bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fine needle aspiration cytology as an additional tool in the diagnosis of odontogenic keratocyst
Authors: Vargas P. A. , Da Cruz Perez D. E. , Mata G. M. , De Almeida O. P. , Jones A. V. , Gerhard R.
Published: March 2007

Objective:  The aim of this study was to assess the use of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosis of odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), as well as to describe the cytological and immunohistochemical features.

Methods:  Eight consecutive patients submitted to FNAC and diagnosed with OKC were included in this study. FNAC was performed using 24‐gauge needles attached to a 10‐ml syringe, supported by a mechanical‐syringe holder to facilitate aspiration. All cases provided a liquid or viscous content for smears that were either air‐dried for Diff‐Quick® staining or immediately fixed in 95% alcohol and stained by the Papanicolaou technique. Incisional biopsies were carried out to confirm the diagnosis. Immunohistochemical reactions against anti‐pan‐cytokeratin (CK), CK14 and CK19 were performed in 3 μm sections obtained from cell blocks and biopsy specimens.

Results:  Cytologically many isolated or groups of keratinocytes with normal or ill defined nuclei were seen, besides numerous anucleated squamous cells and keratinous debris. Immunohistochemically, the keratin lamellae were positive for pan‐cytokeratin and CK19, but negative for CK14. In biopsy specimens, CK14 expression was restricted to basal cells, while only the superficial cells were positive for CK19.

Conclusions:  In summary, FNAC is useful, reliable and safe tool for the preoperative diagnosis of OKC.
Carbon in tundra soils in the Lake Labaz region of arctic Siberia
Authors: Gundelwein A. , Müller‐Lupp T. , Sommerkorn M. , Haupt E. T. K. , Pfeiffer E.‐M. , Wiechmann H.
Published: March 2007

Large amounts of carbon are stored in permafrost‐affected soils of the Arctic tundra. The quantity, distribution and composition of this carbon are important, because much of the carbon is likely to be released as a result of global warming. We have studied soils of the central Siberian Arctic to determine the carbon content and the nature of the organic matter by density fractionation, and 13C‐NMR‐ and 13C‐stable‐isotope analyses. There are pronounced differences in the profile and variations from place to place in the quantity and nature of soil organic matter. We estimated that the mean stock of carbon was 14.5 kg m–2 within the active layer. We found a total of about 30.7 kg C m–3 in the entire upper metre of the soils. Carbon of the tussock tundra showed strong vertical differentiation, with a large proportion comprising decomposed, recalcitrant compounds. We identified within the soil several zones of aerobe and anaerobe decomposition. Mobile carbon fractions have precipitated under the influence of low temperatures.
Translocation of soils to stimulate climate change: CO2emissions and modifications to soil organic matter
Authors: Rey M. , Guntiñas E. , Gil‐Sotres F. , LeirÓs M. C. , Trasar‐Cepeda C.
Published: March 2007

The effect of climate change on CO2emissions was studied on undisturbed soil monoliths (40‐cm diameter, 25‐cm high), which were translocated to warmer zones than their place of origin. Thirty‐two months after the translocation, a climatic factor deduced from the moisture content of the soil and from the effective mean temperature (temperatures in excess of 5°C) revealed that translocation increased the potential of the climate to enhance the biological processes by between 73% and 26% compared with what the soil would support in its place of origin. At the end of the study, the transported soils had lost a large proportion of both total carbon and nitrogen (between 20 and 45%). During the experiment, the CO2emissions from the soils, measured under field conditions, were quite variable, but were usually greater than from soilsin situ. The variation in labile C in the soil throughout the experiment was calculated from a first‐order kinetic equation for organic matter decay. The relative CO2emissions, expressed in terms of the labile carbon fraction in the soils, were clearly greater in those translocated soils that underwent the most intensive climate change, which indicates that the variations in emissions over time are basically a function of the size of the labile organic matter pool.
Kinetics and adsorption of metolachlor and atrazine and the conversion products (deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, hydroxyatrazine) in the soil profile of a river basin
Authors: Vryzas Z. , Papadopoulou‐Mourkidou E. , Soulios G. , Prodromou K.
Published: March 2007

The adsorption kinetics and adsorption parameters of metolachlor, atrazine, deethylatrazine (DEA), deisopropylatrazine (DIA) and hydroxyatrazine (HA) were investigated in a soil profile in a maize field formed from recent alluvial deposits in a river basin in Greece. We used the batch equilibrium method modified to simulate field conditions as closely as possible for the use and practices related to soil applied pre‐emergence herbicides. Pseudo‐equilibrium times, determined by kinetic studies, were achieved after 16, 16, 24, 24 and 48 hours for metolachlor, DIA, DEA, HA and atrazine, respectively. At pseudo‐equilibrium the percentage of the adsorbed amount increased in the order of DEA (10%) < DIA (14%) < atrazine (27%) < metolachlor (43%) ≪ HA (94%) which indicates that more than 57% of all compounds except for HA are in solution and available for transport to deeper soil layers when conditions similar to those simulated in the laboratory exist in the field. Adsorption isotherms of all compounds and in most of the cases correlated well with the Freundlich model and adsorption coefficients (Kf) decreased with increased soil depth. Principal component and multiple regression analyses confirmed the importance of the soil organic carbon content on the adsorption capacity of soils for all compounds except HA in the plough layers (0–40 cm). In the subsurface soils (40–110 cm) variables such as clay content and pH were more important. For HA, theKfvalues determined for the plough and subsurface soil layers were better correlated with clay content and pH. Also in the subsurface soils, the variation in organic carbon content was not correlated with the variation ofKfvalues. Thus calculatedKoc‐f‐values misrepresent the adsorptive capacity of these soils towards the compounds studied.
Protandry promotes male pollination success in a moth‐pollinated orchid
Authors: JERSÁKOVÁ J. , JOHNSON S. D.
Published: March 2007

