bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
North to the West: Jack London and the Literature of U.S. Expansion in Canada
Authors: Kollin Susan
Published: March 2011

Adventure is the energizing myth of empire . . . the American adventure stories represent. . . the policies and compromises, the punishments and rewards, and the stresses and problems involved in advancing a frontier at the expense of native populations and against natural obstacles. To read the adventures was to prepare oneself to go west and take part in the national work. (Green 1984, 4) The specifically American construction of the modern wilderness idea . . . serves increasingly to justify what are effectively imperialist inter- ventions anywhere across the globe. (Cosgrove 1995, 39) In 1902, the frontier chronicler Frank Norris wrote that having gone as far west as possible, "suddenly we have found that there is no longer any Frontier." According to him, U.S. nation-builders "went at the wilderness as only the Anglo-Saxon can" until they found they had arrived at the shores of the Pacific. The frontier reopened, he argued, when a "gun was fired in the Bay of Manila, still further Westward" (1902, 1728-29). Facing a national landscape that seemed devoid of opportunities for adventure, many U.S. writers followed this expansionist move and sought new terrain in which to play out their western dramas of expansion and conquest. While some turn-of-the-century writers reconstructed American frontiers overseas, still others, such as Jack London, relocated their western settings in the Far North.1 At a time when environmental awareness was gaining popularity in the United States, these writers often discovered it was not enough to merely restage their narratives in a new setting; thus, many of them struggled to preserve frontier experiences by framing their expansionist adventures in a conservationist rhetoric. The nostalgic yearning in these narratives for an untrammeled land, an Other to the settled spaces of the western United States, reconstructed heroic acts as the struggle to save the environment; as a result, in many of these texts wilderness advocacy emerged as a form of imperial adventure in its own right.2
Crise de la représentation, ou nouveau réel?
Authors: Lacasse Germain
Published: March 2011

Abstract The extraordinary development of artistic technologies leads some theo- reticians to conclude that we now live in a world of images, an apocalyptic space where reality is going to disappear behind the image. In fact, these technologies do not create images, they create more new objects and provoke the same apprehension that was occasioned by previous scientific discoveries. It is, however, in taking them for what they are, that is new scientific realities, that we will avoid the fatal conclusions to which ignorance leads.
Harriet Jacobs and the Language of Autobiography
Authors: Emsley Sarah
Published: March 2011

Harriet Jacobs is in many ways a reluctant autobiographer. In the eyes of nineteenth-century southerners, she is rightfully a slave, and therefore has no claim to her own identity or to "a life." By northern standards, she is a fallen woman, whose life story is best kept a secret. And even among other slave narratives, her story will prove to be unusual. Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl ([1861] 1987) is not just the story of a slave's escape to freedom; it is complicated by her ties to the children whose very existence is proof of her sexual transgressions. Telling the story of her escape necessarily involves explaining her sexual history, and, in fact, it is precisely Jacobs's experience of sexual oppression that her abolitionist friends want her to reveal. Autobiography is concerned with making the private life public; as Jerome Bruner notes, "one's reflections on both one's self and one's world cannot be one's own alone: you and your version of your world must be public, recognizable enough to be negotiable in the 'conversation of lives'" (1993, 43). But Jacobs does not want to make her private life recognizable as part of a public conversation—"it would have been more pleasant to me to have been silent about my own history" ([1861] 1987, 335)—because she cannot write her life without including her sexual experience. She writes her story not as a way of attracting attention to her own life, but as a political statement, a way of "arous[ing] the women of the North to a realizing sense of the condition of two millions of women at the South" (335). Written for the specific cause of abolition, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is more a political work than an autobiography, and thus Jacobs must negotiate the tension between her private life and her political purpose. While the cause of abolition is acceptable to her audience, the story of sexual sin is not. Writing directly to an audience of white, northern women, Jacobs must find a way of establishing a sisterhood of all women who will fight for abolition, without sacrificing her own life and self-respect to her cause.
Gaiety on Tisha B'Av: Sexuality, Subjectivity, and Narrative Closure in the Work of Lev Raphael
Authors: Buchbinder David
Published: March 2011

Lev Raphael, a Wharton scholar, is familiar with the idea of taboos and their violation. The very title of his short story collection, Dancing on Tisha B'Av, signals this in connection with religion, specifically Judaism, since Tisha B'Av, in the Jewish Calendar, is a solemn fast day commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. Accordingly, any festive activity, such as dancing, on such a day would be regarded as inappropriate and offensive, if not, indeed, sacrilegious.
Oral History: An Interview with Sherrill Grace
Authors: Tucker Bruce
Published: March 2011

Sherrill Grace is a professor of English and chair of the English Department at the University of British Columbia. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a past president of the Canadian Association for American Studies (CAAS) and she has been an associate editor of the Canadian Review of American Studies since 1992. She is the author of numerous books and articles on Canadian and American literature, and she is currently completing a manuscript entitled Canada and the Idea of the North. The following interview took place in Vancouver on 19 October 1995.
The Other Face of History in Constance Fenimore Woolson's Southern Stories
Authors: Buonomo Leonardo
Published: March 2011

