bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of receptor polymorphism and glycosylation in syncytium induction and host range variation of ecotropic mouse gammaretroviruses
Authors: Yan Yuhe , Jung Yong T , Wu Tiyun , Kozak Christine A
Published: January 2008

Background

We previously identified unusual variants of Moloney and Friend ecotropic mouse gammaretroviruses that have altered host range and are cytopathic in cells of the wild mouse species Mus dunni. Cytopathicity was attributed to different amino acid substitutions at the same critical env residue involved in receptor interaction: S82F in the Moloney variant Spl574, and S84A in the Friend mouse leukemia virus F-S MLV. Because M. dunni cells carry a variant CAT-1 cell surface virus receptor (dCAT-1), we examined the role of this receptor variant in cytopathicity and host range.

Results

We expressed dCAT-1 or mCAT-1 of NIH 3T3 origin in cells that are not normally infectible with ecotropic MLVs and evaluated the transfectants for susceptibility to virus infection and to virus-induced syncytium formation. The dCAT-1 transfectants, but not the mCAT-1 transfectants, were susceptible to virus-induced cytopathicity, and this cytopathic response was accompanied by the accumulation of unintegrated viral DNA. The dCAT-1 transfectants, however, did not also reproduce the relative resistance of M. dunni cells to Moloney MLV, and the mCAT-1 transfectants did not show the relative resistance of NIH 3T3 cells to Spl574. Western analysis, use of glycosylation inhibitors and mutagenesis to remove receptor glycosylation sites identified a possible role for cell-specific glycosylation in the modulation of virus entry.

Conclusion

Virus entry and virus-induced syncytium formation using the CAT-1 receptor are mediated by a small number of critical amino acid residues in receptor and virus Env. Virus entry is modulated by glycosylation of cellular proteins, and this effect is cell and virus-specific.
Fetus in fetu: a case report
Authors: Khalifa Nisreen M , Maximous Doaa W , Abd-Elsayed Alaa A
Published: January 2008

Introduction

Fetus in fetu is a rare abnormality secondary to the abnormal embryogenesis in a diamniotic, monochorionic pregnancy. It is a rare pathological condition and fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the literature.

Case presentation

A 2 month old girl with an abdominal mass since birth, was referred to the Cancer Institute with a suspected diagnosis of a Wilms' tumor. Conventional radiograph of the abdomen revealed a mass containing numerous calcifications. CT scan showed a heterogeneous retroperitoneal mass containing well-defined calcified structures. The decision was made to recommend surgical exploration and the mass was successfully excised. Physical examination of the mass with review of literature confirmed the diagnosis of fetus in fetu.

Conclusion

Although it is a rare condition imaging may play an important role in the correct prospective diagnosis of fetus in fetu. Surgical excision is the recommended treatment.
Hill-Burton: The Unfulfilled Promise
Authors: Dowell Michael A.
Published: January 2008

The poor and uninsured encounter numerous barriers to health care access. The Hill-Burton Act of 1946 required many hospitals to make their services available to all persons, yet ineffective enforcement has limited the utility of the act's requirements. Hill-Burton hospital audits have revealed widespread facility noncompliance. In light of these findings, alternative enforcement procedures should be considered.
Health Care Financing among the Elderly: Who Really Pays the Bills?
Authors: Smeeding Timothy M. , Straub Lavonne
Published: January 2008

This paper investigates the issue of who pays the health care bills of the elderly by considering the types of subsidized health insurance protection enjoyed by the noninstitutionalized elderly and the way that increased Medicare cost-sharing efforts in the 1980s are affecting those without additional health insurance subsidies. In making this examination we estimate the out-of-pocket health care expenditures of the elderly either directly or as nonsubsidized medigap premiums by income level, taking into account four types of health insurance subsidies received by elderly persons: Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration health care, and subsidized health insurance from either current or former employers. We find that increased cost sharing is likely to fall most heavily on those elderly least likely to afford it: the poor and near-poor elderly who have only Medicare as a health insurance subsidy, particularly those who are older and sicker and who use Medicare services more heavily. These persons are caught between well-intentioned federal cost-cutting efforts and die often confusing panoply of health insurance programs for the aged, and they will bear an inequitably large portion of any future Medicare cost-sharing initiatives.
Implementing Change: Lessons for Medicaid Reformers
Authors: Bachman Sara S. , Beatrice Dennis F. , Altman Stuart H.
Published: January 2008

Major Medicaid reforms initiated in Arizona, California, and New York in the 1980s form the foundation of this study, which explores issues to consider when implementing change in state Medicaid programs. We prepared case studies of these reforms, describing the innovations and assessing the implementation process in each state. These case studies are used to illustrate broad issues and processes of Medicaid reform. Six lessons emerge from our analysis: (1) Expect reform models to change over time; (2) strive for predictability and continuity in the reform; (3) encourage behavior changes through the use of incentives; (4) use special administrative or political channels to simplify the reform; (5) expect reform models to converge over time; and (6) implementation difficulties can be predicted. These lessons should educate decision makers about how to implement possible future solutions to problems like those seen in Medicaid programs at the start of this decade.

