bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘Gospel’ and the ‘Word’: Exploring Some Early Christian Patterns
Authors: Pahl Michael W.
Published: October 2006

Graham Stanton and others have made important steps toward understanding the origins and development of ‘gospel’ language in earliest Christianity. This article attempts to provide a similar contribution regarding the use of ‘word’ language as synonymous with ‘gospel’ language among the earliest Christians. A distinctive and predominant ‘word (of x)’ pattern can be discerned in this regard, particularly evident in the Pauline writings and in the description of the Pauline mission in Acts. This use of ‘word’ language in synonymy with the gospel most likely had its origin in the legal and prophetic ‘word’ language of the Jewish scriptures, acquired through the eschatological self-understanding of the early Christians in general and the prophetic self-understanding of Paul in particular.
Questions About Behavioral Function in Mental Illness (QABF-MI)
Authors: Singh Nirbhay N. , Matson Johnny L. , Lancioni Giulio E. , Singh Ashvind N. , Adkins Angela D. , McKeegan Gerald F. , Brown Stephen W.
Published: October 2006

The Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF), a 25-item rating scale, was developed to identify the function(s) of maladaptive behavior in individuals with developmental disabilities. The authors adapted it for use with individuals with serious mental illness who engage in maladaptive behavior and assessed the psychometric characteristics of the new scale (Questions About Behavioral Function in Mental Illness; QABF-MI) in a sample of 135 adults with serious mental illness from three inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Staff most familiar with each person rated each item on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale, and the ratings were subjected to a number of psychometric analyses. The results of factor analyses provided a conceptually meaningful five-factor solution: physical discomfort, social attention, tangible reinforcement, escape, and nonsocial reinforcement. Congruence between the five factors derived with the QABF-MI and the corresponding factors in the original QABF was perfect. The results indicated that the QABF-MI has robust psychometric properties and may be useful as a screening tool for determining the nature of the variables that maintain maladaptive behavior exhibited by individuals with serious mental illness.
Once were peripheral: creating media capacity in East Asia
Authors: Keane Michael
Published: October 2006

This article considers new approaches to media industry development and the field of Asian media studies. It argues that new patterns of integration have emerged within the global media economy. The rise of East Asian ‘newcomers’ such as South Korea, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China has come about from a combination of institutional realignment and strategic (often state-assisted) responses to regional industrial growth. The article proposes a five-part framework of international exchange that encapsulates challenges confronting mid-level markets that are aspiring to target international content markets. The framework is also a critique of the US-centric approaches that argue that global integration effects are normatively disadvantageous to ‘peripheral’ industries and societies.
The Effects of the Transition to Parenthood and Subsequent Children on Men’s Well-Being and Social Participation
Authors: Knoester Chris , Eggebeen David J.
Published: October 2006

This study uses data ( N = 3,088) from the first two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households to explore the effects of the transition to fatherhood and the addition of subsequent children on men’s psychological and physical health, contacts with extended family, social interactions, and work behaviors. The results sugget that new children lead to changes in men’s well-being and social participation, but the effects are conditioned by the structural context of fatherhood and men’s initial fatherhood status. Overall, the evidence indicates that the transition to parenthood and the addition of subsequent children primarily transform the organization of men’s lives, especially when they become coresident fathers. Men making the transition to parenthood are most likely to be affected. Fatherhood encourages men to increase intergenerational and extended family interactions, participation in service-oriented activities, and hours in paid labor—at the expense of spending time socializing.
Couples’ Attitudes, Childbirth, and the Division of Labor
Authors: Jansen Miranda , Liefbroer Aart C.
Published: October 2006

In this article, the authors examine effects of partners’ attitudes on the timing of the birth of a first child, the division of domestic labor, the division of child care, and the division of paid labor of couples. They use data from the Panel Study of Social Integration in the Netherlands, which includes independent measures of both partners’ attitudes in one wave (1995) and family life behavior in the next wave (1999). Using theories about decision rules, the authors formulate hypotheses about possible outcomes when partners have dissimilar attitudes. The results show that partners’ attitudes are not always identical. Most important, attitudes of both partners are found to be equally important in joint decisions.
What Accounts for Race and Ethnic Differences in Parental Financial Transfers to Adult Children in the United States?
Authors: Berry Brent
Published: October 2006

