bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of non‐neuronopathic Gaucher disease with special reference to pregnancy, splenectomy, bisphosphonate therapy, use of biomarkers and bone disease monitoring
Authors: Cox T. M. , Aerts J. M. F. G. , Belmatoug N. , Cappellini M. D. , vom Dahl S. , Goldblatt J. , Grabowski G. A. , Hollak C. E. M. , Hwu P. , Maas M. , Martins A. M. , Mistry P. K. , Pastores G. M. , Tylki‐Szymanska A. , Yee J. , Weinreb N.
Published: May 2008

Enzyme replacement was introduced as treatment for non‐neuronopathic Gaucher disease more than 15 years ago. To ensure the best use of this costly ultra‐orphan agent, a systematic disease management approach has been proposed by an international panel; this includes the development, by consensus, of achievable treatment goals. Here we critically review these goals and monitoring guidelines and incorporate emerging experience of the disease in the therapeutic era, as well as contemporary clinical research. This review makes recommendations related specifically to the management of pregnancy; the appropriate use of splenectomy and bisphosphonate treatment; the relevance of biochemical markers to disease monitoring; and the use of semi‐quantitative methods for assessing bone marrow infiltration. In addition, we identify key areas for development, including the requirement for a validated index of disease severity; the need to correlate widely used biomarkers with long‐term disease outcomes, and the desirability of establishing agreed standards for monitoring of bone disease particularly in infants and children with Gaucher disease.
Clinical characterization of cardiovascular abnormalities associated with feline mucopolysaccharidosis I and VI
Authors: Sleeper M. M. , Kusiak C. M. , Shofer F. S. , O'Donnell P. , Bryan C. , Ponder K. P. , Haskins M. E.
Published: May 2008

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to define the cardiovascular abnormalities present in young and adult cats affected with the lysosomal storage diseases mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) I and MPS VI.

Method:

Eighteen cats affected with MPS I and 10 cats affected with MPS VI were evaluated by physical examination, electrocardiography and echocardiography. Electrocardiography (ECG) was performed on all MPS I and 9 of the MPS VI cats. Twelve unaffected cats underwent complete examinations for comparison purposes.

Results:

No cardiovascular abnormalities were noted on physical examination. Measured ECG intervals were normal in affected cats; however, sinus arrhythmia was noted more frequently than in the unaffected cats. Significant echocardiographic abnormalities included aortic valve thickening, regurgitation and aortic root dilation. Significant mitral valve thickening was also noted. The severity of changes increased in older affected cats.

Conclusion:

As affected animals increased in age, more cardiac abnormalities were found with increasing severity. Significant lesions included the mitral and aortic valves and ascending aorta, but myocardial changes were not recognized. MPS I and MPS VI cats have similar cardiovascular findings to those seen in children and constitute important models for testing new MPS therapies.
The ApoC‐I Content of VLDL Particles is Associated with Plaque Size in Persons with Carotid Atherosclerosis
Authors: Notø Ann‐Trude With , Mathiesen Ellisiv Bøgeberg , Brox Jan , Björkegren Johan , Hansen John‐Bjarne
Published: May 2008

Previous studies have shown that postprandial triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins (TRLs) are enriched with apolipoprotein‐C‐I (apoC‐I) in healthy individuals with increased intima‐media thickness and in patients with coronary artery disease. The purpose of the present study was to determine apoC‐I in TRL in persons with carotid atherosclerosis and its relation to plaque area. A population‐based case (n = 42)‐control (n = 39) study was conducted in persons with carotid atherosclerosis, assessed by B‐mode ultrasound, and healthy controls. VLDL (Sf 20–400) was isolated in the fasting state and 4 h after ingestion of a standard fat meal. In the fasting state, persons with carotid atherosclerosis had increased number of apoC‐I per VLDL‐particle compared to persons without carotid atherosclerosis (8.6 ± 5.4 vs. 6.3 ± 4.2, P = 0.018). Total plaque area increased linearly (P = 0.017) across tertiles of apoC‐I per VLDL‐particle. In the postprandial state, a similar increase in the number of apoC‐I per VLDL‐particle occurred in both cases and controls (P < 0.001), but no significant difference was observed between groups. The number of apoC‐I per VLDL‐particle in the fasting state was accompanied by delayed clearance of TRL in the postprandial state, and associated with cholesterol enrichment of the VLDL‐particles. Our findings support the concept that the number of apoC‐I per VLDL‐particle may be of importance for initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.
Exercise training prevents β‐adrenergic hyperactivity‐induced myocardial hypertrophy and lesions
Authors: Serra Andrey J. , Higuchi Maria L. , Ihara Silvia S.M. , Antônio Ednei L. , Santos Marília H.H. , Bombig Maria T.N.M. , Tucci Paulo J.F.
Published: May 2008

Background

Sustained β‐adrenoreceptor activation promotes cardiac hypertrophy and cellular injury.

Aims

To evaluate the cardioprotective effect of exercise on damage induced by β‐adrenergic hyperactivity.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were randomised into four groups (n=8 per group): sedentary non‐treated control (C), sedentary treated with isoproterenol 0.3 mg/kg/day administered subcutaneously for 8 days (I), exercised non‐treated (E) and exercised plus isoproterenol administered during the last eight days of exercise (IE). Exercised animals ran on a treadmill for 1 h daily 6 times a week for 13 weeks.

