bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is Crisis Management (Only) a Management of Exceptions?
Authors: Roux‐Dufort Christophe
Published: May 2007

This paper revisits the concept of crisis within the field of crisis management and puts forward a series of avenues for building a theory of crisis that is in closer relation with the mainstream of organization theory. We suggest that if crisis management still limits itself to the analysis of exceptional situations, it might never go beyond the sphere of exception management and will for a long time remain an isolated discipline with little room for innovation and progress. As an alternative we analyze crises as a process of incubation that starts long before the triggering event. This proposition implies revisiting other related notions that have seldom been discussed by authors: first the status and place of the triggering event that should be viewed both as a fault line and a hinge between a degenerative organizational past evolution and a future of change; second, the temporality of a crisis so as to extract it from the urgency it is traditionally associated with; third and contrary to authors who see in the crisis a collapse of meaning and of sensemaking, we analyze it as a surge of meaning that fosters organizational change and transformations.
Handling Mass Death by Integrating the Management of Disasters and Pandemics: Lessons from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Spanish Flu and Other Incidents
Authors: Scanlon Joseph , McMahon Terry , Van Haastert Coen
Published: May 2007

At first glance, there appear to be significant differences between mass death from disasters and catastrophes and mass death from pandemics. In a disaster or catastrophe the major problem is identifying the dead and, sometimes, determining cause of death. This can be very frustrating for next of kin. In a pandemic, the identity of the dead is usually known as is the cause of their death. There is an immediate certainty in pandemic death. Despite these major differences there are many similarities. Because it takes time to identify the dead after a disaster or catastrophe, there is a steady release of bodies for cremation or burial, just as in a pandemic. In both types of incidents, there tends to be a shortage of supplies and personnel and, therefore, a need for use of volunteers. There are also massive amounts of paper work. This would suggest a need in both cases for stockpiling and for training of volunteers. And, although this does not always happen, both types of incidents tend to strike harder among the poorer elements in cities yet both create serious economic problems. Despite these many similarities, planning for the first tends to be done by emergency agencies, especially the police; planning for the second by health agencies. Given the many similarities this separation makes no sense. Since both types of mass death incidents lead to similar problems, it would make sense to take an all‐hazards approach to planning for dealing with mass death.
Chronic lithium administration attenuates up‐regulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in a rat model of neuroinflammation
Authors: Basselin Mireille , Villacreses Nelly E. , Lee Ho‐Joo , Bell Jane M. , Rapoport Stanley I.
Published: May 2007

Neuroinflammation, caused by a 6‐day intracerebroventricular infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats, is associated with the up‐regulation of brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism markers. Because chronic LiCl down‐regulates markers of brain AA metabolism, we hypothesized that it would attenuate increments of these markers in LPS‐infused rats. Incorporation coefficients k* of AA from plasma into brain, and other brain AA metabolic markers, were measured in rats that had been fed a LiCl or control diet for 6 weeks, and subjected in the last 6 days on the diet to intracerebroventricular infusion of artificial CSF or of LPS. In rats on the control diet, LPS compared with CSF infusion increased k* significantly in 28 regions, whereas the LiCl diet prevented k* increments in 18 of these regions. LiCl in CSF infused rats increased k* in 14 regions, largely belonging to auditory and visual systems. Brain cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 activity, and prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 concentrations, were increased significantly by LPS infusion in rats fed the control but not the LiCl diet. Chronic LiCl administration attenuates LPS‐induced up‐regulation of a number of brain AA metabolism markers. To the extent that this up‐regulation has neuropathological consequences, lithium might be considered for treating human brain diseases accompanied by neuroinflammation.
Marked dissociation between high noradrenaline versus low noradrenaline transporter levels in human nucleus accumbens
Authors: Tong Junchao , Hornykiewicz Oleh , Furukawa Yoshiaki , Kish Stephen J.
Published: May 2007

We recently identified a noradrenaline‐rich caudomedial subdivision of the human nucleus accumbens (NACS), implying a special function for noradrenaline in this basal forebrain area involved in motivation and reward. To establish whether the NACS, as would be expected, contains similarly high levels of other noradrenergic markers, we measured dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase (DBH) and noradrenaline transporter in the accumbens and, for comparison, in 23 other brain regions in autopsied human brains by immunoblotting. Although the caudomedial NACS had high DBH levels similar to those in other noradrenaline‐rich areas, the noradrenaline transporter concentration was low (only 11% of that in hypothalamus). Within the accumbens, transporter concentration in the caudal portion was only slightly (by 30%) higher than that in the rostral subdivisions despite sharply increasing rostrocaudal gradients of noradrenaline (15‐fold) and DBH. In contrast, the rostrocaudal gradient in the accumbens for the serotonin transporter and serotonin were similar (2‐fold increase). The caudomedial NACS thus appears to represent the only instance in human brain having a striking mismatch in high levels of a monoamine neurotransmitter versus low levels of its uptake transporter. This suggests that noradrenaline signalling is much less spatially and temporally restricted in the caudomedial accumbens than in other noradrenaline‐rich brain areas.
Mitochondrial glutathione protects against cell death induced by oxidative and nitrative stress in astrocytes
Authors: Muyderman Håkan , Wadey Alison L. , Nilsson Michael , Sims Neil R.
Published: May 2007