Financial assistance that parents give to their young adult children is part of the bundle of flows that constitutes intergenerational support. Are there racial and ethnic differences in this financial assistance, and if so, why? Wave 2 data from the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 17,996) suggest group differences in both the incidence and amount of annual support given to nonresident adult children. Structural inequalities in the form of economic resources, family structure, and health account for most group differences, a finding counter to recent research emphasizing culture and behavioral practices. Economic resources most strongly account for less giving in African American families than in other groups. For Latinos, income and parental education are most vital. Parental health and family size are also important predictors of group differences. African American and Latino families help compensate for the differences in financial transfers with coresidence, extended family exchange, and proximity.
Gender, Sociological Theory and Bourdieu’s Sociology of Practice
Authors: Krais Beate
Published: October 2006

While feminist sociology has succeeded in being recognized as a legitimate field of sociological research (yet mainly as a limited field within the broader discipline), its core objective - namely, to reconfigure the discipline, instating gender as a central analytic category - has not yet been achieved. This article argues that Bourdieu's sociology of practice offers a theoretical framework for fundamentally reconstructing sociology to integrate gender as a central category. After a brief outline of Bourdieu's reasoning in Masculine Domination and of the controversy surrounding this essay, I discuss the concept of habitus, which forms the theoretical core of Masculine Domination, in the broader context of Bourdieu's work. Habitus is an analytical tool that overcomes the discipline's theoretical barriers to the integration of the category of gender on a central point: the concept of the social agent. I will demonstrate this by opposing the concept of habitus to the construct of the social role that, up to this day, is most influential in shaping the sociological understanding of the social agent.
Police Use of Force
Authors: Bazley Thomas D. , Lersch Kim Michelle , Mieczkowski Thomas
Published: October 2006

This research focuses on a seldom-studied police officer subgroup: detectives. Although detectives and patrol officers possess similar authority in terms of effecting arrests and using force in performing their duties, there are differences in operational responsibilities between these groups. These differences might contribute to variations in force use in encounters with the public. The data in this study are derived from an urban police department’s use of force reports for the year 2000. The frequency and types of force used and the resistance encountered by detectives are identified and then compared to patrol officers in this department. Although the results are mixed, some findings indicate that detectives use higher force levels than patrol officers, even though there is no significant difference in exposure to resistance levels. This result is unexpected and raises further questions about how role differences between detectives and patrol officers affect their respective applications of force.
Managing the Community’s Pipeline of Entrepreneurs and Enterprises: A New Way of Thinking About Business Assets
Authors: Lichtenstein Gregg A. , Lyons Thomas S.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this article is to offer a methodical approach to deciding when, where, and how to invest in entrepreneurship as a crosscutting economic development strategy. To accomplish this, the authors present and operationalize the concept of a pipeline of entrepreneurs and enterprises in order to effectively segment the marketplace of businesses and differentiate among potential economic development clients within the community. They then describe three options for managing and intervening in a community’s pipeline of entrepreneurs and enterprises—performance-enhancement strategies, incubation strategies, and selective attraction strategies—and discuss how the pipeline can help policy makers and practitioners make informed decisions about where to invest (in what segment) and which strategies to use.
Do We Really Need Another Typology? Clusters of Local Economic Development Strategies
Authors: Reese Laura A.
Published: October 2006

This research note provides a typology of cities based on profiles of their economic development strategies. Using cluster analysis, a nuanced typology of policy practice is created by classifying cities by the complex of policies used. This leads to a more parsimonious typology that suggests three primary approaches to development: one that combines infrastructure investment and financial incentives, a second that uses all possible techniques, and one where little is done. The large number of almost completely passive cities raises questions about prevailing assumptions regarding the primacy of economic development for local governments.
Social Interaction With Computers
Authors: Pruijt Hans
Published: October 2006

Social interaction with computers is a key part of the frontier of automation. Weizenbaum's ELIZA continues to be relevant as the focus of the debate shifts from artificial intelligence to the future of narrative and emotional design. A version of ELIZA was implemented in Excel-Visual Basic for Applications that combines adherence to the original specification with easy experimentation.
Online Behaviors Affected by Spam
Authors: Grimes Galen A.
Published: October 2006

Has the continued proliferation of spam caused computer users to alter their online behavior? There are many online behaviors such as online shopping, posting to newsgroups, and visiting chat rooms that are documented to contribute to the increased reception of spam, or commercial e-mail. Has the increased dissemination of spam caused users to reduce or curtail these types of online activities? This study looks at this issue and what methods users have under-taken to reduce the amount of spam received such as antispam e-mail filtering programs and which of these programs users found effective. Finally, this study examines how computer users approach the issue of imposing some type of e-mail tax as a means of removing the financial incentive enjoyed by spammers at being able to send out an almost limitless number of nearly free commercial e-mail ads, and that users are overwhelmingly against any type of e-mail tax.
Parent Involvement in Treatment for ADHD: A Meta-Analysis of the Published Studies
Authors: Corcoran Jacqueline , Dattalo Patrick
Published: October 2006

