bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin-(1-9) Attenuates Cardiac Fibrosis in the Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat via the Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor
Authors: Flores-Munoz Monica , Work Lorraine M. , Douglas Kirsten , Denby Laura , Dominiczak Anna F. , Graham Delyth , Nicklin Stuart A.
Published: December 2011

The renin-angiotensin system regulates cardiovascular physiology via angiotensin II engaging the angiotensin type 1 or type 2 receptors. Classic actions are type 1 receptor mediated, whereas the type 2 receptor may counteract type 1 receptor activity. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 metabolizes angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin I to angiotensin-(1-9). Angiotensin-(1-7) antagonizes angiotensin II actions via the receptor Mas. Angiotensin-(1-9) was shown recently to block cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via the angiotensin type 2 receptor. Here, we investigated in vivo effects of angiotensin-(1-9) via the angiotensin type 2 receptor. Angiotensin-(1-9) (100 ng/kg per minute) with or without the angiotensin type 2 receptor antagonist PD123 319 (100 ng/kg per minute) or PD123 319 alone was infused via osmotic minipump for 4 weeks into stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. We measured blood pressure by radiotelemetry and cardiac structure and function by echocardiography. Angiotensin-(1-9) did not affect blood pressure or left ventricular mass index but reduced cardiac fibrosis by 50% (
P
<0.01) through modulating collagen I expression, reversed by PD123 319 coinfusion. In addition, angiotensin-(1-9) inhibited fibroblast proliferation in vitro in a PD123 319-sensitive manner. Aortic myography revealed that angiotensin-(1-9) significantly increased contraction to phenylephrine compared with controls after
N
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester treatment, an effect abolished by PD123 319 coinfusion (area under the curve: angiotensin-(1-9)
N
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester=98.9±11.8%; control+
N
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester=74.0±10.4%;
P
<0.01), suggesting that angiotensin-(1-9) improved basal NO bioavailability in an angiotensin type 2 receptor–sensitive manner. In summary, angiotensin-(1-9) reduced cardiac fibrosis and altered aortic contraction via the angiotensin type 2 receptor supporting a direct role for angiotensin-(1-9) in the renin-angiotensin system.
Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor Agonist Compound 21 Reduces Vascular Injury and Myocardial Fibrosis in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Rehman Asia , Leibowitz Avshalom , Yamamoto Naoki , Rautureau Yohann , Paradis Pierre , Schiffrin Ernesto L.
Published: December 2011

—Angiotensin type 2 receptor–mediated effects of angiotensin II appear to counteract many of the effects mediated via the angiotensin type 1 receptor. Compound 21 (C21), a selective angiotensin type 2 receptor agonist, has demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiac function after myocardial infarction in rodents. We hypothesized that C21 alone or in combination with an angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonist would blunt the development of hypertension and vascular damage in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Six-week–old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats received C21 (1 mg/kg per day), the angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonist losartan (10 mg/kg per day), C21 plus losartan, or vehicle PO for 6 weeks. Systolic blood pressure was lower in losartan and C21-losartan combination groups (
P
<0.001). Endothelium-dependent relaxation was enhanced (
P
<0.001) in the C21-losartan combination group at lower acetylcholine concentrations. C21 or C21-losartan combination reduced vascular stiffness, aortic medial and myocardial interstitial collagen content, and aortic fibronectin (
P
<0.05). C21 and losartan decreased the expression of 2 genes associated with cardiac hypertrophy, myosin heavy chain-β (
myh7
) by 30 to 50%, and α-skeletal muscle actin by 30% to 35% (
P
<0.05). C21-losartan combination caused an additional 40% reduction in
myh7
compared with C21 (
P
<0.01). Aortic superoxide generation was reduced equally by the 3 treatments (
P
<0.001). Monocyte/macrophage infiltration in the aorta and kidney (
P
<0.001) and T-lymphocyte infiltration in the renal cortex (
P
<0.05) were lowered similarly by the 3 treatments. These data suggest that C21 alone or in combination with losartan may improve endothelial function and vascular composition and mechanics by reducing oxidative stress, collagen content, fibronectin, and inflammatory cell infiltration in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Roles of Interleukin 17 in Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor–Mediated Insulin Resistance
Authors: Ohshima Kousei , Mogi Masaki , Jing Fei , Iwanami Jun , Tsukuda Kana , Min Li-Juan , Higaki Jitsuo , Horiuchi Masatsugu
Published: December 2011

