bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Verbal Aspect in the Apocalypse of John: An Analysis of Revelation 5
Authors: Mathewson David
Published: January 2008

There has been much discussion and confusion regarding the verb tenses in Revelation's visions, where the author shifts tenses while apparently retaining the same temporal frame of reference. This phenomenon of shifting tenses in the Apocalypse has usually been understood to reflect temporal references in relation to the visionary experience of the author, or more commonly to reflect underlying Semitic influence. However, recent work on verbal aspect and also the notion of prominence from discourse analysis calls these previous approaches into question and provides fresh avenues for exploring the author's varied use of tenses throughout his visions. The array of tense forms utilized throughout the vision in Revelation 5 can profitably be understood in light of recent work on verbal aspect and discourse prominence, where the author's shift in tenses function to signal the author's perspective on the action and the level of importance that the author attaches to various elements in the vision.
Sinai Ar. N.F. Parchment 8 and 28: Its Contribution to Textual Criticism of the Gospel of Luke
Authors: Kachouh Hikmat
Published: January 2008

This article examines the text of an Arabic Gospel manuscript from the “New Finds” at St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai. It provides a general description of the codex, and then studies two hundred and thirty readings in Saint Luke's Gospel. These readings differ from the Majority Text and agree with some of the earliest Greek witnesses as well as ancient versions. The contribution of this manuscript is shown to be considerable, and a warning against minimizing the textual value of the Arabic versions.
The Marcionite Gospel and the Synoptic Problem: A New Suggestion
Authors: Klinghardt Matthias
Published: January 2008

The most recent debate of the Synoptic Problem resulted in a dead-lock: The best-established solutions, the Two-Source-Hypothesis and the Farrer-Goodacre-Theory, are burdened with a number of apparent weaknesses. On the other hand, the arguments raised against these theories are cogent. An alternative possibility, that avoids the problems created by either of them, is the inclusion of the gospel used by Marcion. This gospel is not a redaction of Luke, but rather precedes Matthew and Luke and, therefore, belongs into the maze of the synoptic interrelations. The resulting model avoids the weaknesses of the previous theories and provides compelling and obvious solutions to the notoriously difficult problems.
Getting Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to School on Time
Authors: Taylor Myra , Houghton Stephen , Durkin Kevin
Published: January 2008

This article details the school-readying routines Western Australian mothers employ in their efforts to dispatch children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder off to school in a timely manner. A grounded theory of instilling an awareness of time emerged from the data. In seeking to instill an awareness of time, mothers reveal their experiences of dealing with the chaos that arises out of their children's untimely actions from the point of waking them to the point of getting them out of the house and off to school. In an attempt to eliminate sources of stress contributing to the chaos mothers reflect on their children's idiosyncratic concept of time and analyze the mismatch between their and their child's attitude toward time management. The article concludes by detailing strategies mothers put in place to instill in their child an awareness of time and to establish a workable school-readying routine.
The Role of the Posterior Oblique Ligament in Controlling Posterior Tibial Translation in the Posterior Cruciate Ligament-Deficient Knee
Authors: Petersen Wolf , Loerch Svenja , Schanz Steffen , Raschke Michael , Zantop Thore
Published: January 2008

Background

Posterior cruciate ligament injuries are often associated with injuries to other structures. The role of the posteromedial structures of the knee in these injuries has received little attention.

Hypothesis

The posterior oblique ligament is an important restraint to posterior tibial translation in the posterior cruciate ligament–deficient knee.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Kinematic studies were performed on 10 cadaveric knees to test 3 external loading conditions at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion (134 N posterior tibial load, 10 N·m valgus rotation, and 5 N·m internal rotation). Resulting posterior tibial translation was determined by using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system for (1) intact, (2) posterior cruciate ligament–deficient, (3) posterior cruciate ligament/superficial medial collateral ligament–deficient, (4) posterior cruciate ligament/superficial medial collateral ligament/deep medial collateral ligament/posterior oblique ligament–deficient, and (5) posterior cruciate ligament/superficial medial collateral ligament/deep medial collateral ligament/posterior oblique ligament/posteromedial capsule–deficient knee.

Results

When both the superficial medial collateral ligament and deep medial collateral ligament were cut in the posterior cruciate ligament–deficient knee, posterior tibial translation did not increase significantly at any flexion grade under all external loading conditions ( P > .05). Additional cutting of the posterior oblique ligament increased posterior tibial translation significantly at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion under posterior tibial load and at all flexion angles tested under valgus or internal tibial load ( P < .05). Additional cutting of the posteromedial capsule increased posterior tibial translation only at 0° and 30° in response to a valgus and internal tibial load ( P < .05).

Conclusion

The posterior oblique ligament and posteromedial capsule have a significant role in the prevention of additional posterior tibial translation in the knee with posterior cruciate ligament injury.

