bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Engineering tropane biosynthetic pathway in
Hyoscyamus niger
hairy root cultures
Authors: Zhang Lei , Ding Ruxian , Chai Yourong , Bonfill Mercedes , Moyano Elisabet , Oksman-Caldentey Kirsi-Marja , Xu Tiefeng , Pi Yan , Wang Zinan , Zhang Hanming , Kai Guoyin , Liao Zhihua , Sun Xiaofen , Tang Kexuan
Published: April 2004

Scopolamine is a pharmaceutically important tropane alkaloid extensively used as an anticholinergic agent. Here, we report the simultaneous introduction and overexpression of genes encoding the rate-limiting upstream enzyme putrescine
N
-methyltransferase (PMT) and the downstream enzyme hyoscyamine 6 β-hydroxylase (H6H) of scopolamine biosynthesis in transgenic henbane (
Hyoscyamus niger
) hairy root cultures. Transgenic hairy root lines expressing both
pmt
and
h6h
produced significantly higher (
P
< 0.05) levels of scopolamine compared with the wild-type and transgenic lines harboring a single gene (
pmt
or
h6h
). The best line (T
3
) produced 411 mg/liter scopolamine, which was over nine times more than that in the wild type (43 mg/liter) and more than twice the amount in the highest scopolamine-producing
h6h
single-gene transgenic line H
11
(184 mg/liter). To our knowledge, this is the highest scopolamine content achieved through genetic engineering of a plant. We conclude that transgenic plants harboring both
pmt
and
h6h
possessed an increased flux in the tropane alkaloid biosynthetic pathway that enhanced scopolamine yield, which was more efficient than plants harboring only one of the two genes. It seems that the pulling force of the downstream enzyme (the faucet enzyme) H6H plays a more important role in stimulating scopolamine accumulation in
H. niger
whereas the functioning of the upstream enzyme PMT is increased proportionally. This study provides an effective approach for large-scale commercial production of scopolamine by using hairy root culture systems as bioreactors.
Study of the homogeneous glow-like discharge in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Yu B Golubovskii  , V A Maiorov  , J F Behnke  , J Tepper  , M Lindmayer
Published: April 2004

Experimental investigation of the electrical and optical discharge characteristics is performed in the barrier discharge in nitrogen at 50 Hz. The time dependences of the current and the applied voltage are measured. Short-time photographs of the light intensity distribution in the discharge are obtained. When the frequency of the external voltage is low and dielectric barriers made of ‘Mylar’ are used, it is possible to obtain a homogeneous form of the discharge. During the pulse, the discharge current reaches the value of some amperes, and the maximum power is of the order of some tens of kilowatts. The appearance of a homogeneous discharge is interpreted as the widening of a single-electron avalanche due to photoemission. On the basis of a two-dimensional fluid model, the possibility of the initiation of the discharge by a narrow avalanche is demonstrated. It is shown that the observed discharge is a glow discharge, where the space charge plays a crucial role. The discharge passes successively through the Townsend phase, the streamer phase, the phase of radial expansion and, finally, the afterglow phase. The theory predicts that the distribution of the light intensity in the phase of discharge expansion must have the form of a ring widening in time. The properties of the power supply play an important role in the model. A comparison between the theoretical and experimental results shows good agreement.
Foreign travels
Authors: Cook A.
Published: April 2004

Entering a new millennium the state of the public understanding of science is, and will continue to be, a key to the human condition; stories of the past may help to deepen it. In that hope we intend to mark the end of the present millennium in September 2000 or the start of the new one in January 2001 by an issue with millennial contributions, the choice of date depending on how rapidly potential authors respond to these hints.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration inXenopus
Authors: Slack J. M. W. , Beck C. W. , Gargioli C. , Christen B.
Published: April 2004

We have employed transgenic methods combined with embryonic grafting to analyse the mechanisms of regeneration inXenopustadpoles. TheXenopustadpole tail contains a spinal cord, notochord and segmented muscles, and all tissues are replaced when the tail regenerates after amputation. We show that there is a refractory period of very low regenerative ability in the early tadpole stage. Tracing of cell lineage with the use of single tissue transgenic grafts labelled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) shows that there is no de-differentiation and no metaplasia during regeneration. The spinal cord, notochord and muscle all regenerate from the corresponding tissue in the stump; in the case of the muscle the satellite cells provide the material for regeneration. By using constitutive or dominant negative gene products, induced under the control of a heat shock promoter, we show that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Notch signalling pathways are both essential for regeneration. BMP is upstream of Notch and has an independent effect on regeneration of muscle. TheXenopuslimb bud will regenerate completely at the early stages but regenerative ability falls during digit differentiation. We have developed a procedure for making tadpoles in which one hindlimb is transgenic and the remainder wild-type. This has been used to introduce various gene products expected to prolong the period of regenerative capacity, but none has so far been successful.
Indigenous peoples' rights and the politics of the term ‘indigenous’
Authors: Kenrick Justin , Lewis Jerome
Published: April 2004

