bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Banking and financial services: the major information sources
Authors: Freeman Olivia
Published: October 2003

Evaluates the leading information sources in the banking and financial services sectors. Covers official publications, reference sources, statistics, credit ratings, newsletters, journals, market research, online databases, CD-ROMs and organisations.
Retail intelligence in the UK
Authors: Nichols Lesley
Published: October 2003

Reviews the major sources of retail intelligence in the UK: directories, trade journals, market research reports, online databases, trade associations, academic institutions, stockbrokers and information services.
Market research in financial services: the major sources evaluated
Authors: Freeman Olivia
Published: October 2003

Evaluates the growing amount of published market data available for service industries, particularly financial services. Reviews recent market reports on the credit card industry using the criteria of audience level, compilation method, market coverage, presentation, data integrity and value for money.
Chinese business information sources: an update
Authors: Ying-Shan Han
Published: October 2003

Examines Chinese business information sources with a special emphasis on those based in China itself. Includes directories, reference books and databases as well as relevant organisations.
Leisure markets: the major information sources
Authors: Tucker David
Published: October 2003

Evaluates the main information sources for commercial analysis of the leisure sector. Covers official publications (central and local government), associations, market research (published and commissioned), journals and directories and company information sources.
Conference papers: a neglected source of business information
Authors: Tagg Lawrence
Published: October 2003

Analyses the information available from conference papers, and describes the output of 12 leading organisers-CBI, DRI/McGraw-Hill, The Economist, Euromoney, Financial Times, Hawksmere, IIR, Institute of Directors, Interforum, IBC, Lafferty and Metal Bulletin.
Scenario Forecasting: The Role of the Business Information Professional
Authors: Burke, Maria
Published: October 2003

This article examines the relationship between business information and scenario forecasting, and highlights the role of the business information professional in contributing to this form of forecasting.
Compiling market reports: the value of online databases
Authors: Tucker David
Published: October 2003

Evaluates the importance of online business databases to the compiler and writer of market reports. Analyses the types of information source needed for market reports and their availability online. Compares information search and retrieval costs of online and conventional methods. Gives specific examples of market reports being prepared for publication.
US import/export information: selected sources
Authors: Pagell Ruth A , Kardon Cynthia L Cronin
Published: October 2003

Examines standard sources of import and export information about or from the United States which have relevance to non-US traders.
Business Links: a review of their association with public libraries
Authors: Hyde Margery
Published: October 2003

Evaluates the findings of a new report on the association of Business Links with public libraries.
Business Information Salary Survey 1995
Authors: Jago Alison
Published: October 2003

Presents some of the findings of TFPL’s latest salary survey.
Business information from Central and Eastern Europe: the CIS
Authors: Shelley Wendy
Published: October 2003

Reviews the evolution taking place in business information within the Commonwealth of Independent States, particularly relating to organizations formerly of the Soviet Union, and offers advice to those seeking such information. Lists and describes information sources in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, Central Asian republics and Transcaucasian republics. Concludes that searchers would be greatly helped by the agency of a trusted intermediary who understands the system and languages and, although business information is undoubtedly developing, the process is slow and Western researchers will continue to face challenges and difficulties.
Adding value: using a Lotus Notes database to improve reference service
Authors: Ounanian L. Allison
Published: October 2003

Describes the development of Lotus Notes-based databases designed to improve the quality of the reference service provided by Horn Library, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. Babson College is a four-year business college and the database, Assign2, was created by the Infomerger team to maximize public service delivery. Assign2 works as an intelligence gathering tool, one goal being to determine which professors and departments are assigning which kinds of projects to students and to collect relevant information and sources related to these projects. This information forms the basis for improving reference information provision to staff and students with particular reference to user training. Lotus Notes 3.3 is mounted on the college’s computer network, Globenet, with two public access workstations at the Information Kiosk and in the Library. Students can open up any Lotus Notes database and search for a particular project assignment. The retrieved assignment contains useful research suggestions for sources of specific information. Links are provided from the entries in the Lotus Notes databases directly to relevant Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) sites.
The use of online databases and CD-ROMs in law libraries
Authors: Pedley Paul
Published: October 2003

Reviews early surveys of the use of online databases and CD-ROM databases by law libraries and uses the results to compile a database list, including: LEXIS; Books on Screen; Context Limited; Internet databases; FT Profile; MAID; Companies House Direct (CHORUS); FT Excel; and Perfect Information. Provides brief descriptions of each database and summarizes forthcoming products, know-how systems, changes within the online and CD-ROM market, delivery methods, costs and pricing structures, account logging, recharging, training, troubleshooting, and help-desk support issues. Contact addresses and details are presented for each of the services described.
Compiling Internet expert resources: a case study towards a meta-index of subject experts in business information
Authors: Bauwens Michel
Published: October 2003