Results

Isoproterenol caused increases in left ventricle (LV) wet and dry weight/body weight ratio, LV water content and cardiomyocyte transverse diameter. Additionally, isoproterenol induced severe cellular lesions, necrosis, and apoptosis, increased collagen content and reduced capillary and fibre fractional areas. Notably, all of these abnormalities were completely prevented by exercise.

Conclusion

Our data have demonstrated that complete cardioprotection is possible through exercise training; by preventing β‐adrenergic hyperactivity‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and structural injury.
The pathological splicing mutation c.6792C > G in NF1 exon 37 causes a change of tenancy between antagonistic splicing factors
Authors: Skoko Natasa , Baralle Marco , Buratti Emanuele , Baralle Francisco E.
Published: May 2008

We have previously identified an ESE in NF1 exon 37 whose disruption by the pathological mutation c.6792C > G caused aberrant splicing. We now investigate the RNA‐protein complexes affected by the c.6792C > G mutation observing that this concurrently decreases the affinity for the positive splicing factor YB‐1 and increases the affinity for the negative splicing factors, hnRNPA1, hnRNPA2 and a new player in these type of complexes, DAZAP1. Our findings highlight the complexity of the interplay between positive and negative factors in the exon inclusion/skipping outcome. Furthermore, our observations stress the role of a wide genomic context in NF1 exon 37 definition.
Enigmatic effect of cellular ATP on fatty acid biosynthesis
Authors: Geelen Math J.H. , Harris Robert A. , Van den Bergh Simon G.
Published: May 2008

The cellular ATP concentration was tested for its effect on fatty acid biosynthesis from glucose in hepatocytes. ATP was manipulated by adding increasing concentrations of cycloheximide, amytal, atractyloside, 2,4‐dinitrophenol or adenosine. A slight decrease in cellular ATP coincided with a stimulation of fatty acid biosynthesis whereas a further lowering of cellular ATP resulted in a gradual inhibition. Increasing the cellular ATP level by titration with adenosine had the opposite effect. These results are in line with the suggestion that fatty acid biosynthesis from glucose is an energy‐yielding process which is stimulated by a moderate drop in cellular ATP.
Kir2.3 knock‐down decreases IK1 current in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes
Authors: He Yusong , Pan Qin , Li Jun , Chen Huaizhi , Zhou Qinshu , Hong Kui , Brugada Ramon , Perez Guillermo J. , Brugada Pedro , Chen Yi-Han
Published: May 2008

Inward rectifier potassium Kir2.x channels mediate cardiac inward rectifier potassium currents (I
K1). As a subunit of Kir2.x, the physiological role of Kir2.3 in native cardiomyocytes has not been reported. This study shows that Kir2.3 knock‐down remarkably down‐regulates Kir2.3 expression (Kir2.3 protein was reduced to 19.91 ± 3.24% on the 2nd or 3rd day) and I
K1 current densities (at −120 mV, control vs. knock‐down: −5.03 ± 0.24 pA/pF, n
= 5 vs. −1.16 ± 0.19 pA/pF, n
= 7, P
< 0.001) in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. The data suggest that Kir2.3 plays a potentially important role in I
K1 currents in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.
Historical geographies of provincial science: themes in the setting and reception of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Britain and Ireland, 1831–c.1939
Authors: WITHERS CHARLES , HIGGITT REBEKAH , FINNEGAN DIARMID
Published: June 2008

The British Association for the Advancement of Science sought to promote the understanding of science in various ways, principally by having annual meetings in different towns and cities throughout Britain and Ireland (and, from 1884, in Canada, South Africa and Australia). This paper considers how far the location of its meetings in different urban settings influenced the nature and reception of the association's activities in promoting science, from its foundation in 1831 to the later 1930s. Several themes concerning the production and reception of science – promoting, practising, writing and receiving – are examined in different urban contexts. We consider the ways in which towns were promoted as venues for and centres of science. We consider the role of local field sites, leading local practitioners and provincial institutions for science in attracting the association to different urban locations. The paper pays attention to excursions and to the evolution and content of the BAAS meeting handbook as a ‘geographical’ guide to the significance of the regional setting and to appropriate scientific venues. The paper considers the reception of BAAS meetings and explores how far the association's intentions for the promotion of science varied by location and by section within the BAAS. In examining these themes – the geographical setting of the association's meetings, the reception of association science in local civic and intellectual context and the importance of place to an understanding of what the BAAS did and how it was received – the paper extends existing knowledge of the association and contributes to recent work within the history of science which has emphasized the ‘local’ nature of science's making and reception and the mobility of scientific knowledge.
Science, technique, technology: passages between matter and knowledge in imperial Chinese agriculture
Authors: BRAY FRANCESCA
Published: June 2008

