bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Dopaminergic Function in Frontotemporal Dementia Using 123I-FP-CIT Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography
Authors: Sedaghat Fereshteh , Gotzamani-Psarrakou Anna , Dedousi Eleni , Arnaoutoglou Marianthi , Psarrakos Kyriakos , Baloyannis Ioannis , Dimitriadis Athanasios S. , Baloyannis Stavros J.
Published: July 2007

Extrapyramidal symptoms are observed in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). 123I-FP-CIT (DaT scan) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can detect loss of presynaptic dopamine transporters in the striatum. We aimed to evaluate the dopaminergic status of the striatum in patients with FTD using DaT scan. Seven patients (age range 65–76 years), who fulfilled the Neary criteria and in whom the diagnosis of FTD was confirmed by hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime SPECT, were included in the study. The severity of the extrapyramidal symptoms was evaluated by the motor part of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). SPECT using 123I-FP-CIT was done. A (region – occipital)/occipital ratio was calculated for the striatum, putamen and caudate nucleus. The results were compared with those of the 7 age-matched normal controls. The uptake of the radiotracer in the right and left striatum was reduced to 62% (p = 0.000) and 68% (p = 0.000), respectively, compared to controls. The motor UPDRS score of the patients with FTD showed a negative correlation to the uptake of the radiotracer. The presynaptic dopamine transporter in FTD is impaired, related to the severity of the extrapyramidal symptoms. Since an effective treatment for FTD is still to be established, there is a need for evaluating the efficacy of dopaminergic drugs.
Evaluation of antibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein and assessment of C-reactive protein in acute coronary syndrome and stable coronary artery disease
Authors: Soltesz Pal , Veres Katalin , Laczik Renata , Der Henrietta , Csipo Istvan , Timar Orsolya , Szomjak Edit , Szegedi Gyula , Szodoray Peter
Published: July 2007

The aim was to measure the level of antibodies to oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the serum of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The results were correlated with data obtained from patients with stable coronary artery disease (stable CAD) and healthy controls.Thirty-three patients with ACS and 62 stable CAD patients were enrolled in the study. Fifty healthy individuals served as controls.The evaluation of anti-oxLDL autoantibodies was performed by ELISA, while CRP levels were measured by turbidimetry. The level of antibodies to oxLDL was significantly higher in both groups of patients with ACS and stable CAD compared to controls.The comparison between the acute and stable groups showed that anti-oxLDL levels were higher in the acute group,but because of high SD, the difference was not significant. By performing group analysis, anti-oxLDL levels were found to be significantly higher in ACS patients with unstable clinical state (circulatory insufficiency, malignant arrhythmias, recurring ischemic pain, need for urgent coronary intervention and death). CRP level in patients with ACS was significantly higher than in those with stable CAD. A positive correlation was found between anti-oxLDL antibodies and CRP levels both in patients with ACS and stable CAD. The association between the two biomarkers was stronger in the ACS group. In conclusion, our findings support the notion that the presence of antibodies to oxLDL, a plaquespecific antigen, plays a major role as a predictor of complicated manifestations of ACS.
Prothrombotic markers and early spontaneous recanalization in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Lanoy Emilie , Tcheche Didier , Feldman Laurent , Bezeaud Annie , Anglès-Cano Eduardo , Mary-Krause Murielle , de Prost Dominique , Guillin Marie-Claude , Steg Gabriel , Huisse Marie-Geneviève
Published: July 2007

We tested the hypothesis that selected prothrombotic biomarkers might be associated with early spontaneous coronary recanalization in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). We prospectively enrolled 123 patients with STEMI including 53 patients with spontaneous coronary recanalization (cases) and 70 patients with persistent occlusion (controls) at the time of emergent coronary angiography and before angioplasty. All had received aspirin and heparin. Blood samples were collected immediately before angioplasty to measure soluble P-selectin, circulating microparticles originating from platelets (PMPs), granulocytes (GMPs), endothelial cells (EMPs); tissue factor-associated MP (TF-MP); soluble platelet glycoprotein V (sGPV) and prothrombin F1+2; tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and plasmin-antiplasmin (PAP). A sub-group of 70 patients (35 cases, 35 controls) was available for flow cytometry analysis of platelet P-selectin and activated GPIIb-IIIa. Baseline clinical characteristics did not differ between groups except for more frequent hypertension and dyslipidemia in controls. Platelet activation markers and PMP did not differ between the two groups. Controls had higher numbers of EMPs and GMPs compared to cases, but the difference was no longer significant when corrected for risk factors. Controls differed from cases by higher plasma levels of sGPV [64 (47–84) ng/ml vs. 53 (44–63) ng/ml] and PAP [114(65–225) ng/ml vs. 88 (51–147) ng/ml].The difference persisted after adjustment for risks factors (p=0.031 and 0.037, respectively). Persistent occlusion of the infarct related artery is associated with some markers related to higher thrombin (sGPV) and plasmin (PAP) production but is not associated with markers of platelet activation.
Flow cytometric analysis of circulating platelet-monocyte aggregates in whole blood: Methodological considerations
Authors: Din Jehangir , Sarma Jaydeep , Jessop Alasdair , Weatherall Mark , Fox Keith , Newby David , Harding Scott
Published: July 2007