Temporal separation of male and female phases in hermaphrodite flowers (dichogamy) is proposed to reduce self‐pollination, both within and among flowers. Darwin and later workers suggested that protandry (the most common form of dichogamy, in which the male phase precedes the female phase) should be most effective in reducing geitonogamous (between‐flower) self‐pollination when pollinators forage upwards from older female‐phase flowers to younger male‐phase flowers on vertical inflorescences.

We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the extent of protandry in artificial inflorescences of the orchidSatyrium longicaudaLindl. and using stained pollen to quantify self‐pollination and pollen export.

Upper flowers of non‐protandrous inflorescences received more self‐pollen through geitonogamy than lower flowers, unlike protandrous inflorescences. Protandry reduced absolute levels of self‐pollination, as the amount of removed pollen involved in self‐pollination was three times greater in non‐protandrous than in protandrous inflorescences. This high level of self‐pollination reduced the pollen available for export, as the ratio of pollen export to self‐pollination declined with increasing self‐pollination, indicating the occurrence of pollen discounting.

This study represents the first direct measurement of the effects of protandry on the pollination process, and indicates that the evolution of protandry in plants could be driven strongly by the consequences of this trait for male mating success.
Eastward Ho: phylogeographical perspectives on colonization of hosts and parasites across the Beringian nexus
Authors: Waltari Eric , Hoberg Eric P. , Lessa Enrique P. , Cook Joseph A.
Published: March 2007

The response of Arctic organisms and their parasites to dramatic fluctuations in climate during the Pleistocene has direct implications for predicting the impact of current climate change in the North. An increasing number of phylogeographical studies in the Arctic have laid a framework for testing hypotheses concerning the impact of shifting environmental conditions on transcontinental movement. We review 35 phylogeographical studies of trans‐Beringian terrestrial and freshwater taxa, both hosts and parasites, to identify generalized patterns regarding the number, direction and timing of trans‐continental colonizations. We found that colonization across Beringia was primarily from Asia to North America, with many events occurring in the Quaternary period. The 35 molecular studies of trans‐Beringian organisms we examined focused primarily on the role of glacial cycles and refugia in promoting diversification. We address the value of establishing testable hypotheses related to high‐latitude biogeography. We then discuss future prospects in Beringia related to coalescent theory, palaeoecology, ancient DNA and synthetic studies of arctic host–parasite assemblages highlighting their cryptic diversity, biogeography and response to climate variation.
Rhythm‐Dependent Light Induction of the c‐fos Gene in the Turkey Hypothalamus
Authors: Thayananuphat A. , Kang S. W. , Bakken T. , Millam J. R. , El Halawani M. E.
Published: March 2007

Day length (photoperiod) is a powerful synchroniser of seasonal changes in the reproductive neuroendocrine activity in temperate‐zone birds. When exposed to light during the photoinducible phase, reproductive neuroendocrine responses occur. However, the neuroendocrine systems involved in avian reproduction are poorly understood. We investigated the effect of light exposure at different circadian times upon the hypothalamus and components of the circadian system, using c‐fos mRNA expression, measured by in situ hybridisation, as an indicator of light‐induced neuronal activity. Levels of c‐fos mRNA in these areas were compared after turkey hens (on a daily 6‐h light period) had been exposed to a 30‐min period of light occurring at 8, 14, or 20 h after the onset of first light of the day (subjective dawn). Non‐photostimulated control birds were harvested at the same times. In birds, photostimulated within the photoinducibile phase (14 h), in contrast to before or after, c‐fos mRNA was significantly increased in the nucleus commissurae pallii (nCPa), nucleus premamillaris (PMM), eminentia mediana (ME), and organum vasculosum lamina terminalis (OVLT). Photostimulation increased c‐fos mRNA expression in the pineal gland, nucleus suprachiasmaticus, pars visualis (vSCN) and nucleus inferioris hypothalami compared to that of their corresponding nonphotostimulated controls. However, the magnitudes of the responses in these areas were similar irrespective of where in the dark period the pulses occurred. No c‐fos mRNA was induced in the nucleus infundibulari, in response to the 30‐min light period at any of the circadian times tested. The lack of c‐fos up‐regulation in the pineal gland and vSCN following photostimulation during the photoinducible phase lends credence to the hypothesis that these areas are not involved in the photic initiation of avian reproduction. On the other hand, c‐fos mRNA increases in the nCPa, ME, and OVLT support other studies showing that these areas are involved in the onset of reproductive behaviour initiated by long day lengths. The present study provides novel data showing that the PMM in the caudal hypothalamus is involved in the neuronally mediated, light‐induced initiation of reproductive activity in the turkey hen.
Regulation of Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Activity by Oestradiol and Progesterone in the Hypothalamus But Not Hippocampus of Female Rats
Authors: Reyna‐Neyra A. , Sarkar G. , Etgen A. M.
Published: March 2007

