bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behçet disease in children: A nationwide retrospective survey in Japan
Authors: FUJIKAWA SATOSHI , SUEMITSU TOMOKO
Published: January 2011

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of Behçet disease among Japanese children and to compare their clinical features with adult patients. A first questionnaire was sent to the department of pediatrics of 1290 hospitals in Japan. Fifty‐one cases of Behçet disease among children under 16 years of age were reported. From a second survey, 31 cases satisfied the criteria of the Behçet's Syndrome Research Committee of Japan. Of 31 patients (14 boys and 17 girls), three cases were the complete type, 24 cases were the incomplete type, and four cases were the possible type. As to the specific type of the disease, 10 cases were of the entero‐Behçet type, two were a combination of the entero‐vasculo‐Behçet type, and four were the neuro‐Behçet type. In the first 6 months after onset, oral ulcers were observed in 77% of cases, genital ulcers in 45%, uveitis in 10%, and skin lesions were observed in 39% of cases. During the course of the disease, the frequency of oral ulcers was 100%, genital ulcers, 58%; ocular complications, 29%; and skin lesions, 55%. Gastrointestinal signs and symptoms were more frequent in childhood Behçet disease than in adults, while ocular complications were less frequent. The diagnosis of Behçet disease in children is difficult because of the long interval before the onset of enough manifestations to satisfy the diagnostic criteria. Specific diagnostic criteria are necessary, based on a discussion of the many childhood cases of Behçet disease.
Phimosis of infants and young children in Japan
Authors: IMAMURA EIICHI
Published: January 2011

The prepuce and glans was examined in 4521 healthy infants and young children with a birthweight over 2600 g. There were 3238 infants aged 1–12 months and 1283 children aged 3 years. There is no custom of circumcision in Japan. The term phimosis implies the adhesion of the prepuce and glans, which cannot be separated by manipulation. Phimosis was found in 88.5% of infants aged 1–3 months, and the corresponding figures at the ages of 4–6 months, 7–9 months, 10–12 months and 3 years were: 74.4, 63.9, 58.0 and 35.0%, respectively. However, cases where the prepuce could be retracted by gentle manipulation were found in 3.0% of infants aged 1–3 months, 19.9% of those aged 10–12 months and increased to 38.4% of children aged 3 years, which exceeded the rate of phimosis. The complete adhesion of prepuce and glans was found in many infants, and a small space between the prepuce and glans was observed in some cases of 3‐year‐old boys. The smegma was notable in only 16 cases (0.5%) of infants and in 5 cases (0.4%) of the 3‐year‐olds. Balanopothitis was found in only one case of the 3‐year‐olds. It is not recommended to separate the foreskin by manipulation, which sometimes leads to bleeding or paraphimosis. And it is not necessary to surgically correct phimosis in infancy and early childhood except in the case of accompanying urological disturbance.
Comparison of specificity between IgG, IgE and T cells to three casein components: Implication for the role of circulating allergenspecific T cells in food allergy
Authors: SHIMOJO NAOKI , KOHNO YOICHI , KATSUKI TOSHIYUKI , HONMA KIRI , YAMAGUCHI KEN‐ICHI , TSUNOO HAJIME , TAKAHASHI TAKESHI , KAMINOGAWA SHUICHI , NIIMI HIROO
Published: January 2011

In order to investigate the role of food antigen‐specific T cells circulating in the blood of patients with food allergy, we compared T cell response to three casein components (αs‐, β‐ and, K‐casein) with specificities of IgG and IgE binding to the casein components in four milk‐allergic patients (P1‐4) with atopic dermatitis. In all patients, the binding activities of IgG antibodies to αs‐casein were most dominant, followed by those to β‐ and to K‐casein. The major component of casein bound by IgE antibodies was αs‐casein in P1 and P3, K‐casein in P2, and αs‐casein as well as K‐casein in P4; the order of casein components bound by IgE antibodies was different from that by IgG antibodies. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to casein components were so low that the dominance of casein recognition could not be clearly demonstrated. However, short‐term T cell lines that specifically respond to casein were successfully established from PBMC of the four patients and the proliferative responses of the T cell lines to the three components of casein were in accord with the IgE antibody specificity to casein components but not with that of IgG antibody specificity. When taken together, these results indicate that casein‐specific T cells circulating in the blood are involved in or reflect an allergic reaction against casein.
Serum fibronectin in neonatal sepsis: Is it valuable in early diagnosis and outcome prediction?
Authors: KOÇAK üLKER , EZER üSTüN , VIDINLISAN SADI
Published: January 2011

The value of the serum fibronectin level in early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and as a prognostic indicator was investigated. The serum fibronectin levels and Töllner's sepsis scores of 45 neonates who were hospitalized for the suspicion of infection and of 20 healthy neonates as controls were evaluated. Depending on the findings it was concluded that serum fibronectin level varies according to the gestational age, and that the serum fibronectin level is a useful acute phase reactant in the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. It can also be used as a prognostic indicator in neonatal sepsis.
X‐linked severe combined immunodeficiency with γδT cells
Authors: JUNG EUN‐YOUNG , HEIKE TOSHIO , KATAMURA KENJI , KIMATA HAJIME , OHMORI KATSUYUKI , MORIKAWA YOSHIRO , ISHII NAOTO , MAYUMI MITSUFUMI
Published: January 2011

