bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Cloud Physical Properties of ECMWF Analysis and Re-Analysis (ERA) against CERES Tropical Deep Convective Cloud Object Observations
Authors: Xu Kuan-Man
Published: July 2008

This study presents an approach that converts the vertical profiles of grid-averaged cloud properties from large-scale models to probability density functions (pdfs) of subgrid-cell cloud physical properties measured at satellite footprints. Cloud physical and radiative properties, rather than just cloud and precipitation occurrences, of assimilated cloud systems by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analysis (EOA) and 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) are validated against those obtained from Earth Observing System satellite cloud object data for the January–August 1998 and March 2000 periods. These properties include the ice water path (IWP), cloud-top height and temperature, cloud optical depth, and solar and infrared radiative fluxes. Each cloud object, a contiguous region with similar cloud physical properties, is temporally and spatially matched with EOA and ERA-40 data. Results indicate that most pdfs of EOA and ERA-40 cloud physical and radiative properties agree with those of satellite observations of the tropical deep convective cloud object type for the January–August 1998 period. There are, however, significant discrepancies in selected ranges of the cloud property pdfs such as the upper range of EOA cloud-top height. A major discrepancy is that the dependence of the pdfs on the cloud object size for both EOA and ERA-40 is not as strong as in the observations. Modifications to the cloud parameterization in ECMWF that occurred in October 1999 eliminate the clouds near the tropopause but shift power of the pdf to lower cloud-top heights and greatly reduce the ranges of IWP and cloud optical depth pdfs. These features persist in ERA-40 due to the use of the same cloud parameterizations. The less sophisticated data assimilation technique and the lack of snow water content information in ERA-40, not the larger horizontal grid spacing, are also responsible for the disagreements with observed pdfs of cloud physical properties, although the detection rates of cloud object occurrence are improved for small-size categories. A possible improvement to the convective parameterization is to introduce a stronger dependence of updraft penetration heights on grid-cell dynamics.
The Role of Ego Enhancement and Perceived Message Exposure in Third-Person Judgments Concerning Violent Video Games
Authors: Boyle Michael P. , McLeod Douglas M. , Rojas Hernando
Published: July 2008

Ego enhancement has been offered as the psychological mechanism that drives differences in judgments about effects on self and others. This study employs a three-cell (ego threat, ego enhancement, and control) experimental design to test the validity of the ego-enhancement argument in explaining the third-person perception and related outcomes (e.g., support for government control). Findings indicate that although ego enhancement does not appear to directly influence either third-person perception or its relationship to support for government control, it does play a moderating role in regulating the relationship between perceived effects and support for controls, especially in the case of perceived effects on others. Specifically, the ego-enhancement condition effectively muted the relationship between estimates of effects and support for government control. Implications of these findings and directions for further research are also discussed.
Neighborhood Variation in Gang Member Concentrations
Authors: Katz Charles M. , Schnebly Stephen M.
Published: July 2008

This study examines the relationship between neighborhood structure, violent crime, and concentrations of gang members at the neighborhood level. We rely on official police gang list data, police crime data, and two waves of decennial census data characterizing the socioeconomic and demographic conditions of 93 neighborhoods in Mesa, Arizona. Although we find positive linear associations between gang member concentrations and indicators of economic deprivation and social and familial disadvantage, the results of nonlinear models reveal that at extreme levels of disadvantage, the magnitudes of these positive associations are substantially reduced. In addition, although we find that neighborhood crime has no influence on concentrations of gang members net of other neighborhood characteristics, our results reveal that neighborhood instability is a key component for understanding variability in the gang phenomenon. More specifically, our results suggest that gang membership is less likely in social contexts characterized by either a residentially unstable population or rapidly changing structural conditions.
Impact of Missing Data on the Detection of Differential Item Functioning
Authors: Robitzsch Alexander , Rupp André A.
Published: July 2008

This article describes the results of a simulation study to investigate the impact of missing data on the detection of differential item functioning (DIF). Specifically, it investigates how four methods for dealing with missing data (listwise deletion, zero imputation, two-way imputation, response function imputation) interact with two methods of DIF detection (Mantel-Haenszel statistic, logistic regression analysis) under three mechanisms of missingness (data missing completely at random, data missing at random, and data missing not at random) to produce over- or underestimates of the DIF effect sizes and detection rates. Results show that the interaction effects between missingness mechanism, treatment, and rate are most influential for explaining variation in bias, root mean square errors, and rejection rates. An incorrect treatment of missing data can thus lead to severe increases of Type I and Type II error rates. However, the choice between the two DIF detection methods investigated in this study is not important.
A New Mixture Model for Misclassification With Applications for Survey Data
Authors: Cheng Simon , Yingmei Xi  , Chen Ming-Hui
Published: July 2008

