bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indication of the Side of Delayed Endolymphatic Hydrops by Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential and Caloric Test
Authors: Egami Naoya , Ushio Munetaka , Yamasoba Tatsuya , Murofushi Toshihisa , Iwasaki Shinichi
Published: August 2010

Objective: Delayed endolymphatic hydrops (DEH) can be clinically classified into ipsi- and contralateral types. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the results of vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) and caloric testing and the clinical type of DEH. Methods: The data of 33 patients with DEH who underwent both VEMPs and caloric testing were retrospectively examined. The type of DEH was judged from its clinical and audiological course. Theasymmetry ratios of the VEMPs and canal paresis on the caloric test were measured. Results: The results of VEMP and the caloric testing were consistent with the type of DEH in 61 and 76% of DEH patients, respectively. Combined use of VEMP and caloric testing correctly identified the type of DEH in 82% of patients. Conclusions: The combined use of VEMP and caloric testing can indicate the type of DEH at a reasonably high rate, but inconclusively.
GSH Attenuates Organ Injury and Improves Function after Transplantation of Fatty Livers
Authors: Pratschke S. , Angele M.K. , Grützner U. , Tufman A. , Bilzer M. , Loehe F. , Jauch K.-W. , Schauer R.J.
Published: August 2010

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is increased after transplantation of steatotic livers. Since those livers are increasingly used for transplantation, protective strategies must be developed. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in hepatic IRI. In lean organs, glutathione (GSH) is an efficient scavenger of ROS, diminishing IRI. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether GSH also protects steatotic allografts from IRI following transplantation. Fatty or lean livers were explanted from 10-week-old obese or lean Zucker rats and preserved (obese 4 h, lean 24 h) in hypothermic University of Wisconsin solution. Arterialized liver transplantation was then performed in lean syngeneic Zucker rats. Recipients of fatty livers were treated with GSH (200 µmol/h/kg) or saline during reperfusion (2 h, n = 5). Parameters of hepatocellular damage and bile flow were measured. Transplantation of steatotic livers enhanced early reperfusion injury compared to lean organs as measured by increased aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase plasma levels. Bile flow was also reduced in steatotic grafts. Intravenous administration of GSH effectively decreased liver damage in fatty allografts and resulted in improved bile flow. Intravenous application of GSH effectively reduces early IRI in steatotic allografts and improves recovery of these marginal donor organs following transplantation.
Pathophysiological Determinants of Worse Stroke Outcome in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Tu Hans T.H. , Campbell Bruce C.V. , Christensen Soren , Collins Marnie , De Silva Deidre A. , Butcher Kenneth S. , Parsons Mark W. , Desmond Patricia M. , Barber P. Alan , Levi Christopher R. , Bladin Christopher F. , Donnan Geoffrey A. , Davis Stephen M. ,   for the Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolytic Evaluation Trial (EPITHET) Investigators
Published: August 2010

Background: The reasons for worse outcome following ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate the pathophysiological determinants of poorer stroke outcome in patients with AF using systematic MRI data from the Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolytic Evaluation Trial (EPITHET). Methods: Comparisons of infarct size, hypoperfusion volume, infarct growth, arterial occlusion, recanalization, reperfusion, hemorrhagic transformation and stroke severity were made between patients with and without AF enrolled in the EPITHET study. Results: AF was present in 42 of 101 patients. At baseline, AF patients were older (79 vs. 73 years, p = 0.02), had more severe neurological impairment (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 16 vs. 11, p = 0.006), larger infarcts (29 vs. 15 ml, p = 0.04) and greater volumes of more severe hypoperfusion (Tmax ≧8 s, perfusion-weighted imaging volume 70 vs. 43 ml, p = 0.01) compared to patients without AF. There were no significant differences in arterial occlusion site, infarct growth, recanalization or reperfusion. At outcome, AF patients had larger infarcts (52 vs. 16 ml, p = 0.05), more severe hemorrhagic transformation (29 vs. 5%, p = 0.002 for parenchymal hematomas), greater disability (modified Rankin Scale score 4 vs. 3, p = 0.03) and higher mortality rates (31 vs. 12%, p = 0.04). AF was an independent predictor of parenchymal hematoma (OR = 6.90, 95% CI = 1.57–30.25), but not mortality (OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 0.83–7.85). Conclusions: Patients with AF have worse clinical and imaging outcomes following ischemic stroke. This study suggests that the adverse effect of AF is due to greater volumes of more severely hypoperfused tissue, leading to larger infarct size and greater risk of severe hemorrhagic transformation.
Management of Maxillary Sinus Inverted Papilloma via Transnasal Endoscopic Anterior and Medial Maxillectomy
Authors: Liu Quan , Yu Hongmeng , Minovi Amir , Wei Wei , Wang Dehui , Zheng Chunquan , Li Feng , Zhang Zhicun
Published: August 2010

