bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human CD34
+
Cells in Experimental Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Wang Jingxiong , Zhang Sui , Rabinovich Brian , Bidaut Luc , Soghomonyan Suren , Alauddin Mian M. , Bankson James A. , Shpall Elizabeth , Willerson James T. , Gelovani Juri G. , Yeh Edward T.H.
Published: May 2010

Rationale
:

Human CD34
+
cells have been used in clinical trials for treatment of myocardial infarction (MI). However, it is unknown how long the CD34
+
cells persist in hearts, whether the improvement in cardiac function is sustained, or what are the underlying mechanisms.

Objective
:

We sought to track the fate of injected human CD34
+
cells in the hearts of severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice after experimental MI and to determine the mechanisms of action.

Methods and Results
:

We used multimodality molecular imaging to track the fate of injected human CD34
+
cells in the hearts of SCID mice after experimental MI, and used selective antibody blocking to determine the mechanisms of action. Bioluminescence imaging showed that injected CD34
+
cells survived in the hearts for longer than 12 months. The PET signal from the injected cells was detected in the wall of the left ventricle. Cardiac MRI showed that left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly improved in the treated mice compared to the control mice for up to 52 weeks (
P
<0.05). Furthermore, treatment with anti-α4β1 showed that generation of human-derived cardiomyocytes was inhibited, whereas anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment blocked the production of human-derived endothelial cells. However, the improvement in cardiac function was abolished only in the anti-VEGF, but not anti-α4β1, treated group.

Conclusions
:

Angiogenesis and/or paracrine effect, but not myogenesis, is responsible for functional improvement following CD34
+
cells therapy.
Impaired Endothelial Repair Capacity of Early Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Prehypertension
Authors: Giannotti Giovanna , Doerries Carola , Mocharla Pavani S. , Mueller Maja F. , Bahlmann Ferdinand H. , Horvàth Tibor , Jiang Hong , Sorrentino Sajoscha A. , Steenken Nora , Manes Costantina , Marzilli Mario , Rudolph K. Lenhard , Lüscher Thomas F. , Drexler Helmut , Landmesser Ulf
Published: May 2010

Prehypertension is a highly frequent condition associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Endothelial dysfunction is thought to promote the development of hypertension and vascular disease; however, underlying mechanisms remain to be further determined. The present study characterizes for the first time the in vivo endothelial repair capacity of early endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with prehypertension/hypertension and examines its relation with endothelial function. Early EPCs were isolated from healthy subjects and newly diagnosed prehypertensive and hypertensive patients (n=52). In vivo endothelial repair capacity of EPCs was examined by transplantation into a nude mouse carotid injury model. EPC senescence was determined (RT-PCR of telomere length). NO and superoxide production of EPCs were measured using electron spin resonance spectroscopy analysis. CD34
+
/KDR
+
mononuclear cells and circulating endothelial microparticles were examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilations were determined by high-resolution ultrasound. In vivo endothelial repair capacity of EPCs was substantially impaired in prehypertensive/hypertensive patients as compared with healthy subjects (re-endothelialized area: 15±3%/13±2% versus 28±3%;
P
<0.05 versus healthy subjects). Senescence of EPCs in prehypertension/hypertension was substantially increased, and NO production was markedly reduced. Moreover, reduced endothelial repair capacity of early EPCs was significantly related to an accelerated senescence of early EPCs and impaired endothelial function. The present study demonstrates for the first time that in vivo endothelial repair capacity of early EPCs is reduced in patients with prehypertension and hypertension, is related to EPC senescence and impaired endothelial function, and likely represents an early event in the development of hypertension.
A Mouse Model Characterizing Features of Vascular Dementia With Hippocampal Atrophy
Authors: Nishio Keiko , Ihara Masafumi , Yamasaki Nobuyuki , Kalaria Raj N. , Maki Takakuni , Fujita Youshi , Ito Hidefumi , Oishi Naoya , Fukuyama Hidenao , Miyakawa Tsuyoshi , Takahashi Ryosuke , Tomimoto Hidekazu
Published: May 2010

Background and Purpose—

We have previously described effects of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in mice with bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) using microcoils for 30 days. These mice specifically exhibit working memory deficits attributable to frontal-subcortical circuit damage without apparent gray matter changes, indicating similarities with subcortical ischemic vascular dementia. However, as subcortical ischemic vascular dementia progresses over time, the longer-term effects that characterize the mouse model are not known.

Methods—

Comprehensive behavioral test batteries and histological examinations were performed in mice subjected to BCAS for up to 8 months. Laser speckle flowmetry and
18
F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography were performed to assess cerebral blood flow and metabolism at several time points.

Results—

At 2 hours after BCAS, cerebral blood flow in the cerebral cortex temporarily decreased to as much as 60% to 70% of the control value but gradually recovered to >80% at 1 to 3 months. At 5 to 6 months after BCAS, reference and working memory were impaired as demonstrated by the Barnes and radial arm maze tests, respectively. Furthermore,
18
F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography demonstrated that hippocampal glucose utilization was impaired at 6 months after BCAS. Consistent with these behavioral and metabolic abnormalities, histological analyses demonstrated hippocampal atrophy with pyknotic and apoptotic cells at 8 months after BCAS.

