bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
I Want Justice: A Performance About Impunity in Argentina
Authors: Malagreca Miguel A.
Published: June 2005

This performance is about the effects of impunity on subjectivity. It was produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the return of democracy in Argentina in 2003. This commemoration coincides with international concern created about the freedom of the repressors of the last military dictatorship in Argentina, the petition of extradition, and its rejection by the Argentinean Supreme Court. Written during a doctoral seminar on social interaction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the author uses multiple literary, theoretical, and artistic sources as intertextual references to construct an autobiographical, explorative piece that spins around collective memory as a practice of social justice. The author suggests the historical impact of the dictatorship on Argentinean culture and subjectivity should be linked to previous historical massacres and traumas, which are then re-signified or recoded in light of the disappearance of 30,000 people during the period 1976 to 1983 in Argentina.
Chronicles From the Classroom: Making Sense of the Methodology and Methods of Narrative Analysis
Authors: Rogan Ann I. , de Kock Dorothea M.
Published: June 2005

Within the qualitative research genre, narrative inquiry remains controversial, particularly for the novice researcher, because of its uncertain boundaries and relationship to other qualitative methodologies. This article represents a novice researcher’s attempt to address the ambiguity by presenting a systematic, critical exploration of the analytical methods and methodology of narrative inquiry. The methods are grouped into three clusters for discussion: the performative cluster, the structural analysis cluster, and the literary analysis cluster. Each cluster of methods is described, associated with its theoretical framework, and applied to the compelling narratives collected from a series of interviews with two preservice educators. Issues of credibility and believability in the interpretative analysis of the narratives are also examined. In the conclusion of the article are topics for continued reflection gleaned from the experience of trying to make sense of narrative inquiry.
Sticks and Stones: An Exploration of the Embodiment of Social Classism
Authors: Richardson Laurel
Published: June 2005

This article explores the ways in which childhood ontologies shape adult biases of the social world. Specifically, it focuses on the construction of social class and how even after sixty years, the author’s earliest memories shape her interactions and anxieties.
“The Tumbler”: Writing An/Other in Fiction and Performance Ethnography
Authors: Gannon Susanne
Published: June 2005

This article dissolves the binary between science and literature with a performance text set in rural Australia. This performance suggests that the imaginative act of fiction writing and the social scientific act are kept apart in a false binary that reifies the privilege of presence and the audacity of authenticity. Inspired by a poststructuralist suspicion of any truth as sacred originary, the author takes a chance on an imaginative writing practice that enables researcher/writer/performer and audience to encounter the Other in positive, touching, affective, and meaningful ways. The voice of this Other speaks us into an aggressively embodied sense of geographic and social isolation, the inadequacies of community support for women in crisis, and the possibilities for agency in an impossible situation. Her monologue becomes a more nuanced and discursively complex way of confronting these issues than could be achieved with a traditional social scientific analysis.
Interpreting India, Identity, and Media From the Field: Exploring the Communicative Nature of the Exotic Other
Authors: Gaines Elliot
Published: June 2005

This study explores the process of interpreting interviews and media collected during two visits to India. Looking at the communicative nature of Indian identity, the author takes into account his own identity as an American exposed to a lifetime of exotic representations of Indian culture. Recognizing the limits of time for study in the field, recorded media provide valuable evidence and open discursive avenues to greater understandings of our world. As a discursive space, the camera’s gaze focuses attention back to the ontological conditions of the researchers’ experiences as a forum for the negotiation of values and beliefs. Evidence of the process of communication provides a better understanding of the construction of meaning and identity. Thus, the mediated data, reconsidered later, recall the eidetic essence of existential knowledge supporting the process of ethnographic writing.
Children in the Crossfire
Authors: Kernic Mary A. , Monary-Ernsdorff Daphne J. , Koepsell Jennifer K. , Holt Victoria L.
Published: June 2005

Although most states mandate considerations of intimate partner violence (IPV) in child custody proceedings, little is known about how often a preexisting history of IPV is effectively presented to the courts in dissolution cases and, when it is, what effect it has on child custody and visitation outcomes. This retrospective cohort study examined the effects of a history of IPV, further categorized by whether substantiation of that history existed and whether the court handling the custody proceedings knew of that history, on child custody and visitation outcomes. The findings from this study highlight several issues of concern regarding the reality of child custody among families with a history of IPV. These include two primary concerns: a lack of identification of IPV even among cases with a documented, substantiated history, and a lack of strong protections being ordered even among cases in which a history of substantiated IPV is known to exist.
Child Custody Mediation in Cases of Domestic Violence
Authors: Johnson Nancy E. , Saccuzzo Dennis P. , Koen Wendy J.
Published: June 2005

Mediation of child custody disputes is mandated in several states. Investigators have averred that victims of domestic violence (DV) are greatly disadvantaged in mediation. The present study empirically evaluated outcomes and found that mediators failed to recognize and report DVin 56.9% of the DV cases. The court’s screening form failed to indicate DV in at least 14.7% of the violent cases. Mediation resulted in poor outcomes for DV victims in terms of protections, such as supervised visitation and protected child exchanges. Mediator capacity to focus on the child’s best interest was called into question. Child custody mediation should not be mandated in cases of DV.
Outcomes of Custody and Visitation Petitions When Fathers Are Restrained by Protection Orders
Authors: Rosen Leora N. , O’Sullivan Chris S.
Published: June 2005