Objective: To introduce and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transnasal endoscopic anterior and medial maxillectomy (TEAMM) in the treatment of Krouse stage III inverted papilloma (IP) originating from the maxillary sinus. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for 33 patients with Krouse stage III IP undergoing TEAMM in our hospital between 2003 and 2008. Results: Tumors were completely resected through TEAMM. Sixteen cases had type I TEAMM, during which the nasolacrimal duct was preserved; 17 had type II TEAMM, during which the nasolacrimal duct was resected. The inferior turbinate was partially preserved in 26 cases. Patients were followed for a mean of 40.4 months. Recurrence developed in 2 patients, dry nose syndrome in 5 patients, and epiphora in 1 patient. Squamous cell carcinoma occurred in 1 patient. Conclusions: TEAMM is an effective and safe technique in the management of Krouse stage III IP and provides good exposure of operative cavities during follow-up.
The Functional Antiopioid Action of the Ventrolateral Periaqueductal Gray Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ and Nociceptin Receptor System Underlies DAMGO Analgesic Tolerance
Authors: Parenti Carmela , Scoto Giovanna M.
Published: August 2010

Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) counteracts supraspinal opioid effects and plays a role in antinociceptive morphine tolerance. Therefore, in the present study, the selective µ-opioid agonist [D-Ala2-NMe-Phe4-Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAMGO) was used. Repeated injection of DAMGO (1 µg/ 1 µl) into the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG), a key site for the development of opioid tolerance, induced analgesia that lasted up to 3 days. In DAMGO-tolerant rats, injection of the N/OFQ antagonist (±)-J 113397 (4 µg/1 µl), into the same site, restored the antinociceptive effect of DAMGO. If (±)-J 113397 treatment preceded each DAMGO injection, tolerance did not develop. Inhibition of N/OFQ signaling can reverse and prevent the development of DAMGO tolerance in the vlPAG. The results confirm that N/OFQ acts as a functional opioid antagonist.
Pancreatic Cystic Endocrine Tumors: A Different Morphological Entity Associated with a Less Aggressive Behavior
Authors: Boninsegna Letizia , Partelli Stefano , D’Innocenzio Maria Michela , Capelli Paola , Scarpa Aldo , Bassi Claudio , Pederzoli Paolo , Falconi Massimo
Published: August 2010

Background: Cystic pancreatic endocrine tumors (CPETs) are rare lesions and their biological features have been scarcely investigated. Aim: To compare clinical and pathological features of resected non-functioning sporadic CPETs (NF-CPETs) with solid pancreatic endocrine tumors (SPETs) in a single-institution experience. Methods: All patients with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of sporadic non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumors who underwent curative resection between 1990 and 2008 were included. A comparison of demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics between CPETs and SPETs was made. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify preoperative predictors of carcinoma (non-functioning pancreatic endocrine carcinoma). Results: Twenty-one (11.5%) patients with a histological diagnosis of NF-CPET were identified. The median age was 60 years (IQR 46.5–73.5 years) and a diagnosis of carcinoma (non-functioning pancreatic endocrine carcinoma) was made in 3 (14.3%) cases. In the comparison with NF-SPETs, no differences were found in terms of gender (p = 0.75), age (p = 0.81), presenting symptoms (p = 0.43), localization of the tumors (p = 0.46) and type of resection (p = 0.31). The incidence of non-functioning pancreatic endocrine carcinoma was significantly lower in the NF-CPET versus the NF-SPET group (14.3 vs. 40.4%, p = 0.04). By univariate analysis, preoperative predictors of non-functioning pancreatic endocrine carcinoma included the presence of symptoms (OR 3.96, 95% CI 2.06–7.63) and an increase in the absolute value of radiological diameter (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03–1.07). A cystic morphology of the lesion turned out to be a negative predictor of carcinoma (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.70–0.87). These results were confirmed by multivariable analysis. Conclusions: NF-CPETs have a measurable propensity to be benign. In those patients affected by small and asymptomatic NF-CPET a more conservative surgical approach or a follow-up policy could be considered.
Longitudinal Trajectories of Cognitive Decline among Older Adults with Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Okonkwo Ozioma C. , Cohen Ronald A. , Gunstad John , Tremont Geoffrey , Alosco Michael L. , Poppas Athena
Published: August 2010