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension, atherosclerosis, and adipocyte differentiation; however, the roles of IL-17 in glucose metabolism remain to be elucidated. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers improve insulin resistance at least in part because of the amelioration of inflammation. Therefore, we examined the possible roles of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus using a mouse model, KK-Ay, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor–mediated insulin resistance. KK-Ay mice were administered control-IgG
2A
or anti-IL-17 antibody 5 times at a dose of 100 μg every second day by IP injection. KK-Ay mice were administered telmisartan for 2 weeks. C57BL/6J mice treated with angiotensin II infusion for 2 weeks were administered telmisartan or hydralazine. Insulin resistance was evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, and uptake of 2-[
3
H]deoxy-
d
-glucose in peripheral tissues. Serum IL-17 concentration in KK-Ay mice was significantly higher than that in C57BL/6J mice. Treatment of KK-Ay mice with anti–IL-17 antibody significantly increased 2-[
3
H]deoxy-
d
-glucose uptake in skeletal muscle but not in white adipose tissue and attenuated the increase in blood glucose level after a glucose load. Blockade of IL-17 enhanced the expression of adipocyte differentiation markers and adiponectin. Treatment with telmisartan decreased serum IL-17 concentration in KK-Ay and ameliorated angiotensin II–induced insulin resistance with a decrease in serum IL-17 level in C57BL/6J. In conclusion, IL-17 could play an important role in the pathogenesis of angiotensin II type 1 receptor–induced insulin resistance.
Stress Sensitizes the Brain: Increased Processing of Unpleasant Pictures after Exposure to Acute Stress
Authors: Weymar Mathias , Schwabe Lars , Löw Andreas , Hamm Alfons O.
Published: December 2011

A key component of acute stress is a surge in vigilance that enables a prioritized processing of highly salient information to promote the organism's survival. In this study, we investigated the neural effects of acute stress on emotional picture processing. ERPs were measured during a deep encoding task, in which 40 male participants categorized 50 unpleasant and 50 neutral pictures according to arousal and valence. Before picture encoding, participants were subjected either to the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (SECPT) or to a warm water control procedure. The exposure to the SECPT resulted in increased subjective and autonomic (heart rate and blood pressure) stress responses relative to the control condition. Viewing of unpleasant relative to neutral pictures evoked enhanced late positive potentials (LPPs) over centro-parietal scalp sites around 400 msec after picture onset. Prior exposure to acute stress selectively increased the LPPs for unpleasant pictures. Moreover, the LPP magnitude for unpleasant pictures following the SECPT was positively associated with incidental free recall performance 24 hr later. The present results suggest that acute stress sensitizes the brain for increased processing of cues in the environment, particularly priming the processing of unpleasant cues. This increased processing is related to later long-term memory performance.
Skill of Real-Time Seasonal ENSO Model Predictions during 2002–11: Is Our Capability Increasing?
Authors: Barnston Anthony G. , Tippett Michael K. , L'Heureux Michelle L. , Li Shuhua , DeWitt David G.
Published: December 2011

Real-time model predictions of ENSO conditions during the 2002–11 period are evaluated and compared to skill levels documented in studies of the 1990s. ENSO conditions are represented by the Niño- 3.4 SST index in the east-central tropical Pacific. The skills of 20 prediction models (12 dynamical, 8 statistical) are examined. Results indicate skills somewhat lower than those found for the less advanced models of the 1980s and 1990s. Using hindcasts spanning 1981–2011, this finding is explained by the relatively greater predictive challenge posed by the 2002–11 period and suggests that decadal variations in the character of ENSO variability are a greater skill-determining factor than the steady but gradual trend toward improved ENSO prediction science and models. After adjusting for the varying difficulty level, the skills of 2002–11 are slightly higher than those of earlier decades. Unlike earlier results, the average skill of dynamical models slightly, but statistically significantly, exceeds that of statistical models for start times just before the middle of the year when prediction has proven most difficult. The greater skill of dynamical models is largely attributable to the subset of dynamical models with the most advanced, highresolution, fully coupled ocean–atmosphere prediction systems using sophisticated data assimilation systems and large ensembles. This finding suggests that additional advances in skill remain likely, with the expected implementation of better physics, numeric and assimilation schemes, finer resolution, and larger ensemble sizes.
Multisource Estimation of Long-Term Terrestrial Water Budget for Major Global River Basins
Authors: Pan Ming , Sahoo Alok K. , Troy Tara J. , Vinukollu Raghuveer K. , Sheffield Justin , Wood Eric F.
Published: December 2011

A systematic method is proposed to optimally combine estimates of the terrestrial water budget from different data sources and to enforce the water balance constraint using data assimilation techniques. The method is applied to create global long-term records of the terrestrial water budget by merging a number of global datasets including in situ observations, remote sensing retrievals, land surface model simulations, and global reanalyses. The estimation process has three steps. First, a conventional analysis on the errors and biases in different data sources is conducted based on existing validation/error studies and other information such as sensor network density, model physics, and calibration procedures. Then, the data merging process combines different estimates so that biases and errors from different data sources can be compensated to the greatest extent and the merged estimates have the best possible confidence. Finally, water balance errors are resolved using the constrained Kalman filter technique. The procedure is applied to 32 globally distributed major basins for 1984–2006. The authors believe that the resulting global water budget estimates can be used as a baseline dataset for large-scale diagnostic studies, for example, integrated assessment of basin water resources, trend analysis and attribution, and climate change studies. The global scale of the analysis presents significant challenges in carrying out the error analysis for each water budget variable. For some variables (e.g., evapotranspiration) the assumptions underpinning the error analysis lack supporting quantitative analysis and, thus, may not hold for specific locations. Nevertheless, the merging and water balance constraining technique can be applied to many problems.
Development of a multi-step analysis method for evaluating wireless traffic surveillance network performance under adverse conditions and relay network topology using a communication network simulator
Authors: Zhou Yan , Chowdhury Mashrur , Wang Kuang-Ching , Ma Yongchang
Published: December 2011