Many historians today prefer to speak of knowledge and practice rather than science and technology. Here I argue for the value of reinstating the terms science, techniques and technology as tools for a more precise analysis of governmentality and the workings of power. My tactic is to use these three categories and their articulations to highlight flows between matter and ideas in the production and reproduction of knowledge. In any society, agriculture offers a wonderfully rich case of how ideas, material goods and social relations interweave. In China agronomy was a science of state, the basis of legitimate rule. I compare different genres of agronomic treatise to highlight what officials, landowners and peasants respectively contributed to, and expected from, this charged natural knowledge. I ask how new forms of textual and graphic inscription for encoding agronomic knowledge facilitated its dissemination and ask how successful this knowledge proved when rematerialized and tested as concrete artefacts or techniques. I highlight forms of innovation in response to crisis, and outline the overlapping interpretative frameworks within which the material applications of Chinese agricultural science confirmed and extended its truth across space and time.
Do mental health problems in childhood predict chronic physical conditions among males in early adulthood? Evidence from a community-based prospective study
Authors: Goodwin R. D. , Sourander A. , Duarte C. S. , Niemelä S. , Multimäki P. , Nikolakaros G. , Helenius H. , Piha J. , Kumpulainen K. , Moilanen I. , Tamminen T. , Almqvist F.
Published: May 2008

Background

Previous studies have documented associations between mental and physical health problems in cross-sectional studies, yet little is known about these relationships over time or the specificity of these associations. The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between mental health problems in childhood at age 8 years and physical disorders in adulthood at ages 18–23 years.

Method

Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between childhood mental health problems, reported by child, parent and teacher, and physical disorders diagnosed by a physician in early adulthood.

Results

Significant linkages emerged between childhood mental health problems and obesity, atopic eczema, epilepsy and asthma in early adulthood. Specifically, conduct problems in childhood were associated with a significantly increased likelihood of obesity and atopic eczema; emotional problems were associated with an increased likelihood of epilepsy and asthma; and depression symptoms at age 8 were associated with an increased risk of asthma in early adulthood.

Conclusions

Our findings provide the first evidence of an association between mental health problems during childhood and increased risk of specific physical health problems, mainly asthma and obesity, during early adulthood, in a representative sample of males over time. These data suggest that behavioral and emotional problems in childhood may signal vulnerability to chronic physical health problems during early adulthood.
Suicide in recently discharged psychiatric patients: a case-control study
Authors: Hunt I. M. , Kapur N. , Webb R. , Robinson J. , Burns J. , Shaw J. , Appleby L.
Published: May 2008

Background

Few controlled studies have specifically investigated aspects of mental health care in relation to suicide risk among recently discharged psychiatric patients. We aimed to identify risk factors, including variation in healthcare received, for suicide within 3 months of discharge.

Method

We conducted a national population-based case-control study of 238 psychiatric patients dying by suicide within 3 months of hospital discharge, matched on date of discharge to 238 living controls.

Results

Forty-three per cent of suicides occurred within a month of discharge, 47% of whom died before their first follow-up appointment. The first week and the first day after discharge were particular high-risk periods. Risk factors for suicide included a history of self-harm, a primary diagnosis of affective disorder, recent last contact with services and expressing clinical symptoms at last contact with staff. Suicide cases were more likely to have initiated their own discharge and to have missed their last appointment with services. Patients who were detained for compulsory treatment at last admission, or who were subject to enhanced levels of aftercare, were less likely to die by suicide.

Conclusions

The weeks after discharge from psychiatric care represent a critical period for suicide risk. Measures that could reduce risk include intensive and early community follow-up. Assessment of risk should include established risk factors as well as current mental state and there should be clear follow-up procedures for those who have self-discharged. Recent detention under the Mental Health Act and current use of enhanced levels of aftercare may be protective.
The Lipschitzian core of some invariant manifold theorems
Authors: CHAPERON MARC
Published: May 2008

In the Michael Herman Memorial Volume, we stated and proved some rather simple invariant-manifold theorems, having many old and new applications. This paper presents the final state of the Lipschitzian part of the theory: the results are put into a more general framework and new properties are established. Both the hypotheses and the proofs of all our statements are quite simple. Smoothness will be treated as in Chaperon [Stable manifolds and the Perron–Irwin method. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.24 (2004), 1359–1394] in a forthcoming book.
Older people's realisation of generativity in a changing society: the case of Hong Kong
Authors: CHENG SHEUNG-TAK , CHAN WAI , CHAN ALFRED C. M.
Published: June 2008

Generativity refers to activities that help to establish and guide the next generation. This paper explores the nature of generative concern among older people and how it manifests itself in an era of rapid social and technological changes that have produced wide generation gaps. Eight focus groups were conducted with 51 women and 20 men who were recruited from social centres in Hong Kong on the basis of age, socio-economic status, and level of participation in the centres. The discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using grounded-theory principles. The elders frequently referred to the superior educational level and technological knowledge of their offspring, as well as the differences in values and lifestyles between the generations, which they thought had made their own knowledge and wisdom obsolete. They had concerns about social and technological changes, however, and they aroused a sense of urgency to protect the younger generation from contemporary evils, while many considered that passing on moral and behavioural codes nowadays was the most important generative role. Although they wanted to help, their efforts were often criticised. In order to maintain harmonious relationships and to avoid conflicts with their offspring, many participants adopted passive generative roles. Attempts to stabilise the generative self by redefining generativity were also observed. The final section of the paper discusses the implications of the findings for the maintenance of the generative self in personal situations of declining resources.
Types, meanings and ambivalence in intergenerational exchanges among Cambodian refugee families in the United States
Authors: LEWIS DENISE C.
Published: June 2008