It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institutions and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by new ones.

Machiavelli, The Prince
Estimating the Impact of State Manpower Policy: A Case Study of Reducing Medical School Enrollments
Authors: Kennedy Virginia C. , Linder Stephen H. , Spears William D.
Published: January 2008

Perceptions of an impending oversupply of physicians have prompted proposals to reduce medical school enrollments in a number of states. Most of these states are also concerned with improving the specialty and geographic distribution of their medical manpower. The present study provides estimates of the effects of reduced numbers of in-state medical school graduates upon the future supply of physicians in Texas, and examines the medical school origin, medical specialty, and practice location of selected groups of Texas physicians. The results suggest that in Texas enrollment reductions would have no significant impact on physician supply over the next 15 years, and might actually prove counterproductive in altering physician distribution. The analysis of Texas data illuminates the unintended consequences likely to accompany a policy option that has been widely embraced by state officials largely on the basis of its intuitive appeal.
Improved Access to Care for the Uninsured Poor in Large Cities: Do Public Hospitals Make a Difference?
Authors: Thorpe Kenneth E. , Brecher Charles
Published: January 2008

This study compares the volume of uncompensated care provided to the uninsured poor in cities with public hospitals to that provided in cities without a public hospital in order to determine whether public hospitals increase access to care. Multiple regression analysis is used to control for selected variables that also influence utilization of hospital care. Cities with public hospitals were found to provide between 31 and 34 uncompensated adjusted admissions per 100 uninsured poor; in cities without a public hospital, 24 such admissions were provided. In the regression analysis the coefficients for dummy variables representing three types of public hospital governance structures were all positive and statistically significant. The coefficient measuring teaching commitment among a city's hospitals was also positive and statistically significant. This analysis suggests that local tax support for public hospitals does not merely offset philanthropic or other revenue sources for voluntary hospital uncompensated care but is also likely to increase the amount of uncompensated care offered. We also find that public hospital closures may reduce access to care for the uninsured poor in large cities.
Does All-Payer Rate Setting Work? The Case of the New York Prospective Hospital Reimbursement Methodology
Authors: Thorpe Kenneth E.
Published: January 2008

By 1983, four states had received waivers from the Health Care Financing Administration and adopted experimental reimbursement programs covering all third-party payers. In general, these programs were designed to moderate cost growth as well as to promote a number of broader distributive objectives. Among the concerns for equity were financing uncompensated care and spreading the costs across all payers, reducing the differential between hospital charges and costs, and rejuvenating fiscally distressed hospitals. These diverse goals represent a fundamental shift in the role of state rate setting; as a result, broader outcome measures are required to determine their overall impact. The New York Prospective Hospital Reimbursement Methodology (NYPHRM) is evaluated in this broader context. The NYPHRM successfully channeled revenues to fiscally blighted hospitals, increasing the volume of care to the uninsured while maintaining cost growth at national levels. According to this broader set of outcome measures, the NYPHRM would be viewed as a policy success.
Selective Contracting for Hospital Care Based on Volume, Quality, and Price: Prospects, Problems, and Unanswered Questions
Authors: Freeland Mark S. , Hunt Sandra S. , Luft Harold S.
Published: January 2008

There is a burgeoning interest in selective contracting for specialized hospital services based on volume, price, and quality. The systematic exclusion or inclusion of particular institutions has been extolled by some as an arrangement to reduce costs and by others as a means to increase quality of care. However, little is known about the issues and problems associated with selective contracting based on objective criteria rather than negotiations. Identification of individual institutions with performance significantly better or poorer than expected based on statistical norms is difficult and should be viewed as no more than a first step in evaluating quality and price performance. Actual data on 37 hospitals that provide coronary artery bypass graft surgery in a metropolitan region are used to illustrate some major prospects, problems, and situations arising when certain institutions are considered for exclusion from or inclusion in third-party payment programs. Selective contracting in local areas can potentially decrease duplication of services, reduce cost to purchasers, and lower expected mortality and morbidity for some patient groups. However, these gains must be evaluated against reductions in continuity of care and access to care, potential increases in mortality and morbidity for certain segments of the population, and substantial political problems.
Prospective Payment Based on Case Mix: Will It Work in Nursing Homes?
Authors: Rosko Michael D. , Broyles Robert W. , Aaronson William E.
Published: January 2008

This article evaluates the potential efficacy of implementing a prospective payment system based on case mix in the nursing home industry. The analysis of structural differences between the nursing home and hospital industries suggests that the mechanism of compensating long-term care facilities should be based on functional health status rather than on diagnosis and that incentives to improve quality and access should be strengthened. The article assesses several systems of classifying patients that have been proposed as the basis for implementing a prospective payment system in the nursing home industry. The article concludes with a discussion of policy issues related to the appropriate unit of payment and the scope of regulatory authority.
Applying Competitive Bidding to Health Care
Authors: McCombs Jeffrey S. , Christianson Jon B.
Published: January 2008

