bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer carry psychological morbidity?
Authors: Burnet Katriina L. , Parker Chris , Dearnaley David , Brewin Chris R. , Watson Maggie
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVES

To investigate, in a cross‐sectional study, the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with localised prostate cancer managed by active surveillance, compared with those receiving immediate treatment, as active surveillance is a relatively new approach to managing this disease, designed to avoid ‘unnecessary’ treatment, but it is unclear whether the approach contributes to psychological distress, given that men are living with untreated cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A consecutive series of 764 patients with prostate cancer were approached in outpatient clinics. Of these, 329 men with localized disease (cT1/2, N0/NX, M0/MX) meeting the study entry criteria, completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); 100 were on active surveillance, 81 were currently receiving radical treatment (radiotherapy + neoadjuvant hormone therapy) and 148 had previously received radical radiotherapy.

RESULTS

Overall, 16% (51/329) of patients met the HADS criteria for anxiety and 6% (20/329) for depression. Analyses indicated that higher anxiety scores were significantly associated with younger age (P < 0.01) and a longer interval since diagnosis (P < 0.01), but not with management by active surveillance (P = 0.38). Higher depression scores were significantly associated with a longer interval since diagnosis (P < 0.05), but not with management by active surveillance (P = 0.83).

CONCLUSION

Active surveillance for managing localized prostate cancer was not associated with greater psychological distress than more immediate treatment for prostate cancer.
Microvascular tumour invasion in renal cell carcinoma: the most important prognostic factor
Authors: Dall’Oglio Marcos F. , Antunes Alberto A. , Sarkis Álvaro S. , Crippa Alexandre , Leite Kátia R. , Lucon Antonio Marmo , Srougi Miguel
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of microvascular invasion (MVI) in the primary lesion for predicting tumour behaviour in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), as reliable clinical prognostic factors would be very valuable.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

MVI was assessed in 230 patients with clinically localized RCC (stages T1–4NxM0) who had a radical nephrectomy and/or nephron‐sparing surgery. The median (range) follow‐up was 48 (3–130) months. The impact of MVI on disease progression and its correlation with clinical and histopathological factors was analysed, including whether patients were symptomatic or not at presentation, Fuhrman nuclear grade, tumour size, pathological stage and lymph node metastasis. Regression analyses and survival curves were used to determine if MVI was associated with the prognosis of RCC.

RESULTS

There was MVI in 59 patients (26%); of these, 46% developed disease recurrence. Among the 171 patients with no MVI, only 11 (6%) had tumour recurrence. MVI was associated with tumour diameter, nuclear grade, pathological stage, lymph node metastasis and the presence of sarcomatous elements in the tumour. Multivariate analysis showed that MVI was an independent predictor of disease recurrence and the most important factor related to death.

CONCLUSION

MVI is an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with RCC.
The association of time of day and serum testosterone concentration in a large screening population
Authors: Crawford E. David , Barqawi Al Baha , O’Donnell Colin , Morgentaler Abraham
Published: June 2007

Authors from the USA reviewed semen samples for their National Prostate Cancer Awareness screening programme. They evaluated semen testosterone levels at various times during the day, depending on when the person attended for screening. In this study, they found that testosterone levels in older men remain stable throughout the morning and early afternoon, and declined only moderately after that. Further case control studies have been suggested to confirm this finding.

In a study from the UK, changes to PSA screening programmes, such as lowering the threshold or incorporating reflex PSA tests, have been looked at, particularly their impact on programme performance characteristics. The authors found that such changes will increase the number of biopsies and the number of cancers detected, but the authors question whether this will improve treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To assess testosterone patterns during clinical hours in a large population of men participating in a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the effect of time of day on serum testosterone concentration is unclear and largely reported in small studies.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Testosterone levels were measured in 3006 men attending the national Prostate Cancer Awareness Week screening programme. Blood samples were obtained between 06.00 and 18.00 hours, whenever men presented for screening. All men completed questionnaires on age, comorbidities, height and weight. Testosterone levels were compared based on four periods, i.e. T1, 06.00–10.00 (632 men), T2, 10.00–12.00 (812), T3, 12.00–14.00 (388), and T4, 14.00–18.00 hours (1174).