A patient with X‐linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X‐SCID) was found to have a deletion mutation of a four base pair in the transmembrane domain of the IL‐2 receptor γ chain gene, a subunit shared by the receptors for IL‐4, IL‐7, IL‐9, and IL‐15 (common γ chain; γc). He had very few αβT cells but had a considerable number of γδT cells in his peripheral blood. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis showed that the γδT cells in his peripheral blood were not of maternal origin. He had received a Bacillus Calmette‐Guerin (BCG) vaccination before recognition of the disease, and the BCG infection remained quiescent with no reaction for 19 months. After successful bone marrow transplantation, the site of the BCG vaccination showed a reaction, and live BCG were detected. It is useful to consider the relationship between the existence of γδT cells and BCG in this case, and it is suggested that γδT cells may be, in a given situation, less dependent on the γc chain than are αβT cells.
Sialic acid concentration in different stages of malignant lymphoma and leukemia in children
Authors: TOMASZEWSKA RENATA , SONTA‐JAKIMCZYK DANUTA , DYDUCH ANTONI , OLEJNIK IGOR , MAZUR BOGDAN
Published: January 2011

Sialic acid concentration in the blood serum of 104 children suffering from leukemia and malignant lymphomas was determined. A significant higher concentration of sialic acid was found at the onset of the disease, compared to the controls. In the group of children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia a dependence was noted between the stage of the disease and the concentration of sialic acid in the serum. The high concentration of sialic acid at the onset of the disease, although decreasing during treatment, rose again during relapses of the disease. It seems that determination of sialic acid concentration may be useful in monitoring treatment.
Suspected acute encephalopathy with symmetrical abnormal signal areas in the basal ganglia, thalamus, midbrain and pons diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: MATSUSHITA EIJI , TAKITA KOSAKU , SHIMADA AKIRA
Published: January 2011

A 4‐year‐old boy was admitted with disturbed consciousness following a convulsion. He developed bilateral pyramidal tract signs and showed a decerebrate posture. Laboratory findings revealed severe liver dysfunction and disseminated intravascular coagulation. On the eighth day eight in hospital he developed parkinsonism. However, 5 months from onset he had recovered almost completely. Brain CT on admission showed low density areas in the basal ganglia, thalamus, midbrain and pons. A T2‐weighted scan in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed almost symmetrical high signal intensities in both basal ganglia (including putamen, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus), external capsule, internal capsule, thalamus, midbrain, pons and white matter of the peribasal ganglia; but a T1‐weighted scan showed low signal intensities in the same regions during all phases. Therefore hemorrhagic lesions or the presence of thalamic methemoglobin were excluded. It was considered that the pathogenesis may be cytotoxic cellular edema due to cytotoxic agents or acute metabolic factors. Clinical presentation, laboratory findings and radiological findings were most suggestive of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. As differential diagnoses, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and brainstem encephalitis were considered.
Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism
Authors: YASUDA TOSHIYUKI , NIIMI HIROO
Published: January 2011

Hypoparathyroidism is a clinical disorder characterized by hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia in the absence of renal failure and hypomagnesemia. The causes of hypoparathyroidism can be classified as two groups: (i) insufficient parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion in relation to the serum calcium level (hypoparathyroidism); and (ii) impaired PTH action (pseudohypoparathyroidism). The main emphasis in this report is to distinguish subgroups based on the etiology and pathophysiology of the various aspects of the disease.
Medical management and complications of X‐linked hypophosphatemic vitamin D resistant rickets
Authors: ONO TAEKO , SEINO YOSHIKI
Published: January 2011

To improve the growth failure, bowed legs, and biochemical and radiological abnormalities in patients with X‐linked hypophosphatemic vitamin D resistant rickets (XLH), combined therapy of phosphate and calcitriol is the best therapeutic approach at present. However, the complications involving combined therapy, such as hypercalcemia, nephrocalcinosis and hyperparathyroidism, are not fully solved. To achieve better control, new therapeutic approaches have been reported recently, for example, growth hormone (GH) or new vitamin D analogs. GH improved linear growth, decreased phosphate reabsorption and increased 1‐α‐hydroxylase activity. Furthermore, 24R, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 (24,25) improved the bone lesions in hypophosphatemic (Hyp) mice, and also in XLH, without the adverse effects such as hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria compared with 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3. These new approaches should be considered for the treatment of patients with XLH.
Recent progress in diagnosis and treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta
Authors: MORIWAKE TADASHI , SEINO YOSHIKI
Published: January 2011

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inheritable disorder characterized by bone fragility with various symptoms of connective tissue disorders. OI is commonly classified by Sillence's classification into four types according to the clinical features. The cardinal symptom is pathologic fracture, which is often recognized before birth, is frequent during infancy and childhood, then decreases at puberty. Bone mineral density is markedly decreased in OI, especially of the lumbar spine. Bone deformities are frequently observed in the long bones of the extremities, and spinal deformities and compression fractures are also common. Growth retardation is extremely severe, especially in type III. Calcitonin has been the most common therapy for OI. Recently, bisphosphonates have been found to be potent drugs that increase bone mass in OI patients. To prevent further fracture or bone deformity, appropriate orthopedic managements, including intramedullary rodding, are critically important. Growth hormone is effective in stimulating bone growth during childhood. The pathogenesis of OI is quantitative or qualitative abnormalities of type I collagen. The clinical features of each type usually correspond to the type of mutation. Several possibilities for gene therapy have been proposed.
Interferon therapy for Japanese hemophiliacs with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: MIURA TAKUMA , MEGURO TAKASHI , TAKAYAMA SHIGENOBU , YAMADA KANEO
Published: January 2011

