bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term outcome of patients treated with terlipressin for types 1 and 2 hepatorenal syndrome
Authors: Testro Adam G , Wongseelashote Sarah , Angus Peter W , Gow Paul J
Published: September 2007

Background:  Studies suggest that terlipressin is effective in the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). However, factors predicting response to therapy and the long‐term outcome of patients have not been defined.

Methods:  We reviewed all patients from our institution treated with terlipressin between July 1, 2001 and December 31, 2005 for HRS. Follow up continued until June 30, 2006. HRS was defined according to the International Ascites Club. The following data were retrieved: age, gender, etiology of liver disease, Child‐Pugh score, HRS precipitant, therapy duration, creatinine at day 0 and end of treatment, adverse events, and patient outcome.

Results:  Sixty‐nine patients were included. Forty‐nine episodes (71%) of HRS were type 1, and 20 episodes (29%) type 2. Forty‐one (59.4%) patients responded to terlipressin. Two variables predicted renal function improvement: type 1 HRS and age. Twenty‐one (30.4%) patients survived; 17 (81%) had type 1 HRS while four (19%) had type 2 HRS (P = 0.27). The only factor predicting transplant‐free survival was type 1 HRS. No patients with type 2 HRS survived without transplantation (P = 0.02).

Conclusions:  The only factor predicting transplant‐free survival following terlipressin therapy is the presence of type 1 HRS. Therefore, it is difficult to justify the use of this drug in patients with type 2 HRS who are not liver transplant candidates.
Physician attitudes towards ventilatory support for spinal muscular atrophy type 1 in Australasia
Authors: Geevasinga Nimeshan , Ryan Monique M
Published: September 2007

Background:  Without ventilatory support, premature death from respiratory insufficiency is virtually universal in infants with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1). With mechanical ventilation, however, long‐term survival has been reported from numerous international centres. We aimed to characterize physician attitudes to the various forms of ventilatory support for children with SMA1.

Methods:  We surveyed neurologists, respiratory physicians, clinical geneticists and intensivists from all major paediatric hospitals in Australia and New Zealand regarding their views on ventilatory management of SMA1.

Results:  Ninety‐two of the 157 (59%) physicians surveyed replied. Respondents included 16 clinical geneticists, 19 intensive care physicians, 28 neurologists and 29 respiratory physicians. Almost half (47%) opposed invasive ventilation of children with SMA1 and respiratory failure precipitated by intercurrent illness. The majority (76%) opposed invasive ventilatory support for chronic respiratory failure in SMA1. In contrast, non‐invasive ventilation was felt by 85% to be appropriate for acute respiratory deteriorations, with 49% supporting long‐term non‐invasive ventilatory support. Most physicians felt that decisions regarding ventilation should be made jointly by parents and doctors, and that hospital Clinical Ethics Committees should be involved in the event of discordant opinion regarding further management. A majority felt that a defined hospital policy would be valuable in guiding management of SMA1.

Conclusions:  Respiratory support in SMA1 is an important issue with significant ethical, financial and resource management implications. Most physicians in Australian and New Zealand oppose invasive ventilatory support for chronic respiratory failure in SMA1. Non‐invasive ventilation is an accepted intervention for acute respiratory decompensation and may have a role in the long‐term management of SMA1. Clinical Ethics Committees and institutional policies have a place in guiding physicians and parents in the management of children with SMA1.
Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in acute watery diarrhoea of Indian children: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Basu Sriparna , Chatterjee Mridula , Ganguly Sutapa , Chandra Pranab K
Published: September 2007

Aim:  To evaluate the role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) as probiotic in acute watery diarrhoea (AWD).

Setting:  Hospital‐based study.

Design:  Randomised, controlled, blinded trial.

Patients and Method:  All patients of AWD (n = 684) admitted over 1‐year period were invited to participate in the study as per predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomised to intervention and control groups. After adequate rehydration the intervention group (n = 330) received ORS with probiotic powder containing 60 million cells of LGG, while the control group (n = 332) received ORS alone twice daily for a minimum period of 7 days or till diarrhoea ceased. During the study period all patients received ORS and/or IV fluids for ongoing losses, and nutritional supplementation. None of them received any antibiotic or antidiarrhoeal medication. After exclusion of 16 patients, 646 (323 in each arm) patients completed the study. The daily frequency and total duration of diarrhoea and vomiting and the length of hospital stay were studied. Data were analysed by SPSS‐10 software. Statistical significance was calculated by Student's t‐test and χ2‐test.

Results:  Rotavirus was isolated in 75.85%. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the daily frequency or duration of diarrhoea or vomiting or in the length of hospital stay. No complication was observed from the use of LGG.