RESULTS

The mean (sd, range) age of the men was 60.3 (9.9, 40–94) years and the mean (sd) testosterone level was 415.2 (190.9) ng/dL. There was no change in mean (sd) testosterone levels over T1, T2 and T3, at 444.9 (206.2), 433.5 (195.8) and 434.4 (181.2) ng/dL, respectively, but levels at T4, at 380.4 (176.4) ng/dL, were lower by ≈ 13% (P < 0.05). Advancing age, diabetes and obesity were associated with lower testosterone levels. The percentage of men with biochemical hypogonadism (<300 ng/dL) did not change across all four periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Testosterone levels in older men are stable throughout the morning and early afternoon, declining only modestly thereafter. Further case‐controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Violence, Police and Riots in New Orleans Political Culture: 1854–18741
Authors: MCGOLDRICK STACY K. , SIMPSON PAUL
Published: June 2007

Abstract  Through an analysis of four major riots in New Orleans between 1854 and 1874, this paper examines the central role of local police forces in the violent New Orleans political culture. Through this analysis, the paper questions the extent to which not just exclusion, but political violence, is embedded in American republicanism. From the re‐integration of the city in 1852 well into the Jim Crow era, police forces served as party operatives in New Orleans, insuring through violence that their party won majority on the city council or losing their positions, en masse, if they did not. These patterns of mob violence highlight the remarkable extent to which majority approval figured over rule of law in mid‐nineteenth century republicanism.
Moving through Time and Space: Performing Bodies in Derry, Northern Ireland
Authors: CONWAY BRIAN
Published: June 2007

Abstract  This paper examines the embodied remembrance of Bloody Sunday (1972), when thirteen civilians were shot dead by British soldiers while peacefully marching against internment. The work of Paul Connerton represents a crucial analytical starting point in a growing number of studies examining the body as site of memory. While Connnerton's theorisation has been very influential and persuasive, I argue that there is some scope for improving his ideas about the changeability of bodily memory and the Bloody Sunday case represents an interesting empirical example of how embodied remembrance reflects and responds to transformations in the wider socio‐political context.
High‐lysine corn generated by endosperm‐specific suppression of lysine catabolism using RNAi
Authors: Houmard Nancy M. , Mainville Jonnelle L. , Bonin Christopher P. , Huang Shihshieh , Luethy Michael H. , Malvar Thomas M.
Published: June 2007

Because of the limited lysine content in corn grain, synthetic lysine supplements are added to corn meal‐based rations for animal feed. The development of biotechnology, combined with the understanding of plant lysine metabolism, provides an alternative solution for increasing corn lysine content through genetic engineering. Here, we report that by suppressing lysine catabolism, transgenic maize kernels accumulated a significant amount of lysine. This was achieved by RNA interference (RNAi) through the endosperm‐specific expression of an inverted‐repeat (IR) sequence targeting the maize bifunctional lysine degradation enzyme, lysine‐ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase (ZLKR/SDH). Although plant‐short interfering RNA (siRNA) were reported to lack tissue specificity due to systemic spreading, we confirmed that the suppression of ZLKR/SDH in developing transgenic kernels was restricted to endosperm tissue. Furthermore, results from our cloning and sequencing of siRNA suggested the absence of transitive RNAi. These results support the practical use of RNAi for plant genetic engineering to specifically target gene suppression in desired tissues without eliciting systemic spreading and the transitive nature of plant RNAi silencing.
What Really Happens: Department Secretary Appointments, Contracts and Performance Pay in the Australian Public Service
Authors: Podger Andrew
Published: June 2007

This account of the practice in the Australian Public Service (APS) for appointing department secretaries, using contracts and rewarding for performance, is based on my own experience in being appointed, reappointed and not reappointed, and in receiving and not receiving performance pay. It also draws on my experience as Public Service Commissioner in assisting with appointments and performance pay of secretaries. I also discuss weaknesses in the current system, and the drift to ‘politicisation’.

I was first appointed as a department secretary at the end of 1993 after 25 years in the APS including 15 years in the Senior Executive Service (SES) in three different portfolios (Social Security, Finance and Defence). I was secretary of three different departments (Administrative Services, Housing, and Health, some of which went through changes in name and responsibilities during my tenure) before being appointed as Public Service Commissioner from the beginning of 2002. I retired from the APS in June 2005.
Improving Policy Effectiveness: Land Use Planning in a Devolved Polity
Authors: Peel Deborah , Lloyd Michael Gregory
Published: June 2007

Improving public policy efficiency and effectiveness in land use planning is an established priority on the prevailing political agenda in the UK. Practical measures to enhance policy formulation in local land use development plans in Scotland offer an interesting case study of an attempt to improve policy consistency, and to secure efficiency gains in policy authorship. This article considers the specific focus on the drafting stage of public policy‐making drawing on insights provided by research into the production of model policies in Scotland. It questions the extent to which such an initiative will promote a more robust public policy‐making discipline in light of the policy cycle. The discussion of the case study illustrates a practical attempt by central government to enhance public policy‐making at the local level, while raising questions about the dangers of invoking a technocratic and instrumentalist approach to policy analysis.
An Analysis of the Joint Board or County Model as the Structural Basis for Effective Australian Local Governance
Authors: Dollery Brian , Johnson Andrew
Published: June 2007

