bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Umbilical cord‐blood transplantations from unrelated donors in patients with inherited metabolic diseases: Single‐institute experience
Authors: Tokimasa Sadao , Ohta Hideaki , Takizawa Sachiko , Kusuki Shigenori , Hashii Yoshiko , Sakai Norio , Taniike Masako , Ozono Keiichi , Hara Junichi
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  We evaluated the feasibility of UCBT from unrelated donors and a myeloablative preparative regimen that did not involve anti‐thymocyte globulin in five children with lysosomal and peroxisomal diseases. Patients with MPS II (n = 1), adrenoleukodystrophy (n = 1), metachromatic leukodystrophy (n = 2), and Krabbe disease (n = 1) received UCBT between December 2001 and September 2005. All patients received oral Bu (600 mg/m2), CY (200 mg/kg IV), and fludarabine (180 mg/m2 IV). Prophylaxis for GVHD consisted of a combination of tacrolimus and a short methotrexate course. Neutrophil engraftment occurred a median of 24 days (range, 21–25) after transplantation. None had graft rejection. One patient developed grade III acute GVHD and the other four patients had grade I acute GVHD; none had extensive chronic GVHD. One patient developed hemorrhagic cystitis. There were no treatment‐related deaths. Although one child with MPS II died of PTLD 10 months after the UCBT, four of the five children are alive 14, 20, 31, and 55 months after transplantation with complete donor chimerism. These results suggest the feasibility of the UCBT with Bu, fludarabine, and CY‐preparative regimen for patients with inherited metabolic diseases.
A new surgical technique for hepatic vein reconstruction in pediatric live donor liver transplantation
Authors: Kilic Murat , Aydinli Bulent , Aydin Unal , Alper Mehmet , Zeytunlu Murat
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  The hepatic venous reconstruction is one of the corner stones of pediatric LDLT. However, problems associated with hepatic venous outflow still remain to be an issue. In this study, we aimed at comparing two methods used in hepatic venous reconstruction. Between November 1999 and December 2006, 61 consecutive left lateral segment pediatric LDLT were performed at Ege University Organ Transplant Center, and two methods were used for hepatic venous reconstruction. In the former group (group 1: 32 patients) continuous anastomosis was performed between the donor LHV and common orifice of the recipient HV. In the later group (group 2: 29 patients), the posterior wall of the anastomosis was sutured continuously while the anterior wall was sutured with interrupted sutures. HV thrombosis was detected in one patient and stenosis was detected in four patients in group 1. No hepatic venous outflow obstruction was detected in group 2 (p < 0.05). In both groups, mortality was not associated with hepatic venous outflow obstruction. As our results indicate, the novel technique used in this study is a simple and safe anastomosis procedure that has contributed into overcoming hepatic venous outflow problems in pediatric LDLT.
Recombinant growth hormone use pretransplant and risk for post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease – A report of the NAPRTCS
Authors: Dharnidharka Vikas R. , Talley Lynya I. , Martz Karen L. , Stablein Donald M. , Fine Richard N.
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  rhGH, widely used to optimize linear growth in children with ESRD, also modulates B‐cell precursor development and may be associated with malignancy development. To determine if rhGH use in children was associated with higher risk of PTLD, we analyzed retrospectively collected data on children with CRI, on dialysis or with renal transplants in a large multi‐center registry of children with ESRD. Of the 194 LPD patients currently listed in the registry, 41 were previously enrolled in the CRI registry and 18/41 (43.9%) used rhGH during their period with CRI. Among CRI patients who later received a transplant, rates of PTLD post‐transplant were significantly higher among rhGH users (18/407 or 4.4%) compared to patients who never used rhGH during their CRI follow‐up and received a transplant (23/1240 or 1.9%, p = 0.009). After adjusting for the confounders of recipient age (at CRI and at transplant) and transplant era, the use of rhGH pretransplant was associated with a borderline higher risk for PTLD (odds ratio 1.88, 95% CI = 1.00–3.55, p = 0.05). In contrast, use of rhGH during dialysis or post‐transplant only was not associated with a higher risk for PTLD. Continued monitoring is recommended.
Hemiclonal analysis reveals significant genetic, environmental and genotype × environment effects on sperm size in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: MORROW E. H. , LEIJON A. , MEERUPATI A.
Published: August 2008

Spermatozoa are the most diverse of all animal cells. Variation in size alone is enormous and yet there are still no clear evolutionary explanations that can account for such diversity. The basic genetics of sperm form is also poorly understood, although sperm size is known to have a strong genetic component. Here, using hemiclonal analysis of Drosophila melanogaster, we demonstrate that there is not only a significant additive genetic component contributing to phenotypic variation in sperm length but also a significant environmental effect. Furthermore, the plasticity of sperm size has a significant genetic component to it (a genotype × environment interaction). A genotype × environment interaction could contribute to the maintenance of the substantial genetic variation in this trait and thereby explain the persistent inter‐male differences in sperm size seen in numerous taxa. We suggest that the low conditional dependence and high heritability but low evolvability (the coefficient of additive genetic variation) of sperm length is more consistent with a history of stabilizing selection rather than either sexual selection or strong directional selection.
Selection for cuticular melanism reveals immune function and life‐history trade‐offs inSpodoptera littoralis
Authors: COTTER S. C. , MYATT J. P. , BENSKIN C. M. H. , WILSON K.
Published: August 2008

