bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Calcium Inhibits Renin Gene Expression by Transcriptional and Posttranscriptional Mechanisms
Authors: Klar Jürgen , Sigl Martin , Obermayer Birgit , Schweda Frank , Krämer Bernhard K. , Kurtz Armin
Published: November 2005

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cytosolic calcium for renin gene expression in juxtaglomerular cells. For this purpose, we used the immortalized juxtaglomerular mouse cell line As4.1. To increase cytosolic calcium concentration, we treated the cells with thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid, inhibitors of the endoplasmatic reticulum Ca− ATPase. Thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid inhibited renin gene expression in a characteristic time and concentration-dependent manner. This effect was concentration-dependently blocked by BAPTA-AM, an intracellular Ca
2+
chelator. Pharmacological blocking of protein kinase C activity by calphostin, Gö6976, and Gö6983 did not change the effect of thapsigargin on renin gene expression. Experiments with renin1
C
–promoter–reporter constructs revealed that thapsigargin inhibited renin gene transcription. Analysis of deletion constructs of the renin1
C
promoter indicated that regulatory elements involved in the calcium-mediated inhibition of renin gene transcription are located in the enhancer region of the renin gene and that ≥3 transcription factor-binding sites are involved in this process. In addition, thapsigargin reduced the renin mRNA half-life from 10 hours (control conditions) to 4 hours. Knockdown studies with small interfering RNA directed to dynamin-1 mRNA revealed that dynamin-1 is likely to be involved in the calcium-mediated destabilization of renin mRNA. These data suggest that calcium inhibits renin gene expression in juxtaglomerular cells via a concerted action of inhibition of renin gene transcription and destabilization of renin mRNA.
Mechanisms of Mineralocorticoid Action
Authors: Fuller Peter J. , Young Morag J.
Published: November 2005

Sodium transport in epithelial tissues is regulated by the physiological mineralocorticoid aldosterone. The response to aldosterone is mediated by the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), for which the crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain has recently been established. The classical mode of action for this receptor involves the regulation of gene transcription. Several genes have now been shown to be regulated by aldosterone in epithelial tissues. Of these, the best characterized is serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase, which increases sodium influx through the epithelial sodium channel. Turnover of these channels in the cell membrane is mediated by Nedd4–2, a ubiquitin protein ligase; serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase interacts with and phosphorylates Nedd4–2, thereby rendering it unable to bind the sodium channels. In nonepithelial tissues, particularly the cardiovascular system, aldosterone also has direct effects, activating an inflammatory cascade, leading to cardiac fibrosis. A critical role for the MR in cardiovascular disease has now been demonstrated by the beneficial response to MR blockade in 2 large clinical trials in patients with cardiac failure. It is these nonepithelial actions of MR activation that need to be exploited for the development of antagonists that target the cardiovascular system while avoiding the undesirable side effects of renal MR blockade.
Fetal, Developmental, and Parental Influences on Childhood Systolic Blood Pressure in 600 Sib Pairs
Authors: Leon David A. , Koupil Ilona , Mann Vera , Tuvemo Torsten , Lindmark Gunilla , Mohsen Rawya , Byberg Liisa , Lithell Hans
Published: November 2005

Background—

Little is known about the contribution of maternal and paternal factors to the inverse association between birth weight and later blood pressure in human offspring. A study of within- and between-family associations of birth weight with blood pressure, which collected data on both parents, would address this gap in our knowledge.

Methods and Results—

The study examined families composed of mother, father, and 2 full sibs delivered between 38 and 41 weeks’ gestation within 36 months of each other. A total of 1967 families meeting our inclusion criteria were contacted and 602 were examined (children 5 to 14 years old, 1998 to 2000). Birth weight and gestational age were available from obstetric records. Systolic blood pressure in childhood was inversely associated with birth weight within families (−2.3 mm Hg/kg, 95% CI −4.4 to −0.3) after adjustment for gestational age, sex, height, and weight at examination. The between-family effect (−1.5 mm Hg/kg, −3.1 to 0.0) was strengthened on adjustment for maternal and paternal height and weight, whereas adjustment for paternal and maternal systolic blood pressure at examination independently attenuated the effect.

Conclusions—

The existence of an inverse association of birth weight with systolic blood pressure within families (adjusted for height and weight at examination) demonstrates that factors that vary between pregnancies in the same woman (including fetal genotype) can influence the later blood pressure of offspring. We conclude that this apparent fetal programming effect on blood pressure will not be eliminated solely by interventions aimed at modifying growth and cumulative nutritional status from conception through childhood or other fixed characteristics of future mothers.
Clinical Efficacy of Polymer-Based Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in the Treatment of Complex, Long Coronary Artery Lesions From a Multicenter, Randomized Trial
Authors: Dawkins Keith D. , Grube Eberhard , Guagliumi Giulio , Banning Adrian P. , Zmudka Krzysztof , Colombo Antonio , Thuesen Leif , Hauptman Karl , Marco Jean , Wijns William , Popma Jeffrey J. , Koglin Joerg , Russell Mary E.
Published: November 2005

Background—

Intracoronary polymer-based stent delivery of paclitaxel has been shown to be effective in reducing restenosis in simple coronary lesions, but the evidence base for contemporary use in longer, more complex coronary stenoses is lacking.

