bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fetal Toxic Effects of Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists: Case Report and Follow-Up after Birth
Authors: Bos-Thompson Marie-Andrée , Hillaire-Buys Dominique , Muller Françoise , Dechaud Hervé , Mazurier Evelyne , Boulot Pierre , Morin Denis
Published: December 2004

OBJECTIVE:

To report a child born with renal impairment following severe anhydramnios due to maternal exposure to an angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1) antagonist, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.

CASE SUMMARY:

A hypertensive woman treated with valsartan 80 mg/day, hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg/day, prazosin 10 mg/day, lysine acetylsalicylate 100 mg/day, and levothyroxine 250 μg/day became pregnant. At 28 weeks' gestational age, severe anhydramnios associated with high β2-microglobulin levels in the fetal blood cord was observed. Upon discontinuation of valsartan, fetal renal prognosis improved. In this case, using the Naranjo probability scale, the renal insufficiency of the child was probably related to valsartan. At the age of 2.5 years, the child presented with only mild chronic renal insufficiency. Growth parameters were within the normal range, and there was no evidence of developmental delay.

DISCUSSION:

Exposure to AT1 antagonists during the second part of pregnancy can lead to abnormalities similar to those observed after exposure to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, that is, reduced fetal kidney perfusion that may result in oligoamnios and neonatal renal insufficiency. Fourteen previous reports of maternal exposure to AT1 antagonists during this period have been published. In 6 cases, fetal or neonatal death occurred; in 2 cases, pregnancy was terminated because of complete anhydramnios or fetal abnormalities; in 1 case, renal insufficiency persisted at 8 months of age; in 2 cases, kidney function was fairly normal at birth; and in 4 cases, including the one described here, neonatal renal failure improved in the first year of life.

CONCLUSIONS:

AT1 antagonists should be avoided throughout pregnancy. If these agents are prescribed accidentally to a pregnant woman, monitoring of amniotic fluid volume and β2-microglobulin fetal blood levels after discontinuation of the AT1 antagonist can provide critical data for advising parents on pregnancy and fetal outcome.
Evaluation of Serum Protein Profiling by Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for the Detection of Prostate Cancer: I. Assessment of Platform Reproducibility
Authors: Semmes O John , Feng Ziding , Adam Bao-Ling , Banez Lionel L , Bigbee William L , Campos David , Cazares Lisa H , Chan Daniel W , Grizzle William E , Izbicka Elzbieta , Kagan Jacob , Malik Gunjan , McLerran Dale , Moul Judd W , Partin Alan , Prasanna Premkala , Rosenzweig Jason , Sokoll Lori J , Srivastava Shiv , Srivastava Sudhir , Thompson Ian , Welsh Manda J , White Nicole , Winget Marcy , Yasui Yutaka , Zhang Zhen , Zhu Liu
Published: December 2004

Background: Protein expression profiling for differences indicative of early cancer has promise for improving diagnostics. This report describes the first stage of a National Cancer Institute/Early Detection Research Network-sponsored multiinstitutional evaluation and validation of this approach for detection of prostate cancer.

Methods: Two sequential experimental phases were conducted to establish interlaboratory calibration and standardization of the surface-enhanced laser desorption (SELDI) instrumental and assay platform output. We first established whether the output from multiple calibrated Protein Biosystem II SELDI-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) instruments demonstrated acceptable interlaboratory reproducibility. This was determined by measuring mass accuracy, resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and normalized intensity of three m/z “peaks” present in a standard pooled serum sample. We next evaluated the ability of the calibrated and standardized instrumentation to accurately differentiate between selected cases of prostate cancer and control by use of an algorithm developed from data derived from a single site 2 years earlier.

Results: When the described standard operating procedures were established at all laboratory sites, the across-laboratory measurements revealed a CV for mass accuracy of 0.1%, signal-to-noise ratio of ∼40%, and normalized intensity of 15–36% for the three pooled serum peaks. This was comparable to the intralaboratory measurements of the same peaks. The instrument systems were then challenged with sera from a selected group of 14 cases and 14 controls. The classification agreement between each site and the established decision algorithm were examined by use of both raw peak intensity boosting and ranked peak intensity boosting. All six sites achieved perfect blinded classification for all samples when boosted alignment of raw intensities was used. Four of six sites achieved perfect blinded classification with ranked intensities, with one site passing the criteria of 26 of 28 correct and one site failing with 19 of 28 correct.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate that “between-laboratory” reproducibility of SELDI-TOF-MS serum profiling approaches that of “within-laboratory” reproducibility as determined by measuring discrete m/z peaks over time and across laboratories.
On some physical properties of six aspen clones
Authors: Avramidis Stavros , Mansfield Shawn D.
Published: December 2004

Basic physical properties including density, permeability, water sorption characteristics and diffusion coefficients in desorption were measured with specimens taken from for six aspen clone trees harvested in northeastern British Columbia. Results showed that there are significant differences among the clones in their specific permeability and somewhat in the heat of wetting, but very little was found among density, diffusion coefficients and desorption isotherms. These results indicate that the porous structure could be variable among clones whereas the sorption site distribution and availability might not.
Technology, Flaked Stone Technology, and Risk
Authors: Bamforth Douglas B. , Bleed Peter
Published: December 2004