Given high rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosed in children, knowledge of effective treatment is crucial. To this end, a meta-analysis of parent-involved psychosocial treatment was undertaken to determine its effect on a number of outcomes salient to children with ADHD. Sixteen studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis. Findings indicated that the impact of treatment on ADHD was low compared to comparison and/or control conditions, whereas child-internalizing symptoms and academic problems were better affected by family involvement. Teachers reported the highest effect sizes followed by parents themselves. Although parent involvement might be important for affecting the internalizing symptoms and academic problems that plague children with ADHD, ADHD and externalizing symptoms might be better targeted by other interventions.
Limitations of the Patient Health Questionnaire in Identifying Anxiety and Depression in Community Mental Health: Many Cases are Undetected
Authors: Eack Shaun M. , Greeno Catherine G. , Lee Bong-Jae
Published: October 2006

Objective: To determine the concordance between the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) in diagnosing anxiety and depressive disorders. Method: Fifty women seeking psychiatric services for their children at two mental health centers in western Pennsylvania were assessed for anxiety and depressive disorders using the SCID and the PHQ. Results: Twenty-five women met SCID criteria for at least one anxiety disorder, 11 (44%) of whom the PHQ failed to identify. The PHQ was particularly limited in identifying individuals with anxiety disorders other than panic disorder. Seventeen women met SCID criteria for at least one depressive disorder, 6 (35%) of whom the PHQ failed to identify. The PHQ was particularly limited in identifying depressed individuals with dysthymia. Conclusions: Caution should be used when screening for anxiety and depression with the PHQ. Implications for improving diagnostic accuracy in social work practice are discussed.
Funding Opportunities for Social Work Doctoral Students Through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Authors: Grinstein-Weiss Michal
Published: October 2006

This article introduces the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a potential funding source for social work doctoral students. HUD's two doctoral research grant programs (i.e., the Early Doctoral Students Research Grant and the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant) are nontraditional, largely untapped funding sources for social work doctoral students. The author provides an overview of both programs, describes the application requirements, the selection criteria, and the review process. Based on her experience as a social work student awarded both an Early Doctoral Students Research Grant and a Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant, the author provides tips, advice, and examples for preparing a strong application.
Differential Item Functioning by Sex and Race in the Hogan Personality Inventory
Authors: Sheppard Richard , Han Kyunghee , Colarelli Stephen M. , Dai Guangdong , King Daniel W.
Published: October 2006

The authors examined measurement bias in the Hogan Personality Inventory by investigating differential item functioning (DIF) across sex and two racial groups (Caucasian and Black). The sample consisted of 1,579 Caucasians (1,023 men, 556 women) and 523 Blacks (321 men, 202 women) who were applying for entry-level, unskilled jobs in factories. Although the group mean differences were trivial, more than a third of the items showed DIF by sex (38.4%) and by race (37.3%). A content analysis of potentially biased items indicated that the themes of items displaying DIF were slightly more cohesive for sex than for race. The authors discuss possible explanations for differing clustering tendencies of items displaying DIF and some practical and theoretical implications of DIF in the development and interpretation of personality inventories.
Assessing Family-of-Origin Functioning in Mexican American Adults
Authors: Negy Charles , Snyder Douglas K.
Published: October 2006

Although both theoretical and empirical literature suggests that individuals’ family-of-origin experiences affect subsequent relationship functioning as adults, few studies have examined the appropriateness of family assessment techniques when applied retrospectively for use in either theory development or clinical applications. This study examined psycho-metric characteristics of the Family Environment Scale (FES) when used retrospectively with Mexican Americans to assess their families-of-origin. Findings provided qualified support for the internal consistency of the FES and showed significant mean profile differences for this population across gender and when compared to the normative sample for this measure. Retrospective reports on the FES related to independent measures of family history of distress and, to a lesser extent, with current relationship functioning, providing preliminary support for the criterion-related validity of the FES when adapted for retrospective assessment. Limitations and implications of findings for further research are discussed.
Managing Customers for Value
Authors: Kumar V. , Lemon Katherine N. , Parasuraman A.
Published: October 2006

This article provides an introduction to and overview of this special issue on “Managing Customers for Value.” The field of customer management has grown rapidly in recent years, with significant research examining approaches with which firms can manage customers as key assets. Starting with the notion that firms seek to maximize customer lifetime value and customer equity, the authors identify eight key challenges that firms and researchers face in understanding, managing, and implementing successful customer management strategies. The authors then present an organizing framework and use it to offer an overview of the rest of the special issue, outlining how each of the remaining articles in the special issue (each addressing one of the key challenges) fits into the framework. Based on a synthesis of the overall insights from the articles, the authors conclude with a research agenda that highlights potentially fruitful avenues for further investigation.
Linking Brand Equity to Customer Equity
Authors: Leone Robert P. , Rao Vithala R. , Keller Kevin Lane , Luo Anita Man , McAlister Leigh , Srivastava Rajendra
Published: October 2006

