bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clustering: An Essential Step from Diverging to Converging
Authors: Tassoul Marc , Buijs Jan
Published: February 2007

Within the context of new product development processes and the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process, the authors have come to the view that clustering is to be seen as a separate step in the process of diverging and converging. Clustering is generally presented as part of the converging stages, and as such categorized as a selection technique, which in the authors' view does not do justice to this activity. It is about expanding knowledge, about connecting ideas, and connecting ideas to problem statements, functionalities, and values and consequences. It is about building a shared understanding, in other words about ‘making sense’, an essential creative activity in the development of concepts and, although different from a more freewheeling divergent phase, can be as creative and maybe even more so. Four kinds of clusterings are distinguished: object clustering, morphological clustering, functional clustering and gestalt clustering. Object clustering is mainly aimed at categorizing ideas into an overviewable set of groups of ideas. No special connections are being made, other then looking for similarities. Morphological clustering is used to split up a problem into subproblems after which the ideas generated are considered as subsolutions which can then be combined into concepts. Functional clustering is interesting when different approaches can be chosen to answer some question. It permits a more strategic choice to be made. Gestalt clustering is a more synthesis like approach, often with a more metaphoric and artistic stance. Collage is a good example of such clustering. General guidelines for clustering are: use a bottom‐up process of emergence; postpone early rationalisations and verbalisations; start grouping ideas on the basis of feeling and intuition; and use metaphoric names to identify clusters.
Sharing User Experiences in the Product Innovation Process: Participatory Design Needs Participatory Communication
Authors: Sleeswijk Visser Froukje , Van Der Lugt Remko , Stappers Pieter Jan
Published: February 2007

This paper presents a model of communicating user experiences to design teams. The model comprises three qualities of communication: enhancing empathy, providing inspiration and supporting engagement. A new participatory communication tool is developed and explored in two empirical studies. The first study investigates the use of the tool during idea generation by design teams. The second study compares four different communication tools to study the qualities of empathy and inspiration. Our findings indicate the value of making the receivers of the information participative in the act of communicating. In this way designers become co‐creators and co‐owners of the information, resulting in higher degrees of acceptance and use. The participatory nature of the proposed tool spurs deeper understanding and more intensive use of insights from user studies in the creative process.
Managing Project Transformation in a Complex Context
Authors: Holmquist Mats
Published: February 2007

Complex projects are often undertaken in uncertain situations in which project participants who adopt a rational‐oriented strategy tend to face difficulties in adapting and adjusting to changes that occur during the project. In this context a process‐oriented strategy, although difficult to manage, can be a better way to handle project transformation. Collective learning then becomes crucial. This article describes some lessons learned when a project manager and team applied a process‐oriented strategy in a complex project. Data has been collected through interactive research and evaluation with different methods including surveys, observations and interviews. The analysis shows that it is possible to organize for learning and to manage transformation in a complex context. Important factors for success are a process‐oriented strategy, a creative climate, formative evaluation and systematic reflections. A major issue that is discussed in the article is the transfer of outcomes from the project to the participating organizations.
Innovation Spaces: Towards a Framework for Understanding the Role of the Physical Environment in Innovation
Authors: Moultrie James , Nilsson Mikael , Dissel Marcel , Haner Udo‐Ernst , Janssen Sebastiaan , Van der Lugt Remko
Published: February 2007

Firms are paying increasing attention to the physical environments in which creative and innovative activities take place. These environments reflect the firm's strategic intentions towards innovation and provide a physical embodiment of their desired modes of working. To date, this new phenomenon has received little academic attention. Based on both literature and also the authors' combined experiences through observing firms in Europe, this paper proposes a simple framework to aid practitioners and academics to better understand the design, role and goals of such spaces.
Sharing Stories: Parents' Involvement in Reading with Inner‐City Nursery Children
Authors: Robson Cliff , Whitley Steve
Published: February 2007

Recent research has underlined both the benefits of parents reading stories to their children before they start school and of parental involvement in the early reading stages. A one‐year project was carried out in the nursery class of an inner‐city primary school to set up a regular book borrowing service to enable and encourage parents to read regularly to their pre‐reception class children. The level of parental and child interest was monitored throughout. An attempt to measure the effect of the input was made by testing the children involved in the project at the end of their reception class year.

Although the results do not show any significant difference in the level of achievement between the experimental school and the two control schools, the project did reveal an unexpectedly high level of parental interest in orienting children towards literacy.
Conflict and Identity: Explaining Turnout and Anti‐integrationist Voting in the Danish 2004 Elections for the European Parliament
Authors: De Vreese Claes , Tobiasen Mette
Published: February 2007