Social scientists often rely on survey data to examine group differences. A problem with survey data is the potential misclassification of group membership due to poorly trained interviewers, inconsistent responses, or errors in marking questions. In data containing unequal subsample sizes, the consequences of misclassification can be considerable, especially for groups with small sample sizes. In this study, the authors develop a new mixture model that allows researchers to address the problem using the data they have. By supplying additional information from the data, this two-stage model is estimated using a Bayesian method. The method is illustrated with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study data. As anticipated, the more information supplied to adjust for group membership, the better the model performs. Even when small amounts of information are supplied, the model produces reasonably robust estimates and improves the fit compared to the no-adjustment model. Sensitivity analyses are conducted on choices of priors.
A Three-Dimensional Latent Variable Model for Attitude Scales
Authors: Leung Shing-On
Published: July 2008

The author proposes a three-dimensional latent variable (trait) model for analyzing attitudinal scaled data. It is successfully applied to two examples: one with 12 binary items and the other with 8 items of five categories each. The models are exploratory instead of confirmatory, and subscales from which data were selected are clearly identified. For binary items, it gives similar results with factor analysis. For polytomous items, it can estimate category scores simultaneously with the internal structure. From that, another dimension of the degree to take moderate views is extracted. This is because conventional analyses usually fix category scores as numbers, while they are free to vary in latent variable models. Computational problems are discussed, and it is expected that more than three dimensions are possible given today's computing power and tailor-made methods such as adaptive quadrature points for numerical integrations.
Vulnerable Witnesses and Problems of Portrayal
Authors: Aldridge Michelle , Luchjenbroers June
Published: July 2008

Through an analysis of a videotaped police interview with a child witness in an alleged rape case, we use conceptual frames and narrative analysis to illustrate how perceptions of co-conspirator and guilt are naively cultivated by (1) the child's relative inability to appropriately structure narrative responses to the police officer's questions and (2) the police officer's lack of attention to the cultural associations embedded in questions asked that draw on the rape myth. These observations illustrate that the videotaped police interview should not serve as both (1) police-produced information for the Crown prosecutors and (2) the witness's evidence-in-chief to be shown in court. Our analysis suggests that a great deal of damage can be done in an interview with a vulnerable witness due to the absence, criticized in earlier work, of lawyer direction, and that a child's testimony is weakened by the jury watching this video as the witness's evidence-in-chief.
Penal Isolation
Authors: Cohen Fred
Published: July 2008

The duration and conditions of penal confinement (i.e., segregation) in use by our prisons, and regularly upheld by the courts, are so extreme and so harmful that ultimately such confinement should be prohibited as a matter of law and policy. Correctional officials, and the courts, tend to conflate the need to insulate some inmates from each other with the use of a 23/7 regimen of segregation, devoid of social interaction. Inmates suffering with mental illness or who are at risk from such confinement and juveniles are the exceptions, and they have had some success in the courts. This article reviews the relevant history of penal isolation, Supreme Court decisions and other case law, and the evidence of harm caused by extreme penal isolation. It is proposed that the law relating to the acceptable uses of mechanical restraints serve as an analogy for the basic reform in the use of penal isolation.
A Culture of Harm
Authors: Haney Craig
Published: July 2008

This article examines the heightened risk of prisoner abuse that is created in supermax prison settings. It suggests that a combination of powerful contextual forces to which correctional officers are exposed can influence and affect them in ways that may engender a culture of mistreatment or harm. Those forces include a problematic set of ideological beliefs, a surrounding environment or ecology that is structured in such a way as to encourage cruelty, and a particularly intense—even desperate—set of interpersonal dynamics created between prisoners and guards. The importance of taking this heightened potential for abuse into account when discussing the negative effects of supermax and proposals for its reform is discussed.
Managing Mentally Ill Inmates in Prisons
Authors: Adams Kenneth , Ferrandino Joseph
Published: July 2008

Mentally ill inmates now comprise a substantial portion of the prison population and pose administrative and therapeutic challenges to prison administrators and mental health professionals. Some evidence suggests that both the size of the population and the seriousness of their illnesses are increasing. Given this context, several issues are highlighted and discussed in terms of contemporary efforts to deal with mentally ill inmates. Specifically, discussion centers on the use of actuarial devices for prediction and classification, the conflict between treatment and control and the relation between treatment and management, the distinction between risks and stakes and use of the environment as therapy, use of medication and isolation, and the role of correction officers in mental health treatment. The authors make an argument for more sophisticated approaches in dealing with mentally ill inmates that rely on expanded therapeutic options, broader role definitions for prison staff, and an evidence-based approach for individualizing treatment.
The Challenges of Mentally Ill Female Offenders in Prison
Authors: Lord Elaine A.
Published: July 2008

