bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of walking impairment in multiple sclerosis with dalfampridine
Authors: Blight Andrew R.
Published: May 2011

Potassium channel blockade has long been considered a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) based on the pathophysiology of demyelinated axons. Dalfampridine, which is also known as fampridine or 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), is the potassium channel blocker that has been studied most extensively in MS and other demyelinating neurologic disorders. An extended-release formulation of dalfampridine was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to improve walking in patients with MS. In randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, with dalfampridine extended release tablets 10 mg taken twice daily, about 12 h apart, walking speed was improved in approximately one-third of treated patients; in these patients, average walking speed on therapy was about 25% above baseline. This improvement was clinically meaningful as assessed by concurrent measurement of patient-reported severity of walking-related disability. Dalfampridine extended release tablets were generally well tolerated, with a range of adverse effects that appear to be related to increases in central nervous system excitation. There is a dose-dependent increase in the occurrence of seizures at doses higher than the recommended 10 mg twice daily.
From Local School Nurse to National Advocate
Authors: Pappas Mary
Published: May 2011

School nurses are on the front lines of our nation’s schools and play a critical role in caring for emergencies, chronic medical conditions, and everyday health care needs. We advocate for health needs on a one-to-one basis as well as in the communities in which we serve. On any given day a scenario can present that brings national attention. April 23, 2009, was my day.
Molybdenum Nutriture in Humans
Authors: Novotny Janet A.
Published: May 2011

Molybdenum is a trace element that functions as a cofactor for at least 4 enzymes: sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component. In each case, molybdenum is bound to a complex, multiring organic component called molybdopterin, forming the entity molybdenum cofactor. The best sources of dietary molybdenum are legumes, grains, and nuts. Bioavailability of molybdenum is fairly high but depends on form, with molybdenum preparations having greater bioavailability than food-bound molybdenum. Molybdenum deficiency and toxicity are rare, possibly because of the body’s ability to adapt to a wide range of molybdenum intake levels. At low intakes of molybdenum, the fractional transfer of molybdenum from plasma to urine is lower and a greater fraction is deposited into tissues, and at high intakes of molybdenum, the opposite occurs. Molybdenum has proven to be an interesting trace mineral that is essential for life.
Diminished metastasis in tetraspanin CD151–knockout mice
Authors: Takeda Yoshito , Li Qinglin , Kazarov Alexander R. , Epardaud Mathieu , Elpek Kutlu , Turley Shannon J. , Hemler Martin E.
Published: May 2011

Tetraspanin protein CD151 on tumor cells supports invasion and metastasis. In the present study, we show that host animal CD151 also plays a critical role. CD151-null mice showed markedly diminished experimental lung metastasis after injection of Lewis lung carcinoma or B16F10 melanoma cells. Diminished tumor cell residence in the lungs was evident 6-24 hours after injection. Consistent with an endothelial cell deficiency, isolated CD151-null mouse lung endothelial cells showed diminished support for B16F10 adhesion and transendothelial migration, diminished B16F10-induced permeability, and diminished B16F10 adhesion to extracellular matrix deposited by CD151-null mouse lung endothelial cells. However, CD151 deletion did not affect the size of metastatic foci or subcutaneous primary B16F10 tumors, tumor aggregation, tumor clearance from the blood, or tumor-induced immune cell activation and recruitment. Therefore, the effects of host CD151 on metastasis do not involve altered local tumor growth or immune surveillance. VEGF-induced endothelial cell signaling through Src and Akt was diminished in CD151-null endothelial cells. However, deficient signaling was not accompanied by reduced endothelial permeability either in vitro (monolayer permeability assay) or in vivo (VEGF-stimulated Miles assay). In summary, diminished metastasis in CD151-null host animals may be due to impaired tumor-endothelial interactions, with underlying defects in mouse lung endothelial cell extracellular matrix production.
IL-7 receptor expression identifies suicide gene–modified allospecific CD8+ T cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into antileukemia effectors
Authors: Bondanza Attilio , Hambach Lothar , Aghai Zohara , Nijmeijer Bart , Kaneko Shin , Mastaglio Sara , Radrizzani Marina , Fleischhauer Katharina , Ciceri Fabio , Bordignon Claudio , Bonini Chiara , Goulmy Els
Published: May 2011

In allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HSCT), donor T lymphocytes mediate the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, but induce graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Suicide gene therapy—that is, the genetic induction of a conditional suicide phenotype into donor T cells—allows dissociating the GVL effect from GVHD. Genetic modification with retroviral vectors after CD3 activation reduces T-cell alloreactivity. We recently found that alloreactivity is maintained when CD28 costimulation, IL-7, and IL-15 are added. Herein, we used the minor histocompatibility (mH) antigens HA-1 and H-Y as model alloantigens to directly explore the antileukemia efficacy of human T cells modified with the prototypic suicide gene herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) after activation with different stimuli. Only in the case of CD28 costimulation, IL-7, and IL-15, the repertoire of tk+ T cells contained HA-1– and H-Y–specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTL) precursors. Thymidine kinase–positive HA-1– and H-Y–specific CTLs were capable of self-renewal and differentiation into potent antileukemia effectors in vitro, and in vivo in a humanized mouse model. Self-renewal and differentiation coincided with IL-7 receptor expression. These results pave the way to the clinical investigation of T cells modified with a suicide gene after CD28 costimulation, IL-7, and IL-15 for a safe and effective GVL effect.
Kindlin-3 is required for the stabilization of TCR-stimulated LFA-1:ICAM-1 bonds critical for lymphocyte arrest and spreading on dendritic cells
Authors: Feigelson Sara W. , Grabovsky Valentin , Manevich-Mendelson Eugenia , Pasvolsky Ronit , Shulman Ziv , Shinder Vera , Klein Eugenia , Etzioni Amos , Aker Memet , Alon Ronen
Published: May 2011

Kindlin-3 is a key lymphocyte function–associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) coactivator deleted in leukocyte adhesion deficiency-III (LAD-III). In the present study, we investigated the involvement of this adaptor in lymphocyte motility and TCR-triggered arrest on ICAM-1 or on dendritic cells (DCs). Kindlin-3–null primary T cells from a LAD-III patient migrated normally on the major lymph node chemokine CCL21 and engaged in normal TCR signaling. However, TCR activation of Kindlin-3–null T lymphocytes failed to trigger the robust LFA-1–mediated T-cell spreading on ICAM-1 and ICAM-1–expressing DCs that is observed in normal lymphocytes. Kindlin-3 was also essential for cytoskeletal anchorage of the LFA-1 heterodimer and for microclustering of LFA-1 within ventral focal dots of TCR-stimulated lymphocytes spread on ICAM-1. Surprisingly, LFA-1 on Kindlin-3–null lymphocytes migrating over CCL21 acquired normal expression of an epitope associated with the conformational activation of the key headpiece domain, β I. This activated LFA-1 was highly responsive to TCR-triggered ICAM-1–driven stop signals in normal T cells locomoting on CCL21, but not in their Kindlin-3–null T-cell counterparts. We suggest that Kindlin-3 selectively contributes to a final TCR-triggered outside-in stabilization of bonds generated between chemokine-primed LFA-1 molecules and cell-surface ICAM-1.
Autoimmunity associated with immunotherapy of cancer
Authors: Amos Sally M. , Duong Connie P. M. , Westwood Jennifer A. , Ritchie David S. , Junghans Richard P. , Darcy Phillip K. , Kershaw Michael H.
Published: May 2011

In this age of promise of new therapies for cancer, immunotherapy is emerging as an exciting treatment option for patients. Vaccines and cytokines are being tested extensively in clinical trials, and strategies using monoclonal antibodies and cell transfer are mediating dramatic regression of tumors in patients with certain malignancies. However, although initially advocated as being more specific for cancer and having fewer side effects than conventional therapies, it is becoming increasingly clear that many immunotherapies can lead to immune reactions against normal tissues. Immunotoxicities resulting from treatment can range from relatively minor conditions, such as skin depigmentation, to severe toxicities against crucial organ systems, such as liver, bowel, and lung. Treatment-related toxicity has correlated with better responses in some cases, and it is probable that serious adverse events from immune-mediated reactions will increase in frequency and severity as immunotherapeutic approaches become more effective. This review introduces immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment, provides details of toxicities arising from therapy, and discusses future potential ways to avoid or circumvent these side effects.
Genome integrity of myeloproliferative neoplasms in chronic phase and during disease progression
Authors: Klampfl Thorsten , Harutyunyan Ashot , Berg Tiina , Gisslinger Bettina , Schalling Martin , Bagienski Klaudia , Olcaydu Damla , Passamonti Francesco , Rumi Elisa , Pietra Daniela , Jäger Roland , Pieri Lisa , Guglielmelli Paola , Iacobucci Ilaria , Martinelli Giovanni , Cazzola Mario , Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Gisslinger Heinz , Kralovics Robert
Published: May 2011

Philadelphia chromosome–negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal myeloid disorders with increased production of terminally differentiated cells. The disease course is generally chronic, but some patients show disease progression (secondary myelofibrosis or accelerated phase) and/or leukemic transformation. We investigated chromosomal aberrations in 408 MPN samples using high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism microarrays to identify disease-associated somatic lesions. Of 408 samples, 37.5% had a wild-type karyotype and 62.5% harbored at least 1 chromosomal aberration. We identified 25 recurrent aberrations that were found in 3 or more samples. An increased number of chromosomal lesions was significantly associated with patient age, as well as with disease progression and leukemic transformation, but no association was observed with MPN subtypes, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) mutational status, or disease duration. Aberrations of chromosomes 1q and 9p were positively associated with disease progression to secondary myelofibrosis or accelerated phase. Changes of chromosomes 1q, 7q, 5q, 6p, 7p, 19q, 22q, and 3q were positively associated with post-MPN acute myeloid leukemia. We mapped commonly affected regions to single target genes on chromosomes 3p (forkhead box P1 [FOXP1]), 4q (tet oncogene family member 2 [TET2]), 7p (IKAROS family zinc finger 1 [IKZF1]), 7q (cut-like homeobox 1 [CUX1]), 12p (ets variant 6 [ETV6]), and 21q (runt-related transcription factor 1 [RUNX1]). Our data provide insight into the genetic complexity of MPNs and implicate new genes involved in disease progression.
Incidence of the myelodysplastic syndromes using a novel claims-based algorithm: high number of uncaptured cases by cancer registries
Authors: Cogle Christopher R. , Craig Benjamin M. , Rollison Dana E. , List Alan F.
Published: May 2011