Eight Japanese hemophiliacs with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) received interferon (IFN) therapy and four of them (50%) responded completely. Non‐responders included 3 double‐infected patients: I with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 2 with human immunodeficiency virus‐1 (HIV‐1). In one of the patients with HIV‐1 double infection, the absolute number of CD4* lymphocytes decreased during IFN therapy. These findings suggest that hemophiliac patients with CHC can respond well to IFN therapy, but in patients who are double‐infected with HBV and HIV‐1, the indication of IFN therapy should be considered seriously.
Role of adenosine in the diagnosis and treatment of tachyarrhythmias in pediatric patients
Authors: LENK MUSTAFA , ÇELIKER ALPAY , ALEHAN DURSUN , KOÇAK GüLENDAM , ÖZME ŞENCAN
Published: January 2011

Tachyarrhythmias are common rhythm disturbances in infants and children. Despite the availability of diagnostic criteria arrhythmias are sometimes commonly misdiagnosed. Recent reports suggest that an endogenous purine nucleoside, adenosine, has a diagnostic effect in narrow QRS complex tachycardias, in addition to terminating supraventricular tachycardia involving the atrioventricular node. This report reviews the authors' experience with the use of adenosine for diagnosis of narrow and wide complex tachyarrhythmias in children. Adenosine was administered to 43 patients with several types of tachyarrhythmias (mean age, 8.3 ± 5.24 years). Nineteen patients had structural or acquired heart disease. Of the 43 patients there were 28 (65%) several different types of narrow QRS complex tachycardia and 14 (33%) ventricular arrhythmias. One patient (2%) had long QT. Adenosine terminated supraventricular tachycardia, in 11 of 12 patients (92%), ventricular tachycardia in five of eight patients (63%), and transiently terminated premature ventricular contractions in two of six patients (33%). The diagnostic ability of adenosine was perfect in eight supraventricular tachycardia. In these eight cases the tachycardia mechanism was unclear before the administration of adenosine, which demonstrated three cases of sinus tachycardia, three of atrial flutter, one of atrial fibrillation and one of atrial fibrilloflutter. Confirmation of the primary diagnosis by adenosine was perfect in five tachyarrhythmias including three cases of atrial flutter, one of atrial fibrillation and one of ectopic atrial tachycardia. The average effective dose of adenosine was 212 μg/kg (range, 100–400 μg/kg). There were no serious side‐effects except transient dyspnea, chest pain and flushing. These findings demonstrate adenosine to be helpful and safe in the diagnosis of tachyarrhythmias.
Comparison of synchronized and conventional intermittent mandatory ventilation in neonates
Authors: CHEN JIA‐YUH , LING UNG‐PAW , CHEN JEUN‐HORNG
Published: January 2011

Between October 1993 and April 1995, a total of 77 neonates requiring mechanical ventilation were enrolled in this study and were randomly divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 31 premature infants (mean birthweight 1.36 ± 0.29 kg) with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and seven neonates (mean birthweight 3.2 ± 0.5 kg) with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). Group B consisted of 31 premature infants (mean birthweight 1.31 ± 0.3 kg) with RDS and eight neonates (mean birthweight 3.3 ± 0.5 kg) with MAS. Infants in group A received synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) and infants in group B received conventional intermittent mandatory ventilation (CIMV) therapy. In premature infants with RDS, our data showed: (i) the duration of ventilation was significantly shorter (P < 0.05) in the synchronized group (156 ± 122 h) compared to the conventional group (242 ± 175 h); (ii) significantly fewer (P <0.05) patients required reintubation in the synchronized group than in the conventional group (three vs 11 patients); (iii) incidence of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (grades 3 and 4) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the synchronized group compared to the conventional group (one vs seven patients); (iv) incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the synchronized group than in the control group (one vs seven patients). In neonates with MAS, our data showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) on duration of ventilation, incidence of reintubation, incidence of pneumothorax or mortality rate between synchronized and control groups.
Correlation between deletion patterns of SMN and NAIP genes and the clinical features of spinal muscular atrophy in Japanese patients
Authors: SAITOH MAKIKO , SAKAKIHARA YOICHI , KOBAYASHI SHIGETOSHI , HAYASHI YASUHIDE , YANAGISAWA MASAYOSHI
Published: January 2011

