bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison of two double‐injection techniques for peribulbar block analgesia: infero‐temporal plus supero‐medial vs. infero‐temporal plus medial‐percaruncular*
Authors: Van Den Berg A. A.
Published: July 2010

Background:  Combinations of infero‐temporal and either supero‐nasal (‘inferior–superior’) or medial percaruncular (‘inferior–medial’) injections are popular double‐injection techniques for establishing peribulbar block analgesia. This study compared the efficacy of these two techniques in achieving ocular and lid akinesia.

Methods:  One hundred patients were randomized to receive inferior–superior or inferior–medial injections in a study in which injectate, injectate volumes, 5‐min ocular akinesia scoring (0–8), lid scoring (0–2) and supplemental injection protocols were standardized. The numbers of supplemental injections required at each observation period and the total volume of injectate required to produce ocular and lid akinesia were compared.

Results:  The two test groups were demographically similar. The inferior–medial combination achieved greater ocular akinesia than the inferior–superior combination 5 min after the initial injections (mean score ± standard deviation of 1.74 ± 1.86 vs. 2.66 ± 2.39; P < 0.05), with a reduced requirement for supplementary injections (3 vs. 23 supplementary injections; P < 0.025). The inferior–superior technique achieved greater lid akinesia at 5 min than the inferior–medial technique (mean score ± standard deviation of 0.7 ± 0.9 vs. 0.3 ± 0.58; P < 0.005). A medial subconjunctival hemorrhage occurred in one patient in the inferior–medial group.

Conclusion:  Compared with the inferior–superior technique, the inferior–medial combination achieved more rapid ocular akinesia with less need for supplementation, but induced less efficient lid akinesia and had a propensity to cause iatrogenic subconjunctival hemorrhage. The latter complication is considered by our surgeons to be a contraindication to the inferior–medial technique in patients undergoing trabeculectomy.
Natural selection hampers divergence of reproductive traits in a seed beetle
Authors: FRICKE C. , ANDERSSON C. , ARNQVIST G.
Published: July 2010

Speciation is thought to often result from indirect selection for reproductive isolation. This will occur when reproductive traits that cause reproductive isolation evolve (i) as a by‐product of natural selection on traits with which they are genetically correlated or (ii) as an indirect result of diversifying sexual selection. Here, we use experimental evolution to study the degree of divergent evolution of reproductive traits by manipulating the intensity of natural and sexual selection in replicated selection lines of seed beetles. Following 40 generations of selection, we assayed the degree of divergent evolution of reproductive traits between replicate selection lines experiencing the same selection regime. The evolution of reproductive traits was significantly divergent across selection lines within treatments. The evolution of reproductive traits was both slower and, more importantly, significantly less divergent among lines experiencing stronger directional natural selection. This suggests that reproductive traits did not evolve as an indirect by‐product of adaptation. We discuss several ways in which natural selection may hamper divergent evolution among allopatric populations.
REVIEW: Optimality models in the age of experimental evolution and genomics
Authors: BULL J. J. , WANG I.‐N.
Published: July 2010

Optimality models have been used to predict evolution of many properties of organisms. They typically neglect genetic details, whether by necessity or design. This omission is a common source of criticism, and although this limitation of optimality is widely acknowledged, it has mostly been defended rather than evaluated for its impact. Experimental adaptation of model organisms provides a new arena for testing optimality models and for simultaneously integrating genetics. First, an experimental context with a well‐researched organism allows dissection of the evolutionary process to identify causes of model failure – whether the model is wrong about genetics or selection. Second, optimality models provide a meaningful context for the process and mechanics of evolution, and thus may be used to elicit realistic genetic bases of adaptation – an especially useful augmentation to well‐researched genetic systems. A few studies of microbes have begun to pioneer this new direction. Incompatibility between the assumed and actual genetics has been demonstrated to be the cause of model failure in some cases. More interestingly, evolution at the phenotypic level has sometimes matched prediction even though the adaptive mutations defy mechanisms established by decades of classic genetic studies. Integration of experimental evolutionary tests with genetics heralds a new wave for optimality models and their extensions that does not merely emphasize the forces driving evolution.
Host control over infection and proliferation of a cheater symbiont
Authors: SACHS J. L. , RUSSELL J. E. , LII Y. E. , BLACK K. C. , LOPEZ G. , PATIL A. S.
Published: July 2010

Host control mechanisms are thought to be critical for selecting against cheater mutants in symbiont populations. Here, we provide the first experimental test of a legume host’s ability to constrain the infection and proliferation of a native‐occurring rhizobial cheater. Lotus strigosus hosts were experimentally inoculated with pairs of Bradyrhizobium strains that naturally vary in symbiotic benefit, including a cheater strain that proliferates in the roots of singly infected hosts, yet provides zero growth benefits. Within co‐infected hosts, the cheater exhibited lower infection rates than competing beneficial strains and grew to smaller population sizes within those nodules. In vitro assays revealed that infection‐rate differences among competing strains were not caused by variation in rhizobial growth rate or interstrain toxicity. These results can explain how a rapidly growing cheater symbiont – that exhibits a massive fitness advantage in single infections – can be prevented from sweeping through a beneficial population of symbionts.
Chloroplast DNA phylogeography of the shrub Cistus ladanifer L. (Cistaceae) in the highly diverse Western Mediterranean region
Authors: Quintela‐Sabarís C. , Vendramin G. G. , Castro‐Fernández D. , Isabel Fraga M.
Published: July 2010