This article forms part of an ongoing debate on rights and the use of the term ‘indigenous’, which has so far included exchanges in Current Anthropology, the New Humanist, and ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, as indicated in the bibliography. The authors here respond specifically to an article by Adam Kuper, published in Current Anthropology and the New Humanist. Professor Kuper has been invited to respond and has indicated his intention to do so in the forthcoming issue of ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY. Readers are invited to contribute their own views to the debate. [Ed.]
Betrayal by idealism and aesthetics: Special Attack Force (kamikaze) pilots and their intellectual trajectories (Part 1)
Authors: Ohnuki‐Tierney Emiko
Published: April 2004

This is the first part of a two‐part article in which Emiko Ohnuki‐Tierney looks at popular and media images of ‘suicide bombers’. in the light of post‐9/11 events in the United States. Part 1 looks at the backgrounds of Japanese World War II ‘kamikaze’ pilots, often adduced in discussions of the 9/11 hijackers. In Part 2, to be published in a future issue, Ohnuki‐Tierney will address the specific parallels drawn between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 in the US media and the role of intellectuals in wars.
Autologous cultured keratinocytes on porcine gelatin microbeads effectively heal chronic venous leg ulcers
Authors: Liu Jin Yu , Hafner Jürg , Dragieva Galya , Seifert Burkhardt , Burg Günter
Published: April 2004

We have established a specific bioreactor microcarrier cell culture system using porcine gelatin microbeads as carriers to produce autologous keratinocytes on a large scale. Moreover, we have shown that autologous keratinocytes can be cultured on porcine collagen pads, thereby forming a single cell layer. The objective of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of autologous cultured keratinocytes on microbeads and collagen pads in the treatment of chronic wounds. Fifteen patients with recalcitrant venous leg ulcers were assigned to three groups in a single‐center, prospective, uncontrolled study: five underwent a single treatment with keratinocyte monolayers on collagen pads (group 1); another five received a single grafting with keratinocyte‐microbeads (group 2); and the last five received multiple, consecutive applications of keratinocyte‐microbeads 3 days apart (group 3). All patients were followed for up to 12 weeks. By 12 weeks, there was a mean reduction in the initial wound area of 50, 83, and 97 percent in the three groups, respectively. The changes in wound size were statistically significant between the first and third groups (p= 0.0003). Keratinocyte‐microbeads proved to be more effective than keratinocyte monolayers on collagen pads when the former were applied every 3 days. Rapid availability within 10–13 days after skin biopsy and easy handling represent particular advantages.
The accuracy of venous leg ulcer prognostic models in a wound care system
Authors: Margolis David J. , Allen‐Taylor Lynne , Hoffstad Ole , Berlin Jesse A.
Published: April 2004

Venous leg ulcers are among the most common chronic wounds. Treatment is commonly with a limb compression bandage. Previous small, often single‐center, studies have shown that it is possible to predict which wounds are likely to respond to compression therapy. We designed this cohort study using a dataset of over 20,000 individuals with a venous leg ulcer to investigate the accuracy of several prognostic models. Creating complex models using logistic regression, as well as simply counting prognostic factors, we show that initial measures of wound size and duration accurately predict, as measured by area under the receiver operator curve and Brier score, who will heal by the 24th week of care. For example, a wound that is less than 10 cm2 and less than 12 months old at the first visit has a 29 percent chance of not healing by the 24th week of care, while a wound greater than 10 cm2 and greater than 12 months old has a 78 percent chance of not healing. Ultimately, these models can be applied by a clinician to help determine whom to continue to treat with standard care and perhaps whom to treat with adjuvant therapies. They may also aid in the design of clinical trials.
Fibrillin‐1 and elastin are differentially expressed in hypertrophic scars and keloids
Authors: Amadeu Thaís P. , Braune André S. , Porto Luís C. , Desmoulière Alexis , Costa Andréa M. A.
Published: April 2004

Hypertrophic scars and keloids are two forms of excessive cutaneous scarring. Considering the importance of extracellular matrix elements in tissue repair, a morphological and quantitative analysis of the elastic system components (fibrillin‐1 and elastin) was performed in normal skin, normal scars, hypertrophic scars, and keloids. In superficial and deep dermis, fibrillin‐1 volume density was significantly higher in normal skin compared with normal scars, hypertrophic scars, and keloids. The fibrillin‐1 volume density did not show differences between hypertrophic scars and keloids in superficial or deep dermis. In superficial dermis, elastin volume density was higher in normal skin compared with normal scars, hypertrophic scars, and keloids. In deep dermis, the elastin volume density was higher in keloids compared with normal skins, normal scars, and hypertrophic scars. We showed that the distribution of fibrillin‐1 and elastin is disrupted in all kinds of scars analyzed, but there are two patterns: one for normal scars and another for excessive scars.
Influence of topical administration of n‐3 and n‐6 essential and n‐9 nonessential fatty acids on the healing of cutaneous wounds
Authors: Ribeiro Barros Cardoso Cristina , Aparecida Souza Maria , Amália Vieira Ferro Eloísa , Favoreto Sílvio , Deolina Oliveira Pena Janethe
Published: April 2004

