bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of oil films on moisture vapor absorption on human hair
Authors: Keis K. , Huemmer C. L. , Kamath Y. K.
Published: September 2010

In this paper sorption and desorption of water vapor on hair fibers treated with various oils is investigated, using a dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) apparatus. Results show lower ‘equilibrium’ sorption of moisture for various oil‐treated samples compared with the untreated sample. Coconut oil‐treated hair had a higher regain than mineral oil‐treated hair. Although treating the hair samples with oil reduced moisture pickup, a considerable amount of moisture vapor was still able to penetrate into hair fibers. Calculated hysteresis plots show that the samples treated with different oils have slightly higher moisture retention at low relative humidities compared to that of the untreated sample, which suggests a beneficial effect. The calculated moisture diffusion coefficients for oil‐treated samples were much lower compared with the untreated hair fibers, suggesting that surface oil films and penetrated oil molecules form a diffusion barrier. A moisture diffusion model is discussed in terms of the possible role of fiber swelling on restrictive narrowing of the cell membrane complexes (CMCs), which form the diffusion pathways in the fiber. The effect of film thickness on moisture absorption and the reverting of the sorption isotherm to that of the untreated hair after removal of the oil film show that oil film is the main resistance to moisture diffusion. The lowering of the diffusion coefficient of water vapor by oil films will slow the loss of moisture, an effect similar to ‘moisturization’ of hair.
Combing damage to hair cuticle structure
Authors: Ram Ramaprasad K. , Ruetsch S. B. , Weigmann H‐D. , Kamath Y. K.
Published: September 2010

Optical probing of hair fibres is an elegant, non‐invasive method to monitor the fibre surface and its changes with various grooming protocols. In this paper, a goniophotometer with a He‐Ne light source was used to study reflection profiles from single hair fibres in both the root‐to‐tip and tip‐to‐root orientations of the fibre. The calculated scale angle (the inclination of the cuticle to the fibre axis) was used as a monitor to study combing damage in hair to demonstrate the usefulness of the method. It was shown that progressive dry combing of hair leads to cuticle thinning or abrasive damage, and wet combing results in cuticle breaking or ablative damage. Further, the use of a conditioner active like a polyquaternium‐10 largely mitigates both types of damage. These findings were supported by the results of a parallel scanning electron microscopic study.
Evidence for the existence of a body‐brain connection for skin moisturization
Authors: Wiechers Johann W. , Rawlings Anthony V. , Hansen Wei G.
Published: September 2010

Maintenance of the right water levels in the skin is of crucial importance to maintain healthy, young‐looking skin. Moisturizing products have therefore aimed to influence the constitutive levels of natural moisturizer factor (NMF) and/or the formation of the skin lipid barrier. In humans, keratinocyte differentiation is influenced by sex hormones, in particular positively by estrogen and negatively by testosterone. It has been noted that postmenopausal women experience a decline in estrogen levels and a concomitant drop in skin moisturization. In our previous near‐infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy work on human skin, we noted that skin moisturization was influenced by gender, age, psychological stress and lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and smoking. Many of these also affect the level of sex hormones. We therefore re‐evaluated NIR spectra from which we had already assessed the levels of skin moisturization in human volunteers to determine their levels of estrogen and testosterone non‐invasively. We subsequently built mathematical models to link skin moisture content to the levels of these sex hormones. In this way, we were able to establish the importance of sex hormones in skin moisturization. In men, skin moisturization levels are linked to their estrogen levels, whereas in females, skin moisturization levels are linked to both estrogen and testosterone concentrations. From the medical literature, it is known that smoking is associated with increased testosterone and reduced estrogen levels, which suggests that people that smoke are characterized by less hydrated skin as well as by increased testosterone levels. On the other hand, pregnant females that have significantly elevated estrogen to progesterone ratios, i.e. their increase in estrogen level exceeds their increase in testosterone levels, also often remark that their skin is well hydrated, confirming the link between sex hormone levels and skin moisturization. For them, we found a good correlation coefficient for skin moisturization levels and their estrogen to testosterone ratio.

This work does not, however, answer question of a cause‐and‐effect relationship between the two. Increased levels of estrogen can either directly increase skin moisture levels or do so via a positive effect on skin barrier formation. It does, however, reveal once again the existence of a connection between our body (the skin) and our brain. Synthesis of sex hormones is regulated via the pituitary gland in our brain and it can therefore be argued that skin moisturization is directly or indirectly regulated via our brain. As many other factors like smoking and alcohol consumption actually influence estrogen levels in our blood, the influence of our brain on maintaining a skin moisture homeostasis may actually be much more pronounced than hitherto assumed.
Change in optical properties of stratum corneum induced by protein carbonylation in vitro
Authors: Iwai I. , Ikuta K. , Murayama K. , Hirao T.
Published: September 2010

