bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kappa immunoglobulin light chain polymorphisms and survival after allogeneic transplantation for B‐cell malignancies: a potential graft‐vs‐leukaemia target
Authors: Etto T. L. , Stewart L. A. , Muirhead J. , Bailey M. , Schwarer A. P.
Published: December 2006

In the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐matched haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) setting, minor histocompatibility antigen (mHA) disparities between recipient and donor can lead to graft‐vs‐host disease (GVHD) or graft rejection. Graft‐vs‐leukaemia (GVL) effect is a beneficial T‐cell‐mediated immune response that can also occur following HLA‐matched HSCT. mHAs with tissue expression restricted to cells of the haematopoietic system are particularly relevant as immunotherapeutic targets for destroying malignant cells without inducing GVHD. Therefore, it is important to identify further haematopoietic‐restricted polymorphic mHAs, which may have the potential to be used clinically for adoptive immunotherapy. Polymorphic mismatching of minor antigens, such as the B‐cell‐specific protein, the kappa immunoglobulin light chain (kappa) may play a role in the incidence of GVL and therefore the survival of transplant recipients following transplantation for B‐cell malignancies. Polymorphisms in the constant region of the immunoglobulin kappa polypeptide chain have been defined involving single amino acid changes at positions 153 and 191. In this study, 51 HLA‐matched B‐cell malignancy transplant pairs were kappa typed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion to investigate the association between kappa allotype disparity and outcome after transplantation. Kappa allotype disparity between transplant pairs may be associated with an increased survival compared with pairs not mismatched for kappa, as kappa mismatched recipients had a higher percentage of complete remissions and a decreased level of relapse in comparison with the nonmismatched recipients. HLA peptide prediction software was used to determine which HLA types were the best binders for kappa peptides. It was observed that patients with tissue types predicted to bind the kappa Km(1,2) peptides had better survival outcomes and no relapse compared with those with tissue types not predicted to bind the kappa Km(1,2) peptides. This study may contribute to the assessment of the clinical role of kappa with regard to the outcome of allogeneic transplantation for B‐cell malignancies.
HLA‐Cw*0740†, a new allele mistyped by generic sequencing and identified by allelic separation
Authors: Danzer M. , Polin H. , Schröder S. , Mytilineos J. , Gabriel C.
Published: December 2006

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐Cw*0740 differs from HLA‐Cw*070101 by one nucleotide substitution at codon 73 (GCT>ACT).
Trauma patients in the intensive care unit: short‐ and long‐term survival and predictors of 30‐day mortality
Authors: Ulvik A. , Wentzel‐Larsen T. , Flaatten H.
Published: December 2006

Background:  The aims of this cohort study were to assess the survival of trauma patients treated in a general intensive care unit (ICU) and to evaluate the simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II, maximum sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, injury severity score (ISS), age, sex and severe head injury as predictors of 30‐day mortality.

Methods:  Three hundred and twenty‐five adult patients admitted during 1998–2003 were evaluated retrospectively with update of survival data in January 2005. Kaplan–Meier statistics and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to study survival and to assess predictors of mortality, respectively.

Results:  The 30‐day mortality was 16.9%, ICU mortality 13.8% and hospital mortality 17.8%. Long‐term survival (observation time, 1–7 years) was 77.8%. After 3.5 years, mortality was the same as for the background population. Severe head injury was the main cause of death and increased the risk of 30‐day mortality 2.4‐fold. In addition, SAPS II and an age above 50 years proved to be significant predictors of mortality in a multivariate analysis. Sex was not associated with mortality, and ISS and the maximum SOFA score were significant predictors in univariate analyses only.

Conclusion:  Reduced long‐term survival was observed up to 3.5 years after acute injury. The 30‐day mortality was strongly related to severe head injury, SAPS II and an age above 50 years. These variables may be useful as predictors of mortality, and may contribute to risk adjustment of this subset of trauma patients when treatment results from different centres are compared.
Activated perilobular, not periacinar, pancreatic stellate cells contribute to fibrogenesis in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis
Authors: Suda Koichi , Fukumura Yuki , Takase Masaru , Kashiwagi Satoko , Izumi Motoyoshi , Kumasaka Toshio , Suzuki Fujihiko
Published: December 2006

The authors investigated the role of activated perilobular, not periacinar, pancreatic stellate cells, in fibrogenesis in chronic pancreatitis, based on the distribution of myofibroblasts. Twenty‐four patients with clinically diagnosed chronic alcoholic pancreatitis were studied histopathologically, immunohistochemically and quantitatively. In all cases, fibrosis was patchily distributed in the perilobular, or interlobular, areas, accompanied by a cirrhosis‐like appearance; it had extended into the intralobular area in advanced cases. Seven patients had a massive or confluent loss of exocrine tissue, resulting in extensive interlobular fibrosis; the more extensive the interlobular fibrosis, the smaller the lobules. Immunoreactivity to α‐smooth muscle actin, a myofibroblast marker, was found mostly in the same areas of the fibrosis, mainly the interlobular, and less often the periacinar, areas; the average percentage area of perilobular myofibroblasts was significantly higher than that of periacinar myofibroblasts in 20 randomly selected lobules (P > 0.001), in which the average value for the former was 38.03% (range: 13.54–61.32%; SD, 13.8%) and that for the latter was 4.85% (range 0.90–9.57%; SD, 2.22%). Fibrosis also immunostained positive for collagen types I and III. In conclusion, activated perilobular, not periacinar, pancreatic stellate cell contribute to fibrogenesis in chronic pancreatitis.
Trisomy 10p and translocation of 10q to 4p associated with selective dysgenesis of IgA‐producing cells in lymphoid tissue
Authors: Saiga Tatsuyoshi , Hashimoto Kazuhiro , Kimura Nobusuke , Ono Hisako , Hiai Hiroshi
Published: December 2006