Conclusions—

These results suggest that the longer-term BCAS model replicates advanced stages of subcortical ischemic vascular dementia when hippocampal neuronal loss becomes significant.
Ground-to-Air Gas Emission Rate Inferred from Measured Concentration Rise within a Disturbed Atmospheric Surface Layer
Authors: Wilson J. D. , Flesch T. K. , Bourdin P.
Published: May 2010

In reference to previously observed concentrations of methane released from a source enclosed by a windbreak, this paper examines a refined “inverse dispersion” approach for estimating the rate of emission Q from a small ground-level source, when the surface-layer winds near that source are highly disturbed. The inverse dispersion method under investigation is based on simulation of turbulent trajectories between sources and detectors, using a Lagrangian stochastic (LS) model. At issue is whether it is advantageous to recognize the flow as being disturbed and use a computed approximation to that disturbed flow to drive a fully three-dimensional LS model (3D-LS), or whether it suffices to ignore flow disturbance and adopt an LS model attuned to the horizontally homogeneous upwind flow (MO-LS, as Monin–Obukhov similarity theory describes the vertical inhomogeneity). It is demonstrated that both approaches estimate the source strength to within a factor of 2 of the true value, irrespectively of the location of the concentration measurement, and moreover that both approaches estimate the source strength correctly (to within the experimental uncertainty), when based on concentrations measured far away from the immediate influence of obstacles in the flow. However, if the concentration detector is positioned close to the flow-disturbing obstacles, then inverse dispersion based on 3D-LS provides a better estimate of source strength than does MO-LS.
Merged Statistical Analyses of Historical Monthly Precipitation Anomalies Beginning 1900
Authors: Smith Thomas M. , Arkin Phillip A. , Sapiano Mathew R. P. , Chang Ching-Yee
Published: May 2010

A monthly reconstruction of precipitation beginning in 1900 is presented. The reconstruction resolves interannual and longer time scales and spatial scales larger than 5° over both land and oceans. Because of different land and ocean data availability, the reconstruction combines two separate historical reconstructions. One analyzes interannual variations directly by fitting gauge-based anomalies to large-scale spatial modes. This direct reconstruction is used for land anomalies and interannual oceanic anomalies. The other analyzes annual and longer variations indirectly from correlations with analyzed sea surface temperature and sea level pressure. This indirect reconstruction is used for oceanic variations with time scales longer than interannual. In addition, a method of estimating reconstruction errors is also presented.

Over land the reconstruction is a filtered representation of the gauge data with data gaps filled. Over oceans the reconstruction gives an estimate of the atmospheric response to changing temperature and pressure, combined with interannual variations. The reconstruction makes it possible to evaluate global precipitation variations for periods much longer than the satellite period, which begins in 1979. Evaluations show some large-scale similarities with coupled model precipitation variations over the twentieth century, including an increasing tendency over the century. The reconstructed land and sea trends tend to be out of phase at low latitudes, similar to the out-of-phase relationship for interannual variations. This reconstruction may be used for climate monitoring, for statistical climate studies of the twentieth century, and for helping to evaluate dynamic climate models. In the future the possibility of improving the reconstruction will be explored by further improving the analysis methods and including additional data.
Assimilation of Satellite-Derived Skin Temperature Observations into Land Surface Models
Authors: Reichle Rolf H. , Kumar Sujay V. , Mahanama Sarith P. P. , Koster Randal D. , Liu Q.
Published: May 2010

Land surface (or “skin”) temperature (LST) lies at the heart of the surface energy balance and is a key variable in weather and climate models. In this research LST retrievals from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) are assimilated into the Noah land surface model and Catchment land surface model (CLSM) using an ensemble-based, offline land data assimilation system. LST is described very differently in the two models. A priori scaling and dynamic bias estimation approaches are applied because satellite and model LSTs typically exhibit different mean values and variabilities. Performance is measured against 27 months of in situ measurements from the Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project at 48 stations. LST estimates from Noah and CLSM without data assimilation (“open loop”) are comparable to each other and superior to ISCCP retrievals. For LST, the RMSE values are 4.9 K (CLSM), 5.5 K (Noah), and 7.6 K (ISCCP), and the anomaly correlation coefficients (R) are 0.61 (CLSM), 0.63 (Noah), and 0.52 (ISCCP). Assimilation of ISCCP retrievals provides modest yet statistically significant improvements (over an open loop, as indicated by nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals) of up to 0.7 K in RMSE and 0.05 in the anomaly R. The skill of the latent and sensible heat flux estimates from the assimilation integrations is essentially identical to the corresponding open loop skill. Noah assimilation estimates of ground heat flux, however, can be significantly worse than open loop estimates. Provided the assimilation system is properly adapted to each land model, the benefits from the assimilation of LST retrievals are comparable for both models.
Nonhydrostatic Atmospheric Modeling Using a Combined Cartesian Grid
Authors: Yamazaki Hiroe , Satomura Takehiko
Published: May 2010