Synopsis

The skin is the frontier against the external environment and continuously exposed to the environmental oxidative stress such as ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Protein carbonyls are the major oxidative products of protein and may be introduced by reaction with aldehydes derived from lipid peroxide. Acrolein is one of the most reactive aldehydes generated during degradation of lipid peroxides and protein–acrolein adducts have been found in the oxidatively damaged lesion including UV‐damaged skin. Recent studies revealed that protein carbonyls are also detected in thin outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC). However, the effect of protein carbonylation on the function of SC was still unclear. In this study, we treated the SC sheets of reconstructed human epidermis and porcine epidermis with acrolein in the experimental conditions to explore the influence of protein carbonylation on the SC. Human and porcine SC sheets treated with acrolein showed less transmission at visible light than untreated SC sheets. Attenuated total reflection‐infrared spectroscopy with curve fitting analysis of amide I region showed that acrolein induced alterations in protein secondary structure of the porcine SC sheets, which were accompanied by diminished fibrous keratin structure observed by transmission electron microscopy. These results show the possibility that carbonylation of the SC caused by environmental factors is one of factors altering the fibrous structure of keratin and decreasing the light transmission of SC, which changes the quality of the skin appearance.
Male pattern androgenetic alopecia in an Indian context: a perspective study
Authors: Sehgal VN , Kak R , Aggarwal A , Srivastava G , Rajput P
Published: September 2010

Background  Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) has received scant attention, despite it being a common entity that may result in significant psychosocial morbidity. There are some patients who do not fit into any of the proposed types. Moreover, there have been no published studies of pattern and prevalence of AGA in males in an Indian context. Hence, the present study was an attempt to classify AGA in males with the aim of producing a simple, effective and easily reproducible classification.

Methods  In total, 150 male patients were clinically diagnosed as AGA. After obtaining informed consent from all patients, a detailed history/examination was carried out, including a hair pull test, a trichogram investigation and a biopsy. Classification of AGA was subsequently attempted across Norwood guidelines.

Results  A gradual shift in the type of AGA from the earlier types (II and III) to more severe types (VI) with increasing age was significant. Twenty‐seven patients did not fit into specific patterns according to Hamilton and Norwood classifications. In addition, type ‘a’ variant was recorded in 20% of patients, clearly indicating limitations of the existing classifications.

Conclusions  It was possible to classify 80% of the AGA, with II (28%) and III (15%) being the most common types of AGA. Twenty‐seven patients (18%) could not be classified as a significant finding. There was considerable overlap in types IV, V and VI in the Norwood classification with the ‘a’ variants further confusing the picture.
Neuroimmune mechanisms in patients with atopic dermatitis during chronic stress
Authors: Lonne‐Rahm SB , Rickberg H , El‐Nour H , Mårin P , Azmitia EC , Nordlind K
Published: September 2010

Objective  To identify pathoaetiological neuroimmune mechanisms in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic stress, focusing at nerve density, sensory neuropeptides, and the serotonergic system.

Methods  Eleven patients with AD with histories of stress worsening were included. Biopsies from involved and non‐involved skin were processed for immunohistochemistry. Salivary cortisol test was done as a marker for chronic stress.

Results  There were more acanthosis and fewer nerve fibres in epidermis and papillary dermis of involved compared with non‐involved skin. Whereas there was no significant change in the number of substance P and calcitonin gene‐related peptide–positive nerve fibres between the involved and non‐involved skin, there was an increase in the epidermal fraction of 5‐hydroxtrytamine 1A (5‐HT1A) receptor and serotonin transporter protein (SERT) immunoreactivity in the involved skin. The number of 5‐HT2AR, CD3‐positive cells, and SERT‐positive cells, most of them being CD3 positive, was increased in involved skin. There was an increase in mast cells in the involved skin, and these cells were often located close to the basement membrane. There was a strong tendency to a correlation between 5‐HT2AR positive cells in the papillary dermis of involved skin and low cortisol ratios, being an indicator of chronic stress.

Conclusion  A changed innervation and modulation of the serotonergic system are indicated in chronic atopic eczema also during chronic stress.
Ryanodine receptors regulate arterial diameter and wall [Ca2+] in cerebral arteries of rat via Ca2+‐dependent K+ channels
Authors: Knot Harm J. , Standen Nicholas B. , Nelson Mark T.
Published: September 2010

The effects of inhibitors of ryanodine‐sensitive calcium release (RyR) channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and Ca2+‐dependent potassium (KCa) channels on the membrane potential, intracellular [Ca2+], and diameters of small pressurized (60 mmHg) cerebral arteries (100‐200 μm) were studied using digital fluorescence video imaging of arterial diameter and wall [Ca2+], combined with microelectrode measurements of arterial membrane potential.

Ryanodine (10 μM), an inhibitor of RyR channels, depolarized by 9 mV, increased intracellular [Ca2+] by 46 nM and constricted pressurized (to 60 mmHg) arteries with myogenic tone by 44 μm (≈22 %). Iberiotoxin (100 nM), a blocker of KCa channels, under the same conditions, depolarized the arteries by 10 mV, increased arterial wall calcium by 51 nM, and constricted by 37 μm (≈19 %). The effects of ryanodine and iberiotoxin were not additive and were blocked by inhibitors of voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels.