Several insect species show an increase in cuticular melanism in response to high densities. In some species, there is evidence that this melanism is correlated with an up‐regulation of certain immune system components, particularly phenoloxidase (PO) activity, and with the down‐regulation of lysozyme activity, suggesting a trade‐off between the two traits. As melanism has a genetic component, we selected both melanic and nonmelanic lines of the phase‐polyphenic lepidopteran,Spodoptera littoralis, in order to test for a causative genetic link between melanism, PO activity and lysozyme activity, and to establish if there are any life‐history costs associated with the melanic response. We found that, in fact, melanic lines had lower PO activity and higher lysozyme activity than nonmelanic lines, confirming a genetic trade‐off between the two immune responses, but also indicating a genetic trade‐off between melanism and PO activity. In addition, we found that lines with high PO activity had slower development rates suggesting that investment in PO, rather than in melanism, is costly.
Establishing a perimeter position: speciation around the Indian Ocean Basin
Authors: VOELKER G. , OUTLAW R. K.
Published: August 2008

Historical biological interactions among peripheral landmasses on the periphery of the Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) are generally poorly understood. While interactions based on early Gondwanan vicariance have been used to explain present day lineage distributions, several recent studies have instead inferred dispersal across the IOB. This inference is often advanced because lineages under study have species inhabiting IOB islands. Here we examine the roles of continental vicariance vs. trans‐IOB dispersal in the distribution of an avian genus found around the perimeter of the IOB. A molecular phylogeny does reveal evidence of a relationship that would require the inference of trans‐IOB dispersal between eastern Africa and Sri Lanka. However, molecular clock data, ancestral area analyses and paleoclimatic reconstructions suggest that vicariance related to tropical forest expansion and retraction is more likely to have facilitated African–Asian interchange, with an initial colonization of Africa from Asia quickly followed by a recolonization of Asia. Subsequent dispersal from Asia to Sri Lanka and islands east of the Sunda Shelf are inferred; these latter islands were colonized in a stepping‐stone fashion that culminated in colonization of the Sunda Shelf, and a recolonization of mainland Asia. We propose that circum‐IOB distributions, which post‐date early Gondwanan breakup, are most likely the result of continent‐based vicariant events, particularly those events related to large‐scale habitat alterations, and not trans‐IOB dispersals.
Body size evolution in Mesozoic birds: little evidence for Cope’s rule
Authors: BUTLER R. J. , GOSWAMI A.
Published: August 2008

Cope’s rule, the tendency towards evolutionary increases in body size, is a long‐standing macroevolutionary generalization that has the potential to provide insights into directionality in evolution; however, both the definition and identification of Cope’s rule are controversial and problematic. A recent study [J. Evol. Biol. 21 (2008) 618] examined body size evolution in Mesozoic birds, and claimed to have identified evidence of Cope’s rule occurring as a result of among‐lineage species sorting. We here reassess the results of this study, and additionally carry out novel analyses testing for within‐lineage patterns in body size evolution in Mesozoic birds. We demonstrate that the nonphylogenetic methods used by this previous study cannot distinguish between among‐ and within‐lineage processes, and that statistical support for their results and conclusions is extremely weak. Our ancestor–descendant within‐lineage analyses explicitly incorporate recent phylogenetic hypotheses and find little compelling evidence for Cope’s rule. Cope’s rule is not supported in Mesozoic birds by the available data, and body size evolution currently provides no insights into avian survivorship through the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction.
Mutants with aberrant numbers of gametic cells shed new light on old questions
Authors: Moll C. , Nielsen N. , Groß‐Hardt R.
Published: August 2008

In contrast to animals, plant gametes form in distinct haploid generations, termed gametophytes. The female gametophyte of Arabidopsis consists of two gametic cells, the egg and central cell, which are flanked by accessory cells. The gametic cells differ with respect to morphology, molecular attributes and, importantly, their fate: whereas the egg cell, upon fertilisation, gives rise to the embryo, the central cell forms the endosperm. To ensure correct endosperm formation, not only the egg cell but also the central cell has to fuse with a sperm cell. The respective sperm cell pair is delivered by a single pollen tube. In some plant species, the two male gametes appear to express a different bias towards the female gametes. Such a preference consequently determines their respective contribution to either embryo or endosperm development. In Arabidopsis and many other species the sperm cells are indistinguishable and it has been discussed whether they possess an inherent preference for either of the female gametes. The recent isolation of mutants that form an aberrant number of either male or female gametes stimulates discussion, albeit with different results. Furthermore, some data indicate that the central cell is competent to initiate endosperm formation without a paternal contribution. These data support the theory that the endosperm is of gametophytic rather than sporophytic origin.
How patients and nurses experience the acute care psychiatric environment
Authors: Shattell Mona M. , Andes Melanie , Thomas Sandra P.
Published: August 2008

