bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic factors in Fournier gangrene
Authors: JEONG HEE JONG , PARK SEUNG CHOL , SEO ILL YOUNG , RIM JOUNG SIK
Published: December 2005

Aims: Fournier gangrene is a rapidly progressive necrotizing fasciitis involving the genitalia. It can be treated with antibiotics and immediate debridement along with treatment of the predisposing condition. We evaluated the prognostic factors, clinical characteristics and treatment of patients of the Fournier gangrene.

Methods: The subjects were 40 male patients diagnosed with Fournier gangrene who visited Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Korea between January 1991 and December 2000. Their medical records were reviewed with respect to demographics, medical history, symptoms and signs, physical examination, laboratory data, bacteriology, extent of disease, clinical course, and therapy. The extent of disease was quantified for each patient using a modification of the diagram used to assess the extent of burns.

Results: The average age was 55.3 years (range 29.6–92.8). Of the 40 patients, 11 died (36%) and 29 survived (64%). Anorectal infections were the underlying local disease most commonly associated with high mortality (75%). Although the most common associated illness was diabetes, it was not related to the prognosis (death rate: 20.0%). In contrast, the death rate was highest in chronic renal failure, reaching 50%. The mortality rate increased with the duration of symptoms before hospitalization. Patients with <6% surface area involvement were more likely to survive. On admission, serum blood urea nitrogen (s‐BUN) and serum creatinine were significantly higher in the patients who died.

Conclusion: Survival is associated significantly with anorectal infection, chronic renal failure, the duration of symptoms before hospitalization, the extent of gangrene, and s‐BUN and creatinine level on admission.
Retrospective study of 101 cases with incidental prostate cancer stages T1a and T1b
Authors: MASUE NARUYASU , DEGUCHI TAKASHI , NAKANO MASAHIRO , EHARA HIDETOSHI , UNO HIROMI , TAKAHASHI YOSHITO
Published: December 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to clarify the character of incidental prostate cancer, stages T1a and T1b.

Methods: We analysed 101 cases of incidental prostate cancer. Incidental prostate cancer was diagnosed on the basis of normal digital rectal examination findings, a serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of less than 4.0 ng/mL, and no abnormal computed tomography or ultrasonography findings. All patients were treated at Gifu University Hospital or an affiliated hospital during the period January 1992 through December 2001.

Results: There were 64 stage T1a cancers and 37 stage T1b cancers. The mean age of patients was 71.3 years (range 51–87 years). The mean serum PSA level was 1.63 ng/mL (range 0.2–4.0 ng/mL). Thirty‐five stage T1a patients (56.5%) and thirty‐two stage T1b patients (86.5%) underwent some type of treatment. Total prostatectomy was performed in eight stage T1a cases and fifteen stage T1b cases. Pathological diagnoses were as follows: pTx (n = 1), pT0 (n = 5) and pT2 (n = 2) for stage T1a cancers, and pT0 (n = 6), pT2 (n = 8) and pT3 (n = 1) for stage T1b cancers. Only one stage T1b cancer recurred.

Conclusion: The outcome of patients with incidental prostate cancer was satisfactory; disease recurred in only one case of stage T1b cancer and there were no cases of PSA failure, although the pathological diagnosis in nine of the fifteen stage T1b cases (60.0%) treated with total prostatectomy was pT2 or pT3. Careful monitoring was indicated for stage T1a cancer, and some treatment was necessary for stage T1b cancer.
Two cases of female acute urinary retention caused by an impacted pelvic mass
Authors: HOSOKAWA YUKINARI , KISHINO TATSUKI , ONO TAKAMASA , OYAMA NOBUO , MOMOSE HITOSHI
Published: December 2005

Abstract  We report two cases of acute urinary retention in women with an impacted pelvic mass. In both cases, all urinary symptoms resolved completely after the surgical removal of the mass.
Rupture of the superficial dorsal vein of the penis
Authors: SHARMA GYANENDRA R
Published: December 2005

Abstract  Unusual causes of acute penis, such as the rupture of a superficial vein of the penis, can mimic fractured penis. The diagnosis in such cases is mostly after exploration. The author describes a case where a high index of clinical suspicion led to the diagnosis of the rupture of a superficial dorsal vein of the penis without exploration. The patient had a successful recovery with conservative management.
Laparoscopic ureterolysis for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis
Authors: OKUMURA AKIOU , MURAKAMI KOUICHI , NOZAKI TETSUO , FUSE HIDEKI
Published: December 2005

Abstract  Three patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis underwent laparoscopic ureterolysis. Two patients were bilateral cases which were performed successfully as a one stage procedure. Another patient, who was unsuccessfully treated, had a long ureteral stricture. Laparoscopic ureterolysis may be a useful alternative to open surgical management especially in bilateral cases, except for patients with a long ureteral stricture.
Utility of extracorporeal traction with nylon thread for easier vesicourethral anastomosis in laparoscopic prostatectomy
Authors: KONDO YUKIHIRO , MATSUZAWA ICHIRO , WATANABE JUN , HAMASAKI TSUTOMU , YOSHIDA KAZUHIRO , NISHIMURA TAIJI
Published: December 2005

Purpose: Vesicourethral anastomosis in laparoscopic prostatectomy is a very difficult procedure. Our purpose in this study was to evaluate a new method using extracorporeal bladder neck traction with nylon thread for vesicourethral anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Materials and methods: A total of 10 patients underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy by this technique, and we evaluated anastomosis time, operative time, and postoperative status of vesicourethral anastomosis.

