the media agenda, the tone of the coverage was predominantly negative, and the issue was reported from a European angle. Explanations of these results come from journalists’ relations with EU institutions, their home news organizations, and their perception of the audience.
Constructing the ‘cinematic tourist’
Authors: Tzanelli Rodanthi
Published: April 2005

The article examines the relationship between the culture (film) and tourist industries, suggesting that we reconsider the validity of their analytical differentiation. Contextually, it focuses on the generation of a new tourist industry in New Zealand after the global success of the cinematic ‘trilogy’ The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) (dir. Peter Jackson). It is argued that the LOTR tourist industry is characterized by simulation of a fantasy to such an extent, that we must reconsider the notion of ‘authenticity’ to examine this film-induced type of tourism. More insight is gained in this direction when we explore reactions of film viewers, and the way that commercial tourist providers use the films in the manufacturing of the tourist experience. The article also explores the response this global success instigated in New Zealand, making some observations on the relationship between cultural appropriation in tourist consumption, and cultural self-recognition.
The tourist gaze goes on-line
Authors: Wilson Tony , Suraya Raja Mazhatul Yasmin
Published: April 2005

Writing from within the analytic horizons of media reception studies, the article argues that the structuring moments of the ‘tourist gaze’ (Urry, 1995) are exemplified in client ludic looking on-line at the tourism information, marketing and purchasing screens authored by industry and state. Hermeneutic philosophers foreground the processes of understanding, of arriving at a text’s interpretation. In cognitive play, they assert, significance is created on screen or read elsewhere. Using the Internet instantiates processes of comprehension resulting in cultural varieties of understanding content. Articulating (ten) moments or aspects of ‘play’, the article explores the multiple ways in which tourists constitute themselves as viewers, their cognitive, pleasurable, political and even physical behaviour in response to the screen’s mediated meaning. Ludic, they go on-line.
Using reflective writing within research
Authors: Jasper Melanie A.
Published: April 2005

Reflective writing has become established as a key component of reflective practice, and central to the notion of learning from experience. Claims are made in the reflective practice literature of the capacity for reflective writing to develop the writer’s critical thinking and analytical abilities, contribute to their cognitive development, enable creativity and unique connections to be made between disparate sets of information, and to contribute to new perspectives being taken on issues. All of these are attributes to be expected in competent researchers. Thus, this paper considers the features of reflective writing and its use within qualitative research as a method in its own right, as a data source and within the analytical processes. It is argued that, although reflective writing is increasingly becoming visible within qualitative research reports, it needs to be further acknowledged as central to the methodological processes within research studies and recognised as an essential part of their methodology.
The Effect of Extrusion Conditions and Material Properties on the Gas Permeation Properties of LDPE/LLDPE Silage Wrap Films
Authors: McNally Gerry M. , Laffin Christopher , Forristal P. D. , O’Kiely Padraig , Small Christopher M.
Published: April 2005

This study investigates the effect of extrusion processing conditions and comonomer type on the gas permeation properties of LLDPE films containing polyisobutylene (PIB). The results show improved gas barrier properties with increasing polymer density and with increases in film crystallinity and orientation as a result of extrusion processing conditions such as blow-up ratios.
Evidence for a protective role of the Gardos channel against hemolysis in murine spherocytosis
Authors: De Franceschi Lucia , Rivera Alicia , Fleming Mark D. , Honczarenko Marek , Peters Luanne L. , Gascard Philippe , Mohandas Narla , Brugnara Carlo
Published: April 2005

It has been shown that mice with complete deficiency of all 4.1R protein isoforms (4.1-/-) exhibit moderate hemolytic anemia, with abnormal erythrocyte morphology (spherocytosis) and decreased membrane stability. Here, we characterized the Gardos channel function in vitro and in vivo in erythrocytes of 4.1-/- mice. Compared with wild-type, the Gardos channel of 4.1-/- erythrocytes showed an increase in Vmax (9.75 ± 1.06 vs 6.08 ± 0.09 mM cell × minute; P < .04) and a decrease in Km (1.01 ± 0.06 vs 1.47 ± 1.02 μM; P < .03), indicating an increased sensitivity to activation by intracellular calcium. In vivo function of the Gardos channel was assessed by the oral administration of clotrimazole, a well-characterized Gardos channel blocker. Clotrimazole treatment resulted in worsening of anemia and hemolysis, with decreased red cell survival and increased numbers of circulating hyperchromic spherocytes and microspherocytes. Clotrimazole induced similar changes in 4.2-/- and band 3+/- mice, indicating that these effects of the Gardos channel are shared in different models of murine spherocytosis. Thus, potassium and water loss through the Gardos channel may play an important protective role in compensating for the reduced surface-membrane area of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) erythrocytes and reducing hemolysis in erythrocytes with cytoskeletal impairments. (Blood. 2005;106:1454-1459)
Expression of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 in experimentally infected humans
Authors: Lavstsen Thomas , Magistrado Pamela , Hermsen Cornelus C , Salanti Ali , Jensen Anja TR , Sauerwein Robert , Hviid Lars , Theander Thor G , Staalsoe Trine
Published: April 2005