Australian policy‐makers continue to rely on municipal amalgamation as the main engine of structural reform in local government, despite strong evidence that it diminishes participation and representation without improving service efficiency. Several promising, but neglected alternative models of structural reform have been developed, including ad hoc resource sharing models, Regional Organisations of Councils, virtual local government, and agency models. In an encouraging response to the recent policy of enforced council amalgamations in NSW, the

Shires Association of NSW (2004)

has recently proposed a ‘Joint Board model’ of local governance and invited comment on this model. This article takes up this challenge and seeks to place the Joint Board model in conceptual context and evaluate its characteristics and simulated cost savings.
Australian MPs and the Internet: Avoiding the Digital Age?1
Authors: Ward Stephen , Lusoli Wainer , Gibson Rachel
Published: June 2007

New media technologies, such as the internet and email, have been seen as providing opportunities to reinvigorate representative democracy and parliamentary institutions. This article examines the use of new technologies by Australian Members of Parliament (MPs). It looks at the growth and function of MPs' websites and assesses how far such technologies might facilitate changes in their electorate, party and parliamentary roles. We analyse what factors persuade MPs to move online and how they then use the technologies. The results indicate that while websites amongst legislators are growing, they are used primarily as supplementary, administrative tools. Overall, technological innovation in the Australian Parliament is still relatively rare and it appears there are systemic barriers that limit the potential of information communication technologies (ICTs) in the representative process.
Licensing, Accreditation and Quality Improvement
Authors: Valentine Bruce
Published: June 2007

This article provides an explanation of why consideration is needed of historical practice issues when designing new regulatory regimes. It also suggests some practice techniques that can be applied both to existing and new regulatory regimes to enhance the effectiveness of the regulation.

It does so by exploring the problems faced by existing service providers and regulators following the introduction of a new regulatory regime intended to raise the standard of out‐of‐home care services in NSW. This involved agencies making the transition from a licensing regime based on minimum standards under the Children (Care and Protection) Act 1987 to accreditation, employing optimum practice standards, under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998.
An Ultrasonic Profiling Method for the Inspection of Tubular Structures
Authors: Gomez Francisco , Althoefer Kaspar , Seneviratne Lakmal D.
Published: June 2007

Abstract: This article presents an approach for the internal inspection of tubular structures immersed in water through the use of sonar techniques, generating enhanced 3D graphs which represent the inner surface of these structures. These graphs not only show the inner contour of the pipe but also integrate the intensity of the echoes employed to create the profile. The enhanced profile is generated by superimposing the peak intensity from the returning echoes at the calculated x, y, and z coordinates where it reflected from the pipe wall. The proposed method is capable of showing anomalous conditions, inside pipes filled with liquid, with dimensions smaller than the theoretical lateral and axial resolution of the transducer, in contrast to traditional methods where these kinds of defects are not disclosed. The proposed inspection method and its capabilities were validated through the realization of simulations and experiments. The presented approach was particularly developed with the aim of scanning internal sections of pipes filled with liquid using rotary ultrasonic sonars, but it is expected that this research could be expanded to the inspection of other submerged structures, such as water tanks, or pressurized vessels.
Fuzzy Logic Model for Determining Minimum Bid Markup
Authors: Chao Li‐Chung
Published: June 2007

Abstract:  Many construction markets exhibit severe price competition where contractors have to cut their bids to compete, giving priority to winning enough contracts to sustain normal operation, and it is common to see a winning bid close to the expected project cost. While cutting bids not only gives up profits but also undoubtedly increases the risk of making a loss, the behavior of contractors in intense competition is difficult to explain by existing models. A fuzzy‐logic‐based model is proposed for determining the minimum bid markup with assessments of chance of winning and loss risk. The model incorporates the position of a decision maker in the fuzzy rules according to his/her attitude toward risk and degree of need for the job. Two illustrative examples, one hypothetical and one real, are provided, in which differences in priorities are simulated by four sets of fuzzy rules for a comparison of the effects. The results show that the model is sensitive enough to differentiate a decision maker's position on bidding and suggest bid‐cutting limits consistently, thereby remedying some shortcomings of existing models.
Linking intrinsic motivation, risk taking, and employee creativity in an R&D environment
Authors: Dewett Todd
Published: June 2007