A random sample of custody and visitation petitions filed in New York City Family Courts in 1995 was used to examine outcomes of mothers’ Order of Protection (OP) Petitions in relation to parents’ custody and visitation petitions. Fathers restrained by OPs were more likely to secure visitation orders (64%) than not. In contrast, 80.8% of fathers’ custody petitions were dismissed when they were restrained by OPs. Fathers’ custody petitions were most likely to be ordered when mothers’ OP petitions were withdrawn. Mothers were most likely to secure custody when their OP petitions were ordered or withdrawn. Courts rarely denied petitions. Those that did not result in court orders were either withdrawn by the petitioner or dismissed by the court (most likely because of failure of the petitioner to appear in court). This pattern has negative implications for battered women who may be vulnerable to pressure or threats from abusive expartners.
Child Custody and Visitation Decisions When the Father Has Perpetrated Violence Against the Mother
Authors: Morrill Allison C. , Dai Jianyu , Dunn Samantha , Sung Iyue , Smith Kevin
Published: June 2005

This research evaluated the effectiveness of statutes mandating a presumption against custody to a perpetrator of domestic violence (DV) and judicial education about DV. Across six states, the authors examined 393 custody and/or visitation orders where the father perpetrated DV against the mother and surveyed 60 judges who entered those orders. With the presumption, more orders gave legal and physical custody to the mother and imposed a structured schedule and restrictive conditions on fathers’ visits, except where there was also a “friendly parent” provision and a presumption for joint custody. The presumption is effective only as part of a consistent statutory scheme. Although 86% of judges had received DV education, they scored no better in knowledge or attitudes. More of their orders gave mothers sole physical custody, and knowledge was associated with maternal custody, yet fewer structured or restricted fathers’ visitation. Quality of DV education is more important than statutory mandate.
Scenes from a Benin Summer
Authors: Akindes Fay Yokomizo
Published: June 2005

This article evokes a summer in the Republic of Benin, a peaceful democratic nation in West Africa. Formerly called Dahomey and known historically for its Amazon women warriors and powerful kingdom, it is also the homeland of many slave descendents in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and the United States. In the summer of 2001, the author, her Beninois husband, and their two U.S.-!born children experienced everyday living in this country that is often described as poor, according to its gross national product. Yet as the author learns, Benin is rich in complexity, history, and humanity. Based on memories, journal entries, videotapes, and conversations, the writing of this article leads the author to question her assumptions and how they inform her understanding of an unfamiliar place.
The Individual Point of View: Learning From Bourdieu’s The Weight of the World
Authors: Couldry Nick
Published: June 2005

This article explores what cultural studies can learn from the detailed consideration of the individual voice in Bourdieu’s (1999) The Weight of the World. This book addresses the criticism often made of Bourdieu’s earlier work—that it ignored individual agency in favor of structure—through a depiction of French society’s space of points of view. Based on in-depth interviews, it offers an intriguing methodology, although leaving unresolved methodological uncertainties and theoretical absences, including a neglect of the role of media and popular culture in everyday experience. To build on Bourdieu’s work, the conclusion suggests that we explore how a range of social categories derived from media and popular culture are employed in everyday action and thought.
Paranoia, Conspiracy Theories, and the Presidential Election of 2004
Authors: Bradley Richard
Published: June 2005

The article is an autoethnographic analysis of the 2004 presidential election. In particular, the author examines conspiracy theories surrounding the election, media coverage of these theories, and the nature of legitimacy in current American political discourse.
Reimagining Our Place in the World
Authors: Dimitriadis Greg
Published: June 2005

This article thinks through the implications of the 2004 elections and the continued erosion of the left. In particular, it argues that the left must begin to offer people compelling narratives for how to live their lives or progressive spaces will continue to shrink. Qualitative inquiry, it concludes, can be enormously useful in this project.
The Passion of the Right: Religious Fundamentalism and the Crisis of Democracy
Authors: Giroux Henry A.
Published: June 2005

This article argues that under the presidency of George Bush, the Republican Party has increasingly become an extension of the religious right. One consequence is a rampant anti-intellectualism coupled with Taliban-like moralism now boldly translates into everyday cultural practices and political policies as right-wing evangelicals live out their messianic view of the world. Democratic politics and secular humanism are being replaced by a “Rapture” politics in which certainty, moralism, and absolutism drive an attack on science in the name of faith by endorsing Creationism over the teaching of evolution, wage an unrelenting war against gay rights and women’s reproductive rights, and use an appeal to the “culture of life” to support pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for contraception on religious grounds. The attack on religious freedom and secular thought reproduces a debilitating anti-intellectualism throughout the culture and also threatens the separation of church and state, religious freedom, social justice, and democracy. The rise of religious fundamentalism has become one of the great problems facing the United States in the 21st century. The article calls for a cultural politics that defends religious freedom and the values of secular humanism as part of a defense of an inclusive democracy. The article concludes by calling for educators, parents, artists, and others reject the highly political and sectarian uses to which religion is being put by reclaiming those democratic values in which religious freedom rejects the use of religion as a political sectarian tool of the extreme right.
“You Just Belong to Us”: Tales of Identity and Difference With Populations to Which the Ethnographer Belongs
Authors: Viladrich Anahí
Published: June 2005