An increasing number of women offenders arrive in prison with serious mental health problems. Such inmates tend to experience difficulties negotiating the prison environment. They create all sorts of predicaments for other prisoners and instigate crisis situations that present pressing challenges to members of the staff. One prevalent form of symptomatic behavior in women's prisons is that of self-injury, which carries the risk of death or serious impairment. Self-harm should not be the sort of behavior that invites disciplinary dispositions. Mentally ill women also become involved in disproportionate serious rule breaking, including assaultive acts, leading to inappropriate placement in segregation cells, where their difficulties are apt to become exacerbated. To address this problem, special settings can be created to accommodate some chronically disturbed women, but these serve to merely ameliorate a seemingly insoluble dilemma.
The Use of `Story' in the Letter of Jude: Rhetorical Strategies of Jude's Narrative Episodes
Authors: Webb Robert L.
Published: July 2008

Jude's use of `story' is integral to his rhetorical argument. The author uses narrative episodes drawn from the Jewish scriptural tradition, the story of Jesus, and the story of the Christian community to whom he writes to accomplish his rhetorical purposes. The narrative episodes drawn from the Jewish scriptural tradition and from the story of Jesus do not create a coherent story with a plot, but the narrative episodes concerning the Christian community do have a coherent story with plot and conflict. Jude weaves narrative episodes from the Jewish scriptural tradition and from the story of Jesus into the story of the readers' Christian community in order to have a rhetorical impact on the direction of the future plot-line of this community's story.
The Relationship Between Being Perceived as Trustworthy by Coworkers and Individual Performance†
Authors: Dirks Kurt T. , Skarlicki Daniel P.
Published: July 2008

Although research has focused on the implications of trusting others, little is known regarding how being trustworthy might influence one's own performance. In this article, the relationship between being perceived as trustworthy by one's coworkers and individual performance is examined. Exchange theory is used to consider the implications of the different factors of trustworthiness (capability, integrity, and benevolence) and how these factors might interact to predict performance. Results of a field study (Study 1) revealed that coworkers' perceptions of an individual's capability and integrity interacted to predict his or her performance. A laboratory study (Study 2) provided further insight into the exchange mechanism underlying this relationship.
Untangling the Effects of Overexploration and Overexploitation on Organizational Performance: The Moderating Role of Environmental Dynamism†
Authors: Heli Wang  , Jiatao Li
Published: July 2008

Because a firm's optimal knowledge search behavior is determined by unique firm and industry conditions, organizational performance should be contingent on the degree to which a firm's actual level of knowledge search deviates from the optimal level. It is thus hypothesized that deviation from the optimal search, in the form of either overexploitation or overexploration, is detrimental to organizational performance. Furthermore, the negative effect of search deviation on organizational performance varies with environmental dynamism; that is, overexploitation is expected to become more harmful, whereas overexploration becomes less so with an increase in environmental dynamism. The empirical analyses yield results consistent with these arguments. Implications for research and practice are correspondingly discussed.
Augmenting Means Efficacy to Boost Performance: Two Field Experiments
Authors: Eden Dov , Ganzach Yoav , Flumin-Granat Rachel , Zigman Tal
Published: July 2008

Internal and external sources of efficacy beliefs are distinguished. “Means efficacy,” a particular source of external efficacy, is defined as belief in the utility of the tools available for task performance. The authors tested the hypothesis that raising means efficacy boosts performance. In two field experiments, experimental participants were told they got a new computerized system proven to be the best of its kind; controls got the same system with no means-efficacy treatment. In both experiments, means efficacy among experimental participants increased, and they out-performed the controls. A broadened perspective on the efficacy—beliefs construct is elaborated, and practical applications are proposed.
Taking Stock: Integrating and Differentiating Multiple Proactive Behaviors
Authors: Parker Sharon K. , Collins Catherine G.
Published: July 2008

The authors aimed to clarify the similarities, differences, and interrelationships among multiple types of proactive behavior. Factor analyses of managers’ self-ratings (N = 622) showed concepts were distinct from each other but related via a higher-order structure. Three higher-order proactive behavior categories were identified—proactive work behavior, proactive strategic behavior, and proactive person-environment fit behavior—each corresponding to behaviors aimed at bringing about change in the internal organization (e.g., voice), the fit between the organization and its environment (e.g., issue selling), and the fit between the individual and the organization (e.g., feedback seeking), respectively. Further analyses on a subsample (n = 319) showed similarities and differences in the antecedents of these behaviors.
Contested Masculinities
Authors: Shor Eran
Published: July 2008

