bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Referrals to the emergency assessment clinic, Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff
Authors: Huckle P. , Nolan M.
Published: May 2008

A series of papers looking at the work of the walk-in psychiatric emergency service based at the Maudsley Hospital have been reported in the literature (Lim, 1983; Mindham et al, 1973; Brothwood, 1965). This clinic was established in 1952 and is one of the oldest in Europe. A similar clinic the Emergency Assessment Clinic (EAC) was introduced to Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff in 1970.
The focal sepsis theory of mental illness
Authors: Hosty Gary
Published: May 2008

“to neglect the study of history is not prudent”. Samuel Johnson. (Quoted by Hunter and Macalpine in the preface to their Three Hundred Years of Psychiatry)
Doctors at war: psychiatry in the Gulf
Authors: Deahl Martin P.
Published: May 2008

When Britain committed an armoured division to the Gulf in the autumn of 1990, it was inevitable that psychiatrists and other mental health personnel would be required. Battleshock, or combat stress, is important to the Army – it not only accounts for significant numbers of casualties in any land war, but, unlike other casualties, represents a potentially avoidable loss of manpower and important source of reinforcement. Based largely on the experience of Arab-Israeli conflicts it is believed that, with appropriate management, up to 90% of battleshock cases can be returned to duty within seven days. Moreover, it is thought that early recognition and intervention may reduce the incidence of PTSD and other long-term psychiatric sequelae (Foy et al 1987; Solomon & Benbenishty, 1986). Fortunately, Battleshock claimed few victims in the Gulf, due mainly to the brevity of the land war and the high state of motivation and morale of the allied force. The effectiveness of the Army's policy of early recognition of battleshock cases with minimal medical intervention on the battlefield and rapid return to duty remains uncertain and untested (Dunning, 1990).
The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett (National Theatre)
Authors: Freeman Hugh
Published: May 2008

The mighty in a fallen state represent one of the oldest themes in drama, reminding people in each successive epoch that underneath the trappings of power and authority is but a mortal man – or sometimes woman. Alan Bennett's depiction of The Madness of George III follows a trajectory from ‘Before’ – royal business, marital contentment, and family conflict – through the agonies of psychosis and its medical responses, to ‘After’ – (more or less) back to normal.
Strain and stress in palliative care
Authors: Brittlebank Andrew
Published: May 2008

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Guidelines for Training in Liaison Psychiatry (1988) recommend that trainee psychiatrists have the opportunity of working closely with an individual ward or department. Such an attachment may involve the trainee psychiatrist in staff support. This paper describes the involvement of a psychiatric trainee in the development of support structures in a hospice during a liaison attachment. The project not only shed light on the causes of staff strain in palliative care settings, but also provided an opportunity to participate in management.
‘Problems with Managed Psychiatric Care without a Psychiatric Manager’
Authors: Davies Neil S.
Published: May 2008

Stones of mishap and disaster have a grisly if reluctantly acknowledged appeal. Who can resist flicking through the annual reports of the medical defence organisations or reading the epitomes of the Health Ombudsman? What newspaper editor with an eye for the circulation figures omits tales of human misfortune?
An introductory course
Authors: Williamson D. J.
Published: May 2008

This series of articles is based on a course of five seminars which formed part of the Postgraduate Teaching Programme at the Crichton Royal Hospital. It aims to provide an introduction to computer terminology and to the most commonly used software applications for those with little or no previous knowledge of computers. The emphasis throughout is on what the personal computer can do rather than how to use specific applications. The articles refer mainly to the more common ‘IBM-Compatible’ computers.
Short duration induced seizures and therapeutic outcome at electroconvulsive therapy applications
Authors: Joyce J. P.
Published: May 2008

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is reported the most effective treatment for severe endogenous depressive illness but may also be useful in the treatment of mania and schizophrenia. It seems that the seizure is a necessary component of the overall treatment but it is undecided what constitutes an adequate duration of seizure activity.
Psychotherapy Register
Authors: Pokorny Michael R.
Published: May 2008

At a meeting of the United Kingdom Standing Conference for Psychotherapy on 7 March 1992, a series of working papers describing the organisation of a register of psychotherapists was discussed, amended and accepted.
A week spent working in a psychiatric hospital in Latvia (Part 2)
Authors: Timans Anita
Published: May 2008

The main body of Jelgava Psychiatric Hospital, in which I spent my week, consists of 14 or so adult and psychogeriatric and two child psychiatric wards. It was built about ten years ago. An alcohol and drug abuse unit, an out-patient department, and a small day hospital catering mostly for the ‘neuroses’ are found near-by.
A cause for concern – changing the fabric of psychogeriatric care
Authors: Benbow S. M. , Jolley D. J.
Published: May 2008