This study investigated the phylogeographic structure of Cistus ladanifer, in order to locate its Quaternary refugia, reconstruct its recolonisation patterns and assess the role of geographical features (mountain ranges, rivers and the Strait of Gibraltar) as barriers to its seed flow and expansion through the Western Mediterranean. Thirty‐eight populations were screened for length variation of polymorphic chloroplast simple sequence repeats (cpSSRs). Statistical analyses included estimation of haplotypic diversity, hierarchical analysis of molecular variation (amova) and fixation indices. Mantel tests, SAMOVA and BARRIER analyses were applied to evaluate the geographical partitioning of genetic diversity across the entire species range. Pollen data from bibliography were used to complement molecular inferences. Chlorotype diversity within populations was similar throughout the natural range of C. ladanifer (mean haplotypic diversity = 0.32). High differentiation among populations was estimated (GST = 0.60). Our data suggest that the barriers of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Betic ranges may have favoured the divergence during glacial periods of four different lineages of populations inferred with SAMOVA. The main northward colonisation of in the Iberian Peninsula occurred from refugia in southwest Iberia. This process may have been influenced by human activities (forest clearance, livestock grazing and even commerce) in the Iberian Peninsula. In contrast, populations in the Betic area have conserved a specific haplotype.
Morphological Features of the Stomach of Malayan Pangolin, Manis javanica
Authors: Nisa’ C. , Agungpriyono S. , Kitamura N. , Sasaki M. , Yamada J. , Sigit K.
Published: July 2010

With 6 figures

The morphology of the stomach of Malayan pangolin, Manis javanica was studied at macroscopic, light microscopic, and scanning electron microscopic levels. The stomach of M. javanica was C‐shaped with short lesser curvature. At the oesophageal junction, the inner smooth muscle was thickened in the greater curvature side. The entire stomach was lined by a thick cornified stratified squamous epithelium, except at the duct orifices of glands and in the pyloric gland region. The wall of the fundus was thin and devoid of glands. The gastric glands consisted of mucous, oxyntic, and pyloric glands. The mucous glands were observed in the lesser curvature (Mg‐L), in the greater curvature (Mg‐G), and in the pyloric canal (Mg‐C) respectively. The oxyntic glands were organized into gland mass, making an oval mound elevated to the gastric lumen, in the middle of the greater curvature. The oxyntic gland mass has a single common duct with opening directed to the pyloric side. This duct was surrounded by mucus gland (Mg‐G). The pyloric glands were located caudal to the pylorus. There was no sphincter at the pyloric‐duodenal junction. Large mucosal protuberance, the torus pyloricus was observed in the side of the lesser curvature of the pyloric canal. In the lumen of pyloric canal region, numerous spines and small pebbles were observed. The muscle layers in the wall of this region were considerably thickened. The present results on the stomach of M. javanica are thought to be closely related to the toothless and eating habits of this animal species.
Developmental patterning deciphered in avian chimeras
Authors: Le Douarin Nicole M.
Published: July 2010

I started my scientific carer by investigating the development of the digestive tract in the laboratory of a well‐known embryologist, Etienne Wolff, then professor at the Collège de France. My animal model was the chick embryo. The investigations that I pursued on liver development together with serendipity, led me to devise a cell‐marking technique based on the construction of chimeric embryos between two closely related species of birds, the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and the chick (Gallus gallus).

The possibility to follow the migration and fate of the cells throughout development from early embryonic stages up to hatching and even after birth, was a breakthrough in developmental biology of higher vertebrates.

This article describes some of scientific achievements based on the use of this technique in my laboratory during the last 38 years.
Developmental biology of the social amoeba: History, current knowledge and prospects
Authors: Urushihara Hideko
Published: July 2010

The cellular slime molds are known as the social amoebae because they conditionally construct multicellular forms in which cell differentiation takes place. Among them, Dictyostelium discoideum has many advantages as an experimental system and is widely used as a model organism. This review aims to reconsider how it has contributed to the understanding of developmental mechanisms and what should be done in the future. Chemotaxis, cell differentiation, genome and transcriptome, and the ecological and evolutionary implications of development are discussed.
Functional analysis of chick heparan sulfate 6‐O‐sulfotransferases in limb bud development
Authors: Kobayashi Takashi , Habuchi Hiroko , Nogami Ken , Ashikari‐Hada Satoko , Tamura Koji , Ide Hiroyuki , Kimata Koji
Published: July 2010

