bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic diversity of Australian Fusarium graminearum and F. pseudograminearum
Authors: Akinsanmi O. A. , Backhouse D. , Simpfendorfer S. , Chakraborty S.
Published: May 2006

Genotypic diversity in Fusarium pseudograminearum and F. graminearum from Australia and the relationship between diversity and pathogen aggressiveness for head blight and/or crown rot of wheat were examined. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis revealed a high level of genotypic diversity within each species. Sixty‐three of the 149 AFLP loci were significantly different between the two species and 70 of 72 F. pseudograminearum and 56 of 59 F. graminearum isolates had distinct haplotypes. When head blight and crown rot severity data from a recently published work on isolates representing the entire range of aggressiveness were used, only the genotypic diversity of F. pseudograminearum was significantly associated with its aggressiveness for the two diseases. Cluster analyses clearly demonstrated the polyphyletic structures that exist in both pathogen populations. The spatial diversity within F. graminearum was high within a single field, while frequent gene flow (Nm ∼ 14) and a low fixation index (Gst = 0·03) were recorded among F. pseudograminearum isolates from the adjacent states of New South Wales and Queensland. The differences in population structure between the heterothallic F. pseudograminearum (teleomorph G. coronicola) and the homothallic F. graminearum (teleomorph G. zeae) were not as pronounced as expected given their contrasting mating systems. Neither species was panmictic or strictly clonal. This points to sexual recombination in F. pseudograminearum, suggesting that ascospores of G. coronicola may also play a role in its biology and epidemiology.
Eccrine squamous syringometaplasia mimicking a herpetic infection
Authors: Alonso Vicent , Ramón Dolores , Monteagudo Carlos , Llombart Beatriz , Martín José M. , García Laura , Jordá Esperanza
Published: May 2006

A 69‐year‐old woman with a history of hypertension and essential tremor was diagnosed with a Burkitt‐like diffuse large‐cell lymphoma. She received chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and adriamycin (HyperCVAD). Ten days after starting the second cycle of chemotherapy (HyperCVAD), she presented with well‐defined, intense, erythematous macules which coalesced to form a symmetric diffuse erythema located on the upper back. Later, the lesions progressed and affected the lower back and perineal areas, extending to the groin. In a few days, a gradual diminution of the erythema was seen, with subsequent development of postinflammatory gray‐brownish hyperpigmentation. On the lower back, there were also superficial erosions. Some asymptomatic, closely grouped, gray papules, vesicles, and blisters were found in the groin, resembling the typical lesions of herpetic infection (Fig. 1). Two biopsies of the groin and one of the upper back were performed, and were processed for histopathologic and microbiologic study.

Closely grouped gray papules, vesicles, and blisters on the groin mimicking a herpetic infection

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The histopathologic study showed epidermal hyperplasia with acanthosis and papillomatosis. In both biopsies, eccrine ducts covered by mature squamous epithelium were found in the reticular dermis (Fig. 2a−c). In the sample from the groin, an intracorneal bulla was found. Numerous normal isolated cornified cells were seen within the lumen of the bulla (Fig. 2d). An inflammatory mononuclear infiltrate was also present in a periductal and perivascular distribution. No multinucleation, ground‐glass nuclei, or peripheral margination of chromatin were found. Therefore, no morphologic evidence of herpes virus infection was present.

Low (a), medium (b), and high (c) magnification showing epidermal hyperplasia and squamous syringometaplasia involving dermal eccrine ducts. (d) Medium power magnification of the intracorneal bulla (hematoxylin and eosin staining; a, ×40; b, ×100; c, ×400; d, ×100)

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Cultures and serologic analyses for herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) were negative. The lesions were treated with topical corticosteroids, with a good response in a few days.
Use of etanercept in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients
Authors: Ting Patricia T. , Koo John. Y.
Published: May 2006

Background  Etanercept (Enbrel™, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA), a soluble p75 tumor necrosis factor receptor:FC (TNFR:FC) fusion protein for plasma cytokines, specifically tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), is used in the treatment of immune‐mediated rheumatic diseases. To our knowledge, the use of etanercept in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is relatively uncommon.

Objective  The main purpose of this short review is to examine the safety of etanercept in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Methods  A Medline search was conducted using the keywords etanercept and HIV and/or AIDS for any published articles between 1966 to the present (September 2004).

Results  A case report, one case series, and one clinical trial pertained to the use of etanercept in HIV patients. No reports were found on the use of etanercept in AIDS. In addition, two case reports were found documenting the use of infliximab in HIV patients.

Discussion  Preliminary reports indicate that the administration of etanercept does not appear to increase the morbidity or mortality rates in HIV. The inhibition of TNF‐α may actually improve the symptoms of HIV/AIDS‐associated aphthous ulcers, cachexia, dementia, fatigue, and fever, as well as help manage concomitant rheumatic diseases and psoriasis.