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are hematologically diverse hematopoietic stem cell malignancies primarily affecting older individuals. The incidence of MDS in the United States is estimated at 3.3 per 100 000; however, evidence suggests underreporting of MDS to centralized cancer registries. Contrary to clinical recommendations, registry guidelines from 2001-2010 required the capture of only one malignancy in the myeloid lineage and did not require blood count (BC) or bone marrow (BM) biopsy for MDS confirmation. To address these potential limitations, we constructed 4 claims-based algorithms to assess MDS incidence, applied the algorithms to the 2000-2008 Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)–Medicare database, and assessed algorithm validity using SEER-registered MDS cases. Each algorithm required one or more MDS claims and accounted for recommended diagnostic services during the year before the first claim: 1+, 2+, 2 + BC, and 2 + BCBM (ordered by sensitivity). Each had moderate sensitivities (78.05%-92.90%) and high specificities (98.49%-99.84%), with the 2 + BCBM algorithm demonstrating the highest specificity. Based on the 2 + BCBM algorithm, the annual incidence of MDS is 75 per 100 000 persons 65 years or older—much higher than the 20 per 100 000 reported by SEER using the same sample.
Differential pathways regulating innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses by particulate and soluble yeast-derived β-glucans
Authors: Qi Chunjian , Cai Yihua , Gunn Lacey , Ding Chuanlin , Li Bing , Kloecker Goetz , Qian Keqing , Vasilakos John , Saijo Shinobu , Iwakura Yoichiro , Yannelli John R. , Yan Jun
Published: May 2011

β-glucans have been reported to function as a potent adjuvant to stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses. However, β-glucans from different sources are differential in their structure, conformation, and thus biologic activity. Different preparations of β-glucans, soluble versus particulate, further complicate their mechanism of action. Here we show that yeast-derived particulate β-glucan activated dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages via a C-type lectin receptor dectin-1 pathway. Activated DCs by particulate β-glucan promoted Th1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte priming and differentiation in vitro. Treatment of orally administered yeast-derived particulate β-glucan elicited potent antitumor immune responses and drastically down-regulated immunosuppressive cells, leading to the delayed tumor progression. Deficiency of the dectin-1 receptor completely abrogated particulate β-glucan–mediated antitumor effects. In contrast, yeast-derived soluble β-glucan bound to DCs and macrophages independent of the dectin-1 receptor and did not activate DCs. Soluble β-glucan alone had no therapeutic effect but significantly augmented antitumor monoclonal antibody-mediated therapeutic efficacy via a complement activation pathway but independent of dectin-1 receptor. These findings reveal the importance of different preparations of β-glucans in the adjuvant therapy and allow for the rational design of immunotherapeutic protocols usable in clinical trials.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy as guidance for radical trachelectomy in young patients with early stage cervical cancer
Authors: Du Xue-lian , Sheng Xiu-gui , Jiang Tao , Li Qing-shui , Yu Hao , Pan Chun-xia , Lu Chun-hua , Wang Cong , Song Qu-qing
Published: May 2011

Background

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) detection using 99mTc phytate in predicting pelvic lymph nodes status for radical abdominal trachelectomy (RAT) in patients with early stage cervical cancer.

Methods

Sixty-eight women with stage IA2-IB1 cervical cancer and scheduled to undergo fertility-sparing surgery enrolled in this study. 99mTc-labeled phytate was injected before surgery. Intraoperatively, SLNs were identified, excised, and submitted to fast frozen section. Systematic bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and/or para-aortic lymph node dissection was performed. Then RAT was performed in patients with negative SLNs. All nodes were sent for routine pathological examination and immunostained with anti-cytokeratin antibody to detect micrometastases. Outcomes of follow up and fertility were observed.

Results

SLNs were identified in 64 of 68 patients (94.1%). Of these, SLNs of 8 patients (11.8%) were positive on frozen sections and proved to be metastasis by final pathologic examination. The sensitivity, accuracy, and false negative rates were 100%, 100%, and 0%, respectively. All 60 patients with negative SLN underwent RAT successfully. Two relapses occurred and no one died of tumor progression during follow-up. Five of the 15 patients with procreative desire conceived 8 pregnancies (3 term delivery, 2 premature birth, 1 spontaneous abortion, and 2 were still in the duration of pregnancy) after surgery.

