bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the pathogenicity and virulence of three strains of Salmonella organisms in calves and pigs
Authors: Xiong Nalee , Brewer Matt T. , Day Tim A. , Kimber Michael J. , Barnhill Alison E. , Carlson Steve A.
Published: October 2010

Objective—To assess in pigs the pathogenicity and virulence of 3 strains of Salmonella spp capable of causing atypical salmonellosis in cattle.

Animals—36 Holstein calves and 72 pigs experimentally infected with Salmonella spp

Procedures—Representative Salmonella strains associated with 3 new disease phenotypes (protozoa-mediated hypervirulence, multisystemic cytopathicity, and encephalopathy) that have been characterized in cattle during the past 10 years were orally inoculated into pigs. Clinical manifestations were compared with those observed in cattle. Samples were collected from various tissues, and the presence of Salmonella organisms was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively by use of Salmonella-selective media

Results—Of the 3 unique Salmonella disease phenotypes observed in cattle, only protozoa-mediated hypervirulence was observed in pigs. Hypervirulence was related to a more rapid onset of disease and higher pathogen burden in pigs than in cattle. This phenotype was observed in pigs inoculated with multiresistant Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhimurium or Choleraesuis bearing the Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) integron.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Salmonella hypervirulence was identified in pigs noculated with SGI1-bearing strains exposed to free-living protozoa. Additionally, an SGI1-bearing strain of Salmonella Choleraesuis was detected that resulted in augmented virulence in pigs. Therefore, it appeared that protozoa-associated salmonellosis was analogous in pigs and cattle. Salmonella-mediated encephalopathy and multisystemic cytopathicity did not appear to be relevant diseases in pigs. (Am J Vet Res 2010;71:1170-1177)
Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and association with toxin genes in Clostridium difficile in commercial swine
Authors: Thakur Siddhartha , Putnam Michelle , Fry Pamela R. , Abley Melanie , Gebreyes Wondwossen A.
Published: October 2010

Objective—To estimate prevalence and determine association between antimicrobia resistance and toxin gene profile of Clostridium difficile in commercial pigs at the preharvest food-safety level.

Animals—68 sows and 251 young pigs from 5 farms in North Carolina and 3 in Ohio.

Procedures—Fecal samples were collected from sows (8/farm) and matched young pigs (32/farm) at farrowing and again at the nursery and finishing stages. Clostridium difficile isolates were tested for susceptibility to 6 antimicrobials. A PCR assay was used to detect genes coding for enterotoxin A (tcdA), cytotoxin B (tcdB), and binary toxin (cdtB).

Results—C difficile prevalence in young pigs at farrowing was 73% (n = 183) with significantly higher prevalence in Ohio (87.5%) than in North Carolina (64%). Clostridium difficile was isolated from 32 (47%) sows with no significant difference between the 2 regions. A single pig had a positive test result at the nursery, and no isolate was recovered at the finishing farms. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was predominant in young pigs (91.3% of isolates) and sows (94%). The antimicrobial resistance profile ciprofloxacin-erythromycin-tetracycline was detected in 21.4% and 11.7% of isolates from young pigs and sows, respectively. Most isolates had positive results for tcdA (65%), tcdB (84%), and the binary toxin cdtB (77%) genes. Erythromycin resistance and tetracycline resistance were significantly associated with toxin gene profiles.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The common occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant C difficile and the significant association of toxigenic strains with antimicrobial resistance could contribute to high morbidity in farms with farrowing pigs. (Am J Vet Res 2010;71:1189—1194)
A generalization of Mathieu subspaces to modules of associative algebras
Authors: Zhao Wenhua
Published: October 2010

We first propose a generalization of the notion of Mathieu subspaces of associative algebras $$
\mathcal{A}
$$, which was introduced recently in [Zhao W., Generalizations of the image conjecture and the Mathieu conjecture, J. Pure Appl. Algebra, 2010, 214(7), 1200–1216] and [Zhao W., Mathieu subspaces of associative algebras], to $$
\mathcal{A}
$$-modules $$
\mathcal{M}
$$. The newly introduced notion in a certain sense also generalizes the notion of submodules. Related with this new notion, we also introduce the sets σ(N) and τ(N) of stable elements and quasi-stable elements, respectively, for all R-subspaces N of $$
\mathcal{A}
$$-modules $$
\mathcal{M}
$$, where R is the base ring of $$
\mathcal{A}
$$. We then prove some general properties of the sets σ(N) and τ(N). Furthermore, examples from certain modules of the quasi-stable algebras [Zhao W., Mathieu subspaces of associative algebras], matrix algebras over fields and polynomial algebras are also studied.
Environmental Analysis in Transportation
Authors: Smith Jason , Sullivan Amanda
Published: October 2010