Methods and Results—

TAXUS VI is a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial assessing clinical and angiographic outcomes of the TAXUS Moderate Release paclitaxel-eluting stent in the treatment of long, complex coronary artery lesions. Four hundred forty-eight patients at 44 sites were randomized (1:1) between a drug-eluting TAXUS Express
2
and an uncoated Express
2
control stent. Per protocol, the 9-month follow-up included an angiographic reevaluation in all patients. The primary end point was the rate of target-vessel revascularization 9 months after the study procedure; secondary end points included the rate of target-lesion revascularization and binary restenosis at follow-up. Mean lesion length in the study was 20.6 mm, with a mean stent-covered length of 33.4 mm. Of all lesions, 55.6% were classified as complex lesions (type C of the AHA/ACC classification). At 9 months, target-vessel revascularization was 9.1% in the TAXUS group and 19.4% in the control group (
P
=0.0027; relative reduction, 53%). Target-lesion revascularization was reduced from 18.9% to 6.8%, respectively (
P
=0.0001). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events was similar in the 2 groups, 16.4% and 22.5% in TAXUS and control, respectively (
P
=0.12), including comparable rates for acute myocardial infarction. Binary restenosis in the stented area was reduced from 32.9% in the control group to 9.1% in the TAXUS patients (
P
<0.0001).

Conclusions—

The finding that the TAXUS Moderate Release stent system is safe and effective in the treatment of long, complex coronary artery lesions provides the evidence base for the more widespread use of drug-eluting stents in contemporary clinical practice.
Obesity and Risk of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Zacharias Anoar , Schwann Thomas A. , Riordan Christopher J. , Durham Samuel J. , Shah Aamir S. , Habib Robert H.
Published: November 2005

Background—

New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication of cardiac surgery that has substantial effects on outcomes. In the general (nonsurgical) adult population, AF has been linked to increasing obesity, which correlates with left atrial enlargement. It is not known whether postoperative AF is similarly linked to obesity.

Methods and Results—

This was a retrospective analysis of the incidence of AF in terms of body mass index (BMI). A total of 8051 consecutive cardiac surgery patients (1994 to 2004; mean age 64 [SD 11] years; 5372 men [67%]) who were free of any history of preoperative AF or flutter were included in the analysis. This series included 3164 obese patients (39%; median age 62 years) and 4887 nonobese patients (61%; median age 66 years), who were further divided on the basis of BMI (kg/m
2
) into 6 groups: BMI <22 kg/m
2
, 22≤BMI≤25 kg/m
2
(normal), 25<BMI≥30 kg/m
2
(overweight), 30<BMI ≥35 kg/m
2
(obese I), 35<BMI≥40 kg/m
2
(obese II), and BMI >40 kg/m
2
(obese III). Unadjusted AF incidence was similar in obese and nonobese patients (n=742 [23.5%] versus n=1068 [21.9%], respectively;
P
=0.099). Covariate-adjusted ORs for AF were systematically greater for larger patients than for patients in the normal group (adjusted OR [95% CI]=1.18 [1.00 to 1.40], 1.36 [1.14 to 1.63], 1.69 [1.35 to 2.11], and 2.39 [1.81 to 3.17] for overweight, obese I, obese II, and obese III, respectively). Other AF predictors included age (adjusted OR=1.52 [95% CI 1.46 to 1.58] per 10 years), mitral valve surgery (adjusted OR=2.42 [95% CI 1.92 to 3.06]), aortic valve surgery (adjusted OR=1.79 [95% CI 1.45 to 2.22]), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted OR=1.28 [95% CI 1.12 to 1.46]), male gender (adjusted OR=1.24 [95% CI 1.10 to 1.40]), preoperative β-blocker use (adjusted OR=1.17 [95% CI 1.05 to 1.32]), vascular disease (adjusted OR=1.18 [95% CI 1.05 to 1.32]), white race (adjusted OR=1.33 [95% CI 1.07 to 1.66]), history of arrhythmia other than AF/flutter (adjusted OR=0.80 [95% CI 0.68 to 0.96]), ejection fraction <40% (adjusted OR=1.16 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.31]), left main disease (adjusted OR=1.15 [95% CI 1.00 to 1.32]), and off-pump surgery (adjusted OR=0.61 [95% CI 0.44 to 0.83]). The obesity-AF association was confirmed in 4 1-to-1 propensity-matched obese versus nonobese comparisons and in 2 separate derivation/validation subcohort analyses.

Conclusions—

Obesity is an important determinant of new-onset AF after cardiac surgery. Future postoperative AF risk models should incorporate BMI or obesity levels. Studies examining the efficacy of AF-minimizing prophylactic interventions in high-BMI patients, particularly in the elderly, may be warranted.
Acute Neurocardiogenic Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Banki Nader M. , Kopelnik Alexander , Dae Michael W. , Miss Jacob , Tung Poyee , Lawton Michael T. , Drew Barbara J. , Foster Elyse , Smith Wade , Parmley William W. , Zaroff Jonathan G.
Published: November 2005

Background—

Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction has been reported in humans with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and its underlying pathophysiology remains controversial. Possible mechanisms include myocardial ischemia versus excessive catecholamine release from sympathetic nerve terminals.

