bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
hTERT Inhibition Triggers Epstein–Barr Virus Lytic Cycle and Apoptosis in Immortalized and Transformed B Cells: A Basis for New Therapies
Authors: Giunco Silvia , Dolcetti Riccardo , Keppel Sonia , Celeghin Andrea , Indraccolo Stefano , Dal Col Jessica , Mastorci Katy , De Rossi Anita
Published: February 2013

Purpose: Induction of viral lytic cycle, which induces death of host cells, may constitute a useful adjunct to current therapeutic regimens for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-driven malignancies. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), essential for the oncogenic process, may modulate the switch from latent to lytic infection. The possible therapeutic role of hTERT inhibition combined with antiviral drugs was investigated.

Experimental Design: EBV-negative BL41 and convertant EBV-positive BL41/B95.8 Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) were infected with retroviral vector encoding short hairpin RNA (shRNA) anti-hTERT and cultured with or without the prodrug ganciclovir. The effects on EBV lytic replication, cell proliferation, and apoptosis were characterized.

Results: hTERT silencing by shRNA induced the expression of BZLF1, EA-D, and gp350 EBV lytic proteins and triggered a complete lytic cycle. This effect was associated with downregulation of BATF, a negative regulator of BZLF1 transcription. hTERT silencing also resulted in antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects. In particular, hTERT inhibition induced an accumulation of cells in the S-phase, an effect likely due to the dephosphorylation of 4E-BP1, an AKT1-dependent substrate, which results in a decreased availability of proteins needed for cell-cycle progression. Besides inducing cell death through activation of complete EBV lytic replication, hTERT inhibition triggered AKT1/FOXO3/NOXA–dependent apoptosis in EBV-positive and -negative Burkitt's lymphoma cells. Finally, ganciclovir enhanced the apoptotic effect induced by hTERT inhibition in EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphomas and LCLs.

Conclusions: These results suggest that combination of antiviral drugs with strategies able to inhibit hTERT expression may result in therapeutically relevant effects in patients with EBV-related malignancies. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 2036–47. ©2013 AACR.
Efficacy and Safety of Retreatment with Ipilimumab in Patients with Pretreated Advanced Melanoma Who Progressed after Initially Achieving Disease Control
Authors: Robert Caroline , Schadendorf Dirk , Messina Marianne , Hodi F. Stephen , O'Day Steven
Published: February 2013

Purpose: Ipilimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) that has been shown to improve survival in patients with pretreated, advanced melanoma in a phase III trial. Some patients in this study who initially responded to ipilimumab treatment but later progressed were eligible for retreatment with their original randomized regimen. Here, outcomes for these patients concerning baseline characteristics, best overall response, and disease control rate are assessed and considered with respect to the overall study population.

Experimental Design: In the phase III study, 676 pretreated patients were randomly allocated to treatment with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg plus gp100 vaccine, ipilimumab 3 mg/kg plus placebo, or gp100 vaccine alone. Of these patients, 32 had a partial or complete objective response or stable disease after treatment and met the eligibility criteria for retreatment, although a total of 40 patients were retreated.

Results: Best overall response rates (complete responses plus partial responses) for 31 retreatment-eligible patients in the ipilimumab plus gp100 and ipilimumab plus placebo groups were 3 of 23 (13.0%) and 3 of 8 (37.5%), respectively, and disease control rates were 65.2% and 75.0%. No new types of toxicities occurred during retreatment and most events were mild-to-moderate.

Conclusion: Ipilimumab provided durable objective responses and/or stable disease in qualifying patients who received retreatment upon disease progression with a similar toxicity profile to that seen during their original treatment regimen. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 2232–9. ©2013 AACR.
Clinical Significance of CD33 Nonsynonymous Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Pediatric Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Gemtuzumab-Ozogamicin–Containing Chemotherapy
Authors: Mortland Leslie , Alonzo Todd A. , Walter Roland B. , Gerbing Robert B. , Mitra Amit K. , Pollard Jessica A. , Loken Michael R. , Hirsch Betsy , Raimondi Susana , Franklin Janet , Pounds Stanley , Cao Xueyuan , Rubnitz Jeffrey E. , Ribeiro Raul C. , Gamis Alan , Meshinchi Soheil , Lamba Jatinder K.
Published: February 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical implications of CD33 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with gemtuzumab-ozogamicin (GO)–based therapy.

Experimental Design: We genotyped four CD33 SNPs: rs35112940 (G>A; Arg304Gly), rs12459419 (C>T; Ala14Val), rs2455069 (A>G; Arg69Gly), and rs1803254 (G>C; 3′UTR) in pediatric patients undergoing induction chemotherapy containing GO (COG-AAML03P1 trial; n = 242) or not containing GO (St. Jude AML02 trial; n = 172).