How patients and nurses experience the acute care psychiatric environment

The concept of the therapeutic milieu was developed when patients’ hospitalizations were long, medications were few, and one‐to‐one nurse–patient interactions were the norm. However, it is not clear how the notion of ‘therapeutic milieu’ is experienced in American acute psychiatric environments today. This phenomenological study explored the experience of patients and nurses in an acute care psychiatric unit in the USA, by asking them, ‘What stands out to you about this psychiatric hospital environment?’ Three figural themes emerged, contextualized by time, which was a source of stress to both groups: for patients there was boredom, and for nurses, pressure and chaos. Although they shared some themes, nurses and patients experienced them differently. For instance, nurses felt caged‐in by the Plexiglas‐enclosed nursing station, and patients felt caged‐in by the locked doors of the unit. The findings from this US study do not support the existence of the therapeutic milieu as described in the literature. Furthermore, although the nurse–patient relationship was yearned for by nurses, it was nearly absent from patients’ descriptions. The caring experienced by patients was mainly derived from interactions with other patients.
Negotiating clinical knowledge: a field study of psychiatric nurses’ everyday communication
Authors: Buus Niels
Published: August 2008

Negotiating clinical knowledge: a field study of psychiatric nurses’ everyday communication

Nursing practices at psychiatric hospitals have changed significantly over the last decades. In this paper, everyday nursing practices were interpreted in light of these institutional changes. The objective was to examine how mental health nurses’ production of clinical knowledge was influenced by the particular social relations on hospital wards. Empirical data stemming from an extended fieldwork at two Danish psychiatric hospital wards were interpreted using interactionistic theory and the metaphor: ‘the game of clinical knowledge’. The results indicated that the nurses’ production of clinical knowledge was highly dependent on the individual nurses’ practical ability to participate in the game. Furthermore, the nurses colluded in their mutual communication to enable the collective display and sense of knowing that protected them against explicit signs of uncertainty about the clinic. The game of clinical knowledge influenced processes of clinical decision‐making among the nurses as the game added to a distorted widening of a ‘fictional distance’ between patients and the representations produced by the nurses.
Refining the model for an emergency department‐based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient service
Authors: Wand Timothy , White Kathryn , Patching Joanna
Published: August 2008

Refining the model for an emergency department‐based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient service

The mental health nurse practitioner (MHNP) role based in the emergency department (ED) has emerged in response to an increase in mental health‐related presentations and subsequent concerns over waiting times, co‐ordination of care and therapeutic intervention. The MHNP role also provides scope for the delivery of specialised primary care. Nursing authors are reporting on nurse‐led outpatient clinics as a method of healthcare delivery that allows for enhanced access to health‐care, particularly following hospital discharge. However, due to a lack of in‐depth substantiation, this mode of service delivery requires more thorough investigation. This study describes the refinement phase undertaken before the implementation and pilot evaluation of a formalised and structured MHNP outpatient service in the ED of a large inner‐city hospital in Sydney, Australia. An expert advisory panel (EAP) consisting of key local informants was convened to provide feedback on and refinement to the proposed model. This related to issues such as target population, structure and process considerations, outcome measures and interface within the overall health service. Findings from the EAP meeting are presented and discussed. The importance of linking methods with the appropriate methodology in evaluating a healthcare program is highlighted.
As mental health nursing roles expand, is education expanding mental health nurses? an emotionally intelligent view towards preparation for psychological therapies and relatedness
Authors: Hurley John , Rankin Robert
Published: August 2008

As mental health nursing roles expand, is education expanding mental health nurses? an emotionally intelligent view towards preparation for psychological therapies and relatedness

Mental health nurses (MHN) in the UK currently occupy a challenging position. This positioning is one that offers a view of expanding roles and responsibilities in both mental health act legislation and the delivery of psychological therapies, while simultaneously generic pre‐registration training is being considered. Clearly, the view from this position, although not without challenge and internal discipline dispute, can also offer growing professional prestige, influence and respect from other health disciplines, as well as the wider public. Conversely, if the training, education and strategic enactment for new MHN roles is formulated and delivered from predominantly non‐MHN axiomatic and epistemological stances, MHN identity can be seriously and potentially permanently diminished. This paper offers the construct of emotional intelligence as a framework to respond to these future challenges through making individual MHN enablement a primacy. This enablement of MHNs through enhanced emotional intelligence competencies is argued as requiring priority over the standard approach of enhancing strategies alone.
From good intentions to real life: introducing crisis resolution teams in Norway
Authors: Karlsson Bengt , Borg Marit , Kim Hesook Suzie
Published: August 2008

From good intentions to real life: introducing crisis resolution teams in Norway

In Norway, as in most western countries, the adult services for people experiencing mental health problems have gone through major changes over the last decades. A report submitted to the Norwegian Parliament in 1997 summarized several areas of improvement in the provision of mental health‐care to its population, and led to the introduction of a national mental health programme in 1998 for its implementation to be completed by 2008. The most significant recent development in Norway is ‘Crisis Resolution/Home Treatment’ (CRHT) teams that provide an alternative to acute hospital care services. The major aim of this study is to explore an emerging form of community mental health‐care, and present a framework for establishment and examination of CRHT teams applying the user perspectives. An illustration of user experiences in an already established CRHT team provides a background for understanding implications of this form of service in relation to service users’ needs in acute crises.
Humanism in forensic psychiatry: the use of the tidal nursing model
Authors: Jacob Jean Daniel , Holmes Dave , Buus Niels
Published: August 2008

