bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protease-Activated Receptors in Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Leger Andrew J. , Covic Lidija , Kuliopulos Athan
Published: September 2006

Thrombosis associated with the pathophysiological activation of platelets and vascular cells has brought thrombin and its receptors to the forefront of cardiovascular medicine. Thrombin signaling through the protease-activated receptors (PARs) has been shown to influence a wide range of physiological responses including platelet activation, intimal hyperplasia, inflammation, and maintenance of vascular tone and barrier function. The thrombin receptors PAR1 and PAR4 can be effectively targeted in animals in which acute or prolonged exposure to thrombin leads to thrombosis and/or restenosis. In the present study, we describe the molecular and pharmacological basis of small-molecule inhibitors that target PAR1. In addition, we discuss a new class of cell-penetrating inhibitors, termed pepducins, that provide insight into previously unidentified roles of PAR1 and PAR4 in protease signaling.
Shepherding Desire
Authors: Helén Ilpo , Yesilova Katja
Published: September 2006

In this article, sexual policy in Finland is analysed through two historical cases: first, contraception guidance and medical-psychological marital counselling at the Family Federation of Finland’s (Väestöliitto) dispensaries from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, and, second, comprehensive sex education for adolescents from the 1970s to the 1990s. The study focuses on two modes of sexual government, namely the pastoral mode, which subjects individuals to expertise on sexuality, and self-government based on self-inspection. It is emphasized that in Finland sexuality has been problematized and governed in the context of medicine and health care. The most noticeable dissimilarity between the two settings is that in the former the locus of problematization of the sexual self is sexual adjustment in the nuclear family and marriage, while in the latter sexuality is defined in an individualistic manner, and the core question concerns personal sexual liberation. However, in both settings an understanding of sexuality as one’s own initially developed in the context of problems of reproductive health and contraception. In addition, women and female sexuality remained the focus of sexual government throughout the period under study.
Studying Cultural Change
Authors: Skog Ole-Jørgen
Published: September 2006

Was the decline in alcohol consumption, experienced in many countries during the nineteenth century, related to growth of the coffee culture? This question is approached first through a simple content analysis of qualitative data obtained from an empirical sociological study of inebriety in Norway in the 1850s by Norway’s first sociologist, Eilert Sundt [1859], then by a time-series analysis of quantitative data on coffee and alcoholic beverages in Norway. The results confirm that coffee filled a cultural ‘niche’ created by the restrictive Norwegian alcohol policy in the nineteenth century. Sundt’s qualitative data point clearly in this direction. Although the quantitative data - particularly on coffee - are far from ideal indicators of consumption, the results lend some credibility to the substitution hypothesis: The trends coincide fairly closely for the two beverages, and in the detrended series there are measurable signs of correlation when the confounding effects of economic development are controlled for. It is concluded that the political attempts to reduce alcohol problems in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, i.e. reduced availability and increased taxes, may have been alleviated by the growing popularity of coffee as an alternative, ‘new’ beverage for the population at large, and not just the higher social classes.
What Makes People Support Public Responsibility for Welfare Provision: Self-interest or Political Ideology?
Authors: Jæger Mads Meier
Published: September 2006

This article investigates which socio-economic and ideological factors make individuals support the normative principles of the welfare state. Two principal theoretical perspectives, relating to self-interest and the political ideology, respectively, have been proposed in the literature as causal explanations. However, as most studies utilize solely cross-sectional data, causal interpretations of which factors make people express support for the welfare state have so far been hard to sustain. This article, using panel data from the Canadian ‘Equality, Security, and Community’ survey and an extended random-effect model, exploits the longitudinal nature of the data and econometric methods to provide a more accurate analysis of the extent to which self-interest and political ideology actually determine support for welfare state principles. The empirical analysis indicates that both self-interest and political ideology variables to some extent are significant predictors of support for welfare state principles. In addition, the article discusses several avenues for future research.
The effect of pattern recognition and tonal predictability on sight-singing ability
Authors: Fine Philip , Berry Anna , Rosner Burton
Published: September 2006

This study investigated the role of concurrent musical parts in pitching ability in sight-singing, concentrating on the effects of melodic and harmonic coherence. Twenty-two experienced singers sang their part twice in each of four novel chorales. The chorales contained either original or altered melody and original (tonal) or altered (atonal) harmony. Participants also performed an interval-singing task. Alterations from the original in both melody and harmony increased pitching errors in sight-singing. These results indicate respectively that pattern recognition and harmonic prediction are integral to sight-singing ability. Singers made fewer errors on the second reading, showing the role of familiarity. Error rate correlated with interval-singing performance. Less skilled sight-singers were significantly more affected by a disruption in harmony than were better sight-singers. The results suggest an increasing role for internal auditory representations with increasing expertise.
The body behind music: precedents and prospects
Authors: Doğantan-Dack Mine
Published: September 2006

