bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccination in Solid Cancer
Authors: Stift A. , Friedl J. , Dubsky P. , Bachleitner-Hofmann T. , Schueller G. , Zontsich T. , Benkoe T. , Radelbauer K. , Brostjan C. , Jakesz R. , Gnant M.
Published: December 2002

Purpose: Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is rapidly emerging as a viable tool in cancer treatment. This approach has been used mostly in patients in the presence of defined tumor antigens such as melanoma. In this study, cancer patients with advanced disease that lacks defined tumor antigens were vaccinated with tumor lysate-pulsed DCs.

Patients and Methods: Twenty patients (pancreatic, hepatocellular, cholangiocellular, and medullary thyroid carcinoma) with stage IV disease were enrolled in the study. In 3-week intervals, freshly isolated autologous CD14 magnetic bead-selected monocytes were cultured in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 to obtain immature DCs. These cells were pulsed with autologous tumor lysate and matured with tumor necrosis factor alpha. Mature DCs were applied into a groin lymph node, under ultrasound guidance. Adjuvant interleukin-2 (20,000 U/kg) was given subcutaneously daily, for 12 days, after each vaccination. Toxicity, tumor marker profile, immune response, and clinical response were determined.

Results: Vaccination was well tolerated. No physical signs of autoimmunity were detected. DC vaccination induced delayed-type hypersensitivity reactivity in 18 patients. Tumor marker responses were observed in eight patients. In addition, in three patients the generation of interferon gamma-positive T cells was induced during the vaccination. Objective changes in measurable lesions or tumor markers were evident in seven of 20 assessed patients. None of the patients was found to meet the criteria for partial or complete responses.

Conclusion: These data indicate that vaccination with autologous tumor-pulsed DCs generated from peripheral blood is safe and can induce tumor-specific cellular cytotoxicity. Clinical responses are achievable, even in patients with advanced disease.
Differential Expression of S100A2 and S100A4 During Progression of Human Prostate Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Gupta Sanjay , Hussain Tajamul , MacLennan Gregory T. , Fu Pingfu , Patel Jigar , Mukhtar Hasan
Published: December 2002

Purpose: To establish the clinical significance of calcium binding proteins S100A2 and S100A4 during progression of human prostate adenocarcinoma.

Patients and Methods: Expression pattern of S100A2 and S100A4 was determined in normal human prostate epithelial cells (NHPE); virally transformed prostate epithelial cells (PZ-HPV-7); several human prostate carcinoma cells (22Rv1, DU145, LNCaP, and PC3); tissue samples obtained during transuretheral prostatic resection from patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, and adenocarcinoma; and paraffin-embedded sections from pair-matched benign and cancer specimens of different tumor grade.

Results: High constitutive protein expression of S100A2 was observed in NHPE and PZ-HPV-7 cells, whereas its complete absence was observed in 22Rv1, DU145, LNCaP, and PC3 cells. Tissue samples of BPH and prostatitis exhibited higher mRNA and protein levels of S100A2 than low-grade cancer (Gleason score ≤ 6), whereas a complete loss was observed in high-grade cancer specimens (Gleason score > 6). Immunohistochemical analysis further confirmed high levels of S100A2 in benign tissues and a progressive loss with increasing tumor grade. The protein level of S100A4 was significantly higher in all carcinoma cells compared with NHPE and PZ-HPV-7 cells. The mRNA and protein level of S100A4 was significantly higher in high-grade cancer specimens compared with BPH, prostatitis, and low-grade cancer. The high levels of S100A4 observed in cancer tissue correlated with increasing tumor grade.

Conclusion: Loss of S100A2 and increased expression of S100A4 may be an important event during progression of prostate cancer in humans.
Combining Capecitabine and Gemcitabine in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Carcinoma: A Phase I/II Trial
Authors: Hess Viviane , Salzberg Marc , Borner Markus , Morant Rudolf , Roth Arnaud D. , Ludwig Christian , Herrmann Richard
Published: December 2002

Purpose: Preclinical studies indicate positive interactions between capecitabine, an oral fluorouracil precursor, and gemcitabine, the current standard treatment for advanced pancreatic carcinoma (APC). In this study, we investigated the addition of capecitabine to gemcitabine treatment for patients with APC.

Patients and Methods: This multicenter study included patients naïve to chemotherapy who had histologically or cytologically confirmed, nonresectable or metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. Gemcitabine was given at a fixed dose of 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. Capecitabine was given in increasing doses orally bid for 14 days followed by a 1-week rest. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) was defined as one dose level below the dose causing dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in ≥ one third of a cohort of six patients. We included an additional 15 patients at the MTD.

Results: Thirty-six patients were included. DLT occurred at a dose of 800 mg/m2 bid of capecitabine and consisted of myelotoxicity and mucositis. Hand-foot syndrome was not observed, and other toxic effects were mild. Thus, in this regimen, the recommended dose of capecitabine is 650 mg/m2 bid. In 27 patients with measurable disease, we observed one complete and four partial remissions. In addition, significant drops (> 50% from baseline value) of the tumor marker CA 19–9 occurred in 14 of 24 assessable patients.