Platelet-monocyte aggregates are increasingly being used to quantify platelet activation.The variables that influence plateletmonocyte aggregates have not been well defined.We sought to determine the effect of blood collection, handling and processing techniques on detected levels of platelet-monocyte aggregates using a flow cytometric assay. Whole blood was labelled with anti-CD14-PE and anti-CD42a-FITC. Thereafter, samples were fixed and red cells lysed.Analysis was performed with the flow cytometer initially triggering on light scatter and then on FL-2 to identify CD14-PE positive monocytes. Platelet-monocyte aggregates were defined as monocytes positive for CD42a. The effect of collection, handling and processing techniques on this assay were assessed. Anticoagulation with heparin (20.1 ± 2.0%), PPACK (16.8 ± 1.9%), sodium citrate (12.3 ± 1.6%) and EDTA (9.5 ± 1.0%) resulted in markedly different levels of pla- gregation was higher in samples obtained from intravenous cannulae compared to those obtained by venepuncture (20.9 ± 3.9% vs.13.8 ± 2.4%,P=0.03).For every 10 minutes of delay prior to processing platelet-monocyte aggregates increased by 2.8% (P=0.0001) in PPACK anticoagulated blood and 1.7% (P=0.01) in citrate anticoagulated blood. Erythrocyte lysis together with fixation does not affect platelet-monocyte aggregation. Plateletmonocyte aggregates remained stable over 24 hours when fixed and stored at 4°C. Multiple handling and processing factors may affect platelet-monocyte aggregation. We recommend the measurement of platelet-monocyte aggregates on samples collected by direct venepuncture, using a direct thrombin inhibitor as the anticoagulant and minimising the time delay before sample fixation.
2B or not 2B? Disparate discrimination of functional VWF discordance using different assay panels or methodologies may lead to success or failure in the early identification of type 2B VWD
Authors: Bonar Roslyn , Meiring Muriel , Street Alison , Marsden Katherine , Favaloro Emmanuel ,   the RCPA QAP in Haematology
Published: July 2007

Laboratory proficiency in the identification of functional von Willebrand factor (VWF) discordance in type 2B von Willebrand disease (VWD) was assessed by external quality assurance surveys conducted by the RCPA Haematology QAP, and using six different type 2B VWD plasma samples (three historical and three previously unpublished) tested by up to 52 laboratories. For the three most recent samples, functional VWF discordance was either not identified in testing or by interpretation with misidentification as ‘normal’ or ‘type 1 VWD’, on average for 25.7% of test occasions when laboratories performed VWF:Ag and VWF:RCo as their primary VWF test panel, but somewhat fewer occasions (10.9%) for laboratories that incorporated VWF:CB as an additional functional VWF assay. VWF assay sub-methodologies also influenced the appropriate identification of samples as potentially type 2 VWD, and VWF functional discordance was more consistently identified when laboratories used (i) automated platelet agglutination for VWF:RCo compared to classical platelet aggregometry, (ii) inhouse VWF:CB assays compared to commercial kit methods, and (iii) automated LIA-based ‘VWF:Activity’ assays compared to ELISA based assays.We conclude that:(i) laboratories are generally proficient in tests for VWD but interpretative diagnostic errors do occur; (ii) correct diagnosis is more likely when test panels are more comprehensive and include the VWF:CB; (iii) sub-methodology influences the appropriate identification of VWF functional discordance. On the basis of these findings, we provide a series of recommendations to enable the appropriate laboratory identification of VWD, in particular type 2B VWD.
Fibrin clot structure in patients with end-stage renal disease
Authors: Sidelmann Johannes , Brabrand Mikkel , Pedersen Robert , Pedersen Jørgen , Esbensen Kim , Standeven Kristina , Ariëns Robert , Gram Jørgen , Sjøland Jonas
Published: July 2007

Fibrin clots with reduced permeability, increased clot stiffness and reduced fibrinolysis susceptibility may predispose to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Little is known, however, about the structure of fibrin clots in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).These patients suffer from a high risk of CVD in addition to their chronic low-grade inflammation. Using permeability, compaction and turbidity studies in 22 ESRD patients and 24 healthy controls, fibrin clots made from patient plasma were found to be less permeable (p<0.001), less compactable (p<0.001), and less susceptible to fibrinolysis (p<0.001) than clots from controls.The maximum rate of turbidity increase was also higher for the patients than controls (p<0.001), and scan-ning electron microscopy revealed higher clot density of fibrin fibers in clots from patients than clots from controls (p<0.001). Patients had higher plasma concentrations of fibrinogen, C-reative protein and interleukin 6 than controls.These plasma markers of inflammation correlated significantly with most of the fibrin structure characteristics observed in the patients. In contrast, plasma markers of azothemia showed no such correlations. The results suggest that in ESRD patients fibrin clots are significantly different from healthy controls, and that the fibrin structure characteristics in the patients are associated primarily with the inflammatory plasma milieu rather than with level of azothemia.
Reduction of painful vaso-occlusive crisis of sickle cell anaemia by tinzaparin in a double-blind randomized trial
Authors: Qari Mohamad Hasan , Aljaouni Soad Khalil , Alardawi Mohamad Salleh , Fatani Huda , Alsayes Fatin Mohamad , Zografos Panagiotis , Alsaigh Mohamad , Alalfi Adnan , Alamin Mohamad , Gadi Abdulilah , Mousa Shaker
Published: July 2007