Conclusion:  LGG supplementation does not decrease the frequency and duration of diarrhoea and vomiting in children with AWD, and does not reduce hospital stay in these patients.
Wilms' tumor 1 message and protein expression in bone marrow failure syndrome and acute leukemia
Authors: Iwasaki Takashi , Sugisaki Chiho , Nagata Kohzo , Takagi Kenji , Takagi Akira , Kojima Tetsuhito , Ito Masafumi , Nakamura Shigeo , Naoe Tomoki , Murate Takashi
Published: September 2007

Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) is a useful marker for the diagnosis of acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In the current study quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining were used simultaneously to examine the relationship between WT1 RNA and protein level and also to evaluate WT1 as a tool to differentiate aplastic anemia (AA) and MDS refractory anemia (RA). Three types of WT1 messages (total, exon 5(+) and KTS(+)) and WT1 immunostaining of these diseases were analyzed. An increase of all three WT1 messages in high‐grade MDS and acute leukemia was observed as compared with the normal control, whereas there was no significant difference in WT1 message between AA and RA, suggesting that WT1 message is not a good tool to discriminate AA and RA. No significant difference was observed between normal and RA, except for exon 5 message. Three WT1 message levels had a significant correlation, suggesting that the total WT1 message is sufficient for clinical practice. Positive immunostaining of WT1 was observed only in the portion of acute leukemia and overt leukemia (OL) transformed from MDS with a high WT1 message level, suggesting the relatively high detection threshold of WT1 protein with the immunostaining method.
Overexpression of themyctarget geneMina53in advanced renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Ishizaki Hironori , Yano Hirohisa , Tsuneoka Makoto , Ogasawara Sachiko , Akiba Jun , Nishida Naoyo , Kojiro Sakiko , Fukahori Suguru , Moriya Fukuko , Matsuoka Kei , Kojiro Masamichi
Published: September 2007

Themyctarget geneMina53was reported to be overexpressed in esophageal cancer with a poor prognosis. The purpose of the present study was to examined Mina53 expression and its relationship to clinicopathological parameters in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Mina53 and Ki‐67 expression was examined on immunohistochemistry for 64 surgically resected RCC and non‐cancerous tissue. In addition, the relationship between Mina53 expression and clinicopathological prognostic factors of RCC such as age, stage, microvenous invasion (MVI), histological subtype, Ki‐67 labeling index (LI), and prognosis, was examined. Mina53 was expressed in the nuclei of tumor cells and tubular nuclei of normal renal tissue. The expression level of Mina53 was significantly higher in patients with poor prognostic factors (stage IV, MVI‐positive, and sarcomatoid RCC, and high Ki‐67 LI). The prognosis of high Mina53‐expressing tumors was significantly poorer than that of non‐Mina53‐high tumors (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, Mina53 is overexpressed in RCC tissue from patients with poor prognostic factors, suggesting that Mina53 overexpression is one of the factors for poor prognosis in RCC.
Leiomyosarcoma with dedifferentiation in a premenopausal patient discovered after uterine artery embolization
Authors: Iihara Kuniko , Hirano Kazuhiko , Fujioka Yasunori , Sakamoto Atsuhiko
Published: September 2007

Although a hysterectomy is the most common treatment for relieving the symptoms attributable to uterine leiomyomas, uterine artery embolization (UAE) is now being used more frequently as an alternative to a hysterectomy. However, it is difficult to differentiate a leiomyoma from a leiomyosarcoma without performing a pathological examination. Reported herein is a rare case of leiomyosarcoma that showed dedifferentiation of the tumor cells after UAE. A premenopausal 48‐year‐old woman had been suffering from hypermenorrhea for 4 years before visiting the clinic. She underwent UAE for suspected symptomatic leiomyoma. Two months later, dilatation and curettage was performed because of genital bleeding and a necrotic mass was submitted for pathological examination. Three months after curettage, with renewed symptoms, endometrial biopsy was done, which confirmed pleomorphic sarcoma. Metastatic nodes to the lung were also found at that time. Multiple leiomyosarcomas and a leiomyosarcoma showing dedifferentiation of the uterine body were found on pathological examination. The patient had metastatic nodes to the brain later and died of metastatic disease 20 months in total after UAE. This is a rare case of leiomyosarcoma with dedifferentiation and multiple metastases occurring after UAE, suggesting that dedifferentiation could be derived from ordinary leiomyosarcoma and that the traumatic effect of curettage might cause early metastasis. The present case is a warning that careful and detailed evaluation of the uterine tumor are needed before UEA.
Pleomorphic ductal carcinoma of the breast with predominant micropapillary features
Authors: Leniček Tanja , Szerda Ferenc , Demirović Alma , Mijić August , Krušlin Božo , Tomas Davor
Published: September 2007

An 83‐year‐old woman with long‐standing chronic ischemic cardiac and obstructive pulmonary disease, presented with a painless tumor in her right breast. Microscopically the tumor consisted of micropapillary formations and loosely cohesive nests and strands of large, highly pleomorphic cells. Micropapillary formations were surrounded by peritumoral retraction clefting, and the papillae lacked a true fibrovascular core. Multinucleated giant and bizarre tumor cells were also present and numerous. Within the tumor a high‐grade intraductal component with the same cell morphology and necrosis and mucin production was found. Micropapillary pattern occupied approximately 60% of the tumor mass, loosely cohesive nests and strands approximately 20% and an intraductal component was noted in approximately 20% of the tumor mass. On immunohistochemistry the tumor cells were positive for pan‐cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), S100 protein and E‐cadherin while estrogen and progesterone receptors, HER2‐neu and Bcl2 were negative. EMA staining was diffuse and observed in the outer and inner margins of neoplastic nests. The diagnosis of pleomorphic breast carcinoma with predominant micropapillary features was established. In summary, micropapillary carcinoma can be distinguished from other types of breast carcinoma with micropapillary growth pattern on the basis of reverse cell polarity, which is easily confirmed on immunohistochemistry.
A methane‐driven microbial food web in a wetland rice soil
Authors: Murase Jun , Frenzel Peter
Published: September 2007

