bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing the self-medication hypothesis of depression and aggression in cannabis-dependent subjects
Authors: ARENDT MIKKEL , ROSENBERG RABEN , FJORDBACK LONE , BRANDHOLDT JACK , FOLDAGER LESLIE , SHER LEO , MUNK-JØRGENSEN POVL
Published: January 2007

Background. A self-medication hypothesis has been proposed to explain the association between cannabis use and psychiatric and behavioral problems. However, little is known about the reasons for use and reactions while intoxicated in cannabis users who suffer from depression or problems controlling violent behavior.

Method. We assessed 119 cannabis-dependent subjects using the Schedules of Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), parts of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), and questionnaires on reasons for cannabis use and reactions to cannabis use while intoxicated. Participants with lifetime depression and problems controlling violent behavior were compared to subjects without such problems. Validity of the groupings was corroborated by use of a psychiatric treatment register, previous use of psychotropic medication and convictions for violence.

Results. Subjects with lifetime depression used cannabis for the same reasons as others. While under the influence of cannabis, they more often experienced depression, sadness, anxiety and paranoia, and they were less likely to report happiness or euphoria. Participants reporting problems controlling violent behavior more often used cannabis to decrease aggression, decrease suspiciousness, and for relaxation; while intoxicated they more often reacted with aggression.

Conclusions. Subjects with prior depression do not use cannabis as a mean of self-medication. They are more likely to experience specific increases of adverse symptoms while under the influence of cannabis, and are less likely to experience specific symptom relief. There is some evidence that cannabis is used as a means of self-medication for problems controlling aggression.
Political Equality and the Disenfranchisement of People with Intellectual Impairments
Authors: Beckman Ludvig
Published: January 2007

In most democratic countries people with intellectual impairments are denied the right to vote in national elections. One important reason for this is that they are perceived as incapable of making independent political judgements and may thus fail to vote on the basis of their own preferences. Their exclusion is consequently defended by appeal to the need to protect the ‘integrity’ of democratic elections. In this article, this assertion is critically examined. The conclusion is that this argument does not hold sway once the connections between political equality and democratic elections have been clarified. Whilst political equality requires that elections are fair in the sense that everyone's preferences are given equal weight, fundamentally political equality also requires that everyone's opportunity to vote securely and without undue interference from others is recognised. Hence, as long as such opportunities have not been granted to people with intellectual impairments, they cannot consistently be excluded by appeal to the values of political equality.
Impact of relative permeability hysteresis on geological CO2 storage
Authors: Juanes R. , Spiteri E. J. , Orr F. M. , Blunt M. J.
Published: January 2007

Relative permeabilities are the key descriptors in classical formulations of multiphase flow in porous media. Experimental evidence and an analysis of pore‐scale physics demonstrate conclusively that relative permeabilities are not single functions of fluid saturations and that they display strong hysteresis effects. In this paper, we evaluate the relevance of relative permeability hysteresis when modeling geological CO2 sequestration processes. Here we concentrate on CO2 injection in saline aquifers. In this setting the CO2 is the nonwetting phase, and capillary trapping of the CO2 is an essential mechanism after the injection phase during the lateral and upward migration of the CO2 plume. We demonstrate the importance of accounting for CO2 trapping in the relative permeability model for predicting the distribution and mobility of CO2 in the formation. We conclude that modeling of relative permeability hysteresis is required to assess accurately the amount of CO2 that is immobilized by capillary trapping and therefore is not available to leak. We also demonstrate how the mechanism of capillary trapping can be exploited (e.g., by controlling the injection rate or alternating water and CO2 injection) to improve the overall effectiveness of the injection project.
Best‐fit results from application of a thermo‐rheological model for channelized lava flow to high spatial resolution morphological data
Authors: Harris Andrew , Favalli Massimiliano , Mazzarini Francesco , Pareschi Maria Teresa
Published: January 2007

The FLOWGO thermo‐rheological model links heat loss, core cooling, crystallization, rheology and flow dynamics for lava flowing in a channel. We fit this model to laser altimeter (LIDAR) derived channel width data, as well as effusion rate and flow velocity measurements, to produce a best‐fit prediction of thermal and rheological conditions for lava flowing in a ∼1.6 km long channel active on Mt. Etna (Italy) on 16th September 2004. Using, as a starting condition for the model, the mean channel width over the first 100 m (6 m) and a depth of 1 m we obtain an initial velocity and instantaneous effusion rate of 0.3–0.6 m/s and ∼3 m3/s, respectively. This compares with field‐ and LIDAR‐derived values of 0.4 m/s and 1–4 m3/s. The best fit between model‐output and LIDAR‐measured channel widths comes from a hybrid run in which the proximal section of the channel is characterised by poorly insulated flow and the medial‐distal section by well‐insulated flow. This best‐fit model implies that flow conditions evolve down‐channel, where hot crusts on a free flowing channel maximise heat losses across the proximal section, whereas thick, stable, mature crusts of ′a′a clinker reduce heat losses across the medial‐distal section. This results in core cooling per unit distance that decreases from ∼0.02–0.015°C m−1 across the proximal section, to ∼0.005°C m−1 across the medial‐distal section. This produces an increase in core viscosity from ∼3800 Pa s at the vent to ∼8000 Pa s across the distal section.
Reliability of different depth‐duration‐frequency equations for estimating short‐duration design storms
Authors: Di Baldassarre G. , Brath A. , Montanari A.
Published: January 2007

