bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fears and Fearfulness in South-African Children
Authors: Burkhardt Käthe , Loxton Helene , Muris Peter
Published: October 2005

The present study examined common childhood fears in 9- to 13-year-old South-African children (N = 404) from white, coloured, and black cultural groups. Fears were assessed by means of two methods — the fear list method and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R). Results showed that fear rank orders as obtained with the fear list method were quite different from those derived from the FSSC-R. Furthermore, clear differences in fear levels were found among the three cultural groups. More specifically, coloured and black South-African children displayed significantly higher fear levels than white children. Finally, differences were also found as to the content of prevalent fears in the three cultural groups. For example, common fears in coloured and black children were more frequently related to violence than in white children.
Mind, matter, and quantum mechanics: towards a new conceptual theoretical framework
Authors: Stettler René
Published: October 2005

Frequently, rationally less justifiable arguments and often so called implicit assumptions (which are not explicitly clarified) regarding our conceptions of reality are perhaps an underestimated but crucial factor causing controversial discussions between the representatives of equal
and different disciplines. The essay conceptualizes the separation of academic disciplines from a new theoretical viewpoint by looking at the fundamental structures of reality on the level of the roots, not the fruits. Basic assumptions and deeply rooted convictions and conceptions of reality,
theories and models in quantum physics, consciousness studies and art may thereby be regarded as a cause for communication problems. Can a wider scope of how to define the foundation of science support the concept of a necessary initiation of a movement towards a more expansive and deliberate
synchronization of the separate disciplines into new synthetic combinations of knowledge? The essay speculatively concludes with some central points of how new modes of knowledge production may be envisioned. It includes a perspective on the origin of knowledge with a wider scope that goes
beyond the conventional frameworks of scientific and artistic exploration.
The Fun Palace: Cedric Price’s experiment in architecture and technology
Authors: Mathews Stanley
Published: October 2005

This article examines how in his influential 1964 Fun Palace project the late British architect Cedric Price created a unique synthesis of a wide range of contemporary discourses and theories, such as the emerging sciences of cybernetics, information technology, and game theory, Situationism,
and theater to produce a new kind of improvisational architecture to negotiate the constantly shifting cultural landscape of the postwar years. The Fun Palace was not a building in any conventional sense, but was instead a socially interactive machine, highly adaptable to the shifting cultural
and social conditions of its time and place. This constantly varying design for a new form of leisure center began in 1962 as a collaboration between Cedric Price and avant-garde theater producer Joan Littlewood. Littlewood had conceived of a new kind of theater designed to awaken the passive
subjects of mass culture to a new consciousness. Her vision of a dynamic and interactive theater provided the programmatic framework on which Price would develop and refine his concept of an interactive, performative architecture, adaptable to the varying needs and desires of the individual.
By assembling their own pedagogical and leisure environments using cranes and prefabricated modules in an improvisational architecture, common citizens could escape from everyday routine and serial existence and embark on a journey of learning, creativity, and individual fulfillment. The Fun
Palace was one of the more innovative and creative proposals for the use of free time in postwar England. It also provided a model for the 1976 Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Fostering mind-body synchronization and trance using fractal video
Authors: Eagan-Deprez Kathleen , Humphreys Reginald
Published: October 2005

Innovations in fractal creation procedures allow for a new style of fractal art and video, with enhanced aesthetics and other emergent properties. Biosynchronously timed fractal video can facilitate focusing of attention, and when paired with music, creates an audiovisual stimulus that
can facilitate certain trance phenomena. Maximization of these effects can foster a state of mind-body synchronization, a trance-like state similar to hypnosis, referred to as the fractal-viewing trance (FVT). The fractal-viewing trance has potential use as an analogue of self-hypnosis or
meditation, for achieving various health benefits, and for fostering personal development.
Expression and Modulation of an NADPH Oxidase in Mammalian Astrocytes
Authors: Abramov Andrey Y. , Jacobson Jake , Wientjes Frans , Hothersall John , Canevari Laura , Duchen Michael R.
Published: October 2005

Amyloid β peptides generate oxidative stress in hippocampal astrocytes through a mechanism sensitive to inhibitors of the NADPH oxidase [diphenylene iodonium (DPI) and apocynin]. Seeking evidence for the expression and function of the enzyme in primary hippocampal astrocytes, we confirmed the expression of the subunits of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase by Western blot analysis and by immunofluorescence and coexpression with the astrocyte-specific marker glial fibrillary acidic protein both in cultures andin vivo. Functional assays using lucigenin luminescence, dihydroethidine, or dicarboxyfluorescein fluorescence to measure the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) demonstrated DPI and apocynin-sensitive ROS generation in response to the phorbol ester PMA and to raised [Ca2+]cafter application of ionomycin or P2ureceptor activation. Stimulation by PMA but not Ca2+was inhibited by the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors staurosporine and hispidin. Responses were absent in transgenic mice lacking gp91phox. Expression of gp91phox and p67phox was increased in reactive astrocytes, which showed increased rates of both resting and stimulated ROS generation. NADPH oxidase activity was modulated by intracellular pH, suppressed by intracellular alkalinization, and enhanced by acidification. The protonophore carbonyl cyanidep-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone suppressed basal ROS generation but markedly increased PMA-stimulated ROS generation. This was independent of mitochondrial ROS production, because it was unaffected by mitochondrial depolarization with rotenone and oligomycin. Thus, the NADPH oxidase is expressed in astrocytes and is functional, activated by PKC and intracellular calcium, modulated by pHi, and upregulated by astrocyte activation. The astrocytic NADPH oxidase is likely to play important roles in CNS physiology and pathology.
Target-Cell-Specific Left-Right Asymmetry of NMDA Receptor Content in Schaffer Collateral Synapses in ϵ1/NR2A Knock-Out Mice
Authors: Wu Yue , Kawakami Ryosuke , Shinohara Yoshiaki , Fukaya Masahiro , Sakimura Kenji , Mishina Masayoshi , Watanabe Masahiko , Ito Isao , Shigemoto Ryuichi
Published: October 2005

