bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The longitudinal relationship between the systemic inflammatory response, circulating T‐lymphocytes, interleukin‐6 and ‐10 in patients undergoing immunotherapy for metastatic renal cancer
Authors: Ramsey Sara , Aitchison Michael , Graham John , McMillan Donald C.
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE

To examine the longitudinal relationship between the systemic inflammatory response, circulating T‐lymphocyte subpopulations, interleukin‐6 and ‐10 in patients undergoing immunotherapy for metastatic renal cancer, as the inflammation‐based Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) provides additional prognostic information in patients with advanced renal cancer, but the basis of the relationship between the systemic inflammatory response and poorer survival is not clear, and nor is the effect of immunotherapy on related variables.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 23 patients with metastatic renal cancer and starting immunotherapy. Samples of blood were drawn for routine laboratory analysis and to quantify cytokines using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays before immunotherapy, and repeated after 2 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS

Most patients had a good performance status, favourable or intermediate Memorial Sloane‐Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) risk scores, and with elevated C‐reactive protein (>10 mg/L), GPS (1 or 2), interleukin‐6 (>4 pg/mL) and interleukin‐10 (>10 pg/mL). Patients who completed one cycle of immunotherapy were more likely to have a normal MSKCC (P < 0.05) or GPS (P < 0.05) scores, whilst the percentage of lymphocytes was lower (P < 0.05). The MSKCC and the GPS scores did not alter significantly during one cycle of immunotherapy. Similarly, leukocyte counts, CD4+ and CD8+ T‐lymphocytes, interleukin‐6 and ‐10 concentrations did not change significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

The pretreatment systemic inflammatory response and its related lymphopenia are important in determining the tolerance to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic renal cancer. Immunotherapy is not associated with changes in circulating T‐lymphocytes, nor the systemic inflammatory response.
A comprehensive analysis of transcript signatures of the phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase/protein kinase B signal‐transduction pathway in prostate cancer
Authors: Hellwinkel Olaf J.C. , Rogmann Jan‐Peer , Asong Legrehndem E. , Luebke Andreas M. , Eichelberg Christian , Ahyai Sascha , Isbarn Hendrik , Graefen Markus , Huland Hartwig , Schlomm Thorsten
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE

To assess the gene activities of

various important members of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PIK3)/protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) pathway (involved in the promotion and regulation of cellular metabolism, proliferation and apoptosis) for alterations in prostate carcinoma.

PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Using quantitative real‐time reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, we analysed the transcript levels of 12 genes involved in the PIK3/PKB pathway in microdissected tumour tissues from 20 patients with varying stages of prostate cancer, assessing differences from adjacent normal tissues and from a pool of prostate tissues from healthy controls.

RESULTS

In cancer samples with a high Gleason grade, the PIK3/PKB pathway was principally affected by marked decreases in expression over almost all the investigated stages of the pathway. These changes were in effectors of the pathway, especially PIK3 p85 α (PIK3R1) and integrin‐linked kinase, and the pathway target fork‐head box protein (FOXO)‐1A, while the transcript quantities of regulators, e.g. phosphatase/tensin homologue (PTEN), were decreased in a smaller proportion of the patients. Transcript amounts of FOXO‐1A and FOXO‐3A were significantly higher in normal tumour‐adjacent tissues than in the healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Down‐regulation of the PIK3/PKB pathway by repression of involved effector and regulator genes at all stages of the molecular pathway could represent a marker for the formation of highly de‐differentiated prostate cancers from low‐grade tumour foci. Also, parts of the pathway are deviant in normal tumour‐adjacent tissue; this might represent a reaction to neighbouring tumours or be a sign of pre‐cancerous biological alterations.
Can the International Index of Erectile Function distinguish between organic and psychogenic erectile function?
Authors: Deveci Serkan , O’Brien Keith , Ahmed Absaar , Parker Marilyn , Guhring Patricia , Mulhall John P.
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE

To define the ability of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) to differentiate between organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients presenting for the evaluation and treatment of ED who had penile duplex Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) completed the IIEF questionnaire. Accepted ranges of the IIEF EF domain were used to grade baseline severity (severe, moderate and mild ≤11, 11–17, 18–25, respectively). Accepted criteria were used to define normality on DUS (peak systolic velocity >30 cm/s and end‐diastolic velocity <5 cm/s). Patients with documented Peyronie’s disease, hypogonadism and a history of radical prostatectomy were excluded.