Methane oxidation is a key process controlling methane emission from anoxic habitats into the atmosphere. Methanotrophs, responsible for aerobic methane oxidation, do not only oxidize but also assimilate methane. Once assimilated, methane carbon may be utilized by other organisms. Here we report on a microbial food web in a rice field soil driven by methane. A thin layer of water‐saturated rice field soil was incubated under opposing gradients of oxygen and13C‐labelled methane. Bacterial and eukaryotic communities incorporating methane carbon were analysed by RNA‐stable isotope probing (SIP). Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) and cloning showed that methanotrophs were the most prominent group of bacteria incorporating methane carbon. In addition, a fewMyxobacteria‐related sequences were obtained from the ‘heavy’ rRNA fraction. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) targeting 18S rRNA detected various groups of protists in the ‘heavy’ rRNA fraction including naked amoeba (LoboseaandHeterolobosea), ciliates (Colpodea) and flagellates (Cercozoa). Incubation of soil under different methane concentrations in air resulted in the development of distinct protozoan communities. These results suggest that methane carbon is incorporated into non‐methanotrophic pro‐ and microeukaryotes probably via grazing, and that methane oxidation is a shaping force of the microeukaryotic community depending on methane availability.
Dynamics and predictive modelling of Vibrio spp. in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA
Authors: Hsieh Jennifer L. , Fries J. Stephen , Noble Rachel T.
Published: September 2007

Vibrio spp. are naturally occurring bacteria in marine and estuarine environments around the world. The genus includes several human and animal pathogens that can negatively impact human health, seafood and aquaculture. Vibrio spp. populations are capable of rapid adaptation in response to changing environmental conditions, making them dynamic over short‐term and seasonal scales. Temperature, vertical mixing, tidal flushing, climate, precipitation and nutrient loading can change the estuarine environment and subsequently alter microbial community structure, including Vibrio spp., affecting estuarine water quality and public health. To describe these dynamics, Vibrio spp. concentrations and a range of microbial, physical and chemical measures were monitored every 2 weeks and after storm events for 19 months in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE). Results showed clear seasonal and geographic trends in Vibrio spp. abundance. Multiple regression analysis revealed a strong relationship to temperature and salinity, with additional minor influences of chlorophyll a and dissolved organic carbon. Similar models based on easily measured environmental parameters should be pursued for individual Vibrio species in the NRE and other estuarine environments. Predictive models provide useful information for managers, researchers and modellers of estuarine ecosystems.
Renal neuroendocrine tumours: a clinicopathological study
Authors: Lane Brian R. , Chery Farah , Jour George , Sercia Linda , Magi‐Galluzzi Cristina , Novick Andrew C. , Zhou Ming
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVES

To report cases of primary neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the kidney, including carcinoid tumour, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell carcinoma (SCC), which show a wide range of NE differentiation and biological behaviour, and are exceedingly rare.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinicopathological features of all nine renal NETs diagnosed during a 7‐year period were reviewed.

RESULTS

Six carcinoids, two SCC and one LCNEC were identified from 2780 kidney tumours. No patient had carcinoid syndrome or other NE symptoms. Three of six carcinoids and no SCC/LCNEC arose in horseshoe kidneys. The mean size of the six carcinoids and three SCC/LCNEC was 4.8 cm and 12.2 cm, respectively. No carcinoid had tumour necrosis or mitosis. By contrast, three SCC/LCNEC had extensive tumour necrosis and brisk mitosis. All renal NETs were positive for synaptophysin but were variably positive for chromogranin and CD56. Three of six carcinoid tumours were confined to the kidney, and four of five patients were disease‐free at a mean (range) of 26 (6–74) months. One patient with nodal metastases has had no recurrence and another died with liver metastases. Three patients with SCC/LCNEC each presented with locally advanced disease and extensive lymphadenopathy; two of them died from distant metastasis or local tumour progression, and the third is currently alive with disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Various NETs can occur in the kidney, but rarely. Renal carcinoids have a variable clinical course; SCC and LCNEC are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The diagnosis of NETs, especially LCNEC, requires awareness of their rare occurrence and prudent use of immunohistochemical NE markers.
Autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts for female stress incontinence: a 1‐year follow‐up in 123 patients
Authors: Mitterberger Michael , Marksteiner Rainer , Margreiter Eva , Pinggera Germar M. , Colleselli Daniela , Frauscher Ferdinand , Ulmer Hanno , Fussenegger Martin , Bartsch Georg , Strasser Hannes
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy and safety of the application of autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts for treating female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after a follow‐up of ≥1 year.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 123 women with SUI (aged 36–84 years) were treated with transurethral ultrasonography‐guided injections with autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts obtained from skeletal muscle biopsies. The fibroblasts were suspended in a small amount of collagen as carrier material and injected into the urethral submucosa, while the myoblasts were implanted into the rhabdosphincter. All patients were evaluated before and 12 months after the injection using the Incontinence and Quality of Life Instrument (I‐QOL) scores, urodynamic variables, and morphology and function of the urethra and rhabdosphincter.