Results: It was possible to shorten both anastomosis time and operative time by this procedure, and to obtain a hermetic anastomosis without higher risk of incontinence, stricture, or leakage.

Conclusions: Extracorporeal bladder neck traction with nylon thread is a very useful procedure to carry out easier vesicourethral anastomosis, especially for a surgeon's initial experience in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
Decrease in parvalbumin‐expressing neurons in the hippocampus and increased phencyclidine‐induced locomotor activity in the rat methylazoxymethanol (MAM) model of schizophrenia
Authors: Penschuck Silke , Flagstad Peter , Didriksen Michael , Leist Marcel , Michael‐Titus Adina T.
Published: December 2005

Treatment of rats with methylazoxymethanol (MAM) on gestational day (GD)17 disrupts corticolimbic development in the offspring (MAM‐GD17 rats) and leads to abnormalities in adult MAM‐GD17 rats resembling those described in schizophrenic patients. The underlying changes in specific cortical and limbic cell populations remain to be characterised. In schizophrenia, decreases in inhibitory γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐containing interneurons that express the calcium‐binding protein parvalbumin have been reported in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In this study we analysed the expression of parvalbumin (PV), calretinin (CR) and calbindin (CB) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of MAM‐GD17 rats. Exposure in utero to MAM led to a significant decrease in the number of neurons expressing PV in the hippocampus, but not the prefrontal cortex. Neurons expressing CR or CB were not affected in either structure. The neurochemical changes in MAM‐GD17 rats were accompagnied by increased hyperlocomotion after administration of phencyclidine (PCP), analogous to the hypersensitivity of schizophrenic patients to PCP. Therefore, the developmental MAM‐GD17 model reproduces key neurochemical and behavioural features that reflect cortical and subcortical dysfunction in schizophrenia, and could be a useful tool in the development of new antipsychotic drugs.
Loss of retinal progenitor cells leads to an increase in the retinal stem cell population in vivo
Authors: Coles Brenda L. K. , Horsford D. Jonathan , McInnes Roderick R. , van der Kooy Derek
Published: December 2005

Retinal stem cells [with the potential to produce either neural retinal progenitors or retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) progenitors] exist in the mammalian eye throughout life, and indeed the greatest absolute increase in the stem population occurs postnatally. The stem cells proliferate embryonically and thus may help to build the retina initially, but in postnatal mammals they clearly do not proliferate to regenerate the retina in response to injury. Using Chx10orJ/orJ and Mitfmi/mi mice, with small eye phenotypes due to the reduction of the neural retinal progenitor population and the retinal pigmented epithelial progenitor population, respectively, we now report that the retinal stem cell population, when assayed from the ciliary margin, increases 3–8‐fold in both mutants. These findings suggest that the mammalian retinal stem cell population may be capable of responding to genetically induced signals from the progenitor populations.
LTP in the lateral amygdala during cocaine withdrawal
Authors: Goussakov Ivan , Chartoff Elena H. , Tsvetkov Evgeny , Gerety Lyle P. , Meloni Edward G. , Carlezon William A. , Bolshakov Vadim Y.
Published: December 2005

The amygdala plays key roles in several aspects of addiction to drugs of abuse. This brain structure has been implicated in behaviours that reflect drug reward, drug seeking, and the aversive effects of drug withdrawal. Using a model that involves repeated cocaine injections to approximate ‘binge’ intoxication, we show in rats that during cocaine withdrawal, the impact of rewarding brain stimulation is attenuated, as quantified by alterations in intracranial self‐stimulation (ICSS) behaviour. These behavioural signs of withdrawal are accompanied by enhancements of glutamatergic synaptic transmission within the lateral amygdala (LA) that occlude electrically induced long‐term potentiation (LTP) in tissue slices. Synaptic enhancements during periods of cocaine withdrawal are mechanistically similar to LTP induced with electrical stimulation in control slices, as both forms of synaptic plasticity involve an increase in glutamate release. These results suggest that mechanisms of LTP within the amygdala are recruited during withdrawal from repeated exposure to cocaine. As such, they raise the possibility that the development and maintenance of addictive behaviours may involve, at least in part, mechanisms of synaptic plasticity within specific amygdala circuits.
Striatal modulation of cAMP‐response‐element‐binding protein (CREB) after excitotoxic lesions: implications with neuronal vulnerability in Huntington's disease
Authors: Giampà Carmela , DeMarch Zena , D'Angelo Vincenza , Morello Maria , Martorana Alessandro , Sancesario Giuseppe , Bernardi Giorgio , Fusco Francesca R.
Published: December 2005

