bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Actin-based features negatively regulated by protein kinase C-ε
Authors: Li Yingxin , Urban Jason M. , Cayer Marilyn L. , Plummer Howard K. , Heckman Carol A.
Published: October 2006

Cells exposed to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) undergo a choreographed sequence of morphological changes. Some of these, including stimulation of membrane ruffles and the later appearance of stress fibers, rely on remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Although this process is poorly understood, it is important, because the same features are affected during oncogenic transformation. PMA also activates protein kinase C (PKC). Enzyme activation is followed by degradation. Either process might affect the remodeling of actin. The present studies determined whether any PKC isozymes were subject to degradation in tracheal epithelial cells by quantifying the amount of each isozyme present after PMA exposure. PKC-ε was the only isozyme to show declining content correlated with increased stress fiber accumulation. Stress fibers increased between 5 and 10 h, whereas PKC-ε declined to 38% of its starting value (95% confidence interval, 10–68%). The relationship could be fit by the function F( x) = 0.683 × exp[−0.841( x − 0.387)], where F is the frequency of fiber-containing cells and x is PKC-ε content. Fiber accumulation was further investigated after knockdown of PKC-ε with RNA interference and antisense oligodeoxynucleotide. Knockdown enhanced stress fibers in cells not yet exposed to PMA as well as the final frequency of fiber-containing cells after PMA exposure. With knockdown at both transcriptional and protein levels, ∼15% of the original content was predicted and achieved, as judged from real-time PCR and PKC-ε content measurements. The results suggest that PKC-ε negatively regulates stress fibers, either by directly turning over one of their components or by regulating an upstream step affecting fiber organization.
ANG II type 1A receptor signaling causes unfavorable scar dynamics in the postinfarct heart
Authors: Li Yiwen , Takemura Genzou , Okada Hideshi , Miyata Shusaku , Kanamori Hiromitsu , Maruyama Rumi , Esaki Masayasu , Li Longhu , Ogino Atsushi , Ohno Takamasa , Kondo Takehito , Nakagawa Munehiro , Minatoguchi Shinya , Fujiwara Takako , Fujiwara Hisayoshi
Published: October 2006

Blockade of ANG II type 1A receptor (AT1A) is known to attenuate postinfarction [postmyocardial infarction (post-MI)] heart failure, accompanying reduction in fibrosis of the noninfarcted area. In the present study, we investigated the influence of AT1Ablockade on the infarcted tissue itself. Consistent with earlier reports, AT1Aknockout (AT1AKO) mice showed significantly attenuated left ventricular (LV) remodeling (dilatation) and dysfunction compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Morphometry revealed that the infarcted wall was thicker and had a smaller circumferential length in AT1AKO than WT hearts. In addition, significantly greater numbers of cells were present within infarcts in AT1AKO hearts 4 wk post-MI; most notably, there was an abundance of vessels and myofibroblasts. One week post-MI, the incidence of apoptosis among granulation tissue cells was fewer (3.3 ± 0.4 vs. 4.4 ± 0.5% in WT, P < 0.05), whereas vessel proliferation was higher in AT1AKO hearts, which likely explains the later abundance of cells within the scar tissue. Insulin-like growth factor receptor-I was upregulated and its downstream signal protein kinase B (Akt) was significantly activated in infarcted AT1AKO hearts compared with WT hearts. Inactivation of Akt with wortmannin partially but significantly prevented the benefits observed in AT1AKO. Collectively, in AT1AKO hearts, Akt-mediated granulation tissue cell proliferation and preservation resulting from antiapoptosis likely contributed to an abundant cell population that altered the infarct scar structure, thereby reducing wall stress and attenuating LV dilatation and dysfunction at the chronic stage. In conclusion, altered structural dynamics of infarct scar and increasing myocardial fibrosis may be responsible for the deleterious effects of AT1Asignaling following MI.
Increased lung expansion alters lung growth but not alveolar epithelial cell differentiation in newborn lambs
Authors: Flecknoe S. J. , Crossley K. J. , Zuccala G. M. , Searle J. E. , Allison B. J. , Wallace M. J. , Hooper S. B.
Published: October 2006

Although increased lung expansion markedly alters lung growth and epithelial cell differentiation during fetal life, the effect of increasing lung expansion after birth is unknown. We hypothesized that increased basal lung expansion, caused by ventilating newborn lambs with a positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), would stimulate lung growth and alter alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) proportions and decrease surfactant protein mRNA levels. Two groups of lambs were sedated and ventilated with either 0 cmH2O PEEP (controls, n = 5) or 10 cmH2O PEEP ( n = 5) for 48 h beginning at 15 ± 1 days after normal term birth. A further group of nonventilated 2-wk-old lambs was used for comparison. We determined wet and dry lung weights, DNA and protein content, a labeling index for proliferating cells, surfactant protein mRNA expression, and proportions of AECs using electron microscopy. Although ventilating lambs for 48 h with 10 cmH2O PEEP did not affect total lung DNA or protein, it significantly increased the proportion of proliferating cells in the lung when compared with nonventilated 2-wk-old controls and lambs ventilated with 0 cmH2O PEEP (control: 2.6 ± 0.5%; 0 PEEP: 1.9 ± 0.3%; 10 PEEP: 3.5 ± 0.3%). In contrast, no differences were observed in AEC proportions or surfactant protein mRNA levels between either of the ventilated groups. This study demonstrates that increases in end-expiratory lung volumes, induced by the application of PEEP, lead to increased lung growth in mechanically ventilated 2-wk-old lambs but do not alter the proportions of AECs.
Regulation of urokinase receptor expression by protein tyrosine phosphatases
Authors: Shetty Sreerama , Velusamy Thirunavukkarasu , Idell Steven , Tang Hua , Shetty Praveen Kumar
Published: October 2006

