bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of salmeterol and terbutaline on IgE‐mediated dermal reactions and inflammatory events in skin chambers in atopic patients
Authors: Grönneberg R. , van Hage‐Hamsten M. , Halldén G. , Hed J. , Raud J.
Published: April 2008

The objective of the present study was to investigate the potential of the long‐acting p‐aonist salmeterol as an inhibitor of various components of IgE‐mediated inflammation in man. For this purpose, we measured gross skin reactivity (diameters of wheal and flare reaction [WFR] and late cutaneous reaction [LCR]) as well as inflammatory cells, mediators, and protein in cutaneous suction blister chambers in eight subjects with allergic rhinitis. Blisters were induced, two on each forearm, by gentle suction and heating, and were unroofed 12 h later, after which plastic chambers were placed over the denuded area. The chambers were challenged for 2 h with antihuman IgE (titer 1:10) in the presence and absence of salmeterol or terbutaline. Normal goat IgG served as negative control. Chamber fluids were removed hourly for the first 4 h, and this was followed by a 4‐h incubation before final collection. Salmeterol (10‐6M) and terbutaline (10‐5 M) injected intradermally 30 min before, as well as together with anti‐IgE (titer 1:100), inhibited the WFRs by up to 30%. The effect of salmeterol on the ensuing LCR (75% inhibition at 24 h) tended to be more pronounced than the corresponding inhibition by terbutaline. Both salmeterol and terbutaline very effectively inhibited the anti‐IgE‐induced extravasation of α2‐macroglobulin into skin chambers, with a significantly more sustained effect by salmeterol. Interestingly, only terbutaline reduced the histamine release evoked by anti‐IgE. With the present experimental design, where both drugs were washed out from the chambers after 2 h, neither drug inhibited recruitment of leukocytes (including eosinophils). Taken together, salmeterol had a more sustained inhibitory effect than terbutaline on indices of IgE‐mediated edema formation (late induration and plasma protein extravasation). On the other hand, under the present experimental conditions, salmeterol failed to reduce the histamine release (in contrast to terbutaline), and neither salmeterol nor terbutaline affected the recruitment of leukocytes.
Occupational asthma caused by aromatic herbs
Authors: Lemière C. , Cartier A. , Lehre S. B. , Malo J‐L.
Published: April 2008

We describe a subject with occupational asthma caused by several aromatic herbs: thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and garlic. The diagnosis was confirmed by specific inhalation challenges in the laboratory. Although immediate skin reactivity was demonstrated to the herbs the subject reacted to by inhalation, RAST showed that garlic was the most potent allergen by weight, the other herbs showing less reactivity. These aromatic herbs, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary, should be included among agents causing occupational asthma in the food industry.
Homozygote inositol transporter knockout mice show a lithium‐like phenotype
Authors: Bersudsky Yuly , Shaldubina Alona , Agam Galila , Berry Gerard T , Belmaker Robert H
Published: April 2008

Objective:  Lithium inhibits inositol monophosphatase and also reduces inositol transporter function. To determine if one or more of these mechanisms might underlie the behavioral effects of lithium, we studied inositol transporter knockout mice. We previously reported that heterozygous knockout mice with reduction of 15–37% in brain inositol had no abnormalities of pilocarpine sensitivity or antidepressant‐like behavior in the Porsolt forced swim test. We now report on studies of homozygous inositol transporter knockout mice.

Methods:  Homozygote knockout mice were rescued by 2% inositol supplementation to the drinking water of the dam mice through pregnancy and lactation. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction followed by agarose electrophoresis. Brain free myo‐inositol levels were determined gas‐chromatographically. Motor activity and coordination were assessed by the rotarod test. Behavior of the mice was studied in lithium–pilocarpine seizure models for lithium action and in the Porsolt forced swim test model for depression.

Results:  In homozygote knockout mice, free inositol levels were reduced by 55% in the frontal cortex and by 60% in the hippocampus. There were no differences in weight or motor coordination by the rotarod test. They behaved similarly to lithium‐treated animals in the model of pilocarpine seizures and in the Porsolt forced swimming test model of depression.

Conclusions:  Reduction of brain inositol more than 15–37% may be required to elicit lithium‐like neurobehavioral effects.
Mania profile in a community sample of prepubertal children in Turkey
Authors: Diler Rasim Somer , Uguz Sukru , Seydaoglu Gulsah , Avci Ayse
Published: April 2008

Background:  Mania in youth is increasingly recognized and accompanied by substantial psychiatric and psychosocial morbidity. There are no data on prepubertals in the general population and we aimed to search for mania symptoms and its clinical correlations in a community sample of prepubertal Turkish children.

Methods:  Among all children (n = 56,335) aged 7–11 in Adana, Turkey, 2,468 children (48% girls) were randomly included. Parents completed Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 4–18 and Parent‐Young Mania Rating Scale (P‐YMRS). Cut‐off scores of 17 and 27 on total P‐YMRS were defined as efficient (probable‐mania group) and specific (mania group), respectively, for bipolar profile. We searched for clinical correlations and used logistic regression to show how well each CBCL subscale predicted the presence of mania and probable‐mania, after adjusting for any demographic differences.