In an essay included in Partial Portraits ([1888] 1988),1 Henry James noted that an "interest in secret histories" (272) was one of the most distinctive traits of Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-1894). What renders the ex- pression "secret histories" intriguing is that it suggests narratives that need to be unveiled, recovered, and that can both complete, and dispute, official History. It is, moreover, a definition that strikes me as admirably fitting the stories of bereavement, alienation, and defeat that Woolson set in the South of the United States in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The "Not-Free" and "Not-Me": Constructions of Whiteness in Rosewood and Ghosts of Mississippi
Authors: Barlowe Jamie
Published: March 2011

In this essay, I will discuss two recent film narratives that are specifically focussed on historical racialized conflicts: Rosewood (1997) and Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), examining how these cinematic representations connect with sociohistorical and personal accounts of the events, as well as how such representations impact on the present, particularly in the films' constructions of whiteness as a ritualised category. Primarily, critical race theorists have articulated the consequences of racialized constructions and racism on mar- ginalised groups such as African Americans, but some—for example, Toni Morrison and bell hooks—have urged further consideration of the conse- quences of racism on those who perpetuate it overtly, covertly, or unwit- tingly and of whiteness as it impacts on artistic narrativized representations. As Morrison asks, "What parts do the invention and development of white- ness play in the construction of what is loosely described as 'American'?" (1992, 9). She says further that "until very recently, and regardless of the race of the author, the readers of virtually all American fiction have been posi- tioned as white" (xii). Taking Morrison's claim about fiction to filmmaking, one could say that until very recently, and regardless of the race of the filmmaker, the viewers of virtually all American mainstream films have been positioned as white.
Racial Etiquette and the (White) Plot of Passing: (Re)Inscribing "Place" in John Stahl's Imitation of Life
Authors: Johnson Gosselin Adrienne
Published: March 2011

The idea of "passing for white" is a uniquely American notion. It is a social more than a biological phenomenon, the one-drop rule, artificial constructs of race and miscegenation, and America's "unique definition of what makes a person black" (Davis 1990,14).1 The narrative of passing-for-white is em- bodied in the trope of the tragic mulatto, a figure characterized by betrayal and race-denial, haunted by racial impurity, and whose very body bears the stigma of relations unsanctionable in the United States. While the narrative of passing-for-white has been popular with both black and white American authors, it would be a mistake to assume their treatment to be the same. For example, in Our Nig ([1859] 1983), the author Harriet Wilson utilized the passing plot to frame a narrative "not about virtue in distress because of mixed blood and male oppression but about the hypocrisy of New England Christians" (Bell 1987, 50). Moreover, Our Nig is the first to introduce an interracial marriage into American fiction with a white wife and black hus- band, as well as the first to treat its mulatto protagonist "as an individual rather than a type" (Bell 1987, 50).
Race and the Southern Imagination: Woodrow Wilson Reconsidered
Authors: Dennis Michael
Published: March 2011

The author gratefully acknowledges Caitlin McCain's assistance in editing and reviewing this article. At a time when hundreds of southerners could charter a train to watch Henry Smith lynched, his feet seared with a red-hot iron, the word "Justice" emblazoned on the scaffold, his grisly demise captured in souvenir photo- graphs, whites who promoted segregation seemed comparatively mild. Woodrow Wilson, future president and visionary of a world made safe by democracy, was one of these.
The Montreal Spy Ring of 1898 and the Origins of "Domestic" Surveillance in the United States
Authors: JEFFREYS-JONES RHODRI
Published: March 2011

The Watergate affair has reminded Americans of the abuses that can occur when surveillance is instituted in the name of national security. The affair induces the suspicion that national security is too often and too lightly invoked in justification of normally unacceptable acts of intrusion. Con- tinuous, central surveillance was, however, begun by the United States during the Spanish-American War of 1898, when the Treasury Depart- ment's Secret Service organized an "emergency force" for counter-intelli- gence work. This special force was expected to guard the United States against enemy espionage, and to keep a watch on Spanish sympathizers internally. Ironically and prophetically, however, the special force's one notable success came on Canadian soil, when its agents discovered and dislocated Spanish espionage activities centred in Montreal.1 The success of the special force in splintering the Montreal spy ring blinded most Americans to the high-handed nature of its actions. Its agents were directly responsible for the detention of men without trial, for burglary, for interference with private correspondence, and for leaking to privileged politicians information calculated to injure their enemies. The Spanish- American War supplied visible proof of America's emergence as a world power. At the same time, it created more than one moral dilemma.
Freedom, Planning, and Totalitarianism: The Reception of F. A. Hayek's Road to Serfdom
Authors: ROSENOF THEODORE
Published: March 2011