Input-dependent left-right asymmetry of NMDA receptor ϵ2 (NR2B) subunit allocation was discovered in hippocampal Schaffer collateral (Sch) and commissural fiber pyramidal cell synapses (Kawakami et al., 2003). To investigate whether this asymmetricalϵ2 allocation is also related to the types of the postsynaptic cells, we compared postembedding immunogold labeling for ϵ2 in left and right Sch synapses on pyramidal cells and interneurons. To facilitate the detection of ϵ2 density difference, we used ϵ1 (NR2A) knock-out (KO) mice, which have a simplified NMDA receptor subunit composition.

The labeling density for ϵ2 but not ζ1 (NR1) and subtype 2/3 glutamate receptor (GluR2/3) in Sch-CA1 pyramidal cell synapses was significantly different between the left and right hippocampus with opposite directions in strata oriens and radiatum; the left to right ratio ofϵ2 labeling density was 1:1.50 in stratum oriens and 1.44:1 in stratum radiatum. No significant difference, however, was detected in CA1 stratum radiatum between the left and right Sch-GluR4-positive (mostly parvalbumin-positive) and Sch-GluR4-negative interneuron synapses. Consistent with the anatomical asymmetry, the amplitude ratio of NMDA EPSCs to non-NMDA EPSCs in pyramidal cells was approximately two times larger in right than left stratum radiatum and vice versa in stratum oriens of ϵ1 KO mice. Moreover, the amplitude of long-term potentiation in the Sch-CA1 synapses of left stratum radiatum was significantly larger than that in the right corresponding synapses. These results indicate that the asymmetry of ϵ2 distribution is target cell specific, resulting in the left-right difference in NMDA receptor content and plasticity in Sch-CA1 pyramidal cell synapses in ϵ1 KO mice.
Behavioral Sensitization to Cocaine Is Associated with Increased AMPA Receptor Surface Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens
Authors: Boudreau Amy C. , Wolf Marina E.
Published: October 2005

Regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking is important for many forms of neuronal plasticity. In this study, a protein cross-linking assay was used to evaluate the contribution of AMPA receptor trafficking to plasticity associated with behavioral sensitization, an animal model of drug addiction. Cross-linking was used to distinguish between cell surface and intracellular AMPA receptors in nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissue obtained from rats treated repeatedly with saline or cocaine. Surface/intracellular (S/I) ratios for glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) and GluR2/3 subunits were increased 21 d after the last injection in cocaine-sensitized rats but not rats that failed to sensitize, and the magnitude of the S/I ratio for cocaine-sensitized rats was positively correlated with the magnitude of behavioral sensitization. At the 1 d withdrawal time, cocaine did not alter S/I ratios, and there was no correlation between S/I ratios and behavioral sensitization. The majority of surface-expressed GluR1 detected with this assay was associated with synapses, based on coimmunoprecipitation with postsynaptic density protein of 95 kDa. These findings suggest that behavioral sensitization to cocaine is associated with a slowly developing redistribution of AMPA receptors to the surface of NAc neurons. Motor execution of drug-seeking responses depends on activation of AMPA receptors on NAc neurons by glutamate afferents originating in cortical and limbic regions. We propose that drug-seeking responses are more effectively triggered in cocaine-sensitized rats because of increased cell surface expression of AMPA receptors.
Sleep-Dependent Plasticity Requires Cortical Activity
Authors: Jha Sushil K. , Jones Brian E. , Coleman Tammi , Steinmetz Nick , Law Chi-Tat , Griffin Gerald , Hawk Josh , Dabbish Nooreen , Kalatsky Valery A. , Frank Marcos G.
Published: October 2005