Heparan sulfate (HS) interacts with numerous growth factors, morphogens, receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins. Disruption of HS synthetic enzymes causes perturbation of growth factor signaling and malformation in vertebrate and invertebrate development. Our previous studies show that the O‐sulfation patterns of HS are essential for the specific binding of growth factors to HS chains, and that depletion of O‐sulfotransferases results in remarkable developmental defects in Drosophila, zebrafish, chick, and mouse. Here, we show that inhibition of chick HS‐6‐O‐sulfotransferases (HS6ST‐1 and HS6ST‐2) in the prospective limb region by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in the truncation of limb buds and reduced Fgf‐8 and Fgf‐10 expressions in the apical ectodermal ridge and in the underlying mesenchyme, respectively. HS6ST‐2 RNAi resulted in a higher frequency of limb truncation and a more marked change in both Fgf‐8 and Fgf‐10 expressions than that achieved with HS6ST‐1 RNAi. HS6ST‐1 RNAi and HS6ST‐2 RNAi caused a significant but distinct reduction in the levels of different 6‐O‐sulfation in HS, possibly as a result of their different substrate specificities. Our data support a model where proper levels and patterns of 6‐O‐sulfation of HS play essential roles in chick limb bud development.
Low‐dose valaciclovir and cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in high‐risk renal transplant recipients
Authors: TOUSSAINT NIGEL D , TAN MARCUS BP , NICHOLLS KATHY , WALKER ROWAN G , COHNEY SOLOMON J
Published: July 2010

Background:  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains an important cause of disease in renal transplant recipients. Prophylaxis is effective in reducing disease; however, the optimal regimen remains uncertain. We assessed the efficacy of low‐dose valaciclovir (3 months) and intravenous CMV immunoglobulin in the prevention of CMV disease in CMV‐negative recipients of kidneys from CMV‐positive donors (D+/R−).

Methods:  A single‐centre, retrospective study examining the incidence of CMV disease and patient and graft survival in all patients transplanted between October 2000 and November 2004.

Results:  Among 203 renal transplant recipients, 46 were D+/R− (22.7%) and received prophylaxis. Of the 203 recipients, 21 (10.3%) developed CMV disease over a four‐year follow‐up period. Within the D+/R− group, CMV disease occurred in 15.2% of patients at 6 months (7/46), and 21.7% at 4 years (10/46). Of the 10 D+/R− patients who developed CMV disease, six were inadvertently on a dose of valaciclovir below that dictated by protocol arising from a failure to increase dosage in parallel with improving recipient renal function. In the D+/R− recipients where the protocol was adhered to, the incidence of CMV disease was 5% (2/40) at 6 months, and 10% (4/40) at 4 years.

Conclusion:  Low‐dose valaciclovir with CMV immunoglobulin was as efficacious in preventing CMV disease as other published regimens, including those with full‐dose valaciclovir and valganciclovir. There was a low incidence of CMV disease beyond 6 months. Outcomes could be improved by ensuring appropriate dose adjustment following changes in renal function.
Chemical mediation of reciprocal mother–offspring recognition in the Southern Water Skink (Eulamprus heatwolei)
Authors: HEAD MEGAN L. , DOUGHTY PAUL , BLOMBERG SIMON P. , KEOGH J. SCOTT
Published: July 2010

Abstract  Kin recognition has been demonstrated to play an important role in the social structure of a wide range of animals. Most studies to date have examined parent–offspring recognition only in species that provide offspring with direct parental care, however, there are several advantages to parent–offspring recognition even in the absence of direct parental care. In this study we investigated reciprocal mother–offspring recognition in the Australian scincid lizard Eulamprus heatwolei, a species that does not show direct parental care. We examined whether neonates could discriminate between their mothers and unrelated females, and whether females could discriminate between their offspring and unrelated neonates, via chemical cues, using retreat site selection experiments. We conducted trials when neonates were 1 and 4 weeks old to investigate whether responses are maintained as neonates age. We found that both neonates and mothers could discriminate between related and unrelated individuals when neonates were 1 week old. Mothers were more likely to take refuge under tiles treated with the odours of their own offspring, while neonates spent less time in areas treated with the odours of unrelated females. At 4 weeks of age, mothers no longer exhibited discriminatory behaviour between their offspring and unrelated neonates, while neonates were more likely to associate with the odour of any female over the odourless control. We hypothesize that reciprocal mother–offspring recognition in E. heatwolei reduces interference competition between mothers and their offspring and also may be important in habitat selection and territory establishment.
ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF A BENIGN COLOCUTANEOUS AND ENTEROCOLIC FISTULA BY INSERTION OF OVERLAPPING SELF‐EXPANDABLE METAL STENTS
Authors: Small Aaron J , Sawyer Mark D , Baron Todd H
Published: July 2010

We report the successful closure of fistulae at the site of a benign colocolonic anastomotic stricture using self‐expandable metal stents (SEMS). The stricture and fistulae developed after sigmoid colon resection for diverticulitis. After closure of the fistulae with a covered stent and resolution of inflammation, 10 months later the patient elected to undergo one‐stage resection of the diseased colon and stent. Although there have been previously reported cases of SEMS for closure of malignant colonic fistula, there are limited reports of SEMS for closure of benign colonic fistulae and none demonstrate long‐term success. We conclude that this patient exemplifies the potential applications of SEMS as definitive therapy for benign colorectal disease.
Hyponatraemia in older people as a sign of adrenal insufficiency: a case–control study
Authors: Winchester Behr T. , Sonnenblick M. , Nesher G. , Munter G.
Published: July 2010

Background: Hyponatraemia is a common cause of hospitalisation in older adults. Adrenal insufficiency (AI) can result in hyponatraemia.