Oestradiol and progesterone act in the hypothalamus to coordinate the timing of lordosis and ovulation in female rats in part through regulation of nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cyclic GMP) signalling pathways. Soluble guanylyl cyclase is an enzyme that produces cyclic GMP when stimulated by NO and plays a crucial role in the display of lordosis behaviour. We examined the effects of oestradiol and progesterone on the stimulation of cyclic GMP synthesis by NO‐dependent and independent activators of soluble guanylyl cyclase in preoptic‐hypothalamic and hippocampal slices. Ovariectomised Sprague‐Dawley rats were injected with oestradiol (2 µg oestradiol benzoate, s.c.) or vehicle for 2 days. Progesterone (500 µg, s.c.) or vehicle was injected 44 h after the first dose of oestradiol. Rats were killed 48 h after the first oestradiol or vehicle injection, and hypothalamus and hippocampus were obtained. NO‐dependent activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase was induced by NO donors, sodium nitroprusside or diethylamine NONOate; NO‐independent activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase was induced with 3‐(5′‐hydroxymethyl‐2′‐furyl)‐1‐benzyl indazole and 5′‐cyclopropyl‐2‐[1–2fluoro‐benzyl)‐1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridine‐3‐yl]pyridine‐4‐ylamine. The NO‐dependent activators of soluble guanylyl cyclase produced a concentration‐dependent increase in cyclic GMP accumulation and induced significantly greater cyclic GMP accumulation in preoptic‐hypothalamic slices from animals treated with oestradiol and progesterone than in slices from rats injected with vehicle, oestradiol or progesterone alone. Hormones did not modify soluble guanylyl cyclase activation by NO‐independent stimulators or influence NO content in preoptic‐hypothalamic slices. Oestradiol and progesterone did not affect activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase in hippocampal slices by any pharmacological agent, indicating a strong regional selectivity for the hormone effect. Thus, oestradiol and progesterone, administeredin vivo, enhance the ability of NO to activate soluble guanylyl cyclase in brain areas modulating female reproductive function without an effect on production of NO itself.
Sedimentary architecture and 3D ground‐penetrating radar analysis of gravelly meandering river deposits (Neckar Valley, SW Germany)
Authors: KOSTIC BORIS , AIGNER THOMAS
Published: March 2007

Sedimentological outcrop analysis and sub‐surface ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) surveys are combined to characterize the three‐dimensional sedimentary architecture of Quaternary coarse‐grained fluvial deposits in the Neckar Valley (SW Germany). Two units characterized by different architectural styles are distinguished within the upper part of the gravel body, separated by an erosional unconformity: (i) a lower unit dominated by trough‐shaped depositional elements with erosional, concave‐up bounding surfaces that are filled by cross‐bedded sets of mainly openwork and filled framework gravel; and (ii) an upper unit characterized by gently inclined sheets of massive and openwork gravels with thin, sandy interlayers that show lateral accretion on a lower erosional unconformity. The former is interpreted as confluence scour pool elements formed in a multi‐channel, possibly braided river system, the latter as extensive point bar deposits formed by the lateral migration of a meandering river channel. The lateral accretion elements are locally cut by chute channels mainly filled by gravels rich in fines, and by fine‐grained abandoned channel fills. The lateral accretion elements are associated with gravel dune deposits characterized by steeply inclined cross‐beds of alternating open and filled framework gravel. Floodplain fines with a cutbank and point bar morphology cover the gravel deposits. The GPR images, revealing the three‐dimensional geometries of the depositional elements and their stacking patterns, confirm a change in sedimentary style between the two stratigraphic units. The change occurred at the onset of the Holocene, as indicated by 14C‐dating of wood fragments, and is related to a re‐organization of the fluvial system that probably was driven by climatic changes. The integration of sedimentological and GPR results highlights the heterogeneity of the fluvial deposits, a factor that is important for modelling groundwater flow in valley‐fill aquifers.
Controls on natural levée development in the Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada
Authors: FILGUEIRA‐RIVERA MANUEL , SMITH NORMAN D. , SLINGERLAND RUDY L.
Published: March 2007

