bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supraorbital nerve block in trabeculectomy surgery: an observational case series
Authors: Tay Eugene , Gupta Mohit , Franks Wendy
Published: September 2006

Abstract

Thirteen patients completed a visual analogue pain scale after trabeculectomy with topical anaesthesia and a supraorbital nerve block with 2 mL of lignocaine 2%. Ease of surgery was graded on a scale of 0–5. Inadvertent eye movements and episodes of orbicularis spasm were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using stata software. Median pain score (range) during delivery of anaesthesia was 2 (1–5), during surgery was 0 (0–4) and postoperatively was 0 (0–3). Pain scores after surgery were significantly lower than during delivery of anaesthesia (Wilcoxon signed rank test, P = 0.0289). Three subjects had inadvertent eye movements with ease of surgery recorded as 1 of 5 in 12 cases and 2 of 5 in one case. The novel application of this anaesthetic technique offers adequate analgesia in trabeculectomy surgery. However, a larger scale comparative trial is needed to further evaluate the value of this technique.
Ciliary body medulloepithelioma: clinical, ultrasound biomicroscopic and histopathologic correlation
Authors: Ayres Bernadete , Brasil Oswaldo M , Klejnberg Celso , Moura Letícia R , Fernandes Bruno F , Burnier Miguel N
Published: September 2006

Abstract

A 3‐year‐old girl presented with a distorted pupil and decrease of visual acuity. A ciliary body mass at the superior‐temporal quadrant could be seen at slit‐lamp examination. Ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed a lesion with lobulated surface, arising at the ciliary body, composed of compact and cystic areas. An iridocyclectomy was performed but the tumour recurred after a few months. The eye was then enucleated. Histopathologic evaluation showed sheets and cords of proliferated medullary epithelium. Cystic spaces and Flexner‐Wintersteiner rosettes were also seen. Those findings correlated well with ultrasound biomicroscopic images. The knowledge of echographic characteristics can significantly assist in the diagnosis of medulloepithelioma of the ciliary body.
Presumed eccrine carcinoma metastatic to the choroid
Authors: Moura Letícia R , Ayres Bernadete , Feijóo Luciana , Romano Sérgio , Odashiro Alexandre N , Burnier Miguel N
Published: September 2006

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe a patient with presumed choroidal metastasis from an eccrine adenocarcinoma of the scalp. A 45‐year‐old Caucasian woman presented with decreased visual acuity. Ophthalmologic examination was unremarkable. Her past medical history was significant for eccrine carcinoma of the scalp. The patient developed bilateral cervical lymph node metastases, and received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She had recurrence of the scalp lesion and developed bone metastasis. The patient was again referred to an ophthalmologist owing to reduced visual acuity. Multiple choroidal metastases were detected in right eye, and one metastatic lesion in left eye. The patient passed away 2 months after choroidal metastases. This is the first report of choroidal metastases from an eccrine carcinoma. This is a rare aggressive neoplasm with poor outcome in most cases of metastatic disease, and in this case report, uveal metastasis was indicative of poor prognosis.
Fecundity, longevity and establishment of Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius) and Otiorhynchus ovatus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from the Pacific North‐west of the United States of America on selected host plants
Authors: Fisher James R.
Published: September 2006

1 The fecundity, longevity and establishment of Otiorhynchus sulcatus and Otiorhynchus ovatus from the Pacific North‐west U.S.A. was studied on five selected host plants: Picea abies‘Nidiformis’, Picea glauca‘Conica’, Taxus baccata, Rhododendron catawbiense‘Boursault’ and Fragaria×ananassa‘Totem’.

2 Teneral adults were used to study adult longevity and reproductive success. Leaves of these host plants were used for sustenance for 9 months. Larval establishment was studied by infesting potted host plants with eggs.

3 Fragaria×ananassa‘Totem’ produced the longest survival, shortest preoviposition time, the greatest number of eggs, and the highest fertility for adults of both species. Picea spp. were not good adult hosts for O. sulcatus. Taxus was a good adult host for O. sulcatus, but was a nonhost for adults and larvae of O. ovatus.

4 Adult hosts did not affect preoviposition time or egg viability with O. ovatus adults. With O. sulcatus, preoviposition time was greatly increased and egg viability was < 50% on Picea spp.

5 The best larval host was F.×ananassa‘Totem’ for O. sulcatus and P. glauca‘Conica’ for O. ovatus. Rhododendron was a poor larval host for both species.