Conclusion: The combination of capecitabine and gemcitabine is well tolerated, with apparent efficacy in patients with APC. Therefore, it is currently being compared with gemcitabine monotherapy in a phase III study.
Phase I Clinical Trial of Intrathecal Topotecan in Patients With Neoplastic Meningitis
Authors: Blaney Susan M. , Heideman Richard , Berg Stacey , Adamson Peter , Gillespie Andy , Geyer J. Russell , Packer Roger , Matthay Kate , Jaeckle Kurt , Cole Diane , Kuttesch Nancy , Poplack David G. , Balis Frank M.
Published: December 2002

Purpose: A phase I trial of intrathecal (IT) topotecan was performed to determine the optimal dose, the dose-limiting toxic effects, and the incidence and severity of other toxic effects in patients 3 years and older with neoplastic meningitis.

Patients and Methods: Twenty-three assessable patients received IT topotecan administered by means of either lumbar puncture or an indwelling ventricular access device (Ommaya reservoir). Intrapatient dose escalation from 0.025 mg to 0.2 mg was performed in the first cohort of patients. Subsequent cohorts of patients were treated at fixed dose levels of 0.2 mg, 0.4 mg, or 0.7 mg. Serial samples of CSF for pharmacokinetic studies were obtained in a subset of patients with Ommaya reservoirs.

Results: Arachnoiditis, characterized by fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, and back pain, was the dose-limiting toxic effect in two of four patients enrolled at the 0.7 mg dose level. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) was 0.4 mg. Six of the 23 assessable patients had evidence of benefit manifested as prolonged disease stabilization or response.

Conclusion: The MTD and recommended phase II dose of IT topotecan in patients who are 3 years or older is 0.4 mg. A phase II trial of IT topotecan in children with neoplastic meningitis is in progress.
Prostate-Specific Antigen Kinetics as a Measure of the Biologic Effect of Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor in Patients With Serologic Progression of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Rini Brian I. , Weinberg Vivian , Bok Robert , Small Eric J.
Published: December 2002

Purpose: To determine the biologic effect of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (sangramostim, GM-CSF; Immunex Corporation, Seattle, WA) as measured by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics in patients with serologic progression of prostate cancer after definitive local therapy.

Patients and Methods: Patients with prostate cancer who had undergone previous definitive surgical or radiation therapy with nonmetastatic, recurrent disease as manifested by a rising PSA between 0.4 ng/mL and 6.0 ng/mL were enrolled on this phase II trial. Patients received 250 μg/m2/day of subcutaneous GM-CSF on days 1 through 14 of a 28-day cycle. PSA was measured at day 1 of each cycle.

Results: Thirty patients with serologic progression of prostate cancer were treated. The median pretreatment PSA was 2.9 ng/mL. Of the 29 evaluable patients, three patients (10%; 95% confidence interval, 2% to 27%) achieved a 50% reduction in PSA. For the patients (n = 26) in whom the on-treatment PSA doubling time could be calculated, the median PSA doubling time increased from 8.4 months to 15 months (P = .001), and the median slope of the PSA versus time curve decreased with treatment (P = .004). Therapy was well tolerated by all patients, with an average treatment duration of 16.5 cycles (range, 5 to 33).

Conclusion: GM-CSF has a biologic effect in patients with serologic progression of prostate cancer after definitive local therapy, as measured by PSA declines and modulation of PSA kinetics.
Limb anomalies: Developmental and evolutionary aspects
Authors: Gurrieri Fiorella , Kjaer Klaus W. , Sangiorgi Eugenio , Neri Giovanni
Published: December 2002

In this review we describe the developmental mechanisms involved in the making of a limb, by focusing on the nature and types of interactions of the molecules that play a part in the regulation of limb patterning and characterizing clinical conditions that are known to result from the abnormal function of these molecules. The latter subject is divided into sections dealing with syndromal and nonsyndromal deficiencies, polydactylies, and brachydactylies. Conditions caused by mutations in homeobox genes and fibroblast growth factors and their receptor genes are listed separately. Since the process of limb development has been conserved for more than 300 millions years, with all the necessary adaptive modifications occurring throughout evolution, we also take into consideration the evolutionary aspects of limb development in terms of genetic repertoire, molecular pathways, and morphogenetic events. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two new cases of analphoid marker chromosomes
Authors: Spiegel Miriam , Hickmann Gabriele , Senger Gabriele , Kozlowski Peter , Bartsch Oliver
Published: December 2002