Background: The long-term course of cognitive impairments secondary to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unclear. In this study, we prospectively investigated the temporal pattern, rate and hierarchy of cognitive decline attributable to CVD – a risk factor for the development of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) – and examined the influence of cardiac surgery and heart failure on cognitive decline. Methods: A total of 172 older adults with CVD were administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests at study entry, and at 12 and 36 months thereafter. Random coefficient regressions were used to investigate the temporal course, rate and hierarchy of cognitive decline, as well as to examine the effect of heart failure (reported by 21% of the sample) and cardiac surgery (reported by 44% of the sample) on trajectories of cognitive change. Results: The course of decline in cognition was linear for language and attention-executive function-psychomotor speed, and curvilinear for visuospatial abilities, memory and overall cognition. The decline in attention-executive function-psychomotor speed was smaller than the decline in other domains. The greatest decline occurred in visuospatial abilities. The rate of decline in cognition was not altered by a history of heart failure. Patients who had undergone cardiac surgery exhibited slower deceleration in their rates of decline in overall cognition. At baseline, patients with a history of heart failure had comparatively poorer attention-executive function-psychomotor speed, overall cognition and, to a lesser extent, visuospatial scores. Conclusion: There is measurable decline in neurocognitive function among patients with CVD. This decline is linear in some cognitive domains and curvilinear in others and is not attributable to the normal aging process. Cardiac surgery, but not heart failure, significantly affects the trajectory of cognitive decline. Because most vascular risk factors are modifiable, preventive measures such as lifestyle changes may be useful in retarding cognitive decline among patients with CVD, thus preventing the onset of VCI.
Real-Time Hemodynamic Assessment of Downstream Effects of Intracranial Stenoses in Patients with Orthostatic Hypoperfusion Syndrome
Authors: Saqqur Maher , Sharma Vijay K. , Tsivgoulis Georgios , Huy Thang Nguyen , Heliopoulos Ioannis , Siddiqui Muzaffar , Derksen Carol , Khan Khurshid , Alexandrov Andrei V.
Published: August 2010

Background: Arterial flow velocity changes on transcranial Doppler can reflect changes in cerebral flow during position-induced ischemia if obtained during short-term monitoring of positional changes. Subjects and Methods: Our multicenter group monitored symptomatic and asymptomatic arteries in patients with recurrent neurological deficits during positional changes and documented intracranial arterial stenosis. Bilateral posterior cerebral and middle cerebral arteries were monitored dependent on clinical symptom localization. The symptomatic artery was monitored distal to the intracranial stenosis, and mean flow velocities (MFV) were recorded at different body positions. The symptomatic artery relative MFV ratio was defined as the ratio of symptomatic artery MFV in the asymptomatic position – MFV in the symptomatic position/MFV in the asymptomatic position. Results: Sixteen patients underwent transcranial Doppler monitoring: mean age 62 ± 19 years, 11 (69%) men, 6 (40%) with transient ischemic attacks. Ten patients (63%) had posterior and 6 anterior circulation symptoms. Patients developed neurological symptoms while standing up (63%) and/or sitting (44%), walking (13%) or during neck extension (6%). Symptomatic artery MFV dropped by ≧25% from the resting to the symptomatic position in all patients except for one. The mean symptomatic artery MFV relative ratio was higher compared with the mean asymptomatic artery MFV relative ratio: 0.5 ± 0.28 versus –0.02 ± 0.1 (p = 0.001, Wilcoxon test). The symptomatic artery relative ratio of >0.25 had a 94% sensitivity and 100% specificity for predicting neurological symptom development during testing (ĸ = 0.9, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A significant reduction in intracranial flow velocity distal to an intracranial stenosis can identify patients whose symptoms can worsen with positional changes. These patients may prove a target for interventional revascularization techniques.
Time Trends in Hospital-Referred Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: Results of a 7-Year Nationwide Survey in France
Authors: Béjot Yannick , Aouba Albertine , de Peretti Christine , Grimaud Olivier , Aboa-Eboulé Corine , Chin Francis , Woimant France , Jougla Eric , Giroud Maurice
Published: August 2010

Background: Nationwide evaluations of the burden of stroke are scarce. We aimed to evaluate trends in stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) hospitalization, in-hospital case fatality rates (CFRs) and mortality rates in France during 2000–2006. Methods: Hospitalizations for stroke and TIA were determined from National Hospital Discharge Diagnosis Records that used the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, codes I60, I61, I63, I64, G45, G46. CFRs and mortality rates were estimated from the national death certificates database. Results: The total number of stays for stroke increased between 2000 and 2006 (88,371 vs. 92,118) contrasting with a decrease in that for TIA. The age-standardized (European population) hospitalization rates for TIA decreased in men (52.2 vs. 44.5/100,000/year, p = 0.002), whereas they remained stable in women (32.4 vs. 31.0/ 100,000/year). Concerning stroke, a decrease in hospitalization rates was observed in both men (from 135.3 to 123.4/ 100,000/year, p < 0.001) and women (from 85.1 to 80.7, p < 0.001). Whatever the age group and the sex, a sharp decrease in in-hospital stroke CFRs was noted. In addition, a 23% decrease in mortality rates was observed. This decrease was greater in patients >65 years. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate a decline in hospitalization rates for stroke, and in both stroke CFRs and mortality rates between 2000 and 2006. Improvements in stroke prevention and acute stroke care may have contributed to these results, and may have been initiated by recent advances in health policy with regard to this disease in France.
Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease Rather than Metabolic Syndrome Predicts Ischemic Stroke in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Chen Xiang Yan , Thomas G. Neil , Chen Yang Kun , Chan Juliana C.N. , Wong Ka Sing
Published: August 2010