Results:  Parent‐Young Mania Rating Scale scores were ≥17 but <27 (probable‐mania) in 155 (6.3%) children and ≥27 (mania) in 32 (1.3%) children. Elevated mood, increased activity levels, and poor insight were the most frequent manic symptoms in our sample. Children with probable‐mania and mania had higher scores on all CBCL subscales and the CBCL‐Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (CBCL‐PBD) profile (sum of attention, aggression, and anxiety/depression subscales). Logistic regression analysis revealed only thought problems on CBCL that predicted probable‐mania and mania.

Conclusion:  Our study shows that mania profile is common in the community sample of Turkish prepubertal children and does not support the thought that mania is rare outside the US. We need further population‐based studies that will use diagnostic interviews and multiple informants.
Substance use disorders among adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders
Authors: Goldstein Benjamin I , Strober Michael A , Birmaher Boris , Axelson David A , Esposito‐Smythers Christianne , Goldstein Tina R , Leonard Henrietta , Hunt Jeffrey , Gill Mary Kay , Iyengar Satish , Grimm Colleen , Yang Mei , Ryan Neal D , Keller Martin B
Published: April 2008

Objective:  We set out to examine the prevalence and correlates of substance use disorders (SUD) in a large sample of adolescents with bipolar disorder (BP).

Methods:  Subjects were 249 adolescents ages 12 to 17 years old who fulfilled DSM‐IV criteria for bipolar I disorder [(BPI), n = 154], or bipolar II disorder [(BPII), n = 25], or operationalized criteria for BP not otherwise specified [(BP NOS), n = 70], via the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School‐Aged Children (K‐SADS). As part of the multi‐site Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth study, demographic, clinical, and family history variables were measured via intake clinical interview with the subject and a parent/guardian.

Results:  The lifetime prevalence of SUD among adolescents with BP was 16% (40/249). Results from univariate analyses indicated that subjects with, as compared to without, SUD were significantly less likely to be living with both biological parents, and that there was significantly greater lifetime prevalence of physical abuse, sexual abuse, suicide attempts, conduct disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder among subjects with SUD. Subjects with SUD reported significantly greater 12‐month prevalence of trouble with police, and females with SUD reported significantly greater 12‐month prevalence of pregnancy and abortion. Significant predictors of SUD in a logistic regression model included living with both biological parents (lower prevalence), conduct disorder and suicide attempts (increased prevalence). In logistic regression analyses controlling for demographic differences and conduct disorder, SUD remained significantly associated with trouble with police, whereas the association of SUD with pregnancy and abortion was reduced to a statistical trend. The prevalence of SUD was not significantly different among child‐ versus adolescent‐onset BP subjects.

Conclusions:  SUD among adolescents with BP is associated with profound hazards including suicide attempts, trouble with police, and teenage pregnancy and abortion.
Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder among primary care patients with bipolar spectrum disorder
Authors: Neria Yuval , Olfson Mark , Gameroff Marc J , Wickramaratne Priya , Pilowsky Daniel , Verdeli Helen , Gross Raz , Manetti‐Cusa Julián , Marshall Randall D , Lantigua Rafael , Shea Steven , Weissman Myrna M
Published: April 2008

Objective:  To examine relationships between exposure to trauma, bipolar spectrum disorder (BD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of primary care patients.

Methods:  A systematic sample (n = 977) of adult primary care patients from an urban general medicine practice were interviewed with measures including the Mood Disorders Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version, and the Medical Outcomes Study 12‐Item Short Form Health Survey.

Results:  Compared with patients who screened negative for BD (n = 881), those who screened positive (n = 96) were 2.6 times [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–4.2] as likely to report physical or sexual assault, and 2.9 times (95% CI: 1.6–5.1) as likely to screen positive for current PTSD. Among those screening positive for BD, comorbid PTSD was associated with significantly worse social functioning. These results controlled for selected background characteristics, current major depressive episode, and current alcohol/drug use disorder.

Conclusion:  In an urban general medicine setting, trauma exposure was related to BD, and the frequency of PTSD among patients with BD appears to be common and clinically significant. These results suggest an unmet need for mental health care in this specific population and are especially important in view of available treatments for BD and PTSD.
Comorbid anxiety in bipolar disorder: does it have an independent effect on suicidality?
Authors: Nakagawa Atsuo , Grunebaum Michael F , Sullivan Gregory M , Currier Dianne , Ellis Steven P , Burke Ainsley K , Brent David A , Mann J John , Oquendo Maria A
Published: April 2008

Objective:  Comorbid anxiety disorder is reported to increase suicidality in bipolar disorder. However, studies of the impact of anxiety disorders on suicidal behavior in mood disorders have shown mixed results. The presence of personality disorders, often comorbid with anxiety and bipolar disorders, may explain these inconsistencies. This study examined the impact of comorbid Cluster B personality disorder and anxiety disorder on suicidality in bipolar disorder.

