bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Late Quaternary turbidity current pathways to the Madeira Abyssal Plain and some constraints on turbidity current mechanisms
Authors: Masson D. G.
Published: November 2007

Turbidites deposited in the Madeira Abyssal Plain during the last 200 000 yr originated mainly from the flanks of the Canary Islands and from the Northwest African continental margin north of the Canaries. Derivation of these turbidites from sources to the east of the abyssal plain apparently contradicts flow direction indicators derived from the sediments on the plain, which indicate derivation from the north‐east. However, two systems of shallow channels, mapped using side‐scan sonar and 3.5‐kHz data, link the easterly sediment sources to the north‐eastern edge of the abyssal plain, reconciling the apparently contradictory flow direction data. A northern system originates in the area between Madeira and the Canary Islands and follows a westerly and then north‐westerly path, in part cutting obliquely across regional bathymetric trends. It carries sediment from the African continental margin north of the Canary Islands, and from the eastern Canaries, to the north‐eastern abyssal plain. The southern channel system carries material from the western Canary Islands more directly westward to the central part of the plain. The pathways of individual turbidites can be reconstructed in some detail, by combining channel mapping with published information on turbidite provenance and flow directions on the Madeira Abyssal Plain. Interaction between turbidity currents and channel morphology controls turbidite depositional patterns. Small turbidites are completely contained within channels 20 m deep and 2 km wide. It is proposed that these are relatively high‐density flows which have evolved in crossing the almost flat floor of a basin south‐east of Madeira before entering the channel system. Larger turbidites show evidence of flow stripping where they interact with channels, with the result that their coarse and fine fractions follow different paths to and across the abyssal plain.
Evolution of a transfer‐related basin: the Ardea basin (Latium, central Italy)
Authors: Faccenna CLAUDIO , Funiciello RENATO , Bruni ALESSANDRO , Mattei MASSIMO , Sagnotti LEONARDO
Published: November 2007

During the Messinian—Pleistocene, the Peninsular Tyrrhenian margin underwent a NE—SW orientated stretching regime, with the formation of a NW—SE normal fault system and basins which are linked by NE—SW transfer fault zones. These fault zones border narrow and deep asymmetric basins. This paper uses geological and geophysical analysis (structural and stratigraphical data, seismic lines and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data) to look at the evolution of one of these transfer‐related basins, located south of Rome (Ardea basin). Comparison with other similar features indicates that the common characteristics of these transfer structures are: (i) the slip vector along the transfer fault is mostly dip‐slip, which means that the local extensional direction is orthogonal to the regional extensional direction; (ii) development of a narrow and deep half‐graben basin.
Relief development of a Mesozoic carbonate platform margin (Southern Alps, northern Italy)
Authors: Lehner BENEDIKT L.
Published: November 2007

The effect of various erosional processes on the relief development of a carbonate platform margin is documented from outcrops of the Southern Alps, northern Italy, by the occurrence of truncation surfaces and redistribution of remobilized sediments. The periplatform depositional history, with periods of intensive submarine erosion along the north‐western Trento plateau margin, is recorded by various carbonate deposits ranging in age from the Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous with numerous gaps.

The first Early Jurassic period of submarine erosion is marked by truncation and extensive tectonic fracturing of lower Liassic oolitic skeletal periplatform deposits. These are overlain by pelmicritic sediments of late Hettangian to Toarcian age. The second period of submarine erosion during the late Early Jurassic resulted in almost complete truncation of the pelmicritic unit. Crinoidal to oolitic periplatform carbonate sands were subsequently deposited along the carbonate margin until the Aalenian/Bajocian. The third truncation surface was produced by partial current erosion of the crinoidal to oolitic periplatform deposits during the late Bajocian to Callovian. The fourth, and most prominent, truncation surface was produced by erosion during the Early Cretaceous cutting down from Aptian/Albian pelagic units to Toarcian periplatform deposits. The resulting submarine relief was completely buried during the late Maastrichtian by onlapping pelagic sediments.

The documentation of the depositional history during the Late Mesozoic of the north‐western Trento plateau pinpoints the main mechanisms responsible for the relief of the drowned carbonate platform margin. Extensional tectonic activity during differential subsidence and current‐induced erosional truncation, followed by gravitational downslope mass transport and rapid pelagic burial mainly determined the morphology of the drowned carbonate platform margin.
Interaction between bimodal volcanism, fluvial sedimentation and basin development in the Permo‐Carboniferous Saar‐Nahe Basin (south‐west Germany)
Authors: Stollhofen HARALD , Stanistreet IAN G.
Published: November 2007

Widespread bimodal‐calcalkaline magmatism and contemporaneously active faulting reflect the combined effects of late‐orogenic collapse and strike‐slip faulting during syn‐rift development of the late‐Variscan Saar‐Nahe Basin. The intrabasinal drainage systems experienced major but differing influences from three prominent styles of volcanic extrusives: extensive basic lava flows; localized acidic domes; and widespread pyroclastic units.