Results: CD33 SNPs were correlated significantly with clinical characteristics and treatment outcome. The coding SNPs, rs35112940 and rs12459419, were significantly associated with clinical endpoints in COG-AAML03P1 but not in the St. Jude AML02 trial. Specifically, among white patients in COG-AAML03P1, the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate from remission was 84% ± 8% for those homozygous (GG) for rs35112940 versus 68% ± 15% for the other genotypes (P = 0.018); these patients also had a lower relapse risk and superior disease-free survival. Likewise, patients homozygous for variant allele (TT) for rs12459419 were more likely to have favorable risk disease than CC and CT genotypes (52% vs. 31%, P = 0.034) and significantly lower diagnostic blast CD33 expression than other genotypes (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our data suggest that genetic variations in CD33 could impact clinical outcome of GO-based therapy in pediatric AMLs. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1620–7. ©2013 AACR.
Sorafenib or Placebo with Either Gemcitabine or Capecitabine in Patients with HER-2–Negative Advanced Breast Cancer That Progressed during or after Bevacizumab
Authors: Schwartzberg Lee S. , Tauer Kurt W. , Hermann Robert C. , Makari-Judson Grace , Isaacs Claudine , Beck J. Thaddeus , Kaklamani Virginia , Stepanski Edward J. , Rugo Hope S. , Wang Wei , Bell-McGuinn Katherine , Kirshner Jeffrey J. , Eisenberg Peter , Emanuelson Richard , Keaton Mark , Levine Ellis , Medgyesy Diana C. , Qamar Rubina , Starr Alexander , Ro Sunhee Kwon , Lokker Nathalie A. , Hudis Clifford A.
Published: February 2013

Purpose: We assessed adding the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib to gemcitabine or capecitabine in patients with advanced breast cancer whose disease progressed during/after bevacizumab.

Experimental Design: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00493636) enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative breast cancer and prior bevacizumab treatment. Patients were randomized to chemotherapy with sorafenib (400 mg, twice daily) or matching placebo. Initially, chemotherapy was gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m2 i.v., days 1, 8/21), but later, capecitabine (1,000 mg/m2 orally twice daily, days 1–14/21) was allowed as an alternative. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: One hundred and sixty patients were randomized. More patients received gemcitabine (82.5%) than capecitabine (17.5%). Sorafenib plus gemcitabine/capecitabine was associated with a statistically significant prolongation in PFS versus placebo plus gemcitabine/capecitabine [3.4 vs. 2.7 months; HR = 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45–0.95; P = 0.02], time to progression was increased (median, 3.6 vs. 2.7 months; HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44–0.93; P = 0.02), and overall response rate was 19.8% versus 12.7% (P = 0.23). Median survival was 13.4 versus 11.4 months for sorafenib versus placebo (HR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.71−1.44; P = 0.95). Addition of sorafenib versus placebo increased grade 3/4 hand–foot skin reaction (39% vs. 5%), stomatitis (10% vs. 0%), fatigue (18% vs. 9%), and dose reductions that were more frequent (51.9% vs. 7.8%).

Conclusion: The addition of sorafenib to gemcitabine/capecitabine provided a clinically small but statistically significant PFS benefit in HER2-negative advanced breast cancer patients whose disease progressed during/after bevacizumab. Combination treatment was associated with manageable toxicities but frequently required dose reductions. Clin Cancer Res; 19(10); 2745–54. ©2013 AACR.
Copy Number Aberrations of Genes Regulating Normal Thymus Development in Thymic Epithelial Tumors
Authors: Petrini Iacopo , Wang Yisong , Zucali Paolo A. , Lee Hye Seung , Pham Trung , Voeller Donna , Meltzer Paul S. , Giaccone Giuseppe
Published: February 2013

Purposes: To determine whether the deregulation of genes relevant for normal thymus development can contribute to the biology of thymic epithelial tumors (TET).

Experimental Design: Using array comparative genomic hybridization, we evaluated the copy number aberrations of genes regulating thymus development. The expression of genes most commonly involved in copy number aberrations was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and correlated with patients' outcome. Correlation between FOXC1 copy number loss and gene expression was determined in a confirmation cohort. Cell lines were used to test the role of FOXC1 in tumors.

Results: Among 31 thymus development-related genes, PBX1 copy number gain and FOXC1 copy number loss were presented in 43.0% and 39.5% of the tumors, respectively. Immunohistochemistry on a series of 132 TETs, including those evaluated by comparative genomic hybridization, revealed a correlation between protein expression and copy number status only for FOXC1 but not for PBX1. Patients with FOXC1-negative tumors had a shorter time to progression and a trend for a shorter disease-related survival. The correlation between FOXC1 copy number loss and mRNA expression was confirmed in a separate cohort of 27 TETs. Ectopic FOXC1 expression attenuated anchorage-independent cell growth and cell migration in vitro.

