bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhang Hao , Sun Meili , Sun Tao , Zhang Cheng , Meng Xiao , Zhang Yun , Yang Jianmin
Published: October 2011

Background: Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene A1166C polymorphisms have been inconsistently associated with ischemic stroke risk. We examined these associations by performing a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: We performed a search of articles published from January 2000 to October 2010 using the following keywords: {(angiotensin II type 1 receptor) or (AT1R) or (AGT1R)} and {(stroke) or (cerebral infarction) or (cerebral embolism)}. Eleven studies testing the association between AT1R gene A1166C polymorphisms and ischemic stroke risk were included. The analyses were performed using the Review Manger 5.0.25 software package. Results: The combined data showed no association between the AT1R 1166 AC/CC and ischemic stroke risk (odds ratio (OR) = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–1.34, p = 0.49). In the subgroup analyses, the association was also not significant among the White populations (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.88–1.38, p = 0.39) or the Asian populations (OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.56–1.77, p = 0.98). Limitations: Heterogeneity and publication bias existed in this meta-analysis, which might have affected the analysis result. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis suggests that the AT1R gene A1166C polymorphisms are not associated with susceptibility to ischemic stroke.
Utility of the Capsule-Based Technique for Cell Block Preparation – In Body Fluids and Liqui-PREP™ Specimens
Authors: Wen Chien-Hui , Tsao Shu-Chuan , Su Yue-Chiu , Wu Chun-Chieh , Chai Chee-Yin
Published: October 2011

Objective: The aim of this study was to find a better technique for the cell block preparation. Study Design: We developed a novel capsule-based technique and applied it to different cell block preparation materials including plasma thromboplastin (PT) clot and agarose gel-embedding medium, in order to concentrate the cells in a limited field, then compared the result with the widely used, modified alcohol fixative preparation technique based on specimen adequacy and diagnostic accuracy. Twenty-eight nongynecologic body fluids and 41 gynecologic Liqui-PREP™ (LGM International Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., USA) cytology specimens were collected for cell block preparation. We performed routine hematoxylin and eosin staining on the cell block sections, which were scored according to four specimen adequacy parameters: background, cellularity, nuclear preservation and cytoplasmic preservation. The differences between the diagnostic results of cell block slide and conventional cytology smear were also presented. Results: The capsule-based PT clot technique in nongynecologic body fluids provided more cellularity in the cell block sections and reduced atypical diagnosis when compared to conventional smears. Conclusion: We suggest the capsule-based PT clot technique is a better technique for nongynecologic body fluids in the preparation of a satisfactory cell block.
Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor with Fibroblastic Differentiation in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Imprint Cytological Findings
Authors: Shintaku Masayuki , Wada Kyosuke , Wakasa Tomoko , Ueda Maho
Published: October 2011

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that shows divergent differentiation potential, and the cytological findings are largely nonspecific. There are no previous reports specifically alluding to the cytological findings of MPNST showing fibroblastic differentiation (fibroblastic MPNST). Case: A 59-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 developed a rapidly enlarging tumor on the scalp. A metastatic lesion in the ileum was examined cytologically. Irregularly shaped clusters of spindle cells with wavy or buckled nuclei and fibrillary cytoplasm were found as well as many similar isolated cells. Histopathologically, the tumor showed a spindle cell sarcomatous appearance typical of MPNST. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were negative for S-100 protein and epithelial membrane antigen but immunoreactive for vimentin, CD10 and CD34. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells were not invested by the basal lamina and had abundant rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and a subplasmalemmal accumulation of microfilaments with dense patches. These immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings were consistent with fibroblastic or myofibroblastic differentiation. Conclusion: Although there are no cytological findings specific for fibroblastic MPNST, the wide spectrum of differentiation in MPNST should be kept in mind during cytological examination of soft tissue sarcomas.
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Diagnosis of Metastatic Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma of the Eyelid to the Lymph Nodes with Clinicopathological Correlation
Authors: Goyal Shilpa , Honavar Santosh G. , Naik Milind , Vemuganti Geeta K.
Published: October 2011

Objective: The diagnosis of metastasis to the lymph node, especially with an inconspicuous primary lesion, poses a challenge to clinicians as well as to pathologists. We report the cytologic findings of sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) of the eyelid metastatic to the lymph node with confirmation by oil red O stain whenever required. Study Design: We reviewed cases and slides with cytologic diagnosis of metastatic SGC in lymph nodes. Results: Fifteen patients presented with metastasis to the preauricular (n = 15), submandibular (n = 6) and anterior cervical nodes (n = 3). The mean age was 56.4 years and the male:female ratio was 2:3. The upper lid was involved in 53.3% of cases. Fine needle aspiration cytology performed on the lymph nodes showed large polygonal cells with abundant vacuolated cytoplasm, numerous histiocytes and fat globules in the background. Oil red O staining was performed on air-dried smears in 7/15 cases and showed bright orange positivity in intracytoplasmic vacuoles and extracytoplasmic globules, confirming metastasis from SGC. Tissue was obtained from eyelid lesions for histopathologic diagnosis in 12 out of 15 cases. Out of 12 patients, 7 showed pagetoid spread at the primary site, with the tumor showing moderate differentiation in 6 cases. Conclusion: Cytologic diagnosis of metastatic SGC is straightforward in most cases; however, use of oil red O stain supports the diagnosis, especially in cases with a silent primary tumor site.
A Prospective Comparison of Liquid-Based Cytology and Traditional Smear Cytology in Pancreatic Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration
Authors: Lee Jun Kyu , Choi E. Ryoung , Jang Tae Hoon , Chung Yun Hee , Jang Kee-Taek , Park Sang-Mo , Lee Jong Kyun , Lee Kyu Taek , Lee Kwang Hyuck
Published: October 2011