Background

Parasites causing severe malaria in non-immune patients express a restricted subset of variant surface antigens (VSA), which are better recognized by immune sera than VSA expressed during non-severe disease in semi-immune individuals. The most prominent VSA are the var gene-encoded Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family, which is expressed on the surface of infected erythrocytes where it mediates binding to endothelial receptors. Thus, severe malaria may be caused by parasites expressing PfEMP1 variants that afford parasites optimal sequestration in immunologically naïve individuals and high effective multiplication rates.

Methods

var gene transcription was analysed using real time PCR and PfEMP1 expression by western blots as well as immune plasma recognition of parasite cultures established from non-immune volunteers shortly after infection with NF54 sporozoites.

Results

In cultures representing the first generation of parasites after hepatic release, all var genes were transcribed, but GroupA var genes were transcribed at the lowest levels. In cultures established from second or third generation blood stage parasites of volunteers with high in vivo parasite multiplication rates, the var gene transcription pattern differed markedly from the transcription pattern of the cultures representing first generation parasites. This indicated that parasites expressing specific var genes, mainly belonging to group A and B, had expanded more effectively in vivo compared to parasites expressing other var genes. The differential expression of PfEMP1 was confirmed at the protein level by immunoblot analysis. In addition, serological typing showed that immune sera more often recognized second and third generation parasites than first generation parasites.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the results presented here support the hypothesis that parasites causing severe malaria express a subset of PfEMP1, which bestows high parasite growth rates in individuals with limited pre-existing immunity.
Reduced coronary flow reserve in Anderson-Fabry disease measured by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography
Authors: Dimitrow Paweł Petkow , Krzanowski Marek , Undas Anetta
Published: April 2005

Coronary flow reserve was assessed in a patient with Anderson-Fabry disease complicated by symmetric left ventricular hypertrophy. Coronary flow reserve was measurable in all three major coronary arteries providing an opportunity to compare regional coronary flow reserve from different vascular beds. In this patient all the three vascular beds supplied diffusely hypertrophied myocardium. Coronary flow disturbances in small intramyocardial perforating arteries were visible. The coronary flow reserve was reduced to a similar level (around to 2.0) in all three major arteries. In our patient with Anderson-Fabry disease, the coronary vasodilatation was blunted in a diffuse pattern corresponding to the myocardial hypertrophy distribution. In small intramyocardial arteries coronary flow was also disturbed. Accordingly, retrograde systolic flow and accelerated anterograde diastolic flow were documented.
Psychosocial factors and their role in chronic pain: A brief review of development and current status
Authors: Innes Stanley I
Published: April 2005

The belief that pain is a direct result of tissue damage has dominated medical thinking since the mid 20th Century. Several schools of psychological thought proffered linear causal models to explain non-physical pain observations such as phantom limb pain and the effects of placebo interventions. Psychological research has focused on identifying those people with acute pain who are at risk of transitioning into chronic and disabling pain, in the hope of producing better outcomes.

Several multicausal Cognitive Behavioural models dominate the research landscape in this area. They are gaining wider acceptance and some aspects are being integrated and implemented into a number of health care systems. The most notable of these is the concept of Yellow Flags. The research to validate the veracity of such programs has not yet been established.

In this paper I seek to briefly summarize the development of psychological thought, both past and present, then review current cognitive-behavioural models and the available supporting evidence. I conclude by discussing these factors and identifying those that have been shown to be reliable predictors of chronicity and those that may hold promise for the future.
Lessons for cluster randomized trials in the twenty-first century: a systematic review of trials in primary care
Authors: Eldridge Sandra M , Ashby Deborah , Feder Gene S , Rudnicka Alicja R , Ukoumunne Obioha C
Published: April 2005

Background Evidence suggests that cluster randomized trials are often poorly designed and analysed. There is little recent research on the methodologic quality of cluster randomized trials and none focuses on primary health care where these trials are increasingly common.

Methods We conducted a systematic review of recent cluster randomized trials in primary health care, searching the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. We also searched for unpublished trials in conference proceedings, and the UK National Research Register. We assess methodologic quality using a checklist, articulate problems facing investigators conducting these trials, and examine the extent to which carrying out a cluster randomized trial (as opposed to an individually randomized trial) in primary care may reduce power.