RESULTS

In all, 112 patients were enrolled, with a mean (sd) age and duration of ED of 56 (16) and 2 (0.6) years, respectively. The vascular risk‐factor profile included diabetes in 15%, hypertension in 26% and hyperlipidaemia in 20%. The baseline severity of ED was mild, moderate and severe in 28%, 41% and 32% men, respectively. All patients had normal testosterone levels. Patients also with a normal DUS were diagnosed with psychogenic ED, in 50%, 13% and 17% of men with mild, moderate and severe ED by the IIEF, respectively. No patient with venous leak had mild ED, and 62% of men with venous leak had severe ED.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the IIEF is not completely accurate in differentiating between organic and psychogenic ED, and that almost a fifth of men in this study population with severe ED by the IIEF had normal erectile haemodynamics. These data have potential ramifications for evaluating the baseline severity of ED in trials of erectogenic agents.
Human understanding in dialogue: Gadamer's recovery of the genuine
Authors: Binding Linda L. , Tapp Dianne M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract  In this paper, the notion of the genuine as it relates to conversation is explored based on the work of H. G. Gadamer in his major work, Truth and Method (1989). The application of the genuine to human interaction and understanding in the context of qualitative research is examined. In addition, possible outcomes of the researcher's philosophical hermeneutic position, as exemplified through the use of the genuine conversation in her work, are discussed. Both the problem as well as the productivity of self‐application and prejudice are addressed through the lens of the genuine conversation. We then illustrate the character of interviewing and interpretation of text as research practices that can be informed by Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics while resisting methodology as a necessary feature of research inquiry.
Palliative care for people with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Mahon Margaret M. , Sorrell Jeanne M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract  The task of aligning the philosophical and clinical perspectives on ethics is a challenging one. Clinical practice informs philosophy, not merely by supplying cases, but through shaping and testing philosophical concepts in the reality of the clinical world. In this paper we explore several aspects of the relationship between the philosophical and the clinical within a framework of palliative care for people living with Alzheimer's disease. We suggest that health professionals have a moral obligation to question previous assumptions concerning the quality of life among people with Alzheimer's, and to address the question: does the concept of palliative care properly embrace people with severe dementia? We propose an ethic of palliative care for people with Alzheimer's that is based, not on the traditionally understood principle of autonomy, but on the need to listen to those living with the disease, acknowledging their profound loss of cognitive abilities, with a focus on preventing and relieving suffering, and improving the individual's quality of life.
Three Lenses of Evidence‐Based Policy
Authors: Head Brian W.
Published: March 2008

This article discusses recent trends to incorporate the results of systematic research (or ‘evidence’) into policy development, program evaluation and program improvement. This process is consistent with the New Public Management (NPM) emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness. Analysis of evidence helps to answer the questions ‘what works? and ‘what happens if we change these settings?’ Secondly, some of the well known challenges and limitations for ‘evidence‐based’ policy are outlined. Policy decisions emerge from politics, judgement and debate, rather than being deduced from empirical analysis. Policy debate and analysis involves an interplay between facts, norms and desired actions, in which ‘evidence’ is diverse and contestable. Thirdly, the article outlines a distinction between technical and negotiated approaches to problem‐solving. The latter is a prominent feature of policy domains rich in ‘network’ approaches, partnering and community engagement. Networks and partnerships bring to the negotiation table a diversity of stakeholder ‘evidence’, ie, relevant information, interpretations and priorities. Finally, it is suggested that three types of evidence/perspective are especially relevant in the modern era – systematic (‘scientific’) research, program management experience (‘practice’), and political judgement. What works for program clients is intrinsically connected to what works for managers and for political leaders. Thus, the practical craft of policy development and adjustment involves ‘weaving’ strands of information and values as seen through the lens of these three key stakeholder groups. There is not one evidence‐base but several bases. These disparate bodies of knowledge become multiple sets of evidence that inform and influence policy rather than determine it.
Social Policy and the Authority of Evidence
Authors: Neylan Julian
Published: March 2008

The growing call for social policy to be evidence‐based implies that ‘evidence’ possesses an intrinsic authority. Much of the evidence used by governments to formulate or evaluate social policy is signified through statistics and the language of quantification. Evidence presented in this way has the appearance of certainty and a legitimacy that seems beyond challenge. Having an appreciation of the history and sociology of the ‘science of the state’, as statistics was originally defined, helps demystify the authority of social statistics. This enables policy‐makers and program administrators to better discern the policy merit of numerical evidence.
After Reform: Accommodating Old Values and Assimilating New Ones
Authors: Chan Hon S. , Rosenbloom David H. , Rene Helena
Published: March 2008

Public administration is characterised by a multiplicity of incompatible values. In the 1990s, reformers avoided confronting the inevitable tradeoffs among these values by focusing almost exclusively on the cost‐effective achievement of results. However, older values have a tendency to ‘bite back’ and new ones emerge. In the near term future, public administration will have to deal with at least three sets of values: 1) those that are non‐mission based, and consequently not directly related to achieving results; 2) those that go unprotected when government work is outsourced to private entities; and 3) those associated with globalisation.
The Third Sector and Residential Care for the Elderly in China's Transitional Welfare Economy
Authors: Wong Linda
Published: March 2008

This article examines third‐sector welfare homes for Chinese elderly and argues that four factors affect their survival and development prospects: the extent care establishments meet the needs of their users; how successfully they manage their human resources; whether they ensure their financial sustainability; and whether they satisfy the expectations of their investors. The data reveal that while care homes generally serve their customers well and maintain staff satisfaction, they encounter difficulties in financing and service operation that pose grave challenges to their investors. The resulting problems cast a shadow over the future prospects of old‐age care homes and raise questions concerning the state's non‐profit policy.
Critical Notice
Authors: BAMBROUGH RENFORD
Published: March 2008