A new method for representing topography on a Cartesian grid is applied to a two-dimensional nonhydrostatic atmospheric model to achieve highly precise simulations over steep terrain. The shaved cell method based on finite-volume discretization is used along with a cell-combining approach in which small cut cells are combined with neighboring cells either vertically or horizontally. A unique staggered arrangement of variables enables quite simple computations of momentum equations by avoiding the evaluation of surface pressure and reducing the computational cost of combining cells for the velocity variables. The method successfully reproduces flows over a wide range of slopes, including steep slopes where significant errors are observed in a model using conventional terrain-following coordinates. The advantage of horizontal cell combination on extremely steep slopes is also demonstrated.
Neoliberalism’s Last Lap? NASCAR Nation and the Cultural Politics of Sport
Authors: Newman Joshua I. , Giardina Michael D.
Published: May 2010

This article examines the ways in which cultural and political intermediaries have endeavored to systematically reorganize the spectacles of North American stock car racing to reinscribe and re-present the hegemonic order of free-market capitalism. To this end, the authors draw from a complex synthesis of economic, social, and cultural theory to interrogate the political and corporate dimensions of “NASCAR Nation.” More specifically, they offer a critical investigation of the dialectic relationship between the expanding regimes of capital accumulation brought forth by neoliberal economic policy, its political imperatives and operatives, and the cultural politics that actively shape consumer experiences within the sport. They likewise interpret how corporate capitalism acts as a prevailing fixture within these spectacular spaces and fan-spectator praxis. In sum, they argue that the commercial precepts of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) present a twisted contradiction, whereby NASCAR fans laud the same neoliberal market forces that both mesmerize their consumer sensibilities and simultaneously decimate their own postindustrial labor conditions.
Sport, Media, and Consumption in Asia: A Merchandised Milieu
Authors: Rowe David , Gilmour Callum
Published: May 2010

The saturation of Western media sport markets has prompted a turn to the predominantly youthful, increasingly urbanized cultural milieu associated with forms of “aspirational” middle-class consumption of globalized Western sport. Asia has become a prime target for the expansionary strategies of some of the world’s most powerful professional sports leagues, teams, and media conglomerates. Although other media and cultural industry sectors in Asia, such as film and television drama, enjoy increasing content localization and intraregional exchange, media sport remains decidedly Western dominated. The influence of transnational broadcasters in Asia and the intensive marketing efforts of Western sports interests are combining to privilege European- and American-based sports leagues, such as the English Premier League and the National Basketball Association, which tend to “crowd out” domestic Asian professional sport. Sport fan engagement within the “media sports cultural complex” in Asia tends to produce a form of consumption predisposed to advantage globally marketed Western sports competitions and their celebrities (some of whom are “migrant” Asian sport stars) and so hampers the development of “indigenous” Asian sport and media. This article critically analyzes sport and consumption in Asia with reference to a range of sports, especially, soccer and basketball, and various Asian nations, particularly, China.
Cricket in Consumer Culture: Notes on the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Authors: Horne John D.
Published: May 2010

This article reflects on the position of the game of cricket in the development of sport as an emergent feature of 21st-century capitalist consumer culture. Its focus is on the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 (CWC 2007). It suggests that detailed analysis of sports megaevents, such as the cricket and association football World Cup competitions and the Summer Olympics, enables consideration of several overlapping and intersecting issues of contemporary social scientific interest. Consideration of the CWC 2007 staged in the Caribbean reveals several of the underlying tensions that emerge when a sports megaevent is staged outside the advanced urban centers of the northern hemisphere, exposes the relations that continue to operate between international sports organizations and local organizing committees, and provides the chance to reflect on the role of the media in the culture of consumption that surrounds such events. The article aims to show the importance of approaching the study of sport and sports megaevents in consumer culture with emphasis placed on the production of consumption as much as on the meanings or pleasures of consumption.
The Collaborative Character of Christian Ministry
Authors: Pickard Stephen K.
Published: May 2010

This article explores the nature of collaborative ministry. It begins with a reflection on the body metaphor in Romans 12:5 in which Christians are described as ‘members one of another’. This text points to relationships in the body of Christ marked by collaboration which involves mutuality and cooperation. The article identifies and briefly outlines the critical developments required in a future ministry which is collaborative and thus truly Christian.
Working Class Dreams, Working Class God
Authors: Ellis Kevin
Published: May 2010

Drawing on his experience of three different pastoral contexts, Kevin Ellis seeks to put the questions of how the Churches in England interact with working class culture, and indeed in what ways do the those who consider themselves to be working class interact with the Church, back on the agenda. The author suggests that one of the gifts that the Church has to offer is to renew the stories against which working class people live their lives; arguing that this needs to happen first before Christian communities are able to tell afresh stories of Jesus.
Re-thinking ‘Eyewitnesses’ in the Light of ‘Servants of the Word’ (Luke 1:2)
Authors: Collins John N.
Published: May 2010