Humanism in forensic psychiatry: the use of the tidal nursing model

The humanist school of thought, which finds resonance in many conceptual models and theories designed to guide nursing practice, needs to be understood in the context of the total institution, where the individual is subjected to amortification of the self, and denied autonomy. This article will engage in a critical reflection on how humanism has influenced nursing theorists and the subsequent production of conceptual models and theories, especially as they relate to the field of forensic psychiatric nursing. Although humanism provides optimism for nurse–patient relations, this article explores the incapability of such a philosophy to acknowledge the power relationships between individuals and its inability to explain the day‐to‐day realities experienced in forensic nursing, where the possibility of interpersonal violence reshapes nursing care. The tidal model will be discussed in detail as an example of a recently developed humanistic nursing model. Viewed from this perspective, it is clear that humanistic philosophy and its subsequent models of care are in discordance with the highly specialized field of forensic nursing.
Creating a space for recovery‐focused psychiatric nursing care
Authors: Walsh Jim , Stevenson Chris , Cutcliffe John , Zinck Kirk
Published: August 2008

Creating a space for recovery‐focused psychiatric nursing care

Within contemporary mental health‐care, power relationships are regularly played out between psychiatric nurses and service users. These power relationships are often imperceptible to the practicing nurse. For instance, in times of distress, service users often turn to or/and ‘construct’ discourses, beliefs and knowledge that are at odds with those which psychiatric nurses rely on to inform them of the mental status of the service user. The psychiatric nurse is in the position to impose knowledge onto service users, usually in concurrence with ‘traditional or bio‐psychiatry’, without realizing or failing to acknowledge that the service user may have an alternative explanation of his/her mental health problems/experiences. In this paper, practice examples, based on the experiences of the four authors (from within and outside of services), are used to illustrate this ‘hidden’ power relationship. The authors use Foucault's ideas about: (i) government; (ii) the knowledge/power nexus and resistance; (iii) and his analytic tool of genealogy to help unravel this paradox within psychiatric nursing practice. The authors also use the emerging discourse of recovery as an alternative (and challenge) to ‘traditional bio‐psychiatry’ and consider the implications for psychiatric nursing practice.
No evidence for an interactive effect of herbivore and predator diversity on herbivore abundance in the experimental mesocosms of Douglass et al. (2008)
Authors: Murtaugh Paul A.
Published: August 2008

Douglass et al. (Ecol. Lett., 11, 2008, 1) concluded that grazer diversity and predator diversity have an interactive effect on herbivore abundance in experimental marine mesocosms. Re‐analysis of their data fails to support this conclusion, which was apparently based on a statistical miscalculation.
Erroneous behaviour of MixSIR, a recently published Bayesian isotope mixing model: a discussion of Moore & Semmens (2008)
Authors: Jackson Andrew L. , Inger Richard , Bearhop Stuart , Parnell Andrew
Published: August 2008

The application of Bayesian methods to stable isotopic mixing problems, including inference of diet has the potential to revolutionise ecological research. Using simulated data we show that a recently published model MixSIR fails to correctly identify the true underlying dietary proportions more than 50% of the time and fails with increasing frequency as additional unquantified error is added. While the source of the fundamental failure remains elusive, mitigating solutions are suggested for dealing with additional unquantified variation. Moreover, MixSIR uses a formulation for a prior distribution that results in an opaque and unintuitive covariance structure.
Obesity and oncological outcome after radical prostatectomy: impact of prostate‐specific antigen‐based prostate cancer screening: results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital and Duke Prostate Center Databases
Authors: Freedland Stephen J. , Sun Leon , Kane Christopher J. , Presti Jr Joseph C. , Terris Martha K. , Amling Christopher L. , Moul Judd W. , Aronson William J.
Published: August 2008

OBJECTIVE

To indirectly test the hypothesis that prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based screening is biased against obese men due to haemodilution of PSA, and thus results in delayed diagnosis and poorer outcome beyond the biological link between obesity and aggressive prostate cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We sought to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and the outcome of radical prostatectomy (RP) separately for men with PSA‐detected cancers (cT1c) or with abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE) findings (cT2/T3), and stratified by year of treatment, using two large databases. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1375 and 2014 men treated by RP between 1988 and 2007 using the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) and Duke Prostate Center (DPC) databases. We evaluated the association between BMI and adverse pathological features and biochemical progression, using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for several clinical characteristics, respectively. Data were examined as a whole and as stratified by clinical stage (cT1c vs cT2/T3) and year of surgery (≥2000 vs <2000).