This article investigates electoral participation and the antecedents of anti‐integrationist voting (AIV) in the Danish 2004 European parliamentary elections. First, it focuses on the effects of the campaign and assesses the importance of social demographics and political predispositions vis‐à‐vis mediated and interpersonal communication on turnout. Second, it investigates AIV, focusing on ‘hard’ utilitarian predictors and ‘soft’ cultural predictors. It draws on the European Election Study (EES) post‐electoral voter survey and a media content analysis of the most important news media outlets. Its findings corroborate previous research on political participation and shows significant positive effects of interpersonal political discussion and exposure to news media that portrayed the European elections as a conflict‐laden contest on turnout. The analysis of AIV highlights the importance of proxies (lack of trust and dissatisfaction with the incumbent government) and political ideology, but also feelings of identity. The latter provides evidence from the Danish context in support of an emerging body of literature emphasizing ‘soft’ explanations of euroscepticism.
Order Patterns in Time Series
Authors: Bandt Chstoph , Shiha Faten
Published: February 2007

Abstract.  Recent use of order patterns in time‐series analysis shows the need for a corresponding theory. We determine probabilities of order patterns in Gaussian and autoregressive moving‐average (ARMA) processes. Two order functions are introduced which characterize a time series in a way similar to autocorrelation. For stationary ergodic processes, all finite‐dimensional distributions are obtained from the one‐dimensional distribution plus the order structure of a typical time series.
IS INEQUALITY HARMFUL FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IN A GROWING ECONOMY?
Authors: KEMPF HUBERT , ROSSIGNOL STÉPHANE
Published: February 2007

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between inequality and the environment in a growing economy from a political‐economy perspective. We consider an endogenous growth economy, where growth generates pollution and a deterioration of the environment. Public expenditures may either be devoted to supporting growth or abating pollution. The decision over the public programs is made in a direct democracy, with simple majority rule. We prove that the median voter is decisive and show that inequality is harmful for the environment: the poorer the median voter relative to the average individual, the less she will tax and devote resources to the environment, preferring to support growth.
THE SELECTION OF POLICIES FOR BALLOT INITIATIVES: WHAT VOTERS CAN LEARN FROM LEGISLATIVE INACTION
Authors: BOEHMKE FREDERICK J. , PATTY JOHN W.
Published: February 2007

This paper models the process through which proposals are placed on the ballot as initiatives. Importantly, proposals that reach the ballot were not enacted by the legislature. We show that this fact has important consequences for the type of policy proposals that reach the ballot: as the legislature would enact any proposal that increases everyone's utility (in expectation), proposals that reach the ballot must be bad for some segment of the population. We partition the population into voters who would benefit from a group's proposal and those who would not and show that voters can use the legislature's inaction to obtain a better estimate of the initiative's expected value. In particular, we show that voters that are not in the sponsoring group infer that proposals that become initiatives have negative expected value and that the expected value of an initiative is decreasing in the size of the group that sponsors it.
NIETZSCHE, THE CROSS, AND THE NATURE OF GOD
Authors: CROWE BENJAMIN D.
Published: February 2007

In this essay, I treat of a type of moral objection to Christian theism that is formulated by Friedrich Nietzsche. In an effort to provoke a negative moral‐aesthetic response to the conception of God underlying the Christian tradition, with the ultimate aim of recommending his own allegedly ‘healthier’ ideals, Nietzsche presents a number of distinct but related considerations. In particular, he claims that the traditional theological interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus expresses the tasteless, vulgar, and morally objectionable character of God, thus rendering Him unworthy of belief. In response to Nietzsche's worries, I first of all argue that his account of the origins of the belief in God is both prima facie implausible and historically false. At the same time I recognize that Nietzsche is expressing, in his typically bombastic manner, a genuine and widely held worry about what the crucifixion, as an event in salvation history, says about the nature of God. In response to this worry, I draw on the work of Wilhelm Dilthey in order to support the contention that the concept of divine transcendence, which underlies Nietzsche's concern, has its proper place within the Greek metaphysical tradition, rather than in Christian faith. Building on the work of Franz Rosenzweig and Jürgen Moltmann, I outline a conception of God that more accurately reflects the claim that the cross is the definitive revelation of the divine nature while at the same time foreclosing on the possibility of the kind of response that Nietzsche articulates.
The development of economic self‐sufficiency among former welfare recipients: lessons learned from Wisconsin’s welfare to work program
Authors: Alfred Mary V. , Martin Larry G.
Published: February 2007

In 1996, the US Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, changing the culture of welfare from a system of dependency to one of personal responsibility and economic self‐sufficiency through workplace participation. Through the expert views of case managers and area employers of Wisconsin, this research sought to identify the problems and barriers to self‐sufficiency among former welfare recipients and other low‐income workers and the effectiveness of services and programs available to address these barriers. The study found situational barriers, education and learning experience barriers, personal issues and disabilities to impede the development of low‐income workers. The services found to promote the development of economic self‐sufficiency among former welfare recipients were support services, educational and learning programs, employer intervention services and counseling services. The findings suggest that these services could be expanded and made more effective through the collaborative efforts of welfare reform agencies, employers, educational institutions and community‐based organizations.
Individual influences on knowledge acquisition in a call center training context in Germany
Authors: Rowold Jens
Published: February 2007