6 When all of the studies on these two pests are considered, O. sulcatus appears to have varying host preferences from among its many geographical areas of occurrence whereas O. ovatus has a more universal host selection.
Phylogeny of the fish leeches (Oligochaeta, Hirudinida, Piscicolidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes and morphology
Authors: Williams Julianne I. , Burreson Eugene M.
Published: September 2006

The phylogeny of the Piscicolidae was analysed from combined 18S rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO‐I), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit I (ND‐I) and morphological data using parsimony. A worldwide distribution of Piscicolidae was represented for the first time. While the family Piscicolidae was supported as a monophyletic group, the traditional subfamilies based on morphology were not supported. The Platybdellinae was polyphyletic and formed four distinct clades, and Bathybdella sawyeri did not group with any other platybdellins. The Piscicolinae was also polyphyletic, also forming four distinct clades. The pontobdellin genus Stibarobdella was shown to be the basal taxon within the Piscicolidae; however, the Pontobdellinae was found to be paraphyletic if Oxytonostoma was included. The genera Aestabdella, Austrobdella, and Malmiana were found to be paraphyletic; the genera Calliobdella, Cystobranchus, and Platybdella were found to be polyphyletic. The species Myzobdella lugubris was not found to be monophyletic. It is proposed that Oxytonostoma be transferred out of the Pontobdellinae, that Aestabdella be synonymized with Pterobdella, that Calliobdella vivida be returned to Cystobranchus, that Gonimosobdella be synonymized with Cystobranchus, and that Piscicolaria be synonymized with Myzobdella. The synonymy of Malmiana and Heptacyclus is confirmed, with Heptacyclus having priority. Piscicola milneri is confirmed to be a separate species from Piscicola geometra.
Predator–prey interactions: why do larger albatrosses eat bigger squid?
Authors: Xavier J. C. , Croxall J. P.
Published: September 2006

The relationship between predator sizes and prey sizes is well documented for terrestrial but rarely for marine ecosystems. We show that wandering albatrosses, the biggest albatross species, feed on larger cephalopod prey than those consumed by smaller albatrosses (grey‐headed and black‐browed albatrosses). This reflects differences in timing of breeding, foraging ecology and their feeding methods. Wandering albatrosses breed later in the year, during the austral winter, than smaller albatrosses (therefore catching older squid) and forage most of the year in Antarctic open waters, sub‐Antarctic, subtropical and tropical waters, overlapping minimally with the smaller albatrosses' foraging range while breeding. Also, wandering albatrosses mostly scavenge whereas smaller albatrosses feed more on live prey. Prey ecology may also play a key role because many squid species might experience post‐spawning mortality during the austral winter, becoming easily available to wandering albatrosses. Spawning in winter can be linked to predator avoidance (i.e. reduction in mortality in winter by avoiding pelagic predators) and would allow squid larvae to develop and take advantage of the high productivity (i.e. Antarctic phytoplankton bloom) in spring and at the beginning of summer. Thus, aspects of prey and predator ecology may combine to generate observed differences in prey size.
Eye shape and activity pattern in birds
Authors: Hall M. I. , Ross C. F.
Published: September 2006

Many aspects of an animal's ecology are associated with activity pattern, the time of day when that animal is awake and active. There are two major activity patterns:diurnal, active during the day in a light‐rich, or photopic, environment, andnocturnal, active after sunset in a light‐limited, or scotopic, environment. Birds are alsocathemeral, or equally likely to be awake at any time of day, orcrepuscular, awake and active at dawn and dusk. Each of these activity patterns is associated with different levels of ambient light. This study examines how the morphology (size and shape) of the eye varies according to these different light environments for birds in a phylogenetic context. Activity pattern has a significant influence on eye shape and size in birds. Birds that are adapted for scotopic vision have eye shapes that are optimized for visual sensitivity, with larger corneal diameters relative to axial lengths. Birds that are adapted for photopic vision have eye shapes that are optimized for visual acuity, with larger axial lengths relative to corneal diameters. Birds adapted for scotopic vision also exhibit absolutely larger corneal diameters and axial lengths than do photopic birds. The results indicate that the light level under which the bird functions has a more significant influence on eye shape than phylogeny.
Variations in the diet of introduced Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) inferred using stable isotope analysis
Authors: Major H. L. , Jones I. L. , Charette M. R. , Diamond A. W.
Published: September 2006