The involvement of the body in musical experiences is a phenomenon that has been noted since ancient times, and many authors have cited the organic rhythms of the body as providing the experiential basis for musical rhythm. The input of our bodily experiences to the comprehension of music has recently been investigated by various researchers in music theory. A similar interest in the bodily basis of music is also seen in studies of expressive music performance. Systematic – and experimental – research on the bodily dimension of musical experiences can be traced back to the 19th century. The rise of scientific psychology from within the experimental physiology of the period gave 19th century theories concerning the workings of the human mind a decisively embodiedcharacter. Hence, recent research on expressive performance is rooted in 19th century theories of music performance that employed bodily phenomena as models. This article provides a survey of these early performance studies in the light of 19th century psychology, and discusses rhythmic structure as the basis of a theory of expressive performance.1
Musical influences in advertising: how music modifies first impressions of product endorsers and brands
Authors: Zander Mark F.
Published: September 2006

The ability of music to create differentiating effects on subjects’ impressions of product endorsers and brands of an advertisement were examined based on the theory of ‘musical fit’. Subjects ( N = 132) listened to one of three versions of a radio commercial in which the music varied in each version. The music selections differed in style, tempo, rhythm, etc., but matched product and message of the commercial in terms of ‘musical fit’. After listening to the commercial, subjects rated the endorser's personality via the external version of a personality inventory. Impressions of the brand were measured using semantic differentials. The results concur with previous findings: depending on musical style, music can lead to significantly different impressions of the endorser as well as the brand without affecting general evaluations of the product. Based on sex, interesting differences concerning music perception and its impacts were found. Self-critical annotations and suggestions for practitioners and future studies are discussed.
Listeners' emotional engagement with performances of a Scriabin étude: an explorative case study
Authors: Timmers Renee , Marolt Matija , Camurri Antonio , Volpe Gualtiero
Published: September 2006

In an explorative study, the variation in listeners' judgments of the emotionality of three performances of a Scriabinétude was investigated. Three performances of the Scriabinétude were recorded. Video and/or audio recordings were presented to 24 listeners who segmented the music in short phrases and indicated their emotional engagement with the music using a slider. The relation between the performance data and the listeners' responses was analysed as well as the effects of musical training, medium and musical structure. The analyses were done using multiple regression analyses and decision trees. The results confirmed the hypothesized influence of the performer's interpretation, the listener's background and the global phrase structure, though not always in the expected way. In particular the dynamics of the performance correlated with listeners' judgments of emotionality, while tempo correlated more strongly with the indications of phrase structure. This was more clearly the case for nonmusicians than for musicians. The movements of the pianist were related to the dynamics of the performance and seemed to aid the communication of emotional intensity.
Songs and emotions: are lyrics and melodies equal partners?
Authors: Ali S. Omar , Peynircioğlu Zehra F.
Published: September 2006

We explored the role of lyrics and melodies in conveying emotions in songs. Participants rated the intensity of four types of emotions in instrumental music or the same music paired with lyrics. Melodies and lyrics conveyed the same intended emotion in Experiments 1 and 3 but were mismatched in Experiments 2 and 4. The major findings in Experiments 1 and 2 were that lyrics detracted from the emotion in happy and calm music (positive emotions), but enhanced the emotion in sad and angry music (negative emotions). In all cases, melodies of songs were more dominant than the lyrics in eliciting emotions. In addition, in Experiments 3 and 4, the emotion in the songs appeared to transfer, simply by association, to pictures of common objects arbitrarily paired with the songs.
The effects of various physical characteristics of high-level performers on adjudicators’ performance ratings
Authors: Ryan Charlene , Wapnick Joel , Lacaille Nathalie , Darrow Alice-Ann
Published: September 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical attractiveness and performance ratings of high-level pianists. Eighteen of the 30 competitors who participated in the Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition were rated by undergraduate and graduate music students and faculty. Participants were divided into three groups who rated the performances under either audio, audiovisual, or visual-only conditions. Visual-only participants rated performers on physical attractiveness, dress, and stage behaviour. Results suggest that high-level pianists are not affected in the same way by the apparent attractiveness bias that has been found in studies of novice and college-level musicians. Performers rated low on behaviour received consistently higher performance scores than high behaviour performers regardless of treatment condition (audio or audiovisual). Performers who rated high on each of the visual components benefited from the audiovisual condition, as compared with the audio-only condition, on note accuracy, but not on five other measures of performance. Interactions between each visual component (attractiveness, dress, and behaviour) and gender of the rater raise questions about gender differences in the perception of attractiveness.
Jean d’Ormesson and the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies
Authors: Bingen Jean
Published: September 2006