From both a practical and a theoretical point of view, it is important to identify factors that foster knowledge acquisition in organizational training programs. Recent models of training effectiveness have proposed relationships between trainees’ characteristics and subsequent learning. The present study tested the impact of trainees’ pretraining expectations, post‐training reaction to training, expectation fulfillment and commitment on declarative knowledge acquisition, while controlling for education and motivation to learn. Participants were call center agents (N = 84), working in 10 call centers in Germany. Results showed that, in addition to education and motivation to learn, only expectation fulfillment significantly predicted learning. Implications for practice and future research were discussed.
Training evaluation based on cases of Taiwanese benchmarked high‐tech companies
Authors: Lien Bella Ya Hui , Hung Richard Yu Yuan , McLean Gary N.
Published: February 2007

Although the influence of workplace practices and employees’ experiences with training effectiveness has received considerable attention, less is known of the influence of workplace practices on training evaluation methods. The purposes of this study were to: (1) explore and understand the training evaluation methods used by seven Taiwanese companies benchmarked for their excellence; and (2) compare Kirkpatrick’s and Swanson’s training evaluation models with practices used by the benchmarked Taiwanese organizations from a cross‐cultural perspective. Five themes emerged from in‐depth interviews, extending our understanding of training evaluation in the benchmarked Taiwanese organizations.
International briefing 17: training and development in New Zealand
Authors: Pio Edwina
Published: February 2007

New Zealand is one of the world's most geographically isolated and least crowded countries. New Zealand organizations are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of training and development as the country becomes more technologically sophisticated, multiethnic and older. The country needs higher productivity, business investment and skills development. Both the government and the corporate sector work to strengthen system capability and quality, to increase opportunities for on‐the‐job experience and to raise the skills of all New Zealanders for participation in a knowledge society.
Human papillomavirus infection and primary fallopian tube carcinoma: a seroepidemiological study
Authors: Riska A , Finne P , Koskela P , Alfthan H , Jalkanen J , Lehtinen M , Sorvari T , Stenman U‐H , Paavonen J , Leminen A
Published: February 2007

Objective  To evaluate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 or 33 infection in primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC).

Design  A retrospective case–control study.

Setting  Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.

Population  Seventy‐eight consecutive women with PFTC diagnosed between 1985 and 2000 were studied. For each case, two healthy controls were selected.

Methods  Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33 were measured from women with PFTC and their healthy controls.

Main outcome measures  Analysis of HPV 6, 11, 18, 31 and 33 seropositivity among women with PFTC and controls.

Results  Seropositivity rates of non‐oncogenic or oncogenic HPV types did not differ between cases and controls, odds ratios being 1.04–1.30 for oncogenic HPVs and 1.08–1.19 for non‐oncogenic HPVs, similarly. We did not find any multiplicative joint effect in PFTC by antibodies to more than one oncogenic HPV type; neither did we find any antagonistic effect among women with antibodies to non‐oncogenic and oncogenic HPV types.

Conclusions  Our results do not suggest any link between PFTC and serological evidence for HPV infection.
Audit of the effectiveness of cervical preparation with Dilapan prior to late second‐trimester (20–24 weeks) surgical termination of pregnancy
Authors: Poon LCY , Parsons J
Published: February 2007

The aim of this audit was to evaluate the efficacy of cervical preparation with Dilapan dilators prior to late second‐trimester surgical termination of pregnancy. The first audit cycle showed that after cervical preparation consisting of one or two Dilapan dilators, with or without misoprostol, on the day before or the day of the procedure, there were nine cases of cervical and uterine damage. The second audit cycle showed that cervical preparation, which consisted of two or three Dilapan dilators, on the day before the procedure improves cervical preparation and reduces the risk of damage to the uterus and cervix.
Noninvasive antenatal management of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: safe and effective
Authors: Van Den Akker ESA , Oepkes D , Lopriore E , Brand A , Kanhai HHH
Published: February 2007

Objective  To describe the outcome of pregnancies with fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) in relation to the invasiveness of the management protocol.

Design  Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a national cohort.

Setting  Leiden University Medical Centre, the national centre for management of severe red cell and platelet alloimmunisation in pregnancy.

Population  Ninety‐eight pregnancies in 85 women with FNAIT having a previous child with thrombocytopenia with (n= 16) or without (n= 82) an intracranial haemorrhage (ICH).

Methods  Our management protocol evolved over time from (1) serial fetal blood samplings (FBS) and platelet transfusion (n= 13) via (2) combined FBS with maternal intravenous immunoglobulins (n= 33) to (3) completely noninvasive treatment with immunoglobulins only (n= 52 pregnancies, resulting in 53 neonates). Perinatal outcome was assessed according to the three types of management.

Main outcome measures  Occurrence of ICH, perinatal survival, gestational age at birth and complications of FBS.

Results  All but one of 98 pregnancies ended in a live birth; none of the neonates had an ICH. The median gestational age at birth was 37 weeks (range 32–40). In groups 1 and 2, three emergency caesarean sections were performed after complicated FBS, resulting in two healthy babies and one neonatal death.