Aim: The aim of our study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of AI in elderly patients with hyponatraemia.

Methods: Thirty patients ≥65 years with Na+≤130 mmol/L and 30 age‐matched control subjects, all hospitalised, were included in the study. Plasma cortisol levels were determined before and after intravenous administration of 1 µg synthetic adrenocorticotropin hormone. A peak cortisol >550 nmol/L was considered to exclude AI.

Results: Sodium levels were 125 ± 5 and 139.8 ± 2 mmol/L in the hyponatremic and control groups respectively. Baseline cortisol <550 nmol/L was found in a half of hyponatremic patients. However, stimulated cortisol levels were compatible with AI in only one case (3%) and none of the controls. The mean cortisol levels were significantly higher in hyponatremic compared with control subjects, both in the basal state (585 ± 215 and 381 ± 135 nmol/L, respectively, P < 0.001) and after stimulation (933 ± 254 and 781 ± 160 nmol/L, P < 0.05). However, the incremental increase in cortisol levels after stimulation was similar in the two groups (361 ± 196 and 403 ± 155 nmol/L)

Conclusions: AI is an uncommon cause of hyponatraemia in older age. Based on this small cohort, AI may be present in 3% of elderly patients with hyponatraemia. AI cannot be excluded by baseline cortisol in a significant minority of hyponatremic patients and further testing with adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulation is needed.
Specific inhibitory synapses shift the balance from feedforward to feedback inhibition of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells
Authors: Elfant David , Pál Balázs Zoltán , Emptage Nigel , Capogna Marco
Published: July 2010

Feedforward and feedback inhibition are two fundamental modes of operation widespread in the nervous system. We have functionally identified synaptic connections between rat CA1 hippocampal interneurons of the stratum oriens (SO) and interneurons of the stratum lacunosum moleculare (SLM), which can act as feedback and feedforward interneurons, respectively. The unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents (uIPSCs) detected with K‐gluconate‐based patch solution at −50 mV had an amplitude of 20.0 ± 2.0 pA, rise time 2.2 ± 0.2 ms, decay time 25 ± 2.2 ms, jitter 1.4 ± 0.2 ms (average ± SEM, n = 39), and were abolished by the γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor antagonist 2‐(3‐carboxypropyl)‐3‐amino‐6‐methoxyphenyl‐pyridazinium bromide (SR 95531). Post hoc anatomical characterization revealed that all but one of the identified presynaptic neurons were oriens‐lacunosum moleculare (O‐LM) cells, whereas the postsynaptic neurons were highly heterogeneous, including neurogliaform (n = 4), basket (n = 4), Schaffer collateral‐associated (n = 10) and perforant path‐associated (n = 9) cells. We investigated the short‐term plasticity expressed at these synapses, and found that stimulation at 10–40 Hz resulted in short‐term depression of uIPSCs. This short‐term plasticity was determined by presynaptic factors and was not target‐cell specific. We found that the feedforward inhibition elicited by the direct cortical input including the perforant path onto CA1 pyramidal cells was modulated through the inhibitory synapses we have characterized. Our data show that the inhibitory synapses between interneurons of the SO and SLM shift the balance between feedback and feedforward inhibition onto CA1 pyramidal neurons.
Activation of dopamine D1/D5 receptors facilitates the induction of presynaptic long‐term potentiation at hippocampal output synapses
Authors: Roggenhofer Elisabeth , Fidzinski Pawel , Bartsch Julia , Kurz Felix , Shor Oded , Behr Joachim
Published: July 2010

Encoding of novel information has been proposed to rely on the time‐locked release of dopamine in the hippocampal formation during novelty detection. However, the site of novelty detection in the hippocampus remains a matter of debate. According to current models, the CA1 and the subiculum act as detectors and distributors of novel sensory information. Although most CA1 pyramidal neurons exhibit regular‐spiking behavior, the majority of subicular pyramidal neurons fire high‐frequency bursts of action potentials. The present study investigates the efficacy of dopamine D1/D5 receptor activation to facilitate the induction of activity‐dependent long‐term potentiation (LTP) in rat CA1 regular‐spiking and subicular burst‐spiking pyramidal cells. Using a weak stimulation protocol, set at a level subthreshold for the induction of LTP, we show that activation of D1/D5 receptors for 5–10 min facilitates LTP in subicular burst‐spiking neurons but not in CA1 neurons. The results demonstrate that D1/D5 receptor‐facilitated LTP is NMDA receptor‐dependent, and requires the activation of protein kinase A. In addition, the D1/D5 receptor‐facilitated LTP is shown to be presynaptically expressed and relies on presynaptic Ca2+ signaling. The phenomenon of dopamine‐induced facilitation of presynaptic NMDA receptor‐dependent LTP in subicular burst‐spiking pyramidal cells is in accordance with observations of the time‐locked release of dopamine during novelty detection in this brain region, and reveals an intriguing mechanism for the encoding of hippocampal output information.
Evidence for early specialized processing of speech formant information in anterior and posterior human auditory cortex
Authors: Edmonds Barrie A. , James Rachel E. , Utev Alexander , Vestergaard Martin D. , Patterson Roy D. , Krumbholz Katrin
Published: July 2010