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of metabolic syndrome on ischemic stroke in Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Anthropometric parameters (waist circumference and body mass index), blood pressure, and plasma biochemical (lipid and glycemic profiles) were collected. Subjects with type 2 diabetes were categorized by the criteria of the updated Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) with the modified definitions of obesity in Asians. Transcranial Doppler was performed to define middle cerebral artery stenosis. Results: Of 2,197 patients (age 55.4 ± 11.3 years; male 40.8%; median follow-up period 8.7 years, interquartile range 7.8–9.5 years) without symptoms of cerebrovascular disease, evidence of middle cerebral artery stenosis was identified in 272 subjects (12.4%). According to NCEP ATP III criteria, 1,324 (60.3%) patients had MetS at baseline. Ischemic stroke occurred in 184 (8.4%, 184/2197) patients during follow-up. Patients with incident stroke had a higher prevalence of MetS compared with those without stroke (p = 0.004), and the number of components of MetS was also significantly increased in patients with stroke (p = 0.001). Cox regression demonstrated that MetS was not associated with incident stroke. Conclusions: In Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, metabolic syndrome does affect stroke occurrence with a higher stroke incidence among those with metabolic syndrome, but stroke occurrence seems to be better explained by other vascular risk factors than by metabolic syndrome.
Facts versus Theories: An Everlasting Struggle
Authors: van Gijn Jan
Published: August 2010

Rather than a complete overview of the contribution of Utrecht to stroke research, I have selected a few subjects and attempt to put these in historical context. Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620–1695) was unique in that he approached ‘apoplexy’ through post-mortem observations, in the tradition of Padua. However, the interpretation of his findings in haemorrhagic and especially non-haemorrhagic stroke was still heavily influenced by the authority of Galen’s writings. Wepfer’s category of ‘serous apoplexy’ assumed that extravasation of blood serum might lead to compression of brain substance and blockage of ‘nerve pores’ through which mental ‘spirit’ was supposed to flow. This notion of ‘cerebral congestion’ or ‘cerebral hyperaemia’ lived on, at least to the middle of the 20th century! The pitfalls of theorizing are also evident from recent history (the facile assumption that cerebral ischaemia occurs in the same way as leg ischaemia). By implication, similar errors may well be hidden in present ideas about stroke. Probable or possible examples are the idées reçues that 30 mg of aspirin is less efficacious in the secondary prevention of stroke than 100 mg, that vasospasm is the cause of delayed ischaemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and that perimesencephalic haemorrhage is not caused by rupture of an artery. Physicians still speculate more often than they care to admit.
Wallerian Degeneration of Pyramidal Tract after Paramedian Pons Infarct
Authors: Gräβel David , Ringer Thomas M. , Fitzek Clemens , Fitzek Sabine , Kohl Matthias , Kaiser Werner A. , Witte Otto W. , Axer Hubertus
Published: August 2010

Background: The intention of this study was the prospective analysis of Wallerian degeneration of the pyramidal tract after paramedian pons infarction. Methods: Patients with paramedian pons infarct underwent MR imaging including diffusion tensor imaging at admission and got 1–3 MR scans up to 6 months of follow-up. Clinical scores and transcranial magnetic stimulation were acquired in the acute phase and 3–6 months later. The pyramidal tracts were manually segmented in fractional anisotropy (FA) color maps after coregistration of all MR datasets of each patient. FA as well as axial and radial diffusivity were measured in the volume of lesioned and contralateral pyramidal tracts distally to the ischemic lesion. Results: From 11 patients studied, 7 developed Wallerian degeneration detected as statistically significant decrease in FA over time in the distal pyramidal tract. Wallerian degeneration could be detected at the earliest between the first and the third days after the onset of symptoms. A continuous decrease in FA and an increase in axial and radial diffusivity in degenerating pyramidal tracts over time were demonstrated. A significant correlation between NIHSS score on admission and the slope of relative axial diffusivity and a significant correlation between motor-evoked potential amplitudes of the arm on admission and the outcome relative FA was found. Conclusions: The initial MR image cannot predict the following Wallerian degeneration. However, the severity of motor disturbance and the motor-evoked potential of the arm on admission could be possible parameters to predict Wallerian degeneration. For estimation of Wallerian degeneration over time, at least 2 diffusion tensor imaging measurements have to be done at different time points.
Adaptation and Validation of the Italian Pediatric Voice Handicap Index
Authors: Schindler Antonio , Tiddia Cristiana , Ghidelli Chiara , Nerone Vincenza , Albera Roberto , Ottaviani Francesco
Published: August 2010

