bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Burden and marital and sexual satisfaction in the partners of bipolar patients
Authors: Lam Dominic , Donaldson Catherine , Brown Yael , Malliaris Yanni
Published: September 2005

Objectives:  Bipolar disorder can be traumatic for both patients and patients’ partners. Hence, partners’ stress, burden, marital and sexual satisfactions are important areas to investigate. However, there have been problems with past attempts to identify the determinants of marital satisfaction in bipolar patients and their partners. The present study aimed to address these issues and provide an accurate description of relationship functioning in these couples.

Methods:  The sample involved 37 partners of bipolar patients. A semi‐structured interview assessed the impact of bipolar disorder on aspects of everyday functioning and partners’ attributions for patients’ disturbing behaviour. Standardized instruments assessed partners’ sexual and marital satisfaction across the different affective states.

Results:  Despite couples staying together, significant numbers of partners reported strain as a result of socioeconomic and household changes. More male partners reported premature ejaculation and female partners reported sexual infrequency when patients were depressed. Overall, partners were less sexually satisfied when the patient was ill. Marital disharmony was greater when patients were ill and worse during manic than depressed phases. Marital disharmony was also more likely when partners believed the patient could control their illness; they had increased domestic responsibilities; or were sexually dissatisfied.

Conclusion:  Reductions in sexual satisfaction during affective episodes may be the result of illness‐related changes in sexual interest, responsiveness and affection. Partners who attribute control for the illness to the patient may use strategies to influence behaviour that disrupt marital harmony. Interventions involving education, problem‐solving strategies and sex therapy components may help to reduce marital dissatisfaction.
Toward a clinical delineation of dysphoric hypomania – operational and conceptual dilemmas
Authors: Akiskal Hagop S , Benazzi Franco
Published: September 2005

Objective:  Unlike dysphoric mania, we are unaware of any formal studies of dysphoric hypomania (DH). For this reason, DH is not formally recognized by DSM‐IV and ICD‐10. Analogous to the DSM‐IV approach in the diagnosis of manic mixed state, in this exploratory study we operationalized DH as coexisting full syndromal hypomanic and major depressive states.

Methods:  In an Italian outpatient private practice setting, 320 BP‐II outpatients [meeting DSM‐IV criteria except for shorter (≥2 days) floor duration for history of hypomanic episodes] were further interviewed with the modified SCID‐CV for the simultaneous presence of hypomanic and depressive signs and symptoms during the index presenting affective episode or its exacerbation. Hypomania always included irritable mood plus at least four hypomanic signs and symptoms. Such non‐euphoric hypomania had to last at least 1 week.

Results:  Only 45 (14.0%) met our proposed criteria for DH. Less stringently defined depressive mixed states (DMX) were excluded from further analyses. When compared with 120 of the 320 (37.5%) ‘pure’ BP‐II (i.e., not meeting mixed state criteria), DH emerged as an irritable affective state, demonstrated a significantly higher rate of females, mood lability, racing/crowded thoughts, distractibility, increased talkativeness, psychomotor agitation, and increased goal‐directed drives. Psychomotor agitation/activation had a specificity of 87% and sensitivity of 94%, correctly classifying 92% of cases of DH.

Conclusions:  The DSM‐IV concept of dysphoric manic mixed state can be extended to DH. In the latter, eutrophic exuberance is replaced by irritable‐labile mood, and the hypomanic expansiveness finds expression in mental, psychomotor and behavioral activation that could involve increased drives (e.g., travel, substances, and sex) and social disinhibition. It is useful to contrast the foregoing picture of DH as hypomanic exuberance muted by leaden paralysis, with that of our previous work on DMX as a major depressive mixed state with more subtle excitatory hypomanic intrusions. We discuss methodologic, theoretical and practical implications of categorical (DH) and dimensional (DMX) conceptualizations of mixed states beyond mania.
INVESTIGATING THE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL HYPOTHESIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Authors: Rehn Alexandra E , Rees Sandra M
Published: September 2005

1. An optimal intra‐uterine environment is critical for normal development of the brain. It is now thought that abnormal development in a compromised prenatal and/or early postnatal environment may be a risk factor for several neurological disorders that manifest postnatally, such as cerebral palsy, schizophrenia and epilepsy.

2. The present review examines some of the effects of abnormal prenatal brain development and focuses on one disorder that has been hypothesized to have, at least in part, an early neurodevelopmental aetiology: schizophrenia.

3. The key neuropathological alterations and changes in some of the neurotransmitter systems observed in patients with schizophrenia are reviewed. Evidence in support of a neurodevelopmental hypothesis for schizophrenia is examined.

4. A summary of the animal models that have been used by researchers in an attempt to elucidate the origins of this disorder is presented. Although no animal model of a complex human disorder is ever likely to emulate deficits in all aspects of structure and function observed in patients with a neuropsychiatric illness, our findings and those of others give support to the early neurodevelopmental hypothesis.