Recent theoretical studies of flaked stone technology have identified many factors that affect the ways in which human beings make and use tools. However, these studies lack a unified body of theory that might help to integrate their diverse perspectives. This paper expands recent anthropological discussions of risk as the basis for such a theory. We begin by defining risk, emphasizing two distinct components of this concept‐the probability that some problem will occur and the cost of such an occurrenceand argue that technology can be seen as a means of reducing such probabilities in the face of unacceptably high costs. We support this argument using cross‐cultural data on hunter‐gatherer technology and archaeological and historic data on the construction of defensive works on the northern Great Plains. Next, we consider specific problems in applying this perspective archaeologically, concluding that existing limits on our ability to estimate failure probabilities and costs prevent us from testing the ideas outlined here in archaeological contexts. However, accepting this perspective as provisionally validated by ethnographic data allows us to see how it can illuminate archaeological cases, and we exemplify this by comparing the production of Araya microblade projectile points in the Japanese Paleolithic and Folsom fluted projectile points on the North American Great Plains.
Seeking Guidelines through an Evolutionary Approach: Style Revisited among the ! Kung San (Ju/'hoansi) of the 1990s
Authors: Wiessner Polly
Published: December 2004

This paper will seek to situate style as a means of communication in a fundamental human cognitive process identified in social psychology: the establishment of positive personal and social identities via social comparison and the projection of these to others. First, identification by comparison and its link to stylistic communication will be discussed. Second, how this cognitive process came to be in our evolutionary history, and the evolutionary developments through which style might have arisen will be identified. Third, the implications of this process for formulating stylistic questions and guiding analysis will be developed. The focus will be on diachronic rather than synchronic stylistic analysis, namely, on analysis of the changing relations between the individual and society and how history is drawn on selectively in creating or transforming identities. Finally, the utility of the approach will be tested in a follow‐up case study of stylistic change in projectile points and beadwork among the !Kung San (Ju/'hoansi) of Botswana and Namibia.
Evolutionary Implications of Metrical Variation in Great Basin Projectile Points
Authors: Bettinger Robert L. , Eerkens Jeltner
Published: December 2004

We used a sample of 5285 Great Basin projectile points to test several implications of the general prediction from Neo‐Darwinist culture transmission theory that variation in a socially‐transmitted behavior will vary inversely with: 1) its complexity; 2) the complexity of the social and technical context in which it occurs; and 3) the number of individuals that contribute to its transmission. Statistical analysis of these points demonstrates that 80% of the variation in metrical attributes (e.g., length, width) is accounted for by the mean of the attribute, suggesting that this variation is independent of the transmission process and primarily due to production in which error tolerances are relative, not absolute. The remaining variation, specifically, metrical variability that is substantially greater or less than normally occurs as a consequence of these relative production tolerances, is only partly consistent with transmission theory expectations. More complex point shapes show less metrical variation than simple forms, and arrow points show less metrical variation than dart points, as predicted. There is substantial variation by section, point type, and measurement, however, that remains unexplained by the transmission hypothesis.
Transmission Theory in the Study of Stone Tools: A Midwestern North American Example
Authors: Shott Michael J.
Published: December 2004

Selectionism has to do with the differential transmission of traits through generations, however conceived. Popular in archaeology in recent years, selectionism remains better known for programmatic statements than for empirical applications. Boyd and Richerson's transmission models only weakly account for variation and, presumably, selection through time in metric attributes of points in Late Woodland and Emergent Mississippian contexts at the Range site in midwestern North America. Social transmission should increase with population size and social complexity. Range's occupation spans several cycles in these properties without corresponding variation in metric values and their dispersion predicted by theory. Selectionism and other interpretive traditions all require closer attention to how the record formed before we can distinguish between their often competing predictions.
Content as Variability, Result as Selection: Toward a Behavioral Definition of Technology
Authors: Bleed Peter
Published: December 2004

Technology has long been of interest to anthropologists but anthropological study of the topic has lagged behind consideration of other human institutions. In part this is because technology has remained poorly understood and incompletely defined and because technology's material and non‐material components have been either confused or treated in isolation. To clarify the relationship between its material and non‐material aspects, this paper defines the contents and results of technology in behavioral terms. Material results are an intrinsic part of technology that offer immediate, clear feedback. For that reason, technological behaviors are easy to evaluate and adjust. This makes technology especially subject to selective pressure and evolutionary change.
Washington's Yard Sales: Women's Work, But Not for the Money
Authors: Landman Ruth H.
Published: December 2004

THIS PAPER EXPLORES the reasons for the proliferation of yard sales in middleclass areas of Washington. The hypothesis that these sales should be regarded as more than an economic activity was confirmed. The sales are seen as a satisfying means of providing a social arena where the business of buying and selling is integrated into an occasion of social interaction. Women are the major actors, both as sellers and buyers, and this is explained as satisfying social bonding goals not as readily available to them as to men. [yard sales, urban sociability, companionship, women's work]
The Marketing of Tradition: The Value of Culture in American Life
Authors: Cameron Catherine M.
Published: December 2004