Conclusion  The use of etanercept shows promise for applications in disease management in patients with HIV/AIDS. Continued research efforts are necessary to establish the long‐term safety and efficacy of etanercept and other biologic agents in this patient population.
Correlation of clinical features and skin barrier function in adolescent and adult patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Kim Do‐Won , Park Jee‐Young , Na Gun‐Yoen , Lee Seok‐Jong , Lee Weon‐Ju
Published: May 2006

Background  Xerotic changes in atopic skin are considered to be related to a decrease in the water permeability barrier. Whether abnormal skin barrier function is the main cause of atopic dermatitis (AD) or a secondary change of the disease is still controversial. Noninvasive bioengineering methods, including the measurement of the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and water capacitance, have been commonly used to evaluate skin barrier function.

Aim  To evaluate the correlation between the clinical features of each evaluation site (severity of AD) and skin barrier function.

Methods  TEWL, capacitance, and pH were checked on five evaluation sites: postauricle, forearm, abdomen, thigh, and popliteal fossa. The subjects included 25 patients, both adolescents and adults, with AD and 25 age‐matched normal controls. The clinical severity, from 0 (no clinical manifestation) to 3 (severe), was also scored for erythema, induration/papulation, lichenification, and xerosis on each evaluation site of the AD patients.

Results  Based on the data, we found that the clinical severity score was correlated with TEWL and capacitance in more than one‐half of the evaluation sites. Erythema and induration/papulation showed a statistically significant correlation with TEWL in most cases (P < 0.05, four sites). Lichenification and xerosis showed a significant correlation with capacitance in most cases (P < 0.05, four sites). In most cases, severity scoring of the clinical features did not show a significant correlation with skin pH. The patients showed higher TEWL and lower capacitance than normal controls (P < 0.05, all five sites).

Conclusions  The results of our study suggest that skin barrier function, measured by TEWL and capacitance, and clinical severity show a statistically significant correlation in patients with AD.
Pulmonary involvement in Sweet's syndrome: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Astudillo Leonardo , Sailler L. , Launay F. , Josse A. G. , Lamant L. , Couret B. , Arlet‐Suau E.
Published: May 2006

Pulmonary involvement in Sweet's syndrome (SS) is rare. We report a case of SS with severe respiratory involvement responding to corticosteroid therapy. A 82‐year‐old man presented fever of 39 °C associated with cough and dyspnea, and crackles in the left lung. The infection work‐up was negative. Chest X‐ray showed cardiomegaly and left lower lobe pulmonary infiltrates. Pulmonary signs did not improve on treatment with antibiotics, and after 1 week maculopapular lesions appeared, localized on the knees, the periombilical area and the back. The antibiotics were changed without improvement. A skin biopsy revealed infiltration by neutrophilic granulocytes and marked edema in the dermis, consistent with SS. The patient's condition progressively worsened, requiring high oxygenotherapy, and he was transferred to an intensive care unit. Chest X‐ray revealed an important alveolar and interstitial syndrome. Bronchoalveolar lavage found 170 leukocytes with 30% neutrophils (N < 5%), 7% lymphocytes and 63% macrophages. A search for bacteria, viruses or parasites in bronchoalveolar lavage was negative. The patient was treated with antibiotics, a high dose of furosemide and steroids for 4 days. Because the patient improved dramatically within 5 days, with a negative infection work‐up and a dramatic decrease of C‐reactive protein, the antibiotics were stopped. Steroids were secondarily tapered very slowly. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed a substantial improvement of pulmonary lesions. We also review the 22 cases of pulmonary involvement of SS reported in the literature.
Lupus erythematosus profundus in black South Africans
Authors: Jacyk W. K. , Bhana K. N.
Published: May 2006

Background  Lupus erythematosus profundus (lupus panniculitis) is a rare variant of lupus erythematosus with predominant involvement of the subcutaneous tissue. There are only a few reported series of patients with this condition; none in individuals of African ancestry. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical, histopathological and laboratory findings in black South African patients with lupus profundus.

Patients and methods  Ten prospectively observed patients were studied. Skin biopsies were performed, and several laboratory tests routinely employed in patients with lupus erythematosus were carried out. All patients were followed up for at least a year and their response to treatment was assessed.

Results  All patients were females. Mean age at diagnosis was 28.5 years. Face was the most common site of involvement. In five patients, the periorbital edema was the initial manifestation. Only one patient had systemic lupus, and three patients also showed lesions of discoid lupus. In only 30% of the patients were the ANA titers greater than 1 : 80, and positivity in other lupus tests was rare and inconsistent. In general, patients responded to antimalarials and/or systemic corticosteroids.