The major cellular antioxidant, glutathione, is mostly localized in the cytosol but a small portion is found in mitochondria. We have recently shown that highly selective depletion of mitochondrial glutathione in astrocytes in culture markedly increased cell death induced by the peroxynitrite donor, 3‐morpholino‐syndnonimine. The present study was aimed at characterizing the increase in susceptibility arising from mitochondrial glutathione loss and testing the possibility that elevating this metabolite pool above normal values could be protective. The increased vulnerability of astrocytes with depleted mitochondrial glutathione to Sin‐1 was confirmed. Furthermore, these cells showed marked increases in sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and also to high concentrations of the nitric oxide donor, S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine. The increase in cell death was mostly due to necrosis as indicated by substantially increased release of lactate dehydrogenase and staining of nuclei with propidium iodide but little change in annexin V staining and caspase 3 activation. The enhanced cell loss was blocked by prior restoration of the mitochondrial glutathione content. It was also essentially fully inhibited by treatment with cyclosporin A, consistent with a role for the mitochondrial permeability transition in the development of cell death. Susceptibility to the classical apoptosis inducer, staurosporine, was only affected to a small extent in contrast to the response to the other substances tested. Incubation of normal astrocytes with glutathione monoethylester produced large and long‐lasting increases in mitochondrial glutathione content with much smaller effects on the cytosolic glutathione pool. This treatment reduced cell death on exposure to 3‐morpholino‐syndnonimine or hydrogen peroxide but not S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐pencillamine or staurosporine. These findings provide evidence for an important role for mitochondrial glutathione in preserving cell viability during periods of oxidative or nitrative stress and indicate that increases in this glutathione pool can confer protection against some of these stressors.
Effects of acute supine rest on mid‐thigh cross‐sectional area as measured by computed tomography
Authors: Cerniglia Linda M. , Delmonico Matthew J. , Lindle Rosemary , Hurley Ben F. , Rogers Marc A.
Published: May 2007

The loss of hydrostatic pressure that occurs as a person moves from the standing to the supine position causes a fluid redistribution that may confound the measurement of thigh cross‐sectional area (CSA) if data are obtained while tissue fluid content is in flux. To determine the effects of changing postural position on thigh tissue CSA, mid‐thigh axial scans of 13 older women were obtained at 5, 10 and 15 min of supine rest using computed tomography (CT). Scans were analysed for changes in CSA of subcutaneous fat (SF), low density muscle (LDM) and normal density muscle (NDM). A significant decrease from baseline was found in the CSA of NDM at 15 min [2.3 ± 0.8 cm2 (±SE), 1.6%, P<0.05], with no change in LDM or SF CSA among any of the time intervals. The results of the current study suggest that potential measurement error can be minimized when baseline and follow‐up CT‐derived images of mid‐thigh CSA are obtained within the first 10 min the subject assumes the supine position and that the CSA of NDM and LDM may be affected differently by supine rest.
Cardiovascular changes induced by cold water immersion during hyperbaric hyperoxic exposure
Authors: Boussuges Alain , Molenat Florence , Grandfond Aliocha , Regnard Jacques , Wolf Jean‐Pierre , Galland François , Robinet Claude
Published: May 2007

The present study was designed to assess the cardiac changes induced by cold water immersion compared with dry conditions during a prolonged hyperbaric and hyperoxic exposure (ambient pressure between 1·6 and 3 ATA and PiO2 between 1·2 and 2·8 ATA). Ten healthy volunteers were studied during a 6 h compression in a hyperbaric chamber with immersion up to the neck in cold water while wearing wet suits. Results were compared with measurements obtained in dry conditions. Echocardiography and Doppler examinations were performed after 15 min and 5 h. Stroke volume, left atrial and left ventricular (LV) diameters remained unchanged during immersion, whereas they significantly fell during the dry session. As an index of LV contractility, percentage fractional shortening remained unchanged, in contrast to a decrease during dry experiment. Heart rate (HR) significantly decreased after 5 h, although it had not changed during the dry session. The changes in the total arterial compliance were similar during the immersed and dry sessions, with a significant decrease after 5 h. In immersed and dry conditions, cardiac output was unchanged after 15 min but decreased by almost 20% after 5 h. This decrease was related to a decrease in HR during immersion and to a decrease in stroke volume in dry conditions. The hydrostatic pressure exerted by water immersion on the systemic vessels could explain these differences. Indeed, the redistribution of blood volume towards the compliant thoracic bed may conceal a part of hypovolaemia that developed in the course of the session.
Alterations in the peripheral circulation in COPD patients
Authors: Boussuges Alain , Rossi Pascal , Gouitaa Marion , Nussbaum Eric
Published: May 2007

Rationale  Although various factors influence peripheral circulation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, little is known about the vasomotor changes in these subjects.

Objectives  The present study was designed to assess alterations in the brachial circulation of COPD patients.