Injury triggers a series of physiological events at the wound site. These include an inflammatory response that is established shortly after the injury, which is then followed by an intense formation of tissue over a period of days. Poly‐ and monounsaturated fatty acids exert major functions on the inflammatory responses, either in the form of phospholipids anchored in the cell membrane or as soluble lipoic mediators. We present evidence that linolenic (n‐3), linoleic (n‐6), and oleic (n‐9) fatty acids can modulate the closure of surgically induced skin wounds. We found that n‐9 fatty acids induced faster wound closure when compared to n‐3, n‐6, and control. In addition, n‐9 fatty acids strongly inhibited the production of nitric oxide at the wound site. A mild improvement on wound closure was observed in the n‐6 fatty acid‐treated animals concurrent with a peak in nitric oxide production at 48 hours postsurgery. N‐3 fatty acid treatment significantly delayed wound closure. Furthermore, we showed that n‐3 fatty acid induced a peak in nitric oxide at 3 hours postsurgery and an intense deposition of extracellular matrix after 5 days of treatment. Thus, our results suggest a relevant role and potential therapeutic implication for fatty acids on skin wound healing.
Tort Reform and Insurance Markets
Authors: Viscusi W. Kip
Published: April 2004

Abstract

Proposed tort reforms have focused on punitive damages and noneconomic damages, each of which pose problems for jury decision making. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in State Farm v. Campbell will greatly limit very large punitive damages awards, and will affect smaller punitive awards to a lesser degree. Noneconomic damages caps enacted by state legislatures have greatly enhanced insurance market performance. Insurers operate within the context of a highly imperfect, regulated market in which there is substantial price rigidity induced by regulation. Reform efforts should strive to establish greater predictability and stability in these awards components rather than simply being concerned with imposing specific numerical caps.
Asymmetric Information Problems in Taiwan's Automobile Insurance Market: The Effect of Policy Design on Loss Characteristics
Authors: Wang Jennifer L.
Published: April 2004