Conclusion  African patients with lupus profundus when compared with other series comprising Asian and white patients showed greater frequency of periorbital edema as the initial manifestation. Review of the literature disclosed that this subset of lupus profundus appears to have a more benign course.
Effects of exogenous glycinebetaine on growth, CO2 assimilation, and photosystem II photochemistry of maize plants
Authors: Yang Xinghong , Lu Congming
Published: May 2006

Effects of exogenous glycinebetaine (GB, 2–50 mM) on growth, photosynthetic gas exchange, PSII photochemistry, and the activities of key enzymes involved in CO2 fixation in maize plants were investigated. Growth, CO2 assimilation rate, and stomatal conductance increased at low GB concentrations (2–20 mM) but decreased significantly at high GB concentrations (30–50 mM). Leaf relative water content and water potential remained unchanged at low GB concentrations but decreased at high GB concentrations. The maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry was unchanged either at low or high GB concentrations. The actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII) and photochemical quenching (qP) increased at low GB concentrations but decreased at high GB concentrations. At low GB concentrations, there were no significant changes in the efficiency of excitation energy capture by open PSII reaction centres (Fv′/Fm′) and non‐photochemical quenching (qN). At high GB concentrations, Fv′/Fm′ decreased while qN increased significantly. There were no changes in the activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, pyruvate phosphate dikinase, and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase in control and GB‐fed plants. However, there was a linear correlation between CO2 assimilation rate and stomatal conductance in control and GB‐fed plants. Moreover, there were no significant differences in O2 evolution rate between control and GB fed‐plants under saturated CO2 conditions. The results suggest that exogenous GB application at certain concentrations can enhance CO2 assimilation rate, which can be explained by an increased stomatal conductance.
Catalytic activities and chloroplast import of carotenogenic enzymes from citrus
Authors: Inoue Kentaro , Furbee Kendra J. , Uratsu Sandra , Kato Masaya , Dandekar Abhaya M. , Ikoma Yoshinori
Published: May 2006

Citrus fruits are a rich source of carotenoids. cDNAs for carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes have been identified from their flavedos and juice sacs, and were used to examine expression patterns of carotenogenic genes during fruit development by several groups. However, functions of most of the gene products have not been verified yet. In this report, we examined catalytic activities of two carotenogenic enzymes from navel orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck), phytoene desaturase (CitPds) and lycopene‐β‐cyclase (CitLcyb), and one enzyme from Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marcow), lycopene‐?‐cyclase (CitLcye). We also conducted in vitro import assay of the three proteins along with two other carotenogenic enzyme from navel orange, phytoene synthase (CitPsy) and carotenoid β‐ring hydroxylase (CitChyb), using isolated chloroplasts, and confirmed their plastid localization and the presence of transit peptides that were cleaved upon import. Furthermore, we examined their suborganellar localization. CitPsy was found to be peripherally associated with the membrane, while CitPds was mainly recovered in the soluble fraction. By contrast, CitLcyb and CitLcye were targeted both to the soluble and to the membrane compartments, although the latter showed a stronger association to the membrane than the former. Finally, CitChyb was exclusively inserted into the chloroplast internal membranes. These data should help us better understand the mechanism of carotenoid biosynthesis.
Chromosomal basis of viability differences in Tigriopus californicus interpopulation hybrids
Authors: Harrison J. S. , Edmands S.
Published: May 2006

Crosses between populations of Tigriopus californicus result in backcross and F2 hybrid breakdown for a variety of fitness related measures. The magnitude of this hybrid breakdown is correlated with evolutionary divergence. We assessed the chromosomal basis of viability differences in nonrecombinant backcross hybrids using markers mapped to individual chromosomes. To assess effects of evolutionary divergence we crossed one population to three different populations: two distantly related (∼18% mitochondrial COI sequence divergence) and one closely related (∼1% mitochondrial COI sequence divergence). We found that all three interpopulation crosses resulted in significant deviations from expected Mendelian ratios at a majority of the loci studied. In all but one case, deviations were due to a deficit of parental homozygotes. This pattern implies that populations of T. californicus carry a significant genetic load, and that a combination of beneficial dominance and deleterious homozygote–heterozygote interactions significantly affects hybrid viability. Pairwise tests of linkage disequilibrium detected relatively few significant interactions. For the two divergent crosses, effects of individual chromosomes were highly concordant. These two crosses also showed higher heterozygote excess in females than males across the vast majority of chromosomes.
Messenger RNA expression of RANTES in the urinary sediment of patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: CHAN REBECCA WING‐YAN , LAI FERNAND MAC‐MOUNE , LI EDMUND KWOK‐MING , TAM LAI‐SHAN , CHOW KAI‐MING , LI PHILIP KAM‐TAO , SZETO CHEUK‐CHUN
Published: May 2006

Background:  Lupus nephritis is characterized by intra‐renal inflammation. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) showed abnormal T‐cell expression of RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed) and its level in their serum. The authors studied the mRNA expression of RANTES in the urinary sediment of lupus patients.