5. Thus, it is possible that an adverse event in utero disrupts normal brain development and creates a vulnerability of the brain that predisposes an already at‐risk individual (e.g. genetic inheritance) to develop the disorder later in life.
EFFECTS OF CANNABINOID RECEPTOR ACTIVATION ON RABBIT BISECTED VAS DEFERENS STRIPS
Authors: Barun Süreyya , Vural Ismail Mert , Dileköz Ergin , Ercan Zeynep Sevim , Sarioglu Yusuf
Published: September 2005

1. In the present study, the effects of anandamide and WIN 55,212‐2, cannabinoid receptor agonists, were investigated on electrical field stimulation (EFS)‐induced biphasic twitch responses obtained from the epididymal and prostatic portions of rabbit vas deferens strips.

2. Anandamide and WIN 55,212‐2 dose‐dependently inhibited both the first and second phases of the EFS‐induced twitch responses recorded from epididymal and prostatic portions of the vas deferens over the concentration range 10−9 to 3 × 10−6 mol/L.

3. The cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM 251 (10−6 mol/L) and the cannabinoid CB2 receptor antagonist AM 630 (10−6 mol/L) had no effect on the inhibitory action of anandamide on the biphasic twitch responses in the prostatic and epididymal portions of the rabbit vas deferens.

4. In both the prostatic and epididymal portions of the rabbit vas deferens, AM 251 significantly, but not completely, reversed the inhibitory effect of WIN 55,212‐2 on the first phase of the twitch response. In contrast, AM 630 did not have any effect on the inhibitory action of WIN 55,212‐2 in the rabbit vas deferens strips.

5. The inhibitory effects of anandamide or WIN 55,212‐2 on EFS‐induced twitch responses of both the prostatic and epididymal portions of the rabbit vas deferens were not altered in the presence of 10−5 mol/L naloxone.

6. These results suggest that cannabinoid receptors may have a modulatory role in the regulation of sympathetic transmission in the rabbit vas deferens. However, further investigation is required to characterize the receptors involved.
MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RELAXATION OF RABBIT AORTA BY BAY 41‐2272, A NITRIC OXIDE‐INDEPENDENT SOLUBLE GUANYLATE CYCLASE ACTIVATOR
Authors: Priviero Fernanda BM , Baracat Juliana S , Teixeira Cleber E , Claudino Mário A , De Nucci Gilberto , Antunes Edson
Published: September 2005

1. The compound BAY 41‐2272 (5‐cyclopropyl‐2‐[1‐(2‐fluoro‐benzyl)‐1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridin‐3‐yl]‐pyrimidin‐4‐ylamine) has been described as a potent, nitric oxide (NO)‐independent, stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase. In the present study, the mechanisms underlying the relaxant effect of BAY 41‐2272 in endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded precontracted rabbit aortic rings were investigated.

2. Male New Zealand white rabbits were anaesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. Aortic rings were transferred to 10 mL organ baths containing oxygenated and warmed Krebs' solution. Tissues were connected to force‐displacement transducers and changes in isometric force were recorded. Aortic rings were precontracted submaximally with phenylephrine (1 µmol/L).

3. The addition of BAY 41‐2272 (0.01–10 µmol/L) to the organ bath produced concentration‐dependent relaxations of the aortic rings with a higher potency in endothelium‐intact (pEC50 6.59 ± 0.05) compared with endothelium‐denuded (pEC50 6.19 ± 0.04; P < 0.05) preparations. No differences in maximal responses were observed in either preparation. The NO synthesis inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (100 µmol/L) produced a 2.1‐fold rightward shift in endothelium‐intact (P < 0.01) rings, but had no effect in endothelium‐denuded rings. The soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ; 1 µmol/L) caused significant rightward shifts of the concentration–response curves to BAY 41‐2272 of 4.9‐ and 2.6‐fold in endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded rings, respectively. The phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitor sildenafil (0.1 µmol/L) significantly potentiated the relaxant effects of BAY 41‐2272 in both endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded rings.

4. At 1 µmol/L, BAY 41‐2272 significantly elevated the aortic cGMP content above basal levels in both endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded rings. Furthermore, ODQ reduced BAY 41‐2272‐elicited increases in cGMP content by 17 and 90% in endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded rings, respectively (P < 0.01).

5. In conclusion, BAY 41‐2272 potently relaxes endothelium‐intact and ‐denuded rabbit aortic rings. The basal release of endothelium‐derived NO enhances BAY 41‐2272‐induced relaxations, suggesting a synergistic effect of BAY 41‐2272 and NO on soluble guanylate cyclase. In addition, the endothelium‐independent relaxation involves both GMP‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms.
EFFECT OF SEED COAT EXTRACT FROM BLACK SOYBEANS ON RADIAL MAZE PERFORMANCE IN RATS
Authors: Shinomiya Kazuaki , Tokunaga Shin , Shigemoto Yuki , Kamei Chiaki
Published: September 2005

1. In the present study, we tested the effect of seed coat extract from black soybeans on eight‐arm radial maze performance in rats.

2. Rats were fed a diet containing 5% seed coat extract from black soybeans or a normal diet for 40 days.

3. One week after the start of feeding, rats were tested for learning ability related to two types of memory, reference memory and working memory, with a partially (four of eight) baited eight‐arm radial maze.

4. A significant decrease in the total number of errors was observed 30 (mean value of five trials of 26–30 days) and 35 days (30–35 days) after the intake of the diet containing seed coat extract compared with the control group. In addition, the mean number of days taken to reach this criterion was significantly decreased after the intake of the diet containing the seed coat extract.