Results We found 367 trial reports. Many trials were reported more than once. We characterize 152 independent cluster randomized trials in primary health care published between 1997 and 2000, and brie‘y describe 47 trials unpublished at December 2000. The quality of design and analysis was variable. Of published trials reporting sample size calculations 20% accounted for clustering in these calculations, 59% of published trials accounted for clustering in analyses. Unpublished trials were more recent and of higher quality. Reporting quality was better in journals reporting more cluster randomized trials. Many trial investigators reported problems with adherence to protocol, recruitment and type of intervention.

Conclusions Methodologic quality of cluster randomized trials in primary health care is variable and reporting needs improvement. The use of cluster randomization should be indicated in the title or abstract so these kinds of trials are easier to identify. Communicating appropriate methodology to health care researchers continues to be a challenge. Cluster randomized trials should always be piloted and information from pilots and unsuccessful trials shared more widely. Introduction Cluster randomized trials, in which groups or clusters of individuals rather than the individuals themselves are randomized to intervention and control groups, are increasingly popular and particularly common in primary health care. This is because much current primary health service research centres on interventions to improve practice [1], often involving changes in patient behaviour, health professional behaviour, or organization. Controlled trials randomizing individual
Methodology of neuropsychological research in multicentre randomized clinical trials: a model derived from The International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial
Authors: Scott Richard B , Farmer Elly , Smiton Amanda , Tovey Caroline , Clarke Mike , Carpenter Katherine
Published: April 2005

As advances in medicine and surgery lead to reductions in mortality rates for life-threatening conditions, it has become increasingly important to refine the methodology of auditing long-term morbidity. The inclusion of appropriate neuropsychological outcomes in a large multicentre randomized clinical trial poses considerable methodological and logistical difficulties. This paper presents a model developed to implement such a multicentre neuropsychological and quality of life audit for a subset of patients within the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT), the largest ever randomized trial in the treatment of subarachnoid haemorrhage. Based on our experience of collecting quality of life and neuropsychological outcomes from more than 550 patients, data are presented on the relative cost and efficacy of different organizational strategies, methods of canvassing patients and associated response rates. On the basis of this experience, we estimate a potential recruitment pool of 135 cases would be required to obtain some neuropsychological data on 100 cases. The design of any similar trial would therefore need to accommodate a loss to follow-up of approximately one third of the sample. In addition, our experience suggests that for a trial of this size and complexity, the deployment of centrally-based co-ordinators travelling to satellite centres is more cost-effective than employing co-ordinators based at those centres. Extrapolations from the observations and calculations reported here can be employed as an evidence base to inform the design of neuropsychological outcome studies in large multicentre trials.
The membrane-bound histidine acid phosphataseTbMBAP1 is essential for endocytosis and membrane recycling inTrypanosoma brucei
Authors: Engstler Markus , Weise Frank , Bopp Karoline , Grünfelder Christoph G. , Günzel Mark , Heddergott Niko , Overath Peter
Published: April 2005

In the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, endocytosis and exocytosis occur exclusively at an invagination of the plasma membrane around the base of the flagellum, called the flagellar pocket, which actively communicates by vesicular membrane flow with cisternal/tubulovesicular endosomes. The division of the cell surface into three morphologically distinct sub-domains and the rapid plasma membrane turnover establishes T. brucei as an interesting model for investigations on the sorting and recycling of membrane proteins. In this study we show that the type I membrane protein TbMBAP1, an L-(+)-tartrate-sensitive acid phosphatase, is present in all endosomal membranes but is virtually absent from the lysosome membrane (where this type of protein is mainly found in other organisms) and is not detectable at the cell surface. The endosomal localization of TbMBAP1 is a function of protein abundance. Moderate overexpression (three- to fourfold) leads to an increased appearance within the flagellar pocket membrane. At higher levels the protein is found in the flagellum, and routing to the pellicular plasma membrane is observed at levels 10- to 25-fold above that of wild type. In other organisms L-(+)-tartrate-sensitive acid phosphatases appear to be dispensable but TbMBAP1 is essential, as shown by RNA interference, which causes growth arrest followed by cell death. Comparison of the phenotype of TbMBAP1-depleted cells with that of cells in which endocytosis or exocytosis has been specifically inhibited by RNAi against clathrin of RAB11, reveals that TbMBAP1 is essential for both incoming and recycling membrane traffic. During differentiation of the organism from bloodstream to insect stage, TbMBAP1 is down-regulated and differentially modified in parallel with a 10-fold decrease in the rate of endocytosis.
Identification of an upstream regulatory pathway controlling actin-mediated apoptosis in yeast
Authors: Gourlay Campbell W. , Ayscough Kathryn R.
Published: April 2005