Rapid advances in wireless communication hold much promise for improving transportation management to enhance traffic safety and mobility. To support online traffic management, wireless traffic surveillance networks have the potential to collect and relay real-time traffic information from a wide-area transportation network. However, limited research effort has been done to provide an evaluation method to assess the wireless communication performance and reliability for use in a traffic monitoring network. This paper proposed a multi-step analysis method to transportation professionals, and analyzed the performance of a wireless traffic surveillance network for online traffic surveillance using the Network Simulator Version 2 (ns-2) communication network simulator, following the proposed steps. Potential environmental disturbances, such as adverse weather, foliage, and interference, can induce transmission errors in the communication network. Following the proposed method, this study analyzed the impacts of various error rates on the selected measure of effectiveness (MOE) – data throughput and delivery ratio. The study considered wireless sensors connected to roadside controllers through multi-hop relays. A relay is used to pass data from one equipment to another when the distance between traffic sensors and controllers exceeds the wireless transmission range. Simulation results quantified the end-to-end throughput and delivery ratio dependency on the number of fixed range wireless relays and their relationship with different error rates and wireless relay ranges. The findings formed an essential foundation for systematic evaluation of the performance of a wireless traffic sensor network, utilizing a simulation analysis process, for online traffic management systems.
The Tempering Effect of Schools on Students Experiencing a Life-Changing Event
Authors: Barrett Edith J. , Ausbrooks Carrie Y. Barron , Martinez-Cosio Maria
Published: December 2011

Focusing specifically on adolescents forced to relocate after Hurricane Katrina, the study looks closely at the role of schools in helping adolescents adapt after a natural disaster. Data collected from 46 middle and high school students across a 6-month period demonstrate that those who showed the greatest improvements in their well-being were those who sought help from their teachers, whose new school created a milieu of cooperation, and who were placed in a school that neither went overboard trying to help nor ignored their special needs. The article concludes with recommendations for schools seeking to maximize the welfare of their students.
Creating a Family-Like Ninth-Grade Environment Through Interdisciplinary Teaming
Authors: Ellerbrock Cheryl R.
Published: December 2011

This qualitative multisite case study examined how three high schools within one large urban district supported ninth-grade students’ needs through interdisciplinary teaming. Data collected during the 2006-2007 school year included observations, interviews, and archival evidence of 67 participants. Findings suggest teacher communication as a result of teaming may provide the teacher support and individualized student attention necessary to foster a family-like ninth-grade environment that meets student and teacher needs. School personnel reported more benefits of teaming for teachers and students than students did. Issues with implementation limited how well teaming was able to meet student needs.
Examining the Relational Processes of a Highly Successful Teacher of African American Children
Authors: Cholewa Blaire , Amatea Ellen , West-Olatunji Cirecie A. , Wright Ashley
Published: December 2011

Culturally responsive educational practices have arisen as effective means of increasing culturally diverse students’ academic achievement and psychological well-being; however, the relational processes involved are not well understood. Using grounded theory, this study examines the relational processes of one culturally responsive teacher and her fifth grade African American students. A dimension that emerged from the data was emotional connectedness. It includes the connective interactions between the teacher and student, the connective interactions between the teacher and the whole class, and teacher transparency and joining. Rich descriptions of each theme are provided as well as implications for teacher practice and preparation.
White and Black Teachers’ Job Satisfaction
Authors: Fairchild Susan , Tobias Robert , Corcoran Sean , Djukic Maja , Kovner Christine , Noguera Pedro
Published: December 2011

Data on the impact of student, teacher, and principal racial and gender composition in urban schools on teacher work outcomes are limited. This study, a secondary data analysis of White and Black urban public school teachers using data taken from the restricted use 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), examines the effects of relational demography on teacher job satisfaction adjusting for other known determinants of job satisfaction. Relational demography is conceptualized as a set of racial and gender congruency items between teachers and principals, teachers and teachers, and teachers and students. The results of the study show that some components of relational demography directly affect teacher job satisfaction, over and above the effects of work-related attitudes.
Estimates of the Impact of Static and Dynamic Knowledge Spillovers on Regional Factor Productivity
Authors: LeSage James P. , Fischer Manfred M.
Published: December 2011