Elderly patients constitute nearly two thirds of resident hospital patients (DHSS, 1988): 60,280 people were resident in mental illness beds at the end of 1986, and 34,340 were aged over 65 years; 21,500 had been resident for more than a year and 11,300 for more than five years. This represents a 15.7% fall in numbers of resident elderly patients over a decade, while numbers of younger resident patients fell by 40%. Mental hospitals are increasingly dominated by their population of elderly patients. Some patients have grown old in the hospitals, but more are admitted in late life and remain in care, usually because they are suffering from severe dementia.
Psychiatric court clinics in the United States
Authors: Joseph Philip
Published: May 2008

The conditions endured by mentally disordered defendants remanded in custody have been the subject of mounting concern in England. The Home Office has issued guidelines which encourage the diversion of the mentally disordered from the criminal justice system whenever possible. In an attempt to reduce the number of custodial medical remands, new schemes have been set up which target the magistrates' court, instead of the remand prison, as the site for psychiatric assessment (Joseph & Potter, 1990; James & Hamilton, 1991). These schemes are in their infancy and currently suffer from a lack of funding and have yet to find general acceptance from hospital based psychiatric services.
The Social State
Authors: Campbell P. G. , Szmukler G. I.
Published: May 2008

As psychiatry broadens its perspective beyond a predominantly hospital focus, the tools of its trade need some reshaping to serve the needs of an altered working environment. The instrument indispensable to every psychiatrist is the scheme for assessment, comprising history-taking and examination of the mental (and physical) state. Honed by long familiarity and usage, its employment is the fundamental skill demanded of aspirants to medical practice and to psychiatry.
A Nigerian psychiatric emergency service: factors associated with utilisation
Authors: Adeniran R. A. , Suuwola O. A.
Published: May 2008

The psychiatric emergency service is a major focal point of entry into the mental health system. Depending on the health care policy and other sociocultural factors, the pattern of attendance in a psychiatric emergency unit tends to differ from one country to another (Bassuk et al, 1983).
‘Alzheimer's disease: the burden of the illness in England’: a review
Authors: Burns Alistair
Published: May 2008

This paper by Gray & Fenn (1993) represents the first systematic attempt to put a cost on Alzheimer's disease (AD) in England. At a time when a large proportion of research effort in AD is directed towards the basic biology, it is an interesting and novel avenue for investigation. There are those who would say it is long overdue. The authors introduce the burden of illness analysis which is essentially a comprehensive attempt to cost the impact of a disorder. The analysis takes into consideration differences in the expression of disease – chronic, non life-threatening disorders rank relatively highly in loss of earning and health service costs but relatively low as a contribution to mortality. A number of concepts are explained which will be of interest to the non-expert, such as the difference between real resource costs, (e.g. payment for a service such as Attendance Allowance to a carer) and transfer payment (e.g. paying Income Support to an AD sufferer). Mortality rates (which give an equal weighting to a death independent of the age at which it occurs) are replaced by potential years of life lost – the loss of economic contribution to society being greater the younger the age of death.
Mental illness and motor insurance
Authors: Brown Phillip
Published: May 2008

Much has been written about mental illness and driving, particularly the possibly increased risk of accidents. There is, however, little awareness of how this affects insurance premiums. It is well known that as a result of recent losses within the business, premiums were increased by 30% last year, and may be set to rise higher. This has made insuring a car a major part of the cost of running one. It appears that people with mental illnesses are being unfairly treated by motor insurers and therefore financially disadvantaged. I was first made aware of this problem by my involvement in a case.
The homeless and the mental health services: a Liverpool study
Authors: Ferran J. , O'Shea B. , Davidson I. A.
Published: May 2008

It is well known that there is a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder among residents in hostels for the homeless (Timms & Fry, 1989), and staff in these hostels are looking after the mental health needs of these people sometimes with little help from the institutional services. Recent studies have emphasised the plight of schizophrenia sufferers (Marshall, 1993) while other subgroups of mentally disordered homeless people have received less attention.
Neuroleptic usage in a community mental handicap unit
Authors: Harvey Richard J. , Cooray Sherva E.
Published: May 2008

Increasing concern has been expressed in the psychiatric literature and general press about the use of neuroleptic medication for the treatment of behaviour disturbance in the mentally handicapped (Buck & Sprague, 1989). The issue was highlighted in a television documentary (Public Eye, BBC2, 1 May 1992) which reported a number of cases of tardive dyskinesia in mentally handicapped people who had been treated with neuroleptics. The programme, although taking a characteristically slanted view, will have made an impression on relatives, patients and the general public. It was also intimated that British families may be preparing to test the legal grounds for prescribing these drugs to the mentally handicapped, particularly where there is no formal psychiatric diagnosis.
Psychiatry in descent: Darwin and the Brownes
Authors: Walmsley Tom
Published: May 2008

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) enjoys an uneasy position in the history of psychiatry. In general terms, he showed a personal interest in the plight of the mentally ill and an astute empathy for psychiatric patients. On the other hand, he has generated derogatory views of insanity, especially through the writings of English social philosophers like Herbert Spencer and Samuel Butler, the Italian School of “criminal anthropology” and French alienists including Victor Magnan and Benedict Morel.
Psychiatry of learning disabilities
Authors: Carpenter Peter K. , Kanagaratnam Sunita
Published: May 2008

