bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling the Performance of Upper Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Devices in Ventilated Rooms: Comparison of Analytical and CFD Methods
Authors: Noakes C. J. , Beggs C. B. , Sleigh P. A.
Published: November 2004

Models to evaluate upper room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) devices can be used to improve the understanding of the behaviour of UV devices in ventilated rooms and so enable more confident predictions to be made of their performance. This paper presents two- and three-zone mixing models for investigating the effect of upper room UVGI devices in a typical ventilated room. The results from these analytical models are compared to a CFD simulation of the same room that incorporates the biological inactivation of micro-organisms in the presence of an ultraviolet field. The study demonstrates that analytical mixing models give reasonably good average zone concentrations and are therefore useful in estimating overall performance. However, the CFD simulations are necessary to fully examine the interaction of the room airflow with the inactivation of micro-organisms due to the UV field.
Are we ready for the Electronic Patient Record? Attitudes and perceptions of staff from two NHS trust hospitals
Authors: Kirshbaum Marilyn N.
Published: November 2004

In light of plans to implement an electronic patient record (EPR), preparations for radical organizational change were recognized as being critical to success. The aim of the study was to determine hospital staff’s experience of and attitudes toward computer use and the EPR. A cross-sectional design using the Computer and EPR Attitude Survey was administered to 878 health service employees in two acute hospitals; 479 completed questionnaires were returned, representing a 54 per cent response rate. The majority of respondents demonstrated positive attitudes toward the use of computers and the EPR, although only 298 (62%) wrote that they knew what ‘EPR’ actually stood for. Nurses consistently recorded the greatest agreement with negative statements: ‘I avoid using computers whenever I can,’ ‘Using a computer is more trouble than it is worth,’ and ‘I sometimes feel intimidated by the thought of using a computer.’ Recommendations centre on responsive and prompt actions, e.g. informative workshops and targeted skills training.
Integrated care and electronic transmission of prescriptions: experience of the evaluation of ETP pilots
Authors: Sugden Bob , Wilson Rob
Published: November 2004

The NHS Care Records Service will connect more than 30,000 GPs and 270 acute, community and mental health NHS trusts in a single, secure national system. This will support electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) to pharmacies linked to the NHS Care Records Service spine and also to the national Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA). This article reflects on the experience of evaluating three pilot implementations of ETP in England in 2002, and concludes that some evaluation findings may be relevant not only to ETP messaging but also to electronic health record (EHR) systems and hence to the broader implications of implementing the NHS Care Records Service.
Problems encountered in integrated care records research
Authors: Jenkings K. Neil
Published: November 2004

This article looks at the need for integrated care records (ICRs) that are ‘fitfor-purpose’ and how this can be facilitated by data about what are glossed as ‘social factors’. Social factors, while increasingly considered in systems design, also need to be considered in the implementation, change management and benefits realization that are part of the work of ICR programmes such as the NHS Care Records Service. It is suggested that ICRs will not be properly fit-for-purpose unless social factors have been built into all aspects of ICR programmes. It is further argued that fit-for-purpose ICRs should be understood as ICR technologies that are ‘ready-to-hand’, that is, appropriate and usable. Following a brief description of ICRs, the focus is on the problem of fitness-for-purpose, and the role of ready-to-hand research, models, data collection and data representation formats in achieving fit-for-purpose ICRs. These issues are illustrated from both the extant literature and practical experience.
Privacy policy and PETs
Authors: Phillips David J.
Published: November 2004

‘Privacy’is an ambiguous notion, encompassing personal autonomy, democratic participation, identity management, and social coordination. Each of these privacy ideals reflect different sets of social concerns. Laws operationalize privacy in terms of ‘personally identifiable information’. Technologies reify that definition. This has implications for the constitution of identity and social life. It may empower data holders to rationalize populations and create selfserving social categories, while permitting individuals to negotiate these categories outside of panoptic vision. It may facilitate public awareness of, and resistance to, these created social categories. A more expansive understanding of identification and privacy should inform policy discourse.
New ties, old ties and lost ties: the use of the internet in diaspora
Authors: Hiller Harry H. , Franz Tara M.
Published: November 2004

The computer represents a new resource in developing social capital that previously did not exist among migrants. The relationship between physical space and cyberspace is discussed using the experience of migrants from Newfoundland who, although dispersed from their homeland, use the computer to maintain ties with both their homeland and others in diaspora. Three phases in the migration cycle are identified (pre-migrant, post-migrant, settled migrant) and four categories of computer usage are linked to each phase. Three types of online relationships can be identified among diasporic peoples that result in developing new ties, nourishing old ties and rediscovering lost ties. The processes of verification, telepresence, hyperreality and attribution are discovered and illustrated from online data and interviews which indicate how computermediated communication is related to both social networking and identity among migrants.
Advertising ecotourism on the internet: commodifying environment and culture
Authors: Dorsey Elizabeth R. , Steeves H. Leslie , Porras Luz Estella
Published: November 2004

