bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Environmental Components of Adolescent Adjustment and Parental Behavior: A Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Loehlin John C. , Neiderhiser Jenae M. , Reiss David
Published: September 2005

Adolescent adjustment measures may be related to each other and to the social environment in various ways. Are these relationships similar in genetic and environmental sources of covariation, or different? A multivariate behavior–genetic analysis was made of 6 adjustment and 3 treatment composites from the study Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development, using 674 same‐sex adolescent sibling pairs aged 9–11. Cholesky decompositions of the total covariance matrix yielded additive and nonadditive genetic, and shared and nonshared environmental matrices. Factor analyses led to 3 factors for all but shared environment. The first 2 factors resembled Neuroticism and Extraversion factors typically found for personality; the third factor, parental monitoring and control, appeared to have different associations in different matrices.
Precarious Space: Majority Black Suburbs and Their Public Schools
Authors: Ascher Carol , Branch-Smith Edwina
Published: September 2005

The fact that a third of all African Americans now live in suburbs might suggest how far we have come since the pre-Hrown days. But most African Americans live in predominantly Black suburbs, where property values are lower than in neighboring White suburbs, and where the public schools are funded by a lower tax base. After presenting a national picture, the authors draw on the experiences of Plainfield, New Jersey, and Prince George's County, Maryland, to describe how strained resources, a history of racialized conflicts resulting in troubled governance, and a perception of students as “inner city” all contribute to low student achievement in public schools in predominantly Black suburbs.
The Impact of Brown on Latinos: A Study of Transformation of Policy Intentions
Authors: Arias M. Beatriz
Published: September 2005

Since the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, most of the literature on school desegregation has focused on the experiences of African American students or school districts in which remedies were fashioned for African American students. However, little is known about the efforts of other ethnic and racial groups who have suffered similar constitutional violations and who have participated in remedies designed to relieve racial isolation and improve equal educational opportunity. Latinos in the Southwest have a long history of participating in school desegregation efforts, but what has rarely been examined is how their experience is similar to or different from that of African Americans. And yet, I argue, that as we write the history of school desegregation policy in this country, it is important to determine if remedies designed to eliminate racial isolation and improve equal educational opportunity for African American students are appropriate mechanisms for achieving greater equality for Latinos and other ethnolinguistic minorities.

This article describes the transformation of desegregation policy in San Jose, California (Vasquez v. San Jose Unified School District), where Latino students constituted the plaintiff class and became the principal participants in desegregation efforts. Using the transformation of intentions model developed by Hall (1995), I show how the remedies in San Jose changed as the actors, contexts, and situations changed. I argue that as long as Latinos were marginalized from participation in the policy process, desegregation remedies were implemented that ignored the particular cultural and linguistic needs of Latino students. As Latinos became leaders in the community and participants in the policy-making process, remedies began to be designed and implemented that specifically addressed linguistic and cultural barriers to educational equity. The transformation of desegregation policy in San Jose provides an opportunity to understand how the legacy of Brown has impacted Latino students.
Tackling Racial Segregation One Policy at a Time: Why School Desegregation Only Went So Far1
Authors: Wells Amy Stuart , Holme Jennifer Jellison , Atanda Awo Korantemaa , Revilla Anita Tijerina
Published: September 2005

This article provides an overview of the major findings from the “Understanding Race and Education Study,” a 5-year research project conducted by the authors at Teachers College-Columbia University and UCLA. The central theme to emerge from the 5-year historical case study of six racially diverse high schools and their graduates from the late 1970s was that school desegregation faced enormous political obstacles in local communities, which compromised its effect. At the same time, this fairly radical policy fundamentally changed the people who lived through it but had a more limited impact on the society as a whole. This article presents data from this study of 540 interviews and document collection from these six sites, which show that in the 1970s racially diverse public schools were challenged because educators either tried to or were forced to facilitate racial integration amid a society that remained segregated in terms of housing and other social institutions. This context compromised many of the goals of desegregation as politically powerful Whites resisted meaningful equality within desegregated schools and Blacks and Latinos were often angered and frustrated by this resistance. Nonetheless, desegregation made the vast majority of the students who attended these schools less racially prejudiced and more comfortable around people of different backgrounds. After high school, however, their lives, mirroring the larger society, have been far more segregated. They lament that school desegregation was supposed to prepare them for the “real world,” but that world is far more segregated than their schools.
John Dewey Speaks to Brown: Research, Democratic Social Movement Strategies, and the Struggle for Education on Equal Terms
Authors: Rogers John , Oakes Jeannie
Published: September 2005

This article explores how a revitalized public life promises to be far more effective than conventional school reform in bringing more equitable education policy. Participatory social inquiry stands in contrasts to the limited and mostly technical focus of equity reforms that began with Great Society policies in the 1960s and 1970s and that continues today. These equity reforms have largely failed to account for the deeply held and pervasive cultural norms about race, merit, and schooling that sustain inequality. The authors find an alternative model for equity reform in John Dewey's later work. Engaging citizens in Deweyan-inspired public social inquiry can yield knowledge that defines high-quality education, merit, and achievement in racially inclusive ways. By participating in social inquiry, low-income parents and parents of color have the opportunity to remake their image, becoming actors in an organizing “movement” context. Their engagement helps frame a powerful story of parents and communities who want and deserve high-quality education and who know what education can and should be. As such stories take hold in the public consciousness, cultural obstacles to equity can be challenged more successfully, thereby advancing Brown's promise of education on equal terms.
Unions and the Duration of Workers’ Compensation Claims
Authors: CAMPOLIETI MICHELE
Published: September 2005

