bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation by endogenous vasoactive peptides contributes to hyperproliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells of SHR
Authors: Li Yuan , Lévesque Louis-Olivier , Anand-Srivastava Madhu B.
Published: September 2010

We showed previously that vascular smooth muscle cells (VMSC) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibit increased proliferation. The present study was undertaken to examine whether the enhanced levels of endogenous angiotensin (ANG) II and endothelin (ET)-1 contribute to the enhanced proliferation of VSMC from SHR and to further investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for this response. The enhanced proliferation of VSMC from SHR compared with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was attenuated by losartan, BQ-123, BQ-788, and AG-1478, inhibitors of AT1, ETA, ETBand epidermal growth factor (EGF-R) receptors, respectively. In addition, BQ-123 and BQ-788 also attenuated the enhanced production of superoxide anion (O2−) and NADPH oxidase activity. Furthermore, diphenyleneiodonium (DPI, inhibitor of NADPH oxidase), N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC, O2−scavenger), and PP2 (inhibitor of c-Src) also inhibited the augmented proliferation of VSMC from SHR to WKY levels. In addition, the enhanced phosphorylation of EGF-R in VSMC from SHR compared with WKY was also attenuated by inhibitors of AT1, ETA, ETB, and EGF-R but not by inhibitors of platelet-derived growth factor receptor or insulin-like growth factor receptor. Furthermore, the enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in VSMC from SHR was also attenuated by AT1, ETA, ETB, c-Src, and EGF-R inhibitors. The phosphorylation of c-Src was significantly augmented in VSMC from SHR compared with VSMC from WKY and was attenuated by DPI and NAC. These data suggest that endogenous vasoactive peptides, through increased oxidative stress and resultant activation of c-Src, transactivate EGF-R, which through mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling may contribute to the hyperproliferation of VSMC from SHR.
Adenine nucleotide control of coronary blood flow during exercise
Authors: Gorman Mark W. , Rooke G. Alec , Savage Margaret V. , Jayasekara M. P. Suresh , Jacobson Kenneth A. , Feigl Eric O.
Published: September 2010

The adenine nucleotide hypothesis postulates that the ATP released from red blood cells is broken down to ADP and AMP in coronary capillaries and that ATP, ADP, and AMP act on purinergic receptors on the surface of capillary endothelial cells. Purinergic receptor activation initiates a retrograde conducted vasodilator signal to the upstream arteriole that controls coronary blood flow in a negative feedback manner. A previous study (M. Farias 3rd, M. W. Gorman, M. V. Savage, and E. O. Feigl, Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 288: H1586–H1590, 2005) demonstrated that coronary venous plasma ATP concentration increased during exercise and correlated with coronary blood flow. The present experiments test the adenine nucleotide hypothesis by examining the balance between oxygen delivery (via coronary blood flow) and myocardial oxygen consumption during exercise before and after purinergic receptor blockade. Dogs ( n = 7) were chronically instrumented with catheters in the aorta and coronary sinus and a flow transducer around the circumflex coronary artery. During control treadmill exercise, myocardial oxygen consumption increased and the balance between oxygen delivery and myocardial oxygen consumption fell as indicated by a declining coronary venous oxygen tension. Blockade of P1 and P2Y1purinergic receptors combined with inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis significantly decreased the balance between oxygen delivery and myocardial oxygen consumption compared with control. The results support the hypothesis that ATP and its breakdown products ADP and AMP are part of a negative feedback control mechanism that matches coronary blood flow to myocardial oxygen consumption at rest and during exercise.
Femoral artery occlusion increases expression of ASIC3 in dorsal root ganglion neurons
Authors: Liu Jiahao , Gao Zhaohui , Li Jianhua
Published: September 2010

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) in sensory nerves are responsive to increases in the levels of protons in the extracellular medium. Prior studies suggest that the muscle metabolite, lactic acid, plays a role in reflex sympathetic and cardiovascular responses via stimulation of thin muscle afferent nerves. Also, femoral artery occlusion augments the reflex sympathetic nerve response in rats. ASIC3 is a main subtype to appear in sensory nerves in mediating the response induced by increases in protons in the interstitial space of contracting muscles. Thus, in this article, we hypothesized that femoral occlusion increases the expression of ASIC3 in primary afferent neurons innervating muscles, and this contributes to the exaggerated reflex sympathetic responses. Femoral occlusion/vascular insufficiency of the hindlimb muscles was induced by the femoral artery ligation in rats. First, Western blot analysis shows that 24–72 h of femoral artery ligation significantly increased the expression of ASIC3 protein in dorsal root ganglion (optical density, 1.0 ± 0.07 in control vs. 1.65 ± 0.1 after 24 h of occlusion, P < 0.05; n = 6 in each group). There were no significant differences for increases in ASIC3 24 and 72 h postocclusion. Second, experiments using fluorescent immunohistochemistry and retrograde-labeling technique show that a greater percentage of ASIC3 staining neurons are localized in muscle-innervating dorsal root ganglion neurons after the arterial occlusion (78 ± 3% in 24 h post occlusion vs. 59 ± 5% in control, P < 0.05; n = 6 in each group). Third, the reflex responses in renal sympathetic nerve and arterial blood pressure induced by the stimulation of ASIC were examined after an injection of lactic acid into the arterial blood supply of hindlimb muscles of control rats and ligated rats. The results demonstrate that the sympathetic and pressor responses to lactic acid were significantly augmented after femoral occlusion compared with those in the control group. The data of this study suggest that enhanced ASIC3 expression in muscle afferent nerves contributes to the exaggerated reflex sympathetic and pressor responses to lactic acid as seen in arterial occlusion.
Impaired relaxation of cerebral arteries in the absence of elevated salt intake in normotensive congenic rats carrying the Dahl salt-sensitive renin gene
Authors: Durand Matthew J. , Moreno Carol , Greene Andrew S. , Lombard Julian H.
Published: September 2010

