bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SCANNING THE GENOME FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION LOCI
Authors: Morris Brian J. , Griffiths Lyn R.
Published: June 2007

1. Essential hypertension occurs in people with an underlying genetic predisposition who subject themselves to adverse environmental influences. The number of genes involved is unknown, as is the extent to which each contributes to final blood pressure and the severity of the disease.

2. In the past, studies of potential candidate genes have been performed by association (case‐control) analysis of unrelated individuals or linkage (pedigree or sibpair) analysis of families. These studies have resulted in several positive findings but, as one may expect, also an enormous number of negative results.

3. In order to uncover the major genetic loci for essential hypertension, it is proposed that scanning the genome systematically in 100–200 affected sibships should prove successful.

4. This involves genotyping sets of hypertensive sibships to determine their complement of several hundred microsatellite polymorphisms. Those that are highly informative, by having a high heterozygosity, are most suitable. Also, the markers need to be spaced sufficiently evenly across the genome so as to ensure adequate coverage.

5. Tests are performed to determine increased segregation of alleles of each marker with hypertension. The analytical tools involve specialized statistical programs that can detect such differences. Non‐parametric multipoint analysis is an appropriate approach.

6. In this way, loci for essential hypertension are beginning to emerge.
BRADYKININ MEDIATES MYOCARDIAL ISCHAEMIC PRECONDITIONING AGAINST FREE RADICAL INJURY IN GUINEA‐PIG ISOLATED HEART
Authors: Jin Zhu‐Qiu , Chen Xiu
Published: June 2007

1. Myocardial ischaemic preconditioning (IP) against free radical injury and its possible mediator(s) was investigated in a Langendorff‐perfused guinea‐pig heart.

2. l,l‐Diphenyl‐2‐picryl‐hydrazyl (DPPH) was used for triggering free radical injury in cardiac tissue. It reduced left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), +dp/dtmax, heart rate (HR) and coronary flow (CF) and increased thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS) in cardiac tissue.

3. Ischaemic preconditioning (5min global ischaemia and 5min reperfusion) exerted cardioprotection against DPPH‐induced functional impairment, with significant improvement in LVDP, +dp/dtmax, HR and CF. The formation of TBARS in cardiac tissue was reduced. Blockade of bradykinin (BK) B2 receptors with icatibant (HOE 140) abolished the cardioprotective effects of IP.

4. Bradykinin (10−7 mol/L) perfusion for 10 min protected the heart against free radical injury. The cardioprotection induced by BK was reversed by HOE 140.

5. Pretreatment with IP and BK results in cardiac protection against free radical injury through the activation of Bi receptors. Endogenously generated BK may mediate IP in the guinea‐pig heart.
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FIBRILLATING ATRIUM: IMPLICATIONS FOR THERAPY
Authors: Tse Hung‐Fat , Lau Chu‐Pak
Published: June 2007

1. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly occurring cardiac dysrhythmia and remains a challenge to medical therapy. Although the disorder has been recognized for over 100 years, surprisingly very little is understood about its pathophysiology. Over the past decade, a variety of experimental and animal models of AF have been developed and these have provided insights into the mechanism of AF.

2. The pathophysiology of AF is complex. Atrial fibrillation can be caused either by a single source of very rapid impulses or, in the majority of cases, by multiple random re‐entering wavelets. The notion that AF may be initiated by a single rapid firing focus and the perpetuation of AF may be partly dependent on macro re‐entry around the natural atrial orifices provides a new potential curative therapy for AF by radiofrequency ablation.

3. Shortening of atrial wavelength, either by slow atrial conduction velocities, short atrial refractory periods or both, seems to predispose to development of intra‐atrial re‐entry and, thus, AF. The functional mechanism by which anti‐arrhythmic drugs terminate AF appears to be by prolonging the wavelength and decreasing the number of re‐entry wavelets. These understandings are important for the future development of effective anti‐arrhythmic agents against AF.

4. The presence of a short and variable excitable gap during AF may be potentially important for termination of AF by pacing.

5. New insights are being gained into the potential role and mechanism of electrical remodelling of the atrium due to AF. Repeated induction of AF by rapid atrial pacing leads to a shortening of atrial refractoriness with loss of rate adaptation, which favours the induction and maintenance of AF. These electrophysiological changes were assumed to occur during repeated AF and to facilitate the generation of multiple re‐entrant wavelets. These data suggest that prompt restoration of sinus rhythm and new novel therapy that prevents or diminishes electrical remodelling may promote maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful cardioversion.
ELECTRICAL BASIS OF PERISTALSIS IN THE MAMMALIAN UPPER URINARY TRACT
Authors: Lang RJ , Exintaris B , Teele ME , Harvey J , Klemm MF
Published: June 2007

1. Peristalsis in the mammalian upper urinary tract (UUT) is mostly myogenic in origin, originating predominately in the proximal pelvicalyceal regions of the renal pelvis, an area that is enriched with specialized smooth muscle cells termed ‘atypical’ smooth muscle cells. Propagating peristaltic contractions are little affected by blockers of either autonomic nerve function or nerve impulse propagation; however, blockers of sensory nerve function or prostaglandin synthesis reduce both the frequency and the strength of the spontaneous contractions underlying peristalsis.

