bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antipsychotic depot medication and attitudes of community psychiatric nurses
Authors: PATEL M. X. , DE ZOYSA N. , BAKER D. , DAVID A. S.
Published: March 2005

Utilization of long‐acting antipsychotic injections (depots) shows wide regional variation. In many countries, community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) administer depots but their concerns and attitudes regarding these drugs are seldom considered. We aimed to investigate attitudes and knowledge towards depots in a cross‐sectional survey of CPNs in London, and compare them with those of psychiatrists obtained in a previous study. Three subscales of a depot attitude/knowledge questionnaire were used with additional items which referred to aspects of the CPN role. Participants were 70 CPNs who attended an academic meeting. Most CPNs reported that they were involved in treatment decisions (78%) although some CPNs seldom asked their patients about side effects (19%) and felt that they did not have sufficient time for consultations (23%) or training (23%). Several CPNs believed that depots are old fashioned (34%) and stigmatizing (44%). Compared to psychiatrists, CPNs believed more that depots compromised patient autonomy (28%, P = 0.003) and were coercive (42%, P < 0.001). Familiarity with depots and their knowledge of side effects were positively associated with favourable attitudes. CPNs have several strongly endorsed attitudes towards depot medication. Interprofessional group differences also exist which may undermine the treatment process. Training/refresher courses about depots should highlight systematic treatment decision‐making and side effect monitoring which, in turn, may improve professionals’ attitudes, knowledge and clinical monitoring of depots.
Employment with Alternative Incentive Schemes when Effort is Not Verifiable
Authors: Meccheri Nicola
Published: March 2005

Abstract.  This paper compares macroeconomic results related to efficiency wages, contracts with bonus and tournaments in a framework with unverifiable effort. When effort is fully observable, both contracts with bonus and tournaments, unlike efficiency wages, solve the incentive problem without generating involuntary unemployment. Only tournaments, however, allow attainment of the Pareto optimal employment level. If effort is not fully observable, previous results must, to some extent, be reconsidered. Contracts with bonus also produce involuntary unemployment, while tournaments, in addition to continuing to produce a higher level of employment, generate involuntary unemployment only if a shirker who is not caught has some probability of winning.
A Noisy Screening Model of Education
Authors: Landeras Pedro , Villarreal J. M. Pérez de
Published: March 2005

Abstract.  This paper presents a screening model of education in which students having private information about their innate abilities are noisily tested in school. The aim is to explore the effect of noise on the screening equilibrium. By assuming that labour contracts take the form of reward schedules based on inaccurate academic qualifications, one can show that separating equilibrium turns out to be unique but insufficiently revealing, and both high and low ability types become overeducated. Also, even when separation is uncompleted, we show that a firm could still profitably cream‐skim the market so that no pooling equilibrium exits. As in the non‐noise case, the existence of an equilibrium is assured when the student population is made up mainly of a small proportion of high‐ability individuals, but in that case the fraction required is even lower.
Exercise‐induced rib stress fractures: influence of reduced bone mineral density
Authors: Vinther Anders , Kanstrup Inge‐Lis , Christiansen Erik , Alkjær Tine , Larsson Benny , Magnusson S. Peter , Aagaard Per
Published: March 2005

Exercise‐induced rib stress fractures have been reported frequently in elite rowers during the past decade. The etiology of rib stress fractures is unclear, but low bone mineral density (BMD) has been suggested to be a potential risk factor for stress fractures in weight‐bearing bones. The present study investigated BMD in seven Danish national team rowers with previous rib stress fracture (RSF) and 7 controls (C) matched for gender, age, height, weight and training experience. Total body scan and specific scans of the lumbar spine (L2–L4), femoral neck and distal radius were performed using a DEXA scanner. The RSF subjects showed significantly lower L2–L4 BMD: RSF: 1.22±0.05 g cm−2 (mean±SEM) (median 1.19 g cm−2, range 1.02–1.37 g cm−2) compared to C: 140±0.04 g cm−2 (median 1.41 g cm−2, range 1.27–1.57 g cm−2) (P=0.028).The present results suggest that low bone mineral density may be a potential risk factor for the development of exercise‐induced rib stress fractures in elite rowers.
Intra‐uterine growth restriction and the programming of left ventricular remodelling in female rats
Authors: Battista Marie‐Claude , Calvo Ezequiel , Chorvatova Alzbeta , Comte Blandine , Corbeil Jacques , Brochu Michèle
Published: March 2005