Abstract

This article investigates asymmetric information problems for the automobile insurance market in Taiwan. Using panel data for the comprehensive automobile insurance coverage from 1995 to 1999, this article analyzes how types of coverage, deductible amounts, and experience ratings have affected the adverse selection and moral hazard problems in Taiwan's automobile insurance market. The empirical results provide partial evidence to demonstrate that the loss frequency and loss ratio were reduced by the addition of self‐selection mechanisms in policies with different levels of coverage. In addition, the deductible amounts, experience ratings, and better control of underwriting and claims processing were shown possibly to have decreased potential losses from adverse selection and moral hazard problems.
Biomechanical properties of the rat oesophagus in experimental type‐1 diabetes
Authors: Yang J. , Zhao J. , Zeng Y. , Gregersen H.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  The gastrointestinal tract remodels its morphology and circumferential stress–strain properties in diabetes mellitus. This study adds one more piece of mechanical knowledge, namely the oesophageal shear modulus and its dependence on the circumferential and longitudinal stresses and strains of oesophagus in diabetic rats and control rats. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg kg−1 body weight). The diabetic rats lived up to 28 days after the induction of diabetes. The oesophagus was studied in vitro using a triaxial machine. Stepwise elongation and inflation plus continuous twist were carried out with measurement of the resultant forces. Circumferential and longitudinal stresses and strains were computed from steady‐state values of longitudinal force, outer diameter and the applied pressure. The shear modulus was computed from the twist angle–torque relationship. The circumferential and longitudinal stress–strain relationships were exponential. The circumferential stiffness increased 1 week after induction of diabetes (P < 0.001). The longitudinal stiffness increased in the 4‐week diabetic rats (P < 0.001). The shear modulus varied as function of longitudinal strain and pressure. The oesophagus became stiffer in shear 4 weeks after the induction of diabetes (P < 0.001).
Day‐to‐day reproducibility of anorectal sensorimotor assessments in healthy subjects
Authors: Bharucha A. E. , Seide B. , Fox J. C. , Zinsmeister A. R.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  The reproducibility of tests widely utilized to assess anorectal sensorimotor functions is not well established. Our aims were to assess the intra‐individual day‐to‐day reproducibility of these parameters in healthy subjects. Anal sphincter pressures were assessed by perfusion manometry on two separate days in 19 healthy subjects. Rectal pressure–volume (p–v) curves and sensory thresholds were assessed in 12/19 subjects by inflating a highly compliant polyethylene balloon from 0 to 32 mmHg in 4 mmHg steps. Subjects also rated intensity of perception by visual analogue scale (VAS) during phasic distentions 8, 16 and 24 mmHg above operating pressure, in randomized sequence. Resting and squeeze anal pressures and rectal compliance were highly reproducible (rs ≥ 0.7) in the same subject on separate days. Pressure thresholds for urgency appeared less reproducible than thresholds for initial perception and the desire to defecate. VAS scores were highly reproducible only during the 24‐mmHg distention. Thus, anal pressures and rectal compliance are highly reproducible within healthy subjects on separate days, while sensory thresholds are reproducible to a variable degree, dependent on the intensity of stimulation and the perception being assessed.
Comparison of two techniques for lower oesophageal sphincter manometry: sleeve and sphinctometer
Authors: Straathof J. W. A. , Lüchtenborg M. , Masclee A. A. M.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  We have compared the sphinctometer with the water‐perfused sleeve (gold standard) for measurement of lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) characteristics by simultaneous recording. LOS pressure and transient LOS relaxations (TLOSR) measured by sleeve and sphinctometer in 11 healthy volunteers showed identical patterns. However, output of the sphinctometer was significantly (P < 0.01) lower than output of the sleeve. A total of 249 TLOSR were recorded. Of these, 176 TLOSR were identified by both sleeve and sphinctometer, 50 TLOSR were identified by sleeve alone and 23 TLOSR by sphinctometer alone. Due to the lower pressure output of the sphinctometer, 29 LOS relaxations did not reach criteria to qualify as TLOSRs. When TLOSR criteria were adjusted for sphinctometer pressure measurements, the number of TLOSRs identified by both sleeve and sphinctometer increased from 176 to 205. In conclusion, in healthy volunteers the sphinctometer registers TLOSR with results comparable with sleeve recording. However at low LOS pressures, the number of TLOSR is underscored by the sphinctometer.
Endotoxin pretreatment modifies peristalsis and attenuates the antipropulsive action of adrenoceptor agonists in the guinea‐pig small intestine
Authors: Fruhwald S. , Herk E. , Schöll G. , Shahbazian A. , Hammer H. F. , Metzler H. , Holzer P.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  The action of endotoxin to alter gastrointestinal motility in vivo may reflect a direct effect on the gut or result from vascular and other systemic manifestations of this sepsis model. Here we examined whether in vivo pretreatment of guinea‐pigs with endotoxin modifies peristalsis in the isolated gut and influences the antipropulsive action of adrenoceptor agonists. Distension‐induced peristalsis was recorded in fluid‐perfused segments of the small intestine taken from animals pretreated intraperitoneally with endotoxin (1 mg kg−1Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide) or vehicle 4 or 20 h before. Clonidine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine and dobutamine inhibited peristalsis with differential potency. Endotoxin pretreatment lowered the peristaltic pressure threshold and altered other parameters of baseline peristalsis in a time‐related manner. The potency and efficacy of clonidine to inhibit peristalsis were markedly decreased after endotoxin administration, while the potency of the other test drugs was less attenuated. The antipropulsive action of clonidine in control segments was reduced by yohimbine and prazosin, whereas in segments from endotoxin‐pretreated animals it was antagonized by yohimbine but not prazosin. We conclude that systemic endotoxin pretreatment of guinea‐pigs modifies baseline peristalsis by an action on the gut and inhibits the antipropulsive action of adrenoceptor agonists through changes in adrenoceptor activity.
Muscarinic modulation of nitrergic neurotransmission in guinea‐pig gastric fundus
Authors: Kortezova N. I. , Shikova L. I. , Milusheva E. A. , Itzev D. E. , Bagaev V. A. , Mizhorkova Z. N.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  Muscarinic receptor activation by (4‐Hydroxy‐2‐butynyl)‐1‐trimethylammonium‐m‐chlorocarbanilate chloride (McN‐A‐343) was investigated both on NADPH‐d staining and on electrically induced responses in guinea‐pig gastric fundus. McN‐A‐343 (10 μmol L−1) significantly increased the optical density of NADPH‐d positive neurones, while blockade of nitric oxide synthase with Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NA) decreased it, suggesting facilitation of nitric oxide (NO) production. Electrical field stimulation (EFS; 2 Hz, 0.2 ms, supramaximal current intensity, 10 s train duration) elicited on‐contraction followed by off‐relaxation in the circular muscle strips. McN‐A‐343 (10 μmol L−1) transformed the EFS‐evoked response from on‐contraction into on‐relaxation, which was neurogenic, tetrodotoxin‐sensitive and hexamethonium‐resistant. L‐NA partly reduced the EFS‐evoked relaxation, revealing two components: a nitrergic and a non‐nitrergic one. The effect of McN‐A‐343 on the amplitude of the EFS‐evoked relaxation was not changed by the M3 receptor antagonist para‐fluoro‐hexahydro‐sila‐difenidol hydrochloride, but was significantly enhanced by M1 receptor blockade with telenzepine. In the presence of telenzepine, the L‐NA‐dependent nitrergic component of the EFS‐induced relaxation predominates. We suggest that cholinergic receptor activation has a dual effect on nitrergic neurotransmission: (i) stimulation of NOS by muscarinic receptor(s) different from M1 and M3 subtype, (ii) prejunctional inhibition of NO‐mediated relaxation via M1 receptors. In addition, M1 receptors may facilitate the non‐nitrergic relaxation.
Otilonium bromide inhibits calcium entry through L‐type calcium channels in human intestinal smooth muscle
Authors: Strege P. R. , Evangelista S. , Lyford G. L. , Sarr M. G. , Farrugia G.
Published: April 2004