Natural levées of the Columbia River near Golden, British Columbia, were investigated to identify the mechanisms that control levée development and morphology. Topographic profiles of 12 levée pairs were surveyed, and measurements of water‐surface elevation, flow velocity, flow direction and turbidity were obtained during an average magnitude flood (1·2 years recurrence interval). Sedimentation rates and grain‐size distributions were measured from sediment traps placed along levée‐to‐floodbasin transects. Results show that water and sediment exchange between the channel and floodbasin was mainly by advection. During flooding, local floodbasins behave more as efficient water pathways than water storage features, resulting in down‐valley floodbasin flows capable of limiting basinward growth of levées. Levée shape results primarily from two independent factors: (1) maximum channel water stage, which limits levée height; and (2) floodbasin hydraulics, which control width. In the Columbia River, the competence of floodbasin flows results in relatively narrow and steep levées. Natural levées grow under two general conditions of deposition as governed by flood‐stage elevation relative to levée‐crest elevation: front loading and back loading. During large floods when crests are inundated, front loading preferentially aggrades the proximal portions of levées with sediment directly from the channel, thus increasing levée slope. During average or below‐average floods when many levée crests are not overtopped, back loading preferentially aggrades the distal levée areas and floodbasin floor, reducing levée slope. In the study area, a balance between front and back loading sustains these narrow and steep levée shapes for long periods, reflecting an equilibrium between hydraulic regime, floodplain morphology and deposition.
Nitric oxide is a signaling intermediate during bicarbonate‐induced stomatal closure in Pisum sativum
Authors: Kolla Venkat Apparao , Raghavendra Agepati S.
Published: March 2007

The role of nitric oxide (NO) during bicarbonate‐induced stomatal closure was studied in the abaxial epidermis of Pisum sativum. A few experiments were done with 10 μM ABA, for comparison. The presence of 2 mM sodium bicarbonate or 10 μM ABA induced an increase of NO in guard cells. Elevation of NO by sodium nitroprusside induced stomatal closure and enhanced further the closure by bicarbonate. The bicarbonate induced increase in NO of guard cells, or stomatal closure was prevented partially by 2‐phenyl‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl imidazoline‐1‐oxyl 3‐oxide, an NO scavenger and N‐nitro‐l‐Arg‐methyl ester, an inhibitor of NO synthase (NOS). These results suggested that guard cells generated NO on exposure to bicarbonate and that NOS was involved at least partially in such NO production. Time course experiments revealed that on exposure to bicarbonate or ABA, the rise in guard cell NO production peaked within 10 min. Experiments using pharmacological compounds like wortmannin/LY294002 (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase inhibitors), 1H‐(1,2,4)‐oxadiazole‐[4,3a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (guanylyl cyclase inhibitor), nicotinamide (cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose antagonist), guanosine 5′‐O‐(2‐thiodiphosphate) (G‐protein antagonist) suggested a role of phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate or G‐proteins during bicarbonate‐induced stomatal closure.
Sodium sensing induces different changes in free cytosolic calcium concentration and pH in salt‐tolerant and ‐sensitive rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars
Authors: Kader Mohammed A. , Lindberg Sylvia , Seidel Thorsten , Golldack Dortje , Yemelyanov Vladislav
Published: March 2007

Perception of salt stress in plant cells induces a change in the free cytosolic Ca2+, [Ca2+]cyt, which transfers downstream reactions toward salt tolerance. Changes in cytosolic H+ concentration, [H+]cyt, are closely linked to the [Ca2+]cyt dynamics under various stress signals. In this study, salt‐induced changes in [Ca2+]cyt, and [H+]cyt and vacuolar [H+] concentrations were monitored in single protoplasts of rice (Oryza sativa L. indica cvs. Pokkali and BRRI Dhan29) by fluorescence microscopy. Changes in cytosolic [Ca2+] and [H+] were detected by use of the fluorescent dyes acetoxy methyl ester of calcium‐binding benzofuran and acetoxy methyl ester of 2′, 7′‐bis‐(2‐carboxyethyl)‐5‐(and‐6) carboxyfluorescein, respectively, and for vacuolar pH, fluorescent 6‐carboxyfluorescein and confocal microscopy were used. Addition of NaCl induced a higher increase in [Ca2+]cyt in the salt‐tolerant cv. Pokkali than in the salt‐sensitive cv. BRRI Dhan29. From inhibitor studies, we conclude that the internal stores appear to be the major source for [Ca2+]cyt increase in Pokkali, although the apoplast is more important in BRRI Dhan29. The [Ca2+]cyt measurements in rice also suggest that Na+ should be sensed inside the cytosol, before any increase in [Ca2+]cyt occurs. Moreover, our results with individual mesophyll protoplasts suggest that ionic stress causes an increase in [Ca2+]cyt and that osmotic stress sharply decreases [Ca2+]cyt in rice. The [pH]cyt was differently shifted in the two rice cultivars in response to salt stress and may be coupled to different activities of the H+‐ATPases. The changes in vacuolar pH were correlated with the expressional analysis of rice vacuolar H+‐ATPase in these two rice cultivars.
Dispersal Potential is Affected by Growth‐Hormone Transgenesis in Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Authors: Fredrik Sundström L. , Lõhmus Mare , Johnsson Jörgen I. , Devlin Robert H.
Published: March 2007

