bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘How compliant do we want to be with the colonoscopy surveillance guidelines?’
Authors: Chivers K. C. , Basnyat P. S. , Taffinder N.
Published: October 2007

Objective  To assess the referral practice for surveillance colonoscopy amongst clinicians and to measure whether practice was inline with the current Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines.

Method  A questionnaire was sent to members of the ACPGBI.

Results  A total of 195 (49%) clinicians responded, providing information on their referral habits with comments on where they deviated from the guidelines.

Conclusions  The BSG and ACPGBI guidelines are well established amongst clinicians and generally accepted as best practice, however, the majority of clinicians deviate from the guidelines for particular clinical scenarios. In fact only 18% of respondents followed all recommendations for surveillance colonoscopy for patients with polyps, previous cancers and a family history.
Putting ourselves in a striped snake's shoes: thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance in a melanistic/striped colour‐dimorphic snake
Authors: Tanaka Koji
Published: October 2007

Intermorph differences of thermoregulatory abilities in colour‐polymorphic (dimorphic) species have been demonstrated in many ectotherms. Usually, these studies reported slower body warming in pale‐coloured morphs than in dark‐coloured morphs. Under this circumstance, one way in which pale‐coloured individuals can manage their slower body warming is to perform better at lower temperatures than dark‐coloured individuals. If this is the case, the former need not necessarily raise their body temperature to the same level as the latter. Based on this scenario, intermorph differences in thermal sensitivity of performance were examined using the melanistic/striped colour‐dimorphic snake Elaphe quadrivirgata as a model species. As an indication of performance capability, the crawling speed was measured at several temperatures. Although striped individuals exhibited slower body warming than melanistic individuals under experimental conditions, the former did not exhibit faster crawling speed than the latter at lower temperatures. Shape and position of the performance curve were almost identical between melanistic and striped individuals, indicating a highly static nature in thermal sensitivity of crawling. Coupled with the results of field studies, it is suggested that striped individuals manage their slower body warming by efforts of behavioural thermoregulation. The possible significance of ecological performance in the wild was discussed.
Impediments to recovery in New Orleans' Upper and Lower Ninth Ward: one year after Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Green Rebekah , Bates Lisa K. , Smyth Andrew
Published: October 2007

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a rapid succession of plans put forward a host of recovery options for the Upper and Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Much of the debate focused on catastrophic damage to residential structures and discussions of the capacity of low‐income residents to repair their neighbourhoods. This article examines impediments to the current recovery process of the Upper and Lower Ninth Ward, reporting results of an October 2006 survey of 3,211 plots for structural damage, flood damage and post‐storm recovery. By examining recovery one year after Hurricane Katrina, and by doing so in the light of flood and structural damage, it is possible to identify impediments to recovery that may disproportionately affect these neighbourhoods. This paper concludes with a discussion of how pre‐ and post‐disaster inequalities have slowed recovery in the Lower Ninth Ward and of the implications this has for post‐disaster recovery planning there and elsewhere.
Still falling short: protection and partnerships in the Lebanon emergency response
Authors: Shearer David , Pickup Francine
Published: October 2007

The Israeli–Hezbollah conflict in the summer of 2006, although brief, had a lasting impact on the region and prompted an intense humanitarian response. The conflict raised challenging questions for the United Nations (UN) about how to assist a middle‐income yet extremely vulnerable population in a context where global and local relations are highly politicised. This paper focuses on two key questions that emerged from the humanitarian response. First, how can humanitarian agencies, and particularly the UN, improve the protection of civilians, and was what they did in Lebanon enough? Second, how can humanitarian agencies create partnerships with local actors and still remain true to core humanitarian principles when local actors are fiercely divided along confessional lines and influenced by external actors, and when some, such as Hezbollah, are parties to the conflict? This paper argues that despite the importance of protection and partnerships to the humanitarian response, their role in the UN emergency response still falls short.
Learning from others: the scope and challenges for participatory disaster risk assessment
Authors: Pelling Mark
Published: October 2007

This paper develops a framework based on procedural, methodological and ideological elements of participatory vulnerability and risk assessment tools for placing individual approaches within the wide range of work that claims a participatory, local or community orientation. In so doing it draws on relevant experience from other areas of development practice from which the disasters field can learn. Participatory disaster risk assessments are examined for their potential to be empowering, to generate knowledge, to be scaled up, to be a vehicle for negotiating local change and as part of multiple‐methods approaches to disaster risk identification and reduction. The paper is a response to an international workshop on Community Risk Assessment organised by ProVention Consortium and the Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, University of Cape Town. The workshop brought together practitioners and academics to review the challenges and opportunities for participatory methodologies in the field of disaster risk reduction. In conclusion the contribution made by participatory methodologies to global disaster risk reduction assessment and policy is discussed.
SEX SELECTION AND RESTRICTING ABORTION AND SEX DETERMINATION
Authors: ZILBERBERG JULIE
Published: October 2007