2. The electrical drive for these peristaltic contractions has long been considered to involve mechanisms analogous to the heart, such that ‘atypical’ smooth muscle cells generate spontaneous ‘pacemaker’ action potentials. These pacemaker potentials trigger the firing of action potentials and contraction in the muscular regions of the renal pelvis, which propagate distally to the ureter, propelling urine towards the bladder.

3. Recent intracellular microelectrode and single cell/channel patch‐clamp studies have revealed that the ionic conductances underlying the action potentials recorded in the UUT are likely to involve the opening and slow closure of voltage‐activated ‘L‐type’ Ca2+ channels, offset by the time‐dependent opening and closure of both voltage‐ and Ca2+‐activated K+ channels.

4. In the present review we summarize the current knowledge of the ionic mechanisms underlying action potential discharge in the UUT, as well as present our view on how this electrical activity supports the initiation and conduction of UUT peristalsis.
VASORELAXANT EFFECTS OF SCA40 (A PHOSPHODIESTERASE III INHIBITOR) IN PULMONARY VASCULAR PREPARATIONS IN RATS
Authors: Crilley Trina K , Wanstall Janet C , Bonnet Pierre‐Antoine
Published: June 2007

1. The novel phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor SCA40 (6‐bromo‐8(methylamino)imidazo[1,2‐α]pyrazine‐2‐carbo‐nitrile) was examined for its vasorelaxant activity on isolated pulmonary vascular preparations from rats.

2. SCA40 relaxed ring preparations of main and intralobar pulmonary artery precontracted submaximally with either phenylephrine or U46619 (thromboxane‐mimetic). Based on negative log EC50 values, SCA40 was six‐ to 14‐fold more potent than the PDE III inhibitor milrinone or the non‐selective PDE inhibitor 3‐isobutyl‐1‐methyI xanthine (IBMX). The potency of SCA40 corresponded to its reported potency as a PDE III inhibitor.

3. In isolated perfused lungs, SCA40 reversed the vasoconstriction induced by alveolar hypoxia. It was 49‐fold more potent than IBMX.

4. In main pulmonary artery the vasorelaxation induced by SCA40 was not blocked by the large‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channel (BKca) inhibitors iberiotoxin (50 and 100nmoI/L) or charybdotoxin (100 and 300nmol/L). This was in contrast to data on guinea‐pig trachea, where responses to SCA40 were significantly inhibited by charybdotoxin (100nmol/L).

5. It is concluded that opening of BKca channels does not contribute to the pulmonary vasorelaxant effects of SCA40 in main pulmonary artery and it is likely that responses reflect the PDE III inhibitory properties of the drug.

6. It is postulated that SCA40 may be useful as a pulmonary vasodilator in disorders such as pulmonary hypertension.
Multi‐drug resistance 1 polymorphism is associated with reduced risk of gastric cancer in the Japanese population
Authors: Tahara Tomomitsu , Arisawa Tomiyasu , Shibata Tomoyuki , Hirata Ichiro , Nakano Hiroshi
Published: June 2007

Background and Aims:  Host genetic factors play a key role in gastric carcinogenesis, but the mechanism has not been clarified. The multi‐drug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene mediates the expression of P‐glycoprotein, which has a role in active transport of various substrates, including xenobiotics, and thus has a protective function in various tissues and organs like gastrointestinal epithelial cells. C3435T polymorphism in exon 26 of the MDR1 gene influences P‐glycoprotein expression and activity in the gastrointestinal tract. We investigated the influences of MDR1 gene polymorphism on the risk of gastric cancer.

Method:  The study was performed on 157 patients with gastric cancer (GC) and 104 patients without GC as the control group. C3435T polymorphism of MDR1 was investigated by PCR‐RFLP in all of the patients.

Results:  The MDR1 3435 TT genotype showed a significantly higher frequency in controls than in GC patients (OR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.23–0.79). There were no significant differences of the CT and CC genotype frequencies between GC patients and controls. We also found that the 3435TT genotype of MDR1 was associated with a lower risk of non‐cardiac cancer (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.23–0.79), middle‐third cancer (OR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17–0.77), advanced cancer (OR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.13–0.73), venous invasion (OR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.10–0.91), and lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.13–0.65).

Conclusion:  Our data suggest that 3435T/T polymorphism of MDR1 is associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer in the Japanese population.
Recurrence risk in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A study of parental knowledge
Authors: Whitelaw Charlotte , Flett Peter , Amor David J
Published: June 2007

Aim:  To describe recurrence risk information currently being obtained by families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Methods:  Structured telephone interview of parents of 21 children who received a diagnosis of ASD at Calvary Health Care Tasmania, Hobart, Australia between May 2005 and May 2006.

Results:  Only one of the 21 parents knew their true recurrence risk. Many overestimated their risk substantially, and in four cases this had led to a decision against increasing family size. Eleven parents said they had received no information about recurrence risk, and only one cited medical practitioners as a source of information about recurrence risk.