Objective: To compare results of liquid-based cytology (LBC) and the conventional smear method (SMEAR) when performing endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for lesions of suspected pancreatic malignancy without an on-site cytopathologist. Study Design: Fifty-eight patients were prospectively enrolled between July and December 2009. Aspirates obtained from the first needle pass were randomized either to SMEAR or LBC. Another sample from the second needle pass was allocated to the other method. The rest of the aspirates from the third or later needle passes were used for SMEAR. Diagnostic accuracy was compared and related factors were pursued. Results: Although both methods were 100% specific, LBC was inferior to SMEAR in terms of sensitivity, negative predictive value, and accuracy. However, LBC provided correct diagnoses in 2 out of 3 cases of false negatives for malignancy by SMEAR in which blood was highly contaminated. Although no factor was identified for LBC, low blood contamination and more than 3 needle passes were related with accurate diagnosis in SMEAR. Conclusion: LBC was less accurate than SMEAR when performing pancreatic EUS-FNA without an on-site cytopathologist. However, LBC might serve as a good complement to SMEAR if blood contamination is profound.
Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery Hyperintensity in Acute Ischemic Stroke May Not Predict Hemorrhagic Transformation
Authors: Campbell Bruce C.V. , Costello Craig , Christensen Søren , Ebinger Martin , Parsons Mark W. , Desmond Patricia M. , Barber P. Alan , Butcher Kenneth S. , Levi Christopher R. , De Silva Deidre A. , Lansberg Maarten G. , Mlynash Michael , Olivot Jean-Marc , Straka Matus , Bammer Roland , Albers Gregory W. , Donnan Geoffrey A. , Davis Stephen M. ,   for the EPITHET-DEFUSE Investigators
Published: October 2011

Background: Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) hyperintensity within an acute cerebral infarct may reflect delayed onset time and increased risk of hemorrhage after thrombolysis. Given the important implications for clinical practice, we examined the prevalence of FLAIR hyperintensity in patients 3–6 h from stroke onset and its relationship to parenchymal hematoma (PH). Methods: Baseline DWI and FLAIR imaging with subsequent hemorrhage detection (ECASS criteria) were prospectively obtained in patients 3–6 h after stroke onset from the pooled EPITHET and DEFUSE trials. FLAIR hyperintensity within the region of the acute DWI lesion was rated qualitatively (dichotomized as visually obvious or subtle (i.e. only visible after careful windowing)) and quantitatively (using relative signal intensity (RSI)). The association of FLAIR hyperintensity with hemorrhage was then tested alongside established predictors (very low cerebral blood volume (VLCBV) and diffusion (DWI) lesion volume) in logistic regression analysis. Results: There were 49 patients with pre-treatment FLAIR imaging (38 received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), 5 developed PH). FLAIR hyperintensity within the region of acute DWI lesion occurred in 48/49 (98%) patients, was obvious in 18/49 (37%) and subtle in 30/49 (61%). Inter-rater agreement was 92% (ĸ = 0.82). The prevalence of obvious FLAIR hyperintensity did not differ between studies obtained in the 3–4.5 h and 4.5–6 h time periods (40% vs. 33%, p = 0.77). PH was poorly predicted by obvious FLAIR hyperintensity (sensitivity 40%, specificity 64%, positive predictive value 11%). In univariate logistic regression, VLCBV (p = 0.02) and DWI lesion volume (p = 0.03) predicted PH but FLAIR lesion volume (p = 0.87) and RSI (p = 0.11) did not. In ordinal logistic regression for hemorrhage grade adjusted for age and baseline stroke severity (NIHSS), increased VLCBV (p = 0.002) and DWI lesion volume (p = 0.003) were associated with hemorrhage but FLAIR lesion volume (p = 0.66) and RSI (p = 0.35) were not. Conclusions: Visible FLAIR hyperintensity is almost universal 3–6 h after stroke onset and did not predict subsequent hemorrhage in this dataset. Our findings question the value of excluding patients with FLAIR hyperintensity from reperfusion therapies. Larger studies are required to clarify what implications FLAIR-positive lesions have for patient selection.
Validation of a Research Case Definition of Gulf War Illness in the 1991 US Military Population
Authors: Iannacchione Vincent G. , Dever Jill A. , Bann Carla M. , Considine Kathleen A. , Creel Darryl , Carson Christopher P. , Best Heather , Haley Robert W.
Published: October 2011

