bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Attitudes Towards Treatments for Bulimia Nervosa
Authors: Hepworth Natasha S. , Paxton Susan J. , Williams Benedict
Published: March 2007

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine, using Mental Health Literacy, acceptability and correlates of acceptability of three treatment interventions for bulimia nervosa; medication, psychological therapy and self-change/lifestyle therapies.

Method: A self-report questionnaire to ascertain correlates of attitudes towards the three interventions was used. Respondents (n = 177) were females aged 18–53 years.

Results: Psychological therapy was rated the most acceptable treatment to participants as well as the most acceptable to others, and to have most advantages and fewest disadvantages, followed by self-change/lifestyle therapies, and then medication. Social Pressures to be Thin was the most strongly endorsed cause of bulimia, followed by Low Self-Esteem, Eating Behaviour, Relationship and Family Environment, and lastly, Biology. Correlates with acceptability of different treatment approaches were identified. Conclusions: Although no causal link can be assumed from this design, findings suggest that women appear to have a mixed understanding of the different mechanisms that each treatment intervention adopts to treat the causes and symptoms of bulimia, particularly self-change/lifestyle therapies. This may help to explain poor adherence to interventions.
Risk of Repetition of Suicide Attempt, Suicide or all Deaths after an Episode of Attempted Suicide: A Register-Based Survival Analysis
Authors: Christiansen Erik , Frank Jensen Børge
Published: March 2007

Objective: This study was undertaken in order to estimate the incidence of repetition of suicide attempt, suicide and all deaths, and to analyse the influence of psychiatric illness and socio-demographic factors on these.

Method: The study is a Danish register-based survival analysis that retrieved personal data on socio-economic, psychiatric and mortality conditions from various registers. Hazards were estimated using Cox regression with a time-dependence covariate. Suicide-attempters (2.614) and non-attempters (39.210)were analysed being matched by gender, age and place of residence.

Results: The average follow-up period for suicide-attempters was 3.88 years, during which 271 (10.37%) of them died. By comparison, death occurred four times more often among suicide-attempters than among non-attempters. Suicide was far more common among attempters (61, 2.33%) than among non-attempters (16, 0.04%). A proportion of the attempters (31.33%) repeated their attempt within the follow-up period. The most reliable predictors for suicide and death were repetition, suicide attempt method and treatment for mental illness. The most reliable predictors for repetition were age, gender and mental illness.

Discussion: Individuals with a history of suicide attempts form a well-defined high-risk group for suicide, and are in need of treatment immediately after the episode. Somatic and psychiatric staff must be informed about the risk factors for subsequent suicidal behaviour after an episode of attempted suicide. Furthermore, departments that are in contact with suicidal individuals need action plans to ensure that all such individuals are discharged to proper treatment immediately after the suicide attempt.
Managing Psychosis in Pregnancy
Authors: McCauley-Elsom Kay , Kulkarni Jayashri
Published: March 2007

Objective: This article provides an introduction to the complex issues surrounding the management of women who have a history of psychosis and who become pregnant. Balancing the mental wellbeing of the woman and the safety and wellbeing of the baby is a complex task for both the expectant mother and the health professionals involved in her care.

Clinical picture: Within this article the complexity of the issues will be outlined as a case report of a woman with a history of psychotic related disorders, who was also pregnant.

Treatment: The woman was being case managed by a Mental Health Service in Victoria, Australia, and was included on the National Register of Antipsychotic Medications in Pregnancy Register (NRAMP) recently established at the Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (APRC).

Outcome: The profile of women with a history of previous mental illness, and who are pregnant, often includes a poor psychosocial history and involvement with child protection agencies with regard to custody of the children. Well meant but poorly coordinated decisions by health professionals result in sub-optimal outcomes for both mother and infant.

Conclusion: There is a need for the exploration of the management and experiences of women who have a history of psychosis and who are pregnant. This case example highlights the complexity of issues surrounding the management of this vulnerable group of women and their babies.
Regional Gray Matter Changes in Bipolar Disorder: A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study
Authors: Chen Xiaohua , Wen Wei , Malhi Gin S. , Ivanovski Belinda , Sachdev Perminder S.
Published: March 2007

Objective: To investigate structural abnormalities in bipolar disorder (BD) using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in closely matched patients and controls, and to examine the relationship of clinical features with regional gray matter (GM) volumes.

Methods: Twenty-four patients (six male) aged 19–59 years (mean=38.21 years, SD=11.04 years) with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder were compared with 25 control subjects, matched on age, sex, and years of education. VBM analyses were conducted on high-resolution T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging to detect regional GM volume differences between groups, ensuring statistical correlation for age, sex and total intracranial volumes. Within the patient groups, regional GM changes were also investigated.

