bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patellofemoral pain syndrome: a review on the associated neuromuscular deficits and current treatment options
Authors: Fagan V , Delahunt E
Published: April 2008

Background:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common clinical presentation. Various neuromuscular factors have been reported to contribute to its aetiology.

Study design:

Systematic review

Methods:

A literature search was carried out from 1998 up to December 2007. Eligible studies were those that: (1) examined the effects of hip strengthening in subjects with PFPS; (2) examined the effects of physiotherapy treatment aimed at restoring muscle balance between the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) in subjects with PFPS; (3) examined the effect of taping on electromyogram (EMG) muscle amplitude in subjects with PFPS; and (4) compared the effects of open versus closed kinetic chain exercises in the treatment of subjects with PFPS.

Results and conclusion:

No randomised controlled trials exist to support the use of hip joint strengthening in subjects with PFPS. Physiotherapy treatment programmes appear to be an efficacious method of improving quadriceps muscle imbalances. Further studies are required to determine the true efficacy of therapeutic patellar taping. Both open and closed kinetic chain exercises are appropriate forms of treatment for subjects with PFPS.
Is your prescription of distance running shoes evidence-based?
Authors: Richards C E , Magin P J , Callister R
Published: April 2008

Objectives:

To determine whether the current practice of prescribing distance running shoes featuring elevated cushioned heels and pronation control systems tailored to the individual’s foot type is evidence-based.

Data sources:

MEDLINE (1950–May 2007), CINAHL (1982–May 2007), EMBASE (1980–May 2007), PsychInfo (1806–May 2007), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2ndQuarter 2007), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials (2ndQuarter 2007), SPORTSDiscus (1985–May 2007) and AMED (1985–May 2007).

Review methods:

English language articles were identified via keyword and medical subject headings (MeSH) searches of the above electronic databases. With these searches and the subsequent review process, controlled trials or systematic reviews were sought in which the study population included adult recreational or competitive distance runners, the exposure was distance running, the intervention evaluated was a running shoe with an elevated cushioned heel and pronation control systems individualised to the wearer’s foot type, and the outcome measures included either running injury rates, distance running performance, osteoarthritis risk, physical activity levels, or overall health and wellbeing. The quality of these studies and their findings were then evaluated.

Results:

No original research that met the study criteria was identified either directly or via the findings of the six systematic reviews identified.

Conclusion:

The prescription of this shoe type to distance runners is not evidence-based.
Which lap is the slowest? An analysis of 32 world mile record performances
Authors: Noakes T D , Lambert M I , Hauman R
Published: April 2008

Objectives:

The pacing strategies adopted by world-record breakers during the 1-mile footrace in order to evaluate different models for the biological basis of pacing was determined in this study.

Methods:

Lap times in 32 world record performances were analysed. Average times for each of the four laps and as percentages of total race time were calculated.

Results:

The slowest laps in 90% of races were either the second (34%) or the third (56%) laps. In only two (6%) records was the final lap the slowest, whereas in 24 (76%), it was either the fastest (38%) or the second fastest (38%) lap. Mean times for the second and third laps were both significantly slower than were times for the first or final laps, but there was no significant difference in times for the first and final lap.

Conclusion:

The finding that world record beaters run the final lap in their quickest mile races faster than the second and third laps matches findings for races at longer distances. The presence of this “end spurt” suggests that the pacing strategy is regulated “in anticipation” and is not purely the result of a developing “peripheral fatigue”.
Testing for maximum oxygen consumption has produced a brainless mode of human exercise performance
Authors: Noakes Timothy David
Published: April 2008

The measurement of the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) is probably the most widely used test in the applied sports sciences. Yet this test includes three features that are foreign to the manner in which humans usually exercise. First, the tested subject does not know the expected duration of the exercise bout when it begins. Second the intensity of the imposed exercise increases progressively, sometimes rapidly from low to “maximal” work rates. Third the imposed work rate is predetermined and immutable, beyond the control of the experimental subject’s brain. As a result the tested subject’s brain merely responds to changes in work rate imposed by the experimenter and is therefore the controlled variable in the experiment. In contrast when subjects are informed beforehand of either the expected exercise duration or the distance to be covered, they will choose to run at different paces depending on the known exercise duration. The brain achieves this by recruiting the exactly appropriate number of motor units in the exercising muscles. The goal of this strategy is to complete the activity without homeostatic failure whilst still allowing an increase in pace near the end of exercise, the “endspurt”. Since the tested subject’s brain is the controlled variable during the VO2max test merely responding passively to the externally-directed changes in work rate, so it has been assumed that the brain plays no part in “limiting” maximal exercise performance. This has in turn developed a “brainless” model of human exercise performance in which the “limiting” factors are described almost exclusively in terms of cardiovascular function. But the outstanding feature of effective human exercise performance is the adoption of the optimum pacing strategy that will avoid, not cause, homeostatic failure and profound skeletal muscle failure. Since the VO2max test does not evaluate the athlete’s ability to choose and sustain the optimum pace during exercise of different durations, it cannot be the optimum test either to evaluate a subject’s athletic potential or to understand the biological basis of superior athletic performance.
Apelin decreases the SR Ca2+content but enhances the amplitude of [Ca2+]itransient and contractions during twitches in isolated rat cardiac myocytes
Authors: Wang Chen , Du Jun-Feng , Wu Feng , Wang Hai-Chang
Published: April 2008