This paper examines the effect of union status on workers’ compensation claim duration in Canada. I find that unionized workers have shorter claims than nonunionized workers and that relatively little of this difference can be attributed to differences in worker or job characteristics. I interpret this as being consistent with a strong union effect that reduces union member's claim duration. Plausible explanations for this finding and directions for future research are also discussed.
Changing Administrative Practices in American Unions: A Research Note
Authors: CLARK PAUL F. , GRAY LOIS S.
Published: September 2005

This note presents findings from the first longitudinal study of the administrative practices of American unions. Our surveys, conducted in 1990 and 2000, gathered information on the hiring, human resource, and financial/strategic planning practices of U.S.‐based national and international unions. The results indicate that American unions are changing their criteria for hiring staff and moving toward more formal human resource policies and systematic financial and strategic planning practices.
Obtaining views on health care from people with learning disabilities and severe mental health problems
Authors: Young Anita F. , Chesson Rosemary A.
Published: September 2005

Despite the rhetoric of involvement of people with learning disabilities in health care there is a dearth of research which examines the extent to which service users are included in evaluating their own care. This paper describes a study of methods for enabling people with learning disabilities and complex health needs to comment on the specialist inpatient care they received. Six service users consented to take part in interviews using analogue scales and photographs. The participants were able to engage in all elements of the interviews even though inclusion was more challenging because of additional health problems such as manic depression and paranoid psychosis. The suitability of research tools and approaches are discussed and barriers to inclusion identified. In this investigation a gap emerged between government policy of inclusion for everyone, and the realities of frontline practice where involvement was not achieved for some users with severe/profound disabilities. The study points to implications for increased resources, education and training if meaningful user involvement is to become established for individuals within routine practice.
Root proliferation and seed yield in response to spatial heterogeneity of below‐ground competition
Authors: O'Brien Erin E. , Gersani Mordechai , Brown Joel S.
Published: September 2005

Here, we tested the predictions of a ‘tragedy of the commons’ model of below‐ground plant competition in annual plants that experience spatial heterogeneity in their competitive environment. Under interplant competition, the model predicts that a plant should over‐proliferate roots relative to what would maximize the collective yield of the plants. We predict that a plant will tailor its root proliferation to local patch conditions, restraining root production when alone and over‐proliferating in the presence of other plants.

A series of experiments were conducted using pairs of pea (Pisum sativum) plants occupying two or three pots in which the presence or absence of interplant root competition was varied while nutrient availability per plant was held constant.

In two‐pot experiments, competing plants produced more root mass and less pod mass per individual than plants grown in isolation. In three‐pot experiments, peas modulated this response to conditions at the scale of individual pots. Root proliferation in the shared pot was higher compared with the exclusively occupied pot.

Plants appear to display sophisticated nutrient foraging with outcomes that permit insights into interplant competition.
Nutrient availability and management in the rhizosphere: exploiting genotypic differences
Authors: Rengel Z. , Marschner P.
Published: September 2005

Crop nutrition is frequently inadequate as a result of the expansion of cropping into marginal lands, elevated crop yields placing increasing demands on soil nutrient reserves, and environmental and economic concerns about applying fertilizers. Plants exposed to nutrient deficiency activate a range of mechanisms that result in increased nutrient availability in the rhizosphere compared with the bulk soil. Plants may change their root morphology, increase the affinity of nutrient transporters in the plasma membrane and exude organic compounds (carboxylates, phenolics, carbohydrates, enzymes, etc.) and protons. Chemical changes in the rhizosphere result in altered abundance and composition of microbial communities. Nutrient‐efficient genotypes are adapted to environments with low nutrient availability. Nutrient efficiency can be enhanced by targeted breeding through pyramiding efficiency mechanisms in a desirable genotype as well as by gene transfer and manipulation. Rhizosphere microorganisms influence nutrient availability; adding beneficial microorganisms may result in enhanced availability of nutrients to crops. Understanding the role of plant–microbe–soil interactions in governing nutrient availability in the rhizosphere will enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of crop production.
Binding of soluble myelin‐associated glycoprotein to specific gangliosides induces the association of p75NTR to lipid rafts and signal transduction
Authors: Fujitani Masashi , Kawai Hiromichi , Proia Richard L. , Kashiwagi Atsunori , Yasuda Hitoshi , Yamashita Toshihide
Published: September 2005