A randomized double-blind clinical trial was performed to test the safety and efficacy of a low-molecular-weight heparin, tinzaparin (Innohep®), for the management of acute painful vasoocclusive crisis characteristic of sickle cell anemia (SCA). We studied 253 patients with acute painful crisis but with no other complications of SCA, randomized to treatment or control groups. In the treatment group, 127 patients received tinzaparin at 175 IU/kg, subcutaneous once daily, along with supportive care including morphine analgesia; in the control group, 126 patients received placebo and the same supportive care.The maxi- mal experimental treatment period was seven days. Analysis revealed a statistically significant reduction in number of days with the severest pain score, overall duration of painful crisis, and duration of hospitalization (p <0.05 for each comparison of tinzaparin vs. placebo).The decline in pain intensity was sharper for tinzaparin-treated patients, and complications consisted of two minor bleeding events that were reported and treated by cessation of tinzaparin.This investigation demonstrated that tinzaparin, administered at its approved treatment regimen, reduced the severity and duration of acute crisis of SCA.
Platelet dysfunction after normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in children: Effect of high-dose aprotinin
Authors: Flaujac Claire , Pouard Philippe , Boutouyrie Pierre , Emmerich Joseph , Bachelot-Loza Christilla , Lasne Dominique
Published: July 2007

Platelet dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can contribute to excessive post-operative bleeding. Most trials of the protective effect of aprotinin in this setting have involved hypothermic CPB, which is more deleterious for platelets than normothermic CPB.Here we investigated the effect of aprotinin on platelet function during normothermic CPB in pediatric patients. Twenty patients (9 newborns [<1 month old] and 11 infants [<36 month old]),weighting less than 15 kg and undergoing normothermic CPB (35–36°C) were randomly assigned to two equal groups,one of which received high-dose aprotinin.Platelet function was assessed by flow cytometry just before CPB and 5 minutes after heparin neutralization. F1+2 fragments were measured by ELISA before and 5 minutes after CPB. Platelet activation marker expression (CD62P and activated αIIbβ3) induced by ADP or TRAP was lower after CPB than before CPB, suggesting a deleterious effect of normothermic CPB on platelet function. Prothrombin fragment F1+2 levels increased after CPB. Aprotinin administration did not influence the level of prothrombin fragments or platelet marker expression measured in basal condition. However, after CPB, the capacity for platelet activation was higher in the aprotinin group, as shown by measuring CD62P expression afterTRAP activation (p=0.05).This study suggests that pediatric normothermic CPB causes platelet dysfunction, and that high-dose aprotinin has a protective effect.
Effect of low-molecular-weight heparin on survival in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ayvaz Muhammed , Wagenpfeil Stefan , Eckel Florian , Schmid Roland , Lersch Christian , Delius Stefan von
Published: July 2007

This retrospective analysis aimed to identify whether low-molecular- weight heparins (LMWH) might improve survival in patients receiving chemotherapeutic treatment for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Two hundred forty-three patients who had received chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Of these, 30 patients had to be excluded from analysis due to insufficient documentation. Of the remaining 213 patients 94 patients had been treated with LMWH, whereas 119 patients served as controls. Outcome was assessed in relation to overall survival, which was calculated from the date of initiation of chemotherapy to the date of death.There was no significant difference (hazard ratio, 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.6 to 1.1; P=0,2) between the two groups in terms of overall survival. The median survival was 7.1 months (95% CI,5.8–8.4 months) in the LMWH group and 5.9 months (95% CI, 5.1–6.7 months) in the non-LMWH group. A positive effect of LMWH was seen in patients with metastatic disease (hazard ratio for LMWH vs. non-LMWH, 0,6; 95% CI, 0,4 to 0,8; P=0,006) in contrast to those without metastatic disease (hazard ratio for LMWH vs. non-LMWH, 1; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.7; P=0,96).The median survival of patients with metastatic disease was 6,6 months (95% CI, 5–8,2 months) and 3.8 months (95% CI, 2.5–5.1 months) for the LMWH group and the non-LMWH group, respectively. In conclusion, we found for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma a survival advantage for patients receiving LMWH. Nevertheless, our observations need confirmation by prospective randomized studies.
Identification of tissue factor and platelet-derived particles on leukocytes during cardiopulmonary bypass by flow cytometry and immunoelectron microscopy
Authors: Chung Jihwa , Suzuki Hidenori , Tabuchi Noriyuki , Sato Kengo , Shibamiya Aya , Koyama Takatoshi
Published: July 2007