RESULTS

In both cohorts a higher BMI was associated with high‐grade disease (P ≤ 0.02) and positive surgical margins (P < 0.001) and these results did not vary by clinical stage. A higher BMI was significantly associated with biochemical progression (P ≤ 0.03) in both cohorts. When stratified by clinical stage, obesity was significantly related to progression in both cohorts among men with T1c cancers (P ≤ 0.004) but not in men with cT2/T3 cancers (P > 0.3). Among men with T1c disease, the association between BMI and biochemical progression was limited to men treated in 2000 or later (P ≤ 0.002) and was not apparent in men treated before 2000 (P > 0.4).

CONCLUSIONS

Obese men with PSA‐detected cancers and treated with RP since 2000 were at significantly greater risk of biochemical progression, while obese men treated before 2000 or diagnosed with an abnormal DRE were not at significantly greater risk of progression. These findings support the hypothesis that current PSA‐based screening is less effective at finding cancers in obese men, leading to more aggressive tumours at diagnosis. Lowering the PSA threshold for biopsy among obese men might help to improve outcomes among this high‐risk group.
Fishery by‐catch and discards: a positive perspective from ecosystem‐based fishery management
Authors: Zhou Shijie
Published: August 2008

By‐catch and (or) discards in fisheries have been considered a serious problem and have been unanimously criticized by politicians, environmental groups, the public and scientists. However, it is possible to determine biologically acceptable amounts of discards that fulfil the objectives of ecosystem‐based fishery management (EBFM). For instance, while discards have been shown to impact some systems negatively, they can be a potential benefit in other systems. Using a prawn trawl fishery as an example, this paper discusses some of the potentially positive effects of discards. As in many facets of EBFM, the key for the management of discards is sustainability and precaution. In particular, it is important to give full consideration to the implications of reducing discards to the lowest extent possible.
Economic significance of predictability in Australian equities
Authors: Gray Philip
Published: August 2008

This paper examines evidence of predictability in Australian equities using both statistical and economic metrics of significance. A probit‐based predictive model is used to forecast the probability that the 1 month ahead excess market return will be positive. Funds under management are then switched between equities and fixed income on the basis of this forecast. Although the statistical evidence of the model's predictive ability is mixed, the results suggest convincing evidence of an economically significant degree of return predictability. A $A1 investment in the switching strategy (market) in January 1980 grows to over $A55 ($A39) by June 2007. Although the economic significance of the switching strategy remains even in the presence of high transaction costs, robustness checks suggest that the seemingly impressive full‐sample results might be sample specific. The apparent superiority of the portfolio‐switching strategy can be traced to a handful of observations early in the study during which the predictive model provides a timely signal to exit equities. There is little evidence that the predictive model has forecasting ability across the entire sample. As such, this paper serves both to illustrate how alternate metrics of return predictability can lead to divergent conclusions, and to emphasize the importance of subjecting apparent findings of predictability to robustness checks.
Conferences as Venues for the Configuration of Emerging Organizational Fields: The Case of Cochlear Implants
Authors: Garud Raghu
Published: August 2008

abstract I examine how conferences can be occasions for the configuration of emerging organizational fields by describing three that I attended during the development and commercialization of cochlear implants. These conferences served as venues for a variety of activities to unfold, ranging from the exchange of information to the enactment of technological possibilities. A full appreciation of conferences as holistic events, I argue, offers us a particularly valuable entry point into gaining a deeper understanding of how new fields are assembled in real time.
Configuring the Field of Play: How Hosting the Olympic Games Impacts Civic Community
Authors: Glynn Mary Ann
Published: August 2008

abstract  I theorize and empirically illustrate how the mega‐event of the Olympic Games configures relational and symbolic systems within the host city. I focus on a field at the level of the local geographic community and explore how city character and traditions enable both persistence and change in institutional elements even when potentially disruptive events occur. I present two exploratory studies. The first shows how the event of the Olympics is rooted in the local field of the host city but varies by communities; the second explores the dynamics of configuring the field of one Olympic city: Atlanta, host of the 1996 Olympic Games.
The Determinants of Performance Appraisal Systems: A Note (Do Brown and Heywood's Results for Australia Hold Up for Britain?)
Authors: Addison John T. , Belfield Clive R.
Published: August 2008

This article offers a replication for Britain of Brown and Heywood's analysis of the determinants of performance appraisal in Australia. Although there are some important limiting differences between our two datasets — the Australia Workplace Industrial Relations Survey (AWIRS) and the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) — we reach one central point of agreement and one intriguing shared insight. First, performance appraisal is negatively associated with tenure: where employers cannot rely on the carrot of deferred pay or the stick of dismissal to motivate workers, they will tend to rely more on monitoring, ceteris paribus. Second, employer monitoring and performance pay may be complementary. However, consonant with the disparate results from the wider literature, there is more modest agreement on the contribution of specific human resource management practices, and still less on the role of job control.
New Contractual Relationships in the Agency Worker Market: The Case of the UK's National Health Service
Authors: Hoque Kim , Kirkpatrick Ian , De Ruyter Alex , Lonsdale Chris
Published: August 2008