The presence of introduced Norway ratsRattus norvegicushas raised concerns for the fate of the large least aukletAethia pusillacolony situated at Sirius Point, Kiska Island, Alaska. Previous studies have documented extreme interannual variation in least auklet reproductive success and potential drastic population declines, both of which have been attributed to the varying abundance of, and predation by, Norway rats. A diet study would resolve the uncertainty that remains about the role of rats in the auklet's reproductive failure and the colony's decline. Our main objectives here were to quantify the variation in diet of introduced Norway rats and assess predation on least auklets. Using stable isotope analysis we document wide variability in rat diet dependent on location and provide direct evidence that Norway rats are preferentially preying on least auklets at Sirius Point. In conclusion, we hypothesize that the observed wide variability in rat diet will contribute to the persistence of rats on Kiska long after auklets have been extirpated. The persistence of rats enabled by their foraging plasticity will increase their effects by creating ecological traps within which prospecting individuals will fall and be depredated. This has large conservation consequences as it suggests that when seabirds are extirpated recolonization by prospecting birds is virtually impossible and island ecosystems will continue to be negatively affected and altered as long as introduced predators, such as rats, remain within them.
Nationalism and the cultivation of culture
Authors: LEERSSEN JOEP
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACT.On the basis of an extensive sample of European source material, the article investigates the meaning and importance of ‘culture’ in cultural nationalism. The author argues that European cultural nationalism in the nineteenth century followed a separate dynamic and chronology from political nationalism. Cultural nationalism involved an intense cross‐border traffic of ideas and intellectual initiatives, and its participating actors often operated extraterritorially and in multi‐national intellectual networks. This means that cultural nationalism needs to be studied on a supranational comparative basis rather than country‐by‐country, concentrating on the exchange and transfer of ideas and activities. A working model is proposed which may serve to bring these ideas and activities into focus.
Searching for the perfect nation: the itinerary of Hans Kohn (1891–1971)
Authors: LIEBICH ANDRE
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACT. The ‘Hans Kohn Dichotomy’, i.e. the distinction between ‘Western’ and ‘Non‐Western’ nationalism, remains one of the most persistent paradigms in the study of nationalism. This article deals briefly with the terms of Kohn's Dichotomy and with the discussion about it. The main purpose of the article, however, is to problematise the dichotomy in terms of Kohn's personal itinerary which took him from Prague to Russia, and from Britain and Palestine to the United States. Kohn came late to the view that there were two types of nationalism. He adopted this position in the wake of a series of political and personal disappointments, and in response to dramatic historical challenges. In the final analysis, Kohn's Dichotomy was a rhetorical construct, designed to make sense of a world in conflict and to allow Kohn and others, then and later, to come to terms with the hopes and fears raised by nationalism.
Ivoirian identity constructions: ethnicity and nationalism in the prelude to civil war
Authors: COLLETT MOYA
Published: September 2006

ABSTRACT. The recent and unresolved conflict in Côte d'Ivoire has received little attention in the English‐speaking world. Where it is discussed, the instrumentalist view of ethnic conflict predominates. This is a linear and structural argument. It examines how pre‐given ethnic groups gained political voice in clashes over control of economic resources, and were subsequently manipulated by political elites with personal agendas. This paper questions the coherence of group identity and instead emphasises the agency of individuals. It argues that the meaning of ethnic identity was transformed as social and economic grievances led to conflict between political groupings. This approach accords individual Ivoirians more responsibility for determining the boundaries of ethnic and nationalist exclusion, and for participating in the ensuing violent conflict.
Review article: Obesity, waist–hip ratio and hunter–gatherers
Authors: Wood LEP
Published: September 2006

Obesity is a rapidly growing global problem. It is not simply the result of eating too much, and not all types of obesity have the same significance. Obesity is in part genetic, and one particularly important genetic type of obesity is the tendency to ‘truncal obesity’,—that is, a raised waist‐to‐hip ratio. Such obesity is powerfully associated not only with a tendency to diabetes, but also to cardiovascular disease, (‘Syndrome X’). Interestingly, this is the type of obesity seen in every hunter–gatherer (HG) population around the globe. Such people are intolerant of carbohydrate, especially refined carbohydrate, especially in the excessive amounts typically consumed in affluent societies. In such pure HG communities, rates of diabetes can be as high as 50%, when the ‘Western’ lifestyle is adopted. Many of us, however, share some of their genes and their carbohydrate intolerance—perhaps as many as 20 or 30% of the world’s population. Pregnancy can uncover this characteristic, and obesity and glucose intolerance in pregnancy are rapidly burgeoning problems. Quite contrary to the common nutritional dogma of encouraging regular carbohydrates, it is suggested that pregnant women with a high waist‐to‐hip ratio should be strongly advised to adhere to a low‐glycaemic‐index diet. Additionally, many dietary interventions, some of them derived from observation of HG populations, are of proven benefit in reducing the expression of glucose intolerance and may well help in tackling the obesity epidemic.
Consideration of the relationship between depression and dementia
Authors: KASAHARA Hiroo , TSUMURA Maki , OCHIAI Yusuke , FURUKAWA Haruko , AOKI Kimiyoshi , ITO Tatsuhiko , KADA Hirohide , HASHIDUME Toshihiko , NAKANISHI Tatsuro
Published: September 2006

The literature was reviewed with regard to the relationship between Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and depression. Then comparison was made of the case for depression as a precursor symptom of AD versus the case for depression as the initial symptom of AD. We also discussed such points as the coexistence of depression and AD, pseudodementia, etc. Finally, we postulated that the relationship between AD and depression shows a spectrum, and on that basis we attempted to define six clinical patterns.
Evaluation of gender differences in caregiver burden in home care: Nagoya Longitudinal Study of the Frail Elderly (NLS‐FE)
Authors: HIRAKAWA Yoshihisa , KUZUYA Masafumi , MASUDA Yuichiro , ENOKI Hiromi , IWATA Mitsunaga , HASEGAWA Jun , IGUCHI Akihisa
Published: September 2006

Background:  Japan is presently experiencing a growth in the number of male caregivers and this situation has given rise to some concerns over gender differences. Previous studies have suggested that there are gender differences in caregiver burden in home care, however, it is still unclear whether or not gender differences exist. We therefore conducted this study to attain a better understanding of the Japanese male caregiver burden in home care, using data from the Nagoya Longitudinal Study of Frail Elderly (NLS‐FE).