Collected Philosophical Papers, G. E. M. Anscombe

Intention and Intentionality: Essays in Honour of G. E. M. Anscombe, Edited by Cora Diamond and Jenny Teichman
The Wrong Stuff: Chinese Rooms and the Nature of Understanding
Authors: Fisher John A.
Published: March 2008

Searle's Chinese Room argument is a general argument that proves that machines do not have mental states in virtue of their programming. I claim that the argument expresses powerful but mistaken intuitions about understanding and the first person point of view. A distinction is drawn between a competence sense and a performance sense of ‘understanding texts’. It is argued that the Chinese Room intuition looks for a special experience (performance) of comprehension, whereas artificial intelligence is attempting to explain the knowledge (competence) required to understand texts. Moreover, a dilemma is sketched for the argument: either Searle hasn't identified the appropriate subject of understanding or he may understand after all. Finally, I question the underlying assumption that the general definition of mental states requires a projectable‐by‐us first person point of view.
What Turns on Hinges?
Authors: Dorbolo Jon
Published: March 2008

Being unable ‐ when we surrender ourselves to philosophical thought ‐ to help saying such‐and‐such; being irresistibly inclined to say it ‐ does not mean being forced into an assumption …
Doing Away with Morgan’s Canon
Authors: FITZPATRICK SIMON
Published: March 2008

Abstract: Morgan’s Canon is a very widely endorsed methodological principle in animal psychology, believed to be vital for a rigorous, scientific approach to the study of animal cognition. In contrast I argue that Morgan’s Canon is unjustified, pernicious and unnecessary. I identify two main versions of the Canon and show that they both suffer from very serious problems. I then suggest an alternative methodological principle that captures all of the genuine methodological benefits that Morgan’s Canon can bring but suffers from none of its problems.
INTERDEPENDENCE AND CAPABILITIES FOR EUROPEAN COOPERATION*
Authors: Russett Bruce M.
Published: March 2008

It is a commonplace that the world has grown more interdependent during the twentieth century. One can point to revolutions in transportation, communication, and weapons capabilities, or to the financial interdependencies of Eurodollars and foreign exchange sensitivities. It is not generally appreciated, however, that many of the international capabilities for dealing with problems that arise from these interdependencies have suffered a decline during the same period, at least relative to the burdens of interdependence that must be borne and often relative even to the level of capabilities that existed several decades ago. Western Europe nevertheless constitutes a substantial exception to the general trend, an island of cohesion in an increasingly disorganized world. A historical and contemporary comparative perspective may help to point out the peculiarly favorable opportunities now open to Western Europe.
SHORT NOTICES
Authors: Dobson A.
Published: March 2008

Tratados Fundacionales de las Comunidades Europeas, edited by Manuel Medina. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid, 1976. xxiii+545 pp. 1,200 pesetas.
Policy issues of intra‐EC direct investment: British, French and German multinationals in Greece, Portugal and Spain, with special reference to employment effects
Authors: BUCKLEY PETER J. , ARTISIEN PATRICK
Published: March 2008

From this brief survey, it is apparent that Greece, Portugal and Spain are all heavily dependent on foreign investment for industrial and commercial development. In each country, critical industries such as chemicals, electrical engineering, motor vehicles and information based technologies are heavily dependent on foreign investment. Consequently, the decisions of multinationals on where to invest and how to service markets will have a profound effect on employment in these countries. These issues are discussed in detail in sections V and VI.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom are major origins of firms with considerable investments in each of the countries, although British firms are under‐represented in Greece. France is the largest country of origin for multinationals investing in Portugal, and it has recently begun to invest heavily in Spain. In Greece, French firms represent a quarter of all authorized foreign direct investment (second only to the USA). West German firms are represented at a modest level in Greece but are consistently heavy investors in Spain and also contribute to investment and employment in Portuguese industry. Compared to France and West Germany, British firms have neglected these three host countries as investment targets. Their tiny representation in Greece has been mentioned, and whilst investment in Portugal matches that of West German firms, British firms' investment in Spain has recently been small relative to French and German firms.

Overall, investment by multinationals from France, West Germany and the United Kingdom has played an important role in the industrial development of the three host countries, and their location and market servicing policies continue to have a major impact on employment in Greece, Portugal and Spain.

The recent entry (1 January 1986) of the Iberian countries into the EC is likely to have a major impact on their prospects of attracting foreign direct investment, and, although this will have been anticipated to a certain extent by investors, its impact is worthy of further analysis. The following section begins this process by outlining the legislative measures of the three host countries.
National Governance and European Integration: Intergovernmental Relations in Germany
Authors: GOETZ KLAUS H.
Published: March 2008

The impact of European integration on the governance of EU Member States bas received growing attention in recent years. In analysing the Europeanization of national political systems, intergovernmental relations are of special significance, particularly in strongly decentralized or federalized polities. Focusing on Germany, it can be shown that European integration has had a major impact on Federd‐Länder and inter‐Länder relations. However, rather than challenge established features of the intergovernmental system, European integration has tended to affirm, if not reinforce, key structural principles of German federalism. Europeanization is not, therefore, necessarily equivalent to the transformation of national systems of governance.
First No, Then Yes: The Danish Referendums on the Maastricht Treaty 1992 and 1993
Authors: WORRE TORBEN
Published: March 2008