This study examines how Israeli media present the masculinity of two non-Jewish groups, foreign Black players and Israeli Palestinian players. A systematic qualitative content analysis during the years 2002-2003 revealed very similar media images of these two groups. In both cases, the players are often portrayed as tough and physically superior (i.e., more masculine) but also as cognitively inferior and childish (i.e., less masculine). These findings shed light not only on Israeli views of the other, but also on the way the media perceives Jewish masculinity. The tension between the hypermasculine and the hypomasculine perception of non-Jews serves as an inverse mirror. On one hand, it allows the cultivation of a cognitively superior and mature Jewish image. On the other hand, it corresponds with the historic image of the weak and frail Jewish man and serves as a constant reminder of the failure to achieve the demands of masculine physical ideals.
The Rebirth of the Football Fanzine
Authors: Millward Peter
Published: July 2008

This article presents e-zines as both a legitimate data source and a basis of investigation for sociologists of popular culture. To do this, the article describes and evaluates the rise of the “fanzine” in the 1970s and 1980s along with its decline in the final years of the 20th century and parallels this with the emergence of the Internet as an “everyday” commodity. The unfolding argument is that e-zines provide a site for both the construction of (collective and individual) identities and “information age” sports fan democracy.
Inefficiency and Bias of Search Engines in Retrieving References Containing Scientific Names of Fossil Amphibians
Authors: Brown Lauren E. , Dubois Alain , Shepard Donald B.
Published: July 2008

Retrieval efficiencies of paper-based references in journals and other serials containing 10 scientific names of fossil amphibians were determined for seven major search engines. Retrievals were compared to the number of references obtained covering the period 1895—2006 by a Comprehensive Search. The latter was primarily a traditional library-based search which involved intensive work from 2002—2007. Only a few references originally obtained by search engines were included. Retrieval efficiencies were calculated by comparison to the number obtained through the Comprehensive Search (assumed to be 100%). All percent retrievals were quite low (mean = 11.3%, range = 4.0—22.9%). For all seven search engines combined (duplicate references excluded), the percent retrieval was only 40.7%. There was also retrieval inefficiency and bias of the search engines in: sampling over time, the top five journals containing the most references, the top five most prolific authors, and non-English references. Consequently, all seven search engines were unsatisfactory for retrieval of references for our scientific research.
The Political Economy of Open-Source Software in the United Kingdom
Authors: Kettell Steven
Published: July 2008

The debate about the impact of information and communication technology has tended to focus on either its economic or its political aspects. The growing centrality of this technology to life in the 21st century, however, raises important questions about social ownership and control that necessitate a broader and more holistic analysis. Central to this issue is the growing challenge posed by open-source software to the proprietary business model that has hitherto dominated the market. The author examines how these developments are being mediated in Britain through the intersection of government policy, private interests, and the institutional configuration of the state.
Family Stress and Children's Language and Behavior Problems
Authors: Long Carolyn E. , Gurka Matthew J. , Blackman James A.
Published: July 2008

The impact of language delays and behavior problems in young children on family function was assessed using data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health. Over 50% of parents who reported concerns regarding their children's language skills also reported concerns regarding their children's behavior. Although parents reported increased stress and more difficulty coping and meeting their children's needs when they were concerned about their children's language skills, children with behavior problems were especially stressful for families. Parental stress increased as children with challenging behaviors reached preschool age. To address the negative impact on family function, service providers must couple specific intervention strategies and methods that improve language skills and mitigate behavior problems in young children.
The Concealed Violence of Modern Peace(-Making)
Authors: Meyer Jörg
Published: July 2008

By drawing on the work of anti-Eurocentric critics, this article inquires into the legitimisation of military interventions and the imposition of certain practices of governance in the name of peace. Special emphasis is put on the approach of transmodernity that rejects the standard picture of modernity and modern identities as utterly European/Western products and tries to reveal the concealed violence of European and North-American modernism. In view of current military interventions, the article analyses how an obligation of the Western self to produce peace is derived from the allegedly precedent unwillingness or inability of the non-Western other to maintain peace. It is argued that contemporary protagonists of modernity, thus, do not take seriously their own contribution to the violence they claim to fight. With reference to non-military practices performed as peace-making, it is shown how Eurocentric reason is prone to non-listening and ignoring the experiences of others.
Unpacking the Liberal Peace: The Dividing and Merging of Peacebuilding Discourses
Authors: Heathershaw John
Published: July 2008