In promoting the concept of ‘eyewitness testimony’ as the basis of the development of the gospels, Richard Bauckham questions the usefulness of continuing with the historical critical method as a means of disclosing the Jesus of history. Alternative methodologies which he employs in this task are of no definitive value, however, if the concept of ‘eyewitness testimony’ is itself of dubious value. Linguistic, semantic and contextual aspects of Luke’s Preface suggest that the author could not have had ‘eyewitnesses’ in mind when he invoked the role of autoptai.
The calculation of business, or the business of calculation? Accounting as organizing through everyday communication
Authors: Fauré Bertrand , Brummans Boris HJM , Giroux Hélène , Taylor James R
Published: May 2010

This article examines the language of numbers as it is used in talk within a contemporary organization to provide a better understanding of the ways speech acts, performed during the construction of accounts, contribute to the process of organizing. Based on an in-depth case study of the site budgetary control process in a French construction firm, it shows that the business of doing calculations through talk generates respective obligations and, in turn, plays a central role in the constitution of the organization. Hence, this article shows how accounting, in all of its manifestations, produces the organization and does not simply occur within it.
Down-regulated Genes in Mouse Dental Papillae and Pulp
Authors: Sasaki H. , Muramatsu T. , Kwon H.-J. , Yamamoto H. , Hashimoto S. , Jung H.-S. , Shimono M.
Published: May 2010

Important factors involved in odontogenesis in mouse dental papillae disappear between the pre- and post-natal stages of development. Therefore, we hypothesized that certain genes involved in odontogenesis in dental papillae were subject to pre-/post-natal down-regulation. Our goal was to identify, by microarray analysis, which genes were down-regulated. Dental papillae were isolated from embryonic 16-day-, 18-day- (E16, E18), and post-natal 3-day-old (P3) murine first mandibular molar germs and analyzed by microarray. The number of down-regulated genes was 2269 between E16 and E18, and 3130 between E18 and P3. Drastic down-regulation (fold change > 10.0) of Adamts4, Aldha1a2, and Lef1 was observed at both E16 and E18, and quantitative RT-PCR revealed a post-natal reduction in their expression ( Adamts4, 1/3; Aldh1a2, 1/13; and Lef1, 1/37). These results suggest that down-regulation of these three genes is an important factor in normal odontogenesis in dental papillae.
Anatomically Shaped Tooth and Periodontal Regeneration by Cell Homing
Authors: Kim K. , Lee C.H. , Kim B.K. , Mao J.J.
Published: May 2010

Tooth regeneration by cell delivery encounters translational hurdles. We hypothesized that anatomically correct teeth can regenerate in scaffolds without cell transplantation. Novel, anatomically shaped human molar scaffolds and rat incisor scaffolds were fabricated by 3D bioprinting from a hybrid of poly-ε-caprolactone and hydroxyapatite with 200-µm-diameter interconnecting microchannels. In each of 22 rats, an incisor scaffold was implanted orthotopically following mandibular incisor extraction, whereas a human molar scaffold was implanted ectopically into the dorsum. Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF1) and bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP7) were delivered in scaffold microchannels. After 9 weeks, a putative periodontal ligament and new bone regenerated at the interface of rat incisor scaffold with native alveolar bone. SDF1 and BMP7 delivery not only recruited significantly more endogenous cells, but also elaborated greater angiogenesis than growth-factor-free control scaffolds. Regeneration of tooth-like structures and periodontal integration by cell homing provide an alternative to cell delivery, and may accelerate clinical applications.
Quality Difference in Craniofacial Pain of Cardiac vs. Dental Origin
Authors: Kreiner M. , Falace D. , Michelis V. , Okeson J.P. , Isberg A.
Published: May 2010

Craniofacial pain, whether odontogenic or caused by cardiac ischemia, is commonly referred to the same locations, posing a diagnostic challenge. We hypothesized that the validity of pain characteristics would be high in assessment of differential diagnosis. Pain quality, intensity, and gender characteristics were assessed for referred craniofacial pain from dental (n = 359) vs. cardiac (n = 115) origin. The pain descriptors “pressure” and “burning” were statistically associated with pain from cardiac origin, while “throbbing” and “aching” indicated an odontogenic cause. No gender differences were found. These data should now be added to those craniofacial pain characteristics already known to point to acute cardiac disease rather than dental pathology, i.e., pain provocation/aggravation by physical activity, pain relief at rest, and bilateralism. To initiate prompt and appropriate treatment, dental and medical clinicians as well as the public should be alert to those clinical characteristics of craniofacial pain of cardiac origin.
A Spot of Coffee in Crisis
Authors: Bacon Christopher M.
Published: May 2010

Comparison of responses to the post-1999 coffee crisis of three smallholder cooperatives participating in Fair Trade and conventional commodity networks suggests that agrarian-reform histories, gender relations, and bottom-up organizing practices influenced members’ sense of empowerment. Although most small-scale farmers suffered a decline in their sense of empowerment, the Fair Trade cooperatives found opportunity in the midst of the crisis. In addition to documenting North-South inequalities, this research reveals the uneven gender relationships within producer cooperatives, finds the lowest empowerment levels in a cooperative connected only with conventional coffee trade networks, and chronicles the achievements of a women’s Fair Trade cooperative.
Global Markets, Local Conflict
Authors: Rettberg Angelika
Published: May 2010