The build up of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to contribute to a reduction in the lifespan of a cell and to their degeneration in diseases such as Alzheimer's and tissue ischaemia. It is therefore important to elucidate pathways that regulate cellular oxidative stress. We have previously shown that actin dynamics can affect the oxidative-stress burden on a yeast cell and thereby its potential lifespan. To elucidate further the connection between actin dynamics and oxidative stress, we sought to identify regulators of this process. The actin regulatory proteins Sla1p and End3p are important in maintaining a rapid turnover of F-actin in cortical patches. We show that cells expressing a mutated form of Sla1p or lacking End3p display markers of apoptosis such as depolarized mitochondrial membranes and elevated levels of reactive oxygen species. Overexpression of the ubiquitin ligase RSP5 can alleviate the oxidative-stress phenotype observed in cells lacking End3p by targeting Sla1p to the cortex and restoring actin remodelling capability. We also demonstrate that overexpression of PDE2, a negative regulator of the Ras/cAMP pathway rescues actin dynamics, reduces oxidative stress sensitivity and restores viability in Δend3 cells. Our data suggest, for the first time, that a physiological link exists between actin regulation and cAMP signalling that regulates apoptosis in yeast.
A simple method for assessing muscle function in common marmosets
Authors: Stevens D J , Hornby R J , Cook D L , Griffiths G D , Scott E A M , Pearce P C
Published: April 2005

A novel method of assessing muscle function in the common marmoset was developed as part of a multidisciplinary long-term study. The method involved home cage presentation of a weight-pulling task. Over a 4–5 month period, 38 of 42 animals were successfully trained to displace weights of up to 920 g (mean 612±20 g). Performance, following initial training, was stable and independent of gender or body weight.
Speed and Search: Designing Organizations for Turbulence and Complexity
Authors: Siggelkow Nicolaj , Rivkin Jan W.
Published: April 2005

We use an innovative technique to examine an enduring but recently neglected question: How do environmental turbulence and complexity affect the appropriate formal design of organizations? We construct an agent-based simulation in which multidepartment firms with different designs face environments whose turbulence and complexity we control. The model’s results produce two sets of testable hypotheses. One set pinpoints formal designs that cope well with three different environments: turbulent settings, in which firms must improve their performance speedily; complex environments, in which firms must search broadly; and settings with both turbulence and complexity, in which firms must balance speed and search. The results shed new light on longstanding notions such as equifinality. The other set of hypotheses argues that the impact of individual design elements on speed and search often depends delicately on specific powers granted to department heads, creating effects that run contrary to conventional wisdom and intuition. Ample processing power at the bottom of a firm, for instance, can slow down the improvement and narrow the search of the firm as a whole. Differences arise between our results and conventional wisdom when conventional thinking fails to account for the powers of department heads—powers to withhold information about departmental options, to control decision-making agendas, to veto firmwide alternatives, and to take unilateral action. Our results suggest how future empirical studies of organizational design might be fruitfully coupled with rigorous agent-based modeling efforts.
Blind Ambition? The Effects of Social Networks and Institutional Sex Composition on the Job Search Outcomes of Elite Coeducational and Women’s College Graduates
Authors: Belliveau Maura A.
Published: April 2005

In this paper, I develop a perspective on women’s career attainment focused on how employers’ salary offers may be constructed based on their assumptions regarding women’s access to comparative salary information. Therefore, although the use of social networks in job search may enhance women’s actual knowledge of prevailing wages, I hypothesize that institutional characteristics that employers could assume to constrain women’s networks and concomitant access to salary information will directly affect salary offers, as well as moderating the influence of network ties on pay. To test this perspective, job search outcomes of women attending elite coeducational and women’s colleges were examined. Regarding the number of offers obtained, women who consulted with proportionally more male peer and employed adult male advice ties received significantly more job offers than women using fewer male advice contacts. With regard to salary offers, this study reveals an institutional sex composition effect: women exiting single-sex institutions (i.e., women’s colleges) received significantly lower salary offers than women from coeducational schools, even after accounting for human capital, job characteristics, and institutional reputation. The effects of social networks on pay were moderated by institutional sex composition such that women exiting women’s colleges received lower returns in the form of salary to their cross-gender advice ties than did women from a matched coeducational institution. Implications of these results for theories of social capital and women’s occupational attainment are discussed.
Glucosamine Long-Term Treatment and the Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Poolsup Nalinee , Suthisisang Chutamanee , Channark Patchareeya , Kittikulsuth Wararat
Published: April 2005

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the structural and symptomatic efficacy and safety of glucosamine in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