5. The number of reference memory errors was significantly decreased 30 and 35 days after the intake of the diet containing seed coat extract. However, no significant decrease was observed in the number of working memory errors.

6. From these results, it is concluded that the intake of seed coat extract from black soybeans effectively enhances memory and learning ability, especially long‐term memory, in rats.
HIGH GLUCOSE‐INDUCED HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELL HYPERPERMEABILITY IS DEPENDENT ON PROTEIN KINASE C ACTIVATION AND INDEPENDENT OF THE Ca2+–NITRIC OXIDE SIGNALLING PATHWAY
Authors: Dang Lei , Seale J Paul , Qu Xianqin
Published: September 2005

1. Endothelial barrier dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. The precise molecular mechanisms by which hyperglycaemia causes the increased permeability in endothelial cells are not yet well understood. In the present study, we investigated whether high concentrations of glucose induce endothelial permeability through the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and/or the calcium–nitric oxide (NO) signalling pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

2. Endothelial permeability was measured by albumin diffusion across endothelial monolayers under the stimuli of high glucose (HG; 20 mmol/L), 100 nmol/L phorbol‐myristate‐acetate (PMA) or 100 nmol/L histamine. The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was detected in HUVEC using the fluorescent probe fura‐2 AM. The effects of PKC inhibitors (LY379196 and hypocrellin A) and the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine (l‐NMMA) on endothelial permeability and [Ca2+]i were determined.

3. High glucose and PMA increased endothelial permeability associated with decreased [Ca2+]i, whereas histamine triggered significant increases in endothelial permeability, accompanied by increases in [Ca2+]i in HUVEC. Hypocrellin A (HA) and LY379196 reversed both HG‐ and histamine‐induced endothelial permeability. The NOS inhibitor l‐NMMA only abolished histamine‐ and not HG‐induced endothelial permeability. Neither LY379196, HA nor l‐NMMA had any significant effects on alterations in [Ca2+]i caused by HG and histamine.

4. These results indicate that increased endothelial permeability in HUVEC induced by HG is dependent on PKC activity and is independent of the [Ca2+]i–NO pathway. Increased endothelial permeability due to other inflammatory factors, such as histamine, may also be mediated by the PKC pathway. Thus, PKC inhibitors would be a potential therapeutic approach to endothelial dysfunction induced by hyperglycaemia, as well as other inflammatory factors, in diabetes.
Facial nerve function and hearing preservation after retrosigmoid excision of vestibular schwannoma: Christchurch hospital experience with 97 patients
Authors: Darwish Balsam S. , Bird Philip A. , Goodisson Derek W. , Bonkowski Janusz A. , MacFarlane Martin R.
Published: September 2005

Background:  Between January 1988 and December 2002, 97 patients underwent surgery for excision of vestibular schwannoma via the retrosigmoid approach at Christchurch Hospital.

Methods:  A retrospective review was undertaken of the clinical notes with emphasis on facial nerve function and hearing preservation postoperatively.

Results:  Of patients with small and medium‐sized tumours, 81% had good facial nerve function at 1 year (House−Brackmann grade 1 and grade 2), 16% had moderate function (grade 3 and grade 4) and 3% had poor function (grade 5). Of patients with large tumours, 22% had good facial function (grade 1 and grade 2), 37% had moderate function (grade 3 and grade 4) and 41% had poor function (grade 5 and grade 6). Useful postoperative hearing was preserved in 21% of the 47 patients with tumours <3 cm and useful preoperative hearing. In the last 5 years the authors have been operating in conjunction with an ear, nose and throat surgeon (PAB) trained in base‐of‐skull surgery. Over this period, useful hearing was preserved in 32% of patients with small and medium‐sized tumours and useful preoperative hearing.

Conclusions:  Tumour size was an important predictor of the postoperative facial and cochlear nerve function. The multidisciplinary approach to these tumours offers better results. These results compare well with other published series.
Management of elderly patients with breast cancer: the time for surgery
Authors: Rai Sajal , Stotter Anne
Published: September 2005

Introduction:  Most patients with breast cancer are likely to benefit from local treatment (surgery and/or radiotherapy). Historically an arbitrary cut‐off of 70 years has been widely used, above which women were considered for tamoxifen‐only treatment. We looked at the proportion of our patients who did not have early surgery for breast cancer to see if this cut‐off might have been used too rigidly, resulting in suboptimal treatment of some patients over 70 years of age. A step change in the rate of surgical treatment around age 70 was sought as evidence.

Method:  A total of 2209 consecutive patients with confirmed histological diagnosis of breast cancer were identified; 677 of these did not have surgery within 3 months of diagnosis. Analysis determined age group distribution and the reasons for no surgery or delayed surgery.

Results:  A step increase in the number of patients not undergoing early surgery was clearly seen at 70 years of age.

Conclusion:  Age may have been used too rigidly to decide local treatment for elderly patients with breast cancer. Comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment is needed to make informed decisions and to optimize management of elderly patients.
Popliteal artery injury: Royal Perth experience and literature review
Authors: Yahya Mazri M. , Mwipatayi Bibombe P. , Abbas Manzoor , Rao Suhakar , Sieunarine Kishore
Published: September 2005

Background:  Popliteal artery injury is uncommon but poses a significant challenge in Australian trauma care. Blunt trauma and knee dislocations appear to be associated with higher amputation rates. The aim of the present study was to review the authors’ experience with this condition and discuss the best approach to investigation and management.

