bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expression of junctional proteins in choroid plexus epithelial cell lines: a comparative study
Authors: Szmydynger-Chodobska Joanna , Pascale Crissey L , Pfeffer Andrew N , Coulter Cassaundra , Chodobski Adam
Published: December 2007

Background

There is an increasing interest in using choroid plexus (CP) epithelial cell lines to study the properties of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB). Currently, there are three major CP-derived cell lines available. Z310 and TR-CSFB3, two immortalized cell lines carrying the simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene, were derived from rat CP epithelium, whereas the CPC-2 cell line was derived from human CP carcinoma. Although these cell lines have previously been used in various functional studies, the expression of adherens junction (AJ) and tight junction (TJ) proteins in these epithelial cells has not been systematically studied. Accordingly, in the present study, we sought to characterize the expression of these junctional proteins in these three cell lines.

Methods

The cells were grown in six-well cell culture plates. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were used to characterize the expression of AJ and TJ proteins in the CP cell lines.

Results

Z310 and TR-CSFB3 cells expressed a TJ protein, occludin, and its cytosolic binding partner, zonula occludens 1, as well as an AJ protein, E-cadherin, and β-catenin, a cytoplasmic protein that interacts with E-cadherin. However, the expression of occludin and E-cadherin in TR-CSFB3 cells at both the mRNA and protein level was weaker than that found in Z301 cells. The immunocytochemical analysis also demonstrated that the staining pattern for these junctional proteins in TR-CSFB3 cells was discontinuous and the staining intensity was weaker than that observed in Z310 cells. The message for claudin 1 and claudin 2 was expressed at low levels in TR-CSFB3 cells and these cells were weakly immunopositive for claudin 1. In comparison, the message for these TJ proteins could not be detected in Z310 cells. CPC-2 cells expressed occludin, which was localized to areas of cell-cell contact, but the staining pattern for this TJ protein was found to be variable and irregular. Although CPC-2 cells expressed mRNA for claudin 1, claudin 2, and claudin 11, only claudin 1 was expressed at the protein level and it was localized to the nuclei rather than to areas of cell-cell contact. An AJ protein, E-cadherin, was also found to be mislocalized in CPC-2 cells, even though its cytosolic binding partner, β-catenin, was restricted to areas of cell-cell contact, as in normal CP.

Conclusion

The three CP cell lines analyzed in this study vary considerably with regard to the expression of AJ and TJ proteins, which is likely reflected by different barrier properties of these in vitro models of BCSFB.
A2A receptors in inflammation and injury: lessons learned from transgenic animals
Authors: Haskó György , Pacher Pál
Published: December 2007

Adenosine regulates the function of the innate and adaptive immune systems through targeting virtually every cell type that is involved in orchestrating an immune/inflammatory response. Of the four adenosine receptors (A1, A2A, A2B, A3), A2A receptors have taken center stage as the primary anti-inflammatory effectors of extracellular adenosine. This broad, anti-inflammatory effect of A2A receptor activation is a result of the predominant expression of A2A receptors on monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, mast cells, neutrophils, endothelial cells, eosinophils, epithelial cells, as well as lymphocytes, NK cells, and NKT cells. A2A receptor activation inhibits early and late events occurring during an immune response, which include antigen presentation, costimulation, immune cell trafficking, immune cell proliferation, proinflammatory cytokine production, and cytotoxicity. In addition to limiting inflammation, A2A receptors participate in tissue remodeling and reparation. Consistent with their multifaceted, immunoregulatory action on immune cells, A2A receptors have been shown to impact the course of a wide spectrum of ischemic, autoimmune, infectious, and allergic diseases. Here, we review the regulatory roles of A2A receptors in immune/inflammatory diseases of various organs, including heart, lung, gut, liver, kidney, joints, and brain, as well as the role of A2A receptors in regulating multiple organ failure and sepsis.
Child psychiatry and its relationship with the pharmaceutical
industry: theoretical and practical issues
Authors: Timimi Sami
Published: December 2007

The pharmaceutical industry is primarily responsible to its shareholders and
so making profit is its primary motivation. The industry's marketing
techniques affect not only prescribing habits of doctors but also concepts
of mental health. This editorial examines the impact this has had on both
theory and practice in child and adolescent psychiatry. Undue influence by
the pharmaceutical industry contributes to a skewing of the literature
towards biological disease models of childhood mental health in order to
support the use of the pharmaceutical companies' products. Using fluoxetine
and stimulants as two case examples, the article illustrates how
pharmaceutical companies have contributed to widespread acceptance of
erroneous beliefs about the safety and efficacy of using psychotropic drugs
in children and adolescents. Suggestions are made on how child
psychiatrists, both individually and collectively, can incorporate this
knowledge into their professional development and practice.
The psychiatrist as expert witness. Part 1: general principles
and civil cases
Authors: Rix Keith J. B.
Published: December 2007