DATA SOURCES:

Clinical trials of glucosamine were identified through electronic searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, EMB review, the Cochrane Library) using the key words glucosamine, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, degenerative arthritis, osteoarthrosis, gonarthrosis, knee, disease progression, and clinical trial. The bibliographic databases were searched from their respective inception dates to August 2004. We also hand-searched reference lists of relevant articles.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

Studies were included if they were double-blind, randomized, controlled trials that evaluated oral glucosamine long-term treatment in knee OA; lasting at least one year; and reporting as outcome measures the symptom severity and disease progression as assessed by joint space narrowing. Two authors interpreted data independently. Disagreements were resolved through discussion.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

Glucosamine sulfate was more effective than placebo in delaying structural progression in knee OA. The risk of disease progression was reduced by 54% (pooled RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.73; p = 0.0011). The number-needed-to-treat was 9 (95% CI 6 to 20). The pooled effect sizes for pain reduction and improvement in physical function were 0.41 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.60; p < 0.0001) and 0.46 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.66; p < 0.0001), respectively, in favor of glucosamine sulfate. Glucosamine sulfate caused no more adverse effects than placebo.

CONCLUSIONS:

The available evidence suggests that glucosamine sulfate may be effective and safe in delaying the progression and improving the symptoms of knee OA. Due to the sparse data on structural efficacy and safety, further studies are warranted.
Miller Fisher Variant of Guillain—Barré Syndrome Requiring a Cardiac Pacemaker in a Patient on Tacrolimus after Liver Transplantation
Authors: Kaushik Prashant , Cohen Ari J , Zuckerman Steven J , Vatsavai Sundararama R , Pepper Jeremy S , Banda Venkatramana R , Eason James D , Loss George E , Kaushik Richa
Published: April 2005

OBJECTIVE:

To report a case of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), a variant of Guillain—Barré syndrome (GBS) necessitating the placement of a permanent cardiac pacemaker in a patient on tacrolimus after a cadaveric orthotopic liver transplantation.

CASE SUMMARY:

A 46-year-old African American male, who had been receiving tacrolimus 4 mg/day orally for the preceding 6 months, developed a Miller Fisher variant of GBS (severe ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, areflexia). He developed symptomatic sinus pauses requiring a cardiac pacemaker. He improved substantially after cessation of tacrolimus and initiation of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. The patient was not rechallenged with tacrolimus due to the clinical/ethical gravity of this probable adverse effect.

DISCUSSION:

Although different types of neuropathies have been reported with the use of tacrolimus, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a Miller Fisher variant of GBS severe enough to cause dysautonomia requiring a cardiac pacemaker associated with the use of this drug. Causality assessment using the Naranjo probability scale revealed the adverse drug event was probable.

CONCLUSIONS:

Tacrolimus was probably associated with a Miller Fisher variant of GBS necessitating the placement of a permanent cardiac pacemaker in this patient. MFS needs to be considered a potentially life-threatening adverse effect of tacrolimus therapy.
Oxidative cellulose degradation by cellobiose dehydrogenase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium: A model compound study
Authors: Kruså Martin , Henriksson Gunnar , Johansson Gunnar , Reitberger Torbjörn , Lennholm Helena
Published: April 2005

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is an extracellular enzyme produced by various wood-degrading fungi. It oxidizes cellobiose to cellobionolactone under reduction of molecular oxygen to hydrogen peroxide, and Fe3+to Fe2+. These activated agents can thereafter form highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, which depolymerize wood polymers. In this work, cellulose depolymerization by CDH was studied using a model compound, methyl β-D-glucopyranoside. The formation of glucose, arabinose, gluconic acid, erythrulose and formaldehyde were detected and a mechanism for the reaction is proposed. The biological importance of this enzyme-initiated reaction is discussed.
Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil isolated from Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum. wood
Authors: Wang Sheng-Yang , Wu Chi-Lin , Chu Fang-Hua , Chien Shih-Chang , Kuo Yueh-Hsiung , Shyur Lie-Fen , Chang Shang-Tzen
Published: April 2005