Conclusions

The identification of SLN using 99mTc-labeled phytate is accurate and safe to assess pelvic nodes status in patients with early cervical cancer. SLNs biopsy guided RAT is feasible for patients who desire to have fertility preservation.
In vitro and in vivo assessment of the anti-malarial activity of Caesalpinia pluviosa
Authors: Kayano Ana Carolina AV , Lopes Stefanie CP , Bueno Fernanda G , Cabral Elaine C , Souza-Neiras Wanessa C , Yamauchi Lucy M , Foglio Mary A , Eberlin Marcos N , Mello João Carlos P , Costa Fabio TM
Published: May 2011

Background

To overcome the problem of increasing drug resistance, traditional medicines are an important source for potential new anti-malarials. Caesalpinia pluviosa, commonly named "sibipiruna", originates from Brazil and possess multiple therapeutic properties, including anti-malarial activity.

Methods

Crude extract (CE) was obtained from stem bark by purification using different solvents, resulting in seven fractions. An MTT assay was performed to evaluate cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells. The CE and its fractions were tested in vitro against chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and -resistant (S20) strains of Plasmodium falciparum and in vivo in Plasmodium chabaudi-infected mice. In vitro interaction with artesunate and the active C. pluviosa fractions was assessed, and mass spectrometry analyses were conducted.

Results

At non-toxic concentrations, the 100% ethanolic (F4) and 50% methanolic (F5) fractions possessed significant anti-malarial activity against both 3D7 and S20 strains. Drug interaction assays with artesunate showed a synergistic interaction with the F4. Four days of treatment with this fraction significantly inhibited parasitaemia in mice in a dose-dependent manner. Mass spectrometry analyses revealed the presence of an ion corresponding to m/z 303.0450, suggesting the presence of quercetin. However, a second set of analyses, with a quercetin standard, showed distinct ions of m/z 137 and 153.

Conclusions

The findings show that the F4 fraction of C. pluviosa exhibits anti-malarial activity in vitro at non-toxic concentrations, which was potentiated in the presence of artesunate. Moreover, this anti-malarial activity was also sustained in vivo after treatment of infected mice. Finally, mass spectrometry analyses suggest that a new compound, most likely an isomer of quercetin, is responsible for the anti-malarial activity of the F4.
Attenuating effect of pretreatment with Yiqifumai on lipopolysaccharide-induced intestine injury and survival rate in rat
Authors: Yuan Qing , Wang Jing , Fang Qiu-Hong , Liu Yu-Ying , Fan Jing-Yu , Zhang Shu-Wen , Ma Ying-Min
Published: May 2011

Background

Yiqifumai is a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation used for treatment of microcirculatory disturbance-related diseases in China. We have previous reported that pretreatment with Yiqifumai could improve the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery. The present study intended to investigate the effect of pretreatment with Yiqifumai on intestine injury and survival rate of the rats subjected to LPS challenge.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were continuously infused with LPS (5 mg kg-1 body weight h-1) via the left jugular vein for 90 min. In some rats, Yiqifumai 80 (mg/kg) was administrated through the left jugular vein 10 min before LPS infusion. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and survival rate were measured at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after LPS infusion. At 72 h after exposure to LPS, the intestine morphology was observed under a stereomicroscope and the immunohistochemistry staining of intestine was conducted to evaluate the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and the number of myeloperoxidase (MPO) positive cells in tissue. After observation of intestine microcirculation, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta of each animal to analyze the level of inflammatory markers in plasma, including TNF-α and MCP-1.

Results

Compared to the control, LPS infusion significantly decreased MAP and the survival rate and increased the HR, RT and RR, as well as elicited leukocyte infiltration, intestine hemorrhage, enhanced expression of ICAM-1 and raised level of inflammatory markers. All of indicators, except for the RT, were significantly attenuated by Yiqifumai, in contrast to the LPS group.

Conclusions

The results demonstrated the potential of pretreatment with Yiqifumai to ameliorate rat intestine injury, inflammatory response to LPS and the decrease in survival rate caused by LPS challenge.
Is the internal rotation lag sign a sensitive test for detecting hip abductor tendon ruptures after total hip arthroplasty?
Authors: Ossendorf Christian , Bohnert Laurent , Mamisch-Saupe Nadja , Rittirsch Daniel , Wanner Guido A , Simmen Hans-Peter , Dora Claudio , Werner Clément ML
Published: May 2011

Introduction

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most frequently performed procedures in orthopaedics and weakness of external rotators is often recognized thereafter. However, the etiology of lateral hip pain is multifaceted. For the diagnosis of abductor tendon rupture, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard. As not every patient can be subjected to MRI, a clinical diagnostic test for easy detection of lesions of the abductor tendon is missing. Here, we present the internal rotation lack sign indicating abductor tendon pathology.

Methods

The patient is placed in lateral position on a stretcher with hips and knees in neutral position. The knee is flexed to 45° and the hip passively abducted and elevated by the investigator. With the foot passively abducted, the patient is then asked to bring his knee in direction to the examination table. This motion is also tested passively. The test is regarded positive, if no internal rotation is possible and/or if this is painful. If groin pain is elicited during either of the exercises, the test is also rated positive.