Potential ecological consequences on the natural environment of fast‐growing transgenic fish with elevated intrinsic growth rates is an important question should such fish be allowed in commercial production systems. One trait that will strongly affect the spatial extent of consequences is the propensity of transgenic fish to disperse. We addressed this question in three experiments using different measures of spatial dispersal where we compared very young genotypically wild coho salmon with transgenic conspecifics in terms of: (i) group cohesion, (ii) exploratory behavior, and (iii) up‐ and downstream movements. Transgenic fish were more loosely aggregated, more likely to explore, and less likely to swim upstream, but equally likely to disperse downstream compared with genetically wild fish. These results show that dispersal behavior has been affected by transgenesis and that transgenic fish therefore may venture into habitats previously not used by wild fish. Given the importance of dispersal in ecological risk‐assessment of transgenic fish, continued work within this area is warranted and experimental habitats should mimic the potential receiving natural habitats to which transgenic fish are likely to escape or be released to.
Consistency in Egg Rejection Behaviour: Responses to Repeated Brood Parasitism in the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Authors: Honza Marcel , Požgayová Milica , Procházka Petr , Tkadlec Emil
Published: March 2007

To evaluate host responses towards repeated brood parasitism we experimentally parasitized and continuously videotaped blackcap nests in two consecutive trials. The ejection of a foreign egg was the most common response (94.5%) in both trials, but desertion (4.1%) and acceptance (1.4%) also occurred. The general method of ejection was puncturing. In 9.8% of identified ejections, already punctured eggs stuck to the abdominal feathers of the incubating bird and were carried out of the nest. Females were responsible for the majority of ejections in both trials and their response time was significantly shorter than that of males. Blackcaps exhibited consistency in the sex responsible for egg ejection over the two trials; but in five (20.8%) experiments individuals changed their behaviour. Repeatability for host responses within the nest was very high. In ejections accomplished by the same bird, the response was significantly quicker in the second trial, indicating the presence of certain learning abilities. Our results suggest that cuckoo hosts are quite consistent in their responses towards parasitic eggs when parasitized repeatedly within one breeding attempt.
CAROLI’S SYNDROME AND ADULT POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE
Authors: Shedda Susan , Robertson Amanda
Published: March 2007

Caroli’s disease is a cystic disease of the liver, which has been rarely associated with adult onset polycystic kidney disease. Three cases have been reported in the English Medline search. The presentation of this fourth case discusses the issues surrounding the treatment of Caroli’s disease in the setting of a renal transplant.
ENDOSCOPIC MANAGEMENT OF NON‐VARICEAL UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL HAEMORRHAGE
Authors: Kwan Vu , Norton Ian D.
Published: March 2007

Endoscopy plays a central role in the diagnosis and treatment of non‐variceal upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Advances in endoscopic techniques, supported by an increasing body of high quality data, have rendered endoscopy the first‐line diagnostic and therapeutic intervention for the patient presenting with an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. However, endoscopic intervention must be considered in the context of the overall management of the bleeding patient, often with significant comorbidities. Although parameters such as hospitalization duration, transfusion requirements and surgery rates have improved with advances in endoscopic therapy, mortality rates remain relatively static. This review addresses the current status of endoscopic intervention for non‐variceal upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Additionally, an overview of important periprocedural management issues is presented.
CAN SERUM INFLAMMATORY PARAMETERS ESTIMATE OUTCOME OF PLEURODESIS IN MESOTHELIOMA?
Authors: Bilgin Mehmet , Hasdiraz Leyla , Ozkaya Muharrem , Oguzkaya Fahri
Published: March 2007

Background:  As pleurodesis causes systemic inflammation and is associated with considerable cost and morbidity during long‐term follow up, the identification of patients who will experience an unsuccessful pleurodesis would be desirable. This study was aimed to investigate whether systemic inflammatory reaction induced by insuflation of talc into the pleura can predict the outcome of pleurodesis.

Methods:  A total of 58 consecutive patients (26 men, 32 women) with malignant pleural mesothelioma underwent video‐assisted thoracoscopy under general anaesthesia with monopulmonary ventilation between the years 2003 and 2006. Four grammes of asbestos‐free and sterile talc were insuflated into the pleural space under direct vision. To assess the success of pleurodesis, chest radiographs were obtained at the 8th and 30th postoperative days. Venous blood samples were drawn both on admission and at the 24th hour after pleurodesis for the analysis of white blood cells, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C‐reactive protein.

Results:  The mean age (standard deviation) of patients was 59.0 ± 12.0 years. Pleurodesis was achieved (no effusion on chest radiograph) in 43 of 58 patients (74.1%)(group I), whereas it was unsuccessful in the remaining 15 patients (25.9%)(group II). There was a significant difference between two groups for basal and postpleurodesis levels of measured inflammatory parameters, C‐reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (for each, P < 0.05). However, the difference was not significant for white blood cells between the groups.

Conclusion:  Serum levels of inflammatory parameters (C‐reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) may be used to predict the success of pleurodesis in patients with malign mesothelioma who underwent thoracoscopic talc poudrage.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CEFAZOLIN‐IMPREGNATED MESH GRAFTS
Authors: Kilic Dilek , Agalar Canan , Ozturk Eylem , Denkbas Emir B. , Cime Abdullah , Agalar Fatih
Published: March 2007

Background:  The aim of this study is the preparation and characterization of cefazolin‐impregnated meshes (Surgipro; Tyco Healthcare USSC, Norwalk, CT, USA) to be used as antimicrobial devices.