Methods  Twenty‐five COPD patients and 25 healthy subjects were studied. Brachial artery (BA) blood flow and indices of BA stiffness were investigated by two‐dimensional ultrasonography and pulsed Doppler. Cardiac dimensions, left ventricular (LV) function and cardiac output were assessed by pulsed Doppler echocardiography.

Main results  A significant increase in LV mass was observed in the COPD group despite normal arterial pressure. Total arterial compliance and BA compliance were significantly decreased in COPD patients in comparison with healthy subjects. Heart rate was increased in COPD patients and was inversely correlated with PaO2 and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). A decrease in LV preload was expressed by a reduction in LV diastolic diameters and LV stroke volume. Patients with severe COPD have a lower BA surface area than patients with moderate COPD. FEV1 and PaO2 were significantly related to BA compliance.

Conclusion  In COPD patients, significant alterations in the peripheral circulation were observed. Moreover, the magnitude of changes in the peripheral circulation was related to the severity of COPD.
Attachment Measures for Research and Practice
Authors: O'Connor Thomas G. , Gerard Byrne J.
Published: May 2007

Strategies and specific measures for assessing attachment in infancy and childhood are reviewed. The review highlights that, although the evidence base for a number of measures is now strong, the incorporation of these measures into clinical practice has been slow. Some of the practical barriers to include attachment measures in clinical practice are considered, and ideas for overcoming these barriers are proposed.
Enframing creativity: power, geographical knowledges and the media economy
Authors: Christophers Brett
Published: May 2007

This paper is concerned with developments in the UK ‘creative industries’ in the late 1990s. It questions the government's preoccupation with measuring these industries, and argues that this quantification impulse – manifested in a high‐profile ‘mapping’ exercise – was tied to the intensification of disciplinary forms of regulatory power. The power to define, control and orient the modern economy can be seen to be exercised through the production and mediation of geographical knowledges.
Scotland, Europe and the English ‘Missing Link’
Authors: Murdoch Steve
Published: May 2007

This article discusses recent developments in the field of Scottish relations with Europe in the early modern period. It does so in two sections; firstly by précising some of the important scholarship conducted in this field over the last decade. This has revealed in greater depth the important military, diplomatic and commercial links one small Atlantic nation had with her European neighbours. The second section of the article flags up the biggest single omission in the field of Scottish migration by looking to Scotland's closest neighbour (and the only European country with which she shares a land border), England. It reflects on the few previous endeavours that have contemplated this field; postulates why the field remains largely untilled and concludes with an assessment of where England might fit in comparison to those locations that have benefited from sustained scholarly attention.
Role of Bacterial Strain Diversity of Helicobacter pylori in Gastric Carcinogenesis Induced by N‐Methyl‐N‐nitrosourea in Mongolian Gerbils
Authors: Kawazoe Tomotaro , Sakagami Takashi , Nakajima Kazuhiko , Hori Kazutoshi , Fukuda Yoshihiro , Matsumoto Takayuki , Miwa Hiroto
Published: May 2007

Aim:  Helicobacter pylori is known to enhance gastric carcinogenesis induced by chemical carcinogens. We previously demonstrated that infection with H. pylori strain SS1 did not enhance such carcinogenesis in C57BL/6 mice. Whether this result was due to the bacterial strain SS1 or to the experimental host, C57BL/6 mice, should be addressed. Therefore, we examined whether H. pylori strains introduced to the same host (Mongolian gerbils) differed in carcinogenicity.

Materials and Methods:   H. pylori TN2GF4 strain (CagA(+), VacA(+)) and SS1 strain (CagA functionally(–), VacA(–)) were infected to Mongolian gerbils (n = 126). In the first experiment (induction of gastritis), histologic change in gastric mucosa of gerbils infected by H. pylori (TN2GF4, SS1, vehicle) without N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea (MNU) at 1 month or 6 months was assessed. In the second experiment (experimental carcinogenesis), H. pylori (TN2GF4, SS1, vehicle) was inoculated to the gerbils after administration of MNU for 10 weeks, and the number of cancers and histopathologic changes at week 54 were assessed.

Results:  In the first experiment, activity and inflammation in the TN2GF4 group were significantly greater than in the SS1 group at 1 month, while no significant difference was noted at 6 months. On the other hand, intestinal metaplasia and atrophy were significantly greater with TN2GF4 than with SS1 at 6 months but not at 1 month. In studies on experimental carcinogenesis, microscopically, 47.8% (11/23), 26% (7/26), and 0% (0/26), of animals had gastric adenocarcinoma in the MNU + TN2GF4 group, MNU + SS1 group, and MNU alone group, respectively.

Conclusion:  Both H. pylori strains, TN2GF4 and SS1, promoted carcinogenesis in Mongolian gerbils. The severity of gastritis and destruction and restoration of gastric mucosa may be related to gastric carcinogenesis. That the SS1 strain significantly accelerated carcinogenesis only in Mongolian gerbils and not in C57BL/6 mice suggests the crucial role of host factors in carcinogenesis by H. pylori infection.
Considering Increased Mouse Stomach Mass When Calculating Prophylactic Vaccine Efficacy Against Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Sutton Philip
Published: May 2007

Background:  Calculating the level of protection follow vaccination against Helicobacter pylori in mice is conventionally performed based on stomach mass. However, prophylactic vaccination is associated with a post‐immunisation gastritis which results in considerable thickening of the gastric mucosa.