One of the classic issues of politics has been that of the relationship of the state to the economy. A long tradition in the western world has held that the relationship should be kept as minimal as possible, that a free economy is the very basis of economic progress and prosperity, that economic freedom is essential to all other freedoms - including political liberty and democracy. This tradition, and these assumptions, were partially challenged and modified by the movements for progressive reform and democratic socialism which developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But the greatest challenge came during the severe depression years of the 1930s : the belief was widespread among radicals during the first half of the decade that the end of an era was at hand, that capitalism and its ethos had run their course, and that the socialist cooperative commonwealth was now within reach.
The Slapsticks of Politics : Protagonists in French and American Films1
Authors: TREVES NICOLE
Published: March 2011

In attempting to translate contemporary political atmospheres, cineasts such as Claude Lelouch in France, and Woody Allen in the U.S., seem to be turning more and more towards slapstick, adapting to today's situation an approach that was brilliantly employed in the film comedies of the twenties and thirties, particularly by Chaplin and the Marx Brothers.2 Slapstick was used then to bring to our attention the impact of mechaniza- tion, its dehumanizing effects and the absurdities it lends itself to. A new form evolved that encompassed the feeling of estrangement felt at the time, the nature of the apparent changes as well as apprehensions regard- ing the future.
Poet's Gods: Stevens' Words, Jeffers' World-as-God
Authors: SCOTT ROBERT IAN
Published: March 2011

Adalaide Kirby Morris. Wallace Stevens, Imagina- tion and Faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974. 205 pp. Robert J. Brophy. Robinson Jeffers, Myth, Ritual, and Symbol in His Narrative Poems. Cleveland: Case Western Reserve University Press. 1973. 321pp. Two white upper-middle-class conservative male poets raised as Presby- terians in the same language, time, and country could hardly produce less similar poetry than did Wallace Stevens and Robinson Jeffers. Adalaide Kirby Morris of Georgetown University sees Stevens as inventing poetic fictions to replace the Christian God he found no longer believable, while Robert Brophy of the California State University at Long Beach shows how five of Jeffers' narratives use Greek tragedy's plot structure, myths, and seasonal metaphors to celebrate the natural world as God. Stevens seems desperate or arch; Jeffers, calmly in earnest.
A method to develop an in vitro osteoporosis model of porcine vertebrae: histological and biomechanical study
Authors: Lee Ching-yi , Chan She-Hung , Lai Hung-Yi , Lee Shih-Tseng
Published: March 2011

Object

The porcine spine is widely used as an alternative to the human spine for both in vivo and in vitro spinal biomechanical studies because of the limited availability and high cost of human specimens. The aim of this study was to develop a reproducible in vitro osteoporotic vertebral model for spinal implant investigations.

Methods

Four mature domestic porcine lumbar spines (L1–5) were obtained. An in vitro decalcification method was used to decrease the mineral content of the porcine vertebrae, with Ca-chelating agents (0.5 M EDTA solution, pH 7.4) that altered the bone mineral density (BMD). Lumbar-spine area BMD was evaluated using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; spine volumetric BMD and spine geometry were assessed by central quantitative CT scanning to monitor the time it took the decalcification process to induce the WHO-defined standard of osteoporosis. Micro–computed topography provided information on the 3D microarchitecture of the lumbar vertebrae before and after decalcification with EDTA. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of lumbar vertebrae was performed. Both the control (5 specimens) and osteoporotic vertebrae (5 specimens) were biomechanically tested to measure compressive strength.

Results

The differences in area BMD measurements before and after the demineralizing processes were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The results of the compression test before and after the demineralizing processes were also statistically significant (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The data imply that the acid demineralizing process may be useful for producing a vertebra that has some biomechanical properties that are consistent with osteoporosis in humans.
A comparison of mini-open and open approaches for resection of thoracolumbar intradural spinal tumors
Authors: Lu Daniel C. , Chou Dean , Mummaneni Praveen V.
Published: March 2011

Object

Standard approaches to thoracic intradural tumors often involve a large incision and significant tissue destruction. Minimally invasive techniques have been applied successfully for a variety of surgical decompression procedures but have been rarely used for the removal of intradural thoracolumbar tumors. In this paper, the authors compare the clinical outcome of mini-open resection of intradural thoracolumbar tumors with a standard open technique.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed their series of 18 consecutive mini-open thoracolumbar, intradural, tumor resection cases and compared the outcomes with a profile-matched cohort of 9 cases of open intradural tumor resection. Operative statistics, functional outcome, and complications were compared.

Results

Tumors were removed successfully using both approaches, except for 1 case in the mini-open cohort in which only biopsy was performed for a diffusely infiltrating tumor (glioblastoma). There was no statistically significant difference in operative duration, American Spinal Injury Association scale score improvement, or back pain visual analog scale score improvement between groups. However, the mini-open group demonstrated a significantly lower estimated blood loss (153 vs 372 ml, respectively) and a significantly shorter length of hospitalization (4.9 vs 8.2 days, respectively). There was 1 complication of pseudomeningocele formation in the mini-open cohort and 1 complication of cerebral infarction in the open cohort. Mean follow-up length was 16 months in the mini-open group compared with 20 months in the open group.