The increased attention to environmentalism in western societies has been accompanied by a rise in ecotourism, i.e. ecologically sensitive travel to remote areas to learn about ecosystems, as well as in cultural tourism, focusing on the people who are a part of ecosystems. Increasingly, the internet has partnered with ecotourism companies to provide information about destinations and facilitate travel arrangements. This study reviews the literature linking ecotourism and sustainable development, as well as prior research showing that cultures have been historically commodified in tourism advertising for developing countries destinations. We examine seven websites advertising ecotourism and cultural tourism and conclude that: (1) advertisements for natural and cultural spaces are not always consistent with the discourse of sustainability; and (2) earlier critiques of the commodification of culture in print advertising extend to internet advertising also.
The internet for empowerment of minority and marginalized users
Authors: Mehra Bharat , Merkel Cecelia , Bishop Ann Peterson
Published: November 2004

The internet has tremendous potential to achieve greater social equity and empowerment and improve everyday life for those on the margins of society. This article presents the findings from three digital divide studies, each of which represents a different group of marginalized society members. Low-income families, sexual minorities and African-American women are represented in the three studies that employ different research approaches towards a common aim of contextualizing internet use in the everyday social practice of society’s ‘have-nots’. The aim is to step outside simple digital divide categories to understand how marginalized members of society incorporate computers and the internet into their daily lives in ways that are meaningful to them. An important goal is also to learn about how internet researchers can contribute to closing the digital divide in ways that converge with the goals, meanings and practices of people living on society’s margins.
Ethics and the anthropology of modern reason
Authors: Lakoff Andrew , Collier Stephen J.
Published: November 2004

In recent years, anthropologists have shown increasing interest in scientific, technical and administrative systems and their political regulation. In what follows, we suggest that a major concern in much of this work is a common interest in how, in relationship to these technical and political developments, ‘living’ has been rendered problematic. In the first part of this article, we suggest that these strands of anthropological investigation can be fruitfully analyzed by engaging the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, whose distinctive neo-Aristotelian approach has had an important influence on recent discussions of ethics in philosophy. In the second part of the article, we propose that the significance of this anthropological work lies not only in its descriptions of the specificities of local ethical formations, but also in its contribution to a broader understanding of what we propose to call ‘regimes of living’.
Is the Third Way the Best Way?
Authors: Leigh Sarah , Miller Chris
Published: November 2004

•Summary: This article is based on a piece of qualitative research with service users in England who asked for help and advice from a statutory locality childcare service. It is located in the framework of the modernization agenda, focusing on the value placed upon service user feedback, social exclusion and the quality targets for local authorities. The research aimed to examine service users’views on their experience of the service they obtained. It also focuses on those areas of social work that have always been hard to measure, such as the effect of the person in the professional role, their warmth, empathy, ability to understand and engage with others.

•Findings: The research draws conclusions for practice. Service users want social workers to be clear about their role, to listen and to attempt to gain an understanding of their world. A social worker who has time to go ‘that extra mile’appears to be able to help people when they are in a crisis with their children. Service users interviewed were very forthright about wanting to use talking cures; they wanted advice but did not necessarily expect solutions. Some demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the very tricky line walked between the person and the professional.

•Applications: When social workers are under increasing pressure to evidence quality in their work, it appears that the social work relationship could be the sacrificial lamb within the modernization agenda for childcare.
Postmodern Thinking
Authors: Noble Carolyn
Published: November 2004

•Summary: Postmodern discourse in contemporary social work literature has captured a growing audience and is raising a serious challenge for social work theory and practice. While attention is being focused on this new post-activist work the role and function of the welfare state in many western democratic countries is being devalued. At the same time state-based services and resources are being cut, with social workers becoming prime targets for rationalization. Addressing and responding to this postmodern ‘turn’is one of the major challenges that confront social work today: a concern that needs urgent attention if social work is to remain a viable player in the ‘post welfare’debate.

•Findings: Social work needs to wake up from the enticing, almost mesmerizing effect of postmodern discourse and take another look at the way economic, gender and colonial issues continue to lie at the root of injustice and impoverishment. Focusing on the local and the contextuality of the specific takes attention away from the pervasive power of structural forces. Rather than call for the negation of grand theories, social work needs to realign itself with a more, rather than less, national and global focus.