Methods:  NLS‐FE is a large prospective study of community‐dwelling elderly persons eligible for public long‐term care insurance who live in Nagoya city and use the services of the Nagoya City Health Care Service Foundation for Older People, which comprises 17 visiting nursing stations and corresponding care‐managing centers, from November to December 2003. Data used in this study included the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview, caregivers’ and dependents’ characteristics, and the caregiving situation. The differences in dependent and caregiver characteristics between male and female caregiver groups were assessed using the χ2‐test for categorical variables or the unpaired t‐test for continuous variables. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between dependent and caregiver characteristics and caregiver burden.

Results:  A total of 399 male caregivers and 1193 female caregivers were included in our analysis. Before and after controlling baseline variables, we did not detect a difference between male and female caregivers with respect to caregiver burden.

Conclusion:  Our study suggests that differences in caregiver burden may not necessarily exist between male and female caregivers in Japan.
Alcoholic brain damage and dementia viewed by MRI, with special consideration on frontal atrophy and white matter damage in dyslipidemic patients
Authors: NAMURA Ikuro
Published: September 2006

Long‐term intake of excessive alcohol causes various forms of brain damage, most of which are now visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proved to be contributing to the early onset of dementia. Bi‐frontal atrophy has a unique position among these various forms of damage because of its lobar conformation localized only to the higher cortex, and because the same kind of atrophy is also seen in dyslipidemic patients like hypercholesterolemia. Multiple logistic regression analysis of 3100 subjects with MRI revealed no other significant group for this finding. Morphological features of this type of atrophy and its rate of progression are described in this paper, and computerized image analysis showed that this atrophy seems to depend mainly on the decrease of white matter. However, a common biochemical factor underlying the frontal atrophy in these two groups has not yet been identified. Importantly, dyslipidemic patients also show some type of T2 high white matter changes, which are not seen in ‘pure’ alcoholics. For dyslipidemic patients, this white matter change, which seems to be the degradation of myelin sheath, is another basis for early dementia. Although the author can propose a new concept of ‘dyslipidemic dementia’ due to frontal atrophy and white matter damage, details of its mechanism and its relation to alcoholism are left to future investigations.
Estimation of Core Terrestrial Habitat for Stream‐Breeding Salamanders and Delineation of Riparian Buffers for Protection of Biodiversity
Authors: CRAWFORD JOHN A. , SEMLITSCH RAYMOND D.
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Many species of wildlife depend on riparian habitats for various life‐history functions (e.g., breeding, foraging, overwintering). Although this unique habitat is critical for many species, delineations of riparian zones and buffers for various taxa are lacking. Typically when buffer zones are determined to mitigate edge effects, they are based on criteria that protect aquatic resources alone and do not consider impacts to wildlife and other terrestrial resources. Using two different survey methods (area‐constrained daytime searches and nighttime visual encounter searches), we estimated core terrestrial habitat and buffer widths for stream‐breeding salamanders in southern Appalachian streams from May to August 2004. A core terrestrial habitat of 27.0 m encompassed 95% of the salamander assemblage (four species of stream plethodontids), and an additional 50 m (to buffer edge effects) yielded a total buffer of 77.0 m. When each species of the assemblage was analyzed separately, the maximum core terrestrial habitat needed for the Blue Ridge two‐lined salamander (Eurycea wilderae), a dominant member and the farthest‐ranging species from the stream, was 42.6 m. Thus, we recommend an overall buffer width of 92.6 m in southern Appalachian streams. To protect stream amphibians and other wildlife dependent on riparian areas, land managers and policy makers must consider conserving more than aquatic resources alone. Developing core terrestrial habitat estimates and buffer zone widths for wildlife populations is a critical first step in the conservation of many semiaquatic organisms and protecting biodiversity.
The Response of Avian Feeding Guilds to Tropical Forest Disturbance
Authors: GRAY MICHAEL A. , BALDAUF SANDRA L. , MAYHEW PETER J. , HILL JANE K.
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Anthropogenic habitat disturbance is a major threat to tropical forests and understanding the ecological consequences of this disturbance is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. There have been many attempts to determine the ecological traits associated with bird species' vulnerability to disturbance, but no attempt has been made to synthesize these studies to show consensus. We analyzed data from 57 published studies (covering 1214 bird species) that investigated the response of tropical bird assemblages to moderate forest disturbance (e.g., selective logging). Our results show that the mean abundance of species from six commonly reported feeding guilds responded differently to disturbance and that species' ecological traits (body size, local population size, and geographic range size) and evolutionary relationships may influence responses in some guilds. Granivore abundance increased significantly and insectivore and frugivore abundance decreased significantly following disturbance. These general conclusions were robust to the effects of ecological traits and phylogeny. Responses of carnivores, nectarivores, and omnivores were less clear, but analyses that accounted for phylogeny indicated that these guilds declined following disturbance. In contrast to the other guilds, the reported responses of carnivores and nectarivores differed among regions (Asia vs. Neotropics) and were influenced by the sampling protocols used in different studies (e.g., time since disturbance), which may explain the difficulty in detecting general responses to disturbance in these guilds. Overall, general patterns governed the responses of species to habitat disturbance, and the differential responses of guilds suggested that disturbance affects trophic organization and thus ecosystem functioning.
Biological Sustainability of Live Shearing of Vicuña in Peru
Authors: SAHLEY CATHERINE TERESA , VARGAS JORGE TORRES , VALDIVIA JESUS SANCHEZ
Published: September 2006