This article aims to answer the following question: how have refugee families in the United States (US) modified attitudes and behaviours surrounding intergenerational exchanges within the context of filial piety? This research reports on one 31-member extended family in a community of Cambodian refugee families living along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The family members in this study have changed types, found new meanings in, and are often ambivalent about, intergenerational exchanges. Moreover, they have held onto those aspects of Cambodian culture that were considered essential, such as filial piety and elder reverence, while adapting and redefining types and meanings of intergenerational exchanges the better to reflect their current lives in the United States. These findings illuminate ways in which changed life circumstances and cultural transitions shaped attitudes, preferences and behavioural patterns associated with intergenerational exchanges. The findings also show how and why refugee families have negotiated and modified their beliefs and behaviours surrounding intergenerational exchanges in the context of massive social and cultural disruption.
WHAT IS FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION, AND WHAT IS ITS DENIAL?
Authors: Alexander Larry
Published: June 2008

Freedom of association, as I understand it, refers to the liberty a person possesses to enter into relationships with others—for any and all purposes, for a momentary or long-term duration, by contract, consent, or acquiescence. It likewise refers to the liberty to refuse to enter into such relationships or to terminate them when not otherwise compelled by one's voluntary assumption of an obligation to maintain the relationship. Freedom of association thus is a quite capacious liberty.

I am going to approach the topic of freedom of association by attempting to illustrate what its denial would look like in each of several domains. I shall then ask why a government might seek to deny it and then, in the article's final section, on what grounds such a denial would violate the rights with respect to freedom of association of those affected.
Exponentiable morphisms of domains
Authors: CAGLIARI F. , MANTOVANI S.
Published: May 2008

Given a mapfin the category ω-Cpoof ω-complete posets, exponentiability offin ω-Cpoeasily implies exponentiability offin the categoryPosof posets, while the converse is not true. We investigate the extra conditions needed onfexponentiable inPosto be exponentiable in ω-Cpoby showing the existence of partial products of the two-point ordered setS={0<1} (Theorem 2.8). Using this characterisation and the embedding through the Scott topology of ω-Cpoin the categoryTopof topological spaces, we compare exponentiability in each setting and find that a morphism in ω-Cpothat is exponentiable in bothTopandPosis exponentiable in ω-Cpoalso. Furthermore, we show that the exponentiability inTopandPosare independent of each other.
Islamic Pharmacology in the Middle Ages: Theories and Substances
Authors: Jacquart Danielle
Published: May 2008

From the ninth to the 13th century, numerous works on pharmacology were written in Arabic in Eastern as well as in Western parts of the Islamic world. Starting from Galen and Dioscorides, the Islamic authors greatly improved on the Greek heritage. Among the theories they developed, two major trends stand out. The first trend emphasized medicinal degrees of primary qualities, and thus could lead to the promotion of mathematical rules. The second trend, on the contrary, focused on ‘the whole form’ of the substances, and opened the way to an experimental approach. Both these trends will continue in European pharmacology up to the Modern period.
Ancient Mediterranean Pharmacology and Cultural Transfer
Authors: Nutton Vivian
Published: May 2008

This paper summarises the development of pharmacology in the Graeco-Roman world. The number of medicinal plants recorded almost trebled between 400 BC (the Hippocratic writings) and AD 250 as the Greeks and Romans discovered more about the regions beyond the Mediterranean. The transfer of medicinal substances was almost entirely from East to West, and from South to North with Alexandria and, later, Rome as the major entrepôts. Two Greek writers were of great importance because they were translated into Syriac, Arabic, and Latin, among other languages, and set the agenda for subsequent work in pharmacology. The descriptions of medicinal substances by Pedanius Dioscorides (fl. AD 67) created a model that others followed down to the 17th century. Galen theorized about the way in which drugs worked, and his suggestion that one might correlate illnesses and drugs in terms of four degrees of intensity (a suggestion never followed through systematically by Galen himself) led in the Middle Ages to the classification and investigation of drugs in these terms.
Diagnose, Therapie und Tumornachsorge – Prostatakarzinom
Authors: Birkhäuser Frédéric D. , Thalmann George N.
Published: May 2008