Apelin has been reported to have a positive inotropic action in the isolated rat heart. However, the effect of apelin on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+content and its influence on intracellular Ca2+transient during excitation-contraction coupling remains poorly understood. In the present study, we determined the effect of apelin on Ca2+transient and contractions in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. When compared with control, treatment with apelin caused a 55.7 ± 13.9% increase in sarcomere fraction shortening and a 43.6 ± 4.56% increase in amplitude of electrical-stimulated intracellular Ca2+concentration (E[Ca2+]i) transients ( n = 14, P < 0.05). But SR Ca2+content measured by caffeine-induced [Ca2+]i(C[Ca2+]i) transient was decreased 8.41 ± 0.92% in response to apelin ( n = 14, P < 0.05). Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX) function was increased since half-decay time of C[Ca2+]iwas decreased 16.22 ± 1.36% in response to apelin. Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) activity was also increased by apelin. These responses can be partially or completely blocked by chelerythrine chloride, a PKC inhibitor. In addition, to confirm our data, we used indo-1 as another Ca2+indicator and rapid cooling as another way to measure SR Ca2+content, and we observed similar results. So we conclude that apelin has a positive inotropic effect on isolated myocytes, and increased amplitude of E[Ca2+]iis at least partially involved in the mechanism. NCX function and SERCA activity are increased by apelin, and the SR Ca2+content is decreased by apelin during twitches. PKC played an important role in these signaling mechanisms.
A novel mouse model of X-linked cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Leatherbury L. , Yu Q. , Chatterjee B. , Walker D. L. , Yu Z. , Tian X. , Lo C. W.
Published: April 2008

We recovered a novel mouse mutant exhibiting neonatal lethality associated with severe fetal cardiac hypertrophy and with some adult mice dying suddenly with left ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Using Doppler echocardiography, we screened surviving adult mice in this mutant line for cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac dimensions were obtained either from two-dimensional images collected using a novel ECG-gated ultra-high-frequency ultrasound system or by traditional M-mode imaging on a clinical ultrasound system. These analyses identified, among the littermates, two populations of mice: those with apparent cardiac hypertrophy with hypercontractile function characterized by ejection fraction of 75–80%, and normal littermates with ejection fraction of 53–55%. Analysis of the ECG-gated two-dimensional cines indicated that the hypertrophy was of the nonobstructive type. Further analysis of heart-to-body weight ratio confirmed the ultrasound diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Histopathology showed increased ventricular wall thickness, enlarged myocyte size, and mild myofiber disarray. Ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy revealed mitochondria hyperproliferation and dilated sarcoplasmic reticulum. Genome scanning using microsatellite DNA markers mapped the mutation to the X chromosome. DNA sequencing showed no mutations in the coding regions of several candidate genes on the X chromosome, including several known to be associated with left ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. These findings suggest that this mouse line may harbor a mutation in a novel gene causing X-linked cardiomyopathy.
Anoxic cell core can promote necrotic cell death in cardiomyocytes at physiological extracellular Po2
Authors: Takahashi Eiji
Published: April 2008

The physical law of diffusion imposes O2concentration gradients from the plasma membrane to the center of the cell. The present study was undertaken to determine how such intracellular radial gradients of O2affect the fate of isolated single cardiomyocytes. In single rat cardiomyocytes, mitochondrial respiration was moderately elevated by an oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler to augment the intracellular O2gradient. At physiological extracellular O2levels (2–5%), decreases in myoglobin O2saturation and increases in NADH fluorescence at the center of the cell were imaged (anoxic cell core) while the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and ATP levels at the anoxic cell core were relatively sustained. In contrast, treatment with 0.5 mM iodoacetamide (IA) to inhibit creatine kinase (CK) resulted in depletion of both ΔΨmand ATP at the anoxic cell core. Even at normal extracellular Po2, actively respiring cardiomyocytes developed rigor contracture followed by necrotic cell death. Furthermore, such rigor was remarkably accelerated by IA, whereas cell injury was perfectly rescued by mitochondrial F1Foinhibition by oligomycin. These results suggest that increases in radial gradients of O2potentially promote cell death through the reverse action of F1Foin mitochondria located at the anoxic cell core. However, in the intact cardiomyocyte, the CK-mediated energy flux from the subsarcolemmal space may sustain ΔΨmat the cell core, thus avoiding uncontrolled consumption of ATP that can lead to necrotic cell death. Mitochondria at the anoxic core can cause necrotic cell death in cardiomyocytes at physiological extracellular Po2.
The diastatic pressure-volume relationship is not the same as the end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship
Authors: Zhang Wei , Kovács Sándor J.
Published: April 2008