This paper assesses the discursive environment of post-conflict intervention as a prism through which to view the international politics of the post-Cold War era. I argue that the `liberal peace' is not a single discourse but a tripartite international discursive environment that dynamically reproduces technical solutions which fail to address the core issues of conflict in a given place. The paper starts from the assumption that over the last twenty years we have seen a shift from an understanding of peace as a state of affairs in a given territory (as explored by Michael Banks in a 1987 paper) to peace as a process of post-conflict intervention; a move from peace to peacebuilding. This `liberal peace' sets a standard by which `failed states' and `bad civil societies' are judged according to ethical, spatial and temporal markers. However, the apparent homogeneity of the model obscures the divisions and mergers which characterise the scholarship and practice of international peacebuilding. The boundaries of the peace debate remain; the political differences latent in Banks' three conceptions are retained in the evolving discourses of democratic peacebuilding, civil society and statebuilding. The paper shows how these three basic discourses are reproduced in international policy analyses and major academic works. Moreover, the discursive mediation of their differences is the dynamic by which the liberal peace is sustained, despite its detachment from the lived experiences of post-conflict environments. It is in this sense that we can comprehend international peacebuilding as a virtual phenomenon, maintained in the verbal and visual representations of international organisations, diplomats and academic policy-practitioners. In light of this disaggregation of the discursive environment, a better, more nuanced understanding of the liberal peace can be attained: one that is able to grasp how critics and criticisms become incorporated into that which they seek to critique. The paper concludes with three propositions regarding the nature of world order in the era of the tripartite `liberal peace'. During this time coercion, military force and even warfare have become standard and legitimate features of peacefare. The discursive dynamics of international peacebuilding illustrate how peace has become ever more elusive in contemporary international politics.
Resuscitating a Discipline: An Agenda for Critical Peace Research
Authors: Jutila Matti , Pehkonen Samu , Väyrynen Tarja
Published: July 2008

In this article we write a narrative of the emergence and decline of Peace Research (PR), reflecting especially on its relationship to neighbouring disciplines. In writing this narrative we play critically with medical metaphors, which are often used in PR. We begin with an analysis of the development of PR as it has been practised in the two main journals, Journal of Conflict Resolution and Journal of Peace Research, and show how the initial critical and creative spirit of PR has turned into a `normal science' that does not reflect on its basic categories or its role in society. Then we show how PR could learn from the critical research agendas developed in Security Studies. In the last section we move beyond the academic critical research to a more reflexive and participatory agenda. The article concludes with an idea of Critical Peace Research as an epistemic community that can house a variety of approaches with a shared understanding of the importance of critical reflection, dialogue and creativity.
Is Acculturation a Dynamic Construct?
Authors: Lechuga Julia
Published: July 2008

Recent evidence suggests that culture is a dynamic construct activated in response to cues encountered in a given situation. Research on acculturation indicates that this is a complex construct that might be domain specific. Two studies were undertaken to investigate the effect of two ways of priming culture on acculturation and enculturation scores in a Hispanic population. In study 1 ( N = 59) culture was primed by exposing participants to cultural icons and symbols representative of Mexican and American Culture. In study 2 ( N = 145) culture was primed by randomly assigning participants to answer questionnaires in English or Spanish. Results suggest that affiliation with host and/or heritage cultures is a malleable construct. Implications for acculturation measurement are discussed.
Beliefs, Fertility, and Earnings of African American, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White Mothers
Authors: Keil Jacqueline M. , Christie-Mizell C. André
Published: July 2008

This study explores gender ideology, fertility factors (e.g., age at first birth, number of children), and their effects on earnings of African American ( n = 413), Hispanic American ( n = 271), and White ( n = 817) mothers. An analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth over a 10-year period (1988 to 1998) shows that, on average, Hispanic American and White mothers have a significantly more conservative gender ideology than African American mothers. Nevertheless, a conservative gender ideology significantly reduces African American, Hispanic American, and White mothers' earnings when controlling for a variety of important labor force factors. Regarding fertility, the number of children is detrimental to the earnings of White mothers but has no effect on African American or Hispanic mothers in the sample. Although early childbearing significantly depresses the earnings of African American and Hispanic mothers, it does not do so for their White counterparts.
The Well-Coiffed Man
Authors: Barber Kristen
Published: July 2008

This study explores how men make sense of their participation in the feminized practice of salon hair care. By placing white, middle-class, heterosexual men at the center of analysis, I investigate the meaning of beauty work for a population that has been overlooked in research on gender and the beauty industry. Specifically, I demonstrate that men embed their purchase of salon hair care in the need to appropriate expectations of white professional-class masculinity. Ultimately, these men reproduce raced and classed gender differences in the hair salon by resisting feminization while at the same time transgressing gender boundaries.
Current Approaches in the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease Mineral and Bone Disorder
Authors: How Priscilla P. , Mason Darius L. , Lau Alan H.
Published: July 2008