Methods:  A total of 116 depressed bipolar patients with and without lifetime anxiety disorder were compared. Multiple regression analysis tested the association of comorbid anxiety disorder with past suicide attempts and severity of suicidal ideation, adjusting for the effect of Cluster B personality disorder. The specific effect of panic disorder was also explored.

Results:  Bipolar patients with and without anxiety disorders did not differ in the rate of past suicide attempt. Suicidal ideation was less severe in those with anxiety disorders. In multiple regression analysis, anxiety disorder was not associated with past suicide attempts or with the severity of suicidal ideation, whereas Cluster B personality disorder was associated with both. The results were comparable when comorbid panic disorder was examined.

Conclusions:  Comorbid Cluster B personality disorder appears to exert a stronger influence on suicidality than comorbid anxiety disorder in persons with bipolar disorder. Assessment of suicide risk in patients with bipolar disorder should include evaluation and treatment of Cluster B psychopathology.
Neuropsychological task performance in bipolar spectrum illness: genetics, alcohol abuse, medication and childhood trauma
Authors: Savitz Jonathan B , Van Der Merwe Lize , Stein Dan J , Solms Mark , Ramesar Rajkumar S
Published: April 2008

Introduction: Impaired executive and memory function is a putative genetic trait marker of bipolar I disorder (BPD I). Although executive/memory function has been posited to be an endophenotype of BPD I, it is unclear whether this extends to bipolar spectrum illness. It is also unclear to what extent non‐genetic factors such as childhood abuse, alcoholism and medication influence neurocognitive function. We assessed the neuropsychological performance of a large cohort of bipolar disorder probands and their affectively ill and healthy family members, while controlling for self‐reported childhood sexual and emotional abuse, emotional neglect, alcohol abuse and medication.

Methods: A total of 230 largely euthymic participants from 47 families, comprising 49 subjects with BPD I, 19 with bipolar II disorder (BPD II), 44 with recurrent major depression (MDE‐R), 33 with a single lifetime episode of depression (MDE‐S), 20 with other DSM‐IV diagnoses and 65 unaffected relatives, were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tasks.

Results: Sexual abuse, emotional abuse and emotional neglect scores were associated with poorer cognitive performance. After controlling for childhood trauma, the BPD I group performed worse than unaffected relatives on tests of visual recall memory as well as verbal recall and recognition memory. In contrast, individuals with BPD II and bipolar spectrum illness did not differ significantly from unaffected relatives. Treatment with lithium and antipsychotic medication was associated with reduced executive and verbal recognition memory function. After controlling for medication and other covariates, only verbal recall memory was significantly impaired in the BPD I cohort.

Conclusions: Verbal recall deficits may be one manifestation of a genetically driven dysfunction of frontal‐striatal cortical networks in BPD I.
Birthweight, breast‐feeding, parental weight and prevalence of obesity in schoolchildren aged 10–12 years, in Greece; the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens (PANACEA) study
Authors: Panagiotakos Demosthenes B. , Papadimitriou Anastasios , Anthracopoulos Michael B. , Konstantinidou Maria , Antonogeorgos George , Fretzayas Andrew , Priftis Kostas N.
Published: April 2008

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of Greek children aged 10–12 years, and to evaluate these rates in relation to parental weight and birthweight.

Methods: During the 2005–2006 school period, 700 schoolchildren (323 boys, 377 girls) were randomly recruited from 18 schools, in Athens. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Cut‐off points for BMI defining obesity and overweight for gender and age were calculated in accordance with international standards.

Results: Overall, 8.6% of boys and 9.0% of girls were obese, and 33.9% of boys and 22.1% of girls were overweight. Having an obese parent increased the odds of having an overweight or obese child (P < 0.01). Compared to non‐breast‐fed, boys who were breast‐fed for >3 months had 70% lower likelihood of being overweight or obese (P < 0.01) and breast‐fed girls had 80% lower odds (P < 0.01). Excessive birthweight (>3500 g) increased by 2.5‐fold the likelihood of being overweight or obese only in girls (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Parental weight, lack of breast‐feeding and excess birthweight (in girls) were significant predictors of overweight or obesity in Greek children aged 10–12 years.
Low‐density lipoprotein oxidizability in children with chronic renal failure
Authors: Iughetti Lorenzo , Perugini Cristina , Predieri Barbara , Madeo Simona , Bellomo Giorgio , Bernasconi Sergio , Balli Fiorella
Published: April 2008

Background: In childhood, dyslipidemia and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Alterations of these factors have been shown in adult uremic patients.

Methods: Nine children affected by chronic renal failure (CRF; urinary tract malformation, n = 8; polycystic kidney disease, n = 1) were studied to investigate the abnormalities of plasma lipoprotein concentration and composition and to assess the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation. All patients with CRF were on conservative treatment and, after informed consent, underwent the evaluation of (i) quantitative and qualitative plasma lipid profile; (ii) lipoprotein oxidation in vitro; and (iii) lipoprotein anti‐oxidant content. These results were compared to those of an age‐matched control group of eight healthy children.