Describes the construction and coverage of the Cybrarian’s Guide to Cyber-Marketing, an annotated and structured subject guide to Internet resources in the field of interactive marketing, online advertising and electronic commerce. The Guide monitors new Internet resources, especially Web sites and review articles, in terms of Internet marketing (pre-sales), electronic commerce (sales) and related information resources and enabling technologies. The Guide exists as a Web site (URL: http://www.iocom.be/pilot/cybermarketing/) and highlights only those resources judged to be significant in terms of emerging business. Focuses on the use of secondary services as the means of generating input to the Guide, including: electronic mail-based formal newsletters and alerting services; offline browsers; notifiers; and ‘Push’ services. Usenet newsgroups are not used due to their low signal-to-noise ratio. Notes briefly the techniques used to process the data and special attention paid to output information presentation and search interface. Users can search the database in six ways, using: a hierarchical subject tree specially adapted to the emerging field of Internet business developments; an ‘interactive outliner’; the Hot-Sauce interface; a relative site map; a ‘what’s new’ section; and the PERSonal Update Notification Agent (PERSUNA).
Taking your career in hand: a question of attitude?
Authors: Hill Sue
Published: October 2003

In response to David Thew’s article ( Business Information Review, 15 (1) March 1998, 38–39), which examined the necessity for business information professionals to take in hand their own personal and career development, stresses their need to build the broadest base of skills, abilities and attitudes possible in the likelihood that they will change their jobs and even careers at least once in their working lives. Recommends the compilation and maintenance of a continuing professional development document, listing both skills and a record of training courses, conferences and other professional activities, as a way of compiling job CVs or targeted application letters. Concludes by discussing ways of overcoming some of the obstacles to career development; including inertia and fear.
Retrieval technology and the information explosion
Authors: Stubbs Roger
Published: October 2003

Among a range of important technical issues facing by publishers for profit, the most urgent would seem to be that, while CD-ROM represents an established, proven source of revenue, the vast majority of investment is currently going into Internet and Web development, where evidence to date shows that revenue is scarce. Considers the question of how to generate Web revenues with reference to the briefing paper, A model approach, produced by Optosof, the specialist in Internet and CD-ROM retrieval solutions. The paper looks at the relationship between publishers’ existing business models, and the technology issues affecting their ability to establish the Web as a profitable source of revenue in the short term. Suggests that a logical strategy might be to put core content on CD-ROM, while supplementing it with Internet based access to topical and real time content. The key benchmark as far as performance is concerned will be to have a product built around a fast search engine that offers simultaneous search of multiple databases stored on one or more servers and where retrieval of data allows instant analysis and easy view, copy, export and print. Concludes with useful advice on implementing a successful strategy based on these requirements.
Feel the fear and do it anyway
Authors: Robinson Lesley
Published: October 2003

Investigates whether information specialists, particulalry business information professionals, need additional qualifications, such as an MBA, and recounts the author’s experience of choosing the MBA as being the most appropriate qualification for expanding her earlier skills, which were technically focused. Notes the strategy used to choose which MBA to study for (finally choosing UK’s Cranfield), noting what she expected to gain from the process and what she actually gained in practice. Lists the key skills learned from the MBA process: working effectively in a team; understanding how people work; time management and delegation; building a framework for analysing problems; questioning assumptions; and using lateral thinking processes. Concludes that one of the key post-MBA goals, achieving a better job, was achieved in practice and involved a job with KPMG Management Consultancy, working directly for the UK Senior Partner: a job which would not have been attainable without an MBA. Concludes that the combination of information management skills and management/business skills is likely to be a valuable one in a future where knowledge management is becoming increasingly important.
Competitive Intelligence in Europe
Authors: West Chris
Published: October 2003

Considers the development of competitive intelligence as a formal discipline, noting that the use of competitive intelligence in Europe has been stimulated by developments in the USA. Notes that the pressure on companies to move from being competitor aware to being competitor intelligent is driven by the need to have a competitive strategy, the ability to use the intelligence once it is gathered to contribute to the bottom line, the ability to study competitors. In most European countries the developments which have resulted in a major intensification of competition between companies include: privatization; deregulation; liberalization; global marketing; periods of economic recession and reduced product and service differentiation. Consultancies providing competitive intelligence consist of competitive intelligence specialists, corporate investigators, secondary data feeders, benchmarking companies and market research organizations. Factors inhibiting the growth of competitive intelligence in Europe include data protection legislation, fear that competitive intelligence is unethical, counter intelligence, failure of competitive strategies to yield the expected gains. Concludes by discussing the role of the information manager in competitive intelligence gathering.
Developments in the electronic delivery of information services for management education
Authors: Reid Christine D. , Clifford Brian
Published: October 2003

Outlines the development of business and management education in the UK and the increasing trend toward distance education. Describes and discusses the move towards Web-based delivery of information products and how business school librarians, in particular, have developed services to encapsulate both these changes and the increasing demands of servicing remote students.
Hidden Hispanic Homelessness in Los Angeles: The “Latino Paradox” Revisited
Authors: Conroy Stephen J. , Heer David M.
Published: October 2003