Results: Compared to controls, BD patients had increased GM volume in left parahippocampal gyrus and decreased GM volume in left middle temporal gyrus. Family history, psychotic symptoms and lithium status were associated with regional GM abnormalities in BD patients.

Conclusions: This study presents evidence of gray matter volume abnormalities in adults with bipolar I disorder. Regional variation in relation to clinical factors suggests a neurobiological basis for clinical heterogeneity and posits the possibility of trait deficits.
Reassessing the Aftercare Treatment of Individuals Found not Guilty Due to a Mental Disability in Hunan, China: Supplemental Study into the Disposition of Mentally Ill Offenders after Forensic Psychiatric Assessment
Authors: Wang Xiaoping , Zhang Dengke , Jiang Shaoai , Bai Yining , Ellis Cucolo Heather , Perlin Michael L.
Published: March 2007

Objective: The purpose of the present paper was to examine the disposition of individuals in Hunan, China who are found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder or defect.

Method: Self-developed questionnaires were mailed to the family members of 240 patients who had received forensic psychiatric evaluations at the forensic psychiatric assessment center of Central South University, between 2001 and 2002.

Results: One hundred and seventy questionnaires were fully completed and returned by the patients’ family members. According to the answers, 64.1% (109 patients) were found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder or defect. In 87.6% of the cases, a judgement of guilty was in agreement with the psychiatrist's recommendation concerning criminal responsibility. A total of 61.8% of the patients found not guilty were discharged to their families and did not receive any further psychiatric treatment.

Conclusion: In most cases, judicial decisions are consistent with a psychiatrist's opinion of criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder or defect. After such adjudication, further psychiatric treatment is often neglected due to the lack of resources and information. Hunan, China must make a continued investment into the availability and quality of outpatient mental health treatment for forensic patients after they have been discharged.
Contemporary attitudes and their ideological representation in Flanders (Belgium), Poland, and the Ukraine
Authors: Van Hiel Alain , Kossowska Malgorzata
Published: March 2007

The present research tests the validity of a two‐dimensional cultural and economic right‐wing model of ideology, as well as the relationships between these dimensions and attitudes toward recent political issues. Opinions about environmentalism, war on terror, and European Union enlargement were selected as representative contemporary attitudes. The present research questions were investigated in a Flemish (N = 176), Polish (N = 93), and Ukrainian (N = 93) sample. The results revealed that two dimensions underlie the ideological spectrum in all samples, one referring to cultural conservatism and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), and one referring to economic conservatism and social dominance orientation (SDO). Although the validity of differentiating between these ideological dimensions has been amply illustrated in studies on Western samples, the replication of these dimensions in former communist countries add to their validity and generality, because these countries have a specific political culture and history. However, important cross‐cultural differences with respect to the representation of the contemporary attitudes in this two‐dimensional ideological space were obtained as well. Whereas the war on terror attitude was meaningfully related to the cultural right‐wing dimension in all samples, the relationships for the environmentalism and EU enlargement attitudes were sample dependent. These cross‐cultural differences were explained in terms of saliency of the issue (nonsignificant versus significant relationships in the case of environmentalism) and pragmatic concerns in terms of profits and costs (in the case of EU enlargement). In the discussion it is also argued that the closer correspondence between the ideological representation of these attitudes in Polish and Western society may be caused by the fact that communism was less successful in penetrating political mentality in Poland than in the Ukraine.
Parent–adolescent communication in foster, inter‐country adoptive, and biological Italian families: Gender and generational differences
Authors: Rosnati Rosa , Iafrate Raffaella , Scabini Eugenia
Published: March 2007

There is a paucity of studies aimed at comparing how parents and children in different family structures cope with the challenges posed by the adolescence transition; in particular, there are few studies aimed at comparing adoptive and foster families. In order to partially fill this gap, the principal aims of the present study were to verify whether there are differences in parent–child communication among foster, intercountry adoptive, and biological families according to the adolescents' gender, and to compare the perceptions of parents and adolescents concerning parent–child communication. Data were elaborated on two levels: a generational level (adolescent's and his/her parents' perceptions among the three family groups) and a dyadic level (mother–child and father–child perceptions). The sample was composed of 276 Italian families with adolescents aged between 11 and 17 (81 foster, 98 international adoptive, and 97 biological families). Subjects (mothers, fathers, and children) filled out a questionnaire including the Parent–Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson,1985). Results highlighted that in foster families, parent–child communication showed more difficulties from both the adolescent's and the parents' point of view. Adoptive adolescents, however, reported a more positive communication with both their parents than did their peers living in biological and foster families. At a dyadic level, some differences emerged among the three groups. In biological families, a more pronounced distance emerged between parents and children. In adoptive families, father and adolescent shared more similar perceptions, whereas a significant discrepancy emerged between mother and child. A higher level of perceptual congruence between adolescents and parents was found in foster families. Gender differences were also seen: Mothers experienced a more open communication with their children than did fathers, and adolescents, and above all females, communicated better with their mothers than with their fathers in all three family groups.
The quality of suggested memories
Authors: Sondhi Vanita , Gupta Ashum
Published: March 2007