Methods and Results—

For 38 months, echocardiography and myocardial scintigraphy with technetium sestamibi (MIBI) and meta-[
123
I]iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) were performed on 42 patients admitted with SAH to assess myocardial perfusion and sympathetic innervation, respectively. A blinded observer interpreted the scintigraphic images. Cardiac troponin I (cTI) was measured to quantify the degree of myocyte necrosis. Blinded observers calculated the LV ejection fraction and graded each LV segment as normal (score=1), hypokinetic (score=2), or akinetic (score=3). A wall-motion score was calculated by averaging the sum of the 16 segments. All subjects with interpretable scans (N=41) had normal MIBI uptake. Twelve subjects had either global (n=9) or regional (n=3) absence of MIBG uptake. In comparison with patients with normal MIBG uptake, those with evidence of functional denervation were more likely to have LV regional wall-motion abnormalities (92% versus 52%,
P
=0.030) and cTI levels >1 μg/L (58% versus 21%,
P
=0.029).

Conclusions—

LV systolic dysfunction in humans with SAH is associated with normal myocardial perfusion and abnormal sympathetic innervation. These findings may be explained by excessive release of norepinephrine from myocardial sympathetic nerves, which could damage both myocytes and nerve terminals.
Helminth communities of two lizard populations (Lacertidae) from Canary Islands (Spain): Host diet-parasite relationships
Authors: Roca Vicente , Carretero Miguel A. , Llorente Gustavo A. , Montori Albert , Martin Juan E.
Published: November 2005

A parasitological survey has been carried out to determine the relationships
between host diet and parasite fauna. Diet, and infracommunities and
component communities of two subspecies of lacertid lizards, Gallotia
galloti galloti (Oudart, 1839) and G. g. palmae (Boettger et Müller, 1914)
from Tenerife and La Palma islands (Canary Islands, Spain), have been
analysed. High values of parasite infection parameters were found in both
subspecies, which were only infected by nematodes of the family
Pharyngodonidae. Plant matter was mainly consumed by both lizard subspecies
and relevant amounts of mineral matter were also found in both hosts. Diet
of these lacertid lizards was correlated with their parasite fauna formed by
monoxenous nematodes parasitising herbivorous reptiles, as in tortoises and
iguanid lizards. Abundance and richness of parasites increased with
consumption of plant matter in G. g. galloti. Helminthological data support
the idea of a tendency of both hosts towards herbivory, probably related to
their own phylogeny linked to insularity.
Description of the tadpoles of Boophis doulioti and B. xerophilus from Western Madagascar with notes on larval life history and breeding ecology
Authors: Glos Julian , Linsenmair K. Eduard
Published: November 2005

The genus Boophis is very diverse in species number and ecology within the endemic Malagasy family Mantellidae. Two species, Boophis doulioti and B. xerophilus, stand out as they are breeding in stagnant waters in the dry west and south of Madagascar, while the large majority are specialized to breeding in brooks of the rainforests in the east. In this paper the morphology, larval life history, ecology of the sympatric tadpoles and some aspects of the breeding ecology of B. doulioti and B. xerophilus are described. Tadpoles of the two species differ in many morphological characters and proportions, with differing positions of the eyes and body coloration being the most prominent. There is a considerable temporal and spatial overlap in the choice of breeding ponds by both species in the study area. However, B. xerophilus tadpoles are restricted to larger and more permanent breeding ponds while the generalistic B. doulioti uses also smaller and more ephemeral water bodies. Variability in larval life history traits of B. doulioti individuals growing up in ephemeral ponds compared to those from more permanent ponds indicates considerable developmental plasticity in tadpole life history of this species.
Null models and the thermal biology of the anguid lizard Anguis fragilis; evidence for thermoregulation?
Authors: Meek Roger
Published: November 2005

Observations were made on the behaviour and body temperatures of the legless lizard Anguis fragilis when active above ground in outdoor enclosures. The lizards were most frequently observed in partially shaded locations followed by fully shaded areas; full basking and locomotory movement were minor activities irrespective of weather conditions. Weather conditions had no significant influence on behaviour. Tests for thermoregulation using null models indicated that the main reason for movement above ground was thermoregulatory. Body temperatures were significantly higher than shade operative temperatures but lower than operative temperatures in open locations whatever the weather. Standard deviations in body temperature, employed as a measure of thermoregulatory precision, were lower than standard deviations of operative temperatures in sunny weather but not significantly different from operative temperatures during overcast weather or shaded operative temperatures during sunny weather. The limited amount of locomotory movement suggests thermoregulation was achieved through selection of appropriate microenvironments.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Revised University Student Hassles Scale
Authors: Pett Marjorie A. , Johnson Mary Jayne M.
Published: November 2005