Background: A case definition of Gulf War illness with 3 primary variants, previously developed by factor analysis of symptoms in a US Navy construction battalion and validated in clinic veterans, identified ill veterans with objective abnormalities of brain function. This study tests prestated hypotheses of its external validity. Methods: A stratified probability sample (n = 8,020), selected from a sampling frame of the 3.5 million Gulf War era US military veterans, completed a computer-assisted telephone interview survey. Application of the prior factor weights to the subjects’ responses generated the case definition. Results: The structural equation model of the case definition fit both random halves of the population sample well (root mean-square error of approximation = 0.015). The overall case definition was 3.87 times (95% confidence interval, 2.61–5.74) more prevalent in the deployed than the deployable nondeployed veterans: 3.33 (1.10–10.10) for syndrome variant 1; 5.11 (2.43–10.75) for variant 2, and 4.25 (2.33–7.74) for variant 3. Functional status on SF-12 was greatly reduced (effect sizes, 1.0–2.0) in veterans meeting the overall and variant case definitions. Conclusions: The factor case definition applies to the full Gulf War veteran population and has good characteristics for research.
Analysis of Parkinson’s Disease and Subsequent Cancer Risk in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Sun Li-Min , Liang Ji-An , Chang Shih-Ni , Sung Fung-Chang , Muo Chih-Hsin , Kao Chia-Hung
Published: October 2011

Background: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are suggested to be at a lower risk for the development of certain cancers and at a higher risk for melanoma. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible association between PD and malignancy in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: We used the data of the National Health Insurance System of Taiwan to assess this issue. The PD cohort contained 4,957 patients, and each patient was randomly frequency matched by age and sex with 4 people from the general population without PD. Cox’s proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted to estimate the effects of PD on the cancer risk. Results: In patients with PD, the risk of developing overall cancer was marginally significantly lower than in subjects without PD [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.78–0.99]. For individual cancers, the risks of developing colorectal and lung cancers among patients with PD were marginally significantly lower than in subjects without PD. In contrast, despite the higher HR for the development of melanoma, it did not reach statistical significance because of the relatively small sample size. Conclusion: Our study found that Taiwanese patients with PD have a lower risk of developing colorectal and lung cancers. The findings of this study are compatible with those of prior studies from other countries.
Persistent Carcinoma in Cervical Cancer Screening: Non-Participation Is the Most Significant Cause
Authors: Marquardt Katrin , Büttner Heinz H. , Broschewitz Ulf , Barten Malte , Schneider Volker
Published: October 2011

Objective: It was the aim of this study to determine the screening history of all invasive cervical carcinomas between 2004 and 2009 in one of the Federal States of Germany. Study Design: The pooled data sets of all in-state laboratories, corrected and supplemented by data of the State Cancer Registry, were used. The screening histories of all patients, their age and tumor types were collated and analyzed. Results: Of 617 patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix, 373 (60%) had not had a cervical smear within the past 5 years. In 188 patients (31%), an incomplete screening history was found, whereas only 9% of women had participated regularly. In non-participants, late tumor stages (stage T1B and higher) were predominant and found in 86%. In contrast, in the group with regular screening histories more than half of all cases (54%) were microinvasive carcinomas (stage T1A) with excellent prognosis. Lack of follow-up or refusal of treatment by patients played a minor yet significant role. Conclusions: Non-participation is still by far the most common reason for persistent cases of cervical carcinoma in the German screening program.
Effectiveness and Cost-Efficacy of Phosphate Binders in Hemodialysis
Authors: Brunner-Ziegler Sophie , Fröschl Barbara , Hiebinger Cora , Zsifkovits Johannes
Published: October 2011

Objectives: Worldwide, incidence rates of chronic renal insufficiency have clearly increased over the past decade, especially in people of older age. Hyperphosphatemia is the strongest independent risk factor for mortality in renal patients. In order to reduce serum phosphate concentrations to recommended values, phosphate binders (P binders) are used to bind ingested phosphate in the digestive tract. Besides the traditional therapies with calcium and aluminium salts, sevelamer and lanthanum represent recent developments on the market. The purpose of the present health technology assessment (HTA) report was to compare the effectiveness and safety of different P binders in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. Methods: Based on a systematic literature search followed by a two-part selection process with predefined criteria 18 publications were included in the assessment. Results: All P binders effectively controlled serum phosphate, calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations. The numbers of hypercalcemic episodes were higher when using calcium-containing P binders compared to sevelamer and lanthanum. Regarding mortality rate, cardiovascular calcification and bone metabolism no definite conclusions could be drawn; however, sevelamer seemed to be more effective than calcium in certain patient subgroups, such as older patients and patients with preexisting arterial calcification. Conclusions: From a medical point of view, sevelamer showed superiority over calcium-containing P binders at least for special indications.
High (but Not Low) Urinary Iodine Excretion Is Predicted by Iodine Excretion Levels from Five Years Ago
Authors: Ittermann Till , Nautsch Anke , Schmidt Carsten Oliver , Kramer Axel , Below Harald , Remer Thomas , Gärtner Roland , Wallaschofski Henri , Völzke Henry
Published: October 2011

