bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adenosine-induced activation of esophageal nociceptors
Authors: Ru F. , Surdenikova L. , Brozmanova M. , Kollarik M.
Published: December 2010

Clinical studies implicate adenosine acting on esophageal nociceptive pathways in the pathogenesis of noncardiac chest pain originating from the esophagus. However, the effect of adenosine on esophageal afferent nerve subtypes is incompletely understood. We addressed the hypothesis that adenosine selectively activates esophageal nociceptors. Whole cell perforated patch-clamp recordings and single-cell RT-PCR analysis were performed on the primary afferent neurons retrogradely labeled from the esophagus in the guinea pig. Extracellular recordings were made from the isolated innervated esophagus. In patch-clamp studies, adenosine evoked activation (inward current) in a majority of putative nociceptive (capsaicin-sensitive) vagal nodose, vagal jugular, and spinal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons innervating the esophagus. Single-cell RT-PCR analysis indicated that the majority of the putative nociceptive (transient receptor potential V1-positive) neurons innervating the esophagus express the adenosine receptors. The neural crest-derived (spinal DRG and vagal jugular) esophageal nociceptors expressed predominantly the adenosine A1receptor while the placodes-derived vagal nodose nociceptors expressed the adenosine A1and/or A2Areceptors. Consistent with the studies in the cell bodies, adenosine evoked activation (overt action potential discharge) in esophageal nociceptive nerve terminals. Furthermore, the neural crest-derived jugular nociceptors were activated by the selective A1receptor agonist CCPA, and the placodes-derived nodose nociceptors were activated by CCPA and/or the selective adenosine A2Areceptor CGS-21680. In contrast to esophageal nociceptors, adenosine failed to stimulate the vagal esophageal low-threshold (tension) mechanosensors. We conclude that adenosine selectively activates esophageal nociceptors. Our data indicate that the esophageal neural crest-derived nociceptors can be activated via the adenosine A1receptor while the placodes-derived esophageal nociceptors can be activated via A1and/or A2Areceptors. Direct activation of esophageal nociceptors via adenosine receptors may contribute to the symptoms in esophageal diseases.
Nanomedicine in GI
Authors: Laroui Hamed , Wilson David S. , Dalmasso Guillaume , Salaita Khalid , Murthy Niren , Sitaraman Shanthi V. , Merlin Didier
Published: December 2010

Recent advances in nanotechnology offer new hope for disease detection, prevention, and treatment. Nanomedicine is a rapidly evolving field wherein targeted therapeutic approaches using nanotechnology based on the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal diseases are being developed. Nanoparticle vectors capable of delivering drugs specifically and exclusively to regions of the gastrointestinal tract affected by disease for a prolonged period of time are likely to significantly reduce the side effects of existing otherwise effective treatments. This review aims at integrating various applications of the most recently developed nanomaterials that have tremendous potential for the detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
Hypertonic sodium resuscitation after hemorrhage improves hemodynamic function by stimulating cardiac, but not renal, sympathetic nerve activity
Authors: Frithiof Robert , Ramchandra Rohit , Hood Sally G. , May Clive N.
Published: December 2010

Small volume hypertonic saline resuscitation can be beneficial for treating hemorrhagic shock, but the mechanism remains poorly defined. We investigated the effects of hemorrhagic resuscitation with hypertonic saline on cardiac (CSNA) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and the resulting cardiovascular consequences. Studies were performed on conscious sheep instrumented with cardiac ( n = 7) and renal ( n = 6) sympathetic nerve recording electrodes and a pulmonary artery flow probe. Hemorrhage (20 ml/kg over 20 min) caused hypotension and tachycardia followed by bradycardia, reduced cardiac output, and abolition of CSNA and RSNA. Resuscitation with intravenous hypertonic saline (1.2 mol/l at 2 ml/kg) caused rapid, dramatic increases in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and CSNA, but had no effect on RSNA. In contrast, isotonic saline resuscitation (12 ml/kg) had a much delayed and smaller effect on CSNA, less effect on mean arterial pressure, no effect on heart rate, but stimulated RSNA, although the plasma volume expansion was similar. Intracarotid infusion of hypertonic saline (1 ml/min bilaterally, n = 5) caused similar changes to intravenous administration, indicating a cerebral component to the effects of hypertonic saline. In further experiments, contractility (maximum change in pressure over time), heart rate, and cardiac output increased significantly more with intravenous hypertonic saline (2 ml/kg) than with Gelofusine (6 ml/kg) after hemorrhage; the effects of hypertonic saline were attenuated by the β-receptor antagonist propranolol ( n = 6). These results demonstrate a novel neural mechanism for the effects of hypertonic saline resuscitation, comprising cerebral stimulation of CSNA by sodium chloride to improve cardiac output by increasing cardiac contractility and rate and inhibition of RSNA.
Central infusion of leptin does not increase AMPK signaling in skeletal muscle of sheep
Authors: Laker Rhianna C. , Henry Belinda A. , Wadley Glenn D. , Clarke Iain J. , Canny Benedict J. , McConell Glenn K.
Published: December 2010