This article considers the behaviour of Danish voters in the two referendums on the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty). The first, in June 1992, rejected the Treaty and threatened the whole union process. The second, in May 1993, approved the Treaty. The development of opinion before and between the referendums is considered, and it is demonstrated that resistance to the Maastricht Treaty was not an effect of opposition to membership of the Community, but the result of a preference for an intergovernmental type of European Co‐operation.
Democracy and Enlarging the European Union Eastwards
Authors: ROSE RICHARD , HAERPFER CHRISTIAN
Published: March 2008

Democracy is a precondition for membership of the European Union (EU). What are the chances for democracy in the post‐communist states of central and eastern Europe? The first section states arguments of doubters; the second and third present fresh empirical evidence from nation‐wide surveys of public opinion in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania. Survey data show widespread popular support for the current regime as against the old communist regime, and no substantial support for undemocratic alternatives. The critical feature of ex‐communists is that they are now ‘ex’. Given that the democratic precondition is met, this article secondly considers, what are the obstacles to enlargement within post‐communist countries? In central and eastern Europe the chief obstacle is the time required to create all the institutions of the market. Within the European Union there is also an obstacle‐ defining the post‐1996 acquits communitarian ‐ a task made more complex by the prospect of adding new Member States from central and eastern Europe.
Policy Legitimacy and the European Union
Authors: Obradovic Daniela
Published: March 2008

Although numerous contributions have been made towards establishing policy legitimacy in the European Union (EU), to date no comprehensive model has been developed. The aim of this article is to explain why the search for legitimacy of the European enterprise has not ultimately been satisfied. I argue that the reason for underdeveloped policy legitimacy in the Union stems not from the lack of interest on the part of European policy‐makers caused by the comfort of ‘permissive consensus’, but from the very nature of the concept of legitimacy as such, i.e. its organic, mythical foundation. Essentially, legitimacy reflects the belief that one system is just because it embodies an accepted superior justificatory principle, the myth. The justificatory message communicated by the myth creates an effective device for legitimation. The myth is understood here in its broad sense as the symbolic values through which people share an idea of origin, continuity, historical memories, collective remembrance, common heritage and tradition, as well as a common destiny, which has often involved a binding political process by which one ethnol has become hegemonicvis‐à‐visthe rest. Myth expresses and maintains social solidarity because it refers to values of belongingness and originality and a sense of shared collective identity and fate. Such a myth of origin as the ultimate source of legitimacy is missing from the European venture. No mythologein is powerfully operative within the Union, no one can win the consent of the entire Union population. The task of firmly and indisputably establishing Union policy legitimacy therefore encounters serious theoretical difficulties.
European Integration from the 1980s: State‐Centric v. Multi‐level Governance*
Authors: Marks Gary , Hooghe Liesbet , Blank Kermit
Published: March 2008

This article takes initial steps in evaluating contending models of EU governance. We argue that the sovereignty of individual states is diluted in the European arena by collective decision‐making and by supranational institutions. In addition, European states are losing their grip on the mediation of domestic interest representation in international relations. We make this argument along two tracks. First, we analyse the conditions under which central state executives may lose their grip on power. Next, we divide up the policy process into stages and specify which institutional rules may induce various actors to deepen EU policy‐making.
Between Nation‐State, Regionalism and World Society: The European Integration Process*
Authors: Münch Richard
Published: March 2008

In this article, I aim to discuss the problems associated with European integration with particular reference to the integration processes taking place within the European Union (EU). I intend to deal with the topic in five sections: (1) how an abstract model for understanding and explaining the development of larger collective units, exemplified by the emergence of European nation‐states, can provide the tools for understanding and explaining the development of the EU as a supranational collective unit; (2) the economic problems of integration; (3) the political problems of integration; (4) the problems of integration regarding bonds of solidarity; (5) the cultural problems of integration.
Membership Matters: Limits of the Functional Approach to European Institutions*
Authors: Snvdholtz Wayne
Published: March 2008

Functional, transaction‐cost approaches to international institutions depict them as passive fora for bargaining among states with autonomously derived preferences. This article probes the limits of the functional, intergovernmental account of the European Union. It suggests that EU institutions can affect political behaviour and outcomes in at least three broad ways: (1) by becoming autonomous political actors; (2) by creating options for domestic actors in their choice of allies and arenas (creating ‘multi‐level politics’); and (3) by inducing changes in domestic policies and institutions. The article provides instances of each effect in the European Union. It concludes that, in order to understand how the European Union works as well as how it has evolved, analysis must move beyond the limits of the functional, intergovernmentalist approach.
An Empirical Analysis of Inward Foreign Direct Investment Flows in the EU with Emphasis on the Market Enlargement Hypothesis*
Authors: Aristotelous Kyriacos , Fountas Stilianos
Published: March 2008