Supernumerary marker chromosomes (SMCs) without detectable alphoid DNA represent a rare and interesting class of rearranged marker chromosomes. These SMCs are predicted to have a neocentromere and have been referred to as neocentric marker chromosomes (NMCs). We report the molecular cytogenetic characterization of two new cases of neocentromere‐containing chromosomes, one on 1q43∼44 and one on 15q26. Both cases were examined using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with various alpha‐satellite DNA probes, and no alphoid DNA was detected. In case 1, the NMC originated from the distal long arm of chromosome 1 by chromosomal microdissection and reverse painting. This marker lacked detectable chromosome 1q subtelomeric sequences, and therefore appeared to be a small ring chromosome. After genetic counseling with a high risk for a MCA/MR syndrome (trisomy 1q43 → q44), the family continued the pregnancy. At age 6 months, the infant demonstrated no congenital or developmental anomalies. This is the first published example of a NMC derived from chromosome 1q. The marker may be one of the smallest, if not the smallest, human NMC reported to date. In case 2, fetal ultrasonography indicated a complex heart defect (abnormal return of lower vena cava, atrial septum malformation) and bilateral hydronephrosis. Molecular cytogenetic analysis showed an inverted duplication of the distal long arm of chromosome 15 (tetrasomy 15q24 → qter). The pregnancy was terminated. Autopsy demonstrated polycystic left kidney and dysplastic right kidney. Case 2 represents the ninth report of a neocentromere on distal chromosome 15q, suggesting that this region may possibly especially support the formation of neocentromeres. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Overexpression of nPKC θ is inhibitory for agrin‐induced nicotinic acetylcholine receptor clustering in C2C12 myotubes
Authors: Miles Kathryn , Wagner Michael
Published: December 2002

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity has been implicated in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) cluster disruption but the specific PKC isoforms involved have not been identified. We first tested whether phorbol esters, which activate PKCs, regulate agrin‐induced nAChR clustering in C2C12 cells. We found that extended phorbol ester treatment (6 hr) increased nAChR clustering by two‐fold. This increase correlated in time with downregulation of PKCs, as indicated by the disappearance of cPKC α, suggesting that the presence of PKCs is inhibitory for maximal nAChR clustering. To address the question whether nPKC θ, a specific PKC isoform restricted in expression to skeletal muscle and localized to neuromuscular junctions, regulates agrin‐induced nAChR cluster formation we overexpressed an nPKC θ ‐green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein in C2C12 myotubes. The number of nAChR clusters was significantly reduced in nPKC θ‐GFP compared to GFP overexpressing myotubes at less‐than‐maximal clustering concentrations of agrin. These data indicate that nPKC θ activity inhibits nAChR cluster formation. To examine whether nPKC θ activation by phorbol esters regulates agrin‐induced nAChR clustering, we treated overexpressing myotubes overnight with maximal agrin concentrations followed by phorbol esters for 1 hr. Phorbol ester treatment reduced preexisting nAChR cluster numbers in nPKC θ‐GFP compared to GFP‐overexpressing myotubes, suggesting that stimulating nPKC θ activity disrupts nAChR clusters in the presence of maximal clustering concentrations of agrin. Together these findings, that nPKC θ activity inhibits agrin‐induced nAChR cluster formation and disrupts preexisting agrin‐induced nAChR clusters, suggest that nPKC θ activity is inhibitory for agrin function. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impairment of protein homeostasis and decline of proteasome activity in microglial cells from adult Wistar rats
Authors: Stolzing Alexandra , Grune Tilman
Published: December 2002

Common symptoms of different neurodegenerative diseases start to develop in the second half of the human life. Several of these diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, are accompanied by severe disturbances of protein metabolism and homeostasis in the brain. Because microglial cells are, to some extent, responsible for the maintenance of this homeostasis, age‐related functional changes of the microglia are important. We established, therefore, the preparation of cultures of primary microglial cells isolated from adult animals in comparison to the widely used standard model, primary microglial cells isolated from newborn animals. In addition, we investigated changes in the activation and in the protein homeostasis within these cells. The protein turnover seems to be significantly impaired in microglial cells isolated from adult animals and this seems to be accompanied by a decline in proteasomal function, but not in the protease content. We were also able to demonstrate higher cell surface molecule expression and a higher basal NO release of microglia isolated from adult animals in comparison to the microglia isolated from newborn rats; however, the PMA stimulated oxidative burst was abolished completely in cells from adult animals. Microglia from adult animals were also not able to upregulate their protein metabolism after activation. From these investigations it was concluded that microglial cells from adult animals have significantly different metabolic properties in comparison to the widely used microglial cells from newborn animals. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Unstable Climate Oscillations during the Late Holocene in the Eastern Bransfield Basin, Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Khim Boo-Keun , Yoon Ho Il , Kang Cheon Yun , Bahk Jang Jun
Published: December 2002

Core A9-EB2 from the eastern Bransfield Basin, Antarctic Peninsula, consists of pelagic (diatom ooze-clay couplets and bioturbated diatom ooze) and hemipelagic (bioturbated mud) sediments interbedded with turbidites (homogeneous mud and silt–clay couplets). The cyclic and laminated nature of these pelagic sediments represents alternation between the deposition of diatom-rich biogenic sediments and of terrigenous sediments. Sediment properties and geochemical data explain the contrasting lamination, with light layers being finer-grained and relatively rich in total organic carbon and biogenic silica content. Also, the high-resolution magnetic susceptibility (MS) variations highlight distinct features: high MS values coincide with clastic-rich sections and low MS values correspond to biogenic sections. The chronology developed for core A9-EB2 accounts for anomalous ages associated with turbidites and shows a linear sedimentation rate of approximately 87 cm/103 yr, which is supported by an accumulation rate of 80 cm/103 yr calculated from 210Pb activity. The late Holocene records clearly identify Neoglacial events of the Little Ice Age (LIA) and Medieval Warm Period (MWP). Other unexplained climatic events comparable in duration and amplitude to the LIA and MWP events also appear in the MS record, suggesting intrinsically unstable climatic conditions during the late Holocene in the Bransfield Basin of Antarctic Peninsula.
Late Quaternary Spring-Fed Deposits of the Grand Canyon and Their Implication for Deep Lava-Dammed Lakes
Authors: Kaufman Darrell S. , O'Brien Gary , Mead Jim I. , Bright Jordon , Umhoefer Paul
Published: December 2002