Results

We evaluated this test in 20 patients clinically and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients demonstrated a positive internal rotation lag sign. Twelve of them lag of internal rotation and evidence of anterior abductor tendon rupture on MRI, 8 with lag of internal rotation and no evidence of abductor tendon rupture.

Conclusion

The new clinical diagnostic sign presented here may improve the diagnosis of abductor tendon rupture in the future.

Level of Evidence: Diagnostic study, level I.
CpG oligonucleotides suppress HepG2 cells-induced Jurkat cell apoptosis via the Fas-FasL-mediated pathway
Authors: Zheng Jianfeng , Fu Rongquan , Li Jing , Wang Xiaozhong
Published: May 2011

Objective

To explore the potential role of CpG motif-containing oligonucleotides (CpG-ODN) in modulating the expression of FasL in HepG2 and Fas in Jurkat cells in vitro, and to examine the effect of CpG-ODN treatment on the HepG2 cells-mediated Jurkat cell apoptosis in vitro.

Methods

The expressions of FasL in HepG2 and Fas in Jurkat cells were examined by real time PCR and flow cytometry (FCM). HepG2 and Jurkat cells were co-cultured, and the frequency of apoptotic Jurkat cells and levels of activated caspase-3 were determined by FCM.

Results

Treatment with CpG-ODN down-regulated the expression of FasL in HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, treatment with CpG-ODN down-regulated the Fas mRNA transcription and protein expression in Jurkat cells. Treatment of HepG2 cells or Jurkat cells with FasL-neutralizing antibody NOK-2 remarkably inhibited the HepG2-medaited Jurkat cell apoptosis. Pre-treatment of HepG2 or Jurkat cells with CpG-ODN significantly reduced the frequency of HepG2-mediated apoptotic Jurkat cells and inhibited the activation of caspase-3 in Jurkat cells in vitro.

Conclusions

Our data indicated that treatment with CpG-ODN inhibited the HepG2 cells-mediated Jurkat cell apoptosis by modulating the Fas/FasL pathway. Apparently, CpG-ODN treatment may be a potential therapeutic reagent for HCC.
Evaluation of Oncology Drugs at the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration: When Differences Have an Impact on Clinical Practice
Authors: Trotta Francesco , Leufkens Hubert G.M. , Schellens Jan H.M. , Laing Richard , Tafuri Giovanni
Published: May 2011

Purpose

The aims of this study were to compare the approaches of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the evaluation and approval of new anticancer indications and to identify possible clinical implications associated with these differences.

Methods

Information on the European Union therapeutic indications for the cohort of anticancer drugs was extracted from the European Public Assessment Reports and from the FDA review reports.

Results

Overall, 42 anticancer drugs were approved by EMA between 1995 and 2008, corresponding to a total of 100 indications. In 47 of 100 indications, a difference was found. For 19 of these 47 indications, the difference was that one agency approved an indication, whereas the other agency did not. For the remaining 28 indications, the same indication was approved by both of the agencies and differences were evaluated through an algorithm; in 10 cases, discrepancies in therapeutic indications between EMA and FDA were considered clinically relevant. We found an overall trend that the agency that was second to give a positive approval was usually more restrictive in terms of wording of the indication compared with the agency that provided approval first. Regarding the use and robustness of available clinical data for evaluation, no clear associations could be found.

Conclusion

Clinically relevant differences in the outcome of the EMA and FDA approval process of oncology products were found. Neither of the agencies seems to have a prevailing restrictive behavior over the other. Further efforts on harmonizing decision making between regulatory systems are needed.
Generalized Commuting Groups
Authors: Peck Robert
Published: May 2011

In Generalized Musical Intervals and Transformations (1987), David Lewin describes the structure of commuting groups for transformation groups that have simply transitive actions. We extend Lewin's notion to transformation groups that have any type of action, including merely transitive, semiregular, faithful, and diagonal cases, among others. Three general situations arise: First, the commuting group for a group with an action that is merely transitive is isomorphic to the normalizer of a point stabilizer modulo the point stabilizer. Second, the commuting group for a diagonal subgroup of a direct product of orbit restrictions is a wreath product of the commuting group of one orbit restriction (as above) by the symmetric group on the set of orbits. Third, the commuting group for any group with any type of action is a direct product of such wreath products for each union of orbit restrictions that is a maximally embedded diagonal subgroup. We apply these concepts to commuting groups for familiar transformation groups, including the transposition group's and the transposition and inversion group's actions on assorted set-classes and unions of set-classes with varying symmetrical properties.
Rehearing Machaut's Motets
Authors: Hartt Jared C.
Published: May 2011

The extant fourteenth-century contrapunctus manuals are concerned almost exclusively with counterpoint in two parts, but one treatise, “Quicumque voluerit duos contrapuncti,” sheds light on three-voice composition and lays the groundwork for a refined classification of sonority types in Guillaume de Machaut's nineteen three-voice motets. Building initially upon Sarah Fuller's work, the proposed schema introduces a more nuanced approach to categorizing the intervallic content of consonant and dissonant sonorities. Moreover, by calling attention to the outer voices of certain sonority types, the classification highlights salient structural and aural differences. A systematic study of sonority usage in Machaut's motets also reveals his preference for particular combinations of intervals over others.