Expert witnesses have recently had a bad press but they have long played an
important role in the administration of justice. This article begins by
drawing attention to the guidance of the UK Academy of Medical Royal
Colleges for medical expert witnesses and then sets out the latest guidance
for experts in civil cases.
Pharmacotherapy and child psychiatry: is there a way
forward?
Authors: James A.
Published: December 2007

Recent controversy over the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in children
and adolescents has focused attention on the role of the pharmaceutical
industry in the treatment of young people. Failure of pharmaceutical
companies to fully disclose negative outcome trials has led to new
guidelines for publication of all trial results. Scrutiny is on the conduct
of trials and the relationship of the pharmaceutical industry with
prescribing doctors and post-trial surveillance of new drugs. It is argued
that drug treatments in child psychiatry are a powerful therapeutic tool but
vigilance is needed to ensure that data on the efficacy and safety of drugs
are freely available.
Behavioural activation for depression
Authors: Veale David
Published: December 2007

A formal therapy for depression, behavioural activation focuses on activity scheduling to encourage patients to approach activities that they are avoiding and on analysing the function of cognitive processes (e.g. rumination) that serve as a form of avoidance. Patients are thus refocused on their goals and valued directions in life. The main advantage of behavioural activation over traditional cognitive–behavioural therapy for depression is that it may be easier to train staff in it and it can be used in both in-patient and out-patient settings. This article describes the theory and rationale of behavioural activation, its evidence base and how to develop a formulation that guides the strategy.
Reduced High-Molecular-Weight Adiponectin and Elevated High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Are Synergistic Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome in a Large-Scale Middle-Aged to Elderly Population: the Shimanami Health Promoting Program Study
Authors: Tabara Yasuharu , Osawa Haruhiko , Kawamoto Ryuichi , Tachibana-Iimori Rieko , Yamamoto Miyuki , Nakura Jun , Miki Tetsuro , Makino Hideich , Kohara Katsuhiko
Published: December 2007

Objective: In Western countries, one of the most important modifiable targets for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases is metabolic syndrome. Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-specific plasma protein that inversely associates with metabolic syndrome. Among several molecular isoforms, high-molecular-weight (HMW) complex is considered the active form. Increased serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration also associates with metabolic syndrome, and adiponectin could modulate plasma C-reactive protein levels. Here, through cross-sectional investigation, we investigated whether reduced HMW adiponectin and increased hsCRP levels in plasma are synergistically associated with metabolic syndrome. Measurement of HMW complex of adiponectin is one of the novelties of this study.

Design: We analyzed 1845 community-dwelling middle-aged to elderly subjects (62 ± 13 yr). Plasma HMW adiponectin levels were measured by ELISA. Clinical parameters were obtained from the subjects’ personal health records, evaluated at their annual medical check-up.

Results: Each component of metabolic syndrome, except for raised blood pressure, showed significantly lower plasma HMW adiponectin concentrations for both men and women (P < 0.001). In contrast, plasma hsCRP levels were significantly higher in subjects with metabolic disorders (P < 0.001). After adjusting for other confounding factors, HMW adiponectin [log normalized, odds ratio 0.084 (95% confidence interval 0.050–0.142), P < 0.001] and hsCRP [3.009 (2.175–4.163), P < 0.001] were identified as independent determinants of metabolic syndrome. In addition to the direct associations, we also observed a synergistic effect between these two molecules (F = 11.8, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Reduced HMW adiponectin and elevated hsCRP are synergistically associated with the accumulation of metabolic disorders. The combination of these markers would be useful for identifying at-risk populations.
Anastrozole Increases Predicted Adult Height of Short Adolescent Males Treated with Growth Hormone: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial for One to Three Years
Authors: Mauras Nelly , Gonzalez de Pijem Lilliam , Hsiang Helen Y. , Desrosiers Paul , Rapaport Robert , Schwartz I. David , Klein Karen Oerter , Singh Ravinder J. , Miyamoto Anna , Bishop Kim
Published: December 2007

Context: The process of epiphyseal fusion during puberty is regulated by estrogen, even in males.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate whether anastrozole, a potent aromatase inhibitor, could delay bone age acceleration and increase predicted adult height in adolescent boys with GH deficiency.

Methods: Fifty-two adolescent males with GH deficiency treated with GH were randomized to cotreatment with anastrozole or placebo daily for up to 36 months.

Results: Fifty subjects completed 12 months, 41 completed 24 months, and 28 completed 36 months. Linear growth was comparable between groups; however, there was a significantly slower increase in bone age advancement from baseline in the anastrozole group vs. placebo group after 2 yr (+1.8 ± 0.1 vs. +2.7 ± 0.1 yr, P < 0.0001) and after 3 yr (+2.5 ± 0.2 vs. +4.1 ± 0.1 yr, P < 0.0001). This resulted in a net increase in predicted adult height of +4.5 ± 1.2 cm in the anastrozole group at 24 months and +6.7 ± 1.4 cm at 36 months as compared with a 1-cm gain at both time points in the placebo group. Estradiol and estrone concentrations increased less in the anastrozole group compared with placebo group. All boys on the aromatase inhibitor had normal tempo of virilization. Safety data, including glucose, and plasma lipid concentrations were comparable between groups.