Myelin‐associated glycoprotein (MAG) is a potent inhibitor of neurite outgrowth from a variety of neurons. Here we show that gangliosides, GT1b and GD1a, as well as the Nogo receptor, are functional binding partners for soluble MAG‐Fc. Postnatal cerebellar neurons from mice deficient in the GalNAcT gene are insensitive to MAG with regard to neurite outgrowth and lack in the activation of RhoA. MAG‐Fc or the antibody to GT1b and GD1a elicits recruitment of p75NTR. to lipid rafts, specialized microdomain for signal transduction. Disruption of lipid rafts results in abolishment of inhibitory effects of MAG‐Fc and the Nogo peptide. These findings establish gangliosides as functional binding partners for soluble MAG. Gangliosides may play a role in translocation of p75NTR. to lipid rafts for initiation of the signal transduction.
Chronic nicotine exposure alters blood–brain barrier permeability and diminishes brain uptake of methyllycaconitine
Authors: Lockman P. R. , Van der Schyf C. J. , Abbruscato T. J. , Allen D. D.
Published: September 2005

Methyllycaconitine (MLA) is reported to be a selective antagonist for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 subtype and has been found in animal behavioral studies to reduce nicotine self‐administration and attenuate nicotine withdrawal symptoms. While MLA crosses the blood–brain barrier (BBB), no studies have assessed brain uptake in animals subjected to chronic nicotine exposure. Given that chronic nicotine administration has been reported to alter BBB parameters that may affect the kinetic BBB passage of MLA, we evaluated MLA brain uptake in naive and S‐(–)nicotine‐exposed rats (4.5 mg/kg/day for 28 days; osmotic minipumps) using in situ rat brain perfusions. Our results demonstrate that in situ3H‐MLA brain uptake rates in naive animals approximate to intravenous kinetic data (Kin, 3.24 ± 0.71 × 10−4 mL/s/g). However, 28‐day nicotine exposure diminished 3H‐MLA brain uptake by ∼60% (Kin, 1.29 ± 0.4 × 10−4 mL/s/g). This reduction was not related to nicotine‐induced 3H‐MLA brain efflux or BBB transport alterations. Similar experiments also demonstrated that the passive permeation of 14C‐thiourea was diminished ∼24% after chronic nicotine exposure. Therefore, it appears that chronic nicotine exposure diminishes the blood–brain passive diffusion of compounds with very low extraction rates (i.e. permeability‐limited compounds). These findings imply that the pharmacokinetics of neuropharmaceutical agents that are permeability limited may need to be re‐evaluated in individuals exposed to nicotine.
Monocarboxylate transporters in the central nervous system: distribution, regulation and function
Authors: Pierre Karin , Pellerin Luc
Published: September 2005

Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are proton‐linked membrane carriers involved in the transport of monocarboxylates such as lactate, pyruvate, as well as ketone bodies. They belong to a larger family of transporters composed of 14 members in mammals based on sequence homologies. MCTs are found in various tissues including the brain where three isoforms, MCT1, MCT2 and MCT4, have been described. Each of these isoforms exhibits a distinct regional and cellular distribution in rodent brain. At the cellular level, MCT1 is expressed by endothelial cells of microvessels, by ependymocytes as well as by astrocytes. MCT4 expression appears to be specific for astrocytes. By contrast, the predominant neuronal monocarboxylate transporter is MCT2. Interestingly, part of MCT2 immunoreactivity is located at postsynaptic sites, suggesting a particular role of monocarboxylates and their transporters in synaptic transmission. In addition to variation in expression during development and upon nutritional modifications, new data indicate that MCT expression is regulated at the translational level by neurotransmitters. Understanding how transport of monocarboxylates is regulated could be of particular importance not only for neuroenergetics but also for areas such as functional brain imaging, regulation of food intake and glucose homeostasis, or for central nervous system disorders such as ischaemia and neurodegenerative diseases.
Regionally and functionally distinct serotonin3 receptors control in vivo dopamine outflow in the rat nucleus accumbens
Authors: De Deurwaerdère Philippe , Moison Delphine , Navailles Sylvia , Porras Grégory , Spampinato Umberto
Published: September 2005

Central serotonin3 (5‐HT3) receptors control the mesoaccumbens dopamine (DA) pathway. This control is thought to be conditional and might involve regionally distinct subpopulations of 5‐HT3 receptors. Here, using in vivo microdialysis in rats, we assessed the relative contribution of nucleus accumbens (Nacc) 5‐HT3 receptors to the overall influence exerted by 5‐HT3 receptors on accumbal DA release induced by different drugs or treatments. In freely moving rats, pre‐treatment with 5‐HT3 antagonists (0.1 mg/kg ondansetron and/or 0.03 mg/kg MDL 72222, s.c.) reduced DA efflux enhanced by morphine (1–10 mg/kg, s.c.) and haloperidol (0.01 mg/kg, s.c.), but not amphetamine (1–2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or cocaine (10–20 mg/kg, i.p.), the latter two drugs do not trigger depolarization‐stimulated DA exocytosis. Intra‐Nacc administration of ondansetron (1 µm) in freely moving rats reduced the DA effects elicited by 10 mg/kg morphine, but not 1 mg/kg morphine or haloperidol. The 5‐HT1A agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.), known to decrease central 5‐HT tone, reduced 10 but not 1 mg/kg morphine‐stimulated DA outflow in freely moving rats. In halothane‐anaesthetized rats, intra‐Nacc ondansetron (1 µm) application reduced dorsal raphe nucleus electrical stimulation (20Hz)‐induced DA outflow. Our results show that regionally distinct populations of 5‐HT3 receptors control the depolarization‐dependent exocytosis of DA and suggest that the involvement of Nacc 5‐HT3 receptors occurs only when central DA and 5‐HT tones are concomitantly increased.
Supersensitivity of P2X7 receptors in cerebrocortical cell cultures after in vitro ischemia
Authors: Wirkner Kerstin , Köfalvi Attila , Fischer Wolfgang , Günther Albrecht , Franke Heike , Gröger‐Arndt Helke , Nörenberg Wolfgang , Madarász Emília , Vizi E. Sylvester , Schneider Dietmar , Sperlágh Beáta , Illes Peter
Published: September 2005