After the breakdown of the International Coffee Agreement, armed conflict intensified in the Colombian coffee region. The decline of international coffee prices after the agreement was abandoned increased local poverty and made it difficult for the National Coffee Federation to compensate for the state’s failure to provide economic stability and social services. Poverty and a weakened Federation in turn opened windows of opportunity for illegal armed actors, cultivators of illegal crops, and drug traffickers. The link between change in international coffee markets and local violence is shaped by domestic processes of resource extraction such as land distribution, joint crop techniques, the periodic employment of a temporary workforce, and the nature of institutional regulation. Study of this link exposes the vulnerability of underdeveloped economies to economic and political decision-making processes beyond national borders.
New Findings Concerning Eosinophilic Substance Deposition in Mouse Nasal Septum
Authors: Doi Takuya , Kokoshima Hiroko , Kanno Takeshi , Sato Junko , Wako Yumi , Tsuchitani Minoru , Matsui Takane
Published: May 2010

An eosinophilic substance (ES) is usually observed in the mouse nasal septum. In contrast to textbooks and one report describing ES as amyloid, a previous study by the authors revealed that ES is not amyloid but consists of collagen and an amorphous material. Furthermore, it was suggested that the amorphous material was produced by clear HE-stained nasal gland epithelial cells present at the dorsal portion directly above the vomeronasal organ. In this histological examination, ES deposition showed sex difference (more intense in males than in females). ES increased with age but not in seniles, suggesting that the increase has a limit. In the detailed examination using subserial HE-stained nasal sections, it was revealed that the clear HE-stained nasal glands continued to the vomeronasal glands, which communicated with the lumen of the vomeronasal organ, and the vomeronasal gland epithelial cells contained strongly periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive granules, similar to the clear HE-stained nasal gland epithelial cells. ES also deposited in the interstitium of the vomeronasal glands. The results suggested a possibility that ES deposition may be related to vomeronasal organ.
Protective Effect of β-Carotene on Methotrexate–Induced Oxidative Liver Damage
Authors: Vardi Nigar , Parlakpinar Hakan , Cetin Asli , Erdogan Ali , Cetin Ozturk I.
Published: May 2010

In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress on the hepatic damage caused by methotrexate (MTX) and the possible protective effects of β-carotene against this damage. The rats were divided into four groups as control, MTX (20 mg/kg ip), β-carotene (10 mg/kg/day ip) + MTX, and β-carotene. Histopathologic alterations were evaluated for defining the liver damage. The tissue, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GP-x) contents and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotranferase (ALT) activities were also examined. Histopathologic damage for each group score findings have been determined as control: 0.66 ± 0.33; MTX: 7.0 ± 0.68; β-carotene + MTX: 3.3 ± 0.42; and β-carotene: 0.5 ± 0.3. In the MTX-treated group, MDA, AST, and ALT values were increased, while SOD and GP-x values were decreased compared with the control group. In the β-carotene + MTX-treated group, AST and ALT values significantly decreased, while all other parameters were similar to the control group. This study shows that β-carotene has a protective effect on MTX-induced oxidative hepatic damage. Consequently, it seems that an antioxidant agents like β-carotene may be useful in decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy.
Acute Lymphoid and Gastrointestinal Toxicity Induced by Selective p38α Map Kinase and Map Kinase–Activated Protein Kinase-2 (MK2) Inhibitors in the Dog
Authors: Morris Dale L. , O’Neil Shawn P. , Devraj Rajesh V. , Portanova Joseph P. , Gilles Richard W. , Gross Cindy J. , Curtiss Sandra W. , Komocsar Wendy J. , Garner Debra S. , Happa Fernando A. , Kraus Lori J. , Nikula Kristen J. , Monahan Joseph B. , Selness Shaun R. , Galluppi Gerald R. , Shevlin Kimberly M. , Kramer Jeffrey A. , Walker John K. , Messing Dean M. , Anderson David R. , Mourey Robert J. , Whiteley Laurence O. , Daniels John S. , Yang Jerry Z. , Rowlands Philip C. , Alden Carl L. , Davis John W. , Sagartz John E.
Published: May 2010