In sheep, central leptin infusion reduces food intake and increases energy expenditure in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. The mechanisms for these peripheral effects of central leptin in sheep are not known but, on the basis of rodent studies, may involve AMPK. In mice, central leptin acutely increases both skeletal muscle AMPK activation and glucose uptake. Thus, to investigate whether these effects exist in higher-order mammals, ovariectomized Corriedale ewes ( n = 4 per group) received a continuous lateral ventricular infusion (60 μl/h) of either leptin (50 μg/h) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF; CON) for 8 days. Tritiated glucose (3-3H-glucose) was infused intravenously for calculation of whole body glucose turnover during both acute (6 h) and chronic (7–8 days) leptin/aCSF infusion. Muscle biopsies were also obtained. Leptin infusion reduced ( P < 0.05) food intake and body weight, and it also increased plasma epinephrine concentration at 6 h and 7 days, suggesting increased sympathetic nerve activity. Despite this, and in contrast to rodent studies, central leptin infusion did not increase skeletal muscle AMPKα Thr172 phosphorylation or ACCβ Ser221 phosphorylation. Surprisingly, the glucose rate of appearance (glucose Ra) and rate of disappearance (glucose Rd) were reduced by both acute and chronic leptin infusion. Direct infusion of the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyamide-ribonucleoside (AICAR) into the femoral artery increased skeletal muscle AMPK phosphorylation. In conclusion, although central leptin infusion in sheep caused the predicted reduction in food intake and increases plasma epinephrine concentration, it had no effect on AMPK activation in skeletal muscle and actually reduced glucose disposal. This suggests that there are species differences in the peripheral responses to central leptin infusion.
The evolutionary aspects of aquaporin family
Authors: Ishibashi Kenichi , Kondo Shintaro , Hara Shigeki , Morishita Yoshiyuki
Published: December 2010

Aquaporins (AQPs) were originally identified as channels facilitating water transport across the plasma membrane. They have a pair of highly conserved signature sequences, asparagine-proline-alanine (NPA) boxes, to form a pore. However, some have little conserved amino acid sequences around the NPA boxes unclassifiable to two previous AQP subfamilies, classical AQPs and aquaglyceroporins. These will be called unorthodox AQPs in this review. Interestingly, these unorthodox AQPs have a highly conserved cysteine residue downstream of the second NPA box. AQPs also have a diversity of functions: some related to water transport such as fluid secretion, fluid absorption, and cell volume regulation, and the others not directly related to water transport such as cell adhesion, cell migration, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation. Some AQPs even permeate nonionic small molecules, ions, metals, and possibly gasses. AQP gene disruption studies have revealed their physiological roles: water transport in the kidney and exocrine glands, glycerol transport in fat metabolism and in skin moisture, and nutrient uptakes in plants. Furthermore, AQPs are also present at intracellular organelles, including tonoplasts, mitochondria, and the endoplasmic reticulum. This review focuses on the evolutionary aspects of AQPs from bacteria to humans in view of the structural and functional diversities of AQPs.
Enhanced Clopidogrel Responsiveness in Smokers
Authors: Park Kyung Woo , Park Jin Joo , Jeon Ki-Hyun , Kang Si-Hyuk , Oh Il-Young , Yang Han-Mo , Cho Hyun-Jai , Lee Hae-Young , Kang Hyun-Jae , Koo Bon-Kwon , Oh Byung-Hee , Park Young-Bae , Kim Hyo-Soo
Published: December 2010

Objective—

Observational studies have reported enhanced response to clopidogrel in smokers (the smokers' paradox). We examined whether genetic variations in the cytochrome and drug transporter system are associated with the effect of smoking on clopidogrel response.

Methods and Results—

Clopidogrel on-treatment platelet reactivity (OPR) was measured in 1431 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography. Gene samples were available and genotyping was successful in 1123 patients. Nine candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 5 cytochrome genes and 1 drug transporter gene were assessed. The mean OPR of the entire population was 241.9±79.3 (P2Y
12
reaction units). Two hundred forty-nine (17%) smokers had lower OPR compared with 1182 (83%) nonsmokers (227.6±76.0 versus 244.9±79.7,
P
=0.001). Among the 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, only
CYP1A2
showed a genotype-dependent change in the effect of smoking on OPR. After adjustment for possible confounding factors, cigarette smoking was associated with a lower OPR by −19 P2Y
12
reaction units (
P
=0.009) and lower risk for high OPR (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.74) in the AA and CA genotypes but not in the CC genotype.

Conclusion—

Enhanced clopidogrel response in smokers, known as the smokers' paradox, is not universal but was observed only in cytochrome P450
CYP1A2
(−163C>A) A-allele carriers, suggesting a genotype-dependent effect of smoking on clopidogrel responsiveness.
A Novel Transcriptional Mechanism of Cell Type–Specific Regulation of Vascular Gene Expression by Glucose
Authors: Raman Priya , Harry Christy , Weber Malory , Krukovets Irene , Stenina Olga I.
Published: December 2010

Objective—

Vascular diabetic complications are associated with abnormal extracellular matrix and dysfunction of vascular cells, which later result in aberrant angiogenesis and development of atherosclerotic lesions. The tissue and cell specificity of the effects of high glucose are well recognized, but the underlying cell type–specific molecular mechanisms controlled by glucose are still unclear. We sought to identify cell type–specific mechanisms by which high glucose regulates transcription of genes in vascular cells.