This article, based on the first ethnographic study on the Argentine minority in New York City, addresses some of the conflicting issues emerging from ethnographers’ involvement with research populations to which they belong, including the implications of being perceived as members of the same “flock.” The article explores participants’ self-representations in terms of class and racial and/or ethnic categories vis-à-vis others including the ethnographer, also from Argentine origin. The Whiteness strategy and the cultural divide were two important discursive tools that allowed lighter-skinned study participants to place themselves closer to the White majority, while challenging their perceived socioeconomic dislocation in mainstream America. The ethnographer’s self-representation in the field was also characterized by tensions and adjustments, which relied on the exchange of social resources (social capital) as the unexpected backdrop for trust and reciprocity to be continuously negotiated.
I’ve Got You Under My Skin: Digging Kerry Out and Burying the Bones(men)
Authors: Bratich Jack Z.
Published: June 2005

This essay, written within a week of the November 2004 U.S. election, was intended as a fog cutter in the miasma of postelection gloom. Finding more than silver linings, it assesses our crucible moment, in the historical and the alchemist sense. We are witnessing a variety of extraparliamentary experiments on the political landscape. What can cultural researchers do in these times? What are our experiments, our own transformations, in this crucible?
Democratic Dissent and the Trick of Rhetorical Critique
Authors: Ivie Robert L.
Published: June 2005

As an exercise in consubstantial rivalry (a notion adapted from Kenneth Burke), democratic dissent operates tactically to turn the tables on the powerful in a given cultural field of political tension (a perspective drawn from Michel de Certeau). Dissent rearticulates political relationships by an ongoing act of rhetorical critique inside an established framework of understanding. The dissenter is a rhetorical trickster deploying metaphor as a principal heuristic of critique. The possibility of credible dissent relies on achieving a certain productive tension between affirming and disconcerting the political order—a double gesture of nonconforming solidarity—as can be illustrated in recent documentaries of dissent such as Uncovered: The War on Iraq.
The Zulu Dimension
Authors: Arvastson Gösta
Published: June 2005

Late modern revolutions have all related to the setting of time to zero: Japanization, the New Economy, the ICT Society, The Third Industrial Revolution, and The Velvet Revolution. It is argued that the patterns of zero times devalued the traditional organization of production. This article is based on the argument that the centrality of zero time in late modern cultures has crucial value and marks a divide between insiders who have the capability to rush through new technologies and outsiders. The game of chance serves as a structuring principle. Zero-making invokes a detour from the inscription of modern visions. The Zulu dimension is about the levelling out of rising curves, progress, and evolution. It is the dimension of taking it all over again in our times. It is a touch and go of events: the theatricality of culture making and the miracle of reset buttons.
After the Election: Surviving Bush’s Democracy
Authors: Denzin Norman K.
Published: June 2005

Written 6 months after the 2004 American presidential election, this political narrative asks if democracy can survive under the Bush regime.
Critical Pedagogy Reloaded: Dispatches From Las Entrañas de la Bestia
Authors: McLaren Peter
Published: June 2005

This article has been slightly revised from the introduction and postscript to Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Pedagogy Against Empire (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005). The article challenges the Bush administration’s invasion and occupation of Iraq and ties its recent history of political unilateralism and the War on Terror to the history of imperialist aggression by the United States against sovereign nation states.
The Media and Election 2004
Authors: Kellner Douglas
Published: June 2005

This study of the media and election 2004 is drawn from the author’s Media Spectacle and the Crisis of Democracy(2005) that argues that several convergent trends intersecting U.S. media and politics have seriously undermined U.S. democracy: the corporate control of mainstream media, which biases dominant media toward conservativism and profit; an implosion of information and entertainment and rise of a culture of media spectacle, which makes politics a form of entertainment; the rise of a right-wing Republican media propaganda and attack apparatus, which systematically deploys lies and deception to advance the agenda of conservative groups and interests; and an unparalleled assault on the press and manipulation of media by the Bush administration.
Membrane-bound and soluble IL-15/IL-15Rα complexes display differential signaling and functions on human hematopoietic progenitors
Authors: Giron-Michel Julien , Giuliani Massimo , Fogli Manuela , Brouty-Boyé Danièle , Ferrini Silvano , Baychelier Florence , Eid Pierre , Lebousse-Kerdilès Caroline , Durali Deniz , Biassoni Roberto , Charpentier Bernard , Vasquez Aimé , Chouaib Salem , Caignard Anne , Moretta Lorenzo , Azzarone Bruno
Published: June 2005