The design storm depth is defined as the rainfall depth that is expected to occur in the considered site for a given probability of occurrence and a given duration of the storm. It is generally estimated by using parametric depth‐duration‐frequency (DDF) equations. In particular, this article considers the frequent case when one needs to estimate the design storm depth for very short durations (typically from 5 to 45 min) while observed rainfall extremes for calibrating the DDF parameters are only available for longer durations. In this case the DDF curves are generally extrapolated below the range of durations that were used for estimating their parameters. It is well known that this procedure induces estimation errors that depend on the type of DDF equation that is used. The aim of this study is to test the capability of seven different DDF curves characterized by two or three parameters to provide an estimate of the design rainfall for storm durations shorter than 1 hour, when their parameterization is performed by using data referred to longer storms. The results point out that a proper choice of the DDF curve may improve the reliability of the design storm depth estimation significantly. In particular, DDF curves with three parameters provide a conservative estimation with an average relative error which never exceeded 20% for all the storm duration considered here.
Stroke Induces Ependymal Cell Transformation into Radial Glia in the Subventricular Zone of the Adult Rodent Brain
Authors: Zhang Rui Lan , Zhang Zheng Gang , Wang Ying , LeTourneau Yvonne , Liu Xian Shuang , Zhang Xueguo , Gregg Sara R , Wang Lei , Chopp Michael
Published: January 2007

Adult ependymal cells are postmitotic and highly differentiated. Radial glial cells are neurogenic precursors. Here, we show that stroke acutely stimulated adult ependymal cell proliferation, and dividing ependymal cells of the lateral ventricle had genotype, phenotype, and morphology of radial glial cells in the rat. The majority of radial glial cells exhibited symmetrical division about the cell cleavage plane, and a radial fiber was maintained throughout each stage of cell mitosis. Increases of radial glial cells parallel expansion of neural progenitors in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Furthermore, after stroke radial glial cells derived from the SVZ supported neuron migration. These results indicate that adult ependymal cells divide and transform into radial glial cells after stroke, which could function as neural progenitor cells to generate new neurons and act as scaffolds to support neuroblast migration towards the ischemic boundary region.
Tax1-binding protein 1 is expressed in the retina and interacts with the GABAC receptor ρ1 subunit
Authors: Ulrich Melanie , Seeber Silke , Becker Cord-Michael , Enz Ralf
Published: January 2007

Macromolecular signalling complexes that link neurotransmitter receptors to functionally and structurally associated proteins play an important role in the regulation of neurotransmission. Thus the identification of proteins binding to neurotransmitter receptors describes molecular mechanisms of synaptic signal transduction. To identify interacting proteins of GABAC (where GABA is γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors in the retina, we used antibodies specific for GABAC receptor ρ1–3 subunits. Analysis of immunoprecipitated proteins by MALDI–TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight MS) identified the liver regeneration-related protein 2 that is identical with amino acids 253–813 of the Tax1BP1 (Tax1-binding protein 1). A C-terminal region of Tax1BP1 bound to an intracellular domain of the ρ1 subunit, but not to other subunits of GABAC, GABAA or glycine receptors. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy demonstrated co-localization of Tax1BP1 and ρ1 in clusters at the cell membrane of transfected cells. Furthermore, Tax1BP1 and GABAC receptors were co-expressed in both synaptic layers of the retina, indicating that Tax1BP1 is a component of GABAC receptor-containing signal complexes.
Degradation of extracellular matrix and its components by hypobromous acid
Authors: Rees Martin D. , McNiven Tane N. , Davies Michael J.
Published: January 2007

EPO (eosinophil peroxidase) and MPO (myeloperoxidase) are highly basic haem enzymes that can catalyse the production of HOBr (hypobromous acid). They are released extracellularly by activated leucocytes and their binding to the polyanionic glycosa-minoglycan components of extracellular matrix (proteoglycans and hyaluronan) may localize the production of HOBr to these materials. It is shown in the present paper that the reaction of HOBr with glycosaminoglycans (heparan sulfate, heparin, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan) generates polymer-derived N-bromo derivatives (bromamines, dibromamines, N-bromosulfon-amides and bromamides). Decomposition of these species, which can occur spontaneously and/or via one-electron reduction by low-valent transition metal ions (Cu+ and Fe2+), results in polymer fragmentation and modification. One-electron reduction of the N-bromo derivatives generates radicals that have been detected by EPR spin trapping. The species detected are consistent with metal ion-dependent polymer fragmentation and modification being initiated by the formation of nitrogen-centred (aminyl, N-bromoaminyl, sulfonamidyl and amidyl) radicals. Previous studies have shown that the reaction of HOBr with proteins generates N-bromo derivatives and results in fragmentation of the polypeptide backbone. The reaction of HOBr with extracellular matrix synthesized by smooth muscle cells in vitro induces the release of carbohydrate and protein components in a time-dependent manner, which is consistent with fragmentation of these materials via the formation of N-bromo derivatives. The degradation of extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans and proteins by HOBr may contribute to tissue damage associated with inflammatory diseases such as asthma.
Phosphorylation of the proline-rich domain of Xp95 modulates Xp95 interaction with partner proteins
Authors: DeJournett Robert E. , Kobayashi Ryuji , Pan Shujuan , Wu Chuanfen , Etkin Laurence D. , Clark Richard B. , Bögler Oliver , Kuang Jian
Published: January 2007