A combined chromosomal abberation trisomy of the short arm of chromosome 10 associated with translocation of 10q to chromosome 4p was found in a 14‐month‐old boy, who died after repeated bouts of pneumonia. The translocation involved the target region 4p16.3 of Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome and/or Pitt–Rogers–Danks syndrome. The karyotype was 46,XY,der(4)t(4;10)(p16;q11.2),i(10)(p10),ish der(4)t(4;10)(p16.3;q11.2) (D4S96+,D4Z1+),i(10) (pter ++). In addition to growth retardation and external as well as internal dysmorphism, the patient had abnormalities of the immune system, such as thymic involution, generalized lymph node enlargement, unusual distribution of T cells in lymphoid follicles, and selective IgA deficiency. The IgA‐producing cells were rarely found in lymph nodes but normally in intestinal mucosa. In contrast, in the lymph nodes, the paracortical T‐lymphocytes were hyperplastic, but they rarely entered the primary follicles. It is assumed that the chromosomal abnormality may lead to the dysfunction of T lymphocytes and, further, to the dysgenesis of IgA‐producing cells in lymph nodes but not in intestinal mucosa. This suggests that the thymus may differentially control the subsets of IgA‐producing cells in lymph nodes and intestinal mucosa.
MALT1, BCL10 and FOXP1 in salivary gland mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas
Authors: Borovecki Ana , Korac Petra , Ventura Roland A. , Perisa Marija Milkovic , Banham Alison H. , Dominis Mara
Published: December 2006

In view of the certain anatomic site‐dependent frequency of chromosomal translocations involved in extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) pathogenesis, 17 salivary gland MALT lymphoma cases were analyzed for MALT1 and FOXP1 translocations. B cell CLL/lymphoma 10 (BCL10) and forkhead box PA (FOXP1) protein expression were studied by immunohistochemistry and translocations identified using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)‐specific probes FOXP1, t(11;18)(q21;q21)/API2‐MALT1 and t(14;18)(q32;q21)/IgH‐MALT1. None of the 11 analyzed cases showed FOXP1 rearrangement or amplification. The t(11;18) was present in five of 13 cases and the t(14;18) in three of 13 cases. MALT1 translocations were mostly mutually exclusive except in a single case. FOXP1 protein expression showed differences in the proportion of tumor cells with nuclear expression but not in their intensity, with the exception of one case where very intense nuclear staining was noted. BCL10 nuclear expression was present in four of 17 cases, two of which lacked t(11;18). Our results suggest that MALT1‐specific translocations and FOXP1 rearrangements are not commonly involved in pathogenesis. A case with strong FOXP1 protein expression indicates the possibility that the upregulation of FOXP1 expression is significant in a small subset of salivary gland MALT lymphomas. Also a single case in which both MALT1 translocations were present indicates that these are not always mutually exclusive.
Effect of zoledronic acid on metastatic hormone‐refractory prostate cancer resistant to taxane, estramustine, carboplatin, and dexamethasone
Authors: Kikuno Nobuyuki , Urakami Shinji , Nakamura Shigeru , Shiina Hiroaki , Igawa Mikio
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  This case report demonstrates the effect of zoledronic acid (ZA) on a patient with bone metastatic hormone‐refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) resistant to taxane, estramustine phosphate, carboplatin, and dexamethasone. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of bone metastasis on HRPC are also reviewed.
Two von Recklinghausen’s disease cases with pheochromocytomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in combination
Authors: Teramoto Sakiko , Ota Tomonori , Maniwa Akimitsu , Matsui Takashi , Itaya Naoshi , Aoyagi Kazumi , Kusanagi Hiroshi , Narita Makoto
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  We here document two cases of von Recklinghausen’s disease with both pheochromocytomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). It is very rare that these three disorders are found to occur simultaneously, although the fact that preoperative detection of GIST is difficult except with large tumors may be important in this respect. In the present cases, GIST were not evident on preoperative computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and were identified unexpectedly during surgery. Our findings indicate that investigation of the intraperitoneal space should be performed during adrenalectomy for pheochromocytomas with von Recklinghausen’s disease.
Spontaneous disappearance of multiple lung metastases after nephroureterectomy from sarcomatoid carcinoma of the renal pelvis: A case report
Authors: Masue Naruyasu , Hasegawa Yoshikazu , Moriyama Yohji , Ikeda Yohko , Gotoh Takahiro , Deguchi Takashi
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  We report a case in which lung metastases disappeared spontaneously after nephroureterectomy from sarcomatoid carcinoma of the renal pelvis. A 58‐year‐old man presented with gross hematuria. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a left renal tumor and multiple lung metastases. Intravenous pyelography revealed a filling defect in the upper renal calyx. Urine cytology was positive. Left renal pelvic cancer was diagnosed and nephroureterectomy performed. The resected specimen was diagnosed pathologically as sarcomatoid carcinoma of the renal pelvis. Approximately 5 months later, CT revealed that the lung metastases had disappeared. There has been no evidence of disease for 46 months postoperatively.
Influence for testicular development and histological peculiarity in the testes of flutamide‐induced cryptorchid rat model
Authors: Mizuno Kentaro , Hayashi Yutaro , Kojima Yoshiyuki , Kurokawa Satoshi , Sasaki Shoichi , Kohri Kenjiro
Published: December 2006