We conducted molecular analysis of two candidate genes for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the survival motor neuron gene (SMN) and the neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein gene (NAIP), in 16 Japanese patients with SMA and compared the phenotypic features of SMA in these patients with the corresponding genotypes. Exons 7 and/or 8 of SMN were homozygously deleted in 11 SMA type I (Werdnig‐Hoffmann disease) patients, two SMA type II patients and one SMA type III patient. Exons 5 and 6 of NAIP were homozygously deleted in six SMA type I patients. No patient had a deletion in NAIP without a deletion in SMN. Mechanical ventilation was required during the first 7 months of life in the SMA type I patients who had a deletion in both SMN and NAIP. Ventilatory support was initiated within 2 years after birth in patients who had a deletion in SMN but not in NAIP. We detected homozygous deletion of exon 5 of NAIP in the unaffected mothers of two SMA type I patients. In these families, the patients exhibited a deletion in both SMN and NAIP. The parents and unaffected siblings of these patients did not have a deletion in SMN. The present findings support the hypothesis that SMN deletion plays an important role in the development of SMA and suggest that combined deletion of both SMN and NAIP may be relevant for determining the disease severity.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the cauda equina in two patients with Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Authors: FUCHIGAMI TATSUO , IWATA FUJIHIKO , NOGUCHI YUKIO , KOHIRA RYUTARO , YAMAZAKI HIROTAKA , OKUBO OSAMI , UTSUMI YASUFUMI , HARADA KENSUKE
Published: January 2011

The results are presented of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine in two cases of childhood Guillain‐Barré syndrome. After injection of gadolinium‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, MRI showed enhancement of the cauda equina in these patients. These MRI observations may help confirm the diagnosis of Guillain‐Barré syndrome. The nerve root enhancement resolved as the clinical symptoms improved. Serial imaging may be useful in monitoring the response to therapy and assessing new treatment regimens. It may also yield a better understanding of the disease process.
Outcomes of infants whose mothers are positive for human herpesvirus‐6 DNA within the genital tract in early gestation
Authors: MAEDA TARO , OKUNO TOSHIOMI , HAYASHI KOZABURO , NAGATA MITSUO , UEDA MASAMI , TERASHIMA KAZUHIRO , KAWASHIMA TADAHISA , MIYAMOTO HAJIME , MORI TOSHIYUKI , YAMADA YOSHIYASU
Published: January 2011

It has been reported that HHV‐6 (human herpesvirus‐6) DNA has been identified within the female genital tract. However, the clinical significance of this finding has been unclear. The clinical outcome of the presence of HHV‐6 DNA in the genital tract of pregnant women on their infants was evaluated in the present study. One hundred and ten pregnant women were enrolled. Vaginal swabs were collected between 4 and 8 weeks of gestation and the presence or absence of HHV‐6 DNA was evaluated by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). The swabs were cultured to isolate the virus. The women were divided into two groups: HHV‐6 DNA‐positive, and negative. The outcome variables of the infants of these two groups were statistically estimated at birth and at 1 month of age. Saliva and blood cells were collected from the infants at birth and at 1 month of age and were also evaluated by nPCR. HHV‐6 DNA was detected in the vaginal swabs of 28 pregnant women (25.5%), but was not detected in any other samples, including saliva and blood cells from their infants. Virus could not be isolated from any vaginal samples. Any outcome variables were not significantly different between the two groups. The presence of HHV‐6 DNA within the genital tract of pregnant women did not affect the health of their infants. It is suggested that HHV‐6 transmission to infants through the genital tract of their mothers during pregnancy does not occur, or only very rarely.
Interstitial pneumonitis probably induced by cyclophosphamide in nephrosis
Authors: HARIGAYA HIDEKAZU , MATSUBARA KOUSAKU , NIGAMI HIROYUKI , BABA KUNIZOU
Published: January 2011

A case of interstitial shadows associated with oral cyclophosphamide therapy in a 32‐month‐old girl with steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome, who was admitted to the Nishi‐Kobe Medical Center with systemic edema, is reported. Due to the lack of response to prednisolone, cyclophosphamide was also administered orally at a dose of 3 mg/kg per day, 4 weeks after the start of steroid therapy. Approximately 3 weeks after the combination treatment she developed a fever, dry cough and cyanosis. Radiographic examination showed diffuse ground‐glass shadow in both lungs, presumably indicating that she had interstitial pneumonitis. Her pulmonary signs and symptoms deteriorated despite various antimicrobial treatments. A discontinuation of cyclophosphamide and the administration of high‐dose methylprednisolone yielded a dramatic improvement. These findings suggest that the diffuse pulmonary disease in this case was induced by cyclophosphamide. Since interstitial pneumonitis may be fatal and irreversible, attention should be paid to this rare complication even in patients undergoing low‐dose oral cyclophosphamide treatment.
Pneumoperitoneum complicating mechanical ventilation in congenital myotonic dystrophy
Authors: KOBAYASHI YASUAKI , TSUTSUMI YOSHIYUKI , SASAKI GORO , KAMIMAKI ISAMU
Published: January 2011

Pneumoperitoneum is known as a disease caused by perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, but it has also been reported as a complication of mechanical ventilation. In a case of congenital myotonic dystrophy (CMyD), mechanical ventilation was performed to treat severe respiratory distress starting at birth, and then pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum developed as complications 5 days after birth. The fact that the pneumoperitoneum improved when the ventilation pressure was reduced and the patient's course was observed, allowed us to rule out gastrointestinal perforation. It appeared that hypoplasia of the diaphragm may have been involved in the progression of pneumomediastinum to pneumoperitoneum in this patient. Mechanical ventilation is performed on many occasions in CMyD, and the development of pneumoperitoneum secondary to pulmonary air leak should always be borne in mind.
Kabuki make‐up syndrome associated with West syndrome
Authors: MITSUDOME AKIHISA , YASUMOTO SAWA , FUKAMI SHIU , OGAWA ATSUSHI
Published: January 2011