The extrinsic coagulation system initiated by tissue factor (TF) appears to be a major procoagulant stimulus during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), although the precise mechanisms remain to be revealed.We recently reported the appearance ofTF-bearing leukocytes during CPB and described their role in promoting coagulation. In this study, we visually identified the in-vivo appearance ofTF-bearing leukocytes and platelet-derived particles on leukocytes in the pericardial blood during cardiac surgery with CPB, by flow cytometry and immunoelectron microscopy. Preliminary flow cytometric experiments showed that the proportion of TF-positive or both TF- and platelet antigen CD41a-positive leukocytes was increased markedly in pericardial blood obtained during CPB,compared with the proportions in preoperative circulating blood. Immunoelectron microscopic analysis revealed that both monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the pericardial blood express TF. On the surfaces of these cells, CD41a-positive or both CD41a- and TF-positive platelet-derived particles were observed. Platelet-derived particles include not only microparticles, but also platelets themselves. Leukocytes from preoperative circulating blood contained far fewer of these particles. Our results demonstrate the in-vivo appearance of TF-bearing platelet-derived particles on leukocytes during cardiac surgery with CPB.These findings may be important for the development of strategies to control procoagulant activities during and after cardiac surgery.
Tyrosine phosphorylation / dephosphorylation balance is involved in thrombin-evoked microtubular reorganisation in human platelets
Authors: Bouaziz Aicha , Amor Nidhal Ben , Woodard Geoffrey , Zibidi Hanen , López José , Bartegi Ahgleb , Salido Ginés , Rosado Juan
Published: July 2007

We have investigated the intracellular mechanisms involved in microtubular remodelling by thrombin and its possible involvement in platelet aggregation and secretion. Platelet stimulation with thrombin induces a time- and concentration-dependent regulation of the microtubular content, which was found to be maximally effective at the concentration 0.1 U/ml. Thrombin (0.1 U/ml) evoked an initial decrease in the microtubule content detectable at 5 seconds (sec) and reached a minimum 10 sec after stimulation.The microtubular content then increased, exceeding basal levels again approximately 30 sec after stimulation. Inhibition of tyrosine phosphatases using vanadate abolished thrombin-induced microtubular depolymerisation while inhibition of tyrosine kinases by methyl-2,5-dihydroxycinnamate prevented microtubule polymerisation.Thrombin activates the cytosolic Brutons tyrosine kinase (Btk) and Src proteins. Inhibition of Btk or Src by LFM-A13 or PP1, respectively, abolished thrombin-induced microtubular polymerisation, while maintaining intact its ability to induce initial depolymerisation. Microtubular disruption by colchicine significantly reduced thrombin induced platelet aggregation and ATP secretion. Similar results were observed after inhibition of microtubular disassembly by paclitaxel.These findings indicate that thrombin induces microtubular remodelling by modifying the balance between protein tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. The former seems to be required for microtubular polymerisation, while tyrosine dephosphorylation is required for microtubular depolymerisation. Both, initial microtubular disassembly and subsequent polymerisation are required for thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and secretion in human platelets.
Regulation of endothelial progenitor cell homing after arterial injury
Authors: Hristov Mihail , Zernecke Alma , Liehn Elisa , Weber Christian
Published: July 2007

Adult bone marrow and peripheral blood contain sub-populations of vascular precursor cells, which can differentiate into mature endothelial cells and have therefore been commonly termed endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Although EPCs encompass rather heterogeneous cell sub-populations of multiple origins and localization, these cells were basically characterized by expression of progenitor markers and by the development of colony-forming units and late endothelial outgrowth with terminal differentiation into mature endothelial cells. Notably, functional studies in vivo have implied the contribution of EPCs to therapeutic reendothelialization and inhibition of neointimal growth following endothelial injury. In the context of this regenerative arterial remodeling, an adequate homing of EPCs plays a central role. This multi-step process of EPC mobilization, recruitment and firm adhesion is regulated by key angiogenic chemokines (CCL2, CXCL1, CXCL7, CXCL12) and their respective receptors (CCR2, CXCR2, CXCR4). Furthermore, the recruitment of circulating EPCs to sites of arterial injury is synchronized by activated platelets and adhesion molecules of the selectin and integrin family. Thus, translating this molecular knowledge to interventional cardiovascular medicine,such a detailed understanding in the complex regulation of EPC homing may be helpful for more effectively preventing “in-stent” stenosis by facilitating stent endothelialization.
Regulation of vascular endothelial permeability by junctional adhesion molecules (JAM)
Authors: Orlova Valeria , Chavakis Triantafyllos
Published: July 2007

The vascular endothelium forms a barrier between the circulation and the interstitium, and changes in vascular permeability are very important during vascular repair and inflammatory conditions. The regulation of the endothelial barrier depends on actomyosin- related cell contractility as well as the integrity of cellcell junctions, such as tight and adherens junctions.The present review will introduce the basic pathways involved in the regulation of the endothelial barrier as well as important participating signaling players, such as the small GTPases RhoA, Rac and Rap1. In this context, we will attempt to analyze and interpret the recent evidence pointing to the role of the family of junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) in modulating the pathways involved in the regulation of the endothelial barrier.
Lymphangiogenesis in development and disease
Authors: Liersch Ruediger , Detmar Michael
Published: July 2007