Sex selection in India and China is fostered by a limiting social structure that disallows women from performing the roles that men perform, and relegates women to a lower status level. Individual parents and individual families benefit concretely from having a son born into the family, while society, and girls and women as a group, are harmed by the widespread practice of sex selection. Sex selection reinforces oppression of women and girls. Sex selection is best addressed by ameliorating the situations of women and girls, increasing their autonomy, and elevating their status in society. One might argue that restricting or prohibiting abortion, prohibiting sex selection, and prohibiting sex determination would eliminate sex selective abortion. But this decreases women's autonomy rather than increases it. Such practices will turn underground. Sex selective infanticide, and slower death by long term neglect, could increase. If abortion is restricted, the burden is placed on women seeking abortions to show that they have a legally acceptable or legitimate reason for a desired abortion, and this seriously limits women's autonomy. Instead of restricting abortion, banning sex selection, and sex determination, it is better to address the practice of sex selection by elevating the status of women and empowering women so that giving birth to a girl is a real and positive option, instead of a detriment to the parents and family as it is currently. But, if a ban on sex selective abortion or a ban on sex determination is indeed instituted, then wider social change promoting women's status in society should be instituted simultaneously.
596. CALANTHE ARISANENSIS
Authors: Gale Stephan , Drinkell Clare
Published: October 2007

Summary The biogeography, taxonomy and affinities of the Taiwanese endemic Calanthe arisanensis Hayata (Orchidaceae) are discussed. A colour illustration, black and white dissection, and full description are presented, together with notes on its cultural requirements.
600. BABIANA BLANDA
Authors: Duncan Graham
Published: October 2007

Summary The conservation status, history, taxonomy and cultivation requirements of the South African Babiana blanda (L. Bol.) Lewis (Iridaceae) are discussed; a full botanical description and an illustration are provided.
603. HELICHRYSUM ORIENTALE
Authors: Hind Nicholas , Strange Kit , Broome Jeremy
Published: October 2007

Summary The taxonomy, conservation status and cultivation requirements of Helichrysum orientale (L.) Gaertn., are discussed. A description, colour plate and black and white line drawings of the dissections of this species are given. The problems with accepting so‐called ‘Vaillant’ combinations and generic names are discussed.
The origins of the theophoric week in the Germanic languages
Authors: Shaw Philip
Published: October 2007

The Germanic terms for the days of the week that contain the names of Germanic deities are often taken to result from Romano‐Germanic interactions in the fourth century AD. Yet this need not be the case: the linguistic arguments underpinning this view are not decisive. A reassessment of these names suggests that an early medieval process of transfer in scholarly Christian contexts may be equally, if not more, plausible.
‘They Finally Found Out that We Really Are Men’: Violence, Non‐Violence and Black Manhood in the Civil Rights Era
Authors: Wendt Simon
Published: October 2007

This article explores how peaceful protest and armed resistance reflected and shaped certain gender identities in the southern US civil rights movement and the Black Power movement, and reveals much about the significance of violence for ‘marginalised masculinities’ within the African American freedom struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. In the Deep South, civil rights organisers found that their non‐violent strategy's connotations of effeminate submissiveness hampered attempts to win over black men to the movement's cause. Conversely, those African Americans who decided to use armed force to protect the movement against racist attacks were proud of their ability to defend themselves and their communities. A comparison of armed resistance efforts in southern civil rights campaigns with those of post‐1965 Black Power groups such as the Black Panther Party shows both commonalities and differences with regard to the inter‐relationship between self‐defence and gender. In the southern movement, the affirmation of manhood remained a by‐product of the physical imperative to protect black lives against racism. Among Black Power militants and their black nationalist precursors, self‐defence, while initially intended to stop police brutality and other racist oppression, ultimately became mainly a symbol of militant black manhood. The Black Power movement's affirmative message countered stereotypes of black male powerlessness and instilled a positive black identity into many activists, but the gendered discourse it produced also tended to perpetuate black women's subordination.
Comparing the Earnings of Cohabiting Lesbians, Cohabiting Heterosexual Women, and Married Women: Evidence from the 2000 Census
Authors: JEPSEN LISA K.
Published: October 2007

Using data from the 2000 Census, I tested the hypothesis that cohabiting lesbians have statistically different earnings from cohabiting and married heterosexual women. Cohabiting lesbians earn more than their heterosexual counterparts, even when differences in child‐rearing status are considered. Furthermore, the results do not support differences in household specialization as an explanation for the lesbian earnings premium.
Managing knowledge in the healthcare sector. A review
Authors: Nicolini Davide , Powell John , Conville Paul , Martinez‐Solano Laura
Published: October 2007