Conclusions: Anastrozole increases adult height potential of adolescent boys on GH therapy while maintaining normal pubertal progression after 2–3 yr. This treatment offers an alternative in promoting growth in GH-deficient boys in puberty. Long-term follow up is needed to elucidate fully the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Attenuated Morning Salivary Cortisol Concentrations in a Population-Based Study of Persons with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Well Controls
Authors: Nater Urs M. , Maloney Elizabeth , Boneva Roumiana S. , Gurbaxani Brian M. , Lin Jin-Mann , Jones James F. , Reeves William C. , Heim Christine
Published: December 2007

Context: A substantial body of research on the pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has focused on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation. The cortisol awakening response has received particular attention as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to evaluate morning salivary cortisol profiles in persons with CFS and well controls identified from the general population.

Design and Setting: We conducted a case-control study at an outpatient research clinic.

Cases and Other Participants: We screened a sample of 19,381 residents of Georgia and identified those with CFS and a matched sample of well controls. Seventy-five medication-free CFS cases and 110 medication-free well controls provided complete sets of saliva samples.

Main Outcome Measures: We assessed free cortisol concentrations in saliva collected on a regular workday immediately upon awakening and 30 and 60 min after awakening.

Results: There was a significant interaction effect, indicating different profiles of cortisol concentrations over time between groups, with the CFS group showing an attenuated morning cortisol profile. Notably, we observed a sex difference in this effect. Women with CFS exhibited significantly attenuated morning cortisol profiles compared with well women. In contrast, cortisol profiles were similar in men with CFS and male controls.

Conclusions: CFS was associated with an attenuated morning cortisol response, but the effect was limited to women. Our results suggest that a sex difference in hypocortisolism may contribute to increased risk of CFS in women.
Patterns of Inheritance of Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty in Families of Adolescent Girls and Boys Referred to Specialist Pediatric Care
Authors: Wehkalampi Karoliina , Widén Elisabeth , Laine Tiina , Palotie Aarno , Dunkel Leo
Published: December 2007

Context and Objective: Constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP), more commonly observed in boys than girls, often has a familial background. We characterized the occurrence of CDGP in relatives of CDGP patients to elucidate the mechanisms influencing timing of puberty.

Participants and Design: We identified 492 subjects with CDGP from hospital records of two pediatric clinics in Finland; 95 male and 29 female subjects and their first-degree relatives participated. In family members, CDGP was defined by use of growth charts (growth spurt taking place 2 sd beyond the mean). One third of the families was expanded to include also second-degree relatives with an interview-based assessment of pubertal timing.

Results: Of males, 80%, and of female probands, 75% had first-degree relatives with CDGP. Of all probands, 45% had one parent (unilineal families) and 32% had two parents affected. In 2% of the families, only siblings were affected. The prevalence of CDGP in male first-degree relatives was only slightly higher than in female relatives: 79 of 148 (53%) vs. 64 of 164 (39%), respectively (P = 0.01); male to female ratio was 1.2:1. In 74% of extended unilineal pedigrees (17 of 23), the inheritance pattern of CDGP was consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance.

Conclusions: CDGP clusters in families. Although its inheritance likely is complex, some predisposing genetic factors may have a dominant effect. CDGP was almost as common in male and female relatives of the CDGP subjects seen at specialist care, challenging the view of a marked overall male preponderance of CDGP.
Acetylation in Nuclear Receptor Signaling and the Role of Sirtuins
Authors: Wang Chenguang , Powell Michael J. , Popov Vladimir M. , Pestell Richard G.
Published: December 2007

It has been known since the early 1970s that nuclear receptor complexes bind DNA in association with coregulatory proteins. Characterization of these nuclear receptor coregulators has revealed diverse enzymatic activities that temporally and spatially coordinate nuclear receptor activity within the context of local chromatin in response to diverse hormone signals. Chromatin-modifying proteins, which dictate the higher-order chromatin structure in which DNA is packaged, in turn orchestrate orderly recruitment of nuclear receptor complexes. Modifications of histones include acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, sumoylation, ADP ribosylation, deimination, and proline isomerization. At this time, we understand how a subset of these modifications regulates nuclear receptor signaling. However, the effects, particularly of acetylation and demethylation, are profound. The finding that nuclear receptors are directly acetylated and that acetylation in turn directly regulates contact-independent growth has broad therapeutic implications. Studies over the past 7 yr have led to the understanding that nuclear receptor acetylation is a conserved function, regulating diverse nuclear receptor activity. Furthermore, we now know that acetylation of multiple and distinct substrates within nuclear receptor signaling pathways, form an acetylation signaling network from the cell surface to the nucleus. The finding that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent histone deacetylases, the sirtuins, are capable of deacetylating nuclear receptors provides a new level of complexity in the control of nuclear receptor activity in which local intracellular concentrations of NAD may regulate nuclear receptor physiology.
Antidiabetogenic Effects of Chromium Mitigate Hyperinsulinemia-Induced Cellular Insulin Resistance via Correction of Plasma Membrane Cholesterol Imbalance
Authors: Horvath Emily M. , Tackett Lixuan , McCarthy Alicia M. , Raman Priya , Brozinick Joseph T. , Jeffrey S. Jeffrey S.
Published: December 2007