Conclusion: Our data support a tumor suppressor role of FOXC1 in TETs. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 1960–71. ©2013 AACR.
Pallidal Deep Brain Stimulation for a Case of Hemidystonia Secondary to a Striatal Stroke
Authors: Fuller Jonathan , Prescott Ian A. , Moro Elena , Toda Hiroki , Lozano Andres , Hutchison William D.
Published: February 2013

Background: The efficacy of bilateral globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS) for medically refractory idiopathic generalized dystonia has been demonstrated repeatedly. More variable outcomes have been reported in the treatment of secondary dystonia with GPi DBS. Objectives: The present study seeks to examine the pallidal physiology and clinical outcome of GPi DBS in a case of secondary dystonia. Methods: We report on a 43-year-old man who at the age of 9 suffered a left basal ganglia stroke and at the age of 21 developed severe disabling hemidystonia. Following unsuccessful medical management for many years and an axial involvement of the dystonia, he underwent bilateral GPi DBS with dual microelectrode mapping of cell firing and evoked field potentials (fEP). Results: On the intact side we found regular firing of pallidal neurons and normal fEP indicative of functioning striatopallidal pathways. The affected side was found to include a higher frequency of bursting pallidal neurons. fEP could not be evoked on the affected side, suggesting their origin to be striatal GABAergic afferents. Conclusions: The patient had marked benefit from bilateral GPi DBS, which suggests that the therapeutic effects of DBS were mediated by the intact pathways in this case of hemidystonia.
Strategies for the Delivery of Multiple Collinear Infusion Clouds in Convection-Enhanced Delivery in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Sillay Karl , Hinchman Angelica , Kumbier Lauren , Schomberg Dominic , Ross Chris , Kubota Ken , Brady Martin , Brodsky Ethan , Miranpuri Gurwattan , Raghavan Raghu
Published: February 2013

Background: Delivery of multiple collinear payloads utilizing convection-enhanced delivery (CED) has historically been performed by retraction of a needle or catheter from the most distal delivery site. Few studies have addressed end-infusion morphology and associated payload reflux in stacked and collinear infusions, and studies comparing the advancement with the retraction mode are lacking. Objective: To compare advancement versus retraction mode infusion results. Methods: Infusion cloud pairs were created with the advancement and retraction technique in agarose gel using both open end-port SmartFlow™ (SF) and valve tip (VT) catheter infusion systems. Backflow, radius of infusion, and morphology were assessed. Results: Infusions with the SF catheter, in contrast to the VT catheter, exhibited significantly more backflow in retraction mode at the shallow infusion site. Infusion morphology differed with the second infusion after retraction: the infusate at the proximal site first filling the channel left by the retraction and then being convected into gel in a pronouncedly non-spherical shape during the second infusion. Conclusions: Significant differences in cloud morphology were noted with respect to external catheter geometry with retraction versus penetration between infusions in an agarose gel model of the brain. Further study is warranted to determine optimal protocols for human clinical trials employing CED with multiple collinear payloads.
Maternal Exposure to Lipopolysaccharide Leads to Transient Motor Dysfunction in Neonatal Rats
Authors: Rousset Catherine I. , Kassem Jinane , Aubert Arnaud , Planchenault Deborah , Gressens Pierre , Chalon Sylvie , Belzung Catherine , Saliba Elie
Published: February 2013

Epidemiological and experimental data implicate maternal infection and inflammation in the etiology of brain white matter injury, which may lead to cerebral palsy in preterm newborns. Our aim was to investigate motor development of the offspring after maternal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with Escherichia coli LPS or saline on gestational days 19 and 20. From birth to 3 weeks, pups were tested for neurobehavioral development, neurological signs and reflexes. From 3 to 6 weeks, motor coordination was investigated. At 4 months, animals were tested for locomotion. Brain myelination was assessed by myelin basic protein immunohistochemistry. Days of appearance of several neurological reflexes were significantly delayed, and neonate LPS pups displayed retarded performance in righting, gait and negative geotaxis. At the juvenile stage, LPS animals showed important impairment in coordination. However, although the LPS group performed worse in most tests, they reached vehicle levels by 5 weeks. At 4 months, LPS animals did not show variations in locomotion performances compared to vehicle. No myelination differences have been observed in the brains at adulthood. Maternal LPS administration results in delayed motor development even though these alterations fade to reach control level by 5 weeks. Motor impairments observed at the early stage in this study could be linked to previously reported hypomyelination of the white matter induced by maternal LPS challenge in the neonates. Finally, the normal myelination shown here at adulthood may explain the functional recovery of the animals and suggest either a potential remyelination of the brain or a delayed myelination in LPS pups.
Ischemia-Induced Neuroinflammation Is Associated with Disrupted Development of Oligodendrocyte Progenitors in a Model of Periventricular Leukomalacia
Authors: Falahati Sina , Breu Markus , Waickman Adam T. , Phillips Andre W. , Arauz Edwin J. , Snyder Sophie , Porambo Michael , Goeral Katharina , Comi Anne M. , Wilson Mary Ann , Johnston Michael V. , Fatemi Ali
Published: February 2013