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) develop mineral and bone disorder (MBD), a common and important complication, as a result of impaired phosphorus excretion and reduced vitamin D activation. Altered mineral metabolism is now recognized as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in end-stage renal disease patients and contributes to the risk for accelerating vascular calcification. CKD patients are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and vascular calcification which account for the high morbidity and mortality in this patient population. Pharmacotherapeutic interventions are necessary to manage and treat the condition. Multiple classes of agents including phosphorus binders, vitamin D analogs, and calcimimetics are now available to treat CKD-MBD. Recent data have shown that treatment with sevelamer and vitamin D analogs are associated with a reduction in calcification and cardiovascular mortality and improved survival. This article provides an overview of the strategies and considerations for the management of CKD-MBD, as well as their implications on clinical outcomes.
Individualizing Therapy in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Joy Melanie S. , La Mary , Bo Xiao
Published: July 2008

Patients with chronic kidney diseases have multiple clinical abnormalities that may affect disposition of drugs, including alterations in glomerular filtration rate, excretion of plasma proteins, reductions in serum albumin, and reductions in drug metabolizing enzyme activity. Inflammation may also influence the previous factors. Concomitant drug therapies can lead to drug— drug interactions that may affect the pharmacokinetics of administered drugs. Pharmacogenomics has begun to be evaluated for effects of genotype and haplotype of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters on drug disposition. Because of the multiple potential etiologies for alterations in drug disposition in patients with chronic kidney diseases, they require appropriate evaluation for implementation of individualized strategies in therapies to enhance efficacy and reduce toxicities. This review will highlight the disease- and patient-specific variables that are targets for patient-centered approaches to therapeutic interventions. The field of pharmacogenomics will be reviewed with reference to common therapies for transplantation and glomerular diseases.
Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Chronic Kidney Disease: Role of Intravenous Iron and Vitamin D
Authors: Pai Amy Barton , Conner Todd A.
Published: July 2008

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among chronic kidney disease patients (CKD). The etiology of CVD in CKD is multifactorial and increasing evidence points to the important contribution of “nontraditional” risk factors including oxidative stress and inflammation. CKD is associated with a chronic imbalance of prooxidant and antioxidant factors that results in a state of chronic inflammation. Intravenous iron supplementation has been shown to induce oxidative stress and has been associated with lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Conversely, treatment with vitamin D analogs has been associated with improved mortality in hemodialysis patients in 2 recent large cohort studies. These data suggest that vitamin D analogs may exert effects beyond their pharmacologic role in parathyroid hormone suppression. This article addresses the current data regarding the relative contributions of intravenous iron supplementation and vitamin D analog therapy on oxidative stress and inflammation in CKD patients.
Moyamoya syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Jeong HC , Kim YJ , Yoon W , Joo SP , Lee SS , Park YW
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Moyamoya disease is a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder that is characterized by a stenosis or occlusion of the bilateral internal carotid arteries and the development of collateral vessels. Transient ischemic attacks or seizures are the usual presentation of moyamoya disease in children, whereas cerebral hemorrhage is the most common symptom in adults. We report an 18-year-old female patient with active lupus nephritis who presented with the sudden onset of left hemiparesis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed acute infarctions in the right basal ganglia and subcortical white matter of the right frontal lobe. Cerebral angiography showed the stenosis of the bilateral internal carotid arteries with rich basal collateral vessels (moyamoya vessels). There was no evidence of atherosclerosis or antiphospholipid syndrome. Glucocorticoid therapy was used to control the systemic lupus erythematosus. Prophylactic bypass surgery was performed to prevent recurrent ischemic attacks. This case report shows that an underlying cerebrovascular lesion of moyamoya vessels in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus is susceptible to cerebrovascular accidents.
Rituximab treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report
Authors: Hennigan S , Channick RN , Silverman GJ
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension is a common but underdiagnosed complication of systemic lupus erythematosus, which can be associated with significant morbidity and early mortality. Although often associated with anti-phospholipid antibodies, the etiology remains poorly understood. In case reports and small open trials, the anti-CD20, B-cell targeted therapeutic antibody, rituximab, has been reported to provide benefits for systemic lupus erythematosus patients with glomerulonephritis, anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome, vasculitis, arthritis, and refractory skin disease. However, the outcome of rituximab treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic lupus erythematosus has not been described. We, therefore, present a case of a young systemic lupus erythematosus patient with early onset of pulmonary arterial hypertension during the disease course, refractory to multiple treatment modalities, who had significant improvement with rituximab therapy.
Childhood systemic lupus erythematosus in Sultanate of Oman: demographics and clinical analysis
Authors: Abdwani R , Rizvi SG , El-Nour I
Published: July 2008