We use a cross‐section, time‐series approach to study the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the European Union (EU) with particular emphasis on the expectations of a single market following the Single European Act of 1987. Using annual data from the 1980s and early 1990s, we investigate the determinants of US and Japanese FDI in the EU by pooling the data by the host country. We find strong evidence in favour of a single market effect where the anticipation of a larger market size due to a barriers free European market leads to an increase in the inflows of FDI. In addition, our estimation results show that FDI flows in the EU also depend on market size and the real exchange rate (as a proxy of relative labour costs).
DJ‐1‐binding compounds prevent oxidative stress‐induced cell death and movement defect in Parkinson’s disease model rats
Authors: Miyazaki Shin , Yanagida Takashi , Nunome Kana , Ishikawa Shizuma , Inden Masatoshi , Kitamura Yoshihisa , Nakagawa Shinsuke , Taira Takahiro , Hirota Kosaku , Niwa Masami , Iguchi‐Ariga Sanae M. M. , Ariga Hiroyoshi
Published: March 2008

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by neuronal cell death. Although a precursor of dopamine and inhibitors of dopamine degradation have been used for PD therapy, cell death progresses during treatment. DJ‐1, a causative gene product of a familial form of PD, PARK7, plays roles in transcriptional regulation and anti‐oxidative stress, and loss of its function is thought to result in the onset of PD. Superfluous oxidation of cysteine at amino acid 106 (C106) of DJ‐1 renders DJ‐1 inactive, and such oxidized DJ‐1 has been observed in patients with the sporadic form of PD. In this study, we isolated compounds that bind to the region at C106 by a virtual screening. These compounds prevented oxidative stress‐induced death of SH‐SY5Y cells, embryonic stem cell‐derived dopaminergic cells and primary neuronal cells of the ventral mesencephalon, but not that of DJ‐1‐knockdown cells of SH‐SY5Y and NIH3T3 cells, indicating that the effect of the compounds is specific to DJ‐1. These compounds inhibited production of reactive oxygen species and restored activities of mitochondrial complex I and tyrosine hydroxylase that had been compromised by oxidative stress. These compounds prevented dopaminergic cell death in the substantia nigra and restored movement abnormality in 6‐hydroxyldopamine‐injected PD model rats. One mechanism of action of these compounds is prevention of superfluous oxidation of DJ‐1, and the compounds passed through the blood–brain barrier in vitro. Taken together, the results indicate that these compounds should become fundamental drugs for PD therapy.
The −308 TNFα Gene Polymorphism in Severe Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis: Identification of a New Susceptibility Marker
Authors: Nguyen‐Khac Eric , Houchi Hakim , Daoust Martine , Dupas Jean Louis , Naassila Mickaël
Published: March 2008

Background:  This study investigated whether genetic polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) gene’s promoter region play a role in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH).

Methods:  One‐hundred and fifty patients (58 AAH patients, 45 cirrhosis group free‐AAH, 47 healthy group) were genotyped for 3 TNFα polymorphisms (−238, −308, −863) using a polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Serum TNFα levels were determined.

Results  The TNFα−308 allele A frequency was significantly lower in AAH group (0.09), than cirrhosis (0.28) (p < 0.001), and healthy groups (p < 0.001). The TNFα−308 A/G, A/A genotypes were significantly lower in AAH group, than cirrhosis (p = 0.005), and healthy groups (p < 0.001). For AAH group, there were no clinical, biological, and serum TNFα differences between the −308 G/G and A/G, A/A genotype patients, apart higher transaminase in the former group (p = 0.02). AAH and cirrhosis groups did not differ for the frequency of TNFα−238, −863 polymorphisms. The specific genotype did not appear to have any influence on the therapeutic response following corticotherapy or posttreatment 6‐month survival. In the AAH group, nonsurvivors had higher TNFα levels than survivors (7.9 ± 8.8 vs. 3.3 ± 1.6 pg/ml, p = 0.01).

Conclusions:  These results attest to the involvement of TNFα‐related genetic factors in susceptibility to AAH.
Acute Alcohol Intoxication Increases REDD1 in Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Lang Charles H. , Frost Robert A. , Vary Thomas C.
Published: March 2008

Background:  The mechanism by which acute alcohol (EtOH) intoxication decreases basal muscle protein synthesis via inhibition of the Ser/Thr kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is poorly defined. In this regard, mTOR activity is impaired after over expression of the regulatory protein REDD1. Hence, the present study assessed the ability of REDD1 as a potential mediator of the EtOH‐induced decrease in muscle protein synthesis.

Methods:  The effect of acute EtOH intoxication on REDD1 mRNA and protein was determined in striated muscle of rats and mouse myocytes using an RNase protection assay and Western blotting, respectively. Other components of the mTOR signaling pathway were also assessed by immunoblotting. For comparison, REDD1 mRNA/protein was also determined in the muscle of rats chronically fed an alcohol‐containing diet for 14 weeks.