Alarge number of studies have demonstrated that participants could be led to report suggested events that were never witnessed (Loftus & Palmer, 1974). The present study attempts to explore the quality of such suggested memories. Thirty‐six participants were exposed to a live event of brief duration (20 s). They were then misled about certain aspects of the event. Memory was assessed using a forced‐choice recognition test. The participants were also required to give remember/know/guess responses, together with confidence ratings, and also to indicate how they came to remember the item. Thirty‐six per cent of the suggested memories were “know” responses, while 43% were “remember” responses. Moreover, whenever the participants had a remember experience they always recalled a wealth of visual information. With regards to the confidence level of the suggested memories, it was observed that the suggested memories were as confidently held as accurate memories. The results indicate that suggestions may become integrated with other kinds of information and that these falsely remembered memories are often accompanied with varied kinds of information; predominant among them seems to be visual imagery and past associations. For accurate memories, too, visual imagery was recalled the most, followed by other kinds of information (e.g., past associations, emotional, auditory, and inferential). The study points to the difficulties of differentiating between true recollections of actual events and false recollections of events that did not occur.
Revisiting an era in Germany from the perspective of adolescents in mother‐headed single‐parent families
Authors: Sharma Deepali , Silbereisen Rainer K.
Published: March 2007

Much of the documented work on families headed by single mothers is based on empirical evidence from North America and a few Anglo‐Saxon countries. Many researchers consider single‐mother families to be at a disadvantage because of nonsupportive family policies. This paper uses data from a social context that differed hugely in this respect—the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The GDR provided extensive state support to single‐mother families and, thus, was vastly different from other countries. Based on a literature review and using Hill's family stress theory, this paper is based on the hypothesis that adolescents living in mother‐headed single‐parent families and those living with their biological parents would have near‐similar social outcomes (display of psychosomatic symptoms, perception of stress, display of delinquent behaviour, life satisfaction, academic self‐efficacy, and academic grades) and family‐related outcomes (relationship with parents and perception of family environment). Further, it was hypothesized that adolescents from stepfather families would display more negative social and family‐related outcomes when compared with respondents from the other two family types. The sample comprised 1302 adolescents (M  =  13.82 years, SD  =  1.88) who were recruited from the city of Leipzig in the year immediately following German unification, 1991. Respondents reported on measures of psychosomatic symptoms, stress, delinquency, life satisfaction, academic achievement, and family‐related variables. ANCOVAs, with a control for income adjusted for household size, indicated adolescents from single‐mother families to have very similar experiences to respondents living with their biological parents on all measures except for their assessment of family environment. Adolescents living in stepfather families reported the least favourable experiences. Results are indicative of a social context in Germany that, despite unification and the early hardships for single‐mother families, still provided these families with more opportunities than constraints.
Agency or constraint? The mutual shaping of control beliefs and working lives in East Germany after 1989
Authors: Diewald Martin
Published: March 2007

The situation in Eastern Germany after 1989 brought about a dramatic change in the opportunities for continuing the existing lifepath, and also for pursuing new life goals. In this article, interdependencies of events in the working life on the one hand and control beliefs on the other are investigated. Specifically, the question is addressed as to whether the conditions of an abrupt and sudden system change allowed for differences in these beliefs to become accentuated and more important for successes and failures in working life. Empirical analyses rely on data of the three birth cohorts of 1939–1941, 1951–1953, and 1959–1961 of the East German Life History Study. Results show, first, that control beliefs were strongly influenced by labour market mobility over all the different periods of the East German transformation, but not by all types of labour market mobility in the same way. Second, in the other direction, only a rather limited impact of perceived control on working lives was observed. For a situation of abrupt social change this is a rather astonishing result, which is obviously due to a closure of structural opportunities despite an opening of institutional barriers.
Concepts of bounded agency in education, work, and the personal lives of young adults
Authors: Evans Karen
Published: March 2007

This paper traces the development of a series of Anglo‐German studies on how young adults experience control and exercise personal agency as they pass through periods of transition in education and training, work, unemployment, and in their personal lives. The overarching aim has been to develop an extended dialogue between ideas and evidence to explore the beliefs and actions associated with life‐chances under differing structural and cultural conditions. What kinds of beliefs and perspectives do people have on their future possibilities? How far do they feel in control of their lives? How does people's belief in what is possible for them (their personal horizons developed within cultural and structural influences) determine their behaviours and what they perceive to be “choices”? This research contributes to the re‐conceptualization of agency as a process in which past habits and routines are contextualized and future possibilities envisaged in the contingencies of the present moment. The paper concludes by explaining the concept of “bounded agency” as an alternative to “structured individualization” as a way of understanding the experiences of people in changing social landscapes.
Georgian Sources on the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911): Sergo Gamdlishvili's Memoirs of the Gilan Resistance
Authors: Gocheleishvili Iago
Published: March 2007