A Japanese boy with Kabuki make‐up syndrome associated with West syndrome is reported. He developed periodic tonic spasms at 6 months of age while his electro‐encephalogram also revealed hypsarrhythmia. Although only a few previously reported cases of Kabuki make‐up syndrome have been associated with epilepsy, it is likely that epileptic seizures are another primary feature of Kabuki make‐up syndrome.
Is dinitrogen fixation significant in the Levantine Basin, East Mediterranean Sea?
Authors: Yogev Tali , Rahav Eyal , Bar‐Zeev Edo , Man‐Aharonovich Dikla , Stambler Noga , Kress Nurit , Béjà Oded , Mulholland Margaret R. , Herut Barak , Berman‐Frank Ilana
Published: January 2011

We report N2 fixation rates measured from two stations monitored monthly off the Mediterranean coast of Israel during 2006 and 2007, and along a transect from Israel to Crete in September 2008. Analyses of time‐series data revealed expression of nifH genes from diazotrophs in nifH clusters I and II, including cyanobacterial bloom‐formers Trichodesmium and diatom‐Richelia intracellularis associations. However, nifH gene abundance and rates of N2 fixation were very low in all size fractions measured (> 0.7 µm). Volumetric 15N uptake ranged from below detection (∼36% of > 300 samples) to a high of 0.3 nmol N l−1 d−1 and did not vary distinctly with depth or season. Areal N2 fixation averaged ∼1 to 4 µmol N m−2 d−1 and contributed only ∼1% and 2% of new production and ∼0.25% and 0.5% of primary production for the mixed (winter) and stratified (spring–fall) periods respectively. N2 fixation rates along the 2008 east‐west transect were also extremely low (0–0.04 nmol N l−1 d−1, integrated average 2.6 µmol N m−2 d−1) with 37% of samples below detection and no discernable difference between stations. We demonstrate that diazotrophy and N2 fixation contribute only a minor amount of new N to the P impoverished eastern Mediterranean Sea.
In situ activity of NAC11‐7 roseobacters in coastal waters off the Chesapeake Bay based on ftsZ expression
Authors: Yao Daohong , Buchan Alison , Suzuki Marcelino T.
Published: January 2011

Determining in situ growth rates for specific bacterioplankton is of critical importance to understanding their contributions to energy and matter flow in the Ocean. Quantifying expression of genes central to cell division is a plausible approach for obtaining these measurements. In order to test this approach's assumptions, a quantitative PCR assay targeting the cell division gene ftsZ in the ubiquitous NAC11‐7 group of the Rhodobacterales order of marine bacteria was developed. ftsZ genes and their corresponding mRNAs were measured in diel in situ samples and in parallel on‐deck incubations. Strong correlations between ftsZ expression and gene abundance (R‐squared = 0.62) were observed in situ. Rapid changes in NAC11‐7 ftsZ gene copies suggested that different populations from different water types were sampled with a significant positive correlation between ftsZ expression and water temperature (R‐squared = 0.68, P < 0.001). An outlier to this trend occurred at a single time point (9:00), which was remarkably consistent with a concomitant peak in ftsZ expression in on‐deck incubations, suggesting the possibility of synchronous population growth.
GROWTH AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN AMERICAN STATES, 1977–2001
Authors: Brock Gregory
Published: January 2011

Foreign Direct Investment in the United States is analyzed using a stochastic production function with FDI as an input. Low but significant technical inefficiency is found across American states similar to earlier studies but now with FDI explicitly accounted for. FDI is found to have a low but significant impact on regional economic growth. Supporting the literature, little evidence is found for human capital causing more FDI or GSP growth at the regional level.
DECENTRALIZATION REFORM AND LOCAL‐GOVERNMENT PROLIFERATION IN INDONESIA: TOWARDS A FRAGMENTATION OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Firman Tommy
Published: January 2011

The local‐government proliferation practice, as an implementation of Indonesia's decentralization reform, has resulted in a fragmentation of regional development, in which many local government consider themselves of their own ‘kingdom of authority’. This attitude could in turn inhibit local and regional development. The phenomenon of Indonesia's local‐government proliferation is unique, as not many countries in the world have experienced as rapid growth in regional proliferation as Indonesia.
The relationship between attachment, personality and antisocial tendencies in a prison sample: A pilot study
Authors: HANSEN ANITA LILL , WAAGE LEIF , EID JARLE , JOHNSEN BJØRN HELGE , HART STEPHEN
Published: January 2011

Hansen, A. L., Waage, L., Eid, J., Johnsen, B. H. & Hart, S. (2011). The relationship between attachment, personality and antisocial tendencies in a prison sample: A pilot study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology52, 268–276.