Clinical Relevance

The posterior oblique ligament should be addressed in the patient with combined injuries to the posterior cruciate ligament and the posteromedial structures.
Persistent Growth Failure in Prader-Willi Syndrome Associated With Short-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Gene Variant
Authors: Giurgiutiu Dan-Victor , Espinoza Lesby M. , Wood Tim C. , DuPont Barbara R. , Holden Kenton R.
Published: January 2008

The authors report the rare association of Prader-Willi syndrome and short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene variant. Prader-Willi syndrome, associated with paternal chromosome 15q11-q13 silencing, is characterized by neonatal/infantile hypotonia, growth failure, and neurodevelopmental delays in the first 1 to 2 years of life, typically followed by hyperphagia and obesity. Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene variant, with 625 G-to-A and 511 C-to-T changes, impairs C4-C6 fatty acid metabolism and variably causes neonatal/infantile hypotonia with developmental delays. The authors' patient continues to exhibit the classic severe growth failure of early infancy Prader-Willi syndrome at 40 months. Extensive laboratory investigations indicate that the short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene variant is likely preventing or delaying the normal expression of the Prader-Willi syndrome phenotype.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Cerebrovascular Arterial and Venous Thromboembolic Events in 4 Pediatric Patients: A Case Series and Review of the Literature
Authors: Standridge Shannon , de los Reyes Emily
Published: January 2008

Inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to cerebrovascular lesions, but the mechanisms of these vascular complications and their frequency among children with inflammatory bowel disease are unclear. We present 4 children with inflammatory bowel disease who developed ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke or cerebral sinovenous thrombosis. All 4 patients were female; 3 had Crohn's disease and 1 had indeterminate colitis. All of the patients had additional risk factors for thrombosis including thrombocytosis, severe dehydration attributable to an inflammatory bowel disease exacerbation, and, in 2 instances, genetically mediated coagulation defects. It is believed that the occurrence of thrombotic complications in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease is attributable to multifactorial causes. The current literature on cerebrovascular complications and treatment in the setting of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease is reviewed.
Parenting Stress in Parents of Children With Epilepsy and Asthma
Authors: Chiou Hua-Huei , Hsieh Liang-Po
Published: January 2008

The purposes of this study were to identify differences in parenting stress between 2 samples and examine the factors associated with parenting stress. An asthma sample was selected to contrast with the epilepsy sample because both medical conditions are chronic episodic conditions that require daily medication. Data from 49 parents of epileptic children and 54 parents of asthmatic children were examined in this study. Samples were conducted in a hospital pediatric clinic. Parental stress was measured using Abidin's Parenting Stress Index—long form. There were 2 major domains in the Parenting Stress Index: parent domain and child domain. The parent domain included 7 subscales, and the child domain included 6 subscales. Overall, results showed that parental stress was higher in the epilepsy group. Significant differences were found in 7 subscales: adaptability, demanding, hyperactivity/distractibility, role restrictions, depression, relationship to spouse, and parental health. Possible explanations for a higher level of parenting stress in the epilepsy group were discrimination, poor child adaptation, the threat of unpredictability of the seizures, and neurological dysfunction. The causes of higher levels of parenting stress in the asthma group were limitation of activities and parental health condition. These differences should be considered when psychosocial care is offered. Results also showed that demographic variables (gender, age, and family social economic status), age at onset, and condition severity were not effective predictors for parenting stress.
Polydactyly With Ectodermal Defect, Osteopenia, and Mental Delay
Authors: Zannolli Raffaella , Buoni Sabrina , Viviano Massimo , Macucci Francesca , D'Ambrosio Alfonso , Livi Walter , Mazzei Maria Antonietta , Mazzei Francesco , Sacco Palmino , Volterrani Luca , Vonella Giuseppina , Orsi Alessandra , Zappella Michele , Hayek Joseph
Published: January 2008

Five members from 3 generations, including a 35-year-old woman and her 2 sons, both mentally impaired to a different degree, were studied in a tertiary care hospital. Anamnestic, clinical, neurological, and radiological evaluations were used to describe phenotypes. A and B postaxial polydactyly, transmitted likely as autosomal dominant, was associated with an extensive variability of phenotypic features: (1) cutaneous syndactyly, (2) nail–teeth dysplasia, (3) osteopenia, and (4) mental delay. The likelihood that the constellation of observations we report here is caused by mutation of a single gene that subsequently affects multiple physiological activities, although fascinating, remains to be proven. Instead, we hypothesize that it likely develops as a contiguous gene syndrome.
Health Risk Characteristics of Black Female Informal Caregivers on Welfare
Authors: Rice Muriel C. , Wicks Mona N. , Martin Judy C.
Published: January 2008

This exploratory study examines differences in health risk characteristics and perceived health by caregiver status in two groups of Black women, 37 informal caregivers and 20 noncaregivers, transitioning from welfare to work. Health risk characteristics were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Healthier People Network Health Risk Appraisal—Version 6. Body mass index (BMI) calculations were based on the standard Centers for Disease Control formula. Perceived health status was assessed using a single-item Cantril ladder. Results show no statistically significant between-group differences in perceived health status, depressive symptoms, frequency of lifestyle behaviors, or BMI. Clinically significant proportions of participants in both groups rated their health as poor or fair; reported mild to severe depressive symptoms; smoked cigarettes; did not perform monthly self-breast exams; were physically inactive, overweight, or obese; and consumed high-fat diets. Black women receiving welfare show increased risk for premature chronic health problems, which warrants development of effective community-based risk-reduction programs.
The Factor Structure of the Beck Depression Inventory–II
Authors: Vanheule Stijn , Desmet Mattias , Groenvynck Hans , Rosseel Yves , Fontaine Johnny
Published: January 2008

The Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II) is a frequently used scale for measuring depressive severity. BDI-II data (404 clinical; 695 nonclinical adults) were analyzed by means of confirmatory factor analysis to test whether the factor structure model with a somatic-affective and cognitive component of depression, formulated by Beck and colleagues, has a good fit. We also evaluated 10 alternative models. The fit of Beck's model was not good for all criteria. Three of the alternative models had a better fit in both samples, but none of these met all criteria for good fit. Of the alternatives with a better fit, we selected the only model with unidimensional subscales, which assesses a somatic, affective, and cognitive dimension. For this model, which we recommend, as well as for Beck' original model, a good fitting structure containing 15 and 16 items was developed with an item-deletion algorithm.
Spatial constraints within the chlamydial host cell inclusion predict interrupted development and persistence
Authors: Hoare Alexander , Timms Peter , Bavoil Patrik M , Wilson David P
Published: January 2008

Background

The chlamydial developmental cycle involves the alternation between the metabolically inert elementary body (EB) and the replicating reticulate body (RB). The triggers that mediate the interchange between these particle types are unknown and yet this is crucial for understanding basicChlamydiabiology.

Presentation of the hypothesis

We have proposed a hypothesis to explain key chlamydial developmental events whereby RBs are replicating strictly whilst in contact with the host cell membrane-derived inclusion via type three secretion (T3S) injectisomes. As the inclusion expands, the contact between each RB and the inclusion membrane decreases, eventually reaching a threshold, beyond which T3S is inactivated upon detachment and this is the signal for RB-to-EB differentiation.

Testing the hypothesis

We explore this hypothesis through the development of a detailed mathematical model. The model uses knowledge and data of the biological system wherever available and simulates the chlamydial developmental cycle under the assumptions of the hypothesis in order to predict various outcomes and implications under a number of scenarios.

Implications of the hypothesis

We show that the concept ofin vitropersistent infection is not only consistent with the hypothesis but in fact an implication of it. We show that increasing the RB radius, and/or the maximum length of T3S needles mediating contact between RBs and the inclusion membrane, and/or the number of inclusions per infected cell, will contribute to the development of persistent infection. The RB radius is the most important determinant of whether persistent infection would ensue, and subsequently, the magnitude of the EB yield. We determine relationships between the length of the T3S needle and the RB radius within an inclusion, and between the RB radius and the number of inclusions per host cell to predict whether persistent infection or normal development would occur within a host cell. These results are all testable experimentally and could lead to significantly greater understanding of one of the most crucial steps in chlamydial development.
Genomic activation of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a significant proportion of invasive epithelial ovarian cancers
Authors: Vermeij Joanna , Teugels Erik , Bourgain Claire , Xiangming Ji , in 't Veld Peter , Ghislain Vanessa , Neyns Bart , De Grève Jacques
Published: January 2008

Background

The status of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes has not been fully defined in ovarian cancer. An integrated analysis of both genes could help define the proportion of patients that would potentially benefit from targeted therapies.

Methods

We determined the tumour mutation status of the entire tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a cohort of 52 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer as well as the gene copy number and protein expression of both genes in 31 of these patients by DGGE and direct sequecing, immunohistochemistry and Fluorescent in Situ Hybridisation (FISH).

Results

The EGFR was expressed in 59% of the cases, with a 2+/3+ staining intensity in 38%. HER2-neu expression was found in 35%, with a 2/3+ staining in 18%. No mutations were found in exons 18–24 of the TK domains of EGFR and HER2-neu. High polysomy of the EGFR gene was observed in 13% of the invasive epthelial cancers and amplification of the HER2-neu gene was found in 10% and correlated with a high expression level by immunohistochemistry.

Mutations within the tyrosine kinase domain were not found in the entire TK domain of both genes, but have been found in very rare cases by others.

Conclusion

Genomic alteration of the HER2-neu and EGFR genes is frequent (25%) in ovarian cancer. EGFR/HER2-neu targeted therapies should be investigated prospectively and specifically in that subset of patients.
Plasticity of dendritic cell function in response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)
Authors: Lehner Manfred , Stilper Andrea , Morhart Patrick , Holter Wolfgang
Published: January 2008

Current evidence suggests that maturing dendritic cells (DCs) acquire a migratory phenotype to induce T cell responses in lymph nodes or a proinflammatory phenotype to condition the microenvironment at peripheral sites. We show that the interplay of PGE2 and IFN-γ generates a more complex pattern of mixed DC phenotypes in response to TLR stimulation. DCs activated by the TLR ligand R-848 in the presence of IFN-γ and PGE2 produced high levels of IL-12p70 and IL-23, started migration toward CCL19 within only 10 h, and still continued to secrete IL-12p70 without further restimulation following the migration step. The accelerated onset of migration was a result of PGE2 and was associated with reduced plastic adherence and lower amounts of activated CD29. In contrast, IFN-γ by itself enhanced cell adhesion and strongly hindered CCR7-mediated migration in the absence of PGE2. This suggests a new role for IFN-γ in the direct regulation of DC migration through enhanced cell adhesion, perhaps to support the development of T cell effector functions at peripheral sites. Together, our data are relevant to the development of DC vaccines, as they demonstrate the existence of dual-functional DCs, which as a result of the simultaneous effects of PGE2 and IFN-γ, can migrate rapidly toward lymph node chemokines and carry with them a wave of primary cytokines.
Chromosomes and Expression in Human Testicular Germ‐Cell Tumors
Authors: LOOIJENGA LEENDERT H. J. , GILLIS AD. J. M. , STOOP HANS J. , HERSMUS REMKO , OOSTERHUIS J. WOLTER
Published: January 2008