Methods and Results—

Thrombospondin-1 is a potent antiangiogenic protein associated with development of several diabetic complications and regulated by high glucose in multiple cell types. We report that distinct cell type–specific mechanisms regulate thrombospondin-1 gene (
THBS1
) transcription in endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in response to high glucose: although a proximal fragment of 280 nucleotides is sufficient to drive transcription in ECs,
THBS1
was regulated cooperatively by interaction between proximal (−272 to −275) and distal (−1016 to −1019) promoter elements in VSMCs. Transcription factors activated by high glucose in VSMCs were cell type–specific. The formation of a single complex interacting with both distal and proximal glucose-responsive elements of
THBS1
promoter in VSMCs was confirmed using gel-shift assays, binding sequence decoy oligomers, and specific mutant promoter fragments.

Conclusion—

Transcriptional response of vascular cells to high glucose is cell type–specific and involves activation of distinct transcription factors, providing a basis for tissue-specific changes of vasculature in diabetics.
Two Functional MicroRNA-126s Repress a Novel Target Gene p21-Activated Kinase 1 to Regulate Vascular Integrity in Zebrafish
Authors: Zou Jun , Li Wen-Qing , Li Qing , Li Xiang-Qi , Zhang Jun-Tao , Liu Gan-Qiang , Chen Jian , Qiu Xiao-Xu , Tian Fu-Ju , Wang Zhi-Zhang , Zhu Ni , Qin Yong-Wen , Shen Bairong , Liu Ting Xi , Jing Qing
Published: December 2010

Rationale:

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of vascular development and diseases. The function and underlying mechanism of endothelial miRNAs have not been fully defined.

Objective:

To investigate the role of endothelial miR-126 in zebrafish vascular development.

Methods and Results:

Two homologs of miR-126, miR-126a (namely miR-126 in previous literature) and miR-126b, with only 1 nucleotide difference in their mature sequences, were identified in zebrafish genome. In vitro analysis showed that both precursors could sufficiently produce mature functional miRNAs. Expression analyses by Northern blot and quantitative RT-PCR showed that both miR-126s accumulated significantly 12 hours after fertilization and were specifically expressed in endothelial cells of zebrafish. Inhibition of miR-126a or miR-126b with specific morpholinos caused cranial hemorrhage, and simultaneous inhibition of both miR-126s resulted in a pronounced hemorrhage in higher percentage of embryos. Bioinformatics prediction showed that the targets of miR-126a/b partially overlapped but essentially differed. p21-activated kinase1 (
pak1
) was identified as a novel target of miR-126a/b, and
pak1
3′ untranslated region was differently regulated by these 2 miRNAs. Quantitative RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, and Western blot analyses showed that the level of
pak1
was reduced when miR-126a/b were overexpressed. Notably,
pak1
expression in endothelial cells was increased when miR-126a/b were knocked down. Furthermore, overexpression of the active form of human
pak1
caused cranial hemorrhage, and knockdown
pak1
effectively rescued the hemorrhage caused by inhibiting miR-126a/b.

Conclusions:

Two functional endothelial cell–specific miRNAs, miR-126a and miR-126b, synergistically regulate zebrafish vascular integrity, and
pak1
is a critical target of miR-126a/b in vascular development.
Deletion of ABCA1 and ABCG1 Impairs Macrophage Migration Because of Increased Rac1 Signaling
Authors: Pagler Tamara A. , Wang Mi , Mondal Mousumi , Murphy Andrew J. , Westerterp Marit , Moore Kathryn J. , Maxfield Frederick R. , Tall Alan R.
Published: December 2010

Rationale:

Reduced plasma cholesterol and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels promote regression of atherosclerosis, in a process characterized by lipid unloading and emigration of macrophages from lesions. In contrast free cholesterol loading of macrophages leads to imbalanced Rac1/Rho activities and impaired chemotaxis.

Objective:

To study the role of HDL and the ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 in modulating the chemotaxis of macrophages.

Methods and Results:

Abca1
−/−
Abcg1
−/−
mouse macrophages displayed profoundly impaired chemotaxis both in a Transwell chamber assay and in the peritoneal cavity of wild-type (WT) mice. HDL reversed impaired chemotaxis in free cholesterol–loaded WT macrophages but was without effect in
Abca1
−/−
Abcg1
−/−
cells, whereas cyclodextrin was effective in both.
Abca1
−/−
Abcg1
−/−
macrophages had markedly increased Rac1 activity and increased association of Rac1 with the plasma membrane (PM). Their defective chemotaxis was reversed by a Rac1 inhibitor. To gain a better understanding of the role of transporters in PM cholesterol movement, we measured transbilayer PM sterol distribution. In WT macrophages, the majority of cholesterol was located on the inner leaflet, whereas on upregulation of transporters by liver X receptor activation, PM sterol was shifted to the outer leaflet, where it could be removed by HDL.
Abca1
−/−
Abcg1
−/−
macrophages showed increased PM sterol content and defective redistribution of sterol to the outer leaflet.