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Chamaecyparis formosensis wood has been examined. GC-MS data and retention indices for reference samples were used to identify 32 constituents. α-Eudesmol (18.06%), β-guaiene (8.0%), (–)-β-cadinene (7.89%), γ-costal (7.03%), α-muurolol (6.49%), 4α-hydroxy-4β-methyldihydrocostol (5.52%), σ-selinene (4.78%), santolina triene (4.60%), eremophilene (4.32%), humulene (4.11%), myrtenol (4.11%), and τ-cadinene (3.25%) were the most abundant components. Tests with the typical wood decay fungi, Laetiporus sulphureus and Trametes versicolor, proved the antifungal activity of the oil, as the growth of L. sulphureus and T. versicolor was inhibited at concentrations of 50 and 100 μg ml−1, respectively. The following characteristic volatile compounds were isolated and purified from ethyl acetate fractions: epi-cubenol, chamaecynone, myrtenol, cis-myrtanol, 12-hydroxyisointermedenol and 4α-hydroxy-4β-methyldi-hydrocostol. Chamaecynone possessed the strongest antifungal activity, with an antifungal index of 88.2% and 67.3% for L. sulphureus and T. versicolor at a dose of 50 μg ml−1, respectively.
Characterization of sugar maple wood-polymer composites: Monomer retention and polymer retention
Authors: Zhang Yaolin , Wan Hui , Zhang Shu Yin
Published: April 2005

In this study, sugar maple samples were impregnated with three impregnants by a vacuum and pressure process and in situ polymerized by a catalyst-thermal procedure. The effects of polymeric monomers and their combinations on monomer retention by volume (MRV) and weight (MRW) and polymer retention (PR) were analyzed and the wood was examined by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The three methacrylates chosen as impregnants were methyl methacrylate (MMA), hydroxyethylene methacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The formulation combinations were determined by a mixture design. MRV was similar, regardless of formulation combinations, which indicated that these methacrylates show similar permeability into sugar maple. However, MRW was different between formulation combinations due to differences in monomer density. MRV was inversely related to wood density. PR was related to the combination of impregnants and inversely related to wood density. The impregnants resided in the vessel and the lumen. The morphology of polymers in the wood was different for different treatments due to the distinct molecular structures formed from each polymer.
New insights into wood and cement interaction
Authors: Govin Alexandre , Peschard Arnaud , Fredon Emmanuel , Guyonnet René
Published: April 2005

This work deals with the influence of poplar extractives and poplar alkaline degradation products on the hydration of cement. The wood chemical composition was characterized to determine the impact of soft alkaline conditions on wood fiber. Some of the constituents were hydrolyzed and converted into carboxylic acids, which were identified and quantified. Monitoring by electrical conductivity clearly showed that wood extractives are less effective than wood alkaline degradation products in inhibiting the hydration of cement.
Properties of chemically and mechanically isolated fibres of spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). Part 3: Mechanical characterisation
Authors: Burgert Ingo , Eder Michaela , Frühmann Klaus , Keckes Jozef , Fratzl Peter , Stanzl-Tschegg Stefanie
Published: April 2005

Microtensile investigations were carried out on chemically and mechanically isolated fibres that had similar dimensions before isolation. The properties calculated for the fibres were nearly identical for the two isolation methods. However, cell wall cross-sections of chemically isolated fibres shrank much more transversely than those of the mechanically isolated fibres.
Efficacy of a copper(II)/oxine copper wood preservative mixture after 69 months of outdoor ground-contact exposure and a proposed mechanism to explain the observed synergism
Authors: Schultz Tor P. , Nicholas Darrel D. , Henry William P.
Published: April 2005

Ground-contact stakes, made from defect-free southern yellow pine sapwood, were treated with water-borne copper(II) [ammoniacal copper carbonate, ACC, Cu(II)] alone, oil-borne oxine copper (Cu-8) alone, or a dual treatment of ACC followed by drying and then Cu-8. The treated stakes were installed at two locations in Mississippi (Dorman Lake and Saucier) in high- or severe-deterioration hazard zones and inspected after 69 months of exposure. Stakes treated with Cu(II) alone at the highest retention of 5.1 kg m−3 [copper retention is based on the copper oxide (CuO) weight, as is standard in the US] performed moderately well at the Saucier test site, with decay and termite ratings of 8.0 out of 10.0, but unsatisfactory at the Dorman Lake test plot, with decay and termite ratings both below 7.0. Samples treated with Cu-8 alone at the highest retention of 1.92 kg m−3 had poor termite protection, with ratings below 7 at both sites, and only fair decay ratings of 7.0 (Dorman Lake) and 7.6 (Saucier). In contrast, all stakes treated with Cu(II)/Cu-8 combinations, with at least 2.4 kg m−3 Cu(II) and 0.2 kg m−3 Cu-8, performed satisfactorily, with average decay and termite ratings all above 8.0 at both locations. The addition of Cu(II) to Cu-8 likely causes the di-ligand form [bis(8-hydroxyquinolinolate)Cu(II)] to equilibrate principally to the mono form. Thus, the combination of Cu(II) and Cu-8 appears to form a new compound with greater efficacy than either of the two starting “reagents” and, consequently, this mixture is not literally synergistic. Possible advantages of mono Cu-8 include: (1) the mono form may be easier to formulate in a water- or solvent-borne system than the commercial bis-Cu-8 biocide; (2) the preservative would have a relatively low metal content, which may make future disposal of treated wood easier; (3) this system would likely have much fewer metal corrosion problems than preservative systems formulated with uncomplexed copper(II); and (4) the two copper coordination sites that are not complexed with the ligand could bind to the carboxylic or phenolic groups in wood to make the mono form relatively leach-resistant.
Redundancy and Synergy of Neuronal Ensembles in Motor Cortex
Authors: Narayanan Nandakumar S. , Kimchi Eyal Y. , Laubach Mark
Published: April 2005