The authors exploit a unique sample of Mexican-born persons in Los Angeles to investigate whether the apparent dearth of Hispanic homeless (the “Latino paradox”) can be explained as a methodological bias. They test two hypotheses: (Hypothesis 1) there will be no significant difference between the homeless rate (HR) for this sample compared to Los Angeles County and (Hypothesis 2) Mexican-born homeless persons are as likely as others to sleep in nontraditional settings. Rejecting both hypotheses, we find that the HR for this sample is nearly 7 times greater than for the entire county and that Mexican-born homeless are more likely to sleep in nontraditional settings. The authors conclude that Mexican-born homeless may be systematically undercounted in homeless samples because they are more likely to exist outside traditional homeless spaces.
From Class to Nation: Left, Right, and the Ideological and Institutional Roots of Post-Communist “National Socialism”
Authors: Vujačić Veljko
Published: October 2003

This article explores the ideological and institutional causes of the emergence of political coalitions between orthodox communists and extreme nationalists in the late communist and post-communist periods. The causes of the emergence of new forms of national socialist ideologies, parties, movements, and regimes are sought in the historically rooted ideological affinities between socialist and nationalist ideologies and the perceived necessity for communist cadres of defining a substitute “combat task,” co-opting the nationalist intelligentsia, and attracting desperately needed popular support. Such attempts at “national-socialist” mobilization in the late communist and post-communist context face serious social-structural, institutional, and ideological constraints. Consequently, it is inappropriate to subsume these parties, movements, and regimes under familiar concepts such as fascism, totalitarianism, integral nationalism, populism, or sultanism. Instead, they should be seen as distinct subspecies of late communist and post-communist authoritarianism.
Women's Experiences of Breastfeeding in a Bottle-Feeding Culture
Authors: Scott Jane A. , Mostyn Tricia
Published: October 2003

Focus group interviews were used to explore the breastfeeding attitudes and experiences of a group of low-income Scottish women who were breastfeeding in an environment where bottle-feeding was the cultural norm. The majority of women interviewed had no prior exposure to breastfeeding and received little or no support or advice for breastfeeding from family or friends. All women were participants in a breastfeeding peer-support project, and for most the peer volunteers represented their only source of support and guidance, outside of that provided by health professionals. Women often went to great lengths to avoid having to breastfeed in public, and the majority preferred to breastfeed away from the public gaze. Despite reported increases in breastfeeding rates, bottle-feeding remains the cultural norm in the more deprived areas of Glasgow. Those women who do breastfeed in these areas demonstrate a high level of commitment to breastfeeding that sets them apart from their social peers. J Hum Lact.19(3):270-277.
Acute Dyspnea as Perceived by Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Heinzer Marjorie M. V. , Bish Catherine , Detwiler Ruth
Published: October 2003

Like pain, dyspnea, or difficulty in breathing, is a strong subjective experience of physiological distress. Using a model developed by DeVito, this study focused on the emotional aspects of the acute experience of dyspnea in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on a medical unit and explored nursing activities that eased the intensity of the symptoms. The study was descriptive in design and used a semistructured interview format with four open-ended questions and a numerical self-assessment of dyspnea using the Modified 0-10 Borg Scale (MBS). The sample included 41 hospitalized patients with COPD between the ages of 43 and 89 years who had experienced episodes of acute dyspnea both prior to and during their current inpatient stays. This article provides descriptions of the experience of dyspnea, identifies themes from the participants' responses, notes the patients' perceptions of the efficacy of nursing actions, and extends the use of the MBS to an inpatient population.
A Transcultural Spiritually Based Program to Enhance Caregiving Self-Efficacy: A Pilot Study
Authors: Oman Doug , Hedberg John , Downs David , Parsons Debra
Published: October 2003

This study examined how training in a nonsectarian toolkit of spiritually based self-management techniques affected the caregiving self-efficacy (confidence) of health professionals, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, and chaplains. Before and after an 8-week, 2-hour per week training in the meditation-based Eight Point Program of Easwaran (1978/1991b), participants ( n = 14) completed a newly developed 32-item caregiving self-efficacy questionnaire. Data were also gathered regarding sociodemographic characteristics, spiritual and religious self-perceptions and practices, and program adherence. Results indicated that mean pre/post self-efficacy increases were large (Cohen's d > 0.80), statistically significant ( p < 0.01), and associated with greater use of specific pro-gram practices. Three participants reported increases in self-perceived spirituality. Self-efficacy increases were largest for participants identifying themselves as least spiritual at pretest ( p < 0.05), or reporting increases in spirituality ( p < 0.05). Although preliminary, these findings support using this already widely crossculturally disseminated toolkit for a variety of purposes in clinical practice, health promotion, and health professional education.
Broadcast Arrest, Urban Education, and Multicultural Spectatorship
Authors: Henke Suellyn M.
Published: October 2003