Recent evidence has shown that the activity of cAMP responsive element‐binding protein (CREB) and of CREB‐binding protein (CBP) is decreased in Huntington's disease (HD) [Steffan et al. (2000)Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 97, 6763–6768; Gines et al. (2003)Hum. Mol. Genet., 12, 497–508; Rouaux et al. (2004) Biochem. Pharmacol., 68, 1157–1164; Sugars et al. (2004)J. Biol. Chem., 279, 4988–4999]. Such decrease is thought to reflect the impaired energy metabolism observed in a HD mouse model, where a decline in striatum cAMP levels has been observed [Gines et al. (2003)Hum. Mol. Genet., 12, 497–508]. Increased levels of CREB have also been demonstrated to exert neuroprotective functions [Lonze & Ginty (2002)Neuron, 35, 605–623; Lonze et al. (2002)Neuron, 34, 371–385]. Our study aimed to investigate the distribution of CREB in the neuronal subpopulations of the striatum in normal rats compared to the HD model of quinolinic acid lesion. Twenty‐five Wistar rats were administered quinolinic acid 100 mm into the right striatum, and killed after 24 h, 48 h, 1 week, 2 weeks, and six weeks, respectively. The contralateral striata were used as controls. Dual‐label immunofluorescence was employed using antibodies against phosphorylated CREB and each of the different neuronal subpopulations markers. Our results show that activated CREB levels decrease progressively in projection neurons and parvalbumin (PARV) and calretinin (CALR) interneurons, whereas such levels remain stable in cholinergic and somatostatin interneurons. Thus, we speculate that the ability of cholinergic interneurons to maintain their levels of CREB after excitotoxic lesions is one of the factors determining their protection in Huntington's disease.
Early vs late intraoperative administration of tropisetron for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in children undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy
Authors: GROSS DOMINIQUE , REUSS SUZANNE , DILLIER CLAUDIA M. , GERBER ANDREAS C. , WEISS MARKUS
Published: December 2005

Background:  Tropisetron is a long‐acting 5HT3 receptor antagonist and was shown to be effective in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after tonsillectomy. The aim of the study was to compare the effects of early vs late intraoperative administration of tropisetron with regard to prevention of PONV during the first 48 h after extubation.

Methods:  In a randomized double‐blind study, we investigated 120 children aged 1–12 years undergoing general anesthesia for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Patients received 0.1 mg·kg−1 tropisetron (maximum 2 mg) immediately after inhalational induction (early) and establishment of intravenous access or after the end of surgery before extubation (late). PONV and the need for antiemetic rescue medications were recorded within the following 48 h. Patient data were analyzed using t‐test, chi‐squared test (significance level of α = 0.05) and Spearman rank correlation test.

Results:  The overall incidence of vomiting was 55.3%, with 60% (36/60) in the early treatment and 51.6% (31/60) in the late treatment group (P = 0.46). The observed time course 48 h postoperatively showed no difference regarding the number of vomiting episodes between the two groups and the need for antiemetic rescue medication. The incidence of nausea was higher in the late application group in the first 6 h after extubation (P = 0.001) and higher in the early application group between 24 and 48 h after extubation (P = 0.02). Morphine and the age over 3 years had a strong influence on the incidence of vomiting.

Conclusion:  The intraoperative time point (early vs late) of intravenous administration of a single prophylactic dose of tropisetron has no impact on the incidence of PONV during the first 48 h after tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in children.
Comparison of three sites to check the pulse and count heart rate in hypotensive infants
Authors: SARTI ARMANDO , SAVRON FABIO , RONFANI LUCA , PELIZZO GLORIA , BARBI EGIDIO
Published: December 2005

Background:  Current international guidelines state that heart rate counted at the brachial pulse must be absent or <60 b.min−1 to diagnose cardiac arrest. Some data suggest that this site may not be the best to check cardiac activity. Hypotension is a likely real scenario of the need for chest compressions in infants. We compared the performance of three sites of pulse palpation (brachial, carotid, and femoral) for detecting and counting heartbeat in hypotensive infants.

Methods:  In an operating theater of a pediatric teaching hospital in Italy, we studied 40 anesthetized hypotensive infants just prior to surgery, checked by two doctors and two nurses by a cross‐sectional, repeated‐measures study design. Each examiner, blind to the monitoring data of the patient, was asked to find the infant's arterial pulse within 10 s and count heart rate for 15 s. During each examination, the order of the three sites was randomized.

Results:  Among successful detections, femoral pulse palpation resulted as the most successful, rapid, and accurate site to detect and count heart rate in hypotensive infants.

Conclusions:  Femoral palpation proved to be the best site for detecting heartbeat and counting heart rate in hypotensive infants. These findings challenge the current guidelines. More data are needed, but the current standard of brachial pulse assessment is debatable.
A trial of fresh autologous whole blood to treat dilutional coagulopathy following cardiopulmonary bypass in infants
Authors: FRIESEN ROBERT H. , PERRYMAN KATHY M. , WEIGERS KIM R. , MITCHELL MAX B. , FRIESEN RICHARD M.
Published: December 2005

Background:  Transfusion of fresh whole blood is superior to blood component therapy in correcting coagulopathies in children following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB); however, a supply of fresh homologous whole blood is difficult to maintain. We hypothesized that transfusion of fresh autologous whole blood obtained prior to heparinization for CPB and infused following CPB would be associated with improved coagulation function when compared with standard therapy.

Methods:  A total of 32 infants 5–12 kg undergoing noncomplex open cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. In the treatment group, 15 ml·kg−1 of autologous whole blood was collected into a CPDA bag prior to heparinization while 15 ml·kg−1 of 5% albumin was infused intravenously. After reversal of heparin, coagulation tests were drawn in both groups, and the autologous whole blood was infused over 20 min in the treatment group.

Results:  The treatment group had greater (P < 0.05) improvement in platelet count, prothrombin time, and fibrinogen than the control group.