Over the past decade, knowledge management (KM), as a concept and a set of practices, has penetrated into the fabric of organizational and managerial processes in the healthcare sector, which has been the site of numerous innovative KM practices. As a result scholars from a range of academic (and non‐academic) fields have begun to document how KM is conceived and practised in health care, what the recurrent issues are and how they can be addressed. The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature on KM concepts, policies and practices in the healthcare sector. Based on the analysis of the most relevant contributions in the last six years, three overarching themes that have occupied the interests of authors are identified and discussed: the nature of knowing in the healthcare sector, the type of KM tools and initiatives that are suitable for the healthcare sector, and the barriers and enablers to the take up of KM practices. The paper concludes with some considerations on what the literature tells us about the state of the art and the future of KM in this important sector of Western economies.
Evaluating the Behavioural Performance of Alternative Logit Models: An Application to Corporate Takeovers Research
Authors: Jones Stewart , Hensher David A.
Published: October 2007

Abstract:  Econometric models involving a discrete outcome dependent variable abound in the finance and accounting literatures. However, much of the literature to date utilises a basic or standard logit model. Capitalising on recent developments in the discrete choice literature, we examine three advanced (or non‐IID) logit models, namely: nested logit, mixed logit and latent class MNL. Using an illustration from corporate takeovers research, we compare the explanatory and predictive performance of each class of advanced model relative to the standard model. We find that in all cases the more advanced logit model structures, which correct for the highly restrictive IID and IIA conditions, provide significantly greater explanatory power than standard logit. Mixed logit and latent class MNL models exhibited the highest overall predictive accuracy on a holdout sample, while the standard logit model performed the worst. Moreover, the analysis of marginal effects of all models indicates that use of advanced models can lead to more insightful and behaviourally meaningful interpretations of the role and influence of explanatory variables and parameter estimates in model estimation. The results of this paper have implications for the use of more optimal logit structures in future research and practice.
Correction of protein kinase C activity and macrophage migration in peripheral nerve by pioglitazone, peroxisome proliferator activated‐γ‐ligand, in insulin‐deficient diabetic rats
Authors: Yamagishi Shin‐Ichiro , Ogasawara Saori , Mizukami Hiroki , Yajima Nobuhisa , Wada Ryu‐ichi , Sugawara Akiko , Yagihashi Soroku
Published: October 2007

Pioglitazone, one of thiazolidinediones, a peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)‐γ ligand, is known to have beneficial effects on macrovascular complications in diabetes, but the effect on diabetic neuropathy is not well addressed. We demonstrated the expression of PPAR‐γ in Schwann cells and vascular walls in peripheral nerve and then evaluated the effect of pioglitazone treatment for 12 weeks (10 mg/kg/day, orally) on neuropathy in streptozotocin‐diabetic rats. At end, pioglitazone treatment improved nerve conduction delay in diabetic rats without affecting the expression of PPAR‐γ. Diabetic rats showed suppressed protein kinase C (PKC) activity of endoneurial membrane fraction with decreased expression of PKC‐α. These alterations were normalized in the treated group. Enhanced expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase detected in diabetic rats was inhibited by the treatment. Increased numbers of macrophages positive for ED‐1 and 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine‐positive Schwann cells in diabetic rats were also corrected by the treatment. Pioglitazone lowered blood lipid levels of diabetic rats, but blood glucose and nerve sorbitol levels were not affected by the treatment. In conclusion, our study showed that pioglitazone was beneficial for experimental diabetic neuropathy via correction of impaired PKC pathway and proinflammatory process, independent of polyol pathway.
Expression, binding, and signaling properties of CRF2(a)receptors endogenously expressed in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells: passage‐dependent regulation of functional receptors
Authors: Gutknecht Eric , Hauger Richard L. , Van der Linden Ilse , Vauquelin Georges , Dautzenberg Frank M.
Published: October 2007

Endogenous expression of the corticotropin‐releasing factor type 2a receptor [CRF2(a)] but not CRF2(b)and CRF2(c)was observed in higher passage cultures of human Y79 retinoblastoma cells. Functional studies further demonstrated an increase in CRF2(a)mRNA and protein levels with higher passage numbers (> 20 passages). Although the CRF1receptor was expressed at higher levels than the CRF2(a)receptor, both receptors were easily distinguishable from one another by selective receptor ligands. CRF1‐preferring or non‐selective agonists such as CRF, urocortin 1 (UCN1), and sauvagine stimulated cAMP production in Y79 to maximal responses of ∼100 pmoles/105cells, whereas the exclusive CRF2receptor‐selective agonists UCN2 and 3 stimulated cAMP production to maximal responses of ∼25–30 pmoles/105cells. UCN2 and 3‐mediated cAMP stimulation was potently blocked by the ∼300‐fold selective CRF2antagonist antisauvagine (IC50 = 6.5 ± 1.6 nmol/L), whereas the CRF1‐selective antagonist NBI27914 only blocked cAMP responses at concentrations > 10 μmol/L. When the CRF1‐preferring agonist ovine CRF was used to activate cAMP signaling, NBI27914 (IC50 = 38.4 ± 3.6 nmol/L) was a more potent inhibitor than antisauvagine (IC50 = 2.04 ± 0.2 μmol/L). Finally, UCN2 and 3 treatment potently and rapidly desensitized the CRF2receptor responses in Y79 cells. These data demonstrate that Y79 cells express functional CRF1and CRF2(a)receptors and that the CRF2(a)receptor protein is up‐regulated during prolonged culture.
Superoxide dismutase 1 mutants related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis induce endoplasmic stress in neuro2a cells
Authors: Oh Yeo Kyoung , Shin Ki Soon , Yuan Junying , Kang Shin Jung
Published: October 2007