Intrinsic motivation is thought to spur risk taking and creativity. Nonetheless, the relationship between common creativity antecedents and intrinsic motivation is seldom clarified and the assertion that intrinsic motivation spurs risk taking and creativity has rarely been addressed. The current study adopts an individual level of analysis and attempts to link several common creativity antecedents, intrinsic motivation, and one's willingness to take risks to employee creativity. Using survey data collected from 165 research and development personnel and their supervisors, evidence is provided showing that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between certain antecedents and one's willingness to take risks and that this willingness mediates the effect of intrinsic motivation on employee creativity. However, starkly different findings emerge when using subjective versus objective indicators of employee creativity, suggesting that further theoretical development is in order to explain the differences.
The persistence of variation in individual grammars: Copula absence in ‘urban sojourners’ and their stay‐at‐home peers, Bequia (St Vincent and the Grenadines)1
Authors: Meyerhoff Miriam , Walker James A.
Published: June 2007

Recent work on phonological variation largely supports the apparent‐time construct, though some change across an individual's lifespan is possible. But how much change is possible in an individual'sgrammar? How much is grammar affected by extended absence in a new, urban speech community? Social dialect surveys traditionally exclude individuals who have left their community for an extended period of time, under the assumption that dialect contact causes levelling or restructuring of the linguistic system. However, our ongoing work in a Caribbean speech community suggests that the kinds of changes that can affect grammatical variables are more constrained than we might think. Raw frequencies of vernacular variants may fluctuate, but language‐internal constraints persist. Drawing on recordings from Bequia we compare the group norms for absence of copula/auxiliarybein three villages. We show that ‘urban sojourners’– Bequians who have spent an extended period overseas – may sound very different from their stay‐at‐home peers, but close examination shows only superficial restructuring of their grammars. Overall frequencies ofbeabsence may be dramatically reduced but the ranking of language‐internal constraints remains largely unchanged. These results reaffirm the validity of modelling variable rules in a community grammar, rather than as an aggregation of idiolectal norms.
Why Nothing Mental is Just in the Head
Authors: Fisher Justin C.
Published: June 2007

Mental internalists hold that an individual's mental features at a given time supervene upon what is in that individual's head at that time. While many people reject mental internalism about content and justification, mental internalism is commonly accepted regarding such other mental features as rationality, emotion‐types, propositional‐attitude‐types, moral character, and phenomenology. I construct a counter‐example to mental internalism regarding all these features. My counter‐example involves two creatures: a human and an alien from ‘Pulse World’. These creatures' environments, behavioral dispositions and histories are such that it is intuitively clear that they are mentally quite different, even while they are, for a moment, exactly alike with respect to what's in their heads. I offer positive reasons for thinking that the case I describe is indeed possible. I then consider ways in which mental internalists might attempt to account for this case, but conclude that the only plausible option is to reject mental internalism and to adopt a particular externalist alternative—a history‐oriented version of teleo‐functionalism.
A Relationalist's Guide to Error About Color Perception
Authors: Cohen Jonathan
Published: June 2007

Blue and yellow, bitter or sweet, can never be false ideas: these perceptions in the mind are just such as they are there, answering the powers appointed by God to produce them; and so are truly what they are, and are intended to be.

— Locke,Essay Concerning Human Understanding,II, 32, 16.

Color relationalism is the view that colors are constituted in terms of relations to perceiving subjects. Among its explanatory virtues, relationalism provides a satisfying treatment of cases of perceptual variation. But it can seem that relationalists lack resources for saying that a representation ofx's color is erroneous. Surely, though, a theory of color that makes errors of color perception impossible cannot be correct. In this paper I'll argue that, initial appearances notwithstanding, relationalism contains the resources to account for errors of color perception. I'll conclude that worries about making room for error are worries the relationalist can meet.
Analyzing Judgments of Ethnically Diverse Applicants During Personnel Selection: A study at the Dutch police
Authors: De Meijer Lonneke A. L. , Ph. Born Marise , Van Zielst Jaap , Van Der Molen Henk T.
Published: June 2007

A judgment‐analysis study was used to investigate assessors' judgment processes, evaluating ethnic minority vs ethnic majority applicants. Sixteen ethnic majority assessors judged 5089 applicants during the Dutch police officer selection procedure, with each assessor judging 30 ethnic minority applicants minimally. Information from an employment interview, an assessment center, and a Big Five personality test were combined into a final selection advice. Results showed that as much as or more information sources were used to judge ethnic minority than ethnic majority applicants. Furthermore, a larger number of irrelevant cues were used for the judgment of ethnic minority applicants. Finally, when judging ethnic minority applicants, assessors based their decision to a lesser extent on their own ratings than on ratings of others.
Can the Discretionary Nature of Certain Criteria Lead to Differential Prediction Across Cultural Groups?
Authors: Chernyshenko Oleksandr S. , Stark Stephen , Guenole Nigel
Published: June 2007