Conclusions:  We conclude that collection of fresh autologous whole blood prior to heparinization and reinfusion following CPB is associated with greater improvement of coagulation status after CPB in infants.
Beneficial effects of extended‐release doxazosin and doxazosin standard on sexual health
Authors: KAPLAN STEVEN A. , DE ROSE ALDO F. , KIRBY ROGER S. , O'LEARY MICHAEL P. , McVARY KEVIN T.
Published: December 2005

The prevalence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and erectile dysfunction (ED) both increase with age, and increasing evidence suggests a common cause rather than independent age‐related changes. Arterial hypertension often accompanies these urological disorders, suggesting the possibility that increased α‐adrenoceptor activity may be causal in all three conditions. As evidence for this model, α‐adrenoceptor antagonists such as doxazosin produce therapeutically beneficial effects in lowering blood pressure, reducing prostate growth and BPH symptoms, and relieving ED. At postjunctional α1‐receptors in the corpus cavernosa, noradrenaline causes vascular smooth muscle cell contraction, restricting blood flow, resulting in penile detumescence. Just as α‐adrenoceptor antagonism results in systemic vasorelaxation to lower blood pressure, the same mechanism in the penis modulates the effects of noradrenaline to favour vasodilatation, resulting in improved erectile function. Increasing clinical evidence attests to the effectiveness of doxazosin in relieving ED, even in patients refractory to ED‐specific treatment, as well as in reducing BPH symptoms and elevated blood pressure.
Sexually responsive vascular tissue of the vulva
Authors: YANG CLAIRE C. , COLD CHRISTOPHER J. , YILMAZ UGUR , MARAVILLA KENNETH R.
Published: December 2005

OBJECTIVE

To better understand the genital changes that occur during the female sexual response, using a gross anatomical and histological study of the vascular tissue of the vulva, supplemented with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seven cadaveric vulvectomy specimens were used; they were serially sectioned in coronal, sagittal, and axial planes, and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Selected blocks were stained with elastic Masson's trichrome. Axial MR images were taken of two healthy women with intact sexual functioning using a gadolinium‐based blood‐pool contrast agent. A 1.5 T system was used for all MRI studies, with images taken at baseline and during sexual arousal while viewing an erotic videotape.

RESULTS

There are five vascular compartments of the female external genitalia, found in the clitoris, clitoral bulbs, labia minora, urethra, and vestibule/vagina. Of these five compartments, two distinct types of vascular tissue were identified, i.e. erectile and non‐erectile/specialized genital. The erectile tissue compartments had the greatest change in blood volume during sexual arousal, as assessed by MRI.

CONCLUSIONS

The vulva contains a substantial amount of vascular tissue. These specialized tissues show a variable, but unified response to sexual arousal.
The functional effects of a c‐kit tyrosine inhibitor on guinea‐pig and human detrusor
Authors: BIERS SUZANNE M. , REYNARD JOHN M. , DOORE TRACYANN , BRADING ALISON F.
Published: December 2005

OBJECTIVE

To describe the effect of a specific c‐kit receptor inhibitor (imatinib mesylate) on human detrusor strips in vitro and guinea‐pig cystometry in vivo, and to show histological data suggesting differences in the distribution of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC)‐like cells in ‘normal’ and overactive human detrusor, as these cells have been identified as possible mediators of spontaneous activity and excitability in bladder smooth muscle.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Specimens of human detrusor were stained immunohistochemically with a c‐kit antibody. Human detrusor strips were mounted in a superfused organ‐bath apparatus, and smooth muscle contraction was evoked with carbachol and electrical field stimulation in the presence and absence of imatinib mesylate. Also, guinea‐pig urodynamic studies were conducted before and after i.v. administration of imatinib mesylate, and changes in bladder variables and spontaneous activity were recorded.

RESULTS

Imatinib mesylate (10−6M) inhibited evoked smooth muscle contraction and spontaneous activity in overactive human detrusor, with less effect on normal human tissue. Imatinib mesylate (10−5M) improved bladder capacity, compliance, voided volumes, urinary frequency, and reduced contraction thresholds and spontaneous activity during guinea‐pig cystometry. c‐kit labelling showed significantly more ICC‐like cells in overactive human detrusor than in normal specimens.

CONCLUSION

c‐kit receptor blockers have inhibitory effects on guinea‐pig and overactive human detrusor, possibly via c‐kit receptors on bladder ICC‐like cells. This and the possibility that there are more ICC‐like cells in overactive bladder suggest that the c‐kit receptor may provide a novel target for treating detrusor overactivity.
A single‐nucleotide polymorphism in the XPG gene, and tumour stage, grade, and clinical course in patients with nonmuscle‐invasive neoplasms of the urinary bladder
Authors: SAKANO SHIGERU , KUMAR RAJIV , LARSSON PER , ONELÖV ERIK , ADOLFSSON JAN , STEINECK GUNNAR , HEMMINKI KARI
Published: December 2005

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Asp1104His (G3507C), in the XPG gene affects malignant phenotypes of nonmuscle‐invasive urinary bladder neoplasms (NIBN), by investigating associations between the SNP and clinicopathological variables in patients with NIBN.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The 233 patients constituted newly diagnosed cases of primary NIBN in the Stockholm area. The Asp1104His polymorphism in the XPG gene was genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism technique.