Conclusions

The mini-open approach allows for adequate treatment of intradural thoracolumbar tumors with comparable outcomes to standard, open approaches. The mini-open approach is associated with less blood loss and a shorter length of stay compared with standard open surgery.
Anterior construct location following vertebral body metastasis reconstruction through a posterolateral transpedicular approach: does it matter?
Authors: Eid Ahmed Shawky , Chang Ung-Kyu
Published: March 2011

Object

The posterolateral transpedicular approach (PTA) is a widely used method for the surgical treatment of vertebral body metastases. It is crucial to understand the optimal location of the anterior graft in terms of sound and durable reconstruction following PTA. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether postoperative construct stability is related to the location of anterior grafts.

Methods

The authors conducted a retrospective review of 45 cases of metastatic spine disease with epidural tumor extension in which patients underwent circumferential decompression and fusion by means of PTA. Mechanical (anterior construct stability), pain (visual analog scale score), and neurological (American Spinal Injury Association scale) outcomes were evaluated and correlated with the anterior graft location (lateral or central) and surgical approach (unilateral or bilateral), number of decompressed levels, types of anterior graft, screw density of posterior fixation (number of screws used divided by the number of pedicles spanned), and kyphotic angle change from the immediate postoperative period to the most recent follow-up.

Results

Seven of 45 constructs were judged unstable—5 with a lateral location of the anterior graft and 2 with a central location.

The anterior graft was located laterally in 31 cases (69%), centrally in 11 (24%), and bilaterally in 3 (7%). A unilateral approach was used in 33 cases and a bilateral approach in 12. Neither the location of the anterior graft nor the approach had a significant effect on the stability of the reconstructed spine (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference in construct stability between the single-level decompression group (33 patients) and the multiple-level decompression group (12 patients) (p = 0.0001). The types of anterior graft, screw density, and kyphotic angle change were not correlated to the mechanical outcome.

Conclusions

The anterior graft location showed no significant relationship to the final mechanical, pain, and neurological outcomes.
Transverse connectors providing increased stability to the cervical spine rod-screw construct: an in vitro human cadaveric study
Authors: Shaw Miranda N. , Morel Etienne P. , Utter P. Andrew , Gussous Yazeed M. , Ginoux Lise , Berglund Lawrence J. , Gay Ralph E. , Krauss William E.
Published: March 2011

Object

The object of this study was to determine if the addition of transverse connectors (TCs) to a rod-screw construct leads to increased stabilization of the cervical spine.

Methods

Eleven human cadaveric cervical spines (C2–T1) were used to examine the effect of adding connectors to a C3–7 rod-screw construct in 3 models of instability: 1) C3–6 wide laminectomy, 2) wide laminectomy and 50% foraminotomy at C4–5 and C5–6, and 3) wide laminectomy with full medial to lateral foraminotomy. Following each destabilization procedure, specimens were tested with no TC, 1 TC between the C-5 screws, and 2 TCs between the C-4 and C-6 screws. Testing of the connectors was conducted in random order. Specimens were subjected to ± 2 Nm of torque in flexion and extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Range of motion was determined for each experimental condition. Statistical comparisons were made between the destabilized and intact conditions, and between the addition of TCs and the absence of TCs.

Results

The progressive destabilization procedures significantly increased motion. The addition of TCs did not significantly change motion in flexion and extension. Lateral bending was significantly decreased with 2 connectors, but not with 1 connector. The greatest effect was on axial rotation. In general, 2 TCs were more restrictive than 1 TC, and decreased motion 10% more than fixation alone.

Conclusions

Regardless of the degree of cervical destabilization, 1 or 2 TCs decreased motion compared with rods and screws alone. Axial rotation was most affected. Transverse connectors effectively increase the rigidity of rod-screw constructs in the cervical spine. Severe cervical instability can be overcome with the use of 2 TCs, but in cases in which 2 cannot be used, 1 should be adequate and superior to none.
Delayed subarachnoid hemorrhage following failed odontoid screw fixation
Authors: Wilson David A. , Fusco David J. , Theodore Nicholas
Published: March 2011

Iatrogenic vascular injury is a rare but potentially devastating complication of cervical spine instrumentation. The authors report on a patient who developed an anterior spinal artery pseudoaneurysm associated with delayed subarachnoid hemorrhage after undergoing odontoid screw placement 14 months earlier. This 86-year-old man presented with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (Fisher Grade 4) and full motor strength on neurological examination. Imaging demonstrated pseudarthrosis of the odontoid process, extension of the odontoid screw beyond the posterior cortex of the dens, and a pseudoaneurysm arising from an adjacent branch of the anterior spinal artery. Due to the aneurysm's location and lack of active extravasation, endovascular treatment was not attempted. Posterior C1–2 fusion was performed to treat radiographic and clinical instability of the C1–2 joint. Postoperatively, the patient's motor function remained intact. Almost all cases of vascular injury related to cervical spine instrumentation are recognized at surgery. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of delayed vascular injury following an uncomplicated cervical fixation. This case further suggests that the risk of this phenomenon may be elevated in cases of failed fusion.
Intraoperative and anatomical descriptions of intracranial connections between the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves: clinical implications
Authors: Tubbs R. Shane , Mortazavi Martin M. , Loukas Marios , Shoja Mohammadali M. , Cohen-Gadol Aaron A.
Published: March 2011