Das Prostatakarzinom ist die häufigst diagnostizierte maligne Erkrankung beim Mann, mit steigender Tendenz. Bei gut informierten Männern im Alter zwischen 50 und 70 Jahren kann auf Wunsch dieser eine individuelle Vorsorgeuntersuchung durchgeführt werden. Nicht jedes diagnostizierte Prostatakarzinom bedarf einer sofortigen Therapie. Eine kurative Therapie ist nur bei Männern mit einem sogenannten signifikanten Prostatakarzinom und einer Lebenserwartung von über 10 Jahren indiziert, weshalb mangels klinischer Konsequenz ab einem Lebensalter von 70–75 Jahren auf die regelmäßigen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen verzichtet werden soll. Die kurativen Therapieoptionen reichen von der radikalen Prostatovesikulektomie mit pelviner Lymphadenektomie, dem Goldstandard, über die laparoskopische und roboterassistierte Technik zu den radioonkologischen Therapien mittels perkutaner Strahlentherapie, Brachytherapien oder Kombinationen der letzteren. Die palliativen Therapieoptionen umfassen im wesentlichen Hormontherapie (medikamentöser oder chirurgischer Androgenentzug), lokale Bestrahlung, Bisphosphonate, Chemotherapien und chirurgische Desobstruktion. Regelmäßige Nachsorgeuntersuchungen ermöglichen die frühzeitige Erkennung eines allfälligen Rezidives oder Progresses und somit ein aktives Therapiekonzept.
Nachsorge bei Tumoren des Ösophagus, Magens, Pankreas, Gallengänge, Leber und beim gastrointestinalen Stromatumor (GIST)
Authors: Hess Viviane
Published: May 2008

Die Tumoren des Ösophagus, Magens, Pankreas, der Gallengänge, der Leber und die gastrointestinalen Stromatumoren haben die Gemeinsamkeit, dass sie meist nicht im Frühstadium diagnostiziert werden und nach initialer kompletter Resektion ein hohes Rezidivrisiko aufweisen. Trotzdem gibt es keine gültigen Richtlinien wie die Nachsorgeuntersuchungen bei diesen Tumorentitäten gestaltet werden sollen – es ist nicht erwiesen ob Nachsorgeuntersuchungen überhaupt einen Einfluss auf den weiteren Krankheitsverlauf haben. In diesem Artikel werden Ansätze aufgezeigt mit diesem Dilemma im Alltag umzugehen.
Habitual Tea Drinking and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Turkish Women: Investigation of Prevalence of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis in Turkey (IPPOT Study)
Authors: Hamdi Kara  , Aydin  , Gemalmaz  , Aktürk  , Yaman  , Bozdemir  , Kurdak  , Sitmapinar  , Devran Sencar  , Basak  , Akdeniz  , Isıldar  , Burgut  , Özcan  , Akça  , Dagdeviren  , Ungan
Published: June 2008

Aim: In this epidemiological report, we assessed the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis (OP) in postmenopausal Turkish women and the relationship between body mass index (BMI), and some nutritional factors (habitual tea, coffee, tobacco, and milk product consumption) with OP. Methods: This multicenter study was done in postmenopausal women residing in five big cities, in four different regions of Turkey between August and November 2005. An inclusion criterion was being in the postmenopausal period for at least 12 months. A semi-structured questionnaire was completed by face-to-face interview, consisting of closed- and open-ended questions about demographic characteristics, nutritional status, and habits with two or more choices as possible responses. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements were performed with a MetriScan® Densitometer (Alara Inc., Ca, USA). Results: Seven hundred twenty-four women were included in the study. The mean age was 57.6 ± 9.6 years, and mean age at natural menopause was 46.4 ± 5.6 years. Of the participants, 51% were illiterate. According to WHO classification; 42.5% were normal in terms of BMD, 27.2% had osteopenia, and 30.2% had OP. Women with high education levels had better T-scores (p = 0.019). Increase in BMI also had a positive effect on T-scores (p < 0.0001). A linear correlation was found between age (r= –0.386, p < 0.0001), BMI (r = –0.175, p < 0.0001), and education (r = –0.317, p < 0.0001), with T-scores. The T-scores of women who consumed tea on a regular basis were found to be higher than non-consumers (–1.51 ± 1.68 vs. –1.09 ± 1.66; p = 0.070) [when smokers, those who received hormonal therapy (HT), and those > 65 years were excluded]. Conclusion: OP was determined in 1/3 of the women. Advanced age (> 65) and being illiterate were negative factors, while high education levels, being overweight, and being treated with HT had a positive effects on BMD. Habitual tea drinking also may have a positive effect on BMD. However, tea drinking was not found to be a statistically significant factor in the present study.
Immune-response against Streptococcus pyogenes in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm – A population-based case-control study
Authors: Wanhainen  , Rasmussen  , Björck  , Björck
Published: May 2008

Background: In a population-based case-control study the association between antibodies to Streptococcus pyogenes antigens and the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was analysed. Patients and methods: Forty-two patients with screening-detected AAA were compared to 100 age- and sex matched controls with normal aortas. Antibodies against three recently characterized cell wall-attached proteins of S. pyogenes (SclA, SclB and GRAB) were analysed in plasma samples obtained at screening (current), and in samples obtained from a study conducted 12 years previously on the same population (historical). Results: Historical antibody levels against the S. pyogenes antigen GRAB were significantly higher in AAA patients compared with controls (0.25 vs 0.17, p = 0.021). A similar trend was observed in current GRAB antibody levels (0.23 vs 0.17, p = 0.072). GRAB-antibody levels at age 60 years retained the association with AAA in a logistic regression model after adjustment for a history of atherosclerosis (OR 20.2, p = 0.022), current smoking (OR 21.4, p = 0.025) and family history of AAA (OR 12.9, p = 0.053). Current and historical antibody levels against SclA and SclB in AAA patients were similar to those in controls. Conclusions: The results indicate that the immune response against S. pyogenes protein GRAB may be involved in the pathogenesis of AAA.
Intraoperative duplex ultrasonography in carotid endarterectomy: The impact on indication for immediate revision and intermediate-term outcome
Authors: Ott  , Heller  , Odermatt  , Furrer
Published: May 2008