Objectives:  To investigate influence for the testicular development and to assess the usefulness as an animal model, cryptorchid rats were induced by exposure to flutamide during the fetal period and their testes examined histologically.

Methods:  Flutamide was injected into the abdomen of pregnant rats for 7 days from the 14th to 20th day of gestation. The male offspring in which cryptorchidism was observed at 28 days after birth were defined as the model rats. They were divided into four groups by dosage of flutamide (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 15 mg per day), and their testicular weight, spermatogenesis (modified Johnsen score), and germ cell apoptosis were examined histochemically at 10 weeks after birth.

Results:  The incidence of cryptorchidism including both unilateral and bilateral in the 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 15‐mg flutamide groups was 58.3%, 81.9%, 93.6% and 91.0%, respectively. In the model rats, the undescended testes were located at the caudal end of the abdominal cavity, and these testes weighed less than the contra‐descended testes in each group. Histologically, apoptotic cells were markedly increased, the seminiferous tubules were degenerated and disturbance of spermatid differentiation was observed in the undescended testes compared with the normal or contra‐lateral descended testes.

Conclusions:  We found out that the incidence of undescended testes increased in a flutamide dose‐dependent manner. The findings of histological examination were independent of the administrated dose of flutamide and it is suggested that exposure of the testes to abdominal temperature causes spermatogenic arrest with germ cell apoptosis. The present animal model indicates high incidence of above 90%, has no surgical stress and dose not require special techniques. We believe that the present model is a useful tool for the understanding of pathogenesis and treatment of cryptorchidism and further biological research into spermatogenesis.
Long‐term results of first‐line sequential high‐dose carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell support for patients with advanced testicular germ cell tumor
Authors: Miki Tsuneharu , Mizutani Yoichi , Akaza Hideyuki , Ozono Seiichiro , Tsukamoto Taiji , Terachi Toshiro , Naito Katsusuke , Nonomura Norio , Hara Isao , Yoshida Osamu ,   The Japan Blood Cell Transplantation Study Group for Testicular Germ Cell Tumor
Published: December 2006

Objective:  Standard chemotherapy shows relatively low long‐term survival in patients with poor‐risk testicular germ cell tumor (GCT). First‐line high‐dose chemotherapy (HD‐CT) may improve the result. High‐dose carboplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) was investigated as first‐line chemotherapy in patients with advanced testicular GCT.

Methods:  Fifty‐five previously untreated testicular GCT patients with Indiana ‘advanced disease’ criteria received three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) followed by one cycle of HD‐CT plus PBSCT, if elevated serum tumor markers were observed after three cycles of the BEP regimen.

Results:  Thirty patients were treated with BEP alone, because the tumor marker(s) declined to normal range. Twenty‐five patients received BEP and HD‐CT. One patient died of rhabdomyolysis due to HD‐CT. Three and six (13% and 25%) out of 24 patients treated with BEP and HD‐CT achieved marker‐negative and marker‐positive partial responses, respectively. The other patients achieved no change. Fifteen (63%) are alive and 14 (58%) are free of disease at a median follow‐up time of 54 months. Severe toxicity included treatment‐related death (4%).

Conclusions:  HD‐CT with peripheral stem cell support can be successfully applied in a multicenter setting. HD‐CT demonstrated modest anticancer activity for Japanese patients with advanced testicular GCT and was well tolerated. This regimen might be examined for further investigation in randomized trials in first‐line chemotherapy for patients with poor‐risk testicular GCT.
System for simultaneous detection of 16 pathogens related to urethritis to diagnose mixed infection
Authors: Masue Naruyasu , Deguchi Takashi , Yokoi Shigeaki , Yamada Tohru , Ohkusu Kiyofumi , Ezaki Takayuki
Published: December 2006

Objective:  Urethritis is not always caused by a single pathogen, and isolation of more than two pathogens from one patient is not uncommon. We developed a method to simultaneously detect 16 pathogens related to urethritis.

Methods:  We designed specific primers used for amplification of urethritis pathogens in our 16‐well microplate assay. Sixteen microliters of each reaction mixture containing template DNA was added to each well to amplify 16 pathogens simultaneously.

Results:  After we evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of this microplate polymerase chain reaction method, we used it to detect pathogens in clinical samples. Of 163 clinical samples, 49.7% (81/163) were positive for specific pathogens, and 6.7% (11/163) showed mixed infection. A specific pathogen was not identified in 43.6% (71/163) of cases.