An examination of passages from several motets illustrates the classification's potential. A discussion of Motet 7's opening describes the relationship between the underlying contrapunctus and various sonority types, consonant and dissonant, and advances a broader definition for the directed progression. An anomalous progression in Motet 18 suggests that the careful study of sonority may contribute to our current understanding of motet chronology. An analysis of several passages from Motet 4 illustrates how the proposed nomenclature may offer a more nuanced understanding of musical syntax, particularly at phrase endings.
Helmholtz, Music Theory, and Liberal-Progressive History
Authors: Steege Benjamin
Published: May 2011

Hermann von Helmholtz's theory of melodic “affinity,” which he considered his primary contribution to music-theoretical thought, is inherently historicist in its conception. It seeks not only to explain local tonal relationships but also to provide a rationale for transhistorical change in musical structures. Yet this historical dimension, in many ways typical of its era, is complicated by a tenuous balance between the determinism demanded by rigorous scientific explanation and Helmholtz's evident desire to preserve a complex role for the “choice” of fundamental aesthetic principles. Such principles would include the very parameters of modern tonality, so the status of tonal “affinity,” a seemingly given and predictable attribute of musical tones, coexists uneasily in Helmholtz's writing with a humanist appreciation for the unpredictability of cultural choice and change. It also throws the physiological basis of his music theory into conflict with his ostensibly progressive treatment of non-European musics. Such tensions, along with unevenly successful efforts to resolve them, were by no means atypical of the liberal discourse of his intellectual milieu. Indeed, the unresolved challenge of reconciling a flexible aesthetics and historiography with the logical requirements of positivist knowledge aligns Helmholtz with major liberal thinkers from John Stuart Mill on.
Rape myths, alcohol intoxication and condom use among males accused of sexual assault in Kabale, rural Uganda
Authors: Kaye Dan K , Kakaire Othman , Osinde Michael O
Published: May 2011

Through a cross-sectional study conducted at Kabale Regional Hospital, among 111 men accused of rape and admitted for forensic examination from June 2009 to June 2010, we assessed whether the characteristics of perpetrators and the circumstances of the alleged sexual assault differ in acquaintance and stranger rape. Using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and records review, data were collected on socio-demographic variables, circumstances of the alleged offense and the relation of the accused to the survivors. The mean age was 26.6 years (±10.1 years), 30 (27.0) had been drunk and 67.2% (75) knew their accuser. There was no difference in the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics between stranger and acquaintance rape. There were no differences regarding whether the alleged crime occurred at the assailant's/survivor's home or outside either the survivor's or the assailant's home setting. Respondents either trivialized or justified the accusations against them. Our study shows that rape myths and drinking alcohol were common in all types of sexual assault.
Identification of potential conserved RNA secondary structure throughout influenza A coding regions
Authors: Moss Walter N. , Priore Salvatore F. , Turner Douglas H.
Published: May 2011

Influenza A is a negative sense RNA virus of significant public health concern. While much is understood about the life cycle of the virus, knowledge of RNA secondary structure in influenza A virus is sparse. Predictions of RNA secondary structure can focus experimental efforts. The present study analyzes coding regions of the eight viral genome segments in both the (+) and (−) sense RNA for conserved secondary structure. The predictions are based on identifying regions of unusual thermodynamic stabilities and are correlated with studies of suppression of synonymous codon usage (SSCU). The results indicate that secondary structure is favored in the (+) sense influenza RNA. Twenty regions with putative conserved RNA structure have been identified, including two previously described structured regions. Of these predictions, eight have high thermodynamic stability and SSCU, with five of these corresponding to current annotations (e.g., splice sites), while the remaining 12 are predicted by the thermodynamics alone. Secondary structures with high conservation of base-pairing are proposed within the five regions having known function. A combination of thermodynamics, amino acid and nucleotide sequence comparisons along with SSCU was essential for revealing potential secondary structures.
All Dressed Up: Revivalism and the Fashion for Arthur in Victorian Culture
Authors: Bryden Inga
Published: May 2011

This essay discusses the representation and cultural meanings of dress in relation to the Victorian medieval revival and popular fascination with the Arthurian legends. It considers the notion of 'bodying forth' the past by focusing on chivalric fashion and the symbolism of clothing in selected Pre-Raphaelite texts.
Popular Images Derived from Tennyson's Arthurian Poems
Authors: Lupack Alan
Published: May 2011

Imagery based on Tennyson's Arthurian poems appeared frequently in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain and America. Because of the popularity of Tennyson's verse and the perception that he was not only a great poet but also a moral one, this imagery was widely disseminated both through illustrated editions of his works and through its infusion into popular culture and daily life.
"¿Ley ser, morir el más feo?": Calderón's Morisco Gracioso Teases out Spain's Violence
Authors: Olsen Margaret M.
Published: May 2011