Customer equity and brand equity are two of the most important topics to academic researchers and practitioners. As part of the 2005 Thought Leaders Conference held at the University of Connecticut, the authors were asked to review what was known and not known about the relationship between brand equity and customer equity. During their discussions, it became clear that whereas two distinct research streams have emerged and there are distinct differences, the concepts are also highly related. It also became clear that whereas the focus of both brand equity and customer equity research has been on the end consumer, there is a need for research to understand the intermediary’s perspective (e.g., the value of the brand to the retailer and the value of a customer to a retailer) and the consumer’s perspective (e.g., the value of the brand versus the value of the retailer). This article represents general conclusions from the authors’ discussion and suggests a modeling approach that could be used to investigate linkages between brand equity and customer equity as well as a modeling approach to determine the value of the manufacturer to a retailer.
Forward-Looking Focus
Authors: Zeithaml Valarie A. , Bolton Ruth N. , Deighton John , Keiningham Timothy L. , Lemon Katherine N. , Petersen J. Andrew
Published: October 2006

Customer metrics are pivotal to assessing and monitoring how firms perform with customers and other publics. The authors contend that customer metrics used by firms today are predominantly rear-view mirrors reporting the past or dashboards reporting the present. They argue that companies need to and can develop “adaptive foresight” to be positioned to predict the future by exploiting changes in the business environment and anticipating customer behavior. They address the need for adaptive foresight by synthesizing and integrating literature on customer metrics, customer relationship management, customer asset management, and customer portfolio management. They begin by reviewing the metrics that have been and are currently being used to capture customer focus. Next, they discuss possible “headlight” or forward-looking customer metrics that would allow firms to anticipate changes and provide opportunities to increase the value of the customer base. They then identify the conditions under which the new metrics would be appropriate and offer a process for developing adaptive foresight. The authors close by discussing the implications of adaptive foresight for successful customer asset management that increases long-run business performance.
The Path to Customer Centricity
Authors: Shah Denish , Rust Roland T. , Parasuraman A. , Staelin Richard , Day George S.
Published: October 2006

The concept of customer centricity and its benefits have been discussed for more than 50 years. Despite this fact, many firms are still struggling to fully align themselves to the customer-centric paradigm. This article identifies fundamental issues and challenges that typically deter a firm from becoming customer-centric. These are mainly related to the organizational culture, structure, processes, and financial metrics of the firm. To overcome these barriers, the article suggests a path to customer centricity that is driven by a strong leadership commitment, organizational realignment, systems and process support, and revised financial metrics. The article concludes with directions for further research.
Networked governance and the post-regulatory state?
Authors: Crawford Adam
Published: October 2006

This article engages with insights from the ‘(post-) regulatory state’ literature in critically exploring the changing face of policing and security. It subjects notions of ‘networked governance’ and ‘responsive regulation’ to empirical examination in the British context. The article illustrates the manner in which state anchoring constitutes a distinctive characteristic of contemporary security governance. It suggests that far from state withdrawal, in relation to the regulation of social behaviour, the British state is engaged in ambitious projects of social engineering in which the deployment of hierarchy, command and interventionism are prevalent. Recent trends in social regulation have seen hyper-innovation against a background of the politicization of behaviour. In this context, the article highlights concerns about the feasibility of ‘responsive regulation’.
Bottled Water
Authors: Wilk Richard
Published: October 2006

Bottled water has become a pervasive global business, and bottled water consumption continues to increase rapidly, particularly in countries where clean potable tap water is available at very low or no cost. This article discusses the ways the rich cultural meanings of water are used in marketing and branding, and the forms of consumer resistance that oppose bottled water as a commodity. The contrast between tap water and bottled water can be seen as a reflection of a contest for authority and public trust between governments and corporations, in a context of heightened anxieties about risk and health. The article concludes that bottled water is a case where sound cultural logic leads to environmentally destructive behavior.
Jack Daniel's America
Authors: Holt Douglas B.
Published: October 2006