This paper reviews the empirical literature on competitive bidding for health services under public programs and, in this context, discusses the major issues that must be confronted in designing bidding systems. These issues include the specification of units of service, the selection of winning bidders, the determination of reimbursement for winning bidders, the treatment of losing bidders, and contract enforcement. The paper then illustrates these issues in practice by outlining one possible competitive bidding system for purchases and rentals of durable medical equipment under the Medicare program.
Implementing a Competitive Medical Care System Through Public Policy
Authors: McClure Walter
Published: January 2008

This paper seeks to clarify so-called competition strategies for medical care, and to present a more flexible approach for public policy to encourage competition. In so doing, it appears useful to divide a competition strategy into two parts: (1) a structurally sound market model for the future medical delivery and financing system, and (2) a strategy to implement the chosen model. Policymakers may choose any model that satisfies the structural conditions of a sound market. After listing these principal conditions, this paper presents two distinct market models that satisfy them in entirely different ways and a third model that combines the first two.

Once a specific market model is chosen, policymakers may choose among a variety of ways to implement it. Some implementation strategies require coercive legislation, others rely more on persuasive leadership, pressures, and incentives. The paper points out that all of these strategies must address certain common action areas; it then proposes one implementation strategy in some detail and uses it to illustrate a way to address each of these areas. Although it certainly is not the only possible strategy, the proposal would appear to be a practical approach for implementing effective competition.
The Embattled Hospital: Cost Control Measures versus Imperatives for Expansion
Authors: Reilly Bernard J. , Legge Jerome S.
Published: January 2008

As the costs of the American health care system escalate, there is a tendency to identify the biggest cost item and attempt to reduce it to a manageable size. However, since that biggest cost item, the hospital, is a creation of uncontrolled forces within the system as a whole, attempts to manage costs will be limited in effectiveness. The hospital is the end product of an uncontrolled system, a product that displays little understanding of the economic principles of trade-off, efficiency, and productivity.

To limit spending in the hospital care system, controls must be rooted in an analysis of the forces that have shaped the hospital's present form and structure. Factors to be considered are those that have defined what a “good” hospital is, who its real consumers are, and what economic and quality control factors must be part of the entire health system.

This article suggests modification of public policies relative to medical manpower and insurance, and recommends adoption of reimbursement by Diagnostic Related Groups.
Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit: Musings on the Regulation/Competition Dialogue
Authors: Cohodes Donald R.
Published: January 2008

In the past two years, the regulation/competition dialogue has polarized into an “either or” debate. The problems facing our health care system are too complex to allow the acceptance of this paradigm. Reasonable people will differ on what they believe are the key factors which contribute to the inflation of health care costs. Four separate scenarios for diagnosing and solving the health care cost inflation problem are presented. Alternative intervention strategies are discussed and the potential of current competition proposals is examined.
Access to Medical Care Under Medicaid: Differentials by Race
Authors: Link Charles R. , Long Stephen H. , Settle Russell F.
Published: January 2008

The Medicaid program was designed to help correct for the unequal access to medical care by income and race in pre-1965 America. Previous evaluations of the program have claimed that on average the eligible poor have enjoyed considerable gains in access, but that the benefits of Medicaid have not been shared equally by blacks and whites. We reexamine the evidence on differential access by race early in the program (1969) and evaluate that claim for the mature program (1976). Our evaluation is conducted within the context of multivariate models of physician and hospital utilization designed to control for a variety of socioeconomic, health status, and resource supply characteristics. While earlier evaluations overstated the extent of racial differentials in 1969, blacks who were not chronically ill had significantly lower levels of ambulatory care—both within and outside of the South. Between 1969 and 1976 all race, region, and health status groups of nonelderly Medicaid recipients experienced increases in physician visits that far outpaced those of the entire nonelderly U.S. population. By 1976 blacks clearly achieved equality with whites in Medicaid ambulatory care use. The only statistically significant shortfall we find is in hospital utilization among Southern blacks in good health.
Cost-Based Reimbursement and Prospective Payment: Reassessing the Incentives
Authors: Foster Richard W.
Published: January 2008

Prospective payment is distinguished from the imposition of a regulatory ceiling on hospital costs. While a regulatory ceiling could potentially be effective in controlling expenditure growth, its success depends upon the political climate. Prospective payment, as a distinct financial policy, offers little cost-containment potential. It is more appropriately evaluated in terms of its effects on the distribution of risk between providers and third parties and on the trade-off between investment and current consumption.
The Triumph of Accommodation: The Rise of Private Health Plans in America, 1929–1959
Authors: Starr Paul
Published: January 2008

[The following is a chapter from Book Two of The Social Transformation of American Medicine and should be seen as a piece of a larger puzzle. Throughout the entire work I am concerned with the origins of the social and economic structure of medical institutions. One of the problems is the historical selection of organizational forms: why hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, medical schools, or, in this case, private health insurance and prepayment plans assumed distinctive organizational forms in the United States.

These issues come up in the context of a more general argument about the development of the medical profession and its relation to the broader society. Book One deals with the initial loss and later recovery of professional authority, status, and control of the medical market between the late colonial period and the early twentieth century. The final chapters of Book One analyze the rise of organizations impinging upon private physicians (hospitals; public health institutions; corporations, fraternal societies, and private clinics) and try to account for the professions success in escaping both corporate and governmental control.

