bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of patient and doctor gender on diagnosing coronary heart disease
Authors: Adams Ann , Buckingham Christopher D. , Lindenmeyer Antje , McKinlay John B. , Link Carol , Marceau Lisa , Arber Sara
Published: January 2009

Using novel methods, this paper explores sources of uncertainty and gender bias in primary care doctors’ diagnostic decision‐making about coronary heart disease (CHD). Claims about gendered consultation styles and quality of care are re‐examined, along with the adequacy of CHD models for women. Randomly selected doctors in the UK and the US (n = 112, 56 per country, stratified by gender) were shown standardised videotaped vignettes of actors portraying patients with CHD. Patients’ age, gender, ethnicity and social class were varied systematically. During interviews, doctors gave free‐recall accounts of their decision‐making, which were analysed to determine patient and doctor gender effects. We found differences in male and female doctors’ responses to different types of patient information. Female doctors recall more patient cues overall, particularly about history presentation, and particularly amongst women. Male doctors appear less affected by patient gender but both male and especially female doctors take more account of male patients’ age, and consider more age‐related disease possibilities for men than women. Findings highlight the need for better integration of knowledge about female presentations within accepted CHD risk models, and do not support the contention that women receive better‐quality care from female doctors.
‘Ordinary people only’: knowledge, representativeness, and the publics of public participation in healthcare
Authors: Martin Graham P.
Published: January 2009

Public involvement in healthcare is a prominent policy in countries across the economically developed world. A growing body of academic literature has focused on public participation, often presenting dichotomies between good and bad practice: between initiatives that offer empowerment and those constrained by consumerism, or between those which rely for recruitment on self‐selecting members of the public, and those including a more broad‐based, statistically representative group. In this paper I discuss the apparent tensions between differing rationales for participation, relating recent discussions about the nature of representation in public involvement to parallel writings about the contribution of laypeople's expertise and experience. In the academic literature, there is, I suggest, a thin line between democratic justifications for involvement, suggesting a representative role for involved publics, and technocratic ideas about the potential ‘expert’ contributions of particular subgroups of the public. Analysing recent policy documents on participation in healthcare in England, I seek moreover to show how contemporary policy transcends both categories, demanding complex roles of involved publics which invoke various qualities seen as important in governing the interface between state and society. I relate this to social‐theoretical perspectives on the relationship between governmental authority and citizens in late‐modern society.
The challenge of fitting in: non‐participation and withdrawal from an online self‐help group for breast cancer patients
Authors: Sandaunet Anne‐Grete
Published: January 2009

Online self‐help groups multiply peoples’ possibilities to exchange information and social support. Such possibilities are expected to be of crucial value for the ‘new’ healthcare user. However, similar to experiences from face‐to‐face based groups, studies of online self‐help groups report high drop‐out rates. Knowledge about why this happens is scarce. By means of qualitative interviews and participant observation, this article examines non‐participation and withdrawal from an online self‐help group for Norwegian breast cancer patients. Five conditions are identified as barriers to use; a need to avoid painful details about cancer, not being ‘ill enough’ to participate, the challenge of establishing a legitimate position in the group, the organisation of everyday life and illness phases that did not motivate for self‐help group participation. I suggest that an adoption of the biomedical explanation model represents an important background for this pattern, an argument which contrasts prominent assumptions about the new healthcare user who does not accept the biomedical ‘restitution story’ in her efforts to make sense of an illness. A further suggestion is that experiences of self‐help groups as arenas for successful coping need to be further considered as a barrier to use.
Producing genetic knowledge and citizenship through the Internet: mothers, pediatric genetics, and cybermedicine
Authors: Schaffer Rebecca , Kuczynski Kristine , Skinner Debra
Published: January 2009

This article analyses data from a longitudinal, ethnographic study conducted in the United States to examine how 100 mothers of children with genetic disorders used the Internet to interpret, produce, and circulate genetic knowledge pertaining to their child's condition. We describe how they came to value their own experiential knowledge, helped shift the boundaries of what counts as authoritative knowledge, and assumed the role of genetic citizen, fighting for specific rights while shouldering and contesting concomitant duties and obligations. This exploration of e‐health use contributes to our understanding of the social practices and power relations that cut across online and off‐line worlds to co‐produce genetic knowledge and genetic citizenship in multiple contexts.
REGULAR VARIATION AND SMILE ASYMPTOTICS
Authors: Benaim S. , Friz P.
Published: January 2009

We consider risk‐neutral returns and show how their tail asymptotics translate directly to asymptotics of the implied volatility smile, thereby sharpening Roger Lee's celebrated moment formula. The theory of regular variation provides the ideal mathematical framework to formulate and prove such results. The practical value of our formulae comes from the vast literature on tail asymptotics and our conditions are often seen to be true by simple inspection of known results.
CAPITAL ALLOCATION AND RISK CONTRIBUTION WITH DISCRETE‐TIME COHERENT RISK
Authors: Cherny Alexander S.
Published: January 2009