This study examined the role of adult attachment and personality in relation to antisocial tendencies (i.e. convictions for violence and interpersonal problems in romantic relationships) in Norwegian prison inmates (N = 92). Attachment styles and personality were measured using self‐report questionnaires (RSQ; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994; and NEO‐FFI, Costa & McCrae, 1992a). The prison inmates scored higher on avoidant than on anxious attachment style. While age and agreeableness (negatively associated) emerged as significant predictors of violence, anxious attachment explained most of the variances in aggression in intimate relationships. The study suggests that different types of antisocial tendencies could have different attachment and general personality correlates.
PERFORMING HISTORY: HOW HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP IS SHAPED BY EPISTEMIC VIRTUES
Authors: PAUL HERMAN
Published: January 2011

Philosophers of history in the past few decades have been predominantly interested in issues of explanation and narrative discourse. Consequently, they have focused consistently and almost exclusively on the historian's (published) output, thereby ignoring that historical scholarship is a practice of reading, thinking, discussing, and writing, in which successful performance requires active cultivation of certain skills, attitudes, and virtues. This paper, then, suggests a new agenda for philosophy of history. Inspired by a “performative turn” in the history and philosophy of science, it focuses on the historian's “doings” and proposes to analyze these performances in terms of epistemic virtue. It argues that historical scholarship is embedded in “practices” or “epistemic cultures,” in which knowledge is created and warranted by means of such virtues as honesty, carefulness, accuracy, and balance. These epistemic virtues, however, are not etched in stone: historians may highlight some of them, exchange one for another, or reinterpret their meaning. On the one hand, this suggests a rich area of research for historians of historiography. To what extent can consensus, conflict, continuity, and change in historical scholarship be explained in terms of epistemic virtue? On the other hand, the proposal outlined in this article raises a couple of philosophical questions. For example, on what grounds can historians choose among epistemic virtues? And what concept of the self comes with the notion of virtue? In addressing these questions, philosophy of history may expand its current scope so as to encompass not only “writings” but also “doings,” that is, the virtuous performances historians recognize as professional conduct.
THE TEETH OF TIME: PIERRE HADOT ON MEANING AND MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS1
Authors: FORCE PIERRE
Published: January 2011

The French philosopher and intellectual historian Pierre Hadot (1922–2010) is known primarily for his conception of philosophy as spiritual exercise, which was an essential reference for the later Foucault. An aspect of his work that has received less attention is a set of methodological reflections on intellectual history and on the relationship between philosophy and history. Hadot was trained initially as a philosopher and was interested in existentialism as well as in the convergence between philosophy and poetry. Yet he chose to become a historian of philosophy and produced extensive philological work on neo‐Platonism and ancient philosophy in general. He found a philosophical rationale for this shift in his encounter with Wittgenstein's philosophy in the mid‐1950s (Hadot was one of Wittgenstein's earliest French readers and interpreters). For Hadot, ancient philosophy must be understood as a series of language games, and each language game must be situated within the concrete conditions in which it happened. The reference to Wittgenstein therefore supports a strongly contextualist and historicist stance. It also supports its exact opposite: presentist appropriations of ancient texts are entirely legitimate, and they are the only way ancient philosophy can be existentially meaningful to us. Hadot addresses the contradiction by embracing it fully and claiming that his own practice aims at a coincidence of opposites (a concept borrowed from the Heraclitean tradition). For Hadot the fullest and truest way of doing philosophy is to be a philosopher and a historian at the same time.
HISTORICAL AND LITERARY APPROACHES TO THE “FINAL SOLUTION”: SAUL FRIEDLÄNDER AND JONATHAN LITTELL
Authors: LACAPRA DOMINICK
Published: January 2011

This article discusses together two recent prize‐winning works of epic proportions that have received much attention: Saul Friedländer's two‐volume historical study Nazi Germany and the Jews and Jonathan Littell's novel Les Bienveillantes (The Kindly Ones), the former of which focuses on victims and the latter on perpetrators of the “Final Solution.” I provide a critical analysis of Littell's novel, especially with respect to its seemingly fatalistic mingling of erotic and genocidal motifs and its disavowal or underestimation of the difficulty and necessity of understanding victims of the Nazi genocide. My analysis raises the question of the extent to which the notoriety of the novel may be due to the way it instantiates influential approaches to both literature and the Holocaust in terms of an aesthetic of the sublime, excess, radical ambiguity (resolvable at best into irony and paradox), and fatalistic entry into an incomprehensible “heart of darkness.” Crucial here is the notion that an object (paradigmatically, the Holocaust) both demands representation or explanation and ultimately is beyond comprehension, narrative, or even words. I also reevaluate the bases for the justified praise accorded Friedländer's masterwork and question certain claims made on its behalf by commentators, especially with respect to literary and historiographical innovation. In so doing, I explore and defend the role of critical theory in relation to historical narrative.
HISTORY AND KAIRÓS
Authors: Baird Andrew
Published: January 2011

The recent wave of interest in the “theological‐political” has focused scholarly attention on the constellation of ideas associated with “messianic time.” The term kairós belongs to this constellation, and Giacomo Marramao's brief but ambitious text of the same name both proposes and performs a “kairological” reconfiguration of the close relationship between philosophy and time. Marramao's argument for the productive potential of “cosmic disorientation” and contingency will merit the attention of historians interested in Benjamin's blend of messianism and historical materialism, and of anyone who is intrigued by the prospect of a messianism without apocalypticism.
Family Migration: The Role of Children and Education in Family Decision‐Making Strategies of Polish Migrants in London
Authors: Ryan Louise , Sales Rosemary
Published: January 2011