Sedimentary sections including basic to intermediate lavas show the transformation of pre‐eruptive meandering fluvial systems into lacustrine systems following lava eruptions. These relationships are interpreted in terms of damming of the drainage systems by the topographic barriers represented by the basic lavas themselves. Siliciclastic sediments re‐entered and ultimately filled the lakes through prograding, small‐scale crevasse channel/mouth bar complexes.

Uplift associated with the intrusive/extrusive emplacement of acidic domes affected both the accommodation space and the internal topography of the basin. Following an extrusive pulse, each dome collapse caused the progradation of voluminous volcaniclastic aprons onto the surrounding alluvial plain. Locally, the overload by large volumes of unconsolidated detritus converted the regional meandering drainage system into a braided one. The overall duration of acidic dome activity could have been longer than 106 years, but was interrupted by repose periods varying probably between a few hundred years to several thousand years.

Pyroclastic activity accompanied dome emplacement and registers their episodic activity in the stratigraphic record. Fine‐grained ashes of phreatoplinian eruptions were spread widely within the basin and overloaded streams in the area of fallout. Rapid reworking of huge amounts of unconsolidated material supplied an abundance of volcanic detritus, which tended to fill topographic lows that were usually fault‐controlled.

The relationships between basin evolution, intrabasinal volcanism and contemporaneously active faulting, identified in the Saar‐Nahe Basin, are important. They emphasize and further the understanding of how similar volcanic products in sedimentary basins worldwide impacted on the depositional system.
Geochemistry of formation waters and hydrodynamic evolution of a young and restricted sedimentary basin (Mahakam Delta Basin, Indonesia)
Authors: Furlan S. , Chaudhuri S. , Clauer N. , Sommer F.
Published: November 2007

Chemical and isotopic data on formation waters of oil‐fields from two parallel anticline axes of the Mahakam Delta Basin provide information about the present‐day mass transfers in the sedimentary sequence of this basin. Depletions in Ca, Sr and K, enrichment in Rb, and the Sr/Ca ratios in the waters are related to illitization of smectite and precipitation of carbonate minerals, as well as dissolution of K‐feldspar and precipitation of albite. These short‐lasting processes seem to have been more pronounced in the deeper segments of the proximal anticline. The Sr, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data emphasize occurrence of lateral migrations of the formation waters within permeable units from Borneo Island to the proximal anticline under continental influence, and further to the distal anticline under marine influence.

Description of a combined process including illitization of smectite, precipitation of carbonate minerals, dissolution of K‐feldspar and precipitation of albitic feldspar, during lateral migrations of the formation waters was only possible because of the young age and the restricted volume of the basin. In addition, the chemical signatures in the formation waters were not obscured by water‐rock interactions during long‐distance migrations that occur systematically in large sedimentary basins.
Two‐phase evolution of the Shadow Valley Basin, south‐eastern California: a possible record of footwall uplift during extensional detachment faulting
Authors: Fowler T. K. , Friedmann S. J. , Davis G. A. , Bishop K. M.
Published: November 2007

Miocene strata of the Shadow Valley Basin rest unconformably on the upper plate of the Kingston Range ‐ Halloran Hills detachment fault system in the eastern Mojave desert, California. Basin development occurred in two broad phases that we interpret as a response to changes in footwall geometry. In southern portions of the basin, south of the Kingston Range, phase one began with near synchronous initiation of detachment faulting, volcanism and basin sedimentation shortly after 13.4 Ma. Between c. 13.4 and c. 10 Ma, concordantly bedded phase one strata were deposited onto the subsiding hangingwall of the detachment fault as it was translated 5–9 km south‐westward with only limited internal deformation. Phase two (c. 10 to 8–5 Ma) is marked by extensional dismemberment of the detachment fault's upper plate along predominantly west‐dipping normal faults. Phase two sediments were deposited synchronously with upper‐plate normal faulting and unconformably overlie phase one deposits, displaying progressive shallowing in dip and intraformational onlap.

Northern portions of the basin, in the Kingston Range, experienced a similar two‐phase development compressed into a shorter interval of time. Here, phase one occurred between c. 13.4 and 12.8–12.5 (?) Ma, whereas phase two probably lasted for no more than a few 100000 years immediately prior to c. 12.4 Ma. Differences in the duration of basin development in and south of the Kingston Range apparently relate to position with respect to the detachment fault's breakaway; northern basin exposures overlie the upper plate adjacent to the breakaway (0–15 km) whereas southern basin exposures occur far from the breakaway (20–40 km).