Previously, we found that a loss of plasma membrane (PM) phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)-regulated filamentous actin (F-actin) structure contributes to insulin-induced insulin resistance. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that chromium picolinate (CrPic), a dietary supplement thought to improve glycemic status in insulin-resistant individuals, augments insulin-regulated glucose transport in insulin-sensitive 3T3-L1 adipocytes by lowering PM cholesterol. Here, to gain mechanistic understanding of these separate observations, we tested the prediction that CrPic would protect against insulin-induced insulin resistance by improving PM features important in cytoskeletal structure and insulin sensitivity. We found that insulin-induced insulin-resistant adipocytes display elevated PM cholesterol with a reciprocal decrease in PM PIP2. This lipid imbalance and insulin resistance was corrected by the cholesterol-lowering action of CrPic. The PM lipid imbalance did not impair insulin signaling, nor did CrPic amplify insulin signal transduction. In contrast, PM analyses corroborated cholesterol and PIP2 interactions influencing cytoskeletal structure. Because extensive in vitro study documents an essential role for cytoskeletal capacity in insulin-regulated glucose transport, we next evaluated intact skeletal muscle from obese, insulin-resistant Zucker (fa/fa) rats. Because insulin resistance in these animals likely involves multiple mechanisms, findings that cholesterol-lowering restored F-actin cytoskeletal structure and insulin sensitivity to that witnessed in lean control muscle were striking. Also, experiments using methyl-β-cyclodextrin to shuttle cholesterol into or out of membranes respectively recapitulated the insulin-induced insulin-resistance and protective effects of CrPic on membrane/cytoskeletal interactions and insulin sensitivity. These data predict a PM cholesterol basis for hyperinsulinemia-associated insulin resistance and importantly highlight the reversible nature of this abnormality.
VOWEL DURATION IN THREE AMERICAN ENGLISH DIALECTS
Authors: Jacewicz Ewa , Fox Robert A. , Salmons Joseph
Published: December 2007

The article reports on an acoustic investigation into the duration of five American English vowels, those found in hid, head, had, hayed, and hide. We compare duration across three major dialect areas: the Inland North, Midlands, and South. The results show systematic differences across all vowels studied, with the longest durations in the South and the shortest in the Inland North, with the Midlands in an intermediate but distinct position. More generally, the sample differs from and complements other work on this question by including detailed evidence from relatively small, cohesive areas, each within a different established dialect region.
Public Sites Versus Public Sights: The Progressive Response to Outdoor Advertising and the Commercialization of Public Space
Authors: Baker Laura E
Published: December 2007

This essay examines the controversy over outdoor advertising for what it reveals about Progressive Era conceptions of public space and public culture. Beginning in the 1890s, advertisers began to widely exploit urban public space as a marketing medium. By the turn of the century, outdoor advertising had became a lightning rod for debates over the public value of an emergent mass culture and the subject of significant reform efforts. While most historical accounts of reformers' response to consumer culture emphasize the conflict between genteel and commercial cultural values, this essay focuses instead on their similarities—similarities that ultimately led at least some reformers to accept outdoor advertising as a mode of mass communication superior to genteel forms. Identifying the legitimization of mass culture as a precipitate of both civic and business ideology is one of this essay's most significant insights. While important differences distinguished civic and business conceptions of the public, their mutual promotion of the integrative powers of mass communication and consumption cultivated a common ground where consumerism flourished.
The Ballad of Becks and Posh
Authors: Ross Andrew
Published: December 2007

The arrival in the U.S. of global soccer star David Beckham, signed on a massive multiyear contract to the LA Galaxy, occasioned no end of media coverage. The hoopla surrounding this event saw the latest effort to change the national conversation regarding the grudging acceptance of soccer as a mass American sport. But the real story about U.S. men's soccer, as this essay argues, is the embryonic Latinization of the game along lines similar to Major League Baseball. Its deep roots in working class immigrant communities guarantee a more reliable and lucrative fan base than the more fickle middle-class audiences that soccer has traditionally attracted in the US. As a result, the recruitment of high-profile Latin American players may be more consequential than the entry of over-the-top European stars like Beckham. This essay analyses the arrival of Beckham and his spouse Victoria (Posh of ex-Spice Girls fame) in the context of the impact on the sport, and of celebrity culture in this country. It is the most recent expansion in the reach of Brand Beckham, wildly successful as a transnational, cross-media operation, and the couple's relationship and relatively autonomous role as icons is critical to the maintenance of the brand. In addition, however, the globalization of the sport, especially the migration of players from the Global South to the affluent European and North American clubs, is transforming the demographics and cultural resonance of the organized sport. The cosmopolitan make-up of the New York Cosmos in the 1970s—a high water mark in the U.S. acceptance of soccer—is now much more common in the top tier of professional soccer. The importing of players like Beckham, Juan Pablo Ángel (from Columbia) and Cuauhtémoc Blanco (from Mexico) are evidence of a new phase in the sports industry that is already quite advanced in the demographics of MLB, and increasingly in the NBA.
Two Views of Emotional Perception: Some Empirical Suggestions
Authors: Sneddon Andrew
Published: December 2007