Background: It has not been investigated whether there are associations between urinary iodine (UI) excretion measurements some years apart, nor whether such an association remains after adjustment for nutritional habits. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between iodine-creatinine ratio (ICR) at two measuring points 5 years apart. Methods: Data from 2,659 individuals from the Study of Health in Pomerania were analyzed. Analysis of covariance and Poisson regressions were used to associate baseline with follow-up ICR. Results: Baseline ICR was associated with follow-up ICR. Particularly, baseline ICR >300 µg/g was related to an ICR >300 µg/g at follow-up (relative risk, RR: 2.20; p < 0.001). The association was stronger in males (RR: 2.64; p < 0.001) than in females (RR: 1.64; p = 0.007). In contrast, baseline ICR <100 µg/g was only associated with an ICR <100 µg/g at follow-up in males when considering unadjusted ICR. Conclusions: We detected only a weak correlation with respect to low ICR. Studies assessing iodine status in a population should take into account that an individual with a low UI excretion in one measurement is not necessarily permanently iodine deficient. On the other hand, current high ICR could have been predicted by high ICR 5 years ago.
Low-Carbohydrate Diets: A Matter of Love or Hate
Authors: Frigolet María-Eugenia , Ramos Barragán Victoria-Eugenia , Tamez González Martha
Published: October 2011

Low-carbohydrate diets (LChD) have become very popular among the general population. These diets have been used to lose body weight and to ameliorate various abnormalities like diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, narcolepsy, epilepsy, and others. Reports suggest that body weight reduction and glycemic control could be attained while following LChD. However, these advantages are more notably found in short periods of time consuming an LChD. Indeed, the safety and efficacy of the latter diets in the long term have not been sufficiently explored. In contrast to what has been proposed, other mentioned pathologies are not improved or are even worsened by carbohydrate restriction. Therefore, the aim of this review is to define the concept of LChD and to explain their clinical effects in the short and long term, their influence on metabolism, and the opinion of nutrition or health authorities. Finally, evincing the research gaps of LChD that are here exposed will later allow us to reach a consensus with regard to their utilization.
Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Somatic Modulation between Somatic Tinnitus and Otic Tinnitus
Authors: An Yong-Hwi , Choi A Young , Yoon Sang Won , Shim Hyun Joon
Published: October 2011

Aims: To compare the clinical characteristics of tinnitus among patients with somatic tinnitus (ST), otic tinnitus with somatic modulation (OT+) and otic tinnitus without somatic modulation (OT–), and to examine differences in somatic modulation between patients with ST and OT+. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 65 patients with unilateral tinnitus and classified the patients into three groups: ST (n = 24), OT+ (n = 21) and OT– (n = 20). Results: Only one difference in clinical characteristics was found between the OT+ and OT– groups. Maneuvers related to the temporomandibular joint showed the highest frequency of somatic modulation in both the ST and OT+ groups. There was no significant difference between the ST and OT+ groups with regard to the rate of somatic modulation or the rate of increase or decrease of tinnitus among all aspects of somatic testing. Conclusions: The presence or absence of somatic modulation does not influence the clinical characteristics of otic tinnitus, and the somatosensory-auditory interaction is a general auditory physiologic phenomenon.
Circulation
Editors' Picks
Authors:   The Editors
Published: October 2011

The following articles are being highlighted as part of
Circulation's
Topic Review series. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the editors, published in
Circulation
and the
Circulation
subspecialty journals. The studies included in this article represent the most read manuscripts published on the topic of exercise physiology in 2009 and 2010.
Vigilance behavior of a tropical bird in response to indirect and direct cues of predation risk
Authors: Morrison Emily B.
Published: October 2011