Branding is often viewed as a form of ideological influence, but how brands impact ideology has not been carefully specified. I use a genealogical study of the emergence of Jack Daniel's whiskey as an iconic brand to specify the ideological role played by such brands in relation to other producers of ideological change, particularly the other culture industries. I demonstrate that brands play a distinctive role, quite different from that critics have described: brands act as parasites riding the coat-tails of other more powerful cultural forms, but then use their market power to proselytize these ideological revisions. Through ubiquity and repetition, brands transform emergent culture into dominant norms.
The contribution of research knowledge and skills to practice: an exploration of the views and experiences of newly qualified nurses
Authors: Hek Gill , Shaw Alison
Published: October 2006

The question of how best to equip nurses with research knowledge and skills has been explored in a number of studies. This paper contributes to growing evidence about how research is perceived in practice, as part of the overall preparedness of a newly qualified nurse. Taking a longitudinal qualitative approach, this study found when interviewing nurses at three months, newly qualified nurses felt that they had received too much teaching about research, were not interested in the subject and struggled to see its relevance to clinical practice. However, at 12 months, about half of the 58 newly qualified nurses who participated in this study felt that research was ‘embedded’ in the practice of their ward/work area, and were able to give examples such as research activity on the ward, research folders, notice boards and conference feedback. In some areas the newly qualified nurses were teaching students using evidence-based materials and said that research was often talked about. In the struggle to improve the use of research in everyday nursing practice, this study provides some evidence that newly qualified nurses feel they are engaging in relevant research activities.
All Aboard The Polar Express: A ‘Playful’ Change of Address in the Computer-Generated Blockbuster
Authors: Aldred Jessica
Published: October 2006

Following Tom Gunning’s assertion that each change in film history implies a change in its address to the spectator, this article closely analyses The Polar Express (Robert Zemeckis, 2004) in order to interrogate what kinds of changes are at stake for the contemporary spectator of the wholly computer-generated blockbuster. The article also considers the extent to which the immersive, video game-like visual aesthetic and mode of address present in The Polar Express strive to naturalize viewer relations with digital spaces and characters such as those inherent to both computer-generated films and the ‘invisible’ virtual realm of cyberspace. Finally, the article argues that The Polar Express functions as a compelling historical document of an era when cinema and video games have never been more intertwined in terms of aesthetics, character construction, and narrative, and raises compelling questions about whether video games have begun to exert the type of formative influence upon cinema that cinema previously exerted on video games.
Some Thoughts on Practice-Theory Relationships in Animation Studies
Authors: Ward Paul
Published: October 2006

The article examines theory-practice relationships in the field of Animation Studies via three conceptual frameworks: legitimate peripheral participation, critical practice and recontextualization. The overarching argument is that Animation Studies must be understood in an ‘interdisciplinary’ way, and that means evaluating how different communities of practice work with similar or related terms. The article draws upon email discussion group data as a way of beginning to map the discourses used by people working within the field of Animation Studies. The perceived role of technology is given specific attention, particularly the ways it can be seen to be straitjacketing the development of a truly critical Animation Studies community - one that attends to theory and practice in equal measure.
Re-Animating Space
Authors: Wood Aylish
Published: October 2006

Animation has the capacity to re-invigorate how we think about cinematic space. Cinematic space is able to represent and be expressive, and its place in generating narrative meaning is taken to be central to cinema. This, however, overlooks another aspect of space, one associated with intensive spatial experience and other kinds of transformation. As it is rare for live-action images to show space in the process of change, this aspect is not often addressed in the cinema. By contrast, in many animations, space is caught in the act of changing, making it especially relevant to thinking about experiences of spatial transformation. The emphasis in this article is on exploring animation as a revitalization of cinematic space. By paying close attention to both the form and content of Duck Amuck (Chuck Jones, 1953), The Street (Caroline Leaf, 1976), The Metamorphosis of Mr Samsa (Caroline Leafs, 1977), Flatworld (Daniel Greaves, 1997) and Nocturna Artificialia (Brothers Quay, 1979) the author shows how animation re-animates space. To generate this position she formulates a view of space as undergoing processes of reverberation: existing beyond the location of events, fluid and marked by heterogeneity, shifting between familiarity and uncertainty, and finally, as chaotic and potentially unknowable.
Immobile Sections and Trans-Series Movement: Astroboy and the Emergence of Anime
Authors: Steinberg Marc
Published: October 2006

This article contrasts the different economies of motion found in cinema and animation, and explores the particular economy of movement and libidinal investment that accompanies Japanese anime, paying close attention to the first anime TV series, Astroboy (Tetsuwan Atomu). Metz and Lyotard argue that cinema generates an impression of reality through its particular economy of motion. Cel animation, in contrast, relies on a different economy of motion. This is especially the case in the specific kind of limited animation found in Japanese anime. This article focuses on the specificities of this kind of animated movement (particularly its emphasis on stillness), and the way Astroboy relied on commodity serialization to generate a particularly immersive image environment - one that set the stage for what is now known as ‘anime’.
Acquired hemophilia A in the United Kingdom: a 2-year national surveillance study by the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation
Authors: Collins Peter W. , Hirsch Sybil , Baglin Trevor P. , Dolan Gerard , Hanley John , Makris Michael , Keeling David M. , Liesner Ri , Brown Simon A. , Hay Charles R. M. ,   UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation
Published: October 2006