The essay of Sergo Gamdlishvili (1882–1910), a Georgian participant of the Gilan resistance, was published in Tbilisi in February–March of 1910. The source focuses on the Gilan resistance and provides insights and interesting details regarding the political attitudes, strategies, and collaboration of the Transcaucasian and Iranian revolutionaries from the end of 1908 through the summer of 1909. The source is also interesting material to study how the Iranian Constitutional Revolution was seen by its Caucasian participants, what they deemed to be major peculiarities of the Movement in different regions in Iran, and how they saw their role in these events.
Are Neighbourhoods Self-stabilising? Exploring Endogenous Dynamics
Authors: Galster George , Cutsinger Jackie , Lim Up
Published: March 2007

This study investigates how neighbourhoods respond when they are upset by transient, exogenous shock(s). Do they quickly revert to their original, stable state, gradually return to this stable state, permanently settle into another stable state, diverge progressively from any steady state, or evince no discernable pattern of response? A self-regulating adjustment process promoting stability appears the norm, based on econometric investigations of multiple, annually measured indicators from census tracts in five US cities. Stability quickly re-established at the original state characterises most of the indicators analysed: rates of tax delinquency, low-weight births, teenage births and home sales volumes. Violent and property crime rates also evince endogenous stability at the original state, but take considerably longer than the other indicators to return to it when the exogenous shock is sizeable. Moreover, this crime adjustment process is considerably slower in neighbourhoods with higher poverty rates.
Zipf's Law and Urban Growth in Malaysia
Authors: Soo Kwok Tong
Published: March 2007

This paper performs a test of Zipf's law (the size distribution of cities follows a Pareto distribution with shape parameter equal to 1) using data for Malaysian cities from five population censuses (1957, 1970, 1980, 1991 and 2000). For the full sample, Zipf's law is rejected for all periods except 1957, in favour of a city size distribution that is more unequal than would be predicted by Zipf's law. Results at the upper tail, where the distribution fits the Pareto distribution better, are more favourable to Zipf's law. Evidence is also found against Gibrat's law of proportional growth: smaller cities grow faster, as do state capitals and cities in the states of Sabah and Selangor.
Elderly Mobility: Demographic and Spatial Analysis of Trip Making in the Hamilton CMA, Canada
Authors: Paez Antonio , Scott Darren , Potoglou Dimitris , Kanaroglou Pavlos , Newbold K. Bruce
Published: March 2007

Recent interest in the urban transport challenges posed by the demographic outlook of ageing societies has prompted a growing body of scholarship on the subject. The focus of this paper is on the topic of elderly trip generation and the development of models to help formalise some important relationships between trip-making behaviour and personal, household and contextual variables (such as location). The case study is the Hamilton Metropolitan Area-an important functional component of Greater Toronto, itself one of the regions in Canada where the impact of ageing is expected to be most strongly felt. Using data from Toronto's Transport Tomorrow Survey and mixed ordered probit models, the study investigates the question of spatial and demographic variability in trip-making behaviour. The results support the proposition that trip-making propensity decreases with age. However, it is also found that this behaviour is not spatially homogeneous and in fact exhibits a large degree of variability-a finding that highlights both the challenges of planning transport for the elderly and the potential of spatial analytical approaches to improve transport modelling practice.
Smart Growth as Urban Reform: A Pragmatic 'Recoding' of the New Regionalism
Authors: Wesley Scott James
Published: March 2007

'New' regionalism privileges social communication over political 'coercion' as a means to motivate intermunicipal, interagency and multiactor co-operation in metropolitan regions. Critics claim, however, that the NR is little more than urban crisis management within increasingly unstable post-Fordist and neo-liberal environments. This analysis of emerging 'smart growth' strategies in North America offers a 'pragmatic', context-sensitive and critical reading of region-building in 'advanced capitalist transformation'. Issues at stake involve integral approaches to regional competitiveness, social equity, housing, redevelopment, transport, the environment, public services, etc. As will be demonstrated, however, this more global set of goals is translated locally into action, resulting in highly variegated regional governance landscapes that reflect both specific socio-political and economic contexts and the historical continuity of urban governance reform processes.
Do school context, student composition and school leadership affect school practice and outcomes in secondary education?
Authors: Opdenakker Marie‐Christine , Van Damme Jan
Published: March 2007

