bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vagus nerve stimulation decreases left ventricular contractility in vivo in the human and pig heart
Authors: Lewis M. E. , Al‐Khalidi A. H. , Bonser R. S. , Clutton‐Brock T. , Morton D. , Paterson D. , Townend J. N. , Coote J. H.
Published: August 2004

Studies of the effect of vagus nerve stimulation on ventricular myocardial function in mammals are limited, particularly in the human.

The present study was designed to determine the effect of direct electrical stimulation of the left vagus nerve on left ventricular contractile state in hearts paced at 10 % above the natural rate, in anaesthetised pigs and anaesthetised human subjects undergoing open chest surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Contractility of the left ventricle was determined from a series of pressure‐volume loops obtained from a combined pressure and conductance (volume) catheter placed in the left ventricle. From the measurements a regression slope of the end‐systolic pressure‐volume relationship was determined to give end‐systolic elastance (Ees), a load‐independent measure of contractility.

In six anaesthetised open chest pigs, stimulation of the peripheral cut end of the left cervical vagus nerve induced a significant decrease in Ees of 26 ± 14 %.

In nine patients electrical stimulation of the left thoracic vagus nerve close to its cardiac branch resulted in a significant drop in Ees of 38 ± 16 %.

The effects of vagal stimulation were blocked by the muscarinic antagonist glycopyrronium (5 mg kg−1).

Administration of the β‐adrenoreceptor antagonist esmolol (1 mg kg−1) also attenuated the effect of vagal stimulation, indicating a degree of interaction of vagal and sympathetic influences on contractility.

These studies show that in the human and pig heart the left vagus nerve can profoundly decrease the inotropic state of the left ventricular myocardium independent of its bradycardic effect.
Changes in respiratory sensations induced by lobeline after human bilateral lung transplantation
Authors: Butler J. E. , Anand A. , Crawford M. R. , Glanville A. R. , McKenzie D. K. , Paintal A. S. , Taylor J. L. , Gandevia S. C.
Published: August 2004

The sensations evoked by the injection of lobeline into the right antecubital vein were studied in 8 subjects after bilateral lung transplantation and 10 control subjects. In control subjects, two distinct sensations were experienced. There was an early noxious sensation (onset ≈10 s) followed by a late sensation of breathlessness (onset ≈26 s) associated with involuntary hyperventilation. The early sensation was accompanied by respiratory and cardiovascular changes.

In contrast to control subjects, the early respiratory events and the noxious sensations evoked by injections of lobeline (18‐60 μg kg−1) did not occur in subjects with recent bilateral lung transplantation. This suggests that the early respiratory sensations are mediated by the discharge of receptors in the lungs.

The late hyperventilation and the accompanying sensation of breathlessness occurred in both transplant and control subjects and are therefore likely to be mediated by receptors elsewhere in the body, presumably systemic arterial chemoreceptors stimulated by lobeline.

In control subjects, but not transplant subjects, there was a consistent decrease in mean arterial pressure associated with the lobeline injection. This suggests that pulmonary afferents mediate the hypotension.

For transplant subjects studied more than a year after transplantation, there was some evidence that the noxious respiratory sensations evoked by lobeline had returned. This suggests that some functional reinnervation of pulmonary afferents may occur.
Repeated hypoxic exposures change respiratory chemoreflex control in humans
Authors: Mahamed Safraaz , Duffin James
Published: August 2004

A group of seven volunteers (5 male, 2 female) were exposed to 20 min isocapnic (eucapnic) hypoxia once daily for 14 consecutive days. Their chemoreflexes were measured before and after each exposure. The same volunteers repeated the exposures with air substituted for the hypoxic gas mixture in a pseudorandom crossover design.

On day 1 an initial ventilatory response to hypoxia and subsequent decline was discernible in two volunteers, but the mean response for all volunteers at this stage was not significant. However, the response gradually increased, and by day 14 was discernible in six volunteers making the mean response for all volunteers significant. No change was observed over the 14 days of air exposure.

Only the chemoreflex threshold measured in iso‐oxic (hypoxic) modified rebreathing tests changed significantly, and only for the series of exposures to hypoxia.

Over 14 days, the mean ±s.e.m. threshold for all volunteers fell proportionately, from 42 ± 1.1 mmHg on day 1 to 39 ± 1.0 mmHg on day 14. By contrast, the mean ±s.e.m. threshold, for all volunteers and all days, rose from 40 ± 0.4 mmHg before to 42 ± 0.5 mmHg after the hypoxic exposures.

We conclude that the enhancement of the initial ventilatory response to hypoxia induced by repeated hypoxic exposure is produced by a decrease in chemoreflex threshold. However, the decline in the ventilatory response during a single exposure is produced by an increase in the chemoreflex threshold. Since threshold changes were only found for hypoxic (iso‐oxic) modified rebreathing tests, we conclude that only the peripheral chemoreflex changed.
Evidence for metaboreceptor stimulation of sweating in normothermic and heat‐stressed humans
Authors: Shibasaki M. , Kondo N. , Crandall C. G.
Published: August 2004

Isometric handgrip (IHG) exercise increases sweat rate and arterial blood pressure, and both remain elevated during post‐exercise ischaemia. The purpose of this study was to identify whether the elevation in arterial blood pressure during post‐exercise ischaemia contributes to the increase in sweating.