Results: Total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides were significantly higher in CRF than in the control group. The composition of lipoproteins was different in the two groups: the amount of anti‐oxidant factors (α‐, γ‐tocopherol and carotenoids) was different in CRF and normal controls children, while LDL susceptibility to oxidation was significantly higher in uremic children than in controls.

Conclusions: CRF patients, already before dialysis, have a higher LDL oxidizability due to an altered lipoprotein composition and a low anti‐oxidant content; therefore they have higher risk factors for atherosclerosis. On the basis of these data, supplementation with anti‐oxidants might be useful in CRF children, but further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic intervention.
Drug‐resistant pneumococci in children with acute lower respiratory infections in Vietnam
Authors: Watanabe Kiwao , Anh Dang Duc , Huong Phan Le Thanh , Nguyet Nguyen Thu , Anh Nguyen Thu Hien , Thi Ngo Thi , Dung Nguyen Tien , Phuong Doan Mai , Rusizoka Olivia S. , Nagatake Tsuyoshi , Watanabe Hiroshi , Oishi Kazunori
Published: April 2008

Background: Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), primarily pneumonia, are the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Most of these deaths occur in Africa and southeast Asia. Increasing rates of drug resistance in pneumococcal strains emphasize the necessity of prevention of pneumococcal vaccines. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of drug resistance and the distribution of serotype of pneumococcal strains isolated from pediatric patients with ALRI in Vietnam.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty pediatric patients with ALRI under 5 years of age were enrolled in Hanoi, Vietnam between 2001 and 2002. Bacterial pathogens with a heavy growth (106 c.f.u./mL) were isolated from nasopharyngeal secretions on quantitative culture. Fifty‐three pneumococcal strains isolated from the nasopharynx of pediatric patients were examined for antibiotic susceptibility including drug‐resistant genes and serotyping.

Results: A total of 73.6% of pneumococcal strains were genotypic penicillin‐resistant Streptococcus pnemoniae (gPRSP), possessing altered penicillin‐binding protein genes pbp 1a + 2x + 2b; 67.9% of these strains were gPRSP and simultaneously had the ermB gene, which is responsible for high resistance to erythromycin. The majority of gPRSP strains were serotype 19F or 23F.

Conclusion: gPRSP strains with serotype 19F or 23F are highly prevalent among pediatric patients with ALRI under 5 years of age in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Body mass index in male and female children with pervasive developmental disorders
Authors: Mouridsen Svend E. , Rich Bente , Isager Torben
Published: April 2008

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate body mass index (BMI) of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) attending two university clinics during the 1960–84 period.

Methods: BMI derived from medical records of 83 consecutively admitted children with atypical autism and 115 children with Asperger syndrome were compared with the corresponding BMI percentiles in an age‐ and sex‐matched reference population.

Results: The BMI distribution of the boys, but not the girls, in both diagnostic categories was significantly lower than those of the age‐matched reference populations. Approximately 15% of the boys had a BMI below the fifth percentile.

Conclusions: The present findings are comparable to the results of other studies. Particular attention is given to low BMI as a potential endophenotype in boys with PDD.
Four cases of arthritis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection
Authors: Azumagawa Kohji , Kambara Yukiko , Murata Takuji , Tamai Hiroshi
Published: April 2008

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is diagnosed commonly by marked elevation of serum antibodies, but this requires several days and consequently M. pneumoniae infection might be overlooked in some cases. Recently an ImmunoCard Mycoplasma rapid diagnosis test (IC) has been developed and used clinically. One of the advantages of this diagnosis test is that clinicians can recognize the infection by a single administration at the beginning of treatment.

Methods: A total of 1033 children aged 1–15 years (average 2.0 years) were examined. The diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection was made mainly on the basis of a positive reaction to the IC. Also where possible, particle agglutination (PA) was performed as a confirmatory test. Diagnosis was made on the basis of a fourfold or greater rise in the PA antibody titer by paired sera or an initial single PA titer >1:320. Arthritis was diagnosed mainly on clinical symptoms. Additionally, ultrasonography (US) was conducted to confirm arthritis. In using US, arthritis was defined as an enlargement of the low echoic section or fluid retention inside the articular capsule.

Results: IC was used in 1033 patients and results were positive in 348 (33.6%). Of these 348, there were 70 cases of pneumonia (20.1%) and four cases of arthritis (1.1%). IC was positive in all of the cases of arthritis, and in two of the four arthritis patients the PA titers were also useful for diagnoses. In three of four cases, US was performed and lesions were observed in two of three cases. Three of the four arthritis patients were infants and only one of these three had pneumonia.