Recent findings in humans and animals suggest that sleep promotes synaptic plasticity, but the underlying mechanisms have not been identified. We have demonstrated recently an important role for sleep in ocular dominance (OD) plasticity, a classic form ofin vivocortical remodeling triggered by monocular deprivation (MD) during a critical period of development. The mechanisms responsible for the effects of sleep on OD plasticity are unknown but may depend on neuronal activity in the sleeping brain. We investigated the role of cortical activity in sleep-dependent plasticity by reversibly inactivating the sleeping visual cortex (V1) after a period of MD. Critical period cats were bilaterally implanted with cannulas in V1 and standard EEG/EMG electrodes for polysomnographic recording. After a period of MD, visual cortices were infused with the sodium channel blocker lidocaine in vehicle or vehicle only during sleep. A third group of cats served as sham controls and were infused with lidocaine outside of V1 (into the CSF). Both optical imaging of intrinsic cortical signals and microelectrode recordings showed that OD plasticity was significantly reduced in cats whose visual cortices were reversibly silenced during sleep. These findings demonstrate that the mechanisms governing this form of sleep-dependent plasticity require cortical activity. They provide an important insight into how sleep modifies synaptic circuitry by narrowing the range of possible candidate mechanisms to those that are activity dependent.
Functional Role of the Fast Transient Outward K+CurrentIAin Pyramidal Neurons in (Rat) Primary Visual Cortex
Authors: Yuan Weilong , Burkhalter Andreas , Nerbonne Jeanne M.
Published: October 2005

A molecular genetic approach was exploited to directly test the hypothesis that voltage-gated K+(Kv) channel pore-forming (α) subunits of the Kv4 subfamily encode the fast transient outward K+current (IA) in cortical pyramidal neurons and to explore the functional role ofIAin shaping action potential waveforms and in controlling repetitive firing in these cells. Using the biolistic gene gun, cDNAs encoding a mutant Kv4.2 α subunit (Kv4.2W362F), which functions as a dominant negative (Kv4.2DN), and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were introducedin vitrointo neurons isolated from postnatal rat primary visual cortex. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings obtained from EGFP-positive pyramidal neurons revealed thatIAis selectively eliminated in cells expressing Kv4.2DN. The densities and properties of the other Kv currents are unaffected. In neurons expressing Kv4.2DN, input resistances are increased and the (current) thresholds for action potential generation are decreased. In addition, action potential durations are prolonged, the amplitudes of afterhyperpolarizations are reduced, and the responses to prolonged depolarizing inputs are altered markedly in cells expressing Kv 4.2DN. At low stimulus intensities, firing rates are increased in Kv4.2DN-expressing cells, whereas at high stimulus intensities, Kv4.2DN-expressing cells adapt strongly. Together, these results demonstrate that Kv4α subunits encodeIAchannels and thatIAplays a pivotal role in shaping the waveforms of individual action potentials and in controlling repetitive firing in visual cortical pyramidal neurons.
Ribosome Dysfunction Is an Early Event in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Ding Qunxing , Markesbery William R. , Chen Qinghua , Li Feng , Keller Jeffrey N.
Published: October 2005

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and devastating disorder that is often preceded by mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In the present study, we report that in multiple cortical areas of MCI and AD subjects, there is a significant impairment in ribosome function that is not observed in the cerebellum of the same subjects. The impairment in ribosome function is associated with a decreased rate and capacity for protein synthesis, decreased ribosomal RNA and tRNA levels, and increased RNA oxidation. No alteration in the level of initiation factors was observed in the brain regions exhibiting impairments in protein synthesis. Together, these data indicate for the first time that impairments in protein synthesis may be one of the earliest neurochemical alterations in AD and directly demonstrate that the polyribosome complex is adversely affected early in the development of AD. These data have important implications for AD studies involving proteomics and studies analyzing proteolysis in AD, indicate that oxidative damage may contribute to decreased protein synthesis, and suggest a role for alterations in protein synthesis as a novel contributor to the onset and development of AD.
Ferroelastic phase transitions and domain structures in powders
Authors: Boysen Hans
Published: October 2005

Powder patterns of samples resulting from ferroelastic phase transitions generally show typical line profiles: asymmetry into the direction of the position of the corresponding hypothetical high symmetry reflection and strongly anisotropic line broadening. An approximate model is presented that describes the characteristic distribution of individual line widths based on the variation of lattice spacings within the domain walls. The variation with temperature is governed by the competition of decreasing spontaneous strain and increasing wall widths and/or wall densities. It is argued that conventional Rietveld refinements can easily lead to erroneous results and a simplified method is proposed to approximate the actual line profiles via the introduction of a second phase with anisotropic strain broadening to take into account the scattering fom the domain walls.
Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Male U.S. Army Soldiers: Ethnicity as a Factor in Self-Reported Perpetration and Victimization
Authors: Rosen Leora N. , Parmley Angela Moore , Knudson Kathryn H. , Fancher Peggy
Published: October 2005

Correlates of self-reported intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined among 488 married male U.S. Army soldiers. Study results were examined within the framework of Johnson’s (1995) typology, which proposes that there are two main types of IPV, common couple violence and intimate terrorism. We predicted that poor marital adjustment would be associated with minor violence, hypothesized to be indicative of common couple violence. We also predicted that psychological and behavioral characteristics associated with perpetrators of IPV would be more strongly correlated with severe inflicted aggression—a pattern hypothesized to be indicative of intimate terrorism. The results, based on a multivariate analysis of covariance, generally supported our hypotheses. Furthermore, the higher levels of IPV reported by Black respondents in this study were associated with the pattern hypothesized to be characteristic of common couple violence.
Male Partner Violence Against Women in Stepfamilies: An Analysis of Risk and Explanations in the Canadian Milieu
Authors: Brownridge Douglas A.
Published: October 2005