One of the common features of damaged neurons in many neurodegenerative diseases is the presence of abnormal aggregates of the disease‐related proteins. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) of both sporadic and familial forms, protein aggregates are found in the affected spinal cords. In familial ALS with mutations in copper–zinc superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), the propensity of SOD1 for aggregation is known to increase with the mutation. In the present study, we examined whether the aggregate‐prone SOD1 mutants induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the inhibition of the ER stress protects the cells. The ALS‐related mutant G85R SOD1 and G93A SOD1 formed visible aggregates and caused cell death possibly by apoptosis when over‐expressed in neuro2a cells. Interestingly, the rate of the mutant SOD1‐induced cell death was greater than that of the visible aggregate formation. Expression of the mutant SOD1 caused signs of both early and late ER stress responses, namely, RNA‐dependent protein kinase‐like ER kinase and eukaryotic initiation factor α phosphorylation, Jun amino‐terminal kinase activation, activating transcription factor 6‐translocation, X‐box binding protein 1 mRNA splicing, and caspase 12 activation. The X‐box binding protein 1 mRNA splicing activation was also detected in the mutant SOD1‐expressing cells even without the visible aggregates. The cell death induced by the mutant SOD1 over‐expression looked like apoptosis as evidenced by nuclear morphology and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling. Importantly, an ER stress inhibitor, salubrinal delayed the formation of insoluble aggregates of the mutant SOD1 and suppressed the mutant‐induced cell death. In addition, over‐expression of the ER‐targeted Bcl‐xL protected the cells from the mutant SOD1‐induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the misfolding of ALS‐related mutant SOD1 induces ER stress possibly prior to the formation of visible aggregates, which may contribute to the motor neuron degeneration in ALS pathogenesis.
Transcellular transport of CCL2 across brain microvascular endothelial cells
Authors: Ge Shujun , Song Li , Serwanski David R. , Kuziel William A. , Pachter Joel S.
Published: October 2007

The means by which the chemokine CCL2 produced in the brain parenchyma can recruit leukocytes lying behind the highly impervious endothelium of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) has remained a paradox. As other chemokines have been evidenced to stimulate their own synthesis and release by peripheral microvascular endothelial cells, and/or undergo transcytosis in the abluminal‐to‐luminal direction, we determined whether CCL2 experiences similar fates across brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC). Using cultured BMEC as a paradigm of the BBB, it was observed that exogenous unlabeled CCL2 actually depressed the release of endogenous CCL2, and further caused diminished CCL2 mRNA levels in these cells. On the other hand, exogenous125I‐labeled CCL2 exhibited transport across BMEC in a manner that was sensitive to temperature, competition by excess unlabeled CCL2 but not unlabeled CCL3, knockdown of caveolin‐1/caveolae, and elimination of the cognate CCL2 receptor CCR2. These results implied a facet of CCL2 transport by a transcellular mechanism partly involving binding of CCL2 to CCR2, and subsequent transfer to caveolae vesicles for transcytosis. This notion was supported by double‐label immuno‐electronmicroscopy, which revealed co‐localization of caveolin‐1 with exogenous CCL2, during this chemokine’s transit across BMEC. Collectively, these findings provide a rationale by which CCL2, deposited on the abluminal side of the brain microvasculature during inflammatory episodes, can be relayed across the BBB to foster leukocyte recruitment.
C‐terminal splice variants of the μ‐opioid receptor: existence, distribution and functional characteristics
Authors: Oldfield Sue , Braksator Ellen , Rodriguez‐Martin Ivan , Bailey Chris P. , Donaldson Lucy F. , Henderson Graeme , Kelly Eamonn
Published: October 2007

The distribution of the mRNA of different C‐terminal splice variants of the μ‐opioid receptor in rat CNS was assessed by RT‐PCR. The mRNA species for MOR1, MOR1A and MOR1B were readily detectable and distributed widely throughout the rat CNS, with levels of MOR1 and MOR1A mRNA being overall greater than for MOR1B. We did not find convincing evidence that significant levels of MOR1C, MOR1C1, MOR1C2 and MOR1D are present in rat CNS. To examine possible differences in the agonist‐induced regulation of MOR1, MOR1A and MOR1B, we expressed these constructs in HEK293 cells along with G‐protein‐coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channel subunits and measured the rate and extent of desensitisation of (d‐Ala2,N‐Me‐Phe4,glycinol5)‐enkephalin (DAMGO)‐ and morphine‐induced G‐protein‐coupled inwardly rectifying K+ currents. Morphine‐induced desensitisation was rapid for all three splice variants (t½: 1.2–1.7 min) but DAMGO‐induced desensitisation was significantly slower for MOR1B (t½ 4.2 min). Inhibition of endocytosis by expression of a dynamin‐dominant negative mutant increased the rate of DAMGO‐induced desensitisation of MOR1B. These data show that some splice variants of μ‐opioid receptor are widely expressed in rat CNS but question the existence of others that have been reported in the literature. In addition, whereas the rate of desensitisation of MOR1 and MOR1A is agonist‐independent, that for MOR1B is agonist‐dependent.
Transcriptional instability is not a universal attribute of aging
Authors: Warren Luigi A. , Rossi Derrick J. , Schiebinger Geoffrey R. , Weissman Irving L. , Kim Stuart K. , Quake Stephen R.
Published: October 2007