Neuronally enriched primary cerebrocortical cultures were exposed to glucose‐free medium saturated with argon (in vitro ischemia) instead of oxygen (normoxia). Ischemia did not alter P2X7 receptor mRNA, although serum deprivation clearly increased it. Accordingly, P2X7 receptor immunoreactivity (IR) of microtubuline‐associated protein 2 (MAP2)‐IR neurons or of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)‐IR astrocytes was not affected; serum deprivation augmented the P2X7 receptor IR only in the astrocytic, but not the neuronal cell population. However, ischemia markedly increased the ATP‐ and 2′‐3′‐O‐(4‐benzoylbenzoyl)‐adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (BzATP)‐induced release of previously incorporated [3H]GABA. Both Brilliant Blue G and oxidized ATP inhibited the release of [3H]GABA caused by ATP application; the Brilliant Blue G‐sensitive, P2X7 receptor‐mediated fraction, was much larger after ischemia than after normoxia. Whereas ischemic stimulation failed to alter the amplitude of ATP‐ and BzATP‐induced small inward currents recorded from a subset of non‐pyramidal neurons, BzATP caused a more pronounced increase in the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) after ischemia than after normoxia. Brilliant Blue G almost abolished the effect of BzATP in normoxic neurons. Since neither the amplitude of mIPSCs nor that of the muscimol‐induced inward currents was affected by BzATP, it is assumed that BzATP acts at presynaptic P2X7 receptors. Finally, P2X7 receptors did not enhance the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration either in proximal dendrites or in astrocytes, irrespective of the normoxic or ischemic pre‐incubation conditions. Hence, facilitatory P2X7 receptors may be situated at the axon terminals of GABAergic non‐pyramidal neurons. When compared with normoxia, ischemia appears to markedly increase P2X7 receptor‐mediated GABA release, which may limit the severity of the ischemic damage. At the same time we did not find an accompanying enhancement of P2X7 mRNA or protein expression, suggesting that receptors may become hypersensitive because of an increased efficiency of their transduction pathways.
Adverse effect of soft tissue augmentation with hyaluronic acid
Authors: Pinheiro Maria Valéria Bussamara , Bagatin Ediléia , Hassun Karime Marques , Talarico Sergio
Published: September 2005

Cutaneous fillers have been employed in the treatment of wrinkles and scars. The high biocompatibility and rare adverse effects described in the literature represent advantages of hyaluronic acid (HA) compared to other fillers.

We report the case of a patient submitted to soft tissue augmentation with HA (Restylane®) for the treatment of wrinkles on the lower third of the face who presented a foreign‐body type granulomatous reaction which revised the literature.
Formulations of hydrogels and lipogels with vitamin E
Authors: Gallardo V , Muñoz M , Ruíz M A
Published: September 2005

Vitamin E, a topically administered antioxidant, reduces erythema, photoaging, photocarcinogenesis, edema, and skin hypersensitivity associated with exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. Virgin olive oil, which also has antioxidant properties, reduces the number of, and delays the onset of skin cancer induced by UVB radiation when used after sunbathing. Topical use after sunbathing of formulations that contain virgin olive oil and vitamin E may therefore reduce the number and delay the onset of UVB‐related skin cancer in humans. We designed formulations of gels with olive oil (lipogels) and hydrogels containing 2% tocopherol. The formulations were optimized on the basis of rheological, organoleptic, biopharmaceutical, and cosmetic criteria. Different formulae for hydrogels with vitamin E were ideal for application after exposure to solar radiation because of their good organoleptic properties. Vitamin E lipogels are of potential use in cosmetics such as locally acting anti‐aging treatments because of the antioxidant effects of vitamin E.
Side effects of nail cosmetics
Authors: Baran Robert , André Josette
Published: September 2005

Cosmetics applied on the nail encompass three types: (1) coatings that harden upon evaporation; (2) coatings that polymerize; and (3) stick‐on nail dressings (synthetic covers). The adverse reactions induced by the two first types present with both local reactions and distant contact dermatitis. Whereas nail enamel applications result especially in ectopic contact dermatitis, polymerizing coatings and synthetic covers represent the main culprit for sometimes severe, local reactions.

Whatever the nature of the nail cosmetics, they may produce some adverse reactions.