Since 1999, the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project (I-90 project) of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) team has worked with dozens of government agencies and nongovernmental groups to develop a range of potential solutions to meet project needs and mitigate the project's potential adverse impacts on the Central Cascades’ ecosystem and the state's economy. WSDOT created a multiagency interdisciplinary team (IDT) as an advisory body to recommend a preferred alternative that incorporated relevant science and the concerns of agency stakeholders. The project's original IDT included eight primary and advisory agencies and was later expanded to include 12 participating agencies. The IDT went on to form the mitigation development team (MDT), a technical advisory subcommittee consisting of hydrologists and biologists from different agencies, to identify locations and develop performance criteria for investments in ecological connectivity. In addition to the IDT and the MDT, formal technical committees were formed to assist in planning and permitting challenges for final designs on wetlands mitigation, wildlife monitoring, and stormwater. WSDOT has also established innovative partnerships with university researchers and conservation groups to help establish citizen awareness, wildlife monitoring, and targeted habitat acquisitions. Relationships with transportation-based organizations and businesses were formed to gain insight into the requirements of highway users. WSDOT's innovative approach to developing partnerships to understand and meet landscape-scale, watershed-based objectives on the I-90 project provides a scalable model for the integration of context-sensitive solutions for future WSDOT and other state departments of transportation projects.
California–Denmark Study on Acoustic Aging of Road Pavements
Authors: Bendtsen Hans , Kohler Erwin , Lu Qing , Rymer Bruce
Published: October 2010

Knowledge of acoustic aging of road pavements is needed by road administrators when developing policies and strategies for noise abatement. It is important to know how noise-reducing pavements, as well as pavements without such acoustic properties, perform over time. Methods such as the American traffic noise model method or the Nordic NORD2000 method use acoustic aging for accuracy in predicting noise. Noise performance models for road pavements are necessary if noise is to be integrated as an active parameter in pavement management systems. This paper contributes to ongoing international development in the field of acoustic aging by performing a comprehensive analysis of results from four Californian and Danish long-time noise measurement studies on asphalt pavements. There is not much information on which changes in the surface structure cause an increase in noise in the period between when the bitumen film is worn off and when the pavement begins to deteriorate with distresses such as raveling, cracking, and so forth. This study analyzes and compares trends in the development of noise over time. The development of the noise spectra is also analyzed. The increase of noise has normally been analyzed in relation to the age of pavements. The traffic load and an artificial indicator, defined as the change of noise predicted as a combination of actual physical age and traffic load, are investigated.
Environmental and Sustainability Impact Assessment of Infrastructure in the United Kingdom
Authors: Willetts Richard , Burdon Jim , Glass Jacqui , Frost Matthew
Published: October 2010

Sustainability, now embedded within the legislation and development policy of the United Kingdom, is beginning also to be implemented within the design and construction process. Methods to assess the sustainability of construction projects have been in development since the early 1990s, but to date the majority have focused on the building sector, with little consideration for the detailed assessment of civil engineering projects. In addition, the tools developed have rarely considered sustainability in its widest sense, instead concentrating on the more quantifiable aspects of the environment, ecology, and building material use. The U.K. civil engineering industry has attempted to fill this gap with the development of the Civil Engineering and Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme (CEEQUAL). The use of CEEQUAL is voluntary, but it is seen as a benchmark for assessing the environmental and social impact of infrastructure. Background to sustainability assessment for projects in the United Kingdom and the development of CEEQUAL and areas for improvement are presented. The paper then presents the results of a backanalysis for three infrastructure projects, with CEEQUAL to assess the design teams’ compliance with and comprehension of sustainability issues within their projects. Although infrastructure design teams are likely to engage with sustainability issues in assessment areas in which they have previous experience (such as environmental impact and biodiversity), more education is required to encourage increased awareness in the relatively new areas of design assessment, including minimizing carbon footprint, material specifications, and material use and reuse.
Radiation treatment strategies for acromegaly
Authors: Rowland Nathan C. , Aghi Manish K.
Published: October 2010

The high morbidity and mortality associated with acromegaly can be addressed with multiple treatment modalities, including surgery, medicines, and radiation therapy. Radiation was initially delivered through conventional fractionated radiotherapy, which targets a wide area over many treatment sessions and has been shown to induce remission in 50%–60% of patients with acromegaly. However, conventional fractionated radiotherapy takes several years to achieve remission in patients with acromegaly and carries a risk of hypopituitarism that may limit its use. Stereotactic radiosurgery, of which there are several forms, including Gamma Knife surgery, CyberKnife therapy, and proton beam therapy, offers slightly attenuated efficacy but achieves remission in less time and provides more precise targeting of the adenoma with better control of the dose of radiation received by adjacent structures such as the pituitary stalk, pituitary gland, optic chiasm, and cranial nerves in the cavernous sinus. Of the forms of stereotactic radiosurgery, Gamma Knife surgery is the most widely used and, because of its long-term follow-up in clinical studies, is the most likely to compete with medical therapy for first-line adjuvant use after resection. In this review, the authors outline the major modes of radiation therapies in clinical use today, and they critically assess the feasibility of these modalities for acromegaly treatment. Acromegaly is a multisystem disorder that demands highly specialized treatment protocols including neurosurgical and endocrinological intervention. As more efficient forms of pituitary radiation develop, acromegaly treatment options may continue to change with radiation therapies playing a more prominent role.
Outcomes after a purely endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of growth hormone–secreting pituitary adenomas
Authors: Campbell Peter G. , Kenning Erin , Andrews David W. , Yadla Sanjay , Rosen Marc , Evans James J.
Published: October 2010

Object

Using strict biochemical remission criteria, the authors assessed surgical outcomes after endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of growth hormone (GH)–secreting pituitary adenomas and identified preoperative factors that significantly influence the rate of remission.