ALTHOUGH THE CONCEPT OF TRADITION is commonplace in social science, it has not received much analytic attention. This paper reviews some of the recent literature on tradition, focusing on two issues: how traditions are created, and their economic and social values. The points raised are illustrated with reference to several instances of tradition making in American high and popular culture and through an extended case study of an urban music festival. The examples reveal the growing relationship between business interests and the creation of cultural traditions, as well as how marketing techniques can create an image of long‐standing tradition for what are actually recent innovations, [arts, tradition, economic value, culture, American society]
Social Control of MNCs: An Institutional Perspective
Authors: Hogner Robert H.
Published: December 2004

KARL POLANYI'S MODEL OF SOCIAL ECONOMICS has provided anthropology with a rich social and human perspective on economic activity. This article applies social economics to understanding business corporation activity, and explores the potential of the model for understanding and controlling multinational corporation activity, [economic anthropology, business, multinational corporations]
Urbanization in the Pacific and Guam
Authors: Mayo Larry W.
Published: December 2004

THE PROCESS OF URBANIZATION is viewed as a worldwide phenomenon and a principal aspect of sociocultvral change in the Pacific. Methods for studying Pacific urbanization are discussed, then the process of urbanization in Guam is described as a case study. Agana, Guam, and its neighboring villages are regarded as a central urban district, exhibiting urban forms and performing urban functions for Guamanian society. Manifestations of urbanization elsewhere are compared with those in the Pacific and Guam to show basic similarities, while differences are considered only a consequence of sociological and geographic scale, [urbanization, Pacific, Guam, social change, urban anthropology]
Housing Values: Images of Domestic Ideals in Modern Japan
Authors: Edwards Walter
Published: December 2004

Analysis of Domestic Ideals in contemporary Japan, as depicted in newspaper advertisements for prefabricated housing, shows a persisting attachment to values that deemphasize the individual in favor of family communication, solidarity, and harmonious three‐generation co‐residence. Despite the greater provision now routinely given to individual privacy within the home, this continuing ambivalence toward individualistic concerns appears to be producing new architectural arrangements that provide personal and intergenerational privacy without erecting permanent barriers between family members.[domestic architecture, family, advertising, privacy, Japan]
Face and Networks in Urban Hong Kong
Authors: Moore Robert L.
Published: December 2004

The Concept of Face has been described and analyzed by observers of Chinese culture since the 19th century, but none of the definitions of face published thus far have been based on data derived from informant interviews aimed specifically at isolating key semantic features. Through such interviews the Cantonese word mihn ("face" in both the physical and the figurative sense) is shown to include two important semantic elements: sentiment or, more specifically, vulnerability to embarrassment and shame, and influence gained through network building. Of these, the latter has not been emphasized in previous discussions of the face concept. [face, networks, shame, Hong Kong]
Expanding Usage of a Community Cannery
Authors: Baer Roberta D. , Kominski Kathy , Miller‐Shaivitz Patricia , Rambeau Diane
Published: December 2004

Public Services are sometimes not utilized to the extent that their planners expected. An anthropological investigation revealed a number of reasons for this pattern with respect to a community cannery facility. The research team initiated a series of measures to remedy this situation among selected demographic groups. The project was successful in attracting more users to the cannery, in having many of its recommendations adopted by county officials, and in developing a positive image of anthropology among these officials. [nutritional anthropology, food preservation, public services]
Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology.
Authors: Benco Nancy L.
Published: December 2004

Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology. William A. Longacer. ed. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1991. 307 pp. Illustrations, bibliography, index. $50.00(cloth).
Jeremy Coote and Anthony Shelton, eds. Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics
Authors: Forrest John
Published: December 2004

Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics. Edited by JEREMY COOTE and ANTHONY SHELTON. Oxford Studies in the Anthropology of Cultural Forms. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992. xi. 281 pp. 69 halftones, 15 color plates, notes, references, index. $69.00 (cloth).
Reinventing Africa: Museums, Material Culture and Popular Imagination in Late Victorian and Edwardian England
Authors: Mark Peter
Published: December 2004

Reinventing Africa: Museums, Material Culture and Popular Imagination in Late Victorian and Edwardian England. Annie E. Coombes. New Haven and London: Yale University Press., 1994. 280 pp., 112 b/w illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $45.00 (cloth).
Textiles of Southeast Asia: An Annotated and Illustrated Bibliography
Authors: Niessen Sandra
Published: December 2004

Textiles of Southeast Asia: An Annotated and illustrated Bibliography, Michel C. Howard. Bangkok/Cheney: White Lotus Co. Ltd., 1994.212 pp., 101 color illustrations.
Teen Tokyo: Youth and Popular Culture in Japan
Authors: Kendall Laurel
Published: December 2004

Teen Tokyo: Youth and Popular Culture in Japan. Children's Museum of Boston. (Until 1996)
On the Mall: Presenting Maroon Tradition‐Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife/Enigma Variations
Authors: Handler Richard
Published: December 2004

On the Mall: Presenting Maroon Tradition‐Bearers at the 1992 Festival of American Folklife. Richard and Sally Price. Bloomington: Folklore Institute, Indiana University, Special Publications, No. 4, 1994. xi. 123 pp.; 16 illus., notes, bibliography. $25.00 (cloth), $12.00 (paper).