Conclusions:  We developed a 16‐well microplate assay with 16 specific primers to identify pathogens associated with urethritis.
Dorsal inlay graft urethroplasty for primary hypospadiac repair
Authors: Asanuma Hiroshi , Satoh Hiroyuki , Shishido Seiichiro
Published: December 2006

Objective:  Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty has become a popular technique for repairing distal and proximal hypospadias in many institutions. Dorsal inlay graft urethroplasty has been used in our institution since 2003 to reduce the risk of meatal stenosis. In the present study, we evaluated the results of the dorsal inlay graft procedure.

Methods:  A total of 28 patients with no deep groove and no severe curvature underwent one‐stage urethroplasty using an inner preputial‐based dorsal inlay graft. The medical records of all patients were retrospectively reviewed with regard to complication rate and cosmetic appearance.

Results:  Mean patient age at surgery was 21 months (range, 14 months to 4.6 years). Preoperatively the urethral meatus was coronal in two cases, distal shaft in 17, proximal shaft in six and penoscrotal in three. Nine patients required testosterone therapy before surgery. Mean operative time was 200 min (range, 154–249 min). Mean length of inlay graft was 20.9 mm (range, 12–30 mm). In all patients, a straight penis was achieved without dorsal plication of the corposa cavernosa, and the neomeatus with a slit‐like appearance was positioned at the glans tip. At a mean of 22 months of follow up, a urethrocutaneous fistula developed in only one patient (3.6%), requiring repair surgery 6 months after urethroplasty. No patient had meatal stenosis, neourethral stricture or urethral diverticulum along the inlay graft.

Conclusion:  Dorsal inlay graft urethroplasty is an effective method for hypospadiac repair and leads to good cosmetic outcome with low risk of complications.
Clinical presentation of epithelioid angiomyolipoma
Authors: Park Hang Kyu , Zhang Shaozeng , Wong Michael KK , Kim Hyung L
Published: December 2006

Objective:  Epithelioid angiomyolipomas (AML) of the kidney are malignant tumors with aggressive clinical behavior.

Methods:  We reviewed cases of epithelioid AML recently diagnosed at our institution to highlight the spectrum of clinical presentations.

Results:  In all cases, renal lesions seen on computed tomography were suspicious for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Histologically, these tumors can resemble RCC. The diagnosis of epithelioid AML was established by positive staining for melanoma and smooth muscle cell markers, and presence of perivascular epithelioid cells. One patient presented with a renal tumor extending into the inferior vena cava to the level of the hepatic veins. Two patients developed recurrent, metastatic disease following nephrectomy. One patient with tuberous sclerosis and multiple, bilateral AML developed an enhancing renal tumor that did not contain any fat densities. A partial nephrectomy was performed and pathology revealed epithelioid AML adjacent to conventional AML.

Conclusions:  These tumors are distinguished from RCC by positive immunostaining for melanoma markers and smooth muscle cell markers. They resemble conventional RCC on imaging. Epithelioid AML may be locally aggressive and metastasize.
PREDICTIVE™– a global, prospective observational study to evaluate insulin detemir treatment in types 1 and 2 diabetes: baseline characteristics and predictors of hypoglycaemia from the European cohort
Authors: Lüddeke H.‐J. , Sreenan S. , Aczel S. , Maxeiner S. , Yenigun M. , Kozlovski P. , Gydesen H. , Dornhorst A. ,   PREDICTIVE Study Group
Published: December 2006

Aim:  PREDICTIVE™ (Predictable Results and Experience in Diabetes through Intensification and Control to Target: An International Variability Evaluation) is a large, multi‐national, observational study assessing the safety and efficacy of insulin detemir. We report the study design, population characteristics and baseline observations, including cross‐sectional analysis, from 19 911 patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes.

Methods:  Patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes requiring basal insulin are prescribed insulin detemir and followed up for 12–52 weeks. Data on demographics, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting glucose, within‐subject fasting glucose variability and weight are collected from patient records (and/or recall for hypoglycaemia). A negative binomial distribution model is used to assess the influence of predictive/confounding variables on hypoglycaemic episodes in insulin‐treated patients at baseline. Multi‐factorial analysis of covariance is used to evaluate the association of the variables with current body weight and within‐subject fasting glucose variability.

Results:  Total hypoglycaemic episodes in the 4 weeks prior to study start were 47.5 per patient‐year in patients with type 1 and 9.2 per patient‐year in patients with type 2 diabetes. The frequency of hypoglycaemia in insulin‐treated patients showed a significant, positive association with duration of diabetes, number of insulin injections and fasting glucose variability but was inversely related to HbA1c, fasting glucose and body mass index. Weight showed a significant positive association with gender (male > female) and insulin dosage. Weight was also positively associated with fasting glucose variability in patients with type 1 diabetes, and age and number of injections in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions:  These baseline data showed that, in addition to the established relationship with intensive treatment and HbA1c, frequency of hypoglycaemia was positively associated with fasting glucose variability. Follow‐up data from PREDICTIVE will provide insights on insulin detemir in diabetes management.
Excess post‐exercise oxygen consumption in untrained men following exercise of equal energy expenditure: comparisons of upper and lower body exercise
Authors: Lyons S. , Richardson M. , Bishop P. , Smith J. , Heath H. , Giesen J.
Published: December 2006

Aim:  This study assessed excess post‐exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following continuous 200‐ kcal bouts of upper body exercise (UBE) and lower body exercise (LBE).