Previous criticism on Calderón's Tuzaní de la Alpujarra or Amar después de la muerte tends to focus on either the ethical parity created between the play's morisco and Spanish noble characters or the particular speech patterns of Alcuzcuz, the gracioso morisco . This essay argues that Alcuzcuz occupies a pivotal position in the action of drama and that his character holds structural as well as societal significance for the audience. On one hand, he behaves as a typical gracioso ; on another, he connotes morisco integration into Spanish society. Alcuzcuz's humor puts into dark relief Calderon's representation of Spanish aggression against the moriscos in the rebellion of the Alpujarras (1568-1570), suggesting a critique of the excesses of this military action. Alcuzcuz and his amusing yet sincere antics allow Calderon's audience a temporary release from anxiety surrounding the morisco presence in Spain, producing a dramatic hiatus during which the playwright can draw spectators into compassion for the moriscos and a catharsis of national remorse for their persecution.
Uxoricide and Absolution: A Comparative Study of Moreto's El defensor de su agravio and Calderón's El médico de su honra
Authors: Castells Ricardo
Published: May 2011

Wife-absolution dramas represent part of the corpus of Spanish honor plays, but they have not received the same critical attention as the major uxoricide dramas. This study analyzes the different outcomes in these two kinds of plays by comparing the behavior of the jealous husband and supposedly unfaithful wife in one of the later wife-absolution comedias , Moreto's El defensor de su agravio , with the best-known wife-murder drama, Calderón's El médico de su honra . The study concludes that there are several explanations for these contrary outcomes, but the most important factor is whether the husband retains the use of his rational faculties in order to judge his wife's fidelity properly. While the Duke of Athens is able to recover the use of reason at the end of El defensor de su agravio , Gutierre is unable to do so in El médico de su honra , a difference that explains how only the Duke can overcome his jealousy and determine his wife's innocence, a transformation that allows him to maintain his honor while restoring personal and public order at the play's conclusion.
Registro de representantes : imprenta y personajestipo en la España de 1570
Authors: Montiel Carlos-Urani
Published: May 2011

La interpretación del teatro breve de la segunda mitad del siglo XVI ha exigido, tanto a su público contemporáneo, como al lector actual, completar el texto por medio de la reconstrucción del contexto. La extensión de la obra requiere el empleo de la información del mundo del espectador, fenómeno contrario al de una comedia que crea y expone sus propias reglas, convenciones y lenguaje. En 1570 el librero valenciano Juan Timoneda publicó el Registro de representantes, una colección de "los passos más modernos y graciosos." De los siete entremeses que conforman el libro, tres son apócrifos y pertenecen a la pluma del comediante Lope de Rueda, de quien se usa fama y nombre para asegurar la venta. En la construcción de los personajes-tipo, anclados en modelos estables y comportamientos previamente delineados, hay cierta novedad que los guía hacia la diferencia y que genera tensión entre la denuncia y la promoción, entre la crítica y el escarnio, entre el retrato de costumbres de una determinada localidad y la producción dramática que se exporta a los dominios del imperio hispánico. El Registro de representantes está sujeto a un proceso de actualización simultáneo donde, por un lado, la tradición teatral incorpora ideas locales, mientras que, por otro, las piezas se incorporan y adaptan a nuevas condiciones sociales que funcionan como signos de una modernidad incipiente. Mi trabajo contempla al entremés como un canal de información que representa una porción de la realidad en un momento donde la publicación de antologías, diccionarios, poéticas, cartografías y calendarios está vinculada de forma directa con la estandarización de sistemas que almacenan, transmiten y organizan información.
"Suicide Girls": Orhan Pamuk's Snow and the Politics of Resistance in Contemporary Turkey
Authors: Clemens Colleen Ann Lutz
Published: May 2011

In light of the current debate over the Islamic headscarf in Turkey, this article argues that women's bodies, caught in the crosshairs of political strife between state forces and fundamentalist groups, have become sites of a debate that often ignores the voice of women. Current suicide statistics within the country mirror the increased number of suicides among the "headscarf" girls in Orhan Pamuk's Snow. By looking closely at the suicides of the female characters, specifically Teslime, and criticism regarding veiling and resistance, the article posits that these women have found suicide to be their only tenable form of resistance in a state system plagued by an anxiety about change and that otherwise ignores their choices. In noting the parallels between a literary and sociological crisis, the article works toward recognizing the struggle of women to have their voices heard, without their eliminating themselves through suicide in the process .
Cyborgs on the World Stage: Hillary Clinton and the Rhetorical Performances of Iron Ladies
Authors: Richards Rebecca S.
Published: May 2011