We examined the conjecture that relations between constructs across cultures may be susceptible to cultural moderation where the performance of the criterion construct is discretionary. This hypothesis was investigated using the relationship between personality and three performance constructs, with samples from the United States and New Zealand, two ideologically distinct cultures with respect to achievement orientation. All hypotheses were supported by results of hierarchical moderated regression analyses using bias free measures, suggesting that considering whether construct behaviors are discretionary is important when considering the merit of generalizing research findings across cultures.
Fairness Reactions to Personnel Selection Techniques in Greece: The role of core self‐evaluations
Authors: Nikolaou Ioannis , Judge Timothy A.
Published: June 2007

The current study examines fairness reactions to personnel selection methods and the role of core self‐evaluations (CSE) in Greece using two samples of employees (N=158) and students (N=181). Interviews, résumés, and work samples were the best‐rated and most favourably appraised methods across students and employees. Students demonstrated more positive attitudes towards psychometric (i.e., ability, personality, honesty) tests than did employees. As far as the procedural dimensions are concerned, similarly to previous studies, face validity and opportunity to perform were the strongest correlates of considering personnel selection methods favourably. Overall, the relationship between fairness reactions and CSE was weak. Our findings are compared with the results from studies of other countries using similar methodologies.
Toward a New Method of Detecting Deliberately Faked Personality Tests: The use of idiosyncratic item responses
Authors: Kuncel Nathan R. , Borneman Matthew J.
Published: June 2007

This study presents a new method for developing faking detection scales based on idiosyncratic item‐response patterns. Two scoring schemes based on this approach strongly differentiated between scores obtained under honest vs directed faking conditions in cross‐validation samples (rpb=.45 and .67). This approach is shown to successfully classify between 20% and 37% of faked personality measures with only a 1% false positive rate in a sample comprised of 56% honest responses. Of equal importance, this method does not result in a scale that meaningfully correlates with personality or cognitive ability tests. This study raises many questions about both the source and generalizabiltiy of the effect. Key directions for future research and improved scale development that may limit or enhance the utility of the idiosyncratic item‐response method are discussed.
Models of iron oxide concretion formation: field, numerical, and laboratory comparisons
Authors: CHAN M. A. , ORMÖ J. , PARK A. J. , STICH M. , SOUZA‐EGIPSY V. , KOMATSU G.
Published: June 2007

Well‐exposed Jurassic Navajo Sandstone iron oxide concretions preserve important diagenetic records of groundwater flow and water–rock interactions. Field relationships, precipitation patterns, and geometries of the Navajo concretions provide the basis for input parameters in numerical computer simulations and laboratory chemical bench tests. Although field geometries are very difficult to replicate, numerical simulations and laboratory experiments examine end results such as nucleation and growth of iron oxide concretions, produced from known input parameters. Three numerical simulations show the development of periodic self‐organized nucleation centers through Liesegang‐type double‐diffusion of iron and oxygen. This numerical model simulates a scenario where oxygen is provided by shallow fresh water and iron is sourced from deeper reduced formation water. Concretions form in the region where the two waters interact with each other. Model sensitivities show that advection of water is an important mechanism for supplying the iron, and that acidic conditions in the iron‐charged water can cause iron to stay in solution longer to produce nucleation centers that are farther from the input source. Laboratory bench tests with reactions of FeSO4or Fe(NO3)3with KOH show how the precipitation of hydrated iron sulfates or iron‐hydroxides may form rinds around an initial, spherical source of iron (i.e. nucleation center). These rinds may show inward growth depending on the concentration of the iron source in relation to the surrounding fluid. A number of complex factors such as concentration and flux, time, and multiple events can create banded patterns during rind growth. Comparisons of the terrestrial examples with numerical and laboratory models have strong implications for understanding similar hematite concretions on Mars.
The anatomy of the cardiac veins in mice
Authors: Ciszek Bogdan , Skubiszewska Daria , Ratajska Anna
Published: June 2007

Although the cardiac coronary system in mice has been the studied in detail by many research laboratories, knowledge of the cardiac veins remains poor. This is because of the difficulty in marking the venous system with a technique that would allow visualization of these large vessels with thin walls. Here we present the visualization of the coronary venous system by perfusion of latex dye through the right caudal vein. Latex injected intravenously does not penetrate into the capillary system. Murine cardiac veins consist of several principal branches (with large diameters), the distal parts of which are located in the subepicardium. We have described the major branches of the left atrial veins, the vein of the left ventricle, the caudal veins, the vein of the right ventricle and the conal veins forming the conal venous circle or the prepulmonary conal venous arch running around the conus of the right ventricle. The venous system of the heart drains the blood to the coronary sinus (the left cranial caval vein) to the right atrium or to the right cranial caval vein. Systemic veins such as the left cranial caval, the right cranial caval and the caudal vein open to the right atrium. Knowledge of cardiac vein location may help to elucidate abnormal vein patterns in certain genetic malformations.
Rooting and Cultura in West Mexico
Authors: STACK TREVOR
Published: June 2007