Animals use a variety of cues to evaluate their risk of predation when foraging, including direct cues of predator presence such as vocalizations or scent, and indirect cues, or environmental correlates of predation risk, such as vegetation structure. Research took place in a large-scale forest restoration experiment where habitat patches of different sizes were planted. I examined the effects of predator vocalizations (direct cues) on the vigilance behavior of Cherrie's Tanagers (Ramphocelus costaricensis) foraging in three different locations with varying amounts of vegetation cover (indirect cues): small patches and the centers and edges of large patches. Results show that the indirect cue of predation risk mediated birds' response to the direct cue. The increase in time birds spent alert in response to the predator call was significantly greater in the presumably riskier small patches and large patch edges compared to the relatively safe large patch centers. The increase in frequency of head-turns also was significantly greater in small patches compared to the large patch centers in response to the predator call. Although birds recognized the threat of the predator call and reacted by fleeing more quickly than after the non-predator call, this response did not differ between locations. Birds appeared to integrate information from both types of cues to evaluate their predation risk and determine their vigilance response. Individuals responded more strongly to the direct cue of predation risk when foraging in the presumably riskier smaller patches and large patch edges by increasing vigilance. These results highlight the importance of investigating behavioral responses to the characteristics of forest restoration sites, many of which consist of small patches of habitat.
Proximate mechanisms leading to large male-mating advantage in the Andrew's toad, Bufo andrewsi
Authors: Lu Xin , Liao Wen Bo
Published: October 2011

In animals, body size is a prominent trait that generally positively affects ecological and reproductive success. Through field observations and experiments, we investigated the effects of two mechanisms of sexual selection on large male mating advantage in the Andrew's toad, Bufo andrewsi, a species widely distributed in western China. We observed a large male mating advantage in the field. Field data were corroborated by experiments in which large males mated more frequently than smaller males. However, in female preference tests, in which females could choose freely between two males differing in body size, choosing females showed no size preference while many females did not exert mate choice at all. We suggest that the large male mating advantage observed in the field and laboratory is caused by competition among males rather than by female choice.
Effects of stage in incubation, time in season, and proportion of original clutch remaining on nest desertion by house sparrows, Passer domesticus
Authors: Johnston Jason C.
Published: October 2011

Life history theory predicts that individuals should maximize their fitness by balancing current investment in offspring versus future prospects for reproduction. Faced with reduction of their current clutch, birds should desert if the prospective opportunity would increase inclusive fitness more than continued investment in the reduced clutch. I studied nest desertion in response to clutch reduction by house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to determine if continuing investment in a reduced clutch differs based on proportion of original clutch remaining, stage in incubation, and ordinal date. Nests were reduced to two eggs early or late in incubation over two complete breeding seasons. Of 150 nests manipulated, 36 were deserted. Nests were more likely to be deserted when reduction occurred earlier in incubation, earlier in the season, and with a smaller proportion of original clutch remaining. This suggests that both time and brood size are used to assess the tradeoffs between current and future investment. However, near the end of the breeding season, the proportion of original clutch remaining and stage in incubation were less important, and low desertion was likely associated with a lack of re-nesting opportunities in the current season. Therefore, whether to desert or continue investing in a reduced clutch is a function of offspring reproductive value (RV) when there is opportunity for re-nesting in the same season. However, near the end of the season the decision is based on the residual reproductive value (RRV) of parents.
The brain opioid theory of social attachment: a review of the evidence
Authors: Machin A.J. , Dunbar R.I.M
Published: October 2011

The psychology of close human relationships is increasingly well understood and our understanding of the neurobiology of the onset of pairbonding behaviour in a range of species has benefited from the use of rodent-based models. However, the human literature has suffered from a lack of focus upon the unique nature of primate social bonds and has so far failed to adequately identify the neurobiological and behavioural mechanisms which maintain these complex, diverse and enduring social networks. One neurobiological mechanism that has been overlooked is the endogenous opioid system. Though less explicitly researched than the more familiar oxytocin/vasopressin system, there is considerable evidence that the opioids play a fundamental role in sociality, especially in the primates. This review summarises our current understanding of the evidence for the role of this system in prosocial behaviour in non-primate mammals, nonhuman primates and humans. An important conclusion is that the opioid system may play a more central role in sociality in primates (including humans) than in other mammalian taxa.
Marxism and the ‘Dutch Miracle’: The Dutch Republic and the Transition-Debate
Authors: Brandon Pepijn
Published: October 2011

The Dutch Republic holds a marginal position in the debate on the transition from feudalism to capitalism, despite its significance in the early stage of the development of global capitalism. While the positions of those Marxists who did consider the Dutch case range from seeing it as the first capitalist country to rejecting it as an essentially non-capitalist commercial society, all involved basically accept an image of Dutch development as being driven by commerce rather than real advances in the sphere of production. Their shared interpretation of the Dutch ‘Golden Age’, however, rests on an interpretation of Dutch economic history that does not match the current state of historical knowledge. Rereading the debate on the Dutch trajectory towards capitalism in the light of recent economic historiography seriously challenges established views, and questions both major strands in the transition-debate.
Antonio Gramsci’s Contribution to a Critical Economics
Authors: Thomas Peter , Krätke Michael R.
Published: October 2011

