bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Oxygen Saturation in Water on Reproductive Performances of Pacu Piaractus brachypomus
Authors: Dabrowski Konrad , Rinchard Jacques , Ottobre Joseph S. , Alcantara Fernando , Padilla Palmira , Ciereszko Andrzej , De Jesus Marcos J. , Kohler Christopher C.
Published: April 2007

Broodstock pacu Piaractus brachypomus as well as their eggs during their embryonic development were exposed to either normoxia (5.5–7.5 mg O2/L) or hypoxia (2.0–4.5 mg O2/L) conditions. The plasma concentrations of 11‐ketotestosterone in males and estradiol‐17β in females, as well as that of their precursor testosterone (T) were significantly (P < 0.01) higher in fish maintained under normoxic conditions than in fish exposed to hypoxia. After ovulation and spermiation induced by hormonal treatments, the plasma concentrations of T and 17,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one (17,20βP) significantly (P 0.05) increased in both sexes under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The plasma levels of T and 17,20βP achieved under normoxic conditions were higher than the ones recorded under hypoxia, except for those of 17,20βP in males. Males responded positively to the hormonal treatments, and the concentration of spermatozoa was 10.5 ± 0.8 109/mL under both oxygen conditions. Hypoxia resulted in significantly lower survival of embryos (17.3 ± 28%) in comparison to normoxic conditions (68.5 ± 25%). Moreover, larval deformities were found when exposed to hypoxia (91.6 ± 6%). During embryonic development of this species 4 mg/L of oxygen is tolerated at 26–27 C without negative impact. We conclude that despite the highly adaptable nature of adult pacu to environmental hypoxia, oxygen concentrations below 4 mg/L severely impacted survival of embryos.
Assessment of Ovarian Development and Its Relation to Mating in Wild and Pond‐Reared Litopenaeus vannamei Shrimp in a Commercial Hatchery
Authors: Palaclos Elena , Racotta Ilie S. , Villalejo Marcial
Published: April 2007

The present study compares three scales for evaluation of ovary development stage in wild and pond‐reared shrimp. An external visual scale was assessed according to color and size of ovaries observed through the exoskeleton in live shrimp by staff of a commercial hatchery. Shrimp were then sacrificed to obtain gonadosomatic index, and gonads were scaled according to their color and size upon dissection. Finally, a portion of ovaries was processed for histological analysis, from which oocyte diameters were obtained, and females were evaluated with another scale based on cytological organization of gonads and on frequency of oocyte sizes. The certainties of the external and internal scales were analyzed, based on differences in gonadosomatic index and oocyte diameter and by comparison with the more accurate scaling obtained by histological analysis. The external scale was, in general, less accurate than the internal scale. Maturation stage in pond‐reared shrimp was underestimated or overestimated more frequently than in wild shrimp. The implications for hatchery operation and possible reasons are discussed. Pond‐reared shrimp were found to have a non‐linear relation between gonad weight and body weight, but this relation was linear for the larger wild shrimp. This reduced the validity of gonadosomatic index in pond‐reared shrimp, which were still growing. Thus, oocyte diameter, which was not affected by body weight in growing shrimp, represents a more accurate numeric measure of ovary development. Spermatophores were found attached to the thelycum in females only at the cortical stage of maturation, independent of origin. However, a significant proportion of fully mature, pond‐reared shrimp did not have an attached spermatophore, possibly indicating lower mating success or poorer spermatophore adherence in these shrimp.
Induced Ovulation, Spawning, Egg Incubation, and Hatching of the Cyprinid Fish Labeo victorianus in Captivity
Authors: Rutaisire Justus , Booth Anthony J.
Published: April 2007

Two spawning inducing agents—Aquaspawn (a rapidly metabolized synthetic decapeptide gonadotropin‐releasing hormone [GnRH]) and Dagin ([D‐Arg6, Pro9‐NEt]‐sGnRH) combined with 20 mg/kg of the water‐soluble dopamine receptor antagonist metoclopramide (GnRH + MET)—were tested for their efficacy in stimulating ovulation in Labeo victorianus held in its natural environment and under captive conditions. Successful ovulation, when migratory vesicle oocytes became completely transparent, was obtained with GnRH + MET, while GnRH only caused oocyte clearance up to the highly translucent phase. L. victorianus eggs were non‐adhesive, semi‐buoyant, and transparent at ovulation. First hatching occurred after 26 h and lasted for 8 h at 24 C. Water temperature was shown to significantly affect spawning latency and incubation time. Thus, L. victorianus could be successfully induced to spawn using a synthetic gonadotropin‐releasing hormone coupled with a dopamine antagonist followed by natural fertilization in floating net cages at temperatures between 24 and 27 C.
Fatty Acid Composition of Different Microalgae Strains (Nannochloropsis sp., Nannochloropsis oculata (Droop) Hibberd, Nannochloris atomus Butcher and Isochrysis sp.) According to the Culture Phase and the Carbon Dioxide Concentration
Authors: Roncarati Alessandra , Meluzzi Adele , Acciarri Silvia , Tallarico Nicola , Meloti Paolo
Published: April 2007

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different volumes of supplemented carbon dioxide. which is a potential donator of carbon atom, on the fatty acid profile of four microalgae strains (Nannochloropsis sp., Nannochloropsis oculata (Droop) Hibberd. Nannochloris atomus Butcher and Isochrysis sp.) currently used to enrich rotifers fed to marine fish larvae during two different phases of growth (logarithmic and stationary). Half of the microalgae were cultured at a low CO2 concentration (0.5 L/min). corresponding to 1 % the air volume (0.038 L/min per L of culture) and the other half of microalgae were cultured at a high concentration of CO2 (1.1 L/min), corresponding to 2% the air volume (0.086 L/min per L of culture).