Drawing on Kwame Appiah’s discussion of the relationship between rooting and cosmopolitanism, I show that this concern was shared by many in west Mexico, where I conducted fieldwork among diverse groups of townspeople, villagers, weekend visitors from Guadalajara, and migrants working in Guadalajara and in California. All of those groups talked about belonging or rooting to specific places – villages, towns, cities, countries and so on. They also used the term cultura in a way that resonated more with Appiah’s ‘cosmopolitanism’ than with his ‘cultural particularities’. Although most people aspired to gain cultura without losing rooting, I found that many people judged themselves or others to fail in one or both respects. Migrants in California, in particular, were felt to have lost rooting without having become cosmopolitan. I focus throughout on how west Mexicans, including the novelist Juan Rulfo, used their knowledge of history as a way of claiming both rooting and cultura.
Prostaglandin synthesis in rat brain astrocytes is under the control of the n‐3 docosahexaenoic acid, released by group VIB calcium‐independent phospholipase A2
Authors: Strokin Mikhail , Sergeeva Marina , Reiser Georg
Published: June 2007

In the current study, we reveal that in astrocytes the VIB Ca2+‐independent phospholipase A2 is the enzyme responsible for the release of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3). After pharmacological inhibition and siRNA silencing of VIB Ca2+‐independent phospholipase A2, docosahexaenoic acid release was strongly suppressed in astrocytes, which were acutely stimulated (30 min) with ATP and glutamate or after prolonged (6 h) stimulation with the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide. Docosahexaenoic acid release proceeds simultaneously with arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6) release and prostaglandin liberation from astrocytes. We found that prostaglandin production is negatively controlled by endogenous docosahexaenoic acid, since pharmacological inhibition and siRNA silencing of VIB Ca2+‐independent phospholipase A2 significantly amplified the prostaglandin release by astrocytes stimulated with ATP, glutamate, and lipopolysaccharide. Addition of exogenous docosahexaenoic acid inhibited prostaglandin synthesis, which suggests that the negative control of prostaglandin synthesis observed here is likely due to competitive inhibition of cyclooxygenase‐1/2 by free docosahexaenoic acid. Additionally, treatment of astrocytes with docosahexaenoic acid leads to the reduction in cyclooxygenase‐1 expression, which also contributes to reduced prostaglandin production observed in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated cells. Thus, we identify a regulatory mechanism important for the brain, in which docosahexaenoic acid released from astrocytes by VIB Ca2+‐independent phospholipase A2 negatively controls prostaglandin production.
RET signaling‐induced SPHK1 gene expression plays a role in both GDNF‐induced differentiation and MEN2‐type oncogenesis
Authors: Murakami Masashi , Ichihara Masatoshi , Sobue Sayaka , Kikuchi Ryosuke , Ito Hiromi , Kimura Ami , Iwasaki Takashi , Takagi Akira , Kojima Tetsuhito , Takahashi Masahide , Suzuki Motoshi , Banno Yoshiko , Nozawa Yoshinori , Murate Takashi
Published: June 2007

RET, the receptor of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands, is important for the development of kidney and peripheral neurons. GDNF promotes survival and differentiation of neurons. Mutation of RET leads to the constitutive signal activation causing papillary thyroid carcinoma and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2). In this study, we report that GDNF/RET signaling up‐regulates sphingosine kinase (SPHK) enzyme activity, SPHK1 protein and SPHK1 message in TGW human neuroblastoma cells. Silencing of SPHK1 using siRNA inhibited GDNF‐induced neurite formation, GAP43 expression, and cell growth, suggesting the important role of SPHK1 in GDNF signal transduction. Furthermore, NIH3T3 cells transfected with MEN2A type mutated RET but not c‐RET demonstrated the up‐regulation of SPHK activity, SPHK1 protein and SPHK1 message compared with NIH3T3 cells. The cell growth and anchorage‐independent colony formation of MEN2A‐NIH3T3 was inhibited with siRNA of SPHK1, while no effect of scramble siRNA was observed. These results suggest the oncogenic role of SPHK1 in MEN2A type tumor. Promoter analysis showed that activator protein 2 and specificity protein 1 binding motif of the 5′ promoter region of SPHK1 gene is important for its induction by GDNF. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ERK1/2 and PI3 kinase are involved in GDNF‐induced SPHK1 transcription by using specific inhibitors.
Experienced dilemmas of everyday life in chronic neuropathic pain patients – results from a critical incident study
Authors: Hensing Gunnel K. E. , Sverker Annette M , Leijon Göran S
Published: June 2007