Using a representative sample of 2,703 Canadian women living in either a stepfamily or a biological family, this investigation assesses the extent of women’s elevated risk for violence in stepfamilies relative to biological families as well as explanations for this relationship. Canadian women living in stepfamilies are shown to be twice as likely as their counterparts in biological families to experience violence. Differences between the two groups are greatest on some of the most severe forms of violence, suggesting that women in stepfamilies are at particular risk for severe violence. Institutional incompleteness (number of children; depression; alcohol consumption), duration of relationship, evolutionary psychology (sexual possessiveness; sexual jealousy; female employment; education compatibility) and selection factors (previous marriage/common-law union; previous partner violence; marital status) are applied and tested. Results show partial support for each explanation and that no explanation alone accounts for the disproportionate risk of violence in stepfamilies. Rather, a combination of elements from all explanations is required to account for the higher odds of violence against women in stepfamilies.
Physical Aggression and Control in Heterosexual Relationships: The Effect of Sampling
Authors: Graham-Kevan Nicola , Archer John
Published: October 2005

This study investigated the proposition by Johnson (1995) that there are distinct patterns of physical aggression within relationships, characterized as common couple violence and patriarchal terrorism. The present samples comprised students (N= 113), women from a domestic violence refuge (N= 44), and male prisoners (N= 108). Participants completed measures of physical aggression, controlling behavior, fear of injuries, and injuries. Reports of these measures were entered into a Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA). With the exception of self-reported use of controlling behavior, the variables showed univariately significant differences between the groups. The DFA produced two significant functions which together correctly classified 75% of cases. These results support the view that there are distinct patterns of aggressive relationships corresponding to those identified by Johnson (1995).
Internalising modified realisability in constructive type theory
Authors: Palmgren Erik
Published: October 2005

A modified realisability interpretation of infinitary logic is formalised and
proved sound in constructive type theory (CTT). The logic considered subsumes
first order logic. The interpretation makes it possible to extract programs
with simplified types and to incorporate and reason about them in CTT.
Should Black Fraternities and Sororities Abolish Undergraduate Chapters?
Authors: Kimbrough Walter M.
Published: October 2005

Yes, unless …
XK‐aprosencephaly and related entities
Authors: Renzetti G. , Villani A. , Bizzarri C. , Chessa L. , Vignati E. , Gianotti A. , Cappa M. , Szakacs Juliana , Townsend Jeanette J. , Miller Mark E. , Opitz John M. , Kennedy Anne M. , Byrne Janice L.
Published: October 2005

We offer further biological characterization of the XK atelen/aprosencephaly syndrome in two infants, one with prolonged survival, the other presenting prenatally with apparent hydranencephaly and an orbital tumor (OS). Familial occurrence in the former born to presumably nonconsanguineous Lybian parents may represent parental germinal mosaicism or autosomal recessive inheritance. Both had apparently normal chromosomes; however, the Lybian infant had slightly increased induced chromosome breakage suggesting that this rare multiple congenital anomalies syndrome may involve a DNA repair defect. Virtual absence of atelen/aprosencephalic structures may lead to an arthrogryposis‐like prenatal movement disorder. The orbital tumor in the Utah infant consisted of dystopic neural tissue compressing a rudimentary globe and was connected by a thin bridge of neural tissue to the small mass of disorganized brain tissue usually found in atelen/aprosencephalic infants and fetuses. No evidence of an encephaloclastic process was found in the autopsied Utah infant. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ruthenium‐katalysierte Reaktionen – eine Schatzkiste für atomökonomische Umwandlungen
Authors: Trost Barry M. , Frederiksen Mathias U. , Rudd Michael T.
Published: October 2005

Der stetige Bedarf an neuen Chemikalien bei gleichzeitiger Forderung nach umweltfreundlichen Herstellungsmethoden stellt an Synthesechemiker große Anforderungen. Die Maximierung der Syntheseeffizienz durch die Umwandlung einfacher Bausteine in komplexe Zielmoleküle bleibt daher eine grundlegende Aufgabe. In diesem Zusammenhang ist die Verwendung von Ruthenium‐Komplexen als Katalysatoren für mehrere nichtmetathetische Umwandlungen ein vielversprechender Ansatz, denn diese Komplexe ermöglichen den schnellen Aufbau komplexer Moleküle mit hoher Selektivität und Atomökonomie. Zudem zeigen sie häufig ungewöhnliche Reaktivität, und durch das sorgfältige Studium der zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen können neue Reaktionen entwickelt und neue Reaktivitäten entdeckt werden.
Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Reactions—A Treasure Trove of Atom‐Economic Transformations
Authors: Trost Barry M. , Frederiksen Mathias U. , Rudd Michael T.
Published: October 2005