The resulting fatty acid profile was species‐specific and Nannochloris atomus appeared less suitable for inarine organism feeding because of its high percentage of alpha‐linolenic acid which represents the only n‐3 PUFA of this alga (28.7%). On the contrary, Isochrysis sp. showed the largest proportions of n‐3 PUFA also when maintained in the stationary phase (36.46%). Algae cultures contained higher percentages of n‐3 PUFA during the logarithmic phase than in the stationary phase when the proportions of short‐chain fatty acids increased. High levels of concentrated CO2 generally increased the content of long chain fatty acids from 17 carbon atoms onwards. The percentages of total n‐3 and n‐6 were higher than those recorded at low CO2 concentration. Similarly, the n‐3/n‐6 ratio was higher at the maximum CO2 concentration (logarithmic phase). During stationary phase the difference between the two groups was less apparent than that observed in the logarithmic one. The high CO2 addition exerted a significant and more favorable influence than the low supplementation on the C18:1, C20:0, C20:4n‐6, and C22:6n‐3 concentrations in both phases, in all four microalgae strains studied.
Effects of Dietary Vitamin A on Juvenile Red Sea Bream Chrysophrys major
Authors: Hector Luis , Hernandez Hernandez , Teshima Shin‐Ichi , Ishikawa Manabu , Koshio Shunsuke , Tanaka Yoshito
Published: April 2007

A 55‐d feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin A on growth of juvenile red sea bream Chrysophrys major. Nine semi‐purified diets with supplemental retinol palmitate at levels of 0, 300, 600, 1,500, 3,000, 4,500, 6,000, 15,000 and 30,000 retinol eq/kg diet, were fed twice daily to triplicate groups of 10 juveniles per tank with an initial weight of 1.178 ± 0.001 g. Weight gain and specific growth rate increased with the increase of supplemental retinol palmitate in the diet up to a level of 6,000 retinol eq/kg diet, beyond which those indices tended to decrease slightly or to plateau. Significantly lower weight gain and specific growth rate were observed in fish fed with 0 and 300 retinol eq/kg diet. No significant differences were found in survival rates among the different levels of supplementation. The crude protein, lipid, moisture and ash contents in the whole body were not affected by the different vitamin A supplemental levels. Besides the reduced growth, fish fed with low levels of vitamin A supplement showed no other signs of deficiency. No hypervitaminosis A symptoms were observed in fish fed on high levels of supplementation. Fish fed on diets with 0 and 300 retinol eq/kg diet showed a significantly lower content of vitamin A (as a total retinol) in the liver than those in groups fed with higher levels of supplementation. Vitamin A was stored in the liver mainly as retinyl esters. Total retinal content of the eye showed no significant differences among the treatments; however, fish fed with 0 and 300 retinol eq/kg of diet had slightly higher concentrations. According to the results of the mean weight gain, specific growth rate and liver retinol content, the requirement of dietary vitamin A for juvenile red sea bream was estimated to be between 1,500 and 6,000 retinol eq/kg.
Nitrite Toxicity to Litopenaeus vannamei in Water Containing Low Concentrations of Sea Salt or Mixed Salts
Authors: Sowers Anthony , Young Shawn P. , Isely J. Jeffery , Browdy Craig L. , Tomasso Joseph R.
Published: April 2007

The uptake, depuration and toxicity of environmental nitrite was characterized in Litopenaeus vannamei exposed in water containing low concentrations of artificial sea salt or mixed salts. In 2 g/L artificial sea salts, nitrite was concentrated in the hemolymph in a dose‐dependent and rapid manner (steady‐state in about 2 d). When exposed to nitrite in 2 g/L artificial sea salts for 4 d and then moved to a similar environment without added nitrite, complete depuration occurred within a day. Increasing salinity up to 10 g/L decreased uptake of environmental nitrite. Nitrite uptake in environments containing 2 g/L mixed salts (combination of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium chlorides) was similar to or lower than rates in 2 g/L artificial sea salt. Toxicity was inversely related to total dissolved salt and chloride concentrations and was highest in 2 g/L artificial sea salt (96‐h medial lethal concentration = 8.4 mg/L nitrite‐N). Animals that molted during the experiments did not appear to be more susceptible to nitrite than animals that did not molt. The shallow slope of the curve describing the relationship between toxicity and salinity suggests that management of nitrite toxicity in low‐salinity shrimp ponds by addition of more salts may not be practical.
The Effect of Temperature on Feed Consumption and Nutrient Absorption in Procambarus clarkii and Procambarus zonangulus
Authors: Croll Suzanne L. , Watts Stephen A.
Published: April 2007