We define the capital allocation and the risk contribution for discrete‐time coherent risk measures and provide several equivalent representations of these objects. The formulations and the proofs are based on two instruments introduced in the paper: a probabilistic notion of the extreme system and a geometric notion of the generator. These notions are also of interest on their own and are important for other applications of coherent risk measures. All the concepts and results are illustrated by JP Morgan's Risk Metrics model.
Measuring function in advanced ALS: validation of ALSFRS‐EX extension items
Authors: Wicks P. , Massagli M. P. , Wolf C. , Heywood J.
Published: January 2009

Background:  With the aid of assistive technology, some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are able to live for several years past the lowest measurable level of function on the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale – Revised (ALSFRS‐R), a widely used end‐point in ALS assessment. There is a research need to monitor patient function at the end of life, particularly in the face of severe impairment or ‘locked in syndrome’.

Methods:  We used an online community for people with ALS (PALS) (PatientsLikeMe) to construct and pilot a number of new items to add to the ALSFRS‐R scale to improve its sensitivity at lower levels of physical function in patients with advanced ALS.

Results:  Ten new scale items were generated by a survey of PALS with advanced disease. These were added to the existing ALSFRS‐R and data was received from 326 PALS as baseline with 271 PALS (83%) completing a 1‐week test‐retest and 218 PALS (67%), completing a 3‐month retest.

Conclusions:  Three new items were selected which conformed to the existing factor structure of the ALFRS‐R. These relate to the ability to use fingers to manipulate devices, ability to show emotional expression in the face, and ability to get around inside the home. Real‐world validation is the next step to assess the utility of the ALFRS‐EX.
Efficacy of natalizumab in multiple sclerosis patients with high disease activity: a Danish nationwide study
Authors: Oturai A. B. , Koch‐Henriksen N. , Petersen T. , Jensen P. E. H. , Sellebjerg F. , Sorensen P. S.
Published: January 2009

Introduction:  Previous studies of natalizumab (Tysabri®) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have included patients with moderate disease activity. We studied a patient population with high disease activity.

Patients and Methods:  We analyzed data from 234 consecutive, natalizumab‐treated patients, followed for at least 3 months. Three groups of patients were eligible for natalizumab therapy: patients with two or more documented relapses or sustained increase of 2 EDSS points on disease modifying therapy (DMT) in the previous year; patients switching from mitoxantrone; and patients with very active MS as de novo therapy.

Results:  During a median observation time of 11.3 months (range 3.0–21.5) the annualized relapse rate decreased to 0.68 from a pre‐treatment rate of 2.53 (73% reduction). We assessed the annualized relapse rate in three subgroups: (i) 0.83 in 14 (6.0%) de novo treated patients; (ii) 0.71 in 175 (74.8%) patients with ≥2 relapses or sustained increase in EDSS of ≥2 points on a first‐line DMT; and (iii) 0.56 in 45 (19.2%) patients switching from mitoxantrone. Nine anaphylactoid reactions, two severe, were reported. Out of 215 patients 7 (3%) were persistently positive for antibodies to natalizumab.

Conclusions:  Tysabri appears to be effective in MS patients with high disease activity, but the relapse rate was higher than in the pivotal study after the first treatment year. This is likely to reflect differences in disease activity before the initiation of natalizumab treatment.
Pallidal stimulation in cervical dystonia: clinical implications of acute changes in stimulation parameters
Authors: Moro E. , Piboolnurak P. , Arenovich T. , Hung S. W. , Poon Y.‐Y. , Lozano A. M.
Published: January 2009

Background and purpose:  Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) is successful in dystonia, but the role of each electrical parameters of stimulation is unclear. We studied the clinical effects of acute changes of different parameters of GPi–DBS in cervical dystonia (CD).

Methods:  Eight CD patients with bilateral GPi–DBS at 28.6 ± 19.2 (mean ± SD) months after surgery were recruited. Mean improvement in the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) severity score was 54.5% compared to before surgery. Ten settings, including a combination of a wide range of pulse widths (PWs), low and high frequencies and voltage, were administered in a randomized double blinded fashion. Clinical benefit was assessed by two raters using the TWSTRS and by the patients using an analogue rating scale.

Results:  The TWSTRS severity scores were reduced by 56.7% with stimulation at the best settings. Improvement was significantly associated with high frequency (≥60 Hz) and high voltage. Stimulation at 130 Hz showed the best clinical improvement. Increasing PWs (from 60 to 450 μs) did not result in a significant improvement.

Conclusion:  Frequency and amplitude appear to be the most important factors in the acute anti‐dystonic effects in GPi–DBS patients with CD.
Psoriasis associated with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
Authors: Cohen AD , Dreiher J , Birkenfeld S
Published: January 2009

Background  Numerous reports have demonstrated the epidemiological, pathogenic, and genetic association between psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Nevertheless, the association between psoriasis and ulcerative colitis was rarely described.