Results and Conclusions:  Here, an analysis of nine experiments demonstrates that this post‐immunisation gastritis can actually induce a significant increase in stomach mass. To determine whether this mass increase impacts upon the perceived level of protection, calculations were performed comparing colony‐forming units (CFU) either per gram of tissue or per whole stomach. A trend was apparent towards increased stomach mass influencing the degree of protection if CFU were calculated per gram. However, as this effect was not significant, it appears valid to express CFU either per gram or per stomach (if age and gender matched mice are used).
Progress relating to calculation of partial melting equilibria for metapelites
Authors: WHITE R. W. , POWELL R. , HOLLAND T. J. B.
Published: May 2007

Improved activity–composition relationships for biotite, garnet and silicate liquid are used to construct updated P–T grids and pseudosections for high‐grade metapelites. The biotite model involves Ti charge‐balanced by hydrogen deprotonation on the hydroxyl site, following the substitution , where HD represents the hydroxyl site. Relative to equivalent biotite‐breakdown melting reactions in P–T grids in K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (KFMASH), those in K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–O2 (KFMASHTO) occur at temperatures close to 50 °C higher. A further consequence of the updated activity models is that spinel‐bearing equilibria occur to higher temperature and higher pressure. In contrast, the addition of Na2O and CaO to KFMASH to make the Na2O–CaO–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (NCKFMASH) system lowers key biotite‐breakdown melting reactions in P–T space relative to KFMASH. Combination of the KFMASHTO and NCKFMASH systems to make Na2O–CaO–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–O2 (NCKFMASHTO) results in key biotite‐breakdown melting reactions occurring at temperatures intermediate between those in KFMASHTO and those in NCKFMASH. Given such differences, the choice of model system will be critical to inferred P–T conditions in the application of mineral equilibria modelling to rocks. Further, pseudosections constructed in KFMASH, NCKFMASH and NCKFMASHTO for several representative rock compositions show substantial differences not only in the P–T conditions of key metamorphic assemblages but also overall topology, with the calculations in NCKFMASHTO more reliably reflecting equilibria in rocks. Application of mineral equilibria modelling to rocks should be undertaken in the most comprehensive system possible, if reliable quantitative P–T information is to be derived.
Intrathoracic Impedance Monitoring for Early Detection of Impending Heart Failure Decompensation
Authors: Abraham William T.
Published: May 2007

In patients with chronic heart failure, detecting signs and symptoms of worsening congestion early enough to prevent hospitalization is an ongoing challenge. Intrathoracic impedance monitoring is a new, device‐based method for detecting fluid accumulation in the lungs. Small clinical trials have shown that it may provide an early warning of impending decompensation and may be useful when used in conjunction with routine clinical assessment in guiding diuresis during hospitalization. Additional large‐scale, prospective, randomized clinical trials are currently underway to further evaluate its clinical utility. This review discusses the basic concepts underlying intrathoracic impedance monitoring, the clinical evidence supporting its use, and some common pitfalls to avoid when interpreting intrathoracic impedance data.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: From Creation to Evolution—An Evidence‐Based Review
Authors: Mark George E. , Rhim Eugene S. , Feldman Arthur M. , Pavri Behzad B.
Published: May 2007

In the past decade, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), achieved by simultaneous left and right ventricular pacing, has emerged as a potent therapeutic option for patients with congestive heart failure. Electrical dyssynchrony, most often manifested by left bundle branch block on the surface 12‐lead electrocardiogram, results in mechanical dyssynchrony of the left ventricular septum and free wall, which decreases cardiac efficiency. In patients with ejection fractions <30%, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV, and QRS width >120 ms, CRT improves clinical parameters such as 6‐minute walk distances, quality‐of‐life scores, and NYHA functional class. Long‐term reverse remodeling of the failing ventricle results in reductions in congestive heart failure hospitalizations and mortality independent of defibrillator therapy. While most patients show significant improvement, a small proportion fail to respond. Appropriately identifying patients who will benefit most from CRT and timing the initiation of resynchronization therapy remain areas of intense investigation.
Treatment Seeking in Populations in Urban and Rural Settings on the Border
Authors: Spence Richard , Wallisch Lynn , Smith Shanna
Published: May 2007

Background: Only a small proportion of persons with alcohol or drug problems seek help in the form of treatment for these problems. To examine service disparities among Hispanics living in urban and rural border areas, an improved understanding of factors associated with service seeking is needed for this population.

Methods: In‐person interviews were conducted with a sample of 1,200 colonia residents and urban residents living along the Texas border with Mexico. For the present study, the dataset was limited to Hispanic respondents (85% of the sample) and those who reported any indicator of need for treatment (38% of the sample). There were 380 respondents who met these criteria. Treatment seeking was measured by any past attempt, successful or unsuccessful, to obtain treatment or by their present stated desire for treatment. Factors influencing treatment seeking were compared across 3 sites.