Over many long years, whenever a modest and not quite disinterested emissary of a member Association of the International Council of Philosophy and the Humanistic Studies came to visit Jean d'Ormesson at his headquarters in the rue Miollis, patiently clearing his path through mountains of dossiers and brochures, he did not, unlike the title of this paper, associate Jean d'Ormesson with the CIPSH - he simply identified the man before him with the CIPSH itself. An equation born of an admiration barely suppressed under a veneer of polite restraint, an identification perhaps suggested to them by the president or secretary of their home association. Nevertheless a quite unfair one for anyone able to perceive with a greater deal of clarity (the office was very dark in overcast weather) what the ‘Secretary-General’ was, as well and much more, outside of the rue Miollis: the writer, the chronicler of his time, soon to become the assiduously active Academician, or even, dare I suggest, the blue-eyed charmer who graced debates on television. But this summary judgement could readily be forgiven, for the host of the premises had the good taste, when welcoming one to CIPSH, to assume only his mantle as Secretary-General. Besides, for the delegates of member Associations - and it was in this capacity that I first met Jean d'Ormesson before becoming his collaborator on the executive Bureau of CIPSH, and then briefly his successor - he appeared as the effective intermediary with that far-off but richly resourced galaxy called UNESCO. He was the man of warmth and charm who could be relied on to safeguard the subsidies that helped support our conferences and fund our voluminous compilations, which were vital tools for our research.
Early Human Migrations: Incipient Stages of Old World Peopling
Authors: Kozlowski Janusz K.
Published: September 2006

Prehistory, with the assistance of physical anthropology, palaeogenetics and environmental sciences, aims to explain the processes through which continents were peopled.
Reproducing Works of Art Held in Museums: Who Pays, Who Profits?
Authors: Caviness Madeline H.
Published: September 2006

In keeping with the general theme of the General Assembly of CIPSH in Beijing, 2004, in this article I emphasize the potential of the internet to impact the use of works of art in public and private museums for study and research, and for the publication of research. The possibility exists nowadays of creating a hyper-real ‘musée imaginaire’ or ‘museum without walls’ to use André Malraux's phrase of more than fifty years ago. It is hard to see how it could be anything but a benefit to human knowledge to have images of all works in the public domain (that is, for which the creator's copyright has expired) available on the world wide web. Under US law this year (2006) that would mean all works created before 1911. There are encouraging developments in that direction, but there is also constant legal wrangling. And I have to admit there are sometimes two sides to the question, even if I think one argument is far stronger than the other.
The World of Communication: Engaged or Excluded?
Authors: Jucquois Guy
Published: September 2006

A twofold threat hangs over freedom of communication. In rich countries globalization is leading to standardization of thought via national and international bodies. In the cultural as well as the scientific field, especially the human sciences, diversity is needed for reasons of both survival and democracy. Efficiency and productivity imperatives are sacrificing human diversity for economically cost-effective goals. For instance, in the communication field the merging of publishing functions in all media is an obstacle to the free circulation of ideas because it is channelled into the marketing and sales area. In the countries of the southern hemisphere the absence of media makes communication inaccessible for the majority of citizens. So the lack of ideas comes on top of other shortages of basic needs, health care, food, housing … The globalization of trade increases the illusion of a communication which is now accessible to all. But exclusion is increasing because people cannot access knowledge and culture. In fact, in the North as well as the South, the opportunity for everyone to communicate their thinking - their research, their cultural or artistic creations, to communicate a personal experience - is dwindling at the same time as technical progress appears in fact to offer us all the means to express ourselves and have a chance of being heard. The corollary of the creeping globalization of exchanges is that a growing proportion of our contemporaries are put in the position of silent receivers. Indeed the more powerful the media employed, the more those they address become voiceless and passive. Paradoxically, the explosion in communication technology is creating a greater gulf between the well-off and the underprivileged, confining the first in ‘single line of thought’ and excluding the second from any participation in the dialogue. There is no freedom of thought in a world where only one channel exists, even though it communicates that thought in infinitely varied ways. The consumerist consensus never expresses democratic aspirations, but the self-satisfied stupidity of their apathy.
In the Quagmires of Ethnicity
Authors: Mojab Shahrzad
Published: September 2006

Liberalism and Marxism both reject ethnicity - belongings to kin, religion, culture, race, descent, or ‘blood and soil’ - as a basis for the organization of state power. The two positions are, however, radically different in their approach to the separation of politics and ethnicity. The liberal panacea is legal and juridical: citizens are ‘equal before the law’ regardless of their ethnic belonging. Marxism endorses this project of legal equality but argues that, as long as ethnic power is divided unequally outside the sphere of the law, it contributes to the reproduction of inequality. In other words, liberalism offers legal equality while leaving social inequality intact. This article offers a Marxist-feminist critique of liberal approaches to the conflict between women’s rights and religious and cultural belonging in societies that practice Islam.
Making India Hindu and Male
Authors: Bannerji Himani
Published: September 2006

Speaking in the discourse of a culture and tradition in which the notion of the ‘national’ is equal to ‘hindu’, articulated to jargons of authenticity, foreignness and ‘sons of the soil’ criteria of citizenship, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its base community of the hindu right in India hope to hegemonize the Indian political terrain. This article revisits Marx’s and Gramsci’s notions and critiques of civil society, ideology and hegemony to analyse the cultural politics of the hindu right, which through an aggressive masculinity and organized violence attempts to erase muslims from the national space.
Ethnic Identity and Popular Sovereignty
Authors: Juan E. San
Published: September 2006