Book Two then turns to the struggles over the politics and business of medicine in the twentieth century, from the debate about compulsory health insurance through the growth of corporate health care today. The first chapter, “The Mirage of Reform,” tries to explain the failure to pass a government health insurance program first during the Progressive era, again during the New Deal, and once again under President Truman. In the process of discussing these developments between 1915 and 1950, I try to delineate the changing political and economic forces that shaped the debate. Then, in the chapter below, I turn to the system that appeared in place of a public program and try to account for its organization.]
Capital Cost Reimbursement to Community Hospitals Under Federal Health Insurance Programs
Authors: Kinney Eleanor D. , Lefkowitz Bonnie
Published: January 2008

Issues in current capital cost reimbursement to community hospitals by Medicare and Medicaid are described, and options for change analyzed. Major reforms in the way the federal government pays for capital costs—in particular substitution of other methods of payment for existing depreciation reimbursement—could have significant impact on the structure of the health care system and on government expenditures. While such reforms are likely to engender substantial political opposition, they may be facilitated by broader changes in the reimbursement system.
Public Participation in Health Planning Agencies: Promise and Practice
Authors: Checkoway Barry
Published: January 2008

Federal legislation provided an opportunity for health planning to “catch up” with the expanding citizen participation movements of recent years. Although the literature on health planning is mounting, there as yet has been no comprehensive, systematic effort to inventory the status of participation on a national scale. This note reports on a national study of Health Systems Agencies designed to inventory the participation objectives and methods in use, identify major participants and obstacles, and analyze impacts and factors influencing practice in the field. Among the findings are that agencies have favored “safe” participation methods that satisfy minimum federal requirements and provide information and public relations without transfer of power to consumers; and have broadened the base of participation in planning without mobilizing consumers or reducing the dominance of providers, who remain the most active, organized, and influential participants.
Health Care Costs and Personal Bankruptcy
Authors: Gold Barry A. , Donahue Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2008

In response to published but unconfirmed reports that health care costs were a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S., court records of all bankruptcy petitioners in one judicial district were examined. The records were analyzed by income, employment, debt categories and amounts. Within the limitations of the study, health care costs seem not to have played a significant role in the financial lives of this population.
Setting the Federal Agenda for Health Research: The Case of the National Institute on Aging
Authors: Lockett Betty A.
Published: January 2008

This article describes the creation of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, as a case study in “agenda-building” (a theoretical concept used to explain why some issues receive official attention from the public and its leaders, while others, often equally critical, do not). The issue of federal support for research on aging, which led to a specific demand for a separate institute, was initiated by a small group of biomedical scientists. But it reached agenda status only after an effective coalition of lay and professional groups gave support to the issue. This coalition was interested not only in biomedical, behavioral, and social aspects of aging, but also in socioeconomic concerns related to the rapidly increasing elderly population. The nature and purpose of the institute was greatly influenced by the political forces and social conditions which brought it into existence. This case study illustrates how biomedical research policy evolves when the federal government fails to take the lead in developing an overall strategy, not only for research on aging, but also for all areas of biomedical research.
Effectiveness of State Mandates to Maintain Local Government Health Services for the Poor
Authors: Brown E. Richard , Cousineau Michael R.
Published: January 2008

State governments have used several types of mandates to assure that local governments fulfill state-defined responsibilities, including public health care for the poor. This article reports the findings of a study of procedural public-participation mandates and financial sanctions imposed by California to hold counties to their obligations to provide indigent health care.

An inventory of the laws' implementation in all California counties found noncompliance by some counties, although all counties complied after a state Health Services Department unit was established to monitor the counties and provide them with state aid. Case studies in eight counties identified factors that influenced the effectiveness of the laws in modifying or reversing county proposals to close county hospitals or reduce other health services. Policy guidelines are suggested for states that want to develop mandates to enforce indigent-care responsibilities of local governments.
Cost-Shifting: The Discount Dilemma
Authors: Johnson Allan N. , Madson Rolf A. , Aquilina David
Published: January 2008

Cost-shifting, the practice by hospitals of raising their prices to make up for reimbursement shortfalls from payers that do not pay full charges, is an important and controversial issue. Concerns about cost-shifting, particularly its effects on payment equity and cost escalation, have led many insurers, business groups, and legislators to advocate rate-setting regulation for hospitals. This article seeks to clarify the definition of cost-shifting, and quantifies its magnitude in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We believe that cost-shifting is the consequential result of the failure of both public and private payers to structure payment policies that reward cost-effective hospitals, and we outline a market-oriented alternative to rate-setting to address the discount dilemma caused by cost-shifting.
Medicaid Comes to Arizona: A First-Year Report on AHCCCS
Authors: Brecher Charles
Published: January 2008