In normothermia and during whole‐body heating, 2 min IHG exercise at 40 % maximal voluntary contraction, followed by 2 min post‐exercise ischaemia, was performed with and without bolus intravenous administration of sodium nitroprusside during the ischaemic period. Sodium nitroprusside was administered to reduce blood pressure during post‐exercise ischaemia to pre‐exercise levels. Sweat rate was monitored over two microdialysis membranes placed in the dermal space of forearm skin. One membrane was perfused with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine, while the other was perfused with the vehicle.

In normothermia, IHG exercise increased sweat rate at the neostigmine‐treated site but not at the control site. Sweat rate remained elevated during post‐exercise ischaemia even after mean arterial blood pressure returned to the pre‐IHG exercise baseline. Subsequent removal of the ischaemia stimulus returned sweat rate to pre‐IHG exercise levels. Sweat rate during post‐exercise ischaemia without sodium nitroprusside administration followed a similar pattern.

During whole‐body heating, IHG exercise increased sweat rate at both neostigmine‐treated and untreated sites. Similarly, regardless of whether mean arterial blood pressure remained elevated or was reduced during post‐exercise ischaemia, sweat rate remained elevated during the ischaemic period.

These results suggest that sweating in non‐glabrous skin during post‐IHG exercise ischaemia is activated by metaboreflex stimulation and not via baroreceptor loading.
Could enhanced reflex function contribute to improving locomotion after spinal cord repair?
Authors: Pearson K. G.
Published: August 2004

Although numerous treatments have been found to improve locomotion in spinal cord injured mammals, the underlying mechanisms are very poorly understood. Some of the main possibilities are: (1) regeneration of axons across the injury site and the re‐establishment of descending pathways needed to voluntarily initiate and maintain stepping in the hind legs, (2) enhanced effectiveness of undamaged neurons in preparations with incomplete transections of the cord, (3) non‐specific facilitation of reflexes and intrinsic spinal networks by transmitters released from regenerated axons and/or by substances introduced by the treatment, and (4) enhanced trunk movements close to the injury site strengthening the mechanical coupling of the trunk to the hind legs via spinal reflexes. In addition, any procedure that even slightly improves stepping may be further enhanced by use‐dependent modification of reflex pathways and interneuronal networks in the lumbar cord. The emphasis of this review is on the contribution of spinal reflexes to the patterning of motor activity for walking, and how enhancing reflex function may contribute to the improvement of locomotion by treatments aimed at restoring locomotion after complete transection of the spinal cord.
Stretch‐dependent potassium channels in murine colonic smooth muscle cells
Authors: Koh Sang Don , Sanders Kenton M.
Published: August 2004

Gastrointestinal muscles are able to maintain negative resting membrane potentials in spite of stretch. We investigated whether stretch‐dependent K+ channels might contribute to myogenic regulation of smooth muscle cells from the mouse colon.

Negative pressure applied to on‐cell membrane patches activated K+ channels that were voltage independent and had a slope conductance of 95 pS in symmetrical K+ gradients. The effects of negative pressure on open probability were graded as a function of pressure and reversible when atmospheric pressure was restored.

Cell elongation activated K+ channels with the same properties as those activated by negative pressure, suggesting that the channels were stretch‐dependent K+ (SDK) channels.

Channels with the same properties were maximally activated by patch excision, suggesting that either an intracellular messenger or interactions with the cytoskeleton regulate open probability.

Internal 4‐aminopyridine, Ca2+ (10−8 to 10−6m), and tetraethylammonium (internal or external) were without effect on SDK channels.

Nitric oxide donors (and cell‐permeant cGMP analogues) activated SDK channels, suggesting that these channels may mediate a portion of the enteric inhibitory neural response in colonic muscles.

In summary, SDK channels are an important conductance expressed by colonic muscle cells. SDK channels may stabilize membrane potential during dynamic changes in cell length and mediate responses to enteric neurotransmitters.
Calcineurin regulates slow myosin, but not fast myosin or metabolic enzymes, during fast‐to‐slow transformation in rabbit skeletal muscle cell culture
Authors: Meißner Joachim D. , Gros Gerolf , Scheibe Renate J. , Scholz Michael , Kubis Hans‐Peter
Published: August 2004

The addition of cyclosporin A (500 ng ml−1) ‐ an inhibitor of the Ca2+‐calmodulin‐regulated serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin ‐ to primary cultures of rabbit skeletal muscle cells had no influence on the expression of fast myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms MHCIIa and MHCIId at the level of protein and mRNA, but reduced the expression of slow MHCI mRNA.

In addition, no influence of cyclosporin A on the expression of citrate synthase (CS) and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA was found. The level of enzyme activity of CS was also not affected.

When the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (4 × 10−7m) was added to the medium, a partial fast‐to‐slow transformation occurred. The level of MHCI mRNA increased, and the level of MHCIId mRNA decreased. Cotreatment with cyclosporin A was able to prevent the upregulation of MHCI at the level of mRNA as well as protein, but did not reverse the decrease in MHCIId expression. The expression of MHCIIa was also not influenced by cyclosporin A.