The demand for new chemicals spanning the fields of health care to materials science combined with the pressure to produce these substances in an environmentally benign fashion pose great challenges to the synthetic chemical community. The maximization of synthetic efficiency by the conversion of simple building blocks into complex targets remains a fundamental goal. In this context, ruthenium complexes catalyze a number of non‐metathesis conversions and allow the rapid assembly of complex molecules with high selectivity and atom economy. These complexes often exhibit unusual reactivity. Careful consideration of the mechanistic underpinnings of the transformations can lead to the design of new reactions and the discovery of new reactivity.
Cluster randomized controlled trial of the impact of a computer‐assisted learning package on the learning of musculoskeletal examination skills by undergraduate medical students
Authors: Vivekananda‐Schmidt Pirashanthie , Lewis Martyn , Hassell Andrew B. ,   The Arc Virtual Rheumatology CAL Research Group
Published: October 2005

Objective

To identify whether there was measurable impact of a specific computer‐assisted learning (CAL) package, “Virtual Rheumatology,” on the learning of musculoskeletal examination skills by medical students.

Methods

We conducted 2 parallel, cluster‐randomized controlled trials using undergraduate curricula at 2 locations: Newcastle and London, UK. Medical students attending a musculoskeletal rotation were allocated to the intervention (Virtual Rheumatology CD) or the control arm of the study by placement group. A formative 14‐item objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment on the examination of shoulder and/or knee joints was the main outcome measure at Newcastle. At London, a 17‐item knee station formed part of the summative OSCE. We also used a questionnaire including a 15‐item confidence log (C‐Log) for self assessment of musculoskeletal examination skills and knowledge. Analysis was by intention to teach.

Results

At Newcastle, there were 112 students in the CD allocated group and 129 in the non‐CD group. The CD allocated group performed significantly better on the OSCE (P = 0.002) and C‐Log (P = 0.005) than the non‐CD group. At London, there were 48 students in the CD allocated group and 65 in the non‐CD group. The CD allocated group performed better on the knee OSCE than the non‐CD group (adjusted P = 0.040), but there was little difference in the change in C‐Log scores from baseline to followup between the 2 groups (P = 0.582).

Conclusion

The Virtual Rheumatology CD has a positive impact on the acquisition of musculoskeletal examination skills in medical students. Further study is needed to see if similar advantages could be gained in other clinical specialities and how CAL resources could be effectively integrated into the medical curriculum.
Severely compromised quality of life in women and those of lower socioeconomic status waiting for joint replacement surgery
Authors: Ackerman Ilana N. , Graves Stephen E. , Wicks Ian P. , Bennell Kim L. , Osborne Richard H.
Published: October 2005

Objective

To determine health‐related quality of life (HRQOL), psychological distress, physical function, and self efficacy in persons waiting for lower‐limb joint replacement surgery.

Methods

A total of 214 patients on a waiting list for unilateral primary total knee or hip replacement at a large Australian public teaching hospital completed questionnaires after entry to the list. HRQOL and psychological distress were compared with available population norms.

Results

Average HRQOL was extremely poor (mean ± SD 0.39 ± 0.24) and much lower (>2 SD) than the population norm. Near death‐equivalent HRQOL or worse than death‐equivalent HRQOL were reported by 15% of participants. High or very high psychological distress was up to 5 times more prevalent in the waiting list sample (relative risk 5.4 for participants ages 75 years and older; 95% confidence interval 3.3, 9.0). Women had significantly lower HRQOL, self efficacy, and physical function scores than men. After adjusting for age and sex, significant socioeconomic disparities were also found. Participants who received the lowest income had the poorest HRQOL; those with the least education or the lowest income had the highest psychological distress. Low self efficacy was moderately associated with poor HRQOL (r = 0.49, P < 0.001) and more strongly associated with high psychological distress (r = −0.55, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Patients waiting for joint replacement have very poor HRQOL and high psychological distress, especially women and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Lengthy waiting lists mean patients can experience extended and potentially avoidable morbidity. Interventions to address psychological distress and self efficacy could reduce this burden and should target women and lower socioeconomic groups.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine by persons with arthritis: Results of the National Health Interview Survey
Authors: Quandt Sara A. , Chen Haiying , Grzywacz Joseph G. , Bell Ronny A. , Lang Wei , Arcury Thomas A.
Published: October 2005

Objective

To compare the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used by adults ages 45 years and older with and without arthritis, and to investigate the prevalence and predictors of CAM use by persons who report being told by a doctor they had arthritis.

Methods

Data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey with a supplemental section on CAM use were analyzed. Data on overall use and use by 4 CAM modalities were calculated by arthritis status. CAM use for treatment of any health condition, including arthritis, was calculated and compared by arthritis status. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of CAM use among persons with arthritis.

Results

Overall use of CAM and use of 3 of 4 major CAM categories were higher for persons who reported doctor‐diagnosed arthritis compared with those without arthritis. Biologically based therapies were the most frequently reported modalities. Although persons with arthritis were more likely than those without arthritis to report using CAM for treatment, most of their CAM use was for conditions other than arthritis. Joint pain and poor functional status were the most common predictors of CAM modalities among persons with arthritis.

