bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ordinary Mind as the Way
Authors: Poceski Mario
Published: May 2007

Under the leadership of Mazu Daoyi (709-788) and his numerous disciples, the Hongzhou School emerged as the dominant tradition of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China during the middle part of the Tang dynasty (618-907). This book offers an examination of the Hongzhou School's momentous growth and rise to pre-eminence as the bearer of Chan orthodoxy, and analyzes its doctrines against the backdrop of the intellectual and religious milieus of Tang China. It demonstrates that the Hongzhou School represented the first emergence of an empire-wide Chan tradition that had strongholds throughout China and replaced the various fragmented Schools of early Chan with an inclusive orthodoxy. The study is based on the earliest strata of permanent sources, rather than on the later apocryphal “encounter dialogue” stories regularly used to construe widely-accepted but historically unwarranted interpretations about the nature of Chan in the Tang dynasty. The book challenges the traditional and popularly-accepted view of the Hongzhou School as a revolutionary movement that rejected mainstream mores and teachings, charting a new path for Chan's independent growth as a unique Buddhist tradition. This view, the book argues, rests on a misreading of key elements of the Hongzhou School's history. Rather than acting as an unorthodox movement, the Hongzhou School's success was actually based largely on its ability to mediate tensions between traditionalist and iconoclastic tendencies. The book shows that there was much greater continuity between early and classical Chan — and between the Hongzhou School and the rest of Tang Buddhism — than previously thought.
3 Care Theory and Economic Justice
Authors: Engster Daniel
Published: May 2007

Political and economic theorists have generally ignored caring practices in outlining accounts of economic justice. Building upon the work of recent feminist theorists, this chapter develops a theory of economic justice organized around caring practices. The first section outlines the basic concepts and normative orientation of a caring economic theory. The second section discusses Virginia Held's and Nancy Folbre's important accounts of care and economic justice. While Held and Folbre identify some of the central tenets of a caring economic theory, they focus primarily on supporting and regulating direct care services within the economy. The book's own approach is broader and more far‐reaching, asking how we can best organize our general economic institutions and policies to provide all individuals with a real opportunity to give and receive adequate care. The third section takes up this subject by exploring the economic system (communism, market socialism, market capitalism, etc.) most conducive to caring values. In the fourth section, it formulates six general principles for establishing and maintaining a caring economic order, and describes in some detail the economic policies following from them. The final section briefly explores the viability of a caring economic order in the context of globalization.
4 Care Theory and International Relations
Authors: Engster Daniel
Published: May 2007

This chapter explores the question: What does it mean to care for others in international relations? Sara Ruddick, Fiona Robinson, and others have outlined international relations theories based upon care ethics, but their accounts are fairly general and say little about the rights and policies necessary for establishing caring relations among people across the world. The first half of this chapter develops a human rights framework based upon human beings' universal duty to care for others. The chapter argues that this framework avoids the central shortcomings of other international rights frameworks, and more generally provides a standard of justice that should be reasonably acceptable to people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The second half of the chapter outlines some specific strategies and policies for enforcing human rights abroad and caring for distant others. In the last section, the chapter discusses the conditions under which care theory might justify the use of military force, especially for the sake of intervening into other countries for humanitarian purposes.
5 Care Theory and Culture
Authors: Engster Daniel
Published: May 2007

This chapter explores the cultural institutions and arrangements best suited for fostering in people a positive disposition toward caring, including the sentiments of sympathy and compassion. A brief survey is provided of recent psychological studies on the childrearing practices most likely to foster the development of caring attitudes and behaviors in children. A number of family policies are then proposed to enable and encourage parents to raise their children according to these practices. Drawing on the work of Nancy Chodorow, next the chapter argues that the current gendered division of caring within and outside the family must also be addressed if men, in particular, are to become more positively disposed to caring. The chapter then briefly discusses Nel Noddings's proposal for a more caring educational curriculum, and proposes an alternative set of educational reforms. The final section explores the effects of the media, and especially television, on people's attitudes about caring, and outlines some policies for mitigating some of the harmful consequences of television and other media on people's attitudes about caring.
Introduction
Authors: Guellec Dominique , van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie Bruno
Published: May 2007

This introductory chapter shows how patents have become central to the knowledge economy, in connection with the key role of innovation and globalization. It argues that the economic approach to the analysis of patent systems may be useful to better understand its functioning. It offers a beginner's guide to patenting procedures and summarizes the basic economics of patents. The structure of the rest of the book is also described.
Historical Insights
Authors: Guellec Dominique
Published: May 2007

This chapter addresses the genesis and evolution of the patent system, since the first patent statute was issued in Venice in 1471, until the international harmonization pressures of patent regimes at the end of 20th century. The European Patent Office (EPO), which began its activity in 1978, has established a common examination procedure and common standards for patenting all over Europe. The main characteristics of modern patent systems are discussed, which include the subject matter (technical inventions in Europe), priority rule (first to file), inventive step, a statutory duration of twenty years after filing, prior examination of applications before grant, inventive step as minimum degree of novelty, disclosure of the protected invention, and the possibility of various restrictions on patent rights, such as compulsory licensing or working requirements.
Patent Design
Authors: Guellec Dominique
Published: May 2007