The mammalian adaptor protein Alix [ALG-2 (apoptosis-linked-gene-2 product)-interacting protein X] belongs to a conserved family of proteins that have in common an N-terminal Bro1 domain and a C-terminal PRD (proline-rich domain), both of which mediate partner protein interactions. Following our previous finding that Xp95, the Xenopus orthologue of Alix, undergoes a phosphorylation-dependent gel mobility shift during progesteroneinduced oocyte meiotic maturation, we explored potential regulation of Xp95/Alix by protein phosphorylation in hormone-induced cell cycle re-entry or M-phase induction. By MALDI–TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight) MS analyses and gel mobility-shift assays, Xp95 is phosphorylated at multiple sites within the N-terminal half of the PRD during Xenopus oocyte maturation, and a similar region in Alix is phosphorylated in mitotically arrested but not serum-stimulated mammalian cells. By tandem MS, Thr745 within this region, which localizes in a conserved binding site to the adaptor protein SETA [SH3 (Src homology 3) domain-containing, expressed in tumorigenic astrocytes] CIN85 (α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate)/SH3KBP1 (SH3-domain kinase-binding protein 1), is one of the phosphorylation sites in Xp95. Results from GST (glutathione S-transferase)-pull down and peptide binding/competition assays further demonstrate that the Thr745 phosphorylation inhibits Xp95 interaction with the second SH3 domain of SETA. However, immunoprecipitates of Xp95 from extracts of M-phase-arrested mature oocytes contained additional partner proteins as compared with immunoprecipitates from extracts of G2-arrested immature oocytes. The deubiquitinase AMSH (associated molecule with the SH3 domain of signal transducing adaptor molecule) specifically interacts with phosphorylated Xp95 in M-phase cell lysates. These findings establish that Xp95/Alix is phosphorylated within the PRD during M-phase induction, and indicate that the phosphorylation may both positively and negatively modulate their interaction with partner proteins.
Switching times of a single-domain particle in a field inclined off the easy axis
Authors: Fukushima Hiroshi , Uesaka Yasutaro , Nakatani Yoshinobu , Hayashi Nobuo
Published: January 2007

By solving Brown’s Fokker-Planck equation numerically with the spherical harmonics, the magnetization reversal of a single-domain particle in a field at an oblique angle up to 45° to the easy axis is investigated. Different from the usual definition, the switching time is defined as the time when the averaged z component of the magnetization reaches 90% of its final value. The switching times of the particle under various conditions are calculated. When the oblique angle of the field is 30°−45° and its magnitude is larger than the Stoner-Wohlfarth limit (Hsw), the switching time is dependent slightly on the oblique angle and magnitude of the field, and the temperature. For the oblique angle of 5°, the switching time depends largely on the magnitude of the field and the temperature. When the magnitude of the field is less than Hsw, the switching time is dependent largely on the oblique angle and the temperature. Effects of the damping constant are also studied.
Operation and properties of ambipolar organic heterostructure field-effect transistors
Authors: Lindner Th. , Paasch G. , Scheinert S.
Published: January 2007

In a recent article, we reported detailed numerical simulations for an ambipolar organic single-layer field-effect transistor (FET) with source and drain bottom contacts aimed to clarify basic ambipolar effects including both the actual contact properties and the recombination process [Paasch et al., J. Appl. Phys. 98, 084505 (2005)]. Here we present two-dimensional simulations of an ambipolar organic heterostructure (or bilayer) FET with a bottom Au contact and a Mg top contact, a structure for which current-voltage characteristics have been determined experimentally [Rost et al., J. Appl. Phys. 95, 5782 (2004)]. The difference between the single-layer bottom contact structure studied in the previous article and the heterostructure is demonstrated. Further, the influence of different electron and hole mobilities in both layers, and of the band offset at the interface of the two layers on the device characteristics is clarified. In particular, the formation of an dominating electron channel at the interface between the two organic layers, and separated from the hole channel formed at the interface of the first layer with the gate oxide, can occur only if the electron mobility of the upper layer is orders of magnitude larger than the hole mobility in the first layer. However, due to the different control of the distant electron channel by the gate voltage, one obtains current-voltage characteristics that are qualitatively different from the observed ones. With more realistic material parameters, the simulated current-voltage characteristics of the heterostructure feature all specific characteristics arising from the ambipolar operation.
Acceleration sensitivity in beam-type electrostatic microresonators
Authors: Agarwal Manu , Park Kwan K. , Chandorkar Saurabh A. , Candler Rob N. , Kim Bongsang , Hopcroft Matthew A. , Melamud Renata , Kenny Thomas W. , Murmann Boris
Published: January 2007