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) play a major role in several physiological processes such as cell migration, proliferation, morphogenesis, and regulation of gene expression. Many of the biological activities of uPA depend on its association with uPAR. uPAR expression and its induction by uPA are regulated at the posttranscriptional level. Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation by sodium orthovanadate induces uPAR expression and, with uPA, additively induces cell surface uPAR expression. Sodium orthovanadate induces uPAR by increasing uPAR mRNA in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Both sodium orthovanadate and uPA induce uPAR mRNA stability, indicating that dephosphorylation could contribute to uPA-induced posttranscriptional regulation of uPAR expression. Induction of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 in Beas2B and H157 cells inhibits basal cell surface uPAR expression and uPA-induced uPAR expression. Sodium orthovanadate also increases uPAR expression by decreasing the interaction of a uPAR mRNA coding region sequence with phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) as well as by enhancing the interaction between a uPAR mRNA 3′ untranslated sequence with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (hnRNPC). On the contrary, overexpression of SHP2 in Beas2B cells increased interaction of PGK with the uPAR mRNA coding region and inhibited hnRNPC binding to the 3′ untranslated sequence. These findings confirm a novel mechanism by which uPAR expression of lung airway epithelial cells is regulated at the level of mRNA stability by inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation of uPAR mRNA binding proteins and demonstrate that the process involves SHP2.
Duration-Dependent Response of SI to Vibrotactile Stimulation in Squirrel Monkey
Authors: Simons S. B. , Chiu J. , Favorov O. V. , Whitsel B. L. , Tommerdahl M.
Published: October 2006

In previous studies, we showed that the spatial and intensive aspects of the SI response to skin flutter stimulation are modified systematically as stimulus amplitude is increased. In this study, we examined the effects of duration of skin flutter stimulation on the spatiotemporal characteristics of the response of SI cortex. Optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging was used to study the evoked response in SI of anesthetized squirrel monkeys to 25-Hz sinusoidal vertical skin displacement stimulation. Four stimulus durations were tested (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 s); all stimuli were delivered to a discrete site on the glabrous skin of the contralateral forelimb. Skin stimulation evoked a prominent increase in absorbance within the forelimb regions in SI of the contralateral hemisphere. Responses to brief (0.5 s) stimuli were weaker and spatially more extensive than responses to longer duration stimuli (1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 s). Stimuli ≥1 s in duration suppressed responses to below background levels (decreased absorbance) in regions that surrounded the maximally activated region. The magnitude of the suppression in the surrounding regions was nonuniform and usually was strongest medial and posterior to the maximally activated region. The results show that sustained (≥1.0 s) stimulation decreases the spatial extent of the responding SI cortical population. Registration of the optical responses with the previously documented SI topographical organization strongly suggests that the cortical regions that undergo the strongest suppression represent skin sites that are normally co-stimulated during tactile exploration.
Fundamental questions about genes, inactivity, and chronic diseases
Authors: Booth Frank W. , Lees Simon J.
Published: October 2006

Currently our society is faced with the challenge of understanding the biological basis for the epidemics of obesity and many chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes. Physical inactivity increases the relative risk of coronary artery disease by 45%, stroke by 60%, hypertension by 30%, and osteoporosis by 59%. Moreover, physical inactivity is cited as an actual cause of chronic disease by the US Centers of Disease Control. Physical activity was obligatory for survival for the Homo genus for hundreds of thousands of years. This review will present evidence that suggests that metabolic pathways selected during the evolution of the human genome are inevitably linked to physical activity. Furthermore, as with many other environmental interactions, cycles of physical activity and inactivity interact with genes resulting in a functional outcome appropriate for the environment. However, as humans are less physically active, there is a maladaptive response that leads to metabolic dysfunction and many chronic diseases. How and why these interactions occur are fundamental questions in biology. Finally, a perspective to future research in physical inactivity-gene interaction is presented. This information is necessary to provide the molecular evidence required to further promote the primary prevention of chronic diseases through physical activity, identify those molecules that will allow early disease detection, and provide society with the molecular information needed to counter the current strategy of adding physical inactivity into our lives.
Risk of Colorectal Cancer Is Linked to Erythrocyte Compositions of Fatty Acids as Biomarkers for Dietary Intakes of Fish, Fat, and Fatty Acids
Authors: Kuriki Kiyonori , Wakai Kenji , Hirose Kaoru , Matsuo Keitaro , Ito Hidemi , Suzuki Takeshi , Saito Toshiko , Kanemitsu Yukihide , Hirai Takashi , Kato Tomoyuki , Tatematsu Masae , Tajima Kazuo
Published: October 2006