RESULTS

The GC + CC genotypes were more frequent in stage pT1 tumours at initial diagnosis than pTa (odds ratio 1.9, 95% confidence interval 1.0–3.5, P = 0.048). The difference was larger in the young group (4.6, 1.9–11.8, P = 0.001). In the young group, the GC + CC genotypes were significantly more frequent in high‐grade than in low‐grade tumours (3.1, 1.5–6.8, P = 0.004) whereas in the older group the genotypes were less frequent in high‐grade tumours (0.3, 0.1–0.7, P = 0.007). The XPG genotypes were not associated with tumour recurrence, stage progression or survival.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the SNP in the XPG gene might be related to tumour invasiveness in NIBN.
Nonlinear Spatial Evolution of Small Disturbances from Boundary Conditions in Flat Inclined‐Channel Flow
Authors: Spindler Richard , Yu Jun
Published: December 2005

The asymptotic behavior of small disturbances as they evolve spatially from boundary conditions in a flat inclined channel is determined. These small disturbances develop into traveling waves called roll waves, first discussed by Dressler in 1949. Roll waves exist if the Froude number F exceeds 2, which consist of a periodic pattern of bores, or discontinuities. After confirming the instability condition for F > 2 for the linearized equations in the boundary value case, the nonlinear boundary value problem for the weakly unstable region of F slightly larger than 2 is studied. Multiple scales and the Fredholm alternative theorem are applied to determine the evolution of the solution in space. It is found that the solution is dominated by the evolution of the disturbance along one characteristic. The shock conditions governing the asymptotic solution are determined and these conditions are used to determine the approximate shape of the resulting traveling wave from the solution. Both asymptotic and numerical results for periodic disturbances are presented.
On the Congruences of Some Combinatorial Numbers
Authors: Eu Sen‐Peng , Liu Shu‐Chung , Yeh Yeong‐Nan
Published: December 2005

In this paper, we apply Lucas' theorem to evaluate the congruences of several combinatorial numbers, including the central Delannoy numbers and a class of Apéry‐like numbers, the numbers of noncrossing connected graphs, the numbers of total edges of all noncrossing connected graphs on n vertices, etc. One of these results verifies a conjecture given by Deutsch and Sagan recently. In the end, we use an automaton to explain the idea of our approach.
Permitting Protest: Parsing the Fine Geography of Dissent in America
Authors: MITCHELL DON , STAEHELI LYNN A.
Published: December 2005

The ability to dissent and to protest is a cornerstone of western liberal democracies. But dissent always threatens to exceed its bounds and to become a threat. The issue facing liberal states, then, has not only been how to incorporate dissent, but also how to shape dissent. In this project, the politics of public space has assumed a central role, as material public spaces have become a primary venue for the shaping of dissent. This article examines the ways in which dissent is incorporated into the liberal democratic state through a case study of protest in Washington, DC. In that city, as in others throughout North America and Western Europe, protest permit systems have evolved as a bureaucratic means to actively shape, if not directly control, public dissent. And yet, even as permit systems are becoming fully regularized, debates over their legitimacy suggest that geographically based permit systems might be inadequate to the task of incorporating dissent. As we indicate, recent protest activity shows just how important geography is to regulating, incorporating and policing dissent, even as those protests expose just how blunt and how fragile a tool that geography is.

Pouvoir être en désaccord et le manifester est l’une des pierres angulaires des démocraties libérales occidentales. Pourtant, le désaccord risque toujours de dépasser ses limites pour devenir une menace. La difficulté rencontrée par les États libéraux n’était pas tant d’intégrer la divergence d’opinion que de la façonner. Dans ce projet, la politique d’espace public a joué un rôle central, les espaces publics physiques étant devenus un site primordial pour ce façonnage. Les méthodes d’intégration du désaccord dans l’État démocratique libéral apparaissent à travers l’étude de cas de la protestation à Washington DC. Là, comme dans d’autres villes d’Amérique du Nord et d’Europe de l’Ouest, les systèmes d’autorisation de manifestation ont évolué en un moyen bureaucratique de façonner effectivement, si ce n’est maîtriser directement, le dissentiment public. Pourtant, tandis que ces systèmes se régularisent totalement, la mise en cause de leur légitimité suggère que les régimes d’autorisation de type géographique seraient inappropriés pour intégrer le désaccord. Récemment, l’activité de protestation a démontré l’importance de la géographie pour réguler, intégrer et contrôler le dissentiment, même si ces manifestations révèlent aussi combien la géographie est un outil limité et fragile.
‘So Long as I Take my Mobile’: Mobile Phones, Urban Life and Geographies of Young People's Safety
Authors: PAIN RACHEL , GRUNDY SUE , GILL SALLY , TOWNER ELIZABETH , SPARKS GEOFF , HUGHES KATE
Published: December 2005

Mobile phone ownership has spread rapidly among young people in the UK. This article contributes to an expanding body of literature which is examining the consequences of this phenomenon for urban life. Our focus is the impact of mobile phones on young people's geographies, particularly their own and their parents’ fears about their safety in public spaces. Quantitative and qualitative findings are presented from two research projects in Gateshead, north‐east England on crime victimization and leisure injury risk for young people, in which the role of mobile phones in managing and negotiating safety emerged as significant. The article highlights the different ways in which young people and parents are using mobile phones for this purpose, and asks whether they are best viewed as technologies of surveillance or empowerment. We also raise questions about the efficacy of mobile phones in protecting young people from risk and fear, in particular examining the mobile as a new site of victimization. Throughout, we emphasize the social unevenness of the uses and impacts of new technologies, which is often underplayed in research. We conclude with the suggestion that although they offer some empowerment to young people in their use of public spaces and their negotiation of risk, mobile phones appear to be reshaping rather than reducing moral panics about young people's presence there.