Conclusions: Using IC as a screening test, occult M. pneumoniae infections were discovered that would otherwise have been overlooked. These included two patients with US‐proved arthritis. Arthritis in the absence of pneumonia may not be an unusual manifestation in infants infected by this organism.
Retroperitoneal infiltration as the first sign of Erdheim‐Chester disease
Authors: Colin Pierre , Ballereau Charles , Lambert Marc , Lemaitre Laurent , Leroy Xavier , Biserte Jacques
Published: April 2008

Abstract:  We report a case of an elderly man with bladder cancer, in whom the first manifestation of Erdheim‐Chester disease was retroperitoneal infiltration detected during routine follow‐up. The disease was diagnosed on the basis of histology and immunochemistry findings (presence of histiocytes) and of imaging findings (plain radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and bone scintigraphy). The differential diagnosis with respect to other causes of retroperitoneal infiltration is discussed.
Female urethral diverticular abscess clearly depicted by diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Yoshida Soichiro , Fujii Yasuhisa , Yokoyama Minato , Ishii Chikako , Saito Kazutaka , Koga Fumitaka , Masuda Hitoshi , Kobayashi Tsuyoshi , Kawakami Satoru , Kihara Kazunori
Published: April 2008

Abstract:  Diffusion‐weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a functional imaging to assess molecular diffusion. We report a first case of female urethral diverticular abscess examined by DW MRI. A 49‐year‐old woman presented with perineal pain, pyuria and inflammatory reaction. Conventional MRI revealed urethral diverticulum with the content of slightly lower‐signal‐intensity than urine on T2‐weighted contrast. On DW MRI, the diverticulum was shown as a marked hyperintense lesion with restrained signal background of the surrounding tissue. The low apparent diffusion coefficient value of the diverticulum indicated high viscosity restricting water diffusion. DW MRI could depict urethral diverticular abscess clearly and easily in a non‐invasive manner.
Loxoprofen sodium treatment for elderly men with refractory nocturia: Effect on night‐time urine production
Authors: Okada Shinsuke , Watanabe Hideki , Kojima Yoshiyuki , Yanai Yoshimasa , Sasaki Shoichi , Kohri Kenjiro
Published: April 2008

Abstract:  We evaluated the efficacy of loxoprofen sodium for refractory nocturia. Twelve men (mean age, 75.1 ± 5.7) with nocturia were enrolled in this study. All patients received 60 mg loxoprofen sodium prior to sleeping at night for 14 days. Nine of 12 patients (75%) felt more satisfaction than previous treatments. Patients were grouped into a loxoprofen sodium‐effective (n = 7) and ineffective groups (n = 5) based on the results of the frequency‐volume chart. In the effective group, interestingly, night‐time urine volume showed significant reduction (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the average single voided volume at night and 24‐h urine volume showed no significant change. There was a statistically significant difference in the night‐time urine volume after treatment between groups (P < 0.01). Loxoprofen sodium is an effective treatment for some patients with refractory nocturia. The main effect mechanism of loxoprofen sodium may involve the reduction of night‐time urine production.
Acute impact of agriculture on high‐affinity methanotrophic bacterial populations
Authors: Maxfield P. J. , Hornibrook E. R. C. , Evershed R. P.
Published: April 2008

Exposure of mineral soils to atmospherically relevant concentrations of 13CH4 (2 ppmv) followed by 13C‐phospholipid fatty acid stable isotope probing allows assessment of the high‐affinity methanotrophic bacterial sink in hitherto unattainable detail. Utilizing this approach, inorganic fertilizer‐treated soils from a long‐term agricultural experiment were shown to display dramatic reduction, by > 70%, of the methanotrophic bacterial cell numbers. Reduction in the methane sink capacity of the soils was slightly lower than the directly observed reduction in methanotrophic bacterial counts, indicating that the inhibitory effects on high‐affinity methanotrophic bacteria are not fully expressed through CH4 oxidation rates. The results emphasize the need to rigorously assess commonly applied agricultural practices with respect to their unseen negative impacts on soil microbial diversity in relation to terrestrial sinks for atmospheric trace gases.
Partial Compliance with Economic Sanctions
Authors: Beladi Hamid , Oladi Reza
Published: April 2008

By bridging the gap between the strategic model of sanctions and the public choice framework of sanctions, the authors introduce a new sanctions game. Contrary to an earlier finding, they show that the partial compliance of the target country, along with mild sanctions, are not only an equilibrium outcome, but also Pareto superior to non‐compliance and tough economic sanctions.
Local Voting Studies of Total Electorates: The Danish General Election of 1971
Authors: ELKLIT JØRGEN , RIIS OLE , TONSGAARD OLE
Published: April 2008

On the basis of voting data on total electorates in three polling districts, the main intentions of this article have been: first to describe the voting change patterns in the three districts and second to put forward supported hypotheses for a later, more rigorous testing on a representative sample of voters in the entire political system. Among these hypotheses we may mention: 1) the attitude on an important issue in an election campaign ‐ in this case the question of Denmark's possible entry into the EEC ‐ can be clearly traced in the voting change pattern, and 2) in spite of indications of multidimensionality, the left‐right dimension is by far the most important dimension in the Danish party system.
FOUNDATIONALISM AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: THE CONTRIBUTION OF PRAGMATISM
Authors: Kellogg Frederic R.
Published: April 2008