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the scores on the Revised University Student Hassles Scale that was developed to identify everyday irritants experienced by a diverse body of university students. Factor analyses of data obtained from 965 graduate and undergraduate students yielded a well-differentiated 11-factor solution of internally consistent and stable scores. The 57-item instrument distinguished between students with high and low stress and was unrelated to students’ perceptions of their physical health.
Technical Analysis of the Slosson Phonics and Structural Analysis Test
Authors: Erford Bradley T. , Dutton Jessica L.
Published: November 2005

Technical characteristics of Slosson Phonics and Structural Analysis Test (SP-SAT) scores were studied using three independent samples of boys and girls aged 6 years, 6 months, through 9 years, 11 months. A decision efficiency study ( n = 100) resulted in a total predictive value of .86 (sensitivity = .95, specificity = .77, positive predictive power = .80, negative predictive power = .94). Item difficulty was .65 (median), and item discrimination was .52 (median). Interitem consistency was r = .93, .93, and .96 for scores on the Phonics Index, Structural Analysis Index, and SP-SAT total standard score, respectively ( n = 375), whereas 2-week test-retest reliability was r = .90, .88, and .90 for scores on the same scales, respectively ( n = 165). The SP-SAT yielded moderate to high concurrent validity coefficients when compared with the Wide-Range Achievement Test-Third Edition Reading subtest; Woodcock-Johnson: Tests of Achievement-Third Edition Letter-Word Identification, Word Attack, Passage Comprehension, and Writing Samples subtests; and Woodcock-Johnson: Tests of Achievement-Revised Dictation subtest. Practice and research implications are discussed.
A Comparison of Four Methods for Detecting Differential Item Functioning in Ordered Response Items
Authors: Kristjansson Elizabeth , Aylesworth Richard , Mcdowell Ian , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: November 2005

Item bias is a major threat to measurement validity. Methods for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) are now commonly used to identify potentially biased items. DIF detection methods for dichotomous items are well developed, but those for ordinal items are less well developed. In this article, the authors compare four methods for detecting DIF in ordinal items: the Mantel, generalized Mantel-Haenszel (GMH), logistic discriminant function analysis (LDFA), and unconstrained cumulative logits ordinal logistic regression (UCLOLR). Factors varied include type of DIF, group ability differences, studied item discrimination, skewness in ability distributions, and sample size ratio. All procedures had good Type I error control as well as high power for detecting uniform DIF. However, the Mantel could not detect nonuniform DIF, and the LDFA also performed poorly in detecting nonuniform DIF, particularly when item discrimination was high. The UCLOLR and GMH performed extremely well under conditions simulated in this study. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Facilitating Conditions for School Motivation: Construct Validity and Applicability
Authors: McInerney Dennis M. , Dowson Martin , Yeung Alexander Seeshing
Published: November 2005

Elementary students ( n = 277, in Grades 5-6) and high school students ( n = 615, in Grades 7-12) responded to 26 items of McInerney’s Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire (FCQ). Confirmatory factor analyses of the FCQ found seven distinct factors underlying these items. These were perceived value of schooling (Value), affect toward schooling (Affect), peer positive academic climate (Peer Positive), parent positive academic climate (Parent Positive), teacher positive academic climate (Teacher), peer negative academic climate (Peer Negative), and parent negative academic climate (Parent Negative). The Peer and Parent Negative constructs were correlated positively with each other but negatively with all the positive constructs. Also, academic achievement was positively correlated with the five positive factors but negatively correlated with the two negative factors. In addition, the seven factors were invariant across the elementary and high school subsamples. These results provide support for the convergent validity, discriminant validity, and invariance of the FCQ scales.
Au croisement de l’identité et de la différence: les syncrétismes culturo-religieux dans le contexte de la mondialisation
Authors: Beyer Peter
Published: November 2005

The author argues that syncretic or hybrid cultural and religious forms should be understood in terms of the ‘‘purities’’ that they supposedly combine. Constructing and maintaining pure forms is one side of an ongoing and contingent historical process of which syncretization is the other. Pure forms are but previous and legitimated syncretizations and purity is an argument which seeks to protect its self-evidence and thereby disguise the contingency of important social forms such as cultures and religions. The proposed analysis of syncretizations and hybridizations is done in terms of three dimensions: identity, history, and power. They are particularly important in the context of globalization because identity and power are closely related and because the institutionalized reflexivity of modernity allows everything to be seen as contingent construction. The main points are illustrated with reference to religious formation processes in Islam and Buddhism.
Habitus et hybridité: une interprétation du syncrétisme dans la religion afro-catholique d’après Bourdieu
Authors: Rey Terry
Published: November 2005

The meeting of traditional African religion and Catholicism in the Americas has produced some of the most significant and most analyzed examples of syncretism in the history of religions. Much scholarly discussion of this phenomenon, however, tends to portray religions such as Candomblé in Brazil and Voodou in Haiti as formalistic conglomerations of Euro-Catholic ‘‘items’’ and African ‘‘survivals’’, thereby blurring the integrative theological creativity of Africans and their New World progeny. Employing Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘‘habitus’’ and ‘‘capital’’ to theorize specific historical and contemporary examples of Kongolese influences on Haitian religion, the author aims to help clarify the epistemological role of African agency in Afro-Catholic syncretism.
Muslims, the New Age and Marginal Religions in Indonesia: Changing Meanings of Religious Pluralism
Authors: Howell Julia D.
Published: November 2005