RESULTS

At 1 year after implanting the cells, 94 of the 119 women (79%) were completely continent, 16 (13%) had a substantial improvement and nine (8%) a slight improvement. Four patients were lost to follow‐up.The incontinence and I‐QOL scores, and the thickness, contractility and electromyographic activity of the rhabdosphincter were significantly improved after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show the efficacy and safety of transferring autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts in the treatment of female SUI, after a follow‐up of 1 year.
Seminal vesicle‐sparing perineal radical prostatectomy improves early functional results in patients with low‐risk prostate cancer
Authors: Albers Peter , Schäfers Sebastian , Löhmer Hans , De Geeter Patrick
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVE

To report a new and improved seminal vesicle‐sparing (SV) technique of radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP) as an option for patients with localized prostate cancer, which is currently competing with the retropubic RP (RRP), endoscopic and robotic approaches.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From July 2003 to July 2006, 507 RPs were undertaken within a three‐arm, unrandomized phase II trial. Patients were selected for RPP if they had a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of ≤10 ng/mL, a Gleason sum of ≤7 and a prostate volume of ≤50 mL. This group was randomly divided in those having SV‐RPP (147 men) and a classical RPP (171); men in the third group with adverse factors were offered a classical RRP (190). The main endpoint of the trial was the early continence rate at 4 weeks after surgery.

RESULTS

The oncological outcome of patients treated with SV‐RPP was no different from that of RPP or RRP. Continence rates (0–1 pad/day) at 4 weeks and 12 months after SV‐RPP were 61.7% and 96.3%, respectively, and significantly higher than with RPP (P < 0.023) and RRP (P < 0.005). The transfusion rates (3.4%), anastomotic leaks (6.6%) and mean operative duration (90 min) were significantly lower.

CONCLUSIONS

SV‐RPP is a better technique in reducing complications during and after surgery for selected patients. Leaving the SV in place did not increase the short‐term PSA relapse rates. As the operation was significantly faster and with better early recovery, SV‐RPP might be justified if the long‐term oncological data confirm the efficacy of the approach.
Alleviating peanut allergy using genetic engineering: the silencing of the immunodominant allergen Ara h 2 leads to its significant reduction and a decrease in peanut allergenicity
Authors: Dodo Hortense W. , Konan Koffi N. , Chen Fur C. , Egnin Marceline , Viquez Olga M.
Published: September 2007

Peanut allergy is one of the most life‐threatening food allergies and one of the serious challenges facing the peanut and food industries. Current proposed solutions focus primarily on ways to alter the immune system of patients allergic to peanut. However, with the advent of genetic engineering novel strategies can be proposed to solve the problem of peanut allergy from the source. The objectives of this study were to eliminate the immunodominant Ara h 2 protein from transgenic peanut using RNA interference (RNAi), and to evaluate the allergenicity of resulting transgenic peanut seeds. A 265‐bp‐long PCR product was generated from the coding region of Ara h 2 genomic DNA, and cloned as inverted repeats in pHANNIBAL, an RNAi‐inducing plant transformation vector. The Ara h 2‐specific RNAi transformation cassette was subcloned into a binary pART27 vector to construct plasmid pDK28. Transgenic peanuts were produced by infecting peanut hypocotyl explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA 105 harbouring the pDK28 construct. A total of 59 kanamycin‐resistant peanut plants were regenerated with phenotype and growth rates comparable to wild type. PCR and Southern analyses revealed that 44% of plants stably integrated the transgene. Sandwich ELISA performed using Ara h 2‐mAbs revealed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in Ara h 2 content in several transgenic seeds. Western immunobloting performed with Ara h 2‐mAb corroborated the results obtained with ELISA and showed absence of the Ara h 2 protein from crude extracts of several transgenic seeds of the T0 plants. The allergenicity of transgenic peanut seeds expressed as IgE binding capacity was evaluated by ELISA using sera of patients allergic to peanut. The data showed a significant decrease in the IgE binding capacity of selected transgenic seeds compared to wild type, hence, demonstrating the feasibility of alleviating peanut allergy using the RNAi technology.
THRESHOLD CONSIDERATIONS IN FAIR ALLOCATION OF HEALTH RESOURCES: JUSTICE BEYOND SCARCITY
Authors: ALVAREZ ALLEN ANDREW A.
Published: September 2007