The end-diastolic pressure-volume (P-V) relationship (EDPVR) is routinely used to determine the passive left ventricular (LV) stiffness, although the diastatic P-V relationship (D-PVR) has also been measured. Based on the physiological difference between diastasis (the LV and atrium are relaxed and static) and end diastole (LV volume increased by atrial systole and the atrium is contracted), we hypothesized that, although both D-PVR and EDPVR include LV chamber stiffness information, they are two different, distinguishable P-V relations. Cardiac catheterization determined LV pressures, and conductance volumes in 31 subjects were analyzed. Physiological, beat-to-beat variation of the diastatic and end-diastolic P-V points were fit by linear and exponential functions to generate the D-PVR and EDPVR. The extrapolated exponential D-PVR underestimated LVEDP in 82% of the heart beats ( P < 0.001). The extrapolated EDPVR overestimated pressure at diastasis in 84% of the heart beats ( P < 0.001). If each subject's diastatic and end-diastolic P-V data were combined to form a continuous data set to be fit by one exponential relation, the goodness of fit was always worse than if the diastatic and end-diastolic data were grouped separately and fit by two distinct exponential relations. Diastatic chamber stiffness was less than EDPVR stiffness (defined by the slope of P-V relation) for all 31 subjects (0.16 ± 0.11 vs. 0.24 ± 0.15 mmHg/ml, P < 0.001). We conclude that the D-PVR and EDPVR are distinguishable. Because it is not coupled to a contracted atrium, the D-PVR conveys passive LV stiffness better than the EDPVR. Additional studies that fully elucidate the physiology and biology of diastasis in health and disease are in progress.
Angiotensin II increases GABAB receptor expression in nucleus tractus solitarii of rats
Authors: Yao Fanrong , Sumners Colin , O'Rourke Stephen T. , Sun Chengwen
Published: April 2008

Increasing evidence indicates that both the angiotensin II (ANG II) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) systems play a very important role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP). However, there is little information concerning the interactions between these two systems in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). In the present study, we examined the effects of ANG II on GABAA and GABAB receptor (GAR and GBR) expression in the NTS of Sprague-Dawley rats. The direct effect of ANG II on GBR expression was determined in neurons cultured from NTS. Treatment of neuronal cultures with ANG II (100 nM, 5 h) induced a twofold increase in GBR1 expression, as detected with real-time RT-PCR and Western blots, but had no effect on GBR2 or GAR expression. In electrophysiological experiments, perfusion of neuronal cultures with the GBR agonist baclofen decreased neuronal firing rate by 39% and 63% in neurons treated with either PBS (control) or ANG II, respectively, indicating that chronic ANG II treatment significantly enhanced the neuronal response to GBR activation. In contrast, ANG II had no significant effect on the inhibitory action of the GAR agonist muscimol. In whole animal studies, intracerebroventricular infusion of ANG II induced a sustained increase in mean BP and an elevation of GBR1 mRNA and protein levels in the NTS. These results indicate that ANG II stimulates GBR expression in NTS neurons, and this could contribute to the central nervous system actions of ANG II that result in dampening of baroreflexes and elevated BP in the central actions of ANG II.
Structure and torsion in the normal and situs inversus totalis cardiac left ventricle. II. Modeling cardiac adaptation to mechanical load
Authors: Kroon Wilco , Delhaas Tammo , Bovendeerd Peter , Arts Theo
Published: April 2008

Mathematical models provide a suitable platform to test hypotheses on the relation between local mechanical stimuli and responses to cardiac structure and geometry. In the present model study, we tested hypothesized mechanical stimuli and responses in cardiac adaptation to mechanical load on their ability to estimate a realistic myocardial structure of the normal and situs inversus totalis (SIT) left ventricle (LV). In a cylindrical model of the LV, 1) mass was adapted in response to myofiber strain at the beginning of ejection and to global contractility (average systolic pressure), 2) cavity volume was adapted in response to fiber strain during ejection, and 3) myofiber orientations were adapted in response to myofiber strain during ejection and local misalignment between neighboring tissue parts. The model was able to generate a realistic normal LV geometry and structure. In addition, the model was also able to simulate the instigating situation in the rare SIT LV with opposite torsion and transmural courses in myofiber direction between the apex and base [Delhaas et al. ( 6 )]. These results substantiate the importance of mechanical load in the formation and maintenance of cardiac structure and geometry. Furthermore, in the model, adapted myocardial architecture was found to be insensitive to fiber misalignment in the transmural direction, i.e., myofiber strain during ejection was sufficient to generate a realistic transmural variation in myofiber orientation. In addition, the model estimates that, despite differences in structure, global pump work and the mass of the normal and SIT LV are similar.
Oxidative stress contributes to pulmonary hypertension in the transgenic (mRen2)27 rat
Authors: DeMarco Vincent G. , Habibi Javad , Whaley-Connell Adam T. , Schneider Rebecca I. , Heller Randall L. , Bosanquet James P. , Hayden Melvin R. , Delcour Kimberly , Cooper S. A. , Andresen Bradley T. , Sowers James R. , Dellsperger Kevin C.
Published: April 2008