The author examines the changing meanings of religious pluralism in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia. She demonstrates the paradoxical viability of three new organizations—Salamullah, the Brahma Kumaris, and the Anand Ashram—that challenge normative conceptions of ‘‘religion’’ embodied in national law since the 1960s but nonetheless attract substantial numbers of cosmopolitan Indonesians, including religiously well-educated Muslims. The high modern construction of ‘‘religions’’ that underpins existing law is being reworked in the actual religious practice of cosmopolitan Indonesians. With their patronage they are expanding the sphere of internal dialogue within Indonesia’s Muslim community, effecting a new permeability in the boundaries of the nation’s offcial religions, and contributing to the emergence of an arena of unregulated ‘‘spiritual’’ groups that now exists alongside the highly regulated, rigidly denominational religious market structured by the New Order Government (1966–1998).
Falun Dafa and the New Age Movement in Malaysia: Signs of Health, Symbols of Salvation
Authors: Ackerman Susan E.
Published: November 2005

Falun Dafa entered Malaysia in the mid-1990s as a spiritual movement for the mind-and-body development market that attracts middle-class consumption-oriented Malaysians. Its self-presentation as a New Age product tends to obscure its connections with Chinese popular religion. The movement’s similar profile to other Chinese sectarian groups is accompanied by claims to absolute difference from these groups. Development of Falun Dafa during the phase of persecution and exile since 1999 has involved an ongoing encounter with new symbols and signs. The symbols of human rights, democracy and salvation are transacted with the Western media and the signs of New Age lifestyle products. These address identity needs within the diverse Malaysian Chinese community.
Bioavailability and Metabolism of Prochlorperazine Administered via the Buccal and Oral Delivery Route
Authors: Finn Andrew , Collins Jason , Voyksner Robert , Lindley Celeste
Published: November 2005

Prochlorperazine has been accepted as an effective antiemetic for more than 50 years; however, its therapeutic success has been limited by its low and variable absorption and high first‐pass metabolism. A buccal dosage form of prochlorperazine has been developed. This article discusses 2 clinical studies conducted to characterize the single‐dose and multiple‐dose pharmacokinetics of prochlorperazine and its metabolites after buccal administration. The results of these studies demonstrate that buccal administration of prochlorperazine produces plasma concentrations more than twice as high as an oral tablet, with less than half the variability. In addition to the metabolites, N‐desmethyl prochlorperazine and prochlorperazine sulfoxide, 2 new metabolites, prochlorperazine 7‐hydroxide and prochlorperazine sulfoxide 4′‐N‐oxide, were identified and quantitated. Exposure to metabolites after the buccal prochlorperazine formulation was approximately half that observed after the oral tablet. Buccal administration of prochlorperazine, twice daily, should enhance the therapeutic role of prochlorperazine in preventing and treating nausea and vomiting.
Influence of Chronic Renal Failure on Stereoselective Metoprolol Metabolism in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Cerqueira Paula Macedo , Coelho Eduardo Barbosa , Geleilete Tufik José Magalhães , Goldman Gustavo Henrique , Lanchote Vera Lucia
Published: November 2005

The influence of chronic renal failure on the stereoselective metabolism of rac‐metoprolol was investigated in 15 hypertensive patients, 7 of them with chronic renal failure and 8 with normal renal function. They were treated with rac‐metoprolol (200 mg) for 7 days. The patients of both groups presented stereoselectivity in metoprolol metabolism, favoring the formation of 1'R‐α‐hydroxymetoprolol (AUC0–241'R/1'S ≅ 2.5) and (R)‐metoprolol acidic metabolite (AUC(S)/(R)0–24 ≅ 0.8), the latter resulting in the plasma accumulation of (S)‐metoprolol (AUC(S)/(R)0–24 ≅ 1.2). Patients with chronic renal failure presented plasma accumulation of the 4 α‐hydroxymetoprolol isomers and of both metoprolol acidic metabolite enantiomers. A 50% reduction in ClR does not explain the 3‐ to 4‐fold plasma accumulation of metoprolol acidic metabolite in this group, suggesting that other pathways of metoprolol elimination are affected in chronic renal failure in addition to renal excretion. Chronic renal failure does not change the stereoselective kinetic disposition of metoprolol but modifies its stereoselective metabolism, inducing some of the CYP enzymes involved in the formation of the metoprolol acid metabolite.
Alfentanil‐Induced Miosis Clearance as a Liver CYP3A4 and 3A5 Activity Measure in Healthy Volunteers: Improvement of Experimental Conditions
Authors: Baririan Narine , Horsmans Yves , Desager Jean‐Pierre , Verbeeck Roger , Vanbinst Roger , Wallemacq Pierre , Van Obbergh Luc
Published: November 2005