Methods:  The medical records of all patients with popliteal artery injury (n = 19) who were entered prospectively onto the Royal Perth Hospital Trauma Registry from 1995 to 2003 were reviewed. Their demographic data, investigations, primary operative procedures, fasciotomy, primary and secondary amputation rates and mortality were determined.

Results:  There were 17 male and two female patients with a median age of 34 years (range 17−62 years). Most patients (84%) were under 40 years in age. Blunt trauma was the commonest cause of popliteal artery injury (68.4%), and 84.6% of the patients had associated skeletal injury. The amputation rate in the present study was 26.3% (5/19). There were no intraoperative or in‐hospital deaths. Three of 13 patients (23%) with blunt trauma underwent amputation, compared to two of six (33.3%) with penetrating injury. Two of three amputee patients in the blunt trauma group had dislocated knees.

Conclusion:  Despite technical improvements in management of popliteal artery injury, a high amputation rate is still seen, especially in patients with one or more of the following factors: extensive soft‐issue injury, associated skeletal trauma, knee dislocation, and prolonged ischaemia time. Measures to reduce the amputation rate, ranging from more prompt diagnosis to modified surgical treatment techniques, are discussed.
Mortality, morbidity and functional outcome after total or subtotal abdominal colectomy in the asian population
Authors: Bin Mohd Zam Nor Azhari , Tan Kok‐Yang , Ng Chin , Chen Chung‐Ming , Wong Soong‐Kuan , Chng Hong‐Chee , Tay Khoon‐Hean , Eu Kong‐Weng
Published: September 2005

Objective:  This study reviews the functional outcome and satisfaction of patients after subtotal or total colectomy (STTC).

Methods:  A retrospective review of patients who underwent STTC between June 1999 and September 2003 was performed. A standardized questionnaire was formulated and phone interviews were conducted with these patients.

Results:  There were 50 patients who underwent STTC during this period. The most common indications were bleeding diverticular disease, patients with synchronous colorectal cancers or polyps and left‐sided colonic obstruction. The presence of ischaemic heart disease and the development of perioperative acute coronary syndrome were found to be statistically significant predictors of 30 day mortality with P = 0.01 and 0.05, respectively. Phone interviews were successfully conducted in 33 patients. The patients interviewed were between 4 and 54 months postsurgery. Ninety‐four percent reported that they were either happy or satisfied. Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Score (CCIS) revealed good or perfect continence in 94% of patients. Less than one‐quarter of those interviewed had five or more bowel movements in a day while most had either two or three bowel movements a day. Patient satisfaction after STTC correlated strongly with the severity of CCIS and number of bowel movements a day (P < 0.01). Also, those with less than five bowel movements a day were more likely to report a better satisfaction (P < 0.01).

Conclusion:  Subtotal or total colectomy is associated with a good functional outcome and most patients were satisfied with their bowel function on follow‐up.
Novel approach to aortic cannulation suturing: tangential suture technique
Authors: Ünal Mustafa , Konuralp Cüneyt , İdiz Mustafa , Ekinci Abdurrahman , Akçar Murat
Published: September 2005

Background:  Pursestring suture for ascending aortic cannulation in open heart surgery that requires cardiopulmonary bypass may cause serious events, especially in patients who have a thin or calcific aorta. We introduce a novel suturing method, called the ‘tangential suture technique’, and submit our clinical experience.

Methods:  Adult patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass were included in this study. Patients in whom the tangential suture technique was applied (Group A; n = 146) were compared with patients in whom the classic pursestring technique was applied (Group B; n = 152).

Results:  The age (38 ± 11 years vs 36 ± 10 years), sex (males 65.1% vs 62.5%) and operation types were similar in both groups. Although the difference was not significant (P > 0.05), subadventitial haematoma occurred more frequently in Group B (13 patients; 8.6%) than in Group A (3 patients; 2.1%). However, none in Group A required opening the adventitia. No aortic dissection was observed in peri‐ or postoperative periods in either group. In Group B, seven (4.6%) patients required repair by suture after tying of pursestring sutures following decannulation because of bleeding, while none was required in Group A (P = 0.0156).

Conclusions:  Tangential suture technique allows the needle to take a longer segment from the media layer while decreasing the likelihood of entering the lumen. Because the tract of the suture almost perfectly fits to the needle curve, tissue injury is less, even on fragile aortas, and this ensures more stable closure of the hole when the suture is tied following decannulation. By considering both its theoretical advantages and our clinical experience, we believe tangential suture technique should be preferred to the classic method.
Should Egalitarians be Perfectionists?
Authors: Lecce Steven
Published: September 2005

Political philosophers often worry about the potentially elitist implications of perfectionism as the basis of distributive justice. Richard Arneson challenges this familiar connection between perfectionism and elitism by developing an egalitarian theory of distributive justice with distinctively perfectionist grounds. In this article, I argue that Arneson's theory is implausible, because an egalitarian political morality renders perfectionism either irrelevant or arbitrary.
Ideology and Ministerial Allocation in the Major Government 1992–1997
Authors: Heppell Timothy
Published: September 2005