Abstract: Human germ‐cell tumors (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms. Based on epidemiology, anatomical site of presentation, histology, chromosomal constitution, and pattern of genomic imprinting, GCTs are classified into five entities. Within the testis, three types of GCTs can be diagnosed: type I (teratomas and yolk‐sac tumors of neonates and infants); type II (seminomas and nonseminomas); type III (spermatocytic seminomas). Here the focus is on the type II GCTs, the most frequent type in the adult testis (so‐called TGCTs). They can also be diagnosed in dysgenetic gonads (an incomplete or defective formation of the gonad, caused by a disturbed process of migration of the germ cells and/or their correct organization in their fetal gonadal ridge), the anterior mediastinum, and pineal/suprasellar region. In the testis, they originate from the malignant counterpart of primordial germ cells/gonocytes, referred to as carcinoma in situ (CIS)/intratubular germ‐cell neoplasia unclassified (ITGCNU). CIS/ITGCNU and seminomatous cells are characterized by expression of OCT3/4 and NANOG, while in addition embryonal carcinoma expresses SOX2, all identified as transcription factors related to pluripotency in embryonic stem (ES) cells. With the exception of teratomas, most histological elements of TGCTs are sensitive for (cisplatin‐based) chemotherapy; CIS/ITGCNU and seminoma cells are also sensitive to DNA damage induced by irradiation. Similar observations have been made for ES cells and their derivates. Moreover, the genetic constitution of TGCTs (low incidence of mutations and frequent uniparental disomies) can also be linked to characteristics of ES cells, likely related to their specific inability to repair DNA damage and their high sensitivity to apoptotic cell death. The unusual presence of wild‐type P53 in TGCTs is explained by specific expression of a cluster of micro‐RNAs (miRNAs), that is, hsa‐miR 371–373, also expressed in ES cells, which prevents P53‐driven cellular senescence upon oncogenic stress.
Many characteristics of human TGCTs reflect the nonmalignant counterparts from which they originate. Demonstration of these characteristics, in combination with the knowledge of the abnormal niche of these cells, normally occupied by spermatogonia, allows an informative method for (early) diagnosis. The conclusion is that TGCTs are embryonic cancers found in adults.
ETV5 Is Required for Continuous Spermatogenesis in Adult Mice and May Mediate Blood–Testes Barrier Function and Testicular Immune Privilege
Authors: MORROW CARLA M. K. , HOSTETLER CHRIS E. , GRISWOLD MIKE D. , HOFMANN MARIE‐CLAUDE , MURPHY KENNETH M. , COOKE PAUL S. , HESS REX A.
Published: January 2008

Abstract: The transcription factor Ets‐variant gene 5 (ETV5) is essential for spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self‐renewal, as the targeted deletion of the Etv5 gene in mice (Etv5−/−) results in only the first wave of spermatogenesis. Reciprocal transplants of neonatal germ cells from wild‐type (WT) and Etv5−/− testes were performed to determine the role of ETV5 in Sertoli cells and germ cells. ETV5 appears to be needed in both cell types for normal spermatogenesis. In addition, Etv5−/− recipients displayed increased interstitial inflammation and tubular involution after transplantation. Preliminary studies suggest that the blood–testis barrier (Sertoli–Sertoli tight junctional complex) is abnormal in the Etv5−/− mouse.
The Role of dead‐end in Germ‐cell Tumor Development
Authors: ZHU RUI , BHATTACHARYA CHITRALEKHA , MATIN ANGABIN
Published: January 2008

Abstract: Testicular germ‐cell tumors occur in human males of all age groups, from infants to men over 50 years old. Most commonly, germ‐cell tumors (generally known as testicular cancer) occur in young males between the ages of 15 to 35 years. The tumor tissues are usually histologically diverse, and testicular tumors that occur in the different age groups tend to be of specific histological subtypes. Most germ‐cell tumors originate from primordial germ cells during embryonic development, although the progression and eventual detection of the disease occurs decades later in humans. Mouse strains spontaneously develop a specific subtype of testicular germ‐cell tumors, the type I germ‐cell tumors, and these tumors are similar to the germ‐cell tumors (or teratomas) that occur in human infants. Some mouse strains, such as the 129‐Ter strain, have extremely high germ‐cell tumor incidences, making such strains ideal for genetic and biological studies of germ cell‐tumor development. Here a brief overview of the recently identified genetic defect in the Ter strain, inactivation of the dead‐end (Dnd1) gene, and the ongoing studies on Dnd1 to understand its role in germ‐cell and germ cell‐tumor development, are provided.
Regulation and Function of the Rhox5 Homeobox Gene
Authors: HU ZHIYING , MacLEAN JAMES A. , BHARDWAJ ANJANA , WILKINSON MILES F.
Published: January 2008

