bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laser nerve‐sparing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: a feasibility study
Authors: Gianduzzo Troy R.J. , Chang Christopher M. , El‐Shazly Mohammed , Mustajab Asmat , Moon Daniel A. , Eden Christopher G.
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVE

To examine, in a pilot study, the feasibility of laser dissection of the neurovascular bundle (NVB) during nerve‐sparing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (NSLRP). NSLRP demands precise NVB mobilization with minimal collateral tissue trauma and optimal haemostasis. Unlike other methods of delivering energy, lasers have the potential to provide rapid, precise dissection with good haemostasis and minimal adjacent tissue injury.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Five patients were treated with NSLRP; in patient 1 the right NVB was dissected using clips and scissors and the left NVB using the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser (8 W, continuous‐wave mode). In the subsequent four patients, the NVB was dissected bilaterally using the laser. The NVBs were excised for histological analysis.

RESULTS

In patient 1, the estimated blood loss for the left (laser) NVB dissection was 20 mL, while the estimated blood loss for the right NVB was 100 mL. The maximum depth of laser necrosis was 327 µm. For the next four patients the mean (range) total operative duration was 214 (166–245) min, the mean NVB dissection time 22 (8–33) min, the mean total blood loss 213 (100–300) mL, the mean estimated NVB blood loss 28 (10–45) mL and the mean depth of tissue injury was 687 µm. There were no complications. There was no recurrence, as assessed by prostate‐specific antigen levels, at a mean follow‐up of 12 months and all patients were continent.

CONCLUSION

Laser NSLRP was relatively straightforward and caused minimal blood loss, allowed a rapid dissection and minimal adjacent tissue injury. It is a promising technique that warrants further evaluation.
A review of the efficacy of surgical treatment for and pathological changes in patients with chronic scrotal pain
Authors: Nariculam Joseph , Minhas Suks , Adeniyi Ade , Ralph David J. , Freeman Alex
Published: January 2007

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy of surgical treatment for chronic scrotal pain (CSP) and to examine histopathological changes in epididymectomy and orchidectomy specimens in these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

CSP is a rare condition that for some patients can be severely debilitating. Although first‐line treatment is conservative and includes the use of analgesics, many patients still complain of persistent pain. Nerve denervation and spermatic cord block might be attempted, but often patients proceed to surgery. The clinical notes of 26 patients (mean age 49 years) who had surgery for CSP were analysed retrospectively. Data included: the duration of pain before presentation, investigations before treatment, risk factors for CSP, initial conservative management, pain team referral, history of previous scrotal surgery and clinical outcome. All pathological specimens were examined to identify any changes in the epididymis and testis.

RESULTS

In 16 patients (62%), the pain resolved completely after surgery, but the other 10, despite showing an improvement, had residual pain. Histopathological examination of epididymectomy specimens revealed changes associated with obstruction, including sperm extravasation, tubule distension and focal fibrosis. All testis specimens had a variable degree of tubular sclerosis and chronic inflammation, with nine showing extensive infarction, suggestive of previous episodes of infection or ischaemia.

CONCLUSION

In this review, 62% of patients had complete resolution of pain and the remainder had a partial response after surgical treatment for CSP. All specimens showed pathological changes in the epididymis or testis, with changes suggestive of recurrent episodes of ischaemia or infection. The results show that CSP can be successfully treated surgically in many cases where conservative methods fail to provide symptomatic relief.
Persistent detrusor overactivity after transurethral resection of the prostate is associated with reduced perfusion of the urinary bladder
Authors: Mitterberger Michael , Pallwein Leo , Gradl Johann , Frauscher Ferdinand , Neuwirt Hannes , Leunhartsberger Nicolai , Strasser Hannes , Bartsch Georg , Pinggera Germar‐Michael
Published: January 2007

In an interesting study, authors from Austria attempted to elucidate how often detrusor overactivity persists after TURP, and if perfusion of the lower urinary tract influences the outcome. They found that increased vascular resistance of the bladder vessels leads to reduced perfusion, and provide a possible explanation for the persistent symptoms.

In a multicentre, community‐based randomized study conducted in the USA and UK, the transdermal oxybutynin system improved the quality of life in adults with overactive bladder.

The final paper in this section is from Turkey, presenting the long‐term results of transurethral vaporisation using plasmakinetic energy.

OBJECTIVES

To elucidate, in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), how often detrusor overactivity (DOA) is persistent after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and if perfusion of the lower urinary tract influences postoperative outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty men with urodynamically confirmed DOA and bladder outlet obstruction due to BPH had a TURP. Before and 1 year after TURP the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) score, prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level and total prostatic volume (TPV) were evaluated. Also, the lower urinary tract was evaluated using pressure‐flow studies and transrectal colour Doppler ultrasonography to assess the vascular resistive index (RI) as a variable of the perfusion of the lower urinary tract.