Enigma Variations, Richard and Sally Price. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. 164 pp.; 155 illustrations, notes. $18.95 (cloth).
Transformations: The Art of Recycling Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University Oxford, England
Authors: Katchka Kinsey
Published: December 2004

Transformations: The Art of Recycling. Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, Oxford, England. March 25, 2000 through September 8, 2002 (extended).
Collecting Native America 1870 ‐1960
Authors: Clemmer Richard O.
Published: December 2004

Collecting Native America 1870 ‐1960. Shepard Krech III and Barbara A. Hail. eds. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999. 294 pp. forward & index.
The Architectural Uncanny/ The Surreptitious Speech/ The Cinematic Grtot / Ethnographic Film Aesthetics & Narrative Traditions / Deer Camp / Magic Eyes / Partial Recall / Waucoma Twilight
Authors: Rabinow Paul , Bohm Arnd , De Brigard Emilie , Heider Karl , Ruby Jay
Published: December 2004

The Architectural Uncanny. 1992. By Anthony Vidler. Cambridge: Mit Press

The Surreptitious Speech: Presence Africaine and The Politics of Otherness, 1947—1987. Ed. V. Y. Mudimbe. Chicago and London: The university of Chicago Press, 1992.

The Cinematic Griot: the Ethnography of Jean Rouch. 1992. By Paul Stoller. xvii. 247 pp. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Emilie De Brigard Anthropological film research institute

Ethnographic Film Aesthetics and Narrative Traditions: Proceedings From Nafa 2. 1992. Peter I. Crawford and Jan K. Simonsen (editors). Aarhus (Denmark): intervention press.

Deer camp: Last Light in the Northeast Kingdom. 1993‐ Photographs and text by John M. Miller. 130 pp, 60 duotone illustrations Mit press, co–published with The Vermont Folklife Center.

Magic Eyes: Scenes from an Andean Girlhood. 1992. By Wendy Ewald. From stories told by Alicia and Maria Vasquez. Photographs by wendy Ewald and children of Raquira. Colombia. 180 pp. With Illustrations. Seattle: bay press.

Partial Recall 1993. Ed. Lucy Lippard. With essays by S. Benally. J. Durham. R. Green. J. Harjo. G. Mcmaster. J. Rickard. R. Sakiestewa. D. Seals. P. C. Smith. J. Quick–To–See Smith. G. Tremblay. and G. Vizenor. 199 pp. New York the New Press.

Waucoma Twilight: Generations op the farm. 1992. By Dona Schwartz. 220 176 pp. With b/w halftones. Washington, D.c.: Smithsonian Instttution press.
Unsympathetic Magic
Authors: Jay Martin
Published: December 2004

A Review Article on The Nervous System (Routledge, New York, 1992), And Mimesis and Alterity: Aparticular History of the Senses (Rolttledge, New York, 1993), by Michael Taussig .
Yanomamö Interactive: The Ax Fight
Authors: Caton Alex
Published: December 2004

Yanomamö Interactive: The Ax Fight. Biella. Peter. Napoleon A. Chagnon. and Gary Seaman. Harcourt Brace College Publishers: New York, 1997.
Through the Consul's Eye
Authors: Hevia James L.
Published: December 2004

Through the Consul's Eye. 1999. 50 minutes. Directed by Jorge Amat. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court Street, 21st floor, Brooklyn, N.Y., USA 11201. 718‐488‐8900, info@frif.com
Counter-current transfer in reproductive biology
Authors: Einer-Jensen N , Hunter RHF
Published: December 2004

Heat and substances, including gases, steroids and peptide hormones, can pass from venous blood, interstitial fluid and lymph to the arterial blood; the process is called local counter-current transfer. It has been found in various reproductive organs in many animal species and in man: from the testis to the testis and epididymis; from the ovary to the ovary, tube and tubal corner of the uterus; from the tube and uterus to the ovary; from vagina to uterus; and even between brain blood vessels. Local transfer within the ovary has also been found. Local cooling that creates temperature gradients between organs or within an organ is one aspect of the transfer. Physiologically, the transfer also facilitates local feedback regulation of organ function in a process situated between general distribution of hormones through the systemic circulation and paracrine regulation. Counter-current transfer of drugs after local application opens up new possibilities for treatment.
Intracellular calcium and protein tyrosine phosphorylation during the release of bovine sperm adhering to the fallopian tube epithelium in vitro
Authors: Gualtieri Roberto , Boni Raffaele , Tosti Elisabetta , Zagami Maria , Talevi Riccardo
Published: December 2004