Methods:  The authors studied 88 lupus patients, who were classified into active, remission and non‐renal SLE groups according to the disease activity, 29 non‐SLE and 10 healthy controls. Lupus activity was assessed by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Urinary mRNA expression of RANTES was studied by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results:  The expression of RANTES in urinary sediment was significantly elevated in active group (P < 0.001). Expression level of RANTES correlated with the SLEDAI score (r = 0.57; P < 0.001) and renal score in SLEDAI (r = 0.60; P < 0.001). In addition, urinary expression of RANTES had significant correlation with degree of proteinuria, serum creatinine, albumin and estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Conclusion:  The authors conclude that the mRNA expression of RANTES was elevated in the urinary sediment of patients with active lupus nephritis. Measurement of urinary mRNA expression may be a novel non‐invasive method for the assessment of lupus disease activity and the severity of renal involvement.
Hypertension, erythrocyturia and proteinuria in childhood non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Authors: OLOWU WASIU A , ADELUSOLA KAYODE A , SENBANJO IDOWU O , ADENOWO OLUSOLA A , BADMOS KABIR B
Published: May 2006

Aim:  The objectives were to determine the prevalence and outcome of hypertension, significant microerythrocyturia and proteinuria among children with acute renal failure (ARF) due to Burkitt‐type non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma (BNHL).

Methods:  A retrospective analysis of clinical and laboratory data of children with BNHL/ARF was undertaken.

Results:  Nine of 23 (39.13%) BHNL/ARF children aged 5–14 years were found to have significant microerythrocyturia and proteinuria as urinary markers of glomerulonephritis (GN). Eight of nine were hypertensive with hypertensive encephalopathy (HTE) in three, and congestive heart failure (CCF)/pulmonary oedema in six. Three of nine patients (33.3%) died from these complications; two from CCF and one from a combination of CCF and HTE. A fourth death was due to uraemia. Treatments with cytotoxic drugs and anti‐tumour lysis syndrome therapy resulted in normotension, improved clinical outcome and normalisation of laboratory features of ARF and GN in all five (55.6%) survivors.

Conclusion:  We conclude that all the children with BNHL/ARF had enlarged kidneys and evidence of glomerular disease. The mechanism of the glomerular disease is unclear. It is associated with a high mortality rate.
Herbivore impact on grassland plant diversity depends on habitat productivity and herbivore size
Authors: Bakker Elisabeth S. , Ritchie Mark E. , Olff Han , Milchunas Daniel G. , Knops Johannes M. H.
Published: May 2006

Mammalian herbivores can have pronounced effects on plant diversity but are currently declining in many productive ecosystems through direct extirpation, habitat loss and fragmentation, while being simultaneously introduced as livestock in other, often unproductive, ecosystems that lacked such species during recent evolutionary times. The biodiversity consequences of these changes are still poorly understood. We experimentally separated the effects of primary productivity and herbivores of different body size on plant species richness across a 10‐fold productivity gradient using a 7‐year field experiment at seven grassland sites in North America and Europe. We show that assemblages including large herbivores increased plant diversity at higher productivity but decreased diversity at low productivity, while small herbivores did not have consistent effects along the productivity gradient. The recognition of these large‐scale, cross‐site patterns in herbivore effects is important for the development of appropriate biodiversity conservation strategies.
Insulin glargine benefits patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetic treatment: an observational study of everyday practice in 12,216 patients
Authors: Schreiber S. A. , Haak T.
Published: May 2006

Aims:  This observational study aimed to investigate the long‐term efficacy and safety of adding insulin glargine (LANTUS®) to support oral antidiabetic (OAD) treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes in everyday practice.

Methods:  A 9‐month, open‐label, multicentre, observational study, with an optional 20‐month extension phase, in which add‐on insulin glargine therapy was initiated in 12,216 patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on OADs. The insulin glargine dose was adjusted at the physician’s discretion, reflecting everyday practice. The main outcome measures were changes in HbA1c, fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin dose and body mass index (BMI).

Results:  At baseline, mean (± s.d.) age was 63.9 ± 11.3 years; disease duration was >5 years in 47% of patients, 1–5 years in 39% of patients and <1 year in 10% of patients, while 4% of patients were newly diagnosed. Addition of insulin glargine to OAD therapy led to reductions in mean HbA1c (−1.5% from 8.7%) and FBG (−69 mg/dl from 202 mg/dl) levels after 3 months, which were maintained after 9 months [HbA1c: −1.7%; FBG: −71 mg/dl (−3.9 mmol/l)] without an increase in BMI. Similar glycaemic control was observed after 20 months in the 2721 patients in the extension study. Adverse drug reactions were documented in 26 patients (0.2%). Of 47 adverse events documented, 19 were due to hypoglycaemia.

Conclusions:  In everyday practice, patients with type 2 diabetes who are inadequately controlled on OADs benefit from add‐on basal insulin treatment with insulin glargine as they demonstrate improved glycaemic control without weight gain.
Peri‐operative morbidity and changes in symptom scores after transurethral prostatectomy in Switzerland: results of an independent assessment of outcome
Authors: MÜNTENER MICHAEL , AELLIG SONJA , KÜTTEL ROLF , GEHRLACH CHRISTOPH , HAURI DIETER , STREBEL RÄTO T.
Published: May 2006

OBJECTIVES

To assess, in a prospective study, the contemporary outcome of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Switzerland, by evaluating peri‐operative morbidity and changes in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between January 2000 and January 2005, 11 hospitals in Switzerland participated in the study. The hospitals were required to inform Verein Outcome (VO), an independent institution specialising in outcome measurements in the Swiss healthcare system, about patients with BPH who were scheduled for TURP. Later, the hospitals provided data on peri‐operative complications in these patients. The patients’ Danish Prostate Symptom Score (DAN‐PSS) was obtained by VO before and 4 months after TURP (via mailed questionnaires).