We interpret the phase one to phase two transition as recording breakup of the detachment fault's hangingwall during footwall uplift. We propose a model for supradetachment basin evolution in which early, concordantly bedded basin strata are deposited on the hangingwall as it translates intact above a weakly deforming footwall. With continuing extension, tectonic denudation along the detachment fault leads to an increasing flexural isostatic footwall response. We suggest that isostatic footwall uplift may drive internal breakup of the upper plate as the detachment fault is rotated to a shallow dip, mechanically unfavourable for simple upper‐plate translation. Additionally, we argue that continuing hangingwall thinning during phase two places geometrical constraints on the timing, amount and, thus, rate of footwall uplift. Kinematically determined footwall uplift rates (0.5–4.5 mm/yr) are comparable with rates determined independently by thermochronological and geobarometric methods.
Evolution of monolithological breccia deposits in supradetachment basins, Whipple Mountains, California
Authors: Forshee E. J. , Yin A.
Published: November 2007

Extensive sheets of monolithological breccia (megabreccia) within detachment‐fault systems of the North American Cordillera have been identified as large landslides. Although the origin of the megabreccia deposits is controversial, their spatial and temporal association with detachment‐fault systems implies a causal relationship between the initiation of such landslides and motion along detachment faults. Emplacement may have been catastrophic following seismic activity, or slow, as the result of gravity gliding. Nevertheless, comprehensive analysis of these deposits provides important constraints on the evolution of supradetachment basins by detailing the unroofing history, palaeotopography and palaeoseismicity of detachment‐fault systems. An extensive Miocene landslide deposit, the War Eagle landslide, in the north‐eastern Whipple Mountains, provides an opportunity for such an endeavour to elucidate: (1) the cause and timing of its initiation; (2) mechanism for its emplacement; (3) nature of the apparent association of the landslide with detachment‐fault development; and (4) role of the megabreccia in the development of supradetachment basins. Cross‐sections were drawn through the deposit to determine the geometry and kinematic development of the landslide. Additionally, a simple mechanical model based on limit equilibrium force balance was designed to explore physical mechanisms that controlled its creation. The results of this model combined with field relationships suggest that the Whipple detachment fault was active at an angle of less than 30° with displacement most likely accompanied by the release of seismic energy. Continued extensional evolution of the Whipple detachment fault caused tilting of the upper‐plate strata and the formation of numerous half and full grabens as well as roll‐over structures. Rocks from the lower plate were brought to the surface during the later stages of detachment‐fault activity thereby producing sufficient topographic relief for large landslides to be seismically activated. Increased pore‐fluid pressure in the footwall subjacent to the Whipple detachment fault probably aided landslide initiation. The landslide was emplaced onto the upper plate of the detachment fault, providing a significant amount of material into the evolving supradetachment basin. Although the rate of emplacement of the megabreccia remains uncertain, penetrative fracturing throughout the breccia sheet is evidence that emplacement occurred catastrophically. The results of this study indicate that Tertiary megabreccias were emplaced during continued detachment‐fault evolution, implying oversteepened topography and seismicity of these low‐angle systems.
Thermally subsiding basins and the insulating effect of sediment with application to the Cambro‐Ordovician Great Basin sequence, western USA
Authors: Kominz MICHELLE
Published: November 2007

Tectonic subsidence of thermally generated basins is sensitive to the insulating effect of sediment. Compacting sediment reduces thermal subsidence, increases apparent stretching factors and reduces uncertainty in estimates of the breakup age. The transient effect of sediment insulation on the shape of the subsidence curve is considered by comparing model results with an exponential fit from 16 to 144 Myr after breakup. Misfits are dependent on the model parameters used, the degree of stretching, the degree of sediment compaction and the bottom boundary condition used in modelling. The magnitude of the misfit ranges up to 90 m (uncorrected for eustatic loading). These effects may alter the interpretation of backstripping results. Application to a data set from the Cambro‐Ordovician miogeocline of the Great Basin, western USA, increases apparent stretching factors and reduces uncertainty in the predicted earliest Cambrian breakup age. In this case the misfits to exponential subsidence are quite large (≅300 m) so that correction for the insulating effect of sediment does not eliminate a probable eustatic signal consistent with the Sauk sequence. If a eustatic signal is assumed, correction for model error suggests that the thermal parameters used are an improvement over those previously adopted and that the base of the lithosphere thins as sediments are added at the surface.
Transform‐normal extension on the Northern Death Valley fault system, California‐Nevada
Authors: Applegate DAVID
Published: November 2007

The Northern Death Valley fault zone is a major right‐lateral structure that has accommodated 70 km or more of regional transtensional deformation in Tertiary to Recent time. Extension parallel to its north‐west transport direction in the Death Valley region of California has produced ‘pull‐apart’ structures that are responsible for opening the central Death Valley rhombochasm. In several ranges along the length of the Northern Death Valley fault zone, there is also evidence for extension directed to the south‐west, normal to strike‐slip movement. Evidence from the Funeral, Grapevine and Cottonwood Mountains suggests that a significant amount of down‐dip slip has occurred on the Northern Death Valley fault zone and parallel structures (together referred to as the Northern Death Valley fault system) coeval with the majority of right‐lateral slip and transform‐parallel extension. As a result of both these components of extension, a separate basin opened in northern Death Valley with an orientation and architecture very different from that of central Death Valley. In addition, the Northern Death Valley fault system may be responsible for the present topography of the Funeral and Grapevine Mountains. Transform‐normal extension appears to be the result of a misorientation of the Northern Death Valley fault zone within the regional stress field over the past 6 Myr, as suggested by simple geometric calculations.
Ottar Basin, SW Barents Sea: a major Upper Palaeozoic rift basin containing large volumes of deeply buried salt
Authors: Breivik Asbjørn Johan , Gudlaugsson Steinar Thor , Faleide Jan Inge
Published: November 2007