Epidemiological studies link intra‐uterine growth restriction (IUGR) with increased incidence of hypertension and cardiac disease in adulthood. Our rat model of IUGR supports this contention and provides evidence for the programming of susceptibility for hypertension in all offspring. Moreover, in the female offspring only, gross anatomical changes (cardiac ventricle to body ratios) and increased left cardiac ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) mRNA levels provide evidence for programming of cardiac disease in this gender. The aim of the current study was to measure changes in cardiac tissue that support remodelling that could be implicated in the initiation of hypertrophy. Adult female rats from our IUGR model and age‐ and sex‐matched controls were killed at 12 weeks of age. Left cardiac ventricles were removed and used for monitoring changes in several key genes, Na+,K+‐ATPase β1 protein expression, cardiomyocyte morphology and contractility as well as citrate synthase and aconitase activities. When compared to controls, female offspring of our IUGR rat model exhibit higher expression (mRNA) of ANP and the atrial isoform of the myosin light chain, lower levels of Na+,K+‐ATPase β1 protein, increased cardiomyocyte depth and volume, increased sarcomere length, diminished cardiomyocyte contractility and lower aconitase activity. Female offspring of our IUGR rat model exhibit changes as adults that are consistent with the onset of cardiac remodelling. The decrease in aconitase activity suggests that oxidative stress may be implicated in this response.
The role of the third extracellular loop of the Na+,K+‐ATPase α subunit in a luminal gating mechanism
Authors: Capendeguy Oihana , Horisberger Jean‐Daniel
Published: March 2005

Na+,K+‐ATPase is responsible for maintaining the cross‐membrane Na+ and K+ gradients of animal cells. This P‐type ATPase works via a complex transport cycle, during which it binds and occludes three intracellular Na+ ions and then two extracellular K+ ions, which it then releases on the other side of the membrane. The cation pathway through the protein, and the structures responsible for occluding cations inside the protein, have not yet been definitely identified. We used cysteine mutagenesis to explore the accessibility and the role of five conserved residues in the short third extracellular loop, between the fifth and the sixth transmembrane helices. The P801C and L802C mutants were not affected by extracellular sulfhydryl reagents. The presence of cysteine residues at three positions (G803C, T804C and V805C) conferred sensitivity to omeprazole, a known inhibitor of the gastric proton pump, and to [2‐(trimethylammonium)‐ethyl]methanethiosulphonate bromide (MTSET). The effects of omeprazole and MTSET were modulated by the presence of extracellular K+, indicating that the accessibility of these positions depended on the conformational state of the protein. MTSET binding to cysteine at position 803 partially inhibited the Na+,K+‐pump function by decreasing its affinity towards extracellular K+, suggesting a restriction of the access of extracellular K+ ions to their binding sites. In contrast, MTSET binding to cysteine at position 805 partially inhibited the Na+,K+‐pump function by reducing its maximum turnover rate, probably by slowing a rate‐limiting conformational change. These residues occupy positions that are critical for either the cation pathway or the conformational modifications.
Spontaneously active and InsP3‐activated ion channels in cell nuclei from rat cerebellar Purkinje and granule neurones
Authors: Marchenko Sergey M. , Yarotskyy Victor V. , Kovalenko Tatiana N. , Kostyuk Platon G. , Thomas Roger C.
Published: March 2005

Increases in Ca2+ concentration in the nucleus of neurones modulate gene transcription and may be involved in activity‐dependent long‐term plasticity, apoptosis, and neurotoxicity. Little is currently known about the regulation of Ca2+ in the nuclei of neurones. Investigation of neuronal nuclei is hampered by the cellular heterogeneity of the brain where neurones comprise no more than 10% of the cells. The situation is further complicated by large differences in properties of different neurones. Here we report a method for isolating nuclei from identified central neurones. We employed this technique to study nuclei from rat cerebellar Purkinje and granule neurones. Patch‐clamp recording from the nuclear membrane of Purkinje neurones revealed numerous large‐conductance channels selective for monovalent cations. The nuclear membrane of Purkinje neurones also contained multiple InsP3‐ activated ion channels localized exclusively in the inner nuclear membrane with their receptor loci facing the nucleoplasm. In contrast, the nuclear membrane of granule neurones contained only a small number of mainly anion channels. Nuclear InsP3 receptors (InsP3Rs) were activated by InsP3 with
EC50= 0.67 μm and a Hill coefficient of 2.5. Ca2+ exhibited a biphasic effect on the receptors elevating its activity at low concentrations and inhibiting it at micromolar concentrations. InsP3 in saturating concentrations did not prevent the inhibitory effect of Ca2+, but strongly increased InsP3R activity at resting Ca2+ concentrations. These data are the first evidence for the presence of intranuclear sources of Ca2+ in neurones. Ca2+ release from the nuclear envelope may amplify Ca2+ transients penetrating the nucleus from the cytoplasm or generate Ca2+ transients in the nucleus independently of the cytoplasm.
Increased cardiac sympathetic nerve activity following acute myocardial infarction in a sheep model
Authors: Jardine D. L. , Charles C. J. , Ashton R. K. , Bennett S. I. , Whitehead M. , Frampton C. M. , Nicholls M. G.
Published: March 2005