Membrane-bound and soluble interleukin-15 (IL-15)/IL-15 receptor α (Rα) complexes trigger differential transcription factor activation and functions on human hematopoietic progenitors. Indeed, human spleen myofibroblasts (SMFs) are characterized by a novel mechanism of IL-15 trans-presentation (SMFmb [membrane-bound]-IL-15), based on the association of an endogenous IL-15/IL-15Rα complex with the IL-15Rβγc chains. SMFmb-IL-15 (1) induces lineage-specific signaling pathways that differ from those controlled by soluble IL-15 in unprimed and committed normal progenitors; (2) triggers survival and proliferation of leukemic progenitors expressing low-affinity IL-15R (M07Sb cells); (3) causes only an antiapoptotic effect on leukemic cells expressing high-affinity receptors (TF1β cells). This behavior is likely due to the IL-15Rα chain present on these cells that interact with the SMFmb-IL-15, inhibiting signal transducer and transcriptional activator 5 (STAT5) activation. On the other hand, the soluble IL-15/IL-15Rα complex (hyper IL-15) displays a dominant pattern of action, activating only those cells expressing low-affinity IL-15R (IL-15Rβγc). Thus, hyper IL-15 induces antiapoptotic effects on M075b cells and the up-regulation of STAT6 activation on adult peripheral blood (PB) pre-natural killer (NK) committed progenitors. The latter effect using 100-fold concentrations of recombinant (r)-IL-15. In conclusion, SMFmb-IL-15 and soluble IL-15Rα/IL-15 complexes seem to play a pivotal role in the control of the survival, proliferation and differentiation of both normal and leukemic circulating progenitors, highlighting new functions of IL-15 and of IL-15Rα.
Systemic administration of a TLR7 ligand leads to transient immune incompetence due to peripheral-blood leukocyte depletion
Authors: Gunzer Matthias , Riemann Helge , Basoglu Yasmin , Hillmer Anja , Weishaupt Carsten , Balkow Sandra , Benninghoff Bernd , Ernst Beat , Steinert Meike , Scholzen Thomas , Sunderkötter Cord , Grabbe Stephan
Published: June 2005

Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands lead to the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and are potent enhancers of specific immune responses. We show here that a single systemic dose of R-848, a ligand for TLR7, potently enhanced hapten sensitization during the induction of contact hypersensitivity (CHS). However, R-848 administration also resulted in a rapid and almost complete depletion of leukocytes from the blood. This effect was transient and was associated with general induction of endothelial adhesiveness. In response to R-848, endothelial cells up-regulated adhesion molecules in vitro and in vivo and leukocytes exhibited increased rolling on endothelia in R-848-treated animals. Adhesion molecule induction appeared to be a direct effect, because endothelial cells expressed TLR7 in vitro and in vivo. After R-848 treatment, the tissue residence time of leukocytes was markedly prolonged in all major peripheral organs. The resulting transiently reduced availability of peripheral-blood leukocytes (PBLs) (TRAP) significantly inhibited otherwise potent CHS responses until the effector cells returned. Thus, although TLR7 ligands are effective adjuvants for the induction of cell-mediated immunity, they can transiently inhibit the elicitation of localized immune responses, possibly due to a systemic endothelial activation throughout the vasculature. (Blood. 2005;106:2424-2432)
Platelet NAD(P)H-oxidase–generated ROS production regulates αIIbβ3-integrin activation independent of the NO/cGMP pathway
Authors: Begonja Antonija Jurak , Gambaryan Stepan , Geiger Jörg , Aktas Barsom , Pozgajova Miroslava , Nieswandt Bernhard , Walter Ulrich
Published: June 2005

Platelets play a crucial role in the physiology of primary hemostasis and pathophysiologic processes such as arterial thrombosis. Accumulating evidence suggests a role of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in platelet activation. Here we show that platelets activated with different agonists produced intracellular ROSs, which were reduced by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) oxidase inhibitors and superoxide scavengers. In addition, we demonstrate that ROSs produced in platelets significantly affected αIIbβ3 integrin activation but not alpha and dense granule secretion and platelet shape change. Thrombin-induced integrin αIIbβ3 activation was significantly decreased after pretreatment of platelets with NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors (diphenylene iodonium [DPI] [45% ± 9%] and apocynin [43% ± 11%]) and superoxide scavengers (tiron [60% ± 9%] and Mn(III)tetrakis (1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin [MnTMPyP] [70% ± 6%]). These inhibitors also reduced platelet aggregation and thrombus formation on collagen under high shear and achieved their effects independent of the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) pathway.
Dose-dependent effects of the Notch ligand Delta1 on ex vivo differentiation and in vivo marrow repopulating ability of cord blood cells
Authors: Delaney Colleen , Varnum-Finney Barbara , Aoyama Keisuke , Brashem-Stein Carolyn , Bernstein Irwin D.
Published: June 2005