The aims of this study were to demonstrate the correlation between alfentanil‐induced miosis evaluation and alfentanil pharmacokinetics (PK) as a CYP3A4 and 3A5 activity probe in volunteers and to explain the variability in pupilar response and in alfentanil PK. In ambient light, the miosis kinetic parameters were significantly correlated with PK (CLs:r =0.9, P =.00; AUCs:r =0.8, P =.01). In dark, a similar correlation was observed between miosis and alfentanil clearances (r =0.85, P =.03). In 6 volunteers, the sigmoid Emaxmodel was applicable (average Emax=2.5±0.7 mm, γ =2.5 ± 1.6 and EC50=76.8±22.3 ng/mL), and in 3, the simple Emaxmodel was applicable (average Emax=2.8±0.3 mm and EC50=19.9±8.5 ng/mL). There was a large interindividual variability in PK parameters (coefficient of variation = 19.7%–31.2%). Free drug fraction concentrations were negatively correlated with plasmaα1‐AGP(r = ‐0.9, P =.04) and albumin levels (r = ‐0.94, P =.02). Alfentanil‐induced miosis clearance as a noninvasive CYP3A4 and 3A5 activity measure can be done in both ambient and dark conditions. Drug free fraction may be responsible for large intersubject variability in alfentanil PK.
Danshen: An Overview of Its Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Clinical Use
Authors: Zhou Limin , Zuo Zhong , Chow Moses Sing Sum
Published: November 2005

Danshen, the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been widely used in China and, to a lesser extent, in Japan, the United States, and other European countries for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In China, the specific clinical use is angina pectoris, hyperlipidemia, and acute ischemic stroke. The current review covers its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, clinical applications, and potential herb‐drug interactions based on information obtained in both the English and Chinese literature. Although numerous clinical trials have demonstrated that certain Danshen products in China are effective and safe for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, most of these lack sufficient quality. Therefore, large randomized clinical trials and further scientific research to determine its mechanism of actions will be necessary to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and better understanding of its action.
Effect of Application Sites and Multiple Doses on Nicotine Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Male Japanese Smokers Following Application of the Transdermal Nicotine Patch
Authors: Sobue Satoshi , Sekiguchi Kaneo , Kikkawa Hironori , Irie Shin
Published: November 2005

The transdermal nicotine patch, which contains 25 mg nicotine per 30 cm2, is designed to deliver approximately 15 mg nicotine to the blood circulation in 16 hours of application for the treatment of smoking cessation. It was applied to 3 different skin sites (upper arm, abdomen, and back) to examine regional variations in percutaneous nicotine absorption in a single‐dose, 3‐period, crossover study involving 9 healthy male Japanese smokers. Nicotine pharmacokinetics during once‐daily application of the transdermal nicotine patch for 5 days was also investigated in 10 healthy smokers. There were statistically significant effects of application sites on percutaneous nicotine absorption. The ratios (90% confidence intervals) of AUC and Cmax for comparison to the upper arm were 102% (88, 117%) and 106% (95, 119%) for the back and 75% (65, 87%) and 75% (66, 84%) for the abdomen, respectively. These suggest that systemic exposure after application to the upper arm was greater compared with the abdomen but equivalent to the back. Following multiple doses, linear pharmacokinetics and no significant accumulation of nicotine concentrations were observed, and steady state was reached by day 2. Only mild itching and erythema were observed at the application sites. The transdermal nicotine patch was well tolerated in both studies.
Internet Communities
Authors: Zrebiec John F.
Published: November 2005

The purpose of this study was to establish and evaluate a Web-based educational and emotional resource for patients with diabetes and their family members. Activity and characteristics of 331 953 user visits were tracked over 74 months, including a survey of user satisfaction. A 2004 survey showed that users were from 37 different countries, with most from the United States (87%) and Canada (4%). The average length of use was 16:44 minutes. Respondents (n = 791) to the satisfaction survey were 71% female, 46% were insulin users, 84% were aged >30 years, 34% had diabetes >10 years, and 39% visited more than 3 times. A total of 74% of all respondents rated participation in the discussion board as having a positive effect on coping with diabetes, and 71% rated participation as helping them to feel more hopeful. A professionally moderated Internet discussion group appears to be a useful strategy for engaging patients with diabetes and increasing perceived ability to cope with diabetes.
Translational Research Principles of an Effectiveness Trial for Diabetes Care in an Urban African American Population
Authors: Gary Tiffany L. , Hill-Briggs Felicia , Batts-Turner Marian , Brancati Frederick L.
Published: November 2005

Purpose

Large-scale effectiveness trials designed to translate evidence-based diabetes care to community settings are few. Studies describing these methods among high-risk minority populations are particularly limited.

Methods

The authors describe Project Sugar, a randomized controlled trial conducted in 2 phases: Project Sugar 1 (1994-1999), which piloted a 4-arm clinic and homebased intervention using nurse case management and community health workers in 186 urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes, and Project Sugar 2 (2000-2005), which examined effectiveness of this intervention among 542 diabetic, urban African Americans.