Neuropathic pain is a disabling chronic condition with limited therapeutic options. Few studies have addressed patient's experience and strategies. The aim of this study was to explore dilemmas experienced in order to improve care and rehabilitation. An interview study with 39 patients suffering from neuropathic pain of different origin was performed. We used the critical incident technique to collect data. Questions on occasions when patients had been hindered by or reminded of their neuropathic pain were included, and the self‐perceived consequences and management of such occasions. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively. A broad range of experiences categorised into dilemmas, disturbances, consequences and managements from most parts of everyday life was identified. The dilemmas were ‘housework’, ‘sitting’, ‘physical activity’, ‘personal hygiene’, ‘sleeping difficulties’, ‘hypersensitivity to external stimuli’, ‘social relationships’, ‘transportation’ and ‘leisure time’. Disturbances were ‘failures’, ‘inabilities’ and ‘restrictions’. Consequences were ‘increased pain’, ‘psychological reactions’ and ‘physical symptoms’. The majority of the patients used activity‐oriented strategies to manage their pain such as alternative ways of performing the task, a cognitive approach or simply ignoring the pain. This is one of the first studies presenting detailed data on everyday dilemmas, disturbances and consequences of patients with chronic neuropathic pain. Such information is important in clinical settings to improve care and rehabilitation.
Quantification of the pain terms hurt, ache and pain among nursing students
Authors: Bergh Ingrid , Sjöström Björn
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the quantitative meaning nursing students ascribe to the pain terms hurt (ont), ache (värk) and pain (smärta). In total, 549 nursing students filled in a questionnaire including questions about age, gender, and health care work experience. The students were also requested to rate response using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) rating for different statements about hurt, ache and pain. The results show that there were significant differences (p < 0.001) between rated intensity of the statements of hurt, ache and pain. There were, however, large variations in the students’ ratings of the pain terms; hurt ranged from 3 to 97 mm, ache from 7 to 97 mm and pain from 27 to 100 mm. There were no significant differences between male and female students regarding their ratings of hurt and ache when they were used to describe the worst self‐experienced pain. Female students rated their experience of pain significantly higher (p < 0.001) on the VAS compared with male students. There was no significant correlation between previous experience of health care work and rated intensity of hurt, ache and pain. In conclusion, this study shows that there exist significant differences between the pain terms hurt, ache and pain according to a rating on a VAS. However, the results also demonstrate that there are large individual variations in how the students quantify the fictitious patient statements of hurt, ache and pain.
The role of paradoxical beliefs in chronic pain: a complex adaptive systems perspective
Authors: Brown Cary A.
Published: June 2007

The biological sciences have contributed an extensive volume of research in efforts to resolve chronic pain, and an expanding body of research focusing on the psychosocial aspects of chronic pain, is now also evident. Paradigms applied to chronic pain appear to compete and lack an integrative framework. This paper builds a case for framing chronic pain within a complex adaptive systems (CAS) paradigm and explores how paradox, one of the key features of a CAS, contributes to maintaining ‘chronicity’ in the system. A complexity science paradigm can serve as a meta‐framework, integrating theoretical models employed in chronic pain and reframing dissent and conflict as positive generative forces for change. Interventions, based on complexity science principles, can effect change in the highly interactive systems that constitute the chronic pain experience.
Satisfaction and coercion among voluntary, persuaded/pressured and committed patients in acute psychiatric treatment
Authors: Sørgaard Knut W.
Published: June 2007

Rationale:  Whereas the distinction between committed and voluntary admissions in mental health is clear from a legal point of view, this clarity is not always present in the patients’ experiences. Voluntary patients may be pressured or persuaded and committed patients may want admission.

Aims:  To compare three groups of patients – committed, voluntary and persuaded – admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient care as regards different aspects of satisfaction, treatment and experienced coercion.

Method:  The Sjukvårdens Planerings‐ och Rationaliseringsinstitut form and the Coercion Ladder were administered to all admitted patients on two acute wards. A total of 189 patients participated (86%). Data were analysed with nonparametric (Kruskal–Wallis, chi‐square) and parametric tests (multinominal regression).

Results:  A substantial proportion of the patients did not know of their legal status. Many reported restrictions on movement, forced medication and patronising communication. Satisfaction with the treatment was generally high. Compared to the voluntary patients, the two other groups were characterized by lack of influence, forced medication and high satisfaction with the key worker.

Conclusion:  Involuntariness was associated with increased likelihood of feeling excluded from participation in the treatment. The key worker seems to have an important position with regard to committed and pressured patients.