Conclusion  Noninvasive antenatal management of pregnancies complicated by FNAIT appears to be both effective and safe.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers in the Japanese eight‐barbel loach, Lefua echigonia
Authors: KOIZUMI NORIYUKI , TAKAHASHI HIDEAKI , MINEZAWA MITSURU , TAKEMURA TAKESHI , OKUSHIMA SHUJI , MORI ATSUSHI
Published: February 2007

We isolated and characterized 17 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Japanese eight‐barbel loach, Lefua echigonia, an endangered freshwater species in streams including agricultural canals in Japan. The number of observed alleles for each locus ranged from two to nine, and the values of observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.125 to 0.844 and from 0.148 to 0.876, respectively. All loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Genetic linkage disequilibrium analysis between all pairs of the loci showed no significant departure from the null hypothesis between any of the loci.
Development and characterization of eight microsatellite markers in bullet tuna (Auxis rochei)
Authors: CATANESE GAETANO , INFANTE CARLOS , CRESPO ANIELA , ZUASTI EUGENIA , PONCE MARIAN , FUNES VICTORIA , PÉREZ LAURA , MANCHADO MANUEL
Published: February 2007

The bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) is a worldwide species of high commercial value in Spain. Nevertheless, little information is currently available about the genetic characteristics of wild A. rochei populations. In this survey, we have developed eight new microsatellites for the bullet tuna using an enriched genome library protocol. Primers were screened on a total of 78 individuals from three wild populations (Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Pacific), revealing seven to 27 alleles per locus with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.63 to 0.97. These markers can be potentially useful tools for use in population genetic studies.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in a marine fish species, the tusk (Brosme brosme)
Authors: KNUTSEN HALVOR , FIANI DAVID , SANNÆS HANNE , HOELZEL A. RUS
Published: February 2007

We developed polymerase chain reaction primers for nine dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the marine deep‐sea fish, the tusk (Brosme brosme). All markers were obtained from a partial genomic DNA library, and characterized in 100 unrelated individuals from one putative population. The number of alleles ranged from two to 60 with an average of 15/locus. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.020 to 0.826 (average 0.438). Several of the markers amplified multiple alleles from the two other gadoid species tested.
Microsatellite loci from the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Suillus pictus associated with the genus Pinus subgenus Strobus
Authors: HIROSE D. , TOKUMASU S.
Published: February 2007

Seven microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Suillus pictus associated with soft pine species (Pinus subgenus Strobus) using a dual‐suppression‐PCR technique. Microsatellite variation was assessed using 38 isolates of S. pictus sampled from three different local populations in Japan. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 12 within populations. These microsatellite loci can be used for studying the allelic variation and genetic structure in/among local populations of S. pictus.
PROCESS FOR OBTAINING INFORMED CONSENT: WOMEN’S OPINIONS
Authors: BENTO SILVANA FERREIRA , HARDY ELLEN , OSIS MARIA JOSÉ DUARTE
Published: February 2007

In Brazil, every study involving human beings is required to produce an informed consent form that must be signed by study participants: this is stated in Resolution 196/96.1 Consent must be obtained through a specific structured process.

Objective:  To present the opinions of women regarding how the process of obtaining informed consent should be conducted when women are invited to participate in studies on contraceptive methods.

Subjects and Methods:  Eight focus groups were conducted, involving a total of 51 women living in the metropolitan region of Campinas. The women involved in the study were either participating in a clinical trial in the area of women’s health or had participated in such a trial in the previous 12 months. A thematic guide was used to conduct the focus group discussions; the discussions were recorded, transcribed and a thematic analysis performed.

Results:  In general, the person who invites a woman to participate in a study should be a member of the research team but not the principal investigator. Information relating to the study should be given orally and in writing, both individually and in the group setting. Study volunteers should be informed about, among other things, the risks, possible side effects and discomforts, including long‐term effects. The use of audiovisual aids to provide information was suggested.

Conclusion:  The process for obtaining informed consent was seen as a means of establishing a relationship between the volunteers and the investigator/research team. The information that the study participants expected to be given coincides with the requirements established under Resolution 196/96. The use of audiovisual aids would improve understanding of the information provided.
RESPECT FOR PERSONS PERMITS PRIORITIZING TREATMENT FOR HIV/AIDS
Authors: METZ THADDEUS
Published: February 2007

I defend a certain claim about rationing in the context of HIV/AIDS, namely, the ‘priority thesis’ that the state of a developing country with a high rate of HIV should provide highly active anti‐retroviral treatment (HAART) to those who would die without it, even if doing so would require not treating most other life‐threatening diseases. More specifically, I defend the priority thesis in a negative way, by refuting two influential and important arguments against it inspired by the Kantian principle of respect for persons. The ‘equality argument’ more or less maintains that prioritizing treatment for HIV/AIDS would objectionably treat those who suffer from it as more important than those who do not. The ‘responsibility argument’ says, roughly, that to ration life‐saving treatment by prioritizing those with HIV would wrongly fail to hold people responsible for their actions, since most people infected with HIV could have avoided the foreseeable harm of infection. While it appears that a Kantian must think that one of these two arguments is sound, I maintain that, in fact, respect for persons grounds neither the equality nor responsibility argument against prioritizing HAART and hence at least permits doing so. If this negative defence of the priority thesis succeeds, then conceptual space is opened up for the possibility that respect for persons requires prioritizing HAART, which argument I sketch in the conclusion as something to articulate and defend in future work.
Correlation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and mutations in basal core promoter/precore with clinical features of chronic HBV infection
Authors: Du Heng , Li Tong , Zhang Hua‐Yuan , He Zhong‐Ping , Dong Qing‐Ming , Duan Xue‐Zhang , Zhuang Hui
Published: February 2007