Methods:  During the impregnation, poly(dl‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) solution with cephazolin in dichloromethane was used as coating material. In vitro release experiment was carried out first; later cefazolin‐impregnated meshes were evaluated for the characteristics of antimicrobial efficacy and in the last part of the study native and cefazolin‐impregnated meshes were implanted in the rats. Cefazolin content was proposed as the effective parameter to control the cefazolin release rate and it was concluded that the higher amounts of initial cefazolin content caused higher release rates. In all cases (or with different cefazolin content for each mesh), the release rates were very rapid in the first 24 h and in the following periods rather slow release rates were obtained.

Results:  Antimicrobial activity was increased in the case of cefazolin‐impregnated form and this efficiency was also increased by the higher amount of cefazolin in certain mesh pieces. Similar antimicrobial activities were observed in the in vitro studies.

Conclusion:  In this study, almost all of the cefazolin‐impregnated mesh grafts showed very high antimicrobial activity compared with the bare mesh (or mesh without cefazolin).
TREATMENT OF PROFUSE EPISTAXIS IN PATIENTS IRRADIATED FOR NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA
Authors: Wong George K. C. , Chan Kin K. , Yu Simon C. H. , Tsang Raymond K. Y. , Poon Wai S.
Published: March 2007

Background:  Profuse epistaxis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) previously treated with radiotherapy (RT) can be life threatening. Surgical means to prevent rebleeding may at times be difficult and unsuccessful. We aim to investigate the characteristics of this group of patients and our experience of endovascular embolization technique in the management of epistaxis in this group of patients.

Methods:  A retrospective review of all nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients presented with profuse epistaxis during follow up after radiotherapy was carried out in a regional neurosurgical centre in Hong Kong. Seventeen patients were included for the analysis within the recent 6‐year period. The age of patients was 55.5 ± 8.358 years (mean ± standard deviation). The sex ratio was 5:1 (M : F). Diagnostic catheter angiography was carried out in all 17 patients. Endovascular embolization was carried out in 11 patients with the joint decision of the otolaryngologist and neurointerventionist in charge .

Results:  Four patients underwent main trunk occlusion for internal carotid pseudoaneurysm. Seven patients underwent embolization of branches of external carotid artery. One patient required another session of external carotid artery embolization 1 month later. There was one inpatient death because of pneumonia and hepatic encephalopathy. With our protocol, there were only two patients (11.7%) with delayed rebleed at 2 and 5 months, respectively. Both patients had advanced diseases and died.

Conclusion:  In irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma presenting with profuse epistaxis, angiography had a high yield of pseudoaneurysm or hypervascularity and these lesions could be safely managed through endovascular embolization.
SURGICAL REPAIR FOLLOWED BY FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION FOR ACUTE AND CHRONIC ACHILLES TENDON INJURIES: EXCELLENT FUNCTIONAL RESULTS, PATIENT SATISFACTION AND NO RERUPTURES
Authors: Jacob Korula Mani , Paterson Roger
Published: March 2007

Background:  We evaluated 46 patients who underwent surgical repair of the Achilles tendon at our institution during a 4.5‐year period, followed by early weight bearing, aiming to assess their return to activities, rerupture rate and satisfaction.

Methods:  A cohort of 46 patients who underwent Achilles tendon repair at our institution during a 4.5‐year period, with a modified triple mini‐Becker suture technique, for both acute as well as chronic Achilles tendon ruptures were studied. These patients were reviewed at a minimum of 2.5 years follow up (average 4.5 years ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 years), by chart review and questionnaire, to determine the functional outcome as well as patient satisfaction following an active postoperative protocol involving full weight‐bearing ambulation in a controlled ankle motion walker and active stretching, followed by a graduated strengthening programme.

Results:  We found a very high level of satisfaction, with few minor complications and no reruptures in either the early or the delayed repair groups.

Conclusion:  We believe that surgical repair using this technique associated with an early return to protected full weight‐bearing ambulation and an active early rehabilitation programme provides not only excellent functional results, patient satisfaction and a zero rerupture rate, but also much less morbidity in the first 3 months and a quicker overall recovery compared with non‐operative treatment.
Direct‐to‐consumer advertising under the radar: the need for realistic drugs policy in Australia
Authors: Mackenzie F. J. , Jordens C. F. C. , Ankeny R. A. , McPhee J. , Kerridge I. H.
Published: March 2007

Direct‐to‐consumer advertising of prescription medicines (DTCA‐PM) is currently banned in Australia. DTCA‐PM is thought to increase health‐care costs by increasing demand for drugs that are both expensive and potentially harmful. However, DTCA‐PM is occurring in Australia despite the current prohibition. We argue that successful regulation of the practice has been undermined as a result of changes brought about by the ongoing communications revolution, the increasing centrality of patient choice in medical decision‐making and the impossibility of drawing and maintaining a sharp distinction between information and advertising. The prohibition is further threatened by recent international trade agreements. These factors make DTCA‐PM inevitable and legislative and professional bodies need to acknowledge this to create a more effective health‐care policy.
Emerging therapies in the long‐term management of hyperuricaemia and gout
Authors: Stamp L. K. , O’Donnell J. L. , Chapman P. T
Published: March 2007