Abstract:  The vicuña's (Vicugna vicugna) fiber is highly valued as an export product that is made into luxury fabric and clothing. The price of fiber in 2004 was $566/kg, which makes the fiber a potentially important source of income for Andean agropastoral communities and serves as an incentive to allow vicuña grazing on high‐elevation Andean landscapes. It is presumed that a shorn vicuña has little value for poachers, so shearing vicuñas could serve as a disincentive to poaching. Thus, the supply of vicuña fiber may be sustainable if it is procured through live shearing, which should serve as a powerful conservation tool. We evaluated the effects of capture and shearing on the demography of vicuña in one site located in the Salinas Aguada Blanca Reserve, Arequipa, Peru, where vicuñas were captured and shorn in spring and then returned to the wild. We conducted fixed‐width line‐transect censuses from 1997 to 2003 of this population. We compared the proportion of young born to females that were shorn versus females that were unshorn for the 3 years in which shearing occurred. We evaluated the effect of capture and shearing on proportion of young born to shorn and unshorn females at a second site, Picotani, Puno. The wild population in Arequipa that underwent capture and shearing showed a steady increase in total population and average density between 1997 and 2003. No significant difference was found between the proportion of young per female for shorn and unshorn females at either site. We conclude that in spring, capture and live shearing of vicuñas can be biologically sustainable. Further research is needed to determine whether shearing during winter months is biologically sustainable.
Report of the ILAE Classification Core Group
Authors: Engel Jerome
Published: September 2006

Summary:  A Core Group of the Task Force on Classification and Terminology has evaluated the lists of epileptic seizure types and epilepsy syndromes approved by the General Assembly in Buenos Aires in 2001, and considered possible alternative systems of classification. No new classification has as yet been proposed. Because the 1981 classification of epileptic seizure types, and the 1989 classification of epilepsy syndromes and epilepsies are generally accepted and workable, they will not be discarded unless, and until, clearly better classifications have been devised, although periodic modifications to the current classifications may be suggested. At this time, however, the Core Group has focused on establishing scientifically rigorous criteria for identification of specific epileptic seizure types and specific epilepsy syndromes as unique diagnostic entities, and is considering an evidence‐based approach. The short‐term goal is to present a list of seizure types and syndromes to the ILAE Executive Committee for approval as testable working hypotheses, subject to verification, falsification, and revision. This report represents completion of this work. If sufficient evidence subsequently becomes available to disprove any hypothesis, the seizure type or syndrome will be reevaluated and revised or discarded, with Executive Committee approval. The recognition of specific seizure types and syndromes, as well as any change in classification of seizure types and syndromes, therefore, will continue to be an ongoing dynamic process. A major purpose of this approach is to identify research necessary to clarify remaining issues of uncertainty, and to pave the way for new classifications.
High‐Frequency Intracerebral EEG Activity (100–500 Hz) Following Interictal Spikes
Authors: Urrestarazu Elena , Jirsch Jeffrey D. , LeVan Pierre , Hall Jeffery
Published: September 2006

Summary:  Purpose: High‐frequency activity has been recorded with intracerebral microelectrodes in epileptic patients and related to seizure genesis. Our goal was to analyze high‐frequency activity recorded with electroencephalograph (EEG) macroelectrodes during the slow wave immediately following interictal spikes, given the potential importance of this presumed hyperpolarization in transforming spikes into seizures.

Methods: Depth electrode EEG recordings from 10 patients with intractable focal epilepsy were low‐pass filtered at 500 Hz and sampled at 2,000 Hz. Spikes were categorized according to localization and morphology. Segments of 256 ms were selected immediately following (postspike), and 2 s before each spike (baseline). Power was estimated in subgamma (0–40 Hz), gamma (40–100 Hz), high frequency (100–200 Hz), and very high frequency (250–500 Hz) bands.

Results: Changes in power above 100 Hz were seen in 22 of 29 spike categories, consisting primarily of a widespread decrease in frequencies above 100 Hz. This decrease became spatially more restricted as frequencies increased, and coincided with the localization of largest spikes for the highest frequencies. High‐frequency power decreases were prominent in the hippocampus but less common in amygdala and neocortex. High‐frequency power increases were observed in the amygdala.

Conclusions: Thus high‐frequency EEG activity can be recorded with macroelectrodes in humans and may provide insights on neuronal mechanisms related to human epilepsy. This activity undergoes consistent modifications after EEG spikes. We propose that the reduction in high frequencies reflects a postspike depression in neuronal activity that is more pronounced in the region of spike generation. This depression is almost always seen in hippocampus but less in amygdala.
Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in Children: Clinical and EEG Characteristics
Authors: Tay Stacey K.H. , Hirsch Lawrence J. , Leary Linda , Jette Nathalie , Wittman John , Akman Cigdem I.
Published: September 2006

Summary:  Background: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a highly heterogeneous clinical condition that is understudied in the pediatric population.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological, clinical, and electroencephalograpic features in pediatric patients with NCSE.