Au Royaume‐Uni, le téléphone mobile s’est répandu rapidement parmi les jeunes. Cet article s’ajoute aux documents en nombre croissant qui étudient les conséquences de ce phénomène sur la vie urbaine. Il s’attache à l’impact des mobiles sur la géographie des jeunes, notamment sur leurs craintes personnelles et celles de leurs parents quant à leur sécurité dans les espaces publics. Il présente des résultats quantitatifs et qualitatifs provenant de deux projets de recherches à Gateshead (nord‐est de l’Angleterre) sur le risque pour les jeunes d’être victimes d’un acte criminel et de se blesser durant un loisir, cas où les mobiles semblent jouer un rôle important pour gérer et négocier la sécurité. L’article met en lumière les différents modes d’utilisation des mobiles à cette fin, par les jeunes et les parents, en se demandant si ces téléphones sont d’abord considérés comme des technologies de surveillance ou de responsabilisation. Il interroge également l’efficacité des mobiles pour protéger les jeunes contre risques et craintes, notamment en envisageant ces téléphones comme nouveau terrain de victimisation. Dans son ensemble, ce travail souligne l’irrégularité sociale des usages et impacts des nouvelles technologies, souvent minimisée dans la recherche. La conclusion suggère que, même s’ils offrent une certaine responsabilisation aux jeunes dans leur utilisation des espaces publics et leur négociation du risque, les téléphones mobiles semblent remodeler, non réduire, les paniques morales liées à leur présence dans ces lieux.
The ‘Global’ in the City Economy: Multicultural Economic Development in Birmingham
Authors: MCEWAN CHERYL , POLLARD JANE , HENRY NICK
Published: December 2005

This article draws on critiques of ‘global cities’ to conceptualize Birmingham, the UK's second largest metropole, as a ‘global’ city by highlighting forms of economic globalization that draw on the city's residents, their histories and their social and cultural networks. The article illustrates some of the diversity and significance of minority ethnic economic activity within Birmingham and the potential this holds for its future economic development, focusing on examples from three transnational networks (Chinese business networks, ethnic food manufacturing and the Bhangra music industry). The article signals a rather different understanding of ‘global’ as it relates to economic advantage, transnationalism and ethnic diversity within cities in general, and Birmingham in particular. We suggest that this different understanding of the global has important policy implications, not simply in terms of economic representations of the city, but also in terms of developing the possibilities of such transnational networks and engaging with the constraints facing them. We argue that encouraging a morerelationalway of thinking about cities like Birmingham has the potential for advancing social wellbeing by influencing socio‐economic policy and practice. We use the example of Birmingham, therefore, to engage broader debates about alternative paths of ‘global’ economic, social and cultural investment for UK (and other) cities.

A partir de critiques des ‘villes planétaires’, cet article conceptualise Birmingham (deuxième métropole britannique) en tant que ville ‘planétaire’ en soulignant les formes de mondialisation économique qui s’appuient sur les citadins, leurs histoires et leurs réseaux sociaux et culturels. Pour illustrer en partie la diversité et la place de l’activitééconomique ethnique des minorités à Birmingham, ainsi que le potentiel afférent pour son essor économique futur, ce travail s’intéresse à des exemples issus de trois réseaux transnationaux (réseaux d’affaires chinois, fabrication d’alimentation ethnique et secteur de la musique indienne Bhangra). Il repère une compréhension assez différente de ‘planétaire’, selon que le terme est liéà un avantage économique, au transnationalisme et à la diversité ethnique au sein des grandes villes, et de Birmingham en particulier. Cette perception multiple a d’importantes implications politiques, à la fois au plan des représentations économiques de la ville et en termes de création de possibilités pour ces réseaux transnationaux et de prise en compte des contraintes à affronter. Encourager un mode de réflexion plusrelationnelà l’égard de villes comme Birmingham permettrait de promouvoir le bien‐être social en influant sur la pratique et la politique socio‐économique. Le cas de Birmingham sert donc à lancer des débats plus larges sur les options d’acheminement de l’investissement économique, social et culturel ‘planétaire’ pour les grandes villes britanniques (et étrangères).
Sydney/Global/City: An Exploration
Authors: MCNEILL DONALD , DOWLING ROBYN , FAGAN BOB
Published: December 2005

Over the past decade, the urban condition of Sydney has been increasingly discussed using the language of globalization. Yet the increasing sensitivity of global city theorists to issues of representation alert us to the problems of confidently using the global as an adjective to describe two nouns (Sydney and city) of uncertain mooring. We review various uses of these signifiers by territorially embedded and embodied actors (  journalists, academics and politicians), and suggest that to unreflectively label either the whole or some parts of this metropolis ‘global’ is a deeply problematic process.