They include: (1) local reactions to cosmetics applied on the nail; (2) distant reactions resulting from the use of nail cosmetics; (3) systemic side effects of nail cosmetics; and (4) infection risks from nail cosmetics.
Phylogenetic relationships of the Papuan Swiftlet Aerodramus papuensis and implications for the evolution of avian echolocation
Authors: PRICE J. JORDAN , JOHNSON KEVIN P. , BUSH SARAH E. , CLAYTON DALE H.
Published: September 2005

The swiftlets (genera Aerodramus, Collocalia and Hydrochous) are unusual among birds in that many species can orientate in complete darkness using echolocation. The position of the Papuan Swiftlet Aerodramus papuensis in this group has been uncertain historically, in part due to morphological differences between it and other swiftlets (it has three toes instead of the usual four) and a lack of data on its behaviour (there is uncertainty about whether it echolocates). Here we investigate the phylogenetic affinities of the Papuan Swiftlet using DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b and ND2. We present evidence that it is able to echolocate but, unlike previously studied species that use echolocation primarily while flying in caves, A. papuensis uses this ability while active outside caves at night. We also provide new evidence for placement of the monotypic Waterfall Swiftlet Hydrochous gigas, a species that does not echolocate. Our data provide strong support for a basal relationship between A. papuensis and other Aerodramus taxa and suggest that this species and H. gigas are sister taxa, a relationship that would indicate paraphyly of the genus Aerodramus. Our phylogeny provides new insights into how echolocation has evolved in the swiftlets, in particular by indicating higher levels of homoplasy in this trait than was previously thought.
Physicians' Assessments of Adjuvant Tamoxifen's Effectiveness in Older Patients with Primary Breast Cancer
Authors: Lash Timothy L. , Gurwitz Jerry H. , Silliman Rebecca A.
Published: September 2005

Objectives: To examine physicians' assessments of tamoxifen effectiveness in breast cancer patients, identify predictors of these assessments, and estimate the relationship between these assessments and receipt of tamoxifen prescription.

Design: A cohort of breast cancer patients aged 65 and older at diagnosis and their physicians were surveyed using mailed questionnaires and telephone interviews.

Setting: Community and academic hospitals in Rhode Island; North Carolina; Minnesota; and Los Angeles, California between 1996 and 1998.

Participants: Physicians completed treatment recommendation forms for 496 of 865 Stage Ic to IIIa breast cancer patients.

Measurements: Visual scales measured physicians' assessments of the risk that individual patients would have a breast cancer recurrence or die of breast cancer with, and without, tamoxifen therapy.

Results: The mean risk ratio±standard deviation comparing risk of recurrence without tamoxifen with the risk with tamoxifen was 1.8±1.0 and for breast cancer mortality was 1.8±1.2. Only estrogen‐receptor status and enrollment site emerged as significant predictors of recurrence and mortality risk ratios in regression models. Patients for whom the physician estimated that the recurrence or mortality risk doubled without tamoxifen were more likely to receive a tamoxifen prescription than patients for whom the physician estimated that tamoxifen would have no effect (odds ratio (OR)=1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.98–2.1 for recurrence risk, OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.2–2.6 for mortality risk).

Conclusion: Estrogen receptor status most strongly influenced physicians' assessments of tamoxifen's effectiveness in individual patients; this effectiveness was not found to be associated with advancing patient age. Estrogen receptor status and enrollment site were related to receipt of tamoxifen prescription, but advancing age was not after accounting for physician's individualized assessment of tamoxifen's effectiveness. These findings suggest that an evidence‐based approach for hormonal therapy has been widely adopted for care of older patients with breast cancer.
Weight Loss, Muscle Strength, and Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in Older Adults with Congestive Heart Failure or Hypertension
Authors: Schellenbaum Gina D. , Smith Nicholas L. , Heckbert Susan R. , Lumley Thomas , Rea Thomas D. , Furberg Curt D. , Lyles Mary F. , Psaty Bruce M.
Published: September 2005

Objectives: To determine whether angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance and sustained muscle strength (measured by grip strength) in older adults.

Design: Data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a community‐based prospective cohort study of 5,888 older adults, were used.

Setting: Subjects were recruited from four U.S. sites beginning in 1989; this analysis included data through 2001.

Participants: CHS participants with congestive heart failure (CHF) or treated hypertension.

Measurements: The exposure, current ACE inhibitor use, was ascertained by medication inventory at annual clinic visits; the outcomes were weight change and grip‐strength change during the following year. Multivariate linear regression was used, accounting for correlations between observations on the same participant over time.

Results: The average annual weight change was −0.38 kg in 2,834 participants (14,443 person‐years) with treated hypertension and −0.62 kg in 342 participants (980 person‐years) with CHF. ACE inhibitor use was associated with less annual weight loss after adjustment for potential confounders: a difference of 0.17 kg (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.05–0.29) in those with treated hypertension and 0.29 kg (95% CI=−0.25–0.83) in those with CHF. There was no evidence of association between ACE inhibitor use and grip‐strength change.