This letter examines the dependence of the natural frequency in a microelectromechanical resonator on externally applied acceleration. The particular structure studied is an electrostatically coupled, single anchored, double-ended silicon tuning fork. The authors find that the acceleration dependence in this resonator is primarily due to axial stress on the resonator beams. Measurements show an acceleration sensitivity Δf∕f0 of 7×10−9∕g, which is comparable to values found for typical quartz crystal resonators. This result was obtained using dynamic (vibration) measurements, and validated using theoretical analysis and finite element simulations.
ZnMgO quantum dots grown by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Zeng Y. J. , Ye Z. Z. , Lu Y. F. , Lu J. G. , Sun L. , Xu W. Z. , Zhu L. P. , Zhao B. H. , Che Y.
Published: January 2007

The authors report on reproducible growth of ZnMgO quantum dots (QDs) by a metal organic chemical vapor deposition method. Mg is introduced into ZnO QDs, as confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. The size, density, and optical band gap of ZnMgO QDs can be well controlled by simply modulating the growth parameters.
Exciton radiative lifetime in ZnO nanorods fabricated by vapor phase transport method
Authors: Zhang X. H. , Chua S. J. , Yong A. M. , Yang H. Y. , Lau S. P. , Yu S. F. , Sun X. W. , Miao Lei , Tanemura Masaki , Tanemura Sakae
Published: January 2007

The exciton radiative lifetime in ZnO nanorods is studied. It is found that the exciton radiative lifetime increases with temperature as T2. Furthermore, the spectral linewidth of the photoluminescence of the ZnO nanorods also increases with temperature as T2, suggesting a linear dependence of exciton radiative lifetime on the spectral linewidth. The physics behind is that the oscillator strength of excitons at k=0 is shared equally among all the states within the spectral linewidth and the coherence extension of an exciton decreases with temperature due to the scattering by phonons, defects, or impurities.
Exciton spin relaxation in GaN observed by spin grating experiment
Authors: Ishiguro T. , Toda Y. , Adachi S.
Published: January 2007

The authors studied the exciton spin relaxation of bulk GaN by creating spin polarization gratings using degenerate four-wave mixing spectroscopy. The spectrally resolved analysis achieved with this technique facilitated the direct evaluation of spin polarizations in the individual excitons (A and B excitons). The spin polarizations for each exciton decay very quickly (τs∼1ps) at low temperatures. Moreover the τs is faster than the dephasing time T2 throughout the measured temperature range, suggesting the existence of fast intrinsic spin relaxation processes, which can be attributed to a large exchange constant characterized in GaN.
Direct observation in solution of a preexisting structural equilibrium for a mutant of the allosteric aspartate transcarbamoylase
Authors: Fetler Luc , Kantrowitz Evan R. , Vachette Patrice
Published: January 2007

Many signaling and metabolic pathways rely on the ability of some of the proteins involved to undergo a substrate-induced transition between at least two structural states. Among the various models put forward to account for binding and activity curves of those allosteric proteins, the Monod, Wyman, and Changeux model for allostery theory has certainly been the most influential, although a central postulate, the preexisting equilibrium between the low-activity, low-affinity quaternary structure and the high-activity, high-affinity quaternary structure states in the absence of substrates, has long awaited direct experimental substantiation. Upon substrate binding, allosteric
Escherichia coli
aspartate transcarbamoylase adopts alternate quaternary structures, stabilized by a set of interdomain and intersubunit interactions, which are readily differentiated by their solution x-ray scattering curves. Disruption of a salt link, which is observed only in the low-activity, low-affinity quaternary structure, between Lys-143 of the regulatory chain and Asp-236 of the catalytic chain yields a mutant enzyme that is in a reversible equilibrium between at least two states in the absence of ligand, a major tenet of the Monod, Wyman, and Changeux model. By using this mutant as a magnifying glass of the structural effect of ligand binding, a comparative analysis of the binding of carbamoyl phosphate (CP) and analogs points out the crucial role of the amine group of CP in facilitating the transition toward the high-activity, high-affinity quaternary state. Thus, the cooperative binding of aspartate in aspartate transcarbamoylase appears to result from the combination of the preexisting quaternary structure equilibrium with local changes induced by CP binding.
LONG-TERM ANABOLIC THERAPY IN THE ELDERLY
Authors: LYE M. D. W. , RITCH A. E. S.
Published: January 2007

The anabolic agent stanozolol has been used to increase weight and activity in the elderly, but its long-term effects are largely unknown. A double-blind trial of stanozolol against placebo was continued for 12 months. Measurements of weight, fat, fat-free mass, behviour and activity were made at regular intervala, plus detailed biochemical and hermatological profiles. There were no differences between the two groups in respect of weight, fat, fat-free mass and activity levels. There were significant increase in hemoglobin at six and 12 months and packed cell volume at 12 months in the active group. No androgenic side-effects were encountered.
Characterization and properties of the DNA adducts formed from
N
-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene in rats during a carcinogenic treatment regimen
Authors: Tullis D.L. , Dooley K.L. , Miller D.W. , Baetcke K.P. , Kadlubar F.F.
Published: January 2007