Conclusion:  Current provision of information about recurrence risk to families affected by ASD is inadequate.
Characteristics of travel to and from school among adolescents in NSW, Australia
Authors: Booth Michael L , Okely Anthony D , Denney‐Wilson Elizabeth , Hardy Louise L , Dobbins Timothy , Wen Li‐Ming , Rissel Christopher
Published: June 2007

Aim:  Active transport to and from school is frequently identified as an opportunity to increase energy expenditure among young people. The epidemiology of travel behaviours among Grade 6, 8 and 10 students in NSW is reported.

Methods:  A representative population survey of students in NSW, Australia was conducted during February to May 2004 (n = 2750) and the prevalence of travelling to and from school by walking, car and public transport was determined for Grade 6, 8 and 10 students.

Results:  Among Grade 6 students, approximately 30% travelled by car, 30% walked and 20% used public transport to travel to school (the travel habits of 20% could not be accurately characterised). Among secondary school students, approximately 50% used public transport, 15–20% travelled by car and 15–20% walked. Among those who walked or used public transport, the median times spent walking were 10–15 min and 5 min per trip, respectively.

Conclusions:  While there is little scope to increase the prevalence of active transport among secondary school students, there is potential to do so among primary school students. Primary school students who replace travelling to and from school by car with walking will experience an increase in activity energy expenditure of up to 10% and those who change to public transport will experience an increase in activity energy expenditure of up to 3%.
Over‐the‐counter medication use for childhood fever: A cross‐sectional study of Australian parents
Authors: Walsh Anne , Edwards Helen , Fraser Jenny
Published: June 2007

Aim:  To report Australian parents’ medication (paracetamol, ibuprofen and homeopathic) use in childhood fever management.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional survey of 401 Queensland parents of children aged between 6 months and 5 years recruited through advertising (48.4%), face‐to‐face (26.4%) and snowball (24.4%) methods was conducted. A 17‐item instrument was developed; construct and content validity were determined by an expert panel; and item reliability by test–retest with nine parents. Areas targeted were medication use and influences on and barriers to medication use.

Results:  Most participants were female, had tertiary education and lived in a major city (mean age 34.6 years). Reducing children’s fever with over‐the‐counter medications was common (91%): 94% of parents reported using paracetamol and 77% reported using ibuprofen. A few (3.7%) used homeopathic remedies. Dosage was determined by weight (86.3%), age (84.3%), temperature (32.4%), illness severity (31.4%) and lethargy (20.9%). Frequency was determined by instructions on the medication label (55.3%), temperature (40.6%) and well‐being (27.7%). Ibuprofen was administered too frequently by 31.5% (four hourly by 22.8%), and paracetamol by 3.8%. Fifty‐two per cent had alternated medications, 65.8% of these for temperatures below 38.5°C. Decisions to alternate were influenced by information from doctors/hospitals (49.5%) and children remaining febrile post‐antipyretic (41.7%). Most parents reported over‐the‐counter medications as potentially harmful (73.2%), citing liver (38.2%), stomach (26.4%) and kidney (18.6%) damage and overdose (35.7%) as concerns. When medications were refused or spat out (44.0%), parents used force (62.4%), different methods (29.5%) or suppositories (20.8%).

Conclusions:  Most parents used over‐the‐counter medications to reduce fever, often below 38.5°C. The belief that these medications were harmful was overridden by fears of harmful outcomes from fever.
CLINICAL AUDITS: WHY AND FOR WHOM
Authors: Boult Margaret , Maddern Guy J
Published: June 2007

Every surgical activity poses some element of risk to the public and should include a quality control initiative. Surgical audit is one strategy used to maintain and/or improve standards in surgical care. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is committed to ensuring best practice in surgical care and strongly endorses the use of audits to achieve this. This review provides an overview of clinical audit and its role in surgical practice.
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF LUDWIG’S ANGINA
Authors: Greenberg Simon L. L. , Huang Johnson , Chang Robert S. K. , Ananda Subramaniam N.
Published: June 2007

Background:  Ludwig’s angina (LA) is a dangerous surgical condition that can cause severe airway compromise and death. There is controversy regarding the best way to manage the airway of patients with LA. Options range from conservative management involving close observation and i.v. antibiotics to airway intervention, including tracheostomy and endotracheal intubation using fibre‐optic nasendoscopy. We present evidence supporting a role for conservative airway management in a select subset of patients.

Methods:  This paper reviews 9 years’ experience of treating patients with LA at Liverpool Hospital.

Results:  Twenty‐one out of 29 (72%) of our patients were treated conservatively following initial clinical assessment. One of these patients subsequently deteriorated requiring emergency intubation. Of those treated non‐conservatively at initial presentation, seven patients were able to be intubated using fibre‐optic nasoendoscopy and one patient required tracheostomy under local anaesthesia.

Conclusion:  A general discussion of issues related to the management of LA is presented. Based on our experience we conclude that there is a subset of patients with LA who can be managed safely with conservative management.
RECTAL ENDOMETRIOSIS: RESULTS OF RADICAL EXCISION AND REVIEW OF PUBLISHED WORK
Authors: Brouwer Richard , Woods Rodney J.
Published: June 2007

Background:  The aim of this paper is to review the results of surgical excision of rectal endometriosis and review the published work on this challenging condition.

Methods:  All cases of endometriosis involving the rectum treated by a single colorectal surgeon were identified from a prospective database and the results reviewed.