Conclusions:

Deletion of ABCA1 and ABCG1 causes an increased cholesterol content on the inner leaflet of the PM, associated with increased Rac1 PM localization, activation, and impairment of migration. ABCA1 and ABCG1 facilitate macrophage chemotaxis by promoting PM transbilayer cholesterol movement and may contribute to the ability of HDL to promote regression of atherosclerosis.
The ShcA Phosphotyrosine Docking Protein Uses Distinct Mechanisms to Regulate Myocyte and Global Heart Function
Authors: Vanderlaan Rachel D. , Hardy W. Rod , Kabir M. Golam , Pasculescu Adrian , Jones Nina , deTombe Pieter P. , Backx Peter H. , Pawson Tony
Published: December 2010

Rationale:

Although tyrosine kinases (TKs) are important for cardiac function, their relevant downstream targets in the adult heart are unknown. The ShcA docking protein binds specific phosphotyrosine (pTyr) sites on activated TKs through its N-terminal pTyr-binding (PTB) and C-terminal SH2 domains and stimulates downstream pathways through motifs such as pTyr sites in its central CH1 region. Therefore, ShcA could be a potential hub for downstream TK signaling in the myocardium.

Objective:

To define the role of ShcA, a TK scaffold, in the adult heart using a myocardial-specific knockout of murine ShcA (ShcA CKO) and domain knock-in models.

Methods and Results:

ShcA CKO mice developed a dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype involving impaired systolic function with enhanced cardiomyocyte contractility. This uncoupling of global heart and intrinsic myocyte functions was associated with altered collagen and extracellular matrix compliance properties, suggesting disruption of mechanical coupling. In vivo dissection of ShcA signaling properties revealed that selective inactivation of the PTB domain in the myocardium had effects resembling those seen in ShcA CKO mice, whereas disruption of the SH2 domain caused a less severe cardiac phenotype. Downstream signaling through the CH1 pTyr sites was dispensable for baseline cardiac function but necessary to prevent adverse remodeling after hemodynamic overload.

Conclusions:

These data demonstrate a requirement for TK-ShcA PTB domain signaling to maintain cardiac function. In addition, analysis of the SH2 domain and CH1 pTyr sites reveals that ShcA mediates pTyr signaling in the adult heart through multiple distinct signaling elements that control myocardial functions and response to stresses.
Pumps, Aqueducts, and Drought Management
Authors: Marshall Randolph S. , Lazar Ronald M.
Published: December 2010

Vascular cognitive impairment has been traditionally defined by structural pathology, an accumulation of infarcts, leading to progressive cognitive decline. Recent evidence, however, suggests that cognitive impairment may be independently mediated by hemodynamic dysfunction, including global and hemispheral hypoperfusion and altered cerebral blood flow regulation. In this review, we examine evidence for the contribution of hemodynamic impairment to cognitive dysfunction in the setting of large vessel disease, cardiac failure, and microvascular disease. If there is a hemodynamic component of vascular cognitive impairment, then treatments proposed to correct impaired vascular physiology may reasonably be expected to treat the cognitive dysfunction as well.
“Creating Descent” after Nancy Jay: A Reappraisal of Sacrifice in Relation to Social Reproduction
Authors: Goode Leslie
Published: December 2010

This paper uses a range of ethnographic evidence to challenge Nancy Jay’s theory that ritual sacrifice involves the violent appropriation of female biological powers for male cultural/political ends, and that the social identities thereby reproduced necessarily possess a pseudo-biological character. Sacrificially reproduced forms of kinship are shown to differ from modern nonsacrificial forms of social identity precisely in their transcendence of those dichotomies of biological and cultural, domestic and political, on which Jay’s theory rests. The inappropriate application of such dichotomies to sacrificing societies constitutes an essentialization of Western conceptual categories, entailing distortions of ethnographic interpretation.
The Educator Must Be Educated: The Study of Religion at the End of the Humanities
Authors: Day Matthew
Published: December 2010

This editorial begins with the premise that the liberal arts are in serious trouble. More to the point, it argues that recent attempts assign responsibility for this state of affairs to “postmodernism” naively ignores long-term economic trends. The humanities cannot be saved by just turning over a new leaf and making them more “scientific.” In fact, when it comes to the academic study of religion, the dream of an evolutionary or cognitive “science” of religion may represent a step backwards by virtue of re-introducing sui generis religion.
Litylenchus coprosma gen. n., sp. n. (Tylenchida: Anguinata), from leaves of Coprosma repens (Rubiaceae) in New Zealand
Authors: Davies Kerrie , Zhao Zeng Qi , Alexander Brett , Riley Ian
Published: December 2010

A new genus and species of anguinid nematode, Litylenchus coprosma gen. n., sp. n., was recovered from leaves of Coprosma repens A. Rich. from an amenity planting in Wellington, New Zealand. The genus is characterised by having slender males and slender or semi-obese females, pharynx with a weak non-muscular median bulb, a terminal bulb containing the pharyngeal glands, female with a single gonad having a quadricolumella and post-uterine sac; male with arcuate spicules and the bursa arising 1-2 anal body diam. anterior to the cloacal aperture and extending nearly to the tail tip, and does not induce galls, only foliar chlorosis. The species is characterised by having a short, robust stylet with conus forming ca 40% of stylet length and three well developed rounded knobs, secretory/excretory pore opening posterior to the nerve ring, terminal bulb abutting the intestine, and tail tip of variable form. Molecular phylogeny of near full length small subunit, D2/D3 expansion segments of the large subunit and internal transcribed spacer rRNA genes support the description of L. coprosma gen. n., sp. n. as a new genus and species.
Cutidiplogaster manati n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Diplogastridae) from skin lesions of a West Indian manatee (Sirenia) from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Authors: von Lieven Alexander Fürst , Uni Shigehiko , Ueda Keiichi , Barbuto Michela , Bain Odile
Published: December 2010