This study examined effects of school context, student composition and school leadership on school practice and outcomes in secondary education in Flanders. The study reveals that relations between school characteristics do exist and that it is possible to explain an important part of the differences in mean effort and mathematics achievement of schools by means of these school characteristics. Furthermore, it was found that school size positively affects school outcomes and that its effect is mediated by school practice characteristics like the amount of cooperation between teachers, which affects school climate and outcomes. School leadership did not affect the school practice much, perhaps because of a lack of a strong educational leadership in most of the Flemish secondary schools. However, the student composition of schools seemed to be very important for school practice, as well as for school outcomes. Nevertheless, the study revealed that schools can affect the outcomes of their students independently of their student composition and context by means of school practice.
Researching academic stress and anxiety in students: some methodological considerations
Authors: Putwain David
Published: March 2007

Despite a long history of interest in North American and Western European literature, researchers in the UK are only now beginning to turn attention to the issue of academic stress in schoolchildren and how it may affect emotional well‐being, health and performance on school assessments. Based on the author's experiences of designing an extensive research project, this article explores the conceptual and methodological difficulties encountered when designing and conducting research in this area. First, there is a lack of precision in terminology used. The terms ‘stress’, ‘anxiety’ and ‘worry’ are used interchangeably in the literature as if they referred to the same phenomenon, and the domains of ‘examination stress’ and ‘academic stress’ are not clearly defined. As a consequence, it is not clear exactly what phenomenon the literature is actually referring to. Second, it is not always clear in the literature what the term ‘stress’ is referring to. In some cases, it is being used to refer to the properties of a stimulus (e.g. an examination) and in other cases to the subjective experience of distress. Assuming a subjective experience of distress will necessarily follow from a particular stimulus is problematic as it fails to account for the interpretation of that stimulus to the student involved. The much ignored construct of test anxiety may offer some advantages to the researcher by having a clearly defined domain and referent. Third, there is an overwhelming bias in the research towards quantification and ways of ‘measuring’ stress and anxiety in students. The usefulness of this approach is considered along with the potential advantages of alternative approaches.
Detection of Pre-Invasive Lung Cancer: Technical Aspects of the LIFE Project
Authors: Flake Gordon P. , Rivera M. Patricia , Funkhouser William K. , Maygarden Susan J. , Meadows Kellen L. , Long Elizabeth H. , Stockton Pat S. , Jones Tina C. , Yim Hyeon Woo , Slebos Robbert J.C. , Taylor Jack A.
Published: March 2007

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. The LIFE (Light Induced Fluorescence Endoscopy) Project was initiated at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in November, 1999, for the dual purposes of (1) detecting pre-invasive lung cancer in high-risk patients and (2) studying the molecular biology of pre-invasive lesions of the bronchus for possible development of molecular biomarkers. Of the 47 patients enrolled, all were current or former tobacco smokers, except for 1. Fluorescence endoscopy was utilized, in addition to white light bronchoscopy, to increase the detection of intraepithelial lesions. Adjacent biopsies were submitted for permanent and frozen sections, respectively, from four predetermined sites as well as from any abnormal areas. The snap-frozen specimens were cryostat sectioned, and the mucosal epithelial cells laser capture microdissected for DNA analysis. The great majority of specimens yielded sufficiently abundant and intact DNA to accomplish the molecular objectives. Histologic concordance of adjacent permanent and frozen sections was equivalent to the concordance of adjacent permanent sections, suggesting that frozen section diagnosis was adequate for the research purpose of correlating histology with molecular analysis.
Inhalation Exposure Systems: Design, Methods and Operation
Authors: Wong Brian A.
Published: March 2007

The respiratory system, the major route for entry of oxygen into the body, provides entry for external compounds, including pharmaceutic and toxic materials. These compounds (that might be inhaled under environmental, occupational, medical, or other situations) can be administered under controlled conditions during laboratory inhalation studies. Inhalation study results may be controlled or adversely affected by variability in four key factors: animal environment; exposure atmosphere; inhaled dose; and individual animal biological response. Three of these four factors can be managed through engineering processes. Variability in the animal environment is reduced by engineering control of temperature, humidity, oxygen content, waste gas content, and noise in the exposure facility. Exposure atmospheres are monitored and adjusted to assure a consistent and known exposure for each animal dose group. The inhaled dose, affected by changes in respiration physiology, may be controlled by exposure-specific monitoring of respiration. Selection of techniques and methods for the three factors affected by engineering allows the toxicologic pathologist to study the reproducibility of the fourth factor, the biological response of the animal.
A Correlative Study on Red Blood Cell Parameters and Urine Trans, Trans-Muconic Acid in Subjects with Occupational Benzene Exposure
Authors: Wiwanitkit Viroj , Soogarun Suphan , Suwansaksri Jamsai
Published: March 2007