Seismic mapping and gravity modelling of the Ottar Basin ‐ a little studied Upper Palaeozoic graben in the south‐western Barents Sea ‐ demonstrates the presence of a major rift basin with large accumulations of unmobilized salt. Buried beneath thick, flat‐lying Mesozoic strata, the NE‐trending fault‐bounded basin is at least 170 km long, varies in width between 50 and 80 km and coincides with a negative gravity anomaly of more than — 10 mgal. Seismic observations show that the south‐western part is a half‐graben tilted to the north‐west whereas the north‐eastern part appears to be more symmetric in shape. A large mass deficiency in the north‐eastern part of the basin, indicated by a gravity anomaly of more than — 30 mgal, makes it necessary to postulate large amounts of salt within the basin. The preferred gravity model shows a total basin depth of 9.5 km, basin relief of 4.2 km and a salt volume of 6800 km3 corresponding to a 2.4‐km‐thick salt layer. Similar basin depths, but only 500–600 km3 of salt, are indicated beneath the Samson Dome in the south‐western part of the basin. Unlike salt bodies in other Barents Sea basins, the thick salt deposit in the north‐eastern part of the Ottar Basin is relatively unaffected by halokinesis. Interfingering of different basin facies, lack of tectonic reactivation of the basin and a relatively late differential loading by protruding cover strata probably explain these differences in development. The large size and voluminous salt deposits establish the Ottar Basin as one of the major Barents Sea evaporite basins and an important structural component of the Upper Palaeozoic rift system.
Constitutive activity in chimeras and deletions localize sensory rhodopsin II/HtrII signal relay to the membrane‐inserted domain
Authors: Sasaki Jun , Nara Toshifumi , Spudich Elena N. , Spudich John L.
Published: November 2007

Halobacterium salinarum sensory rhodopsin II (HsSRII) is a phototaxis receptor for blue‐light avoidance that relays signals to its tightly bound transducer HsHtrII (H. salinarum haloarchaeal transducer for SRII). We found that disruption of the salt bridge between the protonated Schiff base of the receptor's retinylidene chromophore and its counterion Asp73 by residue substitutions D73A, N or Q constitutively activates HsSRII, whereas the corresponding Asp75 counterion substitutions do not constitutively activate Natronomonas pharaonis SRII (NpSRII) when complexed with N. pharaonis haloarchaeal transducer for SRII (NpHtrII). However, NpSRIID75Q in complex with HsHtrII is fully constitutively active, showing that transducer sensitivity to the receptor signal contributes to the phenotype. The swimming behaviour of cells expressing chimeras exchanging portions of the two homologous transducers localizes their differing sensitivities to the HtrII transmembrane domains. Furthermore, deletion constructs show that the known contact region in the cytoplasmic domain of the NpSRII–NpHtrII complex is not required for phototaxis, excluding the domain as a site for signal transmission. These results distinguish between the prevailing models for SRII–HtrII signal relay, strongly supporting the ‘steric trigger‐transmembrane relay model’, which proposes that retinal isomerization directly signals HtrII through the mid‐membrane SRII–HtrII interface, and refuting alternative models that propose signal relay in the cytoplasmic membrane‐proximal domain.
Erythrodermic cutaneous T cell lymphoma with hypereosinophilic syndrome: Treatment with interferon alfa and extracorporeal photopheresis
Authors: Lee Catherine H. , Mamelak Adam J. , Vonderheid Eric C.
Published: November 2007

Background  Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by a sustained eosinophilia leading to end organ dysfunction. The lymphoproliferative variant of HES is thought to be mediated by an underlying hematologic process that drives eosinophil production through specific cytokines. Eosinophilia is also recognized as a poor prognostic factor in cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL) in which neoplastic T cells may produce eosinophilopoietic cytokines.

Objective  We report a case of HES with cardiac involvement that developed in the context of erythrodermic mycosis fungoides, discuss the possible relationship between these diseases, and speculate on the role that eosinophils might play as a prognostic factor in CTCL.

Methods  Case report and review of the literature.

Results  CTCL may be added to the group of lymphoproliferative disorders associated with HES.

Conclusion  A patient with erythroderma and concomitant diagnosis of “idiopathic” HES may warrant further investigation for CTCL.
Photodynamic therapy with 20% aminolevulinic acid for the treatment of recalcitrant viral warts in an Asian population
Authors: Wang Yi Shi , Tay Yong Kwang , Kwok Colin , Tan Eileen
Published: November 2007

Background  Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the principle of targeted tissue destruction using selective photosensitization via a topical porphyrin precursor, followed by light exposure. It is well established for the treatment of actinic keratoses and superficial nonmelanoma skin cancers. Some studies have reported good efficacy when using PDT to treat viral warts in the Western population.