The Moro (the preferred term for ‘Muslims’ in the Philippines) people’s struggle for national self-determination has placed under critical interrogation the hallowed theories of cultural pluralism, liberal tolerance, and multi-culturalism that continue to legitimize the domination of diverse ethnic groups under elite control in contemporary Filipino society. Bourgeois political norms and laws have led since colonial times to the severe dispossession, exclusion, and impoverishment of the Moro people as a distinct historical community united under Islamic faith and an uninterrupted history of preserving its relative autonomy through various modes of anti-colonial resistance. Since the Spanish (1621-1898) and American colonial periods (1899-1946), up to the present Arroyo government’s neocolonial polity subservient to US hegemony, the Moro people have suffered national, class, and religious oppression. The Moro insurgents are labeled ‘terrorists’ and stigmatized daily by the media, schools, Christian churches, and international business. It is the obligation of Filipino radicals and progressive organizations around the world to recognize the Moro people’s right to self-determination and offer solidarity. This article is a modest attempt to express this solidarity by a preliminary critique of neoliberal ideology (including a certain type of sectarian ultra-leftism) that apologizes for, and foments overtly and covertly, the genocidal wars currently raging in the Moro homelands of southern Philippines.
With a Little class
Authors: Gimenez Martha E.
Published: September 2006

This article seeks to illuminate the political and ideological implications of identity politics based on racial/ethnic labels currently used in the United States. The salience of politically constructed racial and ethnic identities, and the exclusion of class from legitimate political discourse and common sense understanding of how society works, have undermined the ability of most Americans to understand the root causes of their problems. The solution lies, the author argues, in a conceptualization of identity that is grounded both in cultural difference and common locations in the structures of inequality.
Hodgkin lymphoma cells express TACI and BCMA receptors and generate survival and proliferation signals in response to BAFF and APRIL
Authors: Chiu April , Xu Weifeng , He Bing , Dillon Stacey R. , Gross Jane A. , Sievers Eric , Qiao Xugang , Santini Paul , Hyjek Elizabeth , Lee Joong-won , Cesarman Ethel , Chadburn Amy , Knowles Daniel M. , Cerutti Andrea
Published: September 2006

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) originates from the clonal expansion of malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. These B-cell–derived elements constitute less than 10% of the tumoral mass. The remaining tissue is comprised of an inflammatory infiltrate that includes myeloid cells. Myeloid cells activate B cells by producing BAFF and APRIL, which engage TACI, BCMA, and BAFF-R receptors on the B cells. Here, we studied the role of BAFF and APRIL in HL. Inflammatory and HRS cells from HL tumors expressed BAFF and APRIL. Unlike their putative germinal center B-cell precursors, HRS cells lacked BAFF-R, but expressed TACI and BCMA, a phenotype similar to that of plasmacytoid B cells. BAFF and APRIL enhanced HRS cell survival and proliferation by delivering nonredundant signals via TACI and BCMA receptors through both autocrine and paracrine pathways. These signals caused NF-κB activation; Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and c-Myc up-regulation; and Bax down-regulation, and were amplified by APRIL-binding proteoglycans on HRS cells. Interruption of BAFF and APRIL signaling by TACI-Ig decoy receptor, which binds to and neutralizes BAFF and APRIL, or by small-interfering RNAs targeting BAFF, APRIL, TACI, and BCMA inhibited HRS cell accumulation in vitro and might attenuate HL expansion in vivo.
Sensitivity to Social Contingency and Positive Emotion in 2‐Month‐Olds
Authors: Soussignan Robert , Nadel Jacqueline , Canet Pierre , Gerardin Priscille
Published: September 2006

This study was aimed at sorting out conflicting results in the literature concerning 2‐month‐olds' sensitivity to interpersonal contingency, and investigated the potential role of infants' positive emotion in contingency detection. Infants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) that was presented an uninterrupted live–replay–live sequence of three 30‐sec episodes of their mothers' communicative behavior using a double video TV paradigm, or to a control group (CG) that was presented an uninterrupted 90 sec of contingent maternal interactions. Infants of the EG grimaced more than infants of the CG only during the 2nd period of social exchange (replay vs. 2nd live period), but there was an increase of grimacing and a reduction in gazing during the 3rd period of televised interactions in infants of the CG. Each group was split into 2 subgroups a posteriori according to the presence or absence of smiling during the 1st contingent episode. Smiling infants of the EG reacted more negatively during the 2nd interaction period compared to other subgroups. These findings support the view that sensitivity, not fatigue or loss of interest to maternal stimulation, accounts for 2‐month‐olds' expressive changes during noncontingent maternal interactions; fatigue or loss of interest better explains the decline in attention and the increase of negative expressiveness during the last period of contingent interaction. The findings also suggest that the emotional climate of dyadic exchanges could be a contributing factor to infants' ability to detect the relations between their own actions and those of their social partners.
Neural Correlates of Human and Monkey Face Processing in 9‐Month‐Old Infants
Authors: Scott Lisa S. , Shannon Robert W. , Nelson Charles A.
Published: September 2006

Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggests a gradual, experience‐dependent specialization of cortical face processing systems that takes place largely in the 1st year of life. To further investigate these findings, event‐related potentials (ERPs) were collected from typically developing 9‐month‐old infants presented with pictures of familiar and unfamiliar monkey or human faces in 2 different orientations. Analyses revealed differential processing across changes in monkey and human faces. The N290 was greater for familiar compared to unfamiliar faces, regardless of species or orientation. In contrast, the P400 to unfamiliar faces was greater than to familiar faces, but only for the monkey condition. The P400 to human faces differentiated the orientation of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. These results suggest more specific processing of human compared to monkey faces in 9‐month‐olds.
Use of a Volumetric Target for Image-guided Surgery
Authors: Gildenberg Philip L. , Labuz Jeffrey
Published: September 2006

A VIRTUAL REALITY system has been devised to superimpose a computer-generated rendering of a volumetric target to be surgically approached or resected on a real-time video image of the surgical field. A stereotactic frame is used to register the image from the video camera with the image of the target volume for accurate localization. The volumetric target is obtained from preoperative imaging studies and can be modified to adjust the intended line of resection or to avoid eloquent vascular or neural tissue. The computer-generated image is updated throughout surgery to visualize only that part of the tumor under resection so the surgeon may guide the resection along the border of the mass or intended preplanned line of resection. To date, 74 intracranial tumor resections have been performed under video virtual reality guidance. Postoperative scanning corresponds in every case with preoperative planning. This system is also designed to be adapted to frameless guidance, which can be further enhanced by the incorporation of an audible tone to signal the relationship of the tip of the resection instrument to the line of resection.
Outcomes of Surgery for Resection of Regions of Symptomatic Radiation Injury After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Arteriovenous Malformations
Authors: Massengale Justin L. , Levy Richard P. , Marcellus Mary , Moes Gregory , Marks Michael P. , Steinberg Gary K.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Although radiation injury after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), including radiation necrosis (RN), is often treated with surgical resection, detailed outcome data are lacking after resection of symptomatic radiation-injured regions with imaging characteristics suspicious for RN after SRS for arteriovenous malformations (AVM). We present outcomes in seven such patients.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective chart review of seven patients with AVMs of Spetzler-Martin Grades II (n = 1), III (n = 2), and IV (n = 4) who underwent helium ion, proton beam, or gamma knife SRS and required resection of RN-suspicious tissue 1 to 24 months after post-SRS symptom onset. Postoperative outcomes included Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score and time to symptomatic improvement.

RESULTS:

Symptomatic improvement required at least 9 months in the three patients with large regions suspicious for RN (≥4 cm), whereas of four patients with smaller regions (<4 cm), three showed improvement within 2 months (P < 0.05). The remaining patient, who showed no benefit, underwent resection 2 years after the onset of RN symptoms (compared with ≤ 8 mo for the other six patients). Surgery improved KPS scores in four patients with a preoperative KPS score of 50 or lower, but not in three patients with preoperative KPS scores greater than 70 (P < 0.05). Outcomes were not consistently associated with AVM size or location, SRS treatment volume or dose, associated aneurysm, or residual AVM.

CONCLUSION:

After SRS for AVMs, resection of symptomatic RN-suspicious tissue areas is beneficial in reversing neurological deficits and improving KPS scores in selected patients. Times to improvement were longer when larger areas were resected. Delaying such surgery after symptom onset may negatively affect improvement.
Cervical Catheter Tip Placement for Intrathecal Baclofen Administration
Authors: McCall Todd D. , MacDonald Joel D.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Intrathecal baclofen can reduce congenital and posttraumatic spasticity. Traditionally, the catheter tip for baclofen delivery is placed in a low thoracic position, which can result in a lumbar-to-cisternal cerebrospinal fluid baclofen concentration gradient. We investigated whether more rostral catheter placement was technically feasible, safe, and able to control upper extremity spasticity.

METHODS:

The records of 48 patients with a baclofen pump were reviewed retrospectively to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cervically placed intrathecal catheters for baclofen administration. Twenty-three patients had a catheter located in a cervical position and 25 had a catheter in a thoracic position (control group). Complications, including baclofen overdose, mechanical failures, and infections, were noted. Pre- and postoperative Ashworth scores were determined by a physical therapist using a standardized protocol.

RESULTS:

The mean duration of the follow-up period was 10 months. The groups were not significantly different in patient age, baclofen dose, or duration of follow-up, but differed somewhat in the causes of spasticity. For patients with a cervical catheter tip position, upper extremity Ashworth scores decreased significantly from 4.0 ± 0.8 (standard deviation) preoperatively to 3.0 ± 0.9 postoperatively (P = 0.003). In both groups, lower extremity spasticity was significantly reduced. Postoperatively, one patient with a cervical catheter developed aspiration pneumonia, possibly because of sedation. Other complications included hardware infections, mechanical malfunctions, and pseudomeningoceles.