Application of egalitarian and prioritarian accounts of health resource allocation in low‐income countries have both been criticized for implying distribution outcomes that allow decreasing/undermining health gains and for tolerating unacceptable standards of health care and health status that result from such allocation schemes. Insufficient health care and severe deprivation of health resources are difficult to accept even when justified by aggregative efficiency or legitimized by fair deliberative process in pursuing equality and priority oriented outcomes. I affirm the sufficientarian argument that, given extreme scarcity of public health resources in low‐income countries, neither health status equality between populations nor priority for the worse off is normatively adequate. Nevertheless, the threshold norm alone need not be the sole consideration when a country's total health budget is extremely scarce. Threshold considerations are necessary in developing a theory of fair distribution of health resources that is sensitive to the lexically prior norm of sufficiency. Based on the intuition that shares must not be taken away from those who barely achieve a minimal level of health, I argue that assessments based on standards of minimal physical/mental health must be developed to evaluate the sufficiency of the total resources of health systems in low‐income countries prior to pursuing equality, priority, and efficiency based resource allocation. I also begin to examine how threshold sensitive health resource assessment could be used in the Philippines.
FROZEN EMBRYOS, GENETIC INFORMATION AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Authors: CHAN SARAH , QUIGLEY MUIREANN
Published: September 2007

Recent ethical and legal challenges have arisen concerning the rights of individuals over their IVF embryos, leading to questions about how, when the wishes of parents regarding their embryos conflict, such situations ought to be resolved. A notion commonly invoked in relation to frozen embryo disputes is that of reproductive rights: a right to have (or not to have) children. This has sometimes been interpreted to mean a right to have, or not to have, one's own genetic children. But can such rights legitimately be asserted to give rise to claims over embryos? We examine the question of property in genetic material as applied to gametes and embryos, and whether rights over genetic information extend to grant control over IVF embryos. In particular we consider the purported right not to have one's own genetically related children from a property‐based perspective. We argue that even if we concede that such (property) rights do exist, those rights become limited in scope and application upon engaging in reproduction. We want to show that once an IVF embryo is created for the purpose of reproduction, any right not to have genetically‐related children that may be based in property rights over genetic information is ceded. There is thus no right to prevent one's IVF embryos from being brought to birth on the basis of a right to avoid having one's own genetic children. Although there may be reproductive rights over gametes and embryos, these are not grounded in genetic information.
MORAL STATUS OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS: PERSPECTIVE OF AN AFRICAN VILLAGER
Authors: TANGWA GODFREY B.
Published: September 2007

One of the most important as well as most awesome achievements of modern biotechnology is the possibility of cloning human embryonic stem cells, if not human beings themselves. The possible revolutionary role of such stem cells in curative, preventive and enhancement medicine has been voiced and chorused around the globe. However, the question of the moral status of embryonic stem cells has not been clearly and unequivocally answered. Taking inspiration from the African adage that ‘the hand that reaches beneath the incubating hen is not guiltless’, I attempt answering this question, from the background of traditional African moral sensibility and sensitivity. I reach the following conclusions. Stem cells in themselves do not have human status and therefore lack moral worth/value. Embryos do have human status and a morally significant line cannot be drawn between human embryos and other human beings. What is morally at stake in stem cell research is therefore the question of the source of derivation or generation of the cells, not of the cells as such.
POSTMENOPAUSAL MOTHERHOOD: IMMORAL, ILLEGAL? A CASE STUDY
Authors: CUTAS DANIELA
Published: September 2007

The paper explores the ethics of post‐menopausal motherhood by looking at the case of Adriana Iliescu, the oldest woman ever to have given birth (so far 1). To this end, I will approach the three most common objections brought against the mother and/or against the team of healthcare professionals who made it happen: the age of the mother, the fact that she is single, the appropriateness of her motivation and of that of the medical team.
Refocusing the Focus Group: AIRing as a Basis for Effective Workplace Planning
Authors: Eggins Rachael A. , O'Brien Anne T. , Reynolds Katherine J. , Haslam S. Alexander , Crocker Andrew S.
Published: September 2007

Organizations commonly make use of focus groups for planning purposes while giving little thought to the dimensions on which those groups are formed. This paper argues that the dimensions of group formation have a significant effect on the ultimate success of any planning exercise. This is because in all organizations people necessarily self‐categorize as members of groups that shape the way they think and act at work. However, there is often a lack of fit between the way organizations categorize employees and the way those employees categorize themselves. To the extent that there is a lack of fit between imposed and self‐identified categories, we argue that organizations will fail to effectively harness group resources. Any planning strategy that makes use of groups should organize people in terms of identities that are most relevant to their work in order (a) to have an impact on the way people think and act and (b) to ensure that people have (and feel that they have) the opportunity to provide input that is relevant, useful and important for the organization. The paper discusses a technique, AIRing, that allows organizations to address this issue effectively. This is the first stage of the ASPIRe negotiation‐based planning model (Eggins et al., Social Identity at Work: Developing Theory for Organizational Practice, pp. 241–260, Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis, 2003; Haslam et al., British Journal of Management, 14 (2003), pp. 357–369).
A search theoretic model of productivity, science and innovation
Authors: Makri Marianna , Lane Peter J.
Published: September 2007