Feeding characteristics of acclimated red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii and white river crayfish Procambarus zonangulus were determined at 8, 14, 20, 26, and 32 C. Food consumption rates of crayfish were directly related to temperature. Feeding was minimal at 8 C. At 14 CP. zonangulus consumed significantly more feed (5.5% body weight (BW/d) than P. clarkii (1.8% BW/d). At 32 C P. clarkii consumed significantly more feed (23% BW/d) than P. zonangulus (10% BW /d), reflecting species‐specific thermal optimums for feeding. Differences in food consumption rates correspond to differences in the geographical distributions of these two species. Dry matter absorption rates ranged from 55% to 75% for both species without significant temperature effect. Patterns of protein and carbohydrate absorption were similar in P. clarkii and P. zonangulus. Protein absorption efficiency decreased from 45% to 10% as temperature increased from 8 C to 32 C. The total amount of protein absorbed increased seven‐ to ten‐fold as temperature increased. Soluble carbohydrate absorption efficiency was reduced at low temperatures. However, absorption efficiency increased approximately five‐fold as temperature increased from 14 C to 20 C, but did not change substantially as temperature was increased to 32 C. The total amount of carbohydrate absorbed increased approximately 15‐ to 26‐fold as temperature increased. The protein to carbohydrate utilization ratio was similar between species, but varied dramatically with temperature. Both species absorbed between 2.5 and four‐times more protein than carbohydrate at low temperatures (8 C and 14 C). At 32 C both species utilized approximately three times more carbohydrate than protein. In spite of reduced consumption at lower temperatures, crayfish absorbed a greater protein portion. At these low temperatures it appears that crayfish maximize the efficiency of protein absorption, presumably for maintenance and growth requirements. At high temperatures it appears that crayfish maximize energy intake, presumably to sustain higher metabolic rates due to increased activity levels. These apparent temperature‐dependent nutrient requirements may influence natural foraging strategies or, for species in aquaculture, the effectiveness of commercial feed preparations. At high temperatures P. clarkii was more effective in consuming nutrients than P. zonangulus and may be more successful than P. zonangulus at these temperatures.
Following the Artificially Induced Eel Maturation Process by Means of In Vivo CT Scanning
Authors: Müller Tamás , Romvári Róbert , Bercsényi Miklós , Hancz Csaba , Molnár Tamás , Szabó András , Horn Péter
Published: April 2007

Artificially induced maturation of 10 male eels Anguilla anguilla L. weighing 170 ± 30‐3 g was followed for 6 wk with in vivo CT scanning in a repeated manner. Since testis tissue has a well defined X‐ray density value, the volumetric development could be described. Parallel with this process, a strong decrease of the abdominal fat volume was measured and depicted with the applied surface smoothing method. As an affect of the hCG treatment (250 IU/week per eel) at the third wk, the testis could clearly be recognized on the images. From that time the average testis volume values of the 10 eels were 4,975, 6345, 11,583 and 14,553 mmJ respectively. At the sixth wk, the relative testis volume in the abdomen was 25%. In the fillet a characteristic shift (from ‐10 to ‐20 Hounsfield units) of the density histogram towards the fat interval was detected. The average density value of the fillet was found to be zero; this was supported furthermore by the histological analysis of the fillet (fat to muscle rate 0.35‐0.40). On the basis of the above findings, the applied CT scanning method was proven to be suitable to follow in vivo the maturation process of male eels.
Numerical Simulation of the Urine Flow in a Stented Ureter
Authors: Tong Jimmy C. K. , Sparrow Ephraim M. , Abraham John P.
Published: April 2007

When a stent is implanted in a blocked ureter, the urine passing from the kidney to the bladder must traverse a very complicated flow path. That path consists of two parallel passages, one of which is the bore of the stent and the other is the annular space between the external surface of the stent and the inner wall of the ureter. The flow path is further complicated by the presence of numerous pass-through holes that are deployed along the length of the stent. These holes allow urine to pass between the annulus and the bore. Further complexity in the pattern of the urine flow occurs because the coiled “pig tails,” which hold the stent in place, contain multiple ports for fluid ingress and egress. The fluid flow in a stented ureter has been quantitatively analyzed here for the first time using numerical simulation. The numerical solutions obtained here fully reveal the details of the urine flow throughout the entire stented ureter. It was found that in the absence of blockages, most of the pass-through holes are inactive. Furthermore, only the port in each coiled pig tail that is nearest the stent proper is actively involved in the urine flow. Only in the presence of blockages, which may occur due to encrustation or biofouling, are the numerous pass-through holes activated. The numerical simulations are able to track the urine flow through the pass-through holes as well as adjacent to the blockages. The simulations are also able to provide highly accurate results for the kidney-to-bladder urine flow rate. The simulation method presented here constitutes a powerful new tool for rational design of ureteral stents in the future.
Application of A Microstructural Constitutive Model of the Pulmonary Artery to Patient-Specific Studies: Validation and Effect of Orthotropy
Authors: Zhang Yanhang , Dunn Martin L. , Hunter Kendall S. , Lanning Craig , Ivy D. Dunbar , Claussen Lori , Chen S. James , Shandas Robin
Published: April 2007