A new species of the nematode taxon Diplogastridae is described on morphology and additional molecular data. The new species cannot be grouped in any of the currently accepted diplogastrid genera. Therefore, we introduce the new genus Cutidiplogaster n. gen. along with the description of our new species Cutidiplogaster manati n. gen., n. sp. Cutidiplogaster manati n. gen., n. sp. was isolated from skin lesions of manatees, Trichechus manatus manatus, kept in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan. The specimens were found anchored with their extraordinarily long tails to the small, thick epidermal bumps within thread algae that form part of the epizoic community on the manatee skin. Cutidiplogaster manati n. gen., n. sp. is characterised by the tube-shaped and finely annulated postdental part of the stegostom that makes it distinct from all other Diplogastridae so far known, and the coiled long tail that makes it unique in comparison with all known diplogastrids. On the basis of detail in stoma morphology in C. manati n. gen., n. sp., we discuss implications in homologising diplogastrid mouthparts and their evolution.
Effects of plant species and plant diversity on soil nematodes – a field experiment on grassland run for seven years
Authors: Sohlenius Björn , Viketoft Maria , Boström Sven
Published: December 2010

Plant species identity and diversity may greatly influence the composition of the nematode fauna. In this study the development of the nematode fauna was followed in a field experiment on arable soil with monocultures and mixtures of several plant species. Experimental plots were sown with one, four or 12 species of grass, legumes and forbs and were sampled four times in 7 years. Nematode diversity was little influenced by plant diversity. Due to a pronounced increase of Paratylenchus projectus populations, the Shannon diversity index decreased in several treatments towards the end of the experiment. Differences in nematode faunal composition among treatments increased with time. In spite of the rather long duration of the experiment, the faunal composition did not stabilise but changed continuously. The obligate plant feeders Tylenchorhynchus dubius, T. maximus and Pratylenchus spp. occurred in higher numbers in monocultures than in mixtures of several plant species. Among the microbivores, the abundance of some bacterial- and fungal-feeding nematode taxa seemed to be directly influenced by the plant species identity. In the plots with Trifolium spp. there was an increase of rapidly growing bacterial feeders belonging to Rhabditidae and Panagrolaimidae already after the first growing season. The abundances of some bacterial-feeding nematodes were correlated to total plant production. The numbers of the omnivorous Mesodorylaimus sp. appeared to be influenced by the degree of plant coverage. The abundance of several nematode taxa appeared to be little influenced by the composition of the vegetation. The plant feeder P. projectus and the bacterial feeder Prismatolaimus sp. reacted rather slowly and a distinct increase in numbers was only seen after 7 years, when P. projectus strongly dominated the fauna in several treatments. Among the bacterial feeders, some species with moderate growth rate belonging to Cephalobidae decreased with time in several treatments.
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in Europe
Authors: Wesemael Wim , Viaene Nicole , Moens Maurice
Published: December 2010

In Europe, root-knot nematodes are increasingly important. Out of more than 90 Meloidogyne species currently described, 23 have been found on the continent. In the cooler climates, Meloidogyne hapla, M. naasi, M. chitwoodi and M. fallax are prevalent. Meloidogyne arenaria, M. javanica and M. incognita are the most common species in warmer conditions of southern Europe, but also in glasshouses in northern Europe. Morphological identification of root-knot nematodes is difficult and time consuming; therefore, many research groups have been developing molecular techniques for identification of Meloidogyne species. Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax are quarantine organisms and subject to regulations, and the highly aggressive M. enterolobii has been added to the EPPO alert list. Differences between temperate and tropical Meloidogyne species and their prevalence in Europe imply the need for different management strategies in south and north Europe. Possible crop rotations for the control of root-knot nematodes are limited due to the wide host range of several important species. The banning of methyl bromide and restrictions on other fumigant pesticides in the EU have increased the application of biofumigation significantly in south Europe. The egg-parasitising fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus is commercialised in Germany and applied as dispersible granules for application in water. Intensive research is conducted on the egg-parasitising fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia, and the obligate parasitic bacterium Pasteuria penetrans. European research has paid much attention to resistance breeding and selection. The Mi gene of tomato is widely used but resistance-breaking populations of M. incognita and M. javanica have been reported in different countries.
Stephen Kotkin and Bruce A. Elleman, eds. Mongolia in the Twentieth Century: Landlocked Cosmopolitan
Authors: Kaplonski Christopher
Published: December 2010

Stephen Kotkin and Bruce A. Elleman, eds. Mongolia in the Twentieth Century: Landlocked Cosmopolitan Armonk, NY: M.E.Sharpe, 1999 ISBN: 0-7656-0535-X
Anti-Immigrant Attitudes in the Socio-Political Life of a Siberian City: The Example of Irkutsk
Authors: Dyatlov V. I.
Published: December 2010