RESULTS

After TURP the IPSS, QoL score, PSA level and TPV decreased. Cystometric measurements showed that in 15 (30%) patients DOA was persistent after TURP. The mean (sd) maximum urinary flow rate increased from 9.20 (4.03) to 15.98 (4.62) mL/s and postvoiding residual urine volumes decreased from 109.38 (73.71) to 29.24 (45.00) mL. When men with persistent DOA (15 patients; group 1) were compared with those with no DOA after TURP (35; group 2) there was a statistically significantly higher RI of the bladder vessels in group 1, at 0.86 (0.068) than in group 2, at 0.68 ( 0.055) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Persistent DOA in men after TURP seems to be associated with increased vascular resistance of the bladder vessels with subsequent reduced perfusion and hypoxia.
Playing Games with History: Tony Blair's European Policy in the Press
Authors: Daddow Oliver
Published: January 2007

This article examines how Tony Blair on the one hand and the Euro-sceptical press on the other have ransacked history to support their respective arguments about British European policy since 1997. It considers first of all why history plays a key role in British discussions about European affairs; it does so, firstly, because of the discipline's intimate connection with the making of national identities and, secondly, because Europe has long been historicised as the ‘other’ against which the British identify themselves. The second part of the article considers the rhetorical strategies Blair and the press have used to persuade the public using content analysis of Blair's foreign policy speeches and articles on Europe in the sceptical British press since 1997. I argue that Blair finds himself in a difficult position in part because of his own failure to make the case for Europe forcefully and consistently enough and in part because of the difficulties inherent in altering deeply entrenched Euro-sceptical opinions in Britain's leading press outlets.
Coca Substitution and Free Trade in Bolivia: The Pending Crisis
Authors: Toledo Hugo
Published: January 2007

This paper uses the factors proportion model of production and trade with ten inputs to analyze the potential impact of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) on the coca substitution program in Bolivia. With six crops including coca, the model produces comparative statics elasticities of changing prices on factor prices and output. Results show that the coca substitution program with free trade will result in large income redistribution in the coca‐producing region as a result of increased competition from larger and more efficient economies. Increased subsidies and institutional changes will be needed to sustain the coca substitution program in the long run.
The Trojan‐Horse Principle in Development Assistance: A Reading of Uganda’s Experience with Aid
Authors: Verschoor Arjan
Published: January 2007

The World Bank recommends “ideas, not money” as a guiding principle to donors for dealing with badly governed countries. This paper challenges that principle on the basis of a study of the evolution in Uganda of pro‐growth policies in the early to mid 1990s and pro‐poor policies in the late 1990s. The analysis of Uganda’s experience with aid is accommodated within the theoretical framework of a principal–agent conditionality game, in which policy objectives of the recipient (the agent) evolve over time. The key finding of the paper is that the apparent conditionality failure of the period 1987–91 has paved the way for later reform. Financial aid given during this period suspended the necessity of reforms and bought donor proximity to recipient policy deliberations, as a result of both of which the policy learning could take place that led to later successful reform measures.
Tax Competition, Capital Mobility and Innovation in the Public Sector
Authors: Rauscher Michael
Published: January 2007

The paper analyses the impact of tax competition on innovation in the public sector. It is shown that the effects of increased mobility of the tax base on innovation and growth are ambiguous. The negative relationship is more likely, however. Moreover, it is shown that a Leviathan government may be induced to spend a larger share of its budget on unproductive activities.
A Rationale for the Coexistence of Central and Decentral Marketing in Team Sports
Authors: Gürtler Oliver
Published: January 2007

In some sports leagues, the sports association sells broadcasting rights centrally in order to create competitive balance. In other ones, the market is decentral. As a result, there is competitive imbalance. In this paper, the preferred kind of marketing of sports associations is analysed. Distinctions are made between three cases. In case one, the sports association is only interested in competitive balance. In the second case, it wishes to create a single high-performing team, and in the third, it maximizes aggregate performance. It is found that, depending on the preferences of the association, both kinds of marketing can be optimal.
The Hidden Politics of Administrative Reform: Cutting French Civil Service Wages with a Low‐Profile Instrument
Authors: BEZES PHILIPPE
Published: January 2007

The article addresses internal and hidden politics of changes in bureaucracies by focusing on the introduction and use of policy instruments as institutional change without radical or explicit shifts in administrative systems. Beneath public administrative reforms, it examines the use of “low‐profile instruments” characterized by their technical and goal‐oriented dimension but also by their low visibility to external actors due to the high complexity of their commensurating purpose and the automaticity of their use. The core case study of the paper offers a historical sociology of a technique for calculating the growth of the French civil service wage bill from the mid‐1960s to the 2000s. The origins, uses, and institutionalisation of this method in the French context are explored to emphasize the important way of governing the bureaucracy at times of crisis through automatic, unobtrusive, incremental, and low‐profile mechanisms. While insisting on the salience of techniques for calculating, measuring, classifying, and indexing in the contemporary art of government, it also suggests the need for observing and explaining “everyday forms of retrenchment” in bureaucracies.
Governing Standards: The Rise of Standardization Processes in France and in the EU
Authors: BORRAZ OLIVIER
Published: January 2007