Chronic oral administration of the carcinogenic aminoazo dye N -methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (MAB) to rats is known to result in the induction of liver tumors. In order to assess the role of carcinogen-DNA adduct formation in MAB hepatocarcinogenesis, male rats were fed 0.06% [3'- 3 H]MAB in the diet for 1, 3 or 5 weeks. Groups were sacrificed at 0, 24 and 72 h after dosing, and DNA was isolated from the liver and from two non-target tissues, the kidney and spleen. Upon enzymatic hydrolysis of the DNA, [ 3 H]aminoazo dye-nucleoside adduct levels in these tissues were determined by h.p.l.c. Rats concurrently administered unlabeled MAB for 5 weeks and continued on a control diet for 9 months developed hepatocellular carcinomas (16/30 animals). No tumors were observed in 21 rats given only control diets. After chronic administration of [ 3 H]MAB, three major MAB-DNA adducts were found in vivo : N -(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-MAB (C8-dG-MAB), 3-(deoxyguanosin- N  2 -yl)-MAB (N 2 -dG-MAB) and 3-(deoxyadenosin- N  6 -yl)-MAB (N 6 -dA-MAB). In addition, several minor products were identified as: (i) an (8,9)-purine ring-opened derivative of C8-dG-MAB that may represent an intermediate in DNA repair; (ii) N -guanosin-8-yl-MAB which is present due to trace RNA contamination; (iii) cis isomers of C8-dG-MAB and N -guanosin-8-yl-MAB, formed by photo-illumination during analyses; and (iv) N -(guanin-8-yl)-MAB, a deribosylated product resulting from thermal depurination of C8-dG-MAB. In addition, N -(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminoazobenzene (C8-dG-AB), a major adduct previously detected in mouse liver after a single dose of 4-aminoazobenzene, was found in rat liver but appeared to be present in significant amounts only after chronic treatment with MAB. This product co-chromatographed with N 6 -dA-MAB but could be removed by selective decomposition in 0.1 N NaOH. For all tissues examined N 2 -dG-MAB and C8-dG-MAB were the major adducts observed with each accounting for 40-50% of the total carcinogen bound to DNA in rats that were sacrificed immediately after MAB feeding for 1, 3 or 5 weeks. The levels of total MAB-DNA adducts in the liver were 2–10 times greater than in the kidney or spleen and appeared to increase 2- to 3-fold over the dosing period. However, by 24–72 h after cessation of MAB treatment, hepatic C8-dG-MAB showed a rapid decline to levels similar to that found in non-target tissues. The minor adducts, N 6 -dA-MAB and C8-dG-AB, exhibited similar behavior and never accounted for > 5–10% of the total DNA binding. In contrast, hepatic N 2 -dG-MAB was a persistent lesion throughout the treatment regimen; at 72 h after dosing, it accounted for 60–90% of the hepatic DNA adducts and was the only adduct whose levels correlated with target tissue specificity after a complete hepatocarcinogenic dose of MAB.
Interpretation of Security Council Resolutions under Chapter VII in the Aftermath of the Iraqi Crisis
Authors: Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: January 2007

The ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ in 2003 raised many international legal questions, which all have been more or less addressed in the academic literature since then. However, the thrust of the relevant legal etiology pertained to the implementation of a series of UN Security Council Resolutions, whose hermeneutics, ie the rules of interpretation, in contrast to other issues, have been scarcely explored and elucidated. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to address the latter question of the hermeneutics of Security Council Resolutions, and propound a coherent thesis in this respect, which would be applicable not only in the Iraqi conflict but even beyond. It will examine, first, whether the provisions of Articles 31–33 of VCLT are applicable eitheripso jureormutatis mutandisin this respect and then having deprecated both of these options, it will turn its focus to the question of which theoretical framework in relation to the hermeneutics in international law could better serve its purposes. Drawing insights from, amongst others, Stanley Fish, Ian Johnstone and Aharon Barak, it will be possible to propound the thesis that any relevantregulatio interpretationsshould pay due regard to the institutional setting of the ‘community’ of the Council, which in turn qualifies the ‘inter-subjective’ approach or the collective will of the Council in light of the object and purpose of the Charter, ie the maintenance of peace and security, as the most pertinent hermeneutic paradigm. Premised upon the latter, the article proceeds and articulates a rubric of interpretive principles and presumptions to be applied in this regard, which, at the end, will be tested in the case of ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’.
Influence of Upper Airway Narrowing on the Effective Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Level
Authors: Kim Hyo Yeol , Min Jin‐Young , Cho Do‐Yeon , Chung Seung‐Kyu , Dhong Hun‐Jong
Published: January 2007

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration level and upper airway variables in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Subjects and Methods: Forty‐seven patients suffering from OSAS were enrolled in this study. They were asked to answer a questionnaire about nasal stuffiness and mouth breathing, and the degree of tonsillar hypertrophy and shape of the oropharyngeal inlet were evaluated. The minimal cross‐sectional area (MCA) of the nasal cavity was measured with acoustic rhinometry, followed by optimal CPAP level titration. We compared optimal CPAP levels with body mass index (BMI), perceived nasal stuffiness, and anatomic upper airway narrowing.