•Applications: Postmodern social work argues for the jettisoning of ‘grand’or ‘universal’social change theories on which social work was founded, in favour of the re-appreciation of the local and the everyday contexts of practice as sites for action and resistance. Underlying this development is a neo-conservative ideology that creates great discrepancies between rich and poor and undermines traditional social work theory and practice. Ultimately social work must refocus its attention on exposing global economic inequalities and oppressive gender and ethnicity-based relations across the globe. Social work will survive in its mission if it takes on this challenge in addition to the micro-deconstruction offered by the postmodern discourse. Finding a way forward means combining the personal with the political so that both are integrated into a more relevant social work discourse.
Moral and Professional Dilemmas in Long-term Assessment of Children and Families
Authors: Clifford Derek , Burke Beverley
Published: November 2004

•Summary: This paper discusses some of the issues that concern social workers making long-term assessments in the light of central government criticism of inadequate assessment and use of adoptive placements. We draw partly on our research into local government use of adoption placements (Clifford et al., 2003). We also draw on our previous publications on assessment, and on related research. Our approach is therefore both empirical and theoretical. It is partly a contribution to understanding the nature of contemporary social work assessment practice, but primarily a polemic against influential misperceptions.

•Findings: Our findings are that policy-makers have notsufficiently understood the complexity of the mix of interpretation, evidence and ethical judgement involved, and that social workers inevitably struggle with moral dilemmas arising from their simultaneous responsibilities to interpret evidence and to work in close partnership with the conflicting interests of service users, of carers and of other professional colleagues.

•Applications: The application of the evidence in this paper is that policy-makers need to understand the dynamic, ethical complexity of judgements involved in social work assessment, and avoid policy development linked to misguided assumptions. The findings also underline the need for social workers to continue to pay critical attention to empirical evidence, interpretative issues and ethical considerations.
Repeat receipts: a device for generating visible data in market research focus groups
Authors: Puchta Claudia , Potter Jonathan , Wolff Stephan
Published: November 2004

Market research focus groups generate three types of data: first, representatives of commissioning companies or organizations watch the group from behind a one-way mirror; second, they receive a video of the group discussion; third, they are given a report of the focus group. This article analyses how the required data are interactionally produced to be visible for the people behind the one-way screen, for the video and for the report. It describes the phenomenon of repeat receipts as a central device for producing visible data. Repeat receipts are sequences where the moderator repeats participants’contributions, typically with intonational cues that mark completion. Repeat receipts have several functions. They can (a) highlight central market-research relevant terms from participants’responses; (b) strip off rhetorical relations by repeating utterances in a decontextualized manner; (c) summarize contributions in repeating contributions of different authors as if of one voice; (d) cover conflict in repeating potentially contradictory contributions as discrete statements; (e) socialize responding by providing templates for the required contributions. Repeat receipts help shape the focus group interaction to generate visible data for the overhearing audience, the video and the report. The article ends with a comparison of repeats in market research focus groups, standardized surveys and news interviews.
Navigating the waves: the usefulness of a pilot in qualitative research
Authors: Sampson Helen
Published: November 2004

In line with a more reflexive approach in social science, particularly amongst ethnographers, authors increasingly report not just what they have found from a piece of research but how they have gone about doing it. Using a similar style this article considers the importance of pilot work in undertaking qualitative and ethnographic studies, prior to researcher immersion in the ‘field’. It offers an account of the author’s experiences of ‘cold’and total immersion in a fieldwork setting and uses a contrasting example of a funded and carefully developed pilot study using a variety of methods, in order to highlight the benefits of pilot work. In doing so it suggests that while pilots are not new to ethnographers they are under-discussed and to some extent under-utilized, perhaps as a consequence of methodological allegiances and a tendency to link pilots with more positivist approaches in social science. The article suggests that while pilots can be used to refine research instruments such as questionnaires and interview schedules they have greater use still in ethnographic approaches to data collection in foreshadowing research problems and questions, in highlighting gaps and wastage in data collection, and in considering broader and highly significant issues such as research validity, ethics, representation and researcher health and safety.
Displacing metaphorical analysis: reading with and against metaphors
Authors: Koro-Ljungberg Mirka
Published: November 2004

Metaphorical analysis within a poststructuralist perspective displaces the assumed meanings of metaphors, especially if one expects those metaphors to provide stable epistemological connections. The analysis presented in this article produces alternative readings of participants’metaphors and illustrates how knowledge and truth are displaced once they are detached from positivism, intended meanings, or predetermined uses. Metaphor data from the interviews of successful, international scientists are used to show the dynamics of a poststructural analysis that rethinks the narratives of progress within Academia. The article concludes that more important than the stability of any methodological labels or academic ownership of a particular method is the way in which a specific analytic technique is used as well as how an individual researcher’s epistemology changes data and possible interpretations.
Presidential Mandates and the Dynamics of Senate Advice and Consent, 1885-1996
Authors: Derouen Karl , Peake Jeffrey S. , Ward Kenneth
Published: November 2004