In mammals, sperm adhesion to the epithelial cells lining the oviductal isthmus plays a key role in the maintenance of motility and in the selection of superior quality subpopulations. In the bovine species, heparin and other sulfated glycoconjugates powerfully induce the synchronous release of sperm adhering to tubal epitheliumin vitroand may represent the signal which triggers release at ovulationin vivo. Sperm detachment may be due either to surface remodeling or to hyperactivation brought about by capacitation. In this paper, the dynamics of intracellular free Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) and protein tyrosine phosphorylation in sperm during and after heparin-induced release fromin vitrocultured oviductal monolayers were assessed to determine whether this event is due to capacitation. Moreover, Ca2+-ionophore A23187, thapsigargin, thimerosal and caffeine were used to determine whether [Ca2+]iincrease and/or hyperactivation can induce sperm release. Results showed that: 1. heparin-released sperm have significantly higher [Ca2+]ithan adhering sperm; 2. heparin induces a [Ca2+]ielevation in the sperm head followed by detachment from the monolayers; 3. external Ca2+is not required for heparin-induced release; 4. [Ca2+]iincrease and/or hyperactivation are unable to release sperm; and 5. heparin-released sperm have an increased level of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins compared with adhering sperm. In conclusion, although heparin is considered a long-lasting capacitation agent, it quickly modulates the capacitation of bovine sperm adhering to the fallopian epithelium, probably leading to surface remodeling and therefore to the release of sperm selected and stored within the oviduct through adhesion.
Mammalian male germ cells are fertile ground for expression profiling of sexual reproduction
Authors: Wrobel Gunnar , Primig Michael
Published: December 2004

Recent large-scale transcriptional profiling experiments of mammalian spermatogenesis using rodent model systems and different types of microarrays have yielded insight into the expression program of male germ cells. These studies revealed that an astonishingly large number of loci are differentially expressed during spermatogenesis. Among them are several hundred transcripts that appear to be specific for meiotic and post-meiotic germ cells. This group includes many genes that were previously implicated in spermatogenesis and/or fertility and others that are as yet poorly characterized. Profiling experiments thus reveal candidates for regulation of spermatogenesis and fertility as well as targets for innovative contraceptives that act on gene products absent in somatic tissues. In this review, consolidated high density oligonucleotide microarray data from rodent total testis and purified germ cell samples are analyzed and their impact on our understanding of the transcriptional program governing male germ cell differentiation is discussed.
Efficacy and Effectiveness of Liver Screening Program to Detect Fatty Liver in the Periodic Health Check‐Ups
Authors: Nomura Kyoko , Yano Eiji , Shinozaki Toshiaki , Tagawa Kazumi
Published: December 2004

Efficacy and Effectiveness of Liver Screening Program to Detect Fatty Liver in the Periodic Health Check‐Ups: Kyoko Nomura, et al.: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine—To determine whether the current liver screening program for fatty liver has sufficient scientific evidence to justify its continued implementation. The liver screening program to detect fatty liver was performed on 411 Japanese workers utilizing serum aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), alanine aminotransferase (AST), and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase (γ‐GTP). Based on the preceding studies, subjects with viral and alcohol hepatitis were excluded from the evaluation. The diagnosis of fatty liver was based on ultrasound findings. The program was evaluated by efficacy and effectiveness; efficacy was measured according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in comparison with the Body Mass Index (BMI). Effectiveness, based on the efficacy determinations, was assessed by means of the positive predictive value (PPV) test performance, the disease characteristics, and the program price. The diagnostic performances of ALT and BMI were nearly acceptable but far from excellent. The areas under the curves of the two indices were 0.69 and 0.63, respectively and these were statistically equivalent. The PPV ranged from 15 to 28% where the prevalence of fatty liver was 12.3%. The price of the program was estimated at US 4 dollars per person based on the medical reimbursement fee rate. The efficacy of the liver screening program was found to be insufficient and BMI monitoring may provide a more suitable and inexpensive alternative. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the program is open to question, considering the generally benign prognosis of the disease in the absence of any accompanying morbid conditions and the high price of the program.
Factors Associated with Satisfaction among Participants in a Periodical Worksite Health Check‐Up in Japan
Authors: Kudo Yasushi , Satoh Toshihiko , Hosoi Kaori , Aizawa Yoshiharu
Published: December 2004

Factors Associated with Satisfaction among Participants in a Periodical Worksite Health Check‐Up in Japan: Yasushi Kudo, et al. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine—To improve the satisfaction of people who had periodical worksite health check‐ups, we conducted a questionnaire survey. It is possible that a portion of the health check‐up participants who have a medical history of serious disease may have different expectations of periodical health check‐ups compared to healthy individuals. We conducted the analysis by dividing the participants into three groups: those with a medical history of serious disease, those without a medical history of serious disease, and the whole group of those with and without a medical history of serious disease. There were 50 individuals with a medical history of serious disease and 226 without a medical history of serious disease. There were 231 males and 45 females. The average age was 40.3 yr (range: 21–64). To investigate the factors that influence overall satisfaction, we conducted multiple linear regression analysis by a stepwise method, with overall satisfaction as a dependent variable, and attributes of health check‐up participants, factors related to the physician, factors related to the examination, and indirect factors such as waiting time as independent variables. The selective criterion for the variables was that the p value was less than 0.05, but sex and age were always included in the final model as independent variables because they might be confounding factors. In the whole group of those with and without a medical history of serious disease, overall satisfaction was significantly associated with the technical level of the person in charge of the examinations, the explanation of the person in charge of the examinations, the time spent for examination, the content of the interview with physicians and interview time with physicians. In the group with a serious disease medical history, overall satisfaction was significantly associated with the explanation of the person in charge of the examinations and interview time with physicians. In the group without a serious disease medical history, overall satisfaction was significantly associated with age, the technical level of the person in charge of the examinations, the time spent for examinations, the content of the interview with physicians and interview time with physicians.
Quality-of-Life Considerations in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer: Effect of Topotecan on Symptom Palliation and Quality of Life
Authors: Gralla Richard J.
Published: December 2004