Cyclosporin A was not able to prevent the upregulation of CS mRNA under Ca2+ ionophore treatment and failed to reduce the increased enzyme activity of CS. The expression of GAPDH mRNA was reduced under Ca2+ ionophore treatment and was not altered under cotreatment with cyclosporin A.

When the myotubes in the primary muscle culture were electrostimulated at 1 Hz for 15 min periods followed by pauses of 30 min, a partial fast‐to‐slow transformation was induced. Again, cotreatment with cyclosporin A prevented the upregulation of MHCI at the level of mRNA and protein without affecting MHCIId expression.

The nuclear translocation of the calcineurin‐regulated transcription factor nuclear factor of activated thymocytes (NFATc1) during treatment with Ca2+ ionophore, and the prevention of the translocation in the presence of cyclosporin A, were demonstrated immunocytochemically in the myotubes of the primary culture.

The effects of cyclosporin A demonstrate the involvement of calcineurin‐dependent signalling pathways in controlling the expression of MHCI, but not of MHCIIa, MHCIId, CS and GAPDH, during Ca2+ ionophore‐ and electrostimulation‐induced fast‐to‐slow transformations. The data indicate a differential regulation of MHCI, of MHCII and of metabolism. Calcineurin alone is not sufficient to mediate the complete transformation.
Melanin concentrating hormone depresses synaptic activity of glutamate and GABA neurons from rat lateral hypothalamus
Authors: Gao Xiao‐Bing , van den Pol Anthony N.
Published: August 2004

The neuropeptide melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) is synthesised only by neurons of the lateral hypothalamic (LH) area in the CNS. MCH cells project widely throughout the brain. Despite the growing interest in this peptide, in part related to its role in feeding, little has been done to characterise its physiological effects in neurons. Using whole‐cell recording with current and voltage clamp, we examined the cellular actions in neurons from the LH.

MCH induced a consistent decrease in the frequency of action potentials and reduced synaptic activity. Most fast synaptic activity in the hypothalamus is mediated by GABA or glutamate. MCH inhibited the synaptic activity of both glutamatergic and GABAergic LH neurons, each tested independently.

MCH reduced the amplitude of glutamate‐evoked currents and reduced the amplitude of miniature excitatory currents, indicating an inhibitory modulation of postsynaptic glutamate receptors.

In the presence of tetrodotoxin to block action potentials, MCH caused a depression in the frequency of miniature glutamate‐mediated postsynaptic currents, suggesting a presynaptic site of receptor expression.

In voltage clamp experiments, MCH depressed the amplitude of calcium currents, suggesting that a mechanism of inhibition may involve a reduced calcium‐dependent release of amino acid transmitter.

Previous reports have suggested that MCH activated potassium channels in non‐neuronal cells transfected with the MCH receptor gene. We found no effect of MCH on voltage‐dependent potassium channels in LH neurons. Baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist, activated G‐protein gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK)‐type channels; in the same neurons, MCH had no effect on GIRK channels. MCH showed no modulation of sodium currents.

Blockade of the Gi/Go protein with pertussis toxin eliminated the actions of MCH.

The inhibitory actions of MCH on both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic events, coupled with opposing excitatory actions of hypocretin, another LH peptide that projects to many of the same loci, suggest a substantial level of complexity in neuropeptide modulation of LH actions.
Redox control of oxygen sensing in the rabbit ductus arteriosus
Authors: Reeve Helen L. , Tolarova Simona , Nelson Daniel P. , Archer Stephen , Weir E. Kenneth
Published: August 2004

How the ductus arteriosus (DA) closes at birth remains unclear. Inhibition of O2‐sensitive K+ channels may initiate the closure but the sensor mechanism is unknown. We hypothesized that changes in endogenous H2O2 could act as this sensor.

Using chemiluminescence measurements with luminol (50 μm) or lucigenin (5 μm) we showed significantly higher levels of reactive O2 species in normoxic, compared to hypoxic DA. This increase in chemiluminescence was completely reversed by catalase (1200 U ml−1).

Prolonged normoxia caused a significant decrease in K+ current density and depolarization of membrane potential in single fetal DA smooth muscle cells. Removal of endogenous H2O2 with intracellular catalase (200 U ml−1) increased normoxic whole‐cell K+ currents (IK) and hyperpolarized membrane potential while intracellular H2O2 (100 nm) and extracellular t‐butyl H2O2 (100 μm) decreased IK and depolarized membrane potential. More rapid metabolism of O2−· with superoxide dismutase (100 U ml−1) had no significant effect on normoxic K+ currents.