It has been proposed that cumulative somatic mutations contribute to the aging process by disrupting the transcriptional networks that regulate cell structure and function. Experimental support for this model emerged from a recent study of cardiomyocytes that showed a dramatic increase in the transcriptional heterogeneity of these long‐lived postmitotic cells with age. To determine if regulatory instability is a hallmark of aging in renewing tissues, we evaluated gene expression noise in four hematopoietic cell types: stem cells, granulocytes, naïve B cells and naïve T cells. We used flow cytometry to purify phenotypically equivalent cells from young and old mice, and applied multiplexed quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction to measure the copy number of six different mRNA transcripts in 324 individual cells. There was a trend toward higher transcript levels in cells isolated from old animals, but no significant increase in transcriptional heterogeneity with age was found in the surveyed populations. Flow cytometric analysis of membrane protein expression also indicated that cell‐to‐cell variability was unaffected by age. We conclude that large‐scale regulatory destabilization is not a universal concomitant of aging, and may be of significance as an aging mechanism primarily in nonrenewing tissues.
Vascular superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production and oxidative stress resistance in two closely related rodent species with disparate longevity
Authors: Csiszar Anna , Labinskyy Nazar , Zhao Xiangmin , Hu Furong , Serpillon Sabrina , Huang Zhishan , Ballabh Praveen , Levy Richard J. , Hintze Thomas H. , Wolin Michael S. , Austad Steven N. , Podlutsky Andrej , Ungvari Zoltan
Published: October 2007

Vascular aging is characterized by increased oxidative stress, impaired nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and enhanced apoptotic cell death. The oxidative stress hypothesis of aging predicts that vascular cells of long‐lived species exhibit lower production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or superior resistance to oxidative stress. We tested this hypothesis using two taxonomically related rodents, the white‐footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus), that show a more than twofold difference in maximum lifespan potential (MLSP = 8 and 3.5 years, respectively). We compared interspecies differences in endothelial superoxide () and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, NAD(P)H oxidase activity, mitochondrial ROS generation, expression of pro‐ and antioxidant enzymes, NO production, and resistance to oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis. In aortas of P. leucopus, NAD(P)H oxidase expression and activity, endothelial and H2O2 production, and ROS generation by mitochondria were less than in mouse vessels. In P. leucopus, there was a more abundant expression of catalase, glutathione peroxidase 1 and hemeoxygenase‐1, whereas expression of Cu/Zn‐SOD and Mn‐SOD was similar in both species. NO production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression was greater in P. leucopus. In mouse aortas, treatment with oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (oxLDL) elicited substantial oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and endothelial apoptosis (assessed by TUNEL assay, DNA fragmentation and caspase 3 activity assays). According to our prediction, vessels of P. leucopus were more resistant to the proapoptotic effects of oxidative stressors (oxLDL and H2O2). Primary fibroblasts from P. leucopus also exhibited less H2O2‐induced DNA damage (comet assay) than mouse cells. Thus, increased lifespan potential in P. leucopus is associated with a decreased cellular ROS generation and increased oxidative stress resistance, which accords with the prediction of the oxidative stress hypothesis of aging.
Indications for Stent Placement in a Dialysis Access
Authors: Rasmussen Randall L. , Feldman David , Beathard Gerald , Rubin Jack E.
Published: October 2007

NKF‐K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Vascular Access, Guideline 6, Treatment of Arteriovenous Graft Complications, limit the number of potential indications for stent deployment that may extend the life of the dialysis access (1). The guidelines include recommendations for the treatment of dialysis access stenosis, central vein stenosis, pseudoaneurysms and for angioplasty‐associated vascular rupture that cannot be successfully treated by PTA. However, stenting may need to be considered in certain settings falling outside these guidelines.
Special Report: Dialysis Surveillance Report: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)—Data Summary for 2006
Authors: Klevens R. Monina , Edwards Jonathan R. , Andrus Mary L. , Peterson Kelly D. , Dudeck Margaret A. , Horan Teresa C. ,   and the NHSN Participants in Outpatient Dialysis Surveillance
Published: October 2007