One of the most intriguing episodes in the Quaternary evolution of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, was the development of vast lakes that are thought to have backed up behind lava erupted into the gorge. Stratigraphic evidence for these deep lava-dammed lakes is expectedly sparse. Possible lacustrine deposits at six areas in the eastern canyon yielded no compelling evidence for sediment deposited in a deep lake. At two of the sites the sediment was associated with late Quaternary spring-fed pools and marshes. Water-lain silt and sand at lower Havasu Creek was deposited ∼3000 cal yr ago. The deposit contains an ostracode assemblage similar to that living in the modern travertine-dammed pools adjacent to the outcrop. The second deposit, at Lees Ferry, formed in a spring-fed marsh ∼43,000 cal yr ago, as determined by 14C and amino acid geochronology. It contains abundant ostracode and mollusk fossils, the richest assemblages reported from the Grand Canyon to date. Our interpretation of these sediments as spring-fed deposits, and their relative youth, provides an alternative to the conventional view that deposits like these were formed in deep lava-dammed lakes that filled the Grand Canyon.
Probability Density Functions as Botanical-Climatological Transfer Functions for Climate Reconstruction
Authors: Kühl Norbert , Gebhardt Christoph , Litt Thomas , Hense Andreas
Published: December 2002

We present a new procedure, the pdf method (pdf=probability density function), for reconstructing Quaternary climate utilizing botanical data. The procedure includes the advantages of the indicator species method by considering the fossil and modern presence and absence of taxa rather than their frequencies, thus avoiding the need for modern analog plant communities. Overcoming the problematic use of absolute limits to describe climate response ranges is the main progress of the pdf method in comparison to the indicator species method. This advantage results from estimating probability density functions (pdfs) for monthly mean January and July temperature conditional on the present day occurrence of single taxa. Gaussian distributions sufficiently approximate pdfs of many, although not all, studied taxa. On the assumption of statistical independence, the procedure calculates a joint pdf as the product of the pdfs of the individual taxa. This algorithm weights each taxon according to the extent of its climate response range expressed by its covariance structure. We interpret the maximum of the resulting pdf as the most likely climate and its confidence interval as the uncertainty range. To avoid an artificial reduction of uncertainty arising from the use of numerous similar pdfs, a preselection method is proposed based on the Mahalanobis distance between pdfs. The pdf method was applied to the Carpinus phase of a profile from Gröbern, Germany, that spans the last interglaciation (Eemian). The reconstructed most probable January and July temperatures of about 0.0°C and 18.4°C barely differ from the modern values of −0.5°C and 18.3°C.
Drought-Related Changes in Two Hunter–Gatherer California Populations
Authors: Weiss Elizabeth
Published: December 2002

Skeletal remains from two California cemeteries bracketing a severe drought that began around 1200 yr B.P. are analyzed to determine drought-related quality of life changes in Native Americans. Cemetery 1 predates the drought at 2895±160 yr B.P. to 1845±90 yr B.P. and Cemetery 2 dates it at 1100±90 yr B.P. to 1220±200 yr B.P. Quality of life was assessed through femoral computerized tomography scan measures of cortical thickness, age at adult death, and pathology/trauma frequency. After controlling for age and sex differences, changes from Cemetery 1 to Cemetery 2 showed decreases in cortical thickness and age at death and increases in pathology and trauma frequency.
Treatment and outcome of Taiwanese patients with 6‐pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase gene mutations
Authors: Chien Y.‐H. , Chiang S.‐C. , Huang A. , Lin J.‐M. , Chiu Y.‐N. , Chou S.‐P. , Chu S.‐Y. , Wang T.‐R. , Hwu W.‐L.
Published: December 2002

Ten cases of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) deficiency were identified in 1,337,490 newborns screened in a Chinese population in Taiwan. The high incidence of BH4 deficiency in the Taiwanese population may be explained by a founder effect, since all of the patients revealed 6‐pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase gene mutations, and grouping N52S and P87S mutations together constituted 88.9% of the disease alleles. BH4 supplementation with restriction of high‐protein foods gave control of plasma phenylalanine within normal range, and levadopa itself prevented seizure. However, the average intelligence quotient (IQ) score of these patients was only 76 ± 14 (56–98). Statistically, the age of starting medication, including 5‐hydroxytrytophan (5‐HTP), was inversely correlated to IQ scores of these patients. We suggest the combination of BH4, levodopa and 5‐HTP as the standard protocol to commence the treatment of BH4 deficiency as early as possible, although prenatal brain damage could have existed.
Decreasing serum VLCFA levels in ageing X‐ALD female carriers
Authors: Stradomska T. J. , Tylki‐Szymańska A.
Published: December 2002