The authors develop an empirical approach to examine static and dynamic knowledge externalities in the context of a regional total factor productivity (TFP) relationship. Static externalities refer to current period scale or industry-size effects that have been labeled localization externalities or region-size effects known as agglomeration externalities. Dynamic externalities refer to the relationship between accumulated or prior period knowledge and current levels of innovation, where past learning-by-doing makes innovation positively related to cumulative production over time. The empirical specification allows for the presence of both static and dynamic externalities and provides a way to assess the relative magnitude of spillovers associated with spillovers from these two types of knowledge externalities. The magnitude of own-region impacts and other-region (spillovers) can be assessed using scalar summary measures of the own- and cross-partial derivatives from the model. The authors find evidence supporting the presence of dynamic externalities as well as static, and the estimates suggest that dynamic externalities may have a larger magnitude of impact than static externalities.
Acquisition, expression, and reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice: effects of exposure to stress and modulation by mecamylamine
Authors: Bhutada Pravinkumar , Mundhada Yogita , Ghodki Yogesh , Dixit Pankaj , Umathe Sudhir , Jain Kishor
Published: December 2011

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors mediate some of the rewarding and motivational effects of ethanol, including relapses. Relapses are common in drug addicts during abstinence when exposure to any stressor ensues. However, the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the ethanol- and stress-induced reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference has not yet been explored. Therefore, the present study investigated the influence of mecamylamine, a nicotinic acetylcholine receptors antagonist on acquisition, expression, and reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in adult male Swiss mice. The results revealed that mecamylamine (0.1–10 µg/mouse, intracerebroventricularly) dose dependently prevented the development, expression, and reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference. Further, acute treatment with mecamylamine blocked the restraint stress and forced swim stress-induced reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference. All of these treatments had no influence on the locomotor activity. Therefore, it is concluded that mecamylamine blocks the acquisition, expression and reinstatement of conditioned reinforcing effects of ethanol without per se reinforcing or aversive influence. This ability of mecamylamine might be a potential advantage in the treatment of alcoholism.
Amanitin Toxicosis in Two Cats with Acute Hepatic and Renal Failure
Authors: Tokarz D. , Poppenga R. , Kaae J. , Filigenzi M. , Lowenstine L. J. , Pesavento P.
Published: December 2011

Amanitin is a toxic cyclopeptide present in several species of poisonous mushrooms. Amanitin toxicosis was diagnosed in 2 cats from separate premises. Both cats initially had lethargy and vomiting, and they rapidly developed depression and neurological signs over 24–48 hours. Marked elevation of alanine aminotransferase was the primary finding, with subsequent serum chemistry values compatible with hepatic and renal failure. Histopathological findings consisted of submassive to massive acute hepatic necrosis, renal proximal tubular epithelial necrosis, and foci of necrosis and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Amanitin exposure was confirmed postmortem by detection of α-amanitin in the kidney by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. A similar clinical course and pathological changes are reported in human and canine amanitin intoxication; however, gastrointestinal lesions are not typically described.
Northern Ireland as metaphor: Exception, suspicion and radicalization in the ‘war on terror’
Authors: Bigo Didier , Guittet Emmanuel-Pierre
Published: December 2011

This article questions the fashionable view that Northern Ireland is a counterinsurgency lesson to be learned for the global ‘war on terror’. It suggests that Britain’s involvement in the Northern Ireland conflict – one of the longest conflicts within Europe in which a government has been at war with a clandestine organization – can be regarded as a meaningful metaphoric utterance in efforts to analyse the practical failures and threat discourses of the global ‘war on terror’. Northern Ireland is more than a specific case study: it acts as an appealing metaphor in attempts to understand the logics and pitfalls of the ‘war against terrorism’, where the increasing primacy granted to terror control – present and future – means that Western governments are increasingly more willing to infringe otherwise inviolable rights in the pursuit of a supposed greater good – security. The article explores the political economy of unease, suspicion, exception and radicalization in the ‘war against terrorism’. It concludes that Northern Ireland is not a model that can be exported around the globe but an invitation to analyse contingency, daily operations of security, and their effects on social practices and routines. Northern Ireland also represents a remarkable inducement to assess how exception, suspicion and radicalization are correlated, as well as to recognize that efforts to contain the unpredictability of the future are self-defeating.
The impacts of the economic crisis on the spatial organization of Hungarian industry
Authors: Kiss Eva
Published: December 2011

Since 1989, foreign capital has played a significant role in the renewal of Hungarian industry and in the formation of new industrial spaces. The economic crisis that began in the autumn of 2008 has had a significant impact on the Hungarian economy, particularly for globalized, export-oriented industry. This paper examines the impacts of the crisis on Hungarian industry and the country’s industrial space. In particular, it is argued that those branches of the local economy most closely tied to the global economy, for example the automobile industry and electronics, suffered the most. Because these industries and the impacts of the crisis are typically concentrated in the northern Transdanubia area of the country, we can designate this as the core region of the crisis. Moreover, the crisis has brought into focus the spatial structural dichotomy of Hungarian industry and has also contributed – even if only temporarily – to alleviating regional differences. However, the new, semi-post-Fordist pattern of Hungarian industry has not been reorganized.
Exercising Citizenship
Authors: van Teeffelen Jasper , Baud Isa
Published: December 2011

Different groups of citizens exercise their citizenship through various channels in Indian cities to realize their social rights. In classic urban management systems dominated by government, citizens’ rights are allocated by governments. New forms of network governance see governments as enabling actors for private sector provision, relegating citizen rights to ‘consumer rights’. New e-based grievance redressal systems in many Indian cities are part of this new perspective, designed to make government–citizen relations more transparent and effective. This article is based on a case study of a north Karnataka city, where e-based grievance systems have been introduced.