Thirty‐two outpatient hemodialysis providers in the United States voluntarily reported 3699 adverse events to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) during 2006. These providers were previously enrolled in the Dialysis Surveillance Network. The pooled mean rates of hospitalization among patients with arteriovenous fistulas, grafts, permanent and temporary central venous catheters were 7.7, 9.2, 15.7, and 34.7 per 100 patient‐months, respectively. For bloodstream infection the pooled mean rates were 0.5, 0.9, 4.2, and 27.1 per 100 patient‐months in these groups. Among the 599 isolates reported, 461 (77%) represented access‐associated blood stream infections in patients with central lines, and 138 (23%) were in patients with fistulas or grafts. The microorganisms most frequently identified were common skin contaminants (e.g., coagulase‐negative staphylococci). In 2007, enrollment in NHSN opened to all providers of outpatient hemodialysis. Specific information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/nhsn_FAQenrollment.html.
Influence of Fixation Mode and Superstructure Span upon Strain Development of Implant Fixed Partial Dentures
Authors: Karl Matthias , Wichmann Manfred G. , Winter Werner , Graef Friedrich , Taylor Thomas D. , Heckmann Siegfried M.
Published: October 2007

Purpose: Implant‐borne fixed partial dentures (FPDs) should fit passively in order to avoid complications ranging from screw loosening to loss of osseointegration. The aim of this study was to measure the strain development of three‐unit and five‐unit screw‐ and cement‐retained implant‐supported FPDs. Additionally, the influence of the parameters retention mechanism and FPD span were evaluated.

Materials and Methods: Three Straumann implants were anchored in a measurement model based on a real‐life patient situation and strain gauges (SGs) were fixed mesially and distally adjacent to the implants and on the pontics of the superstructures. During cement setting and screw fixation of 40 implant FPDs (10 samples from each group: three‐unit cementable; five‐unit cementable; three‐unit screw‐retained; five‐unit screw‐retained), strain development was recorded. For statistical analysis, multivariate two‐sample tests were performed with the level of significance set at p= 0.1.

Results: The mean strain values for the four FPD groups at the different SG sites ranged from 26.0 to 637.6 μm/m. When comparing the four groups, no significant differences in strain magnitude could be detected. Similarly, a comparison of the two FPD spans revealed no significant difference (p= 0.18 for cementable FPDs; p= 0.22 for screw‐retained FPDs). A comparison of the two fixation modes also revealed no significant difference (p= 0.67 for three‐unit FPDs; p= 0.25 for five‐unit FPDs).

Conclusion: FPD span and retention mechanism appear to have only a minor influence on strain development in implant FPDs. As implant‐supported restorations have proven to be successful over time, the question arises as to whether an “absolute” passive fit is a prerequisite for successful implant restorations.
Occlusal Changes Following Posterior Tooth Loss in Adults. Part 3. A Study of Clinical Parameters Associated with the Presence of Occlusal Interferences Following Posterior Tooth Loss
Authors: Craddock Helen L.
Published: October 2007

Purpose: Tooth positional changes following posterior tooth loss may alter arch forms and occlusal planes. This may result in the development of occlusal interferences. The purpose of this study was to determine clinical parameters associated with the presence of retruded contact position (RCP) contacts and occlusal interferences associated with posterior tooth loss.

Materials and Methods: Diagnostic casts of 100 patients with at least one unopposed posterior tooth and 100 control patients were scanned and analyzed to record clinical parameters described in the earlier publications in this series. Clinical examinations identified the presence of RCP contacts and occlusal interferences. Five generalized linear models were developed to investigate the parameters associated with presence of RCP contacts, protrusive interferences, working side interferences, and nonworking side interferences.

Results: RCP contacts were associated with the degree of supraeruption of the unopposed tooth and the presence of other types of interferences. Protrusive interferences were associated with the presence and position of a tooth distal to the extraction site and the presence of other types of interference. Working side interferences were associated with tipping of the tooth mesial to the extraction site and the presence of other interferences. Nonworking side interferences were associated with the presence of other types of interference only.

Conclusion: Unopposed posterior teeth are more likely to be involved in RCP contacts or interferences than their matched controls. Many teeth were involved in multiple interferences, and there appears to be a number of interrelationships between these. Initial RCP contacts have associations with the extent of supraeruption of the unopposed teeth. The presence and position of the teeth distal to extraction sites was significant when modeling protrusive interferences. Protrusive interferences are more prevalent where the site of tooth loss was bounded. Mesial tipping of the teeth distal to extraction sites reduced this effect. Working side interferences were associated with tipping of teeth mesial to the site of tooth loss. No associations between patient or tooth factors were found for nonworking side interferences, and the only association found for these interferences were with protrusive interferences at the sites.
Placement and Restoration of Dental Implants in a Patient with Paget's Disease in Remission: Literature Review and Clinical Report
Authors: Rasmussen Jonathan M. , Hopfensperger Matthew L.
Published: October 2007