We applied a statistical mechanics based microstructural model of pulmonary artery mechanics, developed from our previous studies of rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), to patient-specific clinical studies of children with PAH. Our previous animal studies provoked the hypothesis that increased cross-linking density of the molecular chains may be one biological remodeling mechanism by which the PA stiffens in PAH. This study appears to further confirm this hypothesis since varying molecular cross-linking density in the model allows us to simulate the changes in the P‐D loops between normotensive and hypertensive conditions reasonably well. The model was combined with patient-specific three-dimensional vascular anatomy to obtain detailed information on the topography of stresses and strains within the proximal branches of the pulmonary vasculature. The effect of orthotropy on stress∕strain within the main and branch PAs obtained from a patient was explored. This initial study also puts forward important questions that need to be considered before combining the microstructural model with complex patient-specific vascular geometries.
Wear in the Prosthetic Shoulder: Association With Design Parameters
Authors: Hopkins Andrew R. , Hansen Ulrich N. , Amis Andrew A. , Knight Lucy , Taylor Mark , Levy Ofer , Copeland Stephen A.
Published: April 2007

Total replacement of the glenohumeral joint provides an effective means for treating a variety of pathologies of the shoulder. However, several studies indicate that the procedure has not yet been entirely optimized. Loosening of the glenoid component remains the most likely cause of implant failure, and generally this is believed to stem from either mechanical failure of the fixation in response to high tensile stresses, or through osteolysis of the surrounding bone stock in response to particulate wear debris. Many computational studies have considered the potential for the former, although only few have attempted to tackle the latter. Using finite-element analysis an investigation, taking into account contact pressures as well as glenohumeral kinematics, has thus been conducted, to assess the potential for polyethylene wear within the artificial shoulder. The relationships between three different aspects of glenohumeral design and the potential for wear have been considered, these being conformity, polyethylene thickness, and fixation type. The results of the current study indicate that the use of conforming designs are likely to produce slightly elevated amounts of wear debris particles when compared with less conforming joints, but that the latter would be more likely to cause material failure of the polyethylene. The volume of wear debris predicted was highly influenced by the rate of loading, however qualitatively it was found that wear predictions were not influenced by the use of different polyethylene thicknesses nor fixation type while the depth of wearing was. With the thinnest polyethylene designs (2mm) the maximum depth of the wear scar was seen to be upwards of 20% higher with a metal-backed fixation as opposed to a cemented design. In all-polyethylene designs peak polymethyl methacrylate tensile stresses were seen to reduce with increasing polyethylene thickness. Irrespective of the rate of loading of the shoulder joint, the current study indicates that it is possible to optimize glenoid component design against abrasive wear through the use of high conformity designs, possessing a polyethylene thickness of at least 6mm.
Preservation of Integron Types among
Enterobacteriaceae
Producing Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in a Spanish Hospital over a 15-Year Period (1988 to 2003)
Authors: Machado Elisabete , Ferreira Joana , Novais Ângela , Peixe Luísa , Cantón Rafael , Baquero Fernando , Coque Teresa M.
Published: April 2007

The variable presence of integrons among extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Enterobacteriaceae
species (0 to 66%) is described. Association between
bla
ESBL
and integrons occurred when these are linked to specific ESBL-type genes (In
60
bearing IS
CR1
and
bla
CTX-M-9
) or when ESBL genes were superimposed onto selected plasmids carrying integrons. Some integrons were identical to those found during decades worldwide, illustrating the preservation of the genetic elements carrying them.
Moraxella catarrhalisOuter Membrane Protein CD Elicits Antibodies That Inhibit CD Binding to Human Mucin and Enhance Pulmonary Clearance ofM. catarrhalisin a Mouse Model
Authors: Liu Dai-Fang , McMichael John C. , Baker Steven M.
Published: April 2007

The outer membrane protein CD ofMoraxella catarrhalisis considered to be a potential vaccine antigen againstMoraxellainfection. We purified the native CD from isolate O35E, administered it to mice, and detected considerable titers of anti-CD antibodies. Anti-CD sera were cross-reactive towards six differentM. catarrhalisisolates and promoted bacterial clearance of O35E in a pulmonary challenge model. To circumvent the difficulty of generating large quantities of CD fromM. catarrhalisfor vaccine use, the CD gene from O35E was cloned intoEscherichia coli, and the recombinant CD, expressed without a signal sequence or fusion tags, represented ∼70% of the totalE. coliproteins. The recombinant CD formed inclusion bodies that were solubilized with 6 M urea and then purified by ion-exchange chromatography, a procedure that produced soluble CD of high purity and yield. Mice immunized with the purified recombinant CD had significant titers of anti-CD antibodies that were cross-reactive towards 24 differentM. catarrhalisisolates. Upon challenge, these mice showed enhanced bacterial clearance of both O35E and a heterologousM. catarrhalisisolate, TTA24. In an in vitro assay, antisera to either the native or the recombinant CD inhibited the binding activity of CD to human tracheobronchial mucin in a serum concentration-dependent manner, and the extent of inhibition appeared to correlate with the corresponding anti-CD antibody titer and whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titer. Our results demonstrate that the recombinant CD is a promising vaccine candidate for preventingMoraxellainfection.
Filamentous Influenza A Virus Infection Predisposes Mice to Fatal Septicemia following Superinfection with
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Serotype 3
Authors: Speshock Janice L. , Doyon-Reale Nicole , Rabah R. , Neely Melody N. , Roberts Paul C.
Published: April 2007