The transgenic (mRen2)27 (Ren2) rat overexpresses mouse renin in extrarenal tissues, causing increased local synthesis of ANG II, oxidative stress, and hypertension. However, little is known about the role of oxidative stress induced by the tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) as a contributing factor in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Using male Ren2 rats, we test the hypothesis that lung tissue RAS overexpression and resultant oxidative stress contribute to PH and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), and wall thickness of small pulmonary arteries (PA), as well as intrapulmonary NADPH oxidase activity and subunit protein expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS), were compared in age-matched Ren2 and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats pretreated with the SOD/catalase mimetic tempol for 21 days. In placebo-treated Ren2 rats, MAP and RVSP, as well as intrapulmonary NADPH oxidase activity and subunits (Nox2, p22phox, and Rac-1) and ROS, were elevated compared with placebo-treated SD rats ( P < 0.05). Tempol decreased RVSP ( P < 0.05), but not MAP, in Ren2 rats. Tempol also reduced intrapulmonary NADPH oxidase activity, Nox2, p22phox, and Rac-1 protein expression, and ROS in Ren2 rats ( P < 0.05). Compared with SD rats, the cross-sectional surface area of small PA was 38% greater ( P < 0.001) and luminal surface area was 54% less ( P < 0.001) in Ren2 rats. Wall surface area was reduced and luminal area was increased in tempol-treated SD and Ren2 rats compared with untreated controls ( P < 0.05). Collectively, the results of this investigation support a seminal role for enhanced tissue RAS/oxidative stress as factors in development of PH and pulmonary vascular remodeling.
Coronary nitric oxide production controls cardiac substrate metabolism during pregnancy in the dog
Authors: Williams Jeffrey G. , Ojaimi Caroline , Qanud Khaled , Zhang Suhua , Xu Xiaobin , Recchia Fabio A. , Hintze Thomas H.
Published: April 2008

The aim of this study was to examine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the control of cardiac metabolism at 60 days of pregnancy (P60) in the dog. There was a basal increase in diastolic coronary blood flow during pregnancy and a statistically significant increase in cardiac output (55 ± 4%) and in cardiac NOx production (44 ± 4 to 59 ± 3 nmol/min, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry of the left ventricle showed an increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase staining in the endothelial cells at P60. NO-dependent coronary vasodilation (Bezold-Jarisch reflex) was increased by 20% and blocked by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). Isotopically labeled substrates were infused to measure oleate, glucose uptake, and oxidation. Glucose oxidation was not significantly different in P60 hearts (5.4 ± 0.5 vs. 6.2 ± 0.4 μmol/min) but greatly increased in response to l-NAME injection (to 19.9 ± 0.9 μmol/min, P < 0.05). Free fatty acid (FFA) oxidation was increased in P60 (from 5.3 ± 0.6 to 10.4 ± 0.5 μmol/min, P < 0.05) and decreased in response to l-NAME (to 4.5 ± 0.5 μmol/min, P < 0.05). There was an increased oxidation of FFA for ATP production but no change in the respiratory quotient during pregnancy. Genes associated with glucose and glycogen metabolism were downregulated, whereas genes involved in FFA oxidation were elevated. The acute inhibition of NO shifts the heart away from FFA and toward glucose metabolism despite the downregulation of the carbohydrate oxidative pathway. The increase in endothelium-derived NO during pregnancy results in a tonic inhibition of glucose oxidation and reliance on FFA uptake and oxidation to support ATP synthesis in conjunction with upregulation of FFA metabolic enzymes.
Transmural distribution of metabolic abnormalities and glycolytic activity during dobutamine-induced demand ischemia
Authors: Jameel Mohammad N. , Wang Xiaohong , Eijgelshoven Marcel H. J. , Mansoor Abdul , Zhang Jianyi
Published: April 2008

The heterogeneity across the left ventricular wall is characterized by higher rates of oxygen consumption, systolic thickening fraction, myocardial perfusion, and lower energetic state in the subendocardial layers (ENDO). During dobutamine stimulation-induced demand ischemia, the transmural distribution of energy demand and metabolic markers of ischemia are not known. In this study, hemodynamics, transmural high-energy phosphate (HEP), 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (2-DGP) levels, and myocardial blood flow (MBF) were determined under basal conditions, during dobutamine infusion (DOB: 20 μg·kg−1·min−1 iv), and during coronary stenosis + DOB + 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) infusion. DOB increased rate pressure products (RPP) and MBF significantly without affecting the subendocardial-to-subepicardial blood flow ratio (ENDO/EPI) or HEP levels. During coronary stenosis + DOB + 2-DG infusion, RPP, ischemic zone (IZ) MBF, and ENDO/EPI decreased significantly. The IZ ratio of creatine phosphate-to-ATP decreased significantly [2.30 ± 0.14, 2.06 ± 0.13, and 2.04 ± 0.11 to 1.77 ± 0.12, 1.70 ± 0.11, and 1.72 ± 0.12 for EPI, midmyocardial (MID), and ENDO, respectively], and 2-DGP accumulated in all layers, as evidenced by the 2-DGP/PCr (0.55 ± 0.12, 0.52 ± 0.10, and 0.37 ± 0.08 for EPI, MID, and ENDO, respectively; P < 0.05, EPI > ENDO). In the IZ the wet weight-to-dry weight ratio was significantly increased compared with the normal zone (5.9 ± 0.5 vs. 4.4 ± 0.4; P < 0.05). Thus, in the stenotic perfused bed, during dobutamine-induced high cardiac work state, despite higher blood flow, the subepicardial layers showed the greater metabolic changes characterized by a shift toward higher carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting that a homeostatic response to high-cardiac work state is characterized by more glucose utilization in energy metabolism.
Proteasome inhibition improves diaphragm function in congestive heart failure rats
Authors: van Hees Hieronymus W. H. , Li Yi-Ping , Ottenheijm Coen A. C. , Jin Bingwen , Pigmans Cindy J. C. , Linkels Marianne , Dekhuijzen P. N. Richard , Heunks Leo M. A.
Published: April 2008