N‐Mercaptopropionylglycine (NMPG), duroquinone and dithiothreitol all dilated normoxic‐constricted DA rings, while the oxidizing agent 5,5′‐dithiobis‐(2‐nitrobenzoic acid) constricted hypoxia‐dilated rings. NMPG also increased IK. We conclude that increased H2O2 levels, associated with a cytosolic redox shift at birth, signal K+ channel inhibition and DA constriction.
Topical Review
Authors: Okamoto Curtis T. , Forte John G.
Published: August 2004

Gastric HCl secretion by the parietal cell involves the secretagogue‐regulated re‐cycling of the H+–K+‐ATPase at the apical membrane. The trafficking of the H+–K+‐ATPase and the remodelling of the apical membrane during this process are likely to involve the co‐ordination of the function of vesicular trafficking machinery and the cytoskeleton. This review summarizes the progress made in the identification and characterization of components of the vesicular trafficking machinery that are associated with the H+–K+‐ATPase and of components of the actin‐based cytoskeleton that are associated with the apical membrane of the parietal cell. Since many of these proteins are also expressed at the apical pole of other epithelial cells, the parietal cell may represent a model system to characterize the protein‐ protein interactions that regulate apical membrane trafficking in many other epithelial cells.
Muscle‐derived interleukin‐6: possible biological effects
Authors: Pedersen Bente Klarlund , Steensberg Adam , Schjerling Peter
Published: August 2004

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is produced locally in working skeletal muscle and can account for the increase in plasma IL‐6 during exercise. The production of IL‐6 during exercise is related to the intensity and duration of the exercise, and low muscle glycogen content stimulates the production. Muscle‐derived IL‐6 is released into the circulation during exercise in high amounts and is likely to work in a hormone‐like fashion, exerting an effect on the liver and adipose tissue, thereby contributing to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis during exercise and mediating exercise‐induced lipolysis. Muscle‐derived IL‐6 may also work to inhibit the effects of pro‐inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor α. The latter cytokine is produced by adipose tissue and inflammatory cells and appears to play a pathogenetic role in insulin resistance and atherogenesis.
Strong binding of myosin increases shortening velocity of rabbit skinned skeletal muscle fibres at low levels of Ca2+
Authors: Swartz Darl R. , Moss Richard L.
Published: August 2004

At low levels of activation, unloaded shortening of skinned skeletal muscle fibres takes place in two phases: an initial phase of high‐velocity shortening followed by a phase of low‐velocity shortening. The basis for Ca2+ dependence of unloaded shortening velocity (Vo) in the low‐velocity phase was investigated by varying the level of thin filament activation with Ca2+ and N‐ethyl‐maleimide myosin subfragment‐1 (NEM‐S1), a non‐tension‐generating, strong binding derivative of subfragment‐1. Vo was measured with the slack‐test method.

Treatment of skinned fibres with 5 μm NEM‐S1 eliminated the low‐velocity phase of shortening but had no effect on the high‐velocity phase of shortening during submaximal activation with Ca2+, or on Vo during maximal activation with Ca2+.

Extensive washout of NEM‐S1 from the treated fibres restored the low‐velocity phase of shortening and returned low‐velocity Vo to pre‐treatment values.

The effect of NEM‐S1 to increase low‐velocity Vo can be explained in terms of a model in which strong binding myosin cross‐bridges activate the thin filament to a state in which the rate of ADP release from the actin‐myosin‐ADP complex and the rate of cross‐bridge detachment from actin are accelerated during unloaded shortening.
Excitation‐contraction coupling in skeletal muscle of a mouse lacking the dihydropyridine receptor subunit γ1
Authors: Ursu D. , Sebille S. , Dietze B. , Freise D. , Flockerzi V. , Melzer W.
Published: August 2004

In skeletal muscle, dihydropyridine (DHP) receptors control both Ca2+ entry (L‐type current) and internal Ca2+ release in a voltage‐dependent manner. Here we investigated the question of whether elimination of the skeletal muscle‐specific DHP receptor subunit γ1 affects excitation‐contraction (E–C) coupling. We studied intracellular Ca2+ release and force production in muscle preparations of a mouse deficient in the γ1 subunit (γ‐/‐).

The rate of internal Ca2+ release at large depolarization (+20 mV) was determined in voltage‐clamped primary‐cultured myotubes derived from satellite cells of adult mice by analysing fura‐2 fluorescence signals and estimating the concentration of free and bound Ca2+. On average, γ‐/‐ cells showed an increase in release of about one‐third of the control value and no alterations in the time course.

Voltage of half‐maximal activation (V1/2) and voltage sensitivity (k) were not significantly different in γ‐/‐ myotubes, either for internal Ca2+ release activation or for the simultaneously measured L‐type Ca2+ conductance. The same was true for maximal Ca2+ inward current and conductance.

Contractions evoked by electrical stimuli were recorded in isolated extensor digitorum longus (EDL; fast, glycolytic) and soleus (slow, oxidative) muscles under normal conditions and during fatigue induced by repetitive tetanic stimulation. Neither time course nor amplitudes of twitches and tetani nor force‐frequency relations showed significant alterations in the γ1‐deficient muscles.

In conclusion, the overall results show that the γ1 subunit is not essential for voltage‐controlled Ca2+ release and force production.
Mechanisms underlying presynaptic facilitatory effect of cyclothiazide at the calyx of Held of juvenile rats
Authors: Ishikawa Taro , Takahashi Tomoyuki
Published: August 2004

Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were recorded using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique at the calyx of Held synapse in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) in auditory brainstem slices from juvenile rats.