The time course of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity (CSNA) following acute myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. We therefore undertook serial direct recordings of CSNA, arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in 11 conscious sheep before and after MI, and compared them with 10 controls. Conscious CSNA recordings were taken daily from electrodes glued into the thoracic cardiac nerves. Infarction was induced under pethidine and diazepam analgesia by applying tension to a coronary suture. MI size was assessed by left ventricular planimetry (%) at postmortem, peak troponin T and brain natriuretic peptide levels (BNP). Baroreflex slopes were assessed daily using phenylephrine‐nitroprusside ramps. The mean infarcted area was 14.4 ± 2.9%, troponin T 1.88 ± 0.39 μg l−1 and BNP 8.4 ± 1.3 pmol l−1. There were no differences in haemodynamic parameters or CSNA between groups at baseline. MAP and HR remained constant following MI. CSNA burst frequency increased from baseline levels of 55.8 ± 7.1 bursts min−1 to levels of 77.5 ± 8.7 bursts min−1 at 2 h post‐MI, and remained elevated for 2 days (P < 0.001). CSNA burst area also increased and was sustained for 7 days following MI (P= 0.016). Baroreflex slopes for pulse interval and CSNA did not change. CSNA increases within 1 h of the onset of MI and is sustained for at least 7 days. The duration of this response may be longer because the recording fields decrease with time. This result is consistent with a sustained cardiac excitatory sympathetic reflex.
Southern Hemisphere Water Mass Conversion Linked with North Atlantic Climate Variability
Authors: Pahnke Katharina , Zahn Rainer
Published: March 2005

Intermediate water variability at multicentennial scales is documented by 340,000-year-long isotope time series from bottom-dwelling foraminifers at a mid-depth core site in the southwest Pacific. Periods of sudden increases in intermediate water production are linked with transient Southern Hemisphere warm episodes, which implies direct control of climate warming on intermediate water conversion at high southern latitudes. Coincidence with episodes of climate cooling and minimum or halted deepwater convection in the North Atlantic provides striking evidence for interdependence of water mass conversion in both hemispheres, with implications for interhemispheric forcing of ocean thermohaline circulation and climate instability.
Human Symbionts Use a Host-Like Pathway for Surface Fucosylation
Authors: Coyne Michael J. , Reinap Barbara , Lee Martin M. , Comstock Laurie E.
Published: March 2005

The mammalian intestine harbors a beneficial microbiota numbering approximately 10
12
organisms per gram of colonic content. The host tolerates this tremendous bacterial load while maintaining the ability to efficiently respond to pathogenic organisms. In this study, we show that the
Bacteroides
use a mammalian-like pathway to decorate numerous surface capsular polysaccharides and glycoproteins with
l
-fucose, an abundant surface molecule of intestinal epithelial cells, resulting in the coordinated expression of this surface molecule by host and symbiont. A
Bacteroides
mutant deficient in the ability to cover its surface with
l
-fucose is defective in colonizing the mammalian intestine under competitive conditions.
AXON RETRACTION AND DEGENERATION IN DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
Authors: Luo Liqun , O'Leary Dennis D.M.
Published: March 2005

The selective elimination of axons, dendrites, axon and dendrite branches, and synapses, without loss of the parent neurons, occurs during normal development of the nervous system as well as in response to injury or disease in the adult. The widespread developmental phenomena of exuberant axonal projections and synaptic connections require both small-scale and large-scale axon pruning to generate precise adult connectivity, and they provide a mechanism for neural plasticity in the developing and adult nervous system, as well as a mechanism to evolve differences between species in a projection system. Such pruning is also required to remove axonal connections damaged in the adult, to stabilize the affected neural circuits, and to initiate their repair. Pruning occurs through either retraction or degeneration. Here we review examples of these phenomena and consider potential cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie axon retraction and degeneration and how they might relate to each other in development and disease.
OLFACTORY MEMORY FORMATION INDROSOPHILA: From Molecular to Systems Neuroscience
Authors: Davis Ronald L.
Published: March 2005

The olfactory nervous system of insects and mammals exhibits many similarities, which suggests that the mechanisms for olfactory learning may be shared. Molecular genetic investigations of Drosophila learning have uncovered numerous genes whose gene products are essential for olfactory memory formation. Recent studies of the products of these genes have continued to expand the range of molecular processes known to underlie memory formation. Recent research has also broadened the neuroanatomical areas thought to mediate olfactory learning to include the antennal lobes in addition to a previously accepted and central role for the mushroom bodies. The roles for neurons extrinsic to the mushroom body neurons are becoming better defined. Finally, the genes identified to participate in Drosophila olfactory learning have conserved roles in mammalian organisms, highlighting the value of Drosophila for gene discovery.
Effect of Fibroids on Fertility in Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproduction
Authors: Benecke C. , Kruger T.F. , Siebert T.I. , van der Merwe J.P. , Steyn D.W.
Published: March 2005