In recent years, there has been a trend towards the negotiation of closer contractual relationships between employers and employment agencies. However, little is known about this change or its likely consequences. In theory, such relationships can benefit employers by lowering fees and also reducing many of the hidden costs associated with the use of agency staff by improving the effectiveness of placement matching. Against this is the suggestion that formal partnerships are unlikely to have a positive impact given the uncertainty of demand for temporary labour and broader tendencies for risk displacement in buyer–supplier networks. In this article, our aim is to explore this matter focusing on recent developments in the UK's National Health Service. We find that new contractual relationships such as framework agreements and master vendor contracts are having mixed effects. While they serve to reduce direct costs for employers in the short term, this has been at the expense of relationship building and improvements in placement matching. These developments are also found to have some potentially negative consequences for the agency workforce itself.
TRANSFORMATIONS OF CHINA'S POST‐1949 POLITICAL ECONOMY IN AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Wong R. Bin
Published: August 2008

Abstract.  This article lays out three different historical perspectives on China's post‐1978 economic reform era. It argues that historical perspectives allow us to apprehend features of the Chinese economy as they are formed in particular moments and contexts at the same time as we can appreciate the ways in which the possibilities conceived and achieved both affirm certain past practices and reject others. Without such vantage points it is more difficult to explain the manner in which China's economy has changed in the past 30 years.
CHINESE ECONOMIC HISTORY IN A NEW PERSPECTIVE: FOCUSING ON THE LATE IMPERIAL RURAL ECONOMY IN JIANGNAN
Authors: Li Bozhong
Published: August 2008

Abstracts. The Eurocentric growth model has been the basic workhorse for numerous Chinese economic historians. This deep seated Eurocentric paradigm is concerned mainly with conterfactuals and tends to ignore past reality. To illustrate the problems of this Eurocentric approach, this paper examines the rural economy of Jiangnan, also known as the Yangzi Delta, during late imperial times. A main characteristic of the villages in the Wuxi county in Jiangnan were the mixture of the rural–urban lifestyle and development. Jiangnan's developmental patterns, in the Song and the Qing dynasty, from the Maoist period (pre‐1979) to post‐1979 development, contrast sharply with the predictions of the Western development models.
EXAMINING THE LINK BETWEEN JAPAN'S DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION OF FEMALES
Authors: Self Sharmistha , Grabowski Richard
Published: August 2008

Abstract.  This paper studies the role of education of females in Japan's development process. It analyses the pre‐war years (1888 to 1940) as well as the five decades following the war and Japan's rise to economic power (1947 to 1990). This paper finds that Japan's pre‐war growth was fuelled primarily by agricultural growth and primary education (of males in particular). The story is different in the post‐war period, however. Capital accumulation, secondary and tertiary education of females, and tertiary education for males seem to provide the driving forces of growth.
The Population Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Meta‐Analysis Study
Authors: Papadopoulos V. P. , Giaglis S. , Mitroulis I. , Ritis K.
Published: August 2008

Our aim was to construct a Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) cumulative database and to propose a MEFV based phylogenetic tree. Data were collected from published studies. A meta‐analysis based on 16,756 chromosomes from FMF patients and normal individuals from 14 affected populations was performed. Arlequin 2.0 and Phylip 3.2 software were used for population genetics analysis and phylogenetic tree construction.

We have shown that MEFV mutations are distributed non‐uniformly along the Mediterranean Sea area. The most frequent mutations detected in FMF patients are M694V (39.6%), V726A (13.9%), M680I (11.4%), E148Q (3.4%), and M694I (2.9%), while 28.8% of chromosomes carry unidentified or no mutations, especially in Western Europeans. The mean overall carrier rate is 0.186 with peak values in Arabs, Armenians, Jews, and Turks. Only V726A obeys the Hardy‐Weinberg law in FMF patients implying that this mutation is the most ancient. Jews present the most intense genetic isolation and drift; thus they might have nested de novo mutations and accelerated evolution. Besides Jews, three population groups might follow distinct evolutionary lines (Asia Minor, Eastern European, and Western European).

In conclusion, the MEFV mutation pattern is non‐uniform regarding distribution, phenotypic expression, neutrality and population genetics characteristics. Jews are the candidate population for founder effects in MEFV.
U‐Statistics‐based Tests for Multiple Genes in Genetic Association Studies
Authors: Wei Zhi , Li Mingyao , Rebbeck Timothy , Li Hongzhe
Published: August 2008

As our understanding of biological pathways and the genes that regulate these pathways increases, consideration of these biological pathways has become an increasingly important part of genetic and molecular epidemiology. Pathway‐based genetic association studies often involve genotyping of variants in genes acting in certain biological pathways. Such pathway‐based genetic association studies can potentially capture the highly heterogeneous nature of many complex traits, with multiple causative loci and multiple alleles at some of the causative loci. In this paper, we develop two nonparametric test statistics that consider simultaneously the effects of multiple markers. Our approach, which is based on data‐adaptive U‐statistics, can handle both qualitative data such as case‐control data and quantitative continuous phenotype data. Simulations demonstrate that our proposed methods are more powerful than standard methods, especially when there are multiple risk loci each with small genetic effects. When the number of disease‐predisposing genes is small, the data‐adaptive weighting of the U‐statistics over all the markers produces similar power to commonly used single marker tests. We further illustrate the potential merits of our proposed tests in the analysis of a data set from a pathway‐based candidate gene association study of breast cancer and hormone metabolism pathways. Finally, potential applications of the proposed tests to genome‐wide association studies are also discussed.
Reduced retinal function in amyloid precursor protein‐over‐expressing transgenic mice via attenuating glutamate‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor signaling
Authors: Shimazawa Masamitsu , Inokuchi Yuta , Okuno Takashi , Nakajima Yoshihiro , Sakaguchi Gaku , Kato Akira , Oku Hidehiro , Sugiyama Tetsuya , Kudo Takashi , Ikeda Tsunehiko , Takeda Masatoshi , Hara Hideaki
Published: August 2008