Many speech sounds, such as vowels, exhibit a characteristic pattern of spectral peaks, referred to as formants, the frequency positions of which depend both on the phonological identity of the sound (e.g. vowel type) and on the vocal‐tract length of the speaker. This study investigates the processing of formant information relating to vowel type and vocal‐tract length in human auditory cortex by measuring electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to synthetic unvoiced vowels and spectrally matched noises. The results revealed specific sensitivity to vowel formant information in both anterior (planum polare) and posterior (planum temporale) regions of auditory cortex. The vowel‐specific responses in these two areas appeared to have different temporal dynamics; the anterior source produced a sustained response for as long as the incoming sound was a vowel, whereas the posterior source responded transiently when the sound changed from a noise to a vowel, or when there was a change in vowel type. Moreover, the posterior source appeared to be largely invariant to changes in vocal‐tract length. The current findings indicate that the initial extraction of vowel type from formant information is complete by the level of non‐primary auditory cortex, suggesting that speech‐specific processing may involve primary auditory cortex, or even subcortical structures. This challenges the view that specific sensitivity to speech emerges only beyond unimodal auditory cortex.
Effects of urethane anaesthesia on sensory processing in the rat barrel cortex revealed by combined optical imaging and electrophysiology
Authors: Devonshire Ian M. , Grandy Thomas H. , Dommett Eleanor J. , Greenfield Susan A.
Published: July 2010

The spatiotemporal dynamics of neuronal assemblies evoked by sensory stimuli have not yet been fully characterised, especially the extent to which they are modulated by prevailing brain states. In order to examine this issue, we induced different levels of anaesthesia, distinguished by specific electroencephalographic indices, and compared somatosensory‐evoked potentials (SEPs) with voltage‐sensitive dye imaging (VSDI) responses in the rat barrel cortex evoked by whisker deflection. At deeper levels of anaesthesia, all responses were reduced in amplitude but, surprisingly, only VSDI responses exhibited prolonged activation resulting in a delayed return to baseline. Further analysis of the optical signal demonstrated that the reduction in response amplitude was constant across the area of activation, resulting in a global down‐scaling of the population response. The manner in which the optical signal relates to the various neuronal generators that produce the SEP signal is also discussed. These data provide information regarding the impact of anaesthetic agents on the brain, and show the value of combining spatial analyses from neuroimaging approaches with more traditional electrophysiological techniques.
Secreted factors as synaptic organizers
Authors: Johnson‐Venkatesh Erin M. , Umemori Hisashi
Published: July 2010

A critical step in synaptic development is the differentiation of presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments. This complex process is regulated by a variety of secreted factors that serve as synaptic organizers. Specifically, fibroblast growth factors, Wnts, neurotrophic factors and various other intercellular signaling molecules are proposed to regulate presynaptic and/or postsynaptic differentiation. Many of these factors appear to function at both the neuromuscular junction and in the central nervous system, although the specific function of the molecules differs between the two. Here we review secreted molecules that organize the synaptic compartments and discuss how these molecules shape synaptic development, focusing on mammalian in vivo systems. Their critical role in shaping a functional neural circuit is underscored by their possible link to a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders both in animal models and by mutations identified in human patients.
AMPA receptor trafficking and learning
Authors: Keifer J. , Zheng Z.
Published: July 2010

In the last few years it has become clear that AMPA‐type glutamate neurotransmitter receptors are rapidly transported into and out of synapses to strengthen or weaken their function. The remarkable dynamics of AMPA receptor (AMPAR) synaptic localization provides a compelling mechanism for understanding the cellular basis of learning and memory, as well as disease states involving cognitive dysfunction. Here, we summarize the evidence for AMPAR trafficking as a mechanism underlying a variety of learned responses derived from both behavioral and cellular studies. Evidence is also reviewed supporting synaptic dysfunction related to impaired AMPAR trafficking as a mechanism underlying learning and memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease. We conclude that emerging data support the concept of multistage AMPAR trafficking during learning and that a broad approach to include examination of all of the AMPAR subunits will provide a more complete view of the mechanisms underlying multiple forms of learning.
Calcium dynamics at developing synapses: mechanisms and functions
Authors: Michaelsen Kristin , Lohmann Christian
Published: July 2010

During brain maturation, neurons form specific connections with each other to establish functional neuronal circuits. The processes underlying the development of connectivity, such as the selection of synaptic partners and the fine‐tuning of neuronal networks, act with single‐synapse precision. Calcium is an intracellular secondary messenger that operates with remarkable spatio‐temporal specificity and regulates functional and structural adaptations at the level of individual synapses. Although the structure, molecular composition and function of an emerging synapse changes dramatically during its development, the single‐synapse specificity of calcium signaling is maintained at every step of synapse formation: when the first contacts between axons and dendrites form, during the onset of synaptic function and later, when spine synapses emerge. Here, we describe the mechanisms that help developing neurons to confine calcium signaling to individual synapses, and discuss how these local calcium dynamics facilitate the development of accurate neuronal connections at each step of synapse maturation.
Learning rules and persistence of dendritic spines
Authors: Kasai Haruo , Hayama Tatsuya , Ishikawa Motoko , Watanabe Satoshi , Yagishita Sho , Noguchi Jun
Published: July 2010