In October of 1982 the State of Arizona, which had no Medicaid program, initiated an experimental program of care to the indigent that combines elements of capitation and competition. This article describes the new program, explains why key political actors in Arizona reversed their earlier stand and enacted the program, and assesses the extent to which the expectations of various groups have been met during the program's first year of operation.
Method of Payment and the Cesarean Birth Rate in a Hospital in Northeast Brazil
Authors: Janowitz Barbara , Wallace Sylvia , Araujo Galba , Araujo Lorena
Published: January 2008

This paper examines factors associated with the cesarean birth rate, including medical condition and method of payment, in the largest maternity hospital of Fortaleza. Brazil. Data were collected on 5996 women who delivered at the Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand from October 1980 to July 1981. All women were classified according to how they paid for their care: private (financed at least part of their care with own funds), insured (federal or state), or indigent. Private patients were found to be far for likely than patients in the other two groups to have cesarean deliveries, due primarily to the high percentage of private patients recorded as having prolonged or obstructed labor, combined with a high rate of prior cesarean sections. From this data, it appears likely that financial incentives did play a role in physician decisions on whether to perform cesarean deliveries.
Sox9 and Sox10 influence survival and migration of oligodendrocyte precursors in the spinal cord by regulating PDGF receptor αexpression
Authors: Finzsch Markus , Stolt C. Claus , Lommes Petra , Wegner Michael
Published: January 2008

Specification of the myelin-forming oligodendrocytes of the central nervous system requires the Sox9 transcription factor, whereas terminal differentiation depends on the closely related Sox10. Between specification and terminal differentiation, Sox9 and Sox10 are co-expressed in oligodendrocyte precursors and are believed to exert additional functions. To identify such functions, we have deleted Sox9 specifically in already specified oligodendrocyte precursors of the spinal cord. In the absence of Sox9, oligodendrocyte precursors developed normally and started terminal differentiation on schedule. However, when Sox10 was additionally deleted,oligodendrocyte precursors exhibited an altered migration pattern and were present in reduced numbers because of increased apoptosis rates. Remaining precursors continued to express many characteristic oligodendroglial markers. Aberrant expression of astrocytic and neuronal markers was not observed. Strikingly, we failed to detect PDGF receptor α expression in the mutant oligodendrocyte precursors, arguing that PDGF receptor α is under transcriptional control of Sox9 and Sox10. Altered PDGF receptor αexpression is furthermore sufficient to explain the observed phenotype, as PDGF is both an important survival factor and migratory cue for oligodendrocyte precursors. We thus conclude that Sox9 and Sox10 are required in a functionally redundant manner in oligodendrocyte precursors for PDGF-dependent survival and migration.
TPL2-mediated activation of ERK1 and ERK2 regulates the processing of pre-TNFα in LPS-stimulated macrophages
Authors: Rousseau Simon , Papoutsopoulou Matoula , Symons Antony , Cook Dorthe , Lucocq John M. , Prescott Alan R. , O'Garra Anne , Ley Steven C. , Cohen Philip
Published: January 2008

Activation of the TPL2-MKK1/2-ERK1/2 signalling pathway is essential for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of TNFα in macrophages. Here, we demonstrate that, unexpectedly, TPL2-deficient or MKK1-inhibited macrophages produce near normal levels of pre-TNFα when TLR2, TLR4 and TLR6 are activated by their respective agonists, but fail to secrete TNFα. We show that LPS stimulates the appearance of pre-TNFα at the cell surface and that this is prevented by inhibition of MAPK kinases 1 and 2 (MKK1/2) or in TPL2-deficient macrophages. However, the transport of pre-TNFα from the Golgi to the plasma membrane is unaffected by inhibition of the TPL2-MKK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway. Finally, we show that TACE, the protease that cleaves pre-TNFα to secreted TNFα, is phosphorylated by ERK1 and ERK2 (ERK1/2) at Thr735 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Therefore, although TACE activity per se is not required for the LPS-stimulated cell surface expression of pre-TNFα, the phosphorylation of this protease might contribute to, or be required for, the cell surface expression of the pre-TNFα–TACE complex.
How polarity shapes the destiny of T cells
Authors: Russell Sarah
Published: January 2008

The differentiation, activation and expansion of T cells are dictated by their integrated response to a complex array of extracellular signals. Recent studies provide insight into how these signals are integrated and demonstrate a key role for cell shape in many aspects of T-cell signalling. T cells polarise during migration, antigen presentation and cell division to give rise to daughter cells that can have different cell fates. In each case, the polarity of the T cell facilitates this activity. This raises the possibility that adoption of a polarised state acts as a positive feedback mechanism to enhance responses to specific signals. Similarly, in asymmetric division of other cell types, the distribution of different molecules into each daughter can have profound consequences for proliferation, death and differentiation. The mechanisms of polarity regulation are far better understood in cells such as epithelial cells, neurons and neuronal precursors, and the fertilised zygote. With the emerging parallels between polarity in these cells and T cells, we should now be able to elucidate how polarity affects signalling and cell fate determination in T cells.
Gαo mediates WNT-JNK signaling through Dishevelled 1 and 3, RhoA family members, and MEKK 1 and 4 in mammalian cells
Authors: Bikkavilli Rama Kamesh , Feigin Michael E. , Malbon Craig C.
Published: January 2008