Consumption of fish rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid, is suggested to reduce colorectal cancer risk through inhibition of the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade related to tumorigenesis and cell proliferation. High intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) may increase the risk. To examine associations between colorectal cancer risk and fatty acid compositions in erythrocyte membranes, as biomarkers for dietary intakes of fish, fat, and fatty acids, we conducted a case-control study with 74 incident cases and 221 noncancer controls (matched by age, sex, and season of sample collection). Erythrocyte fatty acids were measured using an accelerated solvent extraction and a gas-liquid chromatography. Colorectal cancer had no association with dietary intakes of meat, fish, fat, and fatty acids. However, the risk was inversely associated with erythrocyte compositions of docosahexaenoic acid, AA, and PUFAs [the highest to the lowest tertile, odds ratios, 0.36, 0.42, and 0.15; 95% confidence intervals, 0.14-0.93, 0.18-0.95, and 0.05-0.46; Ptrend < 0.05, respectively] and positively with those of palmitic acid, SFAs, and the ratio of SFAs/PUFAs (odds ratios, 6.46, 8.20, and 9.45; 95% confidence intervals, 2.41-17.26, 2.86-23.52, and 2.84-31.43; Ptrend < 0.005, respectively). In conclusion, we could clearly show decreased and increased risks for colorectal cancer related to PUFAs and SFAs compositions in erythrocyte membranes, respectively, but further research is needed to investigate the discrepancy between our findings and the generally accepted role of the AA cascade. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1791–8)
Effect of Staining Procedures on the Results of Micronucleus Assays with Exfoliated Oral Mucosa Cells
Authors: Nersesyan Armen , Kundi Michael , Atefie Kambis , Schulte-Hermann Rolf , Knasmüller Siegfried
Published: October 2006

Micronuclei in exfoliated epithelial cells are widely used as biomarkers of cancer risk in humans. To elucidate the effect of different staining procedures on the outcome of such investigation, we conducted a study in which the micronuclei frequencies in oral mucosa cells of heavy smokers (n = 20) and nonsmokers (n = 10) were evaluated with nonspecific (Giemsa, May-Grünwald-Giemsa) and DNA-specific (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, Feulgen, acridine orange) stains, whereas with Giemsa-based stains, the frequencies of micronuclei in smokers were significantly (4- to 5-fold) higher in the smokers group, no significant increase was observed with any of the DNA-specific stains. Furthermore, the evaluation of cells of the two study groups with Feulgen stain showed that oral mucosa cells from smokers had significantly increased levels of nuclear anomalies other than micronuclei. These anomalies are consequences of cell injury found in epithelial cells and are paralleled by formation of keratin bodies in the cytoplasm that resemble micronuclei. Correlation analyses showed that micronuclei frequencies scored in Giemsa-stained slides correlated significantly with karyorrhexis, karyolysis, condensed chromatin, and binucleates, whereas no such correlations were found with DNA-specific stains. These findings indicate that nuclear anomalies (and possibly keratin bodies) may be misinterpreted as micronuclei with nonspecific DNA stains and lead to false-positive results in studies with cells of epithelial origin. Furthermore, our results show that exposure of oral mucosa cells to genotoxic carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke does not lead to induction of micronuclei in these cells. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1835–40)
BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers, Oral Contraceptive Use, and Breast Cancer Before Age 50
Authors: Haile Robert W. , Thomas Duncan C. , McGuire Valerie , Felberg Anna , John Esther M. , Milne Roger L. , Hopper John L. , Jenkins Mark A. , Levine A. Joan , Daly Mary M. , Buys Saundra S. , Senie Ruby T. , Andrulis Irene L. , Knight Julia A. , Godwin Andrew K. , Southey Melissa , McCredie Margaret R.E. , Giles Graham G. , Andrews Lesley , Tucker Katherine , Miron Alexander , Apicella Carmel , Tesoriero Andrea , Bane Anita , Pike Malcolm C. , Whittemore Alice S. ,   kConFab Investigators Ontario Cancer Genetics Network Investigators
Published: October 2006

Background: Understanding the effect of oral contraceptives on risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers is important because oral contraceptive use is a common, modifiable practice.

Methods: We studied 497 BRCA1 and 307 BRCA2 mutation carriers, of whom 195 and 128, respectively, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Case-control analyses were conducted using unconditional logistic regression with adjustments for family history and familial relationships and were restricted to subjects with a reference age under 50 years.