Microglial activation in crossing white matter tracts is a hallmark of noncystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the leading pathology underlying cerebral palsy in prematurely born infants. Recent studies indicate that neuroinflammation within an early time window can produce long-lasting defects in oligodendroglial maturation, myelination deficit, as well as disruption of transcription factors important in oligodendroglial maturation. We recently reported an ischemic mouse model of PVL, induced by unilateral neonatal carotid artery ligation, leading to selective long-lasting bilateral myelination deficits, ipsilateral thinning of the corpus callosum, ventriculomegaly, as well as evidence of axonopathy. Here, we report that permanent unilateral carotid ligation on postnatal day 5 in CD-1 mice induces an inflammatory response, as defined by microglial activation and recruitment, as well as significant changes in cytokine expression (increased IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β1, and TNF-α) following ischemia. Transient reduction in counts of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) at 24 and 48 h after ischemia, a shift in OPC cell size and morphology towards the more immature form, as well as likely migration of OPCs were found. These OPC changes were topographically associated with areas showing microglial activation, and OPC counts negatively correlated with increased microglial staining. The presented data show a striking neuroinflammatory response in an ischemia-induced model of PVL, associated with oligodendroglial injury. Future studies modulating the neuroinflammatory response in this model may contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between microglia and OPCs in PVL and open opportunities for future therapies.
Uterine Leiomyosarcoma Manifesting as a Tricuspid Valve Mass
Authors: Marak Creticus P. , Ponea Ana M. , Alappan Narendrakumar , Shaheen Shagufta , Guddati Achuta K.
Published: February 2013

Uterine leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignancy and carries a poorer prognosis when compared to endometrial carcinoma. It has been observed to metastasize to all the major organs. It presents with symptoms of abdominal distension, vaginal bleeding and may pass unnoticed until an advanced stage in patients with leiomyomas. Surgery is a viable option in patients with disease limited to the uterus, but metastasis to the heart may require surgery to prevent acute and catastrophic complications. The case described here involves metastasis to the tricuspid valve, which caused severe tricuspid regurgitation in the setting of acute pulmonary embolism. Surgical resection restored cardiac function and stabilized the patient. This case illustrates a rare site of metastasis of leiomyosarcoma which required immediate intervention and resulted in a favorable outcome.
Noninvasive Localization of Maximal Frequency Sites of Atrial Fibrillation by Body Surface Potential Mapping
Authors: Guillem Maria S. , Climent Andreu M. , Millet Jose , Arenal Ángel , Fernández-Avilés Francisco , Jalife José , Atienza Felipe , Berenfeld Omer
Published: February 2013

Background—

Ablation of high-frequency sources in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is an effective therapy to restore sinus rhythm. However, this strategy may be ineffective in patients without a significant dominant frequency (DF) gradient. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sites with high-frequency activity in human AF can be identified noninvasively, which should help intervention planning and therapy.

Methods and Results—

In 14 patients with a history of AF, 67-lead body surface recordings were simultaneously registered with 15 endocardial electrograms from both atria including the highest DF site, which was predetermined by atrial-wide real-time frequency electroanatomical mapping. Power spectra of surface leads and the body surface location of the highest DF site were compared with intracardiac information. Highest DFs found on specific sites of the torso showed a significant correlation with DFs found in the nearest atrium (ρ=0.96 for right atrium and ρ=0.92 for left atrium) and the DF gradient between them (ρ=0.93). The spatial distribution of power on the surface showed an inverse relationship between the frequencies versus the power spread area, consistent with localized fast sources as the AF mechanism with fibrillatory conduction elsewhere.

Conclusions—

Spectral analysis of body surface recordings during AF allows a noninvasive characterization of the global distribution of the atrial DFs and the identification of the atrium with the highest frequency, opening the possibility for improved noninvasive personalized diagnosis and treatment.
Association of Hypertension With Stroke Recurrence Depends on Ischemic Stroke Subtype
Authors: Wang Yilong , Xu Jie , Zhao Xingquan , Wang David , Wang Chunxue , Liu Liping , Wang Anxin , Meng Xia , Li Hao , Wang Yongjun
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—

The association between hypertension (HTN) and stroke recurrence is unclear, but may be influenced by different subtypes of stroke. This study aims to explore whether HTN contributes to the recurrence of certain subtypes of ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods—

Data from the China National Stroke Registry was examined and 1-year follow-up data for stroke recurrence was analyzed. Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria was used to classify the subtypes of all IS. HTN was defined when resting blood pressure was ≥140/90 mm Hg on repeated measurements during hospitalization or a patient had been on antihypertensive medication. Recurrent stroke was defined as a new neurological deficit compatible to IS or intracerebral hemorrhage. The association between HTN and stroke recurrence in patients with different IS subtypes was analyzed by using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models.

Results—

Of 11 560 patients with IS, 8409 (72.7%) had HTN and 2050 (17.7%) experienced a recurrent stroke within 1 year. Patients with HTN had an insignificantly higher stroke recurrence rate than those without (18.0% versus 17.0%;
P
=0.21). After stratification by Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment subtypes, multivariable analysis revealed a significant association between HTN and stroke recurrence in small-artery occlusion subtype (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–2.31), but not in the other subtypes (large-artery atherosclerosis: odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.81–1.21; cardioembolic: odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.75–1.73; other: odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.71–1.09).