Conclusion: ACE inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance, but not maintenance of muscle strength, in older adults with treated hypertension.
Impediments to Timely Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease in African Americans
Authors: Clark Patricia C. , Kutner Nancy G. , Goldstein Felicia C. , Peterson‐Hazen Susan , Garner Vanessa , Zhang Rebecca , Bowles Tess
Published: September 2005

The purpose of this study was to identify early patterns of care for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a cohort of African‐American patients and their caregivers presenting at an inner city clinic and a suburban memory assessment clinic. Caregivers (N=79) of patients diagnosed with probable AD were interviewed. Data were collected about the delay from noticing first AD signs until recognition that a problem existed and delay from problem recognition until first physician consultation. Patients and caregivers had lower educational status, and patients had been diagnosed more recently at the inner city clinic than at the suburban clinic, although MMSE scores of patients at the two clinics did not differ; median delays in caregivers' recognizing a problem and in consulting a physician were also similar across clinics. Delay was as long as 7 years between noticing symptoms and problem recognition and between problem recognition and physician consultation. Although patients attending the suburban clinic were more likely to have previously seen a physician than those attending the inner city clinic, they were no more likely to have received a prior diagnosis of AD. Lack of physician contact is likely to be widespread in families caring for African Americans with AD. Physician consultation is more characteristic of more highly educated families but may not yield a correct diagnosis for the patient. Intensive efforts are needed to connect African‐American families with physicians and to achieve more timely diagnosis of AD to enable families to understand the illness, plan for patient safety, and make long‐term plans.
Effect of Acetaminophen on Behavior, Well‐Being, and Psychotropic Medication Use in Nursing Home Residents with Moderate‐to‐Severe Dementia
Authors: Chibnall John T. , Tait Raymond C. , Harman Bonnie , Luebbert Rebecca A.
Published: September 2005

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of regularly scheduled administration of analgesic medication on behavior, emotional well‐being, and use of as‐needed psychotropic medications in nursing home residents with moderate‐to‐severe dementia.

Design: Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial.

Setting: Nursing‐home based.

Participants: Twenty‐five nursing home residents with moderate‐to‐severe dementia.

Intervention: Participants received 4 weeks of acetaminophen (3,000 mg/d) and 4 weeks of placebo.

Measurements: Behavior and emotional well‐being were assessed using Dementia Care Mapping, an observational method that quantifies time spent in behaviors across 26 domains (e.g., social interaction, unattended distress) and assesses emotional state while behaviors are being observed. Agitation was measured using the Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory. As‐needed psychotropic medication use was aggregated from medication logs.

Results: Participants spent more time in social interaction, engaged with media, talking to themselves, engaged in work‐like activity, and experiencing unattended distress when they received acetaminophen than they did when they received placebo. Participants also spent less time in their rooms, less time removed from the nursing home unit, and less time performing personal care activities when they received acetaminophen. There were no effects on agitation, emotional well‐being, or as‐needed psychotropic medication use.

Conclusion: Untreated pain inhibits activity in nursing home residents with moderate‐to‐severe dementia. Pain treatment in this group may facilitate engagement with the environment.
Influences of fertilization on population abundance, distribution, and control of Frankliniella occidentalis on chrysanthemum
Authors: Chau Amanda , Heinz Kevin M. , Davies Fred T.
Published: September 2005

We examined the effects of fertilization on population abundance and within‐plant distribution of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on potted chrysanthemum, Dendranthema grandiflora (Tzvelev). We also investigated the effects of fertilization on the number of insecticide applications needed to control F. occidentalis on potted chrysanthemum. Under greenhouse conditions, rate of change in population abundance of F. occidentalis increased with fertilization levels from 0 to 100% of the standard fertilization level (375 ppm N) and was four times higher on plants fertilized with the standard level (rate of change = 0.14) than on plants fertilized with 0% during the first 4 weeks after thrips inoculation. Within‐plant distribution of F. occidentalis was influenced by the phenology of the plants rather than total nitrogen content of plant tissues. Prior to flower opening, more F. occidentalis were found in the middle region of the plants. When the flowers began to open, more thrips were found feeding inside the flowers than on the leaves. We further showed that production time, the time from transplantation to flower opening, shortened considerably with increased fertilization level. Production time was shortest, 12 weeks, for plants fertilized with 100% of the standard fertilization level. When the fertilization level was reduced to 20%, production time lengthened to 13 weeks. When fertilization level was reduced to 0%, production time lengthened to 14 weeks. Increased fertilization from 0 to 100% of the standard level did not result in higher numbers of insecticide applications. All three insecticides (acephate, bifenthrin, and spinosad) were effective in keeping the thrips infestation below a predetermined level, five thrips per plant, but bifenthrin required the most number of applications to do so. For chrysanthemum, a fast‐growing crop and heavy utilizer of fertilizer, fertilization influenced not only the population growth of pest insects but also plant production time. As a result, optimizing fertilization level to reduce pest population growth may be a useful tactic in an Integrated Pest Management program for managing F. occidentalis on potted chrysanthemum. However, the effect of fertilization on production time and plant quality should also be considered when implementing this tactic.
Gingival involvement of oral lichen planus in a series of 700 patients
Authors: Mignogna Michele D. , Russo Lucio Lo , Fedele Stefano
Published: September 2005

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is one of the most common oral mucosa disorders. OLP gingival involvement is very frequently observed, and it is characterized by wide variations in clinical appearance and symptoms, leading, in many cases, to misdiagnosis or undiagnosis. This can be potentially harmful since OLP patients require appropriate management in oral and periodontal care, together with an adequate systemic evaluation.