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:

Explain the rationale for evaluating quality of life as a treatment end point. Describe the multidisciplinary dimensions incorporated into validated quality-of-life questionnaires. Discuss the impacts on quality of life and symptoms (patient reported outcomes [PROs]) resulting from the use of topotecan given either i.v. or orally.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

Key goals in the treatment of lung cancer are to improve both survival and quality of life (QOL). While formal techniques are frequently used to evaluate survival and response, such rigor is used less often in assessing the impact of treatment on quality of life. Many patients with lung cancer are elderly and have complex medical histories and a myriad of comorbidities. In these patients, with limited survival expectations, symptom palliation, quality of life, and convenience of therapy are especially important end points. Indeed, clinical trials are now incorporating symptom scores and QOL outcomes in their designs (now combined as “patient reported outcomes” or PROs). Moreover, symptom palliation correlates well with QOL and survival duration, providing further rationale for therapy selection based on these parameters. The potential palliative and QOL benefits of chemotherapy have been investigated for several agents in lung cancer trials. Of these, topotecan (Hycamtin®; GlaxoSmithKline; Philadelphia, PA) is the best characterized in relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In a phase III trial of topotecan versus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin®; Bedford Laboratories; Bedford, OH), and vincristine (Oncovin®; Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis, IN) (CAV) in patients with recurrent SCLC, topotecan was associated with statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvements in general symptoms (e.g., fatigue and interference with daily activity) and disease-specific symptoms (e.g., dyspnea and hoarseness). Moreover, the introduction of oral therapies, such as oral topotecan, may increase the convenience of therapy by reducing the time needed for therapy and the need for frequent venipuncture. This review summarizes the role of chemotherapy in symptom palliation, with an emphasis on the impact of topotecan therapy on symptom parameters in patients with relapsed SCLC and the emerging role of oral therapy in this setting.
Topotecan in the Treatment of Recurrent Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Update
Authors: Ardizzoni Andrea
Published: December 2004

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:

Discuss the results of clinical trials of topotecan both as a single agent and in combination therapy in patients with recurrent SCLC. Describe differences in the incidences of hematologic toxicities between recurrent SCLC patients treated with lower-dose topotecan and those treated with the standard dose. Discuss the efficacy and safety of oral topotecan versus the i.v. formulation in recurrent SCLC patients.

Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with a high propensity for early regional and distant metastasis. Response rates to first-line chemotherapy are typically high, but short lived. The outlook for patients with recurrent SCLC is poor. A variety of single- and multi-agent chemotherapy regimens have met with limited success in patients with recurrent SCLC, and survival is generally measured in weeks. Until recently, further chemotherapy was not widely considered appropriate for patients with relapsed SCLC. The choice of chemotherapy at relapse is dependent on many factors, including type of and response to first-line therapy, the treatment-free interval, and the patient's performance status. Intravenous topotecan (Hycamtin®; GlaxoSmithKline; Philadelphia, PA) has provided oncologists and patients in many countries with an effective and tolerable therapeutic option for recurrent SCLC. The clinical profile of topotecan was established in several phase II studies and confirmed in a randomized, phase III trial versus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin®; Bedford Laboratories; Bedford, OH), and vincristine (Oncovin®; Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis, IN)—CAV. In those studies, topotecan exhibited antitumor activity in both chemosensitive and refractory disease. Further, topotecan therapy is associated with significant symptom palliation in this patient population. Because the toxicity profile of topotecan is predictable, generally manageable, and noncumulative, the agent also has potential utility in patients with a poor prognosis and/or a poor performance status. Alternative dosing regimens (lower dose, weekly) and the introduction of an oral formulation may expand the use of topotecan as a single agent and in combination therapy in the second- and first-line treatment of this disease.
Aroclor 1254 exposure reduces disease resistance and innate immune responses in fasted Arctic charr
Authors: Maule Alec G. , Jørgensen Even H. , Vijayan Mathilakath M. , Killie Jan-Eirik A.
Published: December 2004