Methods

A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed. The authors reviewed cases in which an endoscopic resection of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas was performed. The cohort consisted of 26 patients who had been followed for 3–60 months (mean 24.5 months). The thresholds of an age-appropriate, normalized insulin-like growth factor–I concentration, a nadir GH level after oral glucose load of less than 1.0 μg/l, and a random GH value of less than 2.5 μg/l were required to establish biochemical cure postoperatively.

Results

Overall, in 57.7% of patients undergoing a purely endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary adenectomy for acromegaly, an endocrinological cure was achieved. The mean clinical follow-up duration was 24.5 months. In patients with microadenomas (4 cases) the cure rate was 75%, whereas in patients harboring macroadenomas (22 cases) the cure rate was 54.5%. Cavernous sinus invasion (Knosp Grades 3 and 4) was associated with a significantly lower remission rate (p = 0.0068). Hardy Grade 3 and 4 tumors were also less likely to achieve biochemical cure (p = 0.013). The overall complication rate was 11.5% including 2 incidents of transient diabetes insipidus and 1 postoperative CSF leak, which were treated nonoperatively.

Conclusions

A purely endoscopic transsphenoidal approach to GH-secreting pituitary adenomas leads to similar outcome for noninvasive macroadenomas compared with traditional microsurgical techniques. Furthermore, this approach may often provide maximal visualization of the tumor, the pituitary gland, and the surrounding neurovascular structures.
Acromegaly: a review of current medical therapy and new drugs on the horizon
Authors: Fleseriu Maria , Delashaw Johnny B. , Cook David M.
Published: October 2010

Acromegaly is a disease that results from a growth hormone (GH)–secreting pituitary tumor. Clinically, the disease is characterized by excessive skeletal growth, soft tissue enlargement with disfigurement, and increased risk of cardiovascular death. The goals of treatment are the removal or reduction of the tumor mass via surgery and normalization of GH secretion. Another treatment goal is the preservation of normal pituitary function if possible.

Transsphenoidal surgery by an experienced neurosurgeon is usually the first line of therapy, especially for small tumors. Surgeon expertise is crucial for outcome, with dedicated pituitary surgeons having better results. However, overall cure rates remain low because patients with these tumors usually present at an incurable stage. Therefore, medical therapy to control excess GH secretion plays a significant role in a large proportion of patients with acromegaly who are not cured by surgery or other forms of therapy, such as radiotherapy, and/or are awaiting the effects of radiotherapy. If surgery is not curative, lifelong monitoring and the control of excess GH is usually necessary by a care team experienced in handling this chronic disease.

In the past decade major progress has occurred in the development of highly specific and selective pharmacological agents that have greatly facilitated more aggressive management of active acromegaly. Treatment approach should be individualized and take into consideration a patient's tumor size and location, symptoms, comorbid conditions, and preferences. Because a surgical cure can be difficult to achieve, all patients, even those with what seems to be a clinically and biochemically inactive disease, should undergo long-term biochemical testing and pituitary MR imaging.
Patterns of extrasellar extension in growth hormone–secreting and nonfunctional pituitary macroadenomas
Authors: Zada Gabriel , Lin Ning , Laws Edward R.
Published: October 2010

Object

Growth patterns of pituitary adenomas have been observed to vary by histopathological subtype. The authors aimed to analyze variations in the patterns of extrasellar extension of nonfunctional macroadenomas (NFMAs) and growth hormone (GH)–secreting macroadenomas.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted of data obtained in 75 patients who underwent transsphenoidal operations for histologically confirmed NFMAs (50 patients) and GH-secreting macroadenomas (25 patients) at the Brigham and Women's Hospital over an 18-month period. Patients with microadenomas and prior operations were excluded from the analysis. Preoperative MR images were reviewed to assess patterns of extrasellar extension in the varying tumor subtypes.

Results

The mean maximal tumor diameter in NFMAs and GH-secreting macroadenomas was 26 and 16 mm, respectively (p < 0.0001). Extension of the NFMAs occurred into the following regions: infrasellar, 23 patients (46%); suprasellar, 41 patients (82%); and cavernous sinus, 20 patients (40%). Extension of GH-macroadenomas occurred into the following regions: infrasellar, 18 patients (72%); suprasellar, 4 patients (16%); and cavernous sinus, 4 patients (16%). Compared with GH-adenomas, NFMAs were more likely to develop suprasellar extension (82% vs 16%, p < 0.0001), cavernous sinus extension (40% vs 16%, p = 0.04), and isolated suprasellar extension (30% vs 4%, p = 0.0145). GH-macroadenomas had higher overall rates of infrasellar extension (72% vs 46%, p < 0.05), and isolated infrasellar extension (52% vs 6%, p < 0.0001). Of the 13 GH-macroadenomas with isolated infrasellar extension, 5 (42%) met WHO criteria for atypical adenomas.