‘Patent design’ is the discipline which studies the substantive features of the patent system (subject matter, inventive step, scope, duration) from the point of view of their economic effects. From an economic perspective, a ‘good patent system’ is one which encourages inventions and does not hamper their diffusion. This dual test is applied when evaluating any particular feature of a patent system from the point of view of ‘economic quality’. The chapter offers a critical and comprehensive economic analysis of each of these aspects of patent design.
Hot ‘Patent’ Issues: Quantitative Evidence
Authors: van Pottelsberghe Bruno
Published: May 2007

This chapter explores several challenges facing the patent system: university patenting, the cost of patents, and the growing number and voluminosity of patent filings. The pros and cons of academic patenting are investigated through its potential impact on the quality and quantity of scientific research. A methodology for the evaluation of patent costs is then presented. The international comparison shows that European patents are more expensive mainly due to the translation costs (including intermediation with patent attorneys) and the validation fees in each national patent office following approval by the EPO. The chapter ends with a brief illustration and explanation of the recent boom in the patent workload, characterized by an increase in both the number of patent filings and their size (number of pages or number of claims).
The Sufferings of Beasts
Authors: van Inwagen Peter
Published: May 2007

Since there were non-rational but sentient organisms long before there were human beings, the free-will defence cannot account for the sufferings of those organisms. This chapter presents a defence — the ‘regularity of nature defence’ — that purports to account for the sufferings of pre-human beasts and all the more recent sufferings of beasts that cannot be ascribed to the abuse of free will by human beings. It concludes with a consideration of some problems that confront anyone who employs both this second defence and the free-will defence.
Gödel
Authors: Potter Michael
Published: May 2007

On September 7, 1930, Gödel announced at a conference that ‘one can give examples of propositions that, while contentually true, are unprovable in the formal system of classical mathematics’. On October 23, he cited both the incompleteness of the formal system of Principia and the unprovability of the consistency of the system by methods formalizable within it. Gödel also went as far as to deny expressly that his theorems killed off Hilbert's programme. Three doubts were salient. First, Gödel's theorems apply only to theories that are formal, in the sense that ‘reasoning in them, in principle, can be completely replaced by mechanical devices’. Second, in order to demonstrate that the consistency of a formal system cannot be proved by methods formalizable in the system itself, it was necessary to appeal to certain features of the method of formalization: a consistency proof formalizable by methods not sharing these features therefore remained a possibility. Third, what Hilbert had demanded was a finitary proof of consistency Gödel's theorem does not rule out unless all finitary methods are formalizable in the system in question. Eventually, Gödel overcame his doubts on all three counts, but to understand why, his reservations must be investigated in detail.
Carnap
Authors: Potter Michael
Published: May 2007

In Vienna during the 1920s there emerged a group of philosophers — the logical positivists — who wished to deny that any metaphysical questions were meaningful. Although they held much of the Tractatus in high regard, they took the parts of it which gestured towards the unsayable — especially the mystical sections near the end of the book — to embody a straightforward mistake on Wittgenstein's part. If they accepted the Tractarian conception of language, even in outline, their position thus amounted to a denial of the concept of the self. This chapter examines the extent to which the positivists' account of arithmetic, the locus classicus for which is Carnap's Logical Syntax of Language, survives their denial of metaphysics.
Emotion and Peace of Mind
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

The Stoics (Chrysippus, Seneca, Epictetus) tell us how to get rid of unwanted emotions by re-evaluating situations (cognitive therapy). In their view, an emotion is a pair of value judgements that harm or benefit if at hand, and that it is appropriate to react. Bodily and mental shocks (e.g., crying) are not part of the emotion. One Stoic, Posidonius, protested that such judgements are neither necessary nor sufficient for emotion, not necessary, for example, for emotion produced by melody, or in animals. Seneca replied that what is produced by music and the arts, or in animals, is only preliminary shocks or ‘first movements’. Others (Galen) suggested that bodily factors are important and need separate physical treatment, and recent brain studies (LeDoux) explain why. But the Stoics are right that cognitive therapy can often on its own remove unwanted emotion. Moreover, their two judgements are the right targets for re-evaluation, and it is a muddle to be sad (William James) because I cry. Crying is only a shock. We need not share the Stoic ideal of apatheia — freedom from all emotions — just freedom from unwanted ones. Some Christians (Origen, Evagrius) took up the idea of first movements and converted them from preliminary shocks into preliminary ‘bad thoughts’, which act as temptations. They worked out a whole art of nipping them in the bud to achieve the Stoic ideal of apatheia. But Augustine favoured Aristotle's emotion in moderation, except for example for lust, which he saw as disobedient to will.
Posidonius
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