We examined the ability of neuronal ensembles from rat motor cortex to predict behavioral performance during a reaction time task. We found that neurons that were the best individual predictors of task performance were not necessarily the neurons that contributed the most predictive information to an ensemble of neurons. To understand this result, we applied a framework for quantifying statistical relationships between neurons (Schneidman et al., 2003) to all possible combinations of neurons within our ensembles. We found that almost all neurons (96%) contributed redundant predictive information to the ensembles. This redundancy resulted in the maintenance of predictive information despite the removal of many neurons from each ensemble. Moreover, the balance of synergistic and redundant interactions depended on the number of neurons in the ensemble. Small ensembles could exhibit synergistic interactions (e.g., 23 ± 9% of ensembles with two neurons were synergistic). In contrast, larger ensembles exhibited mostly redundant interactions (e.g., 99 ± 0.1% of ensembles with eight neurons were redundant). We discuss these results with regard to constraints on interpreting neuronal ensemble data and with respect to motor cortex involvement in reaction time performance.
Nerve Growth Factor Rapidly Increases Muscarinic Tone in Mouse Medial Septum/Diagonal Band of Broca
Authors: Wu Chia-wen K. , Yeh Hermes H.
Published: April 2005

Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been implicated in maintaining and regulating normal functioning of the septohippocampal pathway. However, many aspects of its physiological actions and the underlying mechanisms await elucidation. In this study, we investigated the effect of acute NGF exposure on neurons in the mouse medial septum/diagonal band of Broca (MS/DB), focusing on the cholinergic neurons and the subpopulation of noncholinergic neurons that were identified to be putatively GABAergic. We report that MS/DB neurons in a thin slice preparation, when exposed to NGF via bath perfusion, rapidly and indiscriminately increased the rate of spontaneous firing in all MS/DB neurons. However, focal application of NGF to individual MS/DB neurons increased spontaneous firing in cholinergic, but not in the noncholinergic, subpopulation. The NGF-induced effect on cholinergic neurons was direct, requiring activation and signaling via TrkA receptors, which were immunohistochemically localized to the cholinergic neurons in the MS/DB. TrkA receptors were absent in putative GABAergic MS/DB neurons, and blockade of TrkA signaling in these and other noncholinergic neurons had no effect on their firing activity after exposure to NGF. Conversely, methyl scopolamine, blocked the increased firing activity of noncholinergic neurons during bath perfusion of NGF. We propose a cell type-specific mode of action for NGF in the MS/DB. The neurotrophin directly enhances cholinergic neuronal activity in the MS/DB through TrkA-mediated signaling, increasing acetylcholine release and, thus, muscarinic tone. This increase in muscarinic tone, in turn, results in heightened firing activity in noncholinergic MS/DB neurons.
The intimacy of state power: Marriage, liberation, and socialist subjects in southeastern China
Authors: Friedman Sara L.
Published: April 2005

Marriage is a powerful institution in which state regulation and sexual normalization converge to link personal desires with state goals. In socialist China, marital reforms have been part of the regime's efforts to cultivate liberated socialist subjects. I focus on a coastal region known for its distinctive marriage customs, arguing that the development of socialist state power there was premised on the forging of female subjects committed to new ideals of conjugal intimacy. Although these ideals were introduced in the high socialist Maoist era, they were only realized in the current post‐Mao era, with its coupling of market reforms and societal openness with family planning policies. This outcome suggests that different configurations of state and economy have had different capacities to define subjectivities at once intimate and political. Even when state actors succeed in shaping their citizens' intimate desires and relationships, they do not necessarily produce political subjects committed to the state's original goals.
Aeromonas species isolated from PINTADO fish (Pseudoplatystoma sp): virulence factors and drug susceptibility
Authors: Rall Vera Lúcia Mores , Iaria Sebastião Timo , Heidtmann Sandra , Pimenta Fabiana Cristina , Gamba Rosa Carvalho , Pedroso Débora Midori Myaki
Published: April 2005