This study uses Shohat and Stam's notion of multicultural spectatorship to examine the relationship of local news media and secondary urban education. A specific local news spectacle, the videotaped handcuffing and arrest of Pharon Crosby, an African American teenager in downtown Cincinnati, is the primary focus of analysis. Broadcast and newspaper stories are interwoven with interview excerpts from community members, students, educators, and reporters to explore the multilayered webs of meaning that construct limitations and possibilities for urban education in the public imaginary. Although the mediated arrest of Crosby opened up a space for community members to discuss race and injustice, it ultimately advanced a tighter linkage between the police department and the public schools. The potential of urban schools to serve as democratic sites was overshadowed. Instead, a discourse heightening the commonsense understanding of urban schools as appendages to the state penal system was subtly disseminated throughout the community.
Neural Mechanisms of Language-Based Learning Impairments: Insights from Human Populations and Animal Models
Authors: Fitch R. Holly , Tallal Paula
Published: October 2003

The acquisition of speech perception and consequent expression of language represent fundamental aspects of human functioning. Yet roughly 7% to 8% of children who are otherwise healthy and of normal intelligence exhibit unexplained delays and impairments in acquiring these skills. Ongoing research has revealed several key features of language disability that may pro-vide more direct insight into underlying anomalous neural functioning. For example, evidence supports a strong association between basic defects in processing rapidly changing acoustic information and emergent disruptions in speech perception, as well as cascading effects on other forms of language development (including reading). Considerable neurobiological research has thus focused on developmental factors that might deleteriously influence rapid sensory processing. Additional research focuses on mechanisms of neural plasticity, including how such brains might be “retrained” for improved processing of language. These and related findings from human clinical studies, electrophysiological studies, neuroimaging studies, and animal models are reviewed.
Mass-Producing Traditional Small Cities: Gottfried Feder's Vision for a Greater Nazi Germany
Authors: Schenk Tilman A. , Bromley Ray
Published: October 2003

Gottfried Feder (1883-1941) joined the newly founded Nazi movement in 1919 and became a leading writer and spokesman on economics, architecture, and urban development. He condemned usury, finance capital, large corporations, metropolitan growth, and modernist architecture, and he advocated family-owned businesses, state enterprises, small cities, and “traditional” styles. After Hitler came to power, Feder worked in government, but he was marginalized in 1934 and appointed professor of planning at the Berlin Institute of Technology. There, he wrote Die neue Stadt ( The New City), a major book published in 1939 but largely ignored in Germany—in wartime because it criticized big business and afterward because Feder was a leading Nazi. The book blends fascist, modernist, antiurban, and geopolitical visions to propose the construction of many new traditional cities of twenty thousand in supposedly sparsely populated eastern lands. It shows how innocuous planning ideas may be appropriated for sinister purposes of conquest and social engineering.
Direct Restorative Material Use of Selected Practitioners in the United Kingdom
Authors: Brunton Paul A , Hickel Reinhard , Wilson Nairn HF
Published: October 2003

Purpose of the Investigation

To investigate, by questionnaire, the direct restorative materials used by a sample of practitioners from the Unite d Kingdom.

Basic Procedures

A postal questionnaire was distributed to a group of self-selected practitioners, who volunteered to participate in the study. In all 110 practitioners participated in the study.

Main Findings

The most used material for the restoration of occlusal (Class I) and approximal (Class II) lesions was amalgam with 61% and 73% of practitioners indicating that they used amalgam in this situation. Adhesive tooth-coloured materials, specifically composites and compomers, were preferred by the majority of practitioners for anterior approximal (Class III) and incisal (Class IV) restorations with compomer preferred for Class V restorations including non-carious cervical lesions and for the restoration of primary teeth.

Principal Conclusions

It is concluded that the general practitioners surveyed in this study tend to use amalgam for the restoration of Class I and II lesions as opposed to resin composite. The majority of practitioners in this study used compomers, a relatively new group of restorative materials, with little evidence of traditional glass-ionomer cements being used routinely.
Stress in Dental Specialists: A Comparison of Six Clinical Dental Specialties
Authors: Newton Jonathon T , Mistry Kamini , Patel Akit , Patel Priya , Perkins Matthew , Saeed Kashif , Smith Christoper
Published: October 2003

Objective

To describe and compare the levels of stress reported by dental practitioners working within clinical dental specialties.

Method

Questionnaire survey of 220 dental practitioners identified from the General Dental Council lists of specialist practitioners in the following clinical specialties: orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, restorative dentistry, endo-dontics, periodontology, prosthetic dentistry.

Findings

The clinical specialties did not differ in their reported levels of stress. Practitioners working in the field of paediatric dentistry reported the highest median levels of reported stress for three of the four scales, though this trend was not significant.