Previous studies have demonstrated that animals exposed to
Streptococcus pneumoniae
while recovering from influenza A virus infection exhibit exacerbated disease symptoms. However, many of the current animal models exploring dual viral and bacterial synergistic exacerbations of respiratory disease have utilized mouse-adapted influenza virus and strains of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
that in themselves are highly lethal to mice. Here we describe a mouse model of bacterial superinfection in which a mild, self-limiting influenza virus infection is followed by mild, self-limiting superinfection with
S. pneumoniae
serotype 3.
S. pneumoniae
superinfection results in rapid dissemination of the bacterium from the respiratory tract and systemic spread to all major organs of the mice, resulting in fatal septicemia. This phenomenon in mice was observed in superinfected animals undergoing an active viral infection as well as in mice that had completely cleared the virus 7 to 8 days prior to superinfection. Neutrophils were the predominant cellular inflammatory infiltrate in the lungs of superinfected mice compared to singly infected animals. Among other cytokines and chemokines, the neutrophil activator granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was found to be significantly overexpressed in the spleens, lungs, and brains of superinfected animals. High G-CSF protein levels were observed in sera and lung lavage fluid from superinfected animals, suggesting that G-CSF is a major contributor to synergistic exacerbation of disease leading to fatal septicemia.
Pseudo-pseudohypercalcaemia, apparent primary hyperparathyroidism and Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia
Authors: Elfatih A , Anderson N R , Fahie-Wilson M N , Gama R
Published: April 2007

An apparent primary hyperparathyroidism was reported due to pseudo-pseudohypercalcaemia in a 74–year-old man with Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia. It is important to recognise artificially elevated serum calcium levels so as to avoid erroneous diagnosis, unnecessary investigations and potentially inappropriate treatment.
Copper:caeruloplasmin ratio
Authors: Twomey Patrick J , Viljoen Adie , House Ivan M , Reynolds Timothy M , Wierzbicki Anthony S
Published: April 2007

Investigation of copper status can be a diagnostic challenge. The non-caeruloplasmin-bound copper (NCC) has deficiencies; accordingly, the copper:caeruloplasmin ratio has been suggested as an alternative index of copper status. A reference interval for this index was derived. In addition to making the interpretation of copper easier, the copper:caeruloplasmin ratio should also enable adjustment for relatively high caeruloplasmin concentrations without recourse to producing gender- and age-derived intervals. The copper:caeruloplasmin ratio has weaknesses similar to those identified for NCC in that immunological methods used for caeruloplasmin can cross react with apocaeruloplasmin and there is no standardised method for caeruloplasmin. Caeruloplasmin assays also have uncertainty from precision, bias and specificity and, accordingly, method-related differences may have a large effect on the copper:caeruloplasmin ratio in a manner similar to the NCC.
Clinical Aspects and Prognosis of Brugada Syndrome in Children
Authors: Probst Vincent , Denjoy Isabelle , Meregalli Paola G. , Amirault Jean-Christophe , Sacher Fréderic , Mansourati Jacques , Babuty Dominique , Villain Elisabeth , Victor Jacques , Schott Jean-Jacques , Lupoglazoff Jean-Marc , Mabo Philippe , Veltmann Christian , Jesel Laurence , Chevalier Philippe , Clur Sally-Ann B. , Haissaguerre Michel , Wolpert Christian , Le Marec Hervé , Wilde Arthur A.M.
Published: April 2007

Background—

Brugada syndrome is an arrhythmogenic disease characterized by an ECG pattern of ST-segment elevation in the right precordial leads and augmented risk of sudden cardiac death. Little is known about the clinical presentation and prognosis of this disease in children.

Methods and Results—

Thirty children affected by Brugada syndrome who were <16 years of age (mean, 8±4 years) were included. All patients displayed a type I ECG pattern before or after drug provocation challenge. Diagnosis of Brugada syndrome was made under the following circumstances: aborted sudden death (n=1), syncope of unexplained origin (n=10), symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia (n=1), suspicious ECG (n=1), and family screening for Brugada syndrome (n=17). Syncope was precipitated by fever in 5 cases. Ten of 11 symptomatic patients displayed a spontaneous type I ECG. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was implanted in 5 children; 4 children were treated with hydroquinidine; and 1 child received a pacemaker because of symptomatic sick sinus syndrome. During a mean follow-up of 37±23 months, 1 child experienced sudden cardiac death, and 2 children received an appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shock; all of them were symptomatic and had manifested a type I ECG spontaneously. One child had a cardioverter-defibrillator infection that required explantation of the defibrillator.

Conclusions—

In the largest population of children affected by Brugada syndrome described to date, fever represented the most important precipitating factor for arrhythmic events, and as in the adult population, the risk of arrhythmic events was higher in previously symptomatic patients and in those displaying a spontaneous type I ECG.
Cathepsin L Deficiency Reduces Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Knockout Mice
Authors: Kitamoto Shiro , Sukhova Galina K. , Sun Jiusong , Yang Min , Libby Peter , Love Victoria , Duramad Paurene , Sun Chongxiu , Zhang Yadong , Yang Xiuwei , Peters Christoph , Shi Guo-Ping
Published: April 2007

Background—

Remodeling of the arterial extracellular matrix participates importantly in atherogenesis and plaque complication. Increased expression of the elastinolytic and collagenolytic enzyme cathepsin L (Cat L) in human atherosclerotic lesions suggests its participation in these processes, a hypothesis tested here in mice.