Benzene is of particular concern because of recent research indicating that benzene exposure can result in toxicity. The hematotoxic effect of benzene is mentioned. However, there is little knowledge about the correlation between the biomarker of benzene exposure and changes in red blood cell parameters. Here, the correlation between the urine trans, trans-muconic acid (ttMA) level and red blood cell parameters were studied in 30 Thai subjects at risk. The regression analysis shows no significant correlation between urine ttMA and any studied red cell parameters (Hb, MCV or MCH). Based on our hematologic data, we proposed that only investigation for the urine ttMA might be not sufficient in detection of alteration in red blood cell parameters in the exposed population. Combinations between biomarker and hematological test are recommended.
An Overview on the Toxic Morphological Changes in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium after Systemic Compound Administration
Authors: Mecklenburg Lars , Schraermeyer Ulrich
Published: March 2007

Many medications that are administered systemically for nonocular conditions may evoke ocular toxicological complications. Therefore, the eye is routinely investigated histopathologically in preclinical in vivo toxicity studies. The retinal pigment epithelium is a likely target for systemically administered compounds, since the underlying choroid is highly vascularized. The specialized pigment epithelium has numerous functions that all maintain the integrity and function of photoreceptors. Consequently, toxic effects on the pigment epithelium will eventually affect the neural retina. The potential of pigment epithelial cells to respond to toxic injury is limited, but a standardized terminology to describe its morphological changes does not exist in the scientific literature. Detailed morphologic analysis, however, might allow early detection of retinotoxicity and may provide evidence on the underlying pathomechanism. We here review toxic effects on the pigment epithelium focusing in particular on the morphology of toxic cell injury. Morphological changes comprise hypertrophy, intracytoplasmic accumulation of cellular components, loss of cell polarity, degeneration, metaplasia, and formation of subretinal membranes. Some of these changes are reversible whereas others are permanent, leading to impaired function of the pigment epithelium and eventually to photoreceptor loss and retinal atrophy.
Gene Expression Analysis Offers Unique Advantages to Histopathology in Liver Biopsy Evaluations
Authors: Heinloth Alexandra N. , Boorman Gary A. , Foley Julie F. , Flagler Norris D. , Paules Richard S.
Published: March 2007

Liver diseases that induce nonuniform lesions often give rise to greatly varying histopathology results in needle biopsy samples from the same patient. This study examines whether gene expression analysis of such biopsies could provide a more representative picture of the overall condition of the liver. We utilized acetaminophen (APAP) as a model hepatotoxicant that gives a multifocal pattern of necrosis following toxic doses. Rats were treated with a single toxic or subtoxic dose of APAP and sacrificed 6, 24, or 48 hours after exposure. Left liver lobes were harvested, and both gene expression and histopathological analysis were performed on biopsy-sized samples. While histopathological evaluation of such small samples revealed significant sample to sample differences after toxic doses of APAP, gene expression analysis provided a very homogeneous picture and allowed clear distinction between subtoxic and toxic doses. The main biological function differentiating animals that received sub-toxic from those that had received toxic doses was an acute stress response at 6 hours and signs of energy depletion at later time points. Our results suggest that the use of genomic analysis of biopsy samples together with histopathological analysis could provide a more precise representation of the overall condition of a patient’s liver than histopathological evaluation alone.
Expression of Thyroglobulin and Calcitonin in Spontaneous Thyroid Gland Tumors in the Han Wistar Rat
Authors: Pilling Andrew M. , Jones Stewart A. , Endersby-Wood Helen J. , Mccormack Nicola A. M. , Turton John A.
Published: March 2007

Spontaneous follicular and C-cell tumors of the thyroid gland in the Han Wistar rat were examined using two morphologic procedures. Firstly, in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to localize thyroglobulin (TG) and calcitonin (CT) mRNAs. Secondly, the proteins for these markers were detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The aim was to study the morphology of the tumors and to examine the usefulness of TG and CT markers in the differential diagnosis of these lesions. Follicular tumors with cystic, papillary and follicular patterns showed relatively consistent expression of TG mRNA by ISH, thereby confirming the diagnostic value of this technique. However, no staining for TG markers was observed in solid lesions. In general, C-cell tumors comprised well-differentiated cells that continued to express CT mRNA and peptides even after embolic spread and metastasis. Therefore, the performance of either ISH or IHC for CT markers can be used for diagnostic confirmation. Additional features noted in C-cell tumors included the appearance of tumor emboli or metastases in association with small primary lesions (less than 5 average follicular diameters in size) and the presence of eosinophilic (amyloid-like) material showing immunopositivity for CT peptides. Finally, evidence is provided for the sequestration of TG protein by proliferating C-cells.
Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Spontaneous Hemorrhage and Fibrosis of the Pancreatic Islets in Sprague–Dawley Rats
Authors: Imaoka Masako , Satoh Hiroshi , Furuhama Kazuhisa
Published: March 2007