Results and Conclusions

Project Sugar had success with regard to recruitment and retention, both in phase 1 (80% rate at 24 months) and phase 2 (>90% at 24 months). Using the RE-AIM framework, planning and research design for Project Sugar 2 is described in detail for elements that contributed to the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of this study within a minority community setting. In addition to successful strategies, challenges to conducting effectiveness trials in an inner-city African American community are identified.
Institutional Legacies and Firm Dynamics: The Growth and Internationalization of UK and German Law Firms
Authors: Morgan Glenn , Quack Sigrid
Published: November 2005

This article addresses the question of how economic actors (re)shape their organizational and institutional contexts as their activities internationalize. By focusing on law firms, we choose a professional activity that has been regarded as highly determined by the national distinctiveness of professional and legal systems and would lead us to expect strong institutional legacies on firm dynamics. The comparative study of the growth and internationalization of corporate law firms in the UK and Germany presented in this article, however, refutes this view. The results reveal that in both settings ‘institutional pockets’ of corporate lawyers existed whose entrepreneurial orientations and international reach were much stronger than among other subgroups of the profession. From the 1970s onwards, these lawyers and law firms engaged in redefining their organizational and institutional contexts with the aim of positioning themselves in ways that would allow them to seize upon the emerging international markets for legal services. They did so in different ways and at different times in each country. We conclude that internationalization of UK and German law firms bears traces of institutional legacies as well as signs of path-modification, and that international markets for legal services may be more differentiated and less dominated by Anglo-Saxon law firms and conceptions of law than has been so far recognized.
Explaining Regional Departures from National Patterns of Industry Specialization: Regional Institutions, Policies and State Coordination
Authors: Parker Rachel , Tamaschke Louise
Published: November 2005

The aim of the paper is to identify the basis of regional competence in industry sectors that are not key performers at the national level. The paper examines the ICT sector in two regions: Dresden (Germany) and Adelaide (Australia). The performance of Australia and Germany in ICT is not high by OECD standards. However, both Dresden and Adelaide have some competence in parts of the ICT sector that departs from national patterns. In Dresden the development of the ICT sector is more advanced than in Adelaide. In both regions, there are distinctive institutional features and policies that explain the development of the ICT sector. Further, in Dresden, the state has coordinated the ICT sector within the regional space, giving focus to institutional strengths in research and training, such that it is possible to describe the institutional environment as ‘thick and coherent’. As such, the regional space of Dresden has experienced an agglomeration of ICT and can be regarded as more successful than Adelaide, where institutions and state initiatives are fragmented and incoherent.
The Dynamic Limits of Specialization: Vertical Integration Reconsidered
Authors: Cacciatori Eugenia , Jacobides Michael G.
Published: November 2005

Existing studies, largely based in transaction cost economics, approach the issue of vertical scope as the decision of the individual firm about whether to make or buy, given the set of existing markets and well defined vertical segments. However, recent research has shown that the ability to make or buy should not be taken for granted. We argue that this applies not only to dis-integration, but also to re-integration, which often demands new ‘all-in-one’ markets. Drawing on the British building industry, we develop an inductive framework to explain why, after long periods of vertical specialization, industries shift to vertical reintegration. We observe that various groups, including professionals, play an active role in shaping the nature and the boundaries of the industry, facilitating the onset of vertical specialization, which, in turn, shapes a number of increasingly distinct knowledge bases in the industry, defining the trajectories along which capabilities evolve over time. As specialization in scope begets specialization in knowledge, difficulties in managing technical and organizational interdependencies arise, especially in the face of changing environmental conditions. The gap between what the vertically specialized system can produce, and what a changing environment demands, sets in motion a process of experimentation with integrated service provision, which is strengthened by broader social forces such as the deinstitutionalization of professions, or changes in demand structure. Reintegration is advanced by firms seeking to protect their position; enter new, related markets; or find new ways of leveraging their capabilities: Firms strategize to change their institutional environment, helping to create new all-in-one, integrated markets.
The Limits to Specialization: Problem Solving and Coordination in ‘Modular Networks’
Authors: Brusoni Stefano
Published: November 2005

This paper builds upon current research into the organizational implications of ‘modularity’. Advocates of modularity argue that the ‘invisible hand’ of markets is reaching activities previously controlled through the visible hand of hierarchies. This paper argues that there are cognitive limits to the extent of division of labour: what kinds of problems firms solve, and how they solve them, set limits to the extent of division of labour, irrespective of the extent of the market. This paper analyses the cognitive limits to the division of labour, relying on an in-depth case study of engineering design activities. On this basis, it explains why coordinating increasingly specialized bodies of knowledge, and increasingly distributed learning processes, requires the presence of knowledge-integrating firms even in the presence of modular products. Such firms, relying on their wide in-house scientific and technological capabilities, have the ‘authority’ to identify, propose and implement solutions to complex problems. In so doing, they coordinate networks of suppliers of both components and specialized competencies.
Captain Cook versus the tadpole - the captain wins hands down
Authors: Borley Steve
Published: November 2005