The lymphatic vascular system plays an important role in the maintenance of fluid homeostasis, in the afferent immune response, in the intestinal lipid uptake and in the metastatic spread of malignant cells. The recent discovery of specific markers and growth factors for lymphatic endothelium and the establishment of genetic mouse models with impairment of lymphatic function have provided novel insights into the molecular control of the lymphatic system in physiology and in embryonic development. They have also identified molecular pathways whose mutational inactivation leads to human diseases associated with lymphedema. Moreover, the lymphatic system plays a major role in chronic inflammatory diseases and in transplant rejection. Importantly, malignant tumors can directly promote lymphangiogenesis within the primary tumor and in draining lymph nodes, leading to enhanced cancer metastasis to lymph nodes and beyond. Based upon these findings, novel therapeutic strategies are currently being developed that aim at inhibiting or promoting the formation and function of lymphatic vessels in disease.
Adiposity and Cardiovascular Disorders
Authors: Katagiri Hideki , Yamada Tetsuya , Oka Yoshitomo
Published: July 2007

Obesity, a major healthcare issue, is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidities, including hypertension and atherosclerosis. Numerous intensive studies conducted this decade have revealed that adipose tissue is a major endocrine organ that secretes a variety of bioactive substances, termed adipocytokines. Adipocytokine secretion profiles are altered as obesity develops, which may increase the risk of obesity-related cardiovascular disorders. For instance, leptin is upregulated in obese subjects and plays important roles in the pathophysiology of obesity-related atherogenesis through multiple mechanisms, such as its proliferative, proinflammatory, prothrombotic, and prooxidant actions. In contrast, adiponectin, which is downregulated in obese subjects, has protective effects against cardiovascular disorders at various atherogenic stages. In addition to these factors secreted by adipose tissue, neuronal circuits involving autonomic nerves are now being recognized as an important metabolic regulatory system and have thus attracted considerable attentions. Alterations in fat accumulation in intraabdominal organs, such as visceral adipose tissue and the liver, send afferent neuronal signals to the brain, leading to modulation of sympathetic tonus and thereby affecting the vasculature. Moreover, these humoral and neuronal signaling pathways communicate with each other, resulting in cooperative metabolic regulation among tissues/organs throughout the body. Further elucidation of these regulatory systems is anticipated to lead to new approaches to devising therapeutic strategies for the metabolic syndrome.
Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease in Accelerated Aging Syndromes
Authors: Capell Brian C. , Collins Francis S. , Nabel Elizabeth G.
Published: July 2007

In the past several years, remarkable progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms of premature aging. These rare, genetic conditions offer valuable insights into the normal aging process and the complex biology of cardiovascular disease. Many of these advances have been made in the most dramatic of these disorders, Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome. Although characterized by features of normal aging such as alopecia, skin wrinkling, and osteoporosis, patients with Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome are affected by accelerated, premature arteriosclerotic disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes at a mean age of 13 years. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the biology of premature aging uncovered in Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome and other accelerated aging syndromes, advances that provide insight into the mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases ranging from atherosclerosis to arrhythmias.
PI3Kγ Is Required for PDE4, not PDE3, Activity in Subcellular Microdomains Containing the Sarcoplasmic Reticular Calcium ATPase in Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Kerfant Benoit-Gilles , Zhao Dongling , Lorenzen-Schmidt Ilka , Wilson Lindsay S. , Cai Shitian , Chen S. R. Wayne , Maurice Donald H. , Backx Peter H.
Published: July 2007

We recently showed that phosphoinositide-3-kinase-γ–deficient (PI3Kγ−/−) mice have enhanced cardiac contractility attributable to cAMP-dependent increases in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+content and release but not L-type Ca2+current (ICa,L), demonstrating PI3Kγ locally regulates cAMP levels in cardiomyocytes. Because phosphodiesterases (PDEs) can contribute to cAMP compartmentation, we examined whether the PDE activity was altered by PI3Kγ ablation. Selective inhibition of PDE3 or PDE4 in wild-type (WT) cardiomyocytes elevated Ca2+transients, SR Ca2+content, and phospholamban phosphorylation (PLN-PO4) by similar amounts to levels observed in untreated PI3Kγ−/−myocytes. Combined PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition caused no further increases in SR function. By contrast, only PDE3 inhibition affected Ca2+transients, SR Ca2+loads, and PLN-PO4levels in PI3Kγ−/−myocytes. On the other hand, inhibition of PDE3 or PDE4 alone did not affectICa,Lin either PI3Kγ−/−or WT cardiomyocytes, whereas simultaneous PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition elevatedICa,Lin both groups. Ryanodine receptor (RyR2) phosphorylation levels were not different in basal conditions between PI3Kγ−/−and WT myocytes and increased in both groups with PDE inhibition. Our results establish that L-type Ca2+channels, RyR2, and SR Ca2+pumps are regulated differently in distinct subcellular compartments by PDE3 and PDE4. In addition, the loss of PI3Kγ selectively abolishes PDE4 activity, not PDE3, in subcellular compartments containing the SR Ca2+-ATPase but not RyR2or L-type Ca2+channels.
Natural Order or Divine Will: Maimonides on Cosmogony and Prophecy
Authors: Weiss Roslyn
Published: July 2007