This article describes how various social groups (low income and middle class) exercise their citizenship differentially, making use respectively of political and e-based grievance redressal systems. We argue that government entitlements are of limited value for low-income groups when governments do not deliver, forcing these groups to utilize ‘political society’ channels and strategically negotiate with government for realizing rights. In contrast, middle-class citizens who are provided basic services, utilize alternative forms of mobile-based grievance systems to obtain better quality of serivices. Internet-based systems are not yet used by anyone.

The implications are that new forms of grievance redressal systems result in an e-based divide between those who utilize newer forms of grievance redressal for quality improvements in service provision and adverse incorporation of those who still work through ‘negotiated spaces’ to realize a basic level of service provision. Such systems currently do not provide more effective channels for low-income groups to exercise their citizenship, nor reduce differences in governmental accountability towards various social groups.
E-Government Tools, Claimed Potentials/Unnamed Limitations
Authors: Martinez Javier , Pfeffer Karin , van Dijk Tara
Published: December 2011

Contemporary cities are characterized by the inequality reflected in uneven geographies of quality-of-life conditions. When these inequalities are a matter of concern, local governments usually assert their intention to respond to citizen’s needs and deprivations. It is in this context that information and communication technology (ICT) tools are being incorporated in Indian cities to promote local governance by improving quality of life and increasing efficiency and transparency in the response to citizen’s demands and needs. Depending on the institutional environment and how information is created, processed and disseminated, these ‘e-government’ tools can exacerbate existing exclusionary practices. The objectives of this article are twofold. First, we want to explore how a local e-grievance redressal system reflects self-expressed needs. Second, we want to investigate whether there is a (mis)match between self-expressed needs and deprived areas. This helps to answer the question how these systems capture the requirements of the most deprived. The main methods used are geocoding and spatial visualization of the processed information. Results show that the self-expressed needs do not necessarily concentrate in the most deprived areas. This suggests that the e-grievances redressal system does not guarantee a narrowing of the gap between the different sections of the city, nor does it necessarily capture the requirements of those in the most need.
Urban Form and Accessibility to Jobs
Authors: Ha Pham Thi Hong , van den Bosch Frans , Quang Nguyen Ngoc , Zuidgeest Mark
Published: December 2011

Accessibility is a comprehensive performance measure for the integration between land use and transport systems. In this research, two accessibility measures were applied to evaluate the integration between transport and land use in Hanoi metropolitan area: Vietnam, which has a typical monocentric urban form in the current situation, and Randstad metropolitan area, the Netherlands, which has a typical polycentric urban form. Job accessibility by private and public transport was calculated using the traditional potential accessibility measure corrected for competition of jobs. The results show there is a potential improvement of levels of accessibility in Hanoi through its planned transition into a polycentric urban form. The results illustrate the complex relationship between urban and regional planning and transport, and how spatial knowledge and geographic information system (GIS) tools can be used to provide urban planners, transport planners and engineers in Hanoi with valuable information related to its present plans of decentralization, and bring them together.
Networks of Urbanization in Two Indian Cities
Authors: van Dijk Tara
Published: December 2011

Networks of urbanization managing relations and thus service provision between inhabitants and the local state differ in means and modes across different socio-economic collectivities and differently urbanized spaces. This issue is often overlooked in discussions about governance, citizen participation and urban development in Indian cities. First, the article outlines an approach for studying the city as a conjecture of various social processes facilitated by various networks and a sociology of structural and cultural holes. Then the article outlines and compares the structure and practices of three different networks of urbanization in Kalyan–Dombivli and Mira–Bhayandar: clientelist, rent-seeking, and cor-porate. These networks render the categorization of these cities as either ‘bourgeois’, ‘subaltern’, or ‘inclusive’ problematic.
Election Administration and the Pure Effect of Voter Registration on Turnout
Authors: Burden Barry C. , Neiheisel Jacob R.
Published: December 2011

Voter registration is thought to have a substantial negative effect on American voter turnout. The authors clarify this understanding in two ways. First, using a natural experiment in Wisconsin, they estimate the pure effect of registration, stripped of aspects such as the closing date. Registration lowers turnout by about 2 percentage points. Second, the authors argue that administrative capacities of local election officials are important moderators of how much registration affects turnout. Municipalities with less capacity are associated with bigger decreases in turnout. Researchers and policy makers should consider administrative capacity as a component in the equal application of voting laws.
Family Management of a Chronic Health Condition
Authors: Wollenhaupt Josanne , Rodgers Beth , Sawin Kathleen J.
Published: December 2011