Methods: We identified 19 pediatric patients with NCSE from the epilepsy database of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at, Columbia University between June 2000 and December 2003. Continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring was analyzed and chart review was performed.

Results: The patients ranged from 1 month old to 17 years of age. Five patients developed NCSE following convulsive status epilepticus (CSE), and a further 12 patients developed NCSE after brief convulsions. Two developed NCSE as the first manifestation during a comatose state following hypoxic events. Acute hypoxic‐ischemic injury was the most frequent etiology of NCSE in our population (5 of 19; 26%), followed by exacerbation of underlying neurometabolic disease (4 of 19; 21%), acute infection (3 of 19; 16%), change in antiepileptic drug regimen (3 of 19;16%), refractory epilepsy (2 of 19; 11%) and intracranial hemorrhage (2 of 19; 11%). Six patients had associated periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs), one had generalized periodic epileptiform discharges (GPEDs). Five (5 of 19; 26%) patients died of the underlying acute medical illness. Periodic discharges were associated with worse outcome.

Conclusion: The majority of our patients with NCSE had preceding seizures in the acute setting prior to the diagnosis of NCSE, though most of these seizures were brief, isolated convulsions (12 patients) rather than CSE (five patients). Prolonged EEG monitoring to exclude NCSE may be warranted in pediatric patients even after brief convulsive seizures. Prompt recognition and treatment may be necessary to improve neurological outcome.
Ictal Perfusion Patterns Associated with Single MRI‐Visible Focal Dysplastic Lesions: Implications for the Noninvasive Delineation of the Epileptogenic Zone
Authors: Dupont Patrick , Van Paesschen Wim , Palmini Andre , Ambayi Rudo , Van Loon Johannes , Goffin Jan , Weckhuysen Sarah , Sunaert Stefan , Thomas Bejoy , Demaerel Philippe , Sciot Raf , Becker Albert J. , Vanbilloen Hubert , Mortelmans Luc , Van Laere Koen
Published: September 2006

Summary:  Background: Invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) studies are often considered necessary to localize the epileptogenic zone in partial epilepsies associated with focal dysplastic lesions (FDL). Our aim was to evaluate the relationships between subtraction ictal SPECT coregistered with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (SISCOM) hyperperfusion clusters and MRI‐visible FDL, and to establish a preliminary algorithm for a noninvasive presurgical evaluation protocol for MRI‐visible FDLs in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients with refractory partial epilepsy and a single MRI‐visible FDL underwent a noninvasive presurgical evaluation including SISCOM. Each hyperperfusion cluster was visually analyzed, automatically quantitated, and its distance form the lesion as outlined on the MRI was measured. In patients who underwent surgery, the volumes of resected brain tissue containing the FDL, the SISCOM hyperperfusion cluster, and surrounding regions were assessed on postoperative MRI and correlated with surgical outcome.

Results: Fourteen of the 15 patients (93%) showed SISCOM hyperperfusion overlapping with the FDL. The FDL was detected only after reevaluation of the MRI guided by the ictal SPECT in 7 of the 15 patients (47%). Four distinct hyperperfusion patterns were observed, representing different degrees of seizure propagation. Nine patients have been operated on. Five have been seizure‐free since surgery and one since a reoperation. The degree of resection of the MRI‐visible FDL was the major determinant of surgical outcome. Full resection of the SISCOM hyperperfusion cluster was not required to render a patient seizure‐free.

Conclusion: Detailed analysis of SISCOM hyperperfusion patterns is a promising tool to detect subtle FDL on MRI and to establish the epileptic nature of these lesions noninvasively. Overlap between the SISCOM hyperperfusion cluster and MRI‐visible FDL in a noninvasive presurgical evaluation with concordant data may suffice to proceed to epilepsy surgery aimed at removing the MRI‐visible FDL and the part of the hyperperfusion cluster within and immediately surrounding the FDL.
Contraception for Women with Epilepsy
Authors: O'Brien Michael D. , Guillebaud John
Published: September 2006

Summary:  Antiepileptic drugs that induce hepatic enzyme activity may alter the metabolism of most hormonal methods of contraception, and this affects the contraceptive regime. This effect should be considered in the choice of both the treatment of the epilepsy and the choice of contraceptive method. This review considers these interactions and offers advice about their management.
Urban Textural Analysis from Remote Sensor Data: Lacunarity Measurements Based on the Differential Box Counting Method
Authors: Myint Soe W. , Mesev Victor , Lam Nina
Published: September 2006