Conclusion

Health care providers of persons with arthritis should be aware that CAM use is common among their patients. A complete medication history is needed to obtain information on CAM use for all conditions.
Spondyloarthritis research Consortium of Canada magnetic resonance imaging index for assessment of sacroiliac joint inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: Maksymowych Walter P. , Inman Robert D. , Salonen David , Dhillon Suhkvinder S. , Williams Martin , Stone Millicent , Conner‐spady Barbara , Palsat Janice , Lambert Robert G. W.
Published: October 2005

Objective

To develop a feasible magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based scoring system for sacroiliac joint inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that requires minimal scan time, does not require contrast enhancement, evaluates lesions separately at each articular surface, and limits the number of sacroiliac images that are scored.

Methods

A scoring method based on the assessment of increased signal denoting bone marrow edema on T2‐weighted STIR sequences was used. MRI films were assessed blindly in random order at 2 sites by multiple readers. Intra‐ and interreader reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); the 24‐week response of patients with AS randomized to placebo:infliximab (3:8) was assessed by effect size and standardized response mean. The reliability and responsiveness of the scoring method were compared for STIR and gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic (Gd‐DTPA)–enhanced MRI sequences.

Results

We scanned 11 patients with AS with clinically active disease and 11 additional patients randomized to the trial of infliximab therapy. ICC for total sacroiliac joint STIR score ranged from 0.90 to 0.98 (P < 0.00001) and interobserver ICC for combined readers from the 2 sites was 0.84 (P < 0.0001). ICC for change scores was lower for STIR (ICC 0.53) than for Gd‐DTPA–enhanced sequences (ICC 0.79). Responsiveness was poor, although fusion was evident in one‐third of patients who received treatment (placebo:infliximab) and inflammation scores were low.

Conclusion

The Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada MRI index is a feasible and reproducible index for measuring sacroiliac joint inflammation in patients with AS.
“It struck me that they didn't understand pain”: The specialist pain clinic experience of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Harding Geoffrey , Parsons Suzanne , Rahman Anisur , Underwood Martin
Published: October 2005

Objective

To explore the experiences of diagnosis and management among patients who attended a specialist musculoskeletal pain clinic and the factors influencing their interpretation of these experiences.

Methods

A postal questionnaire was sent to potential participants 6–20 months after their first clinic attendance. Data were collected on pain presence, severity, and location; health‐related quality of life; psychological distress; and care‐seeking behavior. Questionnaire data were used to inform combined purposive and theoretical sampling. In‐depth interviews were conducted that probed participants' understanding of their chronic musculoskeletal pain and its management in a specialist musculoskeletal pain clinic.

Results

Fifteen patients were interviewed. Four main themes were identified: spoiled identity (pain limited patients' activities so extensively that it affected their sense of self); diminishing faith in medicine (patients were disappointed with aspects of their care‐seeking experience); making sense of pain (patients made sense of their pain by locating their pain within the context of their lives); and learning to live with the pain (an issue for all patients was whether or not their pain would stop or whether they had to learn to live with it).

Conclusion

Developing, implementing, and evaluating approaches to address patients' spoiled identities might allow us to improve patient‐centered outcomes in chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Offering patients the opportunity to choose their hospital for total knee replacement: Impact on satisfaction with the surgery
Authors: Losina Elena , Plerhoples Timothy , Fossel Anne H. , Mahomed Nizar N. , Barrett Jane , Creel Alisha H. , Wright Elizabeth A. , Katz Jeffrey N.
Published: October 2005

Objective

To describe the extent to which patients were offered a choice between 2 or more hospitals for total knee replacement (TKR); to examine the association between having a choice of hospital for TKR and satisfaction with the surgery; and to identify population groups less likely to be offered a choice.

Methods

We studied a population‐based sample of 932 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent elective TKR in 2000. We surveyed patients about their participation in choosing a hospital and their satisfaction with surgery. We examined whether lack of hospital choice influenced satisfaction with surgery after adjusting for age, sex, preoperative function, and socioeconomic status.

Results

Among 932 TKR recipients (mean age 74 years, 67% women), more than half (53%) reported having a lack of hospital choice. After adjusting for socioeconomic status, patients reporting lack of choice were approximately twice as likely to be dissatisfied with the results of surgery as patients who reported choosing among 2 or more hospitals for TKR (odds ratio [OR] 2.09, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.13–3.87). Results of logistic regression revealed that patients reporting lack of choice were more likely to be women (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.14–2.04), >80 years of age (as compared with 65–70 years; OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.03–2.57), living in suburban areas (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.23–2.30), nonwhite (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.86–2.87), and were less likely to have TKR performed by a high‐volume surgeon (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53–0.96).