Conclusions—

Our results showed that HTN is specifically related to the recurrent strokes in patients with small-vessel diseases, not other subtypes of IS.
Spot Sign Number Is the Most Important Spot Sign Characteristic for Predicting Hematoma Expansion Using First-Pass Computed Tomography Angiography
Authors: Huynh Thien J. , Demchuk Andrew M. , Dowlatshahi Dar , Gladstone David J. , Krischek Özlem , Kiss Alex , Hill Michael D. , Molina Carlos A. , Rodriguez-Luna David , Dzialowski Imanuel , Silva Yolanda , Czlonkowska Anna , Lum Cheemun , Boulanger Jean-Martin , Gubitz Gord , Bhatia Rohit , Padma Vasantha , Roy Jayanta , Kase Carlos S. , Aviv Richard I.
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—

The spot sign score (SSS) provides risk stratification for hematoma expansion in acute intracerebral hemorrhage; however, external validation is needed. We sought to validate the SSS and assess prognostic performance of individual spot characteristics associated with hematoma expansion from a prospective multicenter intracerebral hemorrhage study.

Methods—

Two hundred twenty-eight intracerebral hemorrhage patients within 6 hours after ictus were enrolled in the Predicting Hematoma Growth and Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Using Contrast Bolus CT (PREDICT) study, a multicenter prospective intracerebral hemorrhage cohort study. Patients were evaluated with baseline noncontrast computerized tomography, computerized tomography angiography, and 24-hour follow-up computerized tomography. Primary outcome was significant hematoma expansion (>6 mL or >33%) and secondary outcome was absolute and relative expansion. Blinded computerized tomography angiography spot sign characterization and SSS calculation were independently performed by 2 neuroradiologists and a radiology resident. Diagnostic performance of the SSS and individual spot characteristics were examined with multivariable regression, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and tests for trend.

Results—

SSS and spot number independently predicted significant, absolute, and relative hematoma expansion (
P
<0.05 each) and demonstrated near perfect interobserver agreement (κ=0.82 and κ=0.85, respectively). Incremental risk of hematoma expansion among spot-positive patients was not identified for SSS (
P
trend=0.720) but was demonstrated for spot number (
P
trend=0.050). Spot number and SSS demonstrated similar area under the curve (0.69 versus 0.68;
P
=0.306) for hematoma expansion.

Conclusions—

Multicenter external validation of the SSS demonstrates that the spot number alone provides similar prediction but improved risk stratification of hematoma expansion compared with the SSS.
Cognitive Decline After Stroke
Authors: Kliper Efrat , Bashat Dafna Ben , Bornstein Natan M. , Shenhar-Tsarfaty Shani , Hallevi Hen , Auriel Eitan , Shopin Ludmila , Bloch Sivan , Berliner Shlomo , Giladi Nir , Goldbourt Uri , Shapira Itzhak , Korczyn Amos D. , Assayag Einor Ben
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—

Inflammation may contribute to cognitive impairment after stroke. Inflammatory markers are associated with hippocampal atrophy. We tested whether markers of inflammation, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum levels of C-reactive protein are associated with reduced hippocampal volume and poor cognitive performance among stroke survivors.

Methods—

We analyzed 368 consecutive cases from our prospective study of first-ever mild–moderate stroke patients. MRI, cognitive tests, and inflammatory markers were determined. Patients were reevaluated 6 and 12 months after the event.

Results—

ESR remained unchanged in follow-up examinations, suggesting a chronic inflammation background in some patients. Higher levels of C-reactive protein and ESR were associated with worse performance in cognitive tests, particularly memory scores. This association was maintained for ESR (but not C-reactive protein) after adjustment for confounders (
P
=0.002). Patients with smaller hippocampi had inferior cognitive results. Moreover, in a multivariate regression model, higher ESR values (but not C-reactive protein) were related to reduced hippocampal volume (
P
=0.049).

Conclusions—

This report shows a strong relationship between ESR and hippocampal volume, as well as with cognitive performance among poststroke patients. This could plausibly relate to incipient cognitive decline via hippocampal pathways.
Culture Re-introduced: Contestation of Human Rights in Contemporary Russia
Authors: Preclik Petr
Published: February 2013

This article explores the current human-rights discourse in the Russian Federation through its relationship with the Council of Europe, the strongest human-rights regime that Russia has signed up for. Against the background of current international-relations theories, the article argues that human-rights scholarship should re-introduce the concept of culture into its research designs in order to be able to explain the interaction between cultural groupings and globally dominant discourses, such as human rights. The article further argues that human rights ought to be conceptualized as symbolic technologies and studied as discursive variables that enter the cycle of national-identity formation. To that end, I use the contestation thesis proposed by Andrei Tsygankov. The article concludes that Russia is currently actively securing itself against the dominant and universal human-rights discourse, which is perceived as hindering independent societal development in Russia. This state of securization is illustrated in the current debates within PACE on topics connected with human rights and Russia.
Tilting at Windmills? The European Response to Violations of Media Freedom in Russia
Authors: Schönfeld Dorothea
Published: February 2013