Results: For BRCA1 mutation carriers, there was no significant association between risk of breast cancer and use of oral contraceptives for at least 1 year [odds ratio (OR), 0.77; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.53-1.12] or duration of oral contraceptive use (Ptrend = 0.62). For BRCA2 mutation carriers, there was no association with use of oral contraceptives for at least 1 year (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.90-2.92); however, there was an association of elevated risk with oral contraceptive use for at least 5 years (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.08-3.94) and with duration of use (ORtrend per year of use, 1.08; P = 0.008). Similar results were obtained when we considered only use of oral contraceptives that first started in 1975 or later.

Conclusions: We found no evidence overall that use of oral contraceptives for at least 1 year is associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers before age 50. For BRCA2 mutation carriers, use of oral contraceptives may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among women who use them for at least 5 years. Further studies reporting results separately for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers are needed to resolve this important issue. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1863–70)
Interleukin-1B Polymorphisms and Gastric Cancer Risk—A Meta-analysis
Authors: Kamangar Farin , Cheng Cindy , Abnet Christian C. , Rabkin Charles S.
Published: October 2006

Some studies have reported that proinflammatory polymorphisms in interleukin-1B (IL-1B) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) genes are associated with increased gastric cancer risk. However, other studies have shown null or inverse associations. This meta-analysis reviews and summarizes published evidence for these associations. Searching the PubMed Database yielded 35 studies that reported on the association between IL-1B −511 C>T, IL-1B −31 T>C, or IL-1RN variable number tandem repeat polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk. Q-statistics and I2 statistics were calculated to examine heterogeneity. Summary odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated in the random-effects model using the DerSimonian-Laird method. For all gastric cancers, the overall ORs (95% CIs) for IL-1B −511 CT versus CC and TT versus CC genotypes were 1.07 (0.91-1.25) and 1.16 (0.95-1.42), respectively. ORs (95% CIs) for the association between IL-1B −31 CT versus TT and CC versus TT genotypes were 0.99 (0.83-1.19) and 0.98 (0.78-1.21), respectively. For the associations between IL-1RN and gastric cancer, ORs (95% CIs) for *2/L versus LL and *2/*2 versus L/L were 1.15 (0.96-1.38) and 1.23 (0.79-1.92). For each of the examined associations, there was significant heterogeneity among studies; Pheterogeneity ≤ 0.001 and I2 ranged from 0.54 to 0.71. Noncardia cancers showed stronger associations with IL-1B −511 CT or TT and IL1-RN *2/*2 genotypes, but limiting the analysis to intestinal-type cancers, studies conducted in Western countries, or studies in which polymorphisms were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, made no material difference in the results. The overall associations between IL-1B or IL-1RN proinflammatory polymorphisms and gastric cancer were null but several studies showed an association. The sources of this variation are unclear. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1920–8)
Perinatal Factors and Mortality from Breast Cancer
Authors: Sanderson Maureen , Daling Janet R. , Doody David R. , Malone Kathleen E.
Published: October 2006

Inverse associations have been reported between birthweight and subsequent mortality from circulatory disease and diabetes among women. In the current study, we assessed whether perinatal factors were associated with mortality from breast cancer. This follow-up study consists of breast cancer cases who participated in two population-based case-control studies of breast cancer in women under age 45 years conducted between 1983 and 1992 in three western Washington counties. This analysis is restricted to the 1,024 cases or their proxies who completed a supplementary questionnaire on perinatal factors from 1994 to 1996. The mean and median length of follow-up among living cohort members were 153 and 148 months, respectively. Relative to women who were firstborn, women who were born second or higher in the birth order seemed to have lower mortality from breast cancer [hazard ratio (HR), 0.2; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.2-0.3]. In contrast, maternal age of ≥35 years (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.8) was associated with higher breast cancer mortality relative to a maternal age of <25 years. Birth order modified the effect of maternal age on mortality from breast cancer (P = 0.03). There was evidence of increased breast cancer mortality for birthweight of ≥4,000 g (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-3.1) and twin membership (HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.0-6.2). The protective effect of being born second or higher in the birth order against breast cancer mortality regardless of maternal age is striking and needs to be confirmed in future studies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1984–7)
General and Abdominal Obesity and Survival among Young Women with Breast Cancer
Authors: Abrahamson Page E. , Gammon Marilie D. , Lund Mary Jo , Flagg Elaine W. , Porter Peggy L. , Stevens June , Swanson Christine A. , Brinton Louise A. , Eley J. William , Coates Ralph J.
Published: October 2006