This article evaluates the allocation of ministerial portfolios according to ideological disposition within the Major government of 1992–1997. By examining the ideological attitudes of Conservative parliamentarians towards three ideological variables – economic policy, European policy and social, sexual and moral policy – it will analyse the ideological balance of the government vis-à-vis the Parliamentary Conservative Party (PCP); the ideological disposition of those departing and entering government; and the ideological profile of the ministers appointed to the ‘key’ ministerial positions. The article will demonstrate the following: first, the Thatcherite ‘right’ were underrepresented at ministerial level, whilst the Tory ‘left’ secured a level of ministerial representation disproportionate to their numerical strength within the PCP; second, this was despite the fact that the process of ministerial appointments and departures gradually enhanced the representation of the Thatcherite ‘right’ of the PCP at the expense of the Tory ‘left’; and finally, the ‘perception’ amongst the Thatcherite ‘right’ was that they were being marginalised in terms of the key ministries of state.
Electronic Voting in Belgium: A Legitimised Choice?
Authors: Delwit Pascal , Kulahci Erol , Pilet Jean-Benoit
Published: September 2005

Computer voting was introduced in Belgium in 1994. Paradoxically, no action had been taken to ascertain the opinion of electors confronted with this original method of voting. This article verifies the social and empirical dimensions of legitimacy of this new method through several empirical indicators used in a survey conducted on the occasion of the federal elections of 18 May 2003: (a) how easy/difficult it was for electors to vote on a computer; (b) to what extent they trust voting on a computer; (c) if they have a philosophical/social opposition to voting on a computer.
Prader‐Willi syndrome: intellectual abilities and behavioural features by genetic subtype
Authors: Milner Katja M. , Craig Ellen E. , Thompson Russell J. , Veltman Marijcke W.M. , Simon Thomas N. , Roberts Sian , Bellamy Margaret , Curran Sarah R. , Sporikou Caroline M.J. , Bolton Patrick F.
Published: September 2005

Background:  Studies of chromosome 15 abnormality have implicated over‐expression of paternally imprinted genes in the 15q11–13 region in the aetiology of autism. To test this hypothesis we compared individuals with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) due to uniparental disomy (UPD – where paternally imprinted genes are over‐expressed) to individuals with the 15q11–13 deletion form of the syndrome (where paternally imprinted genes are not over‐expressed). We also tested reports that PWS cases due to the larger type I (TI) form of deletion show differences to cases with the smaller type II (TII) deletion.

Method:  Ninety‐six individuals with PWS were recruited from genetic centres and the PWS association. Forty‐nine individuals were confirmed as having maternal UPD of chromosome 15 and were age and sex matched to 47 individuals with a deletion involving 15q11–13 (32 had the shorter (T II) deletion, and 14 had the longer (TI) deletion). Behavioural assessments were carried out blind to genetic status, using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI), the Autism Screening Questionnaire (ASQ), the Children's Yale‐Brown Obsessive‐Compulsive Scale (CY‐BOCS), the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS), and measurements of intellectual ability, including the Wechsler and Mullen Scales and Raven's Matrices.

Results:  UPD cases exhibited significantly more autistic‐like impairments in reciprocal social interaction on questionnaire, interview and standardised observational measures. Comparison of TI and TII deletion cases revealed few differences, but ability levels tended to be lower in the TI deletion cases.

Conclusions:  Findings from a large study comparing deletion and UPD forms of Prader‐Willi syndrome were consistent with other evidence in indicating that paternally imprinted genes in the 15q11–13 region constitute a genetic risk factor for aspects of autistic symptomatology. These genes may therefore play a role in the aetiology of autism. By contrast with another report, there was no clear‐cut relationship between the size of the deletion and the form of cognitive and behavioural phenotype.
Enhancement of translation elongation in neurons by brain‐derived neurotrophic factor: Implications for mammalian target of rapamycin signaling
Authors: Inamura Naoko , Nawa Hiroyuki , Takei Nobuyuki
Published: September 2005

The effects and signaling mechanisms of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on translation elongation were investigated in cortical neurons. BDNF increased the elongation rate approximately twofold, as determined by measuring the ribosomal transit time. BDNF‐accelerated elongation was inhibited by rapamycin, implicating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). To explore the mechanisms underlying these effects, we examined the protein phosphorylation cascades that lead to the activation of translation elongation in neurons. BDNF increased eukaryote elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) phosphorylation and decreased eEF2 phosphorylation. Whereas eEF2 phosphorylation levels altered by BDNF were inhibited by rapamycin, eEF1A phosphorylation was not affected by rapamycin or PD98059, a mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor. BDNF induced phosphorylation of eEF2 kinase (Ser366), as well as decreased its kinase activity. All these events were inhibited by rapamycin. Furthermore, mTOR siRNA, which reduced mTOR levels up to 50%, inhibited the BDNF‐induced enhancement in elongation rate and decrease in eEF2 phosphorylation. These results strongly suggest that BDNF enhances translation elongation through the activation of the mTOR–eEF2 pathway.
Microsatellite loci for Bombus spp.
Authors: REBER FUNK CHRISTINE , SCHMID‐HEMPEL REGULA , SCHMID‐HEMPEL PAUL
Published: September 2005