In Drosophila, activation of Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) mediated by Frizzled and Dishevelled leads to signaling linked to planar cell polarity. A biochemical delineation of WNT-JNK planar cell polarity was sought in mammalian cells, making use of totipotent mouse F9 teratocarcinoma cells that respond to WNT3a via Frizzled-1. The canonical WNT–β-catenin signaling pathway requires both Gαo and Gαq heterotrimeric G-proteins, whereas we show that WNT-JNK signaling requires only Gαo protein. Gαo propagates the signal downstream through all three Dishevelled isoforms, as determined by epistasis experiments using the Dishevelled antagonist Dapper1 (DACT1). Suppression of either Dishevelled-1 or Dishevelled-3, but not Dishevelled-2, abolishes WNT3a activation of JNK. Activation of the small GTPases RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 operates downstream of Dishevelled, linking to the MEKK 1/MEKK 4-dependent cascade, and on to JNK activation. Chemical inhibitors of JNK (SP600125), but not p38 (SB203580), block WNT3a activation of JNK, whereas both the inhibitors attenuate the WNT3a–β-catenin pathway. These data reveal both common and unique signaling elements in WNT3a-sensitive pathways, highlighting crosstalk from WNT3a-JNK to WNT3a–β-catenin signaling.
Highly Selective Synthetic Reactions by the Combined Use of Organometallic Reagents and Radical Species
Authors: Oshima Koichiro
Published: January 2008

During these thirty years, we have pursued new methodologies in organic synthesis and developed many synthetically useful reactions. Among them, four topics are described in this article. (1) Regio- and stereoselective silylmetalation of acetylenes has been examined. Whereas platinum- or copper-catalyzed silylmagnesation of terminal acetylenes afforded (E)-1-silyl-1-alkene exclusively, palladium-catalyzed silylalumination with PhMe2Si-AlEt2 provided 2-silyl-1-alkenes with high regioselectivity. (2) Triethylborane induced radical addition of Ph3SnH to acetylenes gave 1-triphenylstannyl-1-alkenes in the presence of small amount of oxygen. The reaction has two distinguishing characteristics. One feature is that Et3B can initiate the radical reaction at low temperature, such as −78 °C. (3) The other distinctive feature of Et3B-induced radical reaction is that many solvents could be used for the reaction. Thus, water was chosen as a solvent, and Et3B-induced atom-transfer radical cyclization of iodo acetals and iodoacetates in water was examined. (4) Three types of organometallic ate complexes, R3MnMgBr, R3MgLi, and R3Co(L2)MgBr, were prepared and used for organic synthesis. Treatment of gem-dibromocyclopropane with trialkylmanganate provided alkylated cyclopropane after aqueous workup. Aryl and alkenyl halides could be converted into the corresponding magnesium reagents by the action of trialkylmagnesate via halogen–magnesium exchange. Finally, synthetic reactions catalyzed by cobalt complexes are described. Without suffering from β-elimination, cobalt complexes allow cross-coupling reactions of alkyl halides with Grignard reagents.
A Versatile, Practical, and Inexpensive Reagent, Pyridine-3-carboxylic Anhydride (3-PCA), for Condensation Reactions
Authors: Funasaka Setsuo , Mukaiyama Teruaki
Published: January 2008

A highly useful method for the preparation of carboxylic esters and carboxamides from various carboxylic acids was established by using a novel condensing reagent, pyridine-3-carboxylic anhydride (3-PCA), in the presence of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine as an activator. The reactions of various carboxylic acids with nucleophiles, such as alcohols or amines, afforded the corresponding carboxylic acids or carboxamides in good to high yields under mild conditions by using simple experimental procedure. In addition, it was confirmed that this protocol was applicable to a gram-scale synthesis and the by-products, including pyridine-3-carboxylic acid and pyridine-3-carboxylate (or pyridine-3-carboxamide) produced in situ, were easily removed by using a simple aqueous workup.
Efficient Oxidative Coupling of Thiols into Disulfides Using N-tert-Butyl-N-chlorocyanamide
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Kaushik Mahabir Parshad
Published: January 2008

Reaction of aliphatic/aromatic/heterocyclic thiols with N-tert-butyl-N-chlorocyanamide in presence of sodium bromide is described. The reaction was very rapid and resulted in the formation of disulfides in excellent yields under mild conditions.
Isolable Iron(II)–Porphycene Derivative Stabilized by Introduction of Trifluoromethyl Groups on the Ligand Framework
Authors: Ito Kazuyuki , Matsuo Takashi , Aritome Isao , Hisaeda Yoshio , Hayashi Takashi
Published: January 2008