Results:  Between 1995 and 2005, 213 rectal procedures were carried out on 203 patients together with an endogynaecologist. Eighteen cases involved dissection of endometriosis off the rectal wall, 58 involved full‐thickness excision of the anterior rectal wall and 137 segmental excisions of the rectum were carried out. A loop ileostomy was required in 7 (5%) of the segmental resections. Seventy‐five per cent of the cases were either laparoscopic or laparoscopically assisted. Infertility was significantly more common in the group requiring a segmental resection (P = 0.026) and a history of rectal pain during defecation more common in patients having dissection of endometriosis off the rectal wall (P = 0.031). There were no other significant differences between the different types of rectal surgery. The morbidity for all rectal procedures was 7% and there was one anastomotic leak in the segmental resection group. The actuarial rectal recurrence rate of endometriosis was 22.2% 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.5, 42.0) for dissection off the rectal wall and this was significantly different from the recurrence of 5.17% 95%CI (0.0, 10.9) for anterior rectal wall excision and 2.19% 95%CI (0.0, 4.6) for segmental rectal resection (P = 0.007). The overall rectal recurrence for all cases was 4.69% 95%CI (1.8, 7.5).

Conclusion:  Endometriosis of the rectum can be successfully treated with low morbidity and low recurrence rates by excising the disease as completely as possible using full‐thickness excision of the anterior rectal wall or segmental resection of the rectum.
CUMULATIVE SUM TECHNIQUES FOR SURGEONS: A BRIEF REVIEW
Authors: Yap Cheng‐Hon , Colson Mark E. , Watters David A.
Published: June 2007

There has been increasing awareness of the need for monitoring the quality of health care, particularly in the area of surgery. The Cumulative Summation (Cusum) techniques have emerged as a popular tool for performance monitoring in surgery. They allow one to judge whether a given variation in performance is probably due to chance or greater than could be expected from random variation and thus a cause for concern. The Cusum techniques are simple to carry out and can be applied to any surgical process with a binary outcome. Four parameters need to be set in advance: acceptable outcome rate, unacceptable outcome rate, Type I and Type II error rates. In this article, we review the history, statistical methods and potential applications for the Cusum techniques in the field of surgery and illustrate the two common forms of charting (cumulative failure and Cusum charting) by using unadjusted outcome data from the Geelong Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital cardiac surgery databases.
TIME TO CUSUM: SIMPLIFIED REPORTING OF OUTCOMES IN COLORECTAL SURGERY
Authors: Bowles Thomas A , Watters David A
Published: June 2007

Surgical audit has added value when outcomes can be compared and individual surgeons receive feedback. It is expected that surgeons compare their results with others in similar local practice, the published work, or peers from a craft group audit. Although feedback and comparison are worthy aims, for many surgeons the standards have not been agreed nor is there a craft group audit. The aim of this paper was to develop a reporting format for surgeons carrying out colorectal surgery in a regional hospital. The performance of 13 individual surgeons was analysed using a comprehensive colorectal audit with more than 600 cases. Feedback included caseload and type. Risk stratification of outcomes included; operation urgency, age and Physiological and Operative Severity Score for enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity. Outcome measures were anastomotic leaks, end stoma rates, unplanned reoperations and mortality. Visual feedback included cumulative summation graphs for elective leaks, mortality and unplanned reoperations. A single A4 page of an individuals performance could be prepared that allowed comparison to the groups data overall. Alerts were set at 2–5% elective leaks, 4–7.5% mortality and 4–11% unplanned return to theatre. Cumulative summation graphs added to this allowed a visual guide to the key performance indicators. Surgeons need to determine how they will review their individual and collective results. These are equally important to the reported work. Detailed analysis of risk‐stratified data should occur. Binary outcomes such as leak, mortality and unplanned reoperations may be followed by cumulative summation graphs. This provides a continually updated method of feedback, enabling immediate visual feedback of a surgeon’s performance.
A NEW SURGICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME
Authors: Collins John P. , Gough Ian R. , Civil Ian D. , Stitz Russell W.
Published: June 2007

Educating and training tomorrow’s surgeons has evolved to become a sophisticated and expensive exercise involving a wide range of learning methods, opportunities and stakeholders. Several factors influence this process, prompting those who provide such programmes to identify these important considerations and develop and implement appropriate responses. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons embarked on this course of action in 2005, the outcome of which is the new Surgical Education and Training programme with the first intake to be selected in 2007 and commence training in 2008. The new programme is competency based and shorter than any designed previously. Implicitly, it recognizes in the curriculum and assessment development and processes, the nine roles and their underpinning competencies identified as essential for a surgeon. It is an evolution of the previous programme retaining that which has been found to be satisfactory. There will be one episode of selection directly into the candidate’s specialty of choice and those accepted will progress in an integrated and seamless fashion, provided they meet the clinical and educational requirements of each year. The curriculum and assessment in the basic sciences include both generic and specially aligned components from the commencement of training in each of the nine surgical specialties. Born of necessity and developed through extensive research, discussion and consensus, the implementation of this programme will involve many challenges, particularly during the transition period. Through cooperation, commitment and partnerships, a more efficient and better outcome will be achieved for trainees, their trainers and their patients.
Civic Knowledge of High School Students in Israel: Personal and Contextual Determinants
Authors: Ichilov Orit
Published: June 2007