Methods  We carried out a prospective, single‐arm, phase II study of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA)‐PDT in the treatment of recalcitrant viral warts in an Asian population. Recalcitrant viral warts were surgically pared, and then treated with 20% 5‐ALA cream (Medac, Hamburg, Germany) under occlusion for 4 hours before irradiation with a red light source (Waldmann PDT1200; wavelength, 590–700 nm) at an irradiance of 50 mW/cm2 and a total dose of 50 J/cm2. PDT was repeated fortnightly for a maximum of four times.

Results  Twelve adult Asian patients were enrolled into the study (10 males, two females). The mean age of the patients was 32.8 years (range, 18–70 years). They had skin phototypes III–IV. Nine patients had plantar warts and three patients had hand warts (two had warts on the fingers, one had a wart on the palm). Five patients (42%) showed complete disappearance of their warts, one patient (8%) showed partial clearance (greater than 50% decrease in the wart area), five patients (42%) had stable disease (less than 50% decrease in the wart area), and one (8%) showed progressive disease (increase in the wart area). Adverse effects included mild to moderate pain and erythema, which lasted no longer than 48 hours and was well tolerated by all patients. None of the patients withdrew from the study because of side‐effects.

Conclusion  5‐ALA‐PDT, given its noninvasiveness, minimal adverse effects, and good cosmetic results, is a promising alternative treatment for recalcitrant viral warts. Further studies with a larger cohort of patients would be of value.
Correlations between the Sonic Hedgehog Pathway and basal cell carcinoma
Authors: Lupi Omar
Published: November 2007

The Hedgehog (HH) family of intercellular signaling proteins has some essential functions in patterning both invertebrate and vertebrate embryos. Identified as an important regulator of segment polarity and tissue organization in flies, the HH pathway can also play a significant role in human development and in cutaneous carcinogenesis. The family received their name because when the D. melanogaster HH protein malfunctions the mutant fly ends up looking like a small prickly ball, similar to a curled up hedgehog.

The Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway is implicated in the etiology of the most common human cancer, the basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Mutations in the receptor of SHH, the patched gene (PTCH), have been characterized in sporadic BCCs as well as those from patients with the rare genetic syndrome nevoid BCC. Human PTCH is mutated in sporadic as well as hereditary BCCs, and inactivation of this gene is probably a necessary if not sufficient step for tumorigenesis. Delineation of the biochemical pathway in which PTCH functions may lead to rational medical therapy for skin cancer and possibly other tumors.
Early age at onset of bipolar disorder is associated with more severe clinical features but delayed treatment seeking
Authors: Suominen Kirsi , Mantere Outi , Valtonen Hanna , Arvilommi Petri , Leppämäki Sami , Paunio Tiina , Isometsä Erkki
Published: November 2007

Objective:  Our aim was to obtain a comprehensive view of differences between bipolar disorder (BD) patients with onset at early versus adult age in a representative study cohort.

Methods:  In the Jorvi Bipolar Study (JoBS), 1,630 psychiatric in‐ and outpatients were systematically screened for BD using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). A total of 191 bipolar I and II patients with a current DSM‐IV episode were interviewed to obtain information about age at onset of mood symptoms, clinical course, treatment, comorbidity, and functional status. The patients were classified as either early onset (<18 years) or adult onset.

Results:  One‐third of subjects with BD (58/191, 30%) had early onset. This was associated with female gender, more lifetime psychotic symptoms, greater overall comorbidity, and a greater length of time from first episode to treatment.

Conclusions:  Although BD patients with early age at onset have more severe clinical features and illness course, the delays from first episode to treatment and to correct diagnosis are longer than for those with adult onset disorder. To reduce morbidity rates related to the most severe forms of BD, the recognition and diagnosis of BD during adolescence needs to be improved.
Bipolar obsessive‐compulsive disorder and personality disorders
Authors: Maina Giuseppe , Albert Umberto , Pessina Enrico , Bogetto Filippo
Published: November 2007

Objectives:  Relatively few systematic data exist on the clinical impact of bipolar comorbidity in obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) and no studies have investigated the influence of such a comorbidity on the prevalence and pattern of Axis II comorbidity. The aim of the present study was to explore the comorbidity of personality disorders in a group of patients with OCD and comorbid bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods:  The sample consisted of 204 subjects with a principal diagnosis of OCD (DSM‐IV) and a Yale‐Brown Obsessive‐Compulsive Scale (Y‐BOCS) score ≥16 recruited from all patients consecutively referred to the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin over a period of 5 years (January 1998–December 2002). Diagnostic evaluation and Axis I comorbidities were collected by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis I Disorders (SCID‐I). Personality status was assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis II Disorders (SCID‐II). Socio‐demographic and clinical features (including Axis II comorbidities) were compared between OCD patients with and without a lifetime comorbidity of BD.

Results:  A total of 21 patients with OCD (10.3%) met DSM‐IV criteria for a lifetime BD diagnosis: 4 (2.0%) with BD type I and 17 (8.3%) with BD type II. Those without a BD diagnosis showed significantly higher rates of male gender, sexual and hoarding obsessions, repeating compulsions and lifetime comorbid substance use disorders, when compared with patients with BD/OCD. With regard to personality disorders, those with BD/OCD showed higher prevalence rates of Cluster A (42.9% versus 21.3%; p = 0.027) and Cluster B (57.1% versus 29.0%; p = 0.009) personality disorders. Narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders were more frequent in BD/OCD.