Building on macroeconomic research on technology searches in response to diminishing technological opportunities, we develop an industry‐level search theoretic model of productivity, knowledge sources, and innovation. We argue that increasing the use of science in technology development increases the novelty of ideas in the innovation search distribution and thus increases the likelihood of finding productivity improvements. We also propose that this relationship will hold outside the traditional science‐based industries (pharmaceuticals, chemicals), and that there is no similar relationship between productivity and non‐science patents. Random effect analyses of 32 US manufacturing industries during 1985–1997 support these hypotheses.
Managing innovation in an emerging sector: the case of marine‐based nutraceuticals
Authors: Sankaran Jayaram K. , Mouly V. Suchitra
Published: September 2007

Biotechnology is turning a traditionally low‐tech industry (food) into a high‐tech industry (functional food/nutraceuticals). There is a real need to enhance managerial understanding by clarifying the nature of innovation processes in the functional food industry, including the role of research and development (R&D) and collaboration. The present investigation focuses on a particular segment of the functional food industry, viz. marine‐based nutraceuticals. We find that various hurdles thwart the fullest realization of the business potential of marine bio‐actives in the pharmaceutical space. However, the innovation of commercially viable marine‐based nutraceuticals/cosmeceuticals is yet possible if the extraction route for supply is a feasible fallback option, should industrial‐scale synthesis prove elusive. Effectiveness in innovation is facilitated by the collaboration of various disciplines including epidemiology, traditional/folkloric medicine, aquaculture/fermentation, natural products chemistry, toxicology, and relevant strands of medical, pharmacological, and clinical research. In this regard, the inter‐disciplinary field of ethno‐pharmacology rises to prominence. Universities and government research institutes may be well positioned to drive such collaboration and reap the benefits from problem definition in addition to problem solving. Toward this end, the findings from the present study are integrated into a phased approach toward the innovation of commercially viable marine‐based nutraceuticals that is targeted at entrepreneurs in this field.
An empirical examination of the relationship between scientists' work environment and research performance
Authors: Ryan James C. , Hurley John
Published: September 2007

This research is an empirical examination of the relationship between organizational characteristics and scientific research effectiveness. A sample of research‐active scientists (N=295) from 25 biological and chemical science university research departments took part in this study. Data were collected using the Organizational Culture Survey (Glaser et al., 1987), which measures six organizational characteristics of the research environment. Organizational characteristics are analysed across a measure of departmental research performance. Results support the hypothesis that specific characteristics of the organizational environment are related to research performance. The implications of these findings for the existing literature and the future management and organization of scientific research departments are discussed.
Discourse, Learning and Welfare State Change: The Case of German Labour Market Reforms
Authors: Seeleib‐Kaiser Martin , Fleckenstein Timo
Published: September 2007

In this article we argue that Germany has significantly changed its approach to labour market policies (LMPs) during the past decade; in many instances Britain has served as a model to learn from. In a first step, we identify the core institutional arrangements of the conservative approach to LMP in Germany and contrast them with the liberal approach, using the UK as an example. Secondly, we trace the development and nature of changes in German LMP since the 1990s. We show that the policy has increasingly incorporated elements of, and to a considerable extent shifted towards, a liberal approach. Thirdly, we review competing theoretical approaches that might explain this turn in LMP and conclude that changed interpretative patterns have been crucial to understand the overall shift. Fourthly, utilizing the policy transfer framework, we show that in regards to the specific policy instruments German policy‐makers have learnt from the experiences in the UK.
Pension Reforms in Europe and Life‐course Politics
Authors: Maier Robert , De Graaf Willibrord , Frericks Patricia
Published: September 2007

In recent years, somewhat drastic pension reforms have taken place in all European countries. The pension systems developed in the last century are no longer considered to be suited to the changing demographic constellations in European countries, and the financial sustainability of these systems is under threat. Moreover, the changing political and economic set‐up in European countries is also used to justify reforming the different pension systems. Different reasons can be given to explain the various pension reform measures without, however, there being any integrated coherence. We suggest that a politics of social policy, and of pension policy in particular, based on a life‐course perspective, facilitates the understanding of the whole range of pension reform measures. In the past, the elaborated pension systems were attuned to a normative standard biography. A new standard biography, with different phases and more transitions and combinations, enables one to understand the variety of the ongoing pension reform measures. Such a life‐course perspective integrates sequences of learning, working and caring considered necessary for the polity. In other words, it is based on a conception of human potential, and it integrates, to some extent, the previously separate domains of labour market policy, education policy, care policy and pension policy. However, recent theoretical and empirical studies of the life course lead to a critical evaluation of the new standard biography, with the conclusion that the new standard is one‐sided and scientifically unsound, entailing challenges for social policy.
‘More real than reality’: a study of voice hearing
Authors: Karlsson Lis‐Bodil
Published: September 2007

Hearing voices can be considered as elusive or illusory hallucinations in the sense that they are perceptions that have no external reason or even that they are divorced from reality. The aim of this article is to describe how participants in different focus groups account for and understand their voice‐hearing experiences. The study shows that voice hearing can be such an overwhelming experience that it can even be experienced as ‘more real than reality’. Voices are strong and powerful experiences that sometimes convey memories from the past or difficulties that the voice hearer would prefer to forget but in fact has had to confront. The voices also influence how the voice hearer sees his or her future. This study contributes to our knowledge of the world and language of voice hearers from the perspective of social work.
Hypothalamic neuronal histamine mediates the thyrotropin‐releasing hormone‐induced suppression of food intake1
Authors: Gotoh Koro , Fukagawa Koji , Fukagawa Tomiyo , Noguchi Hitoshi , Kakuma Tetsuya , Sakata Toshiie , Yoshimatsu Hironobu
Published: September 2007