Results: The mean CPAP level was 6.32 ± 2.17 cm H2O. We found a significant correlation between CPAP levels and BMI (P = .01), apnea‐hypopnea index (P = .015), and the degree of tonsillar hypertrophy (P = .011). Furthermore, the CPAP level increased significantly with the MCA on the narrow side of the nasal cavity (P = .038) in patients with a BMI less than 25. Other variables, such as subjective symptoms and anatomic nasal airway occlusion in obese patients (BMI ≥ 25), revealed no correlation with the CPAP level.

Conclusions: Upper airway occlusion including nasal obstruction or tonsillar hypertrophy might increase the effective CPAP level.
Reduction of Complication Rate in Percutaneous Dilation Tracheostomies
Authors: Bhatti Nasir , Mirski Marek , Tatlipinar Arzu , Koch Wayne M. , Goldenberg David
Published: January 2007

Introduction: Percutaneous dilation tracheotomy (PDT) is now an accepted alternative to surgical tracheotomy in certain patients. We began performing these procedures in 2000 and use it regularly in select intensive care unit patients requiring prolonged intubation and mechanical ventilation.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review of consecutive PDTs performed in the Department of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery at the John Hopkins Hospital between 2002 and 2005 was undertaken. Procedural and postoperative complications in an earlier group were compared with those in the later group for both frequency and severity.

Results: Three hundred eighteen PDTs were performed on intensive care patients during this time period. All were performed using the Ciaglia method and the Cook Blue Rhino (Cook Medical Products, Bloomington, IN) set under direct bronchoscopic visualization. In group A (first 159 patients), there were a total of 12 complications (7.5%), including six cases of perioperative hemorrhage, whereas in group B (second 159 PDTs), there were seven complications (4.4%) with no cases of perioperative hemorrhage.

Conclusions: PDT provides an easy and convenient alternative to open tracheotomy (OT) and should be added to the otolaryngologist's armamentarium of surgical airway procedures. The complication rate of PDT is low and similar to that of open operative tracheotomy. However, with experience and the use of strict protocols in both patient selection and PDT procedure, the complication rate can be significantly reduced further both in frequency and severity, making it even safer than an open operative tracheotomy.
Potential Ototoxicity of Aluminum in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Chu Pei‐Lun , Wu Chen‐Chi , Hsu Chuan‐Jen , Wang Yu‐Ting , Wu Kwan‐Dun
Published: January 2007

Objectives/Hypothesis: Aluminum (Al) is a neurotoxin in both human and animal models. Al accumulation is usually observed in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). To clarify whether Al also exhibits toxic effects on the specified neural organ of inner ear, we recruited hemodialysis (HD) patients to investigate the effect of serum Al level on the auditory physiology.

Study Design: Forty patients in maintenance HD as well as 40 age‐matched healthy subjects without hearing complaints were enrolled. The auditory function tests, including pure‐tone audiometry (PTA), distortion‐product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and auditory brainstem response (ABR) were performed in all subjects. The serum Al levels determined within 3 months of auditory tests were used for analysis.

Results: High‐frequency hearing impairment was the predominant auditory dysfunction in HD patients who showed worse high‐tone hearing level on PTA and diminished amplitudes of DPOAEs at 3 K and 4 K as compared with the controls (P < .001). Age was a significant factor determining the auditory dysfunction in both HD patients and control subjects. After age correction, serum Al level correlated reversely with the amplitude of DPOAEs‐2 K (P = .002), but not with amplitudes of DPOAEs‐3 K, ‐4 K, hearing levels on PTA, or wave latencies on ABR.

Conclusion: High‐frequency hearing impairment is a common presentation in HD patients. Serum Al level correlates reversely with the amplitude of DPOAEs‐2 K but not those of DPOAEs‐3 K, ‐4 K, hearing levels on PTA, and wave latencies on ABR. Possibly, the correlation between the Al level and the high‐frequency OAE results was obscured by the significantly diminished amplitudes of DPOAEs‐3 K, ‐4 K in ESRD patients. These results implicate that the effect of Al is mainly of cochlear origin rather than of retrocochlear origin.
Reactivation of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and Varicella‐Zoster Virus and Therapeutic Effects of Combination Therapy With Prednisolone and Valacyclovir in Patients With Bell's Palsy
Authors: Kawaguchi Kazuhiro , Inamura Hiroo , Abe Yasuhiro , Koshu Hidehiro , Takashita Emi , Muraki Yasushi , Matsuzaki Yoko , Nishimura Hidekazu , Ishikawa Hitoshi , Fukao Akira , Hongo Seiji , Aoyagi Masaru
Published: January 2007

Objectives: To determine whether reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 or varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) is the main cause of Bell's palsy and whether antiviral drugs bring about recovery from Bell's palsy.

Study Design: Randomized, multicenter, controlled study.

Methods: One hundred fifty patients with Bell's palsy were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to a prednisolone group or a prednisolone‐valacyclovir group, in whom virologic examinations for HSV‐1 and VZV were performed by simple randomization scheme in sealed envelopes. The recovery rates among various groups were analyzed using the Kaplan‐Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results: Reactivation of HSV‐1, VZV, and both viruses was detected in 15.3%, 14.7%, and 4.0% of patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in recovery rates between the prednisolone group and the prednisolone‐valacyclovir group, although recovery in the patients with HSV‐1 reactivation tended to be higher in the prednisolone‐valacyclovir group than in the prednisolone group. There was a significant difference in recovery among age groups and between individuals with complete and incomplete paralysis.