The rise of standardization processes highlights two different paths toward a regulatory state. Within the EU, the New Approach serves as a model for co‐regulation, and European standards have become instruments of supranational governance. In France, standardization is much more part of a renegotiation of the state’s role and influence in a changing society. In both cases, standardization was undertaken with other motives; yet it evolved to answer the strains and constraints exerted upon regulatory processes in the two polities. As such, standards are a case for unintentionality in policy instruments.
Tracking the Evolution of a Single Instrument Can Reveal Profound Changes: The Case of Funded Pensions in France
Authors: PALIER BRUNO
Published: January 2007

Paygo pension schemes are said to be difficult to transform. However, the study of the French pension system shows that progressively, funded schemes play a greater role in the transformation. This change has been possible, despite path‐dependent forces, through four sequences. First, the change is based on a diagnosis shared among most actors, which challenges the instruments chosen in the past. Second, the new instruments are chosen in opposition to the past. Third, the new measures are adopted on the basis of an ambiguous, even contradictory, agreement. Finally, the new instruments expand incrementally, but their development is leading to cumulative change and a profound transformation of both the logic and the structure of the pension system.
Sex worker unionisation: an exploratory study of emerging collective organisation
Authors: Gall Gregor
Published: January 2007

In a number of Western economies in the last two decades, sex workers have begun to organise themselves in, and be organised by, trade unions for the first time. This article examines the salient processes and outcomes of this phenomenon. It firstly explores the influence of the prostitutes’ rights movements and the emergence of the ‘sex work’ discourse where the selling of sex and sexual services are regarded as a form of ‘emotional’ or ‘erotic’ labour. The advances in sex worker union organisation are recounted before assessing the forces leading to unionisation and those forces that act as impediments to unionisation. The conclusion of the article is that extant sex worker unionisation is a fragile and embryonic phenomenon.
Thinking individuation forward
Authors: Tresan David
Published: January 2007

Abstract:  This paper extends Jung's theory of individuation as faithfully elaborated by Joseph L. Henderson in his authoritative book Thresholds of Initiation. It addresses analyses that continue over very many years with analysands said to be individuated and proposes psychodynamics that explain and support such work that is otherwise beyond formal theoretical justification. In so doing, the paper addresses both Jung's and Henderson's refusal to explore the relevance of metaphysics for psychology and offers both a theoretical corrective for this shortcoming and a clinical illustration in support of an expanded point of view. In the course of the paper, personal material from interviews with Dr. Henderson, aged 101, serve as a substrate, both to support the above considerations and to shed new light on the development of his thought that led to Thresholds of Initiation.
Ethics and the sexual countertransference
Authors: Gee Hugh
Published: January 2007

Abstract:  In this paper I shall suggest that, in addition to ‘conscience’, the archetype of Eros plays an important part in ‘benign relatedness’ and that this is what constitutes an ethical attitude. I also propose that the idea of ‘benign relatedness’ can provide us with a workable concept for those serving on Ethics Committees especially when our Code of Ethics is unclear or limited. I attempt to show that the analytic attitude is essentially ethical and define what I see as the analytic attitude as a way of demonstrating this. By discussing the neurotic sexual countertransference and unconscious identity I hope to clarify the main reasons for unethical enactments. I use examples of ethical problems, including a personal experience, to illustrate the kinds that occur and lastly I discuss how mourning plays an important part in the resolution and avoidance of these problems.
α‐Synuclein gene ablation increases docosahexaenoic acid incorporation and turnover in brain phospholipids
Authors: Golovko Mikhail Y. , Rosenberger Thad A. , Feddersen Søren , Færgeman Nils J. , Murphy Eric J.
Published: January 2007

Previously, we demonstrated that ablation of α‐synuclein (Snca) reduces arachidonate (20:4n‐6) turnover in brain phospholipids through modulation of an endoplasmic reticulum‐localized acyl‐CoA synthetase (Acsl). The effect of Snca ablation on docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3) metabolism is unknown. In the present study, we examined the effect of Snca gene ablation on brain 22:6n‐3 metabolism. We determined 22:6n‐3 uptake and incorporation into brain phospholipids by infusing awake, wild‐type and Snca−/− mice with [1‐14C]22:6n‐3 using steady‐state kinetic modeling. In addition, because Snca modulates 20:4n‐6‐CoA formation, we assessed microsomal Acsl activity using 22:6n‐3 as a substrate. Although Snca gene ablation does not affect brain 22:6n‐3 uptake, brain 22:6n‐3‐CoA mass was elevated 1.5‐fold in the absence of Snca. This is consistent with the 1.6‐ to 2.2‐fold increase in the incorporation rate and turnover in ethanolamine glycerophospholipid, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol pools. Increased 22:6n‐3‐CoA mass was not the result of altered Acsl activity, which was unaffected by the absence of Snca. While Snca bound 22:6n‐3, Kd = 1.0 ± 0.5 μmol/L, it did not bind 22:6n‐3‐CoA. These effects of Snca gene deletion on 22:6n‐3 brain metabolism are opposite to what we reported previously for brain 20:4n‐6 metabolism and are likely compensatory for the decreased 20:4n‐6 metabolism in brains of Snca−/− mice.
Ubiquitous presence of argininosuccinate at millimolar levels in the central nervous system of Aplysia californica
Authors: Ye Xiaoying , Kim Won‐Suk , Rubakhin Stanislav S. , Sweedler Jonathan V.
Published: January 2007

Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) is generated by nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), which convert arginine (Arg) and oxygen to citrulline (Cit) and NO. Cit can be enzymatically transformed back to Arg by argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) and argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) via a pathway involving argininosuccinate (ArgSuc). Arg, Cit, and ArgSuc levels have been measured in single neurons, neuronal clusters, and neuropil from the nervous system of the common neurobiological model Aplysia californica. Using capillary electrophoresis with laser‐induced fluorescence detection, ArgSuc was found to be present in the nervous system in millimolar concentrations at levels significantly exceeding Cit levels (p < 0.01). ArgSuc levels are proportional to Arg concentrations in single neurons, whereas they have no clear correlation to the Cit or Arg/Cit ratio. NOS‐expressing neurons often exhibit fixative‐resistant nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate‐diaphorase (NADPH‐d) staining. Incubation of ganglia with Arg results in an increase in Cit and ArgSuc levels in the NADPH‐d‐positive neuropil with no effect on ArgSuc levels in NADPH‐d‐negative neurons, suggesting NOS activity in the neuropil. Similar incubation with Cit leads to decreased ArgSuc levels in NADPH‐d‐negative neurons. These results can be explained by localization of NOS and ASS in different neurons; therefore, the complete Arg–Cit–NO cycle may not be present in the same neuron. The surprisingly high intracellular ArgSuc concentration suggests alternative sources of ArgSuc and that at least a portion may be formed by the reverse reaction of ASL (catalyzing the conversion of Arg to ArgSuc), which can be inhibited by Cit.
Identity Politics and the Queering of Art Education: Inclusion and the Confessional Route to Salvation
Authors: Addison Nicholas
Published: January 2007

In this article I discuss the relationship between theories of identity and making practices in secondary art and design. Of particular interest is the way students are invited to explore identities in relation to a sense of self and the extent to which this is informed by schools' concern to make diversity visible through multicultural celebration, thus framing and possibly limiting exploration. It is notable that non‐heternormative sexual identities remain largely invisible in the official curriculum and I examine the disjunction between this absence and their hypervisibilty in the mass media and its culture of confession/exposure. I revisit Michel Foucault's discussion of the history of sexuality as a way to understand the development of confessional discourses in modern culture and to provide an alternative and ambivalent reading of the power relations implicit in work exploring identities by art and design students. Specifically, I look at the position of gay and lesbian students and teachers, and ask whether their sexuality can figure within the injunction ‘explore your identity’. Given the heteronormative culture of schooling, I end by recommending that individuals should be wary of outing themselves in the name of self‐expression but that art teachers could use strategies of distancing to engage students with issues of sexuality and join with others to counter homophobia by queering the curriculum.
What to Collect? Museums and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Collecting
Authors: McIntyre Darryl
Published: January 2007

Although museum and galleries are under increasing pressure to refect and explore culture diversity in their collections and public programming, this has largely been interpreted in terms of ethnicity. Issues of sexual orientation are largely ignored by these cultural institutions. This article explores both some of constraints facing museums and the strategies, ethical considerations and curatorial practices they might explore and adopt to refect and document our rich LGBT histories and heritage in their collections, and to highlight these histories in mainstream and special exhibitions and public programming such as events, talks and conferences hosted by museums. This work should be guided by close partnerships with the LGBT communities such as advisory groups. These changes will not be achieved overnight, but if museums have the leadership of their institutional management and the support of their colleagues, a change agenda can be implemented progressively.
Bias from Farmer Self‐Selection in Genetically Modified Crop Productivity Estimates: Evidence from Indian Data
Authors: Crost Benjamin , Shankar Bhavani , Bennett Richard , Morse Stephen
Published: January 2007

In the continuing debate over the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on farmers of developing countries, it is important to accurately measure magnitudes such as farm‐level yield gains from GM crop adoption. Yet most farm‐level studies in the literature do not control for farmer self‐selection, a potentially important source of bias in such estimates. We use farm‐level panel data from Indian cotton farmers to investigate the yield effect of GM insect‐resistant cotton. We explicitly take into account the fact that the choice of crop variety is an endogenous variable which might lead to bias from self‐selection. A production function is estimated using a fixed‐effects model to control for selection bias. Our results show that efficient farmers adopt Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton at a higher rate than their less efficient peers. This suggests that cross‐sectional estimates of the yield effect of Bt cotton, which do not control for self‐selection effects, are likely to be biased upwards. However, after controlling for selection bias, we still find that there is a significant positive yield effect from adoption of Bt cotton that more than offsets the additional cost of Bt seed.
The Value of Badger Populations and Control of Tuberculosis in Cattle in England and Wales: A Note
Authors: Bennett Richard , Willis Ken
Published: January 2007