Object

Knowledge of the variations in the nerves of the posterior cranial fossa may be important during skull base approaches. To the authors' knowledge, intracranial neural interconnections between the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves have not been previously investigated.

Methods

The senior author (A.C.G.) noted the presence of an intracranial interneural connection between the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves during microvascular decompression surgery in a patient suffering from hemifacial spasm. To further investigate the approximate incidence and significance of such an interneural connection, the authors studied 40 adult human cadavers (80 sides) and prospectively evaluated 16 additional patients during microvascular procedures of the posterior cranial fossa.

Results

In the cadavers, the incidence of intracranial neural connections between the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves was 2.5%. The only such connection found in our series of living patients was in the patient in whom the connection was initially identified. These interconnections were more common on the left side. Based on our findings, we classified these neural connections as Types I and II. In the cadavers, the length and width of this connection were approximately 9 mm and 1 mm, respectively. Histological analysis of these connections verified their neural content.

Conclusions

Although these connections are rare and the significance is unknown, knowledge of them may prove useful to surgeons who operate in the posterior fossa region so that they may avoid inadvertent traction or transection of these interconnections. Additionally, such connections might be considered in patients with recalcitrant neuralgia after microvascular decompression and rhizotomy of the glossopharyngeal nerve.
Radiation and mass transfer effects on MHD free convection flow past a moving vertical cylinder in a porous medium
Authors: Suneetha S. , Reddy N. Bhaskar
Published: March 2011

The interaction of free convection with thermal radiation of a viscous incompressible unsteady MHD flow past a moving vertical cylinder with heat and mass transfer in a porous medium is analyzed. The fluid is a gray, absorbing-emitting but non-scattering medium and the Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The governing equations are solved by using an implicit finite-difference scheme of Crank-Nicolson type. The effects of various physical parameters such as thermal Grashof number, mass Grashof number, magnetic parameter, radiation parameter and Schmidt number on the velocity, temperature,  concentration,  local as well as average skin-friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number for various parameters are computed and represented graphically. It is found that at small values of radiation parameter ,  the velocity and temperature of the fluid increases sharply near the cylinder as the time  increases. Also, an increase in the magnetic field leads to a decrease in the velocity and a rise in the temperature.As the permeability parameter increases,it is seen that the flow accelerates. This model finds applications in geophysics and engineering.DOI: 10.3329/jname.v7i1.2901
Effects of viscous dissipation on MHD flow with heat and mass transfer over a stretching surface with heat source, thermal stratification and chemical reaction
Authors: Kishan Naikotin , Amrutha P.
Published: March 2011

This paper deals with the study of  nonlinear MHD flow, with heat and mass transfer characteristics of an incompressible, viscous, electrically conducting and Boussinesq fluid on a vertical stretching surface with thermal stratification and chemical reaction by taking in to account the viscous dissipation effects. Adopting the similarity transformation, governing nonlinear partial differential equations of the problem are transformed to nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The Quasi-linearization technique is used for the non-linear momentum equation and then the numerical solution of the problem is derived using implicit finite difference technique, for different values of the dimensionless parameters. The numerical values obtained for velocity profiles, temperature profiles and concentration profiles are represent graphically in figures.  The results obtained show that the flow field is influenced appreciably by the presence of viscous dissipation, thermal stratification, chemical reaction and magnetic field.DOI: 10.3329/jname.v7i1.3254
Effects of variable thermal conductivity on the coupling of conduction and Joule heating with MHD free convection flow along a vertical flat plate
Authors: Nasrin Rehena , Alim Md. Abdul
Published: March 2011

The effects of variable thermal conductivity on the coupling of conduction and Joule heating with MHD free convection flow along a vertical flat plate have been described by this present work. With a goal to attain similarity solutions of the problem posed, the developed equations are made dimensionless by using suitable transformations. The non-dimensional equations are then transformed into non-linear equations by introducing a non- similarity transformation. The resulting non-similar equations together with their corresponding boundary conditions based on conduction and convection are solved numerically by using the implicit finite difference method along with Keller-box scheme. Numerical results for the details of the velocity profile, temperature profile, skin friction coefficient and the surface temperature profile are shown both on graphs and tabular form for different values of the set of parameters entering into the problem.DOI: 10.3329/jname.v7i1.4322
Study of Coronary Collaterals in Patients with Stable Angina
Authors: Arzu Jahan Ara , Rahman Fazlur , Haque KMHS Sirajul , Siddique Md Abu , Anam Md Khairul , Rahman Md Mukhlesur , Ahmed Md Khurshed , Zaman SM Mustafa , Awal Anisul , Subedi Bikash , Ahmed Quazi Arif , Islam Neena , Salman Mohammad , Sultan Md Ashraf Uddin , Fatema Nilufar
Published: March 2011