One stream in contemporary philosophical and psychological study of the emotions argues that they are perceptual capacities (e.g., Prinz 2004). For instance, Jesse Prinz has recently defended the view that emotions are perceptions of bodily changes and, via these, of “core relational themes” (2004, 224-25). Core relational themes are, roughly, relations an individual has to his/her environment that pertain to that individual's welfare (2004, 15-16). The present project is to compare and contrast two possible models of emotional perception. The central difference between these models is the notion of modularity that they use, and the corresponding overall view of the nature of the mind. I will suggest some empirical tests that might adjudicate between these different kinds of emotional modularity, and hence between these two models of emotional perception. I will conclude with some remarks about the extent of the relevance of this issue.
Cognitive Modularity of Emotion
Authors: Charland Louis C.
Published: December 2007

In a recent survey of contemporary philosophy of emotion, Ronald de Sousa states that “in recent years … emotions have once again become the focus of vigorous interest in philosophy, as well as in other branches of cognitive science” (de Sousa 2003, 1). He then goes on to make the important observation that “in view of the proliferation of increasingly fruitful exchanges between researchers of different stripes, it is no longer useful to speak of the philosophy of emotion in isolation from the approaches of other disciplines, particularly psychology, neurology and evolutionary biology” (de Sousa 2003, 1). This last remark is particularly apt in the case of a topic like modularity and emotion, which represents an ideal opportunity for reflecting on the emerging alliance between the philosophy of emotion and emotion science. In addition to being interesting in its own right, the topic also illustrates some of the perils associated with the new alliance, as different academic traditions must adapt to interdisciplinary dialogue.
Quick and Smart? Modularity and the Pro-Emotion Consensus
Authors: Jones Karen
Published: December 2007

Within both philosophy and psychology, a new pro-emotion consensus is replacing the old dogmas that emotions disrupt practical rationality, that they are at best arational, if not outright irrational, and that we can understand what is really central to human cognition without studying them. Emotions are now commonly viewed as evolved capacities that are integral to our practical rationality. An infinite mind, unencumbered by a body, might get along just fine without emotions; but we finite embodied creatures need them if we are to be capable of responding appropriately to our reasons and navigating in a risky world with poor information, limited attention, and restricted computational power. Emotions are clever design solutions to the problem of making fast decisions in response to significant practical problems posed by the natural and social worlds: we perceive a danger and fear immediately primes us to take protective action. On this view, the theory of emotions is an essential part of a theory of ecologically situated and constrained rationality - that is to say, ofhumanrationality (Samuels et al. 1999; Gigerenzer 2000).
Against Emotional Modularity
Authors: Sousa Ronald De
Published: December 2007

How many emotions are there? Should we accept as overwhelming the evidence in favour of regarding emotions as emanating from a relatively small number of modules evolved efficiently to serve us in common life situations? Or can emotions, like colour, be organized in a space of two, three, or more dimensions defining a vast number of discriminable emotions, arranged on a continuum, on the model of the colour cone?

There is some evidence that certain emotions are specialized to facilitate certain response sequences, relatively encapsulated in their neurophysiological organization. These are natural facts. But nature, as Katherine Hepburn remarked to Humphrey Bogart, is what we were put in the world to rise above. I shall suggest that we can consider the question not merely from a scientific point of view, but from apoliticalpoint of view. And so I will try to explain how to reconcile the evidence of emotional modularity - which, as some of the contributions to the present volume illustrate, is not devoid of a certain ambiguity - with a reasonable plea for an attitude of disapproval towards the rigidities of our taxonomy.
Biological Modules and Emotions
Authors: Dumouchel Paul
Published: December 2007

But as for most genes, they are not the units of interest once we get to the network level: it is the whole conspiracy we care about. (von Dassow and Meir 2003, 27)

Biologists, more precisely evolutionary biologists, and not only psychologists and philosophers also speak of modularity. However the way in which this theoretical construct functions in their discipline is relatively different from the role it obtains in evolutionary psychology and cognitive science. Rather than postulating modules to explain particular traits of organisms, such as the specificity of input systems or limitations of human reasoning abilities, biologists originally simply assume that some form of modularity constitutes a precondition of evolution. They argue that, in order for natural selection to fine tune organisms to their environment, different traits must be able to evolve independently from one another. This implies modularity in one form or another. Organisms will only be able to adapt if they do not come all in one piece, so to speak. It must therefore be possible for changes to occur in one characteristic of an animal without those changes having repercussions throughout the whole organism.
Beyond the Basics: The Evolution and Development of Human Emotions
Authors: Bluhm Robyn
Published: December 2007