Conclusions

The practitioners surveyed from six clinical specialties did not experience significantly different sources of stress.
Ischemia triggered by spreading neuronal activation is induced by endothelin‐1 and hemoglobin in the subarachnoid space
Authors: Petzold Gabor C. , Einhäupl Karl M. , Dirnagl Ulrich , Dreier Jens P.
Published: October 2003

Delayed cerebral vasospasm has a major impact on the outcome of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Two important candidates to cause the arterial spasm are the red blood cell product oxyhemoglobin and the vasoconstrictor endothelin‐1, although oxyhemoglobin alone is not sufficient to induce cerebral ischemia and endothelin‐1 leads to ischemia only at relatively high concentrations. In this study, we demonstrated that the combination of oxyhemoglobin and endothelin‐1 triggered spreading neuronal activation in rat cortex in vivo. In contrast with the expected transient increase of regional cerebral blood flow during spreading depression, however, cerebral blood flow decreased profoundly and was long‐lasting, paralleled by delayed repolarization of the steady (direct current) potential. These changes are characteristic of cortical spreading ischemia. Replacing oxyhemoglobin for the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine mimicked these effects, implicating nitric oxide scavenging functions of oxyhemoglobin. Furthermore, the effect of endothelin‐1 was related to a reduction of Na+‐/K+‐ATPase activity rather than solely to its vasoconstrictive properties. In conclusion, the threshold concentration of endothelin‐1 that induces cerebral ischemia is profoundly reduced via a complex interaction between the neuronal/astroglial network and the cortical microcirculation if nitric oxide availability declines. The results may have implications for the understanding of subarachnoid hemorrhage–related cortical lesions.
Growth hormone prevents human immunodeficiency virus–induced neuronal p53 expression
Authors: Silva Claudia , Zhang Kunyan , Tsutsui Shigeki , Holden Janet K. , Gill M. John , Power Christopher
Published: October 2003

Growth hormone (GH) is neuroprotective, presumably through its actions on GH receptor–mediated pathways. Here, we examined the effects of GH using in vitro and in vivo assays of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–induced neuronal injury. Neuronal cultures were in assays of neurotoxicity induced by supernatants from HIV‐1 tat‐transfected monocytoid cells (Tat supernatant). GH treatment reduced neuronal death compared with untreated cultures (p < 0.001), which was blocked by a GH receptor antagonist, B2036. Tat supernatant–induced p53 expression in neurons was also reduced by GH treatment. Expression of both p53 and GH receptor were increased in brain tissue from HIV‐infected persons compared with controls (p < 0.05). Mice receiving intrastriatal implants of Tat supernatant and treated with GH showed less neurobehavioral abnormalities together with reduced neuroinflammation and neuronal injury compared with untreated animals (p < 0.01). Three acquired immunodeficiency syndrome–defined patients with neurocognitive impairment were serially evaluated during daily GH treatment showing a sustained improvement in neuropsychological performance (p < 0.01). GH prevents neuronal death through its actions on neurons involving a p53‐mediated pathway and also improved in vivo neurological function, indicating that GH may have a role in the treatment of HIV‐induced neurodegeneration. Ann Neurol 2003;54:605–614
An English kindred with a novel recessive tauopathy and respiratory failure
Authors: Nicholl David J. , Greenstone Michael A. , Clarke Carl E. , Rizzu Patrizia , Crooks Daniel , Crowe Alex , Trojanowski John Q. , Lee Virginia M.‐Y. , Heutink Peter
Published: October 2003

We present the clinicopathological features of two siblings from a consanguineous marriage who presented with respiratory hypoventilation and died 10 days and 4 years later, respectively. This disorder showed extensive tau neuropathology, and both had a novel homozygous S352L tau gene mutation. This is the first description of a pathologically proved young‐onset tauopathy with apparent recessive inheritance. Ann Neurol 2003;54:682–686
Experimental studies on reproductive toxicologic effects of lamotrigine in mice
Authors: Padmanabhan R. , Abdulrazzaq Y.M. , Bastaki S.M.A. , Shafiullah M. , Chandranath S.I.
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND: Virtually all antiepileptic drugs (AED) tested so far have been found to be teratogenic. The second generation AED possess a number of therapeutic advantages over the older ones. There are, however, very little data on their effects on embryonic development. A recent report suggests that lamotrigine (LTG) can be teratogenic to human fetuses. With only a few cases of prenatal exposure to LTG in the record, however, it has not been possible to establish a recognizable pattern of malformations in the infants of LTG‐treated mothers.OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the reproductive toxic effects of LTG RESULTS: Single (50–200 mg/kg) or multiple doses (25, 50, 75 mg/kg) of LTG were administered by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection (note that the therapeutic administration is oral) to groups of TO mice on gestation day (GD) 7 or 8. Fetuses were collected on GD 18. Maternal toxic effects including a dose‐related mortality, a high incidence of abortion, embryo lethality, congenital malformations and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) were observed in the LTG‐treated group. Administration of LTG in multiple low doses resulted in a better maternal survival and increased incidence of embryonic resorption and malformations with increasing dose; IUGR was significant but not dose‐dependent. The malformations characteristic of the LTG multiple low dose group fetuses included maxillary‐mandibular hypoplasia, exencephaly, cleft palate, median facial cleft, urogenital anomalies and varying degrees of caudal regression. Skeletal malformations and developmental delay of the skeleton were observed both in single and multiple dose groups.CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that LTG administered i.p. at high doses can induce intrauterine growth retardation and at low multiple doses causes a dose‐dependent increase in embryonic resorption, craniofacial and caudal malformations as well as maternal toxicity in the mouse. Previous studies in other laboratories have used oral route of exposure and concluded that there are no teratogenic effects of LTG at dose levels that are not maternally toxic. Birth Defects Res B 68:428–438, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The molecular biology of Euglena gracilis. XV. Recovery from centrifugation‐induced stratification
Authors: Kempner E. S. , Miller J. H.
Published: October 2003