In congestive heart failure (CHF), diaphragm weakness is known to occur and is associated with myosin loss and activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The effect of modulating proteasome activity on myosin loss and diaphragm function is unknown. The present study investigated the effect of in vivo proteasome inhibition on myosin loss and diaphragm function in CHF rats. Coronary artery ligation was used as an animal model for CHF. Sham-operated rats served as controls. Animals were treated with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (intravenously) or received saline (0.9%) injections. Force generating capacity, cross-bridge cycling kinetics, and myosin content were measured in diaphragm single fibers. Proteasome activity, caspase-3 activity, and MuRF-1 and MAFbx mRNA levels were determined in diaphragm homogenates. Proteasome activities in the diaphragm were significantly reduced by bortezomib. Bortezomib treatment significantly improved diaphragm single fiber force generating capacity (∼30–40%) and cross-bridge cycling kinetics (∼20%) in CHF. Myosin content was ∼30% higher in diaphragm fibers from bortezomib-treated CHF rats than saline. Caspase-3 activity was decreased in diaphragm homogenates from bortezomib-treated rats. CHF increased MuRF-1 and MAFbx mRNA expression in the diaphragm, and bortezomib treatment diminished this rise. The present study demonstrates that treatment with a clinically used proteasome inhibitor improves diaphragm function by restoring myosin content in CHF.
Differences in STIM1 and TRPC expression in proximal and distal pulmonary arterial smooth muscle are associated with differences in Ca2+responses to hypoxia
Authors: Lu Wenju , Wang Jian , Shimoda Larissa A. , Sylvester J. T.
Published: April 2008

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) requires Ca2+influx through store-operated Ca2+channels (SOCC) in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) and is greater in distal than proximal pulmonary arteries (PA). SOCC may be composed of canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) proteins and activated by stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1). To assess the possibility that HPV is greater in distal PA because store-operated Ca2+entry (SOCE) is greater in distal PASMC, we measured intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) and SOCE in primary cultures of PASMC using fluorescent microscopy and the Ca2+-sensitive dye fura 2. Both hypoxia (4% O2) and KCl (60 mM) increased [Ca2+]i. Responses to hypoxia, but not KCl, were greater in distal cells. We measured SOCE in PASMC perfused with Ca2+-free solutions containing cyclopiazonic acid to deplete Ca2+stores in sarcoplasmic reticulum and nifedipine to prevent Ca2+entry through L-type voltage-operated Ca2+channels. Under these conditions, the increase in [Ca2+]icaused by restoration of extracellular Ca2+and the decrease in fura 2 fluorescence caused by Mn2+were greater in distal PASMC, indicating greater SOCE. Moreover, the increase in SOCE caused by hypoxia was also greater in distal cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of PASMC and freshly isolated deendothelialized PA tissue demonstrated expression of STIM1 and five of seven known TRPC isoforms (TRPC1 > TRPC6 > TRPC4 ≫ TRPC3 ≈ TRPC5). For both protein, as measured by Western blotting, and mRNA, expression of STIM1, TRPC1, TRPC6, and TRPC4 was greater in distal than proximal PASMC and PA. These results provide further support for the importance of SOCE in HPV and suggest that HPV is greater in distal than proximal PA because greater numbers and activation of SOCC in distal PASMC generate bigger increases in [Ca2+]i.
Overexpression of the Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit improves lung liquid clearance during ventilation-induced lung injury
Authors: Adir Yochai , Welch Lynn C. , Dumasius Vidas , Factor Phillip , Sznajder Jacob I. , Ridge Karen M.
Published: April 2008

Mechanical ventilation with high tidal volumes (HVT) impairs lung liquid clearance (LLC) and downregulates alveolar epithelial Na-K-ATPase. We have previously reported that the Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit contributes to LLC in normal rat lungs. Here we tested whether overexpression of Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit in the alveolar epithelium would increase clearance in a HVTmodel of lung injury. We infected rat lungs with a replication-incompetent adenovirus that expresses Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit gene (Adα2) 7 days before HVTmechanical ventilation. HVTventilation decreased LLC by ∼50% in untreated, sham, and Adnull-infected rats. Overexpression of Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit prevented the decrease in clearance caused by HVTand was associated with significant increases in Na-K-ATPase α2protein abundance and activity in peripheral lung basolateral membrane fractions. Ouabain at 10−5M, a concentration that inhibits the α2but not the Na-K-ATPase α1, decreased LLC in Adα2-infected rats to the same level as sham and Adnull-infected lungs, suggesting that the increased clearance in Adα2lungs was due to Na-K-ATPase α2expression and activity. In summary, we provide evidence that augmentation of the Na-K-ATPase α2-subunit, via gene transfer, may accelerate LLC in the injured lung.
Augmented inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and increased NO production reduce sepsis-induced lung injury and mortality in myeloperoxidase-null mice
Authors: Brovkovych Viktor , Gao Xiao-Pei , Ong Evan , Brovkovych Svitlana , Brennan Marie-Luise , Su Xiao , Hazen Stanley L. , Malik Asrar B. , Skidgel Randal A.
Published: April 2008