Structural plasticity of dendritic spines underlies learning, memory and cognition in the cerebral cortex. We here summarize fifteen rules of spine structural plasticity, or ‘spine learning rules.’ Together, they suggest how the spontaneous generation, selection and strengthening (SGSS) of spines represents the physical basis for learning and memory. This SGSS mechanism is consistent with Hebb’s learning rule but suggests new relations between synaptic plasticity and memory. We describe the cellular and molecular bases of the spine learning rules, such as the persistence of spine structures and the fundamental role of actin, which polymerizes to form a ‘memory gel’ required for the selection and strengthening of spine synapses. We also discuss the possible link between transcriptional and translational regulation of structural plasticity. The SGSS mechanism and spine learning rules elucidate the integral nature of synaptic plasticity in neuronal network operations within the actual brain tissue.
Fast AMPAR trafficking for a high‐frequency synaptic transmission
Authors: Choquet Daniel
Published: July 2010

AMPA‐type glutamate receptors (AMPARs), as well as most other transmembrane proteins, are not stable in the postsynaptic density as was previously thought, but undergo constant trafficking in and out of synapses by a combination of endo/exocytosis and lateral diffusion. The respective contributions of membrane recycling events and surface trafficking to setting AMPAR numbers at synapses have been the subject of intense debate. Although this discussion is not yet settled, it is safe to state that both categories of processes participate in receptor exchange at synapses at rest and during various forms of plasticity. More unexpectedly, AMPARs can diffuse at such high rates within the postsynaptic density itself that their surface trafficking could participate not only in setting receptor numbers at individual synapses but also in tuning synaptic transmission during short‐term plasticity. I here review recent results that characterize the activity‐dependent properties of AMPAR surface trafficking and their possible links to fast synaptic transmission.
Self‐supervision, surveillance and transgression
Authors: Simon Gail
Published: July 2010

Transgressionis not only an inevitable part of systemic supervision but is also necessary if we are to work towards innovative and inclusive supervisory and therapeutic practice. Defying culturally generated ‘rules’ of systemic practice can allow for more relevant and productive ways of talking. Systemic practitioners are increasingly finding themselves trying to practice systemic therapy in employing authorities and training courses which are dominated by inflexible professional narratives and manualised procedures. Our profession is committed to ethical inner and outer dialogue, to self‐ and relational reflexivity as distinct from the rule‐bound surveillance culture in which we live and work. Systemic supervisors and therapists may find themselves at odds with monological institutional discourse and attempts from within our own profession to manualise practice. I introduce examples from supervisory conversations to illustrate how supervisors can develop more culturally sensitive practices through supporting practitioners to hear and have heard their own marginalised and oppressed voices and those of their clients.
A metaphoric evaluation: students' self‐appraisal at the end of the course year
Authors: Bond Sharon
Published: July 2010

This article focuses on an exercise to facilitate students' self‐evaluation at the end of a course year. It describes an externalizing technique using objects as metaphors . Although developed in the context of a foundation level course, it is equally relevant for evaluating learning at any stage.
From feedback to reflexivity: inspirations by a ‘polyphonic dialogue' methodology in trainees’ evaluation
Authors: Tseliou Eleftheria
Published: July 2010

This article discusses a method of using elements of Jaakko Seikkula's ‘polyphonic dialogue’ approach in the context of trainee evaluation at a four‐year course in systemic family therapy. The method attempts to shift the emphasis from feedback and ‘monologue’ to reflexivity, dialogue and polyphony, thus aiming at promoting reflexive, dialogic and collaborative practices in training.
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION: THE THIRD WAY AND PFI
Authors: CONNOLLY CIARAN , MARTIN GARY , WALL ANTHONY
Published: July 2010

In 1997, New Labour set about the task of reforming public services in the United Kingdom through the use of an ideology that became known as the ‘Third Way’. This research examines the context from which this concept emerged, and explores its relationship with the tools of delivery, with particular reference to the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The paper begins by reviewing the Third Way, before analysing the arguments for and against PFI. Using an example from the Northern Ireland education sector, the paper argues that the characteristics associated with the Third Way are mirrored in the operational tools of public service delivery, such as PFI. The paper concludes that, within the context of the case study reviewed, there is a ‘consistent pragmatism’ in play in relation to how these delivery initiatives are operated and how they relate to their conceptual underpinnings.
Sociology and the Body: Classical Traditions and New Agendas
Authors: Shilling Chris
Published: July 2010