Exposure to moderately selective p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors in the Beagle dog results in an acute toxicity consisting of mild clinical signs (decreased activity, diarrhea, and fever), lymphoid necrosis and depletion in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, and linear colonic and cecal mucosal hemorrhages. Lymphocyte apoptosis and necrosis in the GALT is the earliest and most prominent histopathologic change observed, followed temporally by neutrophilic infiltration and acute inflammation of the lymph nodes and spleen and multifocal mucosal epithelial necrosis and linear hemorrhages in the colon and cecum. These effects are not observed in the mouse, rat, or cynomolgus monkey. To further characterize the acute toxicity in the dog, a series of in vivo, in vitro, and immunohistochemical studies were conducted to determine the relationship between the lymphoid and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity and p38 MAPK inhibition. Results of these studies demonstrate a direct correlation between p38α MAPK inhibition and the acute lymphoid and gastrointestinal toxicity in the dog. Similar effects were observed following exposure to inhibitors of MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 (MK2), further implicating the role of p38α MAPK signaling pathway inhibition in these effects. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that p38α MAPK inhibition results in acute lymphoid and GI toxicity in the dog and is unique among the species evaluated in these studies.
Bilateral Dystrophic Calcinosis Circumscripta in a Cynomolgus Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Authors: Radi Zaher A. , Sato Kenichi
Published: May 2010

The authors describe a case in which well-circumscribed, expansile, and nonencapsulated nodular masses with missing digits were detected on the right and left feet in a 6-year-old female cynomolgus macaque from a routine toxicology study. Grossly, these masses were composed of variably sized and firm nodules containing white, chalklike material in the subcutaneous tissue on cross section. Microscopically, the nodules were composed of irregular lobules containing amorphous to granular, light to dark basophilic material that was surrounded by macrophages and multinucleated giant cells and separated by fibrous connective tissue. The nodule’s contents were von Kossa and Alizarin red S positive. Serum calcium and phosphorus levels of this monkey were within normal ranges. Based on the gross pathology, histopathology, serum chemistry, and histochemistry, a diagnosis of dystrophic calcinosis circumscripta was made. Dystrophic calcinosis circumscripta is an uncommon syndrome of mineralization that occurs following tissue damage, without abnormalities in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, and it is characterized by deposition of calcium salts in soft tissues. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of dystrophic calcinosis circumscripta in a cynomolgus macaque.
Nicotine Alters Morphology and Function of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells in Mice
Authors: Yang Lingling , Gong Huaqing , Wang Ye , Wang Yao , Yin Hongmei , Chen Peng , Zhang Hongwei , Wang Yiqiang
Published: May 2010

To study the effects of nicotine on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in vivo and in vitro, (Balb/c×C57Bl/6) F1 mice were given water containing 100 µg/mL nicotine for six months. Cultured fetal RPE cells were treated with nicotine or lipopolysaccharide for seventy-two hours. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase protein (MMP)2, MMP9, and VEGF was measured using Western blot. Expression of IL6 and IL8 was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Electron microscopy was performed to observe the effects of nicotine on morphological changes of mice retina or cultured RPE cells, and filamentous actin in RPE cells was stained with phalloidin. Electron microscopy revealed that nicotine-treated mice showed thinner outer nuclear layers, fewer pigment granules in RPE cells, and a damaged photoreceptor–RPE interface when compared with age-control mice. When added to cultured RPE cells, nicotine induced accumulation of osmiophilic lamellated intracellular inclusions in cytoplasm, mitochondrion hypertrophy and vacuolar degeneration, and redistribution of actin in cells without affecting cell proliferation. Expression of MMP2 and MMP9 in nicotine-treated RPE cells was decreased. Nicotine-induced changes in RPE morphology and function provide insight into pathogenesis of smoking-related retinal diseases.
The Self as Role Model in Health Promotion Scale: Development and Testing
Authors: Rush Kathy L. , Kee Carolyn C. , Rice Marti
Published: May 2010

Historically, nurses have been expected to be role models of health promotion, conceptualized and operationalized narrowly and indirectly as the practice of healthy behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to develop and test an instrument (The Self as Role Model for Health Promotion [the SARMHEP]) to measure nurses’ perceptions of themselves as role models. Data were collected from nurses working in public health, nursing education, and general practice with a 56% return rate. A series of exploratory factor analyses elicited a five-factor solution that accounted for 44% of the variance and approximated the theoretical dimensions that guided the instrument’s development. Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was .91. The new multidimensional SARMHEP was shown to have beginning validity and reliability.
Reflecting on men and social policy: Contemporary critical debates and implications for social policy
Authors: Hearn Jeff
Published: May 2010

To put ‘men’ and ‘social policy’ together may still seem a little strange. Yet there are numerous ways in which social policy is about men, in its formulation, implementation, delivery, and inclusions/exclusions. Different men have variable relations to social policy, and are involved and implicated in social policy in a wide variety of ways, as: users, family members, practitioners, managers, policy makers, members of social organizations, and so on. Likewise, the explicit gendering and naming of men is uneven in different social policy arenas. This article discusses contemporary debates in Critical Studies on Men — masculinity and multiple masculinities; hegemonic masculinity and the hegemony of men; embodiment; and transnationalization and virtualization — and in each case considers their implications for social policy, before some concluding remarks.
Writing fathers in but mothers out!!!
Authors: Featherstone Brid
Published: May 2010