Abstract: Recently, a large cluster of homeobox genes was discovered on the X chromosome that is expressed in reproductive tissues after birth. It is postulated that these reproductive homeobox genes on the X chromosome (Rhox) encode transcription factors that regulate gametogenesis. In support of this, male mice lacking the founding member of this gene cluster, Rhox5, are subfertile, exhibiting increased germ‐cell apoptosis and a defect in sperm motility. To identify RHOX5 targets, microarray analyses were used to identify genes differently expressed in postnatal testes from Rhox5‐null and control littermates. Highly overrepresented were genes that encode proteins involved in cellular metabolism. Several lines of evidence indicated that one of these, insulin II, is a direct target of RHOX5. Microarray analysis was also used to identify genes differentially expressed in response to physiological levels of Rhox5 in a Sertoli‐cell line. Among the few genes identified, the netrin‐1 receptor UNC5c, a proapoptotic molecule that is inhibited by RHOX5, was also regulated in vivo, and is thus a candidate to be downstream of RHOX5 in a prosurvival germ‐cell pathway. To understand the means by which Rhox5 expression is restricted to Sertoli nurse cells in the testis, a variety of molecular approaches were used in both Sertoli‐cell lines and mice. This analysis revealed that both positive and negative cis elements collaborate to confer Sertoli cell‐specific gene expression. Acting on the positive cis elements are androgen receptor and GATA transcription factors. Collectively, the results of this study provide an initial glimpse into the regulatory networks that control spermatogenesis.
Role of an Insulator in Testis‐specific Gene Transcription
Authors: REDDI PRABHAKARA P. , UREKAR CRAIG J. , ABHYANKAR MAYURESH M. , RANPURA SANDEEP A.
Published: January 2008

Abstract: Testis‐specific promoters are unique in that relatively short proximal promoters of several genes have been shown to be capable of directing tissue‐ and cell‐type‐specific expression in transgenic mice. How such small promoter fragments perform the dual functions of maintaining a silenced state in somatic tissues and activating gene expression in the correct germ‐cell type in testis remains poorly understood. Studies from our laboratory using the round spermatid‐specific SP‐10 gene as an experimental model have provided some insights into the mechanisms involved. It was found that the proximal promoter of the SP‐10 gene acts as a chromatin insulator or boundary element in somatic tissues and prevents transcription of the SP‐10 gene. In round spermatids, the insulator function is relieved, thus facilitating the SP‐10 gene transcription. Insulators act as enhancer blockers and/or barriers to heterochromatin to protect the programmed expression of a gene. Typically, insulators are separable from promoters. In the case of the SP‐10 gene, however, the insulator overlaps the promoter and operates in a facultative manner. We hypothesize that the proximal promoters of some testis‐specific genes have adapted the insulator function to maintain transcriptional silence in the somatic tissues.
Gene Expression During Development of Fetal and Adult Leydig Cells
Authors: DONG LEI , JELINSKY SCOTT A. , FINGER JOSHUA N. , JOHNSTON DANIEL S. , KOPF GREGORY S. , SOTTAS CHANTAL M. , HARDY MATTHEW P. , GE REN‐SHAN
Published: January 2008

Abstract: In rats and mice, Leydig cells are formed as two morphologically and functionally different generations. The first generation develops in utero, from undifferentiated stem Leydig cells (SLCs) that differentiate into fetal Leydig cells (FLCs). After birth, SLCs that may differ from the fetal SLCs undergo lineage‐specific commitment and give rise to adult Leydig cells (ALCs). The intermediates of ALCs first become apparent by day 11 postpartum. These first‐appearing intermediates, progenitor Leydig cells (PLCs), are spindle shaped and identifiable as steroidogenic because they express luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD). The next step in the transition of PLCs to ALCs is the appearance of the immature Leydig cells (ILCs), most commonly seen in the testis during days 28 to 56 postpartum. ILCs have a more abundant smooth endoplasm reticulum (SER), the network of membranes providing a scaffold for steroidogenic enzyme localization, compared to PLCs, but are considered immature because they secrete higher levels of 5α‐reduced androgen than testosterone. ILCs undergo a final division before ALC steroidogenic function matures by postnatal day 56. ALCs mark the point of maximum differentiation, and at this stage, the Leydig cell secretes testosterone at the highest rate. In this review, trends of gene expression during development of the two Leydig‐cell generations, and recent information from gene profiling by microarray, are evaluated. The expression profiles are distinct, indicating that FLCs and ALCs may originate from separate pools of stem cells.
Impact of Growth Hormone and Dehydroepiandrosterone on Protein Metabolism in Glucocorticoid-Treated Patients
Authors: Burt Morton G. , Johannsson Gudmundur , Umpleby A. Margot , Chisholm Donald J. , Ho Ken K. Y.
Published: January 2008

Context: Chronic pharmacological glucocorticoid (GC) use causes substantial morbidity from protein wasting. GH and androgens are anabolic agents that may potentially reverse GC-induced protein loss.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the effect of GH and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on protein metabolism in subjects on long-term GC therapy.