Caffeine (10 mM), an activator of RyR channels, transiently increased arterial wall [Ca2+] by 136 ± 9 nM in control arteries and by 158 ± 12 nM in the presence of iberiotoxin. Caffeine was relatively ineffective in the presence of ryanodine, increasing [calcium] by 18 ± 5 nM.

In the presence of blockers of voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels (nimodipine, diltiazem), ryanodine and inhibitors of the SR calcium ATPase (thapsigargin, cyclopiazonic acid) were without effect on arterial wall [Ca2+] and diameter.

These results suggest that local Ca2+ release originating from RyR channels (Ca2+ sparks) in the SR of arterial smooth muscle regulates myogenic tone in cerebral arteries solely through activation of KCa channels, which regulate membrane potential through tonic hyperpolarization, thus limiting Ca2+ entry through L‐type voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels. KCa channels therefore act as a negative feedback control element regulating arterial diameter through a reduction in global intracellular free [Ca2+].
Convergence properties of solitary tract neurones driven synaptically by cardiac vagal afferents in the mouse
Authors: Paton Julian F. R.
Published: September 2010

Cardiac vagal receptors are chemically and/or mechanically sensitive but it is unknown if this information is preserved centrally within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). The present study had two aims: first, to investigate qualitatively whether both mechanically and chemically sensitive cardiac vagal encoding were preserved within the NTS, and second, to determine the patterns of convergence from other cardiorespiratory afferents to NTS neurones receiving cardiac vagal inputs.

The extracellular activity of single NTS neurones was investigated during stimulation of both chemically and mechanically sensitive cardiac vagal receptors in a working heart‐brainstem preparation of mouse. Chemically sensitive cardiac receptors were stimulated using intra‐left ventricular injections of either veratridine (1‐3 μg kg−1), bradykinin (0.25‐1 μg) or prostaglandin E2 (100‐200 ng), whereas the left ventricle was distended to activate cardiac mechanoreceptors.

Forty‐three NTS neurones were activated both synaptically by electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral vagus nerve (latency, 35 ± 3 ms), and by intra‐left ventricular injection of veratridine and also, in some cases, by bradykinin and/or PGE2. These NTS neurones were delineated into two populations based on their response to left ventricular distension and convergence properties. Left ventricular distension‐insensitive neurones (n= 30) were excited by stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors (81 %) but not arterial baroreceptors (3 %; i.e. n= 1 neurone), whereas distension‐sensitive cells (n= 13) were activated mainly by baroreceptors (86 %) rather than peripheral chemoreceptors (14 %; i.e. n= 1 neurone).

The data reveal two distinct populations of NTS neurones receiving cardiac vagal inputs: (a) cells responsive to veratridine stimulation only, and (b) neurones activated by both veratridine and mechanical stimuli. The specific convergence pattern of baroreceptors and chemoreceptors to these cardioreceptive NTS neurones is discussed in relation to a common afferent modality integration within the NTS.
Excursion is important in regulating sarcomere number in the growing rabbit tibialis anterior
Authors: Koh Timothy J. , Herzog Walter
Published: September 2010

The mechanical signal(s) that may be important in regulating the number of sarcomeres in series in skeletal muscle fibres or fascicles (sarcomere number) remain(s) speculative, in part because the in vivo mechanical environment of muscle has not yet been defined during sarcomere number perturbations. In the present study, measurements of the in vivo mechanical environment were used to test the hypothesis that increasing muscle excursion results in increased serial sarcomere addition in growing animals.

The tibialis anterior (TA) was released from its retinacular restraint at the ankle joint to increase muscle excursion in 4‐week‐old female New Zealand White rabbits. Twelve weeks post release, muscle excursion and sarcomere number were significantly increased for released TAs compared with control TAs.

General cage activity over a 24 h period and in vivo ankle joint kinematics of the experimental leg during hopping on a treadmill were not significantly different between control and release groups, suggesting that altered animal and joint activity patterns were not responsible for the increased serial sarcomere addition associated with TA release.

In vivo TA forces during hopping and during a large force‐producing foot‐flicking motion were significantly decreased in released TAs compared with control TAs. Chronically decreased force production may have been involved in the decreased longitudinal tendon growth observed for the released TA compared with the control TA, which, in turn, may have stimulated the increase in serial sarcomere addition. However, increasing force production of the released TA by partial ablation of the extensor digitorum longus did not inhibit the increase in serial sarcomere addition.