A growing number of adolescents and their families are dealing with a chronic health condition that impacts their daily life. Research using the Family Management Style Framework (FMSF) has added much to our understanding of how the family integrates chronic condition management into family life. Less clear, however, is the adolescent perspective of the FMSF components. The purpose of this secondary qualitative analysis was to explore 25 interviews of adolescents with spina bifida to uncover the adolescent’s perspective of the three major FMSF components: Definition of the Situation, Management Behaviors, and Perceived Consequences. Adolescents were able to articulate their perspectives and their observations of their parents’ behaviors that related to the three components and related dimensions of the framework. Data from this analysis led to proposed expansion of the FMSF definitions from an adolescent perspective. Implications for integrating the adolescent perspective into future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Advanced magnetic resonance imaging of neuromyelitis optica: a multiparametric approach
Authors: Pichiecchio A , Tavazzi E , Poloni G , Ponzio M , Palesi F , Pasin M , Piccolo L , Tosello D , Romani A , Bergamaschi R , Piccolo G , Bastianello S
Published: December 2011

Background: Several authors have used advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate whether patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) have occult damage in normal-appearing brain tissue, similarly to multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, the literature contains no data derived from the combined use of several advanced MRI techniques in the same NMO subjects.

Objective: We set out to determine whether occult damage could be detected in the normal-appearing brain tissue of a small group of patients with NMO using a multiparametric MRI approach.

Methods: Eight female patients affected by NMO (age range 44–58 years) and seven sex- and age-matched healthy controls were included. The techniques used on a 1.5 T MRI imaging scanner were magnetization transfer imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, tract-based spatial statistics, spectroscopy and voxel-based morphometry in order to analyse normal-appearing white matter and normal-appearing grey matter.

Results: Structural and metabolic parameters showed no abnormalities in normal-appearing white matter of patients with NMO. Conversely, tract-based spatial statistics demonstrated a selective alteration of the optic pathways and the lateral geniculate nuclei. Diffusion tensor imaging values in the normal-appearing grey matter were found to be significantly different in the patients with NMO versus the healthy controls. Moreover, voxel-based morphometry analysis demonstrated a significant density and volume reduction of the sensorimotor cortex and the visual cortex.

Conclusions: Our data disclosed occult structural damage in the brain of patients with NMO, predominantly involving regions connected with motor and visual systems. This damage seems to be the direct consequence of transsynaptic degeneration triggered by lesions of the optic nerve and spine.
Relapse severity and recovery in early pediatric multiple sclerosis
Authors: Fay Alex J , Mowry Ellen M , Strober Jonathan , Waubant Emmanuelle
Published: December 2011

Background:

Factors determining severity and recovery of early demyelinating events in pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are unknown.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to characterize the severity and recovery of early demyelinating events in pediatric MS.

Methods:

Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine predictors of severe (versus mild/moderate) relapses and poor or fair (versus complete) recovery in patients aged 18 years or less with MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).

Results:

Optic nerve involvement (OR 4.30, 95% CI 1.50–12.3, p = 0.007) was associated with a severe initial demyelinating event (IDE), while non-White race (OR 2.55, 95% CI 0.87–7.49, p = 0.088), localization to the cerebral hemispheres (OR 7.94, 95% CI 0.86–73.8, p = 0.068), or encephalopathy (OR 8.70, 95% CI 0.86–88.0, p = 0.067) showed a trend towards increased IDE severity. A similar association with race was found for severe second events. A severe IDE (OR 6.90, 95% CI 2.47–19.3, p < 0.001) was associated with incomplete IDE recovery, with similar trends for second and third events. Incomplete recovery from the first event predicted incomplete second event recovery (OR 3.36, 95% CI 0.98–11.6, p = 0.055).

Conclusions:

These results may help identify children at risk for a more aggressive disease course.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders in patients with myasthenia gravis: ten new aquaporin-4 antibody positive cases and a review of the literature
Authors: Jarius S , Paul F , Franciotta D , de Seze J , Münch C , Salvetti M , Ruprecht K , Liebetrau M , Wandinger KP , Akman-Demir G , Melms A , Kristoferitsch W , Wildemann B
Published: December 2011

Background:

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO, Devic syndrome) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are rare antibody-mediated autoimmune disorders. Concurrent incidence has been reported in only few patients, mostly non-Caucasians.

Objective:

To report on ten Caucasian patients with NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and MG and to provide a comprehensive review of the literature.

Method:

Retrospective study.