Conclusions:  Our results point towards clinically relevant effects of comorbid BD on the personality profiles of OCD patients, with higher rates of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders in BD/OCD patients.
Creatine monohydrate in resistant depression: a preliminary study
Authors: Roitman Suzana , Green Tamar , Osher Yamima , Karni Nathan , Levine Joseph
Published: November 2007

Objectives: Creatine plays a pivotal role in brain energy homeostasis, and altered cerebral energy metabolism may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Oral creatine supplementation may modify brain high‐energy phosphate metabolism in depressed subjects.

Methods: Eight unipolar and two bipolar patients with treatment‐resistant depression were treated for four weeks with 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate in an open add‐on design. Outcome measures were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Clinical Global Impression scores, recorded at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Results: One patient improved considerably after one week and withdrew. Both bipolar patients developed hypomania/mania. For the remaining seven patients, all scale scores significantly improved. Adverse reactions were mild and transitory.

Conclusions: This small, preliminary, open study of creatine monohydrate suggests a beneficial effect of creatine augmentation in unipolar depression, but possible precipitation of a manic switch in bipolar depression.
Processing Speed in Childhood and Adolescence: Longitudinal Models for Examining Developmental Change
Authors: Kail Robert V. , Ferrer Emilio
Published: November 2007

The primary aim of the present study was to examine longitudinal models to determine the function that best describes developmental change in processing speed during childhood and adolescence. In one sample, children and adolescents (N= 503) were tested twice over an average interval of 2 years on two psychometric measures of processing speed: Visual Matching and Cross Out. In another sample, children and adolescents (N= 277) were tested four times, every 6 months, on Cross Out. Age‐related changes in performance on both tasks were examined using six longitudinal models representing different hypotheses of growth. Linear, hyperbolic, inverse regression, and transition models yielded relatively poor fit to the data; the fit of the exponential and quadratic models was substantially better. The heuristic value of these latter models is discussed.
Consequences of Learning About Historical Racism Among European American and African American Children
Authors: Hughes Julie M. , Bigler Rebecca S. , Levy Sheri R.
Published: November 2007

Knowledge about racism is a critical component of educational curricula and contemporary race relations. To examine children’s responses to learning about racism, European American (Study 1; N= 48) and African American (Study 2; N= 69) elementary‐aged children (ages 6–11) received history lessons that included information about racism experienced by African Americans (racism condition), or otherwise identical lessons that omitted this information (control condition). Children’s racial attitudes and cognitive and affective responses to the lessons were assessed. Among European American children, racism condition participants showed less biased attitudes toward African Americans than control condition participants. Among African American children, attitudes did not vary by condition. Children in the two conditions showed several different cognitive and affective responses to the lessons.
Negotiating critical, postcritical literacy: the problematic of text analysis
Authors: Iyer Radha
Published: November 2007

Critical literacy has been a particular focus in literacy education in the past two decades. Literacy models such as the ‘four resources’ model provide a significant framework for a critical understanding of texts and the social and cultural practices that inform them. In this paper, I draw on the ‘four resources’ model to argue that the success of the framework in developing critical literacy depends upon focusing adequate analytic attention on those subjectivities used in such practices. The intersubjective classroom dynamics and the subjective engagement of literacy practitioners are of equal importance in determining the meanings co‐constructed among subjects. I argue that beyond being text analysts, reflective practitioners, that is the teacher, and students as a group, can engage in postcritical negotiations of the text, contribute to new meaning possibilities and adopt an ongoing critical stance. Applying this literacy model successfully requires acceptance of a multiplicity of interpretations, collaborative practice between teachers and students and fluid subject positions. The paper concludes by considering the problematic of the classroom as a dynamic site for textual and cultural contestation of multiple perspectives.
What do effective teachers of literacy do? Subject knowledge and pedagogical choices for literacy
Authors: Flynn Naomi
Published: November 2007

This article explores the fine detail of practice by three teachers, all recognised as effective teachers of literacy. The three were observed during nine literacy lessons (three lessons each), working with Year 2 classes (6/7‐year‐olds) in successful inner‐city primary schools in the south of England. Data collection took place in 2003, just as their schools were moving away from the close early prescription of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS). Follow‐up visits were made in 2005. My initial interest had been in what these three teachers did with the NLS in order to motivate pupils and ensure high pupil attainment. Following observations, interviews and coding of teacher–pupil interaction, it became clear that The NLS Framework for Teaching was not the driver of their success but a valuable vehicle for subtle and intuitive teacher behaviours that grew from a detailed understanding of how children develop as readers and writers. Implications for training student teachers to marry theoretical understanding with the expectations of a prescribed curriculum for literacy are discussed.
Regression Analysis Based on Semicompeting Risks Data
Authors: Hsieh Jin-Jian , Wang Weijing , Adam Ding A.
Published: November 2007