Conclusions: Reactivation of HSV‐1 or VZV was observed in 34% of the patients with Bell's palsy. The effect of combination therapy with prednisolone and valacyclovir on recovery was not significantly higher than that with prednisolone alone.
Morphometric Histology for Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Evaluation of Reliability in 497 Esophageal Biopsies
Authors: Sabri Mahmoud T , Hussain Sunny Z , Shalaby Theresa M , Orenstein Susan R
Published: January 2007

Objectives:

We sought to determine the reliability of morphometric measurements on infant esophageal biopsies using a light microscope with eyepiece micrometer.

Methods:

We measured epithelial thickness, basal layer thickness (B), papillary height (P) and epithelial lymphocyte and eosinophil numbers on ≈500 existing esophageal suction biopsies from infants previously evaluated for reflux esophagitis. We tested these measurements for interobserver, test‐retest and internal consistency reliability.

Results:

Infants ages 0.25 to 23.75 (median, 6.25) months provided 497 biopsies. Both investigators scoring the biopsies independently judged 93% of them scorable. Of the biopsies scored by both, the 2 readings were within 0.15 of each other for P in 97% and for B in 81%. In addition to these correlative measures of consistency, categoric measures demonstrated that 373 (89%) of the 420 scorable biopsies with visible papillae produced agreement as to P being abnormal (317, 85%) or normal (56, 15%). Similarly, 360 (78%) of the 463 scorable biopsies produced agreement as to B being abnormal (339, 94%) or normal (21, 6%). P values were 0.17 to 0.94 (median, 0.67), and B values were 0.13 to 0.91 (median, 0.34). Lymphocytes numbered 0 to 40 (median 5) per high‐power field. Only 12% had any eosinophils; none of those with completely normal morphometrics had any eosinophils; and only 2% had >5 eosinophils per high‐power field.

Conclusions:

Simple quantitative esophageal histological morphometric parameters are reliably measurable on suction biopsies from infants using a light microscope fitted with an ocular micrometer, even by nonpathologists.
Functional Nonretentive Fecal Incontinence in Children
Authors: Bongers Marloes EJ , Tabbers Merit M , Benninga Marc A
Published: January 2007

Fecal incontinence, the loss of feces in the underwear after age 4 years, is a frustrating phenomenon for children and their parents. It is difficult to treat, presenting as a single symptom without any organic cause or signs of constipation. This review addresses the definition of functional nonretentive fecal incontinence and provides an overview of its epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnostic work‐up and prognosis.
Nutritional Solutions to Major Health Problems of Preschool Children: How to Optimise Growth and Development
Authors: Branca Francesco
Published: January 2007

Despite major economic development in the last few decades, childhood nutrition remains a great challenge for the human species. A combination of undernutrition, overnutrition, and poor dietary quality affect to a variable extent all of the world's populations, and are often combined in the same areas and even in the same families. Malnutrition is part of the life of many individuals since conception and is transmitted by 1 generation to the next. Countries with lower income per capita and poor socioeconomic strata are mainly affected and, in turn, malnutrition hampers their development. The eradication of child malnutrition is crucial in the fight against poverty. This article examines whether this goal will be achieved within the time frame the United Nations has set.
Associative representational plasticity in the auditory cortex: A synthesis of two disciplines
Authors: Weinberger Norman M.
Published: January 2007

Historically, sensory systems have been largely ignored as potential loci of information storage in the neurobiology of learning and memory. They continued to be relegated to the role of “sensory analyzers” despite consistent findings of associatively induced enhancement of responses in primary sensory cortices to behaviorally important signal stimuli, such as conditioned stimuli (CS), during classical conditioning. This disregard may have been promoted by the fact that the brain was interrogated using only one or two stimuli, e.g., a CS+sometimes with a CS–, providing little insight into the specificity of neural plasticity. This review describes a novel approach that synthesizes the basic experimental designs of the experimental psychology of learning with that of sensory neurophysiology. By probing the brain with a large stimulus set before and after learning, this unified method has revealed that associative processes produce highly specific changes in the receptive fields of cells in the primary auditory cortex (A1). This associative representational plasticity (ARP) selectively facilitates responses to tonal CSs at the expense of other frequencies, producing tuning shifts toward and to the CS and expanded representation of CS frequencies in the tonotopic map of A1. ARPs have the major characteristics of associative memory: They are highly specific, discriminative, rapidly acquired, exhibit consolidation over hours and days, and can be retained indefinitely. Evidence to date suggests that ARPs encode the level of acquired behavioral importance of stimuli. The nucleus basalis cholinergic system is sufficient both for the induction of ARPs and the induction of specific auditory memory. Investigation of ARPs has attracted workers with diverse backgrounds, often resulting in behavioral approaches that yield data that are difficult to interpret. The advantages of studying associative representational plasticity are emphasized, as is the need for greater behavioral sophistication.
Impact of adherence to statins on coronary artery disease in primary prevention
Authors: Bouchard Marie‐Hélène , Dragomir Alice , Blais Lucie , Bérard Anick , Pilon Danielle , Perreault Sylvie
Published: January 2007

What is already known about this subject

• There is a major gap between the use of statins in clinical trial settings and in actual practice.