Background: Thromboembolic complications in relation to carotid endarterectomies (CEA) are frequently associated with technical errors. We analyzed prospectively the impact of intraoperative duplex ultrasonography (IODS) in CEA on immediate revision and postoperative results. Patients and methods: We have observed 70 patients with 74 CEA. Indications for surgery were asymptomatic high grade stenosis (70–99%) or symptomatic stenosis of > 50%. IODS findings were rated as "relevant", "minor" or "normal". Relevant findings were immediately repaired. Peri- and postoperative neurological events were analyzed in Duplex Scans controls in a median length of follow-up of 17.3 months. Outcome of patients with "minor" findings (group A) were compared with patients having "normal" or corrected "relevant" findings (group B). Results: In 8/74 cases (11%) we found relevant findings leading to immediate revision. In 25/74 (34%) cases minor findings were detected which were not revised. In group A (n = 25, 34%) two asymptomatic occlusions and one recurrent high grade stenosis were found during follow-up. In group B (n = 49, 66%) we detected two high and two low grade stenosis. The 30 day death and stroke rate was 1.4% (n = 1). Conclusions: IODS is a sensitive method to detect immediately pathological findings. Its correction seems to reduce the incidence of early occlusions and therefore early neurological events.
Aneurysmata der Aorta ascendens und des Truncus pulmonalis
Authors: Janzen  , Schönhoff  , Schmidli  , Carrel
Published: May 2008

Berichtet wird über das gleichzeitige Vorkommen von Aneurysmata der Aorta ascendens und des Truncus pulmonalis bei einer 56-jährigen Frau. Mikroskopisch gelang in beiden Aneurysmalokalisationen der Nachweis einer granulomatösen Entzündung. Nach unserem Wissensstand handelt es sich bei dieser seltenen Befundkonstellation um den zweiten Fallbericht überhaupt.
Effects of Age and Task Complexity on EEG and Performance in Relation to Psychological States
Authors: Bonnefond Anne , Rohmer Odile , Engasser Ophélie , Hoeft Alain , Eschenlauer Roland , Muzet Alain , Tassi Patricia
Published: May 2008

The purpose of the present study is to analyse the effects of task complexity on the EEG spectral parameters and the extent to which age modulates this relationship. Subjects were divided into a junior and a senior group and engaged in a simple and a complex version of “Go/No go” tasks. Cognitive, subjective and electrophysiological data were combined. Our results indicated that there was an increase in alpha power over time only in the junior group in the simple task and the senior group in the complex one, suggesting that, depending on age, the increase in alpha band vary in a different way according with the degree of task complexity and could reflect some different phenomena. Cognitive performance were independent of age but for the main dimensions of motivation, seniors had higher scores, and they were less sleepy than juniors. Finally, this study showed correlations between cognitive performance, subjective evaluations and electrophysiological measures, and their value for understanding the subject’s engagement in a task.
Patterns of Cerebral Blood Flow and Systemic Hemodynamics During Arithmetic Processing
Authors: Werner Natalie , Kapan Neval , Reyes del Paso Gustavo A.
Published: May 2008

The present study explored modulations in cerebral blood flow and systemic hemodynamics during the execution of a mental calculation task in 41 healthy subjects. Time course and lateralization of blood flow velocities in the medial cerebral arteries of both hemispheres were assessed using functional transcranial Doppler sonography. Indices of systemic hemodynamics were obtained using continuous blood pressure recordings. Doppler sonography revealed a biphasic left dominant rise in cerebral blood flow velocities during task execution. Systemic blood pressure increased, whereas heart period, heart period variability, and baroreflex sensitivity declined. Blood pressure and heart period proved predictive of the magnitude of the cerebral blood flow response, particularly of its initial component. Various physiological mechanisms may be assumed to be involved in cardiovascular adjustment to cognitive demands. While specific contributions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems may account for the observed pattern of systemic hemodynamics, flow metabolism coupling, fast neurogenic vasodilation, and cerebral autoregulation may be involved in mediating cerebral blood flow modulations. Furthermore, during conditions of high cardiovascular reactivity, systemic hemodynamic changes exert a marked influence on cerebral blood perfusion.
Neural Correlates Involved in Processing Happy Affect on Same Race Faces
Authors: Iidaka Tetsuya , Nogawa Junpei , Kansaku Kenji , Sadato Norihiro
Published: May 2008