Semicompeting risks data are commonly seen in biomedical applications in which a terminal event censors a non-terminal event. Possible dependent censoring complicates statistical analysis. We consider regression analysis based on a non-terminal event, say disease progression, which is subject to censoring by death. The methodology proposed is developed for discrete covariates under two types of assumption. First, separate copula models are assumed for each covariate group and then a flexible regression model is imposed on the progression time which is of major interest. Model checking procedures are also proposed to help to choose a best-fitted model. Under a two-sample setting, Lin and co-workers proposed a competing method which requires an additional marginal assumption on the terminal event and implicitly assumes that the dependence structures in the two groups are the same. Using simulations, we compare the two approaches on the basis of their finite sample performances and robustness properties under model misspecification. The method proposed is applied to a bone marrow transplant data set.
Potential mechanisms contributing to sulfatide depletion at the earliest clinically recognizable stage of Alzheimer’s disease: a tale of shotgun lipidomics
Authors: Han Xianlin
Published: November 2007

Shotgun lipidomics is a rapidly developing technology, which identifies and quantifies individual lipid molecular species directly from lipid extracts of biological samples. Alterations in lipid molecular species in the brain induced by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could provide fundamental clues to disease pathogenesis. To date, the cause(s) leading to AD pathogenesis are still unknown and apolipoprotein E (apoE) allele 4 is the only known major risk factor for this devastating disease. By utilizing shotgun lipidomics, we have recently shown that a substantial and specific depletion of sulfatide (a class of specialized myelin sphingolipids) is present in postmortem brains from subjects at the earliest clinically recognizable stage of AD. In subsequent studies to identify the biochemical mechanisms underlying sulfatide depletion at this very mild stage of AD, we have found that apoE is associated with sulfatide transport and mediates sulfatide homeostasis in the nervous system through lipoprotein metabolism pathways and that alterations in apoE‐mediated sulfatide trafficking can lead to sulfatide depletion in the brain. Thus, a working model related to the potential biochemical mechanisms underlying sulfatide depletion in AD can be derived based on these results. Collectively, the results obtained from lipidomic analyses of brain samples provide important insights into the biochemical mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis.
Regulation of axonal development by plasma membrane gangliosides
Authors: Abad‐Rodriguez José , Robotti Andrea
Published: November 2007

Gangliosides present in the plasma membrane participate in fundamental processes during neuronal development. From the determination and the outgrowth of the axon, to the growth inhibitory activity produced after CNS injury, local interconversion of these glycosphingolipids regulate actin dynamics in a spatially restricted manner by modulating membrane receptors and their downstream signaling pathways. Here, we will review the possible mechanisms underlying these modulations and the potential importance of gangliosides and ganglioside‐transforming enzymes as therapeutic targets.
Alzheimer’s disease: the lipid connection
Authors: Hartmann Tobias , Kuchenbecker Johannna , Grimm Marcus O. W.
Published: November 2007

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. This short review summarizes the current knowledge about the role of lipids, especially cholesterol, sphingolipids, plasmalogens, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in Alzheimer’s disease etiology, pathogenesis, risk‐factors, prevention, treatment, and the function of the amyloid precursor protein and the amyloid peptides in lipid homeostasis.
Dissecting polysialic acid and NCAM functions in brain development
Authors: Hildebrandt Herbert , Mühlenhoff Martina , Weinhold Birgit , Gerardy‐Schahn Rita
Published: November 2007

The unique modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) by polysialic acid (polySia) is tightly associated with nervous system development and plasticity. The prevailing view that this large carbohydrate polymer acts as an anti‐adhesive factor seems straightforward at first sight. However, during almost 25 years of polySia research it became increasingly clear that the impact of polySia on cell surface interactions can not be explained by one unifying mechanism. Recent progress in the generation of mouse models, which partially or completely lack polySia due to ablation of one or both of the two polySia synthesizing enzymes, provides novel insights into the function of this unique post‐translational modification. The present review is focused on a phenotype comparison between the newly established mouse strains which combine polySia‐deficiency with normal NCAM expression and the well‐characterized NCAM negative mouse model. Analysis of shared and individual phenotypes allows a clear distinction between NCAM and polySia functions and revealed that polySia plays a vital role as a specific control element of NCAM‐mediated interactions.
Glycosylation of glycolipids in the Golgi complex
Authors: Maccioni Hugo J. F.
Published: November 2007

Gangliosides are a family of glycolipids characterized by containing a variable number of sialic acid residues. Nearly, all animal cells contain at least some class of ganglioside in their membranes, but membranes from the CNS are characterized by their high content of these lipids. The synthesis of the oligosaccharide moiety of glycolipids is carried out in the Golgi complex. In this study, I will discuss the cellular and molecular basis of the organization of the glycosylating machinery in the Golgi complex, with particular attention to the mutual relationships, sub‐Golgi localization, and intracellular trafficking of glycolipid glycosyltransferases, and to their relationships with the corresponding glycolipid acceptors and sugar nucleotide donors. I will also discuss how the organization of the glycosylating machinery in the Golgi may adapt to events controlling glycolipid expression.
Gangliosides as targets for autoimmune injury to the nervous system
Authors: Willison Hugh J.
Published: November 2007