Objective: In this paper, we have analysed the prevalence and clinical aspects of gingival lesions in our series of 700 patients affected by OLP. Furthermore, we have discussed the possible periodontal implications on the basis of the available literature.

Patients and Methods: Data from 700 patients affected by OLP, clinically and histologically assessed, have been studied; the location and morphology of lesions, the symptoms and the progression of the disease have been considered, with particular attention given to gingival involvement.

Results: Gingival lesions have been diagnosed in 48% of cases, usually associated with diffuse oral involvement. Only 7.4% of patients had OLP lesions confined to the gingiva. The morphology of lesions included all the forms originally described for OLP (reticular, papular, plaque, atrophic, erosive and bullous). The symptoms, if present, varied from mild discomfort to severe oral pain, with the general trend increasing from the keratotic to the erosive forms. The gingiva was involved in four out of 21 of our oral cancer cases, which developed from pre‐existing OLP lesions.

Conclusion: OLP is a very proteiform disorder; considering the high frequency of gingival involvement and its influence on oral health, it is our opinion that periodontologists should be involved in OLP management and should become familiar with its clinical aspects and related themes.
Morphological and molecular analysis of idiopathic gingival fibromatosis: a case report
Authors: Gagliano Nicoletta , Moscheni Claudia , Dellavia Claudia , Masiero Silvia , Torri Carlo , Grizzi Fabio , Stabellini Giordano , Gioia Magda
Published: September 2005

Aim: We analyse a case of idiopathic gingival overgrowth using morphological and molecular methods. As this overgrowth involves collagen accumulation in the gingival connective tissue, we measured the collagen turnover to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms potentially involved.

Materials and Methods: The patient was a 29‐year‐old Italian woman with enlargement of the gingivae throughout the entire mandible and maxilla. Morphological analyses were carried out on haematoxylin–eosin and Sirius red‐stained paraffin‐embedded gingival sections. mRNA levels of collagen type I and III, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1, transforming growth factor‐β1 and lysyl hydroxylase (LH)2b were determined by RT‐PCR on cultured gingival fibroblasts and compared with healthy control fibroblasts. Interstitial collagen and MMP‐1 content in the supernatants were assessed, respectively, by dot blot and SDS zymography.

Results and Conclusions: In Sirius red‐stained sections of the patient's overgrown gingivae, interstitial collagen content was 29% higher than controls. Her gingival fibroblasts had higher collagen type I, MMP‐1 and LH2b gene expression and unmodified interstitial collagen, type I protein levels in the supernatants. These findings would seem to suggest that in this case collagen accumulation in the gingival connective tissue was not associated with increased synthesis and decreased degradation.
Association between passive and active smoking evaluated by salivary cotinine and periodontitis
Authors: Yamamoto Yumiko , Nishida Nobuko , Tanaka Muneo , Hayashi Naoji , Matsuse Ryoichi , Nakayama Kunio , Morimoto Kanehisa , Shizukuishi Satoshi
Published: September 2005

Aim: This study attempted to determine the relationship between passive and active smoking on the basis of salivary cotinine levels and periodontitis severity.

Methods: Japanese workers (n=273) were surveyed via an oral examination, a self‐administered questionnaire and collection of whole saliva. Probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) served as periodontal parameters. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of two or more teeth with PPD 3.5 mm and CAL 3.5 mm. Salivary cotinine was determined using ELISA. Statistical methods included Wilcoxon's rank‐sum test and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: Based on the results of receiver‐operating characteristic plots for cotinine‐level classification derived from self‐reported smoking status, non‐, passive and active smokers were defined as those subjects exhibiting cotinine levels of 0, 1–7 and 8 ng/ml, respectively. Numbers of teeth displaying CAL 3.5 mm in passive and active smokers were significantly higher than those in non‐smokers. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed significantly higher periodontitis odds ratios in passive and active smokers relative to non‐smokers following adjustment for other lifestyle factors; odds ratios were 2.87 [95% confidence interval (CI); 1.05–7.82] and 4.91 (95% CI; 1.80–13.35), respectively.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that passive smoking classified in terms of salivary cotinine level may be an independent periodontitis risk indicator.
The high prognostic value of the histologic grade at the deep invasive front of tongue squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Kurokawa H. , Zhang M. , Matsumoto S. , Yamashita Y. , Tomoyose T. , Tanaka T. , Fukuyama H. , Takahashi T.
Published: September 2005

Background:  Although many histopathologic factors in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue predict the prognosis, the major predictive factors have not been identified clearly. This study analyzed the prognostic value of the histologic grade at the deep invasive front of tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods:  The clinicopathologic features of 124 consecutive patients seen between January 1985 and December 1999 with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were reviewed. Their mean age was 58.5 years (range: 23–90) and the male–female ratio was 1.8: 1 (79 men and 45 women). There were 41, 40, 30, and 13 cases at stage I to stage IV, respectively. The clinicopathologic factors, especially the histologic grade at the deep invasive front (invasive front grade, IFG), were analyzed to determine factors predicting prognosis.