Objective  This study aims to investigate the association between psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Study design  Case‐control study.

Setting  The study was performed utilizing the large medical dataset of Clalit Health Services.

Methods  Psoriasis patients were compared to controls regarding the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in a case–control study using logistic multivariate models.

Results  The study included 12 502 psoriasis patients aged 20 years and above and 24 287 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. The prevalence of both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis was significantly higher in psoriasis patients compared with the control group. In multivariate analyses, psoriasis was associated with Crohn's disease [odds ratio (OR), 2.49; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.71–3.62] as well as ulcerative colitis (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.15–2.33). This association was independent of anti‐tumour necrosis factor‐α therapy.

Conclusion  Psoriasis is associated both with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Future studies on comorbidities in patients with psoriasis should focus on ulcerative colitis.

Conflicts of interest

None declared.
The Hindu nationalist reinterpretation of pilgrimage in India: the limits of Yatra politics
Authors: JAFFRELOT CHRISTOPHE
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT. Victor Turner's anthropological reading of pilgrimages in terms of communitas is of utmost relevance in the case of Hinduism: indeed, Hindu pilgrimages produce a relative and temporal obliteration of social cleavages – particularly caste divisions – allowing the emergence of a sense of group belonging. Moreover, the geography of pilgrimage sites maps out the sacred land, marking the area of extension of Hindu civilisation in space. Hindu nationalists have tried to exploit this particular alchemy to offer an ethnic definition of the nation (and its territory) and thereby gather a following by lending some of their demonstrations the appearance of a pilgrimage. This approach asserted itself in the early 1980s thanks to the Ekatmata Yatra (Unity March) in 1983, and was confirmed in 1990 during the Rath Yatra (Chariot festival). Nevertheless, the instrumentalist interpretation of such movements comes up against an issue that is already at the core of subaltern studies' historiography, i.e. that masses do not always mobilise for the reasons put forth by political leaders. More specifically, if women march massively in the streets during these Yatra pilgrimages, it is both because they feel concerned by the reason for demonstrations and because these demonstrations have legitimised their entry into the public space, which still remains relatively closed to them.
Gender, nationalism, exclusion: the reintegration process of female survivors of the Armenian genocide
Authors: TACHJIAN VAHÉ
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT. This essay focuses on the process of ‘rebuilding’ the Armenian nation in the newly constituted states of the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq) in the immediate aftermath of World War I. These efforts were centred on the two largest sectors of the population to have survived the Catastrophe, orphans and familyless (or widowed) women. The essay examines the ideology of ‘national reconstruction’ and some of its internal contradictions. It pays particular attention to both Armenian women who married Muslims during the deportations and the children born of these marriages, as well as to Armenians who turned to prostitution to survive in the complex conditions prevailing in this period. The author makes use of extensive, previously neglected archival material: for example, correspondence by some of the principal actors, reports written during the process of locating and rounding up Armenian orphans, and documents that shed light on life within the walls of orphanages and women's shelters. The author assembled this archival material in Paris, Beirut, Aleppo, and Cairo, after surveying the contents of various archives.
Identity and European integration: diversity as a source of integration1
Authors: CRAM LAURA
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT. This article explores the concept of European Union identity and its significance for European integration by drawing upon insights from theories of nationalism and national identity. European Union identity is viewed as an ongoing process which is banal, contingent and contextual. The central hypothesis is that: European integration facilitates the flourishing of diverse national identities rather than convergence around a single homogeneous European Union identity. The role of the EU as facilitator for diverse understandings of collective identities encourages the enhabitation of the EU at an everyday level and the reinforcement of a sense of banal Europeanism which is a crucial aspect of the European integration process. Facilitating diversity may thus provide a vital source of dynamism for the integration process.
A flawed perspective: the limitations inherent within the study of Chinese nationalism1
Authors: CARLSON ALLEN
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT. Is nationalism in China on the rise? Is it making China more combative in the international arena? More fundamentally: Is a focus on nationalism the most effective intellectual framework for understanding how those living within the People's Republic of China (PRC) are defining their position in contemporary world politics? This article briefly answers each of these questions. It argues that, despite forwarding some compelling insights, previous work on Chinese nationalism has been undermined by a number of major flaws. It then finds that such shortcomings are in no small part a product of the narrowing gaze that a focus on nationalism alone imposes on the study of identity politics. The article then advocates that in place of the nationalism rubric, a turn to the broader question of national identity formation is merited. Utilising this perspective, it concludes by cautioning that incipient splits within contemporary Chinese national identity may portend a more tumultuous relationship between China and the rest of the world in the years to come.
Resistance to alien rule in Taiwan and Korea†
Authors: HECHTER MICHAEL , MATESAN IOANA EMY , HALE CHRIS
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT.Although alien rule is widely assumed to be illegitimate, nationalist resistance to it varies across time and space. This article explores why there was greater nationalist resistance to Japanese colonial rule in Korea than Taiwan from the turn of the twentieth century to the end of World War II. Resistance to alien rulers requires both a supply of participants in nationalist collective action and a demand for national self‐determination. The article assesses two principal propositions: (1) that the supply of participants increases to the degree that native elites are stripped of their traditional authority and offered few incentives to collaborate; and (2) that the demand for national self‐determination decreases to the degree that alien rule is fair and effective. A comparative analysis of the effects of Japanese alien rule in Taiwan and Korea suggests that nationalist resistance is greater in the earliest phases of occupation, that the greater native elites' opportunities, the weaker the resistance to alien rule; and that the fairer the governance, the weaker the resistance to alien rule.
Oxygen stable isotope ratios of tree‐ring cellulose: the next phase of understanding
Authors: Sternberg Leonel da Silveira Lobo O’Reilly
Published: January 2009