Design: This was an open, stepwise GH dose-finding study (study 1), followed by a randomized cross-over intervention study (study 2).

Setting: The studies were performed at a clinical research facility.

Patients and Intervention: In study 1, six subjects (age 69 ± 4 yr) treated with long-term (>6 months) GCs (prednisone dose 8.3 ± 0.8 mg/d) were studied before and after two sequential GH doses (0.8 and 1.6 mg/d) for 2 wk each. In study 2, 10 women (age 71 ± 3 yr) treated with long-term GCs (prednisone dose 5.4 ± 0.5 mg/d) were studied at baseline and after 2-wk treatment with GH 0.8 mg/d, DHEA 50 mg/d, or GH and DHEA (combination treatment).

Main Outcome Measure: Changes in whole body protein metabolism were assessed using a 3-h primed constant infusion of 1-[13C]leucine, from which rates of leucine appearance, leucine oxidation, and leucine incorporation into protein were estimated.

Results: In study 1, GH 0.8 and 1.6 mg/d significantly reduced leucine oxidation by 19% (P = 0.03) and 31% (P = 0.02), and increased leucine incorporation into protein by 10% (P = 0.13) and 19% (P = 0.04), respectively. The lower GH dose did not cause hyperglycemia, whereas GH 1.6 mg/d resulted in fasting hyperglycemia in two of six subjects. In study 2, DHEA did not significantly change leucine metabolism alone or when combined with GH. Blood glucose was not affected by DHEA.

Conclusion: GH, at a modest supraphysiological dose of 0.8 mg/d, induces protein anabolism in chronic GC users without causing diabetes. DHEA 50 mg/d does not enhance the effect of GH. GH may safely prevent or reverse protein loss induced by chronic GC therapy.
Methods for Developing Relative Need Criteria to Accompany a Health Care Capital Expenditure Limit
Authors: Hannan Edward L. , Rouse Ronald L. , Barnett Robert , Uppal Paul
Published: January 2008

In recent years capital spending in the health care industry has escalated tremendously, and most forecasters agree that needs will increase at an even faster rate throughout the 1990s. As a result of this trend, there is a dire need to develop effective and equitable controls on capital spending in health care. One of the capital payment options under consideration is the establishment of a lid on capital expenditures and the concomitant allocation of capital to health care providers whose applications are the most meritorious. The purpose of this article is to present some ideas and methods for the development of a relative need system to accompany a capital expenditure limit and to supplement and expand the absolute need determinations of the typical CON process.
The Complexities of Managed Care: Operating a Voluntary System
Authors: Prottas Jeffrey M. , Handler Eugenia
Published: January 2008

The implementation of state-sponsored voluntary case management programs for public assistance recipients creates provider and recipient recruiting problems that are unique to the state's economic environment, its political climate, its historic relationship with providers, its program goals, and its implementation strategies. This implementation study discusses the factors that influenced the op-erationalization of the Massachusetts managed care program for AFDC families. The issues of provider recruitment and recipient enrollment are examined in relation to the formal program goals of cost containment and access. The operational and bureaucratic problems the state Medicaid staff has experienced in maintaining the program evokes questions of who should administer the programs, who the best types of providers are in light of program goals, and how recipients can be enrolled in a voluntary program.
Psychosurgery and the Abuse of Psychiatric Authority in Ontario
Authors: Simmons Harvey G.
Published: January 2008

Over the past two decades political and legal decisions have sharply curtailed psychiatric authority. One area in which psychiatric authority has been most limited is psychosurgery. This paper uses archival evidence from Ontario to show how psychiatrists ordered and administered psychosurgery for a wide variety of reasons. In some cases psychosurgery was administered to ease staffing problems, for experimental purposes, or simply out of sheer curiosity. Often the consent of patients or relatives was not obtained. This egregious abuse of psychiatric authority contributed to the critical movement against psychiatry and to strict laws limiting and sometimes banning resort to psychosurgery.
Private and Public Initiatives in Health Maintenance Organizations
Authors: Harrison Deborah H. , Kimberly John R.
Published: January 2008

Public policy controversies about the cost-containing potential of HMOs and the failures of many plans should not overshadow the fact that HMOs will be forces in the health care sector in the 1980s, largely as the result of increasing private investment. There is a large, stable segment of the prepaid industry that developed as a result of private sector and community concern long before the federal HMO Act of 1973, and it is their initiatives along with increasing investment activity by insurance companies and management companies in particular, that will serve as a base for consolidation and growth of HMO plans. HMOs have not proved to be the miraculous cost-containing mechanism of the future, but their impact will be felt even more for the changes they stimulate in the customary organizational forms, in financing, and in the role of business in health care.
Prevention and Health Standards: American, Soviet, and European Models
Authors: Majone Giandomenico
Published: January 2008

This paper explores some significant sources of variation in the way health standards are derived and used in various countries: differences in biological and regulatory philosophies, in enforcement strategies, and in institutional arrangements. Such cross-national variations raise a number of questions about the process of standard-setting. Among the issues discussed here are the nature of the trade-off between long-run goals and feasibility criteria that merely codify current technical and economic practice, and the possibility of replacing statutory regulation by self-regulation and non-statutory codes and standards.
Some Pitfalls in Creating Competition between Hmos and Fee-for-Service Delivery
Authors: Homer Carl G.
Published: January 2008