Conclusions

Substantial differences in extrasellar growth patterns were observed among varying histological subtypes of pituitary macroadenomas. Despite smaller tumor diameters, GH-macroadenomas demonstrated a proclivity for infrasellar extension, whereas NFMAs exhibited preferential extension into the suprasellar region.
Olfactory improvement in acromegaly after transnasal transsphenoidal surgery
Authors: Actor Bertrand , Sarnthein Johannes , Prömmel Peter , Holzmann David , Bernays René L.
Published: October 2010

Object

The direct transnasal transsphenoidal approach to the sellar region has become a widely adopted surgical procedure among neurosurgeons and ear, nose, and throat specialists. Nasal complications and their incidence have been investigated, but a systematic testing of olfactory disturbance has not previously been performed. Considering that the sense of smell is deeply anchored and interwoven within the CNS, and that its impairment implies a considerable loss in quality of life, surgical practice should aim at its preservation.

Methods

In this retrospective study, pre- and postoperative olfactory performance, nasal airway passage, septal perforation, and epistaxis were assessed in 96 patients who underwent direct transnasal transsphenoidal microsurgery at the authors' department between January 2007 and August 2009. Olfactory performance was assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks test and/or the Zürcher Geruchstest.

Results

After surgery, 47 (49%) of 96 patients improved, 34 (35%) of 96 deteriorated, and 15 (16%) of 96 presented with unchanged olfactory performance. With respect to the underlying pathological entity, the authors noticed a remarkable difference between patients with acromegaly (23 cases) and all other patients (73 cases). Fifteen (65%) of 23 patients with acromegaly improved (others 44%), only 3 (13%) of 23 deteriorated (others 42%), and 5 (22%) of 23 remained unchanged (others 14%) in their ability to distinguish odors. This illustrates a significant shift toward improved postoperative olfactory performance (cross-tabulation, Fisher exact test; p = 0.028) in patients with acromegaly.

In nasal breathing, 77 (80%) of 96 patients noticed no change, 11 (12%) of 96 improved, and 8 (8%) of 96 worsened postoperatively. Of the 11 patients with improved breathing, 6 (55%) had acromegaly. Improved nasal airway patency was more frequent in patients with acromegaly (cross-tabulation, Fisher exact test; p = 0.002).

Conclusions

The data provide the first significant evidence for improvement in olfactory performance in patients with acromegaly after transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) of growth hormone–producing adenomas. Furthermore, postoperative olfactory disturbance in patients treated with transnasal TSS is more frequent than previously reported. Nevertheless, recurrent transnasal TSS can be performed successfully, even multiple times, and does not involve a higher risk of nasal complications.
Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging–assisted transsphenoidal pituitary surgery in patients with acromegaly
Authors: Bellut David , Hlavica Martin , Schmid Christoph , Bernays René L.
Published: October 2010

Object

Acromegaly is a rare disease, usually caused by a growth hormone (GH)–producing pituitary adenoma. If untreated, severe cardiovascular, metabolic, cosmetic, and orthopedic disturbances will result. Surgery is generally recommended as the first-line treatment. Transsphenoidal surgical techniques were recently extended by the introduction of intraoperative MR (iMR) imaging. In the present study, the contribution of ultra-low-field (0.15-T) iMR imaging to tumor resection, complication avoidance, and endocrinological and neurological outcome was analyzed.

Methods

A series of 39 consecutive transsphenoidal iMR imaging–guided (using the PoleStar N20 device) surgical procedures performed between September 2005 and August 2009 for GH-producing pituitary adenomas was retrospectively analyzed. In addition to the patients' clinical data, the following criteria were evaluated independently: duration of surgery; length of hospital stay; endocrinological parameters; results of neurological examinations; and pre-, post-, and intraoperative MR imaging results.

Results

Thirty-seven patients with acromegaly underwent 39 transsphenoidal surgeries for pituitary adenomas. During a median follow-up period of 30 months (range 9–56 months), the remission rate was 73.5% in 34 patients with primary surgery and 20% in 5 cases with previous surgery; overall the remission rate was 66.7%. There were no serious postoperative complications. Detection of tumor remnant on iMR imaging led to a 5.1% increase in remission rate.