Bath application of cyclothiazide (CTZ, 100 μm) significantly increased the amplitude of EPSCs mediated by α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Cyclothiazide increased the magnitude of paired‐pulse depression of both AMPA‐EPSCs (intervals, 50 and 500 ms) and NMDA‐EPSCs (interval, 20 ms). In low Ca2+, high Mg2+ solution, CTZ decreased the number of failures and increased the mean amplitude of AMPA‐EPSCs more than three‐fold.

Presynaptic Ca2+ currents and K+ currents were directly recorded from the calyceal nerve terminals. These currents were attenuated by CTZ in a reversible manner. The magnitude of inhibition of presynaptic K+ currents by CTZ (100 μm) was comparable to that by 5 μm 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP). Both CTZ and 4‐AP slowed the repolarizing phase of presynaptic action potentials.

The inhibitory effects of CTZ on presynaptic ion channels were mimicked by a solution having reduced Ca2+ concentration and 5 μm 4‐AP. This solution facilitated EPSCs, but the magnitude of facilitation was significantly less than that caused by CTZ.

In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), CTZ increased the mean frequency of miniature EPSCs three‐fold. CTZ prolonged their decay time but had no effect on their amplitude. The facilitatory effect of CTZ on the miniature frequency was neither blocked by a protein kinase C inhibitor nor occluded by phorbol ester, suggesting that a distinct mechanism underlies the effect of CTZ.

We conclude that CTZ facilitates transmitter release through suppression of presynaptic potassium conductance and stimulation of exocytotic machinery downstream of Ca2+ influx.
Resetting of sympathetic rhythm by somatic afferents causes post‐reflex coordination of sympathetic activity in rat
Authors: Staras Kevin , Chang Hong‐Shiu , Gilbey Michael P.
Published: August 2004

We have proposed previously that graded synchronous activity is produced by periodic inputs acting on weakly coupled or uncoupled oscillators influencing the discharges of a population of cutaneous vasoconstrictor sympathetic postganglionic neurones (PGNs) in anaesthetized rats.

Here we investigated the effects of somatic afferent (superficial radial nerve, RaN) stimulation, on the rhythmic discharges of this population. We recorded (1) at the population level from the ventral collector nerve and (2) from single PGNs focally from the caudal ventral artery of the tail.

Following RaN stimulation we observed an excitatory response followed by a period of reduced discharge and subsequent rhythmical discharges seemingly phase‐locked to the stimulus.

We suggest that the rhythmical discharges following the initial excitatory response (conventional reflex) result from a resetting of sympathetic rhythm generators such that rhythmic PGN activity is synchronized transiently. We also demonstrate that a natural mechanical stimulus can produce a similar pattern of response.

Our results support the idea that in sympathetic control, resetting of multiple oscillators driving the rhythmic discharges of a population of PGNs may provide a mechanism for producing a sustained and coordinated response to somatic input.
The dynamic characteristics of the feedback signal from horizontal cells to cones in the goldfish retina
Authors: Kamermans Maarten , Kraaij Dick , Spekreijse Henk
Published: August 2004

The dynamic properties of the microcircuitry formed by cones and horizontal cells in the isolated goldfish retina were studied. Cones project to horizontal cells and horizontal cells feed back to cones via a relatively slow negative feedback pathway.

The time constant of the feedback signal in cones and of the effect this feedback signal had on the responses of second‐order neurons was determined using whole‐cell patch clamp and intracellular recording techniques.

It was found that the feedback signal in cones had a time constant of around 80 ms, whereas the time constant of the effect this feedback signal had on the second‐order neurons ranged from 36 to 116 ms. This range of time constants can be accounted for by the non‐linearity of the Ca2+current in the cones. In depolarized cones, the feedback‐mediated response in second‐order neurons had a similar time constant to that of the direct light response of the cone, whereas in hyperpolarized cones, the time constant of the feedback‐mediated response in second‐order neurons was considerably larger.

Further, it was shown that there was no delay in the feedback pathway. This is in contrast to what has been deduced from the response properties of second‐order neurons. In one type of horizontal cell, the responses to red light were delayed relative to the responses to green light. This delay in the second‐order neurons can be accounted for by the interaction of the direct light response of the medium‐wavelength‐sensitive cones (M‐cones) with the feedback response of the M‐cones received from the horizontal cells.
Utilization of the neutral zone technique for a maxillofacial patient
Authors: Wee Alvin G. , Cwynar Roger B. , Cheng Ansgar C.
Published: August 2004

The use of a neutral zone technique to fabricate a more stable complete mandibular denture for a maxillofacial patient is presented. The technique incorporates an altered sequence from traditional denture fabrication, resulting in a shortened treatment period.
Influence of additional acid etch treatment on resin cement dentin infiltration
Authors: Walker Mary P. , Wang Yong , Swafford James , Evans Adrian , Spencer Paulette
Published: August 2004

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the penetration of a resin cement into dentin surfaces pretreated with self‐etching primer with or without conventional acid etch.