Acquired hemophilia A is a severe bleeding disorder caused by an autoantibody to factor VIII. Previous reports have focused on referral center patients and it is unclear whether these findings are generally applicable. To improve understanding of the disease, a 2-year observational study was established to identify and characterize the presenting features and outcome of all patients with acquired hemophilia A in the United Kingdom. This allowed a consecutive cohort of patients, unbiased by referral or reporting practice, to be studied. A total of 172 patients with a median age of 78 years were identified, an incidence of 1.48/million/y. The cohort was significantly older than previously reported series, but bleeding manifestations and underlying diseases were similar. Bleeding was the cause of death in 9% of the cohort and remained a risk until the inhibitor had been eradicated. There was no difference in inhibitor eradication or mortality between patients treated with steroids alone and a combination of steroids and cytotoxic agents. Relapse of the inhibitor was observed in 20% of the patients who had attained first complete remission. The data provide the most complete description of acquired hemophilia A available and are applicable to patients presenting to all centers.
The impact of endemic and epidemic malaria on the risk of stillbirth in two areas of Tanzania with different malaria transmission patterns
Authors: Wort Ulrika Uddenfeldt , Hastings Ian , Mutabingwa TK , Brabin Bernard J
Published: October 2006

Background

The impact of malaria on the risk of stillbirth is still under debate. The aim of the present analysis was to determine comparative changes in stillbirth prevalence between two areas of Tanzania with different malaria transmission patterns in order to estimate the malaria attributable component.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was completed of stillbirth differences between primigravidae and multigravidae in relation to malaria cases and transmission patterns for two different areas of Tanzania with a focus on the effects of the El Niño southern climatic oscillation (ENSO). One area, Kagera, experiences outbreaks of malaria, and the other area, Morogoro, is holoendemic. Delivery and malaria data were collected over a six year period from records of the two district hospitals in these locations.

Results

There was a significantly higher prevalence of low birthweight in primigravidae compared to multigravidae for both data sets. Low birthweight and stillbirth prevalence (17.5% and 4.8%) were significantly higher in Kilosa compared to Ndolage (11.9% and 2.4%). There was a significant difference in stillbirth prevalence between Ndolage and Kilosa between malaria seasons (2.4% and 5.6% respectively, p < 0.001) and during malaria seasons (1.9% and 5.9% respectively, p < 0.001). During ENSO there was no difference (4.1% and 4.9%, respectively). There was a significant difference in low birthweight prevalence between Ndolage and Kilosa between malaria seasons (14.4% and 23.0% respectively, p < 0.001) and in relation to malaria seasons (13.9% and 25.2% respectively, p < 0.001). During ENSO there was no difference (22.2% and 19.8%, respectively). Increased low birthweight risk occurred approximately five months following peak malaria prevalence, but stillbirth risk increased at the time of malaria peaks.

Conclusion

Malaria exposure during pregnancy has a delayed effect on birthweight outcomes, but a more acute effect on stillbirth risk.
Bolus characteristics based on Magnetic Resonance Angiography
Authors: Cai Zhijun , Stolpen Alan , Sharafuddin Melhem J , McCabe Robert , Bai Henri , Potts Tom , Vannier Michael , Li Debiao , Bi Xiaoming , Bennett James , Golzarian Jafar , Sun Shiliang , Wang Ge , Bai Er-Wei
Published: October 2006

Background

A detailed contrast bolus propagation model is essential for optimizing bolus-chasing Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). Bolus characteristics were studied using bolus-timing datasets from Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) for adaptive controller design and validation.

Methods

MRA bolus-timing datasets of the aorta in thirty patients were analyzed by a program developed with MATLAB. Bolus characteristics, such as peak position, dispersion and bolus velocity, were studied. The bolus profile was fit to a convolution function, which would serve as a mathematical model of bolus propagation in future controller design.

Results

The maximum speed of the bolus in the aorta ranged from 5–13 cm/s and the dwell time ranged from 7–13 seconds. Bolus characteristics were well described by the proposed propagation model, which included the exact functional relationships between the parameters and aortic location.