Limitations:  The data were limited to the patients’ subjective reports.
A network‐based rehabilitation model for frail elderly people: development and assessment of a new model
Authors: Ollonqvist Kirsi , Grönlund Rainer , Karppi Sirkka‐Liisa , Salmelainen Ulla , Poikkeus Leena , Hinkka Katariina
Published: June 2007

Introduction and purpose:  Living independently at home promotes the well‐being of people aged 65 and over. In Finland, the municipalities are responsible for providing social and health services, including rehabilitation of the elderly. Rehabilitation is in practice carried out by independent rehabilitation centres. The Social Insurance Institution of Finland is a national agency responsible for financing and developing rehabilitation. Combining the efforts of these three agencies, a new network‐based inpatient rehabilitation model was established to support the community living of frail elderly persons at high risk of institutionalization. This article describes the new model and evaluates the cooperation within the rehabilitation network, as well as the contents of the rehabilitation.

Material and methods:  The new model was evaluated in two phases using diverse methods. First, the networks were assessed as they were being established in 2000, and secondly, when they were operational in 2002. The first phase involved 53 networks operating in 46 municipalities and 12 rehabilitation centres, and the second 44 networks in 41 municipalities and seven rehabilitation centres. The data were collected by questionnaires, interviews and reports.

Results:  The rehabilitation networks were functional, although constant development and search for better working practices was time consuming. Two different approaches in the networks were found: the ‘networks of creators’ were able to carry out the new tasks highly successfully, while the ‘networks of followers’ only managed to do the minimum as instructed. Motivated network members and adequate resources appeared to be essential for a successful rehabilitation process.

Conclusions:  It is possible to create a functional rehabilitation network involving different agencies. Further development work is necessary to make the network‐based rehabilitation model more efficient.
Experiences of surviving spouse of terminally ill spouse: a phenomenological study of an altruistic perspective
Authors: Fisker Tove , Strandmark Margaretha
Published: June 2007

The aim of the study was to illuminate the experiences of surviving relatives in connection with their care at home of terminally ill, dying spouses, followed by an outline of the need for palliative assistance by the district nurse. Qualitative interviews with eight surviving relatives have been analysed on the basis of the phenomenological method. The essence of these phenomena was the loving promise to the terminally ill and dying spouse in which the shared grief, structural disintegration and powerlessness, lifelines and supporters and viable grief appeared. This promise consisted of that dying spouse will be able to stay at home during the illness and his or her desire to die at home. It was given during uncomfortable hospitalization and springing from the spouse's desire for autonomy and integrity at the end of his or her life. In keeping the promise, the surviving spouse became altruistic, neglecting his or her own primary needs in the unselfish fulfilment of the needs of the terminally ill spouse. The surviving spouse grieved in lonely isolation characterized by stress and an ethical dilemma in connection with breaching the promise. Light was shed on the professional palliative care with the surviving spouse's lacking verbalization of grief and powerlessness, regardless of whether expert professional palliation or insufficient professional palliation was provided. In that way the findings of the study showed the necessity for professional involvement in the decision concerning palliation at home, including identification of the resources of the primary caregiver.
A rare case of interspecific hybridization in the tracheophone suboscines: Chestnut‐naped Antpitta Grallaria nuchalis × Chestnut‐crowned Antpitta G. ruficapilla in a fragmented Andean landscape
Authors: CADENA CARLOS DANIEL , LÓPEZ‐LANÚS BERNABÉ , BATES JOHN M. , KRABBE NIELS , RICE NATHAN H. , STILES F. GARY , PALACIO JUAN DIEGO , SALAMAN PAUL
Published: June 2007

Based on analyses of variation in plumage, morphometrics, vocalizations, and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, we document the occurrence of interspecific hybridization between a Chestnut‐naped Antpitta Grallaria nuchalis and a Chestnut‐crowned Antpitta G. ruficapilla in a high‐elevation forest fragment in the Cordillera Central of the Andes of Colombia. One hybrid individual was collected and at least two were recorded singing. The hybrid specimen exhibits a combination of phenotypic traits that exclude other species of antpittas as potential parents, and its vocalizations combine elements of songs of both of its parental species. Genetic analyses demonstrate that the hybrid has G. nuchalis mitochondrial DNA and mixed nuclear DNA with copies corresponding to G. nuchalis and G. ruficapilla alleles, demonstrating that the female parent was G. nuchalis. Hybridization is considered extremely rare in most groups of suboscine passerines, but it may be facilitated when populations are decimated as a consequence of deforestation and habitat fragmentation.
Modelling Wages and Prices in Australia*
Authors: BÅRDSEN GUNNAR , HURN STAN , MCHUGH ZOË
Published: June 2007

This paper estimates a simultaneous‐equation model of wages and prices for Australia, underpinned by a competing claims framework of imperfect competition. Two separate co‐integrating relationships for wages and prices are identified by imposing the economic hypotheses implied by the theory. The steady‐state relationships for wages and prices are then embedded in a parsimonious, dynamic wage‐price model. The final model is both simple and parsimonious and able to describe the process of wage and price inflation in Australia.