We examine the dynamics of Senate advice and consent for executive branch nominations from 1885 to 1996 using multinomial logit and hazard analysis. We add to the literature by considering the importance of elections on the process. In particular, we assess how presidential mandates might influence the duration and success of nominations to the executive branch. The analysis captures political nuances previously unconsidered that follow from the different ways that nominations terminate, whether through confirmation, rejection or withdrawal by the president, or expiration. As shown previously, divided government matters, especially during periods of ideological polarization in the Senate. Nominations fail more of ten and take longer. However, perceptions of electoral mandate strengthen the president’s position vis-à-vis the Senate, smoothing the president’s path to a more effective transition and staffing of the federal bureaucracy.
Court Decision Making in Police Brutality Cases, 1990-2000
Authors: Mccall Madhavi
Published: November 2004

Prior research on state supreme courts tends to concentrate on evaluating the influence of gender or elections on the behavior of justices but not both. By studying either gender or elections, the research fails to address the joint influence of these variables on behavior, and consequently, I posit that a composite model containing both gender and election variables provides a more thorough understanding of judicial behavior. I examine police brutality cases decided in state supreme courts between 1990 and 2000 and find that gender and elections are significant factors in structuring judicial behavior. Consequently, I contend that state supreme court studies considering gender and institutions together provide greater understanding of the factors leading to judicial behavior.
Hematology Grants Workshop
Authors: Platanias Leonidas C. , Eklund Elizabeth A.
Published: November 2004

Obtaining research funding is of utmost importance for academic hematologists, especially those engaged in basic science research. Several funding mechanisms are available to researchers working in the fields of Hematology and/or Oncology. This chapter will discuss various issues relating to applications for National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants, the classic funding mechanism for investigator-initiated research. It will also discuss other opportunities for funding from other government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. We will also provide a summary of the process by which NIH R01 applications are reviewed and some guidelines and tips for the successful writing of R01 grants or their equivalents from other agencies.
Antileukemic activity of rapamycin in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Récher Christian , Beyne-Rauzy Odile , Demur Cécile , Chicanne Gaëtan , Dos Santos Cédric , Mas Véronique Mansat-De , Benzaquen David , Laurent Guy , Huguet Françoise , Payrastre Bernard
Published: November 2004

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of growth and survival in many cell types. Its constitutive activation has been involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. In this study, we show that mTOR inhibition by rapamycin strongly inhibits the growth of the most immature acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines through blockade in G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Accordingly, 2 downstream effectors of mTOR, 4E-BP1 and p70S6K, are phosphorylated in a rapamycin-sensitive manner in a series of 23 AML cases. Interestingly, the mTOR inhibitor markedly impairs the clonogenic properties of fresh AML cells while sparing normal hematopoietic progenitors. Moreover, rapamycin induces significant clinical responses in 4 of 9 patients with either refractory/relapsed de novo AML or secondary AML. Overall, our data strongly suggest that mTOR is aberrantly regulated in most AML cells and that rapamycin and analogs, by targeting the clonogenic compartment of the leukemic clone, may be used as new compounds in AML therapy.
Reserpine methonitrate, a novel quaternary analogue of reserpine augments urinary excretion of VMA and 5-HIAA without affecting HVA in rats
Authors: Sreemantula Satyanarayana , Boini Krishna M , Nammi Srinivas
Published: November 2004

Background

Reserpine, an alkaloid from Rauwolfia serpentina was widely used for its antihypertensive action in the past. In later years, its use has been reduced because of precipitation of depression and extra pyramidal symptoms due to its central action. In the present investigation, reserpine methonitrate (RMN), a novel quaternary analogue of reserpine was synthesised and evaluated biochemically for its central and peripheral amine depleting actions in rats while its influence on the blood pressure was measured in anaesthetized rats in comparison with reserpine

Results

Reserpine treatment (5 mg/kg) produced a significant increase in the urinary excretion of VMA, 5-HIAA and HVA while RMN at doses of equal to and double the equimolar doses of reserpine (5 and 10 mg/kg) produced significant increase in VMA and 5-HIAA excretion without producing any effect on HVA excretion compared to control animals. Reserpine in the dose range of 0.5 to15 μg/kg produced significant reduction in blood pressure compared to control. RMN was also found to produce significant decrease in blood pressure at doses of 10, 25 and 50 μg/kg body weight in comparison to control. The results indicated peripheral depletion of biogenic amines by RMN without affecting the central stores of the amines.

Conclusions

The present study clearly indicated that the quaternization of reserpine restricts its transfer across the blood-brain barrier and could be the reason for its selective peripheral action. It is also clear that the hypotensive actions of RMN could be due to peripheral depletion of catecholamines.
Zygapophysial joint blocks in chronic low back pain: a test of Revel's model as a screening test
Authors: Laslett Mark , Öberg Birgitta , Aprill Charles N , McDonald Barry
Published: November 2004

Background

Only controlled blocks are capable of confirming the zygapophysial joints (ZJ) as the pain generator in LBP patients. However, previous workers have found that a cluster of clinical signs ("Revel's criteria"), may be valuable in predicting the results of an initial screening ZJ block. It was suggested that these clinical findings are unsuitable for diagnosis, but may be of value in selecting patients for diagnostic blocks of the lumbar ZJ's. To constitute evidence in favour of a clinical management strategy, these results need confirmation. This study evaluates the utility of 'Revel's criteria' as a screening tool for selection of chronic low back pain patients for controlled ZJ diagnostic blocks.