The results of this study support the hypothesis that increasing excursion results in increased serial sarcomere addition in growing animals and, when combined with the results of previous studies indicating that decreasing excursion results in decreased serial sarcomere addition, support the working hypothesis that excursion is important in regulating sarcomere number in growing animals.
COMPARISON – ITS SCOPE AND LIMITS
Authors: BRADSHAW A. D.
Published: September 2010

Summary

At any point in time, any discipline in science tends to be seized by a particular methodology or enthusiasm and other approaches get ‘dumped’. So it is in ecology‐ although, because of obstinate individualism, nothing is ever completely forgotten. We are currently in a reductionist, population‐dominated era. Twenty‐five years ago, our interests lay primarily in comparisons of species. In between, the holistic approach has had a good run with studies of ecosystems everywhere. This introductory paper reflects on this history and particularly, because of the occasion, examines the value of the process of comparison.
Tonic and Phasic Electrodermal Measures of Human Aversive Conditioning with Long Duration Stimuli
Authors: Lovibond Peter F.
Published: September 2010

Two experiments investigated phasic and tonic electrodermal responding to long, variable‐duration stimuli in aversive conditioning procedures. Experiment 1 demonstrated reliable differential conditioning on both phasic (first interval response, FIR) and tonic (change in skin conductance level, δSCL; spontaneous fluctuations) measures, using 10–40‐s slides as conditioned stimuli (CSs) and electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Experiment 2 examined the sensitivity of phasic and tonic measures to UCS aversiveness. Both FIR and δSCL were greater to a conditioned stimulus paired with shock than one paired with an innocuous reaction‐time warning tone. Responding was reversed when the reinforcement contingencies were reversed. It was suggested that, with long duration CSs and an aversive UCS, phasic measures to stimulus onset, such as FIR, may reflect both stimulus significance and threat appraisal, whereas tonic measures reflect primarily arousal or anxiety arising from anticipation of the aversive unconditioned stimulus.
Fearfulness and Startle Potentiation during Aversive Visual Stimuli
Authors: Cook Edwin W. , Davis Tammy L. , Hawk Larry W. , Spence Ellen L. , Gautier Clara H.
Published: September 2010

Recent experimental research suggests an association between negative affect and potentiation of the human startle reflex, as well as enhancement of this effect among fearful compared to low fear subjects. In the present study, 32 undergraduates were selected for high or low total Fear Survey Schedule scores. Acoustic startle probes were presented while subjects received warned presentations of aversive and neutral photographic slides. High fear but not low fear subjects showed potentiated short‐latency cardiac acceleration and blink magnitude, and reduced blink latency, during aversive compared to neutral slides. These results support the hypothesis that affective modulation of startle is enhanced among high fear compared to low fear subjects. Considered in the context of prior findings, the results suggest that this individual difference effect generalizes across psychophysiological components of the startle reflex and diverse procedures for manipulating affect.
Effects of aging on event‐related brain potentials and reaction times in an auditory oddball task
Authors: IRAGUI VICENTE J. , KUTAS MARTA , MITCHINER MARK R. , HILLYARD STEVEN A.
Published: September 2010

Auditory event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 71 healthy individuals between 18 and 82 years of age during performance of a disjunctive reaction time task in an auditory oddball paradigm. The effects of aging on reaction times and on the latencies, amplitudes, and distributions of each of the main ERP components were examined. No significant slowing of the reaction times of the elderly subjects was observed in relation to the younger ones. The peak latencies of both the N1 and P2 components elicited by standard tones were slightly but significantly slowed with age. In the ERPs of target tones, the later, endogenous components (N2, P3, and SW) showed linear increases in latency as a function of age; the later the component, the longer the age‐related delay. In general, aging was associated with less negativity (both N2 and SW) and more positivity (P3) over the anterior scalp, together with a smaller P3 and a more pronounced N2 over posterior scalp areas. Most of the effects observed in target ERPs were also evident in the difference waves derived from subtraction of the standard from the target ERPs, although the slope of the age‐related latency increase of N2 was shallower and that of the P3 was steeper in the difference ERPs. These findings are discussed in relation to previous accounts of ERP changes with aging.
Regional cerebral blood flow during experimental phobic fear
Authors: FREDRIKSON MATS , WIK GUSTAV , GREITZ TORGNY , ERIKSSON LARS , STONE‐ELANDER SHARON , ERICSON KAJ , SEDVALL GÖRAN
Published: September 2010

Positron emission tomographic measurements of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were used to investigate central nervous system correlates of fear and anxiety. Volunteers with symptomatic snake phobia were studied while exposed to visual phobogenic, aversive, and neutral stimuli. Anxiety ratings and the number of nonspecific electrodermal fluctuations increased as a function of phobic stimulation. Phobic, compared to neutral and aversive, stimulation elevated rCBF in the visual associative cortex. The basal ganglia were not activated more by phobic than aversive or neutral stimulation. However, cortical and thalamic rCBF were always correlated during phobic but not aversive or neutral stimulation. This indicates that the thalamus could be a relay station for phobic stimulus processing and affect.
Affective modulation of brain potentials to painful and nonpainful stimuli
Authors: Kenntner‐Mabiala Ramona , Pauli Paul
Published: September 2010