Among postmenopausal women, obesity is linked to increased risk of breast cancer and poorer subsequent survival. For premenopausal women, obesity may reduce incidence, but less is known about its effect on prognosis, particularly for abdominal obesity. This study investigated whether general or abdominal obesity at diagnosis influenced survival in a cohort of young women with breast cancer. A population-based follow-up study was conducted among 1,254 women ages 20 to 54 who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1990 and 1992 in Atlanta or New Jersey. Women were interviewed within several months of diagnosis and asked about their weight and height at age 20 and in the year before diagnosis. Study personnel did anthropometric measures at the interview. With 8 to 10 years of follow-up, all-cause mortality status was determined using the National Death Index (n = 290 deaths). Increased mortality was observed for women who were obese [body mass index (BMI), ≥30] at the time of interview compared with women of ideal weight [BMI, 18.5-24.9; stage- and income-adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 1.48; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.09-2.01]. A similar result was seen for the highest versus lowest quartile of waist-to-hip ratio (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.05-2.19). Strong associations with mortality were found for women who were obese at age 20 (HR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.15-5.37) or who were overweight/obese (BMI, ≥25) at both age 20 and the time of interview (HR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.45-3.40). This study provides evidence that breast cancer survival is reduced among younger women with general or abdominal obesity. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1871–7)
Evaluation of the 4q32-34 Locus in European Familial Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Earl Julie , Yan Li , Vitone Louis J. , Risk Janet , Kemp Steve J. , McFaul Chris , Neoptolemos John P. , Greenhalf William ,   for the European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatitis and Familial Pancreatic Cancer, Kress Ralf , Sina-Frey Mercedes , Hahn Stephan A. , Rieder Harald , Bartsch Detlef K. ,   for the German National Case Collection for Familial Pancreatic Cancer
Published: October 2006

Background: Familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) describes a group of families where the inheritance of pancreatic cancer is consistent with an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance. The 4q32-34 region has been previously identified as a potential locus for FPC in a large American family.

Methods: The region was allelotyped in 231 individuals from 77 European families using nine microsatellite markers, and haplotyping was possible in 191 individuals from 41 families. Families were selected based on at least two affected first-degree relatives with no other cancer syndromes.

Results: Linkage to most of the locus was excluded based on LOD scores less than −2.0. Eight families were excluded from linkage to 4q32-34 based on haplotypes not segregating with the disease compared with a predicted six to seven families. Two groups of families were identified, which seem to share common alleles within the minimal disease-associated region of 4q32-34, one group with an apparently earlier age of cancer death than the other pancreatic cancer families. Four genes were identified with potential tumor suppressor roles within the locus in regions that could not be excluded based on the LOD score. These were HMGB2, PPID, MORF4, and SPOCK3. DNA sequence analysis of exons of these genes in affected individuals and in pancreatic cancer cell lines did not reveal any mutations.

Conclusion: This locus is unlikely to harbor a FPC gene in the majority of our European families. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1948–55)
Maternal Smoking and Testicular Germ Cell Tumors
Authors: McGlynn Katherine A. , Zhang Yawei , Sakoda Lori C. , Rubertone Mark V. , Erickson Ralph L. , Graubard Barry I.
Published: October 2006

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are the most common cancer among men ages 15 to 35 years in the United States. The well-established TGCT risk factors cryptorchism, prior diagnosis of TGCT, and family history of testicular cancer indicate that exposures in early life and/or in the familial setting may be critical to determining risk. Previous reports of familial clustering of lung cancer in mothers and testicular cancers in sons suggest that passive smoking in childhood may be such an exposure. To clarify the relationship of passive smoking exposure to TGCT risk, data from 754 cases and 928 controls enrolled in the Servicemen's Testicular Tumor Environmental and Endocrine Determinants study were analyzed. Data from 1,086 mothers of the cases and controls were also examined. Overall, there was no relationship between maternal [odds ratio (OR), 1.1; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.9-1.3] or paternal smoking (OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.8-1.3) and TGCT risk. Although living with a nonparent smoker was marginally related to risk (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-2.1), there was no relationship with number of smokers, amount smoked, or duration of smoking. Responses from both case-control participants and mothers also revealed no relationship between either maternal smoking while pregnant or while breast-feeding. Results did not differ by TGCT histology (seminoma, nonseminoma). These results do not support the hypothesis that passive smoking, either in utero or in childhood, is related to risk of TGCT. Other early life exposures, however, may explain the familial clustering of lung cancer in mothers and TGCT in sons. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1820–4)
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Incidence of Gastric Cancer: A Prospective Study
Authors: Larsson Susanna C. , Bergkvist Leif , Wolk Alicja
Published: October 2006

Background: Whether fruit and vegetable consumption may confer protection from gastric cancer remains controversial.

Methods: We prospectively investigated the association between consumption of fruits and vegetables and the incidence of gastric cancer among participants from two population-based cohort studies: 36,664 women in the Swedish Mammography Cohort and 45,338 men in the Cohort of Swedish Men. Participants completed a food-frequency questionnaire in 1997 and were followed up for cancer incidence through June 2005. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate multivariate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.2 years, we ascertained 139 incident cases of gastric cancer. Vegetable consumption was inversely associated with risk of gastric cancer, whereas no significant association was observed for fruit consumption. After controlling for age and other risk factors, women and men who consumed ≥2.5 servings/d of vegetables had a HR of 0.56 (95% CI, 0.34-0.93) for developing gastric cancer compared with those who consumed <1 serving/d. The respective HR for fruit consumption was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.52-1.43). Among specific subgroups of vegetables, consumption of green leafy vegetables and root vegetables was inversely associated with risk of gastric cancer; the multivariate HRs comparing ≥3 servings/wk with <0.5 serving/wk were 0.64 (95% CI, 0.42-0.99) for green leafy vegetables and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.27-0.69) for root vegetables.