Conclusion

More than half of the patients did not have a choice in selecting the hospital where they had TKR. Patients reporting lack of choice were more likely to be dissatisfied with surgery. Interventions to address preferences for hospital may improve satisfaction with care for patients with advanced knee arthritis.
Maintenance of exercise in women with fibromyalgia
Authors: Dobkin Patricia L. , Abrahamowicz Michal , Fitzcharles Mary‐ann , Dritsa Maria , da Costa Deborah
Published: October 2005

Objective

To identify predictors of maintenance of exercise for women with fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods

Women with FM who had been randomized to the exercise arm of a clinical trial were studied prospectively during and 3 months following treatment. Subjects completed exercise logs weekly and returned the data via postal mail. Outcome variables were duration of aerobic and stretching exercises. Two separate multivariate models for longitudinal data were built with adjustment for in‐treatment adherence and time. Pretreatment characteristics (self efficacy, pain, disability, stress, exercise barriers and benefits, and age) and changes during treatment (pain, disability, stress, and exercise barriers and benefits) were considered potential predictors of exercise maintenance.

Results

Stretching significantly decreased in the 3 months following treatment. High stress at baseline and increases in stress during treatment were associated with poor maintenance of stretching. Disability at baseline (measured with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), an increase in barriers to exercise during treatment, and increases in upper‐body pain during treatment were associated with worse maintenance of aerobic exercise in the 3 months following treatment.

Conclusion

The maintenance of an exercise program in women with FM appears to be contingent on being able to deal with stress, pain, barriers to exercise, and disability.
Mechanism and Substrate Specificity of tRNA–Guanine Transglycosylases (TGTs): tRNA‐Modifying Enzymes from the Three Different Kingdoms of Life Share a Common Catalytic Mechanism
Authors: Stengl Bernhard , Reuter Klaus , Klebe Gerhard
Published: October 2005

Transfer RNA–guanine transglycosylases (TGTs) are evolutionarily ancient enzymes, present in all kingdoms of life, catalyzing guanine exchange within their cognate tRNAs by modified 7‐deazaguanine bases. Although distinct bases are incorporated into tRNA at different positions in a kingdom‐specific manner, the catalytic subunits of TGTs are structurally well conserved. This review provides insight into the sequential steps along the reaction pathway, substrate specificity, and conformational adaptions of the binding pockets by comparison of TGT crystal structures in complex with RNA substrates of a eubacterial and an archaebacterial species. Substrate‐binding modes indicate an evolutionarily conserved base‐exchange mechanism with a conserved aspartate serving as a nucleophile through covalent binding to C1′ of the guanosine ribose moiety in an intermediate state. A second conserved aspartate seems to control the spatial rearrangement of the ribose ring along the reaction pathway and supposedly operates as a general acid/base. Water molecules inside the binding pocket accommodating interaction sites subsequently occupied by polar atoms of substrates help to elucidate substrate‐recognition and substrate‐specificity features. This emphasizes the role of water molecules as general probes to map binding‐site properties for structure‐based drug design. Additionally, substrate‐bound crystal structures allow the extraction of valuable information about the classification of the TGT superfamily into a subdivision of presumably homologous superfamilies adopting the triose‐phosphate isomerase type barrel fold with a standard phosphate‐binding motif.
Safety of adjunctive intracoronary thrombolytic therapy during complex percutaneous coronary intervention: Initial experience with intracoronary tenecteplase
Authors: Kelly Robert V. , Crouch Eron , Krumnacher Heather , Cohen Mauricio G. , Stouffer George A.
Published: October 2005

Intracoronary thrombus is associated with increased risk of in‐laboratory vessel closure, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), urgent vessel revascularization, and death. There is a lack of consensus on what represents the ideal treatment for patients with thrombotic complications during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but the development of newer thrombolytic agents with increased fibrin specificity and longer half‐life provides a potentially useful treatment option. In this study, the safety and efficacy of intracoronary tenecteplase (TNK) was evaluated in 34 patients (22 with acute ST elevation MI, 4 with rescue PCI, 6 with non‐ST elevation MI, and 2 during elective PCI) who developed no‐reflow, distal embolization, or visible intracoronary thrombus during PCI. The mean age was 57 years, 76% were Caucasian, and there were 14 women and 20 men. Cardiogenic shock was present in seven (21%) patients at baseline. All patients were being treated with aspirin and either unfractionated heparin (33 patients) or bivalrudin. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were used in 76% of patients. Intracoronary TNK was used at a mean dose of 10.2 ± 5.2 mg (median, 10 mg; range, 5–25 mg). There was one TIMI major bleeding event and three TIMI minor bleeding events. The mean hematocrit measured the morning following PCI was 35.5% ± 4.9% in patients receiving TNK and 36.5% ± 4.4% in a randomly selected sample of 150 consecutive patients undergoing PCI (P = 0.25). In conjunction with mechanical intervention, TNK was successful at dissolving angiographic thrombus and/or improving flow in 91% of patients. In conclusion, intracoronary TNK is safe and well tolerated in patients who develop thrombotic complications during complex PCI. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Guidewire‐induced coronary artery perforation treated with transcatheter delivery of subcutaneous tissue
Authors: Oda Hirotaka , Oda Masato , Makiyama Yashiro , Kashimura Takeshi , Takahashi Kazuyoshi , Miida Tsutomu , Higuma, Norio
Published: October 2005