Background: Coronary collateral circulation is an alternative source of blood supply to the myocardium in coronary atherosclerotic disease. They provide adequate flow to the major epicardial branches of the coronary artery. Indicator of cardiac ischemia like stable angina pectoris may determine the presence of coronary collateral circulation.Methods and results: In this prospective observational cross sectional study, 150 patients with stable angina pectoris with or without MI (myocardial infarction) and or coronary intervention were enrolled. Presence of coronary collaterals in coronary angiogram was defined as Rentrop grade > 1. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A patients having Rentrop grade 0 and Group B patients are with collateral circulation, having Rentrop grade 1-3. Patients are compared in these groups. Total (63%) patients with stable angina were in Group B with coronary collateral circulation and only (37%) patients with stable angina pectoris were in Group A without collaterals.Conclusions: The incidence of development of coronary collaterals was significantly higher in patients with stable angina pectoris. DOI: 10.3329/uhj.v6i2.7245University Heart Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, July 2010 pp.61-64
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging - A Predictor Tool for Sudden Cardiac Death
Authors: Fatema Nilufar , Siddique Md Abu , Banerjee Sajal Krishna , Ahsan Syde Ali , Rahman Fazlur , Ahmed Chaudhury Meshkat , Muqeet MA , Rahman Mohammad Atiqur , Ahmed Khurshed , Sharmin Elora , Ahmed Sheikh Foyez , Sultan Md Ashrafuddin , Bakar Sheikh Muhammad Abu
Published: March 2011

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) detects myocardial fibrosis, which appears as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) after gadolinium contrast administration and may convey prognostic importance. Myocardial fibrosis is the source of malignant arrhythmia like ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Sudden cardiac death occurs in these group patients. By detecting myocardial fibrosis we can select these groups of patients for implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Thus sudden cardiac death can be prevented in some extent.Keywords: Cardiac MRI; Sudden cardiac death. DOI: 10.3329/uhj.v6i2.7253University Heart Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, July 2010 pp.90-92
Nebivolol - A Review
Authors: Das Uzzal Kanti , Ahsan Syed Ali , Salman Mohammad , Rahaman Mohammad Ferdous Ur , Khan Md Mizanur Rahman , Sultan Md Ashraf Uddin , Rahman Md Atiqur
Published: March 2011

Nebivolol is a vasodilating β-blocker, which can be distinguished from other β-blockers by its haemodynamic profile. It combines β-adrenergic blocking activity with a vasodilating effect mediated by the endothelial Larginine nitric oxide (NO) pathway. The blood pressure lowering effect of nebivolol is linked to a reduction in peripheral resistance and an increase in stroke volume and preservation of cardiac output. Clinical trials have demonstrated that nebivolol reduces blood pressure similarly to atenolol, bisoprolol, amlodipine, nifedipine, lisinopril, and hydrochlorothiazide. The tolerability of nebivolol is similar to or better than that of these agents. In general, response rates to treatment are higher and the frequency and severity of adverse events are either comparable or lower with nebivolol. Endothelium-derived NO is important in the regulation of large arterial stiffness, which in turn is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, antihypertensive drugs, such as nebivolol, that also improve endothelial function and decrease arterial stiffness, may contribute to a reduction in cardiovascular risk.Key words: Vasodilating β-blocker; nitric oxide (NO); peripheral resistance; arterial stiffness DOI: 10.3329/uhj.v6i2.7254University Heart Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, July 2010 pp.93-96
Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in South Asia  A Clinical Review
Authors: Salehuddin Md , Choudhury Mamrun Nahar , Islam Neena , Rhaman Md Zillur , Ghosh Shantonu Kumar , Majib Md Shi
Published: March 2011

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases are on the rise in South East Asia Region (SEAR). NCDs account for nearly 54% of the deaths, significant amount of disabilities and huge socioeconomic losses in countries of SEAR. NCDs are caused by a set of behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, physical activity and unhealthy diet (high in salt, sugar and fat and low in fruits and vegetables) and biological risk factors like raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar and impaired cholesterol levels and others.South Asia is experiencing urbanization, with widening incme and social inequities. The impact of noncommunicable diseases on the rich and the poor are likely to be different, in terms of both the principal causes and manifestations. As the rich are likely to reconnise their risk earlier and seek medical attention, they will develop chronic but manageable disease; as the poor are likely to be less aware of their risk and less able to access medical care, they will develop rapidly progressive disease with early and sudden fatal outcomes To challenge to public health is to anticipate and avert an epidemic of non-communicable diseases.NCDs risk factors can be reduced with existing knowledge through cost- effective policies and programmes, Establishment of surveillance systems for non-communicable diseases and their risk factors is essential for developing prevention strategies and monitoring the impact of control programmes.Key Words: Non-communicable diseases; South Asia; Risk factors; BurdenDOI: 10.3329/uhj.v6i2.7255University Heart Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, July 2010 pp.97-102
Bland-White-Garland Syndrome in a Middle Aged Patient - A Case Report & Review of Literature
Authors: Taimur Syed Dawood Md , Haq M Maksumul , Khan Saidur Rahman , Nasreen Shahela , Qumruzzaman KH
Published: March 2011