Conclusions

In this largest study to date of GH-producing pituitary adenomas in which iMR imaging–guided transsphenoidal surgery was analyzed, the results suggest that this method is a highly effective and safe treatment modality, even compared with previously published surgical series in which high-field iMR imaging was used. Limitations of iMR imaging are the detection of small residual tumor in the cavernous sinus and persisting disease that could not be observed, even on diagnostic high-field follow-up MR images. This points to a general limitation regarding remission rates that can be achieved using iMR imaging. Nevertheless, iMR imaging led to an increase of the remission rate in this study.
Pure endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for treatment of acromegaly: results of 67 cases treated in a pituitary center
Authors: Gondim Jackson A. , Almeida João Paulo , de Albuquerque Lucas Alverne F. , Gomes Erika , Schops Michele , Ferraz Tania
Published: October 2010

Object

Acromegaly is a chronic disease related to the excess of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor–I secretion, usually by pituitary adenomas. Traditional treatment of acromegaly consists of surgery, drug therapy, and eventually radiotherapy. The introduction of endoscopy as an additional tool for surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas and, therefore, acromegaly represents an important advance of pituitary surgery in the recent years. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results of pure transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery in a series of patients with acromegaly who were operated on by a pituitary specialist surgeon. The authors discuss the advantages, outcome, complications, and factors related to the success of the endoscopic approach in cases of GHsecreting adenomas.

Methods

The authors retrospectively analyzed data from cases involving patients with GH-secreting adenomas who underwent pure transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery at the Department of Neurosurgery of the General Hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil, between 2000 and 2009. Tumors were classified according to size as micro- or macroadenomas, and tumor extension was analyzed based on suprasellar/parasellar extension and sella floor destruction. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. The criteria of disease control were GH levels < 1 ng/L after oral glucose tolerance test and normal insulin-like growth factor–I levels for age and sex.

Results

During the study period, 67 patients underwent pure endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for treatment of acromegaly. Disease control was obtained in 50 cases (74.6%). The rate of treatment success was higher in patients with microadenomas (disease control achieved in 12 [85.7%] of 14 cases) than in those with larger lesions. Suprasellar/parasellar extension and high levels of sella floor erosion were associated with lower rates of disease control (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). Complications related to the endoscopic surgery included epistaxis (6.0%), transitory diabetes insipidus (4.5%), and 1 case of seizure (1.5%).

Conclusions

Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery represents an effective option for treatment of patients with acromegaly. High disease control rates and a small number of complications are some of the most important points related to the technique. Factors related to the success of the endoscopic surgery are lesion size, suprasellar/parasellar extension, and the degree of sella floor erosion. Although presenting important advantages, there is no conclusive evidence that endoscopy is superior to microsurgery in treatment of GH-secreting adenomas.
Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for growth hormone–secreting pituitary adenomas
Authors: Hofstetter Christoph P. , Mannaa Raaid H. , Mubita Lynn , Anand Vijay K. , Kennedy John W. , Dehdashti Amir R. , Schwartz Theodore H.
Published: October 2010

Object

The aim of this study was to determine the preoperative predictors of the extent of resection and endocrinological remission following endonasal endoscopic removal of growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenomas.

Methods

The authors analyzed a prospectively collected database of 24 consecutive acromegalic patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. The extent of resection was evaluated on postoperative contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Endocrinological remission was defined as normal insulin-like growth factor I (IGFI) serum levels and either a nadir GH level of < 0.4 ng/ml after an oral glucose load or a basal GH serum level < 1 ng/ml.

Results

The majority of acromegalic patients (83%) had macroadenomas > 1 cm in maximum diameter. Gross-total resection was achieved in 17 (71%) of 24 patients. Notably, endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery allowed complete resection of all lesions without cavernous sinus invasion, regardless of the suprasellar extent. Biochemical remission was achieved in 11 (46%) of 24 patients. A smaller tumor volume and a postoperative reduction in GH serum levels were associated with a higher rate of biochemical cure (p < 0.05). During a 23-month follow-up period 5 patients (21%) underwent Gamma Knife treatment of any residual disease to further reduce excess GH production. Twenty patients (83%) reported significant relief of their symptoms, while 3 (13%) considered their symptoms stable. Two patients (8%) with large macroadenomas experienced postoperative panhypopituitarism, and 2 patients (8%) suffered from CSF leaks, which were treated with lumbar CSF diversion.

Conclusions

A purely endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal adenoma resection leads to a high rate of gross-total tumor resection and endocrinological remission in acromegalic patients, even those harboring macroadenomas with wide suprasellar extension. Extended approaches and angled endoscopes are useful tools for increasing the extent of resection.
Selective dorsal rhizotomy in children with spastic hemiparesis
Authors: Oki Allison , Oberg Wende , Siebert Beth , Plante Dutch , Walker Marion L. , Gooch Judith L.
Published: October 2010

Object

Neurological conditions including cerebral palsy, brain injury, and stroke often result in severe spasticity, which can lead to significant deformity and interfere with function. Treatments for spasticity include oral medications, intramuscular botulinum toxin type A injections, orthopedic surgeries, intrathecal baclofen pump implantation, and selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). Selective dorsal rhizotomy, which has been well studied in children with spastic diplegia, results in significant reduction in spasticity and improved function in children. To the authors' knowledge, there are no published outcome data for SDR in patients with spastic hemiparesis. The object of this study was to examine the effects of SDR on spastic hemiparesis.