Two iron porphycene complexes having four trifluoromethyl groups, chloro-2,7,12,17-tetraethyl-3,6,13,16-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)porphycenatoiron(III) [FeIIIClEtio(CF3)4Pc] and its μ-oxo dimer [{FeIIIEtio(CF3)4Pc}2(μ-O)], were characterized. The μ-oxo dimer was easily converted into the monomeric iron(II) complex via the Fe–O bond cleavage in pyridine. This is the first study to obtain a stable iron(II) species in a series of porphycene iron complexes. The iron(II) species crystallized in the monoclinic system C2⁄m, and the Fe–Npyridyl (2.007 Å) and Fe–Npyrrolyl (1.958 Å) bonds were remarkably short distances among the bispyridine-coordinated iron(II) porphyrins and porphyrinoids. To evaluate the influences of the CF3 substituents and framework structure on the autoreduction, we compared the reactivity of [{FeIIIEtio(CF3)4Pc}2(μ-O)] in pyridine with the reference iron porphycene and porphyrins. Autoreduction of [{FeIIIEtio(CF3)4Pc}2(μ-O)] smoothly proceeded at 20 °C in pyridine, whereas the reaction of the μ-oxo-bis{2,7,12,17-tetraethyl-3,6,13,16-tetramethylporphycenatoiron(III)} [{FeIIIEtio(CH3)4Pc}2(μ-O)] was converted into the monomeric iron(III) complex, and the iron(II) species was not available. In contrast, the μ-oxo-bis{1,3,5,7-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-2,4,6,8-tetraethylporphyrinatoiron(III)}[{FeIIIEtio(CF3)4Por}2(μ-O)] as a structural isomer of [{FeIIIEtio(CF3)4Pc}2(μ-O)] allowed the autoreduction, although the reaction was very slow and took over one month. These results indicate that the introduction of strong electron-withdrawing groups at the pyrrole β-carbons exhibits a unique reactivity of the iron complex.
Zwei Heilige zu einer Ikone vom Sinai in Kiev
Authors: Thümmel Hans Georg
Published: January 2008

Im Jahre 1850 hat der russische Archimandrit Porfirij Uspenskij von einer Reise nach dem Sinai unter anderem vier Ikonen mitgebracht, die zu den ältesten ihrer Gattung gehören. Es handelt sich um eine Ikone mit der Darstellung der Gottesmutter, eine mit Johannes dem Vorläufer, eine Tafel mit der Darstellung zweier Heiliger, die durch spätere Inschriften als Sergios und Bakchos bezeichnet werden, und schließlich um eine weitere Ikone mit den Brustbildern zweier Heiliger. Nach dem Tode Uspenskijs kamen die Tafeln mit der übrigen Sammlung 1885 in das Kirchlich-archäologische Museum an der Geistlichen Akademie Kiev, später (1940) in das Staatliche Kiever Museum für westliche und östliche Kunst. Beschreibungen oder Listen der Ikonen hat Uspenskij nicht hinterlassen, und auch sein schriftlicher Nachlaß gab keine Auskünfte. Bereits 1886 hat Petrov einen Katalog erstellt, und auch schon die Ikonen zumeist in das 6./7. Jahrhundert datiert. Auf diesen Katalog ist er jedoch später nicht mehr zurückgekommen. J. Strzygowski sah die letztgenannte Ikone, als sie auf dem 7. archäologischen Kongreß in Moskau 1890 ausgestellt war, und er hat sich ausführlich mit ihr auseinandergesetzt. Freilich war der Publikation noch keine vollständige Photographie beigegeben. Dann sind die Sinai-Ikonen anscheinend in einem Museumsführer 1897 publiziert worden. Eine ausführliche Untersuchung widmete 1902 Ajnalov diesen Ikonen, 1912 folgte die Publikation durch Petrov im Inventarband des Museums, die sich an den betr. Stellen eng an Ajnalov anlehnt, ja dessen Text wörtlich übernimmt.
Theodorus II Ducas Lascaris. Opuscula rhetorica. Ed. A. TARTAGLIA
Authors: Bevegni Claudio
Published: January 2008

E' naturale che a pubblicare l'intero corpus degli opuscoli retorici di Teodoro II Duca Lascari (1221–1258; imperatore dal 1254 al 1258) sia Luigi Tartaglia [da ora in avanti = Tart.], giacché buona parte di tali testi avevano visto la luce per la prima volta proprio per opera sua; ed è altrettanto naturale che il livello di tale edizione integrale sia alto, data la competenza e la lunga militanza di Tart. nel campo della bizantinistica. Per la precisione, gli opuscoli costituenti il corpus sono in tutto dieci ed appartengono ai generi letterari pìù diversi (in questo quadro, il termine “retorici” con il quale sono designati i dieci opuscoli nel loro complesso rappresenta un'utile convenzione). Di tali opuscoli, due vengono qui editi per la prima volta (opp. 1 e 8); cinque sono ripubblicati, con ritocchi, dall'editor princeps di essi (opp. 2, 6, 7, 9 e 10); due erano già stati editi da altri studiosi, ma sulla base di un unico manoscritto e, dunque, in modo non scientifico (opp. 3 e 4); uno solo (op. 5) era stato pubblicato sulla scorta di tutti e quattro i manoscritti esistenti degli opuscoli stessi da A. Ph. Markopoulos nel 1968.
H. A. DRAKE, Constantine and the Bishops. The politics of intolerance
Authors: Rist Josef
Published: January 2008