Objective: To evaluate the internal consistency, reliability and clinical validity of the Italian version of the Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI). Patients and Methods: The parents of 30 children with dysphonia and 43 asymptomatic children were included in the study. Each parent was asked to complete the Italian pVHI autonomously. The voice of each child was assessed perceptually through the GRB parameters of the GRBAS scale. Internal consistency was analyzed through Cronbach’s α coefficient. For test-retest reliability analysis, the Italian pVHI was filled twice, with a 2-week interval, and the scores obtained were compared through the Pearson correlation test. Clinical validity was assessed comparing the scores obtained in the pathological and the control group using the Mann-Whitney test. Finally, the correlation between pVHI and the perceptual parameters was assessed. Results: All of the parents filled in the entire questionnaire autonomously. An optimal internal consistency was found (α = 0.95); the test-retest reliability in the parents of both groups of children was high (r > 0.88). The control group scored significantly lower than the pathological group (p = 0.0001). The pVHI scores positively correlated with perceptual assessment of voice disorders. Conclusion: The Italian pVHI is easily administered, highly reproducible, and exhibits excellent clinical validity.
Speech Pathology Interventions in Patients with Neuromuscular Diseases: A Systematic Review
Authors: Knuijt S. , Cup E.H.C. , Pieterse A.J. , de Swart B.J.M. , van der Wilt G.J. , van Engelen B.G.M. , Oostendorp R.A.B. , Hendricks H.T.
Published: August 2010

Purpose: A systematic review was conducted to summarize and evaluate the literature on the effectiveness of speech pathology interventions in adults with neuromuscular diseases. Method: Databases searched included the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PubMed. A total of 1,772 articles were independently screened on title and abstract by 2 reviewers. Results: No randomized controlled trials or clinical controlled trials were found. Four other designs were included. Only one study on oculopharyngeal muscle dystrophy (OPMD) appeared to have sufficient methodological quality. There is evidence indicating that correction of head position in patients with OPMD improves swallowing efficiency (level III evidence). Conclusion: Despite 1,772 studies, there is only evidence of level III regarding the effectiveness of speech pathology interventions in patients with OPMD. Recommendations for future research are given.
Variability in Execution of the Chin-Down Maneuver by Healthy Adults
Authors: Steele C.M. , Hung D. , Sejdić E. , Chau T. , Fraser S.
Published: August 2010

Objective: The chin-down maneuver is commonly used in dysphagia management to facilitate greater airway protection. However, the literature suggests that variation in maneuver execution may threaten the effectiveness of the intervention. Our goal was to study variation in chin-down maneuver execution given a uniform instruction. Methods: Sagittal view digital video recordings were acquired from 408 healthy adults who performed sequences of reiterated water swallows in head-neutral and chin-down positions. Head angle measurements were extracted from the recordings, using markers on goggles worn by 176 participants. Results: We observed considerable variation in head angle in the head-neutral swallowing task, with a trend to greater flexion in participants over the age of 65. Male participants showed greater variation in head angle than females. Head flexion during the chin-down swallowing tasks averaged 19°, in the range reported to yield clinical benefit in radiographic studies. Conclusion: We conclude that a clear, uniform instruction is adequate to facilitate execution of the chin-down maneuver to a degree that is likely to be of clinical benefit. The variation in head angle observed in this study warrants further research, particularly regarding the relationship between anatomical cervical spine curvature and head angle influence on swallowing.
Latino Parents’ Choice of Magnet School: How School Choice Differs Across Racial and Ethnic Boundaries
Authors: Taylor Haynes Katherine , Phillips Kristie J.R. , Goldring Ellen B.
Published: August 2010

Historically, magnet schools have served predominantly Black and Anglo populations. Consequently, little research exists on Latino parent’s engagement in school choice and their patterns of participation. Magnet schools are increasingly part of the landscape for improving school achievement for all students. Yet Latino enrollment rates in magnet schools fall short of their representation within most urban populations as well the population as a whole. This article explores the factors that influence Latino parents’ participation in magnet school choice. The findings show that Latino parents who participate in school choice come from vastly different educational backgrounds, tend to be solidly middle income, are either second-generation immigrants or are married to one; the social networks of the most educated Latino parents do not include people with access to magnet schools. This study holds policy implications for similar cities in the new Latino South that are shifting to unitary status.
The National Development Plan as a Political Economic Strategy in Evo Morales’s Bolivia
Authors: Mendonça Cunha Clayton , Santaella Gonçalves Rodrigo
Published: August 2010

Bolivia’s National Development Plan is the most detailed official document on the objectives of Evo Morales’s administration and therefore an important reference point for the evaluation of the intentions, difficulties, and approaches of his political project. Analysis of the plan reveals bold objectives such as transforming the nation’s structure of development and making the country the energy center of the continent and more modest goals of reducing poverty and social inequality. The greatest advance in the first four years of the Morales administration is regaining state control of the economy; Bolivia has effectively changed its economic model from a predominantly free-market one to a mixed model in which state management of the basic sectors of the economy predominates. Changing the structure of development has taken second place to these changes, but the government has acted to promote the needed diversification by encouraging environmental protection, guaranteeing workers’ rights, and providing improved access to credit. The implementation of some of the plan’s main features has been delayed by political opposition from the eastern part of the country, but with a congressional majority for Morales’s party in his second term further advances can be predicted. Given the plan’s limitations and moderation and the problems in its implementation, it is significant that Bolivia has witnessed an impressive increase in the gross domestic product and a decrease in income inequality.
The Rhetorical Possibilities of “Home” in Homeland Security
Authors: Dobel J. Patrick
Published: August 2010