Methods

A 2-year study was undertaken including all children with spastic hemiparesis who underwent SDR at the authors' institution. The degree of spasticity, as measured by the Modified Ashworth Scale or quality of gait rated using the visual gait assessment scale, the gait parameters, and velocity were compared in patients before and after undergoing SDR.

Results

Thirteen children (mean age 6 years 7 months) with spastic hemiparesis underwent SDR performed by the same surgeon during a 2-year period. All of the patients had a decrease in tone in the affected lower extremity after the procedure. The mean reduction in tone in 4 muscle groups (hip adductors, knee flexors, knee extensors, and ankle plantar flexors) according to the modified Ashworth scale score was 2.6 ± 1.26 (p < 0.0001). The quality of gait was assessed in 7 patients by using the visual gait assessment scale. This score improved in 6 patients and remained the same in 1. Stride length and gait velocity were measured in 4 children. Velocity increased in 3 patients and decreased in a 3-year-old child. Parents and clinicians reported an improvement in quality of gait after the procedure. Stride length increased bilaterally in 3 patients and increased on one side and decreased on the other in the other patient.

Conclusions

Selective dorsal rhizotomy showed efficacy in the treatment of spastic hemiparesis in children. All of the patients had decreased tone after SDR as measured by the modified Ashworth scale. The majority of patients had qualitative and quantitative improvements in gait.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a 5-month-old presenting with biparietal masses
Authors: Pricola Katie L. , Karamchandani Jason , Vogel Hannes , Dahl Gary V. , Yeom Kristen W. , Edwards Michael S. B. , Guzman Raphael
Published: October 2010

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare proliferative disorder that occurs most commonly in the pediatric population as a result of pathological clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells with subsequent damage and destruction to surrounding tissue. Clinically, LCH presents in a variety of ways, which often results in prolonged time to diagnosis and subsequently poorer outcomes. In this case report, the authors describe an unusually early presentation of multisystem LCH in a patient at birth, which resulted in a 5-month delay to diagnosis and treatment. This patient presented both atypically young and with an uncommon initial manifestation of multisystem disease with multiple soft-tissue swellings rather than early skin involvement. Additionally, this patient had an unusual radiographic appearance with biparietal skull destruction on initial skull radiographs and biparietal soft-tissue lesions on CT resembling cephalohematoma at 3 months of age. The clinical and radiological evaluation, pathology, and treatment strategies are discussed, with particular attention paid to the importance of further workup of atypical nonresolving cephalohematomas to prevent disease progression and poorer outcomes.
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome during posterior fossa tumor resection in a child
Authors: Patel Akash J. , Fox Benjamin D. , Fulkerson Daniel H. , Yallampalli Sasidhar , Illner Anna , Whitehead William E. , Curry Daniel J. , Luerssen Thomas G. , Jea Andrew
Published: October 2010

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been described in the setting of malignant hypertension, renal disease, eclampsia, and immunosuppression. In addition, a single case of intraoperative (posterior fossa craniotomy) PRES has been reported; however, this case occurred in an adult.

The authors present a clinically and radiographically documented case of intraoperative PRES complicating the resection of a posterior fossa tumor in a 6-year-old child. During tumor resection, untoward force was used to circumferentially dissect the tumor, and excessive manipulation of the brainstem led to severe hypertension for a 10-minute period. An immediate postoperative MR image was obtained to rule out residual tumor, but instead the image showed findings consistent with PRES. Moreover, the patient's postoperative clinical findings were consistent with PRES.

Aggressive postoperative management of blood pressure and the institution of anticonvulsant therapy were undertaken. The patient made a good recovery; however, he required a temporary tracheostomy and tube feedings for prolonged lower cranial nerve dysfunction.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome can occur as a result of severe hypertension during surgery, even among young children. With prompt treatment, the patient in the featured case experienced significant clinical and radiographic recovery.
The Effects of Theory on Reality in the Communication Sciences
Authors: Neveu Erik , Rieffel Rémy
Published: October 2010

Summary: Social science theories are being progressively put into practice in ways which bear directly upon 'real life' .The communication sciences are a useful tool for analysing this phenomenon. Theories of communication lie at the heart of at least three effects on reality: the belief in communication as all-powerful, the revision of certain professional ways of thinking, and the creation of new areas of specialization within education. A study of the influences which produce these effects leads to two types of interpretation. The 'mechanistic model' stresses the direct diffusion of knowledge from academics, through professionals, to the public at large, but its limits lie in the inherent remoteness of the adademic world, the blurred distinction between researchers and professionals and the incomprehensibility of the messages.
At the origins of the French telephone crisis. Abortive beginnings of a state technical policy
Authors: Atten Michel
Published: October 2010