Medical audit has become an overt part of our work over the last few years, hastened by the 1989 White Paper. At a meeting on 1 November 1989, the mental handicap psychiatrists of Bristol and Weston, Cheltenham, Frenchay, Gloucester, and Southmead Health Authorities agreed to meet monthly to audit agreed topics in mental handicap across district boundaries. These meetings were to be in addition to any local district audit that may already have been occurring, and were to provide a peer group for audit and a means of cross-fertilisation of ideas for projects. The group has now operated for over two years, and would like to present some examples of the topics covered and some comments on its experiences to help stimulate correspondence in the Psychiatric Bulletin on medical audit in learning disabilities.
Suicide prevention and ‘The Health of the Nation’
Authors: Morgan H. G.
Published: May 2008

In setting out a health strategy for England the White Paper, The Health of the Nation includes mental illness as one of its five key areas for action. Within mental health three targets are set out.
Survey of psychotropic medication: usage in a large mental handicap hospital
Authors: Kohen D. , Mathew G. , Fernando L.
Published: May 2008

The populations in the large mental handicap hospitals are known to be diverse, ranging from elderly non-psychiatric residential groups to acutely psychotic and behaviourally disturbed patients. At present demographic variables, medical and psychiatric characteristics of populations in these hospitals are changing in parallel with implementation of community care and resettlement programmes. In resettlement programmes, discharge priorities have been given to the easy to manage and less dependent residents while new challenging behavioural units and admission assessment wards are being opened to care for the multi-handicapped population.
Notes on the Lundbeck Teaching Fellowship in Chile 1991
Authors: Harrison Tom , Espejo Alexandra
Published: May 2008

In 1991 the Royal College of Psychiatrists organised two overseas teaching fellowships. In this paper we describe our visit to El Peral Hospital in Chile and discuss the value of our going there.
Confidential Enquiry into Homicides and Suicides by Mentally III People
Authors: Boyd W. D.
Published: May 2008

A Confidential Enquiry has been set up to review cases of homicides and suicides by mentally ill people. It is appreciated that those looking after people with psychiatric illnesses have always been alert to the need to protect those in their care. However, the objective of the enquiry is to discover whether some of these distressing deaths might have been prevented by different approaches to clinical management or by different provision of care.
L-tryptophan and depressive illness: a valuable adjunct to therapy?
Authors: Eccleston Donald
Published: May 2008

L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid in human nutrition. The minimum daily requirement for adults is in the range of 175 to 250 mg daily and this is normally exceeded in the average western diet which contains 600 to 1000 mg. Excess tryptophan is normally metabolised through the kynurenine pathway and only 1–2% of tryptophan in the diet is converted to 5-HT. The concept that 5-HT had a part to play in depressive illness evolved after the original observation by Ashcroft & Sharman in 1960 that patients with severe depressive illness had lower levels of the metabolite of 5-HT in cerebrospinal fluid compared with controls. In addition, early papers on the therapeutic efficacy of tryptophan suggested that it was potentially as successful as ECT.
Sexual abuse in psychiatric hospitals: developing policies to aid prevention
Authors: Subotsky Fiona
Published: May 2008

Over the last few years, there has been a considerable increase in public awareness of the sexual abuse of children and the incidence of violence, often with sexual aspects, to women in their homes and elsewhere. Questions about such occurrences are now frequently asked as part of the psychiatric assessment of women patients (Palmer et al, 1992). However, only comparatively recently has the issue of sexual assault within psychiatric provision begun to be raised (Gath, 1989; Subotsky, 1991; Tonks, 1992).
Scottish rehabilitation services: their relationship to socio-economic deprivation
Authors: McCreadie Robin G. , Williamson Douglas J.
Published: May 2008

It is well established that there is a strong relationship between psychiatric admission rates and socioeconomic deprivation; the more deprived the area, the more admissions may be expected (Hirsch, 1988). In the development of community resources for the mentally ill, therefore, an aim might be to site the majority of facilities in areas of greatest social deprivation, as that is where the majority of patients will live. It might also be expected that areas of greater deprivation would have more professional NHS staff. The present survey examines the siting of rehabilitation and support services in the catchment areas of Scottish psychiatric hospitals in relation to measures to socioeconomic deprivation. It also examines the relationship between deprivation and numbers of professional NHS staff in the different catchment areas.
The workload of a psychiatric registrar in a mental handicap hospital – implications for training and community care
Authors: Jones Glyn , Kerr Mike
Published: May 2008

The widespread move to community care for people with a learning disability has caused a change in roles for both the psychiatrist and the general practitioner. The general practitioner is now widely recognised as the primary medical carer for people with a learning disability (Howells, 1991), with the psychiatrist providing specialist support.
Emergency psychiatric referrals to a university hospital in Pakistan
Authors: Reza Hashim , Choudhry Sajid Mahmood , Khan Murad Moosa
Published: May 2008