According to conventional wisdom, Antonio Gramsci is a political philosopher lacking in, and who avoids, a serious interest in political economy. That is a serious misrepresentation of Gramsci’s works and thought. Equally wrong is the widespread view that anything Gramsci had to say about political economy is to be found in his scattered notes on ‘Americanism and Fordism’. On the contrary, a careful rereading of Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks shows that Marx’s great and unfinished project of the critique of political economy plays a crucial rôle for Gramsci’s efforts to come to grips with the basics of a critical social science that could live up to the aspirations of a ‘scientific socialism’. As Gramsci was fully aware of the everyday battles of ideas in capitalist societies to be fought about the notions and tenets of popular or vulgar political economy, he did the best he could in order to understand and clarify the bases of a ‘critical’ and ‘scientific’ political economy. A political economy that was and still is urgently needed in order to fight the strongest of the strongholds of bourgeois hegemony - the ideas of vulgar economics in everybody’s heads.
Alienation After Derrida
Authors: Eyers Tom
Published: October 2011

Simon Skempton’s book re-reads Marx’s concept of alienation, and its roots in Hegel, through Derrida’s critique of the metaphysics of presence. In a wide-ranging study that engages with Heidegger, Kant and Lukács, as well as with a large proportion of Derrida’s work, both early and late, Skempton argues that, contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy in critical theory, it is possible to account for a kind of political ‘disalienation’, provided that one first accepts that the metaphysical account of the self-present subject is itself a product of alienation. ‘Disalienation’, on this model, would be a recognition of the inherently differential condition of humankind, with both Marxian and post-Kantian theories of the subject enlisted to support the Derridean thesis of an originary différance. Skempton’s thesis is attractively original, but it risks artificially reducing Kant, Hegel and Marx to mere avatars of Derrideanism avant la lettre, while simultaneously denying the force of Derrida’s critique of post-Kantian philosophy.
Political Writings, 1953-1993
Authors: Noys Benjamin
Published: October 2011

This review considers the collection Political Writings, 1953-1993 by Maurice Blanchot as a means to assess the relatively little-known political odyssey of this writer and theorist. Noting the absence of his earlier right-wing political texts from the 1930s in this collection, it attempts to probe Blanchot’s idiosyncratic ‘ultra-left’ turn represented in his texts of the 1950s and 1960s. In particular, I analyse how Blanchot develops a communism that focuses on the problem of abstraction: both the abstraction intrinsic to social reality, and the necessity to negate and contest that abstraction through a ‘communist writing’. The review reconstitutes this unusual form of Marxism, and analyses the possible resources it offers and its limits.
From the History of Soviet Philosophy: Lukács - Vygotsky - Ilyenkov
Authors: Levant Alex
Published: October 2011

This review-essay explores the subterranean tradition of ‘creative Soviet Marxism’1 through a recent book by the Russian philosopher Sergey Mareev, From the History of Soviet Philosophy: Lukács - Vygotsky - Ilyenkov (2008). It provides a brief overview of the history of Soviet philosophy so as to orient the reader to a set of debates that continue to be largely unexplored in the Western-Marxist tradition. Mareev offers a new account of the development of Soviet philosophy that not only explodes the myth that Soviet philosophy was simply state-sanctioned dogma, but also reinterprets the relationship between the key creative theorists so as to offer a new way of understanding its development that challenges several key-aspects of the dominant Western scholarship on this subject. He argues that alongside official Marxist philosophy in the Soviet Union - the crude materialism of Diamat and Istmat - there existed another line, which counterposed the central rôle of social activity in the development of human consciousness. He traces this line of anti-positivist theory from V.I. Lenin through Georg Lukács and Lev Vygotsky to Evald Ilyenkov - a pivotal figure in the ‘Marxian renaissance’2 of the 1960s, but who ‘has to this day remained a Soviet phenomenon without much international influence’.3 Specifically, Mareev disputes the rôle of A.M. Deborin as a precursor of the Ilyenkov school, and instead introduces Georg Lukács - a figure primarily recognised in the West as one of the founders of Western Marxism - into the line of development of creative Soviet Marxism. Furthermore, he reconsiders the rôle of V.I. Lenin and G.V. Plekhanov - the so-called father of Russian social democracy - in the development of Soviet philosophy. In the process, the author provides a detailed history of the emergence of Diamat and Istmat, and shines a spotlight on a figure widely recognised as the most important Soviet philosopher in the post-Stalin period - E.V. Ilyenkov.
Workerism’s Inimical Incursions: On Mario Tronti’s Weberianism
Authors: Farris Sara R.
Published: October 2011

This article considers the engagement of Mario Tronti - one of the leading figures of classical Italian workerism [operaismo] - with the thought of Max Weber. Weber constituted one of Tronti’s most important cattivi maestri. By analysing Weber’s influence upon Tronti’s development, this article aims to show the ways in which this encounter affected his Marxism and political theory in general. In particular, during the period of the debate in Italian Marxism about the thesis of the autonomy of the political, Tronti increasingly adopted Weberian terminology and theoretical points of reference. Ultimately, the article argues that Tronti’s heretical method led him to incorporate and to re-propose theoretical and political problematics that are characteristic of bourgeois political theory: namely, the dyad administration/charisma, and a teleological and anthropological approach to history. Focusing upon this heterodox encounter therefore enables us to understand one of the trajectories of the transformation of Marxism that occurred during its recurrent rendezvous with the ‘Marx of the bourgeoisie’.
Libertarian Communism: Marx, Engels and the Political Economy of Freedom
Authors: Bunyard Tom
Published: October 2011