RESULTS

Data on peri‐operative complications from 1014 patients were included in this analysis. The mean (range) age of the patients was 69 (43–91) years. The most common complication after TURP was urinary retention, in 4.5% of the patients; the overall peri‐operative complication rate was 9%. In all, 468 patients returned questionnaires both before and after TURP. The mean total DAN‐PSS before and 4 months after surgery was 25.2 and 6.2, respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this prospective multicentre study showed that the current peri‐operative morbidity of TURP is lower than that reported from older large‐scale trials. The independent assessment of symptom scores confirms that TURP is highly effective in alleviating bothersome LUTS due to BPH.
Concurrent radical retropubic prostatectomy and Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair through a single modified Pfannenstiel incision: a 3‐year experience
Authors: MANOHARAN MURUGESAN , VYAS SACHIN , ARAKI MOTOO , NIEDER ALAN M. , SOLOWAY MARK S.
Published: May 2006

OBJECTIVE

To present the results of a 3‐year experience of radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) through a modified Pfannenstiel incision and concomitant repair of an inguinal hernia at the time of RRP, using a tension‐free technique with a mesh, as described by Lichtenstein, with no additional incision(s), as 5–10% of patients with clinically localized prostate cancer have a detectable inguinal hernia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients who had RRP between October 2002 and July 2005 were included; we used a standard open RRP, in all cases using a modified Pfannenstiel incision. If the patient had an inguinal hernia, we approached the inguinal canal through the same incision and performed a Lichtenstein mesh repair, through the inguinal canal and avoiding placing mesh within the pelvis. Patients were followed at 1 and 6 weeks, 3‐monthly for 1 year and 6‐monthly thereafter. All clinical variables were entered into a database and analysed.

RESULTS

In all, 450 men underwent RRP; 44 (10%) had inguinal hernia and in all, 56 hernias were repaired (32 unilateral and 12 bilateral; 16 indirect, 22 direct, six both) The mean (sd) age of the patients was 60 (7) years. Most patients were discharged within 36 h. The mean (sd) follow‐up was 9 (8) months. Two patients had a superficial inguinal haematoma and one had a scrotal haematoma. They were treated conservatively with no sequelae. There were no wound infections. One patient developed a recurrent inguinal hernia. None had any clinical evidence of testicular atrophy or chronic pain.

CONCLUSION

Concurrent formal mesh repair of the inguinal hernia and RRP through a single modified Pfannenstiel incision is safe and effective. The complications were minimal and recurrence rates were low. This procedure eliminates the risks involved with the preperitoneal mesh repair and avoids multiple incisions.
LIBERATION OR RESTRICTION? THE JOB AS AN INFLUENCE ON URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR
Authors: Everitt John
Published: May 2006

It is because social relations are so frequently and so inevitably correlated with spatial relations; because physical distances so frequently are, or seem to be, the indexes of social distance, that statistics have any significance whatever for sociology. And this is true, finally, because it is only as social and psychical facts can be reduced to, and correlated with, spatial facts that they can be measured at all.1
Quiescence induced by iron challenge protects neuroblastoma cells from oxidative stress
Authors: Mura Casilda V. , Delgado Ricardo , Aguirre Pabla , Bacigalupo Juan , Núñez Marco T.
Published: May 2006

The brain uses massive amounts of oxygen, generating large quantities of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Because of its lipid composition, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, the brain is especially vulnerable to ROS. Furthermore, oxidative damage in the brain is often associated with iron, which has pro‐oxidative properties. Iron‐mediated oxidative damage in the brain is compounded by the fact that brain iron distribution is non‐uniform, being particularly high in areas sensitive to neurodegeneration. This work was aimed to further our understanding of the cellular mechanisms by which SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cells adapt to, and survive increasing iron loads. Using an iron accumulation protocol that kills about 50% of the cell population, we found by cell sorting analysis that the SHSY5Y sub‐population that survived the iron loading arrested in the G0phase of the cell cycle. These cells expressed neuronal markers, while their electrical properties remained largely unaltered. These results suggest that upon iron challenge, neuroblastoma cells respond by entering the G0phase, somehow rendering them resistant to oxidative stress. A similar physiological condition might be involved in neuronal survival in tissues known to accumulate iron with age, such as the hippocampus and thesubstantia nigra pars compacta.
Interaction of the brain‐specific protein p42IP4/centaurin‐α1 with the peptidase nardilysin is regulated by the cognate ligands of p42IP4, PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, with stereospecificity
Authors: Stricker Rolf , Chow K. Martin , Walther Daniela , Hanck Theodor , Hersh Louis B. , Reiser Georg
Published: May 2006