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the current data to understand the impact of intramural leiomyomata on pregnancy outcome in assisted reproduction. Patients and Methods: In this review, articles were found by means of computerized Medline and Cochrane Library search using the key words uterine myomata, leiomyomata, fibroids, implantation, pregnancy, infertility and in vitro fertilization. Limitations were English, human, 1990–2002. Inclusion criteria were pregnancy data on in vitro fertilization, intramural myomata with no cavitary distortion and control groups without myomas for each patient with a myoma. Results: There was a significant negative impact on implantation rate in the intramural myomata groups versus the control groups, 16.4 vs. 27.7% OR 0.62 (0.48–0.8). The delivery rate per transfer cycle was also significantly lower (myomata vs. control), 31.2 vs. 40.9% OR 0.69 (0.50–0.95). Conclusion: Our study supports the notion that patients with intramural fibroids have a lower implantation rate per cycle. The studies did not shed new light on the size of intramural myomata that could affect the outcome. In previous failed in vitro fertilization cycles, microsurgical removal of myomata must be considered.
Independent Risk Factors for Gallstone Formation in a Region with High Cholelithiasis Prevalence
Authors: Völzke Henry , Baumeister Sebastian E. , Alte Dietrich , Hoffmann Wolfgang , Schwahn Christian , Simon Peter , John Ulrich , Lerch Markus M.
Published: March 2005

Background/Aims:Cholelithiasis is a common disorder in north-eastern Germany. Analyses of risk factors for gallstone formation in this population may have high explanatory power. Gender-specific risk factors for gallstone formation and their interactions were investigated by using data of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). Methods:Data of 4,202 persons aged 20–79 years were available. Cholelithiasis was defined by either a prior history of cholecystectomy or the presence of gallstones on abdominal ultrasound. Multivariable analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for gallstone formation. Results:There were 468 persons (11.1%) with previous cholecystectomy and 423 persons (10.1%) with sonographic evidence of gallstones. Women had a twofold higher risk for cholelithiasis compared to men. Age, body mass index and low serum HDL cholesterol levels were independently associated with cholelithiasis in both men and women. In the male population, low alcohol and high coffee consumption and in the female population, low physical activity, were further independently related to gallstone formation. Additionally, sex-specific interactions between risk factors were found. Conclusions: Female sex, age and being overweight are major risk factors for gallstone formation in this region where cholelithiasis is a frequent disorder. Additional factors and interactions contribute to a gender-specific gallstone risk.
Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease: Frequency and Relationship with Duration and Severity of the Disease
Authors: Piccininni Maristella , Di Carlo Antonio , Baldereschi Marzia , Zaccara Gaetano , Inzitari Domenico
Published: March 2005

The occurrence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is currently recognized as an important aspect of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We evaluated the frequency and severity of BPSD with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory across the various degrees and phases of the disease in 50 consecutive AD outpatients. Apathy, aberrant motor activity, dysphoria and anxiety were the symptoms most frequently reported by the caregivers, ranging in the whole study sample from 46 to 74%. A clear trend towards increasing frequency with the severity of disease was found for delusions, hallucinations and aberrant motor activity. A major effect of the duration of the disease was found in the probability of developing hallucinations and aberrant motor activity. Apart from hallucinations, all BPSD were present starting from a mild degree of dementia. A better understanding of the global spectrum of BPSD in AD is warranted in order to improve the allocation of health resources toward the treatment of dementia.
Evaluation of Factors of Importance for Clinical Dementia Diagnosis
Authors: Nägga Katarina , Garcia Jorge , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj , Gottfries Johan , Marcusson Jan
Published: March 2005

Diagnosing clinical dementia is based on an assessment of different variables, such as the patient’s medical history, known risk factors, and biochemical features. Partial least squares discriminant analysis was used to evaluate variables of importance for diagnosing dementia in a clinical dementia population. Polymorphism for genotypes of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and sulfotransferase 1A1, hypothetically of importance in dementia disorders, was also included in the analysis. The study population consisted of 73 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 14 with mixed dementia, 75 patients with vascular dementia, and 28 control cases. We found that several of the variables, such as the presence of ApoE4 allele, high cerebrospinal fluid levels of total tau protein, low levels of β-amyloid(1–42), and a low score on the Mini-Mental State Examination, facilitated a discrimination between the diagnoses compared with the controls. The different diagnoses overlapped. There were indications that genotypes of GSTs contributed to a subgrouping within AD.
Importance of Platelet Phospholipase Cγ2 Signaling in Arterial Thrombosis as a Function of Lesion Severity
Authors: Nonne Christelle , Lenain Nadège , Hechler Béatrice , Mangin Pierre , Cazenave Jean-Pierre , Gachet Christian , Lanza François
Published: March 2005

Objective—

Platelet activation occurs in response to adhesion receptors for von Willebrand factor (GPIb-V-IX) and collagen (GPVI and α
2
β
1
integrin) acting upstream of phospholipase C (PLC) γ2. However, PLCβ transduces signals from Gαq protein-coupled receptors for soluble agonists (P2y
1
, TxA
2
/TP, and thrombin/PAR). A Gi-dependent pathway amplifies most of these responses.

Methods and Results—

To evaluate the role of adhesion receptors signaling in arterial thrombosis, PLCγ2 knockout mice were studied in blood perfusion assays over fibrillar collagen and in a laser-induced mesenteric artery model of thrombosis. In vitro, PLCγ2-deficient platelets formed a single layer incapable of generating a thrombus on collagen, whereas Gαq-deficient platelets formed reduced size aggregates compared with wild-type cells. In the in vivo model, PLCγ2
−/−
mice displayed defective thrombus formation in superficial lesions but productive thrombosis after a more severe laser injury. In contrast, resistance to thrombosis was observed in Gαq
−/−
mice in both levels of injury.