The role of the accident and emergency department in the care of psychiatric patients has been long recognised. Mindham et al (1973) reported that many psychiatric patients, at their first or subsequent contact, present themselves as emergencies, and therefore a suitable service must be provided for them. It is interesting that a large number of reports describe various aspects of one particular service in London, namely the Maudsley Emergency Clinic. Several recent reports describe emergency psychiatric services in different district general hospitals in the United Kingdom.
Resuscitation skills of psychiatric trainees
Authors: Kosky Nick , Spearpoint Ken
Published: May 2008

One of the most unpleasant things that can happen to the senior house officer or registrar on call alone in a psychiatric hospital is a “crash” call. He or she has to get to the patient, institute appropriate immediate management, arrange for disposal to a more suitable facility, and hand over to the responsible team. The problems facing the psychiatrist in this situation may be complicated by several factors, and these come under the following headings.
The consultant psychiatrist and community care
Authors: Muijen Matt
Published: May 2008

It cannot be ignored that community care is now a fact, and not merely an issue. Some mental hospitals have closed and the number of mental illness beds have been reduced overall by about 40% over the last decade and a range of hostels, multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams and community mental health centres have been launched. The move towards well integrated and well coordinated community care has been urged by a large number of reports, white papers and policies including the second Griffiths report, Working for Patients, Caring for People, The Health of the Nation, the Care Programme Approach and care management, with social services becoming the lead agency in community care.
Brave new world: the AUTP survey of academic psychiatry
Authors: Lewis S. W. , Brown A. C. , Russell G. F.
Published: May 2008

This brief article reports the results of a questionnaire survey of Academic Departments of Psychiatry in the UK in August 1992 initiated by the Association of University Teachers of Psychiatry (AUTP). The survey was undertaken in an effort to gauge more objectively a growing sense of anxiety within academic psychiatry, whose key functions – education, training, clinical research – seemed to many to be threatened by changes in the logistics of funding within universities and the NHS. These changes include the introduction of the internal market in the NHS, changes in the funding from the Universities Funding Council (UFC) and the service increment for teaching and research (SIFTR), ever stiffer competition for research grants, changing funding patterns for clinical research with the Peckham initiative, and, for the ten London departments, the Tomlinson report.
Rumour, myth and reality at SR interviews
Authors: Haigh Rex , Weaver Mark
Published: May 2008

With the current balance of manpower, being appointed to a senior registrar post is seen as more of a hurdle in the NHS career path of junior psychiatrists than the MCRPsych examination. Numerically, it is the most significant bottleneck in the system, with substantially more suitable applicants than available posts. One effect that this has had is to encourage a climate where rumours and myths circulate about what is necessary to become an SR. As well as being stressful and demoralising, this can give candidates the wrong ideas of what is realistically required.
The Policy of the College Library
Authors: Rollin Henry R.
Published: May 2008

The role of the College library has hitherto not been defined. This is perhaps to be explained by the fact that, prior to our translation to 17 Belgrave Square, there has never been a library in the sense of a room or rooms exclusively given over to its use. An equal, if not more serious handicap, was the lack of the services of a professional librarian. Now these difficulties have been overcome. We have an elegant, well-appointed room in which to do our job and the work of our newly-appointed librarian, Mrs Susan Floate, cannot be too highly praised.
Training in Psychotherapy—A Personal View
Authors: Brandon Sydney
Published: May 2008

I am a strong advocate of the provision of training in psychotherapy to all psychiatrists. In my view this should comprise the enhancement of interviewing skills, development of counselling skills, understanding of and experience in the use of a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques. Among these I would include supportive psychotherapy, short-term psychotherapy, crisis intervention and grief counselling. The trainee should acquire some theoretical understanding of and experience in the use of behavioural methods of treatment, of social skills training and of group processes.
Teaching Dynamic Psychotherapy—Report of a coherence organized by the AUTP and Held at University College, Oxford 17–19 March 1982
Authors: Hobbs Mike
Published: May 2008

Until recently the teaching of dynamic psychotherapy received little constructive attention. Training was limited, like the therapy itself, to a select few whose motivation propelled them through arduous, expensive courses in the analytic institutes or the few provincial diploma programmes. Most psychiatrists and clinical psychologists qualified without exposure to or formal instruction in the dynamic psychotherapies.
Research in Forensic Psychiatry
Authors: Bowden Paul
Published: May 2008

In November and December 1981 a survey was conducted of the members of the Forensic Psychiatry Section. A questionnaire invited members to report any research they were undertaking. Although the response was incomplete, the replies indicated a wide range of investigation in the specialty. This brief report indicates the main areas of study.
The Case Register, the Computer and the Cohort Study
Authors: Cleverly Malcolm , Cheadle John
Published: May 2008

The Salford Psychiatric Case Register was started in its present form in 1968 and collected data on all persons coming into contact with the psychiatric services who were residents of the old County Borough which had a population of around 130,000 people. Since the reorganization of local authority boundaries, Salford has become a Metropolitan District, with twice the population and the Register has collected data on this new area since 1976.
Wisdom
Authors: Culliford Larry
Published: May 2008

The College motto is ‘Let Wisdom Guide’: but what is wisdom?