Background/Aims: To investigate the correlation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and basal core promoter (BCP) and precore (PC) mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: HBV genotyping, nucleotide mutation, serum HBV DNA level and serological markers were analyzed in 121 patients with chronic HBV infection using INNO‐LiPA HBV genotyping, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product‐based sequencing, fluorescence quantitative PCR and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays respectively.

Results: Forty (33.0%), 77 (63.6%), two (1.7%) and two (1.7%) patients had genotypes B, C, B/C and D infections respectively. Significant differences were found in serum HBV DNA levels (log10 copies/ml: 6.18 vs. 5.61, P=0.042) and mutations at nucleotide (nt) 1762/1764 (71.4% vs. 42.5%, P=0.002) between genotypes C‐ and B‐infected patients. There were significant differences in the mean age, serum biochemical parameter levels and mutation rates in BCP/PC among hepatitis e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive and ‐negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and liver cirrhosis (LC) groups.

Conclusion: Genotypes C and B are predominant in China, and the frequent nt 1762/1764 mutation, which occurs commonly in HBeAg‐negative CHB, especially in genotype C patients, may be associated with the progress of chronic HBV infection.
Open‐label pilot study of folic acid in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Charatcharoenwitthaya Phunchai , Levy Cynthia , Angulo Paul , Keach Jill , Jorgensen Roberta , Lindor Keith D.
Published: February 2007

Background/Aims: Folate deficiency disturbs hepatic methionine metabolism and promotes the development of steatohepatitis in animal models. Our aims were (1) to determine the safety and efficacy of folic acid treatment in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) on changes in liver biochemistries, and (2) to investigate the presence of subclinical folate deficiency in this population.

Methods: Patients with biopsy‐proven NASH were treated with folic acid 1 mg/day for 6 months. Liver enzymes and adverse events were monitored every 3 months until completion.

Results: Ten patients (one male and nine females) with a median age of 54 years were enrolled in this study. At baseline, the median steatosis grade was 2 (range 1–3), the median necroinflammatory grade was 1 (1–3), and the median fibrosis stage was 2 (0–4). The median level of red cell folate was 526 ng/ml (range 99–708); the normal level was 268–616 ng/ml. One compensated cirrhotic patient had folate deficiency. No serious adverse events occurred. After 6 months of therapy, no significant reductions in serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels (60±25 vs. 54±29, P=0.5 and 86±29 vs. 83±42, P=0.6, respectively), were observed. Serum levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, and prothrombin time remained in the normal range during treatment in all patients.

Conclusion: Six months of therapy with folic acid at a dose of 1 mg/day, although safe and well tolerated, does not lead to a significant biochemical improvement in patients with NASH. In a small number of patients, folate deficiency was present in only a cirrhotic patient.
Dynamics of hepatitis B e antigen index ratio correlate with treatment response in chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Wang Chia‐Chi , Liu Chun‐Jen , Lai Ming‐Yang , Kao Jia‐Horng , Chen Ding‐Shinn
Published: February 2007

Background/Aim: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion is an important event in the natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Whether early dynamics of HBeAg index ratio could predict therapeutic endpoint of HBeAg seroconversion in patients receiving lamivudine remains unclear and thus deserves investigation.

Methods: A total of 52 patients (males/females, 40/12; mean age, 31.1±7.5 years) with HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level ≥5 × upper limit of normal were enrolled. They received daily 100 mg lamivudine for at least 1 year. Pretreatment HBeAg index ratio and the dynamics during treatment [early serologic response (ESR) and serologic breakthrough (SB)] between responders and non‐responders were compared.

Results: Of these 52 patients, mean pretreatment serum ALT level was 580 IU/l and baseline HBeAg index ratio (S/N) was 37.9. The overall 1‐year on‐treatment combined response rate was 50%. By using linear regression analysis, HBeAg index ratio was positively correlated with serum HBV DNA level (Pearson's correlation coefficient: 0.62, P<0.0001). By using multivariate logistic regression analysis, ESR could predict the success of treatment response (P=0.0302), and SB had a 90% positive predictive value of treatment failure.