Conclusions—

These results demonstrate that signaling through PLCγ2 plays an important role in arterial thrombosis, but that its contribution depends on the severity of the vascular lesion.
The Tragedies of American Foreign Policy: Further Reflections
Authors: Cox Michael , Kennedy-Pipe Caroline
Published: March 2005

Cox and Kennedy-Pipe offer a staunch defense of their article, arguing that the commentators generally missed the point of what the article was supposed to accomplish.Rather than providing an exhaustive account of the early Cold War and all the complications posed by Germany, the article sought to distill the essence of U.S.and Soviet strategies.The basic problem, as highlighted in the article, is that the United States would not accept the extension of Soviet in fluence into Eastern Europe and that, in opposing and seeking to roll back Soviet in fluence, U.S.of ficials sealed the fate of the East European countries.
The Advent of Neo-Revisionism?
Authors: Bischof Günter
Published: March 2005

Five distinguished scholars offer separate commentaries on the article by Michael Cox and Caroline Kennedy-Pipe. All of the commentators reject the broad interpretation and many of the specific arguments put forth by Cox and Kennedy-Pipe. They point out several crucial issues that are omitted from the article and raise questions about the authors' sources, use of evidence, and selective invocation of secondary literature. They regret that Cox and Kennedy Pipe seem to dwell on a large number of the same matters that preoccupied radical revisionist historians in the 1960s. They argue that although Cox and Kennedy-Pipe offer a more sophisticated version of revisionism, their article suffers from many of the same shortcomings. Most of the commentators believe that the Marshall Plan merely reflected a division of Europe that was already well under way rather than being the precipitating cause. In that sense, the debate on the origins of the Cold War needs to go well beyond the issues raised by Cox and Kennedy-Pipe.
ADAMTS13 turns 3
Authors: Levy Gallia G. , Motto David G. , Ginsburg David
Published: March 2005

It has now been 3 years since the von Willebrand factor (VWF)–cleaving protease implicated in thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) pathogenesis was identified as ADAMTS13 (adisintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif 13). More than 50 ADAMTS13 mutations resulting in familial TTP have been reported. Considerable progress has also been realized toward understanding the role of ADAMTS13 in normal hemostasis, as well as the mechanisms by which ADAMTS13 deficiency contributes to TTP pathogenesis. Measurement of ADAMTS13 activity in TTP and other pathologic conditions also remains a focus of a substantial clinical research effort. Building on these studies, continued investigation of ADAMTS13 and VWF holds considerable promise for advancing the understanding of TTP pathogenesis and should lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for this important hematologic disease.
Reading to learn and reading to integrate: new tasks for reading comprehension tests?
Authors: Trites Latricia , McGroarty Mary
Published: March 2005

To address the concern that most traditional reading comprehension tests only measure basic comprehension, this study designed measures to assess more complex reading tasks: Reading to Learn and Reading to Integrate. The new measures were taken by 251 participants: 105 undergraduate native speakers of English, 106 undergraduate nonnative speakers, and 40 graduate nonnative speakers. The research subproblems included determination of the influence of overall basic reading comprehension level, native language background, medium of presentation, level of education, and computer familiarity on Reading to Learn and Reading to Integrate measures; and the relationships among measures of Basic Comprehension, Reading to Learn, and Reading to Integrate. Results revealed that native language background and level of education had a significant effect on performance on both experimental measures, while other independent variables did not. While all reading measures showed some correlation, Reading to Learn and Reading to Integrate had lower correlations with Basic Comprehension, suggesting a possible distinction between Basic Comprehension and the new measures.
Impact of polychlorinated biphenyl Aroclor 1254 on testicular antioxidant system in adult rats
Authors: Murugesan P , Senthilkumar J , Balasubramanian K , Aruldhas M M , Arunakaran J
Published: March 2005

To clarify the reproductive toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds through determination of testicular lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in rats exposed to Aroclor 1254. Adult male rats were administered Aroclor 1254 at a dose of 2 mg/kg per day ip for 30 days. The rats were sacrificed 24 hours after last dosing and the serum and other tissues collected and processed for relevant determinations. The body weight and the weights of the testis, epididymis, ventral prostate and seminal vesicle and the serum testosterone and estradiol were significantly decreased in Aroclor 1254 treated rats. The testicular lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical were significantly elevated whereas, testicular antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) were significantly decreased. The non-enzymatic antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E, were also decreased. These results suggest that Aroclor 1254 induces an increase in the lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical and diminish in the antioxidant defense system in rats, indicating that the free radical-dependent mechanism may play an important role in the testicular toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls.
Effectiveness of Gene Expression Profiling for Response Prediction of Rectal Adenocarcinomas to Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Ghadimi B. Michael , Grade Marian , Difilippantonio Michael J. , Varma Sudhir , Simon Richard , Montagna Cristina , Füzesi Laszlo , Langer Claus , Becker Heinz , Liersch Torsten , Ried Thomas
Published: March 2005

Purpose

There is a wide spectrum of tumor responsiveness of rectal adenocarcinomas to preoperative chemoradiotherapy ranging from complete response to complete resistance. This study aimed to investigate whether parallel gene expression profiling of the primary tumor can contribute to stratification of patients into groups of responders or nonresponders.