The suggestion that at least some emotions are modular captures a number of our intuitions about emotions: they are generally fast responses to a stimulus, they are involuntary, and they are easily distinguished (at least in most cases) from one another; we simply know that, for example, anger feels different than fear. Candidates for modular emotions are usually the so-called “basic” emotions - anger and fear are good examples of these. Defenders of emotion theories that focus on basic emotions, such as Paul Ekman in psychology and Paul Griffiths in philosophy, emphasize the advantages of theories that stress the evolutionary continuity of emotional expression and link emotions to the activity of neural circuits that are similar in human beings and other animals.

In this paper, however, I will examine arguments for the discontinuity of emotions in human beings, as compared with other animals. Owing to a combination of cultural practices and neuroanatomy, both our emotional “wiring” and our emotions are unique.
Communicating Green Innovation Technology: Transfer in a University–Business–Government Consortium
Authors: Coppola Nancy
Published: December 2007

This essay presents a case study of 18 researchers and subject-matter experts in a university–business–government consortium that describes their unique research activities, the environmental impact of their work within a personal and temporal context, and the archetypal technology-transfer process contextualized within a framework for sustainable green manufacturing. Findings of this research both validate and refute the widely known issues in successful technology transfer. This essay attempts to dispel an archetypal barrier model for technology transfer and demonstrate a localized model in which meaning among consortium members is negotiated, reconstructed, and shared.
Technology Acquisition Strategies in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Mexico
Authors: Zuñiga María Pluvia , Guzmán Alenka , Brown Grossman Flor
Published: December 2007

Firms in developing countries are characterized by weak technological capacities, insufficient human capital, and limited R&D. Consequently, these countries also produce fewer patents. Considering these disadvantages, companies in developing countries cannot rely on their in-house R&D efforts; they must import nonincorporated or soft technologies (license and technical-assistance agreements, and tacit knowledge transfer). In the pursuit of technological improvement, firms attempt to adopt an optimal technology acquisition strategy. This essay examines the use of in-house R&D and technology transfer in the Mexican pharmaceutical industry between 1994 and 2000 by using two econometric models. Unlike the pharmaceutical industries of other developing countries such as India and China, this study indicates that there is a low probability of complementarity between R&D and technology transfer in the Mexican pharmaceutical industry. This is a strategy that has been adopted only by some larger firms and multinationals.
Spiritual Leavening: The Communication and Reception of the Good News in Origen's Biblical Exegesis and Transformative Pedagogy
Authors: Niculescu Michael Vlad
Published: December 2007

This essay provides an outline of Origen's Bible study program. We start with a phenomenological analysis of the communication of the Logos to humanity as divine good news, detaching its basic structure and the general course of its unfolding. Subsequently we narrow down the investigation to the biblical form of this communication. We argue that Origen takes the biblical communication of the Logos as the structuring scenario for his transformative pedagogy and we elaborate on the correlation between the biblical-exegetic and the pedagogic aspects of Origen's work.
Recovering Claire de Duras's Creole Inheritance: Race and Gender in the Exile Correspondence of her Saint-Domingue Family
Authors: Brady Heather
Published: December 2007

In Une correspondance familiale (1791-1796), Madame and Monsieur de Rouvray offer abundant information about their emigration from Saint-Domingue to Philadelphia. Their letters suggest that their niece, the celebrated novelist Claire de Duras, acquired her knowledge of race and gender politics not through actual travels to Martinique but through her Saint-Domingue family.
The Subjectivity of the Colonial Subject from Olympe de Gouges to Mme de Duras
Authors: Cowles Mary Jane
Published: December 2007

Olympe de Gouge's L'Esclavage des noirs and Madame de Duras's Ourika address the question of subjectivity and the representation of black women under colonialization. De Gouge's protagonists express subjectivity by questioning slavery, while Ourika does so by seeking an impossible place for herself within French aristocratic society. In both cases, the problem of subjectivity revolves around the fate of a black woman's body.
Transcriptional responses of Plasmodium falciparum to α-difluoromethylornithine-induced polyamine depletion
Authors: Clark Katherine , Dhoogra Minishca , Louw Abraham I. , Birkholtz Lyn-Marié
Published: December 2007