• Unfortunately, little is known about the impact of suboptimal use of statins on clinical outcomes.

What this study adds

• Patients who filled more than 90% of the prescribed doses began to achieve significant reductions in nonfatal coronary artery disease events.

• Statin effectiveness is apparent after one full year of treatment.

Aims

To evaluate the impact of adherence to statins on nonfatal coronary artery disease (CAD). Statins reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality after 1–2 years of continuous treatment. Studies have shown that <40% of patients take ≥80% of prescribed doses 1 year after starting therapy and that approximately half discontinue medication within 6 months of starting therapy.

Methods

A cohort of 20 543 patients was reconstructed using the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec databases. Patients aged 50–64 years, without cardiovascular disease, and newly treated with statins between 1998 and 2000 were eligible. A nested case–control design was used to study nonfatal CAD. Every case was matched with 20 randomly selected controls. The adherence level was defined as the percentage of the prescribed medication doses used over a specified period and classified as ≥90% or <90%. Rate ratios (RR) of nonfatal CAD were determined through conditional logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, diabetes and hypertension.

Results

The mean patient age was 58 years, 45% had hypertension and 19% had diabetes. Men represented 37% of the cohort. Among patients followed for >1 year, adherence of ≥90% was associated with fewer nonfatal CAD events (RR 0.81; 0.67, 0.97) compared with adherence <90%. In the multivariate model, male gender (RR 1.37; 1.16, 1.63), welfare recipients (RR 1.24; 1.04, 1.48), newly diagnosed hypertension (RR 3.54; 2.62, 4.77) and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (RR 1.97; 1.20, 3.24) were risk factors for CAD.

Conclusion

The incidence of nonfatal CAD events decreases when >90% of the prescribed medications is used over at least 1 year.
Sensory transmission in the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Blackshaw L. A. , Brookes S. J. H. , Grundy D. , Schemann M.
Published: January 2007

Abstract  The gastrointestinal (GI) tract must balance ostensibly opposite functions. On the one hand, it must undertake the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients. At the same time, the GI tract must protect itself from potential harmful antigenic and pathogenic material. Central to these processes is the ability to ‘sense’ the mechanical and chemical environment in the gut wall and lumen in order to orchestrate the appropriate response that facilitates nutrient assimilation or the rapid expulsion through diarrhoea and/or vomiting. In this respect, the GI tract is richly endowed with sensory elements that monitor the gut environment. Enteric neurones provide one source of such sensory innervation and are responsible for the ability of the decentralized gut to perform complex reflex functions. Extrinsic afferents not only contribute to this reflex control, but also contribute to homeostatic mechanisms and can give rise to sensations, under certain circumstances. The enteric and extrinsic sensory mechanisms share a number of common features but also some remarkably different properties. The purpose of this review is to summarize current views on sensory processing within both the enteric and extrinsic innervation and to specifically address the pharmacology of nociceptive extrinsic sensory pathways.
Feline herpes dermatitis treated with interferon omega
Authors: Gutzwiller Meret E. Ricklin , Brachelente Chiara , Taglinger Karin , Suter Maja M. , Weissenböck Herbert , Roosje Petra J.
Published: January 2007

This case report describes the diagnosis, demonstration and treatment of feline herpes virus‐induced facial dermatitis in a cat. The cat was successfully treated with interferon omega (IFN‐ω).
Clinical study with allogeneic cultured dermal substitutes for chronic leg ulcers
Authors: Yonezawa Masao , Tanizaki Hideaki , Inoguchi Naoko , Ishida Masahide , Katoh Mayumi , Tachibana Takao , Miyachi Yoshiki , Kubo Kentaro , Kuroyanagi Yoshimitsu
Published: January 2007

Background  Clinical studies of the use of allogeneic cultured dermal substitutes (CDSs) have been conducted in 30 medical centers across Japan with the support of the Millennium Project of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The CDS is prepared by plating cultured fibroblasts on a spongy matrix made from hyaluronic acid and atelo‐collagen. The aim of the present clinical study was to evaluate an allogeneic CDS as cell therapy in which cytokines are released to promote wound healing.

Materials and Methods  The CDS was applied repeatedly at an interval of 5–7 days to 13 patients being treated with intractable chronic leg ulcers, using the CDS as a dermatological treatment. Intractable leg ulcers, whether venous or arterial, are difficult to heal because they occur as a secondary change of disease.

Results  None of these patients had responded to conventional therapies such as topical or surgical methods, but 77% of the patients had an efficacy score of > 80 points for wound healing with allogeneic CDS. A high safety level was obtained: A, 84.6%; B and C, 7.7%; D, 0%. In 92% of the patients, the final assessment of wound healing was good or very good.

Conclusions  For promotion of wound healing, the present CDS is superior to existing topical agents and occlusive dressings.