Although the great majority of Siberians are themselves ‘immigrants’ from central Russia and other Slav regions, the post-Soviet period has seen the re-emergence of previously latent anti- immigrant attitudes even among contemporary Siberians. The article examines the case of Irkutsk and explains why it is that hostility is now directed against the Caucasian nationalities and against the Chinese. One factor is the historical dislike of ‘trading minorities’ by peoples with an egalitarian, labour-oriented ethos; another is the way the new immigrants play into local stereotypes of the ‘stranger’; a third is the exploitation of rising nationalism by local politicians in their electoral strategies. The article concludes that self-protective strategies, especially by the Chinese, often prevent integration. Anti-immigrant attitudes are likely to remain, even
A Synopsis of the Life of Urgunge Onon
Authors: Kanzawa Yuzo
Published: December 2010

Professor Onon was born on the 11th day of the 11th lunar month in 1919, which is equivalent to January 1st, 1920. Astrologically speaking, according to the ‘Diagram of the Book of Changes’, he was born under the sign of the Fire Star (Mars). Hence he inherited a clever and logical mind from his parents and he should have served in the army as joint chief of staff, where with his keen brain he could manipulate the generals. Fortunately, he chose to go into the academic world.
Ethnic Behaviour under Conditions of High Radiation
Authors: Komarova Galina
Published: December 2010

In the 1950s and 1960s serious nuclear accidents and ongoing pollution by waste disposal from the ‘Mayak’ plant affected the Techa River region in the Southern Urals (Russia). These episodes were clouded in secrecy during the Soviet period, such that even local people were unaware of the dangers. Virtually all families have been affected by radiation sickness. Yet even today people still live in the affected area. The article describes how three generations of the population has adapted to life in such dangerous conditions and it outlines the very different responses of men and women and of the various ethnic groups living in the area (Tatars, Bashkirs, and Russians).
Rivalry and Solidarity among Uyghur Healers in Kazakhstan
Authors: BellÉr-hann Ildikó
Published: December 2010

The article explores popular rituals among residents of a poor neighbourhood in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. It focuses on the activities of Uyghur healers who mediate between humans and the spirit world. These inspirational practices are so thoroughly intertwined with Islamic symbols and assumptions that simply to label them shamanistic is inadequate and certainly unacceptable to the actors themselves. The efflorescence of healing activities among the Uyghur in the changed political and economic climate of post-Soviet Central Asia demonstrates continuities with past practices, which have some of their roots in ancestor cults. Invention of tradition is compatible with inventive strategies on the part of the healers, who are competing in a lucrative market. The success of individual healers depends on a number of interrelated factors, including intra-group divisions in the Uyghur diaspora in Kazakhstan, particularly that which separates early arrivals from more recent migrants.
Introduction:Mongols and Tibetans…
Authors: Diemberger Hildegard
Published: December 2010

“May these Annals of the Kökhnuur, as related above, be like the full moon just as it rises, and may all the deeds of some lamas, kings and ministers, and the common people of the three – China, Tibet, and Mongolia – be like the white light that spreads through openings in the most beautiful rainbow clouds moving slowly….”
Ritual under Change: Mongolian Influences on Horse Races and Mountain Divinity Worship in Tibet
Authors: Studer Elke
Published: December 2010

The article outlines the Mongolian influences on the biggest horse race festival in Nagchu prefecture in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).Since old times these horse races have been closely linked to the worship of the local mountain deity by the patrilineal nomadic clans of the South-Eastern Changthang, the North Tibetan plain. In the seventeenth century the West Mongol chieftain Güüshi Khan shaped the history of Tibet. To support his political claims, he enlarged the horse race festival's size and scale, and had his troops compete in the different horse race and archery competitions in Nagchu. Since then, the winners of the big race are celebrated side by side with the political achievements and claims of the central government in power.
How Many Minzu in a Nation? Modern Travellers Meet China’s Frontier Peoples
Authors: Lipman Jonathan N.
Published: December 2010

Through the writings of three modern travellers, this essay examines the role of domestic non-Chinese, on the northwestern frontiers of Chinese culture, in the imagining of a new nation-state. Ma Hetian, Fan Changjiang, and Gu Jiegang went to the same places in the mid-1930s and observed very similar phenomena, but because they travelled to the northwest for very different purposes and with very different theories in mind, their conclusions differed radically. Ma Hetian saw a Guomindang vision, a single and united Chinese people (in potential), divided only by religion and language. Fan Changjiang, a leftist journalist, saw various peoples competing and conflicting for scarce resources in an exploited, impoverished frontier region. Gu Jiegang, an antiquarian scholar, concluded that the northwest could be a reservoir of virile, martial strength of a new China. All three of them relied on the notion of Minzu, which was then a much more flexible and less centrally determined concept than it is today, to understand what they saw.
Allegorising the Local on the Borderland: Ai Wu's Nanxingji and National Subjectivity
Authors: Wenbin Peng
Published: December 2010

This paper offers a reading of Ai Wu's Nanxingji series (Trilogy of Travel Through the South) depicting the author's journey from Yunnan to Burma in the May Fourth era and his subsequent returns to the border regions of Yunnan in the socialist period. It explores the ways in which allegorical dimensions of ‘the local’ shift at different social-historical junctures: ‘the local’ as a site in need of reforms in the 1920s, in socialist reality in the early 1960s, and in traumatic memories of the Cultural Revolution in the early 1980s. In extrapolating these ‘local’ dimensions embedded in the Nanxingji series, this paper suggests a contingent rather than a causal relationship between national incorporation and ‘the local’ formations. Additionally, this paper highlights how travel operates as an allegorical device, linking ‘the personal’ to the interplay of local specificities and the national imaginary, and how travel styles themselves change over time.
Editorial Introduction
Authors: Kaplonski Christopher
Published: December 2010