Conclusions: HBeAg index ratio is closely correlated with serum HBV DNA level, and the dynamics of HBeAg index ratio may predict 1‐year on‐treatment combined response to lamivudine in HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients.
New molecular targets for hepatocellular carcinoma: the ErbB1 signaling system
Authors: Berasain Carmen , Castillo Josefa , Prieto Jesús , Avila Matías A.
Published: February 2007

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer‐related deaths. This malignancy is often diagnosed at an advanced state, when most potentially curative therapies are of limited efficacy. In addition, HCC is a type of tumor highly resistant to available chemotherapeutic agents, which leaves HCC patients with no effective therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. From a molecular perspective, HCC is a heterogeneous type of tumor. However, in most cases, HCC emerges on a background of persistent liver injury, inflammation and hepatocellular proliferation, which is characteristic of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Recent studies have revealed that dysregulation of a limited number of growth and survival‐related pathways can play a key role in HCC development. The epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB1) can be bound and activated by a broad family of ligands, and can also engage in extensive cross talk with other signaling pathways. This system is considered as an important defense mechanism for the liver during acute tissue injury; however, accumulating evidences suggest that its chronic stimulation can participate in the neoplastic conversion of the liver. Agents that target the ErbB1 receptor have shown antineoplastic activity in other types of tumors, but their efficacy either alone or in combination with other compounds has just started to be tested in experimental and human HCC. Here, we review the evidences that support the involvement of the ErbB1 in HCC development and that provide a rationale for ErbB1 targeting in HCC prevention and treatment.
Rotor‐type hyperbilirubinaemia has no defect in the canalicular bilirubin export pump
Authors: Hřebíček Martin , Jirásek Tomáš , Hartmannová Hana , Nosková Lenka , Stránecký Viktor , Ivánek Robert , Kmoch Stanislav , Cebecauerová Dita , Vítek Libor , Mikulecký Miroslav , Subhanová Iva , Hozák Pavel , Jirsa Milan
Published: February 2007

Background: The cause of Rotor syndrome (RS), a rare‐familial conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia with normal liver histology, is unclear. We hypothesized that RS can be an allelic variant of Dubin–Johnson syndrome, caused by mutation in ABCC2, and investigated ABCC2 (gene) and ABCC2 (protein) in two patients with RS.

Methods: A 57‐year‐old male presented with a 5‐year history of predominantly conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (170 μmol/l). Urinary porphyrin excretion was increased; cholescintigraphy revealed no chromoexcretion. A 68‐year‐old male presented with lifelong conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (85 μmol/l). Bromosulfophthalein elimination was typical for RS. Both patients had histologically normal liver, without pigment. ABCC2 expression was investigated by confocal fluorescence microscopy. ABCC2 was sequenced from genomic DNA and cDNA, and exon deletions/duplications were sought by comparative genomic hybridization on a custom micro‐array.

Results: In both patients, ABCC2 was expressed unremarkably at the apical membrane of hepatocytes and no sequence alterations were found in 32 exons, adjacent intronic regions and the promoter region of ABCC2.

Conclusions: Rotor‐type hyperbilirubinaemia is not an allelic variant of ABCC2 deficiency.
Toward the discovery of new biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma by proteomics
Authors: Santamaría Enrique , Muñoz Javier , Fernández‐Irigoyen Joaquín , Prìeto Jesús , Corrales Fernando J.
Published: February 2007

Primary liver cancer is the fifth most frequent neoplasm and the third most common cause of cancer‐related death, with more than 500 000 new cases diagnosed yearly. The outcome for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients still remains dismal, partly because of our limited knowledge of its molecular pathogenesis and the difficulty in detecting the disease at its early stages. Therefore, studies aimed at the definition of the mechanisms associated with HCC progression and the identification of new biomarkers leading to early diagnosis and more effective therapeutic interventions are urgently needed. Proteomics is a rapidly expanding discipline that is expected to change the way in which diseases will be diagnosed, treated, and monitored in the near future. In the last few years, HCC has been extensively investigated using different proteomic approaches on HCC cell lines, animal models, and human tumor tissues. In this review, state‐of‐the‐art technology on proteomics is overviewed, and recent advances in liver cancer proteomics and their clinical projections are discussed.
The use of physical restraint in critical care
Authors: Hine Karen
Published: February 2007

Critically ill patients are at high risk for the development of delirium and agitation, resulting in non‐compliance with life‐saving treatment. The use of physical restraint appears to be a useful and simple solution to prevent this treatment interference. In reality, restraint is a complex topic, encompassing physical, psychological, legal and ethical issues. This article briefly discusses the incidence of delirium and agitation in critically ill patients and examines in detail the method of physical restraint to manage treatment interference. The historical background of physical restraint is discussed and the prevalence of its use in critical care units across the world examined. Studies into the use of physical restraint are analysed, and in particular the physical effects on patients discussed. The use of physical restraint raises many legal, ethical and moral questions for all health care professionals; therefore, this study aims to address these questions. This article concludes by emphasizing areas of future practice development in intensive care units throughout the UK.
Pressure ulcer risk assessment immediately after cardiac surgery – does it make a difference? A comparison of three pressure ulcer risk assessment instruments within a cardiac surgery population
Authors: Feuchtinger Johanna , Halfens Ruud , Dassen Theo
Published: February 2007