Adrenoleukodystrophy is an X‐linked severe demyelinating disease with pathognomonic accumulation of saturated very long‐chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in tissues and body fluids in affected males. The identification of women heterozygotes is also based on increased serum VLCFA concentrations. We describe the results of measuring serum VLCFA concentrations in 59 females of various ages with heightened risk of carrier status. In female carriers aged 22–50 years we found serum VLCFA concentrations in a range characteristic of heterozygotes; VLCFA levels were normal in female carriers aged 55–64 years. In women aged 37–50 years in whom repeat studies of VLCFA concentration were performed after 5 years, a reduction in VLCFA was observed. The results we obtained point to a reduction of serum VLCFA concentrations as X‐ALD heterozygotes age.
Logical Conditioning and Entropy Inference Based on Observational Data
Authors: Solana-Ortega Alberto , Solana Vicente
Published: December 2002

The logical conditioning inference problem is studied when a simple condition setting a threshold for a potential observation of a scalar observable uncertain quantity is introduced as an additional information to the pieces of evidence originally available to make inference, which include observational data. Two alternative ways of incorporating this condition can be considered. They lead to two conditioned evidences from which it is possible to start and, consequently, two different inference problems arise. Due to the need to coherently represent observational data and to express unambiguously the given evidences, these problems are formalized in a plausible logic language with observational data, within the logical probability framework. They are solved by applying the relative entropy method with fractile constraints. A comparison of the solutions obtained indicates that one of them is a particular instance of the other. It is concluded that the broadest one constitutes the general solution to the logical conditioning inference problem.
Traumatic life events and suicide risk among jail inmates: The influence of types of events, time period and significant others
Authors: Blaauw E. , Arensman E. , Kraaij V. , Winkel F. W. , Bout R.
Published: December 2002

Relationships between traumatic life events and suicide risk were studied in two samples of jail inmates with a low (N = 216) and a high (N = 51) suicide risk. Although nonsuicidal inmates reported a high prevalence of traumatic life events, suicidal inmates reported even higher prevalence rates. Suicidal inmates reported more episodes of sexual abuse, physical maltreatment, emotional maltreatment, abandonment, and suicide attempts by significant others. They also had experienced more traumatic life events during childhood, later life, and detention. It is concluded that traumatic life events are associated with suicide risk and that such an association remains in a population with a high prevalence of traumatic life events. It is also concluded that suicide risk is dependent of the type of life event, the timing of the event, and the type of persons involved in the event.
Evaluating Attributions for an Illness Based Upon the Name: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalopathy and Florence Nightingale Disease
Authors: Jason Leonard A. , Taylor Renee R. , Plioplys Sigita , Stepanek Zuzanna , Shlaes Jennifer
Published: December 2002

In recent years, considerable discussion has occurred about stigma surrounding the name given to an illness currently known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Although patients and medical personnel have expressed varying opinions on this issue, no studies have evaluated how beliefs about the illness change based upon the type of name used for diagnostic purposes. Proposals have been put forth to rename the illness with an eponym (a famous patient's or researcher's name) or with a less trivial sounding, more medically based type of name. In this study, attributions about CFS were measured in three groups of medical trainees. All groups read the same case study of a person with classic symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, with the only difference being in the type of name given. Trainees then were asked to provide attributions about certain aspects of the illness, including its cause, severity, and prognosis. Results suggested that, across name conditions, most trainees appeared to consider the symptom complex of CFS a serious illness resulting in poor quality of life. In addition, findings indicated that the name, chronic fatigue syndrome, may be regarded less seriously than the Myalgic Encephalopathy name with respect to some important aspects of the illness. In this study, specialty of medical trainee also played a role in how the illness was perceived.
Children exposed to warfare: A longitudinal study
Authors: Dyregrov Atle , Gjestad Rolf , Raundalen Magne
Published: December 2002

Following the 1991 Gulf War a group of 94 children in Iraq were interviewed at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after the war. The group was exposed to the bombing of a shelter where more than 750 were killed. Selected items from different inventories, including the Impact of Event Scale (IES) assessed children's reactions. Results reveal that children continue to experience sadness and remain afraid of losing their family. Although there was no significant decline in intrusive and avoidance reactions as measured by the IES from 6 months to 1 year following the war, reactions were reduced 2 years after the war. However, the scores were still high, indicating that symptoms persist, with somewhat diminished intensity over time.
The Process Through Which an Advocacy Intervention Resulted in Positive Change for Battered Women Over Time
Authors: Bybee Deborah I. , Sullivan Cris M.
Published: December 2002

A prior experimental evaluation of a community‐based advocacy program for women with abusive partners demonstrated positive change in the lives of women even 2 years postintervention (C. M. Sullivan & D. I. Bybee, 1999). The current study explored the complex mediational process through which this change occurred, using longitudinal structural equation modeling and formal tests of mediation. As hypothesized, the advocacy intervention first resulted in women successfully obtaining desired community resources and increasing their social support, which enhanced their overall quality of life. This improvement in well‐being appeared to serve as a protective factor from subsequent abuse, as women who received the intervention were significantly less likely to be abused at 2‐year follow‐up compared with women in the control condition. Increased quality of life completely mediated the impact of the advocacy intervention on later reabuse. Discussion places advocacy for women in the context of other efforts that are needed to build an effective community response to preventing intimate violence against women.
Mentoring College‐Age Women: A Relational Approach
Authors: Liang Belle , Tracy Allison J. , Taylor Catherine A. , Williams Linda M.
Published: December 2002