Analysis of the oxygen isotope ratio of tree‐ring cellulose is a valuable tool that can be used as a paleoclimate proxy. Our ability to use this tool has gone through different phases. The first began in the 1970s with the demonstration of empirical relationships between the oxygen isotope ratio of tree‐ring cellulose and climate. These empirical relationships, however, did not provide us with the confidence that they are robust through time, across taxa and across geographical locations. The second phase began with a rudimentary understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms responsible for the oxygen isotope ratios of cellulose, which is necessary to increase the power of this tool. This phase culminated in a mechanistic tree‐ring model integrating concepts of physiology and biochemistry in a whole‐plant system. This model made several assumptions about leaf water isotopic enrichment and biochemistry which, in the nascent third phase, are now being challenged, with surprising results. These third‐phase results suggest that, contrary to the model assumption, leaf temperature across a large latitudinal gradient is remarkably constant and does not follow ambient temperature. Recent findings also indicate that the biochemistry responsible for the incorporation of the cellulose oxygen isotopic signature is not as simple as has been assumed. Interestingly, the results of these challenges have strengthened the tree‐ring model. There are several other assumptions that can be investigated which will improve the utility of the tree‐ring model.
Experimental case report: development of a pneumothorax monitored by electrical impedance tomography
Authors: Preis Carsten , Luepschen Henning , Leonhardt Steffen , Gommers Diederik
Published: January 2009

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non‐invasive, radiation‐free functional imaging technique, which allows continuous bedside measurement of regional lung ventilation. Pneumothorax is an uncommon but nevertheless potentially dangerous incident that may arise unexpectedly. We report an incident of an accidental tension pneumothorax during an experimental ventilation study in a pig that was continuously monitored by EIT. The early sign of the occurring pneumothorax, prior to all clinical signs, was a fast increase of end‐expiratory impedance in the ventral part of the right lung indicating that non‐ventilated air entered this part, followed by a disappearance of ventilation in this region. At the same time the ventilation‐related impedance changes of the left lung remained almost unchanged. The pneumothorax onset was localized using a newly introduced pneumothorax dynamics map directly derived from dynamic EIT data. We conclude that non‐invasive EIT may be helpful as a tool to detect the development of a pneumothorax, which could be of particular interest during invasive procedures such as insertion of a central venous catheter.
Comparison of High Resolution Magnifying Endoscopy and Standard Videoendoscopy for the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Gastritis in Routine Clinical Practice: A Prospective Study
Authors: Gonen Can , Simsek Ilkay , Sarioglu Sulen , Akpinar Hale
Published: January 2009

Background:  It has been shown that standard endoscopic features often labeled as gastritis has a poor correlation with histopathology. Recently, high resolution magnifying endoscopy has been reported to be an effective method to diagnose gastritis. The aim of the present study was to compare standard endoscopy with magnifying endoscopy for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori gastritis, and to determine whether gastritis can be diagnosed based on findings at magnification endoscopy.

Materials and Methods:  A total of 129 patients were enrolled into the study. Erythema, erosions, prominent area gastrica, nodularity, and regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) were investigated by standard endoscopy. Standard endoscopy was followed by magnifying endoscopy in all patients, and repeated in 55 patients after indigo carmine spraying.

Results:  None of the standard endoscopic features showed a sensitivity of more than 70% for H. pylori gastritis, except RAC pattern analysis. Absence of a corporal RAC pattern had 85.7% sensitivity and 82.8% specificity for predicting H. pylori infection. Under magnification, the sensitivity and specificity of regular corporal pattern (regular collecting and capillary vascular structures with gastric pits resembling pinholes) for predicting normal histology were 90.3% and 93.9%, respectively. Loss of collecting venules, or both collecting and capillary structures was correlated with chronic inflammation and activity. With the progression of mucosal atrophy, irregular collecting venules became visible. The values for irregularly arranged antral ridge pattern for the prediction of antral gastritis were 89.3% and 65.2%, respectively. Indigo carmine staining increased sensitivity and specificity up to 97.6% and 100% for corporal gastritis, and up to 88.4% and 75.0% for antral gastritis, respectively. Indigo carmine staining significantly increases the detection of intestinal metaplasia.