Wisdom is a recognizable attribute of human beings, reflected in their thoughts, words and actions, derived through intuition and through individual contemplation of ideas, knowledge and experience of all kinds. The definition is conventional, and says something. But what is wisdom?
Archives and Historical Libraries in Psychiatry
Authors: Guha Martin
Published: May 2008

Birley (1981) has quoted Whitehead as saying ‘a science which hesitates to forget its founders is lost’. On the other hand, however, Hunter and MacAlpine (1963) noted that ‘the historical study of psychiatry, unlike that of medicine, is inseparable from the appreciation of its current problems', and that ‘just as it is the historical and biographical method which the psychiatrist adopts when faced with the problem of the individual patient, so the historical approach may be expected to throw light on the wider problems of psychiatry by laying bare their roots'. Certainly, since taking up appointment as librarian of the Institute of Psychiatry I have been surprised at the awareness of professional history shown by senior staff who I would have expected to be totally absorbed in day-to-day minutiae. A brief note in a specialized journal (Guha, 1983) elicited a considerable correspondence from psychiatric librarians who had noticed the same interest. It is, perhaps, unfortunate that historical resources in psychiatry are somewhat scattered, so that there is no one central archive or library to act as a focus for research in this area.
Comment on ‘Mental Handicap: Policies and Priorities’
Authors: Bicknell Joan
Published: May 2008

The mental handicap scene is changing but not as quickly as some would like. A constant stream of letters, consultative documents and booklets remind us of the various ways in which we can work together to create a service where the health care component is rationalized and the large hospitals are reduced in size. The services are changing, but there is variation in the pace of change and in the commitment to the joint planning process involved in such change.
Infant Psychiatry: Developments
Authors: Vorster D.
Published: May 2008

Developments in preventive psychiatry should occur as a result of new knowledge of the psychiatry of infancy as presented at recent conferences: the International Conference of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dublin 1982; the World Infant Psychiatry Congress at Cannes, March 1983; and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Congress in July 1983 at Lausanne.
Irish Division
Authors: Shanley David
Published: May 2008

The Annual Meeting of the Irish Division took place at James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin on 21 October 1983. This year our clinical section was on the theme ‘Liaison Psychiatry’. An attendance far exceeding expectations turned up to hear three stimulating and thought-provoking papers from Drs Rachel Rosser, David Sturgeon and Richard Mayou. Professor Noel Walsh performed the difficult task of summarizing the proceedings with his usual competence.
Breaking Out of Procrustes' Bed—Services for Problem Drug Takers
Authors: Strang John
Published: May 2008

‘Procrustes was a robber of Attica, who placed all who fell into his hands upon an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed, he cut off the redundant part; if shorter, he stretched them till they fitted it. [Any attempt to reduce men to one standard, one way of thinking, or one way of acting, is called placing them on Procrustes' bed, and the person who makes the attempt is called Procrustes].’
Sexual Differentiation of the External Genitalia and the Timing of Puberty in the Presence of an Antiandrogen in Sheep
Authors: Jackson Leslie M. , Timmer Kathleen M. , Foster Douglas L.
Published: May 2008

Testicular steroids during midgestation sexually differentiate the steroid feedback mechanisms controlling GnRH secretion in sheep. To date, the actions of the estrogenic metabolites in programming neuroendocrine function have been difficult to study because exogenous estrogens disrupt maternal uterine function. We developed an approach to study the prenatal actions of estrogens by coadministering testosterone (T) and the androgen receptor antagonist flutamide, and tested the hypothesis that prenatal androgens program estradiol inhibitory feedback control of GnRH secretion to defeminize (advance) the timing of the pubertal increase in LH. Pregnant sheep were either untreated or treated with T, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (a nonaromatizable androgen), or T plus flutamide from d 30–90 of gestation. To study the postnatal response to steroid negative feedback, lambs were gonadectomized and estradiol-replaced, and concentrations of LH were monitored in twice-weekly blood samples. Although T and DHT produced penile and scrotal development in females, the external genitalia of T plus flutamide offspring remained phenotypically female, regardless of genetic sex. Untreated females and females and males treated with T plus flutamide exhibited a pubertal increase in circulating LH at 26.4 ± 0.5, 26.0 ± 0.7, and 22.4 ± 1.6 wk of age, respectively. In females exposed to prenatal androgens, the LH increase was advanced (T: 12.0 ± 2.6 wk; DHT: 15.0 ± 2.6 wk). These results demonstrate the usefulness of combining T and antiandrogen treatments as an approach to increasing prenatal exposure to estradiol. Importantly, the findings support our hypothesis that prenatal androgens program sensitivity to the negative feedback actions of estradiol and the timing of neuroendocrine puberty.
Overexpression of Thioredoxin-1 Reduces Oxidative Stress in the Placenta of Transgenic Mice and Promotes Fetal Growth via Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Umekawa Takashi , Sugiyama Takashi , Kihira Tomohisa , Murabayashi Nao , Zhang Lingyun , Nagao Kenji , Kamimoto Yuki , Ma Ning , Yodoi Junji , Sagawa Norimasa
Published: May 2008