Methods:  Ten untrained men (age: 25.7 ± 5.83 years; arm VO2peak: 2.2 ± 0.25 l/min; 21.5 ± 4.35 ml/kg/min; leg VO2peak: 3.1 ± 0.38 l/min; 30.7 ± 7.79 ml/kg/min) exercised at 60% mode‐specific VO2 peak using either an arm crank or a leg cycle protocol (counterbalanced order with 48 h between). Baseline VO2 was monitored for 30 min. EPOC was measured until baseline was re‐established.

Results:  EPOC magnitude and duration were significantly greater (p < 0.05) following LBE (2.93 ± 1.4 l/min; 16.5 ± 7.4 min) compared with UBE (1.89 ± 0.7 l/min; 11.5 ± 6.1 min).

Conclusions:  Results indicate that leg exercise elicited a greater EPOC magnitude and duration compared with arm exercise of the same relative intensity and energy expenditure.
Chromium picolinate for insulin resistance in subjects with HIV disease: a pilot study
Authors: Feiner J. J. , McNurlan M. A. , Ferris R. E. , Mynarcik D. C. , Gelato M. C.
Published: December 2006

Aim:  Multidrug regimens in HIV disease are associated with an increased incidence of insulin resistance, by as much as 50%. Not only does insulin resistance predisposes subjects to diabetes but also it is associated with the metabolic syndrome and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies suggest that chromium picolinate can improve insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes. The objective was to study the efficacy and safety of chromium picolinate as a treatment of insulin resistance in subjects infected with HIV.

Methods:  The ability of chromium picolinate (1000 μg/day) to improve insulin sensitivity, determined with a hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic insulin clamp, was determined in eight HIV‐positive subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Results:  The mean rate of glucose disposal during the clamp was 4.41 mg glucose/kg lean body mass (LBM)/min (range 2.67–5.50), which increased to 6.51 mg/kg LBM/min (range 3.19–12.78, p = .03), an increase of 25% after 8 weeks of treatment with chromium picolinate. There were no significant changes in blood parameters, HIV viral burden or CD4+ lymphocytes with chromium picolinate treatment. Two subjects experienced abnormalities of liver function during the study. Another subject experienced an elevation in blood urea nitrogen.

Conclusions:  The study shows that chromium picolinate therapy improves insulin resistance in some HIV‐positive subjects, but with some concerns about safety in this population.
Vildagliptin in combination with pioglitazone improves glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes failing thiazolidinedione monotherapy: a randomized, placebo‐controlled study*
Authors: Garber A. J. , Schweizer A. , Baron M. A. , Rochotte E. , Dejager S.
Published: December 2006

Aim:  The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor vildagliptin in combination with the thiazolidinedione (TZD) pioglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods:  This was a 24‐week, multicentre, double‐blind, randomized, parallel‐group study comparing the effects of vildagliptin (50 or 100 mg daily) with placebo as an add‐on therapy to pioglitazone (45 mg daily) in 463 patients with T2DM inadequately controlled by prior TZD monotherapy. Between‐treatment comparisons of efficacy parameters were made by analysis of covariance model.

Results:  The adjusted mean change (AMΔ) in haemoglobin A1c from baseline to endpoint was −0.8 ± 0.1% (p = 0.001 vs. placebo) and −1.0 ± 0.1% (p < 0.001 vs. placebo), respectively, in patients receiving vildagliptin 50 or 100 mg daily. Relative to baseline, vildagliptin added to pioglitazone also reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (AMΔ FPG =−0.8 ± 0.2 mmol/l and −1.1 ± 0.2 mmol/l; not significant (NS) vs. placebo) and postprandial glucose (PPG) [AMΔ PPG =−1.9 ± 0.6 mmol/l and −2.6 ± 0.6 mmol/l (p = 0.008 vs. placebo)] for 50 and 100 mg daily respectively. Relative to placebo, both doses of vildagliptin significantly increased the insulin secretory rate/glucose by more than threefold. The overall incidence of adverse events (AEs) was 55.5, 50.0 and 48.7% in patients receiving vildagliptin 50 mg, 100 mg daily or placebo respectively. Serious AEs were experienced by 6.8, 1.3 and 5.7% of patients receiving vildagliptin 50 mg, 100 mg daily or placebo respectively. Mild hypoglycaemia was reported by 0, 0.6 and 1.9% of patients, respectively, receiving vildagliptin 50 mg, 100 mg daily or placebo.

Conclusion:  Vildagliptin is effective and well tolerated when added to a maximum dose of pioglitazone, without increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Smoking is associated with worse outcomes in patients with prostate cancer treated by radical radiotherapy
Authors: Pantarotto Jason , Malone Shawn , Dahrouge Simone , Gallant Victor , Eapen Libni
Published: December 2006

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of smoking on the outcome in a cohort of men treated for localized prostate cancer at one institution with a uniform protocol of radical external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study was a retrospective review of 434 patients with cT1‐T4 N0m0 prostate cancer treated with curative intent with EBRT (66 Gy in 33 fractions) between 1990 and 1999. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the risk associated with smoking on biochemical failure (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition), local failure, distant failure, overall and disease‐specific survival.