In three cases of small coronary artery perforation by guidewires during percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary leakage continued despite prolonged balloon inflation and reversal of heparin. Subcutaneous tissue was selectively delivered to perforated vessels by means of microcatheters in a successful attempt to stop leakage. This method appears to be extremely effective for treating guidewire‐induced perforations of distal coronary arteries. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clostridium botulinum sagt “no” zu NO'
Authors: Jaenicke Lothar
Published: October 2005

Es ist seit bald hundert Jahren bekannt, dass NO'‐Bildner wie Nitrat und Nitrit das Keimen und Auswachsen der Hitze‐resistenten Sporen von “Wurstvergiftungsbazillen” hemmen und nicht nur das Fleisch durch Methämoglobin‐Bildung schön und dauernd rot färben – wobei sich auch mikrobielle Zersetzung eine Zeitlang verdecken lässt. Es ist erlaubter Zusatzstoff im Pökelsalz. Aber man weiß erst jetzt, welche molekulare Strategie das Bakterium benutzt, um NO' in seiner Wirtsumgebung zu erkennen und zu vermeiden.
Race modifies the association between breast carcinoma pathologic prognostic indicators and the positive status for HER‐2/neu
Authors: Stark Azadeh T. , Claud Sarah , Kapke Alissa , Lu Mei , Linden Michael , Griggs Jennifer
Published: October 2005

BACKGROUND

Inferences about the variations in the biology of breast carcinoma between African‐Americans and Caucasians have been reported. The difference in the prevalence of positive HER‐2/neu breast carcinoma was evaluated and the race‐specific risk was assessed for positive HER‐2/neu among a cohort of women diagnosed with their first primary breast carcinoma, given the accepted prognostic pathologic indicators for positive HER‐2/neu status.

METHODS

Demographic, clinical, and pathologic data were collected from existing databases. The status of HER‐2/neu was considered positive if the immunohistochemistry score was 3+ or if the fluorescent in situ hybridization indicated a ratio greater than 2. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the race‐specific risk for HER‐2/neu positive breast carcinoma.

RESULTS

The difference in the prevalence of HER‐2/neu‐positive status between African‐American and Caucasian women was not statistically significant (P = 0.46). For Caucasian women the likelihood for positive HER‐2/neu was statistically significant and increased almost linearly within each stage with nuclear grade dedifferentiation relative to the reference group, women with Stage 1, Grade 1 carcinomas. For African‐American women, this risk was not significantly associated with stage, nuclear grade, their interaction term, or other pathologic prognostic indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that race modifies the association between the pathologic prognostic indicators of breast carcinoma and the likelihood of HER‐2/neu‐positive carcinoma. So far, clinical correlative studies of HER‐2/neu have not included race as an independent variable. Concerns about the limited generalizability and the need for validation of the findings across racial lines have been expressed previously. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Use of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group recursive partitioning analysis classification system and predictors of survival in 19 women with brain metastases from ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Chen Philip G. , Lee Shih‐Yuan , Barnett Gene H. , Vogelbaum Michael A. , Saxton Jerrold P. , Fleming Peter A. , Suh John H.
Published: October 2005

BACKGROUND

Brain metastases are an uncommon complication in women with primary ovarian carcinoma; thus, little is known about whether the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) prognostic classification system is valid in this patient population.

METHODS

From September 1985 to June 2002, 19 patients with brain metastases resulting from primary ovarian carcinoma underwent treatment at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

At the time of data analysis, all 19 women had died. The median age at diagnosis of primary ovarian carcinoma and brain metastasis was 51 and 54 years of age, respectively. Fifteen patients presented with a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of 70 or higher. Seven patients had a single brain lesion and 12 had multiple lesions. All RTOG RPA prognostic classes were represented, with median survivals of 24.7, 8.9, and 2.6 months for Classes I, II, and III, respectively (P = 0.31). Patients who underwent surgical resection survived longer than those who did not (33.7 vs. 7.4 mos). The presence of multiple lesions was adversely related to survival on multivariate analysis (P = 0.03). Primary control was an important predictor of survival on multivariate analysis as well (P = 0.01) and was achieved in 15 of the 19 women.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to support the prognostic usefulness of the RTOG RPA classification for ovarian carcinoma patients with metastasis to the brain. The number of metastatic intracranial lesions should be included when determining the prognosis. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
On the shape of the ground state eigenvalue density of a random Hill's equation
Authors: Cambronero Santiago , Rider Brian , Ramírez José
Published: October 2005

Consider the Hill's operator Q = −d2/dx2 + q(x) in which q(x), 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, is a white noise. Denote by f(μ) the probability density function of −λ0(q), the negative of the ground state eigenvalue, at μ. We prove the detailed asymptotics

as μ → + ∞. This result is based on a precise Laplace analysis of a functional integral representation for f(μ) established by S. Cambronero and H. P. McKean in 5. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.