Despite the popularity of mentoring programs, the relational dimension of mentoring has not been elucidated. Traditional conceptions of mentoring may exclude factors that are particularly important for women and girls, thus limiting the efficacy of mentoring programs for female adolescents. We suggest that the presence of relational qualities in the mentoring relationship (e.g., empathy, engagement, authenticity, and empowerment) strongly influences the success of mentoring in the lives of young women. In this study, we use a promising new measure of mentoring, the Relational Health Index – Mentor, to explore the impact of relational aspects of mentoring in female college students. We found that mentoring relationships high in relational qualities were associated with higher self‐esteem and less loneliness.
Variations in Transmembrane Ca2+ Gradient and Apoptosis of Macrophages Induced by Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein
Authors: Yang Xiaoyi , Zhang Yuzhong , Huang Youguo , Yang Fuyu
Published: December 2002

While Ca2+ has been proposed to be a messenger in OxLDL-induced cell death, few studies have addressed the possibility that it may influence the occurrence of apoptosis and necrosis of macrophages induced by OxLDL in virtue of change of transmembrane Ca2+ gradient including that across plasma membrane and intracellular organelle membranes. In this paper, various lipophilic Ca2+ fluorescent indicators and specific organelle markers were used to study the relationship between the changes of the transmembrane Ca2+ gradients and the OxLDL induced apoptosis of macrophages. Our results showed that following exposure of low dose OxLDL to macrophages, the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient across the plasma membrane, as well as the membrane-proximal Ca2+ gradient, the transnuclear, and the transmitochondrial membrane Ca2+ gradient were all changed significantly. These data suggested that changes in transmembrane Ca2+ gradients might be involved in the apoptosis of macrophages induced by OxLDL.
The Implementation of Regulation 1408/71 in the Member States of the European Union
Authors: Jorens Yves , Schulte Bernd
Published: December 2002

In the year 2000, reports were written on the implementation of co-ordination regulations in each of the Member States. These reports present interesting new information on how the regulations work and on implementation problems that were encountered. In this paper an overview of the main findings is given and some recommendations that might improve the co-ordination process are made.
Incident‐related stressors, locus of control, coping, and psychological distress among firefighters in Northern Ireland
Authors: Brown Jill , Mulhern Gerry , Joseph Stephen
Published: December 2002

This study was an investigation into the associations between incident‐related stressors, locus of control, coping, and psychological distress in firefighters in Northern Ireland during the time of political violence. Among 248 male firefighters, greater psychological distress was associated with greater frequency of incident‐related negative emotions, external locus of control, less task‐ and emotion‐focused coping, and greater avoidance coping. It was also found that the frequency of exposure to incident‐related stressors moderated the association between locus of control and psychological distress and that avoidance coping mediated the relationship between locus of control and psychological distress. Avoidance coping accounted for most of the explained variance in psychological distress. These results point to the potential value of coping‐skills training in emergency personnel.
The relation of appraisal, coping efforts, and acuteness of trauma to PTS symptoms among former political prisoners
Authors: Kanninen Katri , Punamäki Raija‐Leena , Qouta Samir
Published: December 2002

We examined how trauma‐specific appraisals and coping efforts mediate between traumatic experiences, acuteness of trauma, and length of imprisonment and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) among 103 Palestinian former political prisoners. The findings provide support for both direct and mediated models of trauma. The acuteness of trauma (time since release), appraisal of prison experience as harmful and involving loss, and use of both emotion‐ and problem‐focused coping efforts were associated with high levels of PTS symptoms. Torture and ill‐treatment had a direct association with intrusion, and recent release from prison with avoidance symptoms. Acuteness of trauma turned out to be important in the coping and symptom association: emotion‐focused coping was associated with a low level of PTS symptoms in the long run, whereas problem‐focused coping was associated with a low level of PTS symptoms in the short run.
Caregiver burden and psychological distress in partners of veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Calhoun Patrick S. , Beckham Jean C. , Bosworth Hayden B.
Published: December 2002

Caregiver burden and psychological distress were examined in a sample of 71 partners of Vietnam War combat veterans. Partners of patients (n = 51) diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced more caregiver burden and had poorer psychological adjustment than did partners of veterans without PTSD (n = 20). Among PTSD caregivers, patient PTSD symptom severity and level of interpersonal violence were associated with increased caregiver burden. When accounting for patient PTSD symptom severity, hostility, presence of major depression, level of interpersonal violence, and health complaints, only PTSD severity was uniquely associated with caregiver burden. Caregiver sociodemographic factors including age, race, education, and the availability of social support, did not moderate the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and caregiver burden. Caregiver burden was strongly related to spouse psychological adjustment.
Emergency room vital signs and PTSD in a treatment seeking sample of motor vehicle accident survivors
Authors: Blanchard Edward B. , Hickling Edward J. , Galovski Tara , Veazey Connie
Published: December 2002