For Posidonius, the value judgements proposed by Chrysippus are not sufficient for emotion because they can remain intact while emotion fades through exhaustion, and because emotion requires us also to imagine what is judged and to pay attention to it. Posidonius' explanation is that in exhaustion and without imagination, the movements of the irrational capacities are missing. These movements are spatial movements of physical soul, but not yet identified, like Seneca's first movements, with contractions and suchlike. Further, whereas Posidonius' emphasis is that in special cases the movements can be sufficient for emotion, Seneca's emphasis is that first movements need not lead on to emotion at all, because emotion is something of a very different kind, namely judgement.
Stoic Indifference: A Barrier To Therapy?
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

Except for committed Stoics, the Stoices do not include their idiosyncratic and unacceptable view in their therapy, castigated by Bernard Williams that everything is indifferent except character and rationality. Health and wealth, they concede, are naturally preferable objectives and must be pursued energetically for oneself and others. But their value lies not in themselves, but in the fact that good character, the only real good, is exercised in the right pursuit of natural objectives. Nor need the unacceptable Stoic view that most emotions include a wrong evaluation of indifferent things as if they were actually good be followed. But something can be learnt from the Stoics, because many of our emotions are unwanted, and for these, the effectiveness of their cognitive therapy is vividly illustrated in Cicero and Seneca.
Physiology and the Non‐Cognitive Galen's Alternative Approach to Emotion
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

The idea that the body's chemical blend is the soul is rejected by Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine, but held by Galen for the mortal soul. Among Aristotelians, Andronicus thinks soul is rather a capacity that ‘follows’ the blend, Alexander a capacity that ‘supervenes on’ it. The idea that psychological capacities ‘follow’ the blend is favoured by Lucretius and Galen, who so interprets Plato and Posidonius. Galen concludes that diet must come first, and that this affects even rational capacities. Others too offer non-cognitive therapies, but Galen also accepts cognitive therapy. The Neoplatonist Proclus (5th century CE) denies that psychological capacities follow the bodily blend, though admitting that the body can disturb psychological activities. Philoponus, the Christian Neoplatonist (6th century CE), denies that psychological capacities follow or result from the blend, else philosophy could not counteract. But they do supervene on the blend and act in turn on the body.
Sex, Love, and Marriage In Pagan Philosophy and the Use Of Catharsis
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

In ancient philosophy, sex, being in love (erôs), marriage, and rearing children each got advocated in separation from the others. Moreover, a good form of erôs got distinguished from one or two bad forms, most influentially by Plato's Socrates. The Stoics agree and so are able to advocate a good form of erôs as not emotional, namely being led by beauty to make friends in order to inculcate virtue. The Epicureans are against erôs and in most circumstances against marriage. Sex would be alright as a palliative, if it did not lead to illusion, harm, and pain, so casual sex is better. Among the Neoplatonists, Porphyry wants the philosopher to avoid anything that might even arouse sexual desire, but Iamblichus rebukes him: erotic rituals for ordinary people provide Aristotelian catharsis.
Catharsis and the Classification Of Therapies
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

If Aristotle's catharsis gets rid of something by allowing it moderate exercise, by tragedy it will get rid of an excessive disposition to grief, as well as pity and fear; and in comedy of an excessive disposition to contempt. Dispositions to fear, grief, and contempt do tend to be excessive. Until the Neoplatonists Porphyry and Iamblichus, there are only brief references to Aristotle's catharsis in Pythagoras and Pythagoreans, Philodemus, Plutarch, less clearly in the Stoics Diogenes of Babylon and Seneca. But among later Neoplatonists, Proclus denies theatre can be cathartic while Simplicius allows over-indulgence to be cathartic. Both compare a healing emetic. Olympiodorus associates catharsis through moderate exercise of emotion with Pythagoras, whereas Aristotle's catharsis is associated with his advice in Rhetoric to drive out one emotion by its opposite, and there are three other kinds of catharsis.
Imagination and Simulation in Audience Responses to Fiction
Authors: Goldman Alvin
Published: May 2007

This chapter considers how imagination generates emotion. ‘Supposition-imagination’ (S-imagination) is distinguished from ‘enactment-imagination’ (E-imagination). The former kind of imagination involves entertaining or supposing various hypothetical scenarios; with the latter kind of imagination, one tries to create a kind of facsimile of a mental state. Thus, one might try to create a perception-like state as in visual imagination or motoric imagination. It is argued that this much richer form of imagination generates typical emotional reactions to fiction. Emotional reactions to fiction are generated in several different ways, including a process in which we E-imagine being a hypothetical reader or observer of fact.
Imaginative Resistance Revisited
Authors: Gendler Tamar Szabó
Published: May 2007