The brain‐specific protein p42IP4, also called centaurin‐α1, specifically binds phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] and inositol 1,3,4,5‐tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5)P4]. Here, we investigate the interaction of p42IP4/centaurin‐α1 with nardilysin (NRDc), a member of the M16 family of zinc metalloendopeptidases. Members of this peptidase family exhibit enzymatic activity and also act as receptors for other proteins. We found that p42IP4/centaurin‐α1 binds specifically to NRDc from rat brain. We further detected that centaurin‐α2, a protein that is highly homologuous to p42IP4/centaurin‐α1 and expressed ubiquitously, also binds to NRDc. In vivo interaction was demonstrated by co‐immunoprecipitation of p42IP4/centaurin‐α1 with NRDc from rat brain. The acidic domain of NRDc (NRDc‐AD), which does not participate in catalysis, is sufficient for the protein interaction with p42IP4. Interestingly, preincubation of p42IP4 with its cognate ligands d‐Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 and the lipid diC8PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 negatively modulates the interaction between the two proteins. d‐Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 and diC8PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 suppress the interaction with virtually identical concentration dependencies. This inhibition is highly ligand specific. The enantiomer l‐Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 is not effective. Similarly, the phosphoinositides diC8PtdIns(3,4)P2, diC8PtdIns(3,5)P2 and diC8PtdIns(4,5)P2 all have no influence on the interaction. Further experiments revealed that endogenous p42IP4 from rat brain binds to glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST)‐NRDc‐AD. The proteins dissociate from each other when incubated with d‐Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, but not with inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3]. In summary, we demonstrate that p42IP4 binds to NRDc via the NRDc‐AD, and that this interaction is controlled by the cognate cellular ligands of p42IP4/centaurin‐α1. Thus, specific ligands of p42IP4 can modulate the recruitment of proteins, which are docked to p42IP4, to specific cellular compartments.
RETRACTED: Extensive degradation of myelin basic protein isoforms by calpain following traumatic brain injury
Authors: Liu Ming Cheng , Akle Veronica , Zheng Wenrong , Kitlen Jason , O'Steen Barbara , Larner Stephen F. , Dave Jitendra R. , Tortella Frank C. , Hayes Ronald L. , Wang Kevin K. W.
Published: May 2006

Axonal injury is one of the key features of traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet little is known about the integrity of the myelin sheath. We report that the 21.5 and 18.5‐kDa myelin basic protein (MBP) isoforms degrade into N‐terminal fragments (of 10 and 8 kDa) in the ipsilateral hippocampus and cortex between 2 h and 3 days after controlled cortical impact (in a rat model of TBI), but exhibit no degradation contralaterally. Using N‐terminal microsequencing and mass spectrometry, we identified a novel in vivo MBP cleavage site between Phe114 and Lys115. A MBP C‐terminal fragment‐specific antibody was then raised and shown to specifically detect MBP fragments in affected brain regions following TBI. In vitro naive brain lysate and purified MBP digestion showed that MBP is sensitive to calpain, producing the characteristic MBP fragments observed in TBI. We hypothesize that TBI‐mediated axonal injury causes secondary structural damage to the adjacent myelin membrane, instigating MBP degradation. This could initiate myelin sheath instability and demyelination, which might further promote axonal vulnerability.
Does the p75 neurotrophin receptor mediate Aβ‐induced toxicity in Alzheimer's disease?
Authors: Coulson Elizabeth J.
Published: May 2006

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the over‐production and accumulation of amyloidogenic Aβ peptide, which can induce cell death in vitro. It has been suggested that the death signal could be transduced by the pan neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR). p75NTR is well known for its ability to mediate neuronal death in neurodegenerative conditions and is inextricably linked with changes that occur in Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, Aβ binds to p75NTR, activating signalling cascades. However, the complexity of p75NTR‐mediated signalling, which does not always promote cell death, leaves open the possibly of Aβ promoting death via an alternative signalling pathway or the regulation of other p75NTR‐mediated actions. This review focuses on the interactions between Aβ and p75NTR in the context of the broader p75NTR signalling field, and offers alternative explanations for how p75NTR might contribute to the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.
COMPARING PUBLIC POLICY: An Overview*
Authors: ROSE RICHARD
Published: May 2006

Before undertaking comparative policy analysis, one must first be clear of the justification for the inordinately large amount of work required. A variety of reasons are reviewed. In order to make comparisons, one must have a conceptual framework to identify the different parts of the policy process. Data must be placed in a process, as well as located in geographical space. It is also important to consider to what extent differences between policy areas (defence, health care, housing, economic policy, etc) influence the policy process. The issues discussed concern problems that arise in within‐nation studies of policy, as well as between‐nation comparisons.
THREATS TO DÉTENTE: INTUITIVE HOPES AND COUNTERINTUITIVE REALITIES
Authors: WEEDE ERICH
Published: May 2006