Reflecting developments in consumer culture, the politics of social movements, public health policy, and medical technologies, the body has since the early 1980s become one of the most popular and contested areas of academic study. The following discussion introduces this monograph by positioning the body as a subject within contemporary sociology, accounting for the discipline's historical ambivalence towards embodiment in terms of sociology's foundations, and tracing the factors behind the ‘rise of the body’ across the social sciences and humanities. Having examined the background to the subject, I then explore how this volume makes three main contributions towards the ongoing embodiment of the discipline. The chapters that follow explicate and build sociologically upon the legacy of sociological, feminist and anthropological approaches towards embodiment. They also apply these approaches to issues such as conflict, health, cultural differences and technology that have become increasingly important in contemporary society. Finally, they demonstrate the empirical utility of taking embodiment seriously via a series of case-studies that focus on body pedagogics. In so doing, they outline a new approach towards the body, able to combine a concern with social power, cultural (re)production, lived experience and physical change.
Culture, Technologies and Bodies: The Technological Utopia of Living Forever
Authors: Turner Bryan S.
Published: July 2010

There are two parts to my discussion of the sociology of the body. I first examine, via an account of the development of anthropology and sociology, how technology and culture have historically been analysed as mediations between the scarcity of natural resources and the vulnerable human body. Technology has been crucial in providing societies with some control or dominion over nature, including therefore control over the human body, yet is often thought to involve hubris against the gods and a threat to human life. Culture, in contrast, has more usually been seen as nurturing nature, providing humans with a symbolic means of mediating and domesticating their external physical environment. Whereas culture nurtures nature, technology can so easily destroy it. In the second part of my article, I demonstrate how these conceptual distinctions have assumed new dimensions in the contemporary era and analyse these by focusing on the implications of medical technologies for longevity (for example, therapeutic stem-cell research, regenerative medicine, and new reproductive technologies). Medical technology holds out the promise of prolongevity as a new mirage of health, offering life-enhancement or the secular promise of eternal life.
Somatic Elements in Social Conflict
Authors: Levine Donald N.
Published: July 2010

Although social conflict has obvious ties with physical combat, the literature on social conflict ignores its corporeal substratum. Reviewing that literature yields a paradigm of sources of conflict comprising six major variables: hostility level, reactivity, rigidity, moral righteousness, weak conflict-aversive values, and ineffective dampening factors. Each of those variables has some representation in the body. Realizing this enables us to ask what kinds of conflict-relevant meanings emanate from processes within the human body itself, and what supra-organismic variables imbue bodily conduct with meanings that relate to conflict. That analysis in turn opens up a new dimension of the general theory of action by way of amending Parsons-Lidzes's concept of the behavioural system. The chapter suggests calling this the actional organism – the subsystem of action where the organism's input of energies and the inputs from sources of meanings meet and interpenetrate.
Reclaiming Women's Bodies: Colonialist Trope or Critical Epistemology?
Authors: Davis Kathy
Published: July 2010

In a path-breaking essay, ‘The Virtual Speculum in the New World Order (1999),’ Donna Haraway links Our Bodies, Ourselves (the book and the slogan) to a critique of the US women's health movement, claiming that both draw implicitly upon colonialist metaphors of discovery and acquisition of territory. Haraway's critique does not stand alone, but belongs to a broader discussion within poststructuralist feminist theory which has been concerned with denaturalizing the female body, with the rejection of ‘experience’ as basis for feminist knowledge projects, and with deconstructing women's position as autonomous epistemic agents. Given the popularity of this much-cited and often reprinted essay, as well as Haraway's enormous influence on feminist (body) theory, feminist epistemology and technoscience politics, I will use her essay to consider the gap between contemporary poststructuralist feminist theory and women's health activism. On the basis of alternative feminist theoretical (phenomenological) perspectives on women's bodies and embodiment, I conclude that Haraway's critique, while provocative, has little to offer as an epistemological foundation for feminist health activism.
Researching Embodiment by Way of ‘Body Techniques’
Authors: Crossley Nick
Published: July 2010

In this chapter I reflect upon the importance of Marcel Mauss’ concept of ‘body techniques’ for facilitating an empirical analysis of embodiment. I begin by arguing that sociology is not guilty of mind/body dualism, in the philosophical sense, but tends rather to take the embodiment of actions and practices for granted and thus to overlook it, much as Leder suggests happens more generally in everyday, lay experience. It is the purpose, knowledge-base and normativity of actions and practices that has tended to be thematized in sociology, I observe. The importance of Mauss’ concept, I continue, is that it thematizes embodiment, simultaneously drawing attention to the socio-cultural variability of particular ways of acting, without losing sight of purpose, knowledge or normativity. Indeed it draws all of these aspects of action together. Having made these points in an abstract manner, the chapter attempts to show how this innovation can and has shaped empirical work in social science. An empirical focus upon body techniques, I suggest, facilitates an empirical engagement with the embodiment of the social world.
Embodied Knowledge in Glassblowing: The Experience of Meaning and the Struggle towards Proficiency
Authors: O'Connor Erin
Published: July 2010