Conclusion

The convolution function describes bolus dynamics reasonably well and could be used to implement the adaptive controller design.
Is oxygen a key factor in the lipodystrophy phenotype?
Authors: Gentil Christel , Jan Sébastien Le , Philippe Josette , Leibowitch Jacques , Sonigo Pierre , Germain Stéphane , Piétri-Rouxel France
Published: October 2006

Background

The lipodystrophic syndrome (LD) is a disorder resulting from selective damage of adipose tissue by antiretroviral drugs included in therapy controlling human-immunodeficiency-virus-1. In the therapy cocktail the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) contribute to the development of this syndrome. Cellular target of NRTI was identified as the mitochondrial polymerase-gamma and their toxicity described as a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion resulting in a mitochondrial cytopathy and involved in fat redistribution. No mechanisms offer explanation whatsoever for the lipo-atrophic and lipo-hypertrophic phenotype of LD. To understand the occurrence we proposed that the pO2 (oxygen partial pressure) could be a key factor in the development of the LD. For the first time, we report here differential effects of NRTIs on human adipose cells depending on pO2 conditions.

Results and discussion

We showed that the hypoxia conditions could alter adipogenesis process by modifying expression of adipocyte makers as leptin and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPARgamma and inhibiting triglyceride (TG) accumulation in adipocytes. Toxicity of NRTI followed on adipose cells in culture under normoxia versus hypoxia conditions showed, differential effects of drugs on mtDNA of these cells depending on pO2 conditions. Moreover, NRTI-treated adipocytes were refractory to the inhibition of adipogenesis under hypoxia. Finally, our hypothesis that variations of pO2 could exist between adipose tissue from anatomical origins was supported by staining of the hypoxic-induced angiopoietin ANGPTL4 depended on the location of fat.

Conclusion

Toxicity of NRTIs have been shown to be opposite on human adipose cells depending on the oxygen availability. These data suggest that the LD phenotype may be a differential consequence of NRTI effects, depending on the metabolic status of the targeted adipose tissues and provide new insights into the opposite effects of antiretroviral treatment, as observed for the lipo-atrophic and lipo-hypertrophic phenotype characteristic of LD.
Postauricular congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma- a case report of an unusual entity
Authors: Vankalakunti Mahesha , Das Ashim , Rao Narasimhan KL
Published: October 2006

Background

Congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is an extremely uncommon and invariably fatal tumor with the current therapy. Less than 25% of patients present with evidence of cutaneous metastasis.

Case presentation

We report a case of congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in an 18-month-old male who presented with a progressively increasing mass lesion in the left post-auricular region since birth. Radiological examination did not show any intracranial involvement of the mass lesion. Upon resecting the mass that was 10-cm in largest dimension, the gross, microscopic, and ultrastructural findings were consistent with congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Conclusion

The suspicion of alveolar subtype on histological grounds and proper evaluation of this tumor by immunostain and ultrastuctural examination is necessary. In the Medline literature search, there is no report of large congenital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in the post-auricle region.
Paradoxical expression of INK4c in proliferative multiple myeloma tumors: bi-allelic deletion vs increased expression
Authors: Dib Amel , Peterson Timothy R , Raducha-Grace Laura , Zingone Adriana , Zhan Fenghuang , Hanamura Ichiro , Barlogie Bart , Shaughnessy John , Kuehl W Michael
Published: October 2006

Background

A high proliferative capacity of tumor cells usually is associated with shortened patient survival. Disruption of the RB pathway, which is critically involved in regulating the G1 to S cell cycle transition, is a frequent target of oncogenic events that are thought to contribute to increased proliferation during tumor progression. Previously, we determined that p18INK4c, an essential gene for normal plasma cell differentiation, was bi-allelically deleted in five of sixteen multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines. The present study was undertaken to investigate a possible role of p18INK4c in increased proliferation of myeloma tumors as they progress.

Results

Thirteen of 40 (33%) human myeloma cell lines do not express normal p18INK4c, with bi-allelic deletion of p18 in twelve, and expression of a mutated p18 fragment in one. Bi-allelic deletion of p18, which appears to be a late progression event, has a prevalence of about 2% in 261 multiple myeloma (MM) tumors, but the prevalence is 6 to10% in the 50 tumors with a high expression-based proliferation index. Paradoxically, 24 of 40 (60%) MM cell lines, and 30 of 50 (60%) MM tumors with a high proliferation index express an increased level of p18 RNA compared to normal bone marrow plasma cells, whereas this occurs in only five of the 151 (3%) MM tumors with a low proliferation index. Tumor progression is often accompanied by increased p18 expression and an increased proliferation index. Retroviral-mediated expression of exogenous p18 results in marked growth inhibition in three MM cell lines that express little or no endogenous p18, but has no effect in another MM cell line that already expresses a high level of p18.