In accordance with the emotional priming hypothesis, emotions seem to modulate pain perception and pain tolerance thresholds. To further evaluate this association, event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by painful and nonpainful electrical stimuli during processing of positive, neutral, and negative valenced pictures were recorded from 30 healthy volunteers. Valence of pictures affected pain ratings and the N150 elicited by painful stimuli, with lowest amplitudes for positive pictures and highest amplitudes for negative pictures. The P260 elicited by painful and nonpainful stimuli was modulated by arousal with reduced amplitudes with arousing (positive or negative) compared to neutral pictures. N150 amplitudes varying with picture valence seem to reflect an affective modulation of pain perception whereas P260 amplitudes varying with picture arousal rather reflect non‐pain‐specific attentional processes.
Speckle Interferometry: A Review of the Principal Methods in Use for Experimental Mechanics Applications
Authors: Jacquot P.
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  With its nearly 40 years of existence, speckle interferometry (SI) has become a complete technique, widely used in many branches of experimental mechanics. It is thus a challenging task to try to summarise in a couple of pages its principal characteristics from both theoretical and practical points of view. Admittedly, even though this goal is not met here, it appeared worth attempting to provide the photomechanics community with a discussion of the ins and outs of the technique. The necessity of a vocabulary free of ambiguity was a prerequisite, and hence the first section is a plea for a clearer definition of the discipline. Moreover, this section offers the opportunity to re‐examine the basic aspects of SI. Then, the main features of the method are briefly considered following a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Endowed with a lot of specific advantages, compared with other whole‐field methods, SI can play an increasing role in photomechanics.
Micro‐/Nano‐Speckle Method with Applications to Materials, Tissue Engineering and Heart Mechanics
Authors: Chiang Fu‐Pen
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  Using a random speckle pattern as a quantitative transducer for displacement and deformation measurement constitutes a major milestone in the advancement of experimental mechanics techniques. Heretofore, displacement or strain transducers or gauges utilise regular patterns as the measurement base. It is the dimensional changes of these bases that are converted into displacement/strain information. The speckle method, on the other hand, uses a random array of particles (either physical or virtual) as displacement transducers. The displacement information of a cluster of random particles is obtained either through an optical processing scheme or a numerical algorithm. In this paper the development of the micro‐/nano‐speckle method with various applications is discussed.
Characterisation and Assessment of Load Response, Failure and Fatigue Phenomena in Sandwich Structures Induced by Localised Effects: A Review
Authors: Thomsen O. T. , Bozhevolnaya E. , Lyckegaard A. , Mortensen F.
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  The objective of the paper is to provide an overview of the mechanical effects, which determine the occurrence and severity of localised bending effects in sandwich structures, and to provide a survey of the available structural sandwich models, with special emphasis on their ability to describe local bending effects. The presentation includes a brief survey of the various structural models, including classical, ‘first‐order shear’, ‘high‐order’ and continuum mechanics‐based models. Moreover, the paper focuses on and addresses the experimental characterisation and assessment of local effects in sandwich structures based on realistic engineering practice, examples including sandwich panels with core materials of different stiffness (core junctions), sandwich plates with inserts and junctions between sandwich panels of different curvature. The issues of general load response (global and local) as well as failure and fatigue of such sandwich structures subjected to out‐of‐plane and in‐plane loads are discussed in some detail, with the inclusion of recent theoretical and experimental results.
Articulating Otherness? White rural residents talk about Gypsy‐Travellers
Authors: Holloway Sarah L
Published: September 2010

This paper combines insights from geographical research on the racialization of ethnic minority groups with more recent interest in whiteness in an exploration of the ways white rural residents racialize Gypsy‐Travellers. Focusing on the white rural residents of Appleby, Cumbria, and their racialization of and relations with Gypsy‐Travellers who attend the New Fair there each year, the paper contributes both to our understanding of the ways white people racialize ethnic minority groups, and in doing so also highlights the chaotic nature of whiteness as a social construction.
Long and Short Term Economies of Scope in Dutch Vegetable Production
Authors: Lansink Alfons Oude
Published: September 2010

This paper derives long and short‐term economies of scope from a dual profit maximising model of production, using the concept of shadow prices. The dual model includes lagged netput quantities to reflect past experience in the production of outputs and the application of inputs. The framework is applied to aggregate data of specialised producers of vegetables in the Netherlands in the period 1981–1994. Adjustments of most netputs are instantaneous, with small adjustment lags being found for cucumbers, materials and services. Long and short‐term economies of scope indicate that at the sector level, there is an incentive towards specialisation in the production of tomatoes and a strong incentive towards diversification in case of all other outputs. Keywords: Generalised Maximum Entropy estimation, Economies of Scope, Horticulture.
Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension in Primary Care: Gaps, Trends, and Opportunities
Authors: Petrella Robert J. , Merikle Elizabeth P. , Jones Jared
Published: September 2010