Neuroimaging studies have shown that the face-related regions of the brain, including the amygdala and the fusiform gyrus, are activated when subjects viewed the faces of their own race as compared to those of other races. These regions have been regarded as the neural correlates of “in-group advantage,” a phenomenon showing superior performance for the same-race face than for other-race faces in behavioral experiments. However, in these neuroimaging studies, faces of notably different races have been used for comparisons, and thus far, no study has investigated brain activity associated with positive expression. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study involving the Japanese participants, we investigated brain activation in response to viewing happy and neutral faces of Japanese, non-Japanese Asian, and Caucasian races. Analysis of covariance using the mean happiness rating as a covariate revealed that as compared to viewing of neutral faces, viewing of happy faces by the Japanese subjects resulted in greater activation of the posterior cingulate cortex under the same-race condition than under other-race conditions. In addition, parametric modulation analysis showed that clusters in a part of the posterior cingulate cortex and in the superior temporal gyrus were associated with subjective judgment of the facial features that resembled those of the Japanese race. The left amygdala activity differed between the races; however, it is more likely that this difference was related to the differences in the subjective rating of facial happiness than to the recognition of the race per se. Therefore, we considered that the posterior cingulate cortex is the neural correlate that is specifically involved when Japanese subjects judge the happy expression on the same-race face. These results may indicate that in the Japanese participants a sense of familiarity played a role in the neural processing of a positive expression on the same-race face.
The Rachaya‐Serghaya fault system (Lebanon): Evidence of coseismic ruptures, and the AD 1759 earthquake sequence
Authors: Nemer Tony , Meghraoui Mustapha , Khair Kamal
Published: May 2008

The Rachaya and Serghaya faults are the easternmost fault branches of the Dead Sea Transform Fault within the Lebanese restraining bend. They lie east of the Yammouneh fault (the main strand of the Dead Sea Transform Fault within the restraining bend), extend along the western and eastern flanks of the Anti‐Lebanon range, respectively, and show left‐lateral strike‐slip movement manifested as offset drainage. We studied both faults through combined field investigations in geomorphology and paleoseismology. Young fault scarps, mole tracks, pressure ridges and offset streams detected along the faults' traces attest to recent coseismic ruptures. Two paleoseismic investigations highlight their seismogenic potential and indicate earthquake recurrence along them: the Rachaya and Serghaya faults are active and the sources of recent historical earthquakes, the last of which might be the 30 October–25 November 1759 (Ms 6.6 and 7.4) earthquake sequence that caused severe damage in the eastern Mediterranean region. Such a possible correlation suggests that the two faults are probably structurally interconnected, as movement on one fault may stimulate movement on the other fault. In addition, both faults may define together an active seismogenic fault system that accommodates some of the regional displacement that takes place within the Lebanese restraining bend. Our results highlight that the seismogenic potential of the Rachaya and Serghaya faults must be included in any seismic hazard assessment of the region.
Physical properties of young (3.5 Ma) oceanic crust from the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge: Comparison of wireline and core measurements with global data
Authors: Bartetzko A. , Fisher A. T.
Published: May 2008

We compile and compare petrophysical data from the upper oceanic crust in Hole U1301B, on 3.5 Ma seafloor on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Measurements include core‐scale (lab‐based) and in situ (wireline) measurements of formation porosity, electrical resistivity, bulk density, P wave velocity, and gamma ray emission. A comparison between Hole U1301B data and those from other sites, ranging in age from 5.9 to 167 Ma, demonstrates some important differences. Hole U1301B samples tend to have lower bulk density values for a given porosity than do other young crustal sites. Hole U1301B samples also tend to have higher values of formation factor (the ratio of fluid conductivity to saturated rock conductivity), which may indicate development of tortuous microporosity that is more consistent with samples from older seafloor. Evaluation of global trends of petrophysical properties versus crustal age indicates that Hole U1301B in situ data is consistent with global trends, but core‐scale P wave velocity and bulk density values fall below global trend values predicted for young crust. This last observation is likely related to basement topography and the regional exposure, until relatively recently, of basement outcrops around Site U1301. Until most of the exposed basement in this area was buried, hydrothermal circulation extracted much of the lithospheric heat, kept basement fluid temperatures low, and limited the rate and extent of alteration; a subsequent period of higher‐temperature fluid circulation with more restricted and less oxidative conditions resulted in enhanced and pervasive alteration of crustal rocks.
Noncoincident validation of Aura MLS observations using the Langley Research Center Lagrangian chemistry and transport model
Authors: Considine D. B. , Natarajan M. , Fairlie T. D. , Lingenfelser G. S. , Pierce R. B. , Froidevaux L. , Lambert A.
Published: May 2008

We evaluate Aura Microwave Limb Sounder version 2.2 measurements of O3, HCl, and H2O with version 19 HALOE observations using a model‐assisted, noncoincident intercomparison technique. Air parcels in the Langley Research Center Lagrangian chemistry and transport model (LCTM) are initialized from HALOE observations made during three different 3‐week periods in 2004 and early 2005. The LCTM tracks the dynamical and photochemical evolution of the ensemble of air parcels following initialization. We show that the LCTM predictions agree closely with subsequent HALOE measurements not used to initialize the model, demonstrating the model's capability to accurately propagate information from the HALOE observations. HALOE‐initialized LCTM O3 predictions agree very well in the stratosphere with MLS measurements, with coincident zonal mean differences generally less than 10%. We find low biases in HCl of 10–30% relative to the MLS observations. We also find low biases with respect to MLS H2O of up to 15% in the upper and middle stratosphere and ∼30% low biases in the lower stratosphere/upper troposphere midlatitudes. We note some nonphysical vertical oscillations of MLS H2O in the tropical and midlatitude lower stratosphere that are not present in the HALOE‐initialized LCTM output. The oscillations are smaller in version 2.2 than in previous versions. These results are generally consistent with published HALOE/MLS intercomparisons of these species using a traditional coincident validation technique. This consistency suggests that the traditional coincident validation results are applicable on daily temporal and zonal spatial scales.
A scale‐space approach for detecting significant differences between models and observations using global albedo distributions
Authors: Pedersen Christina A. , Godtliebsen Fred , Roesch Andreas C.
Published: May 2008