Seeking to replicate earlier reports by Shalev et al. (1998) and R. A. Bryant. A. G. Harvey. R. M. Guthrie, and M. L. Moulds (2000) that elevated heart rate (HR) shortly after a trauma was predictive of later posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we examined vital sign data on 74 treatment‐seeking motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors, taken in the Emergency Department (ED) following their MVAs. Contrary to expectations, we found that those with elevated HRs in the ED were significantly less likely to meet criteria for PTSD 13 months post‐MVA and that those with elevated HRs had lower levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Likewise, those with current PTSD had lower ED values of HR and DBP than did those who did not currently meet criteria for PTSD.
Battered Women's Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress: Differences by Immigration Status
Authors: Yoshihama Mieko
Published: December 2002

People are rarely passive, and battered women are no exception. This study investigated the types of coping strategies women of Japanese descent (both Japan‐born and U.S.‐born) chose and their perceived effectiveness in dealing with their partners' violence. Japan‐born respondents were significantly less likely to use “active” strategies and perceived them to be less effective than did U.S.‐born respondents. For the Japan‐born, the more effective they perceived “active” strategies, the higher their psychological distress, whereas the more effective they perceived “passive” strategies, the lower their psychological distress. In contrast, for the U.S.‐born, the higher the perceived effectiveness of “active” strategies, the lower their psychological distress, and the perceived effectiveness of “passive” strategies had little effect on their psychological distress. The complex relationship between individuals' country of birth, the choice and perceived effectiveness of coping strategies, and psychological distress calls for increased attention to the role of culture in studies of coping and domestic violence.
Amyloid β-Peptide Promotes Permeability Transition Pore in Brain Mitochondria
Authors: Moreira Paula I. , Santos Maria S. , Moreno António , Oliveira Catarina
Published: December 2002

In this work the effect of the neurotoxic amino acid sequence, Aβ25–35, on brain mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) was studied. For the purpose, the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm), mitochondrial respiration and the calcium fluxes were examined. It was observed that Aβ25–35, in the presence of Ca2+, decreased the ΔΨm, the capacity of brain mitochondria to accumulate calcium and led to a complete uncoupling of the respiration. However, the reverse sequence of the peptide Aβ25–35 (Aβ35–25) did not promote the PTP. The alterations promoted by Aβ35–25 and/or Ca2+ could be reversed when Ca2+ was removed by EGTA or when ADP plus oligomycin were present. The pre-treatment with CsA or ADP plus oligomycin prevented the ΔΨm drop and preserved the capacity of mitochondria to accumulate Ca2+. These results suggest that Aβ25–35 can promote the PTP induced by Ca2+.
Gene therapy as an alternative to liver transplantation
Authors: Kren Betsy T. , Chowdhury Namita Roy , Chowdhury Jayanta Roy , Steer Clifford J.
Published: December 2002

Liver transplantation has become a well-recognized therapy for hepatic failure resulting from acute or chronic liver disease. It also plays a role in the treatment of certain inborn errors of metabolism that do not directly injure the liver. In fact, the liver maintains a central role in many inherited and acquired genetic disorders. There has been a considerable effort to develop new and more effective gene therapy approaches, in part, to overcome the need for transplantation as well as the shortage of donor livers. Traditional gene therapy involves the delivery of a piece of DNA to replace the faulty gene. More recently, there has been a growing interest in the use of gene repair to correct certain genetic defects. In fact, targeted gene repair has many advantages over conventional replacement strategies. In this review, we will describe a variety of viral and nonviral strategies that are now available to the liver. The ever-growing list includes viral vectors, antisense and ribozyme technology, and the Sleeping Beauty transposon system. In addition, targeted gene repair with RNA/DNA oligonucleotides, small-fragment homologous replacement, and triplex-forming and single-stranded oligonucleotides is a long-awaited and potentially exciting approach. Although each method uses different mechanisms for gene repair and therapy, they all share a basic requirement for the efficient delivery of DNA.
Application of the fundamental measure density functional theory to the adsorption in cylindrical pores
Authors: Figueroa-Gerstenmaier Susana , Blas Felipe J. , Avalos Josep Bonet , Vega Lourdes F.
Published: December 2002

In this work we have implemented the fundamental-measure density functional theory due to Kierlik and Rosinberg to describe the adsorption of Lennard-Jones molecules in cylindrical pores. The accuracy of the theory in predicting adsorption isotherms and particle density profiles is checked by comparison with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations for a wide range of pore sizes, showing very good agreement in all cases. In addition, the theory has been applied to the adsorption in slitlike pores to study the influence of the pore geometry on this property. The results indicate that the confinement of the cylindrical geometry introduces significant differences in the shape of the adsorption isotherms and density profiles. These differences are relevant for the characterization of porous materials.
A computational study of chlorofluoro-methyl radicals
Authors: Schwartz M. , Peebles L. R. , Berry R. J. , Marshall Paul
Published: December 2002