Immune responses directed towards gangliosides and their microbial mimics are important mediators of several subtypes of acute post‐infectious autoimmune neuropathy, collectively referred to as the Guillain–Barré syndromes. In this diverse group of paralytic syndromes, the immunopathology is in a proportion of cases characterised by anti‐ganglioside antibody deposits, accompanied by inflammatory destruction of both axonal and glial components within the PNS. By gaining an understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying these pathological pathways, it should be possible to select the correct targets for therapeutic intervention. Recent years has seen particular progress in our understanding of the basis for, and immunological consequences of molecular mimicry between gangliosides and microbial glycans, the relationships between ganglioside antibody specificity and different clinical phenotypes of GBS, the pathological basis for antibody‐mediated nerve injury and the testing of intervention strategies in pre‐clinical models. The focus of this mini‐review is to provide a brief background to this field, summarise a selection of recent highlights focused on our own research, identify areas of outstanding knowledge and present data that supports novel therapeutic approaches based on the latest experimental findings.
Lipid raft heterogeneity: an enigma
Authors: Mishra Sudha , Joshi Preeti G.
Published: November 2007

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) and glycoproteins are ubiquitous components of mammalian cell membranes. GSLs are especially enriched in the nervous system and significantly contribute to membrane organization and a variety of cellular functions. Current body of evidence suggests that GSLs along with cholesterol are enriched in discrete membrane domains that associate specific proteins. Current notion of membrane organization is that, the GSL–cholesterol‐enriched membrane domains known as ‘lipid rafts’ float in the phospholipid‐enriched bulk of the membrane and regulate the cell signaling by facilitating the lipid–protein/protein–protein interactions. The sizeable literature accumulated during the last decade has provided some insight into the organization and function of rafts; however, they still remain perplexing. In recent years, an appealing concept of lipid raft heterogeneity has emerged. GSL‐ and glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored proteins are considered as the crucial pivots of heterogeneous rafts. This review deals with the enigma of organizational and functional heterogeneity of lipid rafts and discusses the dynamic coalescence of heterogeneous rafts during signaling that can explain the specificity of raft‐regulated cellular signaling events.
GM1 in the nuclear envelope regulates nuclear calcium through association with a nuclear sodium‐calcium exchanger
Authors: Ledeen Robert , Wu Gusheng
Published: November 2007

The inner membrane of the nuclear envelope (NE) of neurons and other cells has been shown to contain GM1 tightly associated with a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) whose activity it potentiates in mediating transfer of Ca2+ from nucleoplasm to the NE lumen. This is consistent with localization of the NCX/GM1 complex in the inner membrane of the NE. NCXs of the plasma membrane, in contrast, appear to bind GM1 much less avidly. This is believed due to different isoforms of NCX in the two membranes, and a difference in topology of NCX relative to GM1. A cytoprotective function for nuclear NCX/GM1 was suggested in the observation that cultured neurons from mice lacking GM1 (GM2/GD2 synthase knockout) were vulnerable to Ca2+‐induced apoptosis. These neurons in culture were rescued to some extent by GM1 but more effectively by LIGA‐20, a membrane‐permeant derivative of GM1 that entered the NE. Further indication came from a study of the mutant mice, which were highly susceptible to kainate‐induced seizures and could be rescued by LIGA‐20. This correlated with the ability of LIGA‐20 to cross the blood–brain barrier, enter brain cells, insert into the NE, and potentiate nuclear NCX.
Metalloproteases and γ‐secretase: new membrane partners regulating p75 neurotrophin receptor signaling?
Authors: Bronfman Francisca C.
Published: November 2007

Signaling by the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75) has been implicated in diverse neuronal responses, including the control of neuronal survival versus death and axonal regeneration and growth cone collapse, involving p75 in different neuropathological conditions. There are different levels of complexity regulating p75‐mediated signaling. First, p75 can interact with different ligands and co‐receptors in the plasma membrane, forming tripartite complexes, whose activation result in different cellular outcomes. Moreover, it was recently described that trafficking capacities of p75 in neurons are regulating, in addition to p75 downstream interactions, also the sequential cleavage of p75. The proteolytical processing of p75 involves, first, a shedding event that releases a membrane‐bound carboxiterminal fragment (p75‐CTF), followed by a γ‐secretase mediated cleavage, generating a soluble intracellular domain (p75‐ICD) with signaling capabilities. The first shedding event, generating a p75‐CTF, is the key step to regulating the production of p75‐ICD, and although the generation of p75‐ICD is important for both p75‐mediated control of neuronal survival and the control of neurite outgrowth, little is known how both cleavage events are regulated. In this review, we argue that both sheddases and γ‐secretase are key membrane components regulating p75‐mediated signaling transduction; therefore, further attention should be paid to their roles as p75 signaling regulators.