Although significant advances have been made over the last decade with respect to our understanding of stem cell biology, progress has been limited in the development of successful techniques for clinically significant ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We here describe the effect of Notch ligand density on induction of Notch signaling and subsequent cell fate of human CD34+CD38– cord blood progenitors. Lower densities of Delta1ext-IgG enhanced the generation of CD34+ cells as well as CD14+ and CD7+ cells, consistent with early myeloid and lymphoid differentiation, respectively. However, culture with increased amounts of Delta1ext-IgG induced apoptosis of CD34+ precursors resulting in decreased cell numbers, without affecting generation of CD7+ cells. RNA interference studies revealed that the promotion of lymphoid differentiation was primarily mediated by Delta1 activation of Notch1. Furthermore, enhanced generation of NOD/SCID repopulating cells was seen following culture with lower but not higher densities of ligand. These studies indicate critical, quantitative aspects of Notch signaling in affecting hematopoietic precursor cell-fate outcomes and suggest that density of Notch ligands in different organ systems may be an important determinant in regulating cell-fate outcomes. Moreover, these findings contribute to the development of methodology for manipulation of hematopoietic precursors for therapeutic purposes.
Human herpesvirus 8 enhances human immunodeficiency virus replication in acutely infected cells and induces reactivation in latently infected cells
Authors: Caselli Elisabetta , Galvan Monica , Cassai Enzo , Caruso Arnaldo , Sighinolfi Laura , Di Luca Dario
Published: June 2005

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is etiologically associated with Kaposi sarcoma (KS), the most common AIDS-associated malignancy. Previous results indicate that the HHV-8 viral transactivator ORF50 interacts synergistically with Tat protein in the transactivation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) long terminal repeat (LTR), leading to increased cell susceptibility to HIV infection. Here, we analyze the effect of HHV-8 infection on HIV replication in monocyte-macrophage and endothelial cells, as potential targets of coinfection. Primary or transformed monocytic and endothelial cells were infected with a cell-free HHV-8 inoculum and subsequently infected with lymphotropic or monocytotropic strains of HIV. The results show that HHV-8 coinfection markedly increases HIV replication in both cell types. HHV-8 infection induces also HIV reactivation in chronically infected cell lines and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with asymptomatic HIV, suggesting the possibility that similar interactions might take place also in vivo. Furthermore, coinfection is not an essential condition, since contiguity of differently infected cells is sufficient for HIV reactivation. The results suggest that HHV-8 might be a cofactor for HIV progression and that HHV-8-infected endothelial cells might play a relevant role in transendothelial HIV spread. (Blood. 2005;106:2790-2797)
IL-15 but not IL-2 rapidly induces lethal xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease
Authors: Roychowdhury Sameek , Blaser Bradley W. , Freud Aharon G. , Katz Kerry , Bhatt Darshna , Ferketich Amy K. , Bergdall Valerie , Kusewitt Donna , Baiocchi Robert A. , Caligiuri Michael A.
Published: June 2005

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-15 are structurally related cytokines that share receptor components but display markedly different effects in multiple in vivo model systems. Here we demonstrate that IL-15 but not IL-2 exacerbates xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease (X-GVHD) in severe combined immunodeficient murine recipients of human peripheral-blood lymphocytes (hu-PBL-SCID). Treatment of hu-PBL-SCID mice with IL-15 resulted in rapid fatality, lymphocytic infiltrations in the liver, lung, and spleen consistent with X-GVHD, and a marked expansion of human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells compared with controls. Depletion of human T cells in vivo abrogated the lethality of IL-15 treatment. To our knowledge, these data are the first to demonstrate in vivo activation and expansion of human T lymphocytes in response to IL-15 with concomitant exacerbation of human T-cell-mediated X-GVHD. (Blood. 2005;106:2433-2435)
Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca-resistant Spodoptera exigua lacks expression of one of four Aminopeptidase N genes
Authors: Herrero Salvador , Gechev Tsanko , Bakker Petra L , Moar William J , de Maagd Ruud A
Published: June 2005

Background

Insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bind to receptors on midgut epithelial cells of susceptible insect larvae. Aminopeptidases N (APNs) from several insect species have been shown to be putative receptors for these toxins. Here we report the cloning and expression analysis of four APN cDNAs from Spodoptera exigua.

Results

Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) was used to construct cDNA libraries of genes that are up-and down-regulated in the midgut of last instar larvae of beet armyworm, S. exigua exposed to B. thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin. Among the clones from the SSH libraries, cDNA fragments coding for two different APNs were obtained (APN2 and APN4). A similar procedure was employed to compare mRNA differences between susceptible and Cry1Ca resistant S. exigua. Among the clones from this last comparison, cDNA fragments belonging to a third APN (APN1) were detected. Using sequences obtained from the three APN cDNA fragments and degenerate primers for a fourth APN (APN3), the full length sequences of four S. exigua APN cDNAs were obtained. Northern blot analysis of expression of the four APNs showed complete absence of APN1 expression in the resistant insects, while the other three APNs showed similar expression levels in the resistant and susceptible insects.