Past research on civic education suggests that students' performance is largely influenced by individual socioeconomic background and motivational factors. There has been little attention to the effects of school and classroom ideological and social attributes, such as the socioeconomic make‐up of the school or classroom, or how interested in politics are a student's classmates. The results of the present study support the contention that contextual effects play a vital role in determining students' civic knowledge scores. Analysis of Israeli 11thgraders' performance on the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) civic knowledge test shows that while individual backgrounds and motivations play a significant role, school and classroom contexts greatly contribute to civic knowledge acquisition.
Correlated Binary Variables and Multi‐level Probability Assessments
Authors: PAPATHOMAS MICHAIL
Published: June 2007

Abstract. We introduce a fully parametric approach for updating beliefs regarding correlated binary variables, after marginal probability assessments based on information of varying quality are provided by an expert. This approach allows for the calculation of a predictive joint density for future assessments. The proposed methodology offers new insight into the parameters that control the dependence of the binary variables, and the relation of these parameters to the joint density of the probability assessments. A comprehensible elicitation procedure for the model parameters is put forward. The approach taken is motivated and illustrated through a practical application.
Bootstrap Bandwidth Selection Using anh‐Dependent Pilot Bandwidth
Authors: CHACÓN JOSÉ E. , MONTANERO JESÚS , NOGALES AGUSTÍN G.
Published: June 2007

Abstract. The problem of choosing the bandwidthhfor kernel density estimation is considered. All the plug‐in‐type bandwidth selection methods require the use of a pilot bandwidthg. The usual way to make anh‐dependent choice ofgis by obtaining their asymptotic expressions separately and solving the two equations. In contrast, we obtain the asymptotically optimal value ofgfor everyfixed h, thus making our selection ‘less asymptotic’. Exact error expressions show that some usually assumed hypotheses have to be discarded in the asymptotic study in this case. Two versions of a new bandwidth selector based on this idea are proposed, and their properties are analysed through theoretical results and a simulation study.
Dispersal patterns, social structure and mortality of wolves living in agricultural habitats in Spain
Authors: Blanco J. C. , Cortés Y.
Published: June 2007

WolfCanis lupusdispersal, social structure and mortality have been extensively studied in natural and semi‐natural areas of North America and northern Europe but have never been assessed in agricultural areas. From 1997 to 2004, 14 wolves (11 in a wolf‐saturated area and three in a low‐density area) were radio‐collared with long‐lasting transmitters in a Spanish agricultural area containing a high‐human‐population density, a dense network of roads and a shortage of wild ungulates. The wolves mainly feed on an overabundance of livestock carrion. Nine wolves (one of them, three times) dispersed during the study period. The mean age and distance of natal dispersal were 24.8 months and 32 km. The natal dispersal period was much longer in wolves radio‐collared in the saturated area (mean >14.6 months) than in the low‐density area (<1 month). All three of the dispersers living in the low‐density area, and two of the six dispersers in the saturated area settled and bred during the study. The average tenure of six breeders was 4.5 years. The radio‐collared wolves spent 72% of the monitoring time living in packs and the rest living in pairs, as dispersers or as peripheral wolves, but the percentage of loners was much higher in the saturated (33.5%) than in the low density (1.6%) areas. The overall annual mortality was 18% (lower than in most populations studied in less modified habitats), but lone wolves had a significantly higher mortality than members of packs and pairs. Nine wolves died during the study, none of them due to natural causes. In general, our results are very similar to those obtained in less modified habitats, except for the dispersal distance, which was much shorter than in other studies. We suggest that barriers and habitat constraints may reduce dispersal distances in our study area.
Activation of cholecystokinin neurons in the dorsal pallium of the telencephalon is indispensable for the acquisition of chick imprinting behavior
Authors: Maekawa Fumihiko , Nakamori Tomoharu , Uchimura Motoaki , Fujiwara Ken , Yada Toshihiko , Tsukahara Shinji , Kanamatsu Tomoyuki , Tanaka Kohichi , Ohki‐Hamazaki Hiroko
Published: June 2007

Chick imprinting behavior is a good model for the study of learning and memory. Imprinting object is recognized and processed in the visual wulst, and the memory is stored in the intermediate medial mesopallium in the dorsal pallium of the telencephalon. We identified chicken cholecystokinin (CCK)‐expressing cells localized in these area. The number of CCK mRNA‐positive cells increased in chicks underwent imprinting training, and these cells expressed nuclear Fos immunoreactivity at high frequency in these regions. Most of these CCK‐positive cells were glutamatergic and negative for parvalbumin immunoreactivity. Semi‐quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the CCK mRNA levels were significantly increased in the trained chicks compared with untrained chicks. In contrast, the increase in CCK‐ and c‐Fos‐double‐positive cells associated with the training was not observed after closure of the critical period. These results indicate that CCK cells in the dorsal pallium are activated acutely by visual training that can elicit imprinting. In addition, the CCK receptor antagonist significantly suppressed the acquisition of memory. These results suggest that the activation of CCK cells in the visual wulst as well as in the intermediate medial mesopallium by visual stimuli is indispensable for the acquisition of visual imprinting.
Activation of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 by calpains contributes to human immunodeficiency virus‐induced neurotoxicity
Authors: Wang Ying , White Michael G. , Akay Cagla , Chodroff Rebecca A. , Robinson Jonathan , Lindl Kathryn A. , Dichter Marc A. , Qian Yang , Mao Zixu , Kolson Dennis L. , Jordan‐Sciutto Kelly L.
Published: June 2007