Abstract  Otilonium bromide (OB) is used as an intestinal antispasmodic. The mechanism of action of OB is not completely understood. As Ca2+ entry into intestinal smooth muscle is required to trigger contractile activity, our hypothesis was that OB blocked Ca2+ entry through L‐type Ca2+ channels. Our aim was to determine the effects of OB on Ca2+, Na+ and K+ ion channels in human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells and on L‐type Ca2+ channels expressed heterologously in HEK293 cells. Whole cell currents were recorded using standard patch clamp techniques. Otilonium bromide (0.09–9 μmol L−1) was used as this reproduced clinical intracellular concentrations. In human circular smooth muscle cells, OB inhibited L‐type Ca2+ current by 25% at 0.9 μmol L−1 and 90% at 9 μmol L−1. Otilonium bromide had no effect on Na+ or K+ currents. In HEK293 cells, 1 μmol L−1 OB significantly inhibited the expressed L‐type Ca2+ channels. Truncation of the α1C subunit C and N termini did not block the inhibitory effects of OB. Otilonium bromide inhibited Ca2+ entry through L‐type Ca2+ at concentrations similar to intestinal tissue levels. This effect may underlie the observed muscle relaxant effects of the drug.
Unemployment risks and demands on labour‐market flexibility: an analysis of attitudinal patterns in Sweden
Authors: Soidre Tiiu
Published: April 2004

People's attitudes towards four aspects of labour‐market flexibility corresponding to demands in the unemployment insurance regulations in Sweden were examined. Hypotheses of resistance versus adaptation to these demands were tested. The study showed that unemployed individuals took a relatively more negative stand towards demands on financial flexibility and spatial flexibility. Individuals in low‐skilled socio‐economic positions were relatively more negative towards demands on financial flexibility, flexibility on time and spatial flexibility, but had the opposite attitude towards functional flexibility. The youngest people in the sample were very similar to the middle‐aged in their attitudes, but were more positive towards spatial flexibility. The oldest in the sample were the most negative towards all flexibility aspects. Women took a more negative stand towards flexibility in time and spatial flexibility. Family situation constrained willingness to be flexible. Women with children and single parents were the most negative towards being available in time. Generally, having children diminished willingness for spatial flexibility, but increased it for functional flexibility.
Partnership models within a Maori social‐service provider*
Authors: Walker Peter
Published: April 2004

This article is a preliminary case‐study analysis of the partnership arrangements present within a Maori social‐service provider, Te Whanau Arohanui, which, like many Maori organisations, holds as its basis the self‐determination guaranteed under the Treaty of Waitangi. The report explores the key areas of context, history, underlying rationale and impact of partnerships on Te Whanau Arohanui. It also explores the tensions inherent within partnerships built between state‐sector and Maori organisations. It argues that power imbalances and cultural values cannot be ignored in shaping outcomes within a political/economic and organisational context.
The political activities of social workers in the context of changing roles and political transition in Hong Kong
Authors: Chui Ernest , Gray Mel
Published: April 2004

The article reports on a fourth study on the political participation of social workers based on a methodology developed by Gray and Collett van Rooyen (2000). Thus far studies have been conducted in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The present study examined the political activities of social workers in Hong Kong. It begins with a review of the politicisation of Hong Kong's social workers, tracing developments from the 1960s onwards. It then examines the literature on political participation in social work, particularly various typologies of political activity, in order to add to theory relating to this important aspect of social‐work practice. Thereafter, it outlines the conceptual framework and methodology used in the study, the results of which provide the basis for the discussion of the political activities of social workers in Hong Kong. It ends with an in‐depth discussion of the implications of the findings for the political role of social workers in Hong Kong's changing political context.
Substitution in statutory and voluntary support for relatives of older people
Authors: Dahlberg Lena
Published: April 2004

This study investigates the relationship between statutory and voluntary activity in the field of support to family carers of older people in Sweden. The relationship is considered in regard to substitution theory. A survey was conducted comprising 80 local authorities and 358 voluntary organisations. All the local authorities and about a third of the voluntary organisations arranged support activities. The number of activities varied substantially across the municipalities. However, correlation analysis found no significant relationship between local authority and voluntary activity, even though both sometimes arranged the same kinds of activities. In other words, this study finds no support for substitution theory. On the contrary, it shows that a higher level of voluntary activity is found in municipalities where the local authority cooperates with or supports voluntary organisations.
Introducing Research into Policy: Lessons from District Studies of Dryland Development in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Mortimore Michael , Tiffen Mary
Published: April 2004

This article describes the chief findings of research carried out in four African dryland areas to investigate the validity of the authors' ‘Machakos hypothesis’, and to derive lessons on appropriate enabling policies. The findings were subsequently submitted to in‐country validation and dissemination exercises. The lessons learnt from these in regard to introducing research findings into country policy dialogues are set against the background of current discussion of this issue. The article also discusses uptake at the international level, because it tends to be at this level that development paradigms and practices are formulated and promoted into countries through donor and agency actions.
Affordable Prices for Essential Medicines for Developing Countries: Some Economic Issues
Authors: Katrak Homi
Published: April 2004