The theoretical perspective behind détente is elaborated. While avoidance of war is the major goal, cooperation, tension‐reduction and improvement of domestic societies are the major means. Cooperation includes trade, legal commitments, functional cooperation within IGOs and routine diplomacy. Tension reduction includes less verbal conflict, less defense expenditures, a slower arms race and possibly multipolarization. Improvement of domestic socieities refers to stability, egalitarianism and democracy within nations. All those détente‐related propositions about means‐ends‐relationships are scrutinized from a quantitative international politics perspective. In general, propositions receive little or no support. A tentative explanation why is suggested by reference to an alternative theoretical framework. It is argued that détente neither affects the security dilemma nor territorial problems nor ideological dissens enough to overcome still irreconcilable conflicts of interest. As long as there are such conflicts of interest, meaningful victory has to be ruled out by deterrence in order to avoid war. While deterrence may help us to survive in the short run, it guarantees doom in the long run. So, there is some true insight behind the drive for détente. Nevertheless détente may prove counterproductive, because it might promote multipolarization and finally nuclear proliferation. While we badly need something better and safer than deterrence, détente doesn't seem to be the solution to our problems of survival.
INSTITUTIONALISATION OF POWER AND INTEGRATION OF RULING ELITES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Authors: BIRNBAUM PIERRE
Published: May 2006

The interchange of elites is examined in order to establish the extent to which political power is institutionalised within different countries. The result is a series of models showing varying degrees of exchange between the different centres of power.
PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: THE P.C.I.'S NEW APPROACH TO MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
Authors: NANETTI RAFFAELLA Y. , LEONARDI ROBERT
Published: May 2006

The thesis of this paper is that the Italian Communists are attempting to implement a top‐initiated response to increasing societal demands for government services and the crisis of confidence in local politics in blending together technocratic‐efficiency elements in the management of public affairs along with sustained grassroots participation. We will attempt to analyze this response by looking at the structural aspects of the urban problem, national legislation on neighborhood government passed in 1976, and an evaluation of the Bologna experiment with urban decentralization. The purpose will be to assess the impact that the PCI's new approach has had on citizen participation in local government as well as part successes at the local and national level.
SEX AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF THE “FEMALE CULTURE”*
Authors: LAFFERTY WILLIAM M.
Published: May 2006

The study of sexual differences in political participation is increasing in analytic specificity. The present article takes its point of departure in the contention that sexual differences are the major source of participatory inequality in Norway. On the basis of survey data (N= 784), it explores a major hypothesis on sexual variation: the possible existence of a “female culture” which conditions women away from greater involvement. Participation is defined as both electoral and interest‐group involvement, and various indicators of the female culture are studied by regression analysis to determine their effect in relation to other socioeconomic factors. There are two major findings: (1) Both positive and negative evidence of the female culture are revealed, but, with the exception of general political interest, none of the personality, attitude, or value components affect political participation. (2) The variable which explains sexual variation most is an interaction variable composed of gender, family status, and work status. Being married and having children appears to exert strong differential effects on the involvement patterns of women and men, and these patterns can be traced out in terms of gender‐specific profiles of organizational attachment and intra‐organizational recruitment. As a conditioner of political involvement, the female culture is best understood as a question of gender‐specific role demands in relation to the productive and reproductive processes, with clear consequences for organizational preference and political activization.
Size and Evaluation of Government: Danish Attitudes towards Politics at Multiple Levels of Government*
Authors: NIELSEN HANS JØRGEN
Published: May 2006

The paper starts out from descriptions of Danish voters as protest voters, and the main problem is whether ‘protest’ as measured by distrust towards the national politicians is an indicator of a general negative attitude towards politics. A main distinction is made between distrust and lack of efficacy, and a second between national and local politics. It is found that there is hardly any lack of efficacy among the voters, and, further, that local politics is evaluated more positively than national politics. Hence distrust of national politicians is not synonymous with a general rejection of politics. Further, the more positive evaluation of local politics seems to be an expression of a ‘size factor’ producing not only a difference between state and local government but also between small and large municipalities.
Economics and Politics in France: Economic Performance and Mass Political Support for Presidents Pompidou and Giscard d'Estaing*
Authors: HIBBS DOUGLAS A. , VASILATOS NICHOLAS
Published: May 2006

During recent years the state of the economy has been a very salient issue for the mass publics of the industrial democracies, and the French electorate is no exception. In this article the influence of inflation, unemployment and real income growth performance on popular ‘satisfaction’ with Presidents Pompidou and Giscard d'Estaing is analysed. The empirical analyses are based on a model of qualitative political responses. The most important features of the model are that people evaluate a President's economic performance relatively rather than absolutely, and that the weights placed upon current and past performance in the formation of contemporaneous political judgments decline geometrically. The empirical results indicate clearly that a President's standing with the mass public depends primarily on the performance of the real economy (in particular, the real income growth rate), rather than on nominal economic conditions (the inflation rate). This suggests that deflationary macroeconomic policies sacrificing employment and real output and income growth in order to achieve price deceleration are not likely to enhance a President's support in the French electorate.
Public Opinion and European Integration: The Crisis of the 1970s*
Authors: HANDLEY DAVID H.
Published: May 2006