The controversy over judicial activism is as old as the question whether law is “made” or “found” by the courts, and is die quintessential living question for legal philosophers. Here the practical meets the abstract, as Supreme Court justices must, explicitly or not, adopt some philosophical viewpoint in deciding how general constitutional propositions do, or do not, decide current concress te controversies.
NUCLEAR VIOLENCE: A PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROBLEM
Authors: Mumion William E.
Published: April 2008

This has been more a programmatic than a substantive contribution to the moral problem of nuclear violence. Substantive issues of technology and tactics, of conventional and deterrent strategy, of political and social norms, of critical and theoretical foundations must all be addressed before there can be an adequate solution to this problem, not to speak of the revision of ethics it entails. These are, however, other questions. For lack of a comprehensive framework they have not always been properly addressed. The framework I have outlined may supply for that deficiency.
SELLING SPARE PARTS AND RENTING USEFUL SPACES
Authors: Gatens‐Robinson Eugenic
Published: April 2008

In the late summer and fall of 1983 articles appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Fortune Magazine, and Science News telling of attempts to set up an agency for the selling of kidneys from living donors. The shortage of organs, especially of kidneys where the transplantation success has increased quite markedly over the past decade, has become something of a crisis. A situation of increased need and inadequate supply is also becoming a problem for such substances as human bone marrow, for use in the treatment of immune and blood diseases, and large quantities of human plasma for use by hemophiliacs. Obtaining a kidney for a patient in renal failure was difficult in the past because adequate matching is likely only between very close relatives. Now with new immunosuppressant drugs such as cyclosporine, close matches have become less important. Cadaver organs or marrow from unrelated living donors can be used with far greater success. The supply problem is still immense and the literature is filled with suggestions for appropriate and efficient means of organ acquisition. One of the latest suggestions involves a system of salvaging based on implied consent of deceased donors. The organs would be taken without asking directly for permission from family. The relatives would have the right to object to the organ removal, but unless they did so, the organ would be taken when needed.
THE MORALITY OF NEW REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Purdy Laura M.
Published: April 2008

Science is revolutionizing human reproduction. New techniques are already with us, such as artificial insemination, the freezing of sperm, in vitro fertilization and the use of surrogate mothers. Artificial wombs are clearly on the horizon.
TERRORISM, SELF‐DEFENSE, AND WHISTLEBLOWING
Authors: Westra Laura
Published: April 2008

In a recent paper given at a Symposium on terrorism, Thomas Hill, Jr., discussed “Making Exceptions Without Abandoning the Principle: Or How a Kantian Might Think about Terrorism.” His argument, however, after acknowledging that “terrorists of course often claim to have morally worthy ends and also means that are morally justified in the context,” and further stating that “some such claims deserve a serious hearing,”1 goes on to deal with the related question of

…what one may justifiably do in response to morally indefensible terrorism.2
A CASE FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Authors: Cooper W. E. , King‐Farlow John
Published: April 2008

We shall argue that there is adequate moral justification for capital punishment with linkage, that is, with linkage to keeping non‐murderers from dying. We present the argument with two aims in mind. The first is to question the conventional wisdom, seldom challenged even by proponents of capital punishment, that being an abolitionist is closely connected to having a civilized respect for human life. This conventional wisdom, we hope to show, is somewhat off the mark. To this end we exhibit structural similarities between so‐called lifeboat dilemmas and the public's relationship to a murderer. In a lifeboat dilemma one must choose between saving this life or that, since the lifeboat will not hold both persons. Now if this life were an innocent's and that one a murderer's, a choice to save the latter would not be met with accusations of callousness towards human life. We hope to project everyone's intuitions about this case onto the more baffling case of a society's relationship to the murderers and dying innocents in its midst.
HOW IS APPLIED PHILOSOPHY TO BE APPLIED?*
Authors: Klinefelter Donald S.
Published: April 2008

Without in the least teaching common reason anything new, we need only to draw its attention to its own principle, in the manner of Socrates, thus showing that neither science nor philosophy is needed in order to know what one has to do in order to be honest and good, and even wise and virtuous.
SELF‐DETERMINATION
Authors: Kiros Teodros
Published: April 2008

In a period in which the concept of self‐determination has become a cliche, it seems astonishing that it occupies the center of the historical stage in the various searches for a community in the horn of Africa. Thus, the concept itself might indeed have been a cliche, but not for the millions of human beings that have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice, their lives for the sake of a way of life that the concept promises.
THE TRUTH IN ETHICAL RELATIVISM
Authors: LaFollette Hugh
Published: April 2008

Ethical relativism is the thesis that ethical principles or judgments are relative to the individual or culture. When stated so vaguely relativism is embraced by numerous lay persons and a sizeable contingent of philosophers. Other philosophers, however, find the thesis patently false, even wonder how anyone could seriously entertain it.

Both factions are on to something, yet both miss something significant as well. Those who whole‐heartedly embrace relativism note salient respects in which ethics is relative, yet erroneously infer that ethical values are noxiously subjective. Those who reject relativism do so because they think ethics is subject to rational scrutiny, that moral views can be correct or incorrect. But in rejecting objectionable features of relativism they overlook significant yet non‐pernicious ways in which ethics is relative.