Although the specific mechanism of neuronal damage in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ‐associated dementia is not known, a prominent role for NMDA receptor (NMDAR)‐induced excitotoxicity has been demonstrated in neurons exposed to HIV‐infected/activated macrophages. We hypothesized NMDAR‐mediated activation of the calcium‐dependent protease, calpain, would contribute to cell death by induction of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) activity. Using an in vitro model of HIV neurotoxicity, in which primary rat cortical cultures are exposed to supernatants from primary human HIV‐infected macrophages, we have observed increased calpain‐dependent cleavage of the CDK5 regulatory subunit, p35, to the constitutively active isoform, p25. Formation of p25 is dependent upon NMDAR activation and calpain activity and is coincident with increased CDK5 activity in this model. Further, inhibition of CDK5 by roscovitine provided neuroprotection in our in vitro model. Consistent with our observations in vitro, we have observed a significant increase in calpain activity and p25 levels in midfrontal cortex of patients infected with HIV, particularly those with HIV‐associated cognitive impairment. Taken together, our data suggest calpain activation of CDK5, a pathway activated in HIV‐infected individuals, can mediate neuronal damage and death in a model of HIV‐induced neurotoxicity.
South Africa and American Jazz: Towards a Polyphonic Historiography
Authors: Muller Carol
Published: June 2007

This article provides an overview of issues pertaining to the creation of a global jazz historiography, with particular focus on the South African case study. It outlines challenges inherent in thinking globally about jazz; reflects on these issues in relation to the South Africa case; provides an overview of the state of South African jazz research and scholarship; and concludes with a discussion of a democratic and globally imagined agenda for South African historiography.
On the Eastern Borderlands of Iran: The Baluch in Nineteenth‐Century Persian Travel Books
Authors: Khazeni Arash
Published: June 2007

During the late nineteenth century, as Iran’s eastern borderlands were being demarcated, Persian officials and administrators from the reigning Qajar Dynasty traveled to the eastern frontier province of Baluchistan to survey its land, people, and culture. Through the writing of travel books (safarnama) they depicted the cultural differences and ethnicities on the periphery of Iran. Travel narratives attempted to define and make coherent the diverse terrains, identities, and cultures on Iran’s frontiers. Based on a reading of a number of neglected safarnama on the province of Baluchistan, this article explores Qajar imperial perceptions of Iran’s eastern borderlands. At the heart of these perceptions of the frontier was the ethnic identity of the Baluch tribes, an autonomous nomadic population on the edge of the empire. Following a discussion of a number of travel books on Baluchistan written between the 1860s and 1890s, this article will detail the four‐month journey of Firuz Mirza Farman Farma (1817–86), the Qajar provincial governor of Kirman and Baluchistan, on the frontier in 1880. Through the travel book of Farman Farma, Safarnama‐yi Kirman wa Baluchistan, we are given a view of environment, ethnicity, and culture on the eastern Iranian frontier.
Family involvement in end‐of‐life care in a paediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Longden Jennifer V , Mayer Anton‐Paul T
Published: June 2007

End‐of‐life care (ELC) on a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a fundamental aspect of clinical practice and yet often remains a highly emotive and challenging issue. Every year, many children die in PICU often following the withdrawal of life‐sustaining treatment, and as health professionals we have a duty to provide ELC that meets the needs of the dying child and their family. To achieve this, there is a growing emphasis on incorporating parental views on withdrawal of intensive care especially in time and place. Home care of the dying child enables the child to die at home in familiar surroundings and with the people who love them the most. This service is essentially child centred and acknowledges the unique and pivotal position that parents have in their child’s life by empowering them to have control over the time and place of death. This is a vitally important aspect of end‐of‐life in PICU and underpins the ethos of this area of practice. We present a series of case reviews of patients cared for within a 12‐month period, where intensive care was withdrawn distant from the PICU environment and address the challenges and considerations surrounding this area of practice.
Does the Surgeon’s Experience Impact on Radiocephalic Fistula Patency Rates?
Authors: Fassiadis Nicholas , Morsy Mohamed , Siva Mayooran , Marsh James E. , Makanjuola A. David , Chemla Eric S.
Published: June 2007

Establishing successful long‐term hemodialysis access remains a major challenge. The primary aims of this study were to determine whether primary success and primary and secondary patency rates of a series of consecutive radio‐cephalic fistulae (RCF) were affected by the experience of the surgeon. The secondary aims were to assess complications, and to compare results with patency rates from the literature. All native fistulae (AVF) created in our unit between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. The RCF were identified and divided into group A (RCF fashioned by the consultant surgeon), and group B (fashioned by the junior surgeons within the unit). Demographic characteristics, risk factors, primary success rate (patent fistula at discharge), and primary and secondary patency rates were compared between each group using chi‐squared test. During this period, 552 AVF were created. Of the 195 RCF, there were 153 fistulae in group A and 42 in group B. Median follow‐up was 22 months for both groups. There was no difference with regards to age, sex ratio, prevalence of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The primary success rate in group A and B was 94.2% and 81%, respectively (p < 0.01). Primary and secondary patency rates at 22 months were 80%, 93%* and 74%, 81%* in group A and B, respectively (*p < 0.025). Even within group B, these results compare very favorably with the published literature. These results suggest that the placement of a RCF should be performed by the most experienced member of a team dedicated to vascular access creation or at least under his supervision.
Inadequate Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Bouchard Josée , Madore François
Published: June 2007