Poland’s accession to the European Union in May 2004 brought many new possibilities and opportunities for Polish migrants to the United Kingdom. However, the focus on individual migrants has underestimated the complex roles of families in migration strategies and decision making. This paper brings together data from two studies of Polish migrants in London. In 2006–2007, we carried out a qualitative study, Recent Polish Migrants in London. That research examined how families may be reconfigured in different ways through migration, for example, transnational networks and splits within families. While the study participants represented varied examples of family reunification, they also revealed the complex decision making processes about leaving, staying, rejoining and returning. In our most recent study, Polish Children in London Primary Schools, we interviewed parents, who had migrated with children, about their experiences and expectations of London schools. This study revealed that the age of children was usually a factor in family migration decision making. There was a common expectation that younger children could easily adapt to a new school and learn English quickly. Drawing on the findings of these two studies, this paper will explore firstly, the variety of family migration strategies and secondly, the factors that inform migrants’ decisions to bring their families (especially children) or to leave them back home. Finally, the paper concludes by considering some of the policy implications of our findings.
Albanian Entrepreneurial Practices in Human Smuggling and Trafficking: On the Road to the United Kingdom via Brussels, 1995–2005
Authors: Leman Johan , Janssens Stef
Published: January 2011

The authors studied the entrepreneurial culture among Albanian smugglers and traffickers using 43 Albanian judicial files in Belgium from 1995–2005. They analyse the niches that these “entrepreneurs” created as well as the way they invested profits. The authors also analyse the personal agency of the smuggled and trafficked clients, and practices that may help to explain the specific entrepreneurial culture. Short comparisons are made with other ethnic criminal groups engaged in similar activities during the same period in Belgium.
The politics of recognition: symbols, nation building and rival nationalisms
Authors: ELGENIUS GABRIELLA
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT.Ceremonial initiatives linked to nation‐building projects are highly visible in multiethnic states, where governments seem to have adopted a Durkheimian approach in which ceremonies contribute to the strengthening of communities. However, national ceremonies are not invented or exported to other nations easily, as seen when outlining the pattern of a successful national day. A unifying narrative (sometimes the historical genesis) is significant in the establishment of successful national days, as is the nature of the national day design. The celebrations of the constitution in Norway – and the 77 year struggle to get the Norwegian flag officially recognised – became part of resisting the enforced union with Sweden (1814–1905). Therefore, the growth of Norwegian nationalism must be understood in the context of rival nationalisms in Scandinavia. However, Constitution Day (17 May) has remained a powerful component of Norwegian nationalism long since the constitution ceased to be threatened because of its incorporation in primary and secondary school curricula and, more recently, within the debate on multiculturalism.
Brain region‐specific deficit in mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes in children with autism
Authors: Chauhan Abha , Gu Feng , Essa Musthafa M. , Wegiel Jerzy , Kaur Kulbir , Brown William Ted , Chauhan Ved
Published: January 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 117, 209–220.

Mitochondria play important roles in generation of free radicals, ATP formation, and in apoptosis. We studied the levels of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes, that is, complexes I, II, III, IV, and V, in brain tissue samples from the cerebellum and the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal cortices of subjects with autism and age‐matched control subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups according to their ages: Group A (children, ages 4–10 years) and Group B (adults, ages 14–39 years). In Group A, we observed significantly lower levels of complexes III and V in the cerebellum (p < 0.05), of complex I in the frontal cortex (p < 0.05), and of complexes II (p < 0.01), III (p < 0.01), and V (p < 0.05) in the temporal cortex of children with autism as compared to age‐matched control subjects, while none of the five ETC complexes was affected in the parietal and occipital cortices in subjects with autism. In the cerebellum and temporal cortex, no overlap was observed in the levels of these ETC complexes between subjects with autism and control subjects. In the frontal cortex of Group A, a lower level of ETC complexes was observed in a subset of autism cases, that is, 60% (3/5) for complexes I, II, and V, and 40% (2/5) for complexes III and IV. A striking observation was that the levels of ETC complexes were similar in adult subjects with autism and control subjects (Group B). A significant increase in the levels of lipid hydroperoxides, an oxidative stress marker, was also observed in the cerebellum and temporal cortex in the children with autism. These results suggest that the expression of ETC complexes is decreased in the cerebellum and the frontal and temporal regions of the brain in children with autism, which may lead to abnormal energy metabolism and oxidative stress. The deficits observed in the levels of ETC complexes in children with autism may readjust to normal levels by adulthood.
Implementing and sustaining dietary change in the context of social relationships
Authors: Rydén Petra J. , Sydner Ylva Mattsson
Published: January 2011

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 583–590
 
Implementing and sustaining dietary change in the context of social relationships

Background:  Changing to healthier dietary habits is quite difficult to implement and even more difficult to sustain. As the majority of people have some or all their meals with others, it is likely that their social relationships influence the dietary change process and its sustainability. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore and describe experiences of dietary change and its sustainability in the context of an individual’s social relationships.

Methods:  Semi‐structured interviews were conducted individually with fourteen individuals who had previously been participants in a 3‐month dietary intervention study using a Mediterranean diet. Thematic analysis was used on verbatim transcripts of the interviews.