Materials and Methods Dentin surfaces of 8 unerupted human third molars were treated with self‐etch primer (Panavia 21; Kuraray Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan) with or without conventional acid etch treatment. A resin cement (Panavia 21) was applied according to manufacturer's instructions. Dentin/resin cement interface sections from each tooth were examined with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In the light microscopy sections, exposed protein at the dentin/cement interface was stained a distinct red with Goldner's trichrome.

Results The resin cement did not penetrate the depth of the zone of demineralized dentin when the self‐etch primer was used in combination with conventional acid etch treatment. Inadequate resin cement penetration leaves a substantial area of exposed protein at the dentin/cement interface. In contrast, there was complete resin cement diffusion throughout the demineralized dentin when the self‐etch primer was used without acid etching.

Conclusions Combining conventional acid etch treatment with a self‐etching primer/resin cement system resulted in incomplete resin cement penetration and exposed protein at the dentin/cement interface.
Irrigation rates and handpieces used in prosthodontic and operative dentistry: Results of a survey of North American dental school teaching
Authors: Siegel Sharon Crane , von Fraunhofer J. Anthony
Published: August 2004

Purpose A data baseline on dental cutting methodologies was established by means of a survey of North American dental school teaching.

Materials and Methods Sixty‐four North American dental schools were surveyed regarding their recommendations on handpiece usage and coolant flow rates in fixed prosthodontics and operative dentistry.

Results High‐speed handpieces were the instruments of choice for tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics. In operative procedures, recommendations for sole use of the high‐speed, the low‐speed, or both handpiece types were more uniform.

Conclusions North American dental schools advocate greater use of high‐speed than low‐speed handpieces. Although the use of high‐speed handpieces predominate in schools in Canada and Puerto Rico, there is a proportionately higher use of low‐speed handpieces than in US dental schools. Few (approximately 1 in 5) schools made recommendations on coolant flow rates during cutting procedures.
Centric relation definitions taught in 7 dental schools: Results of faculty and student surveys
Authors: Jasinevicius T. Roma , Yellowitz Janet A. , Vaughan Gloria G. , Brooks Ernie S. , Baughan Linda W. , Cline Nancy , Theiss Lynn B.
Published: August 2004

Purpose The purpose of this investigation was to assess the level of consensus regarding the definition of centric relation and its clinical use in 7 US dental schools.

Materials and Methods The preclinical and clinical faculty in the departments of prosthodontics, operative, and general dentistry (n = 137) at 7 dental schools and a convenience sample of fourth year students (n = 150) at the same schools were invited to complete 2‐page surveys regarding the definitions and use of centric relation at their institutions. The faculty and student survey included 6 commonly used centric relation definitions from the 1994 Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, and provided space for writing in definitions not listed on the form. The participants were asked to identify which definition was used at their school.

Results Return rate was 85% for faculty and 75% for students. Both faculty and students identified a low level of consensus regarding the definition and clinical use of centric relation at their dental school. Numerous definitions are in use at each institution. Extramural practice participation and the number of years since dental school graduation were variables associated with the faculty's choice of definition. The faculty who did not participate in an extramural practice chose older definitions. Dental educators graduating before 1975 selected either the oldest or the most recent centric relation definition, whereas the more recent graduates frequently selected the newer definitions. There were no statistical differences between prosthodontic specialists and nonspecialists in choice of definitions. Three courses identified by the students as having the most influence on their understanding of centric relation were preclinical removable prosthodontics, preclinical occlusion, and clinical removable prosthodontics.

Conclusions The results of this survey suggest that the controversy will continue, because to date there is no consensus regarding the definition of centric relation within the 7 dental schools surveyed.
The partial overdenture in management of anterior apertognathia: A clinical report
Authors: Elton William C. , Hannon Stephen M.
Published: August 2004

A patient with anterior apertognathia presented with an unserviceable maxillary removable partial denture. The unique pattern of partial edentulism was treated with a partial overdenture restoration of the bar attachment design. The final prosthesis was stable, well retained, and esthetic, serving as a conservative alternative to a surgical‐orthognathic plan of treatment.
Evaluation of interarch space for implant restorations in edentulous patients: A laboratory technique
Authors: AbuJamra Nicolas F. , Stavridakis Minos M. , Miller R. Bruce
Published: August 2004

This article describes a laboratory procedure for the visual evaluation of interarch space and its effect on implant prosthesis design. The method is applicable to patients presenting with completely edentulous arches. Silicone impression material is used to form a resilient cast and an external mold from an existing denture. The denture is duplicated using autopolymerizing acrylic resin. The duplicate denture and resilient cast are mounted on an articulator. Spatial relationships of anatomic landmarks can be evaluated, and a quantitative evaluation of available space can be made. The duplicate denture can also be used as a surgical template to direct implant placement. Reference tables are provided to serve as guidelines in the correlation between available space and minimum space required for various implant‐assisted restorations.
Gregory Bateson: A Final Metaphor
Authors: KEENEY BRADFORD P.
Published: August 2004