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security introduced “homeland” as a new concept into American political rhetoric. Using common language, literature, and philological analysis, this article uncovers the wide array of meanings that the metaphor home generates. These meanings can expand and constrain the policy focus of an institution dedicated to “home”-land security. They define home as: a place of refuge and peace; a place of intimacy and nurture; a community beyond multiple bloodlines with guest obligations; an intergenerational place to be preserved and handed on; and a sense of integrity that resides in a person. The article argues that public leaders can deploy the concept of home to expand the moral and policy range derived from concern for home far beyond an emphasis upon physical security.
Pulsed radiofrequency versus conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in painful shoulder: a prospective, randomized study
Authors: Korkmaz Onur Kιvιlcιm , Capaci Kazιm , Eyigor Can , Eyigor Sibel
Published: August 2010

Objective: To compare the efficacy of pulse radiofrequency applied to the suprascapular nerve with the efficacy of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment in patients with shoulder pain.

Design: A randomized, controlled trial.

Setting: An outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation clinic.

Subjects: Forty patients with shoulder pain lasting at least three months were included in the study. Subjects were randomly allocated into either a pulsed radiofrequency treatment or a conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment. All patients received exercise therapy.

Main measurements: Outcome measurements were performed using the visual analogue scale for pain and range of motion; the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index was used for disability; and the Short Form-36 was used to establish quality of life. All of the measurements were assessed at four points in time (before the intervention, and for 1, 4 and 12 weeks afterwards).

Results: When the groups were compared, no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of visual analogue scale, range of motion, the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (except for the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index total score), Short Form-36 subscores, and paracetamol consumption for all weeks (P >0.05).

Conclusion: Our results showed that there is no difference in effect between transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and pulsed radiofrequency treatment for shoulder pain.
Transferrin Receptor Expression in Canine Lymphoma
Authors: Priest H. , McDonough S. , Erb H. , Daddona J. , Stokol T.
Published: August 2010

Transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) expression was measured by immunohistochemistry in 78 archived cases of canine B-cell and T-cell lymphoma with an anti-human TfR1 monoclonal antibody that was validated in the dog by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. The canine lymphoma cases were initially classified on the basis of World Health Organization criteria and then subdivided into the following 4 subgroups: low-grade B-cell (LGB), high-grade B-cell (HGB), low-grade T-cell (LGT), and high-grade T-cell (HGT). A visual scoring system and densitometric analysis of the proportion and intensity of positive staining were used to quantify TfR1 expression. TfR1 expression was also correlated to mitotic rate. TfR1 expression was significantly lower in the LGT tumors compared to all other lymphoma subgroups (LGB, HGB, and HGT). LGB tumors showed a TfR1 expression similar to those of the high-grade tumors (HGB and HGT). Significant correlations were found between mitotic rate and densitometric TfR1 variables in the T-cell tumors but not in the B-cell tumors. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying molecular basis of the high TfR1 expression in LGB lymphomas and its pathological relevance. The anti-human TfR1 monoclonal antibody is a useful tool for measurement of total cellular transferrin receptor expression in the dog; however, an antibody with specificity for the canine TfR1 ectodomain is needed to investigate the potential of this receptor as an oncolytic target.
Service Labor and Symbolic Power
Authors: Sallaz Jeffrey J.
Published: August 2010

The subfield that is the sociology of service labor continues to generate vibrant internal dialogue. It was the author’s original intent to push forward the frontier of theory within this field, by performing an ethnography of service work in a non-American context (that of post-apartheid South Africa). Once in the field, however, he found himself moving backward as he was forced to problematize basic assumptions concerning the very category of service. In brief, the author discovered that managers in a competitive tourism industry refused to label their employees’ interactive labor as “service,” whereas workers themselves actively advocated for such a designation. To document the interplay between material and symbolic politics of production, the author turned to the work of Pierre Bourdieu—especially his theory of political representation and the accompanying concept of nomination struggles.
The Missing Customer and the Ever-Present Market
Authors: Ó Riain Seán
Published: August 2010

Although some software engineers and developers work directly with the final users of their product to generate customized software, many do not. However, drawing on an ethnographic study of software developers in a U.S. firm in Ireland, this article argues that both software developers who work closely with customers and those who do not can be thought of as “service workers.” The article extends the analysis of the “service triangle” of workers, managers, and customers to software workers who interact with customers in the software development and support process. It then uses the case of software workers who do not interact with customers to rethink our definition of what counts as service work. For these workers, the customer also looms large in the workplace—but only as an abstract entity to which they should respond and be attentive, mobilized through organizational mechanisms that transmit and simulate market pressures rather than through concrete interactions with customers themselves. The irony is that an organization of production that mobilizes the customer as the driving force of the production process ultimately, and largely unintentionally, marginalizes the customer as irrational and incompetent—an outsider in the service economy, with little input into the technologies they end up using.
Bermuda Revisited?
Authors: Bolton Sharon C. , Houlihan Maeve
Published: August 2010