Conclusion

We have cloned and characterized four different midgut APN cDNAs from S. exigua. Expression analysis revealed the lack of expression of one of these APNs in the larvae of a Cry1Ca-resistant colony. Combined with previous evidence that shows the importance of APN in the mode of action of B. thuringiensis toxins, these results suggest that the lack of APN1 expression plays a role in the resistance to Cry1Ca in this S. exigua colony.
Standardization of cytokine flow cytometry assays
Authors: Maecker Holden T , Rinfret Aline , D'Souza Patricia , Darden Janice , Roig Eva , Landry Claire , Hayes Peter , Birungi Josephine , Anzala Omu , Garcia Miguel , Harari Alexandre , Frank Ian , Baydo Ruth , Baker Megan , Holbrook Jennifer , Ottinger Janet , Lamoreaux Laurie , Epling C Lorrie , Sinclair Elizabeth , Suni Maria A , Punt Kara , Calarota Sandra , El-Bahi Sophia , Alter Gailet , Maila Hazel , Kuta Ellen , Cox Josephine , Gray Clive , Altfeld Marcus , Nougarede Nolwenn , Boyer Jean , Tussey Lynda , Tobery Timothy , Bredt Barry , Roederer Mario , Koup Richard , Maino Vernon C , Weinhold Kent , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Gilmour Jill , Horton Helen , Sekaly Rafick P
Published: June 2005

Background

Cytokine flow cytometry (CFC) or intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) can quantitate antigen-specific T cell responses in settings such as experimental vaccination. Standardization of ICS among laboratories performing vaccine studies would provide a common platform by which to compare the immunogenicity of different vaccine candidates across multiple international organizations conducting clinical trials. As such, a study was carried out among several laboratories involved in HIV clinical trials, to define the inter-lab precision of ICS using various sample types, and using a common protocol for each experiment (see additional files online).

Results

Three sample types (activated, fixed, and frozen whole blood; fresh whole blood; and cryopreserved PBMC) were shipped to various sites, where ICS assays using cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65 peptide mix or control antigens were performed in parallel in 96-well plates. For one experiment, antigens and antibody cocktails were lyophilised into 96-well plates to simplify and standardize the assay setup. Results (CD4+cytokine+ cells and CD8+cytokine+ cells) were determined by each site. Raw data were also sent to a central site for batch analysis with a dynamic gating template.

Mean inter-laboratory coefficient of variation (C.V.) ranged from 17–44% depending upon the sample type and analysis method. Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) yielded lower inter-lab C.V.'s than whole blood. Centralized analysis (using a dynamic gating template) reduced the inter-lab C.V. by 5–20%, depending upon the experiment. The inter-lab C.V. was lowest (18–24%) for samples with a mean of >0.5% IFNγ + T cells, and highest (57–82%) for samples with a mean of <0.1% IFNγ + cells.

Conclusion

ICS assays can be performed by multiple laboratories using a common protocol with good inter-laboratory precision, which improves as the frequency of responding cells increases. Cryopreserved PBMC may yield slightly more consistent results than shipped whole blood. Analysis, particularly gating, is a significant source of variability, and can be reduced by centralized analysis and/or use of a standardized dynamic gating template. Use of pre-aliquoted lyophilized reagents for stimulation and staining can provide further standardization to these assays.
Tetrandrine and thapsigargin release arachidonic acid from cells in culture and stimulate prostacyclin production in rat liver cells, but may do so by different pathways
Authors: Levine Lawrence
Published: June 2005

Background

Tetrandrine inhibits tumor cell proliferation and demonstrates chemoprevention in cancer models. Speculation on the association between its effects on K+ and Ca2+ channels and cancer chemoprevention has been made. Thapsigargin also affects K+ and Ca2+ conductance. Thapsigargin, however, is a weak tumor promoter in the two-stage model of mouse skin carcinogenesis, yet it can induce apoptosis in androgen-independent prostatic cancer cells. I have postulated that arachidonic acid release from cells in culture is associated with cancer chemoprevention. The effects of tetrandrine and thapsigargin on arachidonic acid release from human colon carcinoma and rat liver cells and prostacyclin production by rat liver cells are compared in the current studies.

Results

Tetrandrine and thapsigargin stimulate arachidonic acid release from human colon carcinoma and rat liver cells and prostacyclin production in rat liver cells. The stimulation by tetrandrine is not affected by incubation with actinomycin D, 100 mM KCl, the [Ca2+]i chelator, 1,2-bi s (o-amino-5-fluorophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N',N',-tetraacetic acid tetraacetoxymethylester (BAPTA/AM) or in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. In contrast, stimulation by thapsigargin is inhibited by incubation with actinomycin D, 100 mM KCl, BAPTA/AM or in the absence of extracellular Ca2+.

Conclusion

Both tetrandrine and thapsigargin stimulate arachidonic acid release, but based on the different results obtained in the presence of actinomycin D, the [Ca2+]i chelator, 100 mM KCl and in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the mechanisms leading to this release and pathways leading to apoptosis and/or cancer chemoprevention may be different. Stimulations by tetrandrine may be mediated by activation of a secretory phospholipase A2, whereas thapsigargin's stimulations may be mediated by the cytoplasmic Ca2+-dependent phospholipase A2.
Th1/Th2 cytokine pattern in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and induced sputum in pulmonary sarcoidosis
Authors: Tsiligianni Ioanna , Antoniou Katerina M , Kyriakou Despina , Tzanakis Nikolaos , Chrysofakis George , Siafakas Nikolaos M , Bouros Demosthenes
Published: June 2005

Background

Sarcoidosis is thought to be a T-helper type 1 cytokine (Th2 cytokine) mediated disorder. Induced sputum (IS) has been proposed as a useful non-invasive method, mainly for the assessment of the airway diseases. The aim of this study was to explore induced sputum (IS) CD4+Th1 T-lymphocyte subpopulation and to compare them with those of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with sarcoidosis.