Patients and Methods

Pretherapeutic biopsies from 30 locally advanced rectal carcinomas were analyzed for gene expression signatures using microarrays. All patients were participants of a phase III clinical trial (CAO/ARO/AIO-94, German Rectal Cancer Trial) and were randomized to receive a preoperative combined-modality therapy including fluorouracil and radiation. Class comparison was used to identify a set of genes that were differentially expressed between responders and nonresponders as measured by T level downsizing and histopathologic tumor regression grading.

Results

In an initial set of 23 patients, responders and nonresponders showed significantly different expression levels for 54 genes (P < .001). The ability to predict response to therapy using gene expression profiles was rigorously evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation. Tumor behavior was correctly predicted in 83% of patients (P = .02). Sensitivity (correct prediction of response) was 78%, and specificity (correct prediction of nonresponse) was 86%, with a positive and negative predictive value of 78% and 86%, respectively.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that pretherapeutic gene expression profiling may assist in response prediction of rectal adenocarcinomas to preoperative chemoradiotherapy. The implementation of gene expression profiles for treatment stratification and clinical management of cancer patients requires validation in large, independent studies, which are now warranted.
Risk Markers of Oral Cancer in Clinically Normal Mucosa As an Aid in Smoking Cessation Counseling
Authors: Sudbø Jon , Samuelsson Roy , Risberg Björn , Heistein Stig , Nyhus Christian , Samuelsson Margaretha , Puntervold Ruth , Sigstad Eva , Davidson Ben , Reith Albrecht , Berner Åsmund
Published: March 2005

Purpose

Quitting smoking may prevent oral cancer. Behavioral intervention to quit smoking may be more efficient if persons are assigned an individual risk of cancer.

Patients and Methods

In this prospective study, we provided counseling and behavioral intervention toward smoking cessation, supplemented by genetic analyses in clinically normal oral mucosa of heavy smokers. Measurement of serum cotinine was used to assess changes in smoking habits.

Results

In cytologic scrapings from 275 heavy smokers with clinically normal mucosa, we found tetraploidy in four and aneuploidy in 19 persons (23 of 275; 8%). Twenty one (91%) of 23 persons with aneuploidy had quit or reduced their smoking habits at the 3-month follow-up, 20 (87%) of 23 persons had done so at 12 months, and 21 (91%) of 23 persons had done so at 24 months. Fifty-one (20%) of the 252 persons without genetic changes in their mucosa had quit or reduced their tobacco habits at the 3-month follow-up, 23 (9%) had done so at 12 months, and 17 (7%) had done so at 24 months (P < .001). After 24 months, normalization of DNA content to diploidy was observed in two of four persons with tetraploid (50%), and in 11 of 19 persons (58%) with aneuploid scrapings. One patient developed an oral carcinoma in the floor of the mouth: this patient had an aneuploid scraping obtained 43 months earlier and developed a leukoplakia 28 months before the carcinoma.

Conclusion

Risk markers of oral cancer are present in clinically normal mucosa of heavy smokers, and such findings enhance the adherence to smoking cessation on counseling. Cytogenetic aberrations may normalize after quitting smoking.
Chance favours only the prepared mind: Incubation and the delayed effects of peer collaboration
Authors: Howe Christine , McWilliam Donna , Cross Gillian
Published: March 2005

Research has shown that the beneficial effects of peer collaboration are not always apparent until some time has elapsed. Such delayed effects are not readily incorporated in current models of collaborative learning, but because they constituteincubation effectsin the psychological sense of the term, they should in principle be consistent with cognitive accounts of how incubation occurs. Accordingly, the paper reports three studies which test whether, in accordance with cognitive models of incubation, the delayed effects of peer collaboration could result from: (a) the breaking over time of unhelpful mental sets, (b) the engagement in post‐collaborative reflective appraisal, and (c) the experience of subsequent events that, thanks to collaboration, can be used productively. The studies involved 9‐ to 12‐year‐old children working on the factors relevant to floating and sinking. The results provide no evidence for the relevance of set breaking or reflective appraisal, but suggest strongly that peer collaboration can ‘prime’ children to make good use of subsequent input. It is argued that in addition to clarifying how the delayed effects occur and applying incubation models in a novel context, the results flag up issues that are common to collaborative and cognitive theory, and that neither address adequately.
Are measures of hypomanic personality, impulsive nonconformity and rigidity predictors of bipolar symptoms?
Authors: Blechert Jens , Meyer Thomas D.
Published: March 2005

Objectives. It has been suggested that temperaments such as ‘hypomanic personality’ (HYP) have an explanatory role in affective disorders. Similarly, the impulsive nonconformity scale, originally designed to assess psychosis proneness, was recently found to augment the prediction of manic episodes. Conversely, research indicates that ‘rigidity’, a central feature of Typus Melancholicus (TMEL; von Zerssen, 1996), may characterize the premorbid personality of depressives.