Gout is a common chronic arthritis that can lead to significant disability. Gout is one of the few rheumatological conditions that can be diagnosed with certainty, has a known cause and can be cured with appropriate therapy. Hypouricaemic agents reduce uric acid concentrations through inhibiting uric acid production (allopurinol) or enhancing uric acid excretion (probenecid, benzbromarone). Allopurinol is the most commonly used hypouricaemic agent but at recommended doses often fails to reduce adequately uric acid concentrations and prevent acute attacks of gout. The use of probenecid is limited by lack of efficacy in renal impairment. In the last few years, new agents in the management of hyperuricaemia and gout have become available. Febuxostat, a new xanthine oxidase inhibitor, is an effective hypouricaemic agent although further data are required for patients with renal impairment and other significant medical conditions. Rasburicase, a recombinant uricase (which catalyses the conversion of uric acid to the more readily excreted allantoin) is available for prevention of tumour lysis syndrome. However, its repeated use, as would be required in chronic gout, is limited by antigenicity. A less antigenic PEGylated uricase can rapidly reduce serum uric acid concentrations and promote resorption of tophi. However, further information with regard to the long‐term risks and benefits of these agents is required. These agents may ultimately be used in the short term to rapidly deplete urate stores (induction therapy) followed by long‐term therapy with an alternative hypouricaemic agent to prevent subsequent accumulation of uric acid (maintenance therapy).
Supply of inpatient geriatric medical services in Australia
Authors: Gray L. , Moore K. , Smith R. , Dorevitch M.
Published: March 2007

This study summarizes the findings of a national survey of inpatient geriatric services in Australia conducted in 2001. These data are unique as there are no uniform administrative data systems available to provide this information. Eight hundred and eighty‐eight hospitals were surveyed and full responses were received from 690, representing 78% of hospitals and 85% of all hospital beds. The results illustrated wide variation in the style and level of provision of services among hospitals and across regional and state jurisdictions.
Evaluating plant–soil feedback together with competition in a serpentine grassland
Authors: Casper Brenda B. , Castelli Jeffrey P.
Published: March 2007

Plants can alter biotic and abiotic soil characteristics in ways that feedback to change the performance of that same plant species relative to co‐occurring plants. Most evidence for this plant–soil feedback comes from greenhouse studies of potted plants, and consequently, little is known about the importance of feedback in relation to other biological processes known to structure plant communities, such as plant–plant competition. In a field experiment with three C4 grasses, negative feedback was expressed through reduced survival and shoot biomass when seedlings were planted within existing clumps of conspecifics compared with clumps of heterospecifics. However, the combined effects of feedback and competition were species‐specific. Only Andropogon gerardii exhibited feedback when competition with the clumps was allowed. For Sorghastrum nutans, strong interspecific competition eliminated the feedback expressed in the absence of competition, and Schizachyrium scoparium showed no feedback at all. That arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi may play a role in the feedback was indicated by higher AM root colonization with conspecific plant neighbours. We suggest that feedback and competition should not be viewed as entirely separate processes and that their importance in structuring plant communities cannot be judged in isolation from each other.
The Familiar Made Strange: An Orientation to Biblical Study in Vancouver
Authors: Maier Harry O.
Published: March 2007

Abstract.  This paper originated in a Wabash‐funded colloquium organized by Richard Ascough and Leif Vaage, on the theme: “Teaching the Bible for Leadership in the United Church of Canada.” Professors teaching biblical studies at United Church seminaries and theological schools met over three years to share pedagogy, things that have worked and not worked in the classroom, changes in teaching Bible over the years, and the role of context in shaping teaching. In the final year they presented their philosophy of teaching to one another; this paper arose from that meeting. The paper describes an orientation to teaching New Testament Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, a theologically liberal school in the context of Vancouver, Canada – paradoxically one of the most secular and multi‐religious cities in the world. Guided by Denise Levertov's poem, “Overland to the Islands,” it explores the promises and challenges of biblical study grounded in the material reality of the world, amidst older students who bear the marks of secularity, who are impatient with traditional orthodoxies, and who long more for life before the grave than after it. Adopting ideas from Roland Barthes, Paul Ricoeur, and Julia Kristeva, it explores teaching the Bible in a way that promotes the polyvalence, strangeness, and irreducibility of biblical texts, in order to move students away from exegetical and hermeneutical theories content with recovering authorial intent and reconstructing historical origins as the primary tasks of biblical study. The paper describes a model of teaching that celebrates the materiality of the New Testament together with its textual, social, theological, and historical complexity, as well as a tradition‐constituted means of apprehending the world, and which treasures students as living texts who in the course of interpretation awaken ever‐fresh meanings relevant to their own communal and personal identities.
Of Alchemy and Authenticity: Teaching About Daoism Today
Authors: Miller James , Siegler Elijah
Published: March 2007