RESULTS

The median follow‐up was 70.3 months. A smoking history was obtained in 96% of cases; 16.8% were current smokers, 54.4% previous smokers and 28.8% non‐smokers. Current smokers presented at a younger median age, by 3.6 years (P = 0.06). There were no differences in clinical T stage, Gleason score or prostate‐specific antigen level amongst the three patient groups. Smoking conferred a higher risk of developing metastatic disease in both current smokers (hazard ratio 5.24; 95% confidence interval 1.75–15.72) and previous smokers (2.90, 1.09–7.67). There were also increases in risk, although not quite significant, for biochemical failure (1.49, 0.88–2.40) and overall survival (1.72, 0.94–3.15).

CONCLUSIONS

After curative treatment with EBRT, a history of smoking was associated with a greater risk of developing metastatic disease. Smoking status was not associated with worse disease on presentation.
Survival analysis in patients with upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma: a comparison between open and hand‐assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy
Authors: Hsueh Thomas Y. , Huang Yi‐Hsiu , Chiu Allen W. , Huan Steven K. , Lee Ying‐Huei
Published: December 2006

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the stage‐ and grade‐specific survival rate in patients with upper urinary tract (UUT) transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) after open (ONU) or hand‐assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU) with bladder‐cuff excision.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From January 1998 to April 2005, 143 patients with UUT‐TCC were treated with either ONU or LNU and enrolled in the study. The peri‐operative data were collected by retrospective chart review. The recurrence, metastasis and survival rate were calculated.

RESULTS

The 5‐year disease‐specific survival of patients with pT1 disease was 88.1% after ONU and 92.0% after LNU (P = 0.745); the respective values for patients with pT2 were 11/17 and 12/15 (P = 0.874), and for pT3 were six/11 and 12/15 (P = 0.476). The incidence of bladder recurrence within 2 years after surgery was 24.7% for ONU and 19.7% for LNU (P = 0.475).

CONCLUSION

The results were similar after ONU or LNU with bladder‐cuff excision; bladder‐cuff excision using a hand‐assisted device is effective and serves as a treatment option for patients with UUT‐TCC.
Bone and prostate cancer cell interactions in metastatic prostate cancer
Authors: Vela Ian , Gregory Laura , Gardiner Edith M. , Clements Judith A. , Nicol David L.
Published: December 2006

The interplay in prostate cancer bone metastases between the ‘seed’ (the prostate cancer cells) and the ‘soil’ (the bone microenvironment) has been increasingly recognized as integral to the remarkable tropism for bone shown by prostate cancer. Increasing research into this area is elucidating the mechanisms involved in this complex ‘cross‐talk’. Recent developments, including the use of bisphosphonates in metastatic disease, highlight the important role of bone cells in the development and progression of metastatic prostate cancer. We review the current reports emphasising these possible mechanisms and indicating possible factors for future treatment directions.
Capital Inflows Problem in Selected Asian Economies in the 1990s Revisited: The Role of Monetary Sterilization*
Authors: Cavoli Tony , Rajan Ramkishen S.
Published: December 2006

This paper develops a simple model to examine the reasons behind the capital inflow surges into selected Asian economies in the 1990s prior to the financial crisis of 1997–98. The analytical model shows that persistent uncovered interest differentials and consequent capital inflows may be a result of complete monetary sterilization, perfect capital mobility, sluggish response of interest rates to domestic monetary disequilibrium, or some combination of all three. Using the model as an organizing framework, the paper undertakes a series of related simple empirical tests of the dynamic links between international capital flows, the extent to which they are sterilized and uncovered interest rate differentials in the five crisis‐hit economies (Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand) over the period 1990:1–1997:5.
Agent‐Based Interoperability without Product Model Standards
Authors: Kannengiesser Udo , Gero John S.
Published: December 2006

Abstract: This article describes using agents in the exchange of industrial product data when predefined translators are not available. A major problem with standard translators is that a seamless data transfer instantly fails when not every translator implements a mapping into or from the standard format. This is frequently the case for large design projects that involve the use of a multitude of heterogeneous tools, possibly in evolving configurations over time. The agent‐based approach developed and presented in this article aims to flexibly provide product models in a form adapted to the needs of the particular tools when there is no prior agreement on a common data format. Experiments show the feasibility of this approach as well as its efficacy and efficiency.
Sortal Structures: Supporting Representational Flexibility for Building Domain Processes
Authors: Stouffs Rudi , Krishnamurti Ramesh , Park Kuhn
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  We present a formal approach to representational flexibility, sorts, to support alternative representations of an entity. The approach is constructive, based on a part relation on elements within a sort, which enables the recognition of emergent information. The use of data functions as a sort provides for the embedding of data queries within a representational structure. We discuss the application of sorts to supporting alternative data views, illustrating this through a case study in building construction.
Integrating Formalized User Experience within Building Design Models
Authors: Pati Debajyoti , Augenbroe Godfried
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  Traditional modeling efforts in AEC have generally focused on design descriptions. As a result they do not consider information on how settings perform during use in areas critical to building owners and users. The authors argue that integrating performance data from buildings‐in‐use in building models will greatly enhance the end uses of conceptual modeling efforts in AEC, in design evolution as well as in the traditional domain of facility management. The authors describe a modeling study that integrates descriptive and evaluative/performance concepts in existing building models, discusses the paradigms and philosophical issues posed in such endeavors, and illustrates several end‐use scenarios to support their assertions.
Turning Up the Heat
Authors: Miller Gregory E. , Blackwell Ekin
Published: December 2006