Paget's disease is a disorder of bone that results in the replacement of normal bone with highly vascularized, low density bone. The diminished bone quality associated with Paget's disease is a relative contraindication to the use of dental implants, as it interferes with achievement of osseointegration. There is no current literature on the success of dental implants in patients with Paget's disease. Furthermore, there is no current literature on dental implant success in patients with remissive Paget's disease or in bone that appears to be unaffected by the disease in patients with Paget's. This case report follows the treatment of a patient with a partially edentulous maxilla and mandible (ACP PDI Classification III) who presented with remissive Paget's disease. Definitive treatment included the placement of four endosseous implants used to retain full veneer crowns. Despite the radiographic appearance of adequate bone quality, upon surgical placement it was discovered that the quality of bone was poor, yet implant survival was achieved through careful surgical management and rigid splinting of some of the endosseous implants.
Restoration of the Severely Compromised Maxilla Using the Multi‐Cup Denture
Authors: Engelmeier Robert L. , Gonzalez Maria L. , Harb Maribel
Published: October 2007

Among the millions of edentulous Americans, a persistent minority have not been able tolerate wearing dentures. Complicating factors may have precluded surgical intervention with grafts or dental implants to improve the physical and anatomic limitations of these unfortunate patients. A heat‐cured polymer liner containing multiple small suction cups has been used for decades to successfully restore many such debilitated individuals. Two middle‐aged female patients with edentulous maxillae and near fully dentate mandibles had both reached a point where they could no longer retain a maxillary complete denture, or function with it. Both had experienced multiple failed surgical attempts to improve their situations. They were both successfully restored with maxillary complete dentures containing heat‐cured silicone liners with multiple small suction cups. Two young female maxillectomy patients had significant difficulties wearing maxillary obturators due to defect size and absence of defect undercuts. One had an edentulous maxilla, while the other had no axial undercuts on her few remaining maxillary teeth. Without an obturator, both suffered considerable air and fluid leaks, unintelligible speech, and swallowing problems. They too were successfully restored with obturators containing a heat‐cured, multi‐cup, silicone liner. The multi‐cup, silicone denture liner has offered an economic, noninvasive alternative for patients unable or unwilling to undergo surgical intervention to facilitate prosthesis retention.
Strategies of Innovation and Imitation of Product Languages*
Authors: Dell'Era Claudio , Verganti Roberto
Published: October 2007

Nowadays, design is recognized as a strategic resource. Customers are increasingly paying attention to the aesthetic, symbolic, and emotional value of products, a value that is conveyed by the design language—that is, the combination of signs (e.g., form, colors, materials) that gives meaning to a product. As a consequence firms are devoting increasing efforts to define a proper strategy for the design language of their products. An empirical analysis was conducted on the product language strategies in the Italian furniture industry; in particular, the present article explores the relationship between innovation and variety of product languages. Companies are usually faced by two major strategic decisions. The first one concerns the innovation of product languages: To what extent should a firm proactively propose new design languages or, rather, should adopt a reactive strategy by rapidly adopting new languages as they emerge in the market? The second decision concerns the variety and heterogeneity of languages in their product range. Should a firm propose a single product language to communicate a precise identity, or should it explore different product languages? Of course, the two strategic decisions—innovativeness and variety of product languages—are closed connected. Analyzing more than 2.000 products launched by 210 firms, the present article explores how the variety of product languages is approached in the strategy of innovators and imitators. The empirical results illustrate an inverse relationship between innovativeness and heterogeneity of product signs and languages. Contrary to what is expected, innovators have lower heterogeneity of product languages. They tend to be strongly proactive and limit experimentations of new languages in the market. Imitators, instead—which would be expected to have low variety since they can invest only in languages that have been proven successful in the market—tend on the contrary to have higher product variety. Eventually, by having lower investments in research on trends of sociocultural models, they miss the capability to interpret the complex evolution of products signs and languages in the market. Strategic decisions on innovativeness and variety of product languages are therefore interrelated; counterintuitively companies should carefully analyze these decisions jointly.
Charging Behavior at the Alumina–Water Interface and Implications for Ceramic Processing
Authors: Franks George V. , Gan Yang
Published: October 2007

The interaction of water and the alumina surface is comprehensively reviewed. Water can be incorporated in the alumina crystal structure resulting in the formation of aluminum hydroxides such as gibbsite. Alumina dissolves into water to an extent that depends primarily upon the solution pH and temperature. The soluble Al (III)aq species (hydrolysis products) likewise depend upon the solution pH, temperature, aluminum, and other salt concentrations. The development of charge on the surface of alumina is controlled by amphoteric surface ionization reactions. The charging behavior of both alumina powders and single crystal faces is compared. The differences can be explained by the reactivities of different types of surface hydroxyl groups. The substantial difference in surface charging behavior of single crystal sapphire and alumina powders indicates that experiments and modeling conducted on single crystals is of limited use in predicting suspension behavior. The atomic scale structure of the hydroxylated sapphire (0001) basal plane is nearly identical to the gibbsite (001) basal plane. The observed surface structures are consistent with the charging behavior of the surfaces. The role of surface charge on the adsorption of processing additives is briefly discussed. How surface charge and processing additives at the alumina aqueous solution interface influence surface forces between particles is reviewed. The influence of these forces on suspension properties such as rheological behavior is outlined. The importance of controlling these behaviors to improve colloidal ceramic powder processing is stressed.
Overwintering of annual bluegrass weevils, Listronotus maculicollis, in the golf course landscape
Authors: Diaz Maria Derval C. , Peck Daniel C.
Published: October 2007