Results: Path analyses indicated that, after taking demographics into account, severity of need (the total number of drug‐related and alcohol‐related problems experienced by an individual) was a strong influence on treatment seeking, but income‐related variables were more influential than severity of need in 1 site. Generation of immigration was positively related to treatment seeking in 2 sites, and in colonias, high religiosity was related to treatment seeking. In 2 sites, need severity was related to neighborhood variables. In colonias, need severity was related to low income and low religiosity.

Conclusions: This framework for understanding treatment seeking in border communities suggests that pathways to treatment seeking vary by locality in ways that may reflect variations in local environments and service systems. Design of outreach efforts should be tailored to the unique social and service system challenges of each local community. Although service seeking is low overall, findings are suggestive of an inequitable service access structure in 1 site where need is not the predominant factor for treatment seeking.
S‐Adenosylmethionine Attenuates Hepatic Lipid Synthesis in Micropigs Fed Ethanol With a Folate‐Deficient Diet
Authors: Esfandiari Farah , You Min , Villanueva Jesus A. , Wong Donna H. , French Samuel W. , Halsted Charles H.
Published: May 2007

Background: To demonstrate a causative role of abnormal methionine metabolism in the pathogenesis of alcoholic steatosis, we measured the effects on hepatic lipid synthesis of supplementing ethanol and folate‐deficient diets with S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM), a metabolite that regulates methionine metabolism.

Methods: Yucatan micropigs were fed folate‐deficient diets as control, with ethanol at 40% of kcal, and with ethanol supplemented with SAM at 0.4 g/1,000 kcal for 14 weeks. Histopathology, triglyceride levels and transcripts, and protein levels of the regulatory signals of hepatic lipid synthesis were measured in terminal omental adipose and liver samples.

Results: Feeding ethanol at 40% of kcal with folate‐deficient diets for 14 weeks increased and supplemental SAM maintained control levels of liver and plasma triglyceride. Serum adiponectin, liver transcripts of adiponectin receptor‐1 (AdipoR1), and phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate kinase‐β (p‐AMPKβ) were each reduced by ethanol feeding and were sustained at normal levels by SAM supplementation of the ethanol diets. Ethanol feeding activated and SAM supplementation maintained control levels of ER stress‐induced transcription factor sterol regulatory element‐binding protein‐1c (SREBP‐1c) and its targeted transcripts of lipid synthesizing enzymes acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and glycerol‐3‐phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT).

Conclusions: Ethanol feeding with a folate‐deficient diet stimulates hepatic lipid synthesis by down‐regulating adiponectin‐mediated pathways of p‐AMPK to increase the expression of nSREBP‐1c and its targeted lipogenic enzymes. Preventing abnormal hepatic methionine metabolism by supplementing ethanol diets with SAM reduces liver triglyceride levels by up‐regulation of adiponectin‐mediated pathways to decrease fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis. This study demonstrates that ethanol‐induced hepatic lipid synthesis is mediated in part by abnormal methionine metabolism, and strengthens the concept that altered methionine metabolism plays an integral role in the pathogenesis of steatosis.
HPA‐1a antibody potency and bioactivity do not predict severity of fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Ghevaert Cedric , Campbell Kate , Stafford Prachi , Metcalfe Paul , Casbard Angela , Smith Graham A. , Allen Dave , Ranasinghe Edmund , Williamson Lorna M. , Ouwehand Willem H.
Published: May 2007

BACKGROUND: The antenatal management of fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) due to HPA‐1a antibodies remains controversial, and a test identifying pregnancies that do not require therapy would be of clinical value.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The statistical correlation was analyzed between clinical outcome and 1) anti‐HPA‐1a potency in maternal serum samples determined by a monoclonal antibody immobilization of platelet (PLT) antigen assay with an international anti‐HPA‐1a potency standard and 2) anti‐HPA‐1a biological activity measured by a monocyte chemiluminescence (CL) assay.

RESULTS: A total of 133 pregnancies with FMAIT due to anti‐HPA‐1a were analyzed. In 97 newly diagnosed cases, there was no difference in antibody potency or CL signal between cases with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH; n = 15), those with no ICH but a PLT count of less than 20 × 109 per L (n = 52), and those with a PLT count of at least 20 × 109 per L (n = 30). In 22 previously known pregnancies, the positive predictive value of maternal anti‐HPA‐1a of greater than 30 IU per mL for a PLT count of less than 20 × 109 per L was 90 percent, but the negative predictive value was only 66 percent. Antibody potency tended to stay stable throughout pregnancy (n = 16) and from one pregnancy to the next (n = 16).

CONCLUSION: Neither severe thrombocytopenia nor ICH in HPA‐1a‐alloimmunized pregnancies can be predicted with sufficient sensitivity and specificity for clinical application from maternal anti‐HPA‐1a potency or bioactivity.
Concessions on Iran's Nuclear Program Would Help Moderates
Authors: SAHIMI MUHAMMAD
Published: May 2007

As the Soviet Union collapsed and China shifted to the market, it was said that communism was nothing more than the longest road between capitalism and capitalism. It now looks like the Bush‐era neo‐conservatism is similarly a long road back to the realism from whence it departed. The US is now talking with North Korea and Iran instead of preempting them through war.