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is highly prevalent in patients on renal replacement therapy and is a leading cause of death in such patients. Several studies suggest that therapeutic agents for the treatment of CHF, particularly angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta‐blockers, are underused in end‐stage renal disease patients with CHF. Although limited data are available, growing evidence suggests that therapeutic agents for CHF improve survival and are safe to use, assuming close monitoring of adverse events. The reluctance of physicians in prescribing these therapeutic agents and the reasons underlying the inconsistent use of these agents in the dialysis population need to be addressed.
Implications of Cognitive Impairment for the Treatment of Alcoholism
Authors: McCrady Barbara S. , Smith Delia E.
Published: June 2007

Recent findings are summarized on neuropsychological deficits among alcoholics, recovery of neuropsychological functioning, and the relationships between neuropsychological functioning and the outcomes of alcoholism treatment It is suggested that alcoholism treatment programs be modified for neuropsychologicalty impaired patients. Specific recommendations are made for modified treatment approaches, as well as for research studies in the area of treatment for neuropsychotogically impaired alcoholics.
Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation as a Treatment for Anxiety in Chemically Dependent Persons
Authors: Schmitt Richard , Capo Thomas , Boyd EMn
Published: June 2007

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is reported to be an effective treatment for anxiety, a major presenting symptom among chemically dependent patients. In this study, 40 inpatient alcohol and/or poly‐drug users were given CES or sham CES in a double blind design. An additional 20 patients served as normal hospital routine controls. Dependent measures of anxiety were the Profile of Mood States, the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale, and the State/Trait Anxiety Index. CES‐treated patients showed significantly greater improvement on afl anxiety measures than did either control group. There were no differences in response between older and younger patients, or between the primarily drug or alcohol abusers. No placebo effect was found on any of our measures. It is concluded tht CES is a clinically significant addition to the treatment regimen for this patient population.
Effects of Ethanol Exposure during the Third Trimester Equivalent on Neuron Number in Rat Hippocampus and Dentate Gyrus
Authors: West James R. , Hamre Kristin M. , Cassell Martin D.
Published: June 2007

An artificial rearing procedure was used to expose neonatal rats to a formula containing 3.74% ethanol during postnatal days 4 through 10. This treatment produced a mean blood ethanol concentration of 379.8 ± 17.3 mg/dl. When the pups were kitted on the afternoon of postnatal day 10, brain weight to body weight ratio in the ethanol‐exposed rats was reduced 22.4% and 21.5% compared to suckle and pair‐fed controls, respectively. Ethanol exposure also resulted in a 16% reduction of neurons in hippocampal field CA4, compared to controls, but did not produce deficits in fields CA1 or CAS. There was also a 10% increase in the number of neurons (a population of ceto in the midst of a proliferative phase at the time of the exposure) in the granule cefl layer of the dentate gyrus. The ethanol exposure did not affect ceN size in any of the four neuron populations measured. These results suggest, that within the dose and timing parameters examined, ethanol exposure during the third trimester equivalent appears to be preferentially harmful to specific populations of developing neurons.
Effects of Ethanol on Monoamine and Amino Acid Release from Cerebral Cortical Slices of the Alcohol‐Preferring P Line of Rats
Authors: McBride W. J. , Murphy J. M. , Lumeng L. , Li T.‐K.
Published: June 2007

The effects of 250 mg/100 ml ethanol on the efflux of 3,4‐dihydrox‐yphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and the 35 nw K+‐stimulated, Ca2+‐dependent release of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5‐HT), γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and aspartate from cerebral cortical slices of the alcohol‐preferring P line of rats and stock Wistar rats were studied. The K+‐stimuiated, Ca2+‐dependent release of GABA for the P rats was 35% lower, while the release of glutamate was almost twice that of the stock animals. The release of the other compounds was similar for the two groups. Addition of 250 mg/100 ml ethanol to the superfusion media did not after the release of NE, DA, and 5‐HT nor the efflux of DOPAC from cortical slices of either group of rats. However, the K+‐stimulated, Ca2+‐dependent release of GABA, glutamate, and aspartate was significantly enhanced by ethanol for both the P and stock group of rats. These in vitro data do not support a direct action of ethanol on DA, NE, and 5‐HT release or on DOPAC efflux, but suggest a direct action on the transmitter release process for GABA, glutamate, and aspartate in the cerebral cortex.
Heavy Drinking among Norwegian Male Drunken Drivers: A Study of γ‐Glutamyltransferase
Authors: Gjerde Hallvard , Sakshaug Johan , Mortand Jorg
Published: June 2007