In Guide 2.32 Maimonides notes that just as there are three opinions concerning prophecy (as discussed earlier in 2:13), so are there three opinions concerning cosmogony. Scholars have tended to assume that Maimonides, despite what he says, must have seen some more important correspondence between the two sets of opinions than their number. I argue that although for Maimonides what the two sets of opinions have in common is indeed their number, what he wishes to direct the careful reader's attention to is that the number of opinions in both cases is actually two rather than three.
Racing to the Bottom or Climbing to the Top? Economic Globalization and Collective Labor Rights
Authors: Mosley Layna , Uno Saika
Published: July 2007

This article explores the impact of economic globalization on workers' rights in developing countries. The authors hypothesize that the impact of globalization on labor rights depends not only on the overall level of economic openness but also on the precise ways in which a country participates in global production networks. Using a new data set on collective labor rights, the authors test these expectations. Their analysis of the correlates of labor rights in 90 developing nations, from 1986 to 2002, highlights globalization's mixed impact on labor rights. As “climb to the top” accounts suggest, foreign direct investment inflows are positively and significantly related to the rights of workers. But at the same time, trade competition generates downward “race to the bottom” pressures on collective labor rights. The authors also find that domestic institutions and labor rights in neighboring countries are important correlates of workers' rights.
Party Politics and the Reemergence of Social Pacts in Western Europe
Authors: Hamann Kerstin , Kelly John
Published: July 2007

Conventional accounts of the reemergence of social pacts in Western Europe argue they are a governmental response to economic pressures, in particular the requirements for joining the European Monetary Union (EMU). The authors analyze three case studies—the Netherlands, Ireland, and Austria— to illustrate the usefulness of an alternative explanation centering on electoral calculations by political parties in choosing pacts. Parties forge social pacts not only to deal with economic problems but also when they perceive them to be helpful in reducing the potential electoral costs of economic adjustment and wage policies. Alternatively, parties may forgo negotiations with social partners for electoral gain. The authors extend the analysis to seven additional countries to apply the analysis more broadly. By combining the separate literatures on political economy and party politics, they are able to shed new light on the dynamics of social pacts in Western Europe.
Cities, Environments, and European History
Authors: Massard-Guilbaud Geneviève , Thorsheim Peter
Published: July 2007

This essay introduces a special issue that explores the history of cities in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe from an environmental perspective. After examining the origins and aims of urban environmental history, it traces the relationship between this approach and kindred fields of study. The authors argue that although North American historiography has played an important role in the development of European urban environmental history, other influences, both intellectual and historical, have proved no less significant in shaping the ways that Europeanists approach the natural and built environment. The case studies in this issue, which examine Austria, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, exemplify the vitality and diversity of current scholarship in European urban environmental history.
From Hygeia To the Garden City
Authors: Platt Harold L.
Published: July 2007

The rapid and widespread acceptance of germ theories of disease among domestic sanitarians during the 1870s—1980s was one of the roots of Progressivism. Their work as so-called house doctors helped shift reform from a moral to a social environmentalism. Germ theories of invisible microbes dissolved the boundaries between inside and outside the body, home, and city. Reformers gave less attention to changing destructive personal behavior and more to ameliorating harmful environmental conditions. In Manchester, a son of its worst slum of Ancoats, Charles Rowley, led a successful grassroots campaign for “healthy lives, healthy homes, and healthy surroundings.” Town hall became involved in removing substandard dwellings, redesigning neighborhoods, and building housing estates in the suburbs. Yet the limits of reform were soon reached when these projects challenged the private housing market. Environmental conditions improved and mortality rates went down, but the slums remained in place at the outbreak of the Great War.
The Nitrogen Question
Authors: Barles Sabine , Lestel Laurence
Published: July 2007

This article analyzes the ways in which hygienists, scientists, and officials in nineteenth-century Paris came to understand nitrogen as an asset, not just a problem. In so doing, they became convinced of the necessity to give back to the land what the city had taken. This involved identifying nitrogen sources and flows in the city, using urban and industrial wastes as nitrogen fertilizers for agriculture, and developing the organic and mineral fertilizer industry in Paris. The solutions they proposed extended far beyond the river itself to include the organization of the city of Paris and its region. This interest in nitrogen led to the first calculations in France of nitrogen balance and flow and stimulated efforts to reduce nitrogen loss for hygienic, environmental, and agricultural reasons. The final part of the essay seeks to explain why this intense activity failed to survive the First World War.
Burnout Among Corrections-Based Drug Treatment Staff
Authors: Garner Bryan R. , Knight Kevin , Simpson D. Dwayne
Published: July 2007