Public support and attitudes toward European integration and the Common Market as a set of integrative institutions traversed a crisis during the 1970s which few suspected. Evidence is presented which suggests that integrative efforts may have seriously lost ground rather than merely stagnating as had been forecast by the more pessimistic theorists and analysts of the 1960s. The decline in support can be linked to both integration‐related events such as the attempts to enlarge the Community and the economic crisis of the mid‐1970s. By the end of the decade, the decline in general support of European integration appears to have been reversed, probably because of the direct European elections and improvement in the economic situation. On the other hand, support for the Community continued to decline in the 1980s.
Local Clientelism in Post‐Industrial Society: The Example of the French Communist Party*
Authors: DONNEUR ANDRE P. , PADIOLEAU JEAN G.
Published: May 2006

Can the concept of clientelism be used to analyse some activities of the PCF at the municipal level? A theoretical and strategical analysis of clientelism is used as the basis of an examination of the peculiarities of PCF clientelism, which has developed in a context where, in addition to the centralization of French politics which hinders the development of widespread local clientelism, the PCF does not have privileged access to the decision‐making bodies of the State.

The major preculiarity of PCF clientelism is a kind of symbiosis between municipal power and the party's apparatus, made possible by the financial and political dependency of the mayor and municipal councillors on the party's apparatus. In this context, they tend to appear a representative of a party more than as an individual. In turn, it allows the mayors and municipal councillors to cope with the difficulties encountered in the administration of municipalities because of the policies of the central State, which enables the PCF to publicize its political plan and invite voters to seek a change of government.
Implementation Research as Empirical Constitutionalism
Authors: HJERN BENNY , HULL CHRIS
Published: May 2006

The purpose of this introductory article is to set implementation research in a political science setting. We understand it as having a distinctive and central place within the discipline. We argue that implementation research is not public administration research in disguise. Its frame of reference is not formal constitutional organization but the arrangements and procedures of the living constitution. And implementation research is not just public policy analysis by another name. Its ordering principle is not policy problems as defined and addressed by the ‘political system’ but policy problems as defined and addressed by relevant societal actors. The importance of implementation research for political science is that it offers scope for empirical constitutionalism: to ask, first, what are the organizational arrangements which generate policies and their effects, in order to ask, second, which of those various arrangements are or could be made optimal forms from a prescriptive constitutional perspective. Implementation research acknowledges the written constitution‐but also the living constitution. It is a mind‐set for sceptical enquiry into the structure and functions of policy processes, and to confront these manifestations of the living constitution with the prescriptions of the written.
Regulatory Structures: Enforcement as Implementation
Authors: HANF KENNETH
Published: May 2006

The implementation structure approach was developed for research in the area of human services delivery as an alternative to the traditional top‐down model of implementation. A preliminary test of the general applicability of this perspective to other policy types and instruments is presented in this article, which describes the design and assumptions of an international comparison of the implementation of regulatory programmes in the area of air quality control. On the basis of field work and preliminary results, some observations are offered with regard to the contribution the implementation structure approach can make to that comparative analysis on which the cumulative knowledge of implementation processes across policy areas and in different institutional contexts depends. While it is suggested that more work must be done on conceptualizing the analytic unit ‘implementation structure’, experience in this project indicates that the level of analysis demarcated by the bottom‐up perspective, and the general focus on the pattern of interactions through which regulatory outputs are produced, are useful points of departure for description and analysis of implementation in this policy area.
Privatized Policy‐Making: Administrative and Consociational Types of Implementation in Regional Economic Policy in Switzerland*
Authors: ACKERMANN CHARBEL , STEINMANN WALTER
Published: May 2006

This paper reports results of a research project dealing with the role of private actors and semi‐public organizations in inter‐organizational networks of policy implementation. The first part addresses more general and longer‐term issues of how and why mixed public and private implementation networks are generated. The central part of the article describes the results of a case study of regional economic development policy in Switzerland by comparing two models of implementation: an administrative one specifically attuned to the interests of the policy's target (firms), and a ‘consociational’ one emphasizing the participation of regional economic interest groups. Using this comparison we try to evaluate the impact of institutional configurations on policy output.
The long‐Term Dynamics of Societal Problem‐Solving: A Content‐Analysis of British Speeches from the Throne, 1689–1972*
Authors: WEBER ROBERT PHILIP
Published: May 2006

Content analysis of British political documents. 1689–1972. indicates cycles of political issues that differ from the 1689–1795 (Mercantilist) period to the 1795–1972 (Capitalist) period. Within each period there is a long cycle of changing issues whose interpretation is a variation of the Bales‐Parsons A‐G‐I‐L scheme; however, cycle length and issue sequence were found to differ between periods. These issue cycles are explained in terms of the Bales‐Parsons dynamic tension model. Cohort succession and coalition formation/dissolution are hypothesized to be the underlying processes that drive these issue cycles. During the Capitalist period, there is a substantial relationship between the issue cycle and party realignments. The latter being a particular form of coalition formation. Thebe results replicate and extend earlier findings based on American political documents.