Methods

We studied prospectively 21 patients (12 female, 9 male) of median age 46 yr (range, 25–65) with sarcoidosis and 10 normal subjects (5 female, 5 male) of median age 39 yr (range, 26–60). IS was performed with hypertonic saline solution using an ultrasonic nebulizer. BALF was performed within 10 days of IS. After stimulation of sputum lymphocytes with phorbol-myristate-acetate, we used double immunocytochemical methods to identify CD4+IFN-γ positive and IL-4 positive cells (Th1 and Th2, respectively).

Results

Sarcoidosis patients had an increased number of CD4+ -IFN-γ producing cells in IS (p = 0.003) and BALF (p = 0.01) in comparison with normal subjects. No significant differences were detected between CD4+ -IL-4 cells in BALF (p = 0.053, NS) and IS (p = 0.46, NS) between sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls. The ratio of Th1 to Th2 cells in BALF and IS was statistically different in sarcoidosis when compared with normal subjects (p = 0.007 in BALF and IS). A significant correlation was found between CD4+ IFN-γ positive cells in IS and those in BALF in sarcoidosis patients (r = 0.685, p = 0.0006).

Conclusion

These data suggests that a Th1-like cytokine pattern can be observed in CD4+ T-lymphocytes in IS in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Further studies are needed to explore the value of IS vs BALF in the follow-up of these patients.
Bone mineral density, body mass index and cigarette smoking among Iranian women: implications for prevention
Authors: Baheiraei Azam , Pocock Nicholas A , Eisman John A , Nguyen Nguyen D , Nguyen Tuan V
Published: June 2005

Background

While risk factors of osteoporosis in Western populations have been extensively documented, such a profile has not been well studied in Caucasians of non-European origin. This study was designed to estimate the modifiable distribution and determinants of bone mineral density (BMD) among Iranian women in Australia.

Methods

Ninety women aged 35 years and older completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) using DXA (GE Lunar, WI, USA), and was expressed in g/cm2 as well as T-score.

Results

In multiple regression analysis, advancing age, lower body mass index (BMI), and smoking were independently associated with LS and FN BMD, with the 3 factors collectively accounting for 30% and 38% variance of LS and FN BMD, respectively. LS and FN BMD in smokers was 8% lower than that in non-smokers. Further analysis of interaction between BMI and smoking revealed that the effect of smoking was only observed in the obese group (p = 0.029 for LSBMD and p = 0.007 for FNBMD), but not in the overweight and normal groups. Using T-scores from two bone sites the prevalence of osteoporosis (T-scores ≤ -2.5) was 3.8% and 26.3% in pre-and post-menopausal women, respectively. Among current smokers, the prevalence was higher (31.3%) than that among ex-smokers (28.6%) and non-smokers (7.5%).

Conclusion

These data, for the first time, indicate that apart from advancing age and lower body mass index, cigarette smoking is an important modifiable determinant of bone mineral density in these Caucasians of non-European origin.
The management of large perforations of duodenal ulcers
Authors: Gupta Sanjay , Kaushik Robin , Sharma Rajeev , Attri Ashok
Published: June 2005

Background

Duodenal ulcer perforations are a common surgical emergency, but literature is silent on the exact definition, incidence, management and complications of large perforations of duodenal ulcers.

Methods

The case files of 162 patients who underwent emergency laparotomy for duodenal ulcer perforations over a period of three years (2001 – 2003) were retrospectively reviewed and sorted into groups based on the size of the perforations – one group was defined as 'small 'perforations (less than 1 cm in diameter), another 'large' (when the perforation was more than 1 cm but less than 3 cms), and the third, 'giant'(when the perforation exceeded 3 cm). These groups of patients were then compared with each other in regard to the patient particulars, duration of symptoms, surgery performed and the outcome.

Results

A total of 40 patients were identified to have duodenal ulcer perforations more than 1 cm in size, thus accounting for nearly 25 % of all duodenal ulcer perforations operated during this period. These patients had a significantly higher incidence of leak, morbidity and mortality when compared to those with smaller perforations.

Conclusion

There are three distinct types of perforations of duodenal ulcers that are encountered in clinical practice. The first, are the 'small' perforations that are easy to manage and have low morbidity and mortality. The second are the 'large' perforations, that are also not uncommon, and omental patch closure gives the best results even in this subset of patients. The word 'giant' should be reserved for perforations that exceed 3 cms in diameter, and these are extremely uncommon.
Pruritus in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Akhyani Maryam , Ganji Mohammad-Reza , Samadi Nasrin , Khamesan Behnaz , Daneshpazhooh Maryam
Published: June 2005

Background

Pruritus is one of the most bothersome symptoms in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD), however little progress is seen in our understanding of its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of pruritus in HD patients in Tehran, Iran, and to correlate its presence and intensity with relevant clinical and laboratory parameters.