Chorine- and fluorine-containing methyl radicals have been investigated by ab initio methods. Geometries and vibrational frequencies were derived with quadratic configuration methods at the QCISD/6-311G(d,p) level of theory, and energies via QCISD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) and Gaussian 3 theory. Anharmonicity of the out of plane bending mode was taken into account by numerical integration of the Schrödinger equation with a potential derived from a relaxed scan of this mode. The results are in good accord with experimental data where available. For the radicals CHF2, CF3, CH2Cl, CHCl2, and CCl3, we compute ΔfH2980 values of −241.2, −465.9, 117.0, 91.1, and 72.2 kJ mol−1, respectively, which agree with well-established experimental values to within 2.2 kJ mol−1. For the more poorly characterized molecules CH2F, CHClF, CClF2, and CCl2F we compute ΔfH2980 values of −29.0, −63.8, −274.7, and −94.3 kJ mol−1, respectively, with recommended confidence limits of ±4.1 kJ mol−1.
Photonic crystal microprisms obtained by carving artificial opals
Authors: Fenollosa R. , Ibisate M. , Rubio S. , López C. , Meseguer F. , Sánchez-Dehesa J.
Published: December 2002

A method for fabrication of photonic crystal prisms is demonstrated. The procedure is based on micromanipulation techniques, here applied to artificial opals. By means of a microgrinder an opal prism comprising a single crystal (several tens of microns in size) has been carved with three different faces: (111), (110), and (100). The faces were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy and their optical reflectance spectra measured and compared with the theoretical band structure.
Bismuth telluride compounds with high thermoelectric figures of merit
Authors: Yamashita Osamu , Tomiyoshi Shoichi , Makita Ken
Published: December 2002

The thermoelectric properties of the p-type (Bi0.25Sb0.75)2Te3 doped with 8 wt. % excess Te and the n-type Bi2(Te0.94Se0.06)3 doped substantially with 0.07 wt. % I, 0.02 wt. % Te, and 0.03 wt. % CuBr which were grown by the Bridgman method at a rate of 6 cm/h were measured before and after annealing, where annealing was done in the temperature range from 473 up to 673 K for 2–5 h in a vacuum and a hydrogen stream. No annealing effect on the power factor was observed for the p-type specimen, but the as-grown p-type specimen exhibited a large power factor of 5.53×10−3 W/mK2 at 308 K and a low thermal conductivity of 1.21 W/mK. When the n-type specimen was annealed at 473 K for 2 h in a hydrogen stream, however, the power factor at 308 K increased significantly from 3.26×10−3 to 4.73×10−3 K−1 but its thermal conductivity then increased by about 3% from 1.26 to 1.30 W/mK. As a result, the maximum thermoelectric figure of merits Z at 308 K for the as-grown p- and annealed n-type specimens reached surprisingly great values of 4.57×10−3 K−1 and 3.67×10−3 K−1, respectively, with corresponding ZT values of 1.41 and 1.13. The present materials are sure to belong to the highest class in the Z and ZT values as bismuth telluride bulk compounds.
Model based comparison of thermal and plasma chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanotubes
Authors: Hash D. B. , Meyyappan M.
Published: December 2002

A model-based comparison of thermal and plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques for the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from methane feedstock is presented. In thermal CVD, the feedstock does not dissociate in the gas phase at temperatures commonly used for single- and multiwalled CNT growth (⩽900 °C) and the nanotube production is entirely due to surface reaction of CH4 on the catalyst surface. In contrast, plasma reactors produce, through electron impact as well as neutral reactions, significant amounts of acetylene, ethylene, a variety of CxHy radicals and ions from the methane/hydrogen feedstock, all of which contribute to the nanotube production. Such production of higher order stable hydrocarbons and radicals may make growth of single-walled CNTs difficult using low temperature plasma CVD techniques.
Nondispersive hole transport in amorphous films of methoxy-spirofluorene-arylamine organic compound
Authors: Poplavskyy Dmitry , Nelson Jenny
Published: December 2002

Hole transport in the organic small molecule material 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis-(N,N-di-4- methoxyphenylamino)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (methoxy-spiro) is studied by three different experimental techniques: Time of flight (TOF), dark-injection space-charge-limited current transients and steady-state current–voltage characteristics, and over a wide range of electric fields, sample thicknesses and temperatures. It is shown that room-temperature mobilities measured by all three methods agree well over a range of studied thicknesses from 4 μm down to 135 nm. Temperature-dependent TOF measurements are analyzed within the Gaussian disorder model and the parameters of charge transport in this material are extracted. Comparison with the data reported for other spirolinked compounds indicate a significant increase of the mobility prefactor in the methoxy-spiro, which is attributed to the increased spread of the highest occupied molecular orbital wave function in this material.
Nucleation of pores in amphiphile bilayers
Authors: Talanquer V. , Oxtoby David W.
Published: December 2002

Density functional theory is used to study pore formation in bilayer membranes in amphiphile solutions. The theory is applied to an interaction site model of surfactant molecules composed of two tangent spheres, with effective interactions that mimic the effect of the solvation forces induced by water. The free energy functional of the system exhibits local minima corresponding to planar structures, representing bilayer membranes. Pores in the bilayer are characterized by the rearrangement of the hydrophilic sites along the rim of the pore to shield the hydrophobic sites from solution. Our mean-field approach predicts the formation of stable microholes with a radius comparable to the molecular length. For membranes with a positive surface tension, the energy cost of creating a hole passes through a maximum as a function of the pore’s radius, as predicted by classical nucleation theory. For large pores, the actual values of the nucleation barrier and the size of the critical nucleus can be approximated using a modified classical expression based on the surface tension and line tension of the planar bilayer.