Results:  Intraperitoneal (IP) injection of EtOH increased gastrocnemius REDD1 mRNA in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, and these changes were associated with reciprocal decreases in the phosphorylation of 4E‐BP1, which is a surrogate marker for mTOR activity and protein synthesis. No change in REDD1 mRNA was detected in the slow‐twitch soleus muscle or heart. Acute EtOH produced comparable increases in muscle REDD1 protein. The EtOH‐induced increase in gastrocnemius REDD1 was independent of the route of EtOH administration (oral vs. IP), the nutritional state (fed vs. fasted), gender, and age of the rat. The nonmetabolizable alcohol tert‐butanol increased REDD1 and the EtOH‐induced increase in REDD1 was not prevented by pretreatment with the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor 4‐methylpyrazole. In contrast, REDD1 mRNA and protein were not increased in the isolated hindlimb perfused with EtOH or in C2C12 myocytes incubated with EtOH, under conditions previously reported to decrease protein synthesis. Pretreatment with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486 failed to prevent the EtOH‐induced increase in REDD1. Finally, the EtOH‐induced increase in REDD1 was not associated with altered formation of the TSC1•TSC2 complex or the phosphorylation of TSC2 which is down stream in the REDD1 stress response pathway. In contradistinction to the changes observed with acute EtOH intoxication, REDD1 mRNA/protein was not changed in gastrocnemius from chronic alcohol‐fed rats despite the reduction in 4E‐BP1 phosphorylation.

Conclusions:  These data indicate that in fast‐twitch skeletal muscle (i) REDD1 mRNA/protein is increased in vivo by acute EtOH intoxication but not in response to chronic alcohol feeding, (ii) elevated REDD1 in response to acute EtOH appears due to the production of an unknown secondary mediator which is not corticosterone, and (iii) the EtOH‐induced decrease in protein synthesis can be dissociated from a change in REDD1 suggesting that the induction of this protein is not responsible for the rapid decrease in protein synthesis after acute EtOH administration or for the development of alcoholic myopathy in rats fed an alcohol‐containing diet.
Social networks and infant feeding in Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: Wutich Amber , McCarty Christopher
Published: March 2008

The health benefits of delaying the introduction of complementary foods to infants' diets are widely known. Many studies have shown that mothers with the support of close social network members are more compliant with medical recommendations for infant feeding. In our study, we examine the effects of a broader spectrum of network members (40 people) on mothers' infant feeding decisions. The survey was conducted in Oaxaca, Mexico as part of a follow‐up to a nationwide Mexican Social Security Institute survey of infant health. Sixty mothers were interviewed from a stratified random sample of the original respondents. Multivariate tests were used to compare the efficacy of network‐level variables for predicting the introduction of 36 foods into infants' diets, when compared with respondent‐level variables. The study yields four findings. First, network‐level variables were better predictors of the timing of food introduction than socio‐demographic variables. Second, mothers with more indigenous networks delayed the introduction of some grains (oatmeal, cereal, noodle soup, rice) and processed pork products (sausage and ham) to the infant's diet longer than mothers with less indigenous networks. Third, mothers who had stronger ties to their networks delayed the introduction of rice and processed pork products (sausage and ham) to the infant's diet longer than mothers who had weaker ties to their networks. Fourth, mothers who heeded the advice of distant network members introduced some grains (rice and cereal) earlier than mothers who did not heed the advice of distant network members.
Implications of the biology of weight regulation and obesity on the treatment of obesity
Authors: Bellar Ann , Jarosz Patricia A. , Bellar David
Published: March 2008

Purpose: The purposes of this article are to provide a brief review of the complex biology of weight regulation and obesity, to explain some of the effects of diet and exercise on the biology of weight regulation and obesity, and to propose a coherent way to assess and treat people related to weight and obesity.

Data sources: Scientific publications, clinical guidelines, and government sources.

Conclusions: Obesity is a complex problem requiring an understanding of how interventions interact with the biology of weight regulation in people who are obese. Promoting health in obese people requires a focus on improving insulin sensitivity.

Implications for practice: Helping individuals maintain normal weight throughout life is important in order to keep the long‐ and short‐term weight signals in balance and reflective of true energy requirements. Exercise is associated with loss of total and abdominal adipose tissue and improved insulin sensitivity. Diets inducing gradual weight loss are less likely to stimulate appetite. Diets should include antioxidants to neutralize the increase in free radical production associated with obesity and exercise. Other interventions in the treatment of obesity may include treating sleep deficits and the dysregulated endocannabinoid system.
The illness beliefs, perceptions, and practices of Filipino Americans with hypertension
Authors: Dela Cruz Felicitas A. , Galang Carmen B.
Published: March 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the illness beliefs, perceptions, and practices of Filipino Americans (FAs) with hypertension (HTN) to reveal their explanatory models (EMs) of the illness.

Data sources: Audiotapes and transcripts of focus group interviews and observational notes were subjected to content analysis. Medical records and related empirical studies provided supporting data.

Conclusions: In general, the EMs of FAs with HTN correspond to the biomedical model in relation to causes, consequences, and treatment of HTN. However, in spite of this biomedical knowledge, FAs with HTN have difficulty maintaining the required lifestyle changes and adhering to the medication regimen to control their illness.