Summary: Electric telegraphy developed rapidly in France between 1850 and 1880, so that by the end of that period the French had the largest network and most innovative system in the world. The same cannot be said for their telephone system, which at the turn of the century had a second-rate network and was almost totally dependent on foreign patents. In order to explain this contrasting situation the author examines the logic of two principal agents: on the one hand a group of engineers who, by means of what would today be called research and development, played a decisive role in the growth of telegraphy; on the other hand the Post Office, which, with its administrative logic, carried through its project to merge the post and telegraph administrations and to reduce this group of engineers to a minimum. The creation of the Ecole supérieure de télégraphie and its transformation into the Ecole professionnelle des P. et T. were milestones in the battle between these two parties.
Business Messaging on Hold?
Authors: Boullier Dominique
Published: October 2010

Summary: With the exception of firms that have a basic computing culture, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, the development of business message systems is not as irresistible as it might seem. Constraints like formatting and entering data make user-friendly models difficult to establish compared with other media like the telephone and fax. On the other hand, electronic data interchange (EDI) is more suitable if a strictly functional model is required. What niche remains for messaging and in what conditions can it grow? This diagnosis is based on a study of existing applications in two sectors in France: transport and health.
A public for science. The rapid growth of popularization in nineteenth century France
Authors: Bensaude-Vincent Bernadette
Published: October 2010

Summary: The word 'popularization' first appeared in France in the nineteenth century, together with a host of new journals, magazines, books and series which attempted to 'place science within everyone's reach'. By considering the main features of this massive entry of science into the media world, this article attempts to show how a public was created for it. The idea of the necessity of scientific popularization is questioned through an historical perspective, by showing that it was derived from a combination of local circumstances and initiatives undertaken in the nineteenth century.
The conventional foundations of action. Elements of a sociological pragmatics
Authors: Dodier Nicolas
Published: October 2010

Summary: This article develops a model of action that outlines a 'pragmatic' approach to conventions, while establishing links with universalist or cultural approaches. It clarifies the scope of the sociological pragmatics concerned with analysing the different procedures by which people establish a link between their personal experience, traces of the past revealed in the environment, and their horizons of expectation. It advances the hypothesis that several systems of thought and behaviour combine during the course of action, and then explores the architecture of these systems by examining their articulation in time and their distribution in space.
Convention Theory and Economics
Authors: Rallet Alain
Published: October 2010

Summary: This article examines the contribution of the economy of conventions to economic analysis. It is part of current research into economic agents' modes of coordination, based on a critique of standard neoclassical theory. Throughout this research, the main aim of the economy of conventions is to establish a dialectic of the individual and the collective within coordination mechanisms. In so doing, it advances theoretical propositions on the nature of individuals and organizations, as well as on the procedure for transitions from one to the other. The argument defended in this article is that such a research programme is incompatible with the postulate of methodological individualism from which the conventionalists claim to draw their inspiration. But is is not compatible with holism either. It thus implies questioning the basis for the opposition between individualism and holism, that is, the division of labour between the social sciences at the end of the last century. It is therefore not clear how the economy of conventions could renew economic analysis without challenging its foundations.
Virtual Thought
Authors: Quéau Philippe
Published: October 2010

Summary: The visual, or that which can be 'seen', is only part of an image, and the gap between the visible and the essential realities of images is constantly growing. This article proposes the paradigm of virtual reality to sum up the image's multiple generative, operational and functional links with that part of it which is not 'image', and which therefore goes beyond it and enhances it in new ways. The development of this model raises several questions: an epistemological question (what new relationship does the virtual introduce between the visible and the intelligible, between seeing and knowing?); ethical questions (what truth can be attributed to virtual images? what self-images can be portrayed? what is to be done with the image of others?); An ontological question (what relationship exists between a being and its virtual representation, between presence and the image of presence?)
'Dear Menie.' Emotions and engagement of Menie Grégoire's listeners
Authors: Cardon Dominique
Published: October 2010

Summary: This article examines reactions to Menie Grégoire's radio confession programme (RTL, 1967-1981). The author argues that when biographical suffering is projected into the public sphere the listener's moral engagement needs to be questioned in a specific way, and that such questioning clarifies the different frameworks of participation contracted between the programme and its public. By studying a corpus of listener mail, three forms of engagement in the programme are identified: pity, appropriation and indignation. Each of these experiences introduces a particular way of representing personal problems in the public sphere (consolation, understanding and justice) and accompanies specific descriptions of ordinary uses of the programme. Hence, the question of social learning through the media cannot be understood independently of listeners' emotional involvement and justifications vis-à-vis the programme.
On and off the air at France Culture. Introducing the listener and forms of engagement in speech
Authors: Glevarec Hervé
Published: October 2010