This study evaluated endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in response to acetylcholine (ACh) in isolated middle cerebral arteries (MCA) from Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl SS) rats and three different congenic strains that contain a portion of Brown Norway (BN) chromosome 13 introgressed onto the Dahl SS genetic background through marker-assisted breeding. Two of the congenic strains carry a 3.5-Mbp portion and a 2.6-Mbp portion of chromosome 13 that lie on opposite sides of the renin locus, while the third contains a 2.0-Mbp overlapping region that includes the BN renin allele. While maintained on a normal salt (0.4% NaCl) diet, MCAs from Dahl SS rats and the congenic strains retaining the Dahl SS renin allele failed to dilate in response to ACh, whereas MCAs from the congenic strain carrying the BN renin allele exhibited normal vascular relaxation. In congenic rats receiving the BN renin allele, vasodilator responses to ACh were eliminated by nitric oxide synthase inhibition with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with captopril, and AT1 receptor blockade with losartan. NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester-sensitive vasodilation in response to ACh was restored in MCAs of Dahl SS rats that received either a 3-day infusion of a subpressor dose of angiotensin II (3 ng·kg−1·min−1 iv), or chronic treatment with the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol (15 mg·kg−1·day−1). These findings indicate that the presence of the Dahl SS renin allele plays a crucial role in endothelial dysfunction present in the cerebral circulation of the Dahl SS rat, even in the absence of elevated dietary salt intake, and that introgression of the BN renin allele rescues endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses by restoring normal activation of the renin-angiotensin system.
A Comparison between Standard and Crossfeed Monopulse Radars in Presence of Rough Sea Scattering and Ship Movements
Authors: Giunta Giorgio , Lucci Leonardo , Nesti Renzo , Pelosi Giuseppe , Selleri Stefano , Serrano Francesco
Published: September 2010

Monopulse radars are widely used in tracking systems, due to their relative simplicity and theoretical precision, but the presence of multipath impairs the tracking capabilities of these radars, especially when multipath signals are strong, as in a naval environment. A special monopulse setup, the crossfeed, has been proposed in the past to provide an automatic cancellation from smooth sea multipath. In this contribution, the performances of such a system are analyzed in presence of rough sea scattering and compared with those of a standard monopulse setup. Particular attention is devoted to performance degradations due to possible phase errors in the passive network implementing the comparator and due to ship rolling and pitching. This latter requires a full 3D monopulse simulator for its correct evaluation.
Antireflective Boundary Conditions for Deblurring Problems
Authors: Donatelli Marco , Serra-Capizzano Stefano
Published: September 2010

This survey paper deals with the use of antireflective boundary conditions for deblurring problems where the issues that we consider are the precision of the reconstruction when the noise is not present, the linear algebra related to these boundary conditions, the iterative and noniterative regularization solvers when the noise is considered, both from the viewpoint of the computational cost and from the viewpoint of the quality of the reconstruction. In the latter case, we consider a reblurring approach that replaces the transposition operation with correlation. For many of the considered items, the anti‐reflective algebra coming from the given boundary conditions is the optimal choice. Numerical experiments corroborating the previous statement and a conclusion section end the paper.
Constitutive High Level Expression of an Endoxylanase Gene from the Newly IsolatedBacillus subtilisAQ1 inEscherichia coli
Authors: Helianti Is , Nurhayati Niknik , Ulfah Maria , Wahyuntari Budiasih , Setyahadi Siswa
Published: September 2010

A xylanolytic bacterium was isolated from the sediment of an aquarium. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence as well as morphological and biochemical properties the isolate was identified and denoted asBacillus subtilis(B. subtilis) AQ1 strain. An endoxylanase-encoding gene along with its indigenous promoter was PCR amplified and after cloning expressed inE. coli. InE. colithe recombinant enzyme was found in the extracellular, in the cytoplasmic, and in the periplasmic fraction. The specific activity of the extracellular AQ1 recombinant endoxylanase after 24-hour fermentation was very high, namely,2173.6 ± 51.4and2745.3 ± 11 U/mg in LB and LB-xylan medium, respectively. This activity was clearly exceeding that of the nativeB. subtilisAQ1 endoxylanase and that of 95% homologous recombinant one fromB. subtilisDB104. The result shows that the original AQ1 endoxylanase promoter and the signal peptide gave a very high constitutive extracellular expression inE. coliand hence made the production inE. colifeasible.
Overexpression of High-Mobility Group Box 2 Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Kwon Jung-Hee , Kim Jongmin , Park Jin Young , Hong Sun Mi , Park Chang Wook , Hong Seok Joo , Park Sun Young , Choi Yoon Jung , Do In-Gu , Joh Jae-Won , Kim Dae Shick , Choi Kwan Yong
Published: September 2010

Purpose: We investigated the expression of high-mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its clinical effects with underlying mechanisms.