This article is a study about the measures that European organizations take in response to violations of media freedom in Russia. Despite vigorous efforts, the media situation has not improved considerably. What are the reasons for the apparent inefficiency of the European enforcement mechanism? To overcome the tangle of sometimes contradictory historical, sociological, philosophical, and mere pragmatic explanations, one has to distinguish obstacles at the conceptual level from obstacles at the level of implementation. I will argue that insistence on a specific Russian mentality and another idea of freedom of expression in the Russian context is a mere rhetorical trick of the ruling political forces to hide the lack of democratic commitment in Russia and to avoid criticism from the West. Whereas these 'ideological' reasons—or, at least, their historical necessity—can be rejected, 'practical' reasons for the small impact of European measures cannot be denied. When exclusively addressing those responsible in the Russian government, European organizations underestimate not only reluctance by the Russian authorities but also the complexity of the whole situation. Without a change of journalistic behavior and some institutions closely connected with the work of journalists—and, most notably, a comprehensive alteration of public opinion—it is improbable that the situation of the media will change in the future.
Orthodox Pluralism: Contours of Freedom of Religion in the Russian Federation and Strasbourg Jurisprudence
Authors: Hallinan Dara
Published: February 2013

This article takes as its principal question whether the Russian protection of freedom of religion in law and practice is compatible with the model created by Strasbourg jurisprudence. Considering freedom of religion as a keystone of the Strasbourg model of democracy and in light of increasing concern and uncertainty at democratic progress in the Russian Federation, the article attempts to isolate the realities of the situation in relation to this unique right. It considers both systems in law and their operation in a broader social context and finally considers issues of compatibility between them. In its conclusion, the author argues that, although the Russian Federation's legal framework establishes a similar model of protection to that of Strasbourg, this framework has been manipulated and diminished in importance by, and because of, extralegal relationships (particularly between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church) to the point where it is impossible to say that the systems are compatible. Further, the author suggests that the fact that these extralegal relationships can play such a role shows deep fissures in the rule of law in this area. This is indicative of wider problems relating to domestic rule of law generally and is therefore indicative of problems relating to foundational democratic principles.
The Legitimacy of the Bolshevik Order, 1917-1918: Language Usage in Revolutionary Russian Law
Authors: Borisova Tatiana Iu.
Published: February 2013

This article describes and analyzes the legislative politics of the revolutionary regimes in Russia in 1917-1918. The author aims to demonstrate the political meaning of the form of early Soviet legislation and its legitimizing effect. Revolutionary legislators often used specific language in new laws as a vehicle for legitimacy, i.e., as a means of making the people comply with those laws. The two main types of legal language used by the Bolsheviks can be interpreted from the perspective of different types of legitimacy. The revolutionary strategy used propagandistic legislation, written in the language of lay people, which urged them to act according to the new law. This can be seen as a request for the people to take certain actions and thus to legitimize the soviets. On the other hand, they also used the traditional strategy by employing old bureaucratic means of writing and distributing legislation to the local soviets. The language used by this strategy could not be easily understood by a lay audience and implied a tradition of obeying the law written in familiar legal language, which in turn implied rational/legal legitimacy. The second strategy had already become dominant after the first months of the Bolshevik Revolution. This observation demonstrates that, from the very beginning of their rule, Soviet leaders approached legislative policy from a technocratic point of view, which determined the further development of Soviet legal theory and practice.
Competing Paths of Regional Economic Integration in the Post-Soviet Space: Legal and Political Dilemmas for Ukraine
Authors: der Loo Guillaume Van , Elsuwege Peter Van
Published: February 2013

This contribution compares the different paths of regional economic integration in the post-Soviet space and analyzes their implications for Ukraine. First, it examines the legal framework of EU-Ukraine trade relations and the impact of the envisaged establishment of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). Second, the various initiatives of regional trade integration with Russia and other post-Soviet republics are scrutinized in light of Ukraine’s legal commitments towards the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the EU. It is argued that the establishment of a DCFTA with the European Union precludes Ukraine’s full participation in the Eurasian Economic Community and the customs union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Islamic Law in a Plural Context:The Struggle over Inheritance Law in Colonial West Sumatra
Authors: von Benda-Beckmann Franz , von Benda-Beckmann Keebet
Published: February 2013

Abstract

The paper deals with the historical dynamics of the struggle over inheritance law in West Sumatra under the colonial rule of the Dutch Indies. The Minangkabau in West Sumatra are an interesting example of legal pluralism in Muslim societies. Their adat (indigenous law and social organisation) of matrilineal heritage regulated kinship, group affiliation, inheritance of property, and succession to office. Since the sixteenth century they have been devout Muslims. Their history is characterised by dynamic transformations of the relationship between adat and Islam, and—since their incorporation into the colony of the Dutch East Indies in the early nineteenth century—with the state. The paper shows how these conflicts and negotiations produced different results in different arenas. The agreements reached in the political arena were usually different from the use of law in the decision-making processes of village and state courts, as were the actual practices of villagers in everyday property and inheritance affairs.
Authorized Lies: Colonial Agency and Legal Hybrids in Tashkent, c. 1881-1893
Authors: Sartori Paolo
Published: February 2013

Abstract

In this essay I reconstruct a conflict over the legitimacy of a waqf established in Tashkent in 1881. The litigation involved a qāḍī and the heirs of the founder of the endowment; Russian colonial authorities investigated the case. Looking, as they were, for an instance of qāḍī malpractice, the Russians sought recourse to legal concepts borrowed from sharīʿa and fabricated evidence as they saw fit. I draw on the idea of legal pluralism in order to highlight how, in Russian Central Asia, legal praxis inevitably embraced diverse conceptions of legality. I also show how locals were able to maneuver government officials into using procedures from various legal traditions and thus produce a legal hybrid.