In this article, the writer argues that the nickname of "iron lady" for women leaders provides an accurate and complicated instantiation of Donna Haraway's cyborg ontology, providing women a place from which to be responsible for their machinery, while also positioning them (potentially) as complicit agents in the hegemonic traditions of national manhood. Therefore, iron ladies—these women who are heads of state—present embodied and real-world examples of the debate over the potentials and pitfalls of cyborg ontology in women's studies and feminist research. This article uses historical examples of Margaret Thatcher, Eugenia Charles, and Indira Ghandi to establish the rhetorical trope of iron ladies; then it complicates this tradition with contemporary leaders' performance of iron lady, examining the political personas of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Benazir Bhutto, Ségolène Royal, and Hillary Clinton. To conclude, the writer analyzes the current U.S. political climate for the emergence of an iron lady president. Based on Clinton's campaign in 2008, it seems that the iron lady rhetorical performance had become visible to the same patriarchal systems that cyborgs attempt to subvert, thus requiring female politicians to reconsider the potentials of this technologized rhetorical performance.
Preserving the Literature of Women's and Gender Organizations: The Availability of Newsletters in Libraries, Commercial Online Databases, and Organizational Web sites
Authors: Ingold Cindy
Published: May 2011

The article attempts to discover the availability of print newsletters created by women's and gender organizations in libraries, as well as to reveal whether text versions of these newsletters exist in commercial online databases and on the Web sites of women's and gender studies organizations. The author researched a sample set of newsletters produced by twenty-nine national and international organizations to find answers to the following questions: How many libraries hold print copies of these newsletters? Do any women's and gender studies databases include these newsletters, and if so, do any databases provide access to the texts of these publications? Do the Web sites of these organizations provide online access to the newsletters, and if so, are the Web sites archiving any part of them? Organizations were chosen based on several criteria. The results of the study revealed that such newsletters are not systematically being preserved. The author provides several solutions to counter this problem so that this vital literature will not be lost.
Deepening Roots: Building a Task-Centered Peer Mentoring Community
Authors: Goeke Jennifer , Klein Emily J. , Garcia-Reid Pauline , Birnbaum Amanda S. , Brown Tiffany L. , Degennaro Donna
Published: May 2011

The article describes a task-centered, peer-mentoring (TCPM) group initiated by a group of female junior faculty to support one another toward tenure and work/life balance. It describes a qualitative study that investigated the peer-mentoring experiences of the participants and explored the implications and complications of peer-mentoring relationships for women in academia. The article begins by describing the group's formation in the context of literature that highlights challenges faced by untenured female faculty; next, it describes the task-centered group process and offers a theoretical framework based on feminist pedagogy. The results of the study and implications for further research and peer-mentoring practice in higher education are presented.
Zola, el naturalismo y la identidad nacional en tres dramas de Florencio Sánchez
Authors: Rubio Francisco García
Published: May 2011

This article studies three plays by Florencio Sánchez, La gringa (1904), La pobre gente (1904) and Barranca abajo (1905), in which the presence of Naturalist themes, mainly that of atavistic degeneration, carries this theatre beyond simple awareness of social ills to a direct engagement with the most pressing issues of socio-economic structure and national identity present in Argentinean society at the turn of the century. I first consider Emile Zola's proposals for a Naturalist theatre as reflected in these plays through the themes of atavistic degeneration and hereditary and environmental determinism. In the second part, I analyze Sánchez' ideological use of these elements as an attempt at working through the complex set of problems facing the young nation of Argentina in a time of economic and identitary transition. Sánchez put his theatre at the service of social change, following Zola's proposals. He used theatre to transform a society that inherited the social problems of industrialization of late-nineteenth-century Europe while facing the implications of large-scale immigration for the ideological field of Argentinean national identity.
Classification, Disease, and Diagnosis
Authors: Jutel Annemarie
Published: May 2011

Classification shapes medicine and guides its practice. Understanding classification must be part of the quest to better understand the social context and implications of diagnosis. Classifications are part of the human work that provides a foundation for the recognition and study of illness: deciding how the vast expanse of nature can be partitioned into meaningful chunks, stabilizing and structuring what is otherwise disordered. This article explores the aims of classification, their embodiment in medical diagnosis, and the historical traditions of medical classification. It provides a brief overview of the aims and principles of classification and their relevance to contemporary medicine. It also demonstrates how classifications operate as social framing devices that enable and disable communication, assert and refute authority, and are important items for sociological study.
Experimental Arrest of Cerebral Blood Flow in Human Subjects: The Red Wing Studies Revisited
Authors: Smith Brian A. , Clayton Ellen Wright , Robertson David
Published: May 2011

Loss of consciousness in pilots during rapid ascent after bombing missions was a major problem in World War II, and experiments were undertaken to study the cause of this phenomenon. Postulating impaired cerebral blood flow as a likely mechanism, the investigators developed a neck device, the KRA Cuff, which when inflated could shut off blood supply to the brain. With cessation of blood flow for up to 100 seconds, the investigators observed a sequence of responses, including unconsciousness, followed by dilated pupils, tonic/clonic movements, loss of bladder and eventually bowel control, and appearance of pathological reflexes. This study, carried out in prisoners and patients with schizophrenia in 1941–42, largely disappeared from public discourse for a number of years. It has received occasional attention subsequently and been considered controversial. Recently discovered records, including extensive written and photographic data from the studies, shed new light on the methods and motives of the research team. We describe here this new information and its implications for the scientific and ethical assessment of the study.