Experimental Design: HMGB2 mRNA levels were measured in 334 HCC patients by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and HMGB2 protein levels in 173 HCC patients by immunohistochemical studies. The HMGB2 expression level was measured by Western blotting for three HCC cell lines. To clarify the precise role of HMGB2 on cell proliferation, we did in vitro analysis with expression vectors and small interfering RNAs.

Results: HMGB2 mRNA and protein expression were significantly higher in HCC than in noncancerous surrounding tissues (P < 0.0001) and showed a positive correlation (ρ = 0.35, P < 0.001). HMGB2 overexpression was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival time, both at mRNA (P = 0.0054) and protein level (P = 0.023). Moreover, HMGB2 mRNA level was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in a multivariate analysis (P = 0.0037). HMGB2 knockdown by small interfering RNAs decreased cell proliferation, and overexpression of HMGB2 by expression vectors diminished cisplatin- and etoposide-induced cell death.

Conclusions: Our clinical and in vitro data suggest that HMGB2 plays a significant role in tumor development and prognosis of HCC. These results can partly be explained by altered cell proliferations by HMGB2 associated with the antiapoptotic pathway. Clin Cancer Res; 16(22); 5511–21. ©2010 AACR.
Curcumin Inhibits Carcinogen and Nicotine-Induced Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Pathway Activation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Clark Cheryl A. , McEachern Matthew D. , Shah Shivang H. , Rong Youhua , Rong Xiaohua , Smelley Christopher L. , Caldito Gloria C. , Abreo Fleurette W. , Nathan C.O.
Published: September 2010

Curcumin appears to be a safe, bioactive food compound that is a potential chemopreventive for patients at a high risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Identification and validation of intermediate endpoints is an important step in evaluating chemopreventive agents. AKT/MTOR pathway biomarkers are intrinsic to the carcinogenic process as well as the mechanism of intervention with curcumin. Antiproliferative effects of curcumin were assayed in 9 HNSCC and a keratinocyte cell line. Nicotine, a genotoxic alkaloid involved in tobacco addiction, forms DNA adducts and has been implicated in upper aerodigestive tract cancer promotion. The antiproliferative effects of curcumin were associated with inhibition of the AKT/MTOR pathway in presence and absence of nicotine, which also induced this pathway. Curcumin was highly effective at suppressing growth of SCC40 xenografts and its activity is associated with modulation of MTOR's downstream target pS6. Curcumin at 15 mg significantly increased survival (286 ± 37 vs. 350 days) in the 4NQO carcinogenic model survival study. A major cause of lethal progression of HNSCC is local regional migration and invasion of malignant cells, and curcumin significantly inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo where downregulation of pS6 was associated with a significant decrease in MMP-9. This is the first study to demonstrate that curcumin inhibits the adverse effects of nicotine by blocking nicotine-induced activation of the AKT/MTOR pathway in HNSCC, which retards cell migration. These studies indicate that inhibiting the AKT/MTOR pathway with curcumin may be useful as an oral chemopreventive agent. Cancer Prev Res; 3(12); 1586–95. ©2010 AACR.
Idiopathic Ventricular Arrhythmias Originating From the Left Ventricular Summit
Authors: Yamada Takumi , McElderry H. Thomas , Doppalapudi Harish , Okada Taro , Murakami Yoshimasa , Yoshida Yukihiko , Yoshida Naoki , Inden Yasuya , Murohara Toyoaki , Plumb Vance J. , Kay G. Neal
Published: September 2010

Background—

The summit of the left ventricle (LV) is the most superior portion of the epicardial LV bounded by an arc from the left anterior descending coronary artery, superior to the first septal perforating branch to the left circumflex coronary artery. Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originating from this region may present challenges for catheter ablation.

Methods and Results—

We studied 27 consecutive patients with VAs originating from the LV summit. The great cardiac vein (GCV) divides this region between an inferior area accessible to ablation and a superior, inaccessible area. Successful ablation was achieved within the GCV in 14 patients and on the epicardial surface in 4. Ventricular prepotentials were recorded at the successful ablation site in 80% of these patients. In 5 patients, ablation was abandoned because of inaccessibility of the catheter to the myocardium or high impedance with radiofrequency application within the GCV. In the remaining 4 patients, epicardial mapping suggested VA origins in a region of low voltage that was located superior to the GCV (inaccessible area), and ablation was abandoned because of close proximity to the coronary arteries or high impedance. A right bundle-branch block, transition zone, R-wave amplitude ratio in leads III to II, Q-wave amplitude ratio in leads aVL to aVR, and S waves in lead V
6
accurately predicted the site of origin.