The puzzle of imaginative resistance is the puzzle of explaining our comparative difficulty in imagining fictional worlds that we take to be morally deviant. The author of this chapter, Szabó Gendler, refines her earlier (2000) account of the phenomenon. The chapter argues that cases that evoke resistance are those where seriously engaging with the proposed fictional perspective would alter the reader's apprehension of the actual world in unwanted ways. It contrasts the author's account with those of several other authors, including Hume, Walton, and Weatherson.
Twin intromittent organs ofDrosophilafor traumatic insemination
Authors: Kamimura Yoshitaka
Published: May 2007

In several animals, male genitalia create insemination wounds in areas outside the genital orifice of females. I report that such traumatic insemination (TI) occurs in theDrosophila bipectinatacomplex (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and illustrate a previously unknown evolutionary pathway for this behaviour. Flash fixation of mating pairs revealed the dual function of the paired claw-like basal processes, previously misidentified as a bifid aedeagus: (i) penetration of the female body wall near the genital orifice and (ii) sperm transfer into the genital tract through the wounds. Basal processes in closely related species (Drosophila ananassaeandDrosophila pallidosa) also wounded females but did not transfer sperm; this represents a transitional state to TI as observed in thebipectinatacomplex. Copulatory wounding is suggested to occur in other allied species of theDrosophila melanogasterspecies group, includingD. melanogaster. Ubiquitous sexual conflicts over mating may have led to the evolution of novel intromittent organs for insemination.
Evaluation of Stature Development During Childhood and Adolescence in Individuals with Familial Hypophosphatemic Rickets
Authors: Borghi Mauro M.S. , Coates Veronica , Omar Hatim A.
Published: May 2007

This review was conducted to study the diagnosis, treatment, and growth progression in infants and adolescents with familial hypophosphatemic rickets. The bibliographic search was carried out utilizing the electronic databases MEDLINE, OVID, and LILACS and by direct research within the last 15 years using the keywords rickets, familial hypophosphatemia, vitamin D deficiency, stature growth, childhood, and adolescence. Article selection was done by comparing the evaluation of the growth in patients with familial hypophosphatemic rickets, including the variables that might affect them, for possible future therapeutic proposals. It is concluded that the most significant fact in the treatment of familial hypophosphatemic rickets in infancy was the magnitude of the final stature. The use of growth hormone can be helpful in these patients. However, research reporting treatments with the use of the growth hormone for rickets are controversial. The majority of the authors agree that treatment using vitamin D and phosphate enables some statural growth in cases of early diagnosis, reflecting a better prognosis.
Metallic Magnetic Nanoparticles
Authors: Hernando A. , Crespo P. , García M. A.
Published: May 2007

In this paper, we reviewed some relevant aspects of the magnetic properties of metallic nanoparticles with small size (below 4 nm), covering the size effects in nanoparticles of magnetic materials, as well as the appearance of magnetism at the nanoscale in materials that are nonferromagnetic in bulk. These results are distributed along the text that has been organized around three important items: fundamental magnetic properties, different fabrication procedures, and characterization techniques. A general introduction and some experimental results recently obtained in Pd and Au nanoparticles have also been included. Finally, the more promising applications of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine are indicated. Special care was taken to complete the literature available on the subject.
Changing Management of Clinical Low-Stage Testicular Cancer
Authors: Gilligan Timothy
Published: May 2007

Stage I and II testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs) are almost always cured with appropriate treatment and most ongoing research regarding these tumors focuses on minimizing treatment toxicity. The management of clinical stage I testicular GCTs has grown more complicated due to the emergence of a brief course of chemotherapy as an additional treatment option for stage I seminomas and stage I nonseminomas. In addition, growing concern about radiation-induced cancers and other late toxicity has dulled enthusiasm for radiotherapy as a treatment for stage I seminomas. However, recent randomized trials have shown that radiotherapy doses and field sizes can be lowered without compromising cure rates and it is possible that this reduction in radiation exposure will reduce the rate of secondary cancers. At this point in history, stage I patients have three treatment options following radical orchiectomy: adjuvant (sometimes called “primary”) chemotherapy (carboplatin for seminomas and the combined regimen of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin for nonseminomas), surveillance, and either retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (for nonseminomas) or radiotherapy (for pure seminomas). Clinical studies have made it possible to identify subgroups of patients at high and low risk for relapse and this has made it possible to tailor treatment decisions to the individual patient's postorchiectomy relapse risk.
The Influence of Israel Health Insurance Law on the Negev Bedouin Population — A Survey Study
Authors: Morad Mohammed , Shvarts Shifra , Merrick Joav , Borkan Jeffrey
Published: May 2007