Summary: What happens in a radio studio at the moment of going on the air? This article examines the modalities of going on and off the air at France Culture. It describes the radio producer's twofold task: slhe has to introduce a third party, the listener, into the group of participants in the studio, and to construct a place for that listener in the conversation. The study shows the contemporary form of interaction on the air, and the frame of reference mobilized. We see how radio professionals employ vari- ous means to achieve the 'live' involvement of speakers, and in so doing define, in a sense, the cultural programme at France Culture.
The telephone visit. 'Hold on, Gramps!'
Authors: Akers-Porrini Ruth
Published: October 2010

Summary: An essential aspect of telephone use by the general public is its role at key moments in family life: marriage, divorce or separation, birth, childhood events, illness and death. Usually an event is announced by telephone; a letter or a telegram is considered less appropriate, at least for the more immediate family members. While any telephone conversation enables interlocutors to maintain their relationships, the announcement by phone of an event relevant to the family emphasises them. One telephones to announce an event, to inquire about another's well-being, to reassure a family member, to provide support and to be, in a sense, present.
On the Political Economy of Regulation
Authors: Laffont Jean-Jacques
Published: October 2010

Summary: During the past decade, theoreticians have laid the foundations for optimal normative regulation. Taking as an example the pricing of a communication channel, this article demonstrates the need to go further and choose the lesser of two evils: economic inefficiency or political arbitrariness. The sophisticated pricing methods envisaged by the theory do in fact give politicians considerable latitude to distort tariffs in their own interests or those of the group backing them. Exactly the same type of choice has to be made in laying down constitutional rules governing regulation and privatization.
Vertical Relations. Recent developments and lessons for telecommunications
Authors: Benzoni Laurent
Published: October 2010

Summary: The organization of client-supplier relations is the subject of the economic theory of vertical relations. Since Ronald Coase's seminal work, this issue has been considered in connection with the boundaries of firms. This article recapitulates the main concepts used in discussing this general problem, while stressing that when specific investments are made in a context of uncertainty and incomplete contracts, an optimal a priori form of inter-firm relations does not exist. Trust between partners is therefore one of the essential factors in stabilizing long-term contractual relations. In the telecommunications sector today there is great diversity in the organization of economic relations between operators and manu- facturers. The institutional environment (regulation, industrial policy objectives and national independence considerations) has been and remains the main element in the structuring and evolution of these conflictual long-term partnerships between network operators and their main suppliers.
Assessing Public Support for Co-operative R&D: The Case of the RACE Programme
Authors: Dang-N'Guyen Godefroy
Published: October 2010

Summary: With the shift from "Europessimism" to a more pro-active attitude towards the completion of the Common Market at the beginning of the 1980s, attention was focused on the main drawback in the organization of telecommunications, i.e. public monopolies which competitively supported their national flagships. The Research on Advanced Communications in Europe (RACE) was an attempt by the European Community to do away with this system. The programme did, to some extent, eliminate duplication but not X- inefficiency. Its only real achievement seems to have been the development of contact between European firms. If this was the true goal of RACE, then full co-ordination, in the sense Ulph gives to it, was not necessary. Simple co-ordination would have been sufficient. The co-operative approach adopted with RACE enabled the European industry to stay afloat at a time of technological upheaval. It did not, however, enable this industry to take the lead.
The Promise of Genres
Authors: Jost François
Published: October 2010

Summary: When does an audiovisual document or a programme function as a genre and what does the word mean? In answering this question the author examines the articulation between interpretation, on the one hand, and programming and mediation acts, on the other. The genre as a category of reception is perceived as a promise specified by the type of flow, by an enunciatory mode or a tone. It is a promise of a relationship with a world, of which the mode or degree of existence conditions the viewer's adherence or participation, depending on his or her know-how, beliefs and emotions. By linking the know-how, beliefs and emotions attached to audiovisual documents, on the one hand, and to televisual documents, on the other, the article also shows how the identification of genres is based on the rejection of the viewer model in favour of the televiewer model, and how the age of television has given way to a culture of programmes.
The art of chatting on the Internet
Authors: Verville Danielle , Lafrance Jean-Paul
Published: October 2010

This examination of how people behave in a virtual environment shows that interactional conventions are transposed from real life, rather than modified.

After immersing themselves in the world of The Palace, a leading French- language chat room, the authors have identified a highly codified community. They describe the way this community functions in detail, from a Goffmanian viewpoint.
Regards sur l’Al Iqâla ou le Mutuus Dissensus (d’après le chapitre VIII du titre VII du Livre premier du Code tunisien des obligations et des contrats)
Authors: Aribi Imed
Published: October 2010

After having established the general rule of the conventional revocation or «mutuus dissensus», the Tunisian Code of obligations and contracts has devoted to the same cornerstone of the contractual mechanism a whole chapter, involving six articles, which title is related to the termination of obligations. These texts which do not have any equivalence in the civil European legislation are the result of an inspiration of the classic Muslim law. The question is to detect whether their author, the Italian-Tunisian lawyer D. Santillana, had succeeded in his original work. This study exhibits the possibilities, and mainly the limits of a codification established on the unique link between the European positive laws contemporary to its elaboration (end XIX century), and the Muslim law with its different Sunnites’ schools.