Since most cases of hypertension are managed in family practice, estimates of the prevalence, treatment, and control in the primary care population are needed to adequately address the burden of hypertension in Canada as it has in other countries. The authors used a large primary care research database to determine the prevalence of hypertension between 2000 and 2003. Blood pressure recordings were used to estimate the rates of prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension for the overall population and for important subgroups. The prevalence of hypertension was 17.3%, most patients had untreated hypertension (68.6%), and only 15.8% had blood pressure treated and controlled. Higher rates of treatment and control were observed among older adults, those with type II diabetes, and those with a previous myocardial infarction. Odds of achieving target blood pressure were significantly better when combination therapy vs monotherapy was used. The prevalence of hypertension in primary care is high and most patients remain untreated; however, increased risk appears to lead to better treatment and control.
Reduction of Stroke Risk Factors
Authors: Kostis John B. , Gorelick Philip B. , Messerli Franz H.
Published: September 2010

In October 2006, a panel of experts participated in a teleconference to discuss the reduction of stroke risk factors in patients at risk for stroke. The panel was chaired by John B. Kostis, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ. Also participating were Philip B. Gorelick, MD, MPH, Director, Center for Stroke Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, and Franz H. Messerli, MD, St Luke's‐Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY.
Is It a Pheochromocytoma?
Authors: Handler Joel
Published: September 2010

The patient is a 44‐year‐old man with a 4‐year history of intermittently elevated blood pressure (BP) controlled by diet and exercise. Three months before evaluation he described daily “spikes” of BP with sharp unilateral headaches. He was seen in the emergency department with a BP of 212/106 mm Hg and was started on hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily. He denied palpitations, diaphoretic episodes, pallor, and tremor. The patient did not want to take medication and specifically requested an evaluation to rule out pheochromocytoma. Results from 24‐hour urine tests for total metanephrines was 812 mg/24 h (normal, 130–520 mg/24 h), for total catecholamines was 53 mg/24 h (normal, 0–135 mg/24 h), and for vanillylmandelic acid was 4.7mg/24 h (normal, <7 mg/24 h). Thyroid‐stimulating hormone was 0.87 (normal, 0.4–4.0 IU/mL). Physical examination revealed normal optic fundi, negative cardiac examination results, and presence of peripheral pulses without bruits. His BP was now 136/74 mm Hg, with a heart rate of 76 beats per minute.
More Light Please
Authors: Rosendorff Clive
Published: September 2010

In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism, a favorite device of persons with something to sell.—H. L. Mencken
Lowering Blood Pressure With β‐Blockers in Combination With Other Renin‐Angiotensin System Blockers in Patients With Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes: Results From the GEMINI Trial
Authors: Wright Jackson T. , Bakris George L. , Bell David S. H. , Fonseca Vivian , Katholi Richard E. , McGill Janet B. , Messerli Franz H. , Phillips Robert A. , Raskin Philip , Holdbrook Fred K. , Lukas Mary Ann , Iyengar Malini
Published: September 2010

The effects of β‐blockade in addition to more specific renin‐angiotensin system (RAS) blockers on blood pressure (BP) in patients with diabetes are described. After washout of medications other than angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, patients were titrated to a BP level <130/80 mm Hg using therapy with carvedilol 6.25 to 25 mg bid (n=498) or metoprolol tartrate 50 to 200 mg bid (n=737). At the end of the β‐blocker titration period, a BP level <130/80 mm Hg was achieved in 37% of carvedilol‐treated and 36% of metoprolol‐treated participants who continued to receive a renin‐angiotensin system blocker. In the approximately 60% of participants in whom a BP level <130/80 mm Hg was not attained with renin‐angiotensin system blockade plus β‐blockade, hydrochlorothiazide was added in 43% and 44% of carvedilol and metoprolol groups, respectively; 25% (both arms) also required a calcium channel blocker. Among those in whom goal BP was not achieved, 42% of carvedilol‐ and 40% of metoprolol‐treated participants were not titrated to the highest dose of β‐blocker. The use of carvedilol compared with metoprolol did not effect glycemic control.
Lifestyle Modification Advice for Lowering or Controlling High Blood Pressure: Who's Getting It?
Authors: Viera Anthony J. , Kshirsagar Abhijit V. , Hinderliter Alan L.
Published: September 2010

Lifestyle modifications (LSMs) are important in hypertension management. Using data from a population‐based sample of hypertensive adults (N=28,457), the authors examined variations in reports of receipt of LSM advice by patient characteristics. Most adults (90.3%) with known hypertension reported receiving some type of advice. Exercise advice was reported most frequently (74.6%), followed by advice to reduce salt intake (69.3%), change eating habits (61.9%), and reduce alcohol intake (43.5%). Compared with adults aged 60 years or older, persons aged 18 to 39 years were more likely to report receipt of advice (odds ratio [OR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.81). Overweight persons (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.40–1.93) and obese persons (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 2.28–3.31) were more likely to report receipt of advice. Persons receiving antihypertensive medication were also more likely to report receiving advice (OR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.98–2.81). This study demonstrates that older persons, persons not taking antihypertensive medication, and individuals who are not overweight or obese are less likely to report receiving LSM advice.
The Relation between the Duty Cycle and Anesthetic Effect in Lidocaine Iontophoresis Using Alternating Current
Authors: Wakita Ryo , Nakajima Atsushi , Haida Yu , Umino Masahiro , Fukayama Haruhisa
Published: September 2010