The extension of universal health service insurance to national populations is a relatively new phenomenon. Since 1995, the Israeli National Health Insurance Law (NHIL) has provided universal health services to every resident, but the effect of this law on health and health services among minorities has not been examined sufficiently. The goals of this study were to track some of the first changes engendered by the NHIL among the Negev Bedouin Arabs to examine the effects of universal health care services. Methods included analysis of historical and health policy documents, three field appraisals of health care services (1994, 1995, 1999), a region-wide interview survey of Negev Bedouins (1997), and key informant interviews. For the interview survey, a sample of 515 households was chosen from different Bedouin localities representing major sedentarization stages. Results showed that prior to the NHIL, a substantial proportion of the Negev Bedouins were uninsured with limited, locally available health service. Since 1995, health services, particularly primary care clinics and health manpower, have dramatically expanded. The initial expansion appears to have been a marketing ploy, but real improvements have occurred. There was a high level of health service utilization among the Bedouins in the Negev, especially private medical services, hospitals, and night ambulatory medical services. The NHIL brought change to the structure of health services in Israel, namely the institution of a national health system based on proportional allocation of resources (based on size and age) and open competition in the provision of quality health care. The expansion of the pool of potential members engendered by the new universal coverage had profound effects on the Health Funds' attitudes towards Negev Bedouins. In addition, real consumer choice was introduced for the first time. Although all the health care needs of this rapidly growing population have yet to be met fully, the assurances under the Law and the new level of competition promise a higher level of service in the future.
Students of physical therapy. A comparative study of student profiles at a college and university in Israel
Authors: Davidovitch Nitza , Danziger Josepha
Published: May 2007

This study focuses on the attributes of students of physical therapy in order to compare the profiles of students of physical therapy (PT) in two institutions of higher learning in Israel: Ben Gurion University (BGU) and the Academic College of Judea and Samaria (ACJS). This study focuses on a department where studies have an occupational/applicative/practical orientation and high status in the higher education system. Findings of this study indicate broad similarities in the profiles of students at both institutions in relation to their age, family status, country of origin, number of siblings, parental education, and financial status of student family of origin. On the other hand, students at both institutions differed in terms of gender composition, students' employment status, the source of payment for tuition, and in their academic attainments prior to admission. Specifically, students of physical therapy at ACJS had lower academic achievements prior to their admission and reported having been rejected by other physical therapy programs. Students at ACJS placed higher importance on factors relating to the quality of instruction including teacher involvement, competitiveness, organization, control, and orientation to the study material. Students at BGU attributed greater importance to teachers' support. Findings support a thesis of a converging system of higher education in Israel, traditionally dominated by national universities and regional colleges, a relatively recent phenomenon.
Dynamic Analysis of DNA Damage by Flow Cytometry and FISH
Authors: Matthopoulos Demetrios P.
Published: May 2007

The micronucleus assay, developed to assess DNA damage induced by noxious agents, supplies information on whether the damage is due to clastogenic or aneugenic action. Although it is the test that can be used to assess agents' toxicity, it cannot provide information on the molecular events that result in the induction of micronuclei. To study the molecular events, the combination of both microscopic and analytical techniques is required. Flow-sorting induced micronuclei, based on their DNA content, in combination with chromosomal FISH and other molecular techniques, may provide information on these events.
Confocal Imaging: Blood and Lymphatic Capillaries
Authors: Cui Yingjie
Published: May 2007

Traditional imaging techniques are quite limited for the study of the relationship between blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Therefore, a new imaging technique is required based on blood vessel and lymphatic endothelial-specific molecular markers. In this short report, vascular molecular markers are reviewed and a new molecular imaging technique for blood vessel and lymphatic co-staining is introduced.
Ultraviolet Fluorescence Imaging of Fingerprints
Authors: Saitoh Naoki , Akiba Norimitsu
Published: May 2007

We studied fluorescence imaging of fingerprints on a high-grade white paper in the deep ultraviolet (UV) region with a nanosecond-pulsed Nd-YAG laser system that consists of a tunable laser and a cooled CCD camera.Clear fluorescence images were obtained by time-resolved imaging with a 255- to 425-nm band-pass filter, which cuts off strong fluorescence of papers. Although fluorescence can be imaged with any excitation wavelength between 220 and 290 nm, 230 and 280 nm are the best in terms of image quality. However, the damage due to laser illumination was smaller for 266-nm excitation than 230- or 280-nm excitation.Absorption images of latent fingerprints on a high-grade white paper are also obtained with our imaging system using 215- to 280-nm laser light. Shorter wavelengths produce better images and the best image was obtained with 215 nm. Absorption images are also degraded slightly by laser illumination, but their damage is smaller than that of fluorescence images.
Correlation Between Number of Retrieved Oocytes and Pregnancy Rate AfterIn VitroFertilization/IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Infection
Authors: Timeva Tanya , Milachich Tanya , Antonova Irena , Arabaji Tanya , Shterev Atanas , Omar Hatim A.
Published: May 2007