Oxidative stress occurs where there is an imbalance between the production and scavenging of free radicals. Pregnancy per se is a state of oxidative stress due to the increased metabolic activity of placental mitochondria and reduced scavenging ability of antioxidant systems. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species may be associated with impaired fetal growth. However, the physiological influence of antioxidant systems on fetal growth is not well understood. In this study we assessed the effects of antioxidant systems on fetal growth using human thioredoxin (hTRX)-1 overexpressing transgenic (Tg) mice. Tg or C57BL/6 [wild-type (WT)] male mice were mated with WT female mice, and dams were killed to obtain the fetuses and placentas on gestational d 15. Tg fetuses were significantly heavier than WT fetuses, whereas placental weight did not differ significantly between the two groups. Immunohistochemically, hTRX-1 was localized to the nuclei of labyrinthine trophoblasts in Tg mice. In addition, placental expression of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, which reflects DNA damage caused by oxidative stress, was reduced in Tg mice compared with WT mice. Placental expression of glucose transporter-1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in Tg mice than WT mice, whereas no significant differences were observed for glucose transporter-3, IGF, and IGF-binding protein mRNA expression. These results suggest that placental and/or systemic antioxidant systems can influence fetal growth. In particular, increased hTRX-1 activity and the resulting modified placental redox state may play an important role in fetal growth by increasing the availability of glucose.
The Use of Steroid Sulfatase Inhibitors as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy Against Hormone-Dependent Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Foster Paul A. , Woo L. W. Lawrence , Potter Barry V. L. , Reed Michael J. , Purohit Atul
Published: May 2008

The past few years have seen an increase in the reported incidence of endometrial carcinoma, one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies of the female genital tract. Estrogen production is vital for the mitogenesis of endometrial tumors. Inhibition of steroid sulfatase (STS), an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of steroids with estrogenic properties, may represent a novel therapeutic target for this type of cancer. This study investigates the effects of STX64 (also known as 667Coumate and BN83495) and STX213, two potent STS inhibitors, on hormone-dependent endometrial cancer cell growth in vivo. When tested in intact mice with endometrial cancer xenografts, STX64 had limited effect on tumor growth. In contrast, the microtubule disruptor STX140 reduced tumor growth by 55%. In a hormone-dependent endometrial xenograft model in ovariectomized mice, both STX64 and STX213 given orally, daily at 1 mg/kg significantly inhibited tumor growth by 48 and 67%, respectively. However, when given orally at 1 mg/kg once weekly, only STX213 still inhibited tumor proliferation. At a higher dose of STX64 (10 mg/kg, orally, daily), a greater tumor growth inhibition of 59% was observed. Liver and tumor STS activity was completely inhibited in all daily treatment groups. Plasma estradiol (E2) levels were also significantly decreased. A significant correlation was observed between plasma E2 concentrations and STS activity, indicating the importance of circulating E2 on tumor growth. This novel study demonstrates for the first time that STS inhibitors are potent inhibitors of endometrial cancer growth in nude mice.
Oxytocin Deficiency Mediates Hyperphagic Obesity of Sim1 Haploinsufficient Mice
Authors: Kublaoui Bassil M. , Gemelli Terry , Tolson Kristen P. , Wang Yu , Zinn Andrew R.
Published: May 2008

Single-minded 1 (Sim1) encodes a transcription factor essential for formation of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Sim1 haploinsufficiency is associated with hyperphagic obesity and increased linear growth in humans and mice, similar to the phenotype of melanocortin 4 receptor (Mc4r) mutations. PVN neurons in Sim1+/− mice are hyporesponsive to the melanocortin agonist melanotan II. PVN neuropeptides oxytocin (Oxt), TRH and CRH inhibit feeding when administered centrally. Consequently, we hypothesized that altered PVN neuropeptide expression mediates the hyperphagia of Sim1+/− mice. To test this hypothesis, we measured hypothalamic expression of PVN neuropeptides in Sim1+/− and wild-type mice. Oxt mRNA and peptide were decreased by 80% in Sim1+/− mice, whereas TRH, CRH, arginine vasopressin (Avp), and somatostatin mRNAs were decreased by 20–40%. Sim1+/− mice also showed abnormal regulation of Oxt but not CRH mRNA in response to feeding state. A selective Mc4r agonist activated PVN Oxt neurons in wild-type mice, supporting involvement of these neurons in melanocortin feeding circuits. To test whether Oxt itself regulates feeding, we measured the effects of central administration of an Oxt receptor antagonist or repeated doses of Oxt on food intake of Sim1+/− and wild-type mice. Sim1+/− mice were hypersensitive to the orexigenic effect of the Oxt receptor antagonist. Oxt decreased the food intake and weight gain of Sim1+/− mice at a dose that did not affect wild-type mice. Our results support the importance of Oxt neurons in feeding regulation and suggest that reduced Oxt neuropeptide is one mechanism mediating the hyperphagic obesity of Sim1+/− mice.
Hypoxia-induced vasoconstriction in alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) intrapulmonary arteries: a role for endothelin-1?
Authors: Skovgaard Nini , Zibrandtsen Helle , Laursen Britt Elmedal , Simonsen Ulf , Wang Tobias
Published: May 2008