Conclusions—

LV summit VAs may be ablated within the GCV or inferior to the GCV on the epicardial surface, though sites superior to the GCV are usually inaccessible to ablation.
Effect of Peri-Infarct Pacing Early After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Chung Eugene S. , Dan Dan , Solomon Scott D. , Bank Alan J. , Pastore Joseph , Iyer Anand , Berger Ronald D. , Franklin Jay O. , Jones Gregory , Machado Christian , Stolen Craig M.
Published: September 2010

Background—

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling has been attributed to the segmental loss of viable myocardium due to myocardial infarction (MI), which results in redistribution of cardiac workload, with increased regional wall stress in and around the infarct zone. Because ventricular pacing has been shown to reduce regional wall stress and workload in regions near the pacing site, this trial was designed to test whether chronic pacing near the infarct attenuates LV remodeling.

Methods and Results—

Eighty patients with an anterior MI, peak creatine kinase >2000 mU/mL, ejection fraction ≤35%, wall motion abnormality (WMA) in >5 of 16 segments, and QRS <120 ms, were randomized to either control (implantable cardioverter-defribillator [ICD]) or biventricular pacing with peri-infarct LV lead placement (cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]-D) arms between 2 and 14 days after the MI. The primary end point—change in LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) from baseline to 12 months—was not significantly different between the 2 groups (CRT, 10.6±27.7 mL; ICD, 11.2±31.2 mL; 2-sample
t
test
P
>0.05). In a hypothesis-generating secondary analysis, there was a sustained reduction in the WMA score at 12 months in paced patients (CRT, −0.16±0.28; ICD, −0.01±0.24, 2-sample
t
test
P
=0.03). No differences were found in the therapy-related event rate, hospitalizations, or mortality (all
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—

Chronic pacing in the infarct region did not alter the primary end point of LV remodeling over 1 year.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00605631.
Validation of 3D Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Ventricular Volumes, Mass, and Ejection Fraction in Neonates and Infants With Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Friedberg Mark K. , Su Xioahong , Tworetzky Wayne , Soriano Brian D. , Powell Andrew J. , Marx Gerald R.
Published: September 2010

Background—

Quantitative assessment and validation of left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass in neonates and infants with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) is important for clinical management but has not been undertaken. We compared matrix-array 3D echocardiography (3D echo) measurements of volumes, mass, and ejection fraction (EF) with those measured by cardiac MRI in young patients with CHD and small LVs because of either young age or LV hypoplasia.

Methods and Results—

Thirty-five patients aged <4 years (median, 0.8 years) undergoing MRI were prospectively enrolled. Three-dimensional echo was acquired immediately after MRI, and volume, mass, and EF measurements, using summation of discs methodology, were compared with MRI. Three-dimensional echo end-diastolic volume (24.4±15.7 versus 24.8±46.4 mL;
P
=0.01; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.96) and end-systolic volume (12.3±8.6 versus 9.6±6.8 mL;
P
<0.001; ICC, 0.90) correlated with MRI with small mean differences (−0.49 mL [
P
=0.6] and 2.7 mL [
P
=0.001], respectively). Three-dimensional echo EF was smaller than MRI by 9.3% (
P
<0.001), and 3D echo LV mass measurements were comparable to MRI (17.3±10.3 versus 17.6±12 g;
P
<0.77; ICC, 0.93), with a small mean difference (1.1 g;
P
=0.28). There was good intra- and interobserver reliability for all measurements.

Conclusions—

In neonates and infants with CHD and small LVs (age appropriate or hypoplastic), matrix-array 3D echo measurements of mass and volumes compare well with MRI, providing an important modality for ventricular size and performance analysis in these patients, particularly in those with left-side heart obstructive lesions.
Coronary Microvascular Function in Early Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Charytan David M. , Shelbert Heinrich R. , Di Carli Marcelo F.
Published: September 2010

Background—

Coronary microvascular dysfunction may underlie the high cardiovascular risk associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the effects of CKD on coronary microvasculature function remain uncertain.

Methods and Results—

We assessed myocardial blood flow changes in mild-to-moderate CKD and analyzed the association between creatinine clearance (CrCl) and peak myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR) measured as the ratio of stress to rest perfusion at baseline and at 1 year in 435 nondiabetic individuals who underwent quantitative rest and pharmacological stress positron emission tomography imaging. At baseline, CFR was significantly associated with CrCl (β per 10 mL/min increase, 0.07;
P
=0.001). Factors such as age and blood pressure accounted for this association, and it was not significant in adjusted analyses (β=−0.02,
P
=0.53). Peak flow was not associated with CrCl in either crude or adjusted analyses (β per 10 mL/min=−0.02 mL/min per g,
P
=0.29). Although change in peak flow at 1 year was similar in patients with and without CKD, CrCl was a strong and independent predictor of a higher rate of change in CFR, with a loss of 0.11 CFR units/y (95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.20) for each 10 mL/min drop in CrCl (
P
=0.03).