There is a worldwide variation in the incidence of childhood manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, which may be related to environmental, genetic and geographical factors. The aim of the study is to describe for the first time the clinical and immunological characteristics of childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus at diagnosis in the Sultanate of Oman. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 50 children with systemic lupus erythematosus fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria between 1990 and 2006. There were 42 girls and eight boys. The mean age of disease onset was low at 8.6 years (SD 3.1). The female:male ratio was 5.3:1. The most frequent clinical manifestations at initial diagnosis were: articular (76%), cutaneous (70%), haematological (68%) and renal (64%) dominated by class IV nephritis, pulmonary (26%), neuropsychiatric (18%) and cardiac (10%). A positive antinuclear antibody (>1:80) was present in 94% at diagnosis. Positive anti–double stranded DNA was present in 82% and low complement levels were present in 84% at diagnosis. This is the first review of childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus in the Sultanate of Oman.
Successful treatment of life-threatening Evans syndrome due to antiphospholipid antibody syndrome by rituximab-based regimen: a case with long-term follow-up
Authors: Rückert A , Glimm H , Lübbert M , Grüllich C
Published: July 2008

An association of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with antibodies directed against either phospholipids or plasma proteins strongly suggest that B-cell dysfunction may be involved in its pathogenesis. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with autoimmune cytopenias shows a poor response rate to conventional treatment with anticoagulants, glucocorticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis. We report a case of life-threatening antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with Evans syndrome receiving successful multimodal treatment including anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab with long-term follow-up.
Systemic lupus erythematosus and familial Mediterranean fever: a possible negative association between the two disease entities – report of four cases and review of the literature
Authors: Lidar M , Zandman-Goddard G , Shinar Y , Zaks N , Livneh A , Langevitz P
Published: July 2008

Serositis is a common clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as being the hallmark of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), the most prevalent monogenic disease in the Jewish population. We have treated four patients who suffered from both SLE and FMF since 2001 in our clinic, which also serves as the national center for FMF. Our cases illustrate both similarities and dissimilarities between the clinical manifestations of these two diseases, an aspect which should be borne in mind, especially in the young female patients. In general, it seems that co-occurrence of FMF moderates the presentation of lupus.
Factors influencing adherence to medications in a group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in Jamaica
Authors: Chambers S , Raine R , Rahman A , Hagley K , De Ceulaer K , Isenberg D
Published: July 2008

The objective of this study was to examine the factors influencing adherence to medications in a group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Jamaica. A qualitative study was designed using a screening questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in the rheumatology clinic at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica. 75 patients with SLE including 20 interviewees, who had SLE for at least 1 year participated in the study. The main outcome measures were: (i) level of self-reported adherence in a sample of the clinic attendees and (ii) interviewees explanations of the reasons for taking or not taking drugs as prescribed by their physician. 56% of the 75 study participants reported taking their medications more than 85% of the time. High cost and poor availability of medications were the main reasons for poor adherence, but some patients chose not to take their medications because of side effects, perceived mild severity of their disease and/or a preference to take drugs only when symptomatic. Patients used herbal medicines to counteract side effects of Western medicines, to ‘purge the blood’ and to manage lupus symptoms when they had no medications. Religious beliefs were used as a coping strategy. Traditional use of herbal medicines is common particularly in patients from rural Jamaica, and may explain the observed use of herbal medicines in those who have emigrated to developed countries. Socio-economic constraints and poor drug availability are particularly important influences on poor adherence in Jamaican patients with SLE. Religious beliefs and use of herbal remedies do not seem to affect adherence adversely but are used when drugs cannot be obtained.
Induction treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis with leflunomide combined with prednisone: a prospective multi-centre observational study
Authors: Wang HY , Cui TG , Hou FF , Ni ZH , Chen XM , Lu FM , Xu FF , Yu XQ , Zhang FS , Zhao XZ , Zhao MH , Wang GB , Qian JQ , Cai GY , Zhu TY , Wang YH , Jiang ZP , Li YN , Mei CL , Zou WZ
Published: July 2008