Implications for practice: It is important for NPs to assess the EMs of FAs with HTN, including their use of traditional folk remedies and practitioners of folk medicine. The challenge is to provide cardiovascular health promotion and education in a culturally sensitive, congruent, and tailored manner to FAs with HTN to help them control their illness.
Children’s Perceptions of Parental Attitude Affecting Breakfast Skipping in Primary Sixth‐Grade Students
Authors: Cheng Tereza SY , Tse Lap Ah , Yu Ignatius Tak‐Sun , Griffiths Sian
Published: March 2008

Background:  Breakfast skipping is an international public health concern. This study investigated the prevalence of breakfast skipping among primary sixth‐grade students in Hong Kong and the impact of students’ perceptions of parental attitudes on breakfast skipping.

Methods:  A total of 426 students aged 10‐14 years in 4 local schools participated in this cross‐sectional study and completed a questionnaire adapted from an earlier study in Queensland. Breakfast skipping was defined as having missed any food or beverage (except water) between waking and the commencement of morning school classes at least 1 school day during the past week. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the potential risk factors of breakfast skipping.

Results:  Of the 426 students, 130 (30.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.1‐34.9) reported skipping breakfast for at least 1 day in a school week. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that breakfast skipping was associated with lack of perceived parental emphasis on breakfast (odds ratio [OR] = 3.67, 95% CI: 1.75‐7.68) and not believing that breakfast consumption could help concentration in class (OR = 3.82, 95% CI: 1.86‐7.87).

Conclusions:  This study suggested that breakfast consumption habits could stem from the students’ beliefs and perceptions. Thus, working with students, parents, and schools to build up positive knowledge and beliefs about breakfast consumption might be useful.
A Pilot Study to Examine the Effects of a Nutrition Intervention on Nutrition Knowledge, Behaviors, and Efficacy Expectations in Middle School Children
Authors: Fahlman Mariane M. , Dake Joseph A. , McCaughtry Nate , Martin Jeffrey
Published: March 2008

Background:  This was a pilot study to determine the impact of the Michigan Model (MM) Nutrition Curriculum on nutrition knowledge, efficacy expectations, and eating behaviors in middle school students.

Methods:  The study was conducted in a large metropolitan setting and approved by the Institutional Review Board. The participants for this study were divided into an intervention group (n = 407) and a control group (n = 169). An MM instructor trained health teachers in the use of the curriculum, and the teacher subsequently taught the curriculum to students in the intervention group. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to determine pre‐post differences. It consisted of 3 subscales assessing eating habits, nutrition knowledge, and efficacy expectations toward healthy eating. Subscale scores were analyzed using a 2 groups (intervention vs control) × 2 times (pre vs post) analysis of variance.

Results:  The intervention group increased their nutrition knowledge at post. There was also a significant main effect for groups in the subscales “Eating Behaviors” and “Efficacy Expectations Regarding Healthy Eating.” Subsequent post hoc analysis revealed that the intervention group was significantly more likely to eat fruits and vegetables and less likely to eat junk food than the control group. Students in the intervention group also felt more confident that they could eat healthy.

Conclusions:  The results of this pilot study suggest that the MM Nutrition Curriculum delivered by trained professionals resulted in significant positive changes in both nutrition knowledge and behaviors in middle school children. Further research needs to be conducted to determine the long‐term impact.
Superficial keratectomy and topical mitomycin C as therapy for a corneal squamous cell carcinoma in a dog
Authors: Karasawa K. , Matsuda H. , Tanaka A.
Published: March 2008

A 10‐year‐old female West Highland white terrier was presented with refractory hyperplastic keratitis of the left cornea of one month’s duration. At this time, a vascularised and rough lesion 5 mm in diameter was observed on the left cornea. No other abnormality was recognised on the affected eye. The corneal neoplasm was surgically removed and histologically diagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma. For two months after the surgery, 0·04 per cent mitomycin C (MMC) eye drops were applied as adjuvant chemotherapy. Primary corneal squamous cell carcinoma with no history of keratoconjunctivitis sicca is rare in dogs. In the present report, surgical removal of the neoplasm was combined with the topical administration of the anticancer drug mitomycin C and a good prognosis was obtained. The result indicates that the combination treatment used in this case may be an appropriate therapeutic choice for corneal squamous cell carcinoma in dogs.
Epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) in a coati
Authors: Skorinsky I. , Papadogiannakis E. , Horowitz I. , Anug A‐M.
Published: March 2008

The aim of this report was to present a case of epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) in a coati. The animal was presented for evaluation of a non‐pruritic nodule. Although the diagnosis of cutaneous histiocytoma was made histologically, plaques and erosions appeared in new areas of the skin along with rapid deterioration of body condition that led to euthanasia in less than one month following initial presentation. Epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma was confirmed with plaque biopsies. Cross‐reactivity of a polyclonal antihuman CD3 antibody to coati T lymphocytes was also observed. Apart from skin lesions, only pleuritis was post‐mortem diagnosed most likely because of immunosuppression secondarily to malignant neoplasia.
1. Isolation and Characterisation of Equine Rhinopneumontis Virus and Other Equine Herpesviruses from Horses
Authors: Studdert M. J. , Turner A. J. , Peterson J. E.
Published: March 2008

Equine herpesviruses (EH viruses) were isolated from 9 horses in three separate outbreaks of respiratory disease. The pattern of disease in the three stables is described and evidence is presented that some of the horses were ill, possibly as a result of recurrent infection, and that reactivation of a persistent, latent infection may have occurred. An ulcerative condition of the pharyngeal region was seen in some of the horses with EH virus infection.