CONCLUSION:

In this series, placement of intrathecal baclofen catheters in the cervical region resulted in equal control of spasticity in the upper and lower extremities and did not increase complications related to the catheter position.
Volumetric Measurement of the Pontomesencephalic Cistern in Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Healthy Controls
Authors: Rasche Dirk , Kress Bodo , Stippich Christoph , Nennig Ernst , Sartor Klaus , Tronnier Volker M.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Most so-called idiopathic trigeminal neuralgias (TN) are caused by neurovascular compression. Does the size of the cerebellopontine cistern play a role in favoring a neurovascular conflict? The aim of this prospective study was to measure the volume of the parapontine cistern in patients with idiopathic TN and to perform a comparison with healthy controls.

METHODS:

In 25 patients with unilateral idiopathic TN and 17 healthy participants, high-resolution 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging scans of the parapontine region and the trigeminal nerve were performed. A coronal T2-weighted, true fast imaging steady-state precession sequence with a slice thickness of 0.9 mm was used to define the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid space from the trigeminal root entry zone to Meckel's cave. The volume of the pontomesencephalic cistern was calculated using a standardized method.

RESULTS:

The mean difference of the volume of the affected and opposite side was 13% in patients with TN. In all patients, a significantly smaller volume of the cistern was found on the affected side (P < 0.01). Healthy controls showed a mean volumetric side difference of 9%, which was not significant (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans are able to demonstrate significant volumetric differences of the pontomesencephalic cistern in patients with unilateral TN. A smaller cistern may be correlated with the occurrence of a neurovascular compression, and these findings support the neurovascular compression theory in idiopathic TN.
Correlation of Postmortem 9.4 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Immunohistopathology of the Human Thoracic Spinal Cord 7 Months after Traumatic Cervical Spine Injury
Authors: Scholtes Felix , Adriaensens Peter , Storme Liesbet , Buss Armin , Kakulas Byron A. , Gelan Jan , Beuls Emile , Schoenen Jean , Brook Gary A. , Martin Didier
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

To correlate high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with immunohistopathology in the injured human spinal cord.

METHODS:

Postmortem MRI scans at a field strength of 9.4 T, as well as standard histology and immunohistochemistry, were performed on an excised specimen of human high thoracic spinal cord, obtained 7 months after the initial trauma, several segments below a severe spinal cord lesion (C5).

RESULTS:

A precise correlation is described between MRI and immunohistochemistry of the long white matter tracts undergoing Wallerian degeneration and of an extension of the cervical lesion into the high thoracic cord.

CONCLUSION:

MRI, the only imaging technique that currently provides useful information on the spinal cord parenchyma after trauma, is rapidly evolving. High-field scanners of up to 9.4 T are being clinically tested. The present postmortem investigation of an isolated spinal cord specimen demonstrates the precise correlation that can be achieved between imaging and pathology. In future investigations, this type of technique can lead to a more precise description of spinal cord injuries and their consequences in remote tissue. Translation into the clinical setting will improve diagnosis and follow-up of spinal cord injured patients.
Internal Jugular Venous Thrombosis as a Complication after an Elective Anterior Cervical Discectomy
Authors: Karim Aftab , Knapp Jill , Nanda Anil
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Anterior cervical discectomy is one of the most common spine procedures in neurosurgery. Various complications, including hoarseness, hematoma, and dysphagia, have been reported in the literature. We report the first case of internal jugular venous thrombosis after an elective anterior cervical discectomy.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

A 35-year-old woman with past medical history significant only for hypercholesterolemia and cholecystectomy underwent an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion for a symptomatic cervical disc at the C5–C6 level. Intraoperatively, the patient had venous bleeding, which was adequately controlled. The procedure was completed with good hemostasis before closure. The patient was discharged home 1 day after the surgery. She was readmitted 5 days later with a 2-day history of a swollen right neck. The patient had no respiratory symptoms, but did report mild dysphagia. A hematoma was suspected.

INTERVENTION:

A computed tomographic scan of the neck was performed when the patient presented with cervical swelling. This was suggestive of a right internal jugular venous thrombosis. This diagnosis was confirmed with cervical ultrasound. The patient was seen by the vascular surgery department. The hospital course was otherwise uneventful and the patient was discharged 3 days later on oral anticoagulation with warfarin.

CONCLUSION:

This is the first report of internal jugular venous thrombosis after an elective anterior cervical discectomy. Internal jugular venous thrombosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient presenting with cervical swelling after an anterior cervical discectomy.
Follicular Lymphoma of the Dura
Authors: Hamilton D Kojo , Bourne T David , Ahmed Hazem , Cousar John B. , Mandell James W. , Sheehan Jason P.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

We present an unusual dural-based follicular lymphoma with radiological and macroscopic features similar to a meningioma. The unusual location of this tumor and its distinction from meningioma, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the dura, and intraparenchymal central nervous system lymphoma, dramatically alters the patient's postoperative treatment. The case illustrates the clinical, radiological, and histological relevance of this rare entity.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

A 41-year-old Caucasian man with chronic bifrontal headaches and a raised area over his left frontal cranium that persisted for 1 year presented to the emergency room with nausea and vomiting. His family reported that the patient demonstrated increased irritability and aggressive behavior. A computed tomographic scan revealed a large mass of the left frontal convexity with edema and mass effect. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed a 5-cm homogeneously enhancing mass in the left posterior frontal lobe.