Methods

This study utilized a prospective blinded concurrent reference standard related validity design. Consecutive chronic LBP patients completed pain drawings, psychosocial distress and disability questionnaires, received a clinical examination and lumbar zygapophysial blocks. Two reference standards were evaluated simultaneously: 1. 75% reduction of pain on a visual analogue scale (replication of previous work), and 2. abolition of the dominant or primary pain. Using "Revel's criteria" as predictors, logistic regression analyses were used to test the model. Estimates of sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios for selected variables were calculated for the two proposed clinical strategies.

Results

Earlier results were not replicated. Sensitivity of "Revel's criteria" was low sensitivity (<17%), and specificity high (approximately 90%). Absence of pain with cough or sneeze just reached significance (p = 0.05) within one model.

Conclusions

"Revel's criteria" are unsuitable as a clinical screening test to select chronic LBP patients for initial ZJ blocks. However, the criteria may have use in identifying a small subset (11%) of patients likely to respond to the initial block (specificity 93%).
Laboratory diagnosis and susceptibility profile of Helicobacter pylori infection in the Philippines
Authors: Destura Raul V , Labio Eternity D , Barrett Leah J , Alcantara Cirle S , Gloria Venancio I , Daez Ma Lourdes O , Guerrant Richard L
Published: November 2004

Background

Helicobacter pylori diagnosis and susceptibility profile directs the applicability of recommended treatment regimens in our setting. To our knowledge, there is no published data on the culture and local susceptibility pattern of Helicobacter pylori in the Philippines.

Methods

52 dyspeptic adult patients undergoing endoscopy from the Outpatient Gastroenterology clinic of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital underwent multiple gastric biopsy and specimens were submitted for gram stain, culture, antimicrobial sensitivity testing, rapid urease test and histology. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by Epsilometer testing (Etest) method against metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, and tetracycline.

Results

Sixty percent (60%) of the study population was positive for H. pylori infection (mean age of 44 years ± 13), 70% were males. H. pylori culture showed a sensitivity of 45% (95% CI [29.5–62.1]), specificity of 98% (95%CI [81.5–100%]), positive likelihood ratio of 19.93 (95% CI [1.254–317.04]) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.56 (95% CI [0.406–0.772]). All H. pylori strains isolated were sensitive to metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin and tetracycline.

Conclusion

Knowledge of the antibiotic susceptibility patterns in our setting allows us to be more cautious in the choice of first-line agents. Information on antibiotic susceptibility profile plays an important role in empiric antibiotic treatment and management of refractive cases.
Permissive human cytomegalovirus infection of a first trimester extravillous cytotrophoblast cell line
Authors: LaMarca Heather L , Sainz Bruno , Morris Cindy A
Published: November 2004

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading cause of congenital viral infection in the United States and Europe. Despite the significant morbidity associated with prenatal HCMV infection, little is known about how the virus infects the fetus during pregnancy. To date, primary human cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) have been utilized to study placental HCMV infection and replication; however, the minimal mitotic potential of these cells restricts experimentation to a few days, which may be problematic for mechanistic studies of the slow-replicating virus. The aim of this study was to determine whether the human first trimester CTB cell line SGHPL-4 was permissive for HCMV infection and therefore could overcome such limitations. HCMV immediate early (IE) protein expression was detected as early as 3 hours post-infection in SGHPL-4 cells and progressively increased as a function of time. HCMV growth assays revealed the presence of infectious virus in both cell lysates and culture supernatants, indicating that viral replication and the release of progeny virus occurred. Compared to human fibroblasts, viral replication was delayed in CTBs, consistent with previous studies reporting delayed viral kinetics in HCMV-infected primary CTBs. These results indicate that SGHPL-4 cells are fully permissive for the complete HCMV replicative cycle. Our findings suggest that these cells may serve as useful tools for future mechanistic studies of HCMV pathogenesis during early pregnancy.
Australia and New Zealand Health Policy: a new journal
Authors: Duckett Stephen J
Published: November 2004

Australia and New Zealand Health Policy is a new journal which aims to promote debate and understanding about contemporary health policy developments in Australia and New Zealand. Although there are other international journals focussing on health policy, there are no Australian or New Zealand journals with this focus.