Conclusions: Frequent consumption of vegetables may reduce the risk of gastric cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1998–2001)
Why Terrorism Does Not Work
Authors: Abrahms Max
Published: October 2006

This is the first article to analyze a large sample of terrorist groups in terms of their policy effectiveness. It includes every foreign terrorist organization (FTO) designated by the U.S. Department of State since 2001. The key variable for FTO success is a tactical one: target selection. Terrorist groups whose attacks on civilian targets outnumber attacks on military targets do not tend to achieve their policy objectives, regardless of their nature. Contrary to the prevailing view that terrorism is an effective means of political coercion, the universe of cases suggests that, first, contemporary terrorist groups rarely achieve their policy objectives and, second, the poor success rate is inherent to the tactic of terrorism itself. The bulk of the article develops a theory for why countries are reluctant to make policy concessions when their civilian populations are the primary target.
The Unipolar Illusion Revisited: The Coming End of the United States' Unipolar Moment
Authors: Layne Christopher
Published: October 2006

The conventional wisdom among U.S. grand strategists is that U.S. hegemony is exceptional—that the United States need not worry about other states engaging in counterhegemonic balancing against it. The case for U.S. hegemonic exceptionalism, however, is weak. Contrary to the predictions of Waltzian balance of power theorists, no new great powers have emerged since the end of the Cold War to restore equilibrium to the balance of power by engaging in hard balancing against the United States—that is, at least, not yet. This has led primacists to conclude that there has been no balancing against the United States. Here, however, they conflate the absence of a new distribution of power in the international political system with the absence of balancing behavior by the major second-tier powers. Moreover, the primacists' focus on the failure of new great powers to emerge, and the absence of traditional “hard” (i.e., military) counterbalancing, distracts attention from other forms of counterbalancing—notably “leash-slipping”—by major second-tier states that ultimately could lead to the same result: the end of unipolarity. Because unipolarity is the foundation of U.S. hegemony, if it ends, so too will U.S. primacy.
Sound transmission in the habitats of Japanese macaques and its possible effect on population differences in coo calls
Authors: Tanaka Toshiaki , Sugiura Hideki , Masataka Nobuo
Published: October 2006

Recently, the acoustic features of coo calls were reported to differ between two populations of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui), namely the Ohirayama and Yakushima populations. We hypothesized that this difference may arise through differences in the acoustic environments of the two habitats, and measured the degrees of transmission of pure tones (250-8000 Hz) and the coo calls of the two populations in each habitat. In the Ohirayama habitat, lower frequencies were transmitted more efficiently, and the low-pitched coo calls of the Ohirayama population showed significantly better transmission than the high-pitched calls of the Yakushima population. In the Yakushima habitat, the degrees of transmission of the calls of the two populations did not differ significantly. Therefore, the calls of the Ohirayama population possess acoustic features that allow better transmission in their own habitat, suggesting that the habitat acoustics may be a factor contributing to the population difference between the calls.
Picking the right spot: crab spiders position themselves on flowers to maximize prey attraction
Authors: Cheng Ken , Heiling Astrid M. , Herberstein Marie E.
Published: October 2006

In plant-pollinator interactions, pollinating insects provide reproductive service to plants and receive food rewards. Flowers advertise the presence of nectar or pollen through various characteristics, including visual displays. In daisies (Chrysanthemum frutescens), the center of the inflorescence appears as a UV-absorbing bull's-eye that attracts pollinators, for example honeybees. Thomisus spectabilis crab spiders occupy daisies and prey on honeybees. They typically position themselves on the lingulate florets of daisies and create a color contrast that deceives honeybees. Honeybees prefer daisies with a T. spectabilis on the lingulate florets to vacant daisies. In contrast, when offered the choice between a vacant daisy and a daisy whose center was covered by a T. spectabilis, honeybees preferred the vacant daisy. Similarly, honeybees were deterred by daisies whose center was covered by lingulate daisy florets making a rectangle about the size of a T. spectabilis. Covering the lingulate florets of daisies by a rectangle of lingulate daisy florets, however, neither attracted nor repelled honeybees. Honeybees seem to rely on the visibility of the daisy center to locate food reward and, by positioning themselves on the lingulate florets of daisies, T. spectabilis exploit these sensory biases of prey.
Diaspora Remittances and the Financing of Basic Social Services and Infrastructure in Francophone Africa South of the Sahara
Authors: Sikod Fondo , Tchouassi Gérard
Published: October 2006

Migration is a human phenomenon that has intensified during the past several decades, reflecting the dynamics of societies and upholding the fact of its being an eternal human phenomenon. Remittances are a form of showing the attachment the migrant has with the country of origin, and one of the most visible and beneficial aspects of how international migration is reshaping the countries of origin. The hypothesis investigated by this study is that diaspora remittances to Francophone Africa south of the Sahara contribute to finance basic social services and infrastructures. A descriptive approach, based on literature review and secondary data shows how the contribution of diaspora remittances is filling the gap in the provision of social services that official sources cannot fill.
Pan-African Brain Circulation
Authors: Hewitt Cynthia Lucas
Published: October 2006