Mounting evidence indicates that chronic stressors and depressive symptoms contribute to morbidity and mortality from cardiac disease. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects or about why depressive symptoms and cardiac disease co-occur so frequently. In this article we outline a novel model that seeks to address these issues. It asserts that chronic stressors activate the immune system in a way that leads to persistent inflammation. With long-term exposure to the products of inflammation, people develop symptoms of depression and experience progression of atherosclerosis, the pathologic condition that underlies cardiac disease.
Perceived Control Over Aging-Related Declines
Authors: Lachman Margie E.
Published: December 2006

The belief that people are in control of desired outcomes, including those associated with aging, is a hallmark of American culture. Nevertheless, older adults are less likely than the young to believe there are things that can be done to control aging-related declines in areas such as memory. Within age groups, individual differences in control beliefs are related to cognitive performance, health, and well-being. Mechanisms linking perceived control and positive outcomes include adaptive behaviors such as strategy use and physical activity. There is some evidence that control beliefs can be modified in later life, as illustrated in an intervention for fear of falling. Further work is needed to examine the antecedents of perceived control in later life and the implications of control beliefs in other aging-related domains.
Weapon Bias
Authors: Payne B. Keith
Published: December 2006

Race stereotypes can lead people to claim to see a weapon where there is none. Split-second decisions magnify the bias by limiting people's ability to control responses. Such a bias could have important consequences for decision making by police officers and other authorities interacting with racial minorities. The bias requires no intentional racial animus, occurring even for those who are actively trying to avoid it. This research thus raises difficult questions about intent and responsibility for racially biased errors.
Beyond the Information Given
Authors: Waldmann Michael R. , Hagmayer York , Blaisdell Aaron P.
Published: December 2006

The philosopher David Hume's conclusion that causal induction is solely based on observed associations still presents a puzzle to psychology. If we only acquired knowledge about statistical covariations between observed events without accessing deeper information about causality, we would be unable to understand the differences between causal and spurious relations, between prediction and diagnosis, and between observational and interventional inferences. All these distinctions require a deep understanding of causality that goes beyond the information given. We report a number of recent studies that demonstrate that people and rats do not stick to the superficial level of event covariations but reason and learn on the basis of deeper causal representations. Causal-model theory provides a unified account of this remarkable competence.
Peer Victimization in School
Authors: Graham Sandra
Published: December 2006

This article provides an overview of recent research on peer victimization in school that highlights the role of the ethnic context—specifically, classrooms' and schools' ethnic composition. Two important findings emerge from this research. First, greater ethnic diversity in classrooms and schools reduces students' feelings of victimization and vulnerability, because there is more balance of power among different ethnic groups. Second, in nondiverse classrooms where one ethnic group enjoys a numerical majority, victimized students who are members of the ethnic group that is in the majority may be particularly vulnerable to self-blaming attributions. The usefulness of attribution theory as a conceptual framework and ethnicity as a context variable in studies of peer victimization are discussed.
Motion-Perception Deficits and Reading Impairment
Authors: Sperling Anne J. , Lu Zhong-Lin , Manis Franklin R. , Seidenberg Mark S.
Published: December 2006

We tested the hypothesis that deficits on sensory-processing tasks frequently associated with poor reading and dyslexia are the result of impairments in external-noise exclusion, rather than motion perception or magnocellular processing. We compared the motion-direction discrimination thresholds of adults and children with good or poor reading performance, using coherent-motion displays embedded in external noise. Both adults and children who were poor readers had higher thresholds than their respective peers in the presence of high external noise, but not in the presence of low external noise or when the signal was clearly demarcated. Adults' performance in high external noise correlated with their general reading ability, whereas children's performance correlated with their language and verbal abilities. The results support the hypothesis that noise-exclusion deficits impair reading and language development and suggest that the impact of such deficits on the development of reading skills changes with age.
The Role of Conscious Reasoning and Intuition in Moral Judgment
Authors: Cushman Fiery , Young Liane , Hauser Marc
Published: December 2006

Is moral judgment accomplished by intuition or conscious reasoning? An answer demands a detailed account of the moral principles in question. We investigated three principles that guide moral judgments: (a) Harm caused by action is worse than harm caused by omission, (b) harm intended as the means to a goal is worse than harm foreseen as the side effect of a goal, and (c) harm involving physical contact with the victim is worse than harm involving no physical contact. Asking whether these principles are invoked to explain moral judgments, we found that subjects generally appealed to the first and third principles in their justifications, but not to the second. This finding has significance for methods and theories of moral psychology: The moral principles used in judgment must be directly compared with those articulated in justification, and doing so shows that some moral principles are available to conscious reasoning whereas others are not.
THE SPECIAL COMPOSITION QUESTION IN ACTION
Authors: RACHEL CHANT SARA
Published: December 2006