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is an adaptive response that diverts pulmonary blood flow from poorly ventilated and hypoxic areas of the lung to better ventilated parts, matching blood perfusion to ventilation. HPV is an ancient and highly conserved response expressed in the respiratory organs of all vertebrates. However, the underlying mechanism and the role of the endothelium remain elusive. Isolated intrapulmonary arteries (internal diameter <346 μm) from the American alligator Alligator mississippiensis were mounted in microvascular myographs for isometric tension recording. Resting vessels and vessels contracted with either serotonin (5-HT) or endothelin-1 (ET-1) were exposed to sustained (45 min)hypoxia (PO2<5 mmHg). In ET-1-contracted vessels, hypoxia induced a monophasic, sustained and fully reversible constriction, which was independent of the endothelium. In relaxed or in 5-HT-contracted vessels, hypoxia did not cause constriction. The effects of ET-1, ETA and ETB as well as the general ET-receptor antagonist were studied. ET-1 caused a contraction of the pulmonary arteries through stimulation of ETA-receptors. ETA and ETB immunoreactive staining revealed the location of both receptors in the smooth muscle layer and of ETB receptors in the endothelium. In conclusion, because precontraction with serotonin did not facilitate HPV,the required precontraction in alligators seems specific to ET-1, which implies that ET-1 plays an important permissive role for the HPV response in alligators.
An alternative approach to modelling train stability in high cross winds
Authors: Ding Y , Sterlings M , Baker C J
Published: May 2008

A new approach to modelling the stability of trains in high cross winds is suggested. A train journey is simulated along a length of track subject to the passing of a fictitious storm. Four distinct components of the model are developed to achieve this:
Wireless telecommunications in railways — Flash-orthogonal frequency division modulation — a case study
Authors: Väärämäki T , Korhonen T , Mutafungwa E
Published: May 2008

On-board wireless telecommunications in railways operate in a challenging environment including rapidly fading radio channels and various sources of statistically variable interference. These conditions hamper seamless, high-rate data transmission by making fast handovers to ground base stations difficult. This paper addresses networking techniques wireless communication in trains by presenting a technical overview of wireless communications options and reporting field experiments using Flash-orthogonal frequency division modulation (OFDM) technology. The research is based on in vivo measurements recorded in high-speed Pendolino-trains in Finland. The results indicate that Flash-OFDM technology fulfils the coverage and service accessibility requirements for high-rate interactive multi-media services with respect to latency and data rate, provided that loading of the Flash-OFDM network due to other users remains low.
The PIWI proteins SMEDWI-2 and SMEDWI-3 are required for stem cell function and piRNA expression in planarians
Authors: Palakodeti Dasaradhi , Smielewska Magda , Lu Yi-Chien , Yeo Gene W. , Graveley Brenton R.
Published: May 2008

PIWI proteins are expressed in germ cells in a wide variety of metazoans, where they participate in the synthesis and function of a novel class of small RNAs called PIWI associated RNAs (piRNAs). One function of piRNAs is to preserve the integrity of the germline genome by silencing transposons, though they also participate in epigenetic and post-transcriptional gene regulation. In the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, the PIWI proteins SMEDWI-1 and SMEDWI-2 are expressed in neoblasts and SMEDWI-2 is required for regeneration and homeostasis. Here, we identify a diverse population of ∼32-nucleotide small RNAs that strongly resemble vertebrate and insect piRNAs and map to hundreds of thousands of loci in the S. mediterranea genome. The expression of these RNAs occurs predominantly in neoblasts and is not restricted to the germline. RNAi knockdown of either SMEDWI-2 or a newly identified PIWI protein, SMEDWI-3, impairs regeneration and homeostasis and decreases the levels of both piRNAs and neoblasts. Therefore, SMEDWI-2 and SMEDWI-3 are required for piRNA expression, regeneration, and neoblast function in S. mediterranea.
Potassium ions modulate a G-quadruplex-ribozyme's activity
Authors: Beaudoin Jean-Denis , Perreault Jean-Pierre
Published: May 2008