Since the late 1990s a series of government departments have promoted a policy and practice agenda urging practitioners in a range of settings such as school, health care and children’s centres to ‘engage’ fathers. The rationale for this project is that fostering father involvement with children will promote good outcomes particularly for those children who are most disadvantaged. The author suggests that this agenda is normatively undesirable and flawed practically. Gender equality appears to be neither an explicit nor implicit aim. Moreover, by constructing the father—child relationship as dyadic, mothers’ contributions to fathering and childcare are obscured. Drawing from a piece of qualitative research with fathers about their experiences of social care services, it would appear, however, that the fathers were preoccupied with mothers and their perceived power. Indeed, they had constructed a world of powerful unpredictable women who were supported by feminized services. Not only is writing mothers out problematic for gender equality purposes, it is also not feasible practically.
Mouse Models of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Reveal a Complex Pathogenesis
Authors: Rottman J. B. , Willis C. R.
Published: May 2010

The mammalian immune system is remarkable in that it can respond to an essentially infinite number of foreign antigens. The ability to mount a long-lasting (adaptive) immune response against foreign antigen requires the participation of cells selected from an enormously diverse population of B and T cells. Because the B and T cell receptors expressed by these cells are generated at random, a significant percentage of B and T cells are invariably directed against self-antigen. Under normal circumstances, autoreactive B and T cells are eliminated, reprogrammed, or inactivated in the primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Despite these checks and balances, a small but significant number of people and animals still develop autoimmune disease. One such autoimmune disease—systemic lupus erythematosus—is characterized by the loss of B- and T-cell tolerance to self-antigens (principally nuclear), culminating in multisystemic inflammation. Multiple genetic defects, drug exposure, infectious agents, and environmental factors can contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Loss of B- and T-cell tolerance precipitates activation of plasmacytoid and myeloid dendritic cells; collectively, these cells cooperate to form a complex positive feedback loop, continually stimulated by the persistence of self-antigen. Novel treatment strategies now focus on specific inhibition of various aspects of the feedback loop. These specific inhibitors have the potential to be more effective and lack the side effects associated with generalized immunosuppression.
An Alternative Splicing Variant in Clcn7–/– Mice Prevents Osteopetrosis but Not Neural and Retinal Degeneration
Authors: Rajan I. , Read R. , Small D. L. , Perrard J. , Vogel P.
Published: May 2010

The ubiquitously expressed chloride channel 7 (CLCN7) is present within the ruffled border of osteoclasts. Mutations in the CLCN7 gene in humans (homologous to murine Clcn7) are responsible for several types of osteopetrosis in humans, and deficiencies in CLCN7 can present with retinal degeneration and a neuronal storage disease. A previously reported Clcn7–/– mouse showed diffuse osteopetrosis accompanied by severe retinal and neuronal degeneration. In contrast, the authors produced a novel Clcn7–/– mutant where mice did not develop osteopetrosis but still developed lethal neural and retinal degeneration. In these mice, there was a rapid progressive loss of the outer nuclear layer and photoreceptor layers of the retina. Laminar degeneration and necrosis of neurons in layers IV and V of the cerebral cortex and in the CA2/CA3 regions of the hippocampus were associated with intraneuronal accumulations of autofluorescent granules (periodic acid–Schiff positive). The extensive reactive gliosis was always associated with the accumulation of intraneuronal cytoplasmic material. The authors found, through quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction analyses, that an alternate Clcn7 transcript (previously identified only in bone marrow) showed minimal expression in the brain and eye but moderate expression in bone, which correlates with rescue of the osteopetrotic phenotype in the face of continued retinal and neuronal degeneration. Findings in this knockout mouse model prove that osteopetrotic compression of the brain is not responsible for neuronal and retinal degeneration in CLCN7-deficient mice; rather, they suggest that neurotoxicity is most likely due to lysosomal dysfunction as a result of the functional lack of this chloride channel in the central nervous system and eye.
Resistance and the Post-liberal Peace
Authors: Richmond Oliver P.
Published: May 2010

This article discusses what an IR and peacebuilding praxis derived from the ‘everyday’ might entail. It examines the insights of a number of literatures which contribute to a discussion of the dynamics of the everyday. The enervation of agency and the repoliticisation of peacebuilding is its objective. It charts how local agency has led to resistance and hybrid forms of peace despite the overwhelming weight of the liberal peace project. In some aspects this may be complementary to the latter and commensurate with the liberal state, but in other aspects the everyday points beyond the liberal peace.
Early Childbearing and Educational Attainment Among Mainland Puerto Rican Teens
Authors: Diez Virginia , Mistry Jayanthi
Published: May 2010

We report the results of a study about how early childbearing affected the educational trajectories of nine Puerto Rican teenage mothers living in New England. Raised largely on the mainland, participants chose to carry pregnancies to term and to participate in a parenting program for young mothers. Upon examination of shared meaning-making around childbearing, we found that, consistently, childbearing activated a family building script as the main task of motherhood. The pursuit of education as a developmental script was less consistent. We identified three approaches to reconciling the competing tasks of family building and educational attainment. “Successful jugglers” managed to do both, and even work at the same time. “Prioritizers” chose motherhood over education, either before or after childbearing. The two participants who did not follow a clear trajectory also happened to be the youngest in the study. Key factors contributing to each trajectory are presented.
Frequency Rates and Correlates of Contrapower Harassment in Higher Education
Authors: DeSouza Eros R.
Published: May 2010