Socialism was more than a political regime or economic system. It was an ideology – a way of thinking and behaving. The socialist state attempted to instil a particular identity in its citizens. Successful or not, it was something citizens of the socialist state had to take into account. The collapse of socialism (or, in China, its modifi cation) has meant people have been forced to come to terms with its economic and political impacts at the same time as they are forced to search within themselves to see who they are and who they want to be.
Metaphorical and Ideological Concepts of Post-Socialist Mongolian Kinship
Authors: Park Hwan-Young
Published: December 2010

This paper focuses upon changes that have occurred in the use of metaphors and ideologies of kinship in post socialist Mongolia. Three major kinship metaphors and symbols (bone, blood and flesh), which were used historically and are now in the process of being transformed, are examined. It also looks at various types of non-kin relations that imitate kinship. Then I outline the ways in which the new metaphors of ‘blood’ are involved in the discourse of ethnicity among the Halh Mongols.
The Tuvans of Mongolia: Peculiarities of Contemporary Ethnic Development
Authors: Mongush Marina V.
Published: December 2010

This paper deals with the formation of the basic ethno-local groups of Tuvans which now inhabit the Mongolian aimags (provinces) of Bayan Ölgii, Khovd and Khövsgöl, and examines questions of their settlement, number and clan composition. Modern ethno-linguistic processes and inter-ethnic relations are also investigated.
Representations and Techniques of the Body among the Mongols
Authors: Lacaze Gaelle
Published: December 2010

The article provides an analysis of techniques of the body in childhood, adulthood and old age among a range of Mongolian cultures. Using Marcel Mauss's well-known observations on techniques of the body as a starting point, the paper develops his ideas (along lines suggested by the work of Roberte Hamayon) to include issues of classification, spatiality and symbolisation. In the context of Buddhist and shamanist cultures, Mongolian concepts of ‘soul’ and ‘vital energy’ are central for an understanding of techniques of the body. Analysing the life-cycle and indigenous notions of cyclicity, it is argued that the process of humanisation during the training of the child is for the Mongols the opposite of the process of dehumanisation of the elders. In both situations, a certain distance from full social presence is evident. Adulthood, on the other hand, is a period of social integration marked by a mode of mastery of the body and restraint in physical behaviour. Using both synchronic and diachronic modes of analysis, Lacaze concludes that while collective public pressures to conform to conventional norms are strong, there also exist a variety of more natural (‘wild’) behaviours that are allowed to certain social categories, this being related to concepts of animality.
Editorial Introduction
Authors: Sneath David
Published: December 2010

This issue of Inner Asia includes papers of historical, geographical, and ethnographic interest, but all of them, in one way or another, touch upon the importance of the past for understanding the contemporary. The papers by Karl Ryavec and Johan Elverskog provide critical examinations of particular representations of the past, with reference to the geography of the Chinese State and the image of stasis in treatments of the Qing period of Mongol history respectively. The other two papers both deal with contemporary phenomena, but look to the past to explain the revival of shamanism among the Aga–Buryats in the case of Ippei Shimamura’s paper, and to explore the Mongolian conception of the zah zeel (‘market’) in Alan Wheeler’s. We also have a report on a symposium exploring the history of Inner Asian statecraft, and book reviews by Christopher Atwood, Edmund Waite, Christopher Kaplonski and David Gullette evaluating recent publications on themes as diverse as the legacy of Chinggis Khan, China’s multiethnic frontiers, Central Eurasian Studies and Xinjiang.
International Symposium on Inner Asian Statecraft and Technologies of Governance
Authors: Sneath David
Published: December 2010

The symposium was organised by the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit, University of Cambridge, with the support of the British Academy, the Sigrid Rausing Inner Asian Scholarly Exchange Programme, and the French Cultural Delegation in Cambridge. It was held on 18 and 19 March 2004 at Corpus Christi College, and was attended by many of the leading scholars of the history and culture of Inner Asia, including three Mongolian academicians.
The Complex Structure of Ethnic Conflict in the Frontier: Through the Debates around the ‘Jindandao Incident’ in 1891
Authors: Borjigin Burensain
Published: December 2010

Toward the end of the Qing dynasty, Inner Mongolia became the main destination for bankrupt Chinese peasants from interior China. With the increase in numbers of Chinese immigrants, conflicts between Mongols and Chinese intensified as Chinese struggled for more benefits and Mongols tried to maintain their traditional social order. In 1891 a Chinese secret society called Jindandao massacred tens of thousands of Mongols in the mixed Mongol–Chinese regions of eastern Inner Mongolia. The survivors fled to the pastoral areas south of the Hingan mountains, propelling the agriculturalisation of these regions and the refiguration of the local societies.
Ethnic Minority Immigrants Under the Western Region Development: A Report from the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County
Authors: Mailisha
Published: December 2010