This article discusses some recent developments that may help bring about more affordable prices of essential medicines for developing countries. Governments of developing countries should support campaigns for such prices. Generic competition will also bring gains, though these may differ between different income groups. Enterprises could be persuaded to provide free, or subsidised, medicines for their employees, by the expenditures being allowed against liabilities for profits tax. The UN Global Fund could complement the efforts of public action groups, enhance a government's fiscal capabilities and also encourage other measures to reduce the costs of providing medicines.
The Costly Business of Trust
Authors: Cosson Mark , Giusta Marina Delia
Published: April 2004

This article provides a framework for analysing trust‐based projects which can be used as a diagnostic tool to design more effective policy interventions, particularly addressing the problem of meeting users' needs for which many microfinance schemes have come under criticism. Two microfinance projects in Mexico are used to illustrate how a system of trust is built, the role of trust‐brokers, and the policy of subsidising trust‐building projects. The aim is to provide a tool capable of identifying crucial actors in trust systems and the nature of the linkages between them, so that trust can be effectively operationalised to improve projects' effectiveness and suitability to local conditions.
Food for Thought: Malnutrition and Obesity
Authors: Shaw D. J.
Published: April 2004

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003: Monitoring Progress towards the World Food Summit and Millennium Goals. By FAO

Ending Hunger in Our Lifetime: Food Security and Globalization. By C. Ford Runge, Benjamin Senauer, Philip G. Pardey and Mark W. Rosegrant

Combating Malnutrition: Time to Act. Edited by Stuart Gillespie, Milla McLachlan and Roger Shrimpton

The Economist's Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank. By Peter Griffiths

Disease‐Related Malnutrition: An Evidence‐based Approach to Treatment. By R. J. Stratton, C. J. Green and M. Elia

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All‐American Meal. By Eric Schlosser

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. By Marion Nestle

Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It. By Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen
Psychiatric medication‐induced obesity: a review
Authors: Schwartz T. L. , Nihalani N. , Jindal S. , Virk S. , Jones N.
Published: April 2004

A majority of psychiatric medications are known to generate weight gain and ultimately obesity in some patients. There is much speculation about the prevalence of weight gain and the degree of weight gain during acute and longitudinal treatment with these agents. There is newer literature looking at the aetiology of this weight gain and the potential treatments being used to alleviate this side‐effect. We found solid evidence that weight gain is often associated with the mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics and antidepressants. Only few weight neutral or weight loss producing psychotropics are available, and weight gain, outside of an immediate side‐effect, may generate secondary side‐effects and medical comorbidity. Weight gain may cause hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, sedentary lifestyle, coronary artery disease, etc. Given the likelihood of inducing weight gain with psychotropic medications and the longitudinal impact on physical health, a thorough literature review is warranted to determine the epidemiology, aetiology and treatment options of psychotropic‐induced weight gain.
Relations of Young Children's Agreeableness and Resiliency to Effortful Control and Impulsivity
Authors: Cumberland‐Li Amanda , Eisenberg Nancy , Reiser Mark
Published: April 2004

The hypothesis that the relations of effortful control and impulsivity to children's agreeableness would be at least partly indirect through their resiliency was tested. Eighty‐two children (M age=58.67 mos.) were participants. Children nominated peers on agreeableness and completed a behavioral measure of effortful control. Teachers and a subsample of parents reported on children's effortful control, impulsivity, resiliency, and agreeableness. In a structural equation model, effortful control predicted high agreeableness, and this relation was indirect through resiliency. Impulsivity predicted high resiliency and was negatively related to agreeableness. In an alternative model, effortful control predicted high resiliency indirectly through agreeableness and impulsivity was not related to agreeableness. A third model indicated that with the exception of a path from effortful control to agreeableness, agreeableness and resiliency did not predict effortful control or impulsivity. The findings suggest that effortful control and impulsivity may contribute to resiliency and agreeableness, that resiliency and agreeableness are interrelated, and that resilient children are not overly controlled.
Anger Perception, Caregivers’ Use of Physical Discipline, and Aggression in Children at Risk
Authors: Fine Sarah E. , Trentacosta Christopher J. , Izard Carroll E. , Mostow Allison J. , Campbell Jan L.
Published: April 2004

We analyzed the relations between teacher reports of aggressive behaviors, caregiver reports of their use of physical discipline, anger perception accuracy, and anger perception bias in middle childhood and teacher reports of aggressive behaviors two years later in a sample of children from economically disadvantaged families (n =152). Fisher r‐to‐z analyses showed a gender difference in the relation between anger perception accuracy and aggressive behavior in third grade. For girls, anger perception accuracy was significantly negatively related to aggression, and for boys, there was no relation between anger perception accuracy and aggression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that third grade aggressive behavior, caregivers’ reports of their use of physical discipline, and anger perception bias were significantly positively related to teacher reports of aggressive behavior two years later after controlling for gender and anger perception accuracy.
Antisocial and Prosocial Teasing Among Children: Perceptions and Individual Differences
Authors: Barnett Mark A. , Burns Susan R. , Sanborn Fred W. , Bartel Jeffrey S. , Wilds Stacey J.
Published: April 2004