We report the details and characteristics of a total of 44 novel microsatelllite loci for Bombus spp. Most of them are highly polymorphic in Bombus terrestris, and a high degree of polymorphism is also found where these primers have been tested in 10 other bumblebee species. These markers will therefore be useful for the genetic study of this group.
Sixteen microsatellite loci for the Bufo boreas group
Authors: SIMANDLE ERIC T. , PEACOCK MARY M. , ZIRELLI LAURA , TRACY C. RICHARD
Published: September 2005

The four species that comprise the Bufo boreas group of toads are critically imperiled in all or portions of their geographical ranges. We present data from 16 microsatellite loci isolated from B. boreas that cross‐amplify in these four species. These markers have proven useful in the analyses of population structure and conservation genetics, and provide a powerful tool for future researchers who seek to understand the conservation genetics of these rare toad species. Polymorphism was assessed for 339 individuals from seven populations representing the four species. All loci were polymorphic (X̄ = 8, range of four to 19 alleles). Three loci were not in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in one population, and one of these loci was out of HWE in a second population (P < 0.003 after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests). However, there were no systematic deviations from HWE across all study populations. Small populations in fragmented habitat appear to explain the existing HWE deviations.
Polymorphic microsatellite markers in the Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri
Authors: ZHAN AIBIN , BAO ZHENMIN , YAO BING , WANG XIAOLONG , HUI MIN , HU JINGJIE
Published: September 2005

The colony hybridization method was presented for isolating microsatellite markers in Zhikong scallop, Chlamys farreri. We designed primers to amplify 26 unique microsatellites. Fourteen primer pairs amplified clearly and were polymorphic. Based on characterization with 60 unrelated individuals, the number of alleles ranges from two to 13, and the expected heterozygosity ranges from 0.22 to 0.91. These markers have the potential for genetic studies in population structure and intraspecific variation.
Characterization of microsatellite markers in the endangered Sinojackia xylocarpa (Styracaceae) and cross‐species amplification in closely related taxa
Authors: YAO XIAOHONG , YE QIGANG , KANG MING , ZHOU JIANFENG , XU YANQIN , WANG YING , HUANG HONGWEN
Published: September 2005

Twenty‐four polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from an AAG‐enriched genomic library of Sinojackia xylocarpa. The average allele number of these microsatellites was 3.3 per locus, ranging from two to seven. The observed and expected heterozygosities at population level were 0.10–0.83 and 0.10–1.00, respectively. In addition, successful cross‐species amplification of this set of microsatellites in three other species of Sinojackia and a closely related taxon, Changiostyrax dolichocarpa, suggested that this set of microsatellite markers should provide a useful tool for genetic and conservation studies of Sinojackia species and other closely related taxa in the Styracaceae.
Study of hepatitis B (HB) vaccine non‐responsiveness among health care workers from an endemic area (Taiwan)
Authors: Yen Yi‐Hao , Chen Chien‐Hung , Wang Jing‐Houng , Lee Chuan‐Mo , Changchien Chi‐Sin , Lu Sheng‐Nan
Published: September 2005

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the etiology of non‐responsiveness to hepatitis B (HB) vaccination in adults from an endemic area.

Methods: A total of 250 subjects who were HBsAg negative and anti‐HBs<10 mIU/ml received three‐dose HB‐vaccine series. Anti‐HBs ‘negative’ was defined as a level<1.5 mIU/ml. ‘Weakly’ positive was defined as 1.5–10 mIU/ml at pre‐vaccination testing. Anti‐HBs response was defined as a level >10 mIU/ml at post‐vaccination testing. Among non‐responders who were anti‐HBc positive, serum anti‐HBe and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were tested.

Results: Three variables were associated with non‐responsiveness by univariate analysis: anti‐HBc positive, male gender, and age >40 years. Multivariate analysis additionally showed that anti‐HBs negative was associated with non‐responsiveness. Among 23 non‐responders in anti‐HBc positive subjects, post‐vaccination serum was available in 16 subjects. HBV‐DNA in all subjects was under detectable level by PCR assay. Anti‐HBe positive were found in 13 of 16 subjects and were assumed to be occult HBV infection.

Conclusion: Male gender, age >40 years and anti‐HBc positive are associated with non‐responsiveness to HB vaccination. Most of non‐responders among anti‐HBc positive subjects were assumed to be occult HBV infection. Subjects with weakly positive anti‐HBs were associated with responsiveness which may be the effect of immune memory.
Changing educational paradigms in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies: development of a profession
Authors: Hathaway Elaine Osier
Published: September 2005

The transfusion medicine profession can be easily compared and contrasted with an early 1900 ironclad ship operating in the rough seas of the 21st century. Without modifying the old ship to today's standards, even the captain and crew will begin to expect the ship to meet its demise. The unfortunate passengers, on the other hand, do not expect that they are on an old obsolete ship and, instead, are innocent victims stuck on a doomed course. The old ironclad ship must change into a sleek cruiser and utilize the latest available technology so that its well‐educated and competent captain and crew can safely navigate even the most challenging waters.