Aeromonas has been described as an emergent foodborne pathogen of increasing importance. In this study, we report that 48% of 50 Pintado fish samples collected at the retail market of São Paulo city were positive for Aeromonas sp, as detected by the direct plating method. When the presence/absence method was used, the positivity was 42%. A. caviae was the most frequent species, followed by A. hydrophila and A. sobria. Production of cytotoxic enterotoxin, observed in suckling mouse assay, was detected in 67% of A. sobria strains, in 60% of A. hydrophila strains and in 40% of A. caviae strains. In vitro tests, performed with HEp-2 cells, showed that 88% of A. hydrophila, 27% of A. sobria and 13% of A. caviae strains were positive for this toxin. The in vivo production of cytotonic enterotoxin, tested after heating the filtrates at 56ºC for 20 minutes, was detected in 17% of A. sobria, in 10% of A. caviae and in none of A. hydrophila strains in vivo. All analyzed strains did not alter HEp-2 cells. 20% and 16% of A. sobria and A. caviae isolates, respectively, presented capacity to adhere to HEp-2 cells. In counterpart, invasion of HEp-2 cells was not observed in any isolate. The Aeromonas isolates were sensitive to the majority of the antimicrobiol agents tested.
Sugar-cane juice induces pectin lyase and polygalacturonase in Penicillium griseoroseum
Authors: Minussi Rosana Cristina , Soares-Ramos Juliana Rocha Lopes , Coelho Jorge Luiz Cavalcante , Silva Daison Olzany
Published: April 2005

The use of other inducers as substitutes for pectin was studied aiming to reduce the production costs of pectic enzymes. The effects of sugar-cane juice on the production of pectin lyase (PL) and polygalacturonase (PG) by Penicillium griseoroseum were investigated. The fungus was cultured in a mineral medium (pH 6.3) in a rotary shaker (150 rpm) for 48 h at 25oC. Culture media were supplemented with yeast extract and sucrose or sugar-cane juice. Sugar-cane juice added singly to the medium promoted higher PL activity and mycelial dry weight when compared to pectin and the use of sugar-cane juice and yeast extract yielded levels of PG activity that were similar to those obtained with sucrose-yeast extract or pectin. The results indicated that, even at low concentrations, sugar-cane juice was capable of inducing pectin lyase and polygalacturonase with no cellulase activity in P. griseoroseum.
High biodegradation levels of 4,5,6-trichloroguaiacol by Bacillus sp. isolated from cellulose pulp mill effluent
Authors: Tondo E.C. , Andretta C.W.S. , Souza C.F.V. , Monteiro A.L. , Henriques J.A.P. , Ayub M.A.Z.
Published: April 2005

An aerobic Gram positive spore-forming bacterium was isolated from cellulose pulp mill effluent. This microorganism, identified as Bacillus sp. and named IS13, was able to rapidly degrade the organic chlorinated compound 4,5,6-trichloroguaiacol (4,5,6-TCG) from a culture containing 50 mg/l, which corresponds to about 3x104 times the concentration found in the original effluent. The biodegradation of this compound, usually found in cellulose pulp mill effluents, was evaluated by spectrophotometry and gas chromatography analysis. During 4,5,6-TCG decreasing, the lack of by-products had shown by such analysis lead to verify the possibility of either adsorption or absorption of 4,5,6-TCG by the cells, instead of real biodegradation. There were no traces of 4,5,6-TCG after lysozyme and SDS cell disruption. Vigorous extraction was applied before spectrophotometry analysis and there was no release of residual 4,5,6-TCG. Plasmid isolation was attempted by using different protocols. The best results were reached by CTAB method, but no plasmid DNA was found in Bacillus sp. IS13. The results suggest that genes located at the bacterial chromosome might mediate the high decrease of 4,5,6-TCG. The importance of this work is that, in being a natural ocurring microorganism, Bacillus sp. IS13, can be used as inoculum in plant effluents to best organochlorinated compounds biodegradation.
Cervicovaginal aerobic microflora of women with spontaneous abortion or preterm delivery in Araraquara-Brazil
Authors: Raddi Maria Stella G. , Lorencetti Nancy C.
Published: April 2005

Microbiological routine exams of endocervix and vaginal specimens of 22 women with clinical history of recent spontaneous abortion or premature rupture of membranes were accomplished. Chlamydia trachomatis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Candida sp and Gardnerella vaginalis were recovered from 54.5% (12) of the women. Ureaplasma urealyticum was frequently isolated (45.5%) but 5 out of 22 had U. urealyticum only. Our report stands for the importance of quantitative as well as qualitative investigation on genital microflora in pregnant women, since it is likely to influence on pregnancy outcome.