Methods and Results—

We generated Cat L and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) double-deficient (LDLr
−/−
Cat L
−/−
) mice by crossbreeding Cat L–null (Cat L
−/−
) and LDLr-deficient (LDLr
−/−
) mice. After 12 and 26 weeks of a Western diet, LDLr
−/−
Cat L
−/−
mice had significantly smaller atherosclerotic lesions and lipid cores compared with littermate control LDLr
−/−
Cat L
+/−
and LDLr
−/−
Cat L
+/+
mice. In addition, lesions from the compound mutant mice showed significantly reduced levels of collagen, medial elastin degradation, CD4
+
T cells, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells. Mechanistic studies showed that Cat L contributes to the degradation of extracellular matrix elastin and collagen by aortic smooth muscle cells. Smooth muscle cells from LDLr
−/−
Cat L
−/−
mice or those treated with a Cat L–selective inhibitor demonstrated significantly less degradation of elastin and collagen and delayed transmigration through elastin in vitro. Cat L deficiency also significantly impaired monocyte and T-lymphocyte transmigration through a collagen matrix in vitro, suggesting that blood-borne leukocyte penetration through the arterial basement membrane requires Cat L. Cysteine protease active site labeling demonstrated that Cat L deficiency did not affect the activity of other atherosclerosis-associated cathepsins in aortic smooth muscle cells and monocytes.

Conclusions—

Cat L directly participates in atherosclerosis by degrading elastin and collagen and regulates blood-borne leukocyte transmigration and lesion progression.
Barbershops as Hypertension Detection, Referral, and Follow-Up Centers for Black Men
Authors: Hess Paul L. , Reingold Jason S. , Jones Jennifer , Fellman Melissa A. , Knowles Premere , Ravenell Joseph E. , Kim Stacey , Raju Jamie , Ruger Erica , Clark Sharonda , Okoro Chibuike , Ogunji Ore , Knowles Patricia , Leonard David , Wilson Ruth P. , Haley Robert W. , Ferdinand Keith C. , Freeman Anne , Victor Ronald G.
Published: April 2007

Barbershops constitute potential sites for community health promotion programs targeting hypertension (HTN) in black men, but such programs have not been evaluated previously. Here we conducted 2 nonrandomized feasibility studies to determine whether an enhanced intervention program of continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring and peer-based health messaging in a barbershop lowers BP more than standard screening and health education (study 1) and can be implemented by barbers rather than research personnel (study 2). In study 1, we measured changes in HTN treatment and BP in regular barbershop customers with poorly controlled HTN assigned for 8 months to either an enhanced intervention group (n=36) or a contemporaneous comparison group (n=27). Groups were similar at baseline. BP fell by 16±3/9±2 mm Hg in the enhanced intervention group but was unchanged in the comparison group (
P
<0.0001, adjusted for age and body mass index). HTN treatment and control increased from 47% to 92% (
P
<0.001) and 19% to 58% (
P
<0.001), respectively, in the enhanced intervention group, whereas both remained unchanged in the comparison group. In study 2, barbers were trained to administer the enhanced intervention continuously for 14 months to the entire adult black male clientele (n=321) in 1 shop. Six barbers recorded 8953 BP checks during 11 066 haircuts, thus demonstrating a high degree of intervention fidelity. Furthermore, among 107 regular customers with HTN, treatment and control increased progressively with increasing intervention exposure (
P
<0.01). Taken together, these data suggest that black-owned barbershops can be transformed into effective HTN detection, referral, and follow-up centers. Further research is warranted.
Global Economic History as the Accumulation of Capital Through a Process of Combined and Uneven Development: An Appreciation and Critique of Ernest Mandel
Authors: O'Brien Patrick Karl
Published: April 2007

O'Brien provides a critical assessment of Ernest Mandel's 1975 monograph Late Capitalism. In so doing, he offers a historical narrative that puts into question Mandel's framing of 'waves' of capitalist development as a process of capital accumulation that was dependent upon uneven development in the Third World. O'Brien starts by problematising Mandel's argument that an initial concentration of money, capital and bullion in the hands of Europeans explains combined and uneven development. He goes on to demonstrate that Mandel's (and Lenin's) notion of imperialism as a necessary conduit for the flow of surplus capital from industrialising Europe does not stand up to the historical evidence. In fact, O'Brien maintains an alternative thesis, namely that these marginalised regions were insuffciently penetrated by European capital.
On the History and Logic of Modern Capitalism: The Legacy of Ernest Mandel
Authors: Krätke Michael
Published: April 2007

Mandel's Late Capitalism is the last large-scale effort to make sense of the development of capitalism since 1945 that is linked to the tradition of classical Marxism. The book provides an excellent case to study the difficulties of any such enterprise to come to grips with the historical developments of capitalism at large or with any of its particular phases or epochs. The difficulties that Mandel tries to surmount in order to reintegrate the theory and history of modern capitalism are, however, closely linked to ambiguities already present in Marx's original general theory of capitalism.
Concerning Der Spätkapitalismus: Mandel's Quest for a Synthesis of Late Capitalism
Authors: Stutje Jan Willem
Published: April 2007