This article charts changing power relations within customer services, focusing on frontline service sector managers (FLSSMs): what they do and how they do it. Although increasingly ghostlike in the sociology of customer service work, the FLSSM is a mediator of the often divergent interests of employees, senior management, and customers. Drawing on Kanter’s notion of power failure in management circuits, the article depicts a series of “triangle dramas” drawn from a variety of frontline settings that show how managers can be denied access to “lines of power.” The analysis questions the expectation that FLSSMs have sufficient power to resolve customer dissatisfactions or address structural failings.
Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on the Rheological Properties of Gelatin Hydrogels
Authors: Van Vlierberghe S. , Dubruel P. , Schacht E.
Published: August 2010

Gelatin has the ability to form a gel when cooled below the sol—gel temperature. In this study, the effects of various cryo-parameters, including the number of freeze—thaw cycles, cooling rate, thawing rate, and gelatin concentration, on the material properties were examined. The rheological properties of the cryogels improved with increasing cryo-cycles and decreasing cooling and thawing rates as well as were superior to those of the corresponding hydrogels formed at room temperature. In addition, the critical gelation concentration decreased after repeated cryo-treatments. Methacrylamide-modified gelatin was also treated cryogenically, followed by in situ UV irradiation to enable radical cross-linking. The cross-linking efficiency of specific gelatin concentrations improved with freeze—thawing. Cryogelation can be used to fine-tune the mechanical properties of hydrogels. This is of relevance to tissue engineering where porous gelatin hydrogels are used as biomaterials.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Employer Support for Breastfeeding Questionnaire (ESBQ)
Authors: Rojjanasrirat Wilaiporn , Wambach Karen A. , Sousa Valmi D. , Gajewski Byron J.
Published: August 2010

The purpose of this descriptive methodological study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Employer’s Support for Breastfeeding Questionnaire (ESBQ). The convenience sample consisted of 380 business owners, managers, or supervisors from the Midwestern United States. Data were collected using Web and paper-based questionnaires from January to March 2008. Psychometric evaluation included item analysis, scale reliability, and construct validity. The ESBQ subscales had Cronbach’s alphas ranging from 0.85 to 0.92. Most inter-item and item-to-total correlations were above the recommendation of 0.30. The test-retest reliability of each subscale ranged from 0.93 to 1.0. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the scale. The comparative fit index (CFI) and the non-normal fit index (NNFI) were 0.90 and 0.91, respectively, and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.05. Findings supported the ESBQ as reliable, valid, and theoretically consistent with the theory of planned behavior. J Hum Lact. 26(3):286-296.
Sedation and Analgesia in Critically Ill Neurologic Patients
Authors: Makii Jason M. , Mirski Marek A. , Lewin John J.
Published: August 2010

Critically ill neurologic patients can pose a challenge when it comes to providing sedation and analgesia, primarily with the balance of maintaining sedation to provide patient comfort while still allowing a neurological examination. Determination of the optimal agent requires assessment and understanding of the underlying requirement for sedation: provision of analgesia, anxiolysis, or treatment of delirium. Pharmacological options exist that can affect individual or multiple underlying sedation requirements. Numerous evaluation tools exist to monitor the efficacy of sedation as well as help clinicians titrate agents to predefined goals; these tools allow the safe administration of drugs that can otherwise have serious adverse effects. Sedation regimens must ultimately be individualized to each patient to account for differences in pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the various agents, and this is particularly true in sedating neurologically injured patients. The agents frequently used to provide sedation and analgesia in the critically ill neurologic patient will be reviewed.
‘Normally I should belong to the others’: Young people’s gendered transcultural competences in creating belonging in Germany and Canada
Authors: Schmitt Irina
Published: August 2010

Young people create differentiated models of belonging. Their strategies reflect contexualized competences — the capacity to understand and negotiate the influence of national frameworks in specific situations. Theories that understand belonging as processual and intersectional offer useful frameworks with which to analyse this. This article uses data from empirical research with young people in a German secondary school and a Canadian junior high school to highlight young people’s situated competences and their critique of the respective frameworks of belonging.
‘I’ve got two houses. One in Bangladesh and one in London ... everybody has’: Home, locality and belonging(s)
Authors: Mand Kanwal
Published: August 2010

This article explores the experiences of ‘home’ for British-born Bangladeshi children who are active members of transnational families. The article illustrates that these children, who are mobile between Sylhet and London, play an active role in maintaining transnational linkages. The article critiques the omission of children’s perspectives in understanding ideas and practices of ‘home’ within the diaspora and among transnational families. A key finding is that while children identify Sylhet and London as ‘home’, the experience of these places differs in accordance with the different social relations, practices and material circumstances through which they experience these places.
A New Measure of Group Influence in Presidential Elections: Assessing Latino Influence in 2008
Authors: Barreto Matt A. , Collingwood Loren , Manzano Sylvia
Published: August 2010