This note reports on the results of a choice experiment survey of 400 people in England and Wales, conducted to estimate the value that society places on changes to the size of the badger population. The study was undertaken in the context of the possible need to reduce the badger population by culling to help control bovine tuberculosis in cattle. The study found that people were concerned about the problem of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, which was reflected in their willingness to pay to control the disease, and gave a relatively low value to changes in the size of the badger population (within limits). However, people did not like the idea of a policy that intentionally killed large numbers of badgers and had a relatively very high willingness to pay not to have such a policy.
Editorials: Comments on Plasma Parathyroid Hormone Levels and Their Relationship to Bone Histopathology among Patients Undergoing Dialysis
Authors: Goodman William G.
Published: January 2007

Measurements of the concentration of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in serum or plasma are used widely for the initial diagnostic assessment of patients with renal bone disease, to monitor disease progression, and to gauge responses to treatment. Several analytical methods are used to measure plasma PTH levels, and a variety of PTH assays are available. Each is unique technically, and the results obtained with any particular method often differ from those determined in the same biological sample using other assays that utilize qualitatively different reagents. It is imperative that clinicians recognize the potential impact of methodological differences among PTH assays on the biochemical results provided. Numerous claims have been made recently about the utility of new methods for measuring plasma PTH, about the value of estimating the amounts of amino‐terminally truncated PTH fragments in plasma, and about the shortcomings of existing guidelines for the acceptable range of plasma PTH concentrations that correspond to optimal bone health among patients with chronic kidney disease. These matters serve as the focus for the current commentary.
Opinion: Which of the K/DOQI Guidelines for Bone Disease in Dialysis Patients Should be Changed?
Authors: Shah Nirav , Piraino Beth
Published: January 2007

The K‐DOQI guidelines for bone metabolism in chronic kidney disease recommend measuring 25(OH) vitamin D levels and correcting deficiencies in stages 3 and 4 but not in ESRD. Most nephrologists are not concerned with 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency, despite evidence in hemodialysis patients that deficient vitamin D status [as measured by 25(OH) vitamin D levels] plays a role in bone disease. PD patients are often deficient in 25(OH) vitamin D in part because of peritoneal effluent losses, and correction may decrease muscle and bone complaints. Data from other populations are indicative of the importance of vitamin D in cancer surveillance and immune functioning. Randomized controlled trials of correction of 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency in both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients are urgently needed. vitamin D).
Reduction of EEG Myogenic Artifact with Botulinum Toxin during Video‐EEG Monitoring
Authors: Grant Arthur C. , Hermanowicz Neal
Published: January 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To determine whether EEG myogenic artifact during video‐EEG monitoring (VEM) is reduced with targeted scalp botulinum toxin (BTX‐A) injections.

Methods: Twelve consecutive patients scheduled for presurgical VEM were treated 2–3 weeks before admission with subcutaneous BTX‐A injections at specific EEG electrode locations. On the basis of clinical data available before VEM, four subjects were treated unilaterally (group 1) and eight bilaterally (group 2). BTX‐A efficacy was assessed quantitatively in group 1 subjects by comparing high‐frequency (20–100 Hz) power at homologous “treated” and “untreated” electrodes during voluntary forceful jaw closure. The clinical impact of BTX‐A treatment was assessed by determining whether ≥5 of the first 10 s of each ictal recording was obscured by muscle artifact, and whether residual myogenic artifact on BTX‐A–“treated” electrodes rendered these ictal EEG segments impossible to interpret.

Results: BTX‐A treatment reduced high‐frequency power by a mean of 53% at electrodes T3/T4 and 52% at electrodes F7/F8. None of 49 ictal EEGs had ≥5 of the first 10 s obscured by myogenic artifact, and all of these ictal epochs were interpretable. Adverse events were limited to two subjects who complained of transient difficulty chewing tough foods.

Conclusions: Scalp‐muscle BTX‐A treatment before VEM significantly reduces myogenic artifact in subsequent EEG recordings, including ictal EEG. The clinical utility of this technique for improved or more‐rapid seizure localization will be determined only by large, blinded, prospective trials.
A possible role for the production of multiple HLA antibodies in fatal platelet transfusion refractoriness after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation from the mother in a patient with relapsed leukemia
Authors: Nakazawa Yozo , Saito Satoshi , Hasegawa Yasuhisa , Yanagisawa Ryu , Sakashita Kazuo , Kamijo Takehiko , Miyazaki Toru , Sato Shinichiro , Ikeda Hisami , Ikebuchi Kenji , Koike Kenichi
Published: January 2007

BACKGROUND: There has been controversy over whether HLA alloimmunization is a risk factor for platelet (PLT) transfusion refractoriness (PTR) in hematopoietic peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (HPBPCT).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Reported here is a boy with relapsed leukemia who developed fatal PTR after a peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPCT) as a second HPBPCT from his mother. To elucidate the cause of PTR, a single‐antigen assay (FlowPRA, One Lambda), a magnetic particles mixed passive hemagglutination test, and anti‐human immunoglobulin‐lymphocyte cytotoxicity test were performed on serum samples of the patient and his mother.