Conclusions—

These findings demonstrate that mild-to-moderate CKD is not independently associated with a reduction in peak myocardial flow or CFR and suggests that microvascular changes are unlikely to explain the high cardiovascular mortality in mild to moderate CKD. Loss of CFR, however, may accelerate in mild to moderate CKD. Further studies are needed to determine whether these changes lead to more significant reductions that may reduce peak flows and CFR and contribute to cardiovascular risk in more severe CKD.
Hemodynamic Correlates of Blood Pressure Across the Adult Age Spectrum
Authors: Mitchell Gary F. , Wang Na , Palmisano Joseph N. , Larson Martin G. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Vita Joseph A. , Levy Daniel , Benjamin Emelia J. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: September 2010

Background—

Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure are substantially higher in older adults. The relative contributions of increased forward versus reflected pressure wave amplitude or earlier arrival of the reflected wave to elevated pulse pressure remain controversial.

Methods and Results—

We measured proximal aortic pressure and flow, forward pressure wave amplitude, global wave reflection, reflected wave timing, and pulse wave velocity noninvasively in 6417 (age range, 19 to 90 years; 53 women) Framingham Heart Study Third Generation and Offspring participants. Variation in forward wave amplitude paralleled pulse pressure throughout adulthood. In contrast, wave reflection and pulse pressure were divergent across adulthood: In younger participants, pulse pressure was lower and wave reflection was higher with advancing age, whereas in older participants, pulse pressure was higher and wave reflection was lower with age. Reflected wave timing differed modestly across age groups despite considerable differences in pulse wave velocity. Forward wave amplitude explained 80 (central) and 66 (peripheral) of the variance in pulse pressure in younger participants (<50 years) and 90 and 84 in the older participants (≥50 years; all
P
<0.0001). In a stepwise model that evaluated age–pulse pressure relations in the full sample, the late accelerated increases in central and peripheral pulse pressure were markedly attenuated when variation in forward wave amplitude was considered.

Conclusions—

Higher pulse pressure at any age and higher pulse pressure with advancing age is associated predominantly with a larger forward pressure wave. The influence of wave reflection on age-related differences in pulse pressure was minor.
Noninvasive Characterization of Epicardial Activation in Humans With Diverse Atrial Fibrillation Patterns
Authors: Cuculich Phillip S. , Wang Yong , Lindsay Bruce D. , Faddis Mitchell N. , Schuessler Richard B. , Damiano Ralph J. , Li Li , Rudy Yoram
Published: September 2010

Background—

Various mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) have been demonstrated experimentally. Invasive methods to study these mechanisms in humans have limitations, precluding continuous mapping of both atria with sufficient resolution. In this article, we present continuous biatrial epicardial activation sequences of AF in humans using noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI).

Methods and Results—

In the testing phase, ECGI accuracy was evaluated by comparing ECGI with coregistered CARTO images during atrial pacing in 6 patients. Additionally, correlative observations from catheter mapping and ablation were compared with ECGI in 3 patients. In the study phase, ECGI maps during AF in 26 patients were analyzed for mechanisms and complexity. ECGI noninvasively imaged the low-amplitude signals of AF in a wide range of patients (97 procedural success). Spatial accuracy for determining initiation sites from pacing was 6 mm. Locations critical to maintenance of AF identified during catheter ablation were identified by ECGI; ablation near these sites restored sinus rhythm. In the study phase, the most common patterns of AF were multiple wavelets (92), with pulmonary vein (69) and non–pulmonary vein (62) focal sites. Rotor activity was seen rarely (15). AF complexity increased with longer clinical history of AF, although the degree of complexity of nonparoxysmal AF varied widely.

Conclusions—

ECGI offers a noninvasive way to map epicardial activation patterns of AF in a patient-specific manner. The results highlight the coexistence of a variety of mechanisms and variable complexity among patients. Overall, complexity generally increased with duration of AF.
Extensive Primary Repair of the Thoracic Aorta in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection by Means of Ascending Aorta Replacement Combined With Open Placement of Triple-Branched Stent Graft
Authors: Chen Liang-Wan , Dai Xiao-Fu , Lu Lin , Zhang Gui-Can , Cao Hua
Published: September 2010

Background—

To simplify extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta in acute type A aortic dissection, we developed the open triple-branched stent graft placement technique. The early results of this new technique are reported.

Methods and Results—

Between June 2008 and November 2009, 30 patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta by means of ascending aorta replacement combined with open placement of triple-branched stent graft. Placement of the triple-branched stent graft into the true lumen of the descending aorta, arch, and 3 arch vessels was technically successful in all patients. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time, and lower body arrest time were 151.8±16.69, 84.1±6.97, and 31.17±5.34 minutes, respectively. The postoperative mechanical ventilation support period and duration of intensive care unit stay were 17.93±2.35 and 62.10±9.24 hours, respectively. All implanted stent grafts were fully opened and not kinked; there was no space or blood flow surrounding the triple-branched stent graft and no sidearm graft stenosis or occlusion. The false lumen of the descending aorta distal to the stent graft closed with thrombus in 25 of 30 patients at their first postoperative scans and in 26 of 30 at the 3-month postoperative scan.