The contents of Euglena gracilis cells can be separated in vivo by ultracentrifugation. Within the unbroken cell, each set of components forms a distinct layer according to their respective densities. The degree of segregation increases with both the g‐force and the time of centrifugation, up to a maximum at 100,000 × g for 1 h, when six distinct strata can be observed. When returned to normal growth conditions, essentially all the cells return to the normal state and growth pattern. Greater g‐forces or longer exposures do not alter the observable strata, but the ability of the cells to recover is diminished. Smaller g‐forces result in less separation of cellular contents and all cells recover, even after 18 h of exposure. Euglena cells stratified at 100,000 × g for 1 h were returned to normal growth conditions; recovery was followed microscopically and by the rate of utilization of oxygen as well as that of the single carbon source. The cells recovered their normal state within 1 to 2 h, which is only a tenth of the normal doubling time. The mechanism for this recovery involves a natural process of change in cell shape caused by contraction and relaxation of the pellicle, a cell surface structure. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 56:219–224, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
K‐ras mutation in tamoxifen‐related endometrial polyps
Authors: Hachisuga Toru , Miyakawa Takashi , Tsujioka Hiroshi , Horiuchi Shinji , Emoto Makoto , Kawarabayashi Tatsuhiko
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND

K‐ras mutation is thought to occur at an early stage of neoplastic progression in the endometrium. The authors investigated mutations in codon 12 of K‐ras in tamoxifen (TAM)‐related endometrial polyps.

METHODS

DNA was extracted from 11 frozen endometrial polyps from TAM‐treated patients with breast carcinoma. Mutations were detected using the mutant allele–specific amplification method. The results subsequently were analyzed for correlations with immunohistochemical data that were obtained using antibodies against estrogen receptors (ERs; α and β forms), progesterone receptors (PRs; A and B forms), and Ki‐67.

RESULTS

Mutations in codon 12 of K‐ras were observed in 7 of 11 TAM‐related endometrial polyps. Expression levels of ER‐α and PR‐B were high in the glandular epithelium and low in the stroma. PR‐A expression was high in both the glandular epithelium and the stroma. In the glandular epithelium, expression of ER‐β appeared to be lower than expression of ER‐α. The Ki‐67 index in the glandular epithelium ranged from 2 to 38, whereas the index ranged from 0 to 4 in the stroma (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of mutations in codon 12 of K‐ras in TAM‐related endometrial polyps (64%) was greater than the incidence of these same mutations in sporadic endometrial hyperplasias (4.5–23%). High expression levels of ER‐α, PR‐A, and PR‐B in the glandular epithelium were observed in all polyps, regardless of K‐ras codon 12 mutation status and Ki‐67 index. The authors' findings may support the hypothesis that the polyp‐carcinoma sequence partly indicates the development of endometrial carcinoma in postmenopausal women who have been treated with TAM. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia chromosome‐negative metaphases appearing during imatinib mesylate therapy in patients with Philadelphia chromosome‐positive chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase
Authors: Medina Jorge , Kantarjian Hagop , Talpaz Moshe , O'Brien Susan , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo , Giles Francis , Rios Mary Beth , Hayes Kimberly , Cortes Jorge
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND

Anecdotal cases of chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)‐negative metaphases have been reported in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase during treatment with interferon and, more recently, with imatinib. This phenomenon is different from true clonal evolution in that the additional cytogenetic abnormality occurs in Ph‐negative cells.

METHODS

The authors analyzed their experience with 342 patients with CML in chronic phase treated with imatinib to investigate the frequency and significance of this event.

RESULTS

After a median follow‐up of 30 months (range, 16–35 months), 21 patients (6%; 95% confidence interval, 0.04, 0.09) developed 25 chromosomal abnormalities in Ph‐negative cells. Thirteen (54%) of these abnormalities were seen in 2 or more metaphases. The median time from the start of treatment with imatinib to the appearance of the abnormalities was 6 months (range, 3–22 months). The most common cytogenetic abnormality detected was trisomy 8 (33%). Twenty of 21 patients (95%) achieved a major (Ph < 35%) cytogenetic response (complete cytogenetic response in 13–62%). After a median follow‐up of 22 months (range, 4–33 months), all 21 patients were alive, 20 of them in chronic phase and in complete hematologic response. None of the patients showed features of myelodysplasia.