Results:

In total, 26 patients (m:f = 1:12; Caucasian in 12) with MG (generalized in 17) and NMOSD (NMO in 21, longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis in five) were identified from the authors’ own files ( n = 10) and the previous literature ( n = 16). MG preceded NMOSD in 24/25 cases (96%). AQP4-Ab were tested in 20 patients and were positive in 17 (85%). Twenty out of 25 patients (80%) had been treated with thymectomy or thymic irradiation, which preceded NMOSD in all cases (median latency, 12 years; range, 0.3–32). At last follow-up, complete remission of MG was reported in 15/22 (68%), and MG was well controlled with pyridostigmine in three. Co-existing autoimmune disorders or autoimmune antibodies were reported in 17 patients.

Conclusion:

Our study demonstrates that i) AQP4-Ab-positive NMOSD are more commonly associated with MG in Caucasians than previously thought; ii) MG precedes NMOSD in most cases, often by more than a decade; iii) NMOSD almost exclusively occur in females with juvenile or early-onset MG; and iv) MG frequently takes an unusually mild course in patients with NMOSD. A history of thymectomy could be a possible risk factor for the later development of NMOSD. We recommend testing for AQP4-Ab in MG patients presenting with atypical motor or optic symptoms.
Pencil-thin ependymal enhancement in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Banker Piyush , Sonni Smitha , Kister Ilya , Loh John P , Lui Yvonne W
Published: December 2011

AQP4 water channels are thought to be the target of autoimmune attack in neuromyelitis optica-spectrum disorders (NMOsd). AQP4 are highly expressed on ventricular ependyma. The objective of this study was to describe a novel pattern of linear, ‘pencil-thin’ enhancement of ventricular ependyma in NMOsd. We report two NMOsd patients with pencil-thin ependymal enhancement along the frontal and occipital horns of lateral ventricles. Differential diagnosis of ependymal enhancement should include NMOsd alongside with infectious and neoplastic etiologies. Pencil-thin ependymal enhancement may be a helpful radiological marker of NMOsd that can be used to differentiate this condition from multiple sclerosis.
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with fatigue in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kaminska M , Kimoff RJ , Benedetti A , Robinson A , Bar-Or A , Lapierre Y , Schwartzman K , Trojan DA
Published: December 2011

Background:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients often suffer from fatigue.

Objective:

We evaluated the relationship of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to fatigue and sleepiness in MS patients.

Methods:

Ambulatory MS patients without known sleep disorders and healthy controls underwent diagnostic polysomnography and a multiple sleep latency test (objective sleepiness measure). Fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), and subjective sleepiness by Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Covariates included age, sex, body mass index, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), depression, pain, nocturia, restless legs syndrome, and medication.

Results:

OSA (apnea–hypopnea index ≥15) was found in 36 of 62 MS subjects and 15 of 32 controls. After adjusting for confounders, severe fatigue (FSS ≥5) and MFI-mental fatigue (>group median) were associated with OSA and respiratory-related arousals in MS, but not control subjects. Subjective and objective sleepiness were not related to OSA in either group. In a multivariate model, variables independently associated with severe fatigue in MS were severe OSA [OR 17.33, 95% CI 2.53–199.84], EDSS [OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.21–3.25], and immunomodulating treatment [OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.023–0.65].

Conclusions:

OSA was frequent in MS and was associated with fatigue but not sleepiness, independent of MS-related disability and other covariates.
Chitinase 3-like 1 plasma levels are increased in patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cantó E , Reverter F , Morcillo-Suárez C , Matesanz F , Fernández O , Izquierdo G , Vandenbroeck K , Rodríguez-Antigüedad A , Urcelay E , Arroyo R , Otaegui D , Olascoaga J , Saiz A , Navarro A , Sanchez A , Domínguez C , Caminero A , Horga A , Tintoré M , Montalban X , Comabella M
Published: December 2011

Background:

Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) is upregulated in a wide variety of inflammatory conditions. Recent studies have pointed to a role of CHI3L1 in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of plasma CHI3L1 in MS clinical course and disease activity and to evaluate the effect of interferon-beta (IFNβ) treatment on protein levels.

Methods:

Plasma CHI3L1 levels were determined by ELISA in 57 healthy controls (HC), 220 untreated MS patients [66 primary progressive MS patients (PPMS), 30 secondary progressive MS patients (SPMS), and 124 relapsing–remitting MS patients (RRMS), 94 during clinical remission and 30 during relapse], and 32 MS patients receiving IFNβ treatment. A polymorphism of the CHI3L1 gene, rs4950928, was genotyped in 3274 MS patients and 3483 HC.

Results:

Plasma CHI3L1 levels were significantly increased in patients with progressive forms of MS compared with RRMS patients and HC. CHI3L1 levels were similar between RRMS patients in relapse and remission. A trend towards decreased CHI3L1 levels was observed in IFNβ-treated patients. Allele C of rs4950928 was significantly associated with PPMS patients and with higher plasma CHI3L1 levels.