RESULTS: Although HLA Class I antibodies were absent in his serum sample before HPBPCT, the serum sample after the first bone marrow transplantation (BMT) reacted weakly with beads coated with multiple HLA Class I molecules. After PBPCT, the positive reaction markedly increased. Although HLA‐B44 antibody emerged transiently after BMT, the apparent generation of antibodies against HLA‐A2 and ‐A24 as well as HLA‐B44 occurred after PBPCT. The continuous appearance of HLA Class I antibodies coincided with the duration of marked PTR after PBPCT. The patient, however, had no antibodies against PLT‐specific glycoproteins. Unidentified HLA Class I–reactive antibodies were detected in maternal serum sample.

CONCLUSION: Although the patient appeared to be immunized to allogeneic HLA Class I molecules after BMT, profound HLA alloimmunization might have occurred after PBPCT in this case. It is possible that the administration of large numbers of immunocompetent cells sensitive to alloantigens at PBPCT causes the aberrant and persistent production of the HLA Class I antibodies.
Characterization of a cDNA encoding a putative chitinase from teratocytes of the endoparasitoidToxoneuron nigriceps
Authors: Cônsoli Fernando L. , Lewis Danielle , Keeley Larry , Vinson S. Bradleigh
Published: January 2007

Females of insect endoparasitoids inject substances along with the egg at oviposition, which can regulate or induce changes in a number of host physiological processes to benefit the developing parasitoid. These changes can be caused by substances such as venoms, calyx fluids, or symbiotic‐associated virus particles (polydnavirus), which are injected by females along with their eggs, and by substances secreted by parasitoid‐derived tissues (teratocytes) or the developing parasitoid larvae. Teratocytes (dissociated cells of the serosal membrane after parasitoid eclosion) release substances that have roles (i) in parasitoid nutrition, (ii) in the digestion of host tissues, and (iii) in the regulation of host development. Teratocytes ofToxoneuron nigriceps(Viereck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) have been implicated in the arrestment of the host development and in the regulation of circulating levels of host ecdysteroids. Here we describe the cDNA of a teratocyte‐secreted chitinase and its expression during parasitoid development, and discuss its putative role in this host–parasitoid association.
The case for long‐acting antipsychotic agents in the post‐CATIE era
Authors: Nasrallah H. A.
Published: January 2007

Objective:  Long‐acting antipsychotic agents were developed to promote treatment compliance in patients requiring maintenance treatment for schizophrenia.

Method:  An analysis of the impact of non‐compliance on treatment outcomes in schizophrenia and the advantages and disadvantages of long‐acting antipsychotics.

Results:  Partial or total non‐compliance with oral antipsychotics remains widespread and is associated with significant increases in the risk of relapse, rehospitalization, progressive brain tissue loss and further functional deterioration. Long‐acting agents have the potential to address issues of all‐cause discontinuation and poor compliance. The development of the first long‐acting atypical antipsychotic, which appears to be effective and well tolerated, should further improve the long‐term management of schizophrenia.

Conclusion:  Long‐acting agents represent a valuable tool for the management of schizophrenia and merit wider use, especially in light of emerging literature regarding the neuroprotective advantages of atypical antipsychotics over conventional agents in terms of regenerating brain tissue during maintenance therapy.
Räder, Gleise und … Hufe! Transportmittel als Träger einer sozial‐politischen Semantik in Annette Kolbs Das Exemplar
Authors: Bruyker Melissa De
Published: January 2007

Wir untersuchen in Annette Kolbs Erstlingsroman Das Exemplar den manchmal problematischen Bezug zwischen Autoren und ihren Protagonisten. Biographisch ausgerichtete Besprechungen des Romans versuchen wir anhand der textuellen Performativität zu präzisieren und gewissermaßen zu verbessern. Der Ausgangspunkt bildet die ,,Interaktion‘‘ zwischen der Hauptgestalt und dem Transportsystem in London. Diese Dynamik wird im Rahmen eines erweiterten Intertextualitätsbegriffs gefasst, der sozial‐politische Konnotationen von Verkehrsmitteln und ihre spezifische Verarbeitung im literarischen Text berücksichtigt. Aus der strategischen Zusammenführung verschiedener konnotierter Transportmittel und den Handlungen der Protagonistin lässt sich eine spezifische, figurenunabhängige Subjektivität ableiten.
A computer‐controlled system for generation of chemical vapours in in vitro dermal uptake studies
Authors: Rauma Matias , Johanson Gunnar
Published: January 2007

Background/aims: Recent work in our laboratory suggests that dermal absorption and desorption of volatile chemicals may be assessed in vitro by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), i.e. by passing chemical vapour over a piece of skin while recording the weight increase at constant temperature and humidity. This paper describes a high‐precision automated vapour‐generating system for use with the TGA equipment.

Methods and results: The system consists of computer‐controlled magnetic valves and mass flow meters that split and redirect a flow of pure, dry air through different stainless‐steel gas wash bottles thermostated to 25.00±0.05°C. Each wash bottle is filled with a neat volatile chemical and designed so that the air leaving reaches 100% saturation within seconds, as shown with cyclohexanone. The air leaving the wash bottles are combined and directed via stainless‐steel liners to the skin piece in the TGA chamber. The liners are heated to 30°C to prevent condensation of water or chemical. Special computer software was developed to allow automatic runs with different wash bottles (chemicals) and air flows over several days. A number of measurements were made to characterize the stability and reproducibility of the vapour‐generating system.