Between 1940 and 1980, Ernest Mandel (1923–1995) studied many aspects of capitalism. With his magna opera, Traité d'économie marxiste (1962) and Der Spätkapitalismus (1972) he had a great impact on the social movements which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s of the last century. This article attempts to unravel the story of the development of Mandel's economic historical work. It follows the search for the synthesis of late capitalism, positions Mandel in the Marxist tradition and looks for what was innovative in his contributions. The Traité d'economie marxiste was a provocative experiment. The author shows how Mandel replaced history into the core of Marx's economic theory and how he supersedes Eurocentrism by independently asking for attention for Asia, Africa, the Islamic World and pre-Columbian America. Mandel worked on Der Spätkapitalismus for more than ten years. The article shows how Mandel rehabilitated the forgotten 'long-wave theory', which enabled him to offer an explanation for the exceptional postwar expansion, but also made him predict the end of the 'golden days of capitalism'. The study was completed in 1972 in a turbulent West Berlin, where as visiting professor at the leading Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft he defended his vision in lively debate with students and confrères and where the last theoretical differences were ironed out.
Phallic Objects from Ardabil
Authors: Omid Parisa , Arakelova Victoria
Published: April 2007

The article examined the phallic objects recently identified by the authors in the cemetery of Onar, Ardabil. The objects are typologically similar to the so-called mushroom-shaped phalli attested in various ancient cultures all over the world. Still, adapted to the Islamic tradition by means of re-interpretation of their form, they are used here as tomb-stones, one of them even bearing an epitaphic inscription in Arabic.
Rapport du capitaine en second Constantin Smirnov sur son voyage en Turquie en 1904
Authors: Ter-Oganov Nugzar
Published: April 2007

The article includes the Report (with Introduction, French translation and commentaries) of Junior Captain Constantine Nicolaevich Smirnov, a Russian secret officer, about his trip (in company with Colonel Vladimir Platonovich Liakhov, an ominous figure in the history of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran) to Turkey in 1904. The Report is being kept at present in the Archives of the Institute of Manuscripts of the Georgian Academy of Science in Tbilisi.This document, never published before, has a considerable historical importance as a valuable source illuminating several issues of the history of Russian-Turkish relations, the situation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, the policy of the Tsarist Russia and, in general, Russian radical nationalism towards Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century.Smirnov's Report also clearly shows that the Kurds in the Ottoman Empire, unlike Armenians, were under the protection of Turks and were involved in all repressive military structures against Armenians and other national minorities of the country. Judging from this Report, the position of Russians towards Armenians and Kurds was similarly differentiated. In any case and despite the widespread opinion about the Russian State's positive role in the Armenian people destiny, the official policy of Russia, as well as the common approach of the Russian intelligentsia were always strongly anti-Armenian and sometimes overstepped even the mark of elementary morality.
Tabari Language Materials from Il'ya Berezin's Recherches sur les dialectes persans
Authors: Borjian Habib
Published: April 2007

The paper studies and summarises the linguistic materials on Tabari found in I. N. Berezin's "Recherches sur les dialectes persans". This book was the first attempt in Iranian dialectology, but due to the inaccuracies and incoherent transcription it has largely been ignored since its publication in 1953. Tabari, one of the Iranian languages studied in the book, has more than three million speakers in the Persian province of Mazandaran on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. It sheds light on certain grammatical characteristics of Tabari not so clearly stated in other contemporaneous sources. From materials documented by Berezin, 24 sentences and a glossary (including a separate list of verbs) are extracted and listed in the article.
Beyond the Racial Census
Authors: McLaughlin Eric S.
Published: April 2007

Careful attention to social demographics can be valuable in understanding how patterns of interethnic competition vary between countries, but social demographics can also vary across different levels of social aggregation within the same polity. It may be improper to draw conclusions about the political importance of a particular cleavage based on data from only one level of social aggregation. In South Africa, race is considered to be the primary cleavage around which political competition is organized; intraracial ethnolinguistic cleavages are often dismissed as unimportant, especially at the national level. By focusing the analysis on the local level, this article demonstrates that ethnolinguistic identities are in fact broadly salient in South Africa. These subracial identities appear to influence aggregate political outcomes and individual vote choices. The article thereby offers substantive lessons for students of South African politics and methodological lessons for students of ethnic politics more generally.
Russo-Chinese Energy Cooperation
Authors: Gulick John
Published: April 2007

The collapse of the Soviet Union has gradually drawn the natural resources of the Russian Far East into Northeast Asia's economic field of gravity. Contrary to what many experts predicted in the early 1990s, the opening of these natural resources to the wider region has generated a substantial dose of interstate friction. Since the turn of the century, much of this friction has revolved around Chinese and Japanese competition to secure hydrocarbon fuels through pipelines transecting the Russian Far East. This competition is mediated by a complex and contradictory situation: Moscow and Beijing are trying to bolster Russo-Chinese partnership through enhanced commercial exchange, but actors in Russian provinces bordering Northeast China remain wary of rising Chinese demographic and economic influence in the area. Nonetheless, the intransigent geopolitical disposition of the US and the changing configuration of world energy markets have given nearly irresistible momentum to expanded Russo-Chinese energy cooperation, even if this portends Russia's partial sidelining of Japan as a customer of east Siberian oil. However, it is still unclear whether expanded energy cooperation alone can pave the way toward genuine geo-economic integration in the Russian Far East—Northeast China border zone.
'No choice at all': Destitution or deportation? A commentary on the implementation of Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004
Authors: Cunningham Jo , Cunningham Steve
Published: April 2007