CONCLUSIONS

Cytogenetic abnormalities occur in Ph‐negative cells in a fraction of patients with CML in chronic phase treated with imatinib. With a short follow‐up, no clear clinical consequences can be identified. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
A phase II study of weekly docetaxel plus capecitabine for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma
Authors: Han Ji‐Youn , Lee Dae Ho , Kim Hae Young , Hong Eun Kyung , Yoon Sung Min , Chun Jong Ho , Lee Hong Gi , Lee Sung Young , Shin Eun Hee , Lee Jin Soo
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND

Docetaxel is an active agent in advanced nonsmall‐cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and demonstrates preclinical and clinical synergism with capecitabine. We conducted the current Phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the docetaxel/capecitabine combination in chemotherapy‐naive patients with advanced NSCLC.

METHODS

Eligibility required Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC, bidimensionally measurable disease, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of 2 or lower. Treatment consisted of docetaxel 36 mg/m2 intravenously on Days 1 and 8 plus capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 orally twice per day on Days 1–14 of a 21‐day cycle, for a maximum of 6 cycles.

RESULTS

Of 39 patients enrolled, 39 and 36 patients were evaluated for toxicity and response, respectively. The overall response rate was 53% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37–69%) with 19 partial responses (no complete response). The median duration of response was 6.2 months (range, 2.1–15.7 months). At a median follow‐up of 14.2 months, 19 patients died. The median overall survival time was 17.8 months, with a 1‐year survival rate of 56.4% (95% CI, 40.9–72.0%). There were two treatment‐related deaths (one death due to pneumonia and one due to sepsis). Hematologic toxicity was mild to moderate. Thirteen percent of the patients had Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. However, Grade 2 or 3 nonhematologic toxicities were frequent, which included asthenia (51%), stomatitis (33%), hand–foot syndrome (33%), and diarrhea (29%).

CONCLUSIONS

The docetaxel/capecitabine combination showed promising antitumor activity for chemotherapy‐naive patients with advanced NSCLC, However, it was frequently associated with moderate‐to‐severe nonhematologic toxicities, suggesting clinical synergism in both efficacy and toxicity. Further adjustment of the dose schedule is recommended to maximize the therapeutic index. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Reduced folate carrier protein expression in osteosarcoma
Authors: Ifergan Ilan , Meller Issac , Issakov Josefin , Assaraf Yehuda G.
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND

High‐dose methotrexate (MTX) is an important component of current protocols for the treatment of osteosarcoma. Although MTX uptake proceeds primarily through the reduced folate carrier (RFC) protein and efflux occurs via multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1), RFC protein expression in osteosarcoma remains unexamined.

METHODS

RFC and MRP1 expression (normalized to β‐actin expression) was examined with Western blot analysis in 11 osteosarcoma specimens obtained at diagnosis and 9 osteosarcoma specimens obtained on recurrence.

RESULTS

The average RFC level in specimens obtained on recurrence was significantly higher than the level in specimens obtained at diagnosis (P = 0.0005). Furthermore, in all three matched pairs of diagnosis and recurrence specimens, RFC levels were higher in recurrence specimens than in the corresponding diagnosis specimens. Potential correlations between RFC and MRP1 expression and histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy were examined. Tumors with poor histologic responses (i.e., ≤ 90% necrosis) had significantly lower RFC levels than did those with favorable responses to chemotherapy (P = 0.0016). In contrast, there was no correlation between MRP1 levels at diagnosis and histologic response to chemotherapy (P = 0.8764). The elevated MRP1 levels in specimens obtained on recurrence relative to MRP1 levels in specimens obtained at diagnosis were not statistically significant (P = 0.2056).

CONCLUSIONS

The significant correlation between low RFC levels at diagnosis and poor histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy suggests that RFC levels at diagnosis may be a useful predictor of chemosensitivity and warrants large‐scale studies. In addition, postchemotherapy progression to recurrence is associated with a significant increase in RFC expression. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to examine RFC protein levels in tumor specimens. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Familial sarcoma
Authors: Lynch Henry T. , Deters Carolyn A. , Hogg David , Lynch Jane F. , Kinarsky Yulia , Gatalica Zoran
Published: October 2003

BACKGROUND

Partially due to the rare occurrence of soft tissue and osteogenic sarcomas in the general population, scant attention has been given to their hereditary etiology. Their overall poor prognosis might be ameliorated through an understanding of their environmental and hereditary causal factors, and/or their interactions, thereby contributing to earlier diagnosis and even the development of molecularly based targeted therapy.

METHODS

The authors selected 10 sarcoma‐prone families from their extensive hereditary cancer‐prone family resource and focused on their challenging diagnostic, surveillance, and management features. The family study protocol included the compilation of a detailed family history of malignant disease of all anatomic sites and the collection of all available primary medical and pathology documents for verification. Genetic counseling was provided before DNA collection and at disclosure of results.