Design. The present study combines these three scales to prospectively predict manic and depressive symptoms diagnosed 2 years later in a non‐college student population.

Method. Structured clinical interviews for DSM‐IV were conducted with 114 individuals (60% female, mean age =19.9 years), 2 years after an initial screening.

Results. It was found that none of the predictors predicted purely depressive symptoms. As expected, HYP emerged as the strongest predictor of (hypo‐)manic symptoms.

Conclusions. While rigidity did not predict depression, people with a hypomanic temperament are at risk of developing symptoms of bipolar disorder, especially (hypo‐)manic ones. It is noteworthy that this was evident in our young sample, still in the earlier stages of the high‐risk period.
When chivalry backfires: Benevolent sexism and attitudes toward Myra Hindley
Authors: Viki G. Tendayi , Massey Kristina , Masser Barbara
Published: March 2005

Researchers have suggested that paternalistic attitudes may influence people's perceptions of female offenders. In the current study, we examined the role of benevolent and hostile sexism in people's perceptions of a specific female offender (Myra Hindley), who can be viewed as having violated traditional gender role assumptions. We observed that benevolent sexism (but not hostile sexism) was related to negative evaluations of Myra Hindley. In addition, mediation analyses suggest that the relationship between benevolent sexism and the negative evaluations of Myra Hindley was partially accounted for by participants' perceptions that Myra Hindley possessed traits that violated traditional gender role stereotypes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Screening for suicide risk factors in prison inmates: Evaluating the efficiency of the Depression, Hopelessness and Suicide Screening Form (DHS)
Authors: Mills Jeremy F. , Kroner Daryl G.
Published: March 2005

The Depression, Hopelessness and Suicide Screening Form (DHS; Mills & Kroner, 2002) is a recently developed self‐report instrument to aid in screening inmates in the titled areas. Research has shown the DHS to have good internal consistency, factor structure and construct validity. The present study extends the previous validation research by comparing the disclosure of suicide risk factors on the DHS with both interview‐based and file review information. In addition, the DHS scores were used to predict psychological distress. The results indicate that despite the paper‐and‐pencil self‐report approach of the DHS it is comparably efficient in gathering suicide risk factors to other methods. In addition, the predictive accuracy of the DHS in identifying inmates experiencing psychological distress was confirmed. The current study has implications for the method of collection of suicide screening information. The discussion centres on the potential of self‐report in screening for suicide and self‐harm indicators in inmate populations.
The influence of car and driver stereotypes on attributions of vehicle speed, position on the road and culpability in a road accident scenario
Authors: Davies Graham M. , Patel Darshana
Published: March 2005

Purpose. Laymen and legal professionals frequently make decisions on the culpability of drivers involved in collisions on the basis of incomplete and inconsistent information. Could attributions based on car and driver stereotypes influence decisions on culpability?

Methods. In Experiment 1, ratings were collected on the perceived on‐road aggressiveness of drivers of different age and gender, and for models and colours of motorcars driven. In Experiment 2, participants read an accident scenario involving two cars and were asked to estimate relative speed, position on the road and blame. The ages of the drivers, colours, make and model of car driven were manipulated using the aggressiveness ratings collected in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, participants read another scenario and were again invited to allocate blame; colour, model of car and driver's age were varied systematically to establish the relative contribution of the different elements of the stereotype.

Results. Combinations of colour, car and driver rated high on aggression were judged as travelling faster, being further across the road and more likely to be the cause of an accident than those rated low on these dimensions.

Conclusions. Pre‐existing car and driver stereotypes have a demonstrable influence on judgments of driver behaviour from conflicting accident statements. The possible implications for the handling of accident claims and legal cases are discussed.
BOC, brother of CDO, is a dorsoventral axon‐guidance molecule in the embryonic vertebrate brain
Authors: Connor Robin M. , Allen Chelsea L. , Devine Christine A. , Claxton Christina , Key Brian
Published: March 2005

The early axon scaffolding in the embryonic vertebrate brain consists of a series of ventrally projecting axon tracts that grow into a single major longitudinal pathway connected across the midline by commissures. We have investigated the role of Brother of CDO (BOC), an immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily member distantly related to the Roundabout (Robo) family of axon‐guidance receptors, in the development of this embryonic template of axon tracts in the zebrafish brain. A zebrafish homologue of BOC was isolated and shown to be expressed predominantly in the developing neural plate and later in the neural tube and developing brain. Zebrafish boc was initially highly localized to discrete bands in the mid‐ and hindbrain, but, as the major brain subdivisions emerged, it became more evenly expressed along the rostrocaudal axis, particularly in dorsal regions. The function of zebrafish boc was examined by a loss‐of‐function approach. Analysis of embryos injected with antisense morpholinos designed against boc revealed highly selective defects in the development of dorsoventrally projecting axon tracts. Loss of boc caused ventrally projecting axons, particularly those arising from the presumptive telencephalon, to follow aberrant trajectories. These data indicate that boc is an axon‐guidance molecule playing a fundamental role in pathfinding during the early patterning of the axon scaffold in the embryonic vertebrate brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 485:32–42, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulatory Innovation by Leninist Means: Communist Party Supervision in China's Financial Industry
Authors: Heilmann Sebastian
Published: March 2005