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of leflunomide in the treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis, a prospective multi-centre observational study was conducted. Patients with biopsy proven proliferative lupus nephritis were assigned to receive either leflunomide or cyclophosphamide with concomitant prednisone. Leflunomide was given orally with a loading dose of 1 mg/kg/day for 3 days followed by 30 mg/day. Intravenous cyclophosphamide was administered monthly at a dose of 0.5 g/m2 of body-surface area. A total of 110 patients were enrolled, 70 in the leflunomide group and 40 in the cyclophosphamide group. The complete remission rate in the leflunomide group was 21% and partial remission rate 52%, as compared with 18% and 55%, respectively, in the cyclophosphamide group. Renal parameters and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index improved significantly and similarly in both groups. Serum creatinine decreased or stabilized in both treatment groups. No significant difference was noted with respect to clinical outcome between groups. Repeat biopsy also showed a significant reduction of active lesions in kidney pathology after 6 months of leflunomide treatment. Major adverse events, similar in both treatment groups, included infection, alopecia and hypertension. Leflunomide, compared with cyclophosphamide, in combination with prednisone was effective in the induction therapy of proliferative lupus nephritis and was generally well-tolerated.
Renal outcome and evolution of disease activity in Chinese lupus patients after renal transplantation
Authors: Yu TM , Chen YH , Lan JL , Cheng CH , Chen CH , Wu MJ , Shu KH
Published: July 2008

Lupus nephritis constitutes the major cause of morbidity and mortality in SLE. The long-term outcome of renal transplantation in lupus patients remains controversial, and the recurrence of lupus activity is a major concern. This study aims to determine the long-term outcome of renal transplantation in Chinese lupus patients and the evolution of lupus activity. A total of 23 lupus patients undergoing renal transplantation were enrolled and compared with 94 matched controls. The overall patient and graft survival rates at 10 years post-transplant in lupus group were not different from the control group (95.2% and 57.7% vs. 90.7% and 66.3%). Recurrence of lupus nephritis in renal allograft and flare-ups of lupus activity were not observed in this study. The SLE group had less acute rejection than the control group (20.4% vs. 29.8%, P < 0.05). The infection rate between the two groups was similar (39.1% vs. 51.1%, P = 0.427), although SLE group had a significantly higher rate of developing avascular necrosis (17.4% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.04). In conclusion, patient and graft survival rates and other major complications in Chinese lupus patients are comparable to non-lupus transplant recipients caused by other diseases. Chinese patients with SLE are suitable candidates for renal transplantation.
Circulating thrombomodulin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and renal vascular lesion in patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: Yao GH , Liu ZH , Zhang X , Zheng CX , Chen HP , Zeng CH , Li LS
Published: July 2008

Currently, the detection of renal vascular lesions (VLS) in lupus nephritis (LN) mainly depends on biopsy examination, and lack surrogate biomarkers for clinical dynamic evaluation. The aim of the present study is to explore the correlation between circulatory endothelial damage biomarkers and VLS. Soluble E-selectin, thrombomodulin (TM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) were measured by ELISA. TM and VCAM-1 levels both were significantly elevated in LN with VLS than in LN without VLS ( P < 0.01). However, the serum E-selectin was not significantly changed in LN patients with and without VLS. A positive correlation was found between TM and serum creatinine ( r = 0.617, P < 0.05) in patients with vascular lesions. In order to further analyse the relationship between TM level and severity degree of vascular lesions in LN patients, we subdivided the patients with vascular lesions into two groups: with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and without TMA. TM level of the patients with TMA is significantly higher than those without TMA ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, combined with renal pathological examination, monitoring the circulatory levels of TM and VCAM-1, can provide circulating biomarkers of VLS in LN patients.
Efficacy of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in patients with resistant-type lupus nephritis: a prospective study
Authors: Traitanon O , Avihingsanon Y , Kittikovit V , Townamchai N , Kanjanabuch T , Praditpornsilpa K , Wongchinasri J , Tungsanga K , Eiam-Ong S
Published: July 2008

The role of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is still controversial in the treatment of cyclophosphamide-resistant proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN). Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) has less gastrointestinal adverse effects than MMF and is, therefore, increasingly utilised in organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of EC-MPS versus an extended-course of intravenous cyclophosphamide (ED-IVCY) in resistant-type PLN. Thirty-one, biopsy-proven PLN, patients who failed to respond to an induction of IVCY were enrolled in a prospective, open-labelled, historically controlled study. Patients received 6 month of EC-MPS (720 mg b.i.d.) treatment. The patients in the ED-IVCY group, collected from a database, received a repeated 6-month course of monthly IVCY 0.5–1 g/m2 of body surface area. Both groups received 0.5–1 mg/kg/day of prednisolone. Primary outcomes were partial or complete responses. A repeated kidney biopsy was performed to evaluate the histological response. No serious adverse events or patient deaths were observed during the study. Both groups had comparable baseline characteristics. At 6 months, the EC-MPS group had a comparable response rate with the ED-IVCY group. There were significantly less adverse events in the EC-MPS group. Repeated biopsies showed significant improvement in the EC-MPS group. EC-MPS provides salutary efficacy and safety in the treatment of resistant-type PLN and can be a suitably alternative treatment to ED-IVCY.