Conclusion

Paradoxically, although loss of p18 appears to contribute to increased proliferation of nearly 10% of MM tumors, most MM cell lines and proliferative MM tumors have increased expression of p18. Apart from a small fraction of cell lines and tumors that have inactivated the RB1 protein, it is not yet clear how other MM cell lines and tumors have become insensitive to the anti-proliferative effects of increased p18 expression.
cDNA microarray analysis reveals fundamental differences in the expression profiles of primary human monocytes, monocyte-derived macrophages, and alveolar macrophages
Authors: Li Jiangning , Pritchard David K , Wang Xi , Park David R , Bumgarner Roger E , Schwartz Stephen M , Liles W Conrad
Published: October 2006

We report the systematic use of large-scale cDNA microarrays to study the gene expression profiles of primary human peripheral blood monocytes (MONO) in comparison with in vitro-differentiated, M-CSF-induced MONO-derived macrophages (MAC) and primary human alveolar MAC (AM), obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from the lungs of normal volunteers. These studies revealed large-scale differences in the gene expression profile between both MAC types (MAC and AM) and MONO. In addition, large differences were observed in the gene expression profiles of the two MAC types. Specifically, 21% of genes on the array (2904 out of 13,582) were differentially expressed between AM and MONO, and 2229 out of 13,583 probes were differentially expressed between MAC and AM. Our expression data show remarkable differences in gene expression between different MAC subpopulations and emphasize the heterogeneity of different MAC populations. This study underscores the need to scrutinize models of MAC biology for relevance to specific disease processes.
Malignant Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors: Identification of Novel Prognostic Markers and Long-Term Outcome After Multimodality Treatment
Authors: Murugaesu Nirupa , Schmid Peter , Dancey Gairin , Agarwal Roshan , Holden Lydia , McNeish Iain , Savage Philip M. , Newlands Edward S. , Rustin Gordon J.S. , Seckl Michael J.
Published: October 2006

Purpose

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors are rare and knowledge about prognostic parameters currently is limited. This study was undertaken to evaluate long-term outcome of patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCTs) after chemotherapy and to assess prognostic parameters.

Patients and Methods

A total of 113 patients with stage IC to IV MOGCTs were included into this retrospective study. Patients were treated at two large regional cancer centers between 1977 and 2003.

Results

Ten-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates were 82% and 81%, respectively. A total of 20 patients experienced relapse, all within the first 8 years. Outcome after relapse was poor, with only 10% of patients achieving long-term survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that initial stage of disease (relative risk [RR], 5.96; 95% CI, 3.47 to 10.22; P = .03) and elevation of serum markers β-human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein (RR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.40 to 10.9; P = .009) were significant predictors of overall survival, whereas age at diagnosis was of no prognostic value.

Conclusion

This is the first study to identify stage and tumor markers as prognostic parameters for patients with MOGCTs. This might help to select patients for risk-adapted treatment. There is need for improvement of therapeutic strategies after relapse.
Unsuspected Pulmonary Emboli in Cancer Patients: Clinical Correlates and Relevance
Authors: O'Connell Casey L. , Boswell William D. , Duddalwar Vinay , Caton Amy , Mark Lisa S. , Vigen Cheryl , Liebman Howard A.
Published: October 2006

Purpose

Advances in computed tomography (CT) scanning have led to the detection of unsuspected pulmonary emboli (PE) on routine cancer staging scans. We hypothesized that these patients had signs or symptoms suggestive of PE that may have been overlooked by their health care providers.

Patients and Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed on 59 patients found on routine cancer staging CT scans to have unsuspected PE. Information on patient demographics, malignancy characteristics, risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE), and symptoms was recorded. A retrospective case-control analysis was then performed using two age- and stage-matched control patients for each patient who had similar staging CT scans performed during the same period.

Results

Fifty-two patients with unsuspected PE were identified. Forty-four percent had signs or symptoms commonly associated with PE; when fatigue was included, 75% were symptomatic. Ninety-two control patients were identified for 46 of the case patients. Patients with unsuspected PE were significantly more likely to have had a prior history of VTE (20% v 3%; P = .007). The patients with PE were significantly more likely than control patients to complain of fatigue (54% v 20%; P = .0002) and shortness of breath (22% v 8%; P = .02). There was no difference between the groups in administration of chemotherapy within 30 days, central venous catheter use, or erythropoietin therapy.

Conclusion

Seventy-five percent of patients found to have unsuspected PE on cancer staging CT scans were symptomatic. Fatigue and shortness of breath were significantly more common in patients with unsuspected PE than in control patients.