Bland-White-Garland syndrome (anomalous origin of left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery) is a very rare congenital anomaly, reported in less than 0.5% of all the congenital heart disease which may result myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and sometimes death during the early infantile period. We report a case with this anomaly, a 27 year old young lady, mother of one child presented with progressive dyspnea and cardiomagaly on X-ray. The diagnosis was made on noninvasive imaging procedure. This lady is now on optimal medications and follow up.Key words: Bland-White-Garland (BWG) syndrome; Left coronary artery (LCA); Pulmonary artery (PA). DOI: 10.3329/uhj.v6i2.7257University Heart Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, July 2010 pp.107-109
The Prognostic Impact of p53 Expression on Sporadic Colorectal Cancer Is Dependent on p21 Status
Authors: Kruschewski Martin , Mueller Kathrin , Lipka Sybille , Budczies Jan , Noske Aurelia , Buhr Heinz Johannes , Elezkurtaj Sefer
Published: March 2011

The prognostic value of p53 and p21 expression in colorectal cancer is still under debate. We hypothesize that the prognostic impact of p53 expression is dependent on p21 status. The expression of p53 and p21 was immunohistochemically investigated in a prospective cohort of 116 patients with UICC stage II and III sporadic colorectal cancer. The results were correlated with overall and recurrence-free survival. The mean observation period was 51.8 ± 2.5 months. Expression of p53 was observed in 72 tumors (63%). Overall survival was significantly better in patients with p53-positive carcinomas than in those without p53 expression (p = 0.048). No differences were found in recurrence-free survival (p = 0.161). The p53+/p21− combination was seen in 68% (n = 49), the p53+/p21+ combination in 32% (n = 23). Patients with p53+/p21− carcinomas had significantly better overall and recurrence-free survival than those with p53+/p21+ (p < 0.0001 resp. p = 0.003). Our data suggest that the prognostic impact of p53 expression on sporadic colorectal cancer is dependent on p21 status.
Geological Carbon Sequestration: A New Approach for Near-Surface Assurance Monitoring
Authors: Wielopolski Lucian
Published: March 2011

There are two distinct objectives in monitoring geological carbon sequestration (GCS): Deep monitoring of the reservoir’s integrity and plume movement and near-surface monitoring (NSM) to ensure public health and the safety of the environment. However, the minimum detection limits of the current instrumentation for NSM is too high for detecting weak signals that are embedded in the background levels of the natural variations, and the data obtained represents point measurements in space and time. A new approach for NSM, based on gamma-ray spectroscopy induced by inelastic neutron scatterings (INS), offers novel and unique characteristics providing the following: (1) High sensitivity with a reducible error of measurement and detection limits, and, (2) temporal- and spatial-integration of carbon in soil that results from underground CO2 seepage. Preliminary field results validated this approach showing carbon suppression of 14% in the first year and 7% in the second year. In addition the temporal behavior of the error propagation is presented and it is shown that for a signal at the level of the minimum detection level the error asymptotically approaches 47%.
Subjects Agree to Participate in Environmental Health Studies without Fully Comprehending the Associated Risk
Authors: Lee Robin , Lampert Samantha , Wilder Lynn , Sowell Anne L.
Published: March 2011

Recent advances in environmental health research have greatly improved our ability to measure and quantify how individuals are exposed. These advances, however, bring bioethical uncertainties and potential risks that individuals should be aware of before consenting to participate. This study assessed how well participants from two environmental health studies comprehended consent form material. After signing the consent form, participants were asked to complete a comprehension assessment tool. The tool measured whether participants could recognize or recall six elements of the consent form they had just reviewed. Additional data were collected to look for differences in comprehension by gender, age, race, and the time spent reading the original consent form. Seventy-three participants completed a comprehension assessment tool. Scores ranged from 1.91 to 6.00 (mean = 4.66); only three people had perfect comprehension scores. Among the least comprehended material were questions on study-related risks. Overall, 53% of participants were not aware of two or more study-related risks. As environmental public health studies pose uncertainties and potential risks, researchers need to do more to assess participants’ understanding before assuming that individuals have given their ‘informed’ consent.
Synthesis, Characterization and Photophysical Properties of Pyridine-Carbazole Acrylonitrile Derivatives
Authors: Pérez-Gutiérrez Enrique , Percino M. Judith , Chapela Víctor M. , Cerón Margarita , Maldonado José Luis , Ramos-Ortiz Gabriel
Published: March 2011