The implementation of safe and maximally effective ovarian stimulation is a major aim forin vitrofertilization (IVF) teams. The goal of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is to supply enough oocytes with normal maturation to insure the consequent biological procedures. A variety of different stimulation protocols have been suggested and an individual selection of the correct stimulation protocol is mandatory. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the correlation between number of retrieved oocytes and clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) after IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures. We reviewed 1017 cycles in a total of 975 patients. The study results clearly demonstrate that the aspiration of less than 5 oocytes significantly reduced pregnancy rate. The aspiration of a large number of oocytes (>15) does not lead to an increase of the treatment effect and, at the same time, increases the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. The major goal is to obtain 5—15 oocytes as a “gold standard”, connected to optimal pregnancy rate after assisted reproduction (ART).
Alcohol and Suicide: Neurobiological and Clinical Aspects
Authors: Sher Leo
Published: May 2007

Alcohol, primarily in the form of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), has occupied an important place in the history of humankind for at least 8,000 years. In most Western societies, at least 90% of people consume alcohol at some time during their lives, and 30% or more of drinkers develop alcohol-related problems. Severe alcohol-related life impairment, alcohol dependence (alcoholism), is observed at some time during their lives in about 10% of men and 3—5% of women. An additional 5—10% of each sex develops persistent, but less intense, problems that are diagnosed as alcohol abuse. It this review, neurobiological aspects of suicidal behavior in alcoholism is discussed. In individuals with comorbid depression and alcoholism, greater serotonergic impairment may be associated with higher risk of completed suicide. Dopaminergic dysfunction may play an important role in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior in alcoholism. Brain damage and neurobehavioral deficits are associated with alcohol use disorders and may contribute to suicidal behavior in persons with alcohol dependence or abuse. Aggression/impulsivity and alcoholism severity affect risk for suicide among individuals with alcoholism. Major depressive episodes and stressful life events particularly, partner-relationship disruptions, may precipitate suicidal behavior in individuals with alcohol use disorders. Alcohol misuse and psychosocial adversity can combine to increase stress on the person, and, thereby, potentially, increase the risk for suicidal behavior. The management of suicidal patients with alcohol use disorders is also discussed. It is to be hoped that the efforts of clinicians will reduce morbidity and mortality associated with alcohol misuse.
Targeted Anticancer Immunotoxins and Cytotoxic Agents with Direct Killing Moieties
Authors: Kawakami Koji , Nakajima Oumi , Morishita Ryuichi , Nagai Ryozo
Published: May 2007

Despite the progress of the bioinformatics approach to characterize cell-surface antigens and receptors on tumor cells, it remains difficult to generate novel cancer vaccines or neutralizing monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Among targeted cancer therapeutics, biologicals with targetable antibodies or ligands conjugated or fused to toxins or chemicals for direct cell-killing ability have been developed over the last 2 decades. These conjugated or fused chimeric proteins are termed immunotoxins or cytotoxic agents. Two agents, DAB389IL-2 (ONTAKTM) targeting the interleukin-2 receptor and CD33-calicheamicin (Mylotarg®), have been approved by the FDA for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), respectively. Such targetable agents, including RFB4(dsFv)-PE38 (BL22), IL13-PE38QQR, and Tf-CRM107, are being tested in clinical trials. Several agents using unique technology such as a cleavable adapter or immunoliposomes with antibodies are also in the preclinical stage. This review summarizes the generation, mechanism, and development of these agents. In addition, possible future directions of this therapeutic approach are discussed.
A Novel 110-kDa Receptor Protein is Involved in Endocytic Uptake of Decorin by Human Skin Fibroblasts
Authors: Sofeu Feugaing David Denis , Kresse Hans , Greb Robert R. , Götte Martin
Published: May 2007

The small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) decorin is efficiently internalized by a variety of cultured cells. A 51-kDa protein has previously been described as a receptor mediating endocytosis of decorin and of the structurally related SLRP biglycan. Recent findings suggest that endocytosis of SLRPs may also be mediated by additional receptors. The class-A scavenger receptor, the endocytic mannose receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor, and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor have emerged as candidates. We used a combined approach of immunoprecipitation and photoactivated cross-linking to identify endocytosis receptors for decorin in human skin fibroblasts. Decorin was purified by HPLC-DEAE-ion exchange chromatography from the secretions of human skin fibroblasts under nondenaturing conditions. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that both biotinylated decorin and decorin conjugated to the heterobifunctional cross-linker sulfosuccinimidyl 2-(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1-3'-dithiopropionate (SASD) were endocytosed with equal efficiency. SASD-conjugated decorin was added to [35S]-methionine-labeled fibroblasts and cross-linked intracellularly to receptor molecules by photoactivation on endocytic uptake. Cross-linked decorin-receptor complexes were purified from the extracts of trypsin-treated fibroblasts by anion exchange chromatography and immunoprecipitation with a decorin-specific antiserum. Analysis by 2D electrophoresis and autoradiography revealed that decorin was specifically cross-linked to a protein of 110 kDa, which exhibited an isoelectric point of 5.5. In a second approach, unlabeled fibroblasts were subjected to decorin endocytosis and photoactivated cross-linking followed by Western blotting of DEAE-purified cell extracts. A shift of biotinylated decorin immunoreactivity from 165 kDa (decorin-receptor complex) to 54 kDa (SASD-conjugated biotinylated decorin) was noted on reductive cleavage of the cross-linker, representing a difference in molecular weight of approximately 110 kDa. The identification of a 110-kDa protein as a novel endocytosis receptor for decorin provides further support for the emerging concept of a redundancy of receptor molecules in the endocytosis of SLRP.
Reflections on the Constraints and Opportunities in Therapy in Rett Syndrome
Authors: Kerr Alison M.
Published: May 2007