Two studies examined fifth‐ and sixth‐grade students’ perceptions of antisocial and prosocial teasing among peers and potential correlates of individual differences in their tendencies to engage in both forms of teasing. The children were rated as showing a greater tendency to be prosocial teasers than antisocial teasers by both teachers and peers. In addition, the children indicated that they generally experienced and observed prosocial teasing more frequently than antisocial teasing at home and in school. Although boys were perceived to tease in a hostile, antisocial manner to a greater extent than were girls, the evidence for a gender difference in affiliative, prosocial teasing among these children was relatively weak. Additionally, systematic relations were found among ratings of the children's tendencies to engage in antisocial and prosocial teasing with peers, teachers’ ratings of their general level of antisocial and prosocial behavior with peers, ratings of the frequency with which they experienced antisocial and prosocial teasing at home and at school, and their attitudes toward antisocial and prosocial teasing.
The Various Roles of Animal Models in Understanding Human Development
Authors: Gottlieb Gilbert , Lickliter Robert
Published: April 2004

In this article, the authors take a very conservative view of the contribution of animal models to an understanding of human development. We do not think that homologies can be readily documented with even our most closely related relatives’ behavior and psychological functioning. The major contribution of animal models is their provision of food for thought (hypotheses, not facts) about human development and general principles of development, and we describe some of the more significant and interesting of these at length. We also briefly discuss the other applications of animal research toward understanding the development and evolution of behavior, more generally speaking.
From European Integration to European Integrity: Should European Law Speak with Just One Voice?
Authors: Besson Samantha
Published: April 2004

Abstract:  This article examines whether and how the moral principle of legal coherence or integrity, which has recently been developed further as a response to disagreement in the national legal context, applies to European law. According to the European integrity principle, all national and European authorities should make sure their decisions cohere with the past decisions of other European and national authorities that create and implement the law of a complex but single European legal order. Only by doing so, it is argued, can the European political and legal community gain true authority and legitimacy in the eyes of the European citizens to whom all these decisions apply. Although European integrity is primarily a product of European integration, it has gradually become one of the requirements of further integration. The article suggests that the principle of European integrity would help dealing with the growing pressure for common European solutions under conditions of increasing diversity. It places disagreement at the centre of European politics, as both an incentive and a means of integration by way of comparison and self‐reflectivity. It constitutes therefore the ideal instrument for a pluralist and flexible further constitutionalisation of the European Union.
Mainstreaming the Duty of Clarity and Transparency as part of Good Administrative Practice in the EU
Authors: Aziz Miriam
Published: April 2004

Abstract:  Language rights in the EU tend to be viewed in terms of the respect of national identity on the one hand and the clear and harmonised application of the internal market on the other. It is argued that an efficient language policy in the EU is one that reconciles respect for diversity with the need for effective communication. The use of specialist jargon in effect consolidates networks and power, of which there are two separate but related dimensions. The first is the external dimension of language, namely the lingua francaof deliberation, be it English, French, German, and so on. The second dimension refers to the use of élite codes, that is, language for ‘insiders’, which operates in spheres of politics, the law, economics, culture, medicine, and so on. It is the latter which the EU language rights régime has neglected. The absence of enabling provisions governing a duty of clear language renders democratic legitimacy intended by the former relatively meaningless. It is argued that the law can protect, facilitate, safeguard, and encourage clarity and transparency as part of good administrative practice. The duty to use language in a clear and comprehensible manner that has arisen in relation to producers in the EC law context of consumer rights is a useful case in point.
Conditionality and Enlargement in Light of EU Constitutional Developments
Authors: Pinelli Cesare
Published: April 2004

Abstract:  Conditionality has deeply affected European integration, particularly in what concerns EU human rights external policy on the one hand, and the enlargement process on the other hand. This paper affords a picture of the problems which conditionality has raised, not only on legal grounds, but also for the shaping and the understanding of the European identity. Moreover, the paper investigates how recent EU developments, such as the further stages of the enlargement process and the ‘Treaty establishing a European Constitution’, might change the course of, and might be affected by, conditionality.
Michel de Certeau and the Limits of Historical Representation
Authors: Weymans Wim
Published: April 2004

The polymath Michel de Certeau is traditionally seen as one of a group of French post‐structuralist thinkers who reject constructs in the social sciences in favor of the diversity of the everyday or the past. However, in this paper I will show that, as a historian, Certeau did not discard these constructs, but rather valued them as a means of doing justice to the “strangeness” of the past. The position that Certeau adopts can be seen most clearly from his theoretical debate with Paul Veyne, which is the starting point of this article. I then show how Certeau's first major historical work, The Possession at Loudun, exemplifies his theoretical position. An analysis of this work demonstrates how the historian's active reconstruction of interactions between exorcists, medical doctors, state officers, and possessed nuns helps us to perceive the complexity of the past in a way that can be seen as a microhistory avant la lettre. I will suggest that during his writing of the history of Loudun, Certeau implicitly raises more theoretical and epistemological problems, and in so doing he “practices” a theory of history. The most elusive aspect of the story at Loudun turns out to be the drama around the priest Grandier. This article demonstrates how Certeau pays tribute to Grandier by using “scientific” methods, thus showing the “limits of representation” through disciplinary means. Finally, the article explores the implications of Certeau's theory and practice of the writing of history for understanding historiography at large. The historian not only appears as a tramp who looks for remains that are forever lost to us, but is also a “scientist” who uses both models and concepts in order to put them to the test.
Memories of Trauma: Problems of Interpretation
Authors: Hutton Patrick H.
Published: April 2004