In recent years, sandstorms have seriously threatened Beijing, prompting the Chinese government to further acknowledge the importance of ecological issues in the ethnic minority regions. The government is now undertaking various measures to conserve the environment in minority regions. However, many ethnic minority people, instead of benefiting from the government projects, have become ecological immigrants, being forced to leave their homelands. This report, based on field research, touches on population resettlement and environmental issues in the Lianhua and Minghai Townships of the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County of Gansu Province. The area, inhabited mainly by the Yugur nomads, is located in the Gobi region of the central Hexi corridor to the north of the Qilian Shan mountains. The resettlement of the Yugur nomads to take up agricultural farming ostensibly to adjust population distribution and to solve ecological problems, has in fact accelerated environmental deterioration. This case reflects only a tip of the iceberg of the problems of ethnic minority ecological immigrants in the process of China’s Western Region Development.
The Ethnic Reality in ‘Homemade Narration’
Authors: Shinjilt
Published: December 2010

This paper analyses the variegated narratives by ‘minority nationalities’ in China, hoping to understand the dynamics of their ethnic consciousness. I focus on the Mongols in Henan Mongolian Autonomous County of Qinghai Province – hereafter Henanmengqi – where ‘Tibetanisation’ has been longstanding in culture and language. In recent decades, they have been subject to the state's ethnic classification and thus have been conscious of their relationship with the neighbouring Tibetans and other Mongols in and out of Qinghai. In this paper, the following themes on their daily experiences are discussed: What significance does the nationality category of Sogpo (‘Mongol’ in Tibetan) hold for the Henanmengqi people? Who (which group) should or should not be included in Sogpo? In what situation does the semantic content of Sogpo change? The Henanmengqi people are not free to choose their nationality category, and are often caught in the conflicting categorisations by the state administrators, scholars, other Tibetans and Mongols. I pay particular attention to the power dynamics in such relationships and the strategies taken by the Henanmengqi people to negotiate with external powers to form their nationality behaviours. Finally, I will discuss in general the characteristics of what may be called the grammar or reality of ‘homemade narration’ by ethnic minorities.
Editorial Introduction
Authors: Bulag Uradyn E.
Published: December 2010

This issue of Inner Asia includes papers that deal with two broad areas: politics of identity in medieval and contemporary periods and socialist and post-socialist economic development in Central and Inner Asia. It also features a critical response by Peter Bol to Karl Ryavec’s paper published in vol. 6, no. 2 of Inner Asia (2004) and Ryavec’s reply. We are pleased with and encourage this kind of exchange, as we are interested in critical scholarship that challenges our conventional thinking, and through debate we can come to better understanding of the dynamics of not only the Inner Asian studies field but also the region and its peoples. In this regard, Sergey Radchenko’s critical review of the two Mongolian political memoirs is also welcome, for it not only highlights some of the problems in writing a genuine history of socialist Mongolia, but also engages national scholars and politicians who, after all, have the responsibility to document, research, systematise, create and maintain their national cultures, and who set the agendas and guide the developments in their own countries. Their scholarly or non-scholarly results deserve outside scholars’ scrutiny whatever ideological and methodological differences separate them. The issue also includes reviews of several international symposia or conferences that were held in the last year or so in the UK, America, Japan and Mongolia. These reviews alert the readers of Inner Asia to the wide-ranging important intellectual activities both at the theoretical and practical levels in and about Inner Asia.
Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire
Authors: Kaplonski Christopher
Published: December 2010

I think that every time I open Christopher Atwood’s new Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, I learn something new.While this could be taken as an indication of my ignorance of things Mongolian, I prefer to think of it as a testament to the depth and breadth of Atwood’s work and ability that the Encyclopedia represents. Although geared towards a more general audience (looking up ‘ger’ sends you to the more popular ‘yurt’ and ‘airag’ tells you to look under ‘koumiss’) anyone with an interest in Mongolia or the Mongol Empire will find this an essential book to have on hand. The review copy has been sitting within ready reach of my desk since it arrived, and has become one of the first places I look to when I want to refresh my memory or trace down a quick fact.
The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century
Authors: Skrynnikova Tatyana
Published: December 2010

The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian epic chronicle of the thirteenth century Translated with a historical and philological commentary by Igor De Rachewiltz. Leiden & Boston: (MA) Brill. 2004. cxxvi + 1347 pp. Brill’s Inner Asian Library 7. ISBN 90 04 13159 0 (Set), ISBN 90 04 13596 0 (Vol. 1), ISBN 90 04 13597 0 (Vol. 2). EUR 190, US 272, £130.00.
From Holy Man to National Villain: Popular Historical Narratives About Apaq Khoja amongst Uyghurs in Contemporary Xinjiang
Authors: Waite Edmund
Published: December 2010

This paper explores contrasting attitudes of contemporary Uyghurs towards Apaq Khoja, a Naqshbandi Sufi leader who gained political control over much of present-day Xinjiang (Eastern Turkestan) towards the end of the seventeenth century. In seeking to account for these widely diverging approaches, the paper analyses the key role of historical narratives about Sufism in the shaping of contemporary Uyghur ethnic identities.
The Process of Creation of National Symbols and Their Adoption in the 1992 Constitution of Mongolia
Authors: Boldbaatar Jigjid , Humphrey Caroline
Published: December 2010

The structure and composition of state symbols has evolved and changed through the various historical periods of Mongolian history. This article considers the creation and adoption of the state emblem, standard, flag and national anthem in the Constitution of Mongolia adopted in 1992. Particular attention is paid to the procedures whereby decisions were taken at this important juncture in twentieth-century Mongolian history.