Conclusions

Open triple-branched stent graft placement is an effective technique with satisfactory early results. With this technique, extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta may become easier and safer for acute type A aortic dissection.
“God Is Witness” A Classical Rhetorical Idiom in Its Pauline Usage
Authors: Novenson Matthew V.
Published: September 2010

Five times in the undisputed letters Paul invokes God as guarantor of the truth of a claim with a form of the phrase “God is witness.” Interpreters have long identified these sayings as self-imprecatory oaths after a pattern attested in the Hebrew Bible. In this article, I argue that the Pauline phrase “God is witness” is not a self-imprecatory oath at all, but rather a figure of speech with roots in the rhetoric of classical Greece and a long tradition in postclassical pagan, Jewish, and Christian literature. In this figure of speech, God is not testifying against Paul in case Paul should default on a promise; rather God is testifying for Paul that Paul’s character can be trusted.
Remembered Traditions and Lifestyles of Soviet Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Kurmangaliyeva Ercilasun Güljanat
Published: September 2010

This article is mainly based on the outcome of the first stage of the oral-history project Living History of Central Asian People: The Case of Kyrgyzstan. In this project, the actors and eyewitnesses of the Soviet period, who are now seventy years old and more, tell us their life stories and share their memories; in this way, they constitute important sources for the history of Kyrgyzstan during the Soviet period. Their memories, feelings and stories do not always match official or generally accepted historical accounts. In this article, not only the political and economic aspects of Soviet Kyrgyzstan will be addressed, but everyday life will be also revealed as one main focal point. The memories of traditions and lifestyles in Kyrgyzstan during the Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev eras will be analysed.
Life Histories of Forgotten Heroes? Transgression of Boundaries and the Reconstruction of Tibet in the post-Mao Era
Authors: Diemberger Hildegard
Published: September 2010

Oral-history projects in the Tibetan areas of China face the challenge of dealing with a highly contested history and a sensitive political context that raises numerous ethical questions. At the same time, this particular situation makes them compelling. This paper looks at some examples of local cadres, heads of monasteries and village elders who were a driving force in the reconstruction of the Tibetan social and cultural fabric in the 1980s and 1990s. These are people who had experienced Tibet before its radical reshaping through the Democratic Reforms of 1959, survived the Cultural Revolution and, after 1978, led their communities in their endeavours of reviving Tibetan traditions and promoting local welfare. This generation of political and religious leaders has now largely disappeared from the active scene. Their personal involvement, often above and beyond their official roles, has been crucial in the shaping of contemporary Tibet. However, Chinese official narratives and those of Tibetan exile – for opposite reasons – tend to neglect or misrepresent their contribution. This paper shows how the collecting of life histories and personal accounts makes it possible to reconstruct a 'history from below', otherwise consigned to oblivion. At the same time it provides some telling examples of how leaders negotiated the shifting boundary between the religious and the secular while trying to reconcile the moral authority of the past with a modernist vision of society. An engagement with oral history may thus provide some insights into the current tensions within the emerging Tibetan civil society that straddles a difficult pathway between the tenets of Chinese socialism and deeply engrained Buddhist morality.
Godliness, Self-Sufficiency, Greed, and the Enjoyment of Wealth 1 Timothy 6:3-19 Part I
Authors: Malherbe Abraham J.
Published: September 2010

In 1 Tim 5, the author turns to the church’s financial support of some of its members, and in chap. 6 discusses individual attitudes toward money and its use. The article concentrates on chap. 6, especially vv. 17-19, and argues that, while philosophical sources are of prime importance in describing the moral teaching inculcated, popular morality, represented by clichés, proverbs, gnomai, drama, satire and inscriptions, makes possible a thicker description of the moral ecology of the Pastoral Epistles. What emerges is a variety of sometimes similar teaching relating to wealth. The diversity of viewpoint on the same topics relating to wealth suggests that it is more realistic to see 1 Tim 6:17-19 as one among other view-points rather than as derived from one or another of them. What is striking is the prominence given to enjoyment in the proper use of wealth.
One Really Striking Minor Agreement ΤΙΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ Ο ΠΑΙΣΑΣ ΣΕ in Matthew 26:68 and Luke 22:64
Authors: Black Steve D.
Published: September 2010

It is asserted that Matt 26:68|Luke 22:64(|Mark 14:65) is the most difficult of the minor agreements. Some advocates of the two-source theory have addressed this minor agreement by trying to make sense of the narrative as we have it, and others by making sense of the text as we have it (arguing for textual corruption or lost recensions). While some of these arguments are reasonable, in the final analysis they are not satisfying. Although we might remain persuaded that the two-source theory best integrates the data relating to the synoptic problem, this minor agreement reminds us that the synoptic problem is still a problem.
Navigating Institutional Change: The Accord, Rogernomics, and the Politics of Adjustment in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Ahlquist John S.
Published: September 2010