As a result of limited budgets, many treatment programs are forced to operate for extended periods at or beyond their capacity. The resulting pressure and stress on treatment staff can be taxing and lead to serious problems, including job burnout. Although the concept of burnout within other social service professions has been broadly researched, less attention has been given to burnout among drug abuse treatment staff, especially among corrections-based drug treatment staff. The goal of this article is to extend this area of research by exploring the impact of individual factors and organizational factors on burnout. Findings revealed that although a number of factors were related to staff burnout, younger counselor age, lower adaptability, poorer clarity of agency mission, and higher stress were most significant. Ways in which treatment programs might address these issues affecting staff burnout are discussed.
Issues Regarding the Clinical Use of the Classification of Violence Risk (COVR) Assessment Instrument
Authors: McCusker Paul J.
Published: July 2007

The MacArthur Study of Mental Disorder and Violence produced an instrument for classifying hospitalized psychiatric patients according to their risk of behaving violently following discharge. The instrument, Classification of Violence Risk (COVR) has been computerized and is now commercially available to clinicians. A validation study performed by the original researchers showed that when the instrument was applied to a new sample of patients, it demonstrated a considerable reduction in positive predictive power. Potential factors affecting the instrument's accuracy in applied settings are reviewed. It is concluded that, until additional research clarifies uncertainty about the instrument, clinicians would do well to be very cautious in utilizing COVR results to make judgments as to violence risk, particularly when the test results suggest a high risk of future violence.
Drug Consumption Among Sexual Offenders Against Females
Authors: Baltieri Danilo Antonio , de Andrade Arthur Guerra
Published: July 2007

This article aims to evaluate the role of drug consumption among sexual offenders against females. Three groups of participants ( N = 133) comprising sexual offenders against girls, pubertal females, and women were examined with reference to history of drug and/or alcohol use, impulsivity level, sexual addiction, and recidivism risk. Sexual offenders against women were found to have significantly more difficulties with drug use, higher impulsivity level, and to be younger than the sexual offenders against girls and pubertal females. The combination of drug consumption and higher level of impulsivity may contribute to sexual aggression against adult females.
Truth or Consequences
Authors: Hansen Hans , Barry Daved , Boje David M. , Hatch Mary Jo
Published: July 2007

What follows is a collectively improvised story that emerged as four authors set out to explore their experiences and thoughts concerning organizational stories. The story is a reflection of their collective, creative, improvisational sense making via the construction of a narrative. The authors were selected because of their experience in the fields of organizational storytelling, narrative theory, and improvisation. They began by asking themselves “What would happen if we engaged in improvisation to collectively create a story that makes sense of organizational research?” After several rounds of reviews, they added reader voices, along with their own insights gained from their experience in constructing “Truth or Consequences.”
On the Relationship Between Research and Practice
Authors: Walsh James P. , Tushman Michael L. , Kimberly John R. , Starbuck Bill , Ashford Susan
Published: July 2007

This article offers a lively and spirited debate on the pros and cons of relating research to practice. The authors' goal is to illuminate fundamental issues in the debate in detail, consider a variety of prescriptions, and then come to a mindful conclusion about a course of action. The article begins with a point—counterpoint debate to make sure that scholars fully understand the issues in play. Mike Tushman starts off by arguing for an emic approach. He believes that scholars are most effective when they closely work with management and organizations. John Kimberly counters with an etic perspective. He argues that scholars need to keep their distance. Two attempts to make sense of the many issues raised in the debate close the article. First, Bill Starbuck steps back and offers his ideas about what the debate means for continuing scholarship. And then Sue Ashford brings the exchange to a conclusion. She draws on her many years in the dean's office to offer her wisdom about how to best organize business schools in the coming years. In the end, the authors know that there will be nearly as many errors as trials when the world's business schools determine how best to proceed. Their aim here is to minimize the effects of these errors. If and when schools do err, the authors want to be sure that they do it with their eyes wide open.
Advancing the Assessment of Women's Career Choices: The Career Aspiration Scale
Authors: Gray Michael P. , O'Brien Karen M.
Published: July 2007

The results of five studies illustrated sound psychometric properties of the CAS when used with adolescent, college, and postcollege samples comprised predominantly of White women. The final eight-item measure demonstrated strong testretest reliability over a 2-week period and evidenced moderate internal consistency. Convergent validity was supported by correlations with measures of career decision self-efficacy, multiple role self-efficacy, occupational self-efficacy, attitudes toward women's roles, instrumentality, and relative importance of career versus family. Discriminant validity was demonstrated through the absence of relations between the CAS total score and measures of attachment to parents. Finally, a two-factor solution consisting of the Leadership and Achievement Aspirations Scale and the Educational Aspirations Scale accounted for substantial variance in career aspiration among samples of mostly White women.
Cultural Adjustment Difficulties and Career Development of International College Students
Authors: Reynolds Amy L. , Constantine Madonna G.
Published: July 2007

This study examined the extent to which two dimensions of cultural adjustment difficulties (i.e., acculturative distress and intercultural competence concerns) predicted two specific career development outcomes (i.e., career aspirations and career outcome expectations) in a sample of 261 international college students from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Although no significant differences among the participants were found by region of origin and gender, multivariate multiple regression analyses indicated that higher levels of acculturative distress were predictive of lower levels of career outcome expectations among these international students. Furthermore, findings revealed that greater intercultural competence concerns were predictive of lower career aspirations and lower career outcome expectations. Implications of the findings for career counseling with African, Asian, and Latin American international students are discussed.
Masculinities, Sport, and Emotions
Authors: Lilleaas Ulla-Britt
Published: July 2007