Book-review of Ernesto Screpanti’s Libertarian Communism: Marx, Engels and the Political Economy of Freedom. In this book, Ernesto Screpanti questions the nature and status of freedom within both Marx’s thought and possible forms of communist organisation. By way of an argument which contends that communism should be understood as a theory of freedom, he extracts a deliberately individualistic version of communism from Marx’s work, and proceeds to develop this into a series of recommendations for practical-organisational forms. These forms, and the notion of freedom that they arise from, are, however, closely related to Screpanti’s adoption of an economic approach that consists of the quantification of freedom. This prompts a number of political and theoretical problems.
The Exodus Story: Between Historical Memory and Historiographical Composition
Authors: Naʾaman Nadav
Published: October 2011

The article seeks to explain the contrast between the central place of the Exodus in Israelite memory and the marginality of the event in history by shifting the focus of discussion from the historical question to the role the Exodus tradition played in shaping the self-portrait and consciousness of early Israelite society. It first examines the oppressive nature of Egyptian rule in Canaan at the time of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties. It then examines the story of the Exodus in the context of Egypt under the Ramesside and Saitic Dynasties. It suggests that the bondage and the delivery from slavery as related in the biblical story actually took place in Canaan and that the memories were later transferred from Canaan to Egypt. The transfer of memory explains the omission of the memory of the long Egyptian occupation of Canaan in the Bible. The displaced memories of bondage were replaced by the ‘memory’ of the conquest, which reflects the way early Israelite society sought to present its past. The subjugation, the suffering and the delivery were experienced by all tribal groups that lived at the time in Canaan, hence the centrality of the Exodus tradition within the Israelite society
Rewriting Antiquity, Renewing Rome. The Identity of the Eternal City through Visual Art, Monumental Inscriptions and the Mirabilia
Authors: Riccioni Stefano
Published: October 2011

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries the Church began a process of renovation (renovatio) and the city of Rome was given new meanings. Antiquity is part of the identity of the Eternal City; the reuse or reframing of aspects of antiquity inevitably transformed the image of Rome. Public spaces, architecture and objects were given new Christian readings. Inscriptions, present both in sacred and secular settings, played an important role. A similar rewriting can also be found in travel literature and descriptions of the city, such as in the Mirabilia urbis Rome, where ancient monuments were re-interpreted to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity. Inscriptions were used as symbols of authority, as can be seen in the altar of the church of Santa Maria in Portico, in the papal thrones (San Clemente, Santa Maria in Cosmedin, San Lorenzo fuori le mura) and also in mosaics (San Clemente, Santa Maria in Trastevere). Inscriptions appeared on porticoed atriums built on new churches and added to older foundations, and they were used to renew ancient monuments and places. The Roman Commune used a similar strategy with civil buildings. The image of Rome was transformed through restoration and new construction that used spolia as meaningful objects, and inscriptions for their authoritative value.
Walking in the Shadows of the Past: The Jewish Experience of Rome in the Twelfth Century
Authors: Boustan Ra‘anan S. , Champagne Marie Thérèse
Published: October 2011

The Jewish and Christian inhabitants of twelfth-century Rome viewed the urban landscape of their city through the lens of its ancient past. Their perception of Rome was shaped by a highly localized topography of cultural memory that was both shared and contested by Jews and Christians. Our reconstruction of this distinctively Roman perspective emerges from a careful juxtaposition of the report of Benjamin of Tudela’s visit to Rome preserved in his Itinerary and various Christian liturgical and topographical texts, especially those produced by the canons of the Lateran basilica. These sources demonstrate that long-standing local claims regarding the presence in Rome of ancient artifacts from the Jerusalem Temple and their subsequent conservation in the Lateran acquired particular potency in the twelfth century. Jews and Christians participated in a common religious discourse that invested remains from the biblical and Jewish past reportedly housed in Rome with symbolic capital valued by the two communities and that thus fostered both contact and competition between them. During this pivotal century and within the special microcosm of Rome, Jews and Christians experienced unusually robust cultural and social interactions, especially as the Jews increasingly aligned themselves with the protective power of the papacy.
An Assessment of the Political Symbolism of the City of Rome in the Writings of John of Salisbury
Authors: O’Daly Irene A.
Published: October 2011

This article focuses on John of Salisbury’s analysis of contemporary Rome (its citizenry, its revived “republican” institutions, its ecclesiastical role, and its ancient symbolism), examining the extent to which John’s study and use of classical Roman political ideas was interwoven with his perceptions of the contemporary city. It argues that John’s use of Rome as a metaphor, specifically the trope of the avaricious Roman, had a significant impact on John’s critique and presentation of contemporary political events such as the re-establishment of the Senate, the difficulties experienced by the papacy in their efforts to control Rome, and the controversial activities of Arnold of Brescia.
US Diplomacy and Diplomats: A Chinese View
Authors: Zhimin Chen
Published: October 2011