This article uses a transactions approach to examine the ability of governments to develop and sustain negotiated solutions to major economic challenges. Where actors are embedded in long-term, repeated interaction, have long time horizons, and invest in monitoring and enforcement technologies, effective political exchange is more likely. In good transactions environments, policy bargains will be more easily renegotiated and therefore more flexible and durable. To examine the expectations the author looks to the puzzle posed by events in Australia and New Zealand, 1983-1996. Facing similar macroeconomic crises and with historically similar wage bargaining institutions and levels of union density both elect Labor governments, which then make opposite choices: A negotiated solution emerged in Australia but not in New Zealand. Relying on the secondary literature and interviews with key actors, the author finds support for the transactions approach. Findings here point to ways in which to broaden the study of so-called social pacts.
Migrants referring to the Bologna Transcultural Psychiatric Team: Reasons for drop-out
Authors: Tarricone Ilaria , Atti Anna Rita , Braca Mauro , Pompei Graziano , Morri Michela , Poggi Francesca , Melega Saverio , Stivanello Elisa , Tonti Lorenza , Nolet Maria , Berardi Domenico
Published: September 2010

Background: Recent immigrants face various difficulties in adjusting to western countries and show a high prevalence of mental disorders. Access to a culturally appropriate community mental health centre (CMHC) is crucial for immigrants (Bhui et al., 2007). The Bologna West Transcultural Psychiatric Team (BoTPT, Tarricone et al., 2009) is one of the first projects in Italy that prioritizes cultural competence care. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this service and to describe what characteristics of patient and psychiatric intervention are related to ‘drop-out’.

Method: All migrants who consecutively attended the BoTPT between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2008 were included and evaluated at first contact and again six months later.

Results: After six months we followed up 162 patients; 32 (17.9%) of these had interrupted treatment. Non-Asian origin, a recent history of migration and not receiving social intervention were the strongest predictors of drop-out cases.

Conclusion: Psychiatric consultation services to migrants could be made more effective by enhancing: (a) cultural competence, through cultural mediator involvement; and (b) social support from the first psychiatric contact. These two characteristics of psychiatric consultation could be developed from resources ordinarily present in the context of a CMHC and could then become a cost-effective strategy for addressing mental health needs among first-generation immigrants.
The diversity based approach to culturally sensitive practices
Authors: Chau Ruby C.M. , Yu Sam W.K. , Tran Cam T.L.
Published: September 2010

This paper discusses the main ideas of the Diversity Based approach to culturally sensitive practices in health and social care services.This approach is important in emphasizing the fluid nature of culture, the diversity in cultural groups and the impact of inegalitarian and racist power relations on their life. Chinese people in the UK are used as an example to demonstrate how exploration of the diversity of ethnic minority groups could strengthen cultural sensitivity. Some methods for the realization of the Diversity Based approach, such as the culturagram and user involvement, have also been highlighted.
Spatial Coding of Individuals With Visual Impairments
Authors: Papadopoulos Konstantinos , Koustriava Eleni , Kartasidou Lefkothea
Published: September 2010

The aim of this study is to examine the ability of children and adolescents with visual impairments to code and represent near space. Moreover, it examines the impact of the strategies they use and individual differences in their performance. A total of 30 individuals with visual impairments up to the age of 18 were given eight different object patterns in different arrays and were asked to code and represent each of them. The results revealed better performances by those who use an allocentric approach during spatial coding and those with residual vision. In fact, allocentric strategies were more prevalent in coding near space than egocentric ones. Moreover, the ability of participants to move independently was positively correlated with their ability to use the most effective haptic strategies. These findings suggest that children and adolescents with visual impairments are capable of using allocentric reference and providing a different perspective to the currently dominant one.
First-to-Second-Year Persistence of Students With Disabilities in Postsecondary Institutions in the United States
Authors: Mamiseishvili Ketevan , Koch Lynn C.
Published: September 2010

The authors used the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study survey (BPS:04/06) to (a) examine the characteristics of the national sample of college students with disabilities and (b) identify the factors that influenced their first-to-second-year persistence in U.S. postsecondary institutions. Students with disabilities in their study display many of the characteristics that are recognized as potential risk factors for attrition in higher education. The results from chisquare tests reveal that academic and social integration and disability-related accommodations are significantly associated with first-to-second-year persistence of students with disabilities; however, when controlling for other demographic, entry, and in-college characteristics, they do not hold significant in the final logistic regression model. Among in-college characteristics, on-campus living, full-time enrollment, degree expectations, first-year GPA, and net price of attendance emerge as significant predictors of persistence of students with disabilities. Recommendations for rehabilitation counselors and disability services staff in higher education are provided.
Adaptive Eschatological Inference from the Gospel of Matthew
Authors: Cooper Ben
Published: September 2010