The importance of the Latino electorate has been the subject of both academic inquiry and media discourses. The question of Latino influence is frequently limited by an approach that focuses on single variable considerations (e.g., voter turnout or ethnic-targeted campaign spending) that are often contest-specific idiosyncrasies. Relying on theoretically appropriate concepts, the authors measure Latino political influence as a function of three factors: in-group population traits, electoral volatility, and mobilization. Using the 2008 presidential election, the authors demonstrate the utility of incorporating a multifaceted measure that accounts for the contemporary complexity within the electoral environment. Because this framework is rooted in theoretical concepts, as opposed to discrete group or contest characteristics, it may be applied to any “influence group” in different electoral settings. Data are culled from several publicly available outlets, making it possible for scholars to replicate these measures and further investigate questions associated with group influence in American politics.
Professing Political Theory
Authors: Gunnell John G.
Published: August 2010

Political theorists cannot reasonably maintain an institutional attachment to the discipline of political science and claim a place in the curriculum of the field while professing intellectual autonomy. Political theory is the progeny of American political science, as well as a subfield of the discipline, and it is important to dispel mythologies of political theory as a separate world-historical endeavor. Political theorists, like all social scientists, must realistically come to grips with their cognitive and practical relationship to their subject matter and resist the forms of dislocated rhetoric that sustain their often anomalous condition.
Voters, Emotions, and Race in 2008: Obama as the First Black President
Authors: Redlawsk David P. , Tolbert Caroline J. , Franko William
Published: August 2010

Social desirability effects make it difficult to learn voters’ racial attitudes. List experiments can tap sensitive issues without directly asking respondents to express overt opinions. The authors report on such an experiment about Barack Obama as the first black president, finding that 30 percent of white Americans were “troubled” by the prospect of Obama as the first black president. The authors examine policy and emotional underpinnings of these responses, finding that expressed emotions of anxiety and enthusiasm condition latent racial attitudes and racial policy beliefs especially for those exhibiting a social desirability bias. The results suggest that Obama’s victory despite this level of concern about race was at least in part a result of intense enthusiasm his campaign generated. This enthusiasm for Obama may have allowed some white voters to overcome latent concerns about his race. The research suggests emotions are critical in understanding racial attitudes.
Response-Time Variability Is Related to Parent Ratings of Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Executive Function
Authors: Gómez-Guerrero Lorena , Martín Cristina Domínguez , Mairena María Angeles , Di Martino Adriana , Wang Jing , Mendelsohn Alan L. , Dreyer Benard P. , Isquith Peter K. , Gioia Gerard , Petkova Eva , Castellanos F. Xavier
Published: August 2010

Objective: Individuals with ADHD are often characterized as inconsistent across many contexts. ADHD is also associated with deficits in executive function. We examined the relationships between response time (RT) variability on five brief computer tasks to parents’ ratings of ADHD-related features and executive function in a group of children with a broad range of ADHD symptoms from none to full diagnosis. Methods: We tested 98 children (mean age 9.9 ± 1.4 years; 66 boys) from community clinics on short tasks of executive control (TEC) and the Eriksen Flanker task, while a parent completed the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Results: Variability for two of the TEC tasks explained significant proportions of the variance of all five ADHD-related Conners’ subscales and several executive function subscales. By contrast, variability on the flanker task or mean RTs for any task were not associated with any rating scale. Conclusion: The significant dimensional relationships observed between variability measures and parent ratings supported the utility of RT variability as an objective measure in ADHD and aspects of executive functioning that is superior to RT means or accuracy measures.
Recovery after spinal cord relapse in multiple sclerosis is predicted by radial diffusivity
Authors: Freund Patrick , Wheeler-Kingshott Claudia , Jackson Jonathan , Miller David , Thompson Alan , Ciccarelli Olga
Published: August 2010

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether the diffusion tensor-derived radial diffusivity and axial diffusivity, measured in the cortico-spinal tract in the cervical cord, predict clinical recovery after a cord relapse in patients with multiple sclerosis, and change over time.

Methods: Fourteen patients were clinically assessed at the onset of a cervical cord relapse and after 1, 3 and 6 months. Patients and 13 age-matched healthy controls underwent spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging at each time point. The directional diffusivities from diffusion tensor imaging, termed radial diffusivity and axial diffusivity, were calculated in regions of interest placed in the lateral columns, where the cortico-spinal tract is located, and in the anterior and posterior columns. Regression analyses identified predictors of clinical outcome, adjusting for age, gender, cord cross-sectional area and baseline clinical score, and estimated the differences in the rate of change in diffusion tensor imaging measures between groups over time, adjusting for changes in cord cross-sectional area.

Results: Lower radial diffusivity of the cortico-spinal tract at baseline was associated with better clinical outcome. As patients improved clinically during the follow-up, they showed greater decrease in radial diffusivity of the cortico-spinal tract than controls.

Conclusions: The predictive role of radial diffusivity and its dynamic changes over time suggest that this index reflects spinal cord pathological processes, including resolution of inflammation and remyelination, that contribute to clinical recovery in multiple sclerosis. This suggests that radial diffusivity may be useful in trials that promote recovery after spinal cord injury and could be applied to other neurological diseases affecting the spinal cord.