The transfusion medicine profession must transform itself into a state‐of‐the‐art ship so that it, like the refurbished ironclad ship, can be set on cruise control through the open seas. The question facing our industry is do we have the courage to utilize modern technology and to commit the funds necessary to develop, implement, and maintain our existence?

It is difficult to plot a steady course into the future because of existing challenges that stand ready to sink our profession, including economic wrangling over regulation, technologic changes, generation conflict, and political differences that threaten our excellence. The primary purpose of this article is to focus on the educational needs that affect all personnel involved in transfusion medicine. In addition, this article will address potential adverse outcomes and investigate possible resolutions to avoid the “sinking ship.”

Within the next 5 to 7 years, without a corrective course of action, our profession will be at the bottom of the clinical ladder, remembered more for its demise and tragic ending than for its accomplishments. It is hoped, successful implementation of changes in educational paradigms in transfusion medicine may lead to a renaissance within our workforce—generations working together, each sharing and learning from one another.
Strengthening the service continuum between transfusion providers and suppliers: enhancing the blood services network
Authors: Sime Stacy L.
Published: September 2005

As the cost of health care increases, the focus on cost containment grows. The pressure to reduce costs comes at the same time the public focus is on ensuring a zero‐risk blood supply. The blood supply has never been safer or more expensive. With the relative vanquishing of transfusion‐transmitted diseases, noninfectious risks now exceed infectious risks. This has resulted in a call to refocus blood safety efforts on interconnected processes that link a unit of blood from its volunteer blood donor to the patient.

Additional costs in the blood supply chain will create new pressures on an already taxed system that gets little additional reimbursement with each new safety initiative. Opposing interests have created a tenuous relationship between the blood supplier and the transfusion provider. This adversarial relationship does not benefit the ultimate stakeholder, the patient. It is time to create a service partnership that is built on access, cost, and quality. Initiatives must be undertaken at a local, regional, and national level. Locally, blood suppliers and transfusion providers must reevaluate policies that are focused on individual gain and reinvent policies that will reward improvements in the overall system and expand cooperative services. Regionally, both blood suppliers and transfusion providers need to consolidate services to gain cost and quality benefits without compromising the competitive nature of the industry. Nationally, the creation of a strategic plan will help ensure that a mutually beneficial relationship focused on the patient is created between the blood supplier and transfusion provider at all levels. Development of such a plan would benefit the transfusing and supplying parties by identifying areas of common interest and how each may facilitate the achievement of shared benefits.
Strategies for advancing transfusion medicine and cellular therapies: taking control of our future
Authors: Dixon Morris R. , Eckert Nancy , Hathaway Thomas , Lieb Mary , Sanchez Kim , Stanley Jean , Schiff Philip , Liberman Aaron , Rotarius Timothy
Published: September 2005

This special edition of TRANSFUSION is dedicated to those colleagues in the transfusion medicine and cellular therapy field who have wondered about what the future holds for their chosen professions. Each of the six peer‐reviewed Think Tank articles included in this special edition focuses on an administrative issue that is critical to the survivability and enhancement of the industry. Each issue is examined from two perspectives: Where are we now? And where are we heading?
Human papillomavirus type 5 in primary keratinocytes from psoriatic skin
Authors: Simeone Paola , Teson Massimo , Latini Alessandra , Carducci Massimo , Venuti Aldo
Published: September 2005

Abstract:  The role of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is uncertain, and it has been postulated that the virus can act as a putative superantigen or it is activated from a latent status by inflammatory cytokines. To determine the involvement of HPV in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, primary cultures of keratinocytes from psoriatic lesions were analysed for the viral presence and for the production of inflammatory cytokines. Biopsies were taken from psoriatic lesions of 11 patients and from healthy donors undergoing plastic surgery. HPV DNA/RNAs were detected by nested polymerase chain reaction methods. The secretion of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), IL‐8 and IL‐18 was determined in the conditioned medium by commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits. Sixty‐four per cent of the psoriatic keratinocytes were positive to HPV type 5 (HPV5), whereas no normal samples showed the presence of viral sequences. In the corresponding paraffin‐embedded sections, multiple infection by HPV5 and HPV1 was detected. Comparable results in the production of inflammatory cytokines were obtained from HPV‐infected vs. non‐infected cell cultures. Specific HPV5 mRNAs were detected in the keratinocytes in the absence of cytokine stimulation, indicating that the expression of the viral genome may not be a consequence of the activation of the viral promoter by cytokines. The results are suggestive of an involvement of HPV5 in the psoriasis and reinforce the hypothesis that the replication of this virus in the psoriatic keratinocytes may cause the epidermal hyperproliferation as well as the antigen stimulation, which induces autoimmune phenomena.
Scratching behavior in spontaneous‐ or allergic contact‐induced dermatitis in NC/Nga mice
Authors: Takahashi N. , Arai Iwao , Honma Y. , Hashimoto Y. , Harada M. , Futaki N. , Sugimoto M. , Nakaike S.
Published: September 2005