One of the aims of Australia and New Zealand Health Policy is to focus on contemporary critiques and contemporary developments. Accordingly an e-journal format is particularly appropriate. Australian and New Zealand Health Policy is an open access journal which means that all articles will be freely and universally accessible online which, amongst other things, means that all articles will be freely and universally accessible online without any barriers to access, which increases their visibility.
Daily Variations in Type II Iodothyronine Deiodinase Activity in the Rat Brain as Controlled by the Biological Clock
Authors: Kalsbeek Andries , Buijs Ruud M. , van Schaik Rosalinde , Kaptein Ellen , Visser Theo J. , Doulabi Behrouz Zandieh , Fliers Eric
Published: November 2004

Type II deiodinase (D2) plays a key role in regulating thyroid hormone-dependent processes in, among others, the central nervous system (CNS) by accelerating the intracellular conversion of T4 into active T3. Just like the well-known daily rhythm of the hormones of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis, D2 activity also appears to show daily variations. However, the mechanisms involved in generating these daily variations, especially in the CNS, are not known. Therefore, we decided to investigate the role the master biological clock, located in the hypothalamus, plays with respect to D2 activity in the rat CNS as well as the role of one of its main hormonal outputs, i.e. plasma corticosterone. D2 activity showed a significant daily rhythm in the pineal and pituitary gland as well as hypothalamic and cortical brain tissue, albeit with a different timing of its acrophase in the different tissues. Ablation of the biological clock abolished the daily variations of D2 activity in all four tissues studied. The main effect of the knockout of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) was a reduction of nocturnal peak levels in D2 activity. Moreover, contrary to previous observations in SCN-intact animals, in SCN-lesioned animals, the decreased levels of D2 activity are accompanied by decreased plasma levels of the thyroid hormones, suggesting that the SCN separately stimulates D2 activity as well as the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis.
Eplerenone Blocks Nongenomic Effects of Aldosterone on the Na+/H+ Exchanger, Intracellular Ca2+ Levels, and Vasoconstriction in Mesenteric Resistance Vessels
Authors: Michea Luis , Delpiano Ana M. , Hitschfeld Catalina , Lobos Lorena , Lavandero Sergio , Marusic Elisa T.
Published: November 2004

There is increasing evidence for rapid nongenomic effects of aldosterone. Aldosterone has been demonstrated to alter intracellular pH and calcium in isolated cells. However, few studies have correlated these effects with aldosterone-mediated physiological responses. Therefore, we studied rapid effects of aldosterone on vascular reactivity, intracellular Ca2+, and pH in resistance vessels. Furthermore, we explored whether the new antimineralocorticoid drug eplerenone could effectively block nongenomic aldosterone-mediated effects. The vasoconstrictor action of aldosterone was examined directly by determining the diameter of small resistance mesenteric vessels (160–200 μm resting diameter), simultaneously with intracellular pH or Ca2+. Aldosterone (10 nm) caused a rapid constriction of resistance vessels (8.1% ± 1.0% reduction in the diameter below control conditions, P < 0.05). Aldosterone potentiated phenylephrine-mediated constriction in small and large mesenteric vessels. Aldosterone induced a rapid increase of intracellular Ca2+ and cellular alkalinization. Vasoconstrictor action of aldosterone and nongenomic effects on the sodium-proton exchanger (NHE1) activity or intracellular Ca2+ responses was abolished by eplerenone. The vasoconstrictor response of aldosterone was related to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K): the hormone decreased protein kinase B phosphorylation; pharmacological inhibition of PI3-K (10 μm LY294002 or 1 μm wortmannin) increased arterial contractility. Inhibitors of ERK 1/2 phosphorylation (15 μm PD98059) had no effect on aldosterone-mediated vasoconstriction. Inhibition of protein kinase C with 1 μm bi-sindolylmaleimide I and/or inhibition of NHE1 with 100 μm amiloride abolished aldosterone vasoconstrictor action of resistance mesenteric arteries. We conclude that aldosterone-mediated increase in vascular tone is related to a nongenomic mechanism that involves protein kinase C, PI3-K, and NHE1 activity. Eplerenone is an effective blocker of nongenomic effects of aldosterone in vascular tissue.
Hummingbirds arrest their kidneys at night: diel variation in glomerular filtration rate in Selasphorus platycercus
Authors: Bakken Bradley Hartman , McWhorter Todd J. , Tsahar Ella , del Rio Carlos Martínez
Published: November 2004

Small nectarivorous vertebrates face a quandary. When feeding, they must eliminate prodigious quantities of water; however, when they are not feeding,they are susceptible to dehydration. We examined the role of the kidney in the resolution of this osmoregulatory dilemma. Broad-tailed hummingbirds(Selasphorus platycercus) displayed diurnal variation in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). During the morning, midday and evening, GFRs were 0.9±0.6, 1.8±0.4 and 2.3±0.5 ml h–1,respectively. At midday, GFR increased linearly with increased water intake. During the evening, hummingbirds decreased renal fractional water reabsorption linearly with increased water intake. Broad-tailed hummingbirds appeared to cease GFR at night (–0.1±0.2 ml h–1) and decreased GFR in response to short-term (∼1.5 h) water deprivation. GFR seems to be very responsive to water deprivation in hummingbirds. Although hummingbirds and other nectarivorous birds can consume astounding amounts of water, a phylogenetically explicit allometric analysis revealed that their diurnal GFRs are not different from the expectation based on body mass.
The hyperoxic switch: assessing respiratory water loss rates in tracheate arthropods with continuous gas exchange
Authors: Lighton John R. B. , Schilman Pablo E. , Holway David A.
Published: November 2004