Conclusions: We have developed a computer‐controlled vapour‐generating system for use in measurements of dermal absorption of chemicals by thermal gravimetry. The system has high stability and reproducibility and produces little noise.
Allergy patch test reading from photographic images: disagreement on ICDRG grading but agreement on simplified tripartite reading
Authors: Ivens U. , Serup J. , O'goshi K.
Published: January 2007

Background/aims: The International Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG) system for clinical scoring of allergic patch test reactions is well established in clinical dermatology for detailed scoring of allergic reactions. The degree of redness and the presence of swelling, papules, vesicles and bullae are assessed based on visual examination and palpation of reactions. In photographic assessment used in research and tele‐dermatology, the scoring is solely based on visual examination of photos. The aim of the study was to evaluate inter‐expert variation in patch test reading using photographic images, with ICDRG reading as a reference.

Material and methods: Five experienced senior dermatologists each scored 55 positive patch test reactions from 16 slides in an office environment. The slides showed pictures of patch tests with different allergens. The scoring system by ICDRG with six categories for scoring was used.

Results: The five dermatologists performed the scoring very differently. When the scoring system was simplified to a tripartite scoring system, the scoring was performed almost similarly by the five clinicians.

Conclusion: Based on the present results, it is proposed that the number of scoring categories should be minimized and simplified into negative (including doubtful) reactions, positive reactions and irritant reactions. Such simplified tripartite reading is proposed for research purposes and for tele‐dermatology, when scoring is based on photographic images.
Vaccine‐based approaches to squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Authors: Zhang X , Moche JA , Farber D , Strome SE
Published: January 2007

Vaccine‐based approaches for the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck have achieved very limited success. Improvement in vaccine efficacy for both diseases control and survival is predicated on a careful analysis of the root causes for successes and failures to date. In this review, we analyse the utility and limitations of select protective and therapeutic vaccine strategies for tumour prevention and therapy. Based on this characterisation, we define potential directions which are meritorious of future study.
Multiobjective Analysis of a Public Wellfield Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Coppola Emery A. , Szidarovszky Ferenc , Davis Donald , Spayd Steven , Poulton Mary M. , Roman Eric
Published: January 2007

As competition for increasingly scarce ground water resources grows, many decision makers may come to rely upon rigorous multiobjective techniques to help identify appropriate and defensible policies, particularly when disparate stakeholder groups are involved. In this study, decision analysis was conducted on a public water supply wellfield to balance water supply needs with well vulnerability to contamination from a nearby ground water contaminant plume. With few alternative water sources, decision makers must balance the conflicting objectives of maximizing water supply volume from noncontaminated wells while minimizing their vulnerability to contamination from the plume. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were developed with simulation data from a numerical ground water flow model developed for the study area. The ANN‐derived state transition equations were embedded into a multiobjective optimization model, from which the Pareto frontier or trade‐off curve between water supply and wellfield vulnerability was identified. Relative preference values and power factors were assigned to the three stakeholders, namely the company whose waste contaminated the aquifer, the community supplied by the wells, and the water utility company that owns and operates the wells. A compromise pumping policy that effectively balances the two conflicting objectives in accordance with the preferences of the three stakeholder groups was then identified using various distance‐based methods.
Introduction
Authors: Loss Christopher P.
Published: January 2007

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the publication of Laurence R. Veysey's The Emergence of the American University. Hailed by Frederick Rudolph at the time of its release as a “major contribution … tough-minded … [and] brilliant.” Veysey's work is still widely read, taught, and cited. Every scholar who wrestles with the historical development of the modern American university must at some point come to terms with the institution as Veysey so brashly conceived of it. All disciplinary subfields have their founding text—a singular work that defines an entire intellectual discourse and lays out the “rules of the game” for all those who follow. For historians interested in tracking the organization, production, and consumption of knowledge in the United States, The Emergence of the American University is and remains that text.
“I Had All Kinds of Kids in My Classes, and It Was Fine”: Public Schooling in Richmond, California, During World War II
Authors: Dorn Charles
Published: January 2007

I think it was pretty exciting [to teach] during the war. It was a challenge to say the least. And I don't think we thought much about it. We just went ahead and did it because here were all these children and you just go ahead and do your job … . There were all kinds of kids all together … and they didn't seem to fight or have a problem … . I don't remember there being a problem with the kids of various races and so forth … . We had principally Black and White children and they all got along fine. I had all kinds of kids in my classes, and it was fine.
Socioeconomic Incentives to Teach in New York and North Carolina: Toward a More Complex Model of Teacher Labor Markets, 1800–1850
Authors: Tolley Kim , Beadie Nancy
Published: January 2007