Abstract: Just as we may ask whether, and under what conditions, a collection of objects composes a single object, we may ask whether, and under what conditions, a collection of actions composes a single action. In the material objects literature, this question is known as the “special composition question,” and I take it that there is a similar question to be asked of collections of actions. I will call that question the “special composition question in action,” and argue that the correct answer to this question depends on a particular kind of consequence produced by the individual constituent actions.
ADAM SMITH AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SYMPATHY WITH NATURE
Authors: FRIERSON PATRICK R.
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  As J. Baird Callicott has argued, Adam Smith's moral theory is a philosophical ancestor of recent work in environmental ethics. However, Smith's “all important emotion of sympathy” (Callicott, 2001, p. 209) seems incapable of extension to entities that lack emotions with which one can sympathize. Drawing on the distinctive account of sympathy developed in Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, as well as his account of anthropomorphizing nature in “History of Astronomy and Physics,” I show that sympathy with non‐sentient nature is possible within a Smithian ethics. This provides the possibility of extending sympathy, and thereby benevolence and justice, to nature.
ACCEPTANCE‐DEPENDENCE: A SOCIAL KIND OF RESPONSE‐DEPENDENCE
Authors: HINDRIKS FRANK A.
Published: December 2006

Abstract: Neither Johnston's nor Wright's account of response‐dependence offers a complete picture of response‐dependence, as they do not apply to all concepts that are intrinsically related to our mental responses. In order to (begin to) remedy this situation, a new conception of response‐dependence is introduced that I call “acceptance‐dependence”. This account applies to concepts such asgoal,constitutional, andmoney, the first two of which have mistakenly been taken to be response‐dependent in another sense. Whereas on Johnston's and Wright's accounts response‐dependent concepts depend on counterfactual responses of individuals, acceptance‐dependent concepts depend on the actual responses of groups of people. This implies that concepts of the latter kind are less objective than concepts of the former kind.
WHY WOMEN MUST GUARD AND RULE IN PLATO'S KALLIPOLIS
Authors: MCKEEN CATHERINE
Published: December 2006

Abstract: Plato's discussion of women in theRepublicis problematic. For one, arguments in Book V which purport to establish that women should guard and rule alongside men do not deliver the advertised conclusion. In addition, Plato asserts that women are “weaker in all pursuits” than men. Given this assumption, having women guard and rule seems inimical to the health, security, and goodness of thekallipolis. I argue that we best understand the inclusion of women by seeing how women's inclusion contributes to the civic unity of thekallipolis. I further argue that Plato'sLawsreveals that (a) women will become more virtuous by doing similar jobs to men; and (b) women will be given lesser responsibilities than men in anypolisapproximating justice.
IS “WHY BE MORAL?” A PSEUDO‐QUESTION?: HOSPERS AND THORNTON ON THE AMORALIST'S CHALLENGE
Authors: TILLEY JOHN J.
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  Many arguments have been advanced for the view that “Why be moral?” is a pseudo‐question. In this paper I address one of the most widely known and influential of them, one that comes from John Hospers and J. C. Thornton. I do so partly because, strangely, an important phase of that argument has escaped close attention. It warrants such attention because, firstly, not only is it important to the argument in which it appears, it is important in wider respects. For instance, if it is sound it has weighty consequences even if the argument in which it figures fails. Secondly, it is not sound; it succumbs to a simple objection.
Discriminating the integrated orientation of line segments and its statistical efficiencies
Authors: TANAKA MIHO , ISHIGUCHI AKIRA
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  We carried out two experiments to investigate both how efficiencies fluctuate due to the experimental conditions and how we determine the representative efficiency among such various efficiencies in the discrimination task of line orientations. In Experiment 1, line segments were displayed simultaneously and dispersed spatially, while in Experiment 2, line segments were displayed sequentially. In both experiments, statistical efficiencies were calculated. In Experiment 1, efficiencies initially increased as stimulus duration increased, and decreased as the number of lines increased to a point where the efficiencies remained almost stable despite additional changes of stimulus duration or number of lines. In contrast, in Experiment 2, efficiencies were stable for almost all numbers of sequentially displayed lines, except for the condition that four lines were displayed in random positions. These stable efficiencies were approximately 50% in Experiment 1 and 30–50% in Experiment 2. We suggest that these stable efficiencies are varied in the context that human and ideal observers would adopt the same strategy regardless of the experimental conditions.
The context of intergroup belief cross wherein minority members maintain consistency: Belief minority and majority in a categorical in‐group and out‐group1
Authors: NONAMI HIROSHI
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  The present study investigated the social conditions required for minority members to preserve their attitudinal and behavioral consistency in an intergroup context. In the experiment, intergroup belief crosses wherein a belief minority (or majority) in a categorical in‐group was reversed as a majority (or minority) in an out‐group were manipulated. It was hypothesized that individuals supported by the majority in the categorical in‐group would preserve their attitudes and behavioral intentions even though they were a minority in the categorical out‐group. The results supported the hypothesis. Specifically, members of a majority in the categorical in‐group had more consistent behavioral intentions and less attitude changes although they were located as a minority in the out‐group. In contrast, members of a minority within the in‐group preserved consistency on the basis of support from the majority in the out‐group. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed with reference to future research.