Conclusions:  High resolution magnifying is superior to standard endoscopy for the diagnosis of H. pylori gastritis, and identification of specific histopathologic features such as atrophy and intestinal metaplasia seems possible.
Characterization and Application of a New Monoclonal Antibody with High Specificity for Helicobacter hepaticus
Authors: Fukuda Yoshihiro , Shimoyama Tadashi , Ohmura Takeo , Sano Yukari , Nakabayashi Natsuko , Takahashi Ryoki , Fujioka Toshio , Mitchell Hazel M. , Shimoyama Takashi
Published: January 2009

Background and Aims:  Infection with Helicobacter hepaticus is suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease in humans. However, reactive antigens among Helicobacter species make the development of an H. hepaticus ELISA test with high specificity difficult. A new monoclonal antibody from a hybridoma clone (HRII‐51) showed high specificity to H. hepaticus without cross‐reaction to other gastrointestinal bacteria.

Methods:  The molecular weight of HRII‐51 immunoreactive antigen was examined by Western blot of H. hepaticus probed with the monoclonal antibody HRII‐51. A HRII‐51‐immunoreactive antigen capture ELISA was prepared in which the specific antigen was anchored by HRII‐51‐immobilized ELISA plate. Accuracy of HRII‐51 antigen capture ELISA was examined using sera obtained from mice inoculated with Helicobacter species. Specificity of HRII‐51 antigen capture ELISA was compared to that of H. hepaticus antigen‐based ELISA using human sera with absorption by H. pylori cell lysate.

Results:  HRII‐51 immunoreactive antigen had a molecular weight of 15 kDa. Sensitivity and specificity of HRII‐51 antigen capture ELISA were 87.0% and 97.6% in mice inoculated with Helicobacter species. In human sera, modification of the results by absorption with H. pylori lysate was smaller in HRII‐51 antigen capture ELISA comparing with H. hepaticus‐antigen‐based ELISA.

Conclusion:  Use of the HRII‐51 antigen capture ELISA would be a useful approach for the serodiagnosis of H. hepaticus infection in both experimental animals and humans.
Childhood Hygienic Practice and Family Education Status Determine the Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Iran
Authors: Nouraie Mehdi , Latifi‐Navid Saeid , Rezvan Houri , Radmard Amir‐Reza , Maghsudlu Mahtab , Zaer‐Rezaii Hanieh , Amini Sadigheh , Siavoshi Farideh , Malekzadeh Reza
Published: January 2009

Background: Management of Helicobacter pylori, a causative agent of gastrointestinal diseases is an important health problem in most countries. The main reasons include poorly defined epidemiological status and unrecognized mode of bacterial transmission. Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in a representative population of Iran and to evaluate possible risk factors for the H. pylori infection.

Materials and methods: In this cross‐sectional study, 2561 healthy individuals aged 18–65 years (mean age, 35.5 years) were selected out of 12,100,000 inhabitants of Tehran province by cluster sampling. Infection with H. pylori was evaluated by detection of anti‐H. pylori IgG antibody in serum. Sociodemographic status of each subject was determined by filling up a questionnaire.

Results: Prevalence of H. pylori infection was 69% and was correlated with increasing age. The highest infection rate (79.2%) was seen in individuals 46–55 years old. No association was detected between H. pylori positivity and gender. Low education of the study subjects; low father's and mother's education; poor tooth brushing habit; crowded families in childhood; and lack of household bath, hygienic drinking water, and swage disposal facility in childhood were determined as possible risk factors.

Conclusions: The rate of prevalence of H. pylori infection was higher than developed countries. Low socioeconomic status, poor sanitary indications, and crowded families in childhood were related to high prevalence of H. pylori infection in Iran. Accordingly, fecal–oral and oral–oral routes could be considered as the main pathways of transmission of H. pylori.
Toll‐Like Receptor 4 +3725 G/C Polymorphism, Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity, and the Risk of Gastric Atrophy and Gastric Cancer in Japanese
Authors: Hishida Asahi , Matsuo Keitaro , Goto Yasuyuki , Mitsuda Yoko , Hiraki Akio , Naito Mariko , Wakai Kenji , Tajima Kazuo , Hamajima Nobuyuki
Published: January 2009

Background:  Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms were reported to be a risk factor of gastric carcinoma or its precursors in Caucasian and Indian population, but these polymorphisms are absent in Japanese. We investigated the associations of TLR4+3725 G/C polymorphism, another functional polymorphism of TLR4, with risk of gastric cancer and gastric atrophy in Japanese.

Materials and Methods:  Study subjects were 583 histologically diagnosed gastric cancer patients and age‐ and sex‐matched 1592 control outpatients, who visited Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from 2001 to 2005. Serum anti‐H. pylori IgG antibody and pepsinogens were measured to evaluate H. pylori infection and gastric atrophy, respectively. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by a logistic model.