Pendant ces dix dernières années, la situation urbaine de Sydney a été traitée de plus en plus souvent en termes de mondialisation. Toutefois, la sensibilité accrue des théoriciens de la ville planétaire aux aspects de représentation attire l’attention sur les problèmes liés à un usage fiable de planétaire comme adjectif descriptif de deux noms (Sydney et ville) présentant un ancrage incertain. En étudiant plusieurs usages de ces signifiants par des acteurs intégrés et définis au plan territorial ( journalistes, universitaires et politiciens), l’article suggère que qualifier sans réfléchir tout ou partie de cette métropole de ‘planétaire’ est un processus extrêmement problématique.
Globalization from Below: The Ranking of Global Immigrant Cities
Authors: BENTON‐SHORT LISA , PRICE MARIE D. , FRIEDMAN SAMANTHA
Published: December 2005

Immigration to major cities is an important dimension of cultural globalization, one that has been largely ignored in the global cities literature. Rates of immigration to major world cities are an important indicator of global city status and should be included in determining urban hierarchy indexes. Our study considers immigration in more than 100 metropolitan areas, using data from national censuses from more than 50 countries. We rank major cities of immigration and compare them to well‐known global city hierarchies. Using immigration data, we create an urban immigrant index. The index considers four factors of immigration: (1) the percentage of foreign‐born, (2) the total number of foreign‐born, (3) the diversity of the foreign‐born stock, and (4) whether immigrants are from neighboring countries or non‐neighboring countries. This is the first time that an international urban immigrant data set and index have been created. The study explains the empirical challenge of acquiring comparable international metropolitan data and the limits of this research. Some of the cities that rank highly in the index are commonly cited as world cities (London, New York and Frankfurt); others such as Toronto, Amsterdam and Dubai seldom appear so highly ranked.

L’Immigration vers les grandes villes est une dimension importante de la mondialisation culturelle, dimension largement ignorée dans la littérature sur les villes planétaires. Les taux d’immigration vers les grandes villes mondiales sont un indicateur significatif du statut de ville planétaire et devraient être pris en compte pour établir des répertoires de hiérarchie urbaine. Cette étude, qui couvre l’immigration dans plus de cent zones métropolitaines, utilise les données de recensements nationaux provenant de plus de 50 pays. Elle classe les principales villes d’immigration et les compare aux hiérarchies de villes planétaires reconnues. A partir des données sur l’immigration, est créé un répertoire des immigrants urbains, lequel se réfère à quatre facteurs d’immigration: (1) le pourcentage néà l’étranger, (2) l’effectif total néà l’étranger, (3) la diversité de la population née à l’étranger et (4) si les migrants viennent de pays voisins ou non. C’est la première fois qu’un fichier de données et un répertoire d’immigrants urbains internationaux sont créés. L’étude expose le défi empirique pour récupérer des données métropolitaines internationales comparables, ainsi que les limites de cette recherche. Certaines des villes placées en tête du répertoire sont fréquemment citées comme villes mondiales (Londres, New York et Frankfort), d’autres comme Toronto, Amsterdam et Dubaï apparaissent rarement à ce niveau de classement.
Enforcement Mechanisms Discouraging Black–American Presence in Suburban Detroit
Authors: BATES TIM , FASENFEST DAVID
Published: December 2005

In metropolitan Detroit, scholars have long observed that geographic space is racialized in the sense that black Americans are not welcome in many suburban communities. This extends beyond housing segregation: black drivers are not wanted on many suburban streets. While the existence of racial animosity has been documented, the enforcement mechanisms utilized to ‘protect’ certain geographic areas from black presence have rarely been quantified and dissected. This study examines police behavior toward black motorists who were arrested during routine traffic stops in the Detroit suburb of Eastpointe. Comparison of search, arrest, and handcuff patterns of white and black motorists indicates that police bias harms blacks. Rather than simply being anti‐black, patterns of police behavior in Eastpointe enforce racialized space, signaling where black presence is tolerated and where it is discouraged.

Depuis longtemps, les intellectuels observent la racialisation de l’espace géographique, au sens que les Américains noirs ne sont pas les bienvenus dans de nombreuses communautés de banlieue de la métropole de Détroit. La tendance dépasse la ségrégation des logements: les automobilistes noirs sont indésirables dans bien des rues de banlieue. Si l’existence d’une animosité raciale a été documentée, les mécanismes coercitifs utilisés pour ‘protéger’ certaines zones géographiques d’une présence noire ont rarement été quantifiés ou disséqués. Cette étude examine l’attitude policière vis‐à‐vis des conducteurs noirs arrêtés au cours de contrôles de routine dans la banlieue de Eastpointe, à Détroit. Une comparaison des types de fouilles, arrestations et menottages d’automobilistes blancs et noirs révèle un préjugé de la police au détriment des noirs. Au lieu d’être simplement anti‐noirs, les types de comportement policier à Eastpointe impose un espace racialisé, indiquant là où la présence noire est tolérée et là où elle est dissuadée.
Regional Bipolarization: The Case of the European Union
Authors: EZCURRA ROBERTO , GIL CARLOS , PASCUAL PEDRO
Published: December 2005

This study examines the degree of bipolarization of regional per capita income distribution in the European Union between 1977 and 1999. The results obtained reveal a decrease in regional bipolarization in the European context over the study period as a consequence of various factors working in opposite directions. Likewise, the analysis carried out shows that the national component is the main factor explaining regional bipolarization in the European Union, while the geographical location and the productive structure in 1977 seems to have less relevance.