In the field of corporate information there is a proliferation of terms and descriptions aimed at designating a wide range of jobs and functions in terms of their being associated with ‘information’ or ‘knowledge’. If information professionals are to ensure that they have a role to play in the corporate information/knowledge scene it is essential that they gain an understanding of who they are, what they are and what they should be doing. Information professionals can also gain further insights by observing those with other duties who also claim that they are working in the information/knowledge field and informing the rest of their profession about what this is likely to portend for the future. One definition of the information professional that is offered is the author’s personal one that it involves working extensively with data to transfer it up the value chain to convert it into knowledge and this is taken as the starting point for a discussion of how and why he moved on from the information industry and ceased to be an information professional. It is argued that the ever-expanding knowledge economy will provide people with opportunities that did not exist until relatively recently. Information professionals can now move away from pure information environments, such as libraries and research teams, and explore hitherto unknown parts of their organizations. The article concludes that, if people are to help themselves to develop as information professionals, and to develop the information profession as a whole, it is necessary for them to seek out groups of other like-minded information professionals who have other approaches to their professions and different ways of defining it.
Outsourcing information services in investment banking
Authors: Gaston Richard S.
Published: November 2005

This article draws on the experiences gained by the investment banking industry in outsourcing to describe the process of outsourcing and offshoring business information research and assess the advantages and drawbacks of the process with particular reference to continuing concerns about confidentiality, quality of work, and the need to maintain good relationships between researchers and end users. It discusses the two processes of outsourcing and offshoring, noting that outsourcing has been used to some extent by libraries and information centres for over 30 years and has come increasingly to be used in the sense of offshoring; where a significant amount of research capacity is passed not only to a third party vendor but also to geographically remote locations such as India. The article focuses on offshoring in the context of UK investment banks and discusses the issues arising from: information use in investment banks; business information delivery in investment banks; how and why business information services are outsourced; managing an outsourcing project; cultural factors influencing the research process; and the future of outsourcing business information research. The conclusion is that, if offshoring is to continue, then information professionals need to address the issue of whether offshore researchers can provide in-depth or value-added research to the same degree as their UK-based counterparts.
Blogging
Authors: Ojala Marydee
Published: November 2005

Using weblogs, or blogs, as vehicles for knowledge management initiatives is a relatively new concept, but one that has gained rapid recognition. The earliest weblogs appeared only a few years ago. As personal journals, often espousing individual political views or chronicling personal daily events, blogs did not seem to fit into an organizational knowledge management framework. Attitudes towards weblogs and uses of blogs are changing quickly, however. In a collaborative work environment, blogs bring significant benefits to enterprises willing to adopt the technology. Writers of blogs, called bloggers, can add to the sum total of knowledge for research projects, share industry and product knowledge, capture and disseminate pertinent news from outside the enterprise, and contribute valuable insights on specific subjects. They are particularly useful for promoting knowledge in cross-cultural environments.
‘I'd grab the S-O-B by his hair and yank him out the window’: The fraternal order of warnings and threats in police–citizen encounters
Authors: Ho Shon Phillip Chong
Published: November 2005

In prior research, warnings and threats have been regarded as closely related speech acts, distinguished only by an unobservable state. In this article, I conceptualize warnings and threats as fraternal speech acts because they share the essential genetic trait of their rhetorical parent: force. In this article, I examine the ‘warnings’ that police officers give to motorists during traffic stops, and the threats that police make to citizens and suspects during routine patrol work. I argue that, by virtue of their institutional identity and ideological mandate, there is no interpretive context free of coercion in the context of police–citizen encounters. I locate the difference between warnings and threats – direct and indirect – in the ordinal level of force embedded in the intention of speakers and in the unfavorable consequences suffered by the addressee.
Dreamboys, Meatmen and Werewolves: Visualizing Erotic Identities in All-Male Comic Strips
Authors: Padva Gilad
Published: November 2005

The homoerotic comic strip, as a medium and genre in its own right, integrates several media including illustration, cartoon, animation, graphics, physique art, and pornography. In these subaltern texts, when the characters are of the same gender the rites of masculinity are both indulged and subverted. Hence, this graphic subculture provides a radical perspective on sexualities, intimacies, body worship and contemporary phallic regimes. This article focuses on Jon Macy’s ‘Tail’ (published in 1997 in Meatmen, an American anthology of gay male comics), a hard-core comic strip that eroticizes and politicizes Sigmund Freud’s homophobic myth of the Wolf Man.
Diagnostic formulations in psychotherapy
Authors: Antaki Charles , Barnes Rebecca , Leudar Ivan
Published: November 2005

Conversation analysts have noted that, in psychotherapy, formulations of the client's talk can be a vehicle for offering a psychological interpretation of the client's circumstances. But we notice that not all formulations in psychotherapy offer interpretations. We offer an analysis of formulations (both of the gist of the client's words and of their implications) that are diagnostic: that is, used by the professional to sharpen, clarify or refine the client's account and make it better able to provide what the professional needs to know about the client's history and symptoms. In doing so, these formulations also have the effect of shepherding the client's account towards subsequent therapeutic interpretation. In a coda, we notice that sometimes the formulations are designed discreetly. We examine one such discreet formulation in detail, and show how its very ambiguity can lead to its failure as a diagnostic probe.