Results:  Among the seropositive subjects, the age‐ and sex‐adjusted OR of gastric atrophy was 1.17 (95%CI: 0.91–1.50) for G/C, 1.20 (95%CI: 0.76–1.89) for C/C, and 1.18 (95%CI: 0.93–1.49) for G/C+C/C relative to G/G genotype. The age‐ and sex‐adjusted OR of severe gastric atrophy among H. pylori seropositive subjects was 1.43 (95%CI: 0.99–2.06) for G/C, 1.47 (95%CI: 0.76–2.88) for C/C, and 1.43 (95%CI: 1.01–2.04) for G/C+C/C. The OR of gastric cancer compared with gastric atrophy controls was not statistically significant.

Conclusion:  Our study found that TLR4+3725 G/C polymorphism was a risk factor of severe gastric atrophy in H. pylori seropositive Japanese. Our results underscored the significance of the variations in host innate immunity due to TLR4 polymorphism as genetic predispositions to gastric precancerous lesions in Eastern Asian populations with the same backgrounds.
The Interaction Between Helicobacter pylori and Atopy: Does Inverse Association Really Exist?
Authors: Cam Sebahat , Ertem Deniz , Bahceciler Nerin , Akkoc Tunc , Barlan Isil , Pehlivanoglu Ender
Published: January 2009

Aim:  To date, cross‐sectional and case–control studies suggest an inverse association between Helicobacter pylori infection and atopic diseases, whereas the immunologic basis has not been studied yet. In this study we investigated T helper (Th) cell function in H. pylori‐infected children and compared cytokine responses in atopic and non‐atopic groups.

Methods:  The study groups was recruited from a cohort of 327 healthy children evaluated and followed‐up for 6 years to assess the natural history of H. pylori infection. Seventy‐four of 136 healthy children who underwent 13C urea breath test were eligible and accepted to participate. All participants were evaluated by a questionnaire, and skin‐prick testing. According to the results, children were divided into four groups with respect to the presence or absence of H. pylori and atopy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from 34 of 74 children were cultured with H. pylori, Der p 1, and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐10, transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) levels were measured in supernatants.

Results:  The frequency of atopy was lower in H. pylori‐infected group (31.9% vs. 48.1, p = .22), while atopic symptoms were similar between infected and non‐infected children. While PHA and H. pylori induced IFN‐γ levels were significantly higher in H. pylori‐infected children, concomitant presence of both atopy and H. pylori decreased the level of PHA and H. pylori induced IFN‐γ production. PHA and Der p 1‐induced IL‐4 levels were higher in atopic children, and IL‐4 production was suppressed when they were concomitantly infected with H. pylori. The production of TGF‐β was found to be suppressed in atopic children irrespective of the presence of H. pylori infection.

Conclusion:  The results of the current study demonstrated a counteractive Th1 and Th2 cytokine interaction between H. pylori infection and atopy. However, this counteractive immunologic balance did not protect against atopy.
Effects of Alcohol on Performance on a Distraction Task During Simulated Driving
Authors: Allen Allyssa J. , Meda Shashwath A. , Skudlarski Pawel , Calhoun Vince D. , Astur Robert , Ruopp Kathryn C. , Pearlson Godfrey D.
Published: January 2009

Background:  Prior studies report that accidents involving intoxicated drivers are more likely to occur during performance of secondary tasks. We studied this phenomenon, using a dual‐task paradigm, involving performance of a visual oddball (VO) task while driving in an alcohol challenge paradigm. Previous functional MRI (fMRI) studies of the VO task have shown activation in the anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Thus, we predicted dose‐dependent decreases in activation of these areas during VO performance.

Methods:  Forty healthy social drinkers were administered 3 different doses of alcohol, individually tailored to their gender and weight. Participants performed a VO task while operating a virtual reality driving simulator in a 3T fMRI scanner.

Results:  Analysis showed a dose‐dependent linear decrease in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent activation during task performance, primarily in hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal areas, with the least activation occurring during the high dose. Behavioral analysis showed a dose‐dependent linear increase in reaction time, with no effects associated with either correct hits or false alarms. In all dose conditions, driving speed decreased significantly after a VO stimulus. However, at the high dose this decrease was significantly less. Passenger‐side line crossings significantly increased at the high dose.

Conclusions:  These results suggest that driving impairment during secondary task performance may be associated with alcohol‐related effects on the above brain regions, which are involved with attentional processing/decision‐making. Drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations may be less able to orient or detect novel or sudden stimuli during driving.
Response Inhibition Moderates the Relationship Between Implicit Associations and Drinking Behavior
Authors: Houben Katrijn , Wiers Reinout W.
Published: January 2009

Background:  Contemporary dual‐process models of alcohol abuse propose that alcohol abuse develops because of dysfunctions in the impulsive system, which generates automatic impulses to drink alcohol, and disruptions in the reflective system, which becomes unable to inhibit the influence of these automatic impulses. Based on these insights, this study investigated whether individual differences in the ability of the reflective system to exert response inhibition moderate the relationship between automatic cognitive processes and drinking behavior. Specifically, it was examined whether the interaction between implicit alcohol‐related associations and response inhibition predicted drinking behavior.