Partitioning the relative contributions of cuticular and respiratory water loss in a tracheate arthropod is relatively easy if it undergoes discontinuous gas exchange cycles or DGCs, leaving its rate of cuticular water loss in primary evidence while its spiracles are closed. Many arthropods are not so obliging and emit CO2 continuously, making cuticular and respiratory water losses difficult or impossible to partition. We report here that by switching ambient air from 21 to 100% O2, marked spiracular constriction takes place, causing a transient but substantial – up to 90% – reduction in CO2 output. A reduction in water loss rate occurs at the same time. Using this approach, we investigated respiratory water loss in Drosophila melanogaster and in two ant species, Forelius mccooki and Pogonomyrmex californicus. Our results– respiratory water loss estimates of 23%, 7.6% and 5.6% of total water loss rates, respectively – are reasonable in light of literature estimates, and suggest that the `hyperoxic switch' may allow straightforward estimation of respiratory water loss rates in arthropods lacking discontinuous gas exchange. In P. californicus, which we were able to measure with and without a DGC, presence or absence of a DGC did not affect respiratory vs total water loss rates.
Echolocation signal structure in the Megachiropteran bat Rousettus aegyptiacus Geoffroy 1810
Authors: Holland Richard A. , Waters Dean A. , Rayner Jeremy M. V.
Published: November 2004

Rousettus aegyptiacus Geoffroy 1810 is a member of the only genus of Megachiropteran bats to use vocal echolocation, but the structure of its brief, click-like signal is poorly described. Although thought to have a simple echolocation system compared to that of Microchiroptera, R. aegyptiacus is capable of good obstacle avoidance using its impulse sonar. The energy content of the signal was at least an order of magnitude smaller than in Microchiropteran bats and dolphins (approximately 4×10–8 J m–2). Measurement of the duration, amplitude and peak frequency demonstrate that the signals of this animal are broadly similar in structure and duration to those of dolphins. Gabor functions were used to model signals and to estimate signal parameters,and the quality of the Gabor function fit to the early part of the signal demonstrates that the echolocation signals of R. aegyptiacus match the minimum spectral spread for their duration and amplitude and are thus well matched to its best hearing sensitivity. However, the low energy content of the signals and short duration should make returning echoes difficult to detect. The performance of R. aegyptiacus in obstacle avoidance experiments using echolocation therefore remains something of a conundrum.
Early Pathophysiologic Feature of Arthropathy in Juvenile Dogs Induced by Ofloxacin, a Quinolone Antimicrobial Agent
Authors: Yabe K. , Satoh H. , Ishii Y. , Jindo T. , Sugawara T. , Furuhama K. , Goryo M. , Okada K.
Published: November 2004

Arthropathy in dogs induced by ofloxacin, a quinolone antimicrobial agent, was pathophysiologically investigated. In the in vivo studies, ofloxacin was administered orally once or twice at 20 mg/kg/day to male juvenile (3-month-old, n = 3) or adult (36-month-old, n = 2) dogs, and the humeral and femoral heads were examined pathologically. Unlike adult dogs, fluid-filled vesicles were macroscopically observed on the articular surfaces of one juvenile dog 24 hours after a single treatment with ofloxacin. These lesions were seen in all juvenile dogs by twice dosing. Microscopically, fissures or cavity formations in the middle zone of the articular cartilage were noted only in juvenile dogs. Furthermore, the cartilage matrix from the abnormal area to the articular surface showed a decreased safranin-O staining intensity, suggesting proteoglycan depletion. Ultrastructurally, chondrocytes in the middle zone of juvenile dogs displayed dilatation of the cisternae in the rough endoplasmic reticulum as an initial hallmark. In the in vitro studies, chondrocytes isolated from the articular cartilage of naive juvenile dogs were exposed to ofloxacin at 6.3–100 μg/ml for 24 hours. Although no changes were noted in the deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis, protein synthesis, or proteoglycan release at concentrations of up to 100 μg/ml, the proteoglycan synthesis was evidently decreased in a dose-dependent manner from 12.5 μg/ml. The results obtained suggest that the inhibitory action of ofloxacin on proteoglycan syntheses in the chondrocytes may largely contribute to the early morphologic features in the articular cartilage of the juvenile dog.
Morphologic Characteristics of Pulmonary Macrophages in Cetaceans: Particular Reference to Pulmonary Intravascular Macrophages as a Newly Identified Type
Authors: Kawashima M. , Kuwamura M. , Takeya M. , Yamate J.
Published: November 2004