We assessed the effect of the duty cycle on the anesthetic effect during lidocaine alternating current (AC) iontophoresis. A solution of 2% lidocaine was delivered to the medial antecubital skin for 20 minutes using AC iontophoresis with a duty cycle of 60%, 70%, or 80%. The von Frey test was then performed to evaluate the anesthetic effect. In the groups treated with a duty cycle of 80% or 70% the touch thresholds (TT) were significantly elevated from 0 minutes to 30 minutes and from 0 minutes to 20 minutes. TT were significantly elevated at 0 minutes in the group treated with a 60% duty cycle. The anesthetic effect was significantly enhanced in a duty cycle‐dependent manner.
Long‐Term Return Reversals: Overreaction or Taxes?
Authors: GEORGE THOMAS J. , HWANG CHUAN‐YANG
Published: September 2010

Long‐term reversals in U.S. stock returns are better explained as the rational reactions of investors to locked‐in capital gains than an irrational overreaction to news. Predictors of returns based on the overreaction hypothesis have no power, while those that measure locked‐in capital gains do, completely subsuming past returns measures that are traditionally used to predict long‐term returns. In data from Hong Kong, where investment income is not taxed, reversals are nonexistent, and returns are not forecastable either by traditional measures or by measures based on the capital gains lock‐in hypothesis that successfully predict U.S. returns.
Is the Corporate Loan Market Globally Integrated? A Pricing Puzzle
Authors: CAREY MARK , NINI GREG
Published: September 2010

We offer evidence that interest rate spreads on syndicated loans to corporate borrowers are economically significantly smaller in Europe than in the United States, other things equal. Differences in borrower, loan, and lender characteristics do not appear to explain this phenomenon. Borrowers overwhelmingly issue in their natural home market and bank portfolios display home bias. This may explain why pricing discrepancies are not competed away, though their causes remain a puzzle. Thus, important determinants of loan origination market outcomes remain to be identified, home bias appears to be material for pricing, and corporate financing costs differ across Europe and the United States.
Habit Formation and Macroeconomic Models of the Term Structure of Interest Rates
Authors: BURASCHI ANDREA , JILTSOV ALEXEI
Published: September 2010

This paper introduces a new class of nonaffine models of the term structure of interest rates that is supported by an economy with habit formation. Distinguishing features of the model are that the interest rate dynamics are nonlinear, interest rates depend on lagged monetary and consumption shocks, and the price of risk is not a constant multiple of interest rate volatility. We find that habit persistence can help reproduce the nonlinearity of the spot rate process, the documented deviations from the expectations hypothesis, the persistence of the conditional volatility of interest rates, and the lead‐lag relationship between interest rates and monetary aggregates.
Agency Conflicts, Investment, and Asset Pricing
Authors: ALBUQUERUE RUI , WANG NENG
Published: September 2010

The separation of ownership and control allows controlling shareholders to pursue private benefits. We develop an analytically tractable dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to study asset pricing and welfare implications of imperfect investor protection. Consistent with empirical evidence, the model predicts that countries with weaker investor protection have more incentives to overinvest, lower Tobin's q, higher return volatility, larger risk premia, and higher interest rate. Calibrating the model to the Korean economy reveals that perfecting investor protection increases the stock market's value by 22%, a gain for which outside shareholders are willing to pay 11% of their capital stock.
THE POLITICS OF COURT REFORM:d IN A NUTSHELL
Authors: Click Henry R.
Published: September 2010

State court reform is proceeding at an ever‐quickening pace. A major theme is centralized state judicial leadership and management in court organization and funding, and improved methods for the selection and discipline of judges. Trends in court reform, groups supporting and opposing change and a brief evaluation of some court reform efforts are examined. Court reform is viewed as a political process.
JUDICIAL SELECTION: THE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS' VIEW*
Authors: Voleansek Mary L.
Published: September 2010

This paper is an assessment of the contributions which social scientists have made to the debate on the most appropriate mode for selecting state judges. Specific analyses of the assumptions behind differing normative positions qoverning judicial selection (e.g., accountability versus independence) are discussed. Considerable empirical research has been completed on elective and Missouri Plan systemic. It is suggested however, that more definitive conclusions might be possible through cross‐system analysis. The methodological barriers to effective comparisons among the systems are high, but that area of inquiry appears to offer the potential for social scientists to make a significant policy contribution.
A CRITIQUE OF CONVENTIONAL EXPLANATION OF LABOR MARKET, CONDITIONS FOR EMPLOYED BLACKS*
Authors: Ferleger Louis
Published: September 2010