We examined the involvement of thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) and TRH type 1 and 2 receptors (TRH‐R1 and TRH‐R2, respectively) in the regulation of hypothalamic neuronal histamine. Infusion of 100 nmol TRH into the rat third cerebroventricle (3vt) significantly decreased food intake (p < 0.05) compared to controls infused with phosphate‐ buffered saline. This TRH‐induced suppression of food intake was attenuated partially in histamine‐depleted rats pre‐treated with α‐fluoromethylhistidine (a specific suicide inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase) and in mice with targeted disruption of histamine H1 receptors. Infusion of TRH into the 3vt increased histamine turnover as assessed by pargyline‐induced accumulation of tele‐methylhistamine (t‐MH, a major metabolite of neuronal histamine in the brain) in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN), the paraventricular nucleus, and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in rats. In addition, TRH‐induced decrease of food intake and increase of histamine turnover were in a dose‐dependent manner. Microinfusion of TRH into the TMN increased t‐MH content, histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity and expression of HDC mRNA in the TMN. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TRH‐R2, but not TRH‐R1, was expressed within the cell bodies of histaminergic neurons in the TMN of rats. These results indicate that hypothalamic neuronal histamine mediates the TRH‐induced suppression of feeding behavior.
Evidence of Aβ‐ and transgene‐dependent defects in ERK‐CREB signaling in Alzheimer’s models
Authors: Ma Qiu‐Lan , Harris‐White Marni E. , Ubeda Oliver J. , Simmons Mychica , Beech Walter , Lim Giselle P. , Teter Bruce , Frautschy Sally A. , Cole Greg M.
Published: September 2007

Extracellular‐signal regulated kinase (ERK) signaling is critical for memory and tightly regulated by acute environmental stimuli. In Alzheimer disease transgenic models, active ERK is shown to first be increased, then later reduced, but whether these baseline changes reflect disruptions in ERK signaling is less clear. We investigated the influence of the familial Alzheimer’s disease transgene APPsw and β‐amyloid peptide (Aβ) immunoneutralization on cannulation injury‐associated (i.c.v. infusion) ERK activation. At both 12 and 22 months of age, the trauma‐associated activation of ERK observed in Tg− mice was dramatically attenuated in Tg+. In cortices of 22‐month‐old non‐infused mice, a reduction in ERK activation was observed in Tg+, relative to Tg− mice. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) anti‐Aβ infusion significantly increased phosphorylated ERK, its substrate cAMP‐response element‐binding protein (CREB) and a downstream target, the NMDA receptor subunit. We also demonstrated that Aβ oligomer decreased active ERK and subsequently active CREB in human neuroblastoma cells, which could be prevented by oligomer immunoneutralization. Aβ oligomers also inhibited active ERK and CREB in primary neurons, in addition to reducing the downstream post‐synaptic protein NMDA receptor subunit. These effects were reversed by anti‐oligomer. Our data strongly support the existence of an APPsw transgene‐dependent and Aβ oligomer‐mediated defect in regulation of ERK activation.
Time course of increased heme oxygenase activity and expression after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage: correlation with oxidative injury
Authors: Chen Mai , Regan Raymond F.
Published: September 2007

Heme oxygenase (HO) activity in tissue adjacent to an intracerebral hematoma may modulate cellular vulnerability to heme‐mediated oxidative injury. Although HO‐1 is induced after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the time course of this induction, its effect on tissue HO activity, and its association with oxidative injury markers has not been defined. We therefore quantified HO activity, HO‐1 expression, tissue heme content, and protein carbonylation for 8 days after injection of autologous blood into the mouse striatum. Increased striatal HO‐1 protein was observed within 24 h, peaked on day 5 at a level that was 10‐fold greater than baseline, and returned to baseline by day 8; HO‐2 expression was not altered. HO activity increased by only 1.6‐fold at its peak on day 5, and had also returned to baseline by day 8. A significant increase in protein carbonylation was observed at 3–5 days, which also was markedly attenuated by 8 days, concomitant with a return of tissue heme to near‐normal levels. These results suggest that the increase in HO activity in tissue surrounding an experimental ICH is considerably less than would be predicted based on an analysis of HO‐1 expression per se. As HO‐1 expression is temporally associated with increased tissue heme and increased protein carbonylation, it may be more useful as a marker of heme‐mediated oxidative stress in ICH models, rather than as an index of HO activity.
AUTOMATION OF SOLUBILITY PROFILES USING A FLOW CELL
Authors: SILLEN A. , ELLIOTT T.
Published: September 2007