Here, we examined whether amyloid‐β (Aβ) protein participates in cell death and retinal function using three types of transgenic (Tg) mice in vivo [human mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) Tg (Tg 2576) mice, mutant presenilin‐1 (PS‐1) knock‐in mice, and APP/PS‐1 double Tg mice]. ELISA revealed that the insoluble form of Aβ1‐40 was markedly accumulated in the retinas of APP and APP/PS‐1, but not PS‐1 Tg, mice (vs. wild‐type mice). In APP Tg and APP/PS‐1 Tg mice, immunostaining revealed accumulations of intracellular Aβ1–42 in retinal ganglion cells and in the inner and outer nuclear layers. APP Tg and APP/PS‐1 Tg, but not PS‐1 Tg, mice had less NMDA‐induced retinal damage than wild‐type mice, and the reduced damage in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice was diminished by the pre‐treatment of N‐[N‐(3,5‐difluorophenacetyl)‐l‐alanyl]‐S‐phenylglycine t‐butyl ester, a γ‐secretase inhibitor. Furthermore, the number of TUNEL‐positive cells was significantly less in ganglion cell layer of APP/PS‐1 Tg mice than PS‐1 Tg mice 24 h after NMDA injection. The phosphorylated form of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα), but not total CaMKIIα or total NMDA receptor 1 (NR1) subunit, in total retinal extracts was decreased in non‐treated retinas of APP/PS‐1 Tg mice (vs. wild‐type mice). CaMKIIα and NR2B proteins, but not NR1, in retinal membrane fraction were significantly decreased in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice as compared with wild‐type mice. The NMDA‐induced increase in p‐CaMKIIα in the retina was also lower in APP/PS‐1 Tg mice than in wild‐type mice. In electroretinogram and visual‐evoked potential recordings, the implicit time to each peak from a light stimulus was prolonged in APP/PS‐1 mice versus wild‐type mice. Hence, Aβ may impair retinal function by reducing activation of NMDA‐receptor signaling pathways.
Pael‐R transgenic mice crossed with parkin deficient mice displayed progressive and selective catecholaminergic neuronal loss
Authors: Wang Hua‐Qin , Imai Yuzuru , Inoue Haruhisa , Kataoka Ayane , Iita Sachiko , Nukina Nobuyuki , Takahashi Ryosuke
Published: August 2008

Parkin, a ubiquitin ligase, is responsible for autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism (AR‐JP). We identified parkin‐associated endothelin receptor‐like receptor (Pael‐R) as a substrate of parkin, whose accumulation is thought to induce unfolded protein response (UPR) ‐mediated cell death, leading to dopaminergic neurodegeneration. To create an animal model of AR‐JP, we generated parkin knockout/Pael‐R transgenic (parkin‐ko/Pael‐R‐tg) mice. parkin‐ko/Pael‐R‐tg mice exhibited early and progressive loss of dopaminergic as well as noradrenergic neurons without formation of inclusion bodies, recapitulating the pathological features of AR‐JP. Evidence of activation of UPR and up‐regulation of dopamine and its metabolites were observed throughout the lifetime. Moreover, complex I activity of mitochondria isolated from parkin‐ko/Pael‐R‐tg mice was significantly reduced later in life. These findings suggest that persistent induction of unfolded protein stress underlies chronic progressive catecholaminergic neuronal death, and that dysfunction of mitochondrial complex I and oxidative stress might be involved in the progression of Parkinson’s disease. parkin‐ko/Pael‐R‐tg mice represents an AR‐JP mouse model displaying chronic and selective loss of catecholaminergic neurons.
Agonist‐induced internalization of histamine H2 receptor and activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases are dynamin‐dependent
Authors: Xu A‐Jing , Kuramasu Atsuo , Maeda Kay , Kinoshita Kazuki , Takayanagi Shiori , Fukushima Yasushi , Watanabe Takehiko , Yanagisawa Teruyuki , Sukegawa Jun , Yanai Kazuhiko
Published: August 2008