Results:  The 5‐year disease‐free survival rate of the patients treated with curative aim only was 66.7%. Clinicopathologic factors significantly associated with the prognosis were T classification, tumor size, stage classification, tumor depth, macroscopic appearance, cervical lymph node metastasis (nodal metastasis), microvascular invasion, and IFG. In a multivariate analysis, patients with tumor depth ≥4 mm, IFG ≥8 points, and nodal metastasis had a reduced disease‐free survival and IFG ≥11 points had a predictive value for nodal metastasis (odds ratio: 7.34; P = 0.0019).

Conclusion:  This study found that a high IFG malignancy score had a high prognostic value for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
Immunohistochemical co‐localization of lymphatics and blood vessels in oral squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Xuan Ming , Fang Yi‐Ru , Wato Masahiro , Hata Shintaro , Tanaka Akio
Published: September 2005

Background:  Differentiating lymphatic vessels from blood vessels is difficult, partly due to the lack of a specific method for identifying lymphatics. A new lymphatic vessel‐reactive antibody, D2‐40 has recently become commercially available. We examined the selectivity of D2‐40 for lymphatics in oral neoplastic lesions for discrimination from blood vessels.

Methods:  Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded sections of oral lymphangiomas (n = 3), oral hemangiomas (n = 7), and oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC, n = 46) were double immunostained with D2‐40 and anti‐CD34 monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) using ENVISION‐polymer technique with 5‐bromo‐4‐chloro‐3‐indoxyl‐phosphate (BCIP)/nitroblue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) and 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine (DAB) as color reagents, respectively.

Results:  In the oral lymphangiomas and hemangiomas D2‐40 was detected in all lymphatics, while all blood vessels were positive for CD34. In OSCC, number of vessels for lymphatics (P < 0.01) and for blood vessels in the perineoplastic areas were significantly greater than those in intratumoral areas.

Conclusions:  These results indicate that lymphatic proliferation might be much more extensive in the peritumoral area than intratumoral.
Chronic GVHD in minor salivary glands and oral mucosa: histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation of 25 patients
Authors: Soares A. B. , Faria P. R. , Magna L. A. , Correa M. E. P. , De Sousa C. A. , Almeida O. P. , Cintra M. L.
Published: September 2005

Background:  Graft‐vs.‐host disease (GVHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT). The aim of our study was to identify the most relevant histological features for diagnosis of chronic Graft‐vs.‐Host Disease (cGVHD) in oral mucosa and minor salivary glands of 25 patients, as well as to evaluate the immunophenotype of the inflammatory cells.

Methods:  Sixteen patients that were submitted to allogeneic BMT but did not present cGVHD were selected as a control group. The sections were studied on H & E and CD68, CD45, CD4, CD8, CD20 staining.

Results:  The most frequent histologic findings in oral mucosa at the day of diagnosis of cGVHD were: hydropic degeneration of the basal layer of the epithelium, apoptotic bodies, lymphocytic infiltration, and focal or total cleavage between the epithelial and connective tissue. In the labial salivary glands (LSG), lymphocytic infiltration, acinar loss and fibrosis were the main alterations. Cytotoxic CD8‐T cells and macrophages were predominant both in the epithelium and connective tissue, as well as in minor salivary glands.

Conclusions:  Histological features were useful in the diagnosis of oral cGVHD. It is suggested that CD8‐T cells and macrophages play important role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Molecular pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis – a collagen metabolic disorder
Authors: Rajalalitha P. , Vali S.
Published: September 2005

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic debilitating disease and a premalignant condition of the oral cavity. It is characterized by a generalized submucosal fibrosis. The pathogenesis of the disease is not well established. Epidemiological evidences strongly indicate the association of the betel quid (BQ) habit and OSF. Various findings indicate the disease to be a consequence of disturbances in the homeostatic equilibrium between synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), wherein collagen forms a major component, thus can be considered as a collagen‐metabolic disorder. Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) is a potent stimulator of production and deposition of the ECM. The objectives of this review are to highlight the molecular events involved in the overproduction of insoluble collagen and decreased degradation of collagen occurring via exposure to BQ and stimulation of the TGF‐β pathway, and elucidate the cell signaling that is involved in the etiopathogenesis of the disease process.
Custodial Grandmothers’ Physical, Mental, and Economic Well‐Being: Comparisons of Primary Caregivers from Low‐Income Neighborhoods*
Authors: Bachman Heather J. , Chase‐Lansdale P. Lindsay
Published: September 2005

Abstract: To examine the implications of custodial grandparent care, we compared the material hardship, mental health, and physical well‐being of custodial grandmothers (n= 90) and biological mothers (n= 1,462) using data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three‐City Study. Custodial grandmothers reported significantly more physical health problems but less psychological distress than mothers. Younger grandmothers and grandmothers who sought out more social support were the most disabled and financially strained. Implications for policy and practice addressing the needs of grandmothers raising grandchildren are discussed.