Lacunarity is related to the spatial distribution of gap or hole sizes. For low lacunarity, all gap sizes are the same and geometric objects are deemed homogeneous; conversely, for high lacunarity, gap sizes are variable and objects are therefore heterogeneous. Textures that are homogeneous at small scales can be quite heterogeneous at large scales and vice versa, and hence, lacunarity can be considered a scale‐dependent measure of heterogeneity or texture. In this article, we use a lacunarity method based on a differential box counting approach to identify urban land‐use and land‐cover classes from satellite sensor data. Our methodology focuses on two different gliding box methods to compute lacunarity values and demonstrate a mirror extension approach for a local moving window. The extension approach overcomes, or at least minimizes, the boundary problem. The results from our study suggest that the overlapping box approach is more effective than the skipping box approach, but that there is no significant difference between window sizes. Our work represents a contribution to not only advances in textural and spatial metrics as used in remote‐sensing pattern interpretation but also for broadening understanding of the computational geometry of nonlinear shape models of which lacunarity is the reciprocal of fractal theory.
Multiple Facilities Location in the Plane Using the Gravity Model
Authors: Drezner Tammy , Drezner Zvi
Published: September 2006

Two problems are considered in this article. Both problems seek the location of p facilities. The first problem is the p median where the total distance traveled by customers is minimized. The second problem focuses on equalizing demand across facilities by minimizing the variance of total demand attracted to each facility. These models are unique in that the gravity rule is used for the allocation of demand among facilities rather than assuming that each customer selects the closest facility. In addition, we also consider a multiobjective approach, which combines the two objectives. We propose heuristic solution procedures for the problem in the plane. Extensive computational results are presented.
Possible association between mother's periodontal status and preterm delivery
Authors: Radnai Márta , Gorzó István , Urbán Edit , Eller József , Novák Tibor , Pál Attila
Published: September 2006

Background: A case–control study was undertaken to detect whether initial chronic localized periodontitis could be a risk factor for preterm birth (PB) and foetal growth restriction.

Methods: A PB case was defined if a patient had a threatening premature event during pregnancy pre‐term premature rupture of membranes, or spontaneous pre‐term delivery, before the 37th week of pregnancy, and/or the weight of the newborn was <2500 g. Into the PB (case) group, 77 women were allocated, while 84 were included in the control group, all of whom had delivery after the 37th gestational week and with a newborn weighing 2500 g.

Results: A significant association was found between PB and initial chronic localized periodontitis, the criteria being bleeding at 50% of the examined teeth and having at least at one site at 4 mm probing depth (p=0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio for initial chronic localized periodontitis was 3.32, 95% CI: 1.64–6.69. The average weight of newborns of mothers with periodontitis was significantly less than that of the women without periodontitis (p=0.002).

Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that initial chronic localized periodontitis of pregnant women could lead to PB, and birth‐weight reduction.
Periodontal parameters and platelet‐activating factor levels in serum and gingival crevicular fluid in a Chinese population
Authors: Zheng Pei , Chen Hui , Shi Sailang , Jepsen Søren , Eberhard Jörg
Published: September 2006

Aim: Platelet‐activating factor (PAF) is a potent proinflammatory mediator and has been implicated in cardiovascular pathophysiology. The present clinical study assessed the relation between the severity of periodontal disease and PAF levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum.

Methods: A total of 60 non‐smoking subjects (21 periodontitis, 19 gingivitis patients and 20 healthy individuals) were included. Probing depth, attachment level, bleeding on probing, plaque index and sulphide levels were recorded at six sites of each tooth. GCF and blood samples were collected from all individuals, and PAF levels were investigated by enzyme‐linked immunoabsorbent assay.

Results: The periodontitis group showed significantly higher PAF levels in the serum (329.3±287.3 pg/ml) and GCF (21.8±7.0 pg/sample) compared with the gingivitis group (138.0±77.9 pg/ml, 13.8±3.6 pg/sample) and with healthy controls (68.9±42.8 pg/ml, 2.4±2.7 pg/sample). The differences between patients and controls were statistically significant (p0.05). Positive correlations were observed between PAF levels in GCF and serum and for PAF levels and clinical parameters.

Conclusion: The present findings suggest a role of PAF in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Based on the observed close correlation of GCF and serum PAF levels, future studies are warranted to test the hypothesis of a possible link between periodontitis and adverse systemic events mediated by PAF.
Verlaine's La bonne chanson and Romances sans paroles
Authors: Minahen Charles D.
Published: September 2006

In Verlaine's La bonne chanson, the path to the lady involves centripetal circling, proceeding by degrees, toward an ever closer encounter, in hopes of achieving synthesis with her at the stillpoint of a vortex. Two episodes, located like elliptical dual centers, result in two outcomes: the first, a sudden, centrifugal reversal flinging him violently away, signifying the lady's rejection; the second, an apparently successful but short‐lived fusion, as the poet's measured centrifugal withdrawing, this time of his own accord, portrays. By the time Romances sans paroles opens, estrangement from the lady has increased, but a harmonious intimacy has developed between the poet and a male companion, and the poet's bisexuality is reflected by various gender relations and shifts. His open avowal of a homosexual affair is a shock that upsets the delicate balance between conflicting desires that had been, until now, precariously maintained, resulting in the violent, vertiginous vortex that tears things apart. Although the vortex is, as phenomenon and symbol, reversible, whirling centripetally toward a calm union at the center or centrifugally away toward the furious chaos at the periphery, it is the destructive centrifuge that prevails in these works, ending all tensions and conflicts by annihilating them.
Roland Barthes et théâtralité
Authors: Thobo‐Carlsen John
Published: September 2006