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the relationship between the number of immigrants from a country and the amount of U.S. direct investment into that country, showing a direct relationship supportive of the emerging brain-circulation model, and discusses the possible use of this model to assist in bringing about the goals of Pan-Africanism. The principles underlying Pan-Africanism are considered in respect to the outcomes of the movement, given the recent political economy of capitalism. Brain circulation provides one focused approach to designing policies and projects for sustainable development in Africa that will impact the lives of Africans there and globally. The transnationalism paradigm, which provides analysis of immigrant communities' identification and allegiance both with their homeland and their U.S. communities, is useful in highlighting factors important to the global Pan-African networking that is required for a successful African/African American brain circulation.
Measurement of Acculturation, Scale Formats, and Language Competence
Authors: Kang Sun-Mee
Published: October 2006

This study was conducted to test whether the lack of independence between ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations is partially due to the adoption of a specific scale format. It was hypothesized that unique structural features commonly found in bidimensional acculturation instruments (paired questions that differ only in their cultural orientations and utilize the “frequency” format) cause strong inverse associations between the two cultural orientations. This study also explored the relative importance of language competence over the other domains of acculturation in the prediction of psychosocial adjustment (i.e., self-esteem, perceived stress, peer relationship, adjustment to college, family conflict). As predicted, results from a sample of 489 Asian Americans supported the hypothesis that the scale formats contribute to the lack of orthogonality. They also showed that language competence was a stronger predictor of adjustment than the other domains of acculturation, implying that language competence is a better indicator of acculturation among Asian Americans.
Similarities and Differences in Acculturation Among Mothers, Fathers, and Children in Immigrant Chinese Families
Authors: Costigan Catherine L. , Dokis Daphné P.
Published: October 2006

Similarities and differences in acculturation in multiple domains were evaluated among mothers, fathers, and children in 88 immigrant Chinese families in Canada. Parents and children differed most in host culture domains (public Canadian behaviors and private Canadian values) and were most similar in ethnic private domains (Chinese identity and values). Differences in the ethnic public domain (Chinese behaviors) were moderate. Unexpectedly, considerable mother-father differences were also evident across domains. The predictors of parent-child differences varied by domain. Differences in public domains were larger in mother-child dyads and in families with longer residence in Canada. Differences in ethnic private domains were larger in father-child dyads and in families characterized by less warmth. Findings are discussed in terms of the domain specificity of cultural transmission and the influence of immigrant parents in host versus ethnic dimensions.
‘Avec Klarsfeld, contre l’oubli’
Authors: Morris Alan
Published: October 2006

Recognizing that the Folio edition of Dora Bruder (1999) is not merely a reproduction of the 1997 Gallimard Blanche original, but a revised and augmented version of its predecessor, this article begins by examining the two texts in tandem and detailing the amendments that Modiano has made in moving from one to the other. The implications of these changes are then assessed, with the author’s apparent wish to make his narrative more complete and more truthful, prompting a discussion of the overall status of the book - is it a work of fact, a fiction or a ‘faction’? Finally, the unacknowledged contribution of Serge Klarsfeld is elucidated, a con tribution which emerges as so vital that it provides the key to the Dora Bruder project in its entirety.
Finite Sample Effects in Group-Based Trajectory Models
Authors: Loughran Tom , Nagin Daniel S.
Published: October 2006

Two desirable properties of maximum likelihood-based parameter estimates are that the estimates are asymptotically unbiased and asymptotically normally distributed. In this article, the authors test whether the asymptotic properties of maximum likelihood estimation are achieved in sample sizes typically used in applications of group-based trajectory modeling. Through empirical results generated by resampling of population data, they find that the maximum likelihood estimates obtained in group-based trajectory models still provide reasonably close estimates of their true population values and have approximately normal distributions, even when estimated with a sample size as small as n = 500. Furthermore, and more important for the users of these types of models, the authors find similarly good performance in the model’s ability to estimate the transformed quantities of main interest: the group trajectories and mixing probabilities.
Sects and Hindu social structure
Authors: Shah A.M.
Published: October 2006

This article analyses the phenomenon of sect in Hindu society through empirical data and a review of literature, and pleads for the recognition of the sect as a structural principle of society as a whole, rather than merely of religion. It considers the sect/non-sect distinction more basic than the caste/sect distinction, and the long-held presumption of a necessary relation between renunciation and sect as limiting a proper understanding of both religion and society. It analyses the social organisation of sects, taking an integrated view of laity and leadership, contrary to the overwhelming importance given to the latter in sociological literature. It examines the sect's relation with caste, including the Dalit castes, and with the Adivasi tribes, and seeks to place sect in the context of Sanskritic culture, including its intellectual life. Finally, it raises the issue of changes in sects in modern times, and the problem of their study.
Big brother or brave new world? Telecare and its implications for older people’s independence and social inclusion
Authors: Percival John , Hanson Julienne
Published: October 2006