This paper examines four propositions inherent in competitive approaches to containing the growth of health care expenditures: (1) that health maintenance organizations can deliver health care less expensively than the fee-for-service system; (2) that under certain competitive conditions. HMOs would prosper; (3) that HMO successes would force FFS insurers and providers to become more efficient; and (4) that creating the competitive conditions would be politically feasible. Reasons for doubting the latter three propositions are plentiful, and the strategy is therefore judged unlikely to succeed.
HMO Enrollment of Medicare Recipients: An Analysis of Incentives and Barriers
Authors: Bonanno James Bautz , Wetle Terrie
Published: January 2008

Although there has been increased interest in use of the health maintenance organization (HMO) model to resolve a variety of problems relating to provision of health care to older individuals, less than 2 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are currently enrolled in HMOs. This paper examines both legislative and operational barriers to HMO enrollment of the elderly. Legislative reforms, HMO organizational structures, and marketing strategies thought to encourage enrollment of the elderly are discussed.
Filaments made from A- and B-type lamins differ in structure and organization
Authors: Goldberg Martin W. , Huttenlauch Irm , Hutchison Christopher J. , Stick Reimer
Published: January 2008

Lamins are intermediate filament proteins and the major component of the nuclear lamina. Current views of the lamina are based on the remarkably regular arrangement of lamin LIII in amphibian oocyte nuclei. We have re-examined the LIII lamina and propose a new interpretation of its organization. Rather than consisting of two perpendicular arrays of parallel filaments, we suggest that the oocyte lamina consists of parallel filaments that are interconnected in register to give the impression of a second set of perpendicular filaments. We have also used the oocyte system to investigate the organization of somatic lamins. Currently, it is not feasible to examine the organization of somatic lamins in situ because of their tight association with chromatin. It is also difficult to assemble vertebrate lamin filaments in vitro. Therefore, we have used the oocyte system, where exogenously expressed somatic B-type and A-type lamins assemble into filaments. Expression of B-type lamins induces the formation of intranuclear membranes that are covered by single filament layers. LIII filaments appear identical to the endogenous lamina, whereas lamin B2 assembles into filaments that are organized less precisely. Lamin A induces sheets of thicker filaments on the endogenous lamina and significantly increases the rigidity of the nuclear envelope.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Chromotropic Properties of Mixed-Ligand Nickel(II) Complexes with 1,3-Diketonate and P–N Bidentate Ligands
Authors: Arakawa Machiko , Suzuki Noriyuki , Kishi Shinobu , Hasegawa Miki , Satoh Keiichi , Horn Ernst , Fukuda Yutaka
Published: January 2008

Mixed-ligand nickel(II) complexes Ni(acac)(dmap)X, [Ni(acac)(dmap)]BPh4 (1), [Ni(acac)(dmap)]BF4 (2), and [Ni(acac)(dmap)NO3] (3) (where acac = acetylacetonate and dmap = 1-dimethylamino-2-diphenylphosphinoethane) have been obtained for the first time and their X-ray single-crystal structures have also been determined. This series of complexes show different structures, hence colors, in the solid state depending on the coordination strength of the anion X−: the complexes with tetraphenylborate and tetrafluoroborate having no coordination ability are square-planar and orange, while on the contrary, the coordinating nitrate ligand produces an octahedral and pale blue complex. In solution, two types of solvatochromism due to solute–solvent interaction and solute–solute–solvent interaction have been observed and these spectral behaviors are attributed to the changes in their geometries due to the donor/acceptor properties of the solvents. The thermochromic behavior of complex 1 has also been studied with temperature variation UV–vis spectra in various solvents. The behavior of these solvato- and thermo-chromisms of these complexes is due to the intermediate ligand field strength created by the dmap and the acac ligands.
Revolution in the Cuban Countryside: The Blazing Cane of Las Villas, 1895–1898
Authors: McGillivray Gillian
Published: January 2008

In 1895, Central Cuba’s rapidly expanding cane ﬁelds became prime targets for incendiary revolutionaries seeking to destroy the colonial status quo. Spanish forces tried to protect the ﬁelds at ﬁrst (to prove that Spain was still in control), but Spanish policy changed over the course of the war, rendering the cane ﬁelds what one planter called ‘‘a republic of anarchy.’’ The central province of Las Villas was highly contested territory during the war—as it would be again in 1958—because it represented a potential springboard to Havana and the West for revolutionaries who began their struggles in the East. This article traces how planters in Central Cuba erred in three basic assumptions: that the insurgency would remain in the East, that they could pay insurgents for protection, and that the Spanish military would protect them. Using legal documents from the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission ﬁles and family records from the Braga Brothers Collection at the University of Florida, the article explores how the relationship between sugar planters, Cuban insurgents, and the Spanish military played itself out on Central Cuba’s sugar plantations. Plantation owners would not ﬁnd protection until 1898, when Cuba’s war for independence became the ‘‘Spanish-American War’’ and U.S. intervention squeezed out many of the demands for social leveling so clearly symbolized by the sugar-cane ﬁre. Resumen En 1895, los campos de caña que se ampliaban rápidamente en el centro de Cuba se convirtieron en los objetivos principales de destrucción para los revolucionarios incendiarios que estaban atacando el status quo colonial. Las fuerzas españolas intentaron proteger los campos al principio (para probar que España todavía estaba en control), pero la política española cambió durante la guerra, volviendo a los campos de caña en lo que un hacendado llamó ‘‘repúblicas de anarquismo.’’ La provincia central de Las Villas era territorio altamente disputado durante la guerra, como estaría otra vez en 1958, porque representaba un trampolín potencial a La Habana para los revolucionarios que comenzaron sus luchas en el Oriente. Este artículo remonta cómo los hacendados en Cuba central erraron en tres suposiciones básicas: que la insurrección se quedaría en Oriente, que podrían comprar protección de los insurrectos, y que los militares españoles los protegerían. Usando documentos jurídicos del tratado español con Estados Unidos y expedientes de la familia Rionda de la colección de los hermanos de Braga en la Universidad de la Florida, el artículo explora cómo la relación entre los hacendados, los insurrectos cubanos, y los militares españoles se llevó a cabo en las haciendas azucareras de Cuba central. Los hacendados no encontrarían la protección hasta 1898, cuando la guerra de Cuba para la independencia se convirtió en la ‘‘guerra Española-Americana’’ y la intervención de Estados Unidos eliminaría muchas de las demandas para la nivelación social simbolizada tan claramente por la quema de caña.
Martí y Blaine: entre la colonialidad tenebrosa y la emancipación inalcanzable
Authors: Ward Thomas
Published: January 2008

Resumen Este artículo propone ubicar a José Martí en un contexto teórico basado principalmente en los ensayos que él escribió durante su estadía en Estados Unidos. La teoría que él postula va más allá de la retórica meramente política anticolonialista que repudia el dominio que España ejercía sobre Cuba y expone dos otras facetas del colonialismo: la subordinación económica a través de tratados o conferencias internacionales así como también la subyugación psicológica inherente a la respuesta humana a estos tratados y conferencias. Esta psicocolonialidad resulta en actores individuales y nacionales que se convierten en protagonistas de dos caras en sus esfuerzos por obtener las mejores ventajas económicas, muchas veces a detrimento de otras naciones latinoamericanas. Martí propone la verdad y el honor como un remedio a la psicocolonialidad con la esperanza de vencer a las estructuras hegemónicas inherentes en el panamericanismo. This article attempts to locate José Martí in a theoretical context based primarily on the essays he wrote while in the United States. The theory he postulates goes beyond mere political anticolonialist rhetoric repudiating Spain’s dominance over Cuba and exposes two other facets of colonialism: economic subordination by means of treaties or international conferences as well as the psychological subjugation inherent in the human response to such treaties and conferences. This psychocoloniality results in individual and national actors becoming duplicitous in their efforts to obtain the best economic advantage, oftentimes in detriment to other Latin American nations. Martí proposes truth and honor as a remedy for psychocoloniality in the hopes of overcoming the hegemonic structures inherent in Pan-Americanism.
Between the Market and a Hard Place: Fernando Pérez’s Suite Habana in a Post-utopian Cuba
Authors: Young Elliott
Published: January 2008

This article argues that the orientation of art toward an international market during Cuba’s Special Period has resulted in a new post-utopian aesthetics of the everyday and allows for greater possibilities for social critique in Cuban cinema. Although the international market imposes certain constraints on Cuban ﬁlmmakers, which they didn’t have to contend with when they received state subsidies, their ability to negotiate between two masters, the market and the Cuban state, has afforded them more autonomy than they previously enjoyed. Fernando Pérez’s ﬁlm Suite Habana (2003), which follows a day in the life of ordinary Habaneros, provides a daring and realistic glimpse into the everyday lives of Cubans struggling to survive in the midst of economic crisis. Suite Habana represents a new aesthetic that emerged in the Special Period of post-utopian Cuba, one that focuses on everyday concerns rather than on monumental historical events or narratives that justify the Cuban Revolution. Neither antirevolutionary nor blithely prosocialist, Pérez’s post-utopian view helps us to understand how Cubans are dealing with the transition from a socialist Fidelista state to something else. Resumen Este artículo propone que la orientación del arte hacia un mercado internacional durante el período especial ha dado lugar a una nueva estética posutópica de lo cotidiano, la cual permite más posibilidades para una critica social en el cine cubano. Aunque el mercado internacional impone ciertas restricciones en los directores cubanos, que no existían cuando recibían subsidios del estado, su capacidad de negociar entre estos dos patrones, el mercado y el estado cubano, les ha dado a los cineastas una mayor autonomía que la disfrutada antes. La película de Fernando Pérez, Suite Habana (2003), que relata un día típico en la vida de los habaneros, nos da una visión audaz y realista de la lucha cotidiana para sobrevivir en medio de una crisis económica. Suite Habana representa una nueva estética que emerge durante el período especial, una estética que se enfoca en los asuntos cotidianos en vez de en los eventos históricos monumentales o en narrativas que justiﬁcan la revolución cubana. Ni antirevolucionario, ni superﬁcialmente socialista, la visión posutópica de Pérez nos ayuda entender cómo los cubanos están manejando la transición de un estado socialista Fidelista a algo diferente y desconocido.