A dissident Iranian scientist, the former top UN arms inspector and a former US secretary of state ponder this state of affairs.
The Automated External Defibrillator
Authors: RHO ROBERT W. , PAGE RICHARD L.
Published: May 2007

Sudden death claims 250,000 lives annually in the U.S. The vast majority of such events are due to ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. Even though these arrhythmias can be converted if treated promptly, less than 5% of victims of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest survive to hospitalization. This poor survival is often due to delay in the initiation of quality CPR and defibrillation. Several clinical studies have evaluated the use of an AED by nontraditional emergency medical providers and by laypersons in Public Access Defibrillation programs. These studies have demonstrated a significant improvement in survival due to earlier access to defibrillation provided by the AED. The AED has proven to be safe, reliable, and efficacious in the diagnosis and treatment of ventricular arrhythmias when employed by lay providers/rescuers in a variety of outpatient settings. Society has embraced these data and legislation has been passed that supports the implementation of PAD programs into communities and protects lay rescuers and organizations implementing these programs from liability. Concerns about cost versus benefit still serve as barriers to widespread implementation of PAD programs, but with the declining cost of AEDs and increased public awareness, many communities have initiated PAD programs. We encourage widespread implementation of PAD programs and enhanced public awareness about basic life support, with the expectation that such efforts will enhance survival of out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Biometrical Modeling of Twin and Family Data Using Standard Mixed Model Software
Authors: Rabe‐Hesketh S. , Skrondal A. , Gjessing H. K.
Published: May 2007

SummaryBiometrical genetic modeling of twin or other family data can be used to decompose the variance of an observed response or ‘phenotype’ into genetic and environmental components. Convenient parameterizations requiring few random effects are proposed, which allow such models to be estimated using widely available software for linear mixed models (continuous phenotypes) or generalized linear mixed models (categorical phenotypes). We illustrate the proposed approach by modeling family data on the continuous phenotype birth weight and twin data on the dichotomous phenotype depression. The example data sets and commands forStataandR/S‐PLUSare available at theBiometricswebsite.
Penalized Item Response Theory Models: Application to Epigenetic Alterations in Bladder Cancer
Authors: Houseman E. Andrés , Marsit Carmen , Karagas Margaret , Ryan Louise M.
Published: May 2007

SummaryIncreasingly used in health‐related applications, latent variable models provide an appealing framework for handling high‐dimensional exposure and response data. Item response theory (IRT) models, which have gained widespread popularity, were originally developed for use in the context of educational testing, where extremely large sample sizes permitted the estimation of a moderate‐to‐large number of parameters. In the context of public health applications, smaller sample sizes preclude large parameter spaces. Therefore, we propose a penalized likelihood approach to reduce mean square error and improve numerical stability. We present a continuous family of models, indexed by a tuning parameter, that range between the Rasch model and the IRT model. The tuning parameter is selected by cross validation or approximations such as Akaike Information Criterion. While our approach can be placed easily in a Bayesian context, we find that our frequentist approach is more computationally efficient. We demonstrate our methodology on a study of methylation silencing of gene expression in bladder tumors. We obtain similar results using both frequentist and Bayesian approaches, although the frequentist approach is less computationally demanding. In particular, we find high correlation of methylation silencing among 16 loci in bladder tumors, that methylation is associated with smoking and also with patient survival.
Determinants of economic well‐being among U.S. farm operator households
Authors: El‐Osta Hisham S. , Mishra Ashok K. , Morehart Mitchell J.
Published: May 2007

Participation in government programs has a mild impact on the economic well‐being of U.S. farm households. Major factors that determine farm household prosperity are the primary operator's education level and ethnicity, education level of the spouse, and other characteristics such as forward purchasing of inputs, use of contract shipping of products, having a succession plan, farm ownership, and location in a metro area. This article uses the 2001 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) as well as relative and an absolute measure to assess U.S. farm households' economic well‐being. The relative measure compares the income and wealth position of farm households relative to median income and median wealth of the general population. The absolute measure adds annualized wealth to a farm household's income.
Quantity and quality effects of advertising: a demand system approach
Authors: Dong Diansheng , Kaiser Harry M. , Myrland Øystein
Published: May 2007

Quantity and quality effects of advertising are investigated in this article. A censored demand system is estimated for fish, beef, pork, and other meats using Norwegian household data. In the demand model, generic fish advertising and meat advertising is introduced as demand shifters, and at the same time unit values are treated as endogenous. The unit values capture the quality of the commodities. Empirical findings show that advertising can have both quantity and quality effects on household demand.
Are small‐scale rice farmers in eastern India really inefficient? Examining the effects of microtopography on technical efficiency estimates
Authors: Fuwa Nobuhiko , Edmonds Christopher , Banik Pabitra
Published: May 2007