Historically, the pattern of black employment has differed considerably from the pattern of white employment. In addition, the U.S. economy has undergone structural changes such that service sector employment has increased at a faster pace than has employment in other sectors. While employed blacks have made some occupational advances in non‐service areas (e.g., manufacturing), the employed work force is heavily concentrated in low wage occupations in the service sector. Neo‐classical analyses of the pattern of black employment do not consider the significance of these structural changes. Segmentation theorists do consider these changes but downgrade the importance of the service sector. This paper draws attention to the overwhelming importance of the service sector in explaining the structure of black employment in the last twenty years.
State Support for Higher Education: A Political Economy Approach
Authors: Morgan David R. , Kickham Kenneth , LaPlant James T.
Published: September 2010

This research examines state support for higher education by first ascertaining the amount supplied and demanded of this service. The approach assumes that supply and demand occur simultaneously, and that each is affected by higher education spending policies among the states. We argue that enrollment is the most satisfactory proxy for both supply and demand. State policy is measured as expenditure effort. We estimate three time‐series equations using two‐stage least squares regression with data for the years 1986–95. In the final equation, supply/demand (enrollment) emerges as the strongest predictor of state spending effort. Commitment to higher education (effort) is also especially sensitive to variations in the number of employees (per student). Employee costs clearly are a major factor in fueling increases in state higher education spending effort. State per capita income exerts a negative effect on the final dependent variable. Poor states exert greater financial effort in support of their colleges and universities than do more affluent states.
Coping With Competition: The impact of Charter Schooling on Public School Outreach in Arizona
Authors: Hess Frederick M. , Maranto Robert A. , Milliman Scott
Published: September 2010

Advocates of market‐based education reform hypothesize that competition will cause traditional public schools to increase outreach efforts as they seek to market themselves. Advocates hope such efforts will result in more information on school activities and performance and thereby enhance accountability. We examine the effect of charter school competition on outreach efforts by a sample of 98 Arizona district schools, finding that charter competition is associated with a short‐term increase in outreach. Organizational structure influenced school response, with more decentralized district schools responding more readily to charter competition. Competition modestly increased information regarding schooling in the short run, although long‐term implications are less clear.
The long‐term effects of arteriovenous fistula creation on the development of pulmonary hypertension in hemodialysis patients
Authors: UNAL Aydin , TASDEMIR Kutay , OYMAK Sema , DURAN Mustafa , KOCYIGIT Ismail , OGUZ Fatih , TOKGOZ Bulent , SIPAHIOGLU Murat Hayri , UTAS Cengiz , OYMAK Oktay
Published: September 2010

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate long‐term effects of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) on the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and the relationship between blood flow rate of AVF and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in the patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). This prospective study was performed in 20 patients with ESRD. Before an AVF was surgically created for hemodialysis, the patients were evaluated by echocardiography. Then, an AVF was surgically created in all patients. After mean 23.50 ± 2.25 months, the second evaluation was performed by echocardiography. Also, the blood flow rate of AVF was measured at the second echocardiographic evaluation. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was defined as a systolic PAP above 35 mmHg at rest. Mean age of 20 patients with ESRD was 55.05 ± 13.64 years; 11 of 20 patients were males. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was detected in 6 (30%) patients before AVF creation and in 4 (20%) patients after AVF creation. Systolic PAP value was meaningfully lower after AVF creation than before AVF creation (29.95 ± 10.26 mmHg vs. 35.35 ± 7.86 mmHg, respectively, P: 0.047). However, there was no significant difference between 2 time periods in terms of presence of PAH (P>0.05). Pulmonary artery pressure did not correlate with blood flow rate of AVF and duration after AVF creation (P>0.05). In hemodialysis patients, a surgically created AVF has no significant effect on the development of PAH within a long‐term period. Similarly, blood flow rate of AVF also did not affect remarkably systolic PAP within the long‐term period.
Melanotropin as a Potential Regulator of Pigment Pattern Formation in Embryonic Skin
Authors: Frost‐Mason Sally , Walpita Deepika , Mckay Linda
Published: September 2010

Frozen tissue sections of developing axolotl embryos were labeled by indirect immunofluorescence with anti‐alpha‐MSH. Anti‐MSH immunoreactivity is first detectable in embryos when neural crest cells are migrating from the neural tube. Antibody labeling is visible around the lateral and ventral edges of the neural tube and in the embryonic ectoderm. As development progresses, the amount of labeling increases greatly, particularly in developing ectoderm. Western blots of soluble proteins extracted from various developmental stages of axolotl embryo ectoderm reveal that MSH activity is associated directly with several high molecular weight components that may be part of the embryonic extracellular matrix. Thus, we suggest that melanotropin activity is present in embryonic axolotl skin, is associated with the extracellular matrix, and is thereby in a position to play a supportive and/or directive role in the establishment of embryonic pigment patterns.