This paper describes how a statistical scale‐space technique can be used for evaluating climate models. A difference image between model and validation data is used as input. Hypothesis testing is performed at each difference pixel for a broad range of image resolutions (or scales). This approach circumvents some of the classical problems of hypothesis testing. An area, at a particular scale, is claimed to be significant if it is sufficiently different from zero in the difference image. such differences are called features. As the scale gradually increases from fine to coarse, features are created, they grow and merge and may finally annihilate. The scale‐space algorithm produces maps for statistical inference and the degree of significance at different locations. The adapted scale‐space technique was applied for validation of ECHAM5 Global Circulation Model surface albedo against a remote sensing surface albedo climatology. Overall, the largest discrepancies were detected over snow and ice‐covered areas, and ECHAM5 was found to overestimate the albedo compared to the albedo climatology for all scales in March. Successively coarser spatial scales resulted in more and larger significant areas in the difference image. At the finest scales (280 km) very few areas of significant albedo differences were detected because of relatively high interannual variability for the areas of largest difference. At 1100 km, significant albedo differences were found in the southern part of the Arctic Ocean adjacent to the ice edge, probably because of the different positions of the ice edge in the two data sets. A scale of 2500 km was found to be reasonable for validating albedo as the statistical significance agrees well with differences meaningful from a climatologist's point of view. At this scale most of the snow covered regions in Northern Eurasia with high positive differences and relatively low interannual variability were found to be significant.
Transport and transformation of total reactive nitrogen over the East China Sea
Authors: Takiguchi Yoshihiro , Takami Akinori , Sadanaga Yasuhiro , Lun Xiaoxiu , Shimizu Atsushi , Matsui Ichiro , Sugimoto Nobuo , Wang Wei , Bandow Hiroshi , Hatakeyama Shiro
Published: May 2008

Ground‐based measurement of total reactive nitrogen (NOy), NOy(g) (gas phase NOx + HNO3), and particulate NO3− was carried out at the Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) in Okinawa, Japan, from spring to winter in 2006. The concentrations of NOy, NOy(g), and particulate NO3− were simultaneously high in spring but low in summer. This difference was mainly caused by air mass history, which was strongly associated with the typical weather pattern observed in the east Asian region for each season. The chemical transformation process of particulate NO3− during transport was examined using the data measured at Qingdao, China, in spring 2006. As the transport time of air masses increased, particulate NO3− continuously shifted from fine mode to coarse mode. It was found that the chemical transformation of particulate NO3− was mainly associated with the transport time of air masses, the geographical position of CHAAMS, and the transition from NH4NO3 to gas phase HNO3. In air masses from Qingdao, China, the ratio of NOy concentration observed at CHAAMS to that at Qingdao was about 0.1, which was lower than that of SOy (SO2 + nss‐SO42−). Sulfate was found in fine particles at CHAAMS in contrast to particulate NO3−. As the lifetimes of NOy and SOy depend on the particle size, the difference in chemical transformation process during transport largely influences the abundance of transported NOy. The variations of NOy(g) and particulate NO3− were analyzed when dust plumes reached CHAAMS. The presence of dust causes the formation of particulate NO3− in coarse mode from NOy(g) and an increase of its fraction in NOy. The effect of volcanic activity on particulate NO3− concentration was also analyzed. It is suggested that particulate NO3− escaped to gas phase HNO3 through the uptake of abundant volcanic H2SO4 by aerosols.
Electromagnetic Particle‐In‐Cell simulation on the impedance of a dipole antenna surrounded by an ion sheath
Authors: Miyake Y. , Usui H. , Kojima H. , Omura Y. , Matsumoto H.
Published: May 2008

We have newly developed a numerical tool for the analysis of antenna impedance in plasma environment by making use of electromagnetic Particle‐In‐Cell (PIC) plasma simulations. To validate the developed tool, we first examined the antenna impedance in a homogeneous kinetic plasma and confirmed that the obtained results basically agree with the conventional theories. We next applied the tool to examine an ion‐sheathed dipole antenna. The results confirmed that the inclusion of the ion‐sheath effects reduces the capacitance below the electron plasma frequency. The results also revealed that the signature of impedance resonance observed at the plasma frequency is modified by the presence of the sheath. Since the sheath dynamics can be solved by the PIC scheme throughout the antenna analysis in a self‐consistent manner, the developed tool has feasibility to perform more practical and complicated antenna analyses that will be necessary in real space missions.