Hepatitis delta virus ribozyme folds into a tightly packed tertiary structure. However, unlike other ribozymes, it does not appear to be able to follow alternative folding pathways. Molecular engineering of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme led to the development of a ribozyme possessing an endoribonuclease activity that is under the control of a G-quadruplex structure (i.e., a G-quartzyme). This latter species represents an entirely new class of ribozyme. Mutants of this ribozyme were then generated in order to shed light on the modulation of the cleavage activity caused by the presence of the G-quadruplex structure. Kinetic characterization of the G-quartzyme was performed under various single turnover conditions. It was found to be active only in the presence of potassium cations that act as counter ions in the positioning of the four coplanar guanines that form the building block of the G-quadruplex structure. The G-quartzyme behaves as an allosteric ribozyme, with the potassium cations acting as positive effectors with a Hill coefficient of 2.9 ± 0.2. The conformation transition caused by the presence of the potassium ions is supported by enzymatic and chemical probing of both the inactive (off) and active (on) structures. This study shows that it is possible to interfere with the tight structure of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme by adding an unusual, stable structure. To our knowledge, the G-quartzyme is the sole ribozyme that exhibits a monovalent cation-dependent activity.
The Method of Shared Concern as an Intervention Technique to Address Bullying in Schools: An Overview and Appraisal
Authors: Rigby Ken
Published: May 2008

This article outlines and appraises the method of shared concern as developed by Anatol Pikas and applied as a technique for resolving bully–victim problems in schools. It includes a description of how the method can be applied in schools, and critically examines some objections that have been raised to its use. These objections are shown to be largely based on misunderstandings of the method. It is concluded that the method of shared concern is, in fact, well grounded theoretically and can be highly effective in reducing bullying when employed by trained practitioners, especially in addressing problems in which there is group involvement by perpetrators of bullying in secondary schools.
Stress Associated With the Transition From High School to University: The Effect of Social Support and Self-Efficacy
Authors: Wilson Gemma , Gillies Robyn M.
Published: May 2008

The present study aimed to evaluate the role of social support and self-efficacy on the level of stress associated with the transition from high school to university. One hundred and eight-five university students who had completed high school in the previous year completed a three-part questionnaire designed to gather information on their levels of self-efficacy, social support, and stress associated with their transition. The results showed that self-efficacy was a significant predictor of stress associated with the transition to university in that higher levels of self-efficacy were associated with lower levels of stress while social support was a non-significant predictor of stress.
Influence of Friction in Simple Upsetting and Prediction of Hardness Distribution in a Cold Forged Product
Authors: Ganesh Narayanan R. , Gopal M. , Rajadurai A.
Published: May 2008

Predicting inhomogeneous deformation in any forging process will definitely be helpful in deciding the tool, billet material, lubrication, annealing sequences, and number of stages to make products. In this work, the influence of varied friction conditions on the hardness and effective strain variation during simple upsetting is studied. Also, hardness variation in a typical cold forging process is predicted by relating hardness and effective strain evolution in a simple upsetting operation empirically. Four different lubricants, viz., castor oil (m=0.33), soap (m=0.25), grease (m=0.2), teflon (m=0.16), are considered for experimentation. The friction factors of these lubricants were obtained from a Ring Compression Test (RCT) and are used in FE simulations of upsetting and forging operations. It is found from the analyses that: (1) Teflon shows relatively less variation in hardness and effective strain depicting homogeneous upsetting operation, whereas other lubricants show a larger variation in hardness and effective strain in radial and axial directions; (2) hardness is observed to vary linearly with effective strain; (3) the empirical relationship between hardness and effective strain obtained from a simple upsetting operation, which is common for all the lubricants, predicts the hardness distribution during the forging-extrusion process with moderate accuracy. This depends on the interface friction conditions, i.e., solid and semi-solid lubricants with better holdability like Teflon and soap show good correlation between experimental and predicted hardness values than liquid lubricant, i.e., castor oil.
Serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: João Bugalho Maria , Madureira Deolinda , Espadinha Carla , Paula Font Ana , Sobrinho Luís G
Published: May 2008

Background

High levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been reported in patients with cancers of different origins. There are no data comparing serum VEGF levels of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) patients with that of the healthy subjects.

Objective

We tried to assess whether serum VEGF concentration in MTC patients is correlated with tumour extension and whether this marker might be used to further refine the selection of candidates for future therapies with receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Methods

Sera from 57 individuals divided into five groups: group I, healthy individuals (n=14); group II, MTC patients in remission (n=10); group III, MTC patients with residual disease (n=12); group IV, MTC patients with loco-regional disease (n=11) and group V, MTC patients with distant metastases (n=10) were analysed for serum VEGF and calcitonin (CT) levels.

Results

Analysis of serum VEGF did not disclose significant differences among the five groups. Mean serum VEGF level of patients with distant metastases was not significantly different from that observed in healthy individuals (319.4±49.78 vs 313.7±43.13 ng/l). Serum VEGF levels correlated positively with serum CT (r=0.4891; P=0.0394) for CT values below 2500 ng/l whereas there was no correlation for CT values above this threshold.

Conclusions

Serum VEGF levels in MTC patients are not significantly different from those found in healthy individuals and did not correlate with the extension of disease.