The intensive care unit (ICU) population has a high risk of developing pressure ulcers. According to several national expert guidelines for pressure ulcer prevention, a risk assessment for every situation in which the patient’s condition is changing should be performed using a standardized risk assessment instrument. The aims of this study were to (a) assess the number of patients who are ‘at risk’ for the development of pressure ulcer according to three commonly used risk assessment instruments in the intermediate period after cardiac surgery procedures, (b) assess which instrument best fits the situation of the ICU patients and c) decide if ‘static’ risk assessment with an instrument should be recommended. The modified Norton scale, the Braden scale and the 4‐factor model were used in a convenience sample of 53 patients to assess the risk for development of pressure ulcer in the first 5 days (in ICU) after cardiac surgery procedures. The number of patients at risk were >60% by the 4‐factor model, >70% by the modified Norton scale and >80% by the Braden scale. Sensitivity and specificity in all scales were not satisfactory. Forty‐nine per cent (n= 26) of the patients developed a pressure ulcer in the operating room, 13% (n= 7) up to day 5 in the cardiac surgery ICU. Only 1·9% (n= 1) of the pressure ulcers were stage 2. The study concluded that the patients in the cardiac surgery ICU can be identified as at risk during the first 5 days after surgical procedure without continuously using a standardized risk assessment instrument in every changing condition. Individual risk assessment by a standardized risk assessment instrument is only recommended to enable initiation of preventive measures based on patient‐specific risk factors.
Petrogenesis of the garnet peridotite and garnet‐free peridotite of the Zhimafang ultramafic body in the Sulu ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic belt, eastern China
Authors: YANG J. S , ZHANG R. Y. , LI T. F. , ZHANG Zh. M. , LIOU J. G.
Published: February 2007

The CCSD‐PP1 drillhole penetrated a 110‐m‐thick sequence of the Zhimafang ultramafic body in the Sulu ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt, east China. The sequence consists of interlayered garnet‐bearing (Grt) and garnet‐free (GF) peridotite. Eleven layers of Grt‐peridotite, ranging from 1.2 to 9.5 m in thickness, have an aggregate thickness of 54.49 m, whereas eight layers of GF‐peridotite, ranging from 2.2 to 14.2 m in thickness, have a total thickness of 57.53 m. The boundaries between the two rock types are gradational. The Grt‐peridotites have slightly higher contents of Al2O3, CaO and SiO2, and lower Mg#s (0.90–0.92) than the GF‐peridotites (Mg#s 0.91–0.93). Both contain low TiO2 (<0.05 wt%) and have higher modal abundances of enstatite (average 10 vol.%) than diopside (1–5 vol.%), typical of depleted‐type upper mantle. The diopside in these rocks has high and relatively uniform Mg# members (0.93–0.95), but highly variable Al2O3 (0.2–2.3 wt%), Na2O (0.5–2.5 wt%) and Cr2O3 (0.38–2.09 wt%). Enstatite (En92−93) contains very low Al2O3 (0–0.3 wt%). Both porphyroblastic and equigranular garnet are present. The equigranular varieties are zoned, from core to rim in Cr2O3 (3.4–4.2 wt%), MgO (18.4–17.5 wt%) and Al2O3 (21.1–20.1 wt%). Titania is very low in all the garnet, mostly <0.05 wt%. Chromite or chromium (Cr)‐spinel occur both in the Grt‐ and GF‐peridotite, and are characterized by high contents of Cr2O3 (49–58 wt%) and FeO (24–43 wt%), similar to that in iron‐rich Alpine‐type peridotites. Based on the bulk‐rock MgO–FeO compositions, the Zhimafang Grt‐peridotite probably underwent 20–30% partial melting, whereas the GF‐peridotite may have undergone as much as 35–40% partial melting, suggesting that the two rock types owe their differences to different degrees of partial melting rather than to pressure differences during metamorphism.
Olfactory response of the anthocorid predatory bug Orius sauteri to thrips‐infested eggplants
Authors: Mochizuki Masatoshi , Yano Eizi
Published: February 2007

The predator Orius sauteri (Poppius) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is an effective arthropod natural enemy of thrips, especially Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a serious pest of vegetables. First, we studied O. sauteri's response to the odour from thrips‐infested eggplant [Solamum melongena L. (Solanaceae)] in a laboratory by two‐choice experiments using a Y‐tube olfactometer. When detached eggplant leaves were used as odour sources, O. sauteri preferred the volatiles from uninfested leaves to clean air. Concerning preferences among differently infested leaves, O. sauteri preferred the volatiles from plants infested with 10–100 thrips per leaf to uninfested leaves, but showed no significant preference for artificially damaged leaves over uninfested leaves. Similar results were obtained when complete plants were tested as the odour source. Second, release and recapture experiments in a greenhouse, a more realistic set of conditions, were conducted to confirm whether a significant preference for infested plants occurred at similar infestation levels as in the laboratory. Trends favouring infested plants were detected at densities of five and 500 thrips per plant; however, at the five thrips per plant, this trend was due to the large deviation seen in infested plants in only one replicate. In light of the low tolerable thrips density of eggplant, it is necessary to confirm whether artificial treatments with chemicals induce the emission of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles that can attract O. sauteri and prolong its residence time on the leaf.
In vivo experimental model of human gingival mucosa using immunodeficient mice
Authors: Tsukinoki K. , Miyoshi Y. , Aoki T. , Karakida K. , Ohta Y. , Kaneko A. , Ueyama Y. , Watanabe Y.
Published: February 2007

Background and Objective:  To establish an in vivo experimental model for examining human periodontal tissue, the present study examined several transplant techniques that maintain the structure and characteristics of human gingival mucosa.