In short, each side harps on the opponent's weaknesses while overlooking its own flaws. That is regrettable. We are not forced to choose between relativism and rationality. We can have both. There are ways in which ethical principles and behavior vary legitimately from culture to culture and individual to individual. That we must recognize. However this in no way suggests we cannot reason about ethics. Rather we should strive for a rational yet relativistic ethic which emphasizes the exercise of cultivated moral judgment rather than the rote application of extant moral rules. Or so I shall argue.
REMOVING VEILS OF IGNORANCE1
Authors: Card Claudia
Published: April 2008

For more than two millennia the development of philosophy in what is called the West has been the province of men who trace their intellectual heritage to (some) men in ancient Greece. Within “the development of philosophy” I include the training of philosophers as well as publishing and preserving philosophical work in libraries. Thus I regard philosophy as a very material as well as spiritual enterprise. My focus here is on the spiritual impact, actual and potential, of recent changes in the material base of philosophy and the material impact of recent changes in the spiritual focus of philosophers. Before the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions in the development of Western philosophy were its coming under the domination of Christian religious institutions and then its becoming relatively freed from such domination. Since the advent of the Twentieth Century, the most significant transitions may come from the increasing access to academic institutions of the middle and working classes, of people of color with histories of oppression by white societies, and of women from all classes and ethnic backgrounds—people who do not always or only trace their intellectual heritages to men of ancient Greece. What differences might these changes make to, and call for in, the development of philosophy?

What I have thought about most are differences made by women and differences that have drawn in women to academic philosophy in Western democracies, such as the United States. Twentieth Century women in these contexts have published substantial bodies of philosophical inquiry with feminist agendas (both philosophy of feminism and philosophy manifesting feminist perspectives in ethics, epistemology, etc.). I want to comment on two features of such inquiry that often make it attractive to women less readily engaged by the traditions defined by privileged men. These features are holism and what I call “historical particularism.” I begin with “particularism.”
EXTERNAL REALISM AND PHILOSOPHY IN TRANSITION
Authors: Sosa Ernest
Published: April 2008

This paper was written for a panel session, in which I was asked to represent an analytic perspective. On reflection I found that there is no such thing, however, and that what best unifies the analytic traditions is not even a set of questions, much less a set of answers, but only agreement on certain standards of clarity and argumentation, and an interest in dialectic and debate. Certain issues have long dominated the analytic agenda, it is true, and I see no better way to represent an analytic perspective than to enter into a bit of dialectic and debate on one of these, in a way that I hope will be clear and cogent.
SOME UNQUESTIONED ASSUMPTIONS
Authors: Hospers John
Published: April 2008

I

In 1848 Frederic Bastiat wrote an article in the Journal des Debats in which he said, Man struggles against pain and suffering. However, he is condemned by nature to suffering and to privation if he does not take upon himself the effort of work. Hence he has only the choice between two evils….

Up to now, however, no remedy has been found for it, except for one man to avail himself of the work of others…so that all work is for the one and all enjoyment is for the other. Hence [we have] slavery and robbery.

[Today] the oppressor no longer directly compels the oppressed through his own strength. There is still a tyrant and a victim, but now the state, i.e. the law itself, is placed as a mediator between the two. What could be better for the purpose of stifling our doubts and vanquishing all resistance? We turn to the state and say to it: I find that between my enjoyment and my work there exists no relation that satisfies me. In order to bring about the desired balance, I would like to take away a little from others. However, that would be dangerous were I to do it myself. Can you, state, facilitate matters for me? Can you not assign me to a favorable position, or assign a more unfavorable one to my competitor? Can you not grant me a special “protection” and, not without plausible reason, lend me capital which you have taken from its possessors? Or, can you not educate my children at public expense? or guarantee me a carefree life from age 50 onwards?… In this case the law would be acting for me, and I would have all the advantages of exploitation without its risks and its onus.
IS SEXUAL DESIRE RACED?: THE SOCIAL MEANING OF INTERRACIAL PROSTITUTION
Authors: Shrage Laurie
Published: April 2008

I shall forgive the white South much in its final judgment day: I shall forgive its slavery, for slavery is a world‐old habit; I shall forgive its fighting for a well‐lost cause, and for remembering that struggle with tender tears; I shall forgive its so‐called “pride of race,” the passion of its hot blood, and even its dear, old, laughable strutting and posing; but one thing I shall never forgive, neither in this world nor the world to come: its wanton and continued and persistent insulting of the black womanhood which it sought and seeks to prostitute to its lust. (W.E.B. DuBois)

The assumption that one can privilege gender, in advance, as a category, setting the terms of inclusion without fully considering those for whom gender alone fails to capture the multiplicity of experience, is itself an Orientalist move. (Dorinne Kondo)
THE JUSTIFIED SCOUNDREL: THE STRUCTURAL GENESIS OF CORRUPTION
Authors: Anechiarico Frank , Kuo Lenore
Published: April 2008

“It's more important to look honest than it is to get anything done.”