To elucidate the spontaneous occurrence of hemorrhage in the pancreatic islet, naïve Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats were given a commercially available standard diet ad libitum over 20 weeks, and were sequentially examined. Islet hemorrhage was morphologically observed from 12 weeks of age, and its incidence was significantly higher in males than in females, with a wide distribution in all pancreatic lobes. The incidence (%) of affected islets to examined islets was increased with age. Hemorrhage was accompanied by brownish pigmentation, and reacted positively for iron by Prussian/Berlin blue staining. In 26 weeks old, most of the islets were dissected by dense fibrous tissue into small nests, and disarranged β cells were detected by insulin immunostaining. Ultrastructurally, no apparent morphological change was seen in any islet endothelial cell, although blood leakage with migrated macrophages and dense collagen fibers was observed around the capillaries. In serum biochemistry of rats aged 26 weeks, the estradiol level in males with hemorrhage was significantly lower than that in males with non-hemorrhage, presumably suggesting the lack of capillary protective ability. Next, when rats were given a high fat/protein diet over 20 weeks to clarify whether it accelerated the frequency or timing of hemorrhage, its occurrence was essentially identical to that of the animals fed the standard diet. In conclusion, the onset of spontaneous islet hemorrhage was observed predominantly in aged males, resulting from the low estradiol level in serum.
Cardioprotective Effect of Oleanolic Acid on Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Ischemia in Rats
Authors: Senthil S. , Sridevi M. , Pugalendi K. V.
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of oleanolic acid (OA) against isoproterenol-induced myocardial ischemia in rat myocardium. Wistar strain rats were pretreated with OA (20, 40, and 60 mg/kg, s.c) for 7 days and then intoxicated with isoproterenol (ISO, 85 mg/kg, sc for 2 consecutive days). Heart were excised from the experimental animals and assessed for the activities of marker enzymes [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine phosphokinase (CPK)], the levels of lipid peroxide products [thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), lipid hydroperoxides (HP) and conjugated dienes (CD)], myeloperoxidase (MPO), lipid profiles [total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol, ester cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA) and phospholipids (PL)], and membrane-bound ATPase enzymes (total ATPase, Na+K+ATPase, Ca2+ATPase, and Mg2+ATPase). Troponin T and I were estimated in plasma. Leakage of cardiac markers, elevated lipid peroxidation with increased lipid profiles and decreased activities of membrane-bound ATPase enzymes were confirmed the severe myocardial damage occurring as a consequence of isoproterenol-induced ischemia, and they also showed the significant improvement effected by oleanolic acid pretreatment. These findings provided evidence that oleanolic acid was found to be protecting rat myocardium against ischemic insult and the protective effect could attribute to its anti-oxidative, anti-hyperlipedemic, and anti-arrhythmic properties as well as its membrane-stabilizing action.
Mainstreaming Sustainability in Local Economic Development Practice
Authors: Jackson Tony
Published: March 2007

Sustainable development objectives now form a central part of the local economic development practitioner's remit. So an understanding of the concepts used and the tools required to mainstream sustainability is vital. The paper reviews economic, environmental and social conceptualisations of sustainability as these relate to local development practice. It distinguishes between weak sustainability ‘no-regrets’ policy instruments (such as ecological modernisation, industrial ecology and eco-taxes) and the ecological and social implications of a strong formulation of the concept. Strategic environmental assessment is then evaluated as an important new part of the sustainability tool-kit, which can help practitioners shape the development process in a sustainable fashion, allowing more environmentally-just outcomes.
A three-dimensional laminated paper model of the scaphoid from computed tomography
Authors: Kakizawa H. , Toyota N. , Akiyama Y. , Kijima Y. , Ishida O. , Ito K.
Published: March 2007

Purpose: To describe a method of producing a life-sized three-dimensional (3D) solid model of a scaphoid bone by combining multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) volume data and rapid prototyping technique using thin paper as material, and to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of the experimental model.

Material and Methods: We experimentally produced life-sized 3D solid models of 14 cadavers' scaphoid bones using high-resolution MDCT volume data, and evaluated the dimensional accuracy of the 3D solid models.

Results: The 3D solid model was almost perfectly produced in both size and shape (length, height, width, dorsal cortical angle, and landmarks of the scaphoid bone) compared to the real cadaver's scaphoid bone. In addition to accuracy, the cost and time for creating the model might be reasonable.

Conclusion: This technique may be useful in assisting repair of scaphoid bone fracture.
Living related liver transplantation: preoperative magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of hepatic vasculature of donor candidates
Authors: Streitparth F. , Pech M. , Figolska S. , Denecke T. , Grieser C. , Pascher A. , Jonas S. , Langrehr J. , Ricke J. , Neuhaus P. , Felix R. , Hänninen Lopez E.
Published: March 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for preoperative assessment of hepatic vascular anatomy in liver donors before living related liver transplantation.