“This is a book about politics.” (XV) Bereits der erste Satz des Vorwortes gibt die Zielrichtung vor. Der an der University of California in Santa Barbara lehrende Althistoriker Harold A. Drake (D.) hat es sich auf mehr als 600 Seiten – der Verfasser spricht bescheiden von “a sketch” (XVII) – zum Ziel gesetzt, die facettenreiche Gestalt des spätantiken römischen Kaisers Konstantin (306–337) und seine Religionspolitik primär aus der Perspektive des begabten, auf einen umfassenden gesellschaftlichen Konsens hinarbeitenden Politikers zu beschreiben.
R. W. BURGESS, Studies in Eusebian and Post-Eusebian Chronography
Authors: Rist Josef
Published: January 2008

Die Monographie, die der in Ottawa lehrende Althistoriker Richard W. Burgess (B.) geschrieben hat, ist alles andere als eine leichte Lektüre. Dies ist ihrem Inhalt zuzuschreiben, geht es doch um nicht weniger als die Rekonstruktion und inhaltliche Auswertung von verlorenen spätantiken Chroniken, die nur mit großer Mühe aus meist späteren Quellen wiederhergestellt werden können.
“But her language skills shifted the family dynamics dramatically.”
Authors: Johnson Sally , Ensslin Astrid
Published: January 2008

Drawing on recent work on language ideologies as ‘sets of representations’ and ‘belief systems’ that are central not only to the construction of languages, but also their communities of users or publics, this paper explores the ways in which language is represented in relation to gender in two British newspapers, The Times and The Guardian. Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of a corpus of texts containing 96 instances of the terms or, the study reveals a marked gender distinction in the way in which language is represented in this sector of the print media in relation to four main themes: ‘aesthetic value’, ‘plain talking’, ‘transgression of norms’ and ‘language skills’. The findings are then explored in the context of ongoing theoretical debates on the question of ‘representation’ versus ‘reality’ together with the language ideological notion of gendered ‘publics’.
Religious Identity
Authors: Hey John
Published: January 2008

This is an essay about believing rather than beliefs. I use the term ‘anonymous’ to analyse Karl Rahner’s concept of ‘anonymous Christianity’, and to underline the universality of believing. Rahner’s ‘anonymous Christianity’ seeks to render universal a traditional exclusive Christian message of salvation. However, in insisting that Christ remains the pivot of this message, Rahner subverts the promise of his concept. I use the term ‘anonymous believing’ to emphasize that believing is a universal human instinct to create meaning, from within an existence whose contingency inevitably lies beyond explanation. Believing has a natural primacy over knowing. Critical believing is the attempt to create meaning amidst the complexities of our subjectivity, and the cultural contexts of our lives and of the physical world, knowledge of which is constantly growing. My contention is that the primacy of believing is undermined by the primacy accorded to the knowledge-based assertions that are currently characteristic of religious creeds and moral injunctions. Anonymous critical believing eschews creeds, but embraces the values of justice, compassion and well-being, which religions also espouse. There are close links between ‘implicit religion’ and ‘critical believing’. However, I believe the two are categorically different: implicit religion is predominantly descriptive and substantival, while critical believing is process orientated.
The Fifth Corner
Authors: Connor Kimberly Rae
Published: January 2008

This ethnography explores the ways in which hip hop culture functions as a secular form of religiosity for adolescent males in the United States. The data is based on the author’s experience as an instructor at a private high school where she observed the behaviour here described. ‘The Fifth Corner’—a site created by eight teenage boys for enacting hip hop principles—displayed elements of religious life that historians of religion conventionally ascribe to religious behaviour. It was a designated sacred space carved out of a secular realm that provided what the secular environment did not: the opportunity for a community of believers to congregate, to compose scripture, and to generate symbolic and ritual activity that elicited a spiritual feeling which promoted an ethical posture and led to the development of a doctrine of faith.
A Citation Analysis of Research in Implicit Religion Published Outside the Journal Implicit Religion
Authors: Lewis Christopher Alan
Published: January 2008

Lewis (2005) provided a bibliometric analysis of the term ‘implicit religion’ within a selection of popular databases, and found that only a modest amount of articles actually cited the term (n = 77). He concluded the term ‘implicit religion’ has not yet gained widespread attention. Tangentially, Lewis questioned if the literature on ‘implicit religion’ was dominated by a small number of highly influential, and hence widely cited, articles. To test this, the present study empirically examined the frequency with which each of these 77 publications that cited the term ‘implicit religion’ had been subsequently cited. Each of these publications was entered into the Web of Science Citation Index database.

In total, the 77 publications had been collectively cited 98 times, and the frequency of citations ranged from 0 to 27, with a mean citation count of 1.28. Of the 77 publications entered into the database, only 19 publications were

cited. The five most highly cited publications were: Davie (1990; 27 citations), Bailey (1983; 17 citations), Bailey (1990c; 9 citations) and Allcock (1988; 8 citations). These data suggest that the implicit religion literature is dominated by a small number of publications that are published by a small number of authors. However, these publications are not widely cited themselves. Limitations of the present study are discussed.