Abstract. The authors discuss the complexities and responsibilities of teaching about Daoism in contemporary North American colleges and universities. Expanding and revising the findings ofKirkland (1998), they argue that enough has changed in educational and cultural contexts to warrant new strategies for teaching about Daoism. Textbooks are now available that offer more accurate and responsible presentations of Daoist history, and this enables a richer appreciation of Daoist culture and religion, and its significance within broader areas of Chinese culture such as art, politics, and science. On the other hand, students have a far greater possibility of interacting outside the classroom with North Americans of Chinese and European background who claim affiliation to the Daoist tradition especially through techniques of moving meditation such asQigongand internal alchemy. This situation poses challenges in the classroom concerning claims of authenticity, tradition, and representation. Rather than shying away from these contemporary North American cultural forms, the authors argue that the skilled teacher can use these interactions to facilitate a deeper inquiry into questions of authenticity and tradition. Moreover, the authors discuss the use of an interactive website designed specifically to assist in reflecting on these issues in the classroom.
Majority Voting over Publicly Provided Goods, Redistribution, and Income Taxation
Authors: CALABRESE STEPHEN M.
Published: March 2007

Federal, state, and many local governments make decisions that involve taxation, redistribution, and provision of public goods. Positive models to study these issues encounter the well‐known problem that majority‐voting equilibrium (MVE) may fail to exist in such multidimensional models. In this paper, with reasonable restrictions on preferences, I provide sufficient conditions for the existence of an MVE in a model with linear income tax and government expenditure policies that affect individual labor/leisure choices. My majority‐voting result takes account of the possibility that low‐skill individuals will drop out of the labor force under some tax and expenditure configurations.
Centralization vs. Decentralization: A Principal‐Agent Analysis
Authors: TOMMASI MARIANO , WEINSCHELBAUM FEDERICO
Published: March 2007

The decision to allocate policy jurisdictions to different levels of government is related to a number of trade‐offs between the advantages and disadvantages of centralized versus decentralized provision of public services. A trade‐off central to many discussions is that between the internalization of externalities under centralization versus an “accountability” advantage of decentralization. In this paper we formalize this trade‐off in the context of a class of principal–agent models known as common agency.
The role of banks in the Czech monetary policy transmission mechanism
Authors: Pruteanu‐Podpiera Anca Maria
Published: March 2007

With this work, I aim to enrich the knowledge about the monetary policy transmission mechanism in the Czech Republic with empirical evidence on the impact of monetary policy on bank lending. Using a panel of quarterly time series for Czech commercial banks for the period 1996–2001, I study the overall effect of monetary policy changes on the growth rate of loans and the characteristics of the supply of loans. The characterization of the credit market's supply side allows us to make inferences on the operativeness of the credit channel (the bank lending channel and the broad credit channel) of the monetary transmission mechanism. I find that changes in monetary policy alter the growth rate of loans, with considerably stronger magnitude in the period 1999–2001 than in the period 1996–1998. From the analysis intended to capture the characteristics of the supply of loans, I conclude that the lending channel was operative in the period 1996–1998: I find cross‐sectional differences in the lending reactions to monetary policy shocks due to the degree of capitalization and to liquidity. For the subsequent period 1999–2001, the results also show distributional effects of monetary policy due to bank size and its bank's proportion of classified loans. In the context of steadily decreasing interest rates, this can bolster the supposition of financial frictions between borrowers and lenders and hence, that of an operative broad credit channel.
Returns to schooling in Kazakhstan
Authors: Arabsheibani G. Reza , Mussurov Altay
Published: March 2007

This paper examines rates of return to schooling in Kazakhstan using OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) and instrumental variable (IV) methodologies. We use spouse's education and smoking as instruments. We find that spouse's education is a valid instrument and that conventional OLS estimates that assume the exogenous nature of schooling, and hence do not control for endogeneity bias, may underestimate the true rates of return. The results indicate that the returns to schooling in Kazakhstan have increased with transition. This may reflect the relative scarcities of highly educated people in Kazakhstan with human capital that employers require and, following the market reforms, reward accordingly.
Investigation of the PARK10 Gene in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Li Y. J. , Deng J. , Mayhew G. M. , Grimsley J. W. , Huo X. , Vance J. M.
Published: March 2007

Two recent association mapping studies in Parkinson disease (PD) reported three candidate genes for the PARK10 locus: EIF2B3 as a modifier of age‐at‐onset of PD (min P= 0.0004) and HIVEP3 as a PD risk gene (P ≤ 0.006) (Oliveira et al. 2005); and LOC200008 (CDCP2) identified by the whole genome association (WGA) study of PD of Maraganore et al. (2005). However, evaluation of the on‐line PD WGA results revealed two significant SNPs in HIVEP3 in the two datasets, Tier 1 and Tier 2, used by Maraganore et al. (P ≤ 0.008 for Tier 1 and P=0.03 for Tier 2 dataset). Here, we revisited both the HIVEP3 and CDCP2 loci by examining 47 SNPs, mostly tagging, in an expanded PD family dataset (293 multiplex and 467 singleton families). A discordant sibpair (DSP) dataset (one DSP per family), with similar data structure as the WGA Tier 1 dataset, was also tested. We confirmed our and other previous negative findings for CDCP2. However, five significant SNPs in HIVEP3 (min P=0.004) were observed, although the two significant HIVEP3 SNPs from the PD WGA study were not significant in our datasets. Even though the sets of significant HIVEP3 markers differ between studies, these findings strongly support HIVEP3 as a candidate for PARK10. Further testing of HIVEP3 by other groups is encouraged.