RESULTS

These families displayed marked phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. In one of these families, 16 relatives had sarcomas, with 2 of the 16 each having 2 metachronous sarcomas; to our knowledge, this represents the greatest number of sarcomas reported in any family described to date. Two familial atypical multiple‐mole melanoma syndrome kindreds with the CDKN2A mutation showed the association of sarcoma with malignant melanoma, whereas one family had several pancreatic carcinomas. Other families with sarcoma had hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma with MSH2 mutation, hereditary breast carcinoma with BRCA1 mutation, and p53 mutation in a Li–Fraumeni syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Sarcoma‐prone families reported in the current study were selected carefully to depict clinicopathology and compliance features, the understanding of which could elucidate the etiologic role of genetic factors in concert with the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity encountered in such families. The lack of a population‐based data set for these families posed a limitation. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
cPLA2 activator peptide, PLAP, increases arachidonic acid release and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Pilane Cyril M. , LaBelle Edward F.
Published: October 2003

Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has recently drawn a lot of interest in various laboratories due to its importance in atherogenesis. We have shown previously that nitric‐oxide (NO) can induce apoptosis of VSMCs and that the NO‐induced apoptosis is accompanied by an increase in arachidonic acid release via cytoplasmic Ca2+‐dependent phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). We have demonstrated here that NO‐induced activation of cPLA2 leading to increased arachidonic acid release can be mimicked via direct activation of cPLA2 with a cPLA2 activator peptide, PLAP. The PLAP induced arachidonic acid release and apoptosis is inhibitable by a cPLA2‐specific inhibitor, AACOCF3, indicating the direct involvement of cPLA2. In this study, activation of cPLA2 appears to be preceded by activation and binding by PLAP indicating that the cPLA2 functions are mediated via PLAP. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 48–52, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cationic polyelectrolyte hydrogel fosters fibroblast spreading, proliferation, and extracellular matrix production: Implications for tissue engineering
Authors: De Rosa Mario , Carteni' Maria , Petillo Orsolina , Calarco Anna , Margarucci Sabrina , Rosso Francesco , De Rosa Alfredo , Farina Ernesto , Grippo Pasquale , Peluso Gianfranco
Published: October 2003

Fibrous encapsulation is known to occur to many prosthetic implants and is thought to be due to the cells not adhering adequately to the surface. For developing new materials able to enhance cellular adhesion by mimicking extracellular matrix components, polyelectrolyte polymers, characterized by tunable surface charges, have been proposed. Here we demonstrate that panoply of cell functions over a two‐dimensional substratum is influenced by surface charge. We have at first generated structurally related polyelectrolyte substrata varying in their positive surface charge amount and subsequently evaluated a variety of behaviors of human primary fibroblasts seeded on these polymers. The proportion of adherent, spreading, and proliferating cells was increased significantly on cationic hydrophilic surfaces when compared with the neutral base surface. The extent of cell spreading correlated with cytoskeleton organization as assessed using immunofluorescence techniques. In the key experiment, the presence of cationic charges on cell adhesion‐resistant neutral surface increased the synthesis of collagen I and III, the release of their metabolites, and the expression of their mRNA by fibroblasts. Interestingly, the scarce collagen deposits on neutral polymer consisted, for the most part, of collagen I while collagen III was present only in traces probably due to the secretion of metalloproteinase‐2 by non‐adherent fibroblasts. Taken together, these results show that polyelectrolyte films may promote the attachment of fibroblast cells as well as their normal secretory phenotype. Both effects could be potentially useful in integrating soft connective tissue to the implant, decreasing the chance of its fibrous encapsulation. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 133–143, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gingival and dermal fibroblasts produce interleukin‐1β converting enzyme and interleukin‐1β but not interleukin‐18 even after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Tardif François , Ross Geneviève , Rouabhia Mahmoud
Published: October 2003

Epithelial cells play a critical role in periodontal disease through the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and interleukin‐18 (IL‐18). However, the role played by fibroblasts is still unclear. The rationale of this study was to throw light on the role of gingival fibroblasts in periodontal disease. We thus investigated the expression of IL‐1β, IL‐18, and ICE mRNA and the secretion of the corresponding proteins by human normal gingival fibroblasts before and after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis and Escherichia coli. IL‐1β, IL‐18, and ICE mRNA expression was evaluated by RT‐PCR. Proteins were analyzed by Western blot and ELISA. We demonstrated that gingival fibroblasts expressed ICE mRNA. Basal expression of ICE was modulated following cell stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (5 μg/ml). However, gingival fibroblasts expressed low levels of IL‐1β mRNA. The expression was potentiated by LPS. The expression of IL‐1β mRNA was followed by the secretion of IL‐1β but not IL‐18 protein. Our study suggests that fibroblasts may be involved in the defense against infections via an IL‐1β‐mediated but not an IL‐18‐mediated mechanism. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 125–132, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.