We examined the morphologic characteristics of pulmonary macrophages in 42 specimens of Odontoceti ( Globicephala macrorhynchus, Grampus griseus, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella attenuata, Stenella coeruleoalba, Berardius bairdii), using light and electron microscopes as well as immunohistochemistry with SRA-E5. SRA-E5-positive alveolar macrophages and pulmonary interstitial macrophages contained graphitic soots, indicating the clearance of airborne, aspirated foreign bodies. Pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs), positive with SRA-E5, were present within pulmonary capillaries, attaching to applied endothelial cells by cell junctions. They showed cytoplasmic tubular structures of micropinocytosis vermiformis and erythrophagocytosis, indicating their contributory role in the clearance of blood-borne particles. The uptake of pathogens by PIMs may be associated with the inducement of acute lung injury, especially bacterial infectious pneumonia. This study revealed for the first time the presence of PIMs in cetaceans.
Well-differentiated Biphasic Synovial Sarcoma in the Atlanto-occipital Joint of a Holstein Cow
Authors: Oyamada T. , Otsuka H. , Kohiruimaki M. , Ohta J. , Yoshikawa H.
Published: November 2004

A 7-year-old Holstein cow developed a large cystic mass in the region between the atlantoaxis and larynx. The mass extended to the synovium in the atlanto-occipital joint. Many villous projections were present on the inner surface of the tumor tissue, and irregular clefts were formed in the inside. Two cell types, epithelioid-like synovioblasts and spindle cells, were present. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the cells stained positively for cytokeratin (AE1/AE3) and vimentin. Both cells had similar fine structures ultra-structurally. Vacuoles present in the cytoplasm were full of an acid mucous substance. The tumor was diagnosed as a well-differentiated biphasic synovial sarcoma. This is the first report of a rare case of synovial sarcoma, from the viewpoint of its origin.
Congenital Cystic Polypoid Rectal Hamartoma in a Newborn Foal
Authors: Dunkel B. , Shokek A. B. , Wilkins P. A.
Published: November 2004

A neonatal foal with signs of rectal bleeding was diagnosed with an intraluminal rectal mass and intussusception on surgical exploration of the abdomen. Histologically, the mass consisted of cystic spaces lined by simple columnar epithelium with numerous goblet cells and was surrounded by thin bands of smooth muscle in a myxomatous stroma. Although the mass shared similarities with retrorectal cystic hamartoma (tailgut cyst) and juvenile polyps, described in human medicine, location and histologic findings were not entirely consistent with either condition.
Extensive Lesions of Monkeypox in a Prairie Dog (Cynomys sp.)
Authors: Langohr I. M. , Stevenson G. W. , Thacker H. L. , Regnery R. L.
Published: November 2004

Monkeypox with extensive lesions was diagnosed in a prairie dog that was involved in a recent human outbreak of monkeypox in the Midwestern United States. Gross lesions included oral ulcers, pulmonary consolidation, enlarged cervical and thoracic lymph nodes, and multifocal, small, white umbilicated plaques in the gastrointestinal wall. Microscopic lesions were extensive in the lungs and consisted of fibrinonecrotic bronchopneumonia with vasculitis and poorly defined eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in cells thought to be alveolar epithelial cells, histiocytes, and fibroblasts. Multifocal necrotizing lesions, often accompanied by myxedema, were also present in most of the other examined organs. Aggregates of pox viral particles were observed within lesions by transmission electron microscopy. Monkeypox virus infection was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and virus culture at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This report highlights the difficulties of rapid diagnosis of exotic or emerging diseases and further substantiates the prairie dog as an animal model of monkeypox.
Ultrastructural Localization of Caspase-14 in Human Epidermis
Authors: Alibardi Lorenzo , Dockal Michael , Reinisch Christina , Tschachler Erwin , Eckhart Leopold
Published: November 2004

Caspase-14 has been implicated in the formation of stratum corneum because of its specific expression and activation in terminally differentiating keratinocytes. However, its precise physiological role and its protein substrate are elusive. We studied the ultrastructural localization of caspase-14 in human epidermis to compare its distribution pattern with that of well-characterized differentiation markers. Immunogold cytochemistry confirmed that caspase-14 is nearly absent in basal and spinous layers. In the granular, layer nuclei and keratohyalin granules were labeled with increasing intensity towards the transitional layer. Particularly strong caspase-14 labeling was associated with areas known to be occupied by involucrin and loricrin, whereas F-granules, occupied by profilaggrin/filaggrin, were much less labeled. A high density of gold particles was also present at the forming cornified cell envelope, including desmosomes. In corneocytes, intense labeling was both cytoplasmic and associated with nuclear remnants and corneodesmosomes. These observations will allow focusing efforts of biochemical substrate screening on a subset of proteins localizing to distinct compartments of terminally differentiated keratinocytes.