The distributions of blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of different age groups of drunken drivers suggested that a large number of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age had high tolerance to alcohol, and many of these might be heavy drinkers. In order to study the extent of heavy drinking, γ‐glutamyttransferase (GGT) activities were measured in 269 blood samples from male drunken drivers using a new method suitable for hemotyzed blood samples. Of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age, 40% had elevated GGT activities, indicating that roughly one‐third of these drivers might be heavy drinkers (consuming more than 80 g of alcohol/day). Of the drunken drivers above 29 years of age with BACs above 55 mmol/liter (250 mg/100 ml), 63% had elevated GGT, Indicating that a large majority of these drivers were heavy drinkers. Fewer of the younger drivers had elevated GGT activities. The GGT activities of the repeating offenders indicated that the percentage of heavy drinkers in this group was approximately the same as in the total population of apprehended drunken drivers.
Computerized Tomographic Scan Assessment of Alcoholic Brain Damage and Its Potential Reversibility
Authors: Carten P. L. , Penn R. D. , Fomazzari L. , Bennett J. , Wilkinson D. A. , Wortzman G.
Published: June 2007

The assessment of alcoholic brain damage by computerized tomographic (CT) scanning is reviewed and discussed. Alcoholics showed greater cerebral atrophy than aged‐matched neurological controls. Supratentorial atrophy measurements correlated significantly with some neurobehavioral assessment measures. The cerebral atrophy reversed in some subjects with maintained abstinence. Computerized assessment of cerebral spinal fluid volume (cerebral atrophy) and mean cerebral density showed decreased cerebral spinal fluid volume and increased cerebral density with maintained abstinence over 4 weeks in a group of 20 alcoholics. CT cerebellar measurements demonstrated atrophy in many subjects, but these measure‐menu did not correlate with measures of ataxia, cognitive impairment, supratentorial atrophy measurements, or age. An example of a magnetic resonance imaging scan of an alcoholic is given. Its advantages in avoiding bony artifact for posterior fossa atrophy estimations and its potential for in vivo description and localization of central nervous system metabolic abnormalities in alcoholism are discussed.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging in the Study of Experimental Liver Diseases
Authors: Ratner A. V. , Carter E. A. , Pohost G. M. , Wands J. R.
Published: June 2007

We are investigating potential noninvasive new strategies for the assessment of liver injury, steatosis, and hepatic tumor development These techniques employ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy. Accordingly, several experimental animal models of liver injury and steatosis produced in rats by ethanol, azaserine, L‐ethionine, carbon tetrachloride, and D‐galactosamine. Ethanol and L‐ethionine induce acute steatosis without necrosis, whereas azaserine, carbon tetrachloride, and D‐galactosamine are known to produce steatosis with varying degrees of hepatic necrosis. Triglyceride content and protein spin relaxation times were measured. T, values were analyzed by using an inversion recovery technique at eight different r values (20 msec to 2.50 sec) and T, by Carr‐Purce)l‐Meibloom‐Gill pulse sequences with 10 spin echoes (4–40 msec). We also performed NMR imaging studies on controls and ethanol‐induced steatosis using a 60‐MHz Technicare 8‐cm bore superconducting system. Results of these experiments indicate that varying degrees of steatosis produce striking changes in T2 without inducing changes in T2 whereas necrosis superimposed on steatosis produces T, changes as well. Thus, these NMR spectroscopy and imaging studies demonstrated that steatosis may be clearly defined in vitro and in vivo.
Membrane Fluidity and Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Bourhis Bernard Le , Beauge Francoise , Aufrere Gilles , Nordmann Roger
Published: June 2007

Rats were chronically intoxicated with alcohol by exposing them to increasing concentrations of ethanol vapor over a 4‐week period. They were tested for alcohol consumption in a free choice situation of water and 10% (v/v) alcohol. On the basis of their intakes they were divided into alcohol‐dependent and nondependent groups. Synaptosome membrane fluidity evaluated by fluorescence polarization was compared between the two groups and against nonintoxicated controls. The intoxicated animals had a lower membrane fluidity than controls, mainly because of a highly significant increase of rigidity in the alcohol‐dependent group. Furthermore, membrane fluidity was found to be correlated with the degree of behavioral dependence (i.e., alcohol intake during the free choice period).
Alcohol Consumption: Effect of Gender and Psychopathology
Authors: Stabenau James , Dolinsky Zeltg , Fischer Bruce
Published: June 2007

Alcohol consumption, when corrected for body weight, was not related to age and did not differ from male and female alcohoHcs, when compared within subtype of alcoholism. Regardtoss of gender, alcoholics with antisocial personality diagnosis drank significantly more alcohol than non‐antisocial personality alcoholics.
Preferential Alcoholic Embryopathy among Contiguous Siblings of Long‐Evans Rats
Authors: Mankes Russell F. , Glick Stanley D.
Published: June 2007

Ethanol exposure altars sex steroidogenesis and sexually dimorphic behaviors in rodent offspring. Contiguity to siblings of the same or opposite sex in utero also affects steroidogenesis and sexual dimorphism in rodents. The present study with Long‐Evans rats shows that maternal exposure to ethanol during the critical period of rodent organogenesis preferentially affects body weights and increases malformations in offspring dependent on their in utero contiguity to siblings of the opposite sex.