Telecare is advocated as a means of effectively and economically delivering health and social care services in people’s homes, using technology that can monitor activities and safety, provide virtual home visiting, activate reminder systems, increase home security and convey information. Significant planned investment by central government will be rewarded if telecare results in fewer older people requiring institutional care, and more remaining independent in their own homes longer than would otherwise be the case. This paper, which reports on focus group work with older people, carers and professional stakeholders, considers key issues rarely addressed in provider-led studies. Emerging social policy implications centre on the potential impact of telecare on service users’ autonomy and privacy and, controversially, as a replacement for human support. We argue that the development of relevant policy and practice in respect of telecare has to pay close and careful attention to concerns held by all stakeholders, particularly in regard to individual choice, surveillance, risk-taking and quality of service.
Ownership, regulation and the public interest: The case of residential care for older people
Authors: Drakeford Mark
Published: October 2006

This commentary deals with recent, rapid developments in the field of private residential care of older people. It traces changes in the pattern of ownership and regulation, and explores the extent to which these impact upon the protection of the public interest. It concludes that the nature of ownership continues to matter in social welfare, and that regulation has proved of limited effectiveness in securing the interests of older people in private care.
Call us carers: Limitations and risks in campaigning for recognition and exclusivity
Authors: Lloyd Liz
Published: October 2006

This article comments on the current campaign by carers’ organizations for the title of carer to be used exclusively in connection with unpaid caring. This campaign is analysed in the context of recent developments in policies on unpaid caring and broader debates concerning recognition campaigns, identity and solidarity with others. It is argued that success for carers in terms of securing better benefits and services has been partial and limited and that there are problems in linking demands for recognition with demands for improved material conditions. It is also argued that this particular campaign is likely to prove counterproductive, not only for carers but also for others in caring relationships, including paid carers and people in need of support.
The Writing Conference as a Locus of Emergent Agency
Authors: Strauss Susan , Xiang Xuehua
Published: October 2006

This article examines writing conference discourse in one English as a Second Language (ESL) basic composition course. The study is based on a 25,000-word corpus of 10 writing conference interactions between the instructor and seven students. Through a microlevel analysis, the authors demonstrate how and to what degree the writing conference can serve as a locus of “emergent agency,” with a particular focus on the second-language writer. The data exhibit patterns in the students’ discourse such that earlier segments in the interactions tend to reflect uncertainty, confusion, negative self-evaluation, and negative other-evaluation. As the sessions progress, the authors note shifts in stance whereby students begin to propose candidate solutions to actual or perceived problems and evince more authorial direction. The authors demonstrate that the practice can serve as an effective pedagogical activity in which novice writers learn to navigate through challenges and obstacles associated with university-level reading and writing tasks.
A Meaning-Centered Approach to Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Turner Paaige K. , Krizek Robert L.
Published: October 2006

We propose a meaning-centered approach to understanding customer/patient satisfaction grounded in the hermeneutical tradition and informed by concepts highlighted in Herzberg’s two-factor motivation and hygiene theory. Current research in customer satisfaction conceptualizes satisfaction as a stable, singular construct driven by expectations and relies predominately on quantitative assessments. We argue that conceptualizing customer satisfaction as the relation of meanings experienced by customers and incorporating qualitative forms of assessment contribute additional insights into customers’ lived experiences of customer/patient satisfaction. Specifically, based on observations of and interviews with patients at a medical facility, we argue that customers are simultaneously satisfied and dissatisfied and, moreover, the relation of satisfaction and dissatisfaction forms a system of meaning upon which they draw when making behavioral decisions. Finally, we articulate how taking a meaning-centered approach to customer satisfaction can enhance both theorists’ and managers’ ability to understand what it means to create satisfaction.
Regional Disparities and National Development Revisited
Authors: Ezcurra Roberto , Rapún Manuel
Published: October 2006

This article explores the relationship between regional inequality and economic development level in 14 Western European countries for the period 1980–2002. The results, which were obtained by means of a semi-parametric methodology, indicate the presence of a process of regional divergence once a certain level of development has been reached. Nevertheless, in contrast to the available empirical evidence for the United States, our estimates show that the increase in regional disparities is purely transitory. Indeed, beyond a given level of per capita GDP, regional inequality can be seen to decrease, ultimately leading to a stabilization of territorial imbalances in the later stages of the development process.These findings are robust to the inclusion of additional variables in the analysis and to the choice of the measure used to quantify regional disparities.
Euro-commentary: (Anglo)phoning Home from Berlin: A Response to Alan Latham
Authors: Cochrane Allan
Published: October 2006

Alan Latham criticizes recent Anglophone writing on Berlin for reflecting a consensus position, which explains urban development with the help of a template defined by globalizing neo-liberalism. In some respects the points he makes are helpful. Berlin has been actively repositioned and re-imagined through an ambivalent process of ‘normalization’, which cannot be reduced to the rolling out of some global norm. However, there is a danger in this approach that Berlin is presented as somehow immune from the pressures of neo-liberalism and as providing the template of an alternative (European social-democratic) model.