Material and Methods:  Human oral mucosal tissue samples were collected from the gingiva (n = 11), palate (n = 1), and tongue (n = 3). These mucosal grafts were transplanted onto BALB/c nu/scid mice with double‐mutant immunodeficiency. Murine skin, twice the size of the graft, was cut open in an ‘⊐’‐shape. Next, the connective tissue side of the graft was placed onto the murine connective tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed, using polyclonal rabbit antibody to involucrin, monoclonal antibody to vimentin, monoclonal antibody to CD34, and monoclonal antibody to Ki‐67, to determine whether the characteristics of human oral mucosa were maintained.

Results:  When the connective tissue side of the graft was placed on the murine fascial membrane, the histological structure of the graft was maintained for 60 d. These grafts were examined for human characteristics using human‐specific antibodies. Immunohistochemically, the expression patterns of involucrin, vimentin, and Ki‐67 indicated that transplanted mucosa revealed normal human characteristics, including differentiation and proliferation up to 80 d. CD34 was not detected in the graft endothelial cells.

Conclusion:  The present study revealed that the novel technique of transplantation of human gingival mucosa in nu/scid mice may serve as an in vivo experimental model of periodontal disease.
Histological Studies on the Effects of Pineal 5‐Methoxyindoles on the Reproductive Organs of the Male Golden Hamster
Authors: Ooi V.E.C. , Ng T.B.
Published: February 2007

The effects of late‐afternoon injections of melatonin (MEL), 5‐methoxytryptamine (MTN), 5‐methoxytryptophol (MTOL), and 5‐methoxyindole‐3‐acetic acid (MIAA) on testicular and seminal vesicular histology in the golden hamster were examined. MEL, MTN, and MTOL injections caused a reduction in the diameters of seminiferous tubules and an inhibition of spermatogenesis. Testicular regression ranged from a decrease in the abundance of late spermatids and mature spermatozoa in some animals to an almost complete loss of spermatogenesis in others. Sertoli cells were more resistant to the treatment than other cellular components of the seminiferous tubules. Leydig cells were reduced in size, showed a great reduction in cytoplasm, and possessed shrunken and angular nuclei. The epithelial cells of seminal vesicles were reduced in size and became cuboidal or low columnar. Some secretory cells possessed pyknotic nuclei and had minimal secretory activity. MTN and MTOL appeared to be more potent than MEL in inducing the aforementioned changes, whereas MIAA failed to exert similar effects.
Influence of Serotonin and Melatonin on Some Parameters of Gastrointestinal Activity
Authors: Bubenik George A. , Dhanvantari Savita
Published: February 2007

In vitro melatonin (M) reduced the tone of gut muscles and counteracted the tonic effect of serotonin (5‐HT). In vivo 0.1 to 4 mg of 5‐HT (contained in beeswax implants) decreased the food transit time (FTT) in a dose‐dependent manner, but higher doses (5 and 6 mg) increased the FTT. Melatonin injected intraperitoneally into mice bearing 5‐HT implants (2 mg per animal) blocked partly the serotonin effect and increased FTT by 50%; however, no dose‐dependent effect was observed when doses between 0.01 and 1 mg were used. Surprisingly, M injected into intact mice decreased FTT to levels comparable to those observed in 5‐HT implanted, M‐treated mice. Again, this significant decrease was not dose‐dependent between 0.02 and 1 mg. Although in vitro the maximal inhibition of serotonin‐induced spasm was achieved when the M: 5‐HT ratio was 50–100: 1, in vivo the effective ratio was about 1: 1. This may indicate that part of M action on the gut movement is mediated by extraintestinal mechanisms. A hypothetical, counterbalancing system of M and 5‐HT regulation of gut activity (similar to adrenaline‐acetylcholine system) is proposed.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Innervation of the Ovine Pineal Gland
Authors: Williams Lynda M. , Morgan Peter J. , Pelletier Georges , Riddoch Gwen I. , Lawson Wilf , Davidson Gary R.
Published: February 2007

A dense network of neuropeptide Y (NPY)‐like immunoreactive (NPY‐LI) fibres was revealed in the ovine pineal gland at the light microscope level. The dorsal and peripheral regions of the gland contained the most dense concentration of NPY‐LI fibres with relatively few fibres in the mid‐region and almost none in the pineal stalk. The effect of NPY in conjunction with isoproterenol (ISO) on cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation and noradrenaline (NA) on melatonin synthesis was investigated using in vitro techniques. NPY had no effect on the stimulation of cAMP or melatonin synthesis by the adrenergic agonists.