Conclusions:

These findings point to a role of CHI3L1 in patients with progressive forms of MS, particularly in those with PPMS.
The manufacture of an international news event: The day Kosovo was born
Authors: Paterson Chris , Andresen Kenneth , Hoxha Abit
Published: December 2011

When the new country of Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 it received extensive, but fleeting, international news coverage. This study seeks to provide insight into how an international news event was orchestrated by participants and how news coverage was planned and implemented by international media. We do so by investigating factors initiating, enabling, shaping, and limiting the global news coverage of this story. Particular attention is paid to the close relationship between local ‘fixers’ and media representatives, which is instrumental in most international news coverage, but which has received little scholarly examination; and to the influential role of the UK-based international television news agencies.
The influential interactions of pre-kindergarten writers
Authors: Kissel Brian , Hansen Jane , Tower Holly , Lawrence Jody
Published: December 2011

This article examines six years of ethnographic research in Robyn Davis's pre-kindergarten classroom in the USA. Using a theoretical framework to embed writing within a social semiotic that is multimodal and has social intent ( Street, 2003 ), the authors show how children used interactions during writing to create various written products. Three themes emerged from their findings: (1) interactions among children challenge their writing identities; (2) interactions among children introduce new possibilities in their writing; and (3) interactions among children with more knowledgeable peers help push writers forward with their writing acquisition. Through these findings, the authors conclude that peer interactions among four- and five-year-old children are influential in their writing processes and products.
Young second language learners’ visual attention to illustrations in storybooks
Authors: Verhallen Marian J. A. J. , Bus Adriana G.
Published: December 2011

The major purpose of this study was to test how preliterate learners use illustrations in storybooks to understand a story. Subjects were 23 five-year-old low-SES children, learning Dutch as a second language. Each child was exposed four times to a digital picture storybook. Five books were used and counterbalanced over children and repetitions. During book exposure, eye movements were registered using a remote eye-tracking system. To test whether eye fixations matched the text we scored how often and how long children fixated visual elements in the illustrations that the story text highlighted. We also scored how often human and non-human objects were fixated. In line with the hypothesis that eye fixations are time locked to referential expressions in the text, visual elements that the text highlighted were fixated more often and longer than elements in illustrations not highlighted in the story text. We also found evidence that, at times, inspection of illustrations followed an autonomous pattern. We discuss how both types of visual behaviour can add to vocabulary development and story comprehension.
Promotion of Recovery From Thoracic Spinal Cord Contusion in Rats by Stimulation of Medullary Raphe or Its Midbrain Input
Authors: Hentall Ian D. , Gonzalez Melissa M. Carballosa
Published: December 2011

Background. Brainstem regions with descending axons could influence recovery after spinal cord injury, thus presenting potential targets for treatment. Neurons in the hindbrain raphe magnus respond to sensory and chemical concomitants of trauma (eg, pain, circulating cytokines) and release trophic substances (serotonin, neuropeptides) in widespread spinal regions. Objectives. The authors tested in rats whether intermittent stimulation of the raphe magnus or its major midbrain input, the periaqueductal gray, influences recovery from incomplete thoracic (T8) injury. Methods. After a moderate weight-drop injury, an implanted wireless stimulator intermittently delivered cathodal pulses (8 Hz, 30 µA) through a microelectrode for 12 hours daily over multiple days. Stimulators in controls were inactive or not implanted. Results. Raphe magnus stimulation, started 1 to 2 hours after injury, enduringly improved open-field motor performance (measured weekly for 8 weeks) and footprint and gridwalk performance (measured in the 9th week). These improvements increased with days of stimulation (1-7). Myelinated axons in perilesional white matter and serotonin-containing terminals in gray matter, quantified 14 weeks postinjury, also increased. In separate parametric studies that examined open-field behavior following 14 days of stimulation, starting 2 days after injury was better than 7 days or 2 hours; starting at 8 weeks appeared ineffective. The periaqueductal gray, an established, safe stimulation target in man, similarly facilitated recovery of motor performance and myelination (but not serotonergic terminals) when stimulated for 4 to 7 days. Conclusions. Raphe magnus neurons mediate restorative feedback in acute spinal cord injury. Their interim activation, direct or indirect (via periaqueductal gray), offers a basis for possible treatments in patients.
Corrective osteotomy of distal radial deformities: a new method of guided locking fixed screw positioning
Authors: Farshad M. , Hess F. , Nagy L. , Schweizer A.
Published: December 2011

Corrective osteotomy for distal radial malunion is a valuable but at times technically challenging operation. We have developed a new device to aid in the performance of the operation. We compared clinical use of the new technique with the standard technique. In 11 patients treated with the new technique the volar locking plate needed repositioning only once. With the standard technique in 17 patients the plate was repositioned in nine cases and needed bending in six cases. The new method corrected radial inclination (SD of 3° vs. 9°) and ulnar variance (SD of 0.9 mm vs. 1.4 mm) more predictably than the standard technique but there was no advantage in correction of volar tilt (SD of 6° vs. 4°). In our experience the new device makes corrective osteotomy of the distal radius easier and more reliable.