Histamine H2 receptor (H2R) is a member of G protein‐coupled receptor family. Agonist stimulation of H2R results in several cellular events including activation of adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C, desensitization of the receptor, activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases ERK1/2, and receptor endocytosis. In this study, we identified a GTPase dynamin as a binding partner of H2R. Dynamin could associate with H2R bothin vitroandin vivo. Functional analyses using dominant‐negative form of dynamin (K44E‐dynamin) revealed that cAMP production and the following H2R desensitization are independent of dynamin. However, the agonist‐induced H2R internalization was inhibited by co‐expression of K44E‐dynamin. Furthermore, activation of extracellular‐signal regulated kinases ERK1/2 in response to dimaprit, an H2R agonist, was attenuated by K44E‐dynamin. Although H2R with truncation of 51 amino acids at its carboxy‐terminus did not internalize after agonist stimulation, it still activated ERK1/2, but the degree of this activation was less than that of the wild‐type receptor. Finally, K44E dynamin did not affect ERK1/2 activation induced by internalization‐deficient H2R. These results suggest that the agonist‐induced H2R internalization and ERK1/2 activation are partially dynamin‐dependent. Furthermore, ERK1/2 activation via H2R is likely dependent of the endocytotic process rather than dynamin itself.
Comparison of different views with three‐dimensional echocardiography: apical views offer superior visualization compared with parasternal and subcostal views
Authors: Ostenfeld Ellen , Shahgaldi Kambiz , Winter Reidar , Willenheimer Ronnie , Holm Johan
Published: August 2008

Studies seeking to validate real‐time three‐dimensional echocardiography (3DE) with regard to cardiac function and dimensions have almost exclusively used apical views. However, it has never been examined whether apical views are preferable to parasternal or subcostal views. In the present study, we compared the feasibility of 3DE volumetric measurements of the four heart chambers in three different views. We included 40 patients planned for a routine two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography examination (2DE). All patients were scanned with both 2DE and 3DE (Sonos 7500; Philips Medical Systems Andover, MA, USA). Parasternal, apical and subcostal views were used for 3DE. Volumes were calculated using manual tracing in 16 planes. 2DE was performed in parasternal longaxis, subcostal and apical four‐ and two‐chamber views. Manual tracing was used for area calculations. To be judged fully traceable, 5/6 (85%) or more of the ventricular and atrial walls had to be adequately visualized in each plane. The left ventricle and left atrium were adequately visualized in the 3DE apical view in 34 (85%) and 40 (100%) patients, respectively. Visualization of the right atrium was adequate in 31 (78%) patients, whereas the right ventricle was adequately visualized in only 12 (30%) patients. The apical view of 3DE provided superior visualization of all four heart chambers compared with the parasternal and subcostal views, when applying a slight off‐axis approach for both ventricles when needed. Thus, in the present study, there was no incremental value of assessment of chamber volumes in the parasternal and subcostal views.
Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa Congenita
Authors: MENDIRATTA VIBHU , HARJAI BHAWNA , GUPTA TANVI
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  Hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita is a rare, autosomal dominant cutaneous disorder with sporadic presentations reported. It manifests at birth with the affected infant presenting with excessive lanugo hair covering the entire body surface, sparing palms, soles, and mucous membranes. The hypertrichosis may increase or decrease during childhood, but the lanugo character of hairs may be retained even after puberty. The disorder may be associated with several other congenital defects. We report a case of hypertrichosis lanuginosa congenita in a male infant who presented to us at 3 months of age with the classical features of the disorder but without any other associated congenital defect.
Congenital Atrophic Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans in a 7‐Month‐Old Boy Treated with Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Authors: Feramisco Jamison , Larsen Fiona , Weitzul Sarah , Cockerell Clay , Ghali Fred
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare, malignant, slow‐growing, locally invasive tumor of the skin. Although most cases are acquired and diagnosed in adulthood, there have been an increasing number of congenital dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans mimicking benign birthmarks described in the literature. The clinical presentation of this tumor is often one of an indurated exophytic plaque or nodule; however, a rare variant can present as atrophic or sclerotic in nature. We report a case of congenital atrophic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the groin in a 7‐month‐old boy, successfully treated with Mohs micrographic surgery.
Disseminated Varicella Infection in a Child Receiving Short‐Term Steroids for Asthma
Authors: WU CHANG‐TENG , TSAI SHIH‐CHANG , LIN JAINN‐JIN , HSIA SHAO‐HSUAN
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  An 8‐year‐old boy, treated with a short course of steroids for asthma, developed a fever with abdominal pain and a generalized vesicular rash after contact with varicella‐infected classmates. The clinical presentation was disseminated varicella infection with multiple organ involvement. We confirmed varicella zoster virus using a direct fluorescent antibody test. This report demonstrates the increased risk of complicated varicella associated with the use of corticosteroids, even for a short period of time.
Eruptive Juvenile Xanthogranuloma Associated with Relapsing Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: APARICIO GLORIA , MOLLET JORDI , BARTRALOT RAMON , BODET DOMINGO , HERAS CRISTINA , BASSAS PATRICIA , VIRÓS AMAYA , GARCÍA‐PATOS VICENTE
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  Juvenile xanthogranuloma is a benign, self‐healing disorder with characteristic lesions mainly involving the skin. Although most patients with juvenile xanthogranuloma have only cutaneous symptoms, recent articles have documented extracutaneous manifestations: systemic involvement of many organs has been reported and there is a known association between juvenile xanthogranuloma and childhood leukemia, most commonly juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia. This case provides further corroboration, that in rare instances, juvenile xanthogranuloma may be associated with hematologic malignancies.