The myeloperoxidase (MPO)-hydrogen peroxide-halide system is an efficient oxygen-dependent antimicrobial component of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)-mediated host defense. However, MPO deficiency results in few clinical consequences indicating the activation of compensatory mechanisms. Here, we determined possible mechanisms protecting the host using MPO−/−mice challenged with live gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. We observed that MPO−/−mice unexpectedly had improved survival compared with wild-type (WT) mice within 5–12 h after intraperitoneal E. coli challenge. Lungs of MPO−/−mice also demonstrated lower bacterial colonization and markedly attenuated increases in microvascular permeability and edema formation after E. coli challenge compared with WT. However, PMN sequestration in lungs of both groups was similar. Basal inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was significantly elevated in lungs and PMNs of MPO−/−mice, and NO production was increased two- to sixfold compared with WT. Nitrotyrosine levels doubled in lungs of WT mice within 1 h after E. coli challenge but did not change in MPO−/−mice. Inhibition of iNOS in MPO−/−mice significantly increased lung edema and reduced their survival after E. coli challenge, but iNOS inhibitor had the opposite effect in WT mice. Thus augmented iNOS expression and NO production in MPO−/−mice compensate for the lack of HOCl-mediated bacterial killing, and the absence of MPO-derived oxidants mitigates E. coli sepsis-induced lung inflammation and injury.
The De Bry Collection of Voyages (1590-1634): Early America reconsidered
Authors: van Groesen Michiel
Published: April 2008

The De Bry collection of voyages, published in Frankfurt and Oppenheim between 1590 and 1634, has traditionally been regarded as dispensing a Protestant iconography of the New World. But for the analysis of the translated travel accounts in the collection, too long considered of secondary importance to the monumental copper engravings, a fundamentally different interpretation of the editors' objectives is in order. This article studies the Latin and German versions of the narratives, which offer a mosaic of variations disclosing a careful editorial strategy. While the German volumes were aimed at a predominantly Protestant readership, their Latin counterparts were adjusted to meet the demands of Catholic customers and humanists wary of religious polemic. Hence the first comprehensive set of images of early America reached readers across the Old World, regardless of their confessional allegiance. Commercial motives rather than the desire to spread a Protestant iconography determined the collection's representations.
The Commercial Relationship between Amsterdam and the Portuguese Salt-Exporting Ports: Aveiro and Setubal, 1580-1715
Authors: Antunes Catia
Published: April 2008

Salt was a vital product in pre-industrial societies. Its value is associated with its preserving characteristics, which allowed foodstuffs and hides to be preserved for a relatively long time. This quality made it vital for the maintenance of pre-industrial activities like the fisheries. During the Middle Ages, most of the South Western European ports produced enough salt to respond to the needs of their urban and rural populations. With the growth of maritime activity and commercial expansion during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, salt became one of the most important bulk products in Europe, second only to grain.This article explores the surge of Aveiro and Setubal, two Portuguese ports specialized in the export of salt to the international markets and their contribution to the establishment, growth and development of an intricate set of commercial networks linking these ports to Amsterdam, Northern Europe and the Baltic. In the Portuguese context these ports were vital to the survival of the kingdom of Portugal, since most of the mid- and late seventeenth century diplomatic settlements were paid for by salt cargos and duties. For the Portuguese, salt was more than a bulk product. After 1640, it had become a hard currency.
Queen Elizabeth I Through Moroccan Eyes
Authors: Matar Nabil
Published: April 2008

This article examines the image of Queen Elizabeth I (reg. 1558-1603) in Moroccan writings, focusing specifically on the period between 1588, the English victory over the Spanish Armada, and 1596, the English attack (with Moroccan logistical assistance) on Cadiz. Contrary to what some historians have claimed about Arab-Islamic ignorance of, and indifference to, Western Europe in the early modern period, the writings of Abd al-Aziz al-Fishtali (1549-1621), the Moroccan scribe in the royal court of Marrakesh during the reign of Mulay Ahmad al-Mansur (reg. 1578-1603), provide valuable information about English political and naval activity in the last decade of the 16th century. The letters of al-Fishtali include the only contemporary description of the English Queen by a non-European writer.
Counter-Terrorism and the EU Strategy for Border Security: Framing Suspects with Biometric Documents and Databases
Authors: Baldaccini Anneliese
Published: April 2008

This article examines the way in which the EU amd its Member States have approached border security issues since the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001. A key aspect of this approach has been to tighten control of borders and the safety of documents by the use of biometric systems. The new policies on border security and document security are resulting in the mass collection and storage of biometric data in relation to third-country nationals seeking entry into the territory of EU Member States, and in relation to EU nationals within the context of travel and identity documents. These developments are significant as the Union is considering the potential offered by biometrics not only for the effective management of borders but also for the prevention and combating of crime.
Threats of Terrorism and the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Sikuta Jan
Published: April 2008