Polyamines are essential polycationic molecules involved in multiple cellular events, including cell differentiation, division and death. Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis has been considered in diverse therapeutic strategies ranging from tumour suppressors to anti-parasitic agents. In the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) results in the arrest of schizogony due to polyamine depletion. However, the exact physiological role of the polyamines in the parasite is unknown. Here, we present results of the depletion of polyamines in the malaria parasite by α-difluoromethylornithine inhibition of ODC, as observed with differential transcriptome profiling. Upon depletion of their endogenous polyamines, the up- and downregulated parasite transcripts were selected with suppression subtractive hybridisation and differences were detected using blots or DNA microarrays. A direct linkage between polyamine depletion and the differential expression of two distinct transcripts was observed, indicating the existence of a transcriptional feedback response in the P. falciparum transcriptome upon drug challenge. The data presented provide input into the role of the polyamines in the cellular biology of P. falciparum and contribute towards the validation of polyamine biosynthesis as an antimalarial target.
Development of a human adipocyte model derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) as a tool for toxicological studies on the action of TCDD
Authors: Li Wen , Vogel Christoph F.A. , Fujiyoshi Phillip , Matsumura Fumio
Published: December 2007

Efforts were made to develop a human adipocyte model that is useful for toxicological studies in vitro. For this purpose, a stem cell line derived from human bone marrow cells, originally from an adult, was induced to differentiate towards adipocytes by treating them with insulin, dexamethasone, indomethacin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine for 3 d, followed by additional incubation for 3 d in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with insulin only. In most cases, thus differentiated cells through such one cycle of differentiation treatment were further subjected to the second cycle of differentiation. The resulting 2-cycle differentiated cells were found to exhibit many characteristics of typical adipocytes. Dioxin (TCDD), when added at the beginning of their treatment with differentiation-inducing hormone cocktail, clearly prevented them from becoming adipocytes, as in the case of TCDD-treated 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, TCDD, even when administered to previously differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) adipocytes, consistently induced the sign of inflammatory responses during the early period of TCDD action (24 h), which was followed by gradual loss of adipocyte-specific markers during the 5-d incubation period. In conclusion, hMSC-derived adipocytes appear to offer a promising human cell model suited for future toxicological studies.
Secreted human apolipoprotein(a) kringle IV-10 and kringle V inhibit angiogenesis and xenografted tumor growth
Authors: Shen Le , Zhu Xuewei , Wang Yan , Zeng Wuwei , Wu Gang , Xue Hong , Chen Baosheng
Published: December 2007

Angiogenesis plays an important role in normal physiology of blood vessel growth, but can contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases, such as cancer. A new anti-angiogenic recombinant kringle protein, composed of the fused domains of human apolipoprotein(a) carboxyl-terminal kringle IV-10 and kringle V, was expressed in Pichia pastoris and human colorectal carcinoma (HCT 116) cells to investigate its influence on angiogenesis and tumor growth. The mature recombinant protein exhibited the characteristic features of kringle-containing proteins (glycosylation and disulfide bond formation) and, when added to cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cell, resulted in a 31% decrease in proliferation relative to untreated controls (p<0.05). The neo-angiogenesis was diminished by 63% in chick embryos treated with 10 μg recombinant protein compared with 7% for phosphate buffer solution-treated embryos (p<0.01). Transfection of a kringle IV-10-kringle V fusion protein construct into HCT 116 cells decreased tumorigenesis and inhibited tumor growth in vivo without affecting tumor cell proliferation. HCT 116 cells that expressed recombinant protein displayed a much lower relative growth ratio of 8% (p<0.01) against the control tumor cells. From these results, we conclude that human apolipoprotein(a) carboxyl-terminal kringle IV-10-kringle V fusion protein is an effective inhibitor of angiogenesis and angiogenesis-dependent tumor growth.
Common Dysmorphic Syndromes in the NICU
Authors: Bishara Nader , Clericuzio Carol L.
Published: December 2007

Neonatologists are responsible for the care of newborns who have a wide variety of critical illnesses, including complications of multiple congenital anomalies. This review article provides an overview of state-of-the art information on the diagnosis and management of a number of genetic disorders frequently encountered in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The latest diagnostic tool for children who have unknown syndromes (array comparative genomic hybridization) as well as Internet-based search engine databases that can be accessed from the NICU are examined.
Not Everything in the Maxillary Sinus Is Sinusitis: A Case of a Dentigerous Cyst
Authors: Haber Richard
Published: December 2007

A 4-year-old girl presented to a medical clinic with a painless right facial swelling. The treating physician ordered a radiograph of the sinuses and received a report of “maxillary sinusitis.” After appropriate antibiotic treatment, the facial swelling increased, and the mother took the child to her community pediatrician. After a period of observation and additional imaging, the diagnosis of dentigerous cyst was made. After appropriate surgical intervention, the cyst was removed, and over the ensuing 6 weeks the facial swelling gradually diminished. Dentigerous cysts, although uncommon, need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of children with painless facial swelling.
Expert Survey for the Management of Adolescent Depression in Primary Care
Authors: Cheung Amy H. , Zuckerbrot Rachel A. , Jensen Peter S. , Stein Ruth E.K. , Laraque Danielle ,   the GLAD PC Steering Committee
Published: December 2007

OBJECTIVE. Primary care clinics have become the “de facto” mental health clinics for teens with mental health problems such as depression; however, there is little guidance for primary care professionals who are faced with treating this population. This study surveyed experts on key management issues regarding adolescent depression in primary care where empirical literature was scant or absent.