Despite the controversy surrounding the passage of Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act into law, the Home Office is piloting it in a number of local authorities across England and Wales, with a view to implementing it nationally. The Home Office is conducting its own evaluation of the pilot, but stake-holders remain unconvinced as to its objectivity and validity. This article analyses the implementation of Section 9 and finds that it has been a spectacular failure. Quite apart from failing to achieve its desired aim of securing the return of failed asylum seekers to their country of origin, Section 9 has brought about immeasurable suffering and misery. Attention is drawn to the human impact of the policy, and profiled are some of the families who have faced the impossible choice of destitution or deportation. On a more positive note, the article recognizes the unprecedented and overwhelming support that families have received from local people and the media.
Empathy and Group Analysis: An Integrative Approach
Authors: Nava Ana Sofia
Published: April 2007

With the aid of the most recent neuroscientific and psychological investigations, the author proposes an integrative approach of empathy, using this to explore the characteristic way that, in group analysis, empathy is an investigative agent, and, as such, opens a very special pathway to the analysands' intra-psychic lives. It is also proposed that this instrument of investigation is amplified in the group-analytic and psychotherapeutic group contexts. The author subsequently reflects on the manner in which, in group analysis, empathy is also integrated in the therapeutic process itself and the factors that have an effect on the analyst's empathic abilities: familiarity, similarity, learning and past experience.
Theoretical and Conceptual Notes Concerning Transference and Countertransference Processes in Groups and by Groups, and the Social Unconscious: Part II
Authors: Hopper Earl
Published: April 2007

In this article I will consider `group (T) ransference' and `group (t)ransference' processes that are co-created by members of the whole group to a particular object they hold in common, such as their conductor, the evolving dynamic matrix of the group, etc. In Part I, I (Hopper, 2006) discussed transference and countertransference processes by persons in groups: both (T)ransference by individual participants to the conductor of the group and (t)ransferences by individual participants to one another, and to particular objects who they hold in common, as well as (c) ountertransferences by the conductor to individual participants and to the group as-a-whole.
Daring to Engage: Psychoanalysis for Young Offenders in a Unit-based Therapy Programme
Authors: Fairall Christopher , Gleeson Antony
Published: April 2007

The authors are, respectively, the clinical manager and the clinical consultant to a unit-based therapy program for young offenders in custody. The structure and operation of the program are applications of psychoanalysis, systems theory and the concept of the therapeutic community. A particular focus of the program is a therapy group (the `Thursday Group') which the authors co-conduct. The structure and functioning of the Thursday Group is described as an elaboration of the work of the unit. Central to the work of the Thursday Group is engagement with delinquent mental processes, aspects of which the authors describe in terms of `absence', 'hole-in-the-mind' and a level of symbolic functioning referred to as `concrete'.
Group Analysis and Homosexuality: Indifference or Hostility?
Authors: Weegmann Martin
Published: April 2007

This article explores psychoanalytic attitudes to homosexuality and uses the concept of social unconscious as an aid. Group-analytic silences around the subject are explored and clinical material presented to show a more affirmative stance.
Drag Kinging and the Transformation of Gender Identities
Authors: Shapiro Eve
Published: April 2007

This case study of the feminist drag troupe the Disposable Boy Toys (DBT) examines the relationship between drag and gender identity. Drawing on multiple methods, the author explores the range of gender identities that emerged through participation in DBT. Members saw DBT as the central catalyst for their own identity shifts. The author suggests that these identity transformations occurred through four collective mechanisms: imaginative possibility, information and resources, opportunities for enactment, and social support. The author finds that DBT served as an identity incubator in which participants were able and encouraged to interrogate, play with, and sometimes adopt new gender identities. The author concludes that context is critical in understanding the meaning and importance of drag. Performing gender in this politicized, feminist context shaped the gender identities of the troupe's members in fundamental and varied ways, suggesting that oppositional communities can be an important venue for identity work.
Mother-Blame in the Prozac Nation
Authors: Blum Linda M.
Published: April 2007

Based on in-depth interviews and fieldwork, this article examines mothers raising kids with invisible, social/emotional/behavioral disabilities to refine feminist theories of mother-blame. The mother-valor/mother-blame binary holds mothers responsible for families and future citizens, maintaining this “natural” care at the center of normative femininity. The author explores how mothers raising such burdensome children understand their experiences and makes three arguments: (1) Fewer mothers are blamed for causing their child's troubles in an era of “brain-blame,” but more are blamed as proximate causes if they do not make unrelenting efforts, paralleling “concerted cultivation,” to resolve them; (2) such mothers often exceed concerted cultivation, as they seize authority, as vigilantes, within educational and medical systems in the midst of turf wars, cost containment, and a resulting proliferation of medication treatments; and (3) this maternal speedup holds mothers accountable for feminizing ties to sons, for policing gender boundaries while policing their own feminine care. In sum, mothers raising invisibly disabled kids may represent the model of maternal valor for an era of public stinginess and extensive medicalization.