Municipal Agency Commissioner in New York City; Interview, 1991
BRING THE NOISE: HYPERMASCULINITY IN HEAVY METAL AND RAP
Authors: Grant Judith
Published: April 2008

“The Subliminal K i d moved in and took over bars cafes and jukeboxes of the world cities and installed radio transmitters and microphones in each bar so that the music and talk of any bar could be heard in all his bars and he had tape recorders in each bar that played and recorded at arbitrary intervals and his agents moved back and forth with portable tape recorders and brought back street sound and talk and music and poured it into his recorder array so he set waves and eddies and tornadoes of sound down all your streets and by the river of all language‐Word dust drifted streets of broken music car horn and air hammers—The Word broken pounded twisted exploded in smoke—.Nothing is true—Everything is permitted—1

—William Burroughs, Nova Express
Communication From One Feminist
Authors: Machan Tibor R.
Published: April 2008

In James P. Sterba's new collection of papers on justice, one of the contributions comes from Alison Jaggar. It is an essay written in the tradition of sociolinguistic theorizing, whereby a major problem with the relationship between men and women concerns their different uses of language, their distinctive ways of communicating, arguing, and talking.
Government, the Press, and the People's Right To Know
Authors: Montague Phillip
Published: April 2008

Even the most ardent defenders of a legal right to freedom of the press are likely to regard this right as having limitations; but how precisely the right should be limited is a matter of considerable disagreement. This issue is at least partly moral in character: it concerns the moral acceptability of laws which regulate or protect the activities of members of the press. I propose here to address this moral issue, and to do so within the broader framework of considering whether establishing a legal right to freedom of the press—regardless of how it might be limited—is justifiable on moral grounds. In pursuing this investigation, I will devote special attention to familiar claims about the relation between press rights on the one hand, and “the people's right to know” on the other.
Progress in Reconciliation: Evidence from the Right and the Left
Authors: Sterba James P.
Published: April 2008

For a number of years now I have argued for a reconciliation of contemporary conceptions of justice. I have argued that a libertarian conception of justice with its ideal of liberty, a welfare liberal conception of justice with its ideal of fairness, a socialist conception of justice with its ideal of equality, a communitarian conception of justice with its ideal of the common good, and a feminist conception of justice with its ideal of androgyny can all be seen to support the same practical requirements, specifically the practical requirements that are usually associated with a welfare liberal conception of justice, namely, a right to welfare and a right to equal opportunity. Since most people endorse one or another of these conceptions of justice, to reach agreement in practice it should suffice to show them that all these conceptions support the same practical requirements of a right to welfare and a right to equal opportunity.
Reconsidering Zero‐Sum Value: It's How You Play the Game
Authors: Smith Tara
Published: April 2008

In contemporary discussions, so many moral and political controversies revolve around conflicting demands on resources that it is easy to assume that ethics simply is a means of divvying up a limited pool of coveted goods. Discussions of distributive justice, rights conflicts, environmental‐ism and international relations, for instance, are typically framed along these lines. Since Hobbes, we have been bred on the idea that moral prescriptions are a means of coping with disputes between people who have incompatible designs on finite resources. Even those who have resisted Hobbes' portrait of life as war have done so by appealing to aspects of humanity that Hobbes underestimated (such as capacities for benevolence or empathy), rather than by challenging his premise that people's appetites exceed the resources available to satisfy them.
Avoiding tragedies: a Flemish common and its commoners under the pressure of social and economic change during the eighteenth century1
Authors: DE MOOR TINE
Published: April 2008

Despite the wide application of the metaphor of ‘the tragedy of the commons’, there is little historical literature that points to the weaknesses of its historical basis. There is, however, sufficient qualitative and quantitative evidence to prove that commons were well regulated and organized in order to achieve a sustainable management, that also took into account the needs and wishes of its commoners. This case study of a common in Flanders looks at the evidence for this in the eighteenth century, examining bookkeeping and other archival sources. A model that incorporates the different functions of the commons (sustainability, efficiency, and utility) is explained and applied.
Mysterium Christi: the Christologies of Maurice de la Taille and Karl Rahner
Authors: SUTTON MATTHEW LEWIS
Published: April 2008

Abstract:  This article argues that Maurice de la Taille's theology of created actuation by uncreated Act constructively develops Karl Rahner's Christology. The first part gives an account of de la Taille's theology of created actuation by uncreated Act through an examination of the three supernatural communications of the hypostatic union, beatific vision and sanctifying grace. The second part dialogically integrates the insights of de la Taille's theology with Rahner's Christology. The article demonstrates that de la Taille's theology could develop Rahner's Christology. This conclusion raises the question of the value of scholasticism as a method of theology.
Cosmetic features and applications of lipid nanoparticles (SLN®, NLC®)
Authors: Souto E. B. , Müller R. H.
Published: April 2008

Synopsis

A detailed review of the literature is presented in attempts to emphasize several advantages of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for cosmetic applications. Examples of several actives are given and the main features of the solid core of SLN and NLC for topical delivery of cosmetics are discussed. Lipid nanoparticles have been more and more explored in pharmaceutical technology, showing superior advantages for topical purposes over conventional colloidal carriers.