To examine the immunological impacts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in an environmentally relevant way, we orally contaminated Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) with Aroclor 1254. After contamination, fish were either fed (0 and 100 mg Aroclor 1254 kg−1 fish wt) or fasted (0, 1, 10, and 100 mg kg−1) to mimic cycles of feeding–fasting experienced by Arctic animals. After four months, PCB concentrations in muscle were the same in fasted and fed fish; however, PCBs in kidneys of fed fish were 33 to 50% of those in fasted fish. Arctic charr were exposed to Aeromonas salmonicida, the bacteria responsible for furunculosis, by cohabitation with infected conspecifics. Fasted fish had a significant trend toward lower survival with higher dose of PCBs—from 68% in controls to 48% in treatment involving 100 mg kg−1. Independent of PCB contamination, fed fish had the lowest survival; we attribute this to stress associated with establishing and maintaining feeding hierarchies. A significant decrease in the activity of lysozyme was observed in skin mucus, as was hemagglutination ability of a putative rhamnose lectin in fasted, but not in fed, PCB-treated fish. These results demonstrate the immunosuppressive effects of PCBs on Arctic charr, and they illustrate the importance of considering environmentally relevant nutritional status in ecotoxicological studies.
Further delineation of Kabuki syndrome in 48 well‐defined new individuals
Authors: Armstrong Linlea , Moneim Azza Abd El , Aleck Kirk , Aughton David J. , Baumann Clarisse , Braddock Stephen R. , Gillessen‐Kaesbach Gabriele , Graham John M. , Grebe Theresa A. , Gripp Karen W. , Hall Bryan D. , Hennekam Raoul , Hunter Alasdair , Keppler‐Noreuil Kim , Lacombe Didier , Lin Angela E. , Ming Jeffrey E. , Kokitsu‐Nakata Nancy Mizue , Nikkel Sarah M. , Philip Nicole , Raas‐Rothschild Annick , Sommer Annemarie , Verloes Alain , Walter Claudia , Wieczorek Dagmar , Williams Marc S. , Zackai Elaine , Allanson Judith E.
Published: December 2004

Kabuki syndrome is a multiple congenital anomaly/mental retardation syndrome. This study of Kabuki syndrome had two objectives. The first was to further describe the syndrome features. In order to do so, clinical geneticists were asked to submit cases—providing clinical photographs and completing a phenotype questionnaire for individuals in whom they felt the diagnosis of Kabuki syndrome was secure. All submitted cases were reviewed by four diagnosticians familiar with Kabuki syndrome. The diagnosis was agreed upon in 48 previously unpublished individuals. Our data on these 48 individuals show that Kabuki syndrome variably affects the development and function of many organ systems. The second objective of the study was to explore possible etiological clues found in our data and from review of the literature. We discuss advanced paternal age, cytogenetic abnormalities, and familial cases, and explore syndromes with potentially informative overlapping features. We find support for a genetic etiology, with a probable autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, and speculate that there is involvement of the interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) gene pathway. Very recently, a microduplication of 8p has been described in multiple affected individuals, the proportion of individuals with the duplication is yet to be determined. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two novel mutations in SLC6A8 cause creatine transporter defect and distinctive X‐linked mental retardation in two unrelated Dutch families
Authors: Mancini G.M.S. , Catsman‐Berrevoets C.E. , de Coo I.F.M. , Aarsen F.K. , Kamphoven J.H.J. , Huijmans J.G. , Duran M. , van der Knaap M.S. , Jakobs C. , Salomons G.S.
Published: December 2004

Four Dutch male patients, two brothers from unrelated families were referred for investigation of psychomotor and severe language/speech delay. All four patients showed growth deficiency over the years. Facial features and poor body habitus were quite similar in the patients and in their mothers. Brain MRI showed nonspecific periventricular white matter lesions. In all the patients neuropsychological tests revealed moderate mental retardation, attention deficit and hyperactivity with impulsivity, a semantic‐pragmatic language disorder, and oral dyspraxia. This specific cognitive profile is different from other children with mental retardation syndromes and seems to be unique. Excretion of creatine to creatinine ratio in urine of the four boys was increased compared to controls and their creatine uptake in fibroblasts was deficient. In the two brothers from the first pedigree, DNA sequence analysis revealed a novel mutation in the splice donor site in intron 10 (IVS10 + 5G>C, c.1495 + 5G>C) of the SLC6A8 gene leading to skipping of exon 10. In the other sib pair a novel missense mutation (c. 1361C>T; p.Pro544Leu) was found. These are the first families reported, in which the clinical suspicion of a creatine transporter disorder was raised on clinical grounds, before a brain 1H‐MRS suggested the diagnosis. Screening of apparently X‐linked mental retarded patients with this somatic and behavioral phenotype by the biochemical assay of creatine to creatinine ratio in the urine or DNA sequence analysis of SLC6A8 is worthwhile even when 1H‐MRS is not available. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Candidate gene association studies of genes involved in neuronal cholinergic transmission in Alzheimer's disease suggests choline acetyltransferase as a candidate deserving further study
Authors: Cook Lynnette J. , Ho Luk W. , Wang Lin , Terrenoire Edith , Brayne Carol , Evans John Grimley , Xuereb John , Cairns Nigel J. , Turic Dragana , Hollingworth Paul , Moore Pamela J. , Jehu Luke , Archer Nicola , Walter Sarah , Foy Catherine , Edmondson Amanda , Powell John , Lovestone Simon , Williams Julie , Rubinsztein David C.
Published: December 2004