We synthesized three novel highly fluorescent compounds, 2-(2’-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile, 2-(3”-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile, and 2-(4-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile by Knoevenagel condensation. The first two were synthesized without solvent in the presence of piperidine as a catalyst; the third was synthesized without a catalyst and with N,N-dimethylformamide as a solvent. In solution, the molar absorption coefficients showed absorptions at 380, 378, and 396 nm, respectively; in solid state, absorptions were at 398, 390, and 442 nm, respectively. The fluorescence emission was at 540, 540 and 604 nm, respectively, the 2-(4-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile showed a red shift in the emission of 64 nm compared to the other two compounds. The fluorescence quantum yield for the compounds in powder form showed values of 0.05, 0.14, and 0.006, respectively; compared with the value measured for the Alq3 reference, 2-(3”-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile had a lightly higher value. The third harmonic generation measurement for 2-(2’-pyridyl)-3-(N-ethyl-(3’-carbazolyl))acrylonitrile yielded a χ(3) value of 5.5 × 10−12 esu, similar to that reported for commercial polymers.
Dynamics of Dissolved and Particulate Polyunsaturated Aldehydes in Mesocosms Inoculated with Different Densities of the Diatom Skeletonema marinoi
Authors: Vidoudez Charles , Nejstgaard Jens Christian , Jakobsen Hans Henrik , Pohnert Georg
Published: March 2011

A survey of the production of polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) of manipulated plankton communities is presented here. PUA are phytoplankton-derived metabolites that are proposed to play an important role in chemically mediated plankton interactions. Blooms of different intensities of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi were generated in eight mesocosms filled with water from the surrounding fjord by adding different amounts of a starting culture and nutrients. This set-up allowed us to follow PUA production of the plankton community over the entire induced bloom development, and to compare it with the natural levels of PUA. We found that S. marinoi is a major source for the particulate PUA 2,4-heptadienal and 2,4-octadienal (defined as PUA released upon wounding of the diatom cells) during the entire bloom development. Just before, and during, the decline of the induced diatom blooms, these PUA were also detected in up to 1 nM concentrations dissolved in the water. In addition, we detected high levels of the PUA 2,4-decadienal that was not produced by the diatom S. marinoi. Particulate decadienal correlated well with the cell counts of the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis sp. that also developed in the fertilized mesocosms. Particulate decadienal levels were often even higher than those of diatom-derived PUA, indicating that PUA sources other than diatoms should be considered when it comes to the evaluation of the impact of these metabolites.
Identification and Determination of Flavonoids in Astragali Radix by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with DAD and ESI-MS Detection
Authors: Lv Yan-Wen , Hu Wei , Wang Yu-Ling , Huang Lan-Fang , He Yun-Biao , Xie Xian-Zhen
Published: March 2011

A method for the analysis of flavonoids in Astragali Radix by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with photodiode-array detection (DAD) and an electrospray ionization (ESI) - mass spectrometry (MS) was developed. After the samples were extracted with ethanol, the optimum separation conditions for these analytes were achieved using a gradient elution system and a 2.0 × 150 mm Shimadzu VP-ODS column. Eight flavonoids were identified to exist in Astragali Radix based on their characteristic UV data and mass spectra. The concentrations of three major components in this herb—ononin, calycosin and formononetin—were determined by LC/ESI-MS in positive selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.9~180.0 μg·mL−1 for ononin, 1.8~360.0 μg·mL−1 for calycosin and 1.4~280 μg·mL−1 for formononetin, respectively. The limits of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) were 0.9 μg· mL−1 and 0.2 μg mL−1 for ononin, 1.8 μg mL−1 and 0.5 μg·mL−1 for calycosin, 1.4 μg mL−1 and 0.5 μg·mL−1 for formononetin, respectively. The standard recoveries were between 95.4~104.7%. The developed method was proven to be useful for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of flavonoid constituents in various resources of Astragali Radix.
Cranberry Proanthocyanidins Mediate Growth Arrest of Lung Cancer Cells through Modulation of Gene Expression and Rapid Induction of Apoptosis
Authors: Kresty Laura A. , Howell Amy B. , Baird Maureen
Published: March 2011

Cranberries are rich in bioactive constituents purported to enhance immune function, improve urinary tract health, reduce cardiovascular disease and more recently, inhibit cancer in preclinical models. However, identification of the cranberry constituents with the strongest cancer inhibitory potential and the mechanism associated with cancer inhibition by cranberries remains to be elucidated. This study investigated the ability of a proanthocyanidin rich cranberry fraction (PAC) to alter gene expression, induce apoptosis and impact the cell cycle machinery of human NCI-H460 lung cancer cells. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and five year survival rates remain poor at 16%. Thus, assessing potential inhibitors of lung cancer-linked signaling pathways is an active area of investigation.