Le présent article s’attache à reconstituer un contentieux touchant la légitimité d’un waqf établi à Tashkent en 1881. Le litige opposait un qāḍī aux héritiers du fondateur de la dotation; les autorités coloniales russes étaient en charge de l’enquête. Prompts à mettre en cause les qāḍī pour malversations à la moindre occasion, les Russes n’hésitaient pas à recourir à des notions juridiques empruntées à la sharīʿa, voire à forger des preuves au besoin. Mon analyse de cette affaire s’appuie sur la notion de pluralisme juridique, qui permet de mettre en évidence la coexistence, dans la justice telle qu’elle se pratiquait en Asie Centrale sous domination russe, de conceptions hétérogènes de la légalité. Cette étude révèle aussi le rôle des populations locales, et leur capacité à induire les fonctionnaires d’état à mettre en œuvre des procédures émanant de traditions différentes, au point de produire de véritables hybrides juridiques.
Legal Pluralism in Muslim-Majority Colonies: Mapping the Terrain
Authors: Sartori Paolo , Shahar Ido
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This essay aims to provide some analytical foundations for the study of legal pluralism in Muslim-majority colonies. Specifically, we contend that the incorporation of Islamic law into the colonial legal systems should be distinguished from the process of integration and codification of oral customs. As Islamic law constitutes a well-established legal system, based on written traditions and on elaborate institutions of learning and adjudication, its incorporation into the colonial legal system carried with it a number of implications. These are discussed, as are the tripartite relations that often emerge in Muslim-majority colonies between statutory laws, Islamic, and customary laws (ʿādat, ʿurf). The final section of the essay aims to present the articles included in this special issue and to place them within this broad context.

Le présent article vise à établir des fondements théoriques à l’étude du pluralisme juridique dans les colonies à majorité musulmane. Il insiste en particulier sur la nécessité qu’il y a à distinguer l’incorporation de la loi islamique aux systèmes juridiques coloniaux, du processus d’intégration et de codification du droit coutumier non écrit. La loi islamique constitue un système bien établi, fondé sur des traditions écrites et pourvu d’institutions de formation et d’exercice complexes. Son incorporation au sein du système juridique colonial a entraîné un certain nombre de conséquences spécifiques, qui sont analysées ici. Une attention particulière est en outre accordée aux relations triangulaires qui se font jour entre loi statutaire, loi islamique et droit coutumier (ʿādat, ʿurf) dans les colonies à majorité musulmane. Enfin, la dernière partie est consacrée à la présentation des articles réunis dans le numéro spécial dédié à ces enjeux.
Becoming Stranger: Defending the Ethics of Absolute Hospitality in a Potentially Hostile World
Authors: Mills-Knutsen Joshua
Published: February 2013

Richard Kearney describes Derrida’s ethics of absolute hospitality as a “fine lesson in tolerance but not necessarily moral judgment.” This paper takes on Kearney’s insistence that ethics requires at least minimal practical discernments of the approaching other in order to safeguard the self in a hostile world. By examining Derrida’s phenomenological investigation into hospitality and combining his conclusions with the ethical practices of desert nomads and ethical luminaries such as Gandhi, this paper unveils that ethics at its heart is a call to vulnerability. As such, any assertion of a power to judge the other is already a violation of the ethical call. Kearney’s search for an ethics of phronetic judgments, no matter how tentative, is challenged as ultimately a desire to eliminate the very vulnerability that makes us human.
“...An End and a Beginning...” Richard Kearney on Welcoming Divine Strangers and Writing Divine Words
Authors: Corbin Ian Marcus
Published: February 2013

How ought one talk about a God who is, strictly speaking, ineffable? Even further, how could one ever dare to speak with dogmatic authority about such a God? This essay takes up one recent exploration of these topics— Richard Kearney’s Anatheism: Returning to God After God. The essay argues that while Kearney expresses legitimate concerns about the ethical and epistemological pitfalls of what he calls “dogmatic theism,” these dangers are not equally present in all iterations of religious dogma. Further, in some instances dogma might even contribute to the project of hospitality to the Other that Kearney commends in Anatheism. Thus a finer hermeneutic is required, which could distinguish between dogmas that are dangerous and helpful, reckless and responsible.
Incarnate Experience and Keeping the Soul Ajar
Authors: Semonovitch Kascha
Published: February 2013