Becoming a proficient glassblower involves an indispensable shift away from cognitive readings of practice towards corporeal readings, marking the development of proficient practical knowledge. In learning glassblowing myself in the course of an ethnography of handicrafts in New York City, the subtleties of apprenticeship, the modes of reading and understanding the practice, both cognitive and corporeal, have emerged, complexifying our understanding of the transmission, development, and modalities of practical knowledge. Such ethnographic dissection brings phenomenological considerations to bear on the question of achieving proficient practical knowledge, and enables us to sharpen our understanding of the role of meaning in practice.
Vulnerable/Dangerous Bodies? The Trials and Tribulations of Sleep
Authors: Williams Simon J.
Published: July 2010

Sleep provides us with a unique vantage point on the sociology of living in/as a body. We are sleeping as well as waking beings. Sleeping, moreover, is embodied and embedded in the social world. Whilst many of us derive great comfort or pleasure from our sleep, this chapter explores the other face of sleep, namely the vulnerabilities and dangers it embodies and engenders, potentially at least, to self and others. This in turn provides the basis, towards the end of the chapter, for a broader series of sociological reflections on the growing problematization or politics of sleep in a 24/7 risk society where sleep is now becoming a matter of ‘public concern’. Sleep, it is concluded, is a crucial yet sociologically overlooked aspect of our embodiment; a shared embodied vulnerability that, at one and the same time, unites and divides us.
Participation in God and the Nature of Christian Community: Robert Jenson and Eberhard Jüngel
Authors: KLINE PETER
Published: July 2010

This article explores the theme of the church's participation in God by way of two contemporary theologians' accounts of the matter: Robert Jenson and Eberhard Jüngel. Specifically, the question of how Jenson's and Jüngel's respective accounts of the church's participation in God determine their accounts of the church's presence in and to the world is explored. The theme of ‘mission’ is taken up along the way, and it is suggested that Jenson's construal of the church's place in God prevents a sustained account of the church's sending into the world. Jüngel's construal of the church's participation in God, it is argued, allows for an alternative depiction of the church's presence in and to the world that accounts for the fundamentally missionary nature of the Christian community.
A new potent natural antioxidant mixture provides global protection against oxidative skin cell damage
Authors: Jorge A. T. S. , Arroteia K. F. , Lago J. C. , de Sá‐Rocha V. M. , Gesztesi J. , Moreira P. L.
Published: July 2010

Synopsis

Oxidative stress occurs when there is an over production of free radicals and cells are not able to neutralize them by their own antioxidant mechanisms. These excess of free radicals will attack cellular macromolecules leading to cell damage, function impairment or death. Because of that, antioxidant substances have been largely used in products to offer complementary protection. In this study a new mixture of three known antioxidants (cocoa, green tea and alpha‐tocopherol) was evaluated and its antioxidant protection was assessed focusing on its capacity to protect main cell macromolecules. Results have shown that it has a high antioxidant capacity by protecting lipids, DNA and proteins against oxidative damage. The antioxidant effect of the mixture on cells was also investigated and it was able to reduce oxidative stress generated by lipopolisacharide in human fibroblasts. Finally, as the mixture has proved to be highly antioxidant, its effect on cell senescence was evaluated, and it was demonstrated that fibroblasts in culture had delayed senescence when treated with these actives on a mixture. All results together provide important data about a new antioxidant mixture that uses a small amount of actives and is able to protect cell against oxidative damages in a global way.
High prevalence and risk factors of thromboembolism in stage IV melanoma
Authors: Sparsa A , Durox H , Doffoel‐Hantz V , Munyangango E‐M , Bédane C , Cendras J , Gantois C , Boulinguez S , Bonnetblanc J‐M
Published: July 2010

Background  Patients with cancer are at a high risk of thromboembolism (TE), which contributes to morbidity and mortality. Several case reports of thromboembolic events have been reported in patients with melanoma in the literature.

Objective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in stage IV melanoma and determine risk factors, outcomes associated with the development of VTE and the number of haemorrhagic complications in patients under anti‐coagulant treatment.

Patients and Methods  In this retrospective study, we included all consecutive patients with stage IV melanoma among 290 patients followed‐up in the department of Dermatology each year between January 2005 and 31 December 2007. The diagnosis of VTE was confirmed by venous ultrasound, pulmonary perfusion‐ventilation technetium scan and angiography. The primary outcome was to evaluate the number of TE diagnosed in stage IV melanoma patients. The secondary outcomes were to study the influence of TE on survival, its prevalence according to metastatic sites and to evaluate the number of haemorrhagic complications.

Results  Twenty‐four VTE events were found [25.2% (CI: 16.5–34)]. Eighteen VTE were deep venous thrombosis in lower limbs associated with pulmonary embolism (PE) in 50% of cases. Twenty‐five percent were asymptomatic and were revealed in the pulmonary scan performed for follow‐up. Eight percent of VTE events revealed stage IV melanoma. Seventeen patients developed thrombosis at home after stopping heparin prophylaxis. Seven thrombotic events occurred during oral anti‐coagulant therapy.

Conclusion  We found as high a prevalence of VTE in stage IV melanoma as in lung and gastrointestinal cancers. All patients suffered thrombotic events when they were treated with chemotherapy and at home when they stopped heparin prophylaxis. Therefore, heparin prophylaxis should be maintained at home.