It is no secret that Gregory Bateson was often disturbed by interpretations and translations of his ideas by pragmatically oriented therapists. In his later years Bateson and I occasionally discussed the strategy of connecting ecosystemic epistemology to clinical contexts. One of his last letters to me proposes the form of how he thought the “battle,” as he called it, should be carried out. A part of this letter is shared with the reader as one of Gregory's final metaphors.
Types of Paradoxical Intervention and Indications/Contraindications for Use in Clinical Practice
Authors: FISHER LAWRENCE , ANDERSON ANN , JONES JAMES E.
Published: August 2004

A review of theoretical mechanisms underlying paradoxical interventions is undertaken in an effort to classify them into three broad types: redefinition, symptom escalation and crisis induction, and redirection. A list of individual and family patient characteristics and problems particularly applicable to each type of paradoxical intervention is presented along with contraindications for use. Last, implications for training and cautions as to their use are presented.
With Onions and Tears: A Multidimensional Analysis of a Counter‐Ritual
Authors: LEVICK STEPHEN E. , JALALI BEHNAZ , STRAUSS JOHN S.
Published: August 2004

“Family rituals” and “family myths” are useful concepts for understanding some of the behavior of disturbed families and hence for planning therapeutic interventions. A case of a family of a schizophrenic patient is described in which a “counter‐ritual” involving onion‐peeling to induce tearing was invented. The intervention addressed the family's inappropriate laughter and denial of sadness and seemed to lead to therapeutic gains for the identified patient and the family.

This counter‐ritual, as an indirect affect‐inducing experience, is analyzed from a variety of perspectives and a partial parallel is drawn to an Iranian cultural ritual.

A suggestion is made that more light may be shed on the mechanisms and structures of myths and rituals in families by drawing on studies of myths and rituals in ethnography.

“Counter‐ritual” is offered as a general concept for a type of active family intervention that involves inventing and employing rituals antithetical to pathological ones engaged in by some families.
Family Therapy for the Historian?— The Case of William James
Authors: FEINSTEIN HOWARD M.
Published: August 2004

Family therapists disagree over the utility of historical reconstruction for treatment. Following either a behavioral or a psychoanalytic paradigm, theorists insist that history is irrelevant or essential to the treatment process. This paper demonstrates how a variety of family therapy concepts were used in his historical research into the life of the family of William James, the American psychologist and philosopher (1842–1910). This is offered as evidence both that family theory has a contribution to make to the writing of history and that the historical process is important to family therapy. It is suggested that clinical actuality calls forth interventions within both paradigms, often by the same therapist with the same family. The alternatives need not be mutually exclusive, though theory‐building is clarified by talking as if the therapist were confronted by an either/or choice.
Family Therapy Training: The Institutional Base
Authors: Bloch Donald A.
Published: August 2004

The papers that follow present the findings of three surveys of the institutional base for training in family therapy.1 The surveys were initiated and conducted independently. To some extent they overlap. This is particularly true of the Bloch and Weiss effort in that it does not limit itself to a sector of the training process bounded by a single discipline, as do the other two papers. Despite some overlap, each paper stands independently; of particular interest are the varied analyses and special emphases each provides.

We hope that their publication will stimulate similar studies in the years to come, so that family therapy can take advantage of the observation of its own growth and development. We are accustomed to including ourselves in the field of observation, so far as the family system is concerned; it seems reasonable to extend these perspectives to the more macroscopic field of the institutional development of family therapy. Of particular importance to us, and I believe to science generally, is the opportunity to observe a paradigmatic shift taking place with the development of this new field and the adoption of its associated epistemology by the senior professions of social work, psychology, and psychiatry. Family systems theory and practice have implications that extend beyond their own borders; they can make a significant contribution to the systems revolution that is taking place in science generally. These studies should be of use to practitioners, teachers, and students alike. It seems to me that their implications are clear: that training in family therapy at a sophisticated level is now to be a regular part of the future training of psychiatrists (possibly all physicians), psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses and that, in addition, as a second distinctive career line, there is the new profession of family therapist, with its own entry point and academic pathway. My view is that society will support both lines of career development as far into the future as one can reasonably hope to see. The only logical ending to this will be a shift in the medical model from its present linear definitions of illness and treatment to an ecosystemic, biopsychosocial definition. These describe a historical crosssection through that process.
Family Therapy Training in Selected General Psychiatry Residency Programs
Authors: SUGARMAN STUART
Published: August 2004

This paper describes the current state of family therapy training in general psychiatry residency programs (GPRP) in the United States. Based on a national survey of 80 GPRP training directors, current practices and attitudes toward family therapy training are assessed. The principal finding is that there has been a significant increase in the amount of required family therapy training in GPRP over previous years and many of the programs would like to expand their current curriculum.

Issues concerning course content, definition of family therapy employed, and the meshing of different theoretical paradigms are considered. Recommendations for further research and for the initiation of intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue are presented.
Issues in the Assessment of Outcome in Family Therapy
Authors: LEBOW JAY
Published: August 2004

This paper examines several issues in family therapy outcome research. These include the need to consider numerous population and treatment variables, the influence of treatment goals and values upon the research, the difficulties in defining and operationalizing family treatment, the choice between emphasizing integrity of treatment or randomness of sampling, the selection of measurement methods, the controls needed in research design, the extent of generalizability of results, the importance of efficiency of treatment, and the special role of deterioration effects. Throughout, the need for a multivariate schema for conceptualizing this research and special attention to the role of values and assumptions in it are highlighted.
Client, Treatment, and Therapist Variables Related To Outcome in Brief, Systems‐Oriented Family Therapy
Authors: WOODWARD CHRISTEL A. , SANTA‐BARBARA JACK , STREINER DAVID L. , GOODMAN JOHN T. , LEVIN SOLOMON , EPSTEIN NATHAN B.
Published: August 2004

Client, therapist, and treatment characteristics were examined with respect to how much of the variance they could account for in a variety of outcome measures.