INTERVENTION:

Preoperatively, the patient underwent angiography and embolization of the tumor. The patient underwent gross total resection of tumor. The dural-based tumor invaded the cranium and scalp. Neuropathological findings were consistent with low-grade follicular lymphoma. The patient is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION:

The current case represents the first report of extensive intracranial dural involvement by a follicular lymphoma that shows a classic immunophenotype by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The case illustrates the clinical and radiographic similarities between dural-based lymphoma and meningioma. Distinguishing dural-based follicular lymphoma from mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma and from intraparenchymal primary central nervous system lymphomas, which are more often large cell lymphomas with more aggressive biological behavior, is essential for proper clinical management.
Ectopic Fascioliasis in the Dorsal Spine
Authors: Vatsal Devendra K. , Kapoor Shalini , Venkatesh Vimala , Vatsal Priti , Husain Nuzhat
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Parasitic myelopathy is rare. We report ectopic infestation of the spine by Fasciola hepatica.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

A young woman presented with gradual onset paraplegia with bladder and bowel involvement. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed an epidural mass lesion that was isotense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images, extending from T4–T7 vertebra with extradural cord compression. She was diagnosed with cord compression, possibly owing to tubercular epidural granulation tissue.

INTERVENTION:

During surgery, a mobile, flat, leaf-like, pink parasite was found in the epidural space. Morphological and histological indices confirmed the parasite as Fasciola hepatica.

CONCLUSION:

Ectopic spinal localization of Fasciola may occur during the transmigration path of the parasite through peritoneum or from the liver through portal venous system.
Impact of Cerebrovascular Disease on the Surgical Treatment of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Authors: Spagnoli Diego , Innocenti Lucia , Bello Lorenzo , Pluderi Mauro , Bacigaluppi Susanna , Tomei Giustino , Gaini Sergio M.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

The influence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) on the short- and long-term results of surgery was evaluated in a series of consecutive patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

METHODS:

Patients with suspected iNPH admitted to our department between June 1996 and June 2003 were evaluated with four clinical and handicap scales. CVD and risk factors for vascular disease were rated. All patients underwent intracranial pressure monitoring via a spinal catheter. Sixty-six patients received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt with a programmable valve. Prospective assessments were programmed at 2 weeks and 3 months after surgery (short-term follow-up). Long-term follow-up evaluations were arranged in June 2004 with patients and/or relatives and health/home care assistants.

RESULTS:

At the short-term follow-up examination, a significant clinical improvement was globally present in 89% of the patients (P < 0.05). CVD, such as leucoaraiosis or previous strokes, were present in 71% of the patients. Patients both with and without CVD and/or risk factors for vascular disease presented a significant improvement (P < 0.05) after shunting; 85 and 100% of the patients with and without CVD, respectively. At the long-term follow-up examination (mean, 52 ± 24.8 mo), 24% of the patients were dead and 8% had experienced stroke. Globally, 60% of the patients were still improved (P < 0.05); 52 and 79% of the patients with and without CVD, respectively.

CONCLUSION:

A high success rate in treatment of iNPH is possible in patients with and without CVD. Despite poorer short- and long-term treatment outcome of iNPH patients with CVD, a long-lasting improvement in their quality of life favors surgery.
Magnetoencephalography in Neurosurgery
Authors: Mäkelä Jyrki P. , Forss Nina , Jääskeläinen Juha , Kirveskari Erika , Korvenoja Antti , Paetau Ritva
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

To present applications of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in studies of neurosurgical patients.

METHODS:

MEG maps magnetic fields generated by electric currents in the brain, and allows the localization of brain areas producing evoked sensory responses and spontaneous electromagnetic activity. The identified sources can be integrated with other imaging modalities, e.g., with magnetic resonance imaging scans of individual patients with brain tumors or intractable epilepsy, or with other types of brain imaging data.

RESULTS:

MEG measurements using modern whole-scalp instruments assist in tailoring individual therapies for neurosurgical patients by producing maps of functionally irretrievable cortical areas and by identifying cortical sources of interictal and ictal epileptiform activity. The excellent time resolution of MEG enables tracking of complex spaciotemporal source patterns, helping, for example, with the separation of the epileptic pacemaker from propagated activity. The combination of noninvasive mapping of subcortical pathways by magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging with MEG source localization will, in the near future, provide even more accurate navigational tools for preoperative planning. Other possible future applications of MEG include the noninvasive estimation of language lateralization and the follow-up of brain plasticity elicited by central or peripheral neural lesions or during the treatment of chronic pain.