Methods

One hundred sixty-seven patients on maintenance HD at three out-patient HD units were enrolled in the study. Itch intensity was scored as mild, moderate and severe. Some relevant clinical and laboratory parameters (age, sex, xerosis, presence of neuropathy, duration of dialysis, history of atopy and laboratory findings including hematocrit, creatinine, urea, calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone [PTH] and alkaline phosphatase) were evaluated.

Results

Pruritus was found in 41.9% of patients. The intensity of itching was mild, moderate and severe, in 51.4%, 11.4% and 37.7% of patients, respectively. In 22 patients (31.4%) pruritus intensified during and after dialysis. There was no significant difference in the serum levels of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, PTH and hematocrit between patients with and without pruritus. Age, sex, xerosis, underlying renal disease, history of atopy and duration of haemodialysis were not significantly different between the two groups. However, neuropathy was significantly more common in the pruritic group (63.8% versus 42.1%) (pv = 0.006).

Conclusion

Clinical neuropathy was the only significant finding in the pruritic group in our study. This finding justifies further research on nerve function and neurotransmitters in hemodialysis patients and the introduction of new drugs targeting neuropathy.
Do medical outpatients want 'out of hours' clinics?
Authors: Feeney Claire L , Roberts Nicola J , Partridge Martyn R
Published: June 2005

Background

Patient choice is a major theme in current healthcare delivery. Little is known about patients' wishes regarding the timing of medical outpatient clinics.

Methods

A questionnaire survey of 300 sequential patients attending cardiac and respiratory clinics to determine patients preferences for out of hours and weekend outpatient clinics. (Out of hours defined as a clinic after 5 pm on Mon – Fri)

Results

Two hundred and 64 patients completed the survey of which 165 (62.5%) wanted either an out of hours clinics or a weekend clinic. Sixty four (38.8%) specifically stated that this was because of work commitments but for many others, the reasons given were easy to justify.

Conclusion

Current provision for outpatient consultation may not be convenient for many patients with heart and lung disease. A fuller evaluation of the cost and benefits of more flexible clinic hours is now needed.
Clustered local transmission and asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria infections in a recently emerged, hypoendemic Peruvian Amazon community
Authors: Branch OraLee , Casapia W Martin , Gamboa Dionicia V , Hernandez Jean N , Alava Freddy F , Roncal Norma , Alvarez Eugenia , Perez Enrique J , Gotuzzo Eduardo
Published: June 2005

Background

There is a low incidence of malaria in Iquitos, Peru, suburbs detected by passive case-detection. This low incidence might be attributable to infections clustered in some households/regions and/or undetected asymptomatic infections.

Methods

Passive case-detection (PCD) during the malaria season (February-July) and an active case-detection (ACD) community-wide survey (March) surveyed 1,907 persons. Each month, April-July, 100-metre at-risk zones were defined by location of Plasmodium falciparum infections in the previous month. Longitudinal ACD and PCD (ACP+PCD) occurred within at-risk zones, where 137 houses (573 persons) were randomly selected as sentinels, each with one month of weekly active sampling. Entomological captures were conducted in the sentinel houses.

Results

The PCD incidence was 0.03 P. falciparum and 0.22 Plasmodium vivax infections/person/malaria-season. However, the ACD+PCD prevalence was 0.13 and 0.39, respectively. One explanation for this 4.33 and 1.77-fold increase, respectively, was infection clustering within at-risk zones and contiguous households. Clustering makes PCD, generalized to the entire population, artificially low. Another attributable-factor was that only 41% and 24% of the P. falciparum and P. vivax infections were associated with fever and 80% of the asymptomatic infections had low-density or absent parasitaemias the following week. After accounting for asymptomatic infections, a 2.6-fold increase in ACD+PCD versus PCD was attributable to clustered transmission in at-risk zones.

Conclusion

Even in low transmission, there are frequent highly-clustered asymptomatic infections, making PCD an inadequate measure of incidence. These findings support a strategy of concentrating ACD and insecticide campaigns in houses adjacent to houses were malaria was detected one month prior.
Predicting transcription factor activities from combined analysis of microarray and ChIP data: a partial least squares approach
Authors: Boulesteix Anne-Laure , Strimmer Korbinian
Published: June 2005

Background

The study of the network between transcription factors and their targets is important for understanding the complex regulatory mechanisms in a cell. Unfortunately, with standard microarray experiments it is not possible to measure the transcription factor activities (TFAs) directly, as their own transcription levels are subject to post-translational modifications.

Results

Here we propose a statistical approach based on partial least squares (PLS) regression to infer the true TFAs from a combination of mRNA expression and DNA-protein binding measurements. This method is also statistically sound for small samples and allows the detection of functional interactions among the transcription factors via the notion of "meta"-transcription factors. In addition, it enables false positives to be identified in ChIP data and activation and suppression activities to be distinguished.

Conclusion

The proposed method performs very well both for simulated data and for real expression and ChIP data from yeast and E. Coli experiments. It overcomes the limitations of previously used approaches to estimating TFAs. The estimated profiles may also serve as input for further studies, such as tests of periodicity or differential regulation. An R package "plsgenomics" implementing the proposed methods is available for download from the CRAN archive.