Annual bluegrass weevil, Listronotus maculicollis (Dietz) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), adults overwinter in protected areas but their life cycle is completed on highly maintained turfgrass. To better target control tactics on affected golf courses, we need to understand the relationship between overwintering and developmental habitats. Our objectives were to identify factors that influence overwintering site selection and to gather evidence of directional movement. Surveys of natural field populations were conducted in early spring over 2 years to test how abundance of overwintered adults depends on microhabitat (surface composition) and distance from the developmental habitat. The influence of microhabitat on overwintering preference and success was further tested in a multiple‐choice and no‐choice field experiment by relocating overwintering weevils into experimental arenas where four microhabitats were presented together or singly. The timing and direction of dispersal by walking adults was assessed using paired linear pitfall traps. Results showed that adults could overwinter up to 60 m from the fairway and 10 m into the woods. They were most abundant near the tree line; none were detected within 5 m of the fairway. Microhabitat had a significant effect on abundance in 1 year, being highest in mixed tree litter followed by moss, high‐cut grass, and pine litter. Under multiple‐choice conditions, high‐cut grass was preferred over low‐cut grass and leaf litter, followed by pine litter. Pitfall trap captures showed a peak of activity in the spring, and at one site this was directional toward the fairway. There was no directionality or increase in activity in the fall. Based on these results, a new conceptual model of flux between habitats is proposed based on orientation of flying adults to defined tree lines. Defining this behavior will strengthen our ability to target control tactics in space and time against this major turf pest.
Wound contamination in cardiac surgery
Authors: KÜHME TOBIAS , ISAKSSON BARBRO , DAHLIN LARS‐GÖRAN
Published: October 2007

Objectives: To investigate the degree of bacterial contamination in the sternal wound during cardiac surgery and the sternal skin flora after operation in order to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of sternal wound infections. Design: Prospective study where cultures were taken peri‐ and postoperatively from sternal wounds and skin. Setting: University Hospital. Patients: 201 cardiac surgery patients. Results: 89% of the patients grew bacteria from the subcutaneous sternal tissue. 98% of the patients showed bacterial growth on the surrounding skin at the end of the operation. We found both commensal and nosocomial bacteria in the sternal wound. These bacteria had different temporal distribution patterns. Coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Propionibacterium acnes (PA) were by far the most prevalent bacteria during and after the operation. Furthermore, 41% of patients had more than 10 000 CFU/pad CoNS on the skin. There was no correlation between length of operation and number of bacteria. Men displayed higher bacterial counts than women on the skin. Conclusion: Skin preparation with ethanol/chlorhexidine is unable to suppress the physiological skin flora for the duration of a heart operation. A decrease of CoNS and PA postoperatively can be caused by competitive recolonisation of commensal and nosocomial bacteria.
Surgical site infections in cardiac surgery: microbiology
Authors: SÖDERQUIST BO
Published: October 2007

Coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most common bacteria isolated from infections following cardiac surgery. CoNS display various virulence factors, such as toxins, adhesive proteins and biofilm production. The Staphylococcus epidermidis surface (Ses) protein I and the ica operon encoding the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) are discussed in more detail. Although several of these virulence factors are prevalent among CoNS isolates causing sternal wound infections, they do not represent a prerequisite for causing an infection and that emphasizes that host factors may be as important.
Antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery—general principles
Authors: KÄLLMAN JAN , FRIBERG ÖRJAN
Published: October 2007

Appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery can substantially reduce the number of postoperative infections. To avoid misuse, special concerns^^such as timing and duration of antibiotics^^must be taken into account. Increasing evidence supports that 24 h antibiotic prophylaxis is sufficient for most major surgical procedures. The prophylactic antibiotic should cover the spectrum of bacteria that are likely to be encountered. The emergence of MRSA raises special questions of antibiotic choice as well as route of administration.
Local collagen‐gentamicin for prevention of sternal wound infections: the LOGIP trial
Authors: FRIBERG ÖRJAN
Published: October 2007

In cardiac surgery, sternal wound infection (SWI) continues to be one of the most serious postoperative complications. Coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CoNS) have become the most common causative agents of SWI. However, many CoNS species are resistant to routine intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis. 2000 cardiac surgery patients were randomised to routine prophylaxis with intravenous isoxazolyl penicillin alone (control group) or to this prophylaxis combined with application of collagen‐gentamicin (260 mg gentamicin) sponges within the sternotomy before wound closure. The primary end‐point was any sternal wound infection within 2 months postoperatively. The incidence of any sternal wound infection was 4.3% in the treatment group and 9.0% in the control group (relative risk=0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.33 to 0.68; P<0.001). Local gentamicin reduced the incidence of SWI caused by all major clinically important microbiological agents, including CoNS. Routine use of the described prophylaxis in all adult cardiac surgery patients could be recommended.