Methods:  Seventy‐one university students completed the study online via the Internet. Implicit alcohol associations with positive affect and with arousal were assessed with variants of the Implicit Association Test. Response inhibition was measured using the original Stroop task. Participants also reported their weekly alcohol use and alcohol‐related problems.

Results:  As predicted, implicit associations were unrelated to drinking behavior when response inhibition was high. In contrast, when response inhibition was low, stronger implicit associations between alcohol and positive affect predicted increased alcohol use and alcohol‐related problems.

Conclusions:  These findings indicate that the relationship between automatic cognitive processes, originating in the impulsive system, and drinking behavior depends on individual differences in response inhibition exerted by the reflective system. As prolonged alcohol abuse is known to impair response inhibition, alcohol abusers may benefit from interventions that increase response inhibition, thereby restoring inhibitory control over automatic impulses.
The Impact of Gaming on the Indian Nations in New Mexico*
Authors: Conner Thaddieus W. , Taggart William A.
Published: January 2009

Objective.This study examines the economic and social impact of Indian gaming on the residents of the 22 pueblos and tribes in New Mexico.

Method.We employ a naturally occurring quasi‐experimental design that classifies each of the Indian Nations into one of two groups, gaming and nongaming, depending on the continuous operation of a “Las Vegas” style casino for multiple years in the 1990s. For these two groups we compare aggregate, primarily U.S. Census, data spanning 25 indicators in both 1990 and 2000.

Results.Although improvements were evident for both groups, nine of the 12 economic measures and six of the 13 social measures revealed a growing disparity favoring gaming nations during the 1990s, while six other measures suggested declining but continuing differences. These findings persisted in light of controls for population and urbanization, though many of the economic differences disappeared for the rural nations.

Conclusion.Gaming has had a positive economic and social impact on the gaming pueblos and tribes in New Mexico, especially for the more urbanized nations. The gaming nations are enjoying higher incomes, lower levels of poverty, and improvements in selected social areas compared to those nations opting not to pursue casino gaming in the 1990s.
A U.S. Holy War? The Effects of Religion on Iraq War Policy Attitudes*
Authors: Froese Paul , Mencken F. Carson
Published: January 2009

Objective. Throughout the course of the Iraq War, the Bush Administration has consistently framed its war policy in religious language. Therefore, we investigate the extent to which public religiosity predicts neoconservative foreign policy attitudes.

Method. We use the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey to estimate OLS models predicting the effects of religious measures on support for a neoconservative Middle East foreign policy.

Findings. We find that support for U.S. Iraq policy is partially an outcome of what we call “sacralization ideology,” as measured by the belief that religious and secular institutions should be more closely in collaboration.

Conclusion. We argue that the religious framing of U.S. foreign policy appeals to a certain religious type who is not fully Republican or conservative evangelical.
¿Amigo de la Raza? Reexamining Determinants of Latino Support in the U.S. Congress*
Authors: Knoll Benjamin R.
Published: January 2009

Objectives.This study updates and extends research on substantive Latino representation in the U.S. Congress. An improved method of measuring “Latino interests” is proposed.

Methods.Using a scorecard from the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda as the dependent variable, standard OLS regression is employed to determine the variables that best predict how members of the 108th Congress vote on issues that are salient to the Latino community.

Results.The findings indicate that Latinos are substantively represented overwhelmingly by Democrats and those from majority‐Democratic districts or states, while religion and level of constituency poverty also play a notable role.

Conclusion.This study adds strong support to the “party as a substantive representative” model of minority representation. It also shows that Latinos are not more likely to be substantively represented by fellow Latinos, nor do larger Latino constituencies affect a lawmaker's propensity to vote in favor of Latino interests.
Social Comparison and Information Transmission in the Work Context
Authors: Fischer Peter , Kastenmüller Andreas , Frey Dieter , Peus Claudia
Published: January 2009

In the workplace, people can experience various types of failure and frustrations resulting in spontaneous social comparisons with other colleagues who are more (upward comparison) or less (downward comparison) successful. Upward comparisons especially have been shown to increase envy toward the outperforming benchmark colleague, which could negatively affect social interaction with this colleague. In line with this, our results consistently show that upward comparisons are associated with higher levels of experienced envy, as well as with a lower transmission rate of high‐quality information. By contrast, type of social comparison had no impact on the amount of transmitted low‐quality, work‐relevant information. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
The Attitude–Behavior Relationship: A Test of Three Models of the Moderating Role of Behavioral Difficulty1
Authors: Kaiser Florian G. , Schultz P. Wesley
Published: January 2009