The main contours of Matthew’s eschatology are relatively uncontested, including the apparent tension between what has been called his ‘realized’ eschatology and his ‘future’ eschatology. However, there is less agreement on whether or how this tension can be resolved, while Matthew himself seems to be remarkably relaxed about it. This article attempts to explain this surprising fact, and offers a new approach to reconciling the tension. The eschatological data in the Gospel are analysed by a process of ‘adaptive inference’ in order to build progressively its ‘implied temporal framework’. The article concludes with a claim that the temporal framework implied by the Gospel is a relatively simple threefold division of history in which, after the period prior to the coming of Jesus, the central pattern of tribulation and vindication experienced by Jesus in his life, death and resurrection inaugurates an age in which a derivative pattern of tribulation and vindication is to be experienced by his followers.
Does intravenous Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol increase dopamine release? A SPET study
Authors: Barkus Emma , Morrison Paul D , Vuletic D , Dickson John C , Ell Peter J , Pilowsky Lyn S , Brenneisen Rudolf , Holt David W , Powell John , Kapur Shitij , Murray Robin M
Published: September 2010

Intravenous (IV) Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) induces transient psychotic symptoms in healthy subjects and in schizophrenic patients, but the psychotomimetic mechanism is unknown. One possibility is that THC stimulates dopamine (DA) release in the striatum. In this study we tested whether IV THC led to an increase in striatal DA release compared to placebo. We also investigated whether DA release and positive psychotic symptoms were related. Eleven healthy male volunteers completed two 123I-iodobenzamide ([123I]IBZM) single photon emission tomography (SPET) sessions and received IV THC (2.5 mg) or placebo in a randomized counterbalanced order, under double-blind conditions. Analysable data were obtained from nine participants. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to rate psychotomimetic effects. Striatal binding index values were calculated using the occipital cortex as a reference region. Both the PANSS positive and general symptoms increased significantly at 30 min following IV THC. There were no significant differences in binding index in the caudate or putamen under THC compared to placebo conditions. Positive psychotic symptoms and DA release were unrelated. THC did not lead to a significant increase in DA release even though the dose was sufficient for participants to have psychotic symptoms. These findings do not support a central role for striatal DA in THC-elicited psychosis.
A Compliant Hybrid Zero Dynamics Controller for Stable, Efficient and Fast Bipedal Walking on MABEL
Authors: Sreenath Koushil , Park Hae-Won , Poulakakis Ioannis , Grizzle J W
Published: September 2010

The planar bipedal testbed MABEL contains springs in its drivetrain for the purpose of enhancing both energy efficiency and agility of dynamic locomotion. While the potential energetic benefits of springs are well documented in the literature, feedback control designs that effectively realize this potential are lacking. In this paper, we extend and apply the methods of virtual constraints and hybrid zero dynamics, originally developed for rigid robots with a single degree of underactuation, to MABEL, a bipedal walker with a novel compliant transmission and multiple degrees of underactuation. A time-invariant feedback controller is designed such that the closed-loop system respects the natural compliance of the open-loop system and realizes exponentially stable walking gaits. Five experiments are presented that highlight different aspects of MABEL and the feedback design method, ranging from basic elements such as stable walking and robustness under perturbations, to energy efficiency and a walking speed of 1.5 m s−1 (3.4 mph). The experiments also compare two feedback implementations of the virtual constraints, one based on PD control of Westervelt et al., and a second that implements a full hybrid zero dynamics controller. On MABEL, the full hybrid zero dynamics controller yields a much more faithful realization of the desired virtual constraints and was instrumental in achieving more rapid walking.
Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood: Long-term outcome
Authors: Krams Benjamin , Echenne Bernard , Leydet Julie , Rivier François , Roubertie Agathe
Published: September 2010

Introduction

Benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPV) is characterized by recurrent attacks of dizziness in a healthy child. Complete recovery typically takes place during childhood, and an epidemiological link with migraine has been pointed out. Nevertheless, data concerning long-term patient outcome are scarce.

Subjects and methods

We analyzed the clinical data of 17 patients diagnosed with BPV between 1991 and 2008 in our neuropediatric department; we particularly focused on family medical history and long-term patient outcome by reviewing their medical files and by interviewing the families with a standardized questionnaire administered by phone.

Results

Thirteen families responded to the questionnaire, performed 1.1 to 24.5 years after onset. Among 10 patients older than 11 years of age, five continue to suffer attacks of vertigo. Median age at recovery was six years. Nine subjects exhibited migraine, including all six aged 15 years or older. There was a first-degree history of migraine in eight out of 13 children.

Conclusion

BPV may not be a homogeneous condition, as some children have a poorer prognosis than others. The strong link with migraine, already noticed by previous authors, led us to discuss the pathophysiology of this condition.
Simultaneous Transitions: Democratization, Neoliberalization, and Possibilities for Class Compromise in South Korea
Authors: Kim Wonik
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this paper is to bring class compromise back into the study of South Korean political economy and present it as a possible alternative to the overwhelmingly one-sided neoliberal trajectory in South Korea. The process and conditions under which positive class compromise is acquired are identified in terms of the Polanyi-Gramsci nexus. This perspective suggests that the restoration of state-led developmentalism would be unfeasible under a democratic regime, while the implementation of a purely neoliberal blueprint may lead to unproductive class conflict. Employing this theoretical framework, I examine possibilities for positive class compromise in the context of the simultaneous transitions—democratization and neoliberalization—in South Korea.

JEL classification: B5, H7, O53, P5