The article analyzes how controlling for differences in land types (defined by position on a low‐scale toposequence) affects estimates of farm technical efficiency for rice farms in eastern India. Contrasting previous research, we find that farms are considerably more technically efficient when efficiency estimates are carried out at the plot level and control for plot characteristics rather than at the farm level without such controls. Estimates show farms cultivating modern varieties are technically efficient and plots planted with traditional varieties on less productive lands (upland and midupland) operate close to the production frontier. Significant technical inefficiency is found on more productive lands (medium and lowland plots) planted with traditional rice varieties. The finding that these smallholder rain‐fed rice farms are efficient cultivators on some plots contrasts with previous findings of farm‐level inefficiency (i.e., rejects overarching explanations linked to farm operator ignorance or lack of motivation) and suggests more complex explanations are required to address the inefficiency that is present.
The economic impact of cowpea research in Senegal: an ex‐post analysis with disadoption
Authors: Boys K. , Faye M. , Fulton J. , Lowenberg‐DeBoer J.
Published: May 2007

This study evaluates the impact of a long‐term research collaboration between the Senegalese Institute for Agriculture Research (ISRA), and the Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Adoption of the primary outputs from this collaboration, a nonchemical cowpea storage method and two short‐season cowpea varieties, were tracked through a series of farmer interviews in 1996, 1997, and 2004 in the main cowpea growing area of Senegal. Combined with information from an impact assessment in the late 1980s, this study draws on ex‐post adoption data from most of the product life cycle for the storage technology. The 2004 survey found that 60.4% of cowpea production in the main cowpea growing area of Senegal is stored in metal drums and that 69% of households use this storage technology; ISRA/CRSP improved short season varieties were determined to account for 3.6% of cowpea production. Baseline economic analysis of the most recent survey data, which includes benefits and costs of the storage technology and improved varieties, reveal an IRR to donor funding of 13%. The benefits of these technologies appear to be evenly distributed in the rural population on the basis of gender and ethnic background. Comparison of the rates of technology adoption over time, however, reveals that use of the storage technology may be decreasing; inclusion of this technology disadoption trend reduces the IRR by only 0.4% from the baseline estimate. Overall, estimated returns reveal that this collaboration has been a good investment for the U.S. and Senegalese governments, and other donors.
Sôtélès l'Athénien
Authors: Gatier Pierre‐Louis
Published: May 2007

A second Greek‐inscribed sherd mentioning Soteles the Athenian was discovered in stratified context during the excavations at Failaka (ancient Ikaros), Kuwait. It gives a short list of three Greek personal names, Soteles, Dionysios and Agatharchos. It also provides a secure date for the activity of this Seleucid officer in the first half of the third century BC. The other sherd pertaining to Soteles is re‐examined. Both were parts of inscribed vases offered to the deities of the temples inside and outside the fortress, during the process of settlement of the first Greek garrison.
Revisiting the snake burials of the Late Dilmun building complex on Bahrain
Authors: Potts D.T.
Published: May 2007

The well‐known snake burials from the Late Dilmun building complex at Qalat al‐Bahrain are discussed in the context of pre‐Islamic Arabian, Mesopotamian, Elamite, Avestan, and Vedic Indian evidence. Ancient attitudes towards snakes are reviewed with the aim of confirming or eliminating one or more of these traditions as the likeliest cultural context for the snake sacrifices of Bahrain.
Pre‐treatment radiographic features for the periodontal prognosis of treated impacted canines
Authors: Crescini Aldo , Nieri Michele , Buti Jacopo , Baccetti Tiziano , Pini Prato Giovan Paolo
Published: May 2007

Aim:The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic role of the pre‐treatment radiographic features on the post‐treatment periodontal status of intra‐osseous impacted maxillary canines.

Material and Methods:A study population of 168 patients (211 canines) was evaluated at the end of the overall surgical‐orthodontic treatment consisting of a combined surgical (flap) and orthodontic (direct traction to the centre of the ridge) approach. The pre‐treatment variables on the panoramic radiograph wereα‐angle,d‐distance ands‐sector while the post‐treatment periodontal variables were pocket depth (PD) and keratinized tissue width (KT). Multilevel statistical analysis was used to evaluate the role of the pre‐treatment radiographic factors on the post‐treatment periodontal variables at patient, tooth and site levels.

Results:No significant differences in PD or KT were found at the end of surgical‐orthodontic treatment with respect to age, gender, site of impaction or pre‐treatment radiographic position of the impacted canine. The only statistically, but not clinically, significant difference (about 0.5 mm) was found for the KT that was greater for the palatally impacted canines than for the buccally impacted ones.