L'intérêt de Roland Barthes pour le théâtre n’était pas précisément liéà la pièce, ni à l’œuvre littéraire, ni au drame comme genre classique, mais plutôt àla théâtralité. La publication de ses Écrits sur le théâtre (2002) en témoigne. C'est aussi ce qui relie l’œuvre de sa vie, « au carrefour de toute l’œuvre, peut‐être le théâtre ». Cet article est né afin de mettre en lumière l'apport des textes de théâtre dans la pensée profonde de l’œuvre de Roland Barthes. Il se base sur la relation ambivalente que Roland Barthes conçoit pour le théâtre, son intérêt personnel et passionné pour le théâtre comme animateur, professionnel tant dans son savoir que dans sa formation dans la tragédie classique. Mais l'article se concentre surtout sur l'influence que la dramaturgie de Bertolt Brecht a eu non seulement sur sa relation avec le théâtre, mais aussi sur la consolidation de l’éthique de la théâtralité ou de la performativité, noyau de son œuvre théorique et analytique.
Palmitoylation Plays a Role in Targeting Vac8p to Specific Membrane Subdomains
Authors: Peng Yutian , Tang Fusheng , Weisman Lois S.
Published: September 2006

Vac8p is a multifunctional yeast protein involved in several distinct vacuolar events including vacuole inheritance, vacuole homotypic fusion, nucleus–vacuole junction formation and the cytoplasm to vacuole protein targeting pathway. Vac8p associates with the vacuole membrane via myristoylation and palmitoylation. Vac8p has three putative palmitoylation sites, at Cys 4, 5 and 7. Here, we show that each of these cysteines may serve as a palmitoylation site. Palmitoylation at Cys 7 alone provides partial function of Vac8p, whereas palmitoylation at either Cys 4 or Cys 5 alone is sufficient for Vac8p function. In the former mutant, there is a severe defect in the localization of Vac8p to the vacuole membrane, while in the latter mutants, there is a partial defect in the localization of Vac8p. In addition, our studies provide evidence that palmitoylation targets Vac8p to specific membrane subdomains.
Mucolipin‐1 Is a Lysosomal Membrane Protein Required for Intracellular Lactosylceramide Traffic
Authors: Pryor Paul R. , Reimann Frank , Gribble Fiona M. , Luzio J. Paul
Published: September 2006

Mucolipin‐1 is a membrane protein encoded by the gene MCOLN1, mutations in which result in the lysosomal storage disorder mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV). Efficient lysosomal targeting of mucolipin‐1 requires di‐leucine motifs in both the N‐terminal and the C‐terminal cytosolic tails. We have shown that aberrant lactosylceramide trafficking in MLIV cells may be rescued by wild‐type mucolipin‐1 expression but not by mucolipin‐1 mistargeted to the plasma membrane or by lysosome‐localized mucolipin‐1 mutated in its predicted ion pore‐selectivity region. Our data demonstrate that the correct localization of mucolipin‐1 and the integrity of its ion pore are essential for its physiological function in the late endocytic pathway.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Impact of Nuclear Medicine in the Management of Acute Chest Pain
Authors: Pirich C. , Rettenbacher L.
Published: September 2006

Life‐threatening and prevalent causes of acute chest pain can be ruled out by nuclear medicine techniques. Among them acute coronary syndromes (ACS), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) are the main indications for the use of nuclear medicine techniques in patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department (ED). Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using nuclear techniques is a well established diagnostic tool in the management of patients with ACS or AMI providing non‐invasively information about perfusion and function. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is routinely applied for MPI allowing the characterization of localization, extent and severity of perfusion abnormalities. SPECT MPI is accurate and feasible in the clinical settings of patients presenting with chest pain. Pulmonary embolism is a common clinical disorder that is associated with high morbidity and mortality if untreated. Because of the unspecific symptoms commonly observed with the disease confirmation or exclusion of PE needs to be done in many cases admitted to ED. Various diagnostic strategies are available to confirm or rule out PE. Discordance between clinical probability and the results of diagnostic tests require imaging studies. Both lung perfusion and ventilation scintigraphy are safe, feasible and reliable methods enabling to exclude PE in patients with a low clinical probability. In summary, the documented prognostic value of scintigraphic parameters is of clinical importance to guide decision‐making in the patient with acute chest pain. Additionally, the cost‐effectiveness of nuclear medicine techniques in the work‐up of patients with chest pain has been demonstrated.
Multidetector CT of Acute Aortic Syndrome
Authors: Reddy G. P.
Published: September 2006

Acute aortic syndrome is charaterised by aortic pain in a patient with a history of hypertension. Causes of this syndrome include aortic dissection, intramural haematoma and penetrating ulcer. The aorta must be fully assessed with an accurate imaging examination when the syndrome is suspected clinically. Multidetector computed tomography is reliable and efficient and is the modality of choice for the evaluation of acute aortic syndrome.