The cytopathogenicity for equine foetal kidney cells of the 9 EH viruses varied considerably. One isolate, EH 39 virus, which was recovered from an acute, upper respiratory tract infection, was rapidly cytopathic for equine foetal kidney cell cultures and was shown in neutralisation tests to be identical with, or closely related to equine rhinopneumonitis virus (EH virus type 1) that is associated with acute respiratory disease and abortion in other countries. More slowly cytopathic isolates were recovered from mild to subclinical upper respiratory tract infections. Evidence is presented that the property of slow cytopathogenicity is probably related to the tendency of these viruses to remain cell associated. Slowly cytopathic isolates were recovered from the nasal cavity of horse 89 on two occasions 79 days apart. One of the eight slowly cytopathic isolates, EH 86 virus, was shown to be antigenically distinct from equine rhinopneumonitis virus (EH 39 virus).
THE ISOLATION OF PICORNAVIRUSES FROM CATS WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE
Authors: Spradbrow P. B. , Bagust T. J. , Burges G. , Portas B.
Published: March 2008

One hundred and sixty samples including nasal swabs, conjunctival swabs, lung tissue, swabs of tonsil and an oral swab were taken from 59 cats suffering from respiratory disease. Thirty‐nine of the specimens (from 23 cats) contained agents that produced a rapid cytopathic effect in cultures of feline kidney cells. Two of the isolates were studied in detail, and they were found to be resistant to lipid solvents, stable at pH 5 but not at pH 3, able to pass through a 50 mμ filter and not stabilized to inactivation at 50°C in the presence of molar concentrations of MgCl2. Electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations revealed particles about 45 mμ in diameter that lacked an outer envelope. These properties indicate that the agents are feline picornaviruses.

Antibodies to one of the isolates were present in 14 of 56 cat serums. Four kittens inoculated with picornaviruses developed upper respiratory tract disease, but 3 died with signs of enteritis possibly caused by concurrent infection with pan‐leucopenia virus. Picornaviruses were isolated from nasal swabs from 3 of these kittens, and from lung and spleen of the other.
THE ISOLATION OF MYCOPLASMAS FROM CATS WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE
Authors: Spradbrow P. B. , Marley Judy , B. Portas  , G. Burgesss
Published: March 2008

Mycoplasma were isolated from 11 of 160 samples from cats with respiratory disease. Most isolations were made from nasal swabs. Two of the isolates were tested for metabolic activity, and one fermented glucose while the other metabolized arginine. Metabolism‐inhibiting antibodies active against the arginine metabolizing mycoplasmas were present in 6 of 20 cats serums at titres of from 1/2 to 1/8. Antibodies against the glucose fermenting mycoplasma were not present in any of the 20 serums.
PHYCOMYCOSIS OF THE HORSE CAUSED BY BASIDIOBOLUS HAPTOSPORUS
Authors: Miller R. , Pott B.
Published: March 2008

A case of subcutaneous phycomycosis of a horse from which Basidiobolus haptosporus was isolated is described. Although some clinical signs were similar to the disease caused by Hyphomyces destruens, the gross and microscopic pathology were different in several respects. Main characteristics of the histopathology were the narrow eosinophilic sleeve around wide, frequently septate hyphae scattered throughout the affected tissue and found commonly at the advancing border of the lesion. A retrospective study of 63 cases of phycomycosis diagnosed at this laboratory since 1970 indicated a further 11 cases with similar histological features. The significance of this finding for the epidemiology and pathogenesis of equine dermal granulomas is discussed.
GRANULOMATOUS ENTERITIS IN A YOUNG STANDARDBRED MARE
Authors: Roberts M. C. , Kelly W. R.
Published: March 2008

Granulomatous enteritis was diagnosed in a 4‐year‐old Standardbred mare suffering from chronic weight loss, depression, dependent oedema but not diarrhoea. There was hypoproteinaemia (hypoalbuminaemia), lymphocytopaenia and negligible carbohydrate absorption from the small intestine. Pathological changes in almost the entire small intestine included proprial infiltration resulting in partial villous atrophy, and granuloma formation beneath the muscularis which was most severe in the ileum. Slight infiltration occurred in the stomach and the colon. The cells were predominantly lymphocytes and histiocytes. No acid‐fast organisms were found.
CAMBENDAZOLE TOXICITY IN CALVES
Authors: Main D. C. , Vass D. E.
Published: March 2008

The death of 3 of 8 dairy calves was associated with the administration of 98.5 mg/kg cambendazole. Significant lesions consisted of marked pleural effusion, severe pulmonary oedema and necrotic lymphadenopathy.