Abstract:  NC/Nga mice have pathological and behavioral features similar to those seen in human atopic dermatitis. There are two known dermatitis models in NC/Nga mice, one being spontaneous‐induced dermatitis under conventional conditions and the other 2,4,6‐trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)‐induced allergic contact dermatitis. However, there are significant differences in time course on development of dermatitis. We studied the role of scratching behavior (sign of itch) on the development of dermatitis on spontaneous‐ and TNCB‐induced dermatitis. We measured scratching counts, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and skin inflammation score, under conventional conditions or by applying 5% TNCB once a week for 6 weeks in NC/Nga mice. In spontaneous‐induced dermatitis, scratching counts increased with the passage of time. The scratching counts were significantly increased only 1 week after housing the mice under conventional conditions, but no changes were observed in cases of TNCB‐induced dermatitis. In spontaneous‐induced dermatitis, TEWL and skin‐inflammation score were gradually increased, time‐dependently. On the other hand, in TNCB‐induced dermatitis, these dependent values rapidly increased and reached a maximum only after 24 h TNCB application. These data suggest that pathogenesis of spontaneous‐ and allergic contact‐induced dermatitis was clearly different. It will be of major interest to identify the pruritic mediators causing profound scratching behavior and scratching‐induced aggravation of inflammation in the spontaneous‐induced dermatitis, as opposed to the inflammatory mediators that cause contact allergic dermatitis without major scratching.
Late Romantic Ekphrasis: Felicia Hemans, Leigh Hunt and the Return of the Visible
Authors: Simonsen Peter
Published: September 2005

This essay reconsiders the neglected interface between the romantic and Victorian periods in English literary history, the 1820s and 1830s. Focusing on the return of the visible in the ekphrastic work of two representative figures on the literary and cultural scene at the time, Felicia Hemans (1793–1835) and Leigh Hunt (1784–1859), it suggests that the popularization of ekphrasis in these years belies the notion of a sudden dearth of imaginative literature typically said to have occurred after Byron's death in 1824. In their ekphrastic writings Hemans and Hunt transform the high romanticism that precedes them as they highlight an otherwise marginalized desire for the visible at the core of high romanticism. In doing so, they anticipate the Victorian and modernist poetics that follow in their wake and on both counts occasion a reconsideration.1
The Lyric of Narrative: Exile, Poetry, and Story in Saint‐John Perse and Elizabeth Bishop
Authors: Acquisto Joseph
Published: September 2005

This article examines two lyric rewritings of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Saint‐John Perse's Images à Crusoé focuses not on events or characters but on a series of physical objects that played a usually minor role in Defoe's novel. Saint‐John Perse transforms Defoe's moral tale into meditations on the emotional turmoil of difference and exile, as the narrative past becomes a lyric present that mourns the loss of an idyllic temporal and geographical space. Bishop's ‘Crusoe in England’ also recasts Defoe's tale in a series of ‘poetic’ tropes that fill in gaps in the novel. Her first‐person dramatic monologue – in contrast with Saint‐John Perse's prose poems in the second person – highlights the subjective experiences of fear, despair, and homoeroticism in the Crusoe story. Building from an analysis of the way books and texts themselves figure in both Saint‐John Perse's and Bishop's poems, I argue that the interaction of lyric and narrative traditions can thus forge a new literary space, namely, narrative prose filtered through the lyric tradition, that allow the experience of exile to be retold.
Of Hermeneutics and Difference: Genet's (Dys)functional Objects
Authors: Barnett Richard‐Laurent
Published: September 2005

Genet's narratological maneuvering of ‘animation,’ as an awkwardly embedded focal point, invites artistic contortions and elements of physicality that transgress the boundaries of strict philosophical writing. The strategy, here rooted in several novelistic examples, invokes the exploration of the inanimate object's ‘nature,’ ultimately to encode a more‐than‐systematic life. A curious dynamic, indeed.
Genetic basis for the psychostimulant effects of nicotine: a quantitative trait locus analysis in AcB/BcA recombinant congenic mice
Authors: Gill K. J. , Boyle A. E.
Published: September 2005

Genetic differences in sensitivity to nicotine have been reported in both animals and humans. The present study utilized a novel methodology to map genes involved in regulating both the psychostimulant and depressant effects of nicotine in the AcB/BcA recombinant congenic strains (RCS) of mice. Locomotor activity was measured in a computerized open‐field apparatus following subcutaneous administration of saline (days 1 and 2) or nicotine on day 3. The phenotypic measures obtained from this experimental design included total basal locomotor activity, as well as total nicotine activity, nicotine difference scores, nicotine percent change and nicotine regression residual scores. The results indicated that the C57BL/6J (B6) were insensitive to nicotine over the entire dose–response curve (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg). However, the 0.8‐mg/kg dose of nicotine produced a significant decrease in the locomotor activity in the A/J strain and a wide and continuous range of both locomotor excitation and depression among the AcB/BcA RCS. Single‐locus association analysis in the AcB RCS identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the psychostimulant effects of nicotine on chromosomes 11, 12, 13, 14 and 17 and one QTL for nicotine‐induced depression on chromosome 11. In the BcA RCS, nicotine‐induced locomotor activation was associated with seven putative regions on chromosomes 2, 7, 8, 13, 14, 16 and 17. There were no overlapping QTL and no genetic correlations between saline‐ and nicotine‐related phenotypes in the AcB/BcA RCS. A number of putative candidate genes were in proximity to regions identified with nicotine sensitivity, including the α2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the dopamine D3 receptor.