The solubility profile technique is a means of characterizing the mineral phase of bones and fossils from archaeological and palaeontological sites. The method is based on the differential dissolution of variously substituted apatites in acetate buffer at pH 4.5. The original solubility profile protocol, which involves repetitive washing and centrifuging, is extremely cumbersome and time‐consuming. Here we describe an alternative, automatic method in which the fossil bone preparations are dissolved in a perspex cell. The behaviour of fossil preparations in the manual and automatic protocols are compared. We conclude that the dissolution cell is satisfactory for routine applications, but that the original, manual protocol is preferable for preliminary investigation of untested assemblages.
STRIKING THE BALANCE: THE ROLES OF PETROGRAPHY AND GEOCHEMISTRY IN STONE AXE STUDIES IN IRELAND*
Authors: MANDAL S.
Published: September 2007

There has been a long but sporadic history of research on stone axes in Ireland, leading to the formation of the Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) in 1990. The purpose of this paper is to outline the research strategy of the project and to indicate the petrological techniques that are being applied in parallel with archaeological and archival studies to classify and identify potential sources for Irish stone axes. These include macroscopic studies, transmitted and reflected light microscopy on polished thin sections and X‐ray fluorescence analyses. The results of the macroscopic examination of 15916 axes indicate that one rock type, porcellanite, was the dominant source, but that a wide range of other lithologies was also exploited. Several avenues for more detailed research are highlighted. A case study of gabbro axes demonstrates the value of this systematic approach to stone axe studies, and the results of this study suggest that some of these axes are petrographically consistent with British Group I, presumed to originate from sources in Cornwall, south‐west England.
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE STUDY OF WHITE MARBLES FROM THARROS (SARDINIA): A REAPPRAISAL OF THE TECHNIQUE, POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS*
Authors: ARMIENTO G. , ATTANASIO D. , PLATANIA R.
Published: September 2007

The characterization of various samples of white marble from the archaeological site of Tharros (Sardinia) is the starting point for the reexamination of the capabilities of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy as a tool for identifying the quarries of origin of ancient marble artefacts. Existing methods and data bases are employed for the assignment of our samples, but also reviewed to see if a more extensive use of the technique is feasible. It turns out that ESR spectroscopy, coupled with other available methods, may readily provide valuable information, often yielding the final answer to the problem of marble provenance. However, it is also clear that much work has still to be done to standardize the data collection and analysis procedures and to expand the available data base.
ANOMALOUS CARBON‐13 VALUES FOR FIBRE TEMPER IN CERAMICS*
Authors: SAMPSON C. G. , VOGEL J. C.
Published: September 2007

Ceramic vessels from Later Stone Age sites in the Seacow river valley, South Africa, were heavily tempered with C4 grasses. However, most δ13C values of the temper fall between the known δ13C ranges for C4 and C3 grasses. Among possible C3 additives that could skew the signal, ground bone, animal dung, alpine grass, Karoo scrub ash, and humic acid contamination are eliminated. The sherd surfaces yield fatty chars with C3‐like values. Although these are not enough to account for all the skewing, they represent only the final cooking event. They were preceded by many such events in which fat was absorbed into the C4 grass then charred to soot by later periods in the fire. Thus organic carbon with the isotope composition of the fat built up while the vessel remained in use.
MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF QUARTZ‐TEMPERED CERAMICS: PART II, HERTZIAN STRENGTH, WEAR RESISTANCE AND APPLICATIONS TO ANCIENT CERAMICS*
Authors: VEKINIS G. , KILIKOGLOU V.
Published: September 2007

Mechanical performance of ceramics can be measured by various techniques. Conventional testing usually requires multiple samples of large size and specific geometries and for this reason cannot be usually applied directly to ancient pottery. However, Hertzian strength and wear resistance can be measured on the same specimen, of small size, and it is shown that these tests can describe, to a good approximation, the basic ceramic mechanical propertics (strength and toughness). Therefore, these tests are proposed for use on archaeological specimens. An application on Punic amphorae found in Corinth is presented.
X‐RAY FLUORESCENCE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORONA FERREA*
Authors: MILAZZO M. , CICARDI C.
Published: September 2007

X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses of metals, glasses and enamels from the Corona Ferrea, or Iron Crown, of Monza are reported. The method followed to obtain quantitative analysis of metal alloys was based on comparison with standards and it is framed on the more general problem of XRF quantitative analysis of irregularly shaped objects with a portable instrument. Preliminary radiocarbon dating results are also reported.
IDENTIFICATION OF ANCIENT LACQUER FILM USING TWO‐STAGE PYROLYSIS‐GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY*
Authors: NIIMURA N. , MIYAKOSHI T. , ONODERA J. , HIGUCHI T.
Published: September 2007

Oriental lacquer has been used as a surface coating for wood, porcelain and metal, and three different types are known: Japanese (or Chinese) lacquer (urushiol‐based), Vietnamese lacquer (laccol‐based) and Burmese lacquer (thitsiol‐based). Identification of these types in ancient coatings is very important in conservation and restoration studies. A two‐stage pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method is effective for the analysis of lacquer films. This is shown here using an ancient lacquer film sample from medieval material excavated at Tobarikyu (Japan), The sample was identified, by comparison with linseed oil and authentic lacquer films, as an urushiol‐based Rhus vernicifera (Japanese) lacquer which includes an added oil component.