CONCLUSION:

MEG is a mature technique suitable for producing preoperative “road maps” of eloquent cortical areas and for localizing epileptiform activity.
Observation of Sequential Electrophilic Substitution of Bromothiophene and Immediate Reductive Elimination of Arylpalladium Complexes
Authors: Sugie Atsushi , Kobayashi Kei , Suzaki Yuji , Osakada Kohtaro , Mori Atsunori
Published: September 2006

The reaction of aryl(iodo)palladium(II)(bpy) complex with 2,3-dibromothiophene in the presence of AgNO3/KF as an activator induces CH arylation in 64–78% yields. These results suggest that palladium-catalyzed CH arylation of bromothiophene derivatives proceeds through the electrophilic substitution of aryl(iodo)palladium(II) complex triggered by AgNO3/KF to form the aryl(thienyl)palladium(II) complex, which readily undergoes reductive elimination to give the CH arylation product.
Facile and Recyclable Method for the Prins Reaction Using Hafnium(IV) Bis(perfluorooctanesulfonyl)amides in Fluorous Biphase System
Authors: Hao Xiuhua , Hoshi Nobuto
Published: September 2006

In fluorous biphase system, Hf[N(SO2C8F17)2]4 has been found to be an efficient catalyst for the Prins reaction of α-methyl styrene with aldehydes at low catalytic loading. The reaction proceeds smoothly and affords the corresponding 1,3-dioxanes in good yields. The catalyst is selectively soluble in lower fluorous phase and can be recovered simply by phase separation. Furthermore, the recovered fluorous phase containing catalyst can be recycled 17 times with yields consistently above 80%.
Addition of sec-Alcohols to Alkynes through a Radical Process Using NHPI/CoII/O2 System
Authors: Oka Ryouhei , Nakayama Masami , Sakaguchi Satoshi , Ishii Yasutaka
Published: September 2006

α-Hydroxy carbon radicals generated from alcohols by the action of NHPI smoothly added to electron-deficient alkynes like acetylenedicarboxylates. For instance, the reaction of 2-propanol with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate afforded maleate derivative 3, 3-methoxycarbonyl-4,4-dimethyl-2-buten-4-olide (4), and a fused bis-γ-butyrolactone 5 formed by further addition of 2-hydroxy-2-propyl radical to 4.
Facile Fabrication of Caudate Gold Nanoparticles by a Temperature-reducing Seeding Approach
Authors: Huang Lan , Zhang Yu , Guo Zhirui , Xie Shengli , Wang Meng , Gu Ning
Published: September 2006

Caudate gold nanoparticles have been prepared in high yield by a simple temperature-reducing seeding approach, without additional capping agent or surfactant. The added seed colloids, the solution reaction temperature, and the initial concentration of gold ions are critical factors to form the special nanostructures. A possible mechanism is also proposed based on TEM studies.
Preparation of C60 Ribbons by in situ Crystallization in a Microfluidic System
Authors: Shinohara Kyosuke , Fukui Takeshi , Abe Hiroaki , Sekimura Naoto , Okamoto Koji
Published: September 2006

This letter reports a fabrication method for C60 crystalline thin ribbons using a microfluidic system. The bulk size of the C60 ribbons is controlled by hydrodynamic force.
Hysteresis Loops in Dielectric Properties of the Thermochromic Copper(II) Compounds
Authors: Hayami Shinya , Motokawa Natsuko , Shuto Aya , Masuhara Naoji , Umebayashi Yasuhiro , Maeda Yonezo , Sato Osamu , Inoue Katsuya , Kawajiri Ryo , Kumura Yui , Okubo Takashi , Mitani Tadaoki
Published: September 2006

The dielectric changes of thermochromic compounds, [Cu(dieten)2]X2 (X = BF4 and ClO4, dieten = N,N-diethylethylenediamine), have been induced by the transformation between square-planar and distorted-square-planar.
Do we still need compression bandages? Haemodynamic effects of compression stockings and bandages
Authors: Partsch H
Published: September 2006

Objective: To compare haemodynamic data obtained with elastic compression stockings and inelastic compression material applied with different pressure ranges on the lower extremities.

Methods: Haemodynamic effects of compression therapy were demonstrated by measuring venous flow velocity, venous volume, venous reflux and venous pumping function using radioisotopes, phlebography, water displacement volumetry, duplex, air plethysmography, foot volumetry and phlebodynamometry.

Results: Light-compression stockings are able to increase venous blood flow velocity in the supine position and to prevent leg swelling after prolonged sitting and standing. In the upright position an interface pressure of more than 50 mmHg is needed for an intermittent occlusion of incompetent veins and for a reduction of ambulatory venous hypertension during walking. Such high interface pressures may rather be achieved by short-stretch, multilayer bandages than by an elastic stocking.

Conclusion: Elastic compression stockings exerting interface pressures up to 40 mmHg are effective in preventing or reducing oedema. Multilayer compression bandages with a pressure over 40 mmHg additionally improve severely disturbed venous pumping function.