Cette étude s’intéresse au degré de bipolarisation de la répartition régionale des revenus par tête dans l’union européenne entre 1977 et 1999. Les résultats révèlent une réduction de la bipolarisation régionale dans le contexte européen pendant la période couverte, du fait de plusieurs facteurs opérant dans des directions opposées. De même, l’analyse effectuée montre que la composante nationale est le facteur principal d’explication d’une bipolarisation régionale dans l’union européenne, alors que le site géographique et la structure de production en 1977 ont, semble‐t‐il, peu d’importance.
Migraine with and without Aura: Association with Depression and Anxiety Disorder in a Population-Based Study. The HUNT Study
Authors: Oedegaard KJ , Neckelmann D , Mykletun A , Dahl AA , Zwart JA , Hagen K , Fasmer OB
Published: December 2005

Some data indicate that migraine with aura (MA) is more strongly associated with anxiety disorder and depression than migraine without aura (MoA), but the evidence is not conclusive. In the Nord-Trøndelag Health study 1995-1997, a total of 49 205 (75% of the participants) subjects gave valid answers to both HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and a validated headache questionnaire. Associations between anxiety disorder/depression and MA/MoA were evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. Depression (DEP) [odds ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 2.6] and depression with comorbid anxiety disorder (COM) (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2, 2.1) were more likely in women having MA than in those with MoA. No stronger association was found for pure anxiety disorder (ANX) in MA vs. MoA (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.7, 1.5). Among men, we found no difference in prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders between MA and MoA. This is a new finding that might have relevance for both research and clinical treatment.
Increased Expression of Endothelial and Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase In Dura and Pia Mater After Air Stress
Authors: Zinck T , Illum R , Jansen-Olesen I
Published: December 2005

Stress is the leading precipitating factor for migraine attacks but the underlying mechanism is currently unknown. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in migraine pathogenesis based on the ability of NO donors to induce migraine attacks. In the present study, we investigated in Wistar rats the effect of air stress on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA and protein expression in dura and pia mater using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Endothelial (e)NOS protein expression was significantly increased in dura and pia mater after air stress. Significantly augmented neuronal (n)NOS protein expression was detected in pia mater after air stress but not in dura mater. Inducible NOS mRNA and protein expression levels in dura and pia mater were unaffected by stress. The increased expression of eNOS in dura mater and eNOS and nNOS in pia mater seen after stress could not be antagonized by treatment with the migraine drug sumatriptan. These findings point towards the involvement of increased NO concentrations in dura and pia mater in response to air stress. However, the role of these findings in relation to migraine pathophysiology remains unclear.
Comorbid Migraine is Associated with a Negative Impact on Quality of Life in Patients with Major Depression
Authors: Hung C-I , Liu C-Y , Fuh J-L , Juang Y-Y , Wang S-J
Published: December 2005

This study investigated the impact of migraine on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). We prospectively enrolled 151 consecutive psychiatric out-patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for MDD. Migraine and other headache types were diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (2004). The Short Form-36 (SF-36) was administered as a generic instrument of HRQoL. Among 151 patients with MDD, migraine ( N = 73, 48.3%) was very common. Comorbidity of migraine predicted a significantly negative impact on all physical subscales and vitality but not on the other mental subscales of the SF-36 after controlling for depression, age and gender. The presence of migraine should be considered as an important physical symptom in clinic-based MDD samples. Simultaneous management of depression and severe headaches, especially migraine, might improve HRQoL in patients with MDD.
Patterns of Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Migraine and Probable Migraine in a Health Plan
Authors: Bigal ME , Kolodner KB , Lafata JE , Leotta C , Lipton RB
Published: December 2005

The objectives of this study were to assess the proportion of subjects with strict migraine (SM, migraine with and without aura), probable migraine (PM), and all migraine (AM, SM and PM pooled together), who receive a medical diagnosis or a specific treatment within a health plan. Eligible participants were 18-55-year participants of a non-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) who had received out-patient, emergency department, or in-patient care from a physician within the past year. We used a validated computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey to identify SM, PM and controls (received out-patient, emergency department, or in-patient care from a physician for any reason within the past year, but did not have SM or PM). Medical and prescription drug claims for the 24-month period were linked to participant files. Among 8579 respondents, we identified 1265 SM sufferers and 1252 PM sufferers, which were compared with 960 randomly selected controls. Just 194 (15.3%) SM, 21 (1.7%) PM, and 215 (8.5%) AM sufferers received an in-patient or out-patient primary migraine claim in the previous 24 months, compared with six (0.5%) controls; 240 (18.9%) SM, 39 (3.1%) PM, 279 (11.1%) AM sufferers, and eight controls (0.6%) received any migraine claim. There were claims for migraine drugs (ICD-9 code for triptans or ergot compounds) for just 140 (11.1%) SM and 34 (2.7%) PM sufferers, and migraine analgesics (butalbital and isomethepthene compounds), for 6.3% SM and 2.2% PM sufferers (0.7% of the controls). Migraine preventives were used for a larger number of SM and PM sufferers (19.6% and 13.1%), but also for controls (10.5%), indicating that they were probably used for other medical reasons. Both SM and PM are underdiagnosed and undertreated within a health plan. Educational strategies should focus on physician education addressing diagnosing the full spectrum of migraine and physician management of migraine with specific migraine therapy in appropriate patients.