Material and Methods: A total of 55 consecutive living liver donors (mean age 42 years, range 18–68 years) underwent multiphase contrast-enhanced MRA of the hepatic vessels. Two readers categorized vessel visualization on a five-point scale and recorded vascular anatomy or variations thereof for the arterial, portal venous and venous systems. All 55 living liver donors subsequently underwent right hemihepatectomy for hemiliver donation, and preoperative MRA results were correlated with surgical findings.

Results: Overall vessel visualization assessment demonstrated good or very good ratings for the majority of patients. For hepatic arteries, the mean score was 4.4±0.8 (mean±standard deviation), and for the portal venous and venous systems it was 4.6±0.7 and 4.3±0.8, respectively. Among all 55 donors, 16 (29%) demonstrated accessory or replaced hepatic arteries, and seven (13%) and 20 (36%) donors had surgically relevant portal vein (trifurcation or early right posterolateral branching types) and hepatic vein variations, respectively. Correlation coefficients between MRA and surgery were 0.94, 1.00 and 0.91 for hepatic arteries, portal veins and hepatic veins, respectively.

Conclusion: In the preoperative evaluation before living related liver donation, contrast-enhanced MR angiography was a highly accurate, noninvasive tool for visualizing the hepatic vasculature and variations thereof in liver donor candidates.
Technical optimization of four-channel multidetector-row helical computed tomography for depicting arterial stenosis: a phantom study
Authors: Takahashi S. , Takamura M. , Yamamoto S. , Kudo M. , Narumi Y. , Murakami T. , Nakamura H.
Published: March 2007

Purpose: To determine the effects of detector configuration, as well as vessel orientation, on the depiction accuracy of arterial stenosis using four-channel multidetector-row helical computed tomography (MDCT) angiography in vitro.

Material and Methods: Five acrylic vessel phantoms (3 mm in diameter with 25 or 50% stenosis, or 5 mm with 25, 50, or 75% stenosis) were scanned with a four-channel MDCT scanner at five vessel orientations (0, 30, 45, 60, and 90° to the z-axis) using 4×1.25, 2.5, 3.75, and 5.0-mm detector configurations at beam pitches of 0.75 and 1.5. The percentage of stenosis was calculated by the ratio of the full width at half maximum for stenotic and non-stenotic portions of the phantom, and compared to the actual known values.

Results: A detector configuration of 4×1.25 mm provided good reproducibility, as well as high accuracy for assessing vessel stenosis, while a 4×2.5-mm or wider detector configuration caused underestimations of stenosis. Although the phantoms perpendicular to the z-axis were underestimated, the errors were kept in clinically acceptable ranges using the 4×1.25-mm detector configuration.

Conclusion: Four-channel MDCT accurately discerns stenosis for vessel phantoms of 3 or 5 mm in diameter at any orientation when using a detector configuration of 4×1.25 mm.
Urinary ascites due to retroperitoneal fibrosis: a case report
Authors: Caruso Lombardi A. , Rinaldi M. F. , Bartalena T. , Elmi F. , Mughetti M.
Published: March 2007

Urinary ascites in adults is usually secondary to iatrogenic or traumatic injuries. A case of a 69-year-old male with abdominal pain and decreased renal function is described. Ultrasound showed bilateral hydronephrosis and ascites. Computed tomography revealed retroperitoneal fibrosis complicated by a rupture at the right ureteropelvic junction and urine extravasation in the perirenal and intraperitoneal spaces. Delayed scans showed leaking of contrast media from the anterior perirenal space to the peritoneal cavity. The urinary ascites resolved using a double-J stent.
Liver embolization with trisacryl gelatin microspheres (embosphere) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors
Authors: Granberg D. , Eriksson L.-G. , Welin S. , Kindmark H. , Janson E. T. , Skogseid B. , Öberg K. , Eriksson B. , Nyman R.
Published: March 2007

Purpose: To report our experience of liver embolization with trisacryl gelatin microspheres (Embosphere™) in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Material and Methods: Fifteen patients underwent selective embolization of the right or left hepatic artery with Embosphere. One lobe was embolized in seven patients and both lobes, on separate occasions, in eight patients. Seven patients had midgut carcinoids, two had lung carcinoids, one suffered from a thymic carcinoid, and five had endocrine pancreatic tumors. Eight patients suffered from endocrine symptoms, seven of whom had carcinoid syndrome and one WDHA (watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, achlorhydria) syndrome.

Results: Partial radiological response was seen after eight embolizations (in six different patients), stable disease was observed after 13 embolizations (after three of these, necroses occurred), while radiological progression was noted after only two embolizations. Only two patients experienced a biochemical response. Clinical improvement of carcinoid syndrome was observed after five embolizations. There were no major complications. Fever >38°C was seen after all but four embolizations, and urinary tract infections were diagnosed after eight embolizations.

Conclusion: Selective hepatic artery embolization with Embosphere particles is a safe treatment for patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors and may lead to partial radiological response as well as symptomatic improvement of disabling endocrine symptoms.