Multiple regression analyses were used to examine relationships among each of the client, therapist, and treatment characteristics studied and the various outcome measures. For the 219 families that were treated with brief family therapy, only a relatively low amount of variance in any of the outcome measures could be accounted for. The amount of explained variance, however, varied considerably from one outcome measure to the other. When the more homogeneous groups of clients (single parents or adolescent identified patients) were considered, the amount of explained variance generally showed an increase. Different sets of client, therapist, and treatment variables accounted for the variance in these outcome measures across client groups, demonstrating both the complexities of the relationships and the relative independence of various outcome measures.

New variables are suggested for future research.
Sibling Set Configuration and Family Dysfunction
Authors: FISHBEIN HAROLD D.
Published: August 2004

The relationships between sex and birth order of the sibling set, number of parents in the primary family unit, and family dysfunction were assessed. The sample was restricted to two‐child and three‐child families, all of school age, and all living with one or both natural parents only, i.e., no one else was in the household. Chi‐square analyses indicated that the likelihood of a family seeking treatment for one of their children was lowest with all girl sibling sets, intermediate with all boy sibling sets and with sibling sets in which all the girls were older than all the boys, and highest with sibling sets in which at least one boy was older than one girl. The patterns were stronger for two‐parent than single‐parent families. The results were interpreted in terms of two factors: (a) the relative commitment of boys and girls to supporting family norms, and (b) the relative stability of a family culture in same gender versus mixed gender sibling sets.
Symbiosis and Confirmation Between the Parents of the Schizophrenic
Authors: Summers Frank , Walsh Froma
Published: August 2004

Parents of schizophrenics (N = 17) were compared with parents of nonschizophrenic hospitalized patients (N = 14) and parents of normals (N = 15) on the degree of symbiotic enmeshment and confirmation of individuality in the parental relationship. Symbiosis was divided into six component variables: undifferentiation, dependency, intervention, disapproval of other relationships, separation difficulty, and injunctions. Confirmation was bifurcated into acknowledgment and accommodation. Projective tests (TAT and Make‐A‐Picture‐Story) and interviews were used to measure both variables. The results suggest that mothers of schizophrenics tend to be symbiotically attached to their husbands and view their husbands as forming the same type of attachment to them. Fathers of schizophrenics do not tend to be symbiotically involved with their wives but fail to confirm them. The implications of the results for the family system of the schizophrenic are discussed.
The Parent's Nazi Past and the Dialogue Between the Generations
Authors: Stierlin Helm
Published: August 2004

This paper considers the impact of the Nazi past on the succeeding generation in Germany and on the dialogue between the two generations, using the theoretical framework of the dynamics of delegation — missions entrusted to parents by their children. Those issues became manifest in the course of conjoint family interviews with adolescents and young adults whose parents had been identified with the Nazi past.
Openness: A Round‐Table Discussion
Authors: ELKAÏM MONY , PRIGOGINE ILYA , GUATTARI FÉLIX , STENGERS ISABELLE , DENENBOURG JEAN‐LOUIS
Published: August 2004

This is a transcript of a Round‐Table organized in Brussels early in 1981 by Mony Elkaim to address areas of mutual interest to family therapists and the Prigogine group.
Paradoxes, Double Binds, and Reflexive Loops: An Alternative Theoretical Perspective
Authors: CRONEN VERNON E. , JOHNSON KENNETH M. , LANNAMANN JOHN W.
Published: August 2004

This article presents a new theory of refiexivity in systems of social meaning and action. It is argued that Russell's Theory of Logical Types, which formed the basis of the early work of the Palo Alto group, rests upon an inappropriate and largely outdated epistemology. The theory offered here rejects the assumption that reflexivity and paradox are coterminous. It is further argued that reflexivity is a natural and necessary feature of human systems of meaning. New analytic tools are offered for discerning problematic from nonproblematic reflexive loops. The new tools take the form of a symbol system that can be used to represent the rules that organize reflexive relationships. The theory also contains a set of statements designed to delimit conditions under which problematic reflexive loops have ramifications for persons' mental health.
Hospitalization of Single‐Parent Families of Disturbed Children
Authors: COMBRINK‐GRAHAM LEE , GURSKY ELLIOT J. , BRENDLER JOHN
Published: August 2004

In this paper, six years of experience with well‐planned, short‐term family hospitalization is described. Each family has at least one identified patient who is a child. The approach to treatment is systemic and structural. Areas discussed are selection of families, planning of the hospitalization, stages of the hospitalization, and the organization of the staff. Illustrations are provided by seven case vignettes.