Pervasive government interference and cronyism in China's financial sector resemble the deficiencies displayed by many other political economies. But in its regulatory efforts, China's government has means at its disposal that are very different. The rise and demise of the Central Financial Work Commission (CFWC) is an outstanding example of the innovative potential and also the limits of Communist Party institutional engineering in China's economy. The creation of the CFWC was a strategy to arrest the breakdown of hierarchies in the financial industry and to restore central policy decisiveness. By means of Party control over senior financial executives and Party-sponsored institutional reorganization, China's political leadership pushed through a centralization of financial market supervision and a series of regulatory innovations starting in 1998. Leninist institutions provided China's politicians with a reserve capacity for responding to perceived organizational crises and for innovating economic regulation. Leninist means of control were conducive to establishing centralized supervision and more uniform regulation. But they failed to introduce market-driven incentive structures for financial executives, did not raise the efficiency in allocating capital and mismatched with the emerging new forms of corporate governance. The new Wen Jiabao government therefore tried a different approach to financial sector reform, redefined the role of Party bodies and dissolved the CWFC. By laying the foundations for national market regulation, this Communist Party body however paved the way for the efforts at dismantling old socialist institutions in China's financial sector that have been under way since 2003.
Chinese Scientists and Responsibility: Ethical Issues of Human Genetics in Chinese International Contexts. Edited by OLE DÖRING. [Hamburg: Institut für Asienkunde, Mitteilungen des Instituts für Asienkunde, 1999. 257 pp. DM 38.00. ISBN 3-88910-227-1.]
Authors: Suttmeier Richard P.
Published: March 2005

It has been more than 80 years since Chinese intellectuals, struggling with the complexities of “science and philosophy of life,” debated the challenges of finding the moral wisdom needed to apply new scientific knowledge in ethically responsible ways. Could a moral compass be found? Would it be discovered in Chinese culture, or would it come from the West?

Advances in science and technology during the course of the 20th century have often outpaced progress in understanding “science and philosophy of life.” Nevertheless, the importance of the ethical dimensions of science and technology has increased in all countries, and there is little doubt that the new technologies of the early 21st century are already bestowing on us new moral conundrums. As advanced technologies and scientific research capabilities diffuse around the world, the ethical traditions which inform moral choice seemingly become more heterogeneous, and the need for reasoned, cross-cultural moral discourse increases. The Institut für Asienkunde in Hamburg is therefore to be congratulated for convening the “First International and Interdisciplinary Symposium on Aspects of Medical Ethics in China,” from which the 15 papers in this volume come.

There is no easy way to summarize the diversity of views presented in this provocative conference report. The authors include practising scientists from China and students of bioethics from China, Malaysia, Germany and the United States. But, the theme of eugenics – especially the ways in which advances in human genetics affect our moral stance towards eugenics – link a number of the papers. The atrocities of Nazi Germany strongly condition the views of the Western authors. Reacting, perhaps, to China's 1994 Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care, the latter seem to be urging Chinese researchers, medical practitioners, ethicists and policymakers to take the German experience to heart – even as China embraces the promises of the new genetic technologies. Thus, historian Sheila Faith Weiss' “Prelude to the maelstrom,” an informative account of the origins of Nazi eugenics in the 19th and early 20th-century culture of German medicine, is not so subtly subtitled, “A cautionary tale for contemporary China?” The Chinese authors acknowledge this “cautionary tale,” but also speak to the ethical challenges of new genetic technologies from a tradition with its own understandings of how practical knowledge and moral purpose are related, and how individual and collective well-being are reconciled.
Assimilation of satellite altimetry referenced to the new GRACE geoid estimate
Authors: Birol F. , Brankart J. M. , Lemoine J. M. , Brasseur P. , Verron J.
Published: March 2005

Currently, two satellite gravimetric missions (CHAMP, GRACE) are dedicated to the improvement of our knowledge of the geoid, and one (GOCE) is planned in the near future. This will allow the absolute altimeter ocean height measurements to be exploited, instead of only sea level variations. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the GRACE mission on ocean data assimilation. The new approach is to directly assimilate the full altimetric signal relative to the first release of a GRACE geoid. The response of an eddy‐permitting ocean model of the North Atlantic to the assimilation of this altimetric signal is analysed. The results are compared to that obtained using the usual approach, i.e., the assimilation of the dynamic topography derived from the addition of altimetric sea level anomalies and a mean dynamic topography estimate. Even if the GRACE mission resolution (333 km) is not yet compatible with oceanographic studies at mid latitude, we show that the geoid estimate can already be used with success in basin scale altimetric data assimilation problems.