METHODS. Participants included experts from family medicine, pediatrics, nursing, psychology, and child psychiatry, identified through nonprobability sampling. The expert survey was developed on the basis of information from focus groups with patients, families, and professionals and from the research literature and included sections on early identification, assessment and diagnosis, initial management, treatment, and ongoing management. Means, standard deviations, and confidence intervals were calculated for each survey item.

RESULTS. Seventy-eight of 81 experts agreed to participate (return rate of 96%). Fifty-three percent of the experts (n = 40) were primary care professionals. Experts endorsed routine surveillance for youth at high risk for depression, as well as the use of standardized measures as diagnostic aids. For treatment, “active monitoring” was deemed appropriate in mild depression with recent onset. Medication and psychotherapy were considered acceptable options for treatment of moderate depression without complicating factors such as comorbid illness. Fluoxetine was rated as the most appropriate antidepressant for use in this population. Finally, experts agreed that patients who are started on antidepressants should be followed within 2 weeks after initiation.

CONCLUSIONS. Survey results support the identification and management of adolescent depression in the primary care setting and, in specific situations, referral and co-management with specialty mental health professionals. Even with the recent controversies around treatment, experts across primary care and specialty mental health alike agreed that active monitoring, pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and psychotherapy can be appropriate under certain clinical circumstances when initiated within primary care settings.
Psychotropic Medication Patterns Among Youth in Foster Care
Authors: Zito Julie M. , Safer Daniel J. , Sai Devadatta , Gardner James F. , Thomas Diane , Coombes Phyllis , Dubowski Melissa , Mendez-Lewis Maria
Published: December 2007

CONTEXT. Studies have revealed that youth in foster care covered by Medicaid insurance receive psychotropic medication at a rate >3 times that of Medicaid-insured youth who qualify by low family income. Systematic data on patterns of medication treatment, particularly concomitant drugs, for youth in foster care are limited.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to describe and quantify patterns of psychotropic monotherapy and concomitant therapy prescribed to a randomly selected, 1-month sample of youth in foster care who had been receiving psychotropic medication.

METHODS. Medicaid data were accessed for a July 2004 random sample of 472 medicated youth in foster care aged 0 through 19 years from a southwestern US state. Psychotropic medication treatment data were identified by concomitant pattern, frequency, medication class, subclass, and drug entity and were analyzed in relation to age group; gender; race or ethnicity; International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, psychiatric diagnosis; and physician specialty.

RESULTS. Of the foster children who had been dispensed psychotropic medication, 41.3% received ≥3 different classes of these drugs during July 2004, and 15.9% received ≥4 different classes. The most frequently used medications were antidepressants (56.8%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drugs (55.9%), and antipsychotic agents (53.2%). The use of specific psychotropic medication classes varied little by diagnostic grouping. Psychiatrists prescribed 93% of the psychotropic medication dispensed to youth in foster care. The use of ≥2 drugs within the same psychotropic medication class was noted in 22.2% of those who were given prescribed drugs concomitantly.

CONCLUSIONS. Concomitant psychotropic medication treatment is frequent for youth in foster care and lacks substantive evidence as to its effectiveness and safety.
Use of Medications for Gastroesophageal Reflux at Discharge Among Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Malcolm William F. , Gantz Marie , Martin Richard J. , Goldstein Ricki F. , Goldberg Ronald N. , Cotten Charles M. ,   for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network
Published: December 2007

OBJECTIVES. Our goals were (1) to determine the use of medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux in extremely low birth weight infants (birth weight of <1000 g) at discharge; (2) to identify risk factors associated with the use of medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux at discharge; and (3) to assess the contribution of gastroesophageal reflux medication use at discharge to growth and development at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months.

METHODS. This retrospective cohort analysis included extremely low birth weight infants enrolled at National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Centers between 2002 and 2003 who survived to follow-up evaluations at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months. Analyses were used to identify factors associated with discharge with antireflux medications and poor growth or neurodevelopmental impairment after discharge.

RESULTS. A total of 1598 infants were included in the analyses; 24.8% were discharged from the hospital with medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux. A total of 19.3% of the 1287 infants discharged at postmenstrual age of ≤42 weeks were discharged with antireflux medications. For those infants, center, lower gestational age, and race had significant effects on the use of antireflux medications at discharge. A total of 47.6% of the 311 infants discharged at postmenstrual age of >42 weeks were discharged with antireflux medications. For those infants, no tested variables were associated with treatment with antireflux medications at discharge. Use of antireflux medications at discharge was not associated with either poor growth or neurodevelopmental impairment at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months.

CONCLUSIONS. Use of antireflux medications at the time of discharge seems to be common for extremely low birth weight infants, especially those discharged at postmenstrual age of >42 weeks, but does not seem to have effects on growth or development at the time of follow-up evaluations.