This article presents mainstream views in China about US diplomacy in general and particularly US diplomacy towards China in the twenty-first century. In general, US diplomacy is seen as primacy-seeking, missionary pragmatism, hard power first, with persistent impulsive unilateralism, and only constrained by a disruptive power-sharing domestic political system. Chinese leaders and diplomats tend to favour those American counterparts who can demonstrate pragmatism, appreciation, commitment and professionalism. They believe that China needs to negotiate from a position of strength with normally over-demanding American counterparts, and to pay extraordinary attention to detail in negotiations. While the Chinese held a negative view about the overall diplomacy of US President George W. Bush, they welcomed his pragmatic diplomacy towards China and regarded it as his most positive diplomatic legacy. Although the Chinese have developed a more positive view towards President Obama’s diplomacy, in considering the United States’ persisting desire for primacy, its missionary tradition and highly pluralistic domestic politics, the Chinese are more cautious in embracing the Obama administration’s charm-offense diplomacy than many US allies.
The Distinction between Foreign Policy and Diplomacy in American International Thought and Practice
Authors: Clinton David
Published: October 2011

Throughout his writings, Harold Nicolson advocates a distinction between ‘policy’ (to be subject to democratic control) and ‘negotiation’ (to remain the province of professional diplomatists), preferring to separate these two quite different activities, rather than lumping them together under the general term ‘diplomacy’ (an intermingling that he found conceptually muddled and politically impossible to sustain once general public opinion becomes politically mobilized). Nicholas Murray Butler and George Kennan, who may be taken as representing idealist and realist American opinion in the twentieth century, found themselves at one in rejecting Nicolson’s distinction. Butler believed that the progressive enlightenment of public opinion, resulting in the attainment of the ‘international mind’, would improve both the formulation of policy and the conduct of negotiations; Kennan deprecated public opinion, at least in the United States, as irredeemably clumsy and ill-informed, and was convinced that this domestic political force would not be satisfied with directing policy, but would insist on interfering with negotiation as well. Across the board, American opinion seems to be hostile to Nicolson’s differentiation. This rejection of Nicolson’s view illustrates a more general influence of distinctively American thinking about international relations on American attitudes towards, and expectations of, diplomacy.
Obama, Clinton and the Diplomacy of Change
Authors: Sharp Paul
Published: October 2011

Is diplomacy important and can diplomats make a difference? This article examines these questions in the context of American foreign policy during the first two years of the Obama administration. The policy of George W. Bush’s administration in Iraq and Iraq, unilateral in form and controversial in substance, ensured that foreign policy was a major issue in the election campaign, with all of the major candidates agreeing that American diplomacy needed to be restored. Candidate Obama went beyond the consensus about restoring the status and influence of the State Department, however, to argue that the United States should talk without preconditions, even with regimes of which it did not approve. In office, Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, rhetorically elevated diplomacy to an equal standing with defence and development, provided resources for greatly expanding the Foreign Service, and stressed the importance of taking advantage of developments in information technology to strengthen public and ‘digital’ diplomacy in the service of civilian power. They also ‘reset’ certain key bilateral relationships and ‘reengaged’ multilateralism. However, American diplomacy under Obama remains framed by the increasingly questionable assumption that its renewed openness to talking, its continued military superiority and its claim to embody universal values will continue to confer upon it the mantle of global leadership. If US administrations continue to assume that this is so, then American diplomacy will face the challenge of trying to bridge the increasingly widening gap between their aspirations and the means available to sustain them.
Multidecadal Drought Cycles in the Great Basin Recorded by the Great Salt Lake: Modulation from a Transition-Phase Teleconnection
Authors: Wang Shih-Yu , Gillies Robert R. , Reichler Thomas
Published: October 2011

This study investigates the meteorological conditions associated with multidecadal drought cycles as revealed by lake level fluctuation of the Great Salt Lake (GSL). The analysis combined instrumental, proxy, and simulation datasets, including the Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 2, the North American Drought Atlas, and a 2000-yr control simulation of the GFDL Coupled Model, version 2.1 (CM2.1). Statistical evidence from the spectral coherence analysis points to a phase shift amounting to 6–9 yr between the wet–dry cycles in the Great Basin and the warm–cool phases of the interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO). Diagnoses of the sea surface temperature and atmospheric circulation anomalies attribute such a phase shift to a distinctive teleconnection wave train that develops during the transition points between the IPO’s warm and cool phases. This teleconnection wave train forms recurrent circulation anomalies centered over the southeastern Gulf of Alaska; this directs moisture flux across the Great Basin and subsequently drives wet–dry conditions over the Great Basin and the GSL watershed. The IPO life cycle therefore modulates local droughts–pluvials in a quarter-phase manner.