Conclusions:α‐angle,d‐distance ands‐sector measured on the pre‐treatment panoramic radiographs did not represent prognostic indicators of final periodontal status of orthodontically re‐positioned canines.
Pathways of murine mast cell development and trafficking: tracking the roots and routes of the mast cell
Authors: Hallgren Jenny , Gurish Michael F.
Published: May 2007

Summary:  The appreciation of the role of the mast cell (MC) in inflammatory processes has expanded dramatically during the last decade. Many of these processes, especially more prolonged responses, are accompanied by an increase in the number of MCs, and much of this increase is likely because of recruitment of immature progenitors with subsequent maturation under the control of the tissue microenvironment. We have begun to identify many of the cell‐surface molecules that control this influx and have traced the development of these cells back to their hematopoietic roots. This development proceeds along the myelomonocytic pathway with distinct intermediates having been identified in both bone marrow and spleen. The expression of α4β7 integrins has played a prominent role in this process, as it helped identify a bipotent basophil MC precursor in the spleens of C57BL/6 mice. This integrin also controls basal influx into the intestine and, along with α4β1 integrins, plays a critical role in recruitment to inflamed lungs. Investigation of chemokines and chemokine receptors in these processes led to the identification of a dual role for the murine interleukin‐8 receptor CXCR2. This α‐chemokine receptor affects MC progenitor trafficking by its expression by MC progenitors and by its expression on stromal cells, likely endothelium, affecting trafficking to both intestine under basal conditions and lung during inflammatory recruitment.
Mast cells and inflammatory kidney disease
Authors: Blank Ulrich , Essig Marie , Scandiuzzi Lisa , Benhamou Marc , Kanamaru Yutaka
Published: May 2007

Summary:  Inflammatory kidney disease involves a complex network of interactions between resident kidney and infiltrating hematopoietic cells. Mast cells (MCs) are constitutively found in kidneys in small numbers but increase considerably in various renal diseases. While this increase is usually interpreted as a sign of pathological involvement, recent data using MC‐deficient animals show their ability to restore kidney homeostasis. In anti‐glomerular basement membrane antibody‐induced glomerulonephritis, MCs are protective by initiating repair and remodeling functions counteracting the devastating effects of glomerular injury. Protection may also include immunoregulatory capacities to limit autoreactive T‐cell responses. MCs also control tubulointerstitial fibrosis by activating tissue remodeling and neutralizing fibrotic factors. Release of mediators by MCs during inflammation, however, could also promote unwanted responses that ultimately lead to destruction of kidney structure, as exemplified by data showing either protection or aggravation in related renal disease models. Similarly, while the action of proteases may initially be beneficial, the generation of fibrosis‐promoting angiotensin II by chymase also shows the limits of adaptive responses to achieve homeostasis. Thus, it is likely the physiological context involving the interaction with other cells and inflammatory mediators that determines the final action of MCs in the development of kidney disease.
Mast cell tryptases and chymases in inflammation and host defense
Authors: Caughey George H.
Published: May 2007

Summary: Tryptases and chymases are the major proteins stored and secreted by mast cells. The types, amounts, and properties of these serine peptidases vary by mast cell subtype, tissue, and mammal of origin. Membrane‐anchored γ‐tryptases are tryptic, prostasin‐like, type I peptidases that remain membrane attached on release and act locally. Soluble tryptases, including their close relatives, mastins, form inhibitor‐resistant oligomers that act more remotely. Befitting their greater destructive potential, chymases are quickly inhibited after release, although some gain protection by associating with proteoglycans. Most chymase‐like enzymes, including mast cell cathepsin G, hydrolyze chymotryptic substrates, an uncommon capability in the proteome. Some rodent chymases, however, have mutations resulting in elastolytic activity. Secreted tryptases and chymases promote inflammation, matrix destruction, and tissue remodeling by several mechanisms, including destroying procoagulant, matrix, growth, and differentiation factors and activating proteinase‐activated receptors, urokinase, metalloproteinases, and angiotensin. They also modulate immune responses by hydrolyzing chemokines and cytokines. At least one chymase protects mice from intestinal worms. Tryptases and chymases can also oppose inflammation by inactivating allergens and neuropeptides causing inflammation and bronchoconstriction. Thus, like mast cells themselves, mast cell serine peptidases play multiple roles in host defense, and any accounting of benefit versus harm is necessarily context specific.
The mast cell IgG receptors and their roles in tissue inflammation
Authors: Malbec Odile , Daëron Marc
Published: May 2007

Summary:  Mast cells are effector cells of the innate immune system, but because they express Fc receptors (FcRs), they can be engaged in adaptive immunity by antibodies. Mast cell FcRs include immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgG receptors and, among these, activating and inhibitory receptors. The engagement of mast cell IgG receptors by immune complexes may or may not trigger cell activation, depending on the type of mast cell. The coengagement of IgG and IgE receptors results in inhibition of mast cell activation. The Src homology‐2 domain‐containing inositol 5‐phosphatase‐1 is a major effector of negative regulation. Biological responses of mast cells depend on the balance between positive and negative signals that are generated in FcR complexes. The contribution of human mast cell IgG receptors in allergies remains to be clarified. Increasing evidence indicates that mast cells play critical roles in IgG‐dependent tissue‐specific autoimmune diseases. Convincing evidence was obtained in murine models of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, bullous pemphigoid, and glomerulonephritis. In these models, the intensity of lesions depended on the relative engagement of activating and inhibitory IgG receptors. In vitro models of mature tissue‐specific murine mast cells are needed to investigate the roles of mast cells in these diseases. One such model unraveled unique differentiation/maturation‐dependent biological responses of serosal‐type mast cells.