More than 20 years of clinical and research experience with affected people in the British Isles has provided insight into particular challenges for therapists, educators, or parents wishing to facilitate learning and to support the development of skills in people with Rett syndrome. This paper considers the challenges in two groups: those due to constraints imposed by the disabilities associated with the disorder and those stemming from the opportunities, often masked by the disorder, allowing the development of skills that depend on less-affected areas of the brain. Because the disorder interferes with the synaptic links between neurones, the functions of the brain that are most dependent on complex neural networks are the most profoundly affected. These functions include speech, memory, learning, generation of ideas, and the planning of fine movements, especially those of the hands. In contrast, spontaneous emotional and hormonal responses appear relatively intact. Whereas failure to appreciate the physical limitations of the disease leads to frustration for therapist and client alike, a clear understanding of the better-preserved areas of competence offers avenues for real progress in learning, the building of satisfying relationships, and achievement of a quality of life.
Adenosine Receptors and Wound Healing, Revised
Authors: Cronstein Bruce M.
Published: May 2007

Recent studies have demonstrated that application of topical adenosine A2A receptor agonists promotes more rapid wound closure and clinical studies are currently underway to determine the utility of topical A2Aadenosine receptor agonists in the therapy of diabetic foot ulcers. The effects of adenosine A2Areceptors on the cells and tissues of healing wounds have only recently been explored. Here we summarize the evidence indicating that adenosine and selective adenosine agonists, acting at A2Areceptors, promote the salutary functions of inflammatory cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts in stimulating wound healing.
Does Passive Leg Activity Influence Oxygen Saturation and Activity in Sedentary Elderly Adults?
Authors: Carmeli Eli , Bartur Gadi , Peleg Sara , Barchad Shemuel , Vatine Jean-Jacques
Published: May 2007

This study aimed to investigate whether any physiological changes might have a clinically significant effect on function in sedentary, institutionalized, older adults treated by a passive training program. A total of 18 subjects (mean age 60.7 ± 3.4) with intellectual disability (ID) participated. We measured SpO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) before, during, and after passive training, and used Barthel Index to measure daily living activities. The general trend indicated that inactive people with ID evidenced a continual increase in SpO2% levels and some functional gains during passive treatment, with superiority to manual passive treatment compared to mechanical active passive training. For current clinical practice, most sedentary patients who experience clinically significant deconditioning and desaturation can benefit from passive treatment.
Genotoxic and antigenotoxic properties of selenium compounds in thein vitromicronucleus assay with human whole blood lymphocytes and tk6 lymphoblastoid cells
Authors: Cemeli Eduard , Marcos Ricard , Anderson Diana
Published: May 2007

Selenium is known to possess both genotoxic and antigenotoxic properties. In the present study, we have evaluated the genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of three selenium compounds (sodium selenate, sodium selenite and selenous acid) by measuring in vitro micronucleus induction. Assays were conducted in whole blood lymphocytes and in the TK6 lymphoblastoid cell line, with and without co-treatment with potassium dichromate, a known genotoxic compound. In general, the compounds were more active in TK6 cells than they were in blood lymphocytes. Only 1 μM selenous acid increased the frequency of binucleated cells containing micronuclei (BNMN) in blood lymphocytes, while all three selenium compounds increased BNMN in TK6 cells. In addition, combinations of selenous acid and potassium dichromate resulted in lower frequencies of BNMN than potassium dichromate alone in blood lymphocytes, while combinations of sodium selenate and potassium dichromate produced lower frequencies of BNMN than potassium dichromate alone in TK6 cells. The concentrations of selenium compounds that were used, in combination with the medium components and the biological physiology of the whole blood lymphocytes and TK6 cells, could have affected the redox potential of the compounds, switching the chemicals from a pro-oxidant to antioxidant status and vice-versa. The lower activities of the compounds in blood lymphocytes may be due to the protective effects of blood components. The results indicate that the genotoxic and antigenotoxic properties of selenium compounds are highly dependent upon the conditions under which they are evaluated.
Analysis of glutathione and vitamin C effects
Authors: Pitarque M. , Creus A. , Marcos R.
Published: May 2007

The alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (or Comet) assay was applied to evaluate the eventual DNA damage induced by the triphenolic metabolite of benzene, 1,2,4-benzenetriol (BT), in isolated human lymphocytes. Prior to BT treatment, ranging from 5 to 50 μM, a supplementation with glutathione (GSH, 350 μg/ml) was carried out to assess whether GSH may have a modulating effect on the Comet response. The effect of a fixed dose of BT was also evaluated in the presence of the exogenous antioxidant vitamin C (40 and 200 μM). Additionally, we investigated whether the polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) gene may affect the individual level of BT-induced DNA damagein vitro. For all donors included in the present study, BT produced a significant dose-response relationship. No clear effect of GSH preincubation was seen on the BT-induced response. On the contrary, a significant reduction of DNA damage was observed in the presence of vitamin C (at least at 200 μM). Although our data suggest some individual differences according to theGSTT1genotype in the outcome of the Comet assay, a large number of individuals should be studied in further investigations to obtain reliable conclusions.
Genetic Damage Induced by Accidental Environmental Pollutants
Authors: Pérez-Cadahía Beatriz , Laffon Blanca , Pásaro Eduardo , Méndez Josefina
Published: May 2007

Petroleum is one of the main energy sources worldwide. Its transport is performed by big tankers following some established marine routes. In the last 50 years a total amount of 37 oil tankers have given rise to great spills in different parts of the world,Prestigebeing the last one. After the accident, a big human mobilisation took place in order to clean beaches, rocks and fauna, trying to reduce the environmental consequences of this serious catastrophe. These people were exposed to the complex mixture of compounds contained in the oil. This study aimed at determine the level of environmental exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOC), and the possible damage induced on the population involved in the different cleaning tasks by applying the genotoxicity tests sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), micronucleus (MN) test, and comet assay. Four groups of individuals were included: volunteers (V), hired manual workers (MW), hired high-pressure cleaner workers (HPW) and controls. The higher VOC levels were associated with V environment, followed by MW and lastly by HPW, probably due to the use of high-pressure cleaners. Oil exposure during the cleaning tasks has caused an increase in the genotoxic damage in individuals, the comet assay being the most sensitive biomarker to detect it. Sex, age and tobacco consumption have shown to influence the level of genetic damage, while the effect of using protective devices was less noticeable than expected, perhaps because the kind used was not the most adequate.
Atmospheric Transport Towards the Iberian Peninsula in the 3- to 10-Day Range
Authors: Nieto Raquel , Gimeno Luis
Published: May 2007

An advanced Lagrangian atmospheric transport model (FLEXTRAP) was used to identify the possible sources of middle-lived pollutants over the Iberian Peninsula. A period of 4 years, 2000—2003, was analyzed. Transatlantic transport is the main pathway of the air reaching the Iberian Peninsula in the studied range of 3—10 days; local sources are limited to 3 days of transport. The presence of North America as a source from days 6—10 of transport identifies this region as the main potential contributor to the middle-lived pollutants over the Iberian Peninsula.
Evolutionary Explanations of the “Actuarial Senescence in the Wild” and of the “State of Senility”
Authors: Libertini Giacinto
Published: May 2007

A large set of data suggests that progressive reduction of fitness and senile decay in vertebrates are in correlation with the decline of cell replication capacities. However, the limits in such capacities are hardly explained in evolutionarily terms by current gerontological theories that rule out fitness decline as something genetically determined and regulated, and therefore somehow favored by natural selection.Four theories are tested as possible explanations of the “increasing mortality with increasing chronological age in populations in the wild” (“IMICAW”[1]), alias “actuarial senescence in the wild”[2], and of the observed negative correlation between extrinsic mortality and the ratio between deaths due to intrinsic mortality and deaths due to extrinsic mortality. Only the theory attributing an adaptive value to IMICAW allows an evolutionary explanation for it and for the aforesaid inverse correlation, while the other three theories (“mutation accumulation”, “antagonistic pleiotropy”, and “disposable soma” th.) even predict a positive correlation.Afterwards, the same theories are tested as possible explanations for the “state of senility”[3], namely the deteriorated state of individuals in artificially protected conditions (captivity, civilization, etc.) at ages rarely or never observable in the wild. With the distinction between “damage resulting from intrinsic living processes”[4], alias “age changes”[5], and “age-associated diseases”[4,5], the same theory explaining IMICAW allows a rational interpretation of the first category of phenomena while another theory, the “mutation accumulation” hypothesis, gives an immediate interpretation for the second category.The current gerontological paradigm explaining the increasing mortality with increasing chronological age as consequence of insufficient selection should be restricted to the “age-associated diseases”. For IMICAW, it should be substituted with the concept of a physiologic phenomenon genetically determined by a balance of opposite selective pressures — strictly in terms of kin selection — and, for “age changes”, with the action of the same IMICAW-causing mechanisms at ages when selection becomes ineffective.