Disturbing Remains: Memory, History, and Crisis in the Twentieth Century. Edited By Michael S. Roth and Charles G. Salas
Familial localized connective tissue nevus of the scalp with alopecia (report of a very unusual case)
Authors: Aroni K , Kyriazi E , Aivaliotis M , Davaris P
Published: April 2004

Connective tissue nevi are benign hamartomas that usually appear as widespread, multiple, papular, skin lesions. They are subdivided into collagen, elastin, proteoglycans and mixed type, depending on their particular histopathologic features, and they often appear as a component of Buschke–Ollendorff Syndrome.
Maculopapular eruption with enlarged macrophages in eight patients receiving G‐CSF or GM‐CSF
Authors: Álvarez‐Ruiz S , Peñas PF , Fernández‐Herrera J , Sánchez‐Pérez J , Fraga J , García‐Díez A
Published: April 2004

In the last years, granulocyte and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factors (G‐CSF and GM‐CSF) are being increasingly used and several cutaneous eruptions have been reported in relation to these treatments. In 1991 Horn et al. described three patients with maculopapular eruption that paralleled the time of infusion of GM‐CSF. Two of the cases showed an increase in the number and size of macrophages in the biopsy specimen. Since then, several cases have been reported showing this histopathological alteration that has been considered characteristic of reaction to G‐CSF or GM‐CSF. Although maculopapular eruption with enlarged macrophages can appear after chemotherapy treatment, we have found that the presentation of this eruption after the beginning of cytokine treatment is suggestive of the involment of G‐CSF and GM‐CSF in the eruption. We described eight cases of patients treated with G‐CSF or GM‐CSF that developed maculopapular eruptions with enlarged macrophages.
Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis due to thallium
Authors: Aziz Jalali MH , Mirzazadeh Javaheri S , Salehian P
Published: April 2004

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is characterized clinically by fever, pruritus and acute pustular eruption. Usually a drug is found to be the responsible agent. We present a patient who experienced an acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis due to radioactive thallium. The eruption cleared rapidly after discontinuation of the drug and systemic corticosteroid therapy.
Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma causes an irreversible disappearance of the elastic fibres
Authors: Pock L , Blažková J , Caloudová H , Varjassyová I , Konkolová R , Hercogová J
Published: April 2004

A 67‐year‐old man presented with grouped red papules with a smooth surface coalescing to relatively well‐demarcated plaques on his left thigh, in the axillae and on the lateral parts of the trunk. The plaques were growing slowly, and the older ones had a frilled surface. A skin biopsy showed a zone of disappearance of the elastic fibres with a rim of giant multinuclear cells with fragments of the elastic fibres in their cytoplasm. This finding is typical of annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma (AEGCG). After corticosteroid therapy, the inflammation resolved, causing the frilled surface of the lesions due to the disappearance of the elastic fibres. Remission of the skin lesions lasted for 1.5 years. A second skin biopsy taken from the site of the previous lesion showed the absence of the elastic fibres, thus their phagocytosis was irreversible.
Lisch nodules of the iris in neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Richetta A , Giustini S , Recupero SM , Pezza M , Carlomagno V , Amoruso G , Calvieri S
Published: April 2004

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant disease. The Lisch nodule represents one of the most common NF1 ocular manifestations. Several studies have reported that the Lisch nodule is a melanocytic hamartoma but its pathogenesis is still debated. We have studied the histopathological and ultrastructural features of a Lisch nodule of a 50‐year‐old woman biopsied during an intracapsular cataract extraction. Our researches revealed that it was composed of three main cytotypes: pigmented cells, fibroblast‐like cells and mast cells, showing a pattern similar to a neurofibroma. Furthermore, we hypothesize that Lisch nodules are compatible with neurofibromas.
Paraneoplastic pemphigus secondary to fludarabine evolving into unusual oral pemphigus vegetans
Authors: Powell AM , Albert S , Oyama N , Sakuma‐Oyama Y , Bhogal B , Black MM
Published: April 2004

We report a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who developed paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) soon after the initiation of fludarabine therapy. He presented with severe oral and cutaneous erosions. Initially, he had high titres of circulating autoantibodies as detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) on multiple epithelial substrates (normal human skin, monkey oesophagus, and rat bladder) and by desmoglein 1 and 3 enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). His oral erosions have subsequently progressed into unusual hyperplastic papillomatous lesions affecting the inner aspect of lips and buccal mucosae, histologically consistent with pemphigus vegetans. Desmoglein 1 antibodies and IF on rat bladder substrate have become negative after 18 months of therapy. Several agents had been initiated to bring the disease under control originally, but a partial remission was achieved and maintained with mycophenolate mofetil and low‐dose prednisolone.