This contribution is aiming to provide a reader with a brief overview of selected relevant case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ("the Court"), somehow relating to the acts of terrorism. It shows the evolution of the Courts case-law from the very first case of Lawless v. Ireland, lodged to the Court in 1959, through the case of Osman v. UK, involving the positive obligation of a State to protect the life of its citizens and case of Ocalan v. Turkey, up to the case of Cetin and Others v. Turkey, dealing with terrorism and media (Article 10 of the Convention).The aim of this contribution is also to give a very brief views on the issue of terrorism from the aspects of different provisions of the Convention, starting with the Article 1 of the Convention and ending with Article 10 of the Convention, in order to provide participants of the Conference with short, but rather "plastic" picture of the Courts' case-law related to the mentioned issue.
From Cooperation, to Complicity, to Compensation: The War on Terror, Extraordinary Rendition, and the Cost of Torture
Authors: Macklin Audrey
Published: April 2008

Attention has turned recently to the human rights implications of Western states' cooperation with the United States in the so-called War on Terror. This paper presents the ordeal of Canadian Maher Arar as a case-study in how one state responded to contentions of complicity in the extraordinary rendition of one of its nationals. Relying in part on faulty intelligence supplied by Canada, Arar was rendered by the United States to Syria. He was imprisoned and tortured for almost a year before Canada secured his release. Under considerable public pressure, the Canadian government appointed an independent public inquiry to examine the events surrounding his rendition. Following the release of the report and its recommendations, the Canadian government formally apologized to Arar and paid him substantial compensation. The author provides an account of the function performed by independent public inquiries in responding to public calls for government accountability in face of alleged wrongdoing. The paper describes the challenge posed by competing demands for publicity and secrecy in the particular context of controversial actions taken in the name of national security. Finally the author considers the precedential value of the Arar Inquiry for other jurisdictions that face similar allegations regarding complicity in human rights violations, as well as the task of devising a fair and reasonably open process against claims of national security confidentiality.
Carotid circulatory development in turtles: using existing material to seek critical developmental stages that localize establishment of clade-specific patterns
Authors: Russell Anthony , Jamniczky Heather
Published: April 2008

Recent re-evaluation of variation in the carotid circulation of turtles has revealed that the phylogenetic signal contained in this character complex may indicate different patterns of relationship than have previously been hypothesized. Herein we document cranial circulatory development in Apalone spp. and Chrysemys picta for the first time, with the objective of stimulating future, intensive study of the source of observed circulatory variation in turtles. Both species studied exhibit a nearly identical circulatory pattern, resembling that of adult Trionychia, in later developmental stages. This is an unexpected finding given their highly divergent adult conditions. Further study is required to elucidate the means by which the adult circulatory pattern is attained in these taxa.
An analysis of courtship behaviour in the four-eyed spotted turtle, Sacalia quadriocellata (Reptilia: Testudines: Geoemydidae)
Authors: Fu Li-rong , He Bin , Murphy Robert , Wang Ji-chao , Ma Yong-gang , Liu Yu-xiang , Shi Hai-tao , Fong Jonathan
Published: April 2008

A total of 168 courtship sequences from 12 male and 18 female adult captive Sacalia quadriocellata were recorded on video. Thirty male and four female discrete motor patterns were defined and described. The behavioural sequences were summarized in an intra-individual dyadic transition matrix and analyzed using chi-square and kappa analyses. Courtship behaviour models and a flow diagram were constructed for this species. The male display patterns involved tactical and visual signals to induce female receptivity to mating. In response, females may emit olfactory signals for gender recognition. Female rejection of male suitors resulted in a male success rate of 4.17%. Only seven copulations were observed. Copulation only occurred when a female became quiescent and relaxed her tail for coition.
Factors affecting repatriation success of the endangered Italian agile frog (Rana latastei)
Authors: Fasola Mauro , Pellitteri-Rosa Daniele , Pupin Fabio , Scali Stefano , Sacchi Roberto , Bernini Franco , Gentilli Augusto , Razzetti Edoardo
Published: April 2008

Repatriations and translocations are among the most frequent actions deployed for conservation of amphibians all over the world. However, very few studies have analysed the effectiveness of these actions. The aims of this study were i) to measure the success of repatriations of Rana latastei carried out within a conservation project in Lombardy (Northern Italy) from 1999 to 2001, and ii) to analyse how the environmental factors affected repatriation success. Eighteen ponds were surveyed from February to April 2006, for an overall of 45 field surveys. Each pond was carefully checked for frogs and egg masses. We classified each pond as newly excavated or pre-existing according to habitat management actions and we measured 16 variables concerning micro- and macro-habitat characteristics, human disturbance and presence of predators. Rana latastei was found in 33.3% of monitored sites and the repatriation outcome of tadpole release did not differ between newly excavated and non managed ponds. Habitat variables influenced the success of repatriations, which increased in sites with higher percentage of woodlands. Finally, repatriation outcome was also negatively influenced by human disturbance and predator occurrence.
Colour pattern variation in populations of the European Whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus: does geography explain everything?
Authors: Zuffi Marco
Published: April 2008