Results:  Social relationships were the main barrier to sustainability – in particular social relationships within the household where various coping strategies were needed on an everyday basis. Social relationships outside the household were also difficult to manage as dietary change challenged existing traditions and norms of what to eat. The changer was thereby forced to risk social disapproval or to deviate from the diet.

Conclusions:  Social relationships within and outside the household complicated the accomplishment of healthy dietary changes. Hence, it is important to acknowledge the social context of the changer when dietary change is to be implemented.
Hydraulics of Asteroxylon mackei, an early Devonian vascular plant, and the early evolution of water transport tissue in terrestrial plants
Authors: WILSON J. P. , FISCHER W. W.
Published: January 2011

The core of plant physiology is a set of functional solutions to a tradeoff between CO2 acquisition and water loss. To provide an important evolutionary perspective on how the earliest land plants met this tradeoff, we constructed a mathematical model (constrained geometrically with measurements of fossils) of the hydraulic resistance of Asteroxylon, an Early Devonian plant. The model results illuminate the water transport physiology of one of the earliest vascular plants. Results show that Asteroxylon’s vascular system contains cells with low hydraulic resistances; these resistances are low because cells were covered by scalariform pits, elliptical structures that permit individual cells to have large areas for water to pass from one cell to another. Asteroxylon could move a large amount of water quickly given its large pit areas; however, this would have left these plants particularly vulnerable to damage from excessive evapotranspiration. These results highlight a repeated pattern in plant evolution, wherein the evolution of highly conductive vascular tissue precedes the appearance of adaptations to increase water transport safety. Quantitative insight into the vascular transport of Asteroxylon also allows us to reflect on the quality of CO2 proxy estimates based on early land plant fossils. Because Asteroxylon’s vascular tissue lacked any safety features to prevent permanent damage, it probably used stomatal abundance and behavior to prevent desiccation. If correct, low stomatal frequencies in Asteroxylon reflect the need to limit evapotranspiration, rather than adaptation to high CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. More broadly, methods to reveal and understand water transport in extinct plants have a clear use in testing and bolstering fossil plant‐based paleoclimate proxies.
Lymphocyte function antigen‐1 regulates neutrophil recruitment and tissue damage in acute pancreatitis
Authors: Awla Darbaz , Abdulla Aree , Zhang Su , Roller Jonas , Menger Michael D , Regnér Sara , Thorlacius Henrik
Published: January 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Leucocyte infiltration is a rate‐limiting step in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis (AP) although the adhesive mechanisms supporting leucocyte‐endothelium interactions in the pancreas remain elusive. The aim of this study was to define the role of lymphocyte function antigen‐1 (LFA‐1) in regulating neutrophil‐endothelium interactions and tissue damage in severe AP.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Pancreatitis was induced by retrograde infusion of sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct in mice. LFA‐1 gene‐targeted mice and an antibody directed against LFA‐1 were used to define the role of LFA‐1.

KEY RESULTS

Taurocholate challenge caused a clear‐cut increase in serum amylase, neutrophil infiltration, CXCL2 (macrophage inflammatory protein‐2) formation, trypsinogen activation and tissue damage in the pancreas. Inhibition of LFA‐1 function markedly reduced taurocholate‐induced amylase levels, accumulation of neutrophils, production of CXC chemokines and tissue damage in the pancreas. Notably, intravital microscopy revealed that inhibition of LFA‐1 abolished taurocholate‐induced leucocyte adhesion in postcapillary venules of the pancreas. In addition, pulmonary infiltration of neutrophils was attenuated by inhibition of LFA‐1 in mice challenged with taurocholate. However, interference with LFA‐1 had no effect on taurocholate‐induced activation of trypsinogen in the pancreas.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Our novel data suggest that LFA‐1 plays a key role in regulating neutrophil recruitment, CXCL2 formation and tissue injury in the pancreas. Moreover, these results suggest that LFA‐1‐mediated inflammation is a downstream component of trypsinogen activation in the pathophysiology of AP. Thus, we conclude that targeting LFA‐1 may be a useful approach to protect against pathological inflammation in the pancreas.
G protein‐coupled receptors: walking hand‐in‐hand, talking hand‐in‐hand?
Authors: Vischer Henry F , Watts Anne O , Nijmeijer Saskia , Leurs Rob
Published: January 2011

Most cells express a panel of different G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) allowing them to respond to at least a corresponding variety of extracellular ligands. In order to come to an integrative well‐balanced functional response these ligand–receptor pairs can often cross‐regulate each other. Although most GPCRs are fully capable to induce intracellular signalling upon agonist binding on their own, many GPCRs, if not all, appear to exist and function in homomeric and/or heteromeric assemblies for at least some time. Such heteromeric organization offers unique allosteric control of receptor pharmacology and function between the protomers and might even unmask ‘new’ features. However, it is important to realize that some functional consequences that are proposed to originate from heteromeric receptor interactions may also be observed due to intracellular crosstalk between signalling pathways of non‐associated GPCRs.
Welcome to the Geo‐Information Age
Authors: GARDELS NATHAN
Published: January 2011

Welcome to the geo‐information age. Along with cyberprobes and computer worms like Stuxnet, which at least temporarily disabled Iran's centrifuges without a missile being fired or a bomb dropped, Wikileaks is redefining national security as we've known it.