The current study investigated incivility, sexual harassment, and racial-ethnic harassment simultaneously when the targets were faculty members and the perpetrators were students (i.e., academic contrapower harassment; ACH). The sample constituted 257 faculty members (90% were White and 53% were women) from a medium-sized state university in the Midwestern United States. They completed an anonymous survey, including an openended question about a critical ACH incident. The findings revealed that 72% of the total sample had experienced some type of mistreatment from students during the past 2 years. The author hypothesized gender differences in frequency rates for overall ACH, incivility, and sexual harassment; however, there were none. Hence, this hypothesis was not supported. The author also hypothesized that incivility would predict sexual and ethnic harassment. This hypothesis was generally supported. Furthermore, he hypothesized that demographic, work-related, and tolerance for faculty—student romance would predict ACH and its subscales. The findings generally supported this hypothesis, with somewhat different predictors by gender. He also hypothesized that harassed faculty, especially women, would experience worse job-related outcomes than never harassed faculty. Neither gender nor the interaction was significant, but the main effect for harassment was, with harassed faculty members experiencing worse job-related outcomes than nonharassed faculty members. Thus this hypothesis was partially supported. Practical implications are discussed.
Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Child Abuse and Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence, Parent-Child Attachments, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence
Authors: Sousa Cindy , Herrenkohl Todd I. , Moylan Carrie A. , Tajima Emiko A. , Klika J. Bart , Herrenkohl Roy C. , Russo M. Jean
Published: May 2010

This study examined the unique and combined effects of child abuse and children’s exposure to domestic violence on later attachment to parents and antisocial behavior during adolescence. Analyses also investigated whether the interaction of exposure and low attachment predicted youth outcomes. Findings suggest that, although youth dually exposed to abuse and domestic violence were less attached to parents in adolescence than those who were not exposed, for those who were abused only and those who were exposed only to domestic violence, the relationship between exposure types and youth outcomes did not differ by level of attachment to parents. However, stronger bonds of attachment to parents in adolescence did appear to predict a lower risk of antisocial behavior independent of exposure status. Preventing child abuse and children’s exposure to domestic violence could lessen the risk of antisocial behavior during adolescence, as could strengthening parent—child attachments in adolescence. However, strengthening attachments between parents and children after exposure may not be sufficient to counter the negative impact of earlier violence trauma in children.
Wives’ Attitudes Toward Gender Roles and Their Experience of Intimate Partner Violence by Husbands in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayatilleke Achini , Poudel Krishna C. , Sakisaka Kayako , Yasuoka Junko , Jayatilleke Achala Upendra , Jimba Masamine
Published: May 2010

The authors conducted a community based, cross-sectional study to describe the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) by husbands and the association between wives’ attitudes toward gender roles and their experience of IPV in Central Province, Sri Lanka. This article included a representative sample of 624 wives between 15 and 49 years of age and examined the prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Then, using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the authors examined the association between wives’ attitudes toward gender roles and IPV. Of the 624 wives, 36% had experienced at least one episode of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse by their husbands during their life time (ever abuse), and 19% had experienced such abuse during the past 12 months (current abuse). The wives were less likely to experience current abuse by husbands if they believed that “outsiders should not intervene to protect abused wives.” They were more likely to experience ever and current isolated psychological abuse by husbands if they did not believe that “a good wife always obeys her husband.” This study suggests that the prevalence of IPV is high in Sri Lanka. Although several published studies on IPV suggest that traditional gender role attitudes tend to increase women’s vulnerability to IPV, this study suggests that in Sri Lanka, the wives who respect cultural norms tend to experience less IPV by husbands.
Intimate Partner Survivors’ Help-Seeking and Protection Efforts: A Person-Oriented Analysis
Authors: Nurius Paula S. , Macy Rebecca J. , Nwabuzor Ijeoma , Holt Victoria L.
Published: May 2010

Domestic violence advocates and researchers advocate for a survivor-centered approach for assisting women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), with individualized safety plans and services; yet little empirical work has been done to determine IPV survivors’ specific combinations of vulnerabilities and assets that might inform such an approach. Using latent profile analysis of a cohort of 448 survivors, five distinct subgroups were previously identified in terms of biopsychosocial asset and vulnerability profiles. The purpose of the current study was to apply person-oriented methodology for survivor-centered investigation of differences in help-seeking and protective actions according to subgroup membership within this cohort. Though not differing demographically, the subgroups were found to differ significantly and meaningfully in their patterns of IPV help-seeking and protective actions. Thus, reliance on population-aggregate linear relationships between IPV exposure and safety efforts may risk overlooking important variation by vulnerability and asset profile, and knowledge of distinct clusters among functioning profiles may help with understanding of survivors’ coping strategies.The authors outline service-need considerations across the subgroups and provide guidance for targeted outreach, locating IPV survivors and matching services to their needs.