Before sunrise one spring morning in 1815, twenty-four-year-old Susan Davis Nye left her family's farm in Amenia, New York. “After a most affecting parting from my beloved brothers, sisters and friends, I kissed my little sleeping babes and before the sun shone upon my dear native hills, bade them farewell, perhaps forever!” Thus begins the first entry in her journal dated April 22nd, the day she undertook the initial leg of a long voyage south to teach in North Carolina.
Widespread Demyelination in the Cerebellar Cortex in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Kutzelnigg Alexandra , Faber‐Rod Jens C. , Bauer Jan , Lucchinetti Claudia F. , Sorensen Per S. , Laursen Henning , Stadelmann Christine , Brück Wolfgang , Rauschka Helmut , Schmidbauer Manfred , Lassmann Hans
Published: January 2007

Neocortical demyelination in the forebrain has recently been identified as an important pathological feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we describe that the cerebellar cortex is a major predilection site for demyelination, in particular in patients with primary and secondary progressive MS. In these patients, on average, 38.7% of cerebellar cortical area is affected, reaching in extreme examples up to 92%. Cerebellar cortical demyelination occurs mainly in a band‐like manner, affecting multiple folia. The lesions are characterized by primary demyelination with relative axonal and neuronal preservation, although some axonal spheroids and a moderate reduction of Purkinje cells are present. Although cortical demyelination sometimes occurs together with demyelination in the adjacent white matter (leukocortical lesions), in most instances, the cortex was affected independently from white matter lesions. We found no correlation between demyelination in the cortex and the white matter, and in some cases, extensive cortical demyelination was present in the near absence of white matter lesions. Our data identify cortical demyelination as a potential substrate of cerebellar dysfunction in MS.
Modulation of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by VLA‐2 Blockade
Authors: Tsunoda Ikuo , Terry Emily Jane , Marble Benjamin J. , Lazarides Elias , Woods Catherine , Fujinami Robert S.
Published: January 2007

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Adhesion molecules play important roles in cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in inflammation. Blocking the interaction between inflammatory cells and vascular endothelia can prevent cell entry into tissues and harmful inflammatory responses, that is, autoimmunity, but could also limit immunosurveillance by anti‐viral T cells in sites of infection or latency. Development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in patients treated with antibody against very late antigen (VLA)‐4 prompted us to explore an alternative therapeutic approach. We used an antibody against the integrin α2, VLA‐2, that interacts with ECM, not vascular endothelium. SJL/J mice were sensitized with myelin proteolipid protein (PLP)139–151 peptide to induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS. Treatment of mice with VLA‐2 antibody suppressed clinical signs and CNS inflammation of EAE, when antibody was given immediately after disease onset. In contrast, VLA‐4 or VLA‐2 antibody treatment of mice during the priming or remission phase of EAE had minor effects on the disease’s clinical course. No differences were found in lymphoproliferative responses to PLP139–151 among treatment groups. Data suggest that blocking cell–ECM interactions can be an alternative therapy for MS.
SOME ASPECTS OF THE ELECTRON-BOSON INTERACTION AND OF THE ELECTRON-ELECTRON INTERACTION VIA BOSONS
Authors: DOLOCAN ANDREI , DOLOCAN VOICU OCTAVIAN , DOLOCAN VOICU
Published: January 2007

By using a Hamiltonian of interaction between fermions via bosons1 we derive some properties of the electro-phonon and electron-photon interaction and also of the electron-electron interaction. We have obtained that in a degenerate electron gas there is an attraction between two electrons via acoustical phonons. Also, in certain conditions, there may be an attraction between two electrons via longitudinal optical phonons. Although our expressions for the polaron energy in both cases of the acoustical and longitudinal optical phonons are different from that obtained in the standard theory, their magnitudes are the same with these and they are in good agreement with experimental data. The total emission rate of an electron against a phonon system at absolute zero is directly proportional to the electron momentum. Also, an attraction between two electrons may appear via photons.
ON INTEGRABLE COUPLINGS OF THE DISPERSIVE LONG WAVE HIERARCHY AND THEIR HAMILTONIAN STRUCTURE
Authors: ZHANG YUFENG
Published: January 2007

A new subalgebra of the loop algebra Ã3is directly constructed and used to build a pair of Lax matrix isospectral problems. The resulting compatibility condition, i.e., zero curvature equation, gives rise to integrable couplings of the dispersive long wave hierarchy, as an application example. Through using a proper isomorphic map between two Lie algebras, two equivalent zero curvature equations are presented from which the Hamiltonian structure of the integrable couplings is obtained by the quadratic-form identity. The proposed method can be applied to the construction of integrable couplings and the corresponding Hamiltonian structures of other existing soliton hierarchies.
RF CONTROLLABLE IOFFE–PRITCHARD TRAP FOR COLD DRESSED ATOMS
Authors: KOUZAEV GUENNADI A. , SAND KARL J.
Published: January 2007

An Ioffe–Pritchard trap for cold dressed atoms is studied by analytical and numerical simulations. The effective potential in this trap is formed by the static magnetic and radio-frequency fields, and the minimums are formed around the current bars. The depth of the minimums and the overall topology of the effective potential are controlled electronically. The studied regime of the Ioffe–Pritchard trap is of interest for high-sensitivity cold atom interferometers.