The moderating role of behavioral difficulty in the attitude–behavior relationship remains a controversial topic in social psychology. Previous research has been unclear in establishing the direction of this moderation, and 3 theoretical models have been proposed: positive and linear; negative and monotonic; and quadratic. The current paper reports analyses of survey data from 5 different studies that afford measures of environmental attitude, behavior, and behavioral difficulty. Across these studies, we found a substantial and unmoderated average attitude–behavior relationship (r = .54). The data also show that the attitude–behavior relationship is weaker for extremely easy and extremely difficult behaviors. Additional analyses suggest, however, that these reductions in the attitude–behavior relationship are probably because of methodological reasons.
Using Blogs as a Teaching Tool in Negotiation
Authors: Macduff Ian
Published: January 2009

This article reports on the experimental use of blogs as a teaching tool in a course on negotiation and mediation. The blogs were of two kinds: individual “journal” blogs accessible only by the student author and the course instructor, and a class or collective blog, accessible by all members of the course. The use of blogs builds on the familiar use of journals as a tool for reflection and personal review and adopts the technology of online communication with which the student body is increasingly familiar and comfortable. The article reports on the student response to this development and the perceived impact on extended peer‐to‐peer communication, cooperation, and skills development. This note also briefly places this experiment in the wider context of the widespread use of blogging, online social networking, and — more ambitiously — the promotion of critical and deliberative skills through the use of information communications technology.
Fractional integration in agricultural futures price volatilities revisited
Authors: Sephton Peter S.
Published: January 2009

Jin and Frechette (2004) examined the degree to which agricultural price volatilities exhibited evidence of fractional integration and concluded it was important to consider both long‐run and short‐run memory when modeling conditional variances. The purpose of this note is to revisit the issue using new methods and techniques which generally reaffirm the view that return volatilities are fractionally integrated and conditionally heteroskedastic, with many exhibiting significant leverage effects, a result not previously reported.
The assembly of forest communities according to maximum species height along resource and disturbance gradients
Authors: Schamp Brandon S. , Aarssen Lonnie W.
Published: January 2009

An ongoing debate in ecology concerns the relative importance of competition in driving community patterns, especially along gradients of disturbance and productivity. We used a null model to address this question by testing for non‐random organization of forest species according to maximum height, a trait associated with competitive ability for light. Specifically, we compared the species present in 409 different temperate forest plots with the pool of potentially present species (n=639 species), spanning a 50 000 km2 area of southern Ontario, Canada. In contrast to current theory, coexisting forest species were neither more similar (i.e. convergent), nor more different (i.e. limiting similarity) in maximum height than expected by chance. However, coexisting forest species had larger maximum heights on average, and their maximum heights were more symmetrically distributed than expected by chance, suggesting that competition has reduced the representation of smaller plant species within plots (i.e. higher turn‐over of species with smaller maximum heights among forest plots). We explored the possibility that our findings resulted from smaller species having relatively narrower niches; however, a conclusive test of this explanation will require knowledge of fundamental, rather than realized niche breadth. We also tested the prediction that the influence of competition changes along gradients of productivity and disturbance by examining how the effect size of our null model tests changed along these gradients. We observed that species with smaller maximum heights were increasingly under‐represented in more productive forest communities, suggesting an increased role for competition in determining species membership in more productive communities. In contrast to theory, however, the effect size of our tests did not significantly change along a gradient of forest disturbance. In summary, we found evidence that maximum species height plays a significant role in driving the non‐random organization of plant species among hundreds of mature forest plots, and that this role is more pronounced in more productive forest plots.1
Retrodicting patch use by foraging swans in a heterogeneous environment using a set of functional responses
Authors: Nolet Bart A. , Klaassen Marcel
Published: January 2009

Effective conservation of important bird areas requires insight in the number of birds an area can support, and how this carrying capacity changes with habitat modifications. When food depletion is the dominant mechanism of competition, it should in principle be possible to calculate the total time foragers can spend per patch from their functional response (intake rate as a function of food density). However, in the field there are likely to be factors modulating the functional response. In this study previously published results of experiments on captive Bewick's swans were used to obtain functional responses of swans digging for tubers of Fennel pondweed on different foraging substrates: sandy and clayey sediment, and in shallow and deep water. In a field study, four 250×250 m sections belonging to different types (sandy–shallow, clayey–shallow, sandy–deep and clayey–deep) were delineated. Here tubers were sampled with sediment corers in three years, both before and after swan exploitation in autumn, and swans were observed and mapped from a hide in two of these years. Giving‐up tuber biomass densities varied among sections. Substitution of these giving‐up densities in the derived patch‐type‐specific functional responses yielded the quitting net energy intake rates in the four sections. As expected from the marginal value theorem, the quitting net energy intake rates did not vary among sections. Moreover, the observed foraging pressure (total foraging time per area) per patch type was in quantitative agreement with the integrated functional responses. These results suggest that in spatially heterogeneous environments, patch exploitation by foragers can be predicted from their functional responses after accounting for foraging substrate.