The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate how men understand and talk about their bodies, bodily habits, and feelings. The study was based on qualitative interviews with sixteen sportsmen, all of whom were handball players. Half of the players were on an elite team (aged twenty-five to thirty-five years), and the other half were on an old boys' team (aged thirty-five to sixty-five years). The players were very definite about how an ideal male body should be; they preferred a slim and well-trained body, with strong muscles. Training had become a necessity for many of these sportsmen, and they used physical activity as a way of handling difficult feelings. When they were together, teasing and joking was the usual way they managed embarrassing feelings, and they talked more easily with women than with men about their problems. Data are discussed in relation to what some researchers have described as men's fear of not being man enough and the theory of habitus.
Masculinities, Bodies, and Emotional Life
Authors: Jeleniewski Seidler Victor
Published: July 2007

This paper explores relationships between men, bodies, and emotional life and the ways emotions are shaped within postmodern masculinities. Exploring examples of ways men narrate their lives, the author questions prevailing notions of hegemonic masculinities that have tended to sustain rationalist traditions of modernity. Tending to treat the emotional and personal as “therapeutic”—in Connell's work framed in opposition to the “political”—makes it difficult to give adequate space to the exploration of cultures, bodies, emotions, and sexualities.
The Material and Visual Cultures of Cities
Authors: Wells Karen
Published: July 2007

The author adapts Lefebvre's (1991) triadic theorisation of the production of space to the study of objects and ways of seeing in cities. Governmental power is condensed in monuments, planning, mapping, and film; capital organises the spaces and events of the city through the circulation of commodities and the destruction and reconstruction of urban space. Local cultures of consumption on one hand and spectacular events on the other shape the lived experience of the urban. In tracing the history and networks of things and images, the article unravels the reification and fetishisation of urban life that would hide the power relations that structure everyday life within the glittering spectacle of the commodity or the smooth veneer of the monument.
Revitalizing Chinatown Into a Heterotopia
Authors: Jia Lou
Published: July 2007

With the changing immigrant population and rising real-estate prices in downtown Washington, D.C., the number of Chinese residents and businesses in its Chinatown has declined in recent years. Meanwhile, non-Chinese stores and restaurants have marched into this thriving neighborhood. Foreseeing the threat of Chinatown's disappearance from the urban landscape, leaders of the local Chinese community have devised and administered a mandate for all businesses, Chinese and non-Chinese, in the area to carry Chinese shop signs. To understand how this mandate has reconstructed Chinatown's semiotic landscape, this article employs the theoretical framework of geosemiotics and the (post-)structuralist conception of the sign. Through an analysis of shop signs in their material contexts, it is argued that the local community's preservation effort has inadvertently rendered Chinatown into a heterotopia, where heterogeneous spaces are juxtaposed into one place.
Social Cinema Scenes
Authors: Puwar Nirmal
Published: July 2007

This article centers the methodological need to study both (a) social scenes and (b) social cinema scenes to elucidate a much more complicated sense for understanding how cities and space are inhabited, produced, and invented. Using a practice based method of research, it utilizes aural and visual methods to revisit how we approach and conceptualize postwar lives in the United Kingdom, beyond the limits of an either—or analysis of celebration or trauma and victimhood.
Navigating Embodied Lesbian Cultural Space: Toward a Lesbian Habitus
Authors: Rooke Alison
Published: July 2007

This article examines the ways that sexual and gendered identities are played out in space. By tracing a journey from London to Brighton and back taken during ethnographic fieldwork, it argues that that the complicated ways in which gendered and sexual identities unfold in space reveal the tensions and contradictions in both the real and imagined spaces of lesbian and gay urbanism. Through focusing on the tensions that arose in this journey, this article explores the imaginary of the queer city and the visual regimes and material and embodied practices that construct and occupy these spaces. By drawing on both Judith Butler's and Pierre Bourdieu's work on performativity, embodiment, and cultural capital, this article offers the concept of the lesbian habitus to make sense of the visual and embodied cultures of lesbian identity spaces.
Overtime Incentives in the National Hockey League (NHL)
Authors: Shmanske Stephen , Lowenthal Franklin
Published: July 2007

The National Hockey League (NHL) in 1999-2000 changed its rules for games that are tied at the end of regulation time. The old rules called for the team to be awarded two points for a win, one for a tie, and zero for a loss. The league felt that play was too conservative during overtime because teams feared losing the one point already earned. The new rules called for a team to retain its one point earned for tying in regulation even if it ultimately lost during the overtime. This change strengthens the importance of a subtle difference in incentives depending on whether one's opponent is from the same conference. Because playoff positions are determined only by intraconference rankings, losing in overtime to an out-of-conference opponent has no negative consequences. Alternatively, losing to an in-conference opponent could affect the ultimate playoff position of the team. The authors use multiple regression analysis of individual games during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons to examine this subtle difference in incentives.