This essay offers a phenomenology of the new that entails hospitality and depends on an understanding of being as poetic; this poiesis is, per Jacques Derrida, hospitable, and per Maurice Merleau-Ponty, incarnate. This poiesis intertwines with aesthesis, as action and perception intertwine. Avoiding problems faced by both the materialist and idealist, Merleau-Ponty’s poetic phenomenology shows that perception always indicates a transcendent and vertical excess: the invisible lining of the visible. Two poems which speak of the human hosting the divine Stranger, one by George Herbert and one by Emily Dickinson, illustrate this poetic and incarnate hospitality, which permits the appearance of the divine other.
Islamic Images of Isa/Jesus in the Chester Beatty Manuscript Collection: Visual Art as Framework for Comparative Christology
Authors: Perkins Miriam Y.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Textual analysis has served as a paradigmatic approach to comparative theology for some time while analysis through artistic and visual media has received less attention. Most approaches to comparative theology rely on textual comparison of sacred texts. However, visual art is also a compelling way to engage in comparative theology and specifically comparative Christology. To demonstrate the power of visual art as a tool for comparative theology, I draw upon two recently published sixteenth-century Islamic images of Isa/Jesus from the Chester Beatty manuscript collection to illustrate how artwork can structure the work of comparative Christology by providing an entry point into Islam’s aesthetic tradition and relevant sacred texts. Paul Ricoeur’s theory of textual interpretation provides a theoretical framework, and I draw upon and extend his theory to describe the way visual art can initiate the interpretive process and move us through explanation toward understanding of another religious tradition, which in turn has the potential to transform theological reflection and generate theological insight.
The Thin Red Line between Indentured and Bonded Labour: Javanese Workers in New Caledonia in the Early 20th Century
Authors: Maurer Jean-Luc
Published: February 2013

This short article presents a relatively unknown historical experience of indentured labour having seen thousands of Javanese workers being sent from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of WWII by the colonial authorities of the Netherlands Indies to New Caledonia, a French colony in the south-west Pacific. Being drawn from a comprehensive study of historical sociology written in French and published in 2006, it summarises the reasons behind this odd labour migration movement and focuses on the recruitment and working conditions of these indentured labourers. Its main argument is to show that there are many points of comparison between past and present forms of labour migration and that one finds some elements of bondage in both of them, the red line being therefore very thin indeed between indentured labour of the colonial period and present day globalisation migrant workers recruitment and employment practices.
A New Portrait of Indentured Labour: Vietnamese Labour Migration to Malaysia
Authors: Thu Huong Lê
Published: February 2013

This paper discusses the recruitment procedure and the gradual loss of autonomy of low-skilled migrant workers in international labour migration, by using the example of Vietnamese workers’ trajectories to Malaysia. It argues that debates on indentured labour and all other forms of bonded labour remain relevant today as new manifestations of the practice are now concealed behind extensive economic exchanges and inter-state economic cooperation. A detailed study of the process of Vietnamese labour migration shows how migratory trajectories that start from ‘voluntary’ indebtedness eventually lead to a status of subordinate and immobilised guest workers in Malaysia. The interrelations between debt and contracts play here a central role. Encouraged by the promising messages of local recruiters and the official support for migration, candidate workers readily consent to sign the triple contracts that will lead them to work in Malaysia. In the process, they gradually get entangled in a web of obligations towards their recruiter, their state (bank) and their employer, leading to severe restrictions in their autonomy over life and work in Malaysia.
Migrant Labour and the Politics of Immobilisation: Cambodian Fishermen in Thailand
Authors: Derks Annuska
Published: February 2013

Cambodian migrant workers in the Thai fishing industry are increasingly portrayed as the new ‘victims of trafficking’ and as ‘sea slaves’ who are ‘forced to fish,’ but are at the same time considered to be unruly and mobile workers who squander their earnings. Instead of being a result of separate migration streams or distinct groups of migrants, this article shows that these contradictions are inherent to the processes in which essentially mobile workers are immobilised at the place of destination. These immobilisation processes take place at different levels and should be understood in relation to the specificities of work in the fishing sector in general as well as the particular (migrant) labour system that has developed in certain sectors of the Thai labour market, leading to the creation of a flexible, disposable workforce that is bound to the work on Thai fishing vessels.
Anthropology in Southeast Asia: National Traditions and Transnational Practices
Authors: Thompson Eric C.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Over several generations, since the mid-20th century, anthropology has become an established academic discipline throughout much of Southeast Asia. Academic anthropology in Southeast Asia is emerging as a scholarly practice driven increasingly by local initiatives and dynamics, though still maintaining ties to global academic networks. The purpose of this article is to contribute to an assessment and understanding of the national traditions and transnational practices of anthropology in Southeast Asia through a comparative perspective. I focus on four national traditions — those of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. While providing a comprehensive account of these diverse traditions and practices is not possible in the space of a single article, I attend to four significant issues relevant to the current state of anthropology across the region. First, I compare the emergent national traditions of the four countries, focusing on the transnational conditions shaping their development, particularly in the late colonial and early post-colonial period (i.e., the mid-20th century). Second, I compare the structuring of anthropological selves and others across these traditions, which shapes the ways in which anthropologists see their work and the people they write about. Third, I discuss ways in which localised anthropological practice can and should contribute to theory building by way of grounded theory and critical translation projects. And finally, I conclude by examining emergent transnational linkages and practices, which suggest current directions that anthropology is taking in the region. While only a partial of narrative anthropology in Southeast Asia, this article is a provocation to think beyond both the older dynamics of the-West-versus-the-rest and the newer constraints of methodological nationalism in anthropologists’ on-going efforts to build a vital and valuable discipline.