Consistent deficits in the cholinergic system are evident in the brains of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients, including reductions in the activities of acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), increased butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity, and a selective loss of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Accordingly, we have analyzed polymorphisms in the genes encoding AChE, ChAT, BChE, and several of the subunit genes from neuronal nAChRs, for genetic associations with late‐onset AD. A significant association for disease was detected for a non‐coding polymorphism in ChAT (allele χ12 = 12.84, P = 0.0003; genotype χ22 = 11.89, P = 0.0026). Although replication analysis did not confirm the significance of this finding when the replication samples were considered alone (allele χ12 = 1.02, P=0.32; genotype χ22 = 1.101, P = 0.58) the trends were in the correct direction and a significant association remained when the two sample sets were pooled (allele χ12 = 12.37, P = 0.0004; genotype χ22 = 11.61, P = 0.003). Previous studies have reported significant disease associations for both the K‐variant of BChE and the coding ChAT rs3810950 polymorphism with AD. Replication analyses of these two loci failed to detect any significant association for disease in our case‐control samples. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Region and Contour Identification of Physical Objects
Authors: Cuyt Annie , Sijbers Jan , Verdonk Brigitte , Van Dyck Dirk
Published: December 2004

The region occupied by and the contour of a physical object in 3‐dimensional space are in a way dual or interchangeable characteristics of the object: the contour is the region's boundary and the region is contained inside the contour. In the same way the characterization of the object's contour by its Fourier descriptors, and the reconstruction of its region from the object's multidimensional moments, are also dual problems. While both problems are well‐understood in two dimensions, the complexity increases tremendously when moving to the three‐dimensional world.

In Section 2 we discuss how the latest techniques allow to reconstruct an object's shape from the knowledge of its moments. For 2D significantly different techniques must be used, compared to the general 3D case. In Section 3, the parameterization of a 2D contour onto a unit circle and a 3D surface onto a unit sphere is described. Furthermore, the theory of Fourier descriptors for 2D shape representation and the extension to 3D shape analysis are discussed.

The reader familiar with the use of either Fourier descriptors or moments as shape descriptors of physical objects may find the comparative discussion in the concluding section interesting. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
On Stability of Weak Schemes for Stochastic Differential Systems With One Multiplicative Noise
Authors: Abukhaled Marwan I.
Published: December 2004

The logarithmic matrix norm with respect to l2 matrix norm will be used to investigate mean square stability for a class of second‐order weak schemes when applied to 2‐dimensional linear stochastic differential systems with one multiplicative noise. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Signal Estimation from Observations Affected by Random Delays and White plus Coloured Noises
Authors: Nakamori S. , Hermoso‐Carazo A. , Linares‐Pérez J. , Sánchez‐Rodríguez M. I.
Published: December 2004

The least‐squares linear estimation problem of discrete‐time signals using measurements perturbed by additive white plus coloured noises is solved. It is supposed that the measurements are arrived in time or delayed by one sampling time and the delay is modelled by a sequence of independent Bernoulli random variables whose values, one or zero, indicate if there exists or not delay. The estimation algorithms only use the covariance information about the signal and the observation noises and the delay probabilities. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effects of an antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of human ICAM‐1 on fetal development in rabbits
Authors: Henry Scott P. , Denny Kevin H. , Templin Mike V. , Yu Rosie Z. , Levin Arthur A.
Published: December 2004

The potential for reproductive toxicity of an antisense oligonucleotide designed to inhibit ICAM‐1 was evaluated as part of the safety assessment for this compound. The human active ICAM‐1 inhibitor (ISIS 2302) is not pharmacologically active in rabbits. Female rabbits were treated once daily on Day 6 through 18 of gestation. Rabbits were treated with 0, 1, 3, and 9 mg/kg ISIS 2302 by daily i.v. injection. Reproductive indices evaluated included estrus cycling, litter parameters, fetal development, and fetal body weight. Concentrations of oligonucleotide in plasma following the last dose, and in selected maternal target organs, placenta, and fetal tissues at scheduled necropsy were also measured. Maternal toxicity was evident as a decreased maternal body weight gain, decreased food consumption, and scant feces at doses ≥3 mg/kg. Increased spleen to body weight ratio and increased mononuclear cell infiltrates were indicative of a proinflammatory effect of ISIS 2302 at the 9 mg/kg dose level. Despite the maternal toxicity, there were no changes in litter parameters or fetal development in rabbits treated with ISIS 2302. The only change was a decrease in fetal body weight at the 9 mg/kg dose level, which was attributed to the maternal toxicity observed. Maternal liver and kidney contained dose‐dependent concentrations of oligonucleotide, but there was relatively little or no oligonucleotide measured in placenta or fetal tissues. Thus, there was no dose‐dependent exposure and maternal toxicity to ISIS 2302, but no reproductive toxicity in rabbits, and exposure of fetus or pups is negligible. Birth Defects Res B 71:368–373, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.