Different colour patterns in European Whip snake, range from normal ("viridiflavus" pattern), to abundistic (dark pattern), to melanic-melanotic (black) patterns. Sexes are highly dimorphic, with more abundistic and melanotic-melanic males, than females. Colour patterns are also distributed in well defined areas of the species' distribution range. Normal colour is distributed in N Europe, N, NW and C Italy, while abundistic snakes are typical of Corsica and Sardinia, and melanic-melanotic snakes are very common or exclusive of NE, S Italy and Sicily. Proximal causes that may have driven the distribution of present colour patterns are linked to palaeogeographic events, even if fossil reconstruction of past colonization or a suitable phylogeographic hypothesis are not available.
Foraging mode and locomotor capacities in Lacertidae
Authors: Van Damme Raoul , Verwaijen Dave
Published: April 2008

Foraging strategy is often considered to play a central role in moulding diverse aspects of an animal's general biology. Active foragers should have greater locomotor endurance, allowing high movement activity rates, while sit-and-waiting foragers may be better adapted to sprinting, allowing catching prey by a quick attack from an ambush site, and going with specific predator escape tactics. In this study we investigate these predicted patterns in a set of lacertid lizard species. There is considerable variation in foraging activity within Lacertidae, which allows the close investigation of the co-evolution of the traits considered. We found a tendency of positive correlation of foraging measures (PTM, percentage of time moving; MPM, number of movements per minute) with laboratory measured endurance capacity. However, the relationship of foraging measures with maximal sprint speed remains less clear. MPM correlates negatively with maximal sprint speed, but PTM does not. When sprint speed was corrected for body size, no correlations were found at all.
Demography of Xenosaurus platyceps (Squamata: Xenosauridae): a comparison between tropical and temperate populations
Authors: Jones Carissa , Rojas-González Isaac , Lemos-Espinal Julio , Zúñiga-Vega Jaime
Published: April 2008

There appears to be variation in life-history strategies even between populations of the same species. For ectothermic organisms such as lizards, it has been predicted that demographic and life-history traits should differ consistently between temperate and tropical populations. This study compares the demographic strategies of a temperate and a tropical population of the lizard Xenosaurus platyceps. Population growth rates in both types of environments indicated populations in numerical equilibrium. Of the two populations, we found that the temperate population experiences lower adult mortality. The relative importance (estimated as the relative contribution to population growth rate) of permanence and of the adult/reproductive size classes is higher in the temperate population. In contrast, the relative importance for average fitness of fecundity and growth is higher in the tropical population. These results are consistent with the theoretical frameworks about life-historical differences among tropical and temperate lizard populations.
Morphology and diet of two sympatric colubrid snakes, Chironius flavolineatus and Chironius quadricarinatus (Serpentes: Colubridae)
Authors: Augusto Vuolo Marques Otavio , Fernandes Ronaldo , Richard Pinto Roberta
Published: April 2008

The morphometry and diet of two sympatric species of Chironius (C. flavolineatus and C. quadricarinatus) from Brazilian Cerrado are described. The two snake species differ in external morphology, as Chironius flavolineatus was the largest species (body, tail and eyes) whereas C. quadricarinatus the heaviest. Each species also showed marked sexual size dimorphism. In terms of dietary ecology, both species feed exclusively on frogs with a heavy preference for hylids and may have tendency to eat small items, as noticed in other colubrine species. These two snake species showed a brownish colour pattern and exhibited no ontogenetic variation, suggesting that juveniles and adults use similar substrates. Chironius flavolineatus and C. quadricarinatus present a semi-arboreal habit, with active foraging behaviour, feeding in the ground most of time. Chironius flavolineatus uses higher vegetation for resting and, based on morphological results, seems to be more arboreal than C. quadricarinatus.
Does physical or acoustical disturbance cause male pickerel frogs, Rana palustris, to vocalize underwater?
Authors: Given Mac
Published: April 2008

Male pickerel frogs (Rana palustris) vocalize both above water and underwater. Males have a complex vocal repertoire consisting of an advertisement call and two additional call types (i.e., aggressive calls) that can be elicited by the playback of a conspecific advertisement call. Additionally, in a previous study, males in these playbacks often dove and vocalized underwater for a few minutes before returning to the surface. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical or acoustical disturbance cause male pickerel frogs to call underwater. Experimental manipulations were performed with resident males that, initially, were calling above water. In the first, 16 males were physically disturbed with the intent to make them dive underwater. Eleven of these began to call underwater within 10 to 95 seconds and continued for up to four minutes before returning to calling above water. The second experiment involved playbacks in which males were disturbed acoustically by two minutes of continuous advertisement calling from either one Bufo americanus or Pseudacris crucifer male. Only one of 15 males dove and then called underwater in response to B. americanus calls even though most subjects emitted aggressive calls during the test period, and no male called underwater in response to P. crucifer calls (n = 13